Weekend Digest: The ‘Force Awakens’ what to do about Donald at the convention edition

TV PREVIEW
On this week’s TV edition of Talk Business & Politics with Roby Brock, which airs Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on KATV Ch. 7.

Explosive comments came this week from GOP frontrunner Donald Trump on how to handle Muslims in America. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., weighs in with his thoughts on this and more.

Democrat Michael Cook and Republican John Burris join our roundtable discussion on Presidential politics and an upcoming state decision on health care.

Plus, State Treasurer Dennis Milligan is receiving a new round of scrutiny from his 2014 campaign. The disclosure of emails may peak the Ethics Commission’s interest. KATV’s Marine Glisovic joins the show to discuss.

Tune in to Talk Business & Politics with Roby Brock on KATV Ch. 7, Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

ECONOMISTS QUESTION FED RATE HIKE
There is growing consensus among the nation’s economists that the Federal Reserve Bank will hike short-term interest rates at its December meeting, but there is a mixed bag of results as to whether or not the hike is smart monetary and economic policy. Bloomberg surveyed 91 economists for their thoughts.

Almost all of the 91 economists in Bloomberg News’ separate monthly survey see the Fed hiking by a quarter point, ending a seven-year era of near-zero rates.

Sixty-four percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10 said the quarterly forecasts that officials will publish Wednesday will show a slower path of increases than their September estimates.

“There are some pretty widely varying views on whether the Fed is ahead or behind the curve and whether inflation is going to pick up very quickly,” said Michael Hanson, senior economist at Bank of America Corp. in New York.

Read more here.

WHY NO ONE IS READING YOUR MARKETING CONTENT
Harvard Business Review reports, “Marketing in a digital economy is more difficult now than it was in the days of mass media. Then, big budgets and strong messages were enough to get consumers to remember you. Today, not only have audiences fragmented, requiring a more targeted approach, but digital activity is tracked — so even if you succeed in building brand awareness, your rivals can retarget those consumers with competing offers.” 

That’s why many brands have turned to content. Rather than paying to be sandwiched within ad breaks and between editorial pages, content marketing lets brands communicate directly with consumers. Unfortunately though, the result is all too often a longer-form version of the same old ads. Marketers need to change their approach.

The four questions that will help you create a viable strategy can be found at this link.

NEW SPEED TWEAK FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FROM FACEBOOK
Fast Company notes Facebook, “is altering the news feed in its mobile apps, to make its content more accessible to users in developing countries who might have slower Internet connections.

Why are they making these changes? Facebook sees emerging markets, where users are coming online for the first time, as a significant growth area. Many of those users are primarily using Facebook on their phones, and data connections can be erratic.

While the changes are largely intended for those users, Facebook says they will also benefit mobile users who access the app on the subway, at sporting events, or in buildings with poor reception.

Learn more about how the changes will work by clicking this link.

WHY WOULD ANYBODY JOIN ISIS?
Atlantic has published a study from Lebanon-based Quantum Communications that finds the motivations for those who do, “vary widely.”

The researchers from Quantum collected televised interviews with 49 fighters in Syria and Iraq – some in custody, some who had defected, and some who were still in the fight. They analyzed the fighters’ statements using a psycho-contextual analytical technique developed by Canadian psychologist Marisa Zavalloni to divine the motivational forces and personal characteristics of the subjects.

The Quantum researchers grouped the fighters into nine categories, based on the reasons they gave for joining ISIS or other extremist groups. Click here for the results.

REPUBLICANS DISCUSS BROKERED CONVENTION AS TRUMP LEADS
Things couldn’t get worse for the GOP.  Bloomberg Politics reports, “Republican party officials are now actively preparing for the prospect of a contested convention in Cleveland as front-runner Donald Trump continues to draw strong support from the GOP base.” 

The scenario was discussed by more than 20 party stalwarts Monday at a Washington, DC, dinner held by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, the Washington Post reported. A person familiar with who attended the dinner confirmed to Bloomberg that it took place, and that Priebus, members of congress, establishment lobbyists and others have held similar discussions for weeks.

Should Trump continue to dominate the nomination race in the coming months and amass the required number of delegates to become the official Republican nominee, members of the establishment told the Post they would be forced to contest his nomination on the convention floor in Cleveland from July 18–21.

For the complete story, go to this link.

CLINTON CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON THREE OPPONENTS
POLITICO reports, “Hillary Clinton’s super PAