Podcasts about TSR

Story of the Week (DR):Right wing faux populism:Josh Hawley blasts Allstate CEO for making $26M last year — while company can't ‘afford' to pay out claimsTrump Attacks Walmart, Tells Retailer to ‘Eat the Tariffs' Instead of Raising PricesTesla CFO earns staggering $139M compensation packageVaibhav Taneja: Approximately 80% of Mr. Taneja's equity award was granted as stock options and 20% of the award was granted as restricted stock units. Robyn Denholm member of Pay CommitteeIn 2024, Tesla experienced its first annual sales decline in nearly a decade, with a 1.1% drop in global deliveries. In April 2025, Chinese automaker BYD surpassed Tesla in European electric vehicle sales for the first time, registering 7,231 units compared to Tesla's 7,165. This shift is attributed to BYD's competitively priced and technologically advanced lineup. Tesla's sales in California, its largest American market, declined in all four quarters of 2024, with Model 3 sales plunging 36% for the year. In 2024, Tesla led all automakers in the U.S. with over 5 million vehicles recalled across 16 separate campaignsIn 2025, Tesla dropped to 95th place out of 100 in the Axios Harris Poll, down from 8th place in 2021In a hidden 10K/A from 4/30/25“Staggering” is from Fox: even more fake anti-capitalist rhetoricScared bro dictatorships: Duolingo deletes its TikTok and Instagram posts amid AI backlashCEO Luis von Ahn, posted a memo on LinkedIn last month describing plans to make the company "AI-first." He said the company would "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle" and "headcount will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work."The backlash was harsh. Tweets, TikToks, and Reddit posts exploded in outrage. As of Tuesday, Duolingo's social accounts had been wiped — no posts, no icon. Duolingo did not respond to a request for comment.And the one statement that was released by a Duolingo spokesperson, after the account went dark, did not shade much light on the situation (pun intended): “Let's just say we're experimenting with silence. Sometimes, the best way to make noise is to disappear first.”Duolingo CEO says there may still be schools in our AI future, but mostly just for childcareBro dictatorship (76% combined voting power)Co-founder CEO Luis von Ahn (43%); co-founder CTO Severin Hacker (40%)Classified board: why?Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote, and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to 20 votesThe worst kind of suck-ups: Verizon ends DEI programs, diversity goals as it seeks approval for Frontier acquisition MMVerizon dumped DEI. Then regulators cleared its $20 billion Frontier deal4/1/25: T-Mobile announces DEI changes in pursuit of LumosA day after T-Mobile said it would end some diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the FCC gave a green light to T-Mobile's deal with EQT for fiber operator Lumos.5/22/25: AT&T CEO on potential Trump DEI pressure for $5.75B deal: 'We don't have to roll back anything'AT&T CEO John Stankey isn't showing his hand yet on whether he plans to dial back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to gain approval for a big new fiber deal from the Trump administration.AT&T said late Wednesday it would acquire all of Lumen Technologies' (LUMN) fiber business for $5.75 billion, above the already pricey $5.5 billion that deal watchers estimated a few weeks ago.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Most US executives want to remove at least one director, PwC survey says93% said they wanted at least one director to be replaced, an all-time high for the five years this survey has been conducted78% said two or more should be replaced56% worried about directors' performance being diminished by their advanced age47% worried members served on too many boardsOnly 32% believe their boards have the right skills and expertiseMM: BYD overtakes Tesla in Europe for the first time. That's more bad news for Elon Musk. MMI'm now rooting for China… and I'm not alone: Jamie Dimon says he is a 'red-blooded American patriot capitalist,' but he sees how China's hustle is paying offAssholiest of the Week (MM):Shareholders lamenting the rise of virtual meetingsShareholders lament the rise of virtual annual meetingsThey miss the time they could meet directors face to face before voting 97% in favor?Shareholders afraid to vote against directors93% of U.S. Executives Desire Board Member Replacements, Survey Finds - News and Statistics49% of directors think one other director should get the axe too according to PwCGrant them their wish!! Just YOU choose instead of them!I'll do it for you:If I look at directors actively on 2+ boards, who have served on at least 3 boards in the last 7 years…Filter them by performance - below average earnings, TSR, AND controversies…There are 66 options to choose from!Including… Stephen Girsky, CEO of fraudulent company Nikola!Randy Weisenburger at Valero Energy and Carnival!Robert Johnson on the boards of Spirit Aero, Roper, and Spirit Airlines!Arnold Donald on four boards - Salesforce, BofA, GE Vernova, MP Materials! Four times the underperformance!Chip Bergh at HP and Pinterest!What, you don't recognize any of these names? These sound like random board members? Shame on you!Johnson has been on the boards for 18,19, and 14 years respectivelyWeisenburger for 14 and 16 yearsDonald's been at BofA for 12 yearsBergh's been at HP for 9 years!These people are tenured. They've been around. They've proven they are really good at overseeing underperformance. VOTE. THEM. OUT.I'm sure you're worried about hurting their feelings or seeming activist - you're not, and you won't! Even the boards and executives wish you would vote someone out! Try it!Harvard board members DRDHS barred Harvard from enrolling international students. Here's what's at stake and what's still uncertainYou've let Bill Ackman be your big fat useless mouthpiece - where the fuck are you all? Oh, I found you…2,173 companies in our database have at least one director who attended Harvard848 of those companies are NON US companiesJust under 4% of ALL GLOBAL DIRECTORSHIPS are held by what we KNOW are Harvard alumsIt's 9% of all US company directorships - nearly 1 in every 10 US directors at a company are from HarvardAverage network power of a Harvard director is $6.2 trillion, compared to a global average of $2.6 trillion - Harvard directors have nearly 2.5x the power of an average directorHarvard directors have on average 13% influence compared to 11% for other directorsOn average, 38% of Harvard directors have merit - while 20% of non Harvard directors doDriven largely by the fact that 62% of them have core industry knowledge and 55% are company leaders - vs. 19% of non Harvard directors with core industry knowledge and 44% of non Harvard directors being leadersWhere we have race/ethnicity data for Harvard directors (1,664 of them), 28% are non white - compared to non Harvard directors where we have race (12,412 of them) only 16% are non whiteAt least 70 of the directors who went to Harvard in our database are tagged as international nationals in our data - and that's a WOEFULLY incomplete datasetOpen your fucking mouths! Did going to Harvard any of you help you get jobs and board positions? Was it nice to network and meet people who eventually could help you get jobs? Is there a culture of Harvard? I hate Harvard, and even I think this is utter madness and stupidity - stand up! Say something you cowards! Headliniest of the WeekDR: Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books: Reading list in advertorial supplement contains 66% made up books with real author names: "Tidewater Dreams" by Isabel Allende and "The Last Algorithm" by Andy Weir MM: ‘Buy the dip'? You're twice as likely to do that if you're a manNacho dip? Women Outperform Men as Investors, Statistics Show. Here Are 3 Possible Reasons.MM: Anthropic's new Claude model blackmailed an engineer having an affair in test runsMM: Pitney Bowes appoints activist investor as new CEOI love when a company literally just gives up entirelyWho Won the Week?DR: Sam Alman, Ugh: Sam Altman Tells Staff Plan to Ship 100 Million Devices That See Everything In Users' Lives after OpenAI is buying iPhone designer Jony Ive's AI devices startup for $6.4 billionMM: Bud Light - thanks to one trans beer drinker, everyone that shot their Bud Light cans avoided future illness: Beer is the latest source of hazardous PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals,' according to worried scientists. Thank you, trans beer drinkers! You saved us once again!PredictionsDR: When AT&T gives up its DEI program to the Trump altar, I buy some string and quickly make hummus so I can use two empty cans of chick peas to make my new phoneMM: Since this is going forward - Antitrust Cops Say BlackRock, Other Fund Giants May Have Hurt Coal Competition - which should read “Company owners ask companies they own to do stuff” - Blackrock will launch a new investment vehicle called “Pick Your Own Damn Stocks, We Don't Give a Damn LP” in which clients can pick the investments and are auto enrolled in a proxy voting program called “Whatever the Fuck Ever” in which voting and engagement are assigned directly to every board chair.

Join me as I review Knights of the Sword by Roland Green, live! Share your thoughts on this third volume of seven in the Dragonlance Warriors series, released by TSR, INC. on December 1, 1995.

The largest battle we've ever undertaken continues, in part four of our playthrough of the classic TSR giants module.

TCW Podcast Episode 233 - Baldur's Gate   When three doctors, a prolific dungeon master, a database programmer, and a writer come together to make video games, you get Baldur's Gate! Often credited with saving the Western RPG, Baldur's Gate became a phenomenal hit, taking full advantage of Microsoft's new DirectX API and Windows 95. With this technology, the team created massive, beautiful maps for players to explore. They began shopping their new Infinity Engine around—drawing attention from top figures at Virgin Interactive—but ultimately secured a deal with Interplay, after an initial rejection. This partnership allowed them to shift from an original pantheon-based RPG to using the Dungeons & Dragons license that Interplay had acquired from TSR. They focused on the Sword Coast and the city of Baldur's Gate—an underdeveloped region of the Forgotten Realms that stayed true to the classic swords-and-sorcery motif. The result was a game that captured the spirit of D&D while delivering the fast-paced action that gamers of the late '90s craved!   VGA Standard Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exFKr-JJtg SSI Gold Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBodtk1JnxQ Dungeon Master (Atari ST): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3UdUWU4j1Y Shattered Steel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvyi0l4s-wI&list=PLFTDBbYrcivppTQ8bupD3DQ7U23qTv5cK What is DirectX and Why is it important?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfSk6kwWBuE Why Windows 95 was a big deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DCNt0cqTQY Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast: https://archive.org/details/tsr09460addfrvolosguidetotheswordcoast Baldur's Gate Playthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooqFu_enV30&list=PLNU3jYa35cy3gahj5NBKymMB6grIGykOr   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com  Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1     Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Start your very own Credit Repair business - Learn how by joining our FREE 5-day challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/When you focus on helping people and delivering results, your business will grow.Today's guest, Leonides Valdez, the newest member of our Millionaires Club, is a perfect example of this. As the founder of National Best Credit Solutions, Leo has not only transformed the lives of countless clients, but his own as well—in just a few short years. From serving only two local clients in San Antonio, he's grown into a national brand. Through consistency, referrals, and a relentless drive to change lives, Leo has made it all the way to the Millionaires Club. Now, he's here to share his best-kept secrets with you.Tune in!Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 01:44 The Millionaires Club Award 02:31 Before Credit Repair07:39 First Year in Business & Getting New Clients 13:20 Personal Growth and Business Challenges 17:24 How to Get Unstuck 18:31 Affiliates and referral partners 27:05 Credit Repair Strategies 31:13 Common Misconceptions About Credit Repair 32:07 Staying Compliant with the TSR 33:06 Improving Your Credit Score 37:21 Advice for Aspiring Credit Heroes 45:52 Utilizing Social Media 49:20 Rapid Fire 53:35 OutroAdditional Resources:Follow Leonides on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonides.valdez.180/National Best Credit Solutions: https://nationalbestcreditsolutions.com/Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  5 Possible Reasons and How to Fix ThemMake sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

Join me as I review Maquesta Kar-Thon by Tina Daniell, live! Share your thoughts on this second volume of seven in the Dragonlance Warriors series, released by TSR, INC. on July 1, 1995.

In this episode of Epic Realms, we sit down with legendary author and game designer Bruce Nesmith to explore his incredible career spanning decades of storytelling. From his early days at TSR, crafting unforgettable adventures for Dungeons & Dragons in settings like Ravenloft and Spelljammer, to his influential work as a freelancer across the tabletop RPG industry, Bruce has helped shape the worlds we love. We dive into his time at Bethesda, where he played key roles in iconic titles like Skyrim, Fallout, and Starfield. Now enjoying retirement, Bruce continues to share his imagination through original fantasy novels. This is an unforgettable conversation with a true titan of fantasy and gaming! ---------------------- Check out our Sponsor Factor75 - Chef made meals delivered to your door! Use my link to get 50% off and free shipping on your first Factor box! https://strms.net/factor75_epic_realms Code:  FACTORSE69608

Labhair sé in ómós do Tomás Ó Cuinneagáin ón tSráidbahile, iar-chathaoirleach ar Choiste CLG Phort Láirge atá imithe ar shlí na fírinne.

Start your very own Credit Repair business - Learn how by joining our FREE 5-day challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/What if I told you that you could make millions by changing people's lives?Well, that's exactly what today's guest, Paranda Davis, has done! Paranda, also known as The Credit Beast, is a repeat guest and new member of our Millionaires Club. In this powerful episode, Paranda shares her inspiring story of becoming a single mom who took control of her financial future.With no prior experience, she started her own credit repair business and earned $30,000 in her first month. Now, she mentors others and continues to change lives every day.Want to know the secrets that helped her build her empire?Tune in!Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 02:00 Getting the Millionaires Club Award 03:13 From Credit Repair to Mentoring03:59 Paranda's Journey Into Credit Repair 07:57 Paranda's Marketing Strategies 10:57 Advice for Aspiring Credit Heroes 13:42 The TSR and Working with Clients 18:57 Rapid Fire 20:56 How to Reach Paranda 21:27 OutroAdditional Resources:Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  How Paranda Davis Made $30K in the First Month of Her Credit Repair BusinessMake sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

Welcome to part two of the April Fool's Day episode! This year's game is played using a game published in the ‘90s by TSR called Marvel SAGA. It is a card-based role-playing game where the players create and play their very own superheroes. So, without further ado… here is A Valiant Attempt at a Re-Image of the Dark Horse Marvel in D.C. - Part 2Song parodies recorded by ButterBean (Julie Jurgens and Charlie Crane)Julie Jurgens can be found at juliejurgens.comCharlie Crane can be found at charliecrane.bandcamp.comMore information at facebook.com/ButterBeanRecordshttps://www.recklessattack.comWant to hang out with other fans?Join us on Discord!Like the show? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/recklessattack

Dustin Blystone joins TSR to give a presentation on his book, The Isaiah Matrix.To get the audio-only podcast version of full videos and Josh Peck's blog, which includes original articles, show notes, and more, subscribe to Josh's Substack at http://joshpeck.substack.comDonate: http://PayPal.me/JoshPeckDisclosureCashApp: $JoshScottPeck

Join me as I review Knights of the Crown by Roland Green, live! Share your thoughts on this first volume of seven in the Dragonlance Warriors series, released by TSR, INC. on March 1, 1995.

Join us as we play the very first Dungeons & Dragons adventure module published by TSR way back in 1978. What could be more fun? Why, playing it as a level 4 DCC adventure, of course! Other podcasts may be slicker, younger and prettier than us. But what other TTRPG actual play is going to teach you about the works of Rance and Clint Howard?

A saga for the ages… or at least a podcast appropriate for April Fool's Day British heavy Bruce Payne (Passenger 57) is the only cast member willing to return for a Dungeons & Dragons sequel now that the 2005 campaign is being launched on SyFy Channel.  Can new director Gerry Lively (Darkness Falls) do a better job of advancing the fantasy role-playing game into a credible cinematic universe by more closely studying the classic monster manuals and rule books of TSR?  Find out if hosts Justin, Stuart, and Arnie have much clemency for yet another low-budget quest to enchant today's tabletop players. Listen Now! 

A saga for the ages… or at least a podcast appropriate for April Fool's DayBritish heavy Bruce Payne (Passenger 57) is the only cast member willing to return for a Dungeons & Dragons sequel now that the 2005 campaign is being launched on SyFy Channel.  Can new director Gerry Lively (Darkness Falls) do a better job of advancing the fantasy role-playing game into a credible cinematic universe by more closely studying the classic monster manuals and rule books of TSR?  Find out if hosts Justin, Stuart, and Arnie have much clemency for yet another low-budget quest to enchant today's tabletop players. Listen Now! 

Welcome once again to the April Fool's Day episode!  This year's game is played using a game published in the ‘90s by TSR called Marvel SAGA.  It is a card-based role-playing game where the players create and play their very own superheroes. So, without further ado… here is A Valiant Attempt at a Re-Image of the Dark Horse Marvel in D.C.Song parodies recorded by ButterBean (Julie Jurgens and Charlie Crane)Julie Jurgens can be found at juliejurgens.comCharlie Crane can be found at charliecrane.bandcamp.comMore information at facebook.com/ButterBeanRecordshttps://www.recklessattack.comWant to hang out with other fans?Join us on Discord!Like the show? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/recklessattack

Donjons et Dragons est né en 1974 dans le Wisconsin, grâce à la passion de Gary Gygax, Don Kaye et Dave Arneson pour les jeux de stratégie et l'univers fantastique. Ce jeu de rôle sur table, révolutionnaire pour l'époque, propose aux joueurs d'incarner des personnages uniques dans un monde de fiction médiévale où narration, imagination et dés sont rois. D'abord financé à la hâte par ses créateurs, il est autoédité via la société TSR. Contre toute attente, le succès est immédiat. Malgré la mort soudaine de Don Kaye et les conflits avec Arneson, Gygax poursuit l'aventure. Mais en 1985, il est lui-même évincé de TSR. Le jeu continue néanmoins son expansion, jusqu'à devenir culte. En 1997, Wizards of the Coast rachète la licence et relance la machine. Aujourd'hui, Donjons et Dragons reste une référence incontournable du jeu de rôle et un pilier de la culture geek mondiale. Merci pour votre écoute Vous aimez l'Heure H, mais connaissez-vous La Mini Heure H https://audmns.com/YagLLiK , une version pour toute la famille.Retrouvez l'ensemble des épisodes de l'Heure H sur notre plateforme Auvio.be :https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/22750 Intéressés par l'histoire ? Vous pourriez également aimer nos autres podcasts : Un jour dans l'Histoire : https://audmns.com/gXJWXoQL'Histoire Continue: https://audmns.com/kSbpELwAinsi que nos séries historiques :Chili, le Pays de mes Histoires : https://audmns.com/XHbnevhD-Day : https://audmns.com/JWRdPYIJoséphine Baker : https://audmns.com/wCfhoEwLa folle histoire de l'aviation : https://audmns.com/xAWjyWCLes Jeux Olympiques, l'étonnant miroir de notre Histoire : https://audmns.com/ZEIihzZMarguerite, la Voix d'une Résistante : https://audmns.com/zFDehnENapoléon, le crépuscule de l'Aigle : https://audmns.com/DcdnIUnUn Jour dans le Sport : https://audmns.com/xXlkHMHSous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppvVous aimez les histoires racontées par Jean-Louis Lahaye ? Connaissez-vous ces podcast?Sous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppv36 Quai des orfèvres : https://audmns.com/eUxNxyFHistoire Criminelle, les enquêtes de Scotland Yard : https://audmns.com/ZuEwXVOUn Crime, une Histoire https://audmns.com/NIhhXpYN'oubliez pas de vous y abonner pour ne rien manquer.Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Episode Summary In this episode, the RPGBOT hosts take a deep dive into the origin, design, and legacy of the Pokémon Jr. Adventure Game—a tabletop role-playing game released at the height of the Pokémon craze. Despite achieving strong initial sales, the game was ultimately considered a failure by its creators due to issues surrounding pricing, marketing strategy, and corporate oversight. The discussion navigates through the creative process behind the game, its design for a young audience, and how it served as many players' first introduction to TTRPGs. The episode also reflects on broader topics such as missed opportunities in the tabletop space, the tension between business decisions and creative intent, and what lessons developers and publishers can learn today. Links Bill Slavicsek, designer on Pokemon Jr. Adventure Game https://www.billslavicsek.com/  Youtube Interview about Pokemon Jr with A.A. Voigt Stan! (Steven “Stan” Brown), designer on Pokemon Jr. Adventure Game YouTube Interview with David Wise - Great discussion of the late days of TSR and the early days of D&D and Wizards of the Coast, including the d20 System+OGL era Wikipedia: Steven Stan Brown Pokemon Jr. on Archive.org Wikipedia: Pokemon Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode Ben Riggs, DnD historian https://www.writerbenriggs.com/  Brian Lewis, formerly in legal at WotC, now co-owner of Gen Con and a lawyer at Azoria Law, which manages the ORC license https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lewis-635b255/  Cindi Rice, brand manager at WotC from 1997-2001 https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindirice/ David Wise, director of WotC publishing group from 1997-2002 https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwise-legal-communications/ Ryan Dancey, VP and brand manager at Wotc from 1997-2001 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsdancey/  Main Discussion Points The Genesis of Pokémon Junior Inspired by Pokémon's massive popularity and the need for a child-friendly RPG Designed as a simple, parent-child bonding experience Game mechanics were intuitive and accessible for young children Game Development and Team Dynamics Created by a small, dedicated team Emphasis on storytelling and character interaction over complex mechanics Collaborative design process, shaped by focus groups and child feedback The Paradox of Success and Failure Launched with high expectations and massive initial orders Sold over 800,000 copies in the first year Despite strong sales, it was considered a commercial failure due to pricing and overproduction Marketing and Business Decisions Pricing was initially too high, hindering accessibility Internal sales team competition and lack of communication impacted distribution Marketing decisions were made independently of the designers' input The Impact and Legacy Planned expansions and sequels were ultimately shelved Nostalgia for the game remains strong, particularly among those introduced to RPGs through it Reflections on missed opportunities in extending the brand and community-building Broader Industry Implications Highlights the fragile balance between creativity and profit Demonstrates the importance of aligning marketing with product design Suggests future success depends on community engagement, smart strategy, and risk-taking Key Takeaways The Pokémon Jr. Adventure Game is a notable piece of RPG history despite its short lifespan. High sales numbers can mask deeper structural and strategic failures. Overestimation of demand and poor pricing strategies led to the game's early demise. Designers had little control over critical business decisions, including marketing and pricing. The game was meant to be a gateway for young players into the world of TTRPGs. Focus groups revealed that intuitive, non-text-dependent design was crucial for child audiences. Nostalgia plays a powerful role in how the game is remembered today. Internal company dynamics, including sales team competition, had real impacts on product success. Missed opportunities included additional product lines and long-term brand building. The industry must find ways to support innovation and community engagement to ensure future growth. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra Twitter: @RPGBOTDOTNET Facebook: rpgbotbotdotnet Bluesky:rpgbot.bsky.social Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games Twitter: @GravenAshes YouTube@ashravenmedia Randall James @JackAmateur Amateurjack.com Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Episode Summary In this episode, the RPGBOT hosts take a deep dive into the origin, design, and legacy of the Pokémon Jr. Adventure Game—a tabletop role-playing game released at the height of the Pokémon craze. Despite achieving strong initial sales, the game was ultimately considered a failure by its creators due to issues surrounding pricing, marketing strategy, and corporate oversight. The discussion navigates through the creative process behind the game, its design for a young audience, and how it served as many players' first introduction to TTRPGs. The episode also reflects on broader topics such as missed opportunities in the tabletop space, the tension between business decisions and creative intent, and what lessons developers and publishers can learn today. Links Bill Slavicsek, designer on Pokemon Jr. Adventure Game https://www.billslavicsek.com/  Youtube Interview about Pokemon Jr with A.A. Voigt Stan! (Steven “Stan” Brown), designer on Pokemon Jr. Adventure Game YouTube Interview with David Wise - Great discussion of the late days of TSR and the early days of D&D and Wizards of the Coast, including the d20 System+OGL era Wikipedia: Steven Stan Brown Pokemon Jr. on Archive.org Wikipedia: Pokemon Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode Ben Riggs, DnD historian https://www.writerbenriggs.com/  Brian Lewis, formerly in legal at WotC, now co-owner of Gen Con and a lawyer at Azoria Law, which manages the ORC license https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lewis-635b255/  Cindi Rice, brand manager at WotC from 1997-2001 https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindirice/ David Wise, director of WotC publishing group from 1997-2002 https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwise-legal-communications/ Ryan Dancey, VP and brand manager at Wotc from 1997-2001 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsdancey/  Main Discussion Points The Genesis of Pokémon Junior Inspired by Pokémon's massive popularity and the need for a child-friendly RPG Designed as a simple, parent-child bonding experience Game mechanics were intuitive and accessible for young children Game Development and Team Dynamics Created by a small, dedicated team Emphasis on storytelling and character interaction over complex mechanics Collaborative design process, shaped by focus groups and child feedback The Paradox of Success and Failure Launched with high expectations and massive initial orders Sold over 800,000 copies in the first year Despite strong sales, it was considered a commercial failure due to pricing and overproduction Marketing and Business Decisions Pricing was initially too high, hindering accessibility Internal sales team competition and lack of communication impacted distribution Marketing decisions were made independently of the designers' input The Impact and Legacy Planned expansions and sequels were ultimately shelved Nostalgia for the game remains strong, particularly among those introduced to RPGs through it Reflections on missed opportunities in extending the brand and community-building Broader Industry Implications Highlights the fragile balance between creativity and profit Demonstrates the importance of aligning marketing with product design Suggests future success depends on community engagement, smart strategy, and risk-taking Key Takeaways The Pokémon Jr. Adventure Game is a notable piece of RPG history despite its short lifespan. High sales numbers can mask deeper structural and strategic failures. Overestimation of demand and poor pricing strategies led to the game's early demise. Designers had little control over critical business decisions, including marketing and pricing. The game was meant to be a gateway for young players into the world of TTRPGs. Focus groups revealed that intuitive, non-text-dependent design was crucial for child audiences. Nostalgia plays a powerful role in how the game is remembered today. Internal company dynamics, including sales team competition, had real impacts on product success. Missed opportunities included additional product lines and long-term brand building. The industry must find ways to support innovation and community engagement to ensure future growth. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra Twitter: @RPGBOTDOTNET Facebook: rpgbotbotdotnet Bluesky:rpgbot.bsky.social Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games Twitter: @GravenAshes YouTube@ashravenmedia Randall James @JackAmateur Amateurjack.com Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Join Our FREE Start Repairing Credit Challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/Three years ago, I was sued by the CFPB.They sued me over the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), and it was the most stressful period of my life. The craziest part is that we don't do telemarketing, we don't have salespeople, and our software doesn't even make calls. Yet, they alleged that we were in breach of the TSR simply because our software was being used by others who were breaking the law.After a three-year battle, we finally reached a settlement with the CFPB, and I can now talk about it to help you avoid the same nightmare!Some people think that because the CFPB is now in trouble, the TSR doesn't apply anymore, but that's dead wrong. If you're in credit repair, the TSR still applies to you. It always has, and it always will. At our VIP mastermind event, Troy Hitt, our Head of Customer Success, explained everything you need to know to protect your business.Tune in!Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 01:25 Do You Still Need to Follow the TSR? 04:10 Troy's story 15:09 What Is TSR and How Does It Impact You?18:04 Best Practices 28:43 My Final Point29:27 Outro Additional Resources:Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  Generate Leads 24/7 with a 100% TSR-Compliant Credit Repair WebsiteMake sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

I really hope you're enjoying this string of very old games, we're doing our best to get back into them quickly (ever since I found one of my old box sets fully eaten by bugs and had to fumigate). In this case, it's a game about real old timey cowboys! Like Boot Hill but not TSR! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textWelcome to You Heard it Here Last where we talk about news, you've already heard.https://www.enworld.org/threads/diamond-comic-distributors-files-bankruptcy-sells-alliance-game-distributors.709593/Diamond Comic Distributors, the owner of Alliance Game Distributors has filed for bankruptcy. In a message from Chuck Parker the President of Diamond comic Distributors he outlines the necessity for the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which would allow Diamond Comic Distributors to restructure and meet many of its significant financial obligations. While this could likely be very bad news for an already struggling comic book industry his message does have some good news;“We have already received a commitment from Universal Distribution to purchase Alliance Game Distributors coupled with a signed letter of intent to purchase Diamond UK, and we remain committed to pursuing offers for all Diamond lines of business.”  Parker said in his statement.While it's not likely this news will cause any significant issues or problems with game distribution it is noteworthy that Goodman Games signed an exclusive deal with Diamond in December of 2023.https://goodman-games.com/blog/2023/12/04/goodman-games-inks-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-diamond-book-distributors/Nasty business stuff. Mike you are our business guy. What's all this mean?[Kick to Mike]Christina, thoughts?[Kick to Christina]Speaking of IPs, or at least we will be speaking of IPs in the near future, stay tuned to our regularly scheduled program for our upcoming episode on Intellectual Properties that should be games we have this bit of news from across the pond.https://www.enworld.org/threads/qi-mentions-the-diana-jones-awards.709578/QI is a BBC2 quiz show that called out the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Roleplaying Games on it's social media accounts. While that is news, it's not why I bring this up. Reading the “Quiet Interesting” post on Facebook is what made this one interesting.The Diana Jones Award is named after The Adventures of Indiana Jones Roleplaying Game that was released by TSR in 1984. It is considered one of the least loved and most savaged roleplaying games of all times and eventually every last copy was burned. The trophy itself is a Lucite pyramid made up of the last legible remains from those burned books. All you can read is “diana Jones” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Jones_AwardMike, Christina, did you guys know this origin story and if you did, why the hell didn't you tell me?[Kick to Mike and Christina]Also, why does Steven Spielberg have such a great track record with moves, but a terrible one when it comes to turning those movies into games. I mean we have this one with Indiana Jones and then we also have the ET Atari Video Game. Both considered the worst ever in their genres? You guys might want to keep that in mind when thinking about the IPs that need to be made into roleplaying games…I'm looking at you Avatar.[Kick to Mike and Christina]And there you have it. All the news, you've already heard.

In this week's Flashlight, we're at Vulpine Taproom in Seattle! We hear about the appropriate attire for a fantasy cosplay wedding, the hazards of getting emotionally invested in a gimmick character, and the downsides of having a life outside of gaming. Thank you so much to Vulpine Taproom for letting us record at your game night.Thanks to Josh, Chris, Abraham, Shoe, Brandon, Sean, and another Chris for taking the time to talk with us! (And, once again, serious gratitude to Vulpine Taproom.) As usual, we have some notes on our conversations:Abraham mentioned the Mothership system as well as the original Dragonlance setting which starts with Dragons of Despair. We talked about why TSR had to release so many sourcebooks back in this Season 2 Flashlight about the history of D&D.We discuss the right system for running a cyberpunk-themed game with Shoe. Neither of us remembers the year for Cyberpunk Red - it's 2045. Sorry about this. We also discuss the Shadowrun system, which you'll be hearing about in next week's interview! Also, if anyone has any suggestions for running a cyberpunk-themed game, send them our way and we'll pass them along to Shoe.When we talk with Chris (the second Chris) we discuss Cortex and also mention Lancer. You might remember Lancer from last episode's s interview with Tyler. We ended up talking with way more people than we can fit in a single episode. Given that we're getting close to the end of Season 3, the second half of our evening at Vulpine Taproom will likely end up in Season 4. You'll hear more from some of these people in that episode. If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon. For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website.    ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Join me as I review The Dragons by Douglas Niles, live! Share your thoughts on this sixth volume in the Dragonlance Lost Histories sextet, released by TSR, INC. in October 1996.

This week's guest is a founder of Games Workshop, publisher of White Dwarf magazine, creator of the Fighting Fantasy Books and Executive Chair of Eidos Interactive Sir Ian Livingstone. This Knight of the British Empire started a business while living in a van, prevailed through a Satanic panic about his Fighting books, saw the promise of a certain Tomb Raider and birthed a mass media entertainment phenomenon. Now using games for education, we talk getting bonkers exclusives, the 3 G's of gamedev and more - this week!

IntroductionLIVE from your ESG and DEI Teeth Bleaching Kit, it's a Business Pants Friday Show here at February 21st Studios, featuring AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today's weekly wrap up: Canada still cares, Rupert Murdoch knows how to text, the illusion of meritocracy, and an important new announcement from YouTubeOur show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):ESG Week MMBlackRock and Vanguard halt meetings with companies after SEC cracks down on ESGBlackRock resumes stewardship talks after reviewing new ESG guidanceProxy vote support for ESG drops to record low in 2024Clarification: ShareAction analyzed how 70 of the world's largest asset managers voted on 279 ESG shareholder resolutions during the 2024 proxy voting season:In 2024, only four (1.4%) out of the 279 resolutions we assessed received majority support, less than half of the percentage that gained a majority vote in 2023 (3%), and far lower than the 21% which passed in 2021.This is reflected in an ongoing downward trend in the average percentage support that these resolutions received, which was 20.6% in 2024 compared to 40% in 2021.Vanguard, the world's second largest asset manager, performed the worst of all the managers we assessed, voting in favour of 0% of shareholder proposals.Top 26 all in Europe1 GenAM (Italy) 982 BNP Paribas Asset Management (France) 973 PGGM Investments (Netherlands) 9728 Federated Hermes (top in US) 80BlackRock at #67 with a score of 5; Vanguard to out of 70 with a 0.Tesla Targeted With Worldwide Protests, Vandalism Tesla showrooms are being hit by a wave of anti-DOGE protestsSheryl Crow says goodbye to her Tesla and donates to NPR: 'You have to decide who you are willing to align with'Sign That Says “We Hate Him Too” Appears in Window of Tesla DealershipEconomist Warns That Elon Musk Is About to Cause a "Deep, Deep Recession"Jesse Rothstein, DOL's chief economist at the start of the Obama administration: "This is going to be very, very bad."James Murdoch lays bare his relationship with ‘misogynist' father amid succession fight in rare interviewThe interview, published in the Atlantic, reveals James Murdoch, now 52, regarded his father, now 93, as a “misogynist” and described Fox News as a “menace” to US democracy.A series of “withering questions” put to James by Rupert's lawyer in a nearly five-hour session at a Manhattan law office. According to the Atlantic, the questions included:“Have you ever done anything successful on your own?”“Why were you too busy to say ‘Happy birthday' to your father when he turned 90?”“Does it strike you that, in your account, everything that goes wrong is always somebody else's fault?”The lawyer also referred to James and his sisters as “white, privileged, multibillionaire trust-fund babies”.James realised Rupert, who was seated silently, was texting the questions to the lawyer. “How fucking twisted is that?” he asks Coppins.UnitedHealth's rough stretch continues, with buyouts, a reported DOJ probe and a 23% drop in three monthsUnitedHealthcare is in hot water again as the insurance giant grapples with a reported government investigation of its Medicare billing practices, pursues employee buyouts and potential layoffs and faces sharp criticism from billionaire Bill Ackman.It extends a tumultuous period for its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, marked by the killing of a top executive, a costly cyberattack against its subsidiary and high medical costs.The Department of Justice has launched a civil fraud investigation in recent months into UnitedHealth's billing practices for its Medicare Advantage plansThe probe specifically examines whether diagnoses were routinely made to trigger extra payments in those plans, including at physician groups the insurer ownsGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Canadian banks must reveal diversity of board, top managers under new rulesCanadian banks and other national institutions have to disclose information about the diversity of their boards of directors and top management under new rules published on Saturday, in sharp contrast with the U.S. Trump administration which is ending such practices.Federally regulated financial institutions must also disclose policies to increase diversity while sending out notices of annual meetings to shareholders."Investors lack transparent and standardized information on the representation of women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities in senior leadership positions … Diversity is fundamental to creating a thriving and successful financial sector that reflects Canadian values."DR: DEI is good for our business, Coca-Cola saysIn an annual filing, the company said its business could be adversely affected if it was "unable to attract or retain specialized talent or top talent with diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds."DR: REVERSAL: Trump rescinds DOT approval for NYC congestion toll, condemns city to pollutionDR: REVERSAL: Amazon workers reject union in vote at North Carolina warehouseOf the 3,276 ballots cast, there were 2,447 votes opposing the union and 829 in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board.CAUSE was founded in 2022 by RDU1 employees Mary Hill and Rev. Ryan Brown to voice concerns about the company's response to the Covid pandemic, which they viewed as inadequate. The group sought to organize RDU1 to boost wages and secure longer breaks.Starting pay at RDU1 is $18.50 an hour. CAUSE has pushed to negotiate for wages of $30 an hour.Unions have enjoyed increasing support across the country, with 67% of Americans saying they approve of labor unions, according to Gallup.North Carolina had the lowest union membership rate in the country last year, with only 2.4% of workers in the state represented, according to the BLS.MM: NASA Has Some Good News About The Asteroid That Could Hit EarthMM: Finally, a future lawsuit against return to office mandates is here: Afternoon Naps Boost Your Problem-Solving, Study Finds110 minute nap!!MM: What's in that drink? Starbucks becomes less Instagrammable. MM DRAssholiest of the Week (MM):Meritocracy, the new buzzword DRExxon Swaps 'Diversity' for 'Meritocracy' in Report to InvestorsAccording to our data, ONE of Exxon's TWELVE directors meets relatively unimpeachable “merit” measures: advanced knowledge of the industry, network power, economic interest in the company, performance (earnings and TSR) at any company board they sit on, and CEO or leadership positions in the past.The ONE member that hits three of the five is Kaisa Hietala, who was a dissent director put there by Engine No 1 in an activist voteHere's why merit's missing: 7 of 12 directors are white menThere are no people of color anywhere except the two twofers - the woman born in Egypt who lived in Texas her whole life and was part of Trump 1.0, and the black guy on three other boards?Our data shows on average black women have more merit on paper than any other cohortNew plan: companies need to announce “increased meritocracy targets” - increasing the number of employees, executives, and directors meet meritocracy requirements by 2050The result will be: 100% of every company is black womenYou're welcomeIt's your job, assholeBoeing CEO praises Elon Musk for helping with the delayed Air Force One delivery: 'He's a brilliant guy'Your literal job is to build that thing for a client - imagine if we developed sucky director data, then said we hired ISS to build it because, “they're better at it!”Investors - you elected this board, this fool, and it's your money - is your job as owner the company to keep on a board and management team that needs help to do its basic job?Just a reminder: Ohio AG sued Boeing's board for safety failures - they can't keep their planes safe, they can't build new planes, they can't figure out how to deal with their employees… and the lowest vote against wasn't for prior CEO Dave Calhoun, it was for the guy who chaired the safety committee… for one year!Ohio voted FOR THEM ALLWhat it was always aboutThe worst version of fuck, marry, kill… fuck anyone with a vagina since you're a middle school boy, marry money, and kill… peopleAn Influencer Says She Had Elon Musk's Baby and the Drama Is Pretty Spectacular, Even by His StandardsElon Musk has a problem with X's Community Notes when he disapproves of the resultsElon Musk Is Flagrantly Gutting an Agency in Charge of Regulating TeslaTesla recalls more than 375,000 vehicles due to power steering issueHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Zuckerberg's New Metaverse Ad Is So Bad That the People Who Created It Must Be Secretly Trying to Embarrass HimMM: YouTube picked a new shade of red for its logo because the old red was too red - because the old color, hex code #FF1B1B was super loud and diverse, they made it a less diverse woke red, hex code #EB2F3BWho Won the Week?DR: NYC pollutionMM: Investor Relations Teams: BlackRock and Vanguard halt meetings with companies after SEC cracks down on ESG. BlackRock resumes stewardship talks after reviewing new ESG guidance. Not said but implied: “don't worry, we totally can't actually do stuff now, we're just talking here”PredictionsDR: Robbie Starbuck sues Coca-Cola because color of Coke is “too DEI”MM: Apple, prior to their upcoming meeting, sues Inspire Investing and Wayne Franzten, who copy pasted a shareholder proposal submitted by Bowyer Research, the company propped up by ISS, to Deere for a meeting in the same week. The lawsuit is on the grounds that Wayne Franzten doesn't exist (the only search result for his name is the Apple proposal, not even in voter records or political donation or real estate records can I find him - and this is his ONLY shareholder proposal in our database EVER), and on the grounds that a religious investor cannot sue on the grounds of financial materiality since Jesus said, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” | Mark 10:24b-25 and “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” | Luke 12:13-15, which means churches are anti-shareholder value.

Join me as I review The Gully Dwarves by Dan Parkinson, live! Share your thoughts on this fifth volume in the Dragonlance Lost Histories sextet, released by TSR, INC. on June 1, 1996.

