Weekend Digest: The Late Edition
by July 18, 2015 10:33 am 152 views
TV PREVIEW: HILLARY & THE DONALD
This week on Talk Business & Politics, which airs Sundays at 9 a.m. on KATV Channel 7:
Donald Trump speaks to a Republican gathering in Hot Springs and Hillary Clinton rallies Democrats in North Little Rock. Trump and Clinton were in Arkansas on back-to-back nights speaking to their respective party faithful.
We’ll recap the partisan events and then dive deep into Presidential politics with GOP strategist Clint Reed of Impact Management Group and Dr. Jay Barth, professor of political science at Hendrix College.
Plus, KATV’s Elicia Dover joins TB&P for her report on a young Arkansan finding financial success through Snapchat.
Tune in to Talk Business & Politics Sunday at 9 a.m. on KATV Channel 7.
THE WINDS OF CORPORATE EARNINGS
Which way will they blow and how do you determine it? Forbes looks at the best “bellwether” according to some.
To determine the direction in which the winds of corporate earnings will blow, Wall Street observers have long looked to Alcoa for guidance. For years, the lightweight metals and aluminum giant was the first Dow component to report its quarterly earnings, thereby kicking off the season and even serving as a bellwether for the bevy of financial news to come.
But wait a minute is that really true?
Alcoa was kicked out of the Dow in 2013, and in the time since, many people have argued that it is no longer the best way to determine how the earnings season will go. Its successor as earnings bellwether, however, has not yet been determined — though according to one Wall Street analyst, there are plenty of candidates to consider.
So who are those candidates, and does it now make more sense to look to the IT sector and use that as your newest earnings indicator?
Learn more at this link.
YOUTUBE ZOOM
Fast Company reports YouTube is growing at a phenomenal rate.
YouTube is growing, and fast, Google said in its second-quarter earnings call on Thursday.
According to chief financial officer Ruth Porat, total watch time on YouTube is up more than 60% since the same quarter a year ago. And total YouTube mobile watch time more than doubled in the same period.
“In the second quarter, Google reported revenues of $17.7 billion and revenue growth of 11% year-over-year.”
Where did YouTube viewing increase the most and how could this trend impact your business? Find out here.
INCREASING SALES IN THE OFF-SEASON
Retailers make a major portion of their money during the high-traffic Christmas shopping season. But why wait? Make up your own shopping holiday says Inc.
Let’s face it, this really is the era of you.
You probably already have your own website; surely you have half a dozen social media profiles. Maybe you should have your own holiday too? In fact, if you’re a business owner who has a consumer-facing operation, you definitely should.”
The famed shopping holidays – Black Friday and Cyber Monday, among others – are downright mobbed with competitors. And if you can’t afford to tango with Walmart, Target and the like – which for small businesses, that’s effectively a given – you might consider launching your own shopping holiday.
But how do you do it? How do you pick a day that “resonates with your brand?”
Click on this link to learn more.
WHAT PLUSSING IS – AND HOW TO USE IT AS A LEVER FOR INNOVATION
Entrepreneur says, “If you’ve ever been in a meeting dominated by the loudest voices in the room, or a brainstorming session that seemed to go nowhere, you know how frustrating it can be. But have you also considered the cost to your company in terms of good, innovative ideas?”
Recently, a new technique has emerged in collaboration — a solution called “plussing.”
It’s a deceptively simple idea, notes Andy Cleff, a software project manager for a Philadelphia-based technology company who put plussing in play about six months ago. “Essentially,” he says, “it boils down to a single notion: any critique must also be accompanied with a constructive suggestion.”
Want some ideas on how “you can implement this simple technique to make your company more collaborative, energized and innovative?”
OBAMA REBUKES CBS REPORTER OVER TOUGH QUESTIONS AT NEWS CONFERENCE
Business Standard reports on President Barack Obama’s rebuke of CBS’s Major Garrett, who asked a question about American citizens languishing in Iranian jails at a time when he led successful negotiations with Iran on the nuclear deal.
“I’ve got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions,” Obama responded.
What were the questions and why was the President upset about them? Go to this link for the full story.
A PEEK INSIDE HILLARY’S BROOKLYN HQ
POLITICO took Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign up on its offer. The campaign said media visits were now welcome at its Brooklyn headquarters, so POLITICO took a peek.
On Thursday, the campaign ended a three-month period during which its HQ was considered “off the record” to visitors and allowed POLITICO to tour and photograph the space.
“It has great views,” said communications director Jennifer Palmieri, who on Wednesday posted online that “tweeting, photos, visits now welcome!” Her proclamation came after New York Times Magazine writer Mark Leibovich dinged the campaign for trying to keep its actual, physical workspace “off the record.”
After POLITICO asked for a tour, the campaign delivered on its promise the following morning, part of a new effort to engage with the national media that follows on the heels of Clinton’s first national television interview last week.
“We want to make sure people can do their work, but otherwise we’re happy to have people come check it out,” Palmieri said.
Why is the welcome mat out now, and what did POLITICO discover on the 11th floor of 1 Pierrepont Plaza in Brooklyn Heights?
WHO DID RICK PERRY JUST SAVAGE?
Fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is fresh off a visit to Arkansas on Friday night. Chris Cillizza with The Washington Post’s The Fix says Perry’s move is smart.
@realDonaldTrump-ism not conservatism but a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense. 12:03 PM – 16 Jul 2015
The statement that Perry links to in that tweet goes on to savage Trump’s “fundamental misunderstanding of border security” and noted: “Mr. Trump has done nothing to prove that he is the president America needs.”
Them’s fighting words – or at least that’s what Perry and his team have to hope. Is that true or is this just a way for Perry’s campaign to get needed attention?
NATIONAL JOURNAL WILL SUSPEND ITS PRINT EDITION
An interesting media development that may be a sign of things to come.
Atlantic Media Chairman David Bradley today announced to staffers that National Journal, a weekly Beltway policy mag in circulation since 1969, will be suspending its print edition at year’s end.
“News in Washington now moves too quickly for a weekly publication,” writes Bradley, noting that the company will be moving resources toward its higher-frequency publications National Journal Daily, Hotline and NationalJournal.com.
Does this mean layoffs and why does Bradley believe he “failed”? Connect to this link for details.
PLUTO’S FASCINATING WORLD
The pictures are in and scientists are astounded.
NASA has released the first of many images taken during New Horizons’ close encounter with dwarf planet Pluto.
“I think the whole system is amazing,” says New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern. “This system is something wonderful.”
For a summary of New Horizons’ incredible voyage and a look at “a world unlike any other,” click on this link.
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AND WIFE BUY ISLAND PARADISE
Mark and Cindy Pentecost are rich, very rich. Mark a former high school math teacher and Cindy, a homemaker founded It Works!–”a direct sales enterprise that racked up $538 million in sales last year selling skin creams, vitamins and skin-toning body wraps.”
So what do you do when you have that kind of dough? Join celebrities like Johnny Depp and the late Marlon Brando and buy a private island.
The two just acquired Little Bokeelia Island – a 104-acre island about 5 miles off the west coast of Florida – for $14.5 million. The buy fits in perfectly with their ethos: “We like to make money like Warren Buffett,” says Mark, “but we like to hang out like Jimmy Buffett.”
Find out more about their story and take a look at their paradise at this link from Forbes.
A HORROR MOVIE TRAILER ‘ALMOST TOO AWESOME EVEN TO BE REAL’
“Now wait a minute,” you’re probably saying. “I need to see that!”
Well, we’re going to serve up the horror for you, if you can stand it.
The film is called Ash vs. Evil Dead.
This year’s Comic-Con has delivered an endless amount of goodies to our desktops, but the moment we’ve been waiting for is the reveal of Starz’ Ash vs. Evil Dead trailer. Tonight it has finally arrived, and though I’d say the wait was worth it, that’d be a HUGE understatement.
For a background on the movie and a look at “the coolest thing you’ve ever seen,” dial up this link from Horror.com.
QUOTES
“I will be the greatest job-producing president that God ever created.” – GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump in his Hot Springs appearance.
“Looking ahead we also expect to see accelerating demand trends in the second half of the year as the port issues subside.” – Stephens Inc. transportation analyst Brad Delco on the trucking industry prospects for the rest of 2015.
“We felt as a group that this state is embarking on something that’s very complex, nationally recognized. At the same time, wow, there’s already well-proven methodologies out there that other states are using to control those costs.” – John Stephen of the Stephen Group on Arkansas lawmakers efforts to reform health care.