Pacific Leaders Throw Hissy Fit Over Missing Climate (scam) Funds

By William Teach October 7, 2026 – 7:15 am

I told you it was about the money, not any high-falutin’ idea about saving the world from a fever

Pacific leaders rail at climate finance failures after pre-COP trip to Tuvalu

After witnessing the effects of sea-level rise in the low-lying island nation of Tuvalu, Pacific leaders on Tuesday used the pre-COP31 summit in Fiji to voice their frustration at the difficulties they have experienced in tapping the global climate finance system.

A small group of government leaders, climate negotiators and heads of development banks and climate funds took a trip to Tuvalu’s Funafuti atoll on Tuesday morning, travelling by road over land just 10-20 metres wide to visit a project that is building barriers to keep the sea from the land.

They then flew to Fiji for the pre-COP summit, where several Pacific leaders said they had been let down by the insufficient quantity, bad terms and slow speed of international finance to help them adapt to a warming climate that is bringing higher oceans, drought and more powerful storms to their shores.

The rest is hidden behind a pretty good paywall, but, you get the idea. They want money. Most of which gets used as slush and graft, barely being used for the intended purpose. It’s a nice scam.

Australia touts new funds for Pacific infrastructure at Fiji ‘pre-COP’

This week’s “pre-COP” meetings in the Fijian city of Nadi are a precursor to the larger UN-sponsored global climate summit — known as COP31 — to be held in Turkey next month. (snip)

On Wednesday, the Australian government said it would invest AU$3 million (US$2 million) on a number of regional road and communications infrastructure projects in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu.

Australia’s climate minister Chris Bowen said the funds would “help these countries adjust to climate change, particularly focused on the coastlines with erosion, with rising sea levels”.

That’s it? I mean, hell, the Australian government will provide $30.9 million (Aussie) over five years to support the live music industry. And all they can give is AU$3 million to save those poor islanders? LOL.

Read: Pacific Leaders Throw Hissy Fit Over Missing Climate (scam) Funds »

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Huh: McDonald’s Sued Over AI Pricing

By William Teach October 7, 2026 – 7:00 am

Realistically, dynamic pricing for a McDonald’s store, which are franchises, not company owned, can be done without AI, and is something that was done beforehand without AI by the main company

McDonald’s sued over AI tool that recommends prices to US franchisees

McDonald’s is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates antitrust laws because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market.

The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Illinois, said McDonald’s pricing tool uses artificial intelligence to collect data that competing franchises wouldn’t normally share, like store-level sales. The Chicago-based burger giant has said it makes the tool available to U.S. franchisees to help them set prices at their individual restaurants.

The lawsuit also blames the pricing system for raising McDonald’s U.S. prices.

“McDonald’s has built and for years deployed its own information-sharing pricing platform, which draws on data from its millions of daily transactions to set menu prices across thousands of U.S. restaurants,” the lawsuit states. “The result is algorithmic price-fixing aimed at customers who are already stretched thin.”

Um, yeah, OK? This is what companies do, based on costs, and have always done. Why does fast food cost so much more in cities and airports? Heck, regular food. Things tend to cost more. Why so much more at hotels? I’m sure you can think of a ton of examples.

McDonald’s said Tuesday that the lawsuit is “filled with inaccuracies” and it would vigorously defend itself.

“AI does not set menu prices at McDonald’s restaurants – McDonald’s franchisees do,” the company said in a statement. “Optional tools are available to franchisees to help them make the best decisions for their businesses and customers, but these tools do not automate, coordinate or fix pricing in any way.”

It’s advice, and AI just makes it easier to come up with.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a consumer, Michael Thomas, of DeKalb, Illinois. According to the lawsuit, Thomas frequently visits McDonald’s and orders a Quarter Pounder with cheese, french fries and a Coke. The lawsuit said Thomas noticed price differences between McDonald’s stores near his home.

McDonald’s said it has used an AI-enhanced pricing tool for more than a decade. The program determines the optimal price for menu items based on a store’s sales, location and other factors, including competitors’ prices.