IntroductionLIVE from your ESG ESG ESG ESG DEI DEI DEI Climate Change Change Climate Change Global Warming ESG DEI, it's a Business Pants Friday Show here at Valentine's Day Studios, featuring AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today's weekly wrap up: Corporate Abolitionists, The Gulf of Stupidity, The S in ISS stands for Shitty, and Denny's Truth Bomb Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):Goldman Sachs abandons DEI rule, saying it has ‘served its purpose' MMRichard Gnodde, CEO of Goldman Sachs International and a member of the bank's Management Committee, told the BBC that the bank had scrapped its board diversity requirement because of legal developments — and the fact that it had achieved its function.“That policy served as a catalyst to try and drive a change in behavior. What's important here is that you have a diversity of views on that board, and if you look at these companies — they've all embraced diversity. I think it served its purpose.” Billionaire Airbnb Co-Founder Is Said to Take Role in Musk's Government InitiativeJoe Gebbia, the Airbnb co-founder, is a board member at Tesla.Mr. Gebbia arrived at O.P.M.'s downtown Washington D.C. headquarters in a black S.U.V. with a three-man security detail‘Sustainable' Investors Flee References to Climate ChangeThe success of Republican attacks on ESG and Donald Trump's re-election has everyone running for cover.For more than a decade, investment chief of Green Alpha Investments Garvin Jabusch would show a chart of the planet's rising temperatures when pitching investment ideas to clients, saying they could help save the planet and still make money: “I've given up on anyone ever caring about that”Parnassus Investments, the biggest US sustainable-investing firm, has removed references on its website that its funds are “fossil-fuel free.”Engine No. 1, the small activist firm that led the shakeup of ExxonMobil Corp.'s board in 2021, has removed wording on its web page that corporate performance is “greatly enhanced” by investing in workers, communities and the environment. The fund now says it invests in companies that are “powering innovation and driving the reindustrialization of the United States.”Mr. BlowhardJamie Dimon is fed up with remote workLast year's proxy statement:“We continued to deliver strong multi-year financial performance, invest in our future, strengthen our risk and control environment, and reinforce our culture and values, including our long-standing commitment to serve our customers, employees and communities, and conduct business in a responsible way to drive inclusive growth.”Managed revenue of $162.4 billion — a record for the sixth consecutive yearExperienced growth across all of our market-leading lines of businessRecord net income of $49.6 billionExceptional Performance: the Firm's sustained strong relative outperformance compared to its peersJPMorgan CEO Dimon slams RTO pushback: ‘I don't care how many people sign that f*cking petition'Jamie Dimon Reportedly Says He'll Cut Some ‘Stupid' DEI Costs At JPMorgan ChaseJPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon wants to cancel some DEI spending after the bank spent billions on racial equity: ‘I was never a firm believer in bias training' In his remarks, Dimon reiterated the bank's commitment to improving society and said the company's approach to diverse employees and communities would stay the course. Yet, he reportedly added: “I saw how we were spending money on some of this stupid sh-t, and it really pissed me off,” Dimon said. “I'm just gonna cancel them. I don't like wasted money in bureaucracy.”There are two distinct elements to the determination of Jamie's pay plan: 50% is “the what” and 50% is “the how.” One of the three elements of “the how” is “Teamwork & Leadership,” which specifically includes “Creating an open, respectful, inclusive culture; Employer of choice for top talent from all backgrounds; Delivery on internal DEI initiatives.”One of the company's stated achievements in “Client/Customer/Stakeholder” was:Advancing racial equity: By the end of 2023, we reported nearly $31 billion of progress toward our five-year $30 billion Racial Equity Commitment to help close the racial wealth gap and advance economic inclusion among historically underserved communities in the U.S., including Black, Hispanic and Latino customers and communities. The Firm is committed to continuing work beyond the five-year timeframe identified in our original commitment to complete the 18 individually identified sub-commitments.“[P]ractices and progress on the Firm's DEI priorities as part of the year-end performance review.”$36M last year: $145M for 6 NEOsOne of COO Daniel Pinto's stated achievements: “Delivered key CIB DEI initiatives to drive a more inclusive work environment for employees”Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Seattle Voters Say Yes to Corporate Tax Hike to Fund Social Housing a ballot initiative to fund social housing through an "excess compensation" tax on city businesses paying salaries of over $1 million68.32% of voters backed funding for social housing and 57.55% chose to fund it specifically with the proposed taxMM: Mexico's President Sheinbaum said her government would ask Google to make ‘Mexican America' pop up on maps of the U.S. MM DRAssholiest of the Week (MM):‘Greenhushing' Emerges as Anti-ESG Pressures Mount for CompaniesSTAND UP FOR YOURSELVES, YOU BABIESEither it is the right thing to do for shareholders and stakeholders and you should say so, or it's not and you're a fraudISSISS Indefinitely Halts Consideration of Diversity Factors When Making Proxy Voting RecommendationsLet's talk value of “diversity factors” - I'm talking strictly data here, not the justified moral outrage about having all white male boards. Let's just talk about how investors are now paying ISS hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of Free Float in order to get LESS data - here are the “factors” you no longer consider for recommendations:Gender diversity:Women outpace men globally in sector knowledge for boards they're on - women are more likely to have gone to an elite school or have an advanced degree AND have direct knowledge of the industry of the company they're on the board ofWomen have stronger networks - because so few break the glass ceiling of boards, they end up getting recycled, which means they know more board members or have friends in commonWomen and men have exactly the same performance metrics as directors - by performance, I mean during their tenures, they oversee the exact same TSR and earnings performance percentiles versus industry peersMen have the advantage in leadership and economic interest - as in, women are rarely made CEOs unless there's a crisis and mommy has to clean up after the boys, and the boys almost always keep shares for themselves and don't give any to the girlsRacial/ethnic diversity:Black female directors at S&P 500 companies are the most knowledgeable of their industriesBlack female directors at S&P 500 companies also have the strongest networks - they have been recycled more, and thus have more friends in high placesAsian male directors at S&P 500 companies have the highest performance rates on TSR and earningsOverall, black male and female directors are the most “meriting” board positions at the S&P 500 companies Shareholders who don't use their rights DRSEC Looks to Muzzle Shareholder Culture WarriorsSchedule 13G is filed by owners of stock who have more than 5% of shares - so basically, Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity - major investorsBUT, if the owner takes an ACTIVIST position (like Elliott amassing in BP right now), and that position is greater than 5%, they file a 13D, not G - D means they intend to influence or change management in a proxy fight (or through engagement)13D has more reporting requirements because it's an activist stakeWell, because investors have basically ignored their basic rights for so long and deferred to management, this happens: SEC Provides New Guidance on Schedule 13G EligibilityThe new guidance says:Schedule 13G would be unavailable if a shareholder engages with the issuer's management to specifically call for the sale of the issuer or a significant amount of the issuer's assets, the restructuring of the issuer, or the election of director nominees other than the issuer's nominees.For example, Schedule 13G may be unavailable to a shareholder who:recommends that the issuer remove its staggered board, switch to a majority voting standard in uncontested director elections, eliminate its poison pill plan, change its executive compensation practices, or undertake specific actions on a social, environmental, or political policy and, as a means of pressuring the issuer to adopt the recommendation, explicitly or implicitly conditions its support of one or more of the issuer's director nominees at the next director election on the issuer's adoption of its recommendation; ordiscusses with management its voting policy on a particular topic and how the issuer fails to meet the shareholder's expectations on such topic, and, to apply pressure on management, states or implies during any such discussions that it will not support one or more of the issuer's director nominees at the next director election unless management makes changes to align with the shareholder's expectations.ENGAGEMENT DEATH BY BEAURACRACY THE MAJORS! This works out one of three ways: the majors can no longer vote against any director for fear it appears to be “coercive”, and subjects them to 13D scrutiny, OR…They axe entire engagement teams, stop engaging at all, abstain and only offer pass through votingThey buy Free Float data - imagine a world where you stop engagement or conversation about “key issues”, and vote instead against candidates that just failed to perform without telling them why. No engagement, just voting on the data!But in the end, because you never actually used actual data on your director vote, the SEC is making it harder for you now. Congrats!Headliniest of the WeekDR: Denny's Says Consumers Fatigued by News, Economy, Inflation...EverythingMM: Double Deuce Announces Appointment of Paul A. Dumas as Chairman of the Board of DirectorsWe believe that his experience and knowledge of the mining sector, his wealth of contacts, and his expertise in growing a company and creating shareholder value will be incredibly beneficial to Double Deuce Exploration.Knowledge, network, performance - three tags for merit!Who Won the Week?DR: Two winnersJoe Gebbia: for proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is NOT an independent board member at Tesla and that his life choices have led him to believe that he needs three security guards to protect him from a world that very likely hates him.Richard Gnodde, a South African investment banker and CEO of Goldman Sachs International, in a mic-dropping moment for equality across the globe for declaring an end for the need of both the Civil Rights and Equal RIghts MovementsMM: Anyone not a cow veterinarian: H5N1 testing in cow veterinarians suggests bird flu is spreading silentlyPredictionsDR: Jamie Dimon starts to remove tampons from women's bathrooms at JPMorgan Chase because he says “I was never a firm believer in women's hygiene products”MM:

Carson Macedo silences the questions, what exactly is the World of Outlaws provisional policy, Wednesday winners and weekend action to come. Plus, changes to the TSR 15 driven by Donny Schatz didn't just stop at the crew. We'll discuss.

Send us a textWelcome to You Heard it Here Last where we talk about news, you've already heard.https://www.enworld.org/threads/diamond-comic-distributors-files-bankruptcy-sells-alliance-game-distributors.709593/Diamond Comic Distributors, the owner of Alliance Game Distributors has filed for bankruptcy. In a message from Chuck Parker the President of Diamond comic Distributors he outlines the necessity for the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which would allow Diamond Comic Distributors to restructure and meet many of its significant financial obligations. While this could likely be very bad news for an already struggling comic book industry his message does have some good news;“We have already received a commitment from Universal Distribution to purchase Alliance Game Distributors coupled with a signed letter of intent to purchase Diamond UK, and we remain committed to pursuing offers for all Diamond lines of business.”  Parker said in his statement.While it's not likely this news will cause any significant issues or problems with game distribution it is noteworthy that Goodman Games signed an exclusive deal with Diamond in December of 2023.https://goodman-games.com/blog/2023/12/04/goodman-games-inks-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-diamond-book-distributors/Nasty business stuff. Mike you are our business guy. What's all this mean?[Kick to Mike]Christina, thoughts?[Kick to Christina]Speaking of IPs, or at least we will be speaking of IPs in the near future, stay tuned to our regularly scheduled program for our upcoming episode on Intellectual Properties that should be games we have this bit of news from across the pond.https://www.enworld.org/threads/qi-mentions-the-diana-jones-awards.709578/QI is a BBC2 quiz show that called out the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Roleplaying Games on it's social media accounts. While that is news, it's not why I bring this up. Reading the “Quiet Interesting” post on Facebook is what made this one interesting.The Diana Jones Award is named after The Adventures of Indiana Jones Roleplaying Game that was released by TSR in 1984. It is considered one of the least loved and most savaged roleplaying games of all times and eventually every last copy was burned. The trophy itself is a Lucite pyramid made up of the last legible remains from those burned books. All you can read is “diana Jones” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Jones_AwardMike, Christina, did you guys know this origin story and if you did, why the hell didn't you tell me?[Kick to Mike and Christina]Also, why does Steven Spielberg have such a great track record with moves, but a terrible one when it comes to turning those movies into games. I mean we have this one with Indiana Jones and then we also have the ET Atari Video Game. Both considered the worst ever in their genres? You guys might want to keep that in mind when thinking about the IPs that need to be made into roleplaying games…I'm looking at you Avatar.[Kick to Mike and Christina]And there you have it. All the news, you've already heard.

Story of the Week (DR):Trump signed an order ending DEI. Here's what it means for Fortune 500 companiesTrump's latest presidential moves mandate government agencies to specifically target companies in the private sector engaged in what it describes as “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”Despite the intended chilling effect of these executive moves, multiple legal sources point out that Trump's order and action do not constitute a change in the law. Rather, the language used in the order simply “enforces longstanding federal civil rights laws,” says Britney N.D. Torres, senior counsel at employment law firm Littler.Trump's executive moves just mean that companies will have to continue to carefully review their DEI-related policies, practices and initiatives based on longstanding anti-discrimination laws, and make sure they can't be interpreted in a way that is different from what they intended, she says.This week in Davos, Jamie Dimon reaffirmed JPMorgan's DEI commitments after the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative nonprofit, proposed the bank revisit how compensation is tied to the company's racial-equity goal. “Bring them on,” said Dimon referring to the efforts from right-leaning groups. “We are going to continue to reach out to the Black community, the Hispanic community, the LGBT community, the veterans community.”Will this ever trickle down to JPM leadership?15 on Operating Committee: 1 POC (an Indian man–Sanoke Viswanathan, CEO of International Consumer and Wealth–who came from McKinsey); 7/15 F though so some credit dueBoard: nearly 50% F but a woeful -21% gender gap; no leadership positions on board or top 3 committees: only committees where women have power are Public Responsibility Committee and Risk Committee; 11 on board: 9 WM and 2 BFCan we stop pretending board and shareholder oversight is a thing? DRJPMorgan CEO Dimon's 2024 pay rises 8.3% to $39 million after record profitDisney CEO Bob Iger's Pay Package Rises 30% to $41.1 Million in 2024 Barclays proposes 45% increase in CEO pay under new bonus-linked scheme Goldman CEO gets big pay boost, and $80 million bonus for another five years at helmI promise I try not to pick Musk, but…‘The gesture speaks for itself': Germans respond to Musk's apparent Nazi saluteSome say it was an unambiguous Nazi salute but others are unsure and say focus should be on Musk's stated support for far-rightStarbucks lead independent director Mellody Hobson to step down Is this the only time in history a lead independent director was named in a headline or even mentioned at all?No more black people on board: no women in leadership positionsGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Trump has a message to CEOs: Build in America or pay upDR: This confusing headline: Voters who backed Trump identify new swamp to drain: corporate power“The pendulum has swung so far. Things have gotten so out of line. Companies ought to be able to police themselves and not hurt people, and it's just gotten way, way out of line. It's time that it swings back the other way.”DR: Trump's DOGE department is now down to just one leader after Vivek Ramaswamy steps downMM: Microsoft Signs Forest Restoration Deal to Remove 3.5 Million Tons of CO2 DR MMMM: Jamie Dimon is doubling down on JPMorgan's DEI work as a conservative group targets Wall Street: 'Bring them on'Jamie Dimon says LFG RACISTSAssholiest of the Week (MM):John DeereSee, instead of sticking up for yourself against pretend journalists with zero credibility who cosplay at being ESG analysts but are really just anti gay middle school boys, you caved. You caved and now you have not one, but THREE shareholder proposals in a couple weeksAnd the ONLY one you challenged - the one you tried to exclude from your proxy - was the one by As You Sow, who asked the SAME THING as the National Public Policy Research Consumer Blah Blah BlahNational Legal and Policy Center (8 shares): SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL ON A REPORT ON RACIAL AND GENDER HIRING STATISTICSAs You Sow (26,000 shares): SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL ON A REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF EFFORTS TO CREATE A MERITOCRATIC WORKPLACE You also got these anti woke gems:National Center for Public Policy Research ($2,000): SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL ON A CORPORATE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, asking for a new committee to show how committed you are to making moneyBowyer Research (100 shares): SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL ON A REPORT ON CHARITABLE GIVING, asking for a report on how you don't give to Southern Poverty Law Center, but they think you might be and they're discriminating against white religious conservatives and the KKKYou thought, “oh, if we just cut out our DEI stuff and make a press release, they'll go away… sure, we'll offend, like, all the black people and women and stuff, but it's worth it for our white farmers, and everyone will forget…”You were wrong. Your board was wrong. Your management was wrong. You know what petty middle school bullies do when you give them your lunch money? Take it the next fucking day, too. Grow a spine, tell the anti woke shitbirds that DEI is about expanding the talent pool that's been historically excluded and maximizing skills, and keep your lunch money in your pocketMaybe call someone at Costco to ask for advice on how to grow a pairThe proxy vote at Air ProductsOnly three directors have batted under 500 during their tenure at Air Products, only two on all boards in the last 7 years80 year old CEO has been on the board since 2013 and has 32% influenceThere are 81 current directors that are 80 with >30% influence in the US, 21 of whom are CEOsOf them, 12 rate worse than Seifi on TSR, and 13 are worse at EBITDA22% of the board are connected through other directorshipsThere are 910 US companies with higher degree of director interlocks12 of those companies have directors over 80 years old with >30% influence, and 8 of them perform worse than Air ProductsWhat the fuck does ISS and Glass Lewis do all day that they can write this about Air Products, but NOT the others:ISS: “With that said, one must acknowledge the reality of Ghasemi's age, and the board should have a robust strategy in preparation for his eventual departure. Confoundingly, the board appears to have ceded control of deciding Ghasemi's successor to Ghasemi himself…”GL: “… we are concerned that available information strongly suggests that the incumbent board, if left to its own devices and not held accountable at the forthcoming AGM, may simply surface something of a figurehead candidate previously selected or endorsed by Mr. Ghasemi, while concurrently permitting Mr. Ghasemi to retain substantial influence for an unspecified period, without a substantive acknowledgment of the poor capital allocation performance of his strategy.”Egan Jones: “We firmly believe that Air Product's unsatisfactory performance stems in part from mismanagement and the absence of effective leadership to guide the Company.”And why the fuck to investors WAIT until an activist is involved??Air Products CEO unseated from board; Activist investors win 3 seatsWill Hild, Consumer ResearchNasdaq files to withdraw mandate on ‘diverse' board directors after court defeatThose cheering Nasdaq's decision to pull the diversity mandate included Will Hild, executive director of Consumers' Research. He said he was pleased to see the exchange “abandon its anti-White, anti-Asian, and anti-male discrimination scheme.”24,960 directors in the US17,453 are male with an average influence of 1.4 women (it would take about 1 ½ women to equal one dude)White and Asians are 83% of directors and 83% of the US workforce, but are worth 1.4x the influenceWill Hild's most discriminated group - the White and Asian male - is worth, on average, 1.75x the average Black or Hispanic woman in terms of influence and powerConsumers Research is associated with the Philanthropy Roundtable which is associated with every idiot anti-woke anti-gay anti-black anti… non profit org, and Will Hild has made a solid 300k/year making up things about ESG and wokeismHolding students hostageData breach hitting PowerSchool looks very, very bad64.2m students9.5m teachersLargest breach everMaybe they also need to hire Clorox CEO on their board…Headliniest of the WeekDR: Velveeta just made nacho cheese you can stick in your pocketMM: Marriott elects Taco Bell CEO to board of directorsWho Won the Week?DR: the security team paid to protect Tim Noel, UnitedHealthcare new CEO to replace murdered Brian Thompson: best negotiation position ever?MM: Lawyers - how many law firms salivated at the idea of suing the Trump administration for every one of his six thousand executive orders on day one?PredictionsDR: Compensation Committees go buck wild in 2025MM: Zuckerberg's new algorithms automatically append the word “boobs” to every user search, except for the search for Democrats, which also replaces the word Democrats with “boobs”

Join me as I review Land of the Minotaurs by Richard A. Knaak, live! Share your thoughts on this fourth volume in the Dragonlance Lost Histories sextet, released by TSR, INC. on October 1, 1995.

Tom Fooshee was coined by Scott Byerly himself as the "King of Cable", and Tom has the resume to back it up. Getting started in in Texas waterskiing behind the boat, Tom didn't even start riding the cable until many years later when TSR opened. Tom is an eccentric and passionate rider who still follows the sport closely to this day, and has managed to stay in the industry after his professional career came to an end. The Debut, Wakeboarding with Jamie O'Brien, Texas football, contests, signing with Liquid Force, boat vs. cable, winning ROTY, and almost killing a swan while riding. Hear all this and much more in Episode 76 of the Grab Matters Podcast!Follow Tom: https://www.instagram.com/tomfooshee/Thank you to our sponsors:Liquid Force: https://www.liquidforce.com/Chapters:00:00 - 1:30 Intro1:45 The Debut6:00 Meeting Jamie O'Brien9:30 Wakepants/Favorite Grab12:00 Texas roots20:00 Football26:00 First time riding cable33:20 Cable contests43:00 Board sponsors 46:30 Signing with Liquid Force49:00 LF'n Wheel of Questions1:03:40 Guest Q: Gavin Stuckey1:11:40 “Age gaps” in boarding1:14:40 Boat vs. Cable1:20:00 Do air tricks have to be grabbed?1:24:00 ROTY Board1:28:10 Winning ROTY1:33:30 LF Team Manager 1:42:00 Losing to Daniel Grant1:43:00 Current “King of the cable”2:01:20 “2025” Debut2:05:00 Favorite cables2:12:00 Patreon Questions2:16:30 Cable growth in the U.S.2:19:00 Guest Question: Victor Imondi2:22:00 T-Mobile Extreme Playgrounds 2:26:00 Should judges ride the setup?2:29:00 Ollieing a bird…?2:33:30 Competitive mind games2:41:45 Setup2:49:20 Oh Come On Man2:54:00 When you know its overLinks: The Debut: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-debut/umc.cmc.45jprfxyp7s1fit4qk8ib4lck Pedro Caldas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fh7j9z678&t=429sShoot us a text!Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GrabMattersPodcastWebsite: https://www.grabmatters.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grabmatters/videosInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/grabmatters/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grabmatterspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/grabmatters

Everything is changing -- FAST. After five years, Hasbro-owned Wizards of the Coast has stopped bankrolling a group for "marginalized genders" in Magic the Gathering. Then we talk about author Ben Riggs, who is convinced the Drow are stand-ins for African Americans despite the OG TSR creators repeatedly stating they were based on evil fairies from folklore. Will Wizards drop the woke to save their own butts? Wizards of the Coast abruptly terminated funding for the VML program, which supported marginalized genders in Magic: The Gathering, despite previous commitments to diversity and inclusion. The sudden cancellation of the VML program has left marginalized players feeling betrayed and questioning the integrity of Wizards of the Coast's commitment to diversity initiatives. Affirmative action and diversity hires in the VML program led to perceived favoritism and questioning of legitimacy for players who identify as marginalized genders, even those who earned their spots through skill. The controversy has sparked debate about the impact of diversity initiatives on gaming communities, with some arguing they can lead to unfair advantages and undermining merit-based competition. Wizards of the Coast cited lack of funds as the reason for stopping VML program support, despite previously providing funding and invites to competitive events. Author Ben Riggs controversially claims that Drow in D&D are stand-ins for African Americans, contradicting original TSR creators who state they were based on evil fairies from folklore.

Tonight we talk about a topic that probably effected most of us as we were kids.-=Links=-If you would like to join in on the conversation, Join me on Discord.Discord: https://discord.gg/a6UJEb5Dj3Twitter: https://twitter.com/magicsenshiRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-5613161Fringe Radio: https://fringeradionetwork.com/liveSpirit Force: https://faithbucks.comIf you would like to be a guest on the show or have a topic that you want explored, please Email me with the subject "Guest"Email: captainepoch79@proton.meIf you want to support this Podcast,https://paypal.me/Magicslayer/Cashapp $CaptainEpochMusic by UDIO

Live from an ESG-scented 100% cotton unisex onesie, it's an all-new Terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today's anti-anti-DEI lovefest called December 17th 2024: Random ESG Headlines That I Care About Because Somebody Has To Care About Something and Changing the Methodology for Fortune 100 Most Powerful Executives!Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.DAMION1Random ESG Headlines That I Care About Because Somebody Has To Care About Something:Walmart is the 2024 Yahoo Finance Company of the YearThe legacy retailer, once seen as slow to adopt technology as Amazon (AMZN) rose to the forefront, has quietly invested in everything from artificial intelligence and augmented reality to same-day delivery and cheap groceries. The combo punch has led to nearly four quarters of record earnings — and a title as Yahoo Finance's annual Company of the Year award winner.A committee of Yahoo Finance editorial leaders selected Walmart because of its strong year of sales and profits, financial outperformance relative to key rivals like Target (TGT), and a stock price that has reached fresh records in 2024.Another unknown is the impact of Walmart's Nov. 26 decision to scale back its DEI work amid right-wing pressure. The decision came a few days after our interviews with McMillon and Rainey, at which time Walmart had already secured its Yahoo Finance Company of the Year recognition.In a Dec. 2 phone call with Yahoo Finance, Walmart's chief people officer, Donna Morris, defended the company's choice:"We are the exact same company today as we were last week, and we will continue to be the same company," Morris said. "We act with integrity, we serve our customers and our members, and we strive for excellence. So our values are absolutely not changing.""Our values are absolutely not changing, the specific initiatives or terms, they change over time," she continued. The company started moving to "belonging" in early 2023, though Morris said the move wasn't due to pressure from any specific group."When you talk about diversity, equity, inclusion, all in part, there can be communities, and often the largest communities, that step back and say, 'Geez, I'm not sure if I'm even actually included'," Morris explained of the decision.After Floyd's murder, a "majority" of companies felt the need to boost their DEI efforts, but now they are reevaluating. "What we observed and felt was really important is that everyone was part of that work, and that's why we really made the shift," Morris said.‘A huge regression': Walmart's DEI rollback incites new racial equity pushA year after the murder of George Floyd, Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart had a warning for corporate America. The death of Floyd triggered a wave of protest over systemic racism and was “not an isolated event. We have a long history of racism, and we see unacceptable events continue.”Walmart and other large US corporations made pledges to address inequities within their business, ones many feared would be dropped once the focus on Floyd's killing and its aftermath faded. “We can't let that be the case,” he wrote, outlining how the company was releasing its “diversity metrics twice a year” and calling on companies to “continue to address systemic racism and the structural inequities that are rooted in this nation's history of slavery and that persist today”.Times have changed. Last month Walmart became the latest corporation to cave to a rightwing campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, announcing it would stop using the term DEI altogether, drop DEI trainings, no longer consider race and gender as a means to improve diversity when making offers to suppliers and would not renew a racial equity center committed to addressing “the root causes of gaps in outcomes experienced by Black and African American people”.The union-backed Walmart workers group United for Respect has tried to introduce a shareholder proposal at Walmart's past two annual shareholder meetings for a third-party independent racial equity audit of the corporation.The racial equity shareholder proposal has come up short of the 20% support it would need for Walmart to discuss it, receiving 18% in 2023 and just over 15% in 2024. Hightower said she planned on reintroducing it at the 2025 annual shareholder meeting in Arkansas.Why Tarang Amin, CEO of E.l.f. Beauty, is Modern CEO of the YearModern CEO set out to recognize an executive who embodies the traits and values we've been covering in this newsletter for the last two years: inclusion, accessibility, humility, and innovationEarlier this year, E.l.f. proclaimed its commitment to diversity when it launched “Change the Board Game,” a campaign to encourage corporate board diversity. “I'm proud to say that our board has 78% women and 44% diverse representation,” Amin tells Modern CEO. “We've seen the power in our own business of having that type of representation, but we don't want to be the only company.” As part of its board diversity effort, the company sponsored 20 diverse candidates for a National Association of Corporate Director's program for boardroom readiness and grabbed headlines with its “So Many Dicks” research that found there are more men named Richard, Rich, Rick, or Dick on U.S. public company boards than entire groups of underrepresented candidates. “There's nothing wrong with being a Richard or a Dick,” Amin says with a smile. “I just want to make room for everyone else.”Honorable MentionsBijal Shah, CEO, GuildShantanu Narayen, CEO, AdobeTammy Sun, founder and CEO, Carrot FertilityUnion coalition calls for Kroger CEO's removal amid buyback controversyKroger has shifted strategy with $7.5bn stock buyback after Albertsons merger setback.A faction of the US trades union United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) has called for the ousting of Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen in the wake of a controversial $7.5bn stock buyback announcement. The move follows an unsuccessful attempt to consolidate its position in the grocery market by merging with Albertsons. The Stop the Merger coalition, spearheaded by several UFCW local unions, contends that the substantial buyback initiative is ill-timed, arguing that the company should prioritise investments in workforce enhancement, store maintenance and renovations. The potential $25bn merger between Kroger and Albertsons was halted in early December 2024 when a federal judge issued an injunction against the deal, citing concerns over reduced competition in the grocery market. Starbucks CEO doubles parental leave amid turnaround effortStarting this spring, the company will double its paid parental leave benefits. For some workers, it's as much as three times the original amount. For instance, paid leave for birth mothers is increasing from six to 18 weeks. All other non-birth parents – whether welcoming a child through birth, surrogacy, adoption or long-term foster care – will receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 100% of their average pay, according to Starbucks. For employees to be eligible for benefits, they need to work an average of 20 hours per week, according to the company's current policies.Former OpenAI employee who died by suicide was named in a court case that could decide the future of the internetSuchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher, died by suicide late last month.After he left the company, Balaji raised questions about OpenAI possibly violating copyright law.His name appears in a New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI that could have far-reaching implications.Eight days before the former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji was found dead in a San Francisco apartment, the 26-year-old's name appeared in a lawsuit against his former employer that could have significant implications for the future of AI and the internet.The lawsuit — filed by The New York Times last December — accused OpenAI and Microsoft of using "millions" of articles published by the newspaper without permission to train the AI startup's popular ChatGPT model. The companies have denied that they violated copyright law.On November 18, the Times' attorneys asked a judge to add Balaji as a "custodian" in the lawsuit, according to court documents viewed by Business Insider. The attorneys' letter described Balaji as someone with "unique and relevant documents" that could support their copyright infringement case against OpenAI and Microsoft.NEO Murder stuff:In Armed America, CEOs Get Protection. Schoolkids Get 'Thoughts and Prayers'While top executives of multibillion-dollar companies beefed up security and canceled in-person meetings in the wake of the assassination of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month in New York City, students and teachers were offered little more than the typical outpouring of "thoughts and prayers" after the latest school shooting this week.Peter Thiel Reveals How Scared Oligarchs Are Of The PeoplePlutocrats like Thiel are constantly thinking about the fact that ordinary people vastly outnumber them and can kill them at any time. They think about it way more often than ordinary people do.Billionaire Peter Thiel had a fascinating televised moment the other day when asked by Piers Morgan what he thought about the public making a hero of the man suspected of murdering health insurance CEO Brian Thompson. The way he stumbled and stuttered when trying to answer the question gives a lot of insight into how terrified such people are of the public turning against them one day.“And to those who think this shooter is a hero, because he did it because he said this healthcare executive is presiding over a healthcare system which kills thousands of Americans by denying them cover, what would you say to them?” Morgan asked.Thiel paused for a long time, and then stuttered for a long time, and then eventually got out the words, “It's, I don't know what, what to say? I, I think I still think you have, you should try to make an argument. And I, I think this is, this is you should, you know, there may be things wrong with our health care system, but you have, you have to make an argument, and you have to try to find a way to convince people and and change, change it by by that, and this is, you know, this is not going to work.”Socialist fashion brand to launch 'most-wanted CEOs' playing cards in wake of Brian Thompson murderThe Four Suits of Exploitation:Hearts: Real Estate, Retail, and Healthcare – Exploiting care and connection to put profits over people.Diamonds: Finance, Tech, and Media – Hoarding wealth and controlling the narrative to maintain power.Spades: Weapons, Oil, and Pharmaceuticals – Profiting from destruction, war, and illness.Clubs: Chemicals, Agriculture, and Logistics – Grinding the planet and its people into submission.“Play the game, know the players.”Gail Boudreaux: Anthem Insurance (3 of Hearts)Technically CEO (23%) at Elevance Health; changed name from Anthem in 2022Richard Sackler: Purdue Pharma (Jack of Clubs)Company no longer exists; was previously President and Co-ChairHoward Schultz: Starbuck (Jack of Hearts)Is this a nod to Robbie Starbuck?Chair Emeritus, founder and former CEOElon Musk: Twitter (2 of Diamonds)Now called X; not the CEOKathy Warden: Northrop Grumman (Queens of Spades)CEO/Chair (21%)Jeff Bezos: Amazon (King of Diamonds)founder/former CEO/Exec Chair (67%)The Waltons: Walmart (Ace of Hearts)The Sacklers: Purdue Pharma (Ace of Clubs)defunctThe Kochs: Koch Inc. (Ace of Spades)Private companyThe Murdochs: New Corp. (Ace of DIamonds)Featuring Rupert with 4 kids behind himLachlan is CEO/Chair (68%); Rupert Chair EmeritusMATT1Changing the Methodology for Fortune 100 Most Powerful ExecutivesSize of the business = max league + network powerJust having a big company doesn't matter - half the CEOs are hired hands and the board is more powerful than the CEO, some are founders with outsized power… company size isn't an indicator, but who you know is.Health of the business = performance returnsLiquidity was one of Fortune's indicator - liquidity? Really? What if the individual has contributed to the health of the business? We're going to use individual EBITDA and TSR batting averages, and we're doing to do it over the last 5 years, not just this year.Innovation = Influence = influence!Unlike for Fortune, this is EASY for us - we actually measure it - we can use a couple variations, including total influence (added across multiple companies), max influence (at any one company), and median influenceTrajectory = aggregate tenure across all companiesIt's stupid to focus on where someone is in their “career arc” - do you penalize someone young? Do you give more weight to Buffett just because he's 300 years old? Is there a singular “career height” that Fortune decides someone has hit (or hasn't)? Let's go with something measurable - aggregate tenure across all company boardsImpact = controversiesThis was originally written as “do they make the world a better place”, so we're going to go with “do they make the world NOT a worse place?”

Join Our FREE Start Repairing Credit Challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/  Digital marketing is a great tool for credit repair businesses, but it's not enough!Face-to-face marketing is still one of the most powerful and affordable ways to get new clients and build long-lasting relationships. And the best part is that there's no need for phone calls, so you're also staying out of trouble with the TSR!That's why today, I'll share the best face-to-face marketing tips and tricks to grow your credit repair business. You have to use all the tools in your kit to get new clients, so you better stick around!Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 00:51 The Importance of Face-to-Face Marketing 01:43 Telemarketing Sales Rule Explained03:59 Best Face-to-Face Marketing Tactics07:47 My Final Point08:23 OutroAdditional Resources:Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  4 Strategies To Build Credibility With Your Credit Repair Clients FAST!Make sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

Our guests this week are Erik & Heidi Gygax Garland (GAXLAND, Egg Con) and Matt Forbeck (Marvel Multiverse RPG, Shotguns & Sorcery, Warhammer 40k, Minecraft) as we continue our Gary Con 2024 series of 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons interviews.We talk with Erik & Heidi about getting married, gun stuff, growing up Gygax, the Satanic panic, and moving back to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Their GAXLAND products include D&D campaign modules including a boxed set of three OD&D style digest books: Curse of Candlelight Manor (for OD&D, 5e and C&C), a two-module project The Burning Briar, and Iron Giant (AD&D, 5e, and C&C), as well as a themed cookbook Dining & Dragons – A Gygax Girl's Cookbook, featuring some Gygax family favorite recipes and stories behind them.Follow GAXLAND at: Website - Facebook - Egg ConWe talk with Matt Forbeck about Marvel Multiverse RPG, Cataclysm of Kang, the X-Men Expansion and then the Spider-Verse Expansion. Playing the ‘80s Marvel Super Heroes RPG when it came out and running it at an early Gen Con. We talk about our favorite X-Men villains. Matt likes Mr. Sinister and how he exploits Moira MacTaggert. We talked about his time at TSR working with Gary Gygax and running Pinnacle Entertainment Group. We talked about some of his novels, interactive audio adventures, comics and video games.Follow Matt Forbeck at: Website - Facebook - X - IG - LinkedIn—ANNOUNCEMENTSPAX Unplugged: December 6th through 8th in Philadelphia. Come say hi to Tiger Wizard at the Exalted Funeral booth, and play some games with Dragon Warrior every morning at the Alexandria RPG Library room.Dungeon Cats: Tiger Wizard's rules-lite TTRPG where you play feline adventures is now available at Exalted Funeral. Delve into lush carpeted dungeons to vanquish giant rats, demonic dog spawn and the half full food bowl. Fight with claws, purrs and amazing advanced reflexes for the treasures contained within. You only have 9 lives. Live them adventurously!THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is now available on all streaming platforms. JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com—You can support us via Patreon Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HEREMad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

TCW Podcast Episode 223 - D&D & Video Games 2E   In the second part of our exploration of Dungeons & Dragons and its connection to video games, we examine the game's refinement and rise in popularity. D&D was a groundbreaking experience, brought to life through Gary Gygax's collaboration with others, particularly Dave Arneson, who developed many of its foundational concepts. The game evolved from miniature wargaming focused on medieval combat, with Tolkien-inspired high fantasy elements added later as an afterthought. These fantasy rules closely resembled those of Rules for Middle Earth but weren't universally embraced, as some players preferred the realism of traditional wargaming, making it challenging to satisfy both audiences. We also delve into the well-known controversy between Gygax and Arneson and the creation of the Blackmoor campaign setting. We explore how TSR released the original box set and then evolved it into AD&D. Additionally, we examine how RPGs began to take off as a whole new type of game that people could play. Finally, we look at how D&D became embroiled in the cultural backlash of the 1980s "Satanic Panic."   Transcript: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/transcripts/tcw223   Livestream 2024 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahP86-2H8lc   Playing at the World - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3YokLZC The Elusive Shift - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3C8cHVq Game Wizards - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/48uCtzi   Leonard Nimoy The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins Full Album Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuQbus0xfhk Playing at the World - Rules for Middle Earth: https://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-precursor-to-chainmail-fantasy.html Knights of the Dinner Table: https://kenzerco.com/ Bunnies & Burrows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunnies_%26_Burrows Tunnels & Trolls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_%26_Trolls James Dallas Egbert III: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dallas_Egbert_III Chief Wiggum - It Almost Looks Like an Arrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5k0iOBdsU Bake him away Toys!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBOvfN2Y4oo Mazes & Monsters Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLi422rkUIY NYT  - D&D: Satanic Panic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUpSPj0x-c D&D Cartoon Lore Explored: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9lZxOMMufM Matel D&D Handheld Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY2OI7sVHjQ Matel D&D Electronic Labyrinth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STU1I_x0-so Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Intellivision): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDVwAXVJ3w [Adult Themes] Dark Dungeons Comic: https://www.chick.com/products/tract?stk=0046 [Some Adult Themes] CBS - What was the Satanic Panic?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plEImKEIRm8 (BADD) Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Ies6NVAeA   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com  Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1     Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Joe examines a challenging topic: the portrayal of slavery in the early days of tabletop role-playing games. As the holiday season approaches, he takes a moment to reflect on the darker aspects of gaming history that often go unexamined. Beginning with his insights from OSR October and Dave Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign, Joe highlights how slavery is presented as a commodity, complete with pricing mechanisms for male and female slaves. He contrasts this with the portrayals in other early RPGs (Tunnels & Trolls and Empire of the Petal Throne) where the treatment of slavery raises serious ethical concerns. Exploring the absence of slavery in TSR's D&D and how it was used to depict villains in AD&D modules, Joe emphasizes the importance of portraying slavers as true villains in the narrative. He also touches on Judges Guild's manumission rules, offering a glimmer of hope within the context of gaming, suggesting that characters can indeed act as liberators. Throughout the episode, Joe shares his personal stance that slavery has no place in heroic narratives, insisting that players should not embody slavers. He encourages a reevaluation of how these sensitive topics are handled in modern gaming, advocating for narratives that align with values of empathy and justice. Join Joe as he engages with this critical topic, inviting listener feedback and thoughts on the role of morality in gaming. Key Points Covered: * Historical context of slavery in early TTRPGs * Analysis of Dave Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign * The troubling mechanics of Tunnels & Trolls * Absence of slavery in TSR's D&D and its moral implications * The significance of portraying heroes as liberators * Personal reflections on gaming ethics and character choices What are your thoughts on the portrayal of slavery in RPGs? Do you allow players to engage with such themes at your table? Share your feedback with us at feedback@Dekahedron.com or leave a comment. Happy holidays, and until next time: happy gaming, happy life! Share your thoughts via:

On today's episode, we're joined by Senior Consultant Sam Bricker and Compensation Consultant Tyler Papineau, both of Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC. Sam and Tyler discuss Meridian's annual study on corporate governance and incentive design, covering trends in clawbacks, board refreshment and pay-for-performance disclosures. They also explore how companies adapt to new regulations and the evolving executive compensation landscape.Key Takeaways:(01:43) Overview of Meridian's corporate governance and incentive design study.(03:41) How companies expanded clawback policies beyond SEC regulations.(06:00) The increase in coverage for clawback policies across broader employee groups.(09:37) Board refreshment trends, including director tenures and overboarding policies.(11:48) The role of term limits and retirement ages in board refreshment.(14:46) How companies are disclosing pay versus performance, with a shift away from tailored disclosures.(17:17) The role of compensation committees in pay-for-performance discussions.(18:24) The continued use and evolution of TSR (total shareholder return) as a performance metric.Resources Mentioned:Sam Bricker -https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-bricker-495393104/Tyler Papineau -https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-papineau-b95604204/Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC -https://www.linkedin.com/company/meridian-compensation-partners-llc/This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com. #Compensation #Wages #SPAC #Equity #ExecutiveCompensation #Clawback

Dans cette nouvelle série, Histoire Vivante plonge dans l'histoire de la Télévision Suisse Romande pour célébrer ses 70 ans. Créée en 1954, en lieu et place de la Télévision genevoise, la TSR est vite reconnue pour la qualité de ses programmes. C'est le grand moment télé avec ses émissions emblématiques : Carrefour, Temps Présent, Regards, Madame TV, Continents sans Visa, son fameux « TJ » et ses émissions pour enfants… Des stars, des figures familières, des femmes et des hommes qui transforment l'audiovisuel de service public romand. Commençons par le commencement et évoquons les constantes adaptations aux avancées technologiques et aux tendances sociétales de notre télévision. Toute la vie de la TSR jusqu'à 2012, avec un clap de fin pour mieux renaître sous l'entité RTS. Witold Langlois a rencontré pour Histoire Vivante l'historien des médias François Vallotton. Ensemble ils reviennent sur les origines de la TSR et retracent ses premières décennies. François Vallotton, Jean-Yves Mollier, Jean-François Sirinelli Culture de masse et culture médiatique aux éditions PUF et Collectif - Raymond Vouillamoz La TSR a 50 ans. Album de famille 1954-2004 aux éditions TSR.

