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Category Archives: Ayn Rand

The limits of Justice Ketanji Brown Jacksons power – Fortune

Posted: October 6, 2022 at 12:03 pm

Last Friday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson participated in a quietly joyous investiture ceremony, the final formal hurdle before her first term on the Supreme Court begins this week. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended, as did members of Jacksons family. (Her husband, Dr. Patrick Jackson, raised his sock game significantly for the occasion.)

But now, the work begins.

Jackson joins the court at a time when trust and public confidence in the institution are at all-time lows. A new Gallup poll shows a record-high of 58% of U.S. adults saying they disapprove of the job the Supreme Court is doing, with only 25% of Americans expressing confidence in the court, down from 36% in 2021. These are the worst numbers in 50 years of polling, driven largely by last terms decisions on guns, environmental policy, the separation of church and state, and the dismantling of abortion rights.

Looking ahead, gird whats girdable, say experts.

Its hard to imagine a Supreme Court term worse than last years when the Courts conservative wing overturnedRoe v. Wadeand a number of other settled precedentsjust because they could, writes Jessica Mason Pielko, a former litigator and co-host, along with Imani Gandi, of the excellent Boom! Lawyered podcast. Im here to tell you this term will be worse.

This week, the court began a nine-month term. On the docket are cases involving re-districting, college admissions, and adoptionspecifically, striking down part of a law that favors Native American parents in adoption cases involving Native American children.

At the heart of deliberations will be the concept ofrace-neutral interpretations of the law and a return to influence of Chief Justice John Roberts, who has long supported the idea of a colorblind Constitution.

Alabama will be the first to test the race-neutral waters of the new court.

In Merrill v. Milligan, the justices will consider whether the state has violated key elements of the Voting Rights Act by reconfiguring its Congressional districts to purposefully dilute Black representation. Alabamas Black population hovers at about 27% but comprises the majority in only one of seven congressional districts. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund civil rights attorney Deuel Ross, who has been part of the case since its earliest days, is making his Supreme Court debut. Alabama is the birthplace of the Voting Rights Act and in some ways the birthplace of the civil rights movement, Ross told Bloomberg Law. And yet, in a lot of ways, it has been left behind because of lack of representation.

While it does not seem hard to predict how this majority-conservative bench will lean on these issues, there is hope that Jacksons presence, even in the minority, will fuel legal counterpunching efforts.

We have Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a brilliant jurist, powerful communicator, and the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Her addition to the bench, and the dissents she will author, will help shape a new progressive legal movement that will rebuild from this backlash, says Pielko.

Thats a lot of pressure on one Black woman, a position familiar to many in corporate life. And while social scientists have argued persuasively that colorblind approaches to leadership and policy-making do not workat least not for underrepresented populations seeking redress, equity, or just trying to get through their workdays unscathedignoring this evidence is also business as usual.

And thats a deadly problem.

The real-world consequences of retrograde thinking on race have left innovation, profits, and justice on the table in corporate life for decades. With this much at stake in the lives of ordinary people, its a precedent the Supreme Court should consider.

Ellen McGirt@ellmcgirtEllen.McGirt@fortune.com

This edition of raceAhead was edited by Ashley Sylla.

The Onion has filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court and its the best thing youll read this year. A bold statement, I know. The brief is in support of a man named Anthony Novak, who was arrested in 2016 after he launched a Facebook page that parodied the Parma Ohio Police Departments official Facebook page, which included absurd details like racist job postings and offering amnesty to sex offenders after they completed a series of quizzes and puzzles. The 17-page brief asks SCOTUS to take up Novaks case and defends the right to parody. Every word is a gift. Rising from its humble beginnings as a print newspaper in 1756, The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history, it begins. Americans can be put in jail for poking fun at the government? This was a surprise to Americas Finest News Source and an uncomfortable learning experience for its editorial team. It just gets better and better.SupremeCourt.gov

California governor signs a bill limiting the use of rap lyrics in criminal cases. The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act easily passed the state legislature in August and was signed into law on Friday. The signing of AB 2799 into California law is a huge victory for the artistic and creative community, and a big step in the right direction towards our federal legislation preventing the use of lyrics as the sole basis to prosecute cases, said Willie Prophet Stiggers, co-founder of Black Music Action Coalition, in a statement. There is a long and ugly history of criminalizing rap artists, in many cases deeming provocative lyrics as true threats, and not worthy of protection as political, creative, or social commentary. You can find coverage of noteworthy past cases here; the New York State Senate passed SB S7527, a similar measure, this spring. A truly eye-opening 2019 research report found 500 cases in which rap lyrics were used as evidence in state or federal trials.San Francisco Chronicle

Puerto Rico needs to be understood through a racial frame Frances Negrn-Muntaner, a Columbia University professor, scholar, and filmmaker, has written an essential piece that digs into the mainlands complicated relationship with its island colonycommonwealth oh what should we call Puerto Rico? Its complicated. The original impulse to acquire colonies in the region was predicated on ideas of white racial superiority. While the island was pillaged over time, Puerto Ricans living on the mainland experienced the same race-based issuessubstandard schools, lack of access to credit markets, etc.as other non-white citizens. Written in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Negrn-Muntaner says that then President Trump was on message.[T]he presidents response to the hurricane is consistent with American colonial history, she writes.The Root

A Nobel Prize-winning racist wrote the conservative playbook? I havent read Democracy in Chains, a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction by Duke University historian Nancy MacLean. But if this review is any indication, it would go a long way to explain the lingering grip of economic pseudo-science that informs the divisive political discussions were having today. It is the story of James McGill Buchanan, who co-authored a piece on public choice theory in 1962 that went on to win a Nobel Prize in 1986. His research and theorizingdescribed as a darker version of Ayn Rand, yikeswas largely abandoned and uncategorized after his death in 2013. While doing research, MacLean gained access to his papers and found among his work a trove of correspondence between Buchanan and conservative industrialist Charles Koch. Buchanan devoted his life to undoing the socialist impulses in society and created an institute to train operatives to dismantle Brown v. Board of Education and resegregate society. His aim was to provide intellectual cover for the rich and eliminate "the parasites" endeavoring to take what they had not earned. Suppressing voting, changing legislative processes so that a normal majority could no longer prevail, sowing public distrust of government institutions all these were tactics toward the goal. Institute for New Economic Thinking

The high cost of bullying bosses Heres a fun idea! If you havent met the CEO of your company but would like to, consider forwarding this insightful piece by Stanford professor Robert Sutton, prolific researcher of abuse and bullying in the workplace and author of The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt. The pressure of an always-on, global business means that empathy goes out the window in email, text, and the like. Meantime, some rising executives believe that treating people badly is a path to personal successa conclusion bolstered by journalists and a few academics, who celebrate demeaning and disrespectful leaders. Jerk behavior, along with change, starts at the top.McKinsey

McKinley Mac Phipps Jr, convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison based on no other evidence than his rap lyrics.

