Nike Stock Falls On Kaepernick “Just Do It” Deal

By William Teach September 5, 2018 – 9:23 am

Will this continue, or was just a quick market response?

Nike Falls as Critics Fume on Social Media Over Kaepernick Deal

The backlash started just hours after Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who sparked controversy for kneeling during the national anthem, tweeted that he’s starring in Nike Inc.’s iconic “Just Do It” ad campaign.

Following the announcement, the hashtags #BoycottNike and #JustBurnIt started trending on Twitter and shares started falling. Some angry consumers even posted photos and videos of themselves burning their Nike shoes and other gear to protest the company using the divisive figure in its 30th anniversary ad campaign.

Nike shares slipped as much as 3.9 percent to $79 as of 9:31 a.m. Tuesday in New York — the biggest intraday slide in five months. They had climbed 31 percent this year through Friday’s close.

It started the day at $80.77 and ended at $79.60. Will this continue? The bigger question is whether their earnings will take a big dip as people refuse to purchase their products. Some think that it’s a case of no news is bad news

(Yahoo) Protesters burned their Nike (NKE.N) shoes, investors sold shares and some consumers demanded a boycott after the footwear and apparel maker launched an advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who sparked a national controversy by kneeling during the national anthem.

But the brand recognition that comes with the campaign may be just what the company wanted, and marketing experts predicted it would ultimately succeed.

The ad revived a raging debate in the United States that started in 2016 when Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, began kneeling to protest multiple police shootings of unarmed black men.

“This is right on the money for Nike. They stand for this irreverent, rebellious attitude. In this case, it’s reinforcing the brand,” said Erich Joachimsthaler, CEO of strategy consulting firm Vivaldi.

Say what? They’re one of the biggest sneaker brands, if not the biggest, in the world, while also making shirts, pants, socks, hats, all sorts of different sports wear, golf balls, golf clubs, you name it (all of which I’ve found to be overpriced for the value, an opinion I’ve held for a long time). But, Joachimsthaler could be correct. Some boycotts work, some don’t. The liberal freakout at Chick-fil-a utterly failed. Sean Hannity’s call for a boycott of Keurig backfired (I’d forgotten about this one, and even bought one myself with birthday money. Love it). Others succeed.

Will this one? Time will tell. It might end up being a bad idea using a guy who wore socks depicting cops as pigs, rails against white people, and gives money to a group that supports Assata Shakur, who murdered a NJ state trooper before fleeing to Cuba. Among others.

But, as for the notion that Kaepernick was Very Brave, giving up it all? He may have lost all that NFL money, but, Nike has been paying him a ton. And he doesn’t really seem to be doing anything by talking. Oh, and

https://twitter.com/WilliamTeach/status/1037052529429884928

Read: Nike Stock Falls On Kaepernick “Just Do It” Deal »

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Kavanaugh Hearings: McCain’s Death Didn’t Teach Republicans Anything Or Something

By William Teach September 5, 2018 – 8:56 am

In Ruth Marcus’ World, Democrats did pretty much nothing wrong during the Kavanaugh hearing Wednesday, and the whole thing was the fault of Republicans. If you watched or listened to any of it, you’ll look like Captain Jack, especially at the McCain reference

McCain’s death didn’t teach Republicans anything. The Kavanaugh hearing proves it.

So much for the new era of comity, the appeal to better angels over partisanship, ushered in by the death of Arizona Sen. John McCain. If you had any delirious hopes of fever-breaking, they should have been thoroughly dashed by the first day of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. They should have been dashed, in particular, by the refusal of the panel’s Republican majority to allow adequate and timely access to documents from Kavanaugh’s White House service.

It was a poisonous session, as acrimonious as I have witnessed since sitting in the committee’s hearing room for the grilling of Anita Hill during the second round of the Clarence Thomas hearings. And while no dispute over documents, however impassioned, can rival the Hill-Thomas encounter, the Republican majority’s handling of this issue will be even more dangerous for the future of the Senate’s ability to conduct its constitutional duty of advice and consent.

There is always some tension, when the Senate majority is of the same party as the president, between exercising independent judgment and acting like a cheerleader for the nominee. But Senate Republicans, in particular Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), would do well to reflect about what goes around. A majority that denies the minority’s reasonable requests today is apt to find itself on the losing end of its own reasonable requests down the road.

If you’re thinking Ruth is finding the vast majority of fault with Republicans, you’d be right. The closest she gets for Democrats is

At the same time, Senate Democrats arguing for access to Kavanaugh’s White House documents would have a more compelling case if they had not already made clear their opposition to his nomination.

Even uber-Lefty Dana Milbank, in the same Washington Post for today, writes

There has never been a disruptive spectacle like this at a Supreme Court confirmation hearing. But then there has never been a Supreme Court nomination like this.

Did Ruth even watch it, or did she get talking points from the DNC? Because it was interruption after interruption from Democrats, both those sitting on the Senate panel and private citizens screeching. The hearing was barely in session when

That’s because there was no reason for children to hear the slurs and disgusting language towards their day, plus there were security concerns. Blumenthal, Booker, Harris, and the other Dems were constantly interrupting. They wanted more time to review the documents, and were asking for holding off on the hearings

Pretty much all the Dems sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee have stated that they are “no” votes, and did so as soon as Kavanaugh was announced. Most have not even met with Judge Kavanaugh. As Ted Cruz stated, what they’re trying to do is re-litigate the 2016 election. He noted Obama’s quote of “elections matter”, and that the American citizenry chose Donald Trump as president.

Furthermore, he noted that, ala the documents, the number released for Kavanaugh is more than for the last 5 people confirmed to the Supreme Court. Let that sink in. And

“We know that every Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee is going to vote no…Doesn’t depend on what they read in documents, doesn’t depend on what Judge Kavanaugh says at this hearing—they’ve announced ahead of time they’re voting no, and most of the Democrats in the Senate have announced that in the full Senate.”

It’s worth taking the 14 minutes to listen to Cruz. I’m usually no fan of opening statements, I say just get on with the questions and answers, but this was needed. Cruz utterly flays the Democrats.

But, the Democrats will certainly still be their same unhinged barking moonbat selves during the rest of the hearings.

Read: Kavanaugh Hearings: McCain’s Death Didn’t Teach Republicans Anything Or Something »

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Good News: ‘Climate Change’ Point Of No Return Pushed Out To 2035

By William Teach September 4, 2018 – 4:44 pm

The Cult of Climastrology had been pushing that the point of no return was soon, even as close as 2020, to avoid Utter Doom. But, like all Climatruther prognostications, this has to be pushed out when doom is not arriving

Climate Change Could Hit the ‘Point of No Return’ in 2035 Warn Scientists

Time is running out for governments to act on climate change before it’s too late a new report from European Geosciences Union states. Without immediate and effective action we will pass a point of no return after which limiting global warming below 2°C in 2100 will be unlikely.

The research also suggests that unless radical action is implemented now, the deadline to limit warming to 1.5°C has already passed. “In our study, we show that there are strict deadlines for taking climate action,” says Henk Dijkstra, a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and one of the study authors.

“We conclude that very little time is left before the Paris targets [to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C] become infeasible even given drastic emission reduction strategies.” The study set out to locate the ‘point of no return’ or deadline for climate action, this date would be the last possible year action could be taken before it’s too late to avoid climate catastrophe.

And what do they propose?

In conclusion, the team made of researchers from the Utrecht Centre for Complex Systems Studies and Oxford University, UK, say that they hope the report is another urgent push for global leaders to take serious action. “We hope that ‘having a deadline’ may stimulate the sense of urgency to act for politicians and policy makers,” concludes Dijkstra. “Very little time is left to achieve the Paris targets.”

Funny how this almost always comes down to government Doing Something, which usually comes down to taxes, fees, and controlling citizens’ behavior.

Read: Good News: ‘Climate Change’ Point Of No Return Pushed Out To 2035 »

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If All You See…

By William Teach September 4, 2018 – 1:00 pm

…is a city that has been flooded by too much atmosphere cancer, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Creeping Sharia, with a post on Starbucks and Hilton showing more dhimmitude.

