Business Pants – 2022-06-22

Hello live. Live live. The hello, there's a lot of different intros now. Live from the middle finger on my right hand where I cut myself Gathering leaves near my rose bush at 7 a.m. this morning because I just wanted to get the hell out of my covid fog. That is my house. This is all true. It's a someone normal business pants, Friday, featuring a special fancy expert from Down Under? Yeah, that's right. The best kind. We haven't had a fancy expert in a while. Its we have a journal, a journalist. You was a journalist. She's like a real person like here. We're a mess. I joined as always by Ari the jury, Queen data lady Emma. I signed a 68 month lease, lurking and Matt repaints, his house, every time the sun sets moscati, I'm 37.5% of a functioning human being, which is actually up from normal. So, maybe I should be thinking, right? Good job, be licking and rails. Welcome to the Friday show. Where here's what we do. We go over all the fun categories. I I cover story of the week. Are you being bumped up the roster this week? You're doing a good list of the week after me today? Yes. Because they're good. As we've learned, if we let Emma and Matt talk first. We're so depressed. That, by the time we get to, are you? Yeah, I don't talk before I always go after Ari. Yeah, just irritate us last. Mac covers as holiest of the week and Emma with irritating us of the week, which I don't know. Is it almost feels like the same kind of, we actually have a punks and Pinstripes minute in the middle west, Greg Larkin. So we have we have special experience everywhere everywhere. So if Greg Larkin today, we have Rachel Alan Bacchus, help me with that you nailed it. All right, finally, nailed something. Greek surname. I too have a Greek surname so it's the one thing I know. Candle. Now, no one would be like from like Raleigh. Except the problem is except the problem is is that my dad was named George Wallace. And the prime minister of Greece in the 80s was also named George Wallace. So you can shove it matters. Nobody cares, literally. Nobody cares. Not me or I hear ghost story of the week. Come on, let's do it. Do it story of the week. Let's get a, we're gonna timers up, we're gonna get some timers up for this go. Wow, counting down. You've already gonna test two It's fine. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna use my full five minutes. Am I gonna test? It's been the business news has literally sucked. Since Elon musk's decided in a pencil and fit to try to buy Twitter. It's almost like nobody cares about anything else anymore. So so my stories are kind of shaped around that and my the fact that 2/3 of my house has covid. And I really am not enjoying this week. So the first story of the week is my home which is full of covid. That's the first three that we All right. Second Story of the week is a bit more serious and this is like A question for the future but it is something that we should be answering here. And thinking about, which is how will companies, how will corporations react to the end of abortion rights is something that Matt touched on earlier in the week. But this, this is the sort of the looming story in the corporate world. At least it should be and unlike a lot of the social justice movements that we've covered in the past, Most companies except for Tech I think are really scared of this issue. I don't know why. Because this is a, we're talking about an issue that directly affects more than half the population and indirectly affects much more than that. So, I don't know why they're suddenly shy about a social justice movement. But, anyway, that's the second story of the week. The third story that I just threw in there because it's just the most ridiculous and it's just sort of represents our time's snap CEO. Evan Spiegel says, he has banned the word metaverse at his office so I guess it's at least our first. A first official jumped, the shark sighting of the metaverse like, I guess it's a officially It's officially a loser state. So I I guess what he's saying is that Mark Zuckerberg officially the loser? I think that's what he said. Really, he just realized. He's like woke up. Oh, it's just official. Oh okay. All right, the idea here is that he does not. He's he's Banning the word metaverse from from the office at snap. They're they're into something called augmented reality. It's the term metaverse. Yeah. Okay. And the fourth story. The work is my doll brain, which kind of overlaps the first story of the week. So you see I'm I have two and a half minutes left on my segment. Well, I think you're probably, you. Yeah, goes. You can't cancel. It yourself out with my covid home and my doll brain. So, depressed, cancel each other out. So those can't be the story that because I could not possibly chose between those two, which one is more story of The Weeknd from companies though. So I don't know how number two is going to work. Well, I see no statements about Damien home, makes that less of a story of the week. You've seen a bunch of statements because I don't I don't see this something that the law. A lot of them seem reluctant is All I'm gonna say, except for Tech, we have seen some movement in Tech. I don't think anyone's gonna actually pick up and leave, which is what they should do in my opinion. However, leave all the they are like protecting are you here in case you need? An abortion will fly like it's a vacation package. So there's been a lot of that and like Amazon. Yeah, committed 4000 or something, in case, somebody needed to travel to have certain procedures done. But it doesn't extend to their part time workers or their contractors. Yeah. But Levi, for example, they are being super nice and giving us everybody right. Look at this mood from already. I mean, you could have buzzed her like, already three times that she's suggesting that, that a corporation helping a woman, go to another state to get an abortion, is a vacation package. That's the budget. I mean, what a horrible perspective are you, I'm sorry. I'm right there with her but here's the thing is that a lot of these states and they think about 26 States, could Outlaw? These states might not allow these corporations to send these women out of. I don't know. They're gonna they're gonna be cracking on that too. So clearly I think you're voting for that that story of the week, right? Are you So business friendly those States, you know. It's 100% the story of the week and their matters already agrees with them. Well yes that's why I interrupted him. His Spiegel. Like metaverse. Augmented reality, get it. Come on. We're all talking about the same thing, idiot, shut up. Shut your face. Where's my timer stopped. But, but the, you basically have like what? I think. The real story about the abortion and how companies react to it is and why they're afraid of it is, look companies have been like donating to these political action committees forever, and it's just a matter of time before you get story. After story after story about the companies that have donated to basically women rights insurrectionists like the GOP and Mitch McConnell holding Congress hostage for a year. So they could put Brett Kavanaugh and on the Supreme Court and then fast tracking, Amy Barrett to the Supreme Court so that they could overturn Roe, v Wade, and January 6th, insurrectionists the same companies are basically funding. In those, I look I'm on your side here map. But what makes you think anyone cares about, who corporations, donate to III? Like, I'm with you that is yet to see, I've yet to see evidence of any movement, either from a consumer, a shareholder about, that's not true. Yeah, tell me, the shareholder movement is actually on the conservative side where 20 weeks, we talked about this yesterday, 28% of the proxies put up by the anti-woke, are trying to figure out where these donations are going to. It's about lobbying and charitable donations. And then what? And then they're going to like boycott and yeah, it's gonna be a whole thing. I just think, well, the companies are in a position where they're petrified. Then now on both sides, they're going to have story after story about how they are funding. Everything we hate. I think that's that's the that's The story of this week. I, I guess, I just I don't I've never really seen the evidence that that that matters to people. I mean, maybe it does matter to them into life. I've never seen action based on the fact that AT&T donates a crapload of money to, you know, pro life groups. I just I've never seen the movement but go ahead Emma. What's your vote? Mine is the same. It does have to be how Corporation react to the end of proportion story of the week. The looming, question of the summer. How will corporations react to the end of abortion rights and even more important than that? Believe it or not. Is, why is the timer stopped? What does that mean? Is, is that the new 2015? Is it 2046, is it? So we did, we go to discussion? Yes, get it out of my eyesight. Why do I have to stare at 46? Now, you're giving hunting. It's all I was thinking about the last Or something ruining me moving on moving on goodly are the data Queen. Yeah, love it. See, I I'm so excited about this. You moving up in the show because I actually do feel good doll. Covid. Damien feels good right now. No, I you guys Matt and Emma weigh me down every week like a sudden, dirty blanket. But now I'm feeling light and Airy. So I'm psyched for all right. My number one is more of a PSA in case you didn't know You can't truly own anything in the metaverse so yeah, I love it. Virtual reality stop buying know, I am informing consumers. That is good for everyone like yeah, I'm buying your Nike sneakers on the metaverse or anything because it's not yours when you buy an item and this is for you Damien. So pay attention, when you buy an item in the metaverse your your purchase is recorded and a transaction and blockchain, right? So that will never disappear. That is our forever. The record says you own a thing. The thing you purchased the actual product exists on a metaverse platform which is you sign up for and you agree to terms of service, right? Those terms of service agreements, those are centralized and they're under complete control of the single company of the metaverse platform. And if it's on metal, you know the meta, metaverse then You are for sure, screwed out of your investment or your item. Because nothing like, zucker's owns everything. He's gonna own everything. What are we done to re? What is this? Where is the good Ari? Where is the good? Is that she's informing us about something bad? I am because, you know, I found so, Are you awake? So you were saying that owning something that metaverse is kind of like renting your modem from Verizon for your like internet or your. Is that what you're saying? It's same thing. Like you don't own it. It's like having a modem, you own the modem, but it may not work because they just decide that you won't internet. You everywhere you still fairly and hi Damien. All right. I like that one. Good job you what? About all my? What about all my chucklehead friends who are constantly buying like nft metaverse City things, and then immediately selling them to 12 year old sit ridden losers for an instant profit. Why is that, why can't they do that? Turn off the lights on him. But they're making a profit daily while we sit there and mock them. Why is that? They that's her players. Make a profit too sometimes Damien. What's what's wrong with that? All right, number two, this is the future of the 2020s. Damian hybrid power plants. Do you know what? A hybrid power plant is, here we go. Now, hybrid, tell me, power plant combines electricity generation with battery storage on the same location on site. Often pairing, solar and wind farms with large-scale batteries. You'd think that this is already a thing, right? But it's not but currently there are a lot of projects in the development pipeline that would yield about 1400. Gigawatts of generation in storage. Is that what is that? A lot of that is more than all the US, existing, power plants combined that I could say. Is it more than that house? My house is the 1200 gigawatts. Right. So this is important because renewable. Sources, they produce large shell, Texas, but varying amounts of power throughout the day, right? So if you had a battery, you can capture that when the Sun goes down, its peak hours and people are turning on, their ACS, they're whatever, then they're able to draw power from that storage. So that's really great and people support Renewables. They do have preferences as to where energy produced in their home state goes though, for example, Rhode, Island residents, support Renewables. They prefer to send it to Massachusetts. They really don't want to send the power to New York. They're like, nope, not New York. Thank you. New Hampshire, New Hampshire like me. They really don't like Massachusetts. They're like, nope, we don't want that there. Oh and I'm confused. Okay. Okay. This is people in their choice. Was I thought Rhode Island was a part of Massachusetts. All right? Don't start. Yeah don't even take the bait. Number three, All right, real quick, vegan eggs versus climate change denier Ted Cruz. Here egg, celebrated Earth month which was last month and I didn't know it was a whole month. Yes, by trolling wraps. All over DC was Billboards posters and a food truck serving pointedly named egg sandwiches like the Ted Cruz's. Cancun vacation. That's funny. Yeah, right that's funny. I don't want to eat that though. Yeah, tell me where that's funny. You know there's Chipotle and pepper. Jack cheese. That was vegan pepper. Jack cheese. Anyway, there were Billboards. You can Ted Cruz sandwiches funny in and of itself. Climate change tonight. Oh but there's a billboard that read these egg sandwiches are more effective against climate change. Then Congress sad. And right now I get it. I like it right in the really like do, oh no, they're really doing all of this because you know, they're calling her tonight and pushing Congress to prioritize. Climate legislation because we are doing nothing and if we don't slash methane methane emissions, but 2030 by a third, then we're all dead. Eating sandwiches. Give me anything, but that's a different problem. Well, they're calling it. Get it. Matt, just, hey, gotta get it. Just just egg, get just Hey, got it, got it. Um but when the first year yeah, go first. No, I said does anyone I can go first? Hybrid power, plants are the future of the 2020s makes it hard for me to pick it as the goodest of the week. Um, oh come on. Don't don't do that. I mean, is this a fair? Can I ask a question already? Do you know who's who was building these? These are State like government run. They're private, who all private companies and states? can all so, When is the first one connect me? Operation are already. There are some already. Operational are see it Matt, they already have so celebrate it when we get to 1400 gigawatts, which is good map because in the 2030s will be the decade of the batteries Wars like a shit, you know, it will really be it when the US decides to do something about the grid. Okay. All right, Matt, that's your so, Matt says, notice I seen her to that the PSA on the metaverse. I didn't need. So I'm gonna go. I'm know, I've been reading that PSA for like five months and you're not clearly you wrote it on the show because people are diverse can suck my butt. Um, and that leaves you with vegan eggs versus Ted Cruz, which I have. Like philosophical problems with the idea of a Vegan egg. Um, wow. Tell me what are they? What is it? It's being Yeah. Okay, like beans. So you call it beans. Okay. Dairy, you're like big AG right now. Don't call him. I just I don't care about it. Like I just like that the company trolled Ted Cruz with the Ted Cruz, Cancun vacation egg sandwich. Everything about that is great. I'm voting vegan. Eggs versus climate change. Here's here's what I've learned. Sorry is that hey you don't work at snap because you're already talking about the metaverse right after I a story where I said that we're Banning the word overall. I'm sorry, but I just don't even understand what you're talking about. I don't get how about that story good? It made me, it made me kind of sad that I bumped you up in the roster because that's what you let off with. Like I don't I don't. So you're saying a PSA is good. Do you think people psa's are good? And you're not sure. Two hybrid power plants are in the future that I'm kind of with, Matt on this one. I don't really know. I, we hear a lot of stories about Power the future power. You know what I should already here, I want to live in the future. Okay. Well you put the word future in the title, so I'm gonna pass on that one. I'll just go with Matt, because I like, I like the, I like when I like the oxymoron of things like vegan eggs, I like that. Unlike Matt, I appreciate the absurdity of that phrase because clearly what. Yeah, what the hell is a Vegan egg? I mean, Yeah, and then they troll Ted Cruz. It's like I'm being sold by idea of a Vegan egg and by Ted Cruz and trolling, Ted Cruz. It's winning everywhere. Sure. Emma. I'm gonna go for the metaverse PSA. I needed to know, I felt better about my life knowing that information so it was good to me. Here. Okay. She understood, you know, it's funny because Ari is the same woman who had a pretty well, a somewhat passionate conversation with me a few months back about how much she supported. You are completing to different things, you lost. You can't, you can't? That's where I'm lost with you. I don't know, I don't know who you are. I don't know what you're doing. I think you just go sit on a jury and judge your peers still support black chain. Black chain is great. All right, moving on. So this story, the week is vegan people vegan, although, it could be said that just the existence of a vegan is trolling. I know. That's the best thing. That's the best part. Yeah. All right, Matthew McCarty as holy as the week. take it away before you do that actually Matt winner, we When are we going to drop the our fancy X right now? Okay, so I gotta do. Now, I have three assholes of the week, but the first one is brought to you by the preeminent, Greg Larkin of punks and Pinstripes Greg and I worked together a million years ago and he is doing a incredible things now and he has a our first asshole of the week here is Greg, wait here, we're going to, he's the asshole the know his he providing to deliver us. This is like this is like a Jeopardy when they have a celebrity literally, right? And the asshole is going to be companies who celebrate mental health month this month. Here it is, celebrated watch, Greg drop knowledge. This is a punks and Pinstripes minute with me. Greg Larkin, better be a minute watching companies. Celebrate National mental health month. In the middle of the largest mass resignation in American history. Is the greatest example of corporate tone deafness I've seen maybe ever It is like watching a football team who loses every game focus on upgrading their cheerleading squad. It would be pure delightful satire if it wasn't, so fucking tragic. Because the reason the great resignation is happening, is because huge companies have a horrible impact on their employees Mental Health. So if you're actually in charge of getting this right, there are a few things you should start doing. Number one, don't celebrate basic dignity like it is a magnanimous Act of generosity. You let a new mom, breastfeed it work you didn't establish the fucking Ford Foundation. Number two, the perks never offset the jerks the free donuts that you offer on Feel Good Friday will be immediately forgotten if obstructionism and abuse is the leadership Norm. Number three, Participation is not engagement. Someone who participates in a hackathon or has a drink at your happy. Hour does not necessarily Find meaning in their work and if they don't find meaning in their work, they're probably going to leave anyway. Hmm. So if you're still talking to me then, come back next week for another punks and Pinstripes minute with me, Greg Larkin. There's Greg that's Greg. He basically said companies that grind humans into the ground. Celebrating mental health awareness month or whatever. It's like if Roger Goodell celebrated concussion awareness, right? Like you did, he say that? He didn't say that. But to give you the shorthand, he is pointing out the incredible hypocrisy of companies. Celebrating mental health awareness, got it, I like nails it Greg. So here is so it's Mental Health, Awareness Month Hypocrites is number one. Number two, Yeah, the musk Hangers On investors. So this week musk got more loans for his stupid investment in Twitter and he's actually reducing his bank loans by finding outside lenders. Basically it's a bunch of people who he wanted to invite them to his house so they can smoke weed and watch Ron Paul videos. I imagine I categorized we talked about this yesterday. I categorized the investors in four buckets. There are the capitalists the attention. Seekers, the musket Liberty ins and the bribes. The capitalists, yes, scribers. I the capitalists include companies like Fidelity management. Brooke field, bamko. These are like old white people investing and they supplied 851 million dollars, the attention, Seekers include binance and a guy named Andrew medjuck who's basically himself, who got money from Dad. These are people who just, they want to get close to the musk. They want to. They want pay attention to me, drink the biggest 983 million dollars. So, okay, well, it's a lot. The musket liberte ins And the bribes are neck and neck for the crappiest investors in the Twitter World, they include the Liberty, include Marc, Andreessen Larry Ellison, another venture capital fund basically, people who have invested in SpaceX, they're close to musk already. They pay Paul Mafia types that hang out at parties and talk about how they want to take over the world and want to be left alone. And then There is the bribes, the bribe I'm looking at you, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The prince prince. I'll will I will lead bin talal been. There's a lot of, I'm gonna say it wrong. There's a prince in Saudi Arabia, who's rolling 1.9 billion dollars of equity. Into this, this deal, the same prince who said not four weeks ago, this was a terrible deal, right? Like this is very clearly, There's Something About This investment that all the sudden were turning on dimes and thinking everything's great. But the drivers make up 2.97 I like million dollars worth. I like the fact that the briber seemed to come from. A lot of countries that have had a lot of free speech problems. Yes, giving a giving three billion dollars to a man who's supposedly trying to bring. Well, because they know that. They know it's all so this is all nonsense. You're all assholes. Okay, stop it. And then number three. My number three, yeah, asshole. The week is enemy lists. Okay. Yeah. Um, the we covered