This is the web version ofraceAhead,Fortunes daily newsletter on race, culture, and inclusive leadership. To get it delivered daily to your inbox, sign uphere.

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The limits of Justice Ketanji Brown Jacksons power - Fortune

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Race Across The World and Louis Theroux Interviews among new BBC Factual and Arts slate – Royal Television Society |

Posted: at 12:02 pm

When showcasing the new series at a special event, Kate Phillips, BBC Director, Unscripted, said: From stand-out documentaries like the Real Mo Farah and Freddies Field Of Dreams, to the BBC Proms and the launch of Frozen Planet II, the team here are at the very top of their game, bringing audiences high impact, uniquely public service content at its very best.

"Weve got plenty more to look forward to in the months ahead and Im excited to unveil such an impressive array of diverse new content featuring big and upcoming talent, and bringing us new perspectives, incredible access and big moments for everyone.

The third edition of the Race Across The World will be the most extreme to date, as the five pairs of travellers will have to race across an entire continent.

Starting from the very edge of the Pacific in Vancouver, they will have to travel 16,000km through six time zones at ground level to the Atlantic coast in St John's Newfoundland.

Using just the cash equivalent of the airfare (no air travel or any modern conveniences, including phones, internet or credit cards, are allowed), the pairs must race through the very edges of civilisation to reach the finish line quickest and win the 20,000 cash prize.

Louis Theroux goes behind the scenes and in conversation with stars of British entertainment.

Each of the six episodes will see Theroux visit one of: Stormzy, Dame Judi Dench, Rita Ora, Bear Grylls, Yungblud and Katherine Ryan.

He'll explore their lives and careers in settings both personal and intimate, often in the company of their families.

First up is Stormzy, who Theroux joins on his biggest tour to date.

Forensics is back for a third series, once again following West Midlands Police as they use cutting edge science to bring criminals to justice.

As well as the homicide and CID teams featured previously, this series will explore new territories: from gun crime and ballistic testing to major fire investigations.

In a one-off special, Stacey Solomon and her family and friends will show us how to have a magical Christmas on a micro budget.

Said Solomon: Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year! There's no better feeling than giving someone the perfect gift, especially when it's one I've made at home with my little helpers. DIY gifts mean so much more and save a bit of money too, as do hand-crafted decorations which we love making for our tree."

As well as hand-making gifts and decorations, Solomon will transform the barn next to her Pickle Cottage home into a Christmas grotto, where she will throw a festive party for heroes in the local community.

The story of the hugely influential designer and entrepreneur, Virgil Abloh, whose aesthetic transformed the fashion industry.

Black and white, men and women, anti-fashion and high fashion: Abloh knew that nothing was binary and everything was open for exploration.

His first fashion label, Off-White, turned streetwear into high fashion by tearing down the walls of the white haute couture world. He later became Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton menswear, one of the first Black men to head up a couture house, while designing shoes for Nike, furniture for IKEA and cars for Mercedes-Benz.

But the documentary will start from the beginning, when he worked as Kanye West's Creative Director and witnessed his struggle to break into high fashion due to racism and snobbery. Abloh made it his mission to change all this - to show what difference Black people could make when listened to.

DJ Benji B, model and DJ Honey Dijon, rapper Headie One, singer songwriter Louis III, model and poet Kai-Isaiah Jamal and menswear designer Katie Eary are among the contributors who will pay homage to the designer, who died in November 2021 at the age of 41 following a private battle with cancer.

Historian Simon Schama looks back at the dramatic history that has played out in the decades of his lifetime.

Born in 1945 on the night of the bombing of Dresden, he was part of the generation determined to rebuild the world from the ashes of war. Across three films, he will reveal the vital role of artists, writers and musicians in fighting for the values they hoped would define the post-war world: democracy, equality and the dream of plenty.

Among others, George Orwell and Vaclav Havel to Nina Simone and David Hockney, Charlie Chaplin, Ayn Rand and Rachel Carson all issued warnings about assaults on democracy and the trade-off between capitalism and the fate of the planet.

The series will also hear from contemporary artists boldly engaging with current affairs, including Margaret Atwood, Ai Weiwei, Nadya Tolonnikova, Armando Iannucci and Edward Burtynsky.

In a three-part series, Lucy Worsley investigates the most successful novelist of all time, Agatha Christie, whose novels, plays and short stories defined the detective genre for over a century.

The real woman behind the literary persona was one of the most famous and most complex of the 20th century. And as she lived through two World Wars and several scientific and social revolutions, Worsley will look at Christie's life and life's work with her expert historian eyes to also tell a dynamic history of the 20th century.

A drama-documentary starring Seroca Davies as trailblazing poet, playwright and campaigner Una Marson.

Marson joined the BBC's Empire Service during World War II where she became the first broadcaster to give voice to Caribbean writers and intellectuals, thus broadening the cultural horizons of a global audience accustomed to hearing only English accents.

She also became the first Black writer to script a play for London's West End while championing women's and civil rights as an activist.

The one-off documentary will use her writing, correspondence and her BBC personnel file to give proper insight into her life and work.

A new modern adaptation of the much-loved ballet combining animation and live action dance.

Vito Mazzeo stars as cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius, whose promise of superficial beauty poisons the town. Swan (Michaela DePrince) sets out to reveal the truth about the popular newcomer who puts her community and the life of her beloved Franz (Daniel Camargo) in danger.

Ted Brandsen has choreographed the piece, set to an original score composed by Maurizio Malagnini and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Biologist Liz Bonnin visits the mass dinosaur graveyard in the Badlands of Wyoming, USA, to see what new insights into the Jurassic age it can offer.

Across two parts, she joins the international team of leading palaeontologists for a crucial fortnight of digging. Storms are threatening to destroy the fragile bones, and it's not long before the site closes for winter.

Together they must race to unearth as many of the fossils as possible, from those of the giant herbivores like Diplodocus to the ferocious Allosaurus.

The site also holds a wealth of other evidence, including footprints, plants they ate, and signs of more carnivorous behaviour, allowing them to piece together the life stories of each dinosaur.