Temps Présent, magazine de reportages emblématiques de la TSR n'aurait pas existé sans l'émission Continents sans visa. Pour ce deuxième épisode d'Histoire Vivante consacré à l'histoire de la TSR, Witold Langlois, s'entretient avec l'historien des médias François Vallotton, et ils nous racontent toute l'importance de ces deux programmes phares du service public télévisé romand. François Vallotton Au-delà du service public : pour une histoire élargie de la télévision en Suisse, 1960 à 2000 éditions UNIL et François Vallotton, Jean-Yves Mollier, Jean-François Sirinelli Culture de masse et culture médiatique » éditions PUF.

Qui dit "Nouvelle Vague" pense tout de suite aux monstres sacrés du cinéma français, même si Jean-Luc Godard se baladait parmi eux. Mais la Suisse a, elle aussi, eu ses réalisateurs cultes de la "nouvelle vague helvétique" comme Claude Goretta ou encore Alain Tanner. Tous ont fait leurs armes à la TSR, dès ses débuts en 1954, à une époque où le cinéma suisse n'existait presque pas, la fiction encore moins et la seule plateforme qui s'offrait aux cinéastes en devenir était la télévision. La TSR et le cinéma, une longue complicité aux multiples facettes qui fête aussi ses 70 ans en 2024. Witold Langlois s'entretient pour Histoire Vivante avec l'historienne Roxane Gray pour nous refaire le film. Roxane Gray et Marie Sandoz Une télévision allumée. Les arts dans le noir et blanc du tube cathodique dans Revue d'Histoire du cinéma.

Au début de l'histoire de la TSR, le TJ était donné depuis Zurich, moyens techniques limités obligent, puis il a été rapatrié à Genève. De là, il s'est régionalisé, localisé, réorganisé. Le TJ de la TSR a vu défiler nombre de journalistes, présentateurs et présentatrices devenues célèbres ou oubliées. Witold Langlois retrace pour Histoire Vivante l'arbre généalogique professionnel de Philippe Revaz et Jennifer Covo avec l'historienne des médias Anne-Katrin Weber. Anne-Katrin Weber et Mireille Berton La télévision du Téléphonoscope à YouTube. Pour une archéologie de l'audiovision aux éditions Antipodes.

La TSR, c'est le visage quotidien de la Suisse romande et bien avant que les femmes n'obtiennent le droit de vote et le droit d'occuper, à égalité, l'espace et les affaires publiques, on y voit des femmes et on parle aux femmes. Monteuses, speakerines, journalistes, réalisatrices, productrices, cheffes, maquilleuses, sans oublier les pigistes, elles s'affichent à l'écran, dans les couloirs de la TSR et les salles techniques, dans les rarissimes grèves aussi. Witold Langlois s‘entretient avec l'historienne des médias Roxane Gray pour Histoire Vivante. Roxane Gray et Marie Sandoz "Une télévision allumée. Les arts dans le noir et blanc du tube cathodique" dans la Revue d'Histoire du cinéma.

IntroductionLIVE from your ESG USB-C DIY LOL DEI Vape Pen, it's a Business Pants Friday Show here at October 18th Studios, featuring all of your favorites: AnalystHole Matt Moscardi! On today's weekly wrap up: Meta employees have acne but don't call CVS's Karen Lynch, meth-flavored TikTok, 3-headed CEOs, and even one-headed CEOs named Jamie that love to talk Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):CVS ousts CEO Karen Lynch, names Caremark head as new chief DR MMCVS Health Corp. named David Joyner as its new chief executive officer, ending a tumultuous tenure for current CEO Karen Lynch at the pharmacy giant.Longtime executive Joyner, 60, took over Thursday, according to a Friday release. The move comes after the company repeatedly missed earnings targets, setting off unrest among shareholders that spilled into public view in recent weeks.Last month, major CVS shareholder Glenview Capital began a significant push for changes at the company, CNBC previously reported.CNBC reported last month that CVS' board had engaged strategic advisors to weigh its options, including the potential of a breakup of its insurance and retail businesses.Joyner most recently oversaw the company's pharmacy services business as president of CVS Caremark, a similar position to the one Lynch held before she assumed the top job in February 2021. He began his career at Aetna in pharmacy benefit services and previously held the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing at CVS Health.“We believe David and his deep understanding of our integrated business can help us more directly address the challenges our industry faces, more rapidly advance the operational improvements our company requires, and fully realize the value we can uniquely create,” Chairman Roger Farah said in a statement.Lynch also stepped down from the company's board of directors this week, the company said Friday. Joyner will take a seat on the board, and Farah will assume the role of executive chairman.FFA: Karen Lynch (16%) vs. Roger Farah (16%)Meta fires staff for abusing $25 meal creditsMeta recently fired some employees for misusing a Grubhub meal perk.Roughly two dozen employees were terminated for abusing the company's meal credit system.The Grubhub perk is intended to support employees who work at locations where free meals aren't provided by a cafeteria or when employees work late and need food delivered to the office.Instead of purchasing meals, some Meta employees used the $25 credit to order other items, including laundry detergent, wine glasses, and acne pads, the person familiar with the situation said.The roughly two dozen staff were fired for a repeated pattern of misuseAmazon invests in nuclear energy, hot on the heels of Google and MicrosoftBig Tech continues to go nuclear as the artificial-intelligence boom drives energy demand to new heights.Amazon announced on Wednesday that it's anchoring a $500 million investment for X-energy to develop small, advanced modular nuclear reactors, which would provide carbon-free power for some of its data centers.Microsoft last month helped advance a plan to reopen the Three Mile Island plant, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in US history, and Google on Monday announced a partnership in small-modular-reactor tech with Kairos Power.A Sam Altman-backed nuclear power stock soared 150% in a monthParamount Will Allow Its 3 Co-CEOs to Resign and Receive Severance If They Are DemotedWith Paramount Global poised to be taken over by Skydance Media in 2025, the three execs running Paramount as co-CEOs — George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins — now have an additional provision in their employment agreements that will let them quit and receive severance benefits if they are demoted from their co-CEO roles.In addition, Cheeks, McCarthy and Robbins were each awarded grants of $3 million worth of restricted share units Prior to securing the deal with Skydance, Paramount dismissed former CEO Bob Bakish and formed the three-member Office of the CEO effective as of May 1 comprising: George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.guaranteed severance payments equivalent to two times their annual base salary plus twice their annual target bonus amount, among other benefitsFor Bob Bakish last year that severance would have amounted to nearly $50MThe change in compensation comes at a time when Paramount is aiming to reduce annual costs by $500 million ahead of its merger with Skydance Media. As part of these cost-cutting measures, Paramount started job cuts in August and plans to lay off 15% of its U.S.-based workforce in three phases by the end of the year."US judge orders Boeing, DOJ to detail diversity policy before deciding on pleaA federal judge on Tuesday ordered Boeing and the U.S. Justice Department to detail the impact of diversity and inclusion policies on the selection of an independent monitor before he decides whether to accept the planemaker's plea deal.While ordering DOJ and Boeing to respond to a series of questions about the diversity and inclusion policy and how it might affect the selection of an independent monitor, he also pointed out that it was not a disputed facet of the plea agreement."Critically, Boeing did not voice any objection to this provision," the judge said in his order.O'Connor also wants the planemaker to detail how its existing diversity, equity and inclusion policies "are used in its current compliance and ethics efforts."U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor held a hearing Friday as he considers whether to approve Boeing's agreement to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud regulators. The deal would include oversight for three years by an independent monitor.Reed Charles is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. O'Connor has become a "go-to" favorite for conservative lawyers, as he reliably rules against Democratic policies and for Republican policies.Elon Musk is bringing lawsuits to Texas. A judge with Tesla stock keeps hearing themBillionaire Elon Musk seems to have found a new favorite federal judge: Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas.Musk's social media company X has filed two major lawsuits against groups he sees as antagonists, and O'Connor is presiding over both of them, even though none of the parties is based in Texas.So far, O'Connor has delivered stunningly pro-Musk decisions, which have gained widespread attention.What has garnered less attention: O'Connor's investment in Tesla, between “$15,001 and $50,000” of Tesla stock, according to his most recent publicly available financial disclosure filing.The order is the latest hurdle Boeing faces to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial and plead guilty to misleading the Federal Aviation Administration and violating a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.Assholiest of the Week (MM):SEC charge hinges on director's lack of ‘social independence' DR MMYou're kidding SEC - on average, 20% of every US large cap board is connected inside two degrees JUST FROM OTHER BOARDSWe just covered Parker Hannifin on our show Proxy Countdown and found that 100% of the board worked within 250 miles of one another, and 40% of them were from Ohio!Where are the regulations on this? If you're policing social independence, barring directors from future directorships, just because it wasn't disclosed - NONE OF THEM ARE DISCLOSED!It can't be that a former employee of the company like Leslie Kilgore on the Netflix board, who worked under Reed Hastings AT NETFLIX from 2000-2012, can NOW be considered “independent” on a board… WITH FOUNDER REED HASTINGS… and not have a lack of “social independence”?Digital tobaccoTikTok knew its algorithm harmed kids, accidentally revealed internal documents show14 states are suing TikTok35 minutes from starting use of the app to addiction - that's faster than meth where dependency can take days to weeksMeta must face US state lawsuits over teen social media addictionVOTE EVERY DIRECTOR ON A DIGITAL TOBACCO COMPANY BOARD OUT OF EVERY OTHER BOARD THEY SIT ONThere are 40 directors of Alphabet, Meta, Snap, and PinterestThose directors have 72 directorshipsThere are 22 of them that have directorships on other boardsEliminate OTHER dual class asshole companies, and you have 15 directors to vote out - stop selling digital tobacco or you lose your jobUnited Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Board of Directors Approves Share Buyback ProgramFour years ago we bailed out the airlines after UA posted a 6bn loss followed by a 1bn lossThe last year net income declined 15% to less than 1bnThe highest TSR performer on the board that approved this has a history of .488 batting average - meaning they are below average of .500 - and they are the HIGHEST ON THE BOARDOf the 13 bloated board members, two have earnings batting averages above .500 - the rest are all below .350!This is one of the worst performing, most interconnected boards in America - and they are spending over $1bn they don't have to grease the palms of investorsYou can send thank you notes to Vanguard (14% of shares) and Primecap (9% of shares) when they stop serving you hot food and force you to sit in an overhead binGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Teen tobacco use falls to 25-year low as fewer pick up e-cigarettesDR: Union petitions skyrocket under Biden, doubling for the first time in 50 yearsMM:Supreme Court Allows E.P.A. to Limit Power Plant EmissionsMM: JPMorgan's Dimon Says Economy ‘Remains Resilient'Headliniest of the WeekDR: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Says We Shouldn't Put Our Heads In The Sand, 'We Have To Find A Better Way To Help The People Who Get Hurt By AI'Jamie Dimon suggests he'll remain at JPMorgan for a very long time: "I intend to be doing what I'm doing — I almost guarantee I'll be doing this — for a long period of time, or at least until the board kicks me out"MM: JPMorgan CEO Dimon says cash is very valuable when the future looks ‘treacherous'Who Won the Week?DR: 3-headed CEOsMM: The Shareholder Primacy podcast with Mike Levin and Ann Lipton - Activist Investors Are Podcasters NowPredictionsDR: Disney's post-Iger succession planning is to replace him with six-headed CEO:Chadwick "Chaz" Van Buren III – The overly confident CEO who insists on golfing metaphors during board meetings.Reginald P. Throckmorton – Always talking about the "good old days" and using phrases like "back in my day."Wellington "Wells" Haverford – A CEO who embodies the old-school, silver-haired corporate type with a massive corner office.Bartholomew J. Wainscott – A pompous executive with a fondness for outdated business jargon like "synergy" and "paradigm shift."Milton C. Kensington – Known for his oversized suits, outdated tech skills, and resistance to change.Horace F. Farnsworth – The CEO who refuses to retire, always seen with suspenders and a comb-over.MM: Kids start playing a new game called “Jamie Says” in which a kid says something louder and louder and everyone else called “the reporters”, writes them down furiously

IntroductionLIVE from your ESG olive grove, it's a Business Pants Friday Show here at October 11th Studios, featuring all your favorites: AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today's weekly wrap up: shenanigans at Pfizer, the potential end of the Google search monopoly, and bumbling Boeing.Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):Pfizer threatened to sue renegade executives prior to activist schism, Starboard's Smith saysStarboard plotted a campaign against Pfizer's chief. Then a blank email dropped in his inboxThe Boeing strike has no end in sightBoeing files unfair labor practice charge against striking unionBoeing Would Be Biggest-Ever US ‘Fallen Angel' If Cut to Junk Feds slap TD Bank with $3.1 billion in fines for money laundering of fentanyl trafficking and terrorist financing“The vast majority of financial institutions have partnered with [Financial Crimes Enforcement Network] FinCEN to protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system. TD Bank did the opposite. From fentanyl and narcotics trafficking, to terrorist financing and human trafficking, TD Bank's chronic failures provided fertile ground for a host of illicit activity to penetrate our financial system.”approximately $18.3 trillion of transaction activity from Jan. 1, 2018, to April 12, 2024 went unmonitoredBombshell report claims Roblox is ‘pedophile hellscape' MMHindenburg Research accused the company of overinflating its user metrics and fostering an unsafe environment for underage usersGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: AI startup Writer, currently fundraising at a $1.9 billion valuation, launches new model to compete with OpenAI: female CEODR: The CEO of disgraced crypto firm FTX actually announced his prison stint on LinkedInRyan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets: “I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Inmate at FCI Cumberland!”MM: DOJ proposes breakup and other big changes to end Google search monopolySharing search data with rivalsRestricting distribution agreements with browsersPossible breakup of company/productsMM: Woman slightly winning the week MM DR‘You're a girl?' The duo taking on the male-dominated plastering world10% of construction employees are women, 4% of on site employeesWomen's health startup Maven Clinic closes funding at $1.7 billion valuationCorporate DEI may be under attack, but S&P 500 companies with diverse boards perform betterWomen in Asia are slowly starting to break through historic barriers to the top of the corporate worldAssholiest of the Week (MM):Why are you even here?Here are the facts that activist critics of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla are missing, according to a Yale analysisPresentation conveniently…Shows a stock performance chart from 2023-today including Astrazenca and Abbvie to illustrate the pharma winners are just GLP-1 makers (Lilly/Novo) vs. everyone elseAdds Pfizer to the chart, changes the date from Jan 1 2024 to today, and REMOVES Astrazenca and Abbvie - ostensibly to show Pfizer is “in line” - except when you put Astrazeneca and Abbvie BACK in the chart, Pfizer is the second worst performer and Astrazenca/Abbvie are having solid yearsShows a PE ratio showing the whole industry is depressed - again ignores Astrazenca and Abbvie which would show Pfizer as the second worst company, not “in line”Refers constantly to their “objective take” - after Yale awarded Bourla the Legend of Leadership award just two years into his role as Pfizer CEO? “But we have no conflicts of interest that get in the way of offering our independent, objective analysis and calling it as we see it.”Spends a tremendous amount of time talking about how Pfizer has been punished for acquisitions before only for them to work out… but the examples aren't of Bourla in defense of Bourla, they're from 2002 prior to his even working at the firm in any real capacityBoard: “But the Pfizer board—one of the most qualified boards in America with stars such as Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, State Street CEO Cyrus Taraporevala, and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb…”Quincey has a 0.064 controversies batting average, Gottlieb is batting 0.119 for TSR and 0.269 for earnings, and Cyrus Taraporevala was “elected” in July 2024 - he hasn't made a single decision, his background was in finance and asset management with a background in accounting... super useful for a board with FOUR OTHER DIRECTORS with finance backgrounds (⅓ of the board)Board is highly interconnected, obviously, with 33 active paths between current board membersHas Sonnefeld ever taken a position WITH an activist? He's backed so far…Yale Legend in Leadership award winners include Jim McNerney and David SternAlan Shaw (fired for undisclosed relationship)Dave Calhoun (retired with bags of money while Boeing is in the middle of strike and planes that don't function)BoeingBoeing halts talks, withdraws pay offer to union as strike drags onBoeing offered a 30% pay increase, union wants at least 40%Calhoun got a 45% increase of summary pay YoY, plus a $42m golden parachute for jumping out of the burning plane he builtSummary pay was $32.8m in 2023, compensation actually paid was $44.4m - so he actually got a raise from comp actually paid in 2022 of $15.2m (summary was $22.6m) to $44.4m - he got a 290% raise in take home pay YoY)Why? He tanked the stock by crashing planes and mismanaging the company, gets options that he cashes out with the first announcement the company delivered a functional planeHe generated -11.8bn, -4.2bn, -4.9bn, -2.2bn in net income from 2020-2024 for which he made $13.8m, $12.6m, $9.6m, and $41.8mOrtberg got…$21m summary pay in 2025 - a 35% decrease from Calhoun's summary pay in 2023, a tacit admittance that the company is shit… but the board is in Calhoun's pocketA cash payment of $1.25m if he stays through December (he was hired for Aug 8)Data DR95% of teens used Camel cigarettes, ⅔ used Malboro, Natural Spirit, or Pall MallsMore than 50% used Camels “almost constantly” or “several times a day”More than half said it would be hard to give up, with a full third saying they do it too much but couldn't quitA third said they using had a “mostly negative” effect on them41% said their parents cared just a little or not at allNow, replace every cigarettes with a social media company and those are the answers to a Pew survey - and now this: Bombshell report claims Roblox is ‘pedophile hellscape'Pew survey found 95% of teens used YouTube, ⅔ used TikTok, Instagram, or SnapchatMore than 50% used YouTube “almost constantly” or “several times a day”They are fully addicted - more than half said it would be hard to give up, with a full third saying they spend too much time on it but couldn't quitHindenburg Research found: Beyond inflated key user metrics, our in-game research revealed an X-rated pedophile hellscape, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content and extremely abusive speech.Core to the problem is that Roblox's social media features allow pedophiles to efficiently target hundreds of children, with no up-front screening to prevent them from joining the platform.Following years of scandals, we performed our own checks to see if the platform had cleaned up its act. As a test, we attempted to set up an account under the name ‘Jeffrey Epstein'…only to see the name was taken, along with 900+ variations.Many were Jeffrey Epstein fan accounts, including “JeffEpsteinSupporter” which had earned multiple badges for spending time in kid's games. Other Jeff Epstein accounts had the usernames “@igruum_minors” [I groom minors], and “@RavpeTinyK1dsJE” [rape tiny kids].We attempted to set up a Roblox account under the name of another notorious pedophile to see if Roblox had any up-front pedophile screening: Earl Brian Bradley was indicted on 471 charges of molesting, raping and exploiting 103 children. The username was taken, along with multiple variants like earlbrianbradley69.Despite the company's mission “to connect a billion users with optimism and civility”, we found games such as “Beat Up Homeless Outside 7/11 Simulator”, which had 1 million visits and 15,000 favorites before being removed from Roblox.Number of directors with Public Safety knowledge: 0Headliniest of the WeekDR: Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing at JFK after pilot dies MM: Captain's gender didn't cause ship to sink, New Zealand minister saysWho Won the Week?DR: Swiss bosses: Swiss workers must clock out for bathroom breaks, court rulesMM: Ozempic! McDonald's and Krispy Kreme are giving away free donuts - bring in a McDonald's receipt on Oct 14th to Krispy Kreme and you get a free donut after your McD's!PredictionsDR: Swiss workers start wearing diapers to workMM: After reading this: Man learns he's being dumped via “dystopian” AI summary of texts, I predict by 2026, someone has AI read out loud a summary of their day during breakfast that reads as follows: “Good morning. Here's what you missed: your mother has liver failure and is in the hospital, but says you shouldn't visit because you are a horrible child. Also, your bank account has been hacked after you visited a pornographic website and searched for kick me in the nuts sex. Your doctor would also like you to know you do have a micropenis, and that you can expect more test results about your foot fungus later this afternoon. Your 2pm appointment labeled Exploring Divorce has been canceled. The weather today is sunny with a high of 63. Alexa AI suggests purchasing the following to brighten your day: Will Smith's Hitch on VHS or DVD for 17.99 and Archie McPhee Yodeling Pickle: A Musical Toy, Fun for All Ages, Great Gift, Hours of Mindless Entertainment, Multi-colored on sale for 12.60 with prime one day delivery.”

Live from Alabama's Anti-ESG unscented Rose Garden, it's an all-new terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! In today's ESG-sized onesie called October 8, 2024: BIZ NUGGETS!Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE. DAMION1In our 'Because it's 2024 and "Hey, why don't you just save on gas and buy a Chevy Bolt" is just too damn complicated' headline of the week. Uber to launch AI assistant powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o to help drivers go electric In our 'Spotify co-founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon announce that shareholders ARE children and that's why they own about 25% of actual shares but about 75% of voting power' headline of the week. Spotify's HR chief says remote staff aren't ‘children' as company reaffirms work-from-anywhere policyIn our 'Boeing wishes it had Qantas's problems' headline of the week. Qantas apologizes after R-rated movie played to passengers on Sydney to Tokyo flightIn our 'What type of card do I buy for a patriarchy where 0.8% of CEOs are women?' headline of the week. Women in Asia are slowly starting to break through historic barriers to the top of the corporate worldIn our '3M board planning to drop commitment to Reduce Emissions Across the Value Chain by More than 40% by 2030 by 2026' headline of the week. 3M Commits to Reduce Emissions Across the Value Chain by More than 40% by 2030 MATT1In our 'Keep the oily parts' headline of the week. Big Oil Urges Trump Not to Gut Biden's Climate LawThey really like some of the carbon capture funding. Oh, also, the global record $7 trillion in oil subsidies, many of which stayed in the bill, they're cool tooIn our 'What if we call it "outdoor air conditioning upgrades" or "enhancing nature's HVAC"?' headline of the week. Most CEOs Sticking with Climate Strategies, but Changing How they Communicate it: KPMG SurveyIn our 'Dog rescinds promise not to pee on the rug' headline of the week. BP drops goal to reduce oil and gas outputIn our 'Board members everywhere shocked to find out they're just average using Free Float Analytics data' headline of the week. 7 out of 10 employees dangerously underestimate or overestimate their skill levels, new analysis finds74% of active directors have historically delivered between the 40th and 60th percentile of TSR in whatever industry board they sit on. Those directors tend to have the highest average age (62 years old) and are overwhelmingly male (73%)In our 'Adam Neumann announces WorkWe, a real estate co-working company not to be confused with WeWork, the company he founded and bankrupted, because the Work and the We are swapped' headline of the week. Adam Neumann's Latest Project Is a WeWork CompetitorWorkflow is a shared office real estate companyDAMION1In our 'Don't worry, their independent board is there to ensure the company sticks to its not-for-profit bylaws... oh wait, never mind... Sam made those women look shrill' headline of the week. AI expert Gary Marcus thinks OpenAI will be the 'most Orwellian company of all time'In our 'The other three were Berkshire Hathaway board members with the last name "Buffett" and they all said "pull my finger" ' headline of the week. 7 out of 10 employees dangerously underestimate or overestimate their skill levels, new analysis findsIn our 'John Deere CEO John May says we should go all in on getting rid of DEI policies because 'we are never going to get rid of systemic racism anyway'' headline of the week. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says we should go all in on building AI data centers because 'we are never going to meet our climate goals anyway'In our 'Hey ma, are we supposed to be surprised when Japan ranked 125th out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2023 Gender Gap Index? Also, a Toyota Prius is a man's car, like a Deere tractor. Tell Dad' headline of the week. Toyota follows growing trend of companies halting DEI policies and initiatives In our 'Olive Garden is betting $1 billion on unlimited breadsticks as a ‘healthier' carrot' headline of the week. PepsiCo is betting $1 billion on tortilla chips as a ‘healthier' snackMATT2In our 'Correction: Toyota USA's all male board asks Toyota's 86% male board whether is was cool to "ditch the woman and gay stuff" because "a guy on the internet asked us to"' headline of the week. Toyota follows growing trend of companies halting DEI policies and initiativesBringing the total to 108 board members who cowered under their pillows at the idea that they'd have to talk to the gay people they said they "definitely were cool with"In our 'White guy who heard other white guy says something about black people once apparently not discriminated against' headline of the week. Blackrock Beats Equity Trader's Bias Suit Over ESG, DEI PoliciesBlackrock equity traded claimed because Larry Fink said diversity once in a speech years after he was fired, he was fired for being white male and heterosexualIn our 'So I'm not sure I can protect democracy, social cohesion, or the self esteem of young girls, but I can DEFINITELY turn this Porsche sports car into a minivan, because miracles ARE possible' headline of the week. Mark Zuckerberg Redesigns Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Into A Minivan For Wife Priscilla Chan, Gets A 911 GT3 For HimselfIn our ‘Dear Linda, I know you are the daughter of Vince McMahon and class III director at Truth Social, so I thought I'd come to you first - are you really working with TitsAssMillionaire123 with a guaranteed investment scheme?' headline of the week. ‘I haven't told my wife about this blunder': How Truth Social users are getting scammed out of thousands of dollarsIn our 'Vivek Ramaswamy sends Edge One Capital a Letter Saying "Finders keepers,nyah nyah"' headline of the week. Edge One Capital Sends Letter to BuzzFeed Demanding Overhaul of Corporate Board and GovernanceEdge One Capital letter: Given its lack of relevant experience, it's unsurprising that the incumbent board has for years failed to hold its CEO responsible for destroying shareholder value. What we find truly extraordinary, however, is the extent to which the board has ac;vely created an environment where Jonah Peretti faces no repercussions for poor decisions and is instead insulated from shareholder influence. Peretti has dual class shares with 64% control and hand picks the board

Get Our FREE TSR Compliance Checklist: https://creditrepaircloud.com/tsr/Join Our FREE Start Repairing Credit Challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/   If there's one thing you want to avoid while running a credit repair business, it's getting sued.Trust me, I've been there! It's a nightmare you don't want to experience. But don't worry; staying compliant doesn't mean you have to slow down your growth or stop attracting new clients. In fact, it can even open up new and exciting opportunities for your business! That's why today, I'm sharing 5 safe marketing strategies to boost your business while staying compliant with the TSR. Tune in! Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 01:08 Being Able to Adapt 02:06 Is Your Business Compliant? 04:08 5 Proven Ways to Get New Clients While Staying Compliant 08:26 My Final Point09:46 Outro Additional Resources:Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  Grow Your Credit Repair Business with TESTIMONIALS: Proven 3-Step Process!Make sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.