how Texas is making enemy lists. We covered how Peter Thiel. It's got a list of enemies. You know what, you know, who else had enemy lists? Nixon know, famous enemy list and rolling stone. Actually put out an article in 2020 about climate enemies which had CEOs and oil tycoons and Robert Rupert. Murdoch on it, just stop it with the Enemy lists like my Yep, but see. This is the problem we can make a list of enemy. Matt doesn't like any and he's left or right that making lists of enemies is pointless. Like you just did you just get some data and invest how you want to invest? Do we need a Perpetual list of enemies to a thing? Just stop at. What is a Texas law that makes zero sense and no one can understand and they're hiring woke data. Companies in order to fulfill their love. Those are my three Oh nice. Look at that. Look like a professionally bounces on five. Now listen, the I have to point out once again the Brilliance of Peter Thiel for for ranting and raving against enemies list. As he was listening, he's enemies. Yes I love it. I love best. All right, anyone want to jump into this first as holy so we can feel this. I can go Emma, Emma's already. Come on already the second that Greg started talking I was like, yeah, 100% there. There is just nothing douche here. Then being like we care about your mental health and then doing absolutely nothing to protect people's mental health and actively Implement policies. We don't make it worse so I love redundant. I yeah, here's where you're. Yeah, I I'm with you. I'm a first one. Here's where you're wrong. Greg, I actually don't stop the freedom that's but what I could make out of what he heard, I realized in the podcast, it'll be normal. But I you know, I was a little bit clipped on my end but I think Greg is yeah, he's on the edge of Brilliance there. I wish I could fully understand what he said, but I'm with you Emma. I liked. I liked his Caden's. I like this style. I like the anger, I'm with you. Greg, I'm going to Greg too. Great Greg's. Companies that celebrate mental health month. Yeah, that's my vote. Ari, I like lists. So, I don't know what you got against this. Yeah, it's hard to know if Matt is being tongue and cheek there. We don't really know if he's being tongue and cheek. They're very helpful. I'm so over Musk. Delete Twitter, Twitter, where's that? #I really liked. Greg Larkin and his neck. That's right. It was a golden, was it. What's the old, man? Thank you. I'm like a golden Saxon. Like that's wrong. That is perfect. Yeah, we don't give me a fruit and thanks to Greg Larkin of punks and Pinstripes for donating his time for a punks and Pinstripes minute. That is the know. Will he be here every week to donate to your category? He's gonna try every single week, it may not be for my category, but he's excellent and I just having Greg donate to Matt's category every week, might turn out to be a problem because we are all just gonna vote for Greg every single time. And yeah. Because we don't like him improve that what Craig should run free. Yeah. But here's where you're wrong, Emma, because we only really have to kiss his ass. One time, we like come back next week. Yeah, next week, I don't care enough. All right, there you go. As holy is the weak companies, celebrating mental health. Let's throw it to, oh, Emma. I'm a lurking. Look at Emma. I feel like Emma. You're I feel like you're almost fully back with us. He's almost seemed like a normal person, Guardian yesterday, he did. Tell me that. I look like I got shot out of a cannon. So I'm hoping to look less. Like, I got shot out of a cannon. So, that's where aiming. Wait, no, we like that. We want shot out of a can that was our HR. Okay. Emma, lurking with irritating us of the week. Take it away here. So timer. She's putting a timer for yourself. Come on. Yeah, okay. So, number one, Venture, capitalists John Dorr gives 1.1 billion dollars to stand for. I'm glad to fund climate research. I'm also glad I'm covering this because it really sucks. It sucks super hard. And I don't think that. Yeah, it's super well. So, so this is just me. This isn't even facts. This is just my like thought process. I can't think of a worse way to fight climate change than to hand over a billion dollars, to one of the richest private institutions in the world who does nothing and pump out. Tech Founders who are contributing to the problem. Like, it just isn't driving for me. I don't know about anyone else, but the here are some actual facts. So John Dorr, I don't know. He's a venture capitalist. He has invested early in everything you can think of from Intuit to Google to anything whatever. And so he's worth about 11 billion dollars and sells. So the only interesting thing about that is that he is actually giving up a semi significant amount of his net worth. So, you know, ability don't get me wrong but it's more than most yeah, but he was an early backer of Amazon, which is one of the biggest corporate polluters around. Thank you, John. And he is listed as one of the founders of an immigration focused lobbying group that is let me be clear immigration, Focus lobbying group means There's some left-leaning tech Founders who are all are lobbying for various things, under the guise of a progressive agenda, but really, it's very corporate interests. And this is proven better. Buy nothing than the fact that it is primarily founded by Mark Zuckerberg and back in 2013, this group was in support of the Keystone Pipeline. So, I'm confused about John's dedication to the cause here. That's number one. Got it. Number two. Yeah, John Dorr shell reports a record. 9.1 billion dollar profit. I just to go back in time for a second when everyone was all concerned for these oil companies. Remember that remember Headlines last month. Yeah, like the following here. To both of which are from 2020. Oil companies are collapsing but wind and solar and New York Times. Yep. Yeah. Struggling. Oil companies are taking advantage of us, coronavirus Aid. Oh, that's irritating. So weird. How less than two years later? Oil companies are breaking profit records. They really made good use of that covid 8. Mmm, Breaking part of Records on the heels of a war. Sting write weird. Interesting or does that number three? Starbucks plans to increase wages that won't apply to unionized workers. So I already know that this one is going to be a bust with Matt and Damien because they're going to say some shit like what was surprised by that, you know. No, no. I'm with you on this one. And you know what? When I when I just looked at the page, I thought you said gonna be a bus for Matt. Damon. Why would Matt Damon I have? Damon is. No, I'm with you. I'm with you on this one. I'm with you, on all these. You are the queen of the show. You are? You always nail your category? So, I'm not with you. Well, so, remap Damon, super quickly. I have definitely said Your name's together before and just said, Matt Damon by accident and I've done it enough times. Now where I stopped fixing it. So, you are Matt Damon to me in a way. Yo, yeah, I just watched Goodwill Hunting again, so, but this, this genuinely irritates me because this is illegal. No, this is illegal. You are not allowed heels like labor organizing or being part of a union. Nor are you allow Withhold benefits and raises from them for being a part of it, Union. And there's nothing that doesn't talk about this but additional information. Yeah, that you might want to have is that Starbucks has already promised to make their minimum wage, $15 an hour by this summer and that they're going to be like incremental raises for longer-term. Employees depending on how long you've been there so I don't know exactly what the scope of this is gonna look like but it's happening until someone intervenes hypothetically and those. Yeah well those are my three. Yeah. Thank you, Emma. I mean those are three tough choices and just getting to 15 dollars an hour. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm with you. I'm glad you covered all three of. These are actually three headlines that stood out to me this week, that we didn't cover. I'm glad you pulled him out of our, our list there. But these are all equally compelling. I don't know. I don't want to start this off. It's hard. I'm torn. It is hard. Is there a bit more about shell or an oil company with record billion dollar profits? All right, we lived through this before I just doesn't that once the least irritating to me, so rotating. Well, how about well, but to me, it's actually extra irritating because ml sort of expertly, put it right after the fact that a rich dude is giving 1.1 billion for to fund climate research. Right before shell was recording a 9.1 billion profits. So, yeah, it's, it's maddening dance and a lot of different ways. I wish I knew more about John Dorado but I I appreciate the sentiment there. I you're right about the awkwardness of what I can tell you. This might this might sway some opinions. Yeah, so when this Keystone Pipeline thing happened with its called, oh gosh. What's it called? I think it's called forward, like FWD and it's just a lobbying group that is back in. Its reputation. Is that it is a left-leaning lobbying group for ultra-rich people for Tech Founders mostly obviously driven by Mark Zuckerberg but in 2013 when the group finally, I expressed how they express it, their support for the Keystone Pipeline people left people were super upset with this decision because it wasn't in line with their values. Hypothetically and then Elon Musk who was a part of this left he said nope. The Keystone Pipeline like too bad for the environment too bad for like he left and John Dorr state. So he was worried about selling his cars. True. I'm ready to vote. I'm gonna go to, I'm gonna go to my old, my old favorite and that's something about this Starbucks about about Schultz. I just hate Howard Schultz, so much. And this The Audacity Of even if it like doesn't come to be, but the audacity of putting out, you know, press releases and headlines or whatever that you're kind of threatening the workers of unionized by by not getting the whole thing. Just smells terrible man. I hate it. Like, because obviously, it's it's meant as a, it's a fear. It's a tactic to scare future potential, you know, there's two, right? Like it's there's all kinds of dirty going on there, and I just it, that one really want to unionize. Yeah, all of it. I just, I hate that so much. I'm gonna vote for that. Anyone else? They all have great job. They all right. I'm a knows how to be irritated and she knows how to share her irritation. Yeah, I'm gonna go with the Stanford donation. Yeah, that Any big reason why are you everything about Stanford? Just makes you feel special when they get really an extra dollars. Matt, we've officially brainwashed. Re I think we've we've officially ruined well, so I have to that the irritating. Here's my thought process. The irritating thing about the shell is not actually the prophet. It is the headlines about the collapse of oil, two years ago, um, not not the profit like come on, New York Times, come on, the collapse of what is this? What we're at is it all search? Engine optimized is that what we're at? Yeah. Maybe the John Dora giving 1.1 billion to Stanford. That's irritating for us but it's so in line with what is like the world we live in, like it's just, of course, John's gonna give it to Stanford. He's like a Stanford guy. He's on the board of Amazon. He's on the board of Google. Like yeah, he's like this is he's not gonna go outside of that. It's like guys, but he has actually been really active in like climate. Change funding stuff, right? Like so, It's irritating because it's libertarian University but it's all so kind of like it's within his like guys. Starbucks. Is next level terrible, it is. Like, I actually, I'm never jealous of humans, except for right now, when I'm jealous, that Emma picked out the asshole of the week and Howard Schultz through the most irritating story of the week. Do you know what he said? He said in shareholder call quote. We do not have the same freedom to make these improvements at locations. That have a union or where Union organizing is underway. Hey, Howard show, go, fuck yourself. Are you kidding me? You absolutely have that freedom. Like this matters cardio, like it here to actually then unionizing Starbucks at the freedom to do this, anytime it wanted, the reason why you're not doing it is because you're using the Union against people who want wanted the freedom in the first place. It's literally the worst kind of tactic, and yes, it's probably illegal but what he's done brilliantly and terribly is put the unions in a place where they actually have to go to court to get the same freedoms as everybody else because they're in a union, it's it's horrifically. Terrible, Howard Schultz, go fuck yourself. You are definitely the irritating list of the week. And if I can make him asshole all the week, I make him that too. Wow. I'm actually kind of surprised. I wonder how long Starbucks is gonna keep this going, because he's really been a train wreck. He is starting with the starting with the Holocaust blanket analogy, which is one of the worst ever but he's but I, I can't help but think that this is gonna make more people vote for the unions because it is this kind of fear-mongering and Union baiting. I just don't think this is gonna. This is gonna like work well, with with workers at Starbucks. I just think they're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna vote against him. That's right. I literally want to fight somebody so that I think this is a successful segment. Well, you could probably fight. Greg Larkin on his couch know, Greg, but he was on the show live right now. He'd be like, now I'm pissed. I didn't take Emma's story. Well, as I said before, we've said in the past, I was good at this. She's good at this show. Thank you so much. All right. Let's wrap up this week. So the most irritating story of the week Starbucks, plans wage increases that won't apply to unionized workers, but we can stop talking about all that stuff now. Because we have more exciting things to talk about with Rachel Alan Bacchus. As we hinted at earlier in the episode, we had two fancy experts. This week, one of which was Rachel, who is the managing editor of FS sustainability, which is a publication that covers the ESG news in Australia. She is amazing. She is smarter than all of us, she is funny than all of us. Let's just get right to it. We're gonna play Austrian edition of the good game. We got five quick headlines, M&I going to rate them and then you are going to tell us what who's right? Or just assign a new rating. You know how the game goes. We get to be idiots. Are you ready? Emma. Because you have no idea what's coming. I have no idea and Rachel is going to school. All right. Headline number one. Headline. Number one. Australian AG. Meta over deceptive crypto ads behind Untold losses. Just so, here's your one bullet point on it. Australia actually sued Facebook over scam ads. Impersonating celebrities and getting you to buy crypto because Facebook did not take the ads down. Good or bad ammo, go first. I think this one, I feel like I'm starting off in an unusual fashion for me, which is sort of positively, I don't know. So, so far based on the little knowledge. I have about this headline, it sounds pretty good. I'm all about trying to get not people to not get scammed into buying crypto that they don't want nor need. So, unless there's something sketchy going on with the agency itself, that sounds good to me. Sounds like a seven Wow, a seven from Emma. I should curate these every time. All right. I actually think that, I mean climb biased. I picked it. But Australia has a fairly fraught relationship with Zuckerberg because Australia was the was where the news, aggregation news feed battle happened, and where news providers wanted to get paid by meta. And now we have, like, an actual regulator trying to regulate meta, like what is happening there. Like the of all the places that's where it's happening. I'm going to give this an 8, Rachel you have two good. Scores here, tell me what's real. Get what you deserve. Oh I love it actually that's been my that's my Madoff argument right? Like did no one read a perspective like it literally looked like a three-dimensional pyramid. Should have been a dead giveaway. That would, that was? That would have been the giveaway. All right, purposes. I'm gonna, I'm gonna I'm gonna pivot away from the good game first Split Second. Just to ask you, like I know how I feel about this. I'm sure we probably feel somewhere about this, but how do you feel about carbon offset nfts? I feel good. I'm invested as performance. Art performance. All right. All right, headline. Number two, we're off to a great start here. um, Ready for this Emma, yes, Aussie, none, teenagers defeated in climate duty of care case. So, last week there was a decision, unanimous across three judges, none and some teens brought a, they sued, effectively the government for not protecting them from climate change and they lost unanimously. Rate it. I know that sucks. I you know that I have a certain love in my heart for activists nuns and obviously have you do I do I do. This is true. It's weird and obviously I'm all for some teenagers fucking some shit up and telling some old people that they screwed up our world. So that's great. But that they lost makes me very sad. I don't know why you thought this was good. It's a one. I'm sad. That's is the sadness game. I, I think it's a five actually and I'll tell you why. It. Did they actually think that this was ever going to? This was also performance art, right? This is the point is to like generate eyeballs and I think they effectively generated eyeballs knowing full, well, that this was never ever gonna pass, like the logistics behind. It were stacked deeply against them, and it wasn't about winning. It was about the point, is you've mortgaged our future? I mean, I don't know how the nun got involved, right? The teenagers, I get like you, but like, there's always the nun involved. Like get everyone's in a while, get the nuns out. Well, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say that. It's a five, it did what it needed to do just by filing the suit. I'm not surprised that it lost. So it's kind of nothing Burger now that it lost Rachel who is right? And I know I am. Yeah. Go with you Matt. I'm gonna get it a five. But what's interesting. So a couple of interesting points here again to Circle back to where we started the conversation. Australian law says a superannuation Interests of their retirement numbers. This court decision says that an elected member of government, does not have a duty of care. Future. There's this weird dichotomy here where we now have a situation where a Superfund a pension fund trustee has a stronger duty of care to fugitive generations and elected Member of Parliament. That's weird. That's weird. I've talked to lawyers about trying to compare apples and oranges, but just off the top of the the way you read it it just doesn't it doesn't feel good. And Know. Well, because law unless the law that gets enacted by that politician dies when they leave office and therefore, they do not have a long-term, do you have care? Then it doesn't make much sense. My brain hurts a little bit, so let's go to the next headline. Is speaking of the super Australia's pension Giants up the ante with shareholder activism, we already started talking about this. but this is basically the Pension funds stepping on the only lever, they kind of have Which is yelling at companies and just the ones that will accept them into their offices. I suppose Emma rate it Okay. Um whenever I have to be honest here for a second whenever the word pension comes into my sight line. I'm confused immediately. I don't, I don't think I understand pensions to the degree that one might need to in order to rate this headline. However, shareholder activism is kind of interesting to me. However, that doesn't usually reap the benefits. So I think I'm gonna go for a confused five, this string of however, um, I am going for an unconfused. Six. and because Like we, like we said before when you have no leverage stepping on the pedal that you have does nothing, I love that it's happening because I feel like, you know, no no Pension funds and just for definition sake, pension fund is just a giant group of people's money that you're supposed to pay them when they're 60. So your handing it to it asset manager. Usually government quasi-government kind of style agencies, they pull all the money together. They paid out when you retire as a pension so that like, you can retire. So like what the US should be giving all people. But don't I mean, Social Security is like, technically, like I'm gonna be Like if you, if you were like a public school, teacher, Public School, teachers, a portion of their salary go, or the state is paying like some portion into a giant fund pools, all the money and then you teach for 30 years. And when you retire, they pay you out every single year. Well, but they've been that just keeps rolling over and over and over again. It is sort of akin to the US version of this like, shareholder activism, 20 years ago, when literally, there was no threat. It was basically the beginning of yelling, but when they started voting, when they start sort of beta engagement, where they picked an issue and all the Pension funds are voting on that same issue, change will happen. I mean, we'll all be on fire by then, but, yeah, you know, it's something so I give it a six, Rachel who's right? Tell me, I'm right again because I need it to validate my existence. Five and a half. Because look, I'm with you. Matt in that shareholder yelling is not a thing. But just for context, I think it's really worth talking about the Australian superannuation system. It the, the total assets under management of Australian, super funds is larger than the market capitalization of the asx200. It's several trillion dollars for a population of 20 million. And the distinction for Australia is that we have mandatory employer superannuation contributions. So every single year your employer must contribute 10% of your salary into Super So it is a pool is a huge pool of cash. The largest superannuation funds are actually fairly significant minority shareholders in most of the ASX. So yelling, not effective but most of these super funds that have made things like Net Zero commitments. Are they have started talking about things like voting against directors? It's not a great tool. I know it's not a great tool because again, with a population of 27 million, you will actually be voting against someone you probably will see in the school line, who picking up your kids, but, you know, you could, it is pop. It is not, it wouldn't be difficult to organize and engine, you know, an engine 7 or whatever, Exxon situation. And number one, excuse me. Directors, and replace directors given just