Professor Hannah Fry will explore the wonders of modern technology and tell some of the mind-boggling stories behind it for a new six part series.

From contactless payments to smart devices with the power of supercomputers: the future has arrived. But we've become so used to these gadgets and inventions that we've forgotten to notice just how genius they are.

For each episode of The Secret Genius Of Everything, Fry will take one modern wonder apart to find out how it works and its often unbelievable origin story, be it the food delivery apps built on technology developed for nuclear missiles or online payments revolutionised by the rise of X-rated websites.

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Race Across The World and Louis Theroux Interviews among new BBC Factual and Arts slate - Royal Television Society |

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Fool Britannia: sloppy Tory treatise a hint of horrible things to come – Crikey

Posted: at 12:02 pm

Truss treatise a hint of horrible things to come for United Kingdom Join us on socialNewslettersGet Access Code.

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A decade ago, Britannia Unchained, a poorly researched and written book charting new directions for UK growth, was released. Today two of its authors hold the keys to the kingdom.

Ten years ago this month, a group of eager young Tory things issued a pamphlet called Britannia Unchained. It is a rather unremarkable little treatise -- badly researched, with cherry-picked data and using the anecdotes of London taxi drivers as evidence that we are all lazy.

Britannia Unchaineddeserves to be less than a footnote of history. And it would be, if it were not for the fact that two of its authors are the new prime minister and her close friend, the new chancellor of the exchequer.

The others were Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and Chris Skidmore, who had an undistinguished ministerial career -- unless you measure his achievements against the disasters of Patel and Raab. All have now been dropped as not good enough, and this is in lockstep with the theme of the book. Only hardworking, dynamic risk-takers can survive. Failures are to be dumped, and they deserve to fail in the first place. Ayn Rand, eat your heart out.

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Jonty Bloom

The New European

Jonty Bloom is a freelance journalist, and was previously business correspondent for the BBC.

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Fool Britannia: sloppy Tory treatise a hint of horrible things to come - Crikey

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Day one at the Tory conference: Industry cries out for stability but U-turns and uncertainty continue – Building

Posted: at 12:02 pm

Is levelling-up still government policy? This was the question being asked by many in Birmingham yesterday on the first day of this years Conservative Party conference.

Even with this mornings remarkable U-turn over plans to cut the 45p tax rate for the most affluent, there is little sign from Liz Truss that levelling up remains a core part of government policy and it is hard to dispel the sense that the tide has turned against a Johnsonian redistributive approach. This appears to be a new era of libertarian trickle-down economics.

Yesterday in Birmingham had started with Truss acknowledging that she could have done a better job of laying the ground for Kwasi Kwartengs shock fiscal statement onSeptember 23. The chancellors pledge to borrow more in order to cut taxes mainly for the wealthiest had spooked markets, undermined the pound and sent mortgage interest rates soaring.

Michael Gove, the former secretary of state for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) then attacked the proposed 45bn of unfunded tax cuts for high earners, claiming they were not Conservative and appearing to threaten to vote against them in parliament.

As one of the key Tory ideologues behind levelling-up, Goves opposition would appear to underline the extent of the break we are now witnessing with recent government policy. And it surely played a significant part in prompting this mornings dramatic U-turn.

But despite this and whether it was a case of wishful thinking or not was unclear the rebuttals from government ministers came thick and fast.When asked whether the levelling-up agenda was dead in the water, Dehenna Davison,the recently appointed minister for levelling-up, could only respond by saying, I hope not Theres no way Id take on the role if I didnt think this was at the core what this government is going to do.

Like Davison, Robert Buckland,the secretary of state for Wales, was adamant that levelling-up was still a government priority. It has started, he said, and remains at the core of the government.

When I asked him whether the 4.8bn released in the first round of levelling up funding was sufficient for the task of redressing decades of structural imbalance, he responded by telling me that youve got to start somewhere.

Investment zones and deregulation

Following a week of turmoil, the government had sought to take back the political agenda on Sunday morning with the announcement that it was encouraging formal applications from local authorities to set up new investment zones.These zones will seek to stimulate investment through tax incentives, and by removing ineffective EU requirements, lengthy consultations with statutory bodies and onerous national and local policy rules.

Seeking to hark back to happier times for the Tories, Buckland compared these to the enterprise zones which the Thatcher government had set up in the docklands of London, Liverpool and Cardiff in the 1980s, with varying degrees of success.

I view investment zones as part of the levelling up agenda, he said, before going on to argue that far from representing a tilt towards libertarianism the new initiative was a continuation of Boris Johnsons interventionist approach.

We make interventions where appropriate, he said. The idea that the government has come to preach trickle-down economics is for the birds.

But elsewhere at the conference there were clear signs of concern about the wider implications of the investment zones.Former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers expressed concern about the erosion of local decision-making in planning and suggested that deregulation within investment zones could be rolled out more broadly.

David Thomas, CEO of Barratt Homes, said he did not want to see investment zones being used to short-circuit environmental regulation.Paul Brocklehurst, chair of the Land Promoters and Developers Federation, told me that he suspected the zones would see commitments to good design in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill cast aside in order to fast track development. I expect design codes are going to go in investment zones, he said.

Planning backlog

The government has declared that it is committed to a growth strategy. In recent years planning departments have seen an average of 43% cuts in resourcing. Given that developers and architects are constantly bemoaning the financial implications of massively delayed planning decisions, you might have thought this would have included a commitment to unlock the backlog in the wider planning system.

When I asked the new housing minister Lee Rowley what his plans were to address the under-resourcing of local authority planning departments, he could offer no more than a commitment that he would look into the matter and address it as and when.It seems architects should not hold their breath for any swift solution to this on-going problem.

Uncertainty

Elsewhere, there were murmurings of discontent from the big housebuilders. Thomas, the Barratt Homes chief, repeatedly mentioned the lack of clarity and consistency in government policy as a cause of concern for industry. We dont care if targets are set nationally or locally, we just want a system that works, he said.

The churn in built environment ministers was underlined by the presence of Rowley. He was much in demand, sitting on several panel discussions, but preceded his comments at each event he attended with an acknowledgement that, with only two and a half weeks in the job, he was not yet fully on top of the brief.

Given that he is the fourth housing minister of 2022, and the seventh in four years, he could perhaps be forgiven for his lack of insight, but it does rather underline James Watess concern that construction has for too long suffered due to a lack of attention from a heavy-hitting senior minister.

Devolution and local planning

There were mixed messages on devolution. While acknowledging that the relationship between Westminster, local government and grassroots communities had bedevilled attempts at levelling up for decades, Buckland argued that now was not the time for a radical overhaul of existing arrangements.

But elsewhere at the conference Davison and Paul Scully, the minister for local government and for London, were making the case for more local devolution deals, prioritising the introduction of directly elected mayors.

The tensions around centrally-set housing targets, Robert Jenricks failed allocation algorithm and the vestiges of David Camerons localism agenda are still being played out within the party. Rowley, stated that the ultimate decision-maker on beauty and design is the locality.

Nowhere at the conference though was there a clear solution to the challenge of delivering the millions of new homes that Britain needs, in the face of widespread opposition to building from many rural and urban communities.

Samuel Hughes, who was until recently head of research at the Office for Place, made the case for gentle density and suburban densification. He also argued that the only way to deliver large quantities of new housing in a politically sustainable way was in a way that has the support of local communities and restores the environment.

We cant smash our way through local communities, he said, before advocating for clear-cut design codes over vaguer design guidance.

More confusion to come

Industry may not be happy but the one thing that this government seems most likely to deliver is disruption and uncertainty. Kwartengs U-turn this morning only emphasises that point.

Whether this is by design or by accident is perhaps not important. It clearly reflects the increasing instability of the British political and economic systems over recent years.

Our one-party system the primary benefit of which we have always been told was strong government has given us four prime ministers in eight years.Anyone looking for greater clarity around regulatory and planning reform, or clear targets for housing, will have to wait. The merry-go-round of government ministers and policy changes seems certain to continue for the foreseeable future.

Although there were ministers yesterday making the case that the Truss government remains committed to levelling up, it is hard to see this latest regime as representing anything other than a full takeover of the Tory party by the libertarian right.Some government ministers may be labouring under the delusion that some kind of One Nation agenda survives, but the thrust of economic and regulatory policy appears to be moving ever further in the direction of hard-line ideological libertarianism.

Unquestionably, Truss and Kwarteng are shifting the UK determinedly towards an Ayn Rand-ian model, in which wealth is generated and accumulated by a select few.

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Day one at the Tory conference: Industry cries out for stability but U-turns and uncertainty continue - Building

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Former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund Set To Publish A New Book About The Attack On January 6th With Explosive Never-Before-Revealed Information…

Posted: September 27, 2022 at 8:28 am

COURAGE UNDER FIRE: UNDER SIEGE AND OUTNUMBERED 58 TO 1 ON JANUARY 6 By Former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund

ASHLAND, Ore. (PRWEB) September 26, 2022

COURAGE UNDER FIRE: UNDER SIEGE AND OUTNUMBERED 58 TO 1 ON JANUARY 6By Former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund

ON SALE: JANUARY 3, 2023

HES PROTECTED EVERY LIVING PRESIDENT BUT NOTHING COULD HAVE PREPARED HIM FOR JANUARY 6

An explosive new book by Steven A. Sund, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will be published by Blackstone Publishing on January 3, 2023: COURAGE UNDER FIRE: UNDER SIEGE AND OUTNUMBERED 58 TO 1 ON JANUARY 6.

Courage Under Fire is former United States Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sunds gripping personal account that takes readers inside the events leading up to January 6, and provides a detailed and harrowing minute-by-minute account of the attack on the US Capitol, which was valiantly defended in hand-to-hand combat by the US Capitol Police officers who found themselves outnumbered 58 to 1.

Courage Under Fire contains never-before-seen photographs and draws upon audio recordings, key documents, and government records as it traces Sunds extraordinary journey from his command post on January 6 to his explosive behind-closed-doors testimony before the January 6 committee.

"It's almost two years after January 6 and the American people still dont know the truth. It's time to break my silence and reveal everything that I know happened," said Sund.

Courage Under Fire will be released in print and digital formats by Blackstone Publishing. An unabridged audio edition of the book, read by Chief Sund, will be simultaneously released in digital and physical formats. The book was acquired by Josh Stanton, CEO of Blackstone Publishing from Shane Salerno at The Story Factory representing Steven A. Sund.

"Chief Sund has written a book that details the road to January 6, including never before revealed information, a harrowing account of the attack itself which reads like Black Hawk Down at the U.S. Capitol, and the cover-up that followed. The book contains shocking new information that the American public needs to know," said Josh Stanton, CEO of Blackstone Publishing.

Steven A. Sund, one of only ten men in history to hold the title of Chief of the US Capitol Police, has coordinated dozens of National Special Security Events, responded to numerous critical incidents and active shooter events, and has protected every living US president. But nothing could have prepared him for the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Three days before the attack, Chief Sund requested the assistance of the National Guard. This request was denied. In preparation for the Joint Session of Congress, Chief Sund directed every available sworn officer to be on duty to protect the Capitol and all of its members and staff.

But it wasnt enough.

The savage attack that followed was a well-planned and carefully coordinated armed assault on the United States Capitol, involving thousands. The shock and horror of this attack exploded on TV screens worldwide as US Capitol Police officers under Chief Sunds command found themselves facing a violent siege, hit with pipes, fire extinguishers, boards, and flag poles. Dedicated men and women were knocked unconscious and sprayed with mace and bear spray as live pipe bombs were discovered at the national headquarters of both major political parties.

Finally, multiple police lines were breached. Then the building was breached. The National Guard didnt arrive until it was much too late. In the end, 150 officers were seriously injured, and nine Americans were dead.

Now, for the first time, Chief Steven Sund has written the definitive inside story of the perfect storm of events that led up to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, a day that rocked the nation and threatened our democracy. As the Capitol descended into chaos, insurrectionists infiltrated and stormed its hallowed halls and democracy was pushed to the brink. Few people realize just how close we came to seeing the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and countless members of Congress beaten, maimed, or killed.

Other explosive revelations in Courage Under Fire include:

There have been many false reports and outright lies concerning the conduct of the US Capitol Police on January 6, and there has been no accountability for the individuals who bear most of the responsibility for the failures that left the USCP unprepared that dayfrom the shocking failures in intelligence to the outright stonewalling Chief Sund received from the Pentagon when he repeatedly called for the National Guards help, even as the attack on the Capitol was raging.

Two years later, so many questions still remain unanswered: What did the intelligence community know about the plans of the insurrectionists before the attack? Why was the request for the National Guard continually denied and delayed? Why was the U.S. Capitol so vulnerable on January 6? And why does the U.S. Capitol remain vulnerable to future attacks?

Forced to take the fall and resign, this is Chief Sunds chance to answer those questions and to tell the full truth about what really happened on January 6.

###

ABOUT STEVEN A. SUNDSTEVEN A. SUND was the tenth Chief of Police for the United States Capitol Police from June 13, 2019, until January 8, 2021. Before joining the United States Capitol Police in 2017, Sund had a 25-year law enforcement career working for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C., where he rose in the ranks from patrol officer to Commander of the elite Special Operations Division (SOD). As Commander, he led planning for numerous high-level security events including four Presidential Inaugurations, and oversaw a number of specialized units, including the Emergency Response Team (SWAT), Special Events/Dignitary Protection Branch, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (Bomb Squad), and many others.

Chief Sund is a recognized expert in critical incident management and active shooter preparedness and response. His experience includes being the on-scene incident commander on the 2009 shooting at the National Holocaust Museum, the 2012 shooting at the Family Research Council, and the 2013 active shooter incident at the Washington Navy Yard. In addition, he has handled dozens of criminal barricade and hostage situations. Due to his knowledge and experience, Sund served as an instructor with the United States Secret Service in the area of major events planning and has taught the Incident Command System (ICS) at the George Washington University. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Arts in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also completed the Police Executive Research Forums Senior Management Institute for Police and the FBIs National Executive Institute. Courage Under Fire is his first book.

COURAGE UNDER FIRE: UNDER SIEGE AND OUTNUMBERED 58 TO 1 ON JANUARY 6 by Steven A. Sund

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

On sale date: January 3, 2023

Hardcover U.S. Price: $27.99

E-Book U.S. Price: $9.99

#CourageUnderFire

Book jacket design: Stephanie Stanton

About Blackstone Publishing:

Founded in 1987, Blackstone continues to pioneer new and creative ways to bring stories to life. With multiple New York Times Best Sellers, Grammy award-winning audio productions, and three books placed on the New York Times Best Books of the Year list, Blackstone has firmly positioned itself as one of America's fastest growing and respected publishing houses. A true independent, privately owned publisher, with offices on both coasts, Blackstone is home to a vibrant and eclectic community of storytellers and story lovers, offering hundreds of new titles each month to its catalog of 17,000+ books. The authors published are as varied as the books themselves, with works by some of the biggest names in literature including Gabriel Garca Mrquez, Ayn Rand, Ian Fleming, George Orwell, Robert Heinlein, James Clavell, as well as more contemporary authors like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Karen Slaughter, Don Winslow, Robert Downey Jr., Jeneva Rose, Norman Reedus, and many more.

For press inquiries contact: Lauren MaturoBlackstone Publishinglauren.maturo@blackstoneaudio.com

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Former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund Set To Publish A New Book About The Attack On January 6th With Explosive Never-Before-Revealed Information...

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Right place at the right time: freeports model gives fillip to St Helens regeneration scheme – The Guardian

Posted: at 8:28 am

Since the last shift at Parkside colliery in St Helens clocked off in 1993 and its two shafts were capped, nature has progressively taken over: scrubby silver birches have seeded themselves on the hardstanding all over the huge site alongside the M6, which once employed 2,000 local people.

But peer through the trees and the piles of fly-tipped junk this week and there were signs of life: bulldozers were busy working on a taxpayer-funded access road, to join this long-neglected site to the adjacent motorway.

It is the first stage of what St Helens council, which owns a 50/50 stake in the project with the local developer Langtree, hopes will be a 1 million sq ft distribution hub, and ultimately an even larger manufacturing centre, bringing potentially thousands of new jobs.

For us, employment and high-value jobs is what this site is really all about, says the councils director of place, Lisa Harris. We want to make sure that there are local benefits for local people.

The Parkside project was conceived almost a decade ago, and it is one of hundreds of schemes around the UK poised to benefit from the tax cuts and other incentives that form a central part of the Conservatives dash for growth.

It may be a good 20 miles from the sea, but Parkside is part of the Liverpool city regions freeport. Notwithstanding the name, the freeport takes in not just the port of Liverpool itself but a 28-mile (45km) area around it, including a long-planned regeneration project across the Mersey in Wirral Waters, a huge transport hub in Widnes and this former colliery site in St Helens.

Future investors will be able to take advantage of a slew of tax breaks including capital allowances, stamp duty relief and reduced employer national insurance contributions on new workers. Crucially for champions of Brexit, they also include customs privileges, allowing imports to arrive (and be stored) tariff-free and with light-touch checks, in designated customs zones.

One of these will sit at the historic port of Liverpool, which is owned as is much of the land around by the private firm Peel Ports and which was brought to a halt this week by striking dockers.

Steve Gerrard, the national coordinator for freeports at the Unite union, which is organising the action, says that aside from a dispute over pay, they are concerned that workers will not feel the benefits of the freeport project. What theyre going to be looking to do is undermine terms and conditions. Theres a risk that what you get is a race to the bottom.

The Labour-controlled Liverpool city region combined authority, which has oversight of the entire ambitious scheme, denies this, insisting that despite freeports being distinctively Conservative, it will implement it in its own way.

The regional mayor, Steve Rotheram, said when the bid was announced: I want to attract investors into our region who believe in and support our local ambitions those who will help us to protect workers rights and uphold standards, and who want to work with us to regenerate and invest in the areas that need it most.

Rishi Sunak championed freeports even before he was chancellor, and he confirmed eight sites in his final budget, with a bidding process ongoing on for three more, in Scotland and Wales. But after Kwasi Kwartengs mini-budget on Friday, it is clear that the Liz Truss government wants to supercharge this model and replicate it throughout the country.

As many as 38 new investment zones will be created. These will lack the customs benefits of the freeports, but alongside tax incentives there will be a dramatically simplified planning system.

As a Treasury factsheet put it, there will be designated development sites to both release more land for housing and commercial development, and to support accelerated development. The need for planning applications will be minimised and where planning applications remain necessary, they will be radically streamlined.

Kwarteng called it an unprecedented set of tax incentives for business to invest, to build and to create jobs right across the country, which will last for a decade.

Councils already in early discussions stretch from Cornwall to Cumbria, and include the Liverpool city region, which is still awaiting confirmation that the business case for its freeport plan has been accepted, and will have to decide whether to take up these new powers. Significantly, for those such as Liverpool with a regional mayor, the offer will include more control over funding.

Angela Eagle, the Labour MP for Wallasey, whose patch includes Wirrall Waters, says the governments tax-cutting, deregulatory approach is firmly shaped by Trusss free-market ideology.

