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  Maybe more of us can consider semiretirement vs the Whole Enchilada of chasing lots of work. Market Summary  >  Dow Jones Industrial Average 41,033.62 +290.29  (0.71%) today Jul 31, 2:17 PM EDT  •  Disclaimer

 Last night after a long stressful day I decided to relax by streaming a movie on Hulu. There it was, before the film started: a political ad about Kamala Harris.  My 40-years in communications had me rate the pitch as well-done. But to me there was the age-old question: Will it be effective? That is, will it move the dial on attitudes that result in the politico's getting the votes? In advertising there had been the joke: Yes, half of advertising works, we only don't know which half. Given the escalating cost of advertising in these budget-consciousness times, such a casual assessment of designing/placing an ad can't be allowed. Master fundraiser for the Democratic Party from law firm Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp sized up the current campaign as the most expensive ever. Well, the application of data-based tools could not only make the Party's advertising effective. It could actually be the variable that wins a close race.  That finding is a result of recent research co-...

  40,972.16 USD ▲  +228.83 (+0.56%) today July 31, 11:41 AM EDT  ·  Market Open

  As yet no lawsuit has been filed against CrowdStrike and Microsoft by Delta. But CNBC reports that Delta has brought on Big Kahuna litigator David Boies. It was Boies who represented the US in the landmark antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.  During the CrowdStrike outage Delta canceled 7,000 flights and now is dealing with 176,000 requests for refunds or reimbursements. The estimated financial loss for the airline ranges from $350 million to $500 million - and things aren't back to normal yet. If a lawsuit is filed it will be for damages. News of this possibility probably has been a factor in CrowdStrike's stock price plunging 9.7%. Over the recent years both Boies and his firm Boies Schiller have taken branding hits and loss of partners. In fact, the lawyer who will prep Kamala Harris for the debate - Karen Dunn - had been poached from that firm by Paul, Weiss. She began at Paul, Weiss as a tech specialist but has broadened her practice there to other types of law.  ...

  40,743.33 USD ▲  +203.40 (+0.50%) today July 30, 4:20 PM EDT  ·  Market Closed

Republican Governor in New Hampshire Chris Sununu gives the Kamala Harris "honeymoon" - which some of us label a "phenomenon" - about a month. The GOP can shorten that significantly if Donald Trump motivates his VP pick JD Vance to step down this week. Obviously the choice was a mistake that is draining energy from his campaign and  fragmenting unity. Vance has not been an asset in attracing possible votes in the midwest. According to polls such as that conducted by AtlasIntel his approval rate is less than 30. So it is puzzling why Donald Trump is dragging his feet in setting in play a new selection.  Trump's track record in personnel matters has been for quick action. Memorable was his firing of White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci after 11 days on the job. On his reality show Trump's mantra had been "You're Fired." Meanwhile the euphoric Democratics ranging from master fundraiser Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp to head strategi...

  POLL: KAMALA MOVES INTO LEAD ABORTION HER TOP CAMPAIGN ISSUE DON'S INSULTS FALLING FLAT? DEMS FEASTING ON JD QUOTES HER  VP RACE NARROWS MAGA LAUNCHES AD BLITZ

  Maybe only the Silent Gen and Boomers recall the market and influence the TIME franchise had summing up our lives, especially each year as we lived it.  That was then. Everything seemed simpler and believeable. With blind obedience, for example, we followed the advice of the exploding-in-growth career-guidance industry. Go get that MBA. Understand the military model for corporate jobs. Be like Bill Clinton and record the contact information of everyone you meet. Here it is 2024. Unlikely that TIME could get idown what we are now about. Those who are featured as supposed experts by the dying establishment media industry even admit to the uncertainty of what is and what will be.  Just about everything has mutated into a Black Swan - those unpredictable developments which put in play paradigm shifts.  The post-WWII blind faith in higher education, including the Harvard MBA, has been shaken. The respected Knowledge Worker such as a management consultant, increasingly u...

"Trump advisers said the Harris boomlet isn’t sustainable." - Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair , July 23, 2024 Unlike the erratic leader himself Donald Trump the conservative movement has brilliant common-sense strategists. Otherwise conservatism in America wouldn't have grown so much and acquired such staying power.  So, there might be something to the advisers' observation that the rapid emergence of the rebranded Kamala Harris isn't a phenomenon (like the one Trump has maintained over the years) that can be held together long term.  We all experienced the dazzling Harris boomlet.  There has been the kind of fundraising headed up by the extremely well-connected such as Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp as well as contributions by first-time small donors. Together in one week that totaled $200 million.  That helped fund a Harris Everywhere visibility, including in-person rallies, email blasts, a TikTok account, social media, media relations that resulted in high-profile es...

Unlike Harvard Law School which admits for the IL class over 500 annually, Yale Law School is small. Only about 200 make it in as a first-year. That fosters a fascination with the small intimate setting that has launched SCOTUS Justices ranging from Samuel Alito to Sonia Sotomayor and former US President Bill Clinton. Often it has been ranked #1 among law schools. On the fun side, alumnus David Lat invented digital legal tabloid Abovethelaw.com. UNWELCOME ATTENTION But the brand has received unwelcome attention.  Once described as "gods who traveled the corridors of Yale Law School" married professors Jed Rubenfeld and Amy Chua have fallen from grace. Media outlets such as New York Magazine and   Newser , as well as my own articles like this one in O'Dwyer's Public Relations , chronicle that downfall.  JED RUBENFELD AND AMY CHUA Rubenfeld had been suspended without pay from teaching for two years after an investigation about alleged sexual misconduct. Also investigat...

  "The case against laughing is that it makes a leader come off as less serious." -  The New York Times , July 28, 2024 In society, women are usually assigned to be the keepers of values such as family and tradition. That's no laughing matter. And aside from those females who make it big as professional comics such as Tina Fey enjoying a good laugh a bit too much can come across as weird. Sure, smile. But, edit down the depth and volume of the laugh. Otherwise, women open themselves to censure.  One wonders why those advising Kamala Harris on presentation of self haven't already zeroed in on that stylistic - her hearty laugh. If there is a debate - which Donald Trump might be reluctant to enter - Harris' coach Paul, Weiss partner Karen Dunn would be remiss not to box her in. Instead she could be guided to put her humanity on display with a warm smile and talking points about policies for the most vulnerable. Of course, all genders are all warned from the get-go n...

"You become partner via a combination of by being another partner’s bitch, internal politics, and luck. Being a decent lawyer and doing good work has little to do with it and it was probably easier to do those things in the 80s and 90." -  Reddit Big Law , July 2024 This perspective probably applies to most kinds of success once we leave the unique meritocracy of formal education. After we size up what the instructors really want and we labor very hard to deliver that we can do well.  That is usually not the situation when we go out there to earn a living. For that reason the rite of passage from school to work is often quite the ordeal. What plays out is the old adage: The "C" students become the bosses of the "A" students.  When the "A" students were booking it the "C" students were investing in learning how the world operates. They competed in sports. They ran for school leadership positions. They might have started a business in the...

"Census data on car-free households suggests the number of U.S. households with no vehicles has been relatively stable, fluctuating  8% to 8.6%  from 2018 to 2022. Most of those households are below the poverty line." -  USA Today , July 24, 2024 On the one hand, those who can choose their lifestyles are opting for some version of the 15-Minute City . That is the urban planning concept facilitating access to all necessary services will be within a 15-minute walk, bike ride or public transportation.  On the other hand, most don't anticipate a kind of Lifestyle Paradise if they can opt out of car ownership. Yes, they don't want to have to get into the car for everything. But they also want the option of having the car for faster access to whatever or choices beyond that access. That is, they prefer to own a car despite the initial high cost of the car purchase and the ongoing ones of gasoline (or e-batteries), insurance, maintenance and repairs.  Nerd Wallet ...