the sheer size and holding. It's super fun stuff. Well, I will send you if you want to list of directors that you want to pass around of to vote out Ari. Over there is currently generating this Well, the list will be forthcoming. We're changing our prayers. And are just yelled not again. All right I will take that as I was correct because I round up the next headline is Un doesn't hold out. Hope Australia, will act on climate change. That's right. The iipc single-out Australia in particular, for lying now, why is this good? Because they single out a country and said, you Liars suck, they wrote it down in a paper that everybody everywhere. Reads and Australia is wearing egg like a delightful facial mask. So Emma, is that good? I think I actually have a lot of conflicting thoughts on this because my first thought is, oh, we're calling people out. I love a good call out, so rarely do. We directly call people and Nations out for being Liars. This is awesome. But then, my brain goes to, but the US are also big Liars. Big fat Liars, who aren't being called out either. Why, why do they get away with it? And Australia gets called out? I don't understand. And so now, I'm feeling like I want everyone to get called out. And now, I'm just feeling call out greedy, so I think it's a six. Sick call out greedy. Um, I love it. I love a good name and shame. I think you should happen. Routinely. I remember back at the msci days that they are legal department, refused to allow us to name and shame. Despite the fact that our full-time jobs was to rate companies on how sucky they were at stuff, we were not allowed to, like, print on our blog for some reason to name and shame. I love it, I am I'm a 10. I will send 10 that all day. Rachel who is Right? You've got a six and a 10. I'm gonna give it to because on a day-to-day basis it's not going to, you know, We are in an election season down here in Australia. There is a federal election that will take place on the 21st of May. That's right. We have our elections on a Saturday because that seems so civilized we the great feature under under the previous times before the plague would have been a delightful sausage Sizzle in the cakes. Stand at your local polling place. I have been known to sling it I don't know you just said but I am in Hot dogs, man. Hot dogs with onions for sale. You raise money for you school or your local football club. It's a beautiful, beautiful celebration of civic duty. Anyway, I would say it's a two because ask me, the reaction of the government when it was named in shamed by the ipcc for its climate decisions. Did it reduce tracking error? Constraint from 1% to 0.5%. Probably, I don't know that. Piece, right? We we got shamed. Like shame is in effective tool. Australia was called at Silver repeatedly that in bleed up to copy. What we did actually make a 2050 nit 0 pledges which was big news until you open the details and we're still relying on our Kyoto. Karaoke over credits. You know, Target be able to do, you'll be happy to know. Oh, good thing. The planet will. Thank you later. Welcome. We got two more headlines left. You already mentioned this. Next one so I think we can both of them actually. So I think you're going to have fast reactions to these. Here's the first one can a carbon emitting iron ore Tycoon? Save the Planet. This is Forest. This is Ford Escape iron. And they are building some of the wackiest shit. Like like deep into the hydrogen, like I saw like the images of the hydrogen beta like hauler trucks, like crazy stuff. I am excited about this but Emma rate it first. I do ultimately agree with the headline itself. I do think. That carbon emitting iron ore. Tycoon's can save the planet by not being carbon emitting oil iron tycoon's, so that would be cool. Yeah, but they're not going to do that so it's Wow, it's a two. I love. I like I like this headline, mostly, because it's a little misleading, you're still doing the iron thing and still exporting it. But I like that, someone somewhere the quotes they pulled. And this is an, I read it in the New York Times, the quotes they had pulled in. This article were like this guy is like going around to. I I have this image of like people who came out of a mine covered in dirt and like standing there with like a giant beer and that's what they drink instead of water and he's standing there and, like a suit like, you know, like where he's holding the, the jacket part. And he's saying things, like, we're gonna change what we do. We're gonna do it first and everyone starts cheering weirdly like, it does feel like that. So I'm gonna give this an eight because I feel I it was one of the few things that I read that made me feel hopeful. Look, I'm gonna have to, I'm gonna have to go with you Matt. I'm a seven on this one myself because, you know, Would 24 hours is a really interesting character. He recently got himself a PhD in Marine Sciences and has set up his. His family office that's fun for kicks and giggles and his family office is now heavily investing in a sustainable aquaculture. He's currently taking it to the beef industry as well, so he's not only tilting it, you know, sort of the the carbon intensive Industries. I'm going to go with the global beef industry as well to Institute, a no pain standard for Slaughter. So he's a really interesting guy. I think it's Potentially, if anybody could pull this one off, it would be Andrew Forrest. But it interesting. I it'll be. And it's interesting where Fortescue future Industries is going with green hydrogen, and where they're co-locating, and who their partnering with It may as well be him. I, well, here's the thing. That one was basically leading us to this point where we believe one Tycoon, but here's your next headline, Australia's Santos aims for world's largest carbon capture plant. For largest carbon capture plant. Yes, like a plant that captures carbon. Can we do that yet? Is that something we know how to do? I mean a little bit like, We're really good. If if there were a lot of trees there, if you planted trees, that's a really good way to do it so far. Okay. I like aiming for cabin for carbon capture. That sounds nice. It doesn't feel anything tangible has come to fruition yet, so that automatically brings me down to like a five. Which is probably where I'll stay. I think I'm going for five. I am going to. I'm going to make this a one because I do think carbon capture has been like the thing. It's basically carbon offsets. It's like the thing that these industries say that they're going to do as a way to stop. Like basically, we don't have to stop what we're doing because all we have to do is just suck it back at the air and we're gonna create some magic Tech to do that or we're going to buy an offset because someone else sucked it out of the air to me, it's like, if you don't put it there, you don't actually have to suck it out of the air. You like you could spend all the money on your mystical Tech. On not putting it in the air anymore and we'd be better off. So I'm gonna give it a two. Rachel, tell me I'm gonna get look, I'd like to I'll point out as well. The Australian government has has credited a methodology for carbon capture and storage for carbon credits. So you can get the best of both worlds. In Australia, you can get your carbon offset through carbon capture in storage. Come to Australia. That's I that's you are not selling it, you are not selling it supposed to be the objective journalist here and I have never been able to talk to a single expert in carbon capture and storage that has been able to answer the question of when it's going to get cheap enough, effective enough and big enough, To make a difference. I don't understand carbon capture and storage and I have And nobody's answered the question is well as to how long are we guaranteed that the carbons going to stay captured and, and who's paying that guarantee? Because I what happens, you know, and then, you know what happens. So you know, we get a big carbon capture sink in one stone somewhere off the coast of Australia. And in 10 years we have a deep water Horizon and It Go Warp. Who's paying for that? That's well, that's just called the that's called the carbon capture fart. That's no. I worry about it. Catch a fart. I'll be very very honest. It was like, theoretically, right? If we're doing carbon capture and storage, we have to be doing it forever. And who, I mean in like what is there? It's got to stay there who's making and like who literally who's making sure about that. And and nobody's been particularly able to tell me that because, you know, I, I really don't think That Santos. And I'm just repeating on Santa's because it's the headlined is Santa's really wanted to take a an Infiniti Guarantee. We'll take your carbon capture back or your money back. Who's where does the liability go? And if we're doing, carbon offsets off of carbon capture as we're doing in Australia, What are we doing? When we sell those offsets? And then the carbon capture fails, how long How long has this been going on? Oh, I I'm actually I'm I'm just waiting for the, the company that comes out and says, oh, by the way, we're sending it all to space because Venus we hear is like not populated. So we're just gonna put it in cans and send it there. What kind of be more? I kind of be more inclined to believe a company stores into space and then it's gone forever. I actually think has a greater chance of being successful than carbon capture and storage because I I don't know that you can deny physics that long. I like, I like that. I just sold you on sending carbon farts to space. Nice. He's I don't know if you heard, he's a little busy right now. solving Free Speech, apparently Which is, which is a serious problem in a place that literally I can get hate speech wherever I go, so good for him for solving. Are we gonna get? So what's your number on the carbon capture? -4. Oh no. Rachel just took us to a new depth. Emma. Here's the final numbers on good game. Australia Edition. Emma came in at an average of 4.3 eerily consistent. That is basically what Emma averages for everything. I came in at a 6.5 which is actually a little high for me, I'm usually around a five but that's and Rachel had a shocking 2.75. After the negative four even without the negative four though, you were just under Emma. So that just dropped you weigh under here. You would be fired from the Australian government. I feel really good. That Rachel score scores were low because I feel like that bones up, all my low scores from the past give it them know she's an expert. Rachel any parting words? Before we kill this feed for anybody, anything you're working on that. You want to take a plug. So the website for my Publication is www.sustainability.gov? When we find those, we'll send them to your website, but until then everyone should go subscribe. Rachel, I'm Bacchus. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for inviting me. So, before we get out of here, two quick categories. Who won the week in predictions? Anyone want to venture into who won the weekend? For me, the Detroit. Yeah, it was Greg and Rachel, they're the best. Thanks, Greg and Rachel. Look at, you can kiss the ass, don't you? Well, if I made you pick one of the Rachel between Greg and Rachel. Okay. Rachel won the week. Sorry, I think Emma won the week with that story. Yeah, but I think Emma's been winning like every week. That's this is the problem except for the week. She had the 10 covid. Yeah, that's the week she lost. Okay. Well, oh, good segue, because I'm actually voting for covid. I think covid won the week that Damien's house specifically. Yeah, already have a vote here. Already doesn't usually play these last two categories which I which at first irritated me but I kind of love it now, I kind of love that she just drops the ball on these. I almost if she had an answer about these two. See, exactly, exactly. And I don't know. Okay, sucking on predictions. My predictions also, predictably stupid in covid. And my prediction is that my family members will actually have covid until 2037. Just a torment me because nothing says love, like, making an uninspired salad with a kn-95 mask on. Can I just point out nothing says that? Yeah. Wow, Damien's. Family has like a respiratory disease, Damien's annoyed for himself that they have. Oh yeah. Like they're like hacking up lungs and coughing and feverish and achy and Damien's like this is so annoying to me. That's this. Yeah, except I accept I walked by the windows and I hear a lot of Netflix, a lot of giggling. They're sending me out on, like, pick up orders and I wonder, you know, there's like there's a fancy Bagels cookies. Sometimes I don't know, maybe it's annoyed on his own behalf that someone else, so I don't know here, you know, We had a thing going 2037 to new. 2050 already will have covid by the next week. Wow, crazy. You want to come at me that to me that's because you're desperate to get over by then everything you want to do everything, right? Then your family will be getting you Bagels. Well, I don't know, I I don't have any symptoms yet so you can go have yourself. Are I don't know what's been tormenting me all week though. It's the I almost kind of wish. I just gotten it with them because this girl. All right, anyone else I think? Yeah, that still on theme here. I think the Damien is going to slowly, but surely from reality and it's like a logically immersed himself in the metaverse, so he can escape his covidde family. Oh, Damien to the medical, that sounds fine. Just I did buy a meta diaper yesterday at Walgreens so I'm actually kind of close. Yeah, I'm kind of close to. Yeah to getting there man. It makes one real prediction which is Howard Schultz. Gets a real action by by fourth quarter of this year. Okay, great, I love this prediction. Let's Linger on it for a second who fires them. You're in, he's an interim CEO, and the board is actually independent in this matter. Like is he on the board? Is he on the board? He's not on the board, he's just acting interim CEO. They are just supposed to be having a real. They will Fast Track if you know, like a chair a Meredith or something. Yes, he was. I think he I don't think Matt and Ari our fabulous analytics department for next week. Could we can we get a peek into the influence scores of Starbucks? I'd like to see. Yeah, like how this startup sport works because I actually love this prediction. I think you're dead on. I originally predicted that that good old raws would take Brewery. Yeah, that Ross would eventually take over CEO and but this is a, this is a story that people should be talking about. Should be watching that. Howard Schultz is talking himself out of a job at Starbucks, but I would like to see that the who was the, who are the most influential people at Starbucks on that work. Because I want to, I want you to figure this out, this puzzle. That's a win. Well, that's the Friday show for May 6th 2022. Thank you very much, Greg Larkin, I'm sorry, I made fun of the video. That Emma played. I'm really making fun of. Thank you to Rachel Allen back. It's so what I heard was brilliant. Rachel played the good game with us and and Australia Edition and trust me, we don't know anything about Australia so we got school. Pretty good. That was our Friday show come back next week, for more business pants. Goodbye.