She seems to be wanting to establish tax havens internally in the country, where the law doesnt apply. Theres no sign that any of these things ever actually work, Eagle says. They are completely faith-led, and their faith is market fundamentalism, with Ayn Rand [the US libertarian] as one of their saints. Theyre completely divorced from reality.

Using tax breaks to tempt inward investors is by no means new: it was part of the Thatcher governments toolkit as it sought to kickstart regeneration in areas including Londons Docklands, and the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition introduced a new generation of enterprise zones from 2012. Freeports are not new either: the UK had seven, of which Liverpool was one, between 1984 and 2012.

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Analysis by the Centre for Cities thinktank of the Cameron-era enterprise zones found that over five years they created fewer than 14,000 jobs, against the Treasurys forecast of 54,000. Of those, more than a third were existing jobs that had moved from elsewhere, and the overwhelming majority were low-skilled.

That comes about because these zones are trying to cut the costs of doing business. But these are cheap places to do business anyway, says the thinktanks Paul Swinney. Youre making them even cheaper, and that appeals to a certain type of business, that is doing something quite routinised.

Adam Hawksbee, the director of levelling up at the thinktank Onward, agrees that tax incentives are only part of the picture when investors are looking for opportunities. The other big thing is what in investment terms they call the table stakes: what does the land supply look like? What do education and skills in the area look like? How many people are economically active? he says.

Many of the areas earmarked for the new investment zones are not obviously in need of levelling up a phrase noticeably absent from Kwartengs statement. Trusss home patch of Norfolk is on the list, as are Suffolk and Greater London. Scully says the planning powers may be more significant here.

Where planning bites the most is not in struggling places, where getting planning through is relatively straightforward; where planning really bites is in the greater south-east, he says.

At Parkside they are optimistic the freeports model will give this project almost a decade in the planning a fillip. Harris says it gives the council more tools in our toolbox which we wouldnt have had previously.

John Lucy, the director of the overall Liverpool freeport, of which this is just one small piece, says he hopes it will benefit from two big trends the push for energy self-sufficiency since Russias invasion of Ukraine, with zero-carbon projects a key part of Liverpools plans; and the worldwide move towards shorter, simpler supply chains.

Because of the way the world is now, theres a lot of near-shoring and onshoring of manufacturing, he says. All these global supply chains, the existing model is just being totally ripped up. For once, we seem to be in the right place at the right time.

As the dramatic market reaction to Kwartengs statement underlined, however, this and other major investment projects are being launched against the nail-biting backdrop of economic and financial instability, with interest rates likely to continue rising sharply.

But in Liverpool, lapped by so many waves of regeneration over the decades, they are hoping this latest iteration helps give the historic port and its surrounding area renewed economic impetus.

Lucy says: All of these areas have been vacant and in need of regeneration for three decades or so. If this doesnt help, this doesnt help, but its better than nothing, and theres no plan B locally or nationally, so its as good a place to start as any.

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Right place at the right time: freeports model gives fillip to St Helens regeneration scheme - The Guardian

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Reflections from London on the queen’s life and death – Baptist News Global

Posted: at 8:28 am

The queen is dead. Long live the king.

From my earliest childhood memories during World War II, Elizabeth has been a constant in my life a changeless symbol of stability during unstable times.

By an accident of timing, I was in Oxford when the new prime minister was elected, and I saw the pictures of the very frail queen still doing her duty, welcoming Liz Tuss. Then, on Friday, on the eve of my granddaughters wedding in Italy, word quickly spread among us: The Queen is dead.

And eight days later, I was back in England, where I counted myself privileged to be among the English as they mourned their queen. We shall not see the likes of her or the pageantry, ritual and assemblage of world leaders for her state funeral again. The second Elizabethan Age has ended.

Duty. Honor. Country. God.

Virtues honored more today in the breach than in practice, virtues the queen embodied and the traditional Anglican funeral ritual captured so perfectly. Vows made in youth and kept over a long lifetime. She was described as a servant leader, a term we use so often in the church and witness so seldom.

Flashback. In 2011, during a tour of the Scottish Highlands, our group called on Lady Grace Macpherson-Grant at Ballindalloch Castle. She was about my age, and she described how her father inherited the title and the lands upon the death of his uncle when she was 6. Her parents explained to her then, Someday this will all be yours. She was reared to manage a huge estate and as laird, to represent the queen in the county. She quipped, I had to find a man who would love me and my castle.

As I watched the visible signs of succession this past week Charles stepping into the role of king and William into Prince of Wales I was most touched by the presence of young George and Charlotte (that little girl, dressed in funeral black with a broad-brimmed hat) at the funeral. Did you catch a glimpse of that moment when William entered Westminster Abbey and Kate stepped forward with the children to join him? William took Georges hand to lead him up the aisle. George, so often impish and mischievous in the photos, bit his lower lip, and Williams brow was deeply furrowed lines I had never seen before. I could imagine the conversation he had had with George, Someday this will all be yours. At the age of 9, George is being trained to be king someday.

I wonder if we are doing our children a service in giving them the privileges of adulthood without the responsibilities.

How very different from how we rear our children. We want them to enjoy childhood and the college experience. We want to give them time to find themselves. We want to protect them from the burdens and responsibilities of adulthood for as long as possible. My bank has a term for the twenties emerging adults. I wonder if we are doing our children a service in giving them the privileges of adulthood without the responsibilities.

The royal family provided a stark visual reminder that with privilege comes responsibility. Harry, who rejected the responsibilities of royalty, and Andrew, who broke the rules, were part of the family but clearly distinguished from the working royals. Thats a fine line, one that would be difficult for most of us to imagine. A modern parable of the Prodigal Sons.

When I was young, I really didnt understand the value of the rituals of death. At times I thought the family should simply gather at home for a time of remembrance, shared stories and prayers. Other times I wanted a service with just the minister and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But eight decades of life have exposed me to a lot of loss, and I have come full circle.

I watched the queens funeral in my room at Gravetye Manor, an old country house hotel about 20 miles southeast of London, before going downstairs for lunch and then on to Heathrow for my flight back to Texas. The mood in the hotel was somber and quiet, but in English fashion staff carried on. My driver was a Hungarian who has lived in London 18 years but does not regard himself as English.

Im not religious, he told me immediately, but I was moved by the funeral service.

Im not Anglican, but I was moved too, I replied.

Surely, its a comfort to Anglicans that the same words that apply to the queen apply to them.