“'To me, they [the Orca whales] were not playing at all, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the weak points of the boat, and they knew how to sink it,' Powell, who was meant to be celebrating his birthday aboard the boat [said]." -  New York Post , July 27, 2024 Robert Powell is the former owner of $128k luxury yacht Bonhomme William. By "they knew exactly what they were doing" Powell refers to the efficient and effective division of labor by the five Orca whales (largest members of the dolphin family). Each whale focused on a different section of the yacht. Within two hours, the whales had completed their mission. Bonhomme William sunk. Powell suspects this pod could be responsible for other attacks on boats in European waters. Could it be that the Orca is a type of eco-warrior? As OceanWeb documents, yachts are major sources of enviromental problems. Those extend from the amount of diesel they consume to the amount of waste they create, especiall...

"Vice President  Kamala Harris  could become the U.S.'s first female president, which many had hoped  Hillary Clinton  would have been, but Harris hasn't been playing that up." -  Newsweek, July 27, 2024 DEI is dying and such memes as gender have become irritating, at least in a growing number of circles. My hunch is that if there is a debate - reports are that Donald Trump doesn't welcome one with Harris - her coach Karen Dunn from law firm Paul, Weiss could recommend bypassing all those old DEI memes which once seemed so noble. Few want to hear any of that. Getting, holding and moving on to more success has become elusive for too many knowledge workers in 2024. In particular promotions are tougher and tougher to land.  Career confidence is at a new low, documents LinkedIn. JD Vance should also stop playing the hard-scrabble background card, that is, if he is still on the Trump ticket for much longer. His memoir focused on that hard-luck saga transformed ...

  40,722.63 USD ▲  +787.56 (+1.97%) today July 26, 1:19 PM EDT  ·  Market Open

" ...  IGT’s Gaming & Digital business (“IGT Gaming”) and Everi will be simultaneously acquired by a newly formed holding company owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (“Apollo”) (the “Apollo Funds”) in an all-cash transaction that values the acquired businesses at approximately $6.3 billion on a combined basis." - Apollo Press Release, July 26, 2024 This development represents the ongoing deepening of Apollo's involvement in the gaming sector. Wall Street law firm Paul, Weiss is managing the legal aspects for Apollo. IGT is represented by law firms Sidley, White & Case and Wachtell. Pillsbury is legal counsel on this for Everi. After some falloff in funding for gaming, investors have become more upbeat about the sector.  In business and life you usually have only one shot at whatever. Up the odds of success with Jane Genova. I am an intuitive coach, tarot reader and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please ...

" ... the rule [Rule 9] explicitly applies to a scenario in which Vance voluntarily steps aside ..." - Business Insider , July 26, 2024 Proven-out political strategist James Carville warns post-Biden Dems not to be giddy about Kamela Harris' early success. It will be a tough fight with a close finish, he predicts. I believe that.  The fight could get a lots tougher and give high-profile supporters ranging from the Obamas who are now in to well-connected fundraiser Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp agita if Donald Trump banishes JD Vance from the ticket.  The one-time wonderboy with the once-useful narrative of a hardscrabble background quickly became a liability.  The tragic flaw seems to be the inability to, as we say in communications and coaching, "size up the room." America, for example, was not receptive to have women who didn't reproduce put into a penalty box.  Also, with DEI dying, the poor-boy saga no longer plays well. Instead the attention shifts to a ...

  40,603.89 USD ▲  +668.82 (+1.67%) today July 26, 10:28 AM EDT  ·  Market Open

"Kamala Harris debuts official TikTok account as presidential campaign picks up" -   CNBC , July 25, 2024 Here is that TikTok account.  This development follows soon after Joe Biden's posting the announcement of ending his reelection campaign on X and other social networks. Establishment media used X as their source. It's so obvious that Election 2024, at least as orchestrated by the Democratic Party, is messaging through social. That's where we go to find out what's going on. And that could mean the continuation of bypassing traditional media for news, analysis and even comments.  The trend has already spread to marketing and public relations in general. Both fields are turning to social influencers to get their story out, endorse brands and actually transact sales. No coincidence a Millennial who did his degree work in journalism laments on Business Insider that he hasn't been able to pick up a full-time position in media for four years.  In business an...