Read: If All You See… »

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NY Times Totally Supports California Going 100% Renewable Or Something

By William Teach September 4, 2018 – 10:30 am

I actually support California going 100% renewable. Also, giving single payer a whirl. Because they will then show the way as to What Not To Do.

In California, Facts And Science Matter
Jerry Brown’s California is moving toward carbon-free electricity as President Trump’s Washington beds down with the fossil fuel lobby. We stand with California.

People who worry about climate change have been in a state of high anxiety about President Trump’s ignorance about the issue, his assault on Obama-era policies designed to do something about it and the growing evidence that extreme weather events and other consequences of global warming, long predicted by mainstream scientists, are now upon us.

Along comes California — yet again — to make people feel better about the possibility of serious action. The state is taking new steps to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions and, in so doing, it is reaffirming its willingness to lead on a matter of global and national concern when Mr. Trump will not.

On Tuesday, the State Legislature approved a bill mandating that by 2045 all of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources like wind, solar and hydropower. The original goal was 50 percent renewables by 2030; this bill kicks the target up to 60 percent by 2030 en route to zero carbon by 2045.

Good luck with that. When will they mandate doing away with the massive amount of fossil fueled vehicles and fossil fueled airplanes?

When will the NY Times do away with the use of fossil fuels to gather and disseminate the news?

Really, though, this is all about whining about Trump, whose name is mentioned 14 times. Here’s a doubly fun one

California’s action came in advance of what can be seen as another thumb in Mr. Trump’s eye, the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, Sept. 12 to 14, co-hosted by California’s governor, Jerry Brown, and the former New York mayor and current climate activist Michael Bloomberg. There will be three days of speeches and seminars on the roles that technology, municipalities, states and businesses can play in the fight against climate change, plus appearances by climate combat veterans like Al Gore and John Kerry. The event as a whole will provide a kind of group therapy session — as well as a reunion of sorts — for officials and activists deeply angered by Mr. Trump’s refusal to hold up America’s end of the bargain struck at the climate change summit in Paris in December 2015. The Obama administration promised major cuts in America’s emissions, which alone account for about one-fifth of the world’s total, second only to the carbon pollution coming from China.

So, while putting a thumb in Trump’s eye and saying California will be 100% renewable, people from all over the country and world will take fossil fueled trips to San Fran to complain about fossil fuels.

And “climate combat vets”?

Read: NY Times Totally Supports California Going 100% Renewable Or Something »

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This Should End Well: Nike Picks Colin Kapernick For “Just Do It” Campaign

By William Teach September 4, 2018 – 8:08 am

Colin is no Bo Jackson

Nike selects Colin Kaepernick for ‘Just Do It’ ad campaign

Nike selected the controversial former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the new face of the athletic wear company’s “Just Do It” campaign, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt,” Kaepernick, who has been with Nike since 2011 though hasn’t played on an NFL team since the 2016 season, posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon.

This has led to a lot of blowback

In the time-honored tradition of consumers expressing their rage at companies lining up with perceived liberal policies, people took to Twitter on Monday to light their own property on fire.

This time, it was Nike gear.

The offense? Partnering with Colin Kaepernick as the face of their “Just Do It” campaign.

And we get things like

There’s plenty of that. And people cutting the Nike logo off their socks. And shirts. And destroying the products in all sorts of ways. And

Obviously, some are supporting Nike, while others are taking a “meh” attitude, not supporting Nike, even not liking the decision, but, not really planning on boycotting or anything.

How will this end up? You know that the idea was two-fold. First, to generate buzz for the brand which had become a bit lackluster of late. A bit of the old “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Second, they’re attempting to attract the younger demographic who support Colin because they’ve been taught that cops are bad and to hate America. Nike has forgotten that the people who buy the shoes for the younger crowd are parents, and a lot of them will refuse to buy Nike apparel.

Me? I don’t buy Nike stuff to start with. I think their shoes are overpriced, and my feet like Asics and Soucony sneakers for walking and working out. Nike is, again, overpriced and tends to be too tight for my size, and way too loose if I go up a half size. I like UnderArmor for shorts, they fit well, and I typically buy cheap workout shirts, because they will get destroyed from sweat after a time. I have one old pair of Nike sneakers, which I almost never wear. No, I won’t be burning them. I won’t go out of my way to not buy Nike, but, I certainly won’t bother with them. I guess we’ll see if this little campaign affects their bottom line, positively or negatively. And someone in the Yahoo comments makes an interesting observation

I wonder how those who promote Nike; golfers, basketball players etc will respond to the latest from Nike. Going to be interesting. As for me I’ll never purchase another Nike product as long there is kneeling to the Flag of those who gave their lives for us all.

Most have contracts to advertise the brand. Might they opt-out when fans let them know their opinion?

Read: This Should End Well: Nike Picks Colin Kapernick For “Just Do It” Campaign »

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Despite Democrat Unhinged Opposition, Kavanugh Pretty Much Set To Sail Through Confirmation

By William Teach September 4, 2018 – 7:46 am

Democrats have been going full on Barking Moonbat since the announcement of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It hasn’t stopped. We get things like

That’s just the NY Times today. And Alyssa Milano and her $30k+ custom fish tank brings her standing Very Serious with crossed arms

Then Kamala Harris, who proves that this has nothing to do with Judge Kavanaugh, just being unhinged towards Trump

They can posture all the want: they have no power. There is no Gandalf coming to save them

Unborkable: Kavanaugh heads into confirmation hearings on cruise control

More than 30 years ago, Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court produced attention-grabbing hearings that took a toll on his already lackluster popularity with the viewing public.

“Bork came across on television as coldhearted and condescending,” the Washington Post’s Tom Shales wrote at the time. “He looked and talked like a man who would throw the book at you — and maybe like a man who would throw the book at the whole country.”

Bork’s nomination failed on the Senate floor by a vote of 42 to 58.

Yet when Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh takes his seat before the Senate Judiciary Committee at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week, he’ll face Republicans who are confident of collecting what may be the last significant reward of one-party rule before the midterm elections. Democrats have no clear path to stopping the installation of a justice who may solidify the court’s conservative majority for a generation.

On paper, Kavanaugh’s own personal unpopularity (among Democrats), his low-support positions on hot-button issues, the suspicions raised over withheld documents and the plague of scandal surrounding the president who appointed him may seem like the right combination of factors to produce a repeat of the Bork phenomenon. However, few in Washington expect anything so dramatic.

As much as the article attempts to link Kavanaugh to Bork, he’s going to sail through confirmation no matter what Democrats do.

Democrats are focusing on Kavanaugh’s positions casting doubt on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, opposing access to abortion and taking an expansive view of the power of the president. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office last week released the list of Democratic witnesses who will appear at the hearings, including experts on health care, reproductive rights, executive power and investigations of the president, as well as firearms, labor and environmental issues.

The Democrats will focus on abortion on demand through the whole process, as they’ve done so far, showing them to be the unhinged baby killing supporters they are. It won’t be a good look. But, there’s nothing they can do: Bretty Kavanaugh will be approved as a Supreme Court Justice by the end of the month.

Read: Despite Democrat Unhinged Opposition, Kavanugh Pretty Much Set To Sail Through Confirmation »

Posted in Current Affairs, Democrats, Unhinged Tools | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach September 3, 2018 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible carbon pollution created desert, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Chicks On The Right, with a post on the DNC’s self-awareness fail.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Warmists Really Warming Up To This Whole “Don’t Debate” Thing

By William Teach September 3, 2018 – 11:22 am

I had actually had something similar to this, from the UK Guardian, I believe, sitting in my GetPocket account a few weeks ago, but, never got around to bothering to write a post on it. There had also been something in the LA Times opinion section about not printing anything from Skeptics, and the BBC has been under assault to not allow dissenting voices against the Cult of Climastrology to be heard. This whole “no debate” thing is growing

Disempower far-right climate change deniers. Don’t debate with them

After a long, hot summer beset by record temperatures, drought and deadly fires, imagine my shock, on returning to the European parliament, to be confronted with a report that denies the reality of climate change. Given it could influence the allocation of the next round of environment funding under the EU’s Life programme, it is deeply disturbing to see such a report, based on wholly discredited science, wending its way down the corridors of Brussels.

Some of the claims made by the report’s author, the Ukip MEP Stuart Agnew, are, frankly, pretty hair-raising. For instance, he claims that the effect of CO2 levels on our climate is “negligible”, and that it is “one of agriculture’s greatest friends”. Agnew claims there is a lack of concentration of CO2 and as a result there is no problem for the EU to solve.

So how could it be that someone with a track record of shameful ignorance of the science of climate change ends up being assigned the task of compiling this report?

(blah blah blah, whining but offering no proof that the climatic changes are mostly/solely caused by Mankind)

Given the dangers posed by the far right and the very real threat of a significant bloc of populist, climate change-denying MEPs after next year’s European elections, it is time for those of us who back the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change to take back control. That is why I joined other politicians, scientists, academics and campaigners in signing a letter pledging we would refuse to debate those who deny that human-caused climate change is real. We can no longer give voice to the pseudo-science of climate change deniers; we must urgently move the debate on to how we address the causes and effects of dangerous climate breakdown.

This was by Molly Scott Cato, the Green MEP for the south-west of England, who we can pretty much bet that she hasn’t given up her own use of fossil fuels and gone carbon neutral.

This is not how Science works. You have to be able to debate and defend your ideas. But, then, Warmists pretty much can’t, and have been avoiding debate for decades. Because this isn’t science.

Read: Warmists Really Warming Up To This Whole “Don’t Debate” Thing »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming, New Climate Deniers | 13 Comments | Trackback URL

Warmist Super Excited To Enact Carbon Tax After “Pearl Harbor” Moments

By William Teach September 3, 2018 – 7:16 am

Interestingly, like most Cult of Climastrology members, Mark Reynolds, group executive director of the Citizens Climate Lobby, fails to push Cultists to give up their own use of fossil fuels and make their lives carbon neutral. He just wants taxes. It’s almost like this is about empowering government

It’s time to act on climate change with a tax on carbon

Those of us who understand the existential threat posed by climate change have been waiting for the “Pearl Harbor moment” that galvanizes people and politicians alike into taking action to minimize that threat. 2018 is turning out to be a “Pearl Harbor year,” where a majority of Americans support taking action, and we’re ready for Congress to press forward.

We thought the wake-up call on climate change occurred in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed and devastated New Orleans, a disaster that left 1,836 people dead and displaced tens of thousands more. Four years later, when legislation to price carbon made a run in Congress, any sense of urgency to deal with climate change was lost amid partisan squabbling and pushback from special interests.

The next opportunity for action came in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy roared up the East Coast with a storm surge that put much of New York City under water. The cover of Bloomberg Businessweek proclaimed, “It’s Global Warming, Stupid.” But again, nothing happened. Likewise, last year’s back-to-back-to-back storms — Harvey, Irma and Maria — left a swath of destruction from Houston to Puerto Rico totaling some $300 billion in damage. This, too, was not enough to spur action. (snip)

The terrifying vortex of fire that swept through Redding, is the latest Pearl Harbor moment for climate change in a year filled with such moments. Let us hope this year of infamy, together with the growing desire for action, will finally set the wheels in motion for Congress to enact meaningful solutions.

This comes via Eric Worrell at Watts Up With That?, who notes

My first thought when I hear about a weather disaster is usually “I hope those people are receiving the help they need”. But perhaps not everyone shares my sense of priorities.

There is that. But, Warmists do not care. They’ll take advantage of every weather event to push their hardcore progressive doctrine, which will do harm to the lower and middle classes. Hundreds of years ago the people “who understand the existential threat” of bad weather blamed witches and the gods. Now they blame trace amounts of carbon dioxide.

Read: Warmist Super Excited To Enact Carbon Tax After “Pearl Harbor” Moments »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 6 Comments | Trackback URL
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