For all the pomp and circumstance, it was still the familiar liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, read at Anglican funerals around the world for centuries the same words of comfort and hope from the Gospel of John, the prayers and hymns, the brief homily that bore testimony to the queens faith and to the sure confidence in eternal life. As I told my driver, Surely, its a comfort to Anglicans that the same words that apply to the queen apply to them, that they are equal in Gods sight regardless of their status here.

I fear I am out of step with most in my generation on the subject of funerals. When my husband, Lev, died 13 years ago, I didnt want a celebration of his life. I wanted a funeral, where we could grieve but be reminded of our hope in Christ. Too often today, I leave a service feeling like I have been to a roast. At the queens service, the homily and the prayers captured all that truly mattered in the queens life. Eulogies would have been a distraction.

I didnt see anyone celebrating the queens death. Even the most strident anti-monarchists were mostly silent and respectful. Certainly the faces on the king and his queen, on William and Kate, now prince and princess of Wales, belied any state of joy about their newly elevated positions. They all appeared older, bowed down by heavy new responsibilities, by the fact that their old lives are gone and of course, by their grief that they have lost their mother, their grandmother, their great-grandmother.

As the cameras panned the family at the end of the service, as the congregation sang God Save the King, it seemed to me that they sang it as a prayer and fervent hope for Charles. The future for the family, the nation and the Commonwealth is uncertain.

Flashback. On Jan. 20, 1961, at his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy spoke those famous words that inspired my generation:

And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedomof man.

Finally, whether you are citizens ofAmerica or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth Gods work must truly be our own.

We were 21 and ready to change the world. Friends signed up for the new Peace Corps. Many entered ministry and chose professions of service. For a brief moment we celebrated Camelot. But then came assassinations and racial conflict, Vietnam and Watergate. And Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman and the glorification of libertarianism. Its all about me and my rights and my freedoms, even in the church.

In recent years I have frequently wondered how todays audience would react to a speech like Kennedys. Sadly, I suspect there would be widespread ridicule and rejection of the old-fashioned virtues of duty, honor, country, God.

Perhaps that is why we Americans of a certain age celebrate and mourn the queen. She was our last thread to forgotten virtues of faith and patriotism.

Ella Wall Prichardis a journalism graduate of Baylor University who is known as a philanthropist and advisor to Baptist causes in Texas and beyond. She was a member of the Baylor Board of Regents and a director of the Baylor Alumni. Her book,Reclaiming Joy: A Primer for Widows, recounts the story of her husbands untimely death and her suddenly finding herself the president of the family oil business. A longtime resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, her primary residence now is in Dallas, where she is a member of Wilshire Baptist Church.

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Editorial: NH voters, beware of radical threat on ballot – Valley News

Posted: September 11, 2022 at 2:10 pm

Published: 9/10/2022 8:04:07 PM

Modified: 9/10/2022 8:00:11 PM

In 2003, when the Free State Project first declared New Hampshire the promised land, libertarians who answered the call to move to the Live Free or Die state were regarded in some circles as harmless cranks who read Ayn Rand at an early age and never got over it. Twenty years later, only 6,200 out of a projected 20,000 have arrived, but while they may be cranks, the Free Staters have proved to be anything but harmless. They have done a lot of damage already and are trying to further bend state and local government to their radical will.

In the Upper Valley, perhaps the most notable example occurred in Croydon this year, where Ian Underwood Selectboard member, Free State stalwart and husband of the School Board chairwoman took advantage of a sparsely attended annual School District meeting to propose cutting the school budget by more than half, a surprise motion that passed by a vote of 20 to 14. Chastened residents of the town, which has a population of 800, mobilized to overwhelmingly overturn the cut at a subsequent meeting, 377 to 2, and have since organized to guard against further such shenanigans. Croydon may have learned its lesson, but many other communities especially small ones where a sprinkling of Free Staters can wield outsized influence remain at risk.

The Free Staters have made significant inroads in the Legislature as well. While only about 25 legislators in the 400-member House are known to be Free Staters, they have many allies in the Republican liberty caucus, where they have helped to vastly expand school choice at the expense of public education; rolled back permit requirements for carrying firearms; endorsed tax cuts for business; and pushed back aggressively against government public-health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, who moved to New Hampshire from Ohio in 2010 as a Free State immigrant, is an exemplar of such legislators. He was in the news lately when a 2010 post to a libertarian forum resurfaced in which he repeatedly employed a racist epithet to refer to Black people while attempting to equate lynching with child sex abuse as an abhorrent form of behavior.

Osbornes apology, which noted that he was 33 years old at the time of writing the post, contained the declaration that he would never use such language now and that in the years following that post, he became a new man when he lost weight, stopped drinking and went back to church. This admirable personal transformation did not, however, manifest itself this summer when he urged Americans to celebrate July 4 by laying off the calories and grabbing a few more rounds for your AK-47. Maybe after another 12 years and many more mass shootings, he will outgrow that sentiment as well.

In Belknap County, a Free State stronghold, efforts by libertarians to privatize the county-owned Gunstock Mountain Resort have been stymied so far by Gov. Chris Sununu, who has called for the ouster of three Republican legislators who exercise an oversight role at the resort. One of the three, Rep. Michael Sylvia, supports having New Hampshire secede from the United States, a goal shared by an estimated 40% of Free Staters.

And New Hampshire Public Radio reported last month that the Free Staters tweeted out a list of churches in the state that they consider woke that is, those who support the LGBTQ+ community, condemn racism and back measures to respond to COVID-19. Apparently while the Free Staters cherish the right to be left alone themselves, they do not extend that courtesy to congregations that differ in their views.

New Hampshire has long had a libertarian streak when it comes to limited government and low taxes, but the Free Staters brand is radical. Although rarely articulated, it embraces the fantasy of a future in which individuals are empowered to do exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it, and no one is forced to do anything they dont want to.

Voters beware. Know who you are voting for, and what they believe. The Free Staters are quietly embarked on a hostile takeover of New Hampshire government for their own ends, which amount to exalting the almighty individual above the needs and aspirations of society at large.