McDonald’s said that long before adopting the AI-enhanced tool, it collected data and recommended prices to its franchisees, who own and operate 95% of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. stores.

Sounds frivolous, and just based on AI hatred.

Read: Huh: McDonald’s Sued Over AI Pricing »

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Should You Tell A Car Dealership What Your Monthly Budget Is?

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 8:28 pm

This is always an interesting question, and, to start with, it very much depends on the dealership itself. Most dealerships cannot play too much, because then their surveys are going to be dogshit, and manufacturers do not like that, and have actually taken them away from companies. Now, I saw this at one of my fave sites, Caveman Circus (I’m going to italic it instead of blockquote, to keep their formatting to a degree)

Never tell a car dealership your monthly payment budget

Car dealerships love asking, “What monthly payment are you looking for?” It sounds like they’re helping you, but in reality, it’s a trap.

Why It’s a Bad Idea:

  • They’ll manipulate financing to meet your number while stretching out the loan term or inflating interest rates, so you end up paying way more over time.
  • They might add hidden fees or extras that seem minor when spread out over monthly payments but add thousands to the total cost.
  • It shifts focus away from the real number that matters: the total price of the car.

What to Do Instead:

  1. Ignore monthly payment discussions. Instead, ask: “What’s the out-the-door price?” (This includes taxes, fees, and everything you’ll actually pay.)
  2. Negotiate the total price first. Get it in writing before discussing financing or trade-ins.
  3. Once you have the best price, shop around for your own financing. Credit unions and banks usually offer better interest rates than the dealership.
  4. If financing through the dealer, negotiate the loan terms separately. Get them to match or beat your pre-approved offer

At times it makes sense, but, look, if you want to go this way you need to know a few things ahead of time, before going in. What’s your credit score? What kind of loan will your bank offer you, and for how much? What’s the rate? What car do you want? What’s the availability? Are there any upfront rebates/incentives from the manufacturer, and do they only apply if you finance through their bank? All of this can be done online before you head on it. Because, otherwise you could be seriously wasting your time, and the time of the rep. Not that most customers care about that.

Let’s say your budget is $500. The quick and dirty average is a $25000 vehicle with $0 down, because for every $5000 it is $100 of payment at 6.97% for 60 months. Things could get better or worse depending on credit and you could stretch the loan out. So, why the heck are you looking at a $54000 vehicle? Heck, even a $47K vehicle? Because that just happened on Saturday. And I straight up said they were either going to have to change their budget up drastically or go with a much higher mileage/older vehicle instead of new. It can’t be discounted enough, not with a 4-5% markup.

So the OTD price means jack if you are so beyond your payment. Just like buying a house, you need to know where your sweet-spot is. No Realtor will show you $600K+ homes when your budget is $350K tops. I’ll stay away from budget until a customer says enough stuff to force me to go there, and if you say $500 we won’t be driving $50000. Or $40K. Not unless you put a lot down. Because The Real Number drives the payment. Consumers need to learn this, and it is shocking how many have no idea, even older people.

On my screen, and most auto focused software, you see the price of the vehicle with everything (not usually finance office product, though), and you see payment. And I can show with downpayment so people can see the reality. Also using a mortgage calculator. One of the things we always say is 80% of the problems are caused by customers, often because they come in with unrealistic expectations. No real estate agent would put up with this. Try buying a boat this way. Or expensive jewelry. They won’t put up with it. These are things that should be taught, but, so often, you get stuff like the above which goes back to like the 50s, and creates problems for the buyers.

Read: Should You Tell A Car Dealership What Your Monthly Budget Is? »

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Cities And States Fight Hotcoldwetdry Because Of TDS

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 3:00 pm

Usually the answer goes to things like Progressivism (nice Fascism), slush money to spread around, and cultism. But, hey, don’t forget about TDS!

Why Cities and States Are Fighting Climate Change in Courtrooms
Faced with a president who has called global warming a hoax, officials have filed dozens of suits against oil companies to try to cover the costs of extreme weather.

See? TDS

The fight over who should pay the soaring costs of climate change — the intensifying wildfires, storms and heat waves — has moved to the courts.