"[JD] Vance 'grew up spending his summers in Appalachia and came from a poor family' while arguing [KY Gov Andy] Beshear 'grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth thanks to his politician/lawyer daddy.'” -  The Hill , July 25, 2024  So?  With DEI dying, the positioning and packaging of a narrative derived from a hard-scabble background is rapidly losing its persuasive power. That won't get anyone too far.  Along with that, resentment about those from the so-called "lucky sperm club" - that is, Nepo Babies - seems schoolboyishly naive. Life isn't fair. Not even in America. After all, we all have to die.  What the world, ranging from voters to employers, wants to hear is what you have accomplished and will pull off for them. Not pedigree or lack of it.  In business and life you usually have only one shot at whatever. Up the odds of success with Jane Genova. I am an intuitive coach, tarot reader and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please...

  40,230.72 USD ▲  +376.85 (+0.95%) today July 25, 1:47 PM EDT  ·  Market Open

"Leader Of Elite Top 50 Biglaw Firm Is Backing Kamala Harris In A Major Way" -  Abovethelaw, July 24, 2024  That leader is chair of Paul, Weiss Brad Karp.  Yesterday he worked the phones to motivate deep pockets to contribute funds to the Harris campaign, documented Bloomberg Law . Also, Paul, Weiss partner Karen Dunn is advising Harris on how to present herself in the debates. Dunn had that role with Harris in the 2020 Vice Presidential debates. All this engagement in Harris Everything really represents a continuation of Paul, Weiss' ability to build strong networks within the Democratic Party.  Those are critical for a prominent law firm since they facilitate access inside the beltway, including the White House. Open is the door for input on legislation and regulation. In addition, there can be recommendations in high-level appointments and nominations. But, that comes with risk. Karp admits that when he participates in discussing matters of policy there could be...

"Hope is what kills the man. Have zero hope and find another role. If it does end up working out, you will have lost nothing" -  Fishbowl Consulting, July 2024 This comment is in response to a job hunter who has been getting "delay" messages from the firm he has applied to. The latest is that there is a hiring freeze but, of course, they will keep them in mind. The 20th-century career guide for ambitious boomers has become so out-of-date. Much of it recommended persistence - and, yes, optimism - in a job search. Keep following up and you eventually could land the offer.  In this volatile labor market where demand and compensation continually mutate, that kind of advice can do little but drain energy and distract from an aggressive comprehensive pursuit of work, with constant course correction. Believe me, I know as a coach, if they want you, they will let you know.  The emerging best practice in obtaining that first job or transitioning to others could be put this ...

The Standard labels the Democratic Party's rapid response to Joe Biden's dropping out and Kamela Harris' emerging as a strong possible replacement as a "blitz." And it's on two fronts. One is in visibility. Check your email and it's Harris everything. She skipped the Benjamin Netanyahu address to share her vision with college students. There are also the above-the-fold endorsements in the media from power players such as Hillary Clinton.  On another front is the fundraising. Hollywood is back. Wall Street is back. And deep-pocketed elite law firms have mobilized. Law.com reports, for example: "Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp said he's 'working with many business leaders to raise money for the Harris campaign to enable her to fund what will inevitably be the most expensive election battle ever.'" Today, Karp was working the phones, docouments Bloomberg Law.  Like Bill Clinton, Karp is a master networker. So far, so promising. The Reuters/...

  So, how many are thinking now about unretiring ... Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 39,853.87 USD ▼  -504.22 (-1.25%) today July 24, 5:26 PM EDT  ·  Market Closed

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 40,040.77 USD ▼  -317.32 (-0.79%) today July 24, 1:34 PM EDT  ·  Market Open Day Week Month Year 5 Year Max 10:00 12:00 2:00 3:30 39,800 40,000 40,200 40,400 Vol