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Editorial: NH voters, beware of radical threat on ballot - Valley News

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10 Wednesday AM Reads – The Big Picture – Barry Ritholtz

Posted: at 2:10 pm

My mid-week morning train WFH reads:

Interest Rates vs. Inflation The average yields savers earned in the 1980s were higher than inflation, including education, healthcare and housing prices. Average yields remained above healing CPI numbers throughout the 1990s and 2000s. (A Wealth of Common Sense) see also Your guide to good news is bad news and bad news is good news High inflation has made for unusual times. (TKer)

The Obscure Economist Silicon Valley Billionaires Should Dump Ayn Rand For: He lived almost 200 years ago, but Henry Georges theories might have something to offer people who want to put their money to good use today. (Vanity Fair)

The ESG Crown Is Slipping, and Its Mostly the Fund Industrys Own Fault: Plain-vanilla stock and bond funds are doing better than the socially responsible ones. (Businessweek)

Classic Car Experts on What to Expect From the Market This Fall:If you want an affordable old Chevy or mid-level Jaguar you may be in luckthey havent been selling. In August alone, overall sell-through rates were 16.3% lower than in August 2021, according to data from Classic.com. (Bloomberg) but see also Americans Snap Up Teslas, Bentleys, Lamborghinis as the Luxury-Auto Market Booms The share of premium vehicles sold has risen, lifted by cash-rich buyers, growing affluence. (Wall Street Journal)

Mark Cuban says pharma villain Martin Shkreli inspired him: The Shark Tank investor and Dallas Mavericks owner takes inspiration where he can get it. (Recode)

Schools Are Back and Confronting Devastating Learning Losses: States direct billions to tutoring and other efforts to reverse pandemic declines in reading scores but have little sense of what works. (Wall Street Journal)

One Data Point Can Beat Big Data: Complex algorithms work best in well-defined, stable situations where large amounts of data are available. Human intelligence has evolved to deal with uncertainty, independent of whether big or small data are available. (Behavioral Scientist)

Three reasons why Taiwanese people are increasingly opposed to reunification with China: Surveys show people in Taiwan are worried about what China might do to their democracy and liberal social values.(Grid)

Sheep Are the Solar Industrys Lawn Mowers of Choice The laborious job of clearing weeds in solar-panel fields has triggered a welcome boom for American shepherds and their flocks. (Wall Street Journal)

Stephen Curry Said Davidson Changed His Life. He Changed Davidson. Curry, the N.B.A. superstar, returned to Davidson College, where he first showed how great he could be. The college, and its community, still feel his impact over a decade later. (New York Times)

Be sure to check out ourMasters in Businessinterviewthis weekend withLynn Martin,President of the NYSE, which is part of the Intercontinental Exchange.NYSEis the worlds largest stock exchange, with 2,400 listed companies and a combined market cap of ~$36 trillion dollars. She began her career at IBM in its Global Services.

Is the S&P 490 cheap?Source: @Callum_Thomas

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10 Wednesday AM Reads - The Big Picture - Barry Ritholtz

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Opinion: Renewables are great and all, but who’ll pay when they fail? – Houston Chronicle

Posted: at 2:10 pm

Regarding Tomlinson: Texas electric grid recommendations are just more crony capitalism costing consumers, (Sept. 7): I have a simple question for Mr. Tomlinson and the others pushing for more adoption of wind and solar generation capacity. Who will fund and invest the necessary capital in fossil fuel plants that will have to sit idly by until needed on days when the renewable sources cant produce their base-load average?

On average, wind accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of power generation in Texas, but some days, it drops well below 10 percent, which means you need at least 15 percent of on-demand generation capacity at the ready. How will this necessary reserve capacity be maintained and funded? Should renewable sources be required to pay fees when they fall below their average? Should home solar users pay a higher rate when they need to draw power from the grid? This is not unlike the issues with electric vehicles and gasoline taxes used to maintain roads. As more and more EVs take to the road, fewer and fewer gas taxes will be collected to maintain the roads.

Renewables are great and all, but how much are we going to have to pay to ensure the power stays on?

Tim Graney, Katy

Texas has enough solar to power the world two times over, Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist at Texas Tech, said in a TED talk. Texas can lead the way to a better future.

Alas, our State Energy Plan was written by Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick and House Speaker Phelans appointees. They are like folks driving a car while looking into the rearview mirror. Hayhoe says that will work as long as the road is straight, but when we hit a curve oops.

Texas grid is heading for curves. Because of global warming, air conditioner load will grow and we may have another bad freeze. Were hard at work exporting our natural gas to Europe. Electric vehicle sales in Texas are up 55 percent from last year.

Please vote against Abbott.

Nan Hildreth, Houston

Chris Tomlinson comments acutely on the crony capitalism of the Texas oil industry. What he identifies is endemic to the so-called free market.

Once an industry becomes entrenched, it loses its creative impulses and instead builds defenses around itself. It is not above using political, or state, mechanisms to protect its interests. No entity is more anti-competition than a monopoly or near monopoly. The market winners become anti-free market in reality while retaining rugged individualism in theory.

A hypocrisy develops. There grows a kind of socialism for the (upper) classes and rugged individualism for the masses, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once put it.

The Ayn Rand individualists seem to believe that unleashed capitalism can exist without interference by or with the political system. That is unrealistic. Once wealth has been accumulated, it will be protected by lobbyists, political alliances and ideological friends. This is human nature, something the market absolutists like to remind us over on the port side about.

In the mounting human disaster that results from radical climate change, the reaction of fossil fuel businesses holds back the development of solutions. We need rapid public and private investment in solar, wind and geothermal energy, as well as ecology-friendly energy storage in order to adapt, and to save life on this planet. The old-time religion is not going to get us there. We need a new system of checks and balances for a new, challenging time in history.

As the old Iroquois philosophy teaches, What you do, do for the next seven generations.

Paul L. Rowe, Houston

Regarding With climate legislation complete, Biden looks to presidential power to boost clean energy, (Sept. 6): The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and potential executive action will clean up the air at home, but we still need to fix the problem not yet addressed while we reduce pollution in the U.S., other countries continue to release heat-trapping gases into the air which warms the planet for all of us.

One way to increase responsibility elsewhere is to impose a fee on imported products from nations, such as China, that release more pollution in their manufacturing processes. The EU is rapidly moving forward with a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will force countries trading with it to produce products with a lower carbon footprint or pay a fee. We too can level the playing field by placing a CBAM on foreign manufacturers undercutting our U.S. businesses with their cheaper, higher carbon-intensive goods.

Now it may fall to Republicans to hold other countries accountable. As the new Congress approaches, we urge Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Houston area Representatives Dan Crenshaw, Troy Nehls, Michael McCaul, Kevin Brady, Brian Babin and Randy Weber to support federal policy that does just that.

We can send a firm message to high-polluting countries if you dont follow our lead, youll pay to do business.

Drew Eyerly and Waqar Qureshi, conservative outreach director and volunteer, Citizens Climate Lobby

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