Nationwide, more than 60 state and local governments have filed dozens of lawsuits seeking damages from oil companies over global warming, which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. With a president who has called climate change a hoax and a gridlocked Congress, courtrooms have become one of the few remaining options for communities seeking relief.

“Globally, neither national legislatures nor governments are taking adequate action, and so the advocates of climate action are turning to the courts,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.

The cultists are trying to institute their cult beliefs via courts, because they cannot convince everyone else to comply and get it through the legislatures.

Now the highest court in the land has entered the fray. On Monday, it heard arguments over a lawsuit filed by the city and county of Boulder, Colo., against two energy companies. Many, if not most, of the dozens of other cases nationwide hinge on the Supreme Court’s decision.

The rest of the article is about the Supreme Court hearing, but, the NY Times had to start with Trump Trump Trump. But, they, like the rest, never advise their cult Comrades to give up their own use of fossil fuels, stop eating meat, etc and so forth.

Read: Cities And States Fight Hotcoldwetdry Because Of TDS »

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 2:05 pm

…is a bright sunny day without hurricanes because Other People won’t give up meat, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is American Greatness, with a post on “NYC Cop Slashers ID’d as Dominican Illegal Alien Repeat Offenders Released into U.S. By Biden Admin., Protected by Sanctuary Democrats”

Read: If All You See… »

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Trump And Cotton Battle Over Daylight Savings Time Legislation

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 10:30 am

Tom Cotton seems to be one of the few who gets that permanent DST is a bad idea

Battle over daylight saving time erupts as push to stop changing clocks hits Senate wall

The battle over Americans’ clocks reemerged in an unlikely way over the weekend, with President Donald Trump picking a fight with one of his top allies over the issue.

There have been many fights in Congress over the nearly two years that Trump has been in office for his second term that either ended in partisan victory or gloriously fizzled out, but one has quietly gone onto the shelf despite his pressure on Republicans to do something about it.

And that fight is over allowing states to voluntarily observe daylight saving time year-round to effectively do away with the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks. It’s a popular issue with voters and the president, and there’s a bill that passed the House this summer to enact the change. But it’s a policy issue that has divided both sides of the aisle and ground to a halt in the upper chamber.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has been one of the more vocal opponents of the bill, vowing to block any attempts to fast-track it on the floor. That resistance earned him a Truth Social post from Trump, who over the weekend shared his personal phone number in a bid to pressure the lawmaker to change his stance on daylight saving time.

“Almost everybody wants “The Sunshine Protection Act” to pass, except for Tom Cotton,” Trump said. “To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself.”

Most polls give a slight edge towards DST over Standard Time, like this one

Only 12% favor the current system of changing the clocks twice a year. Fifty-six percent prefer daylight saving time all year and 42% prefer standard time.

The US has been doing the time switch for 60 years: I’d say that most people were born into it, it’s no big deal, and just like hating on Mondays it’s just something to whine about. They’ll complain for a week, at most, after the twice yearly switches, and move on.

Cotton responded, noting that Congress has tackled daylight saving time before, only to roll back the change shortly after.

“No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton said on X. “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”

Apparently the western states do not care for Standard Time, so, let them stay on DST if they want. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not switch to DST.

“Every year, more Americans grow more frustrated setting their clocks back and forth, and every winter folks in Washington state despair at the prospect of losing an hour of precious sunlight when we are forced off Daylight Saving Time,” Murray said in a statement at the time.

Um, despair? She does know that the Earth revolves the same in Washington state the same as everywhere else, right? It is above all East coast states except the top tip of Maine, so, it does get less light in the winter. Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and a goodly chunk of Idaho are in the same boat. Alaska is so far north they don’t care either way. If they want to do DST let them.

The more south you go the less need there is to switch from Standard time. So, again, if we are going to make either permanent, make it Standard Time, while allowing states to choose if they want to switch to DST during some months. A typical 56% DST to 42% Standard Time polling isn’t “almost everyone”, and, once people start getting educated they tend to flip towards Standard Time.

