Weekend Digest: The ‘Forgotten’ Gettysburg Address Edition

For our weekend business and political readers:

WHO ACTUALLY WROTE AND DELIVERED THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS?
It wasn’t Abraham Lincoln. “What?”, you say. Well it’s true. The Wall Street Journal reports on, “The poor guy who wrote and delivered the Gettysburg Address, and who then saw himself and his speech fade anonymously into the mists of history.”

No, not that Gettysburg Address. The other one. The one that was supposed to be the main event that day.

The man’s name was Edward Everett, and his story serves as a melancholy lesson for any of us who become cocksure that we’re about to cross the finish line as the winner in something: our work, our play, any of the things at which we hope to succeed and prevail.

Are you confused? Well, the Journal will unravel all the astounding details, if you “address” this link.  (Editor’s note: Some subscribers will have to copy and paste the URL into an open tab in a different browser to make the link work.)

SMART STEPS FOR CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGN
It’s a must now, and almost everyone is using it. Are you using social media in your marketing campaigns, and if not, where should you start? Blogger and social media expert Jeff Bullas has posted some smart ideas and solid advice he got from another colleague.

The processes involved in creating a social media campaign have been open to many discussions by many people as to how to do it effectively and as I indicated in my last blog I would give a further insight into one type of approach to social media marketing after my recent discussions with Fi Bendall. Her approach requires initially setting a baseline so that the success of the campaign can be measured. It also requires that thorough background research be done before the campaign is implemented.

To learn the processes and strategy click on this link from jeffbullas.com for “7 Steps in Creating and Implementing a Social Media Marketing Campaign.”

SMALL STARTUP DOES BIG BUSINESS PROVIDING PERKS
It’s called AnyPerk, and it works with small companies to get their employees nice perks from other businesses that include Fortune 500 firms.

AnyPerk helps small companies offer their employees top-notch perks like discounts on monthly wireless plans from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, and free movies from Redbox.

AnyPerk’s agreements with three of the four largest wireless carriers will bring in $7.2 million this year in revenue. Over the next three years, the startup expects that number to increase to $50 million.

So how did this tiny startup do it? Well, AnyPerk’s Director of Business Development says his company has a “five-step process for closing deals.” Learn what they are at this link from Business Insider.

MOST FAMOUS BRAND-NAMES FROM ALL 50 STATES
Each state is home to its own famous brand, and you probably can guess what Arkansas’ is. But what about the other 49 states?

Business Insider has created a map of the most popular brand in every state.

To find out, go here.

“INTERNET OF THINGS” MUST FIND BETTER SECURITY
What is the “internet of things?” In a recent post, Harvard Business Review explains it as “the connection of physical devices to the internet” and it says we must “rethink” security for those “things.”

Cyber attacks, once primarily directed against networks to steal confidential information and wreak virtual havoc, have begun to expand and are now directly affecting the physical world. For example, the recent hacking of the Associated Press’s Twitter account by the Syrian Electronic Army and subsequent tweet about an explosion at the White House caused the U.S. stock market to decline almost 1% before the news was revealed as a hoax.

In 2010 the computer worm Stuxnet was discovered and implicated in the attack that caused physical damage to centrifuges at Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities. In 2012 a hacker built and revealed a simple device that can open Onity-brand electronic locks, which secure over 4 million hotel room doors without a key.

But what about the growing connection of the internet to things like cars, smart phones and even refrigerators?

They also have the potential to allow cyber attackers into the physical world in which we live as they seize on security holes in these new systems.

So as more and more smart devices become common and cyber-threats increase, what are the security answers?  Go to this link to find out.

THE POLITICS OF GAY MARRIAGE GAINING GROUND
Particularly among young people, gay marriage is gaining ground reports the Washington Post, and it also says in general “the direction of public opinion is quite clearly moving in the direction of legalization of gay marriage — (including young Republicans).”

Wednesday’s rulings by the Supreme Court on California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act provide further proof of a reality most strategists have known for some time: Opposing the right of gay people to marry is, increasingly, a losing political proposition.

But in a “Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted last summer, 85 percent of ‘very conservative’ Republicans said that gay marriage should be illegal.”

So the dilemma for the GOP 2016 presidential candidate is building. Go with the increasing majority, or stick with the conservatives. What might happen?  The Post sorts it out complete with graphics at this link.

WHO KEEPS THE PEACE ON THE HIGH COURT?
“Chiding both sides for rhetorical excesses during the gay marriage arguments,” Chief Justice John Roberts wants “peace among his colleagues” reports POLITICO.

A year after infuriating conservatives by upholding President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, Roberts oversaw a court that often returned cases to the political process and sometimes dodged or made more palatable decisions with the potential to produce profound resentment from liberals.

Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Defense of Marriage Act case Wednesday didn’t make history — but seemed aimed at making peace between his colleagues.

The four-page dissent, capping off a string of contentious end-of-term decisions, shows Roberts wrapping up the term with a call for collegiality, respect for the institution and a more moderate tone — even as he continues to drive the court in a more conservative direction.

Go inside the POLITICO story for analysis on several of Chief Justice John Roberts’ major decisions that sometimes went against public opinion, by clicking this link.

THE FRAGMENTATION OF AMERICA
The National Review says that:

In news stories that involve crimes with divisive racial themes, the media frequently paper over information about the perpetrators. But that noble restraint only seems to incite readers. In reckless fashion they often post the most inflammatory online comments about such liberal censorship. Officially, America celebrates diversity; privately, America is fragmenting into racial, political, and ideological camps.

So why is the United States not experiencing something like the rioting in Turkey or Brazil, or the murder of thousands in Mexico? How are we able to avoid the bloody chaos of Syria, the harsh dictatorships of Russia and China, the implosion of Egypt, or the economic hopelessness now endemic in southern Europe?

Why is that?  Click here for the Review’s answer.

WENDY DAVIS WEARS PINK TENNIS SHOES TO POLITICAL STARDOM
Her name is Wendy Davis and this past week, “as she spoke late into the night, railing against proposed abortion restrictions, a former Texas teen mom catapulted from little-known junior state senator to national political superstar in pink tennis shoes.”

At the podium and on her feet during the filibuster for more than 12 hours, Davis a Democrat is a “50-year-old Harvard-trained attorney and one-time single mother from Fort Worth.”

Wendy Davis needed last-minute help from shrieking supporters to run out the clock on the special session of the state Legislature and kill the bill, but her old-fashioned filibuster earned her widespread praise from fellow abortion-rights supporters — including a salute from President Barack Obama.

“Thanks to the powerful voices of thousands of Texans, #SB5 is dead,” Davis tweeted Wednesday morning. “An incredible victory for Texas women and those who love them.”

Learn more about this emerging Democrat from statesman.com that chronicles her dramatic filibuster at the state capitol in Austin. Texas Governor Rick Perry chimed in with comments that evoked sharp responses. Read his take here.

THE WOODY ALLEN
The name speaks for itself, and approaching 80, Allen has just released the 48th feature of his storied career called “Blue Jasmine.”

In a terrific biographical feature about the prolific filmmaker, The Wall Street Journal takes a look at Allen’s beginnings, his career, his phobias, and his well-documented personal life.

In real life, Woody Allen isn’t much different from the character he plays in his movies. He has the same reedy Brooklyn accent he uses on-screen and wears the same dorky, black-framed glasses he’s worn since he was 17. He’s shy, meek, insecure, a little phobic. When he showers, he makes a point of standing away from the drain, and he’s not crazy about tunnels. Too much like the womb.

Get the full “picture” at this link.

OLD HISTORIC THEATERS IN GEORGIA GET A BOOST THANKS TO “THE FOX”
The Fox Theater in downtown Atlanta is a state and national treasure that was about to be demolished in the 70’s until “residents rallied to save it.” Now The Fox is thriving and is working to help other old Georgia theaters keep their doors open.

The Fox Theatre is doing so well, its staff now helps other old Georgia theaters stay alive. They give advice on artisans to, say, relight the marquee or match an interior paint color. And they award grants, typically about $20,000.

“Many of the people who are operating these theaters, the managers, don’t come from the theater world,” says Fox Theater general manager Adina Erwin. “They don’t come from working in any theater whether it’s historic or non-historic.”

So the Fox Theatre offers a lot of help. Like a block-booking system that gives small theaters a shot at high-profile acts.

Is it working?  Click on this link from Marketplace to see.

WOMEN’S SPORTS IN ENGLAND ON THE RISE, BUT WILL SPONSORS FOLLOW?
The governing body for soccer in England has begun a push to make the women’s game the country’s second-biggest team sport in the next five years. Some 253,000 girls and women now play soccer every month, making it the third-most-popular sport in terms of participation, behind men’s and boys’ soccer and men’s and boys’ cricket, and surpassing rugby, according to Sport England, a government agency.

But according to Bloomberg, success in England as well as other countries hasn’t translated into money for women athletes.

Although women made up 44 percent of all Olympic competitors in 2012, they’re still largely ignored by sponsors and the media. In the U.K., women’s sports typically receive about 0.5 percent of all sports sponsorship money – estimated at 1.59 billion pounds ($2.48 billion) by World Sponsorship Monitor – and 5 percent of all sports media coverage, according to the London-based Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation.

“Enough is enough,” says Sue Tibballs, chief executive officer of the WSFF. “British sport has got to be finally a place that is as encouraging and supportive of women’s sports as it is of men’s.”

So what is the answer and how much is being invested to expand England’s sporting women?  Click here for the full story.