Read: Trump And Cotton Battle Over Daylight Savings Time Legislation »

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Democrats Say Arizona Can’t Wait Any Longer On Climate (scam) Legislation

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 7:15 am

They’re super excited to control everyone’s lives

Arizona ‘cannot afford to wait any longer’ on climate change, Democrats say at town hall

In a town hall sponsored by The Sierra Club, U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari and state Rep. Brian Garcia listened to concerns from around 100 members of the Phoenix community about climate change and offered plans to support Arizonans as they deal with extreme weather, lower water levels and higher utility costs.

“This year alone, we have experienced record-breaking temperatures, while utility costs are skyrocketing and the Colorado River is running historically low,” said Garcia, a Democrat who represents parts of Tempe and East Phoenix, during the event on Sept. 29. “Our communities are feeling consequences of inaction and cannot afford to wait any longer.”

One attendee expressed concern about extreme weather conditions in Arizona and an increase in deaths because of the heat, and asked what Ansari and Yassamin were doing to encourage their colleagues to be more vocal about the dangers of climate change.

So, what are they going to do about it?

“We need to make sure that these CEOs and these companies are forced to come before the American people, testifying in public, and that we can hold them accountable accordingly for any crimes, pay-to-play corruption that’s been committed,” said Ansari, a Democrat. “I think that young people can make a huge impact, especially at the local level, when it comes to advocating for climate change action.”

So, same old hating on CEOs and companies while also taking lots of campaign money from them. I assume they mean fossil fuels companies, the same fossil fuels Democrats refuse to give up in their own lives.

Ansari emphasized the importance of advocacy in legislation. She mentioned positive changes that have already happened, including Phoenix’s first electric buses, as well as the establishment of an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation in Phoenix, the first of its kind in the U.S.

Buses that do not run well in the Arizona heat, and an office mean to funnel slush money.

Ansari said that in order to get legislation moving, she “encourages everyone to get creative,” specifically when it comes to holding legislators accountable.

“We should do an economic study of the amount of money, jobs that were lost in this country by rolling back the clean energy tax credit,” Ansari said. “I think that analysis and that data is something that would be very important for labor unions (and) American people to know.”

Yes, let’s do a study that shows how much money and jobs were lost by implementing all the climate scam garbage.

“In this case our goal should be developing and enacting policies that both help people and in the meantime help with the clean energy transition,” Ansari said. “And we need to get back to passing policies and enacting policies that help accelerate solar again and accelerate our clean energy projects.”

Those same policies, such as Biden’s green scam deal disguised as an inflation reduction bill hurt people in their energy bills.

In an effort to get legislators to vote in favor of sustainable projects, Garcia suggested lawmakers bridge the political divide and work with people who have different political opinions to find a solution.

Why would we work with Democrats to solve an imaginary problem?

Read: Democrats Say Arizona Can’t Wait Any Longer On Climate (scam) Legislation »

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Credentialed Media Has Hissy Fit Over Trump’s New Assistant Press Secretary

By William Teach October 6, 2026 – 7:00 am

This is the same media who painted Trump and anyone associated with him as a Nazi, hence, it was OK to assault them, try and kill them, and actually kill them

Right-wing TV personality who praised Charlie Kirk and wore f*** Biden shirt, lands White House press role

President Donald Trump’s new assistant press secretary — a former reporter for Real America’s Voice — once posed for a photo with a rifle while wearing a “f*** Joe Biden” T-shirt and was a fan of slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Beni Rae Harmony, 24, announced on Friday that she will join Trump’s White House press team as the new assistant press secretary. Anti-MAGA accounts on Instagram quickly found the photo of Harmony in her anti-Biden shirt, according to The Daily Beast.

The photo was posted by former Republican Virginia congressional candidate Jarome Bell in 2021. The post includes the caption “My campaign Public Affairs Director @beniraeharmony is a beast. This is how we roll.”

Harmony’s Instagram account liked the post. Bell ran for Congress in 2022 in Virginia Beach.

And, yet, there is no picture or link to her wearing the shirt, so, I hunted one down. Most Conservatives were all about Fuck Joe Biden, but, most new it was like saying fuck that guy, and weren’t going to do anything about it. And any who did actually threaten Biden were denounced by Republicans, not lauded as Democrats did in reverse.

Harmony formerly worked for the far-right broadcaster Real America’s Voice, which always airs Steve Bannon’s weekday show, The Charlie Kirk Show, and Ted Nugent’s Spirit Campfire.

She said she joined the broadcaster after she was suspended from her previous place of employment, WICS-ABC20 in Springfield, Illinois, allegedly for sharing an unprompted on-air tribute to Kirk following his 2025 assassination.

Harmony defended her decision to air the memorial, calling it “non-partisan.”

Well, let’s now see if she can do the job. Regardless, expect the Credentialed Media to continue having Hissy Fits. Not that Trump cares.

Read: Credentialed Media Has Hissy Fit Over Trump’s New Assistant Press Secretary »

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Doom: Trump CAFE Standard Rollback Could Maybe Possibly Cost Drivers Up To $7000!

By William Teach October 5, 2026 – 3:02 pm

How much has that fuel economy standard cost drivers since Obama implemented it?

Trump Mileage Rollback Could Cost Drivers Up to $7,000 More in Gas

Like the $5,000 checks Pres. Donald Trump is promising voters if they keep Republicans in power during the upcoming midterm elections, you might be a bit skeptical about the promised savings from the rollback of federal mileage standards the White House announced this week.

Starting with TDS

Electric vehicleAccording to U.S. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, automakers could save more than $60 billion by cutting the cost of the technology needed to reach an industry average 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031. In turn, some of those savings will be passed onto consumers, the administration claims – to the tune of an average $1,289 per vehicle come the 2031 model year.

Even if that proves accurate, the equation actually doesn’t favor buyers. By its count, the Department of Transportation acknowledged the typical driver will wind up paying about $1,600 more for fuel under the new mandate – which reduces the 2031 model year target to just 34.9 mpg. And that appears to be a significant under-estimate. Depending upon what the average price of fuel works out to come the beginning of the next decade, Autoblog’s math puts the potential out-of-pocket increase as high as $7,000.

Pres. Donald Trump has moved to roll back or eliminate a variety of Biden-era automotive regulations since returning to office 20 months ago. Many are related to EVs, including the phase-out of $7,500 federal tax credits in September 2025. This week’s move formalizes a proposal he announced from the Oval Office last December, surrounded by auto industry leaders like Ford CEO Jim Farley. Taking effect at the end of this year it abandons Corporate Average Fuel Economy guidelines calling for 8% annual increases, targeting 50.4 mpg during the 2031 model year.

Trump is ending that increase, and, really, what it means to you is that manufacturers do not need to keep doing this that and the other to get the 50.4 average across its fleet of sales. They do not have to push EVs, which lose them vast sums of money. They can cut the auto engine idle/start stop from vehicles. I doubt that there will be much of a decrease across the lines, since they are already making them, and hybrids are getting more and more popular. I love the 39.5 mpg I get in my hybrid CRV. I wouldn’t go back.

But, what if manufacturers want to come out with more 6 cylinders and 2.0 turbos? This will allow for that. It should be the consumer driving what they want manufacturers to make, not Los Federales.

Automakers and oil industry representatives had called for a rollback in the mileage standards and the industry will now have to hit a target of 34.9 mpg. For automakers like General Motors that should ease the burdensome task of meeting the higher mandate: developing more efficient powertrains, including EVs and hybrids; new, lightweight materials; and other advanced technologies.

There is a massive difference between 34.9 and 50.4. The question now is “will manufacturers put that savings into price reductions of vehicles?” Post COVID the price of new went up $4000-$6000 on average.

Read: Doom: Trump CAFE Standard Rollback Could Maybe Possibly Cost Drivers Up To $7000! »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach October 5, 2026 – 1:00 pm

…is a beach devoid of any hurricanes because Other People drove fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Blazing Cat Fur, with a post on “Britain’s military bases are imperilled – RAF Fairford was just the start”

Read: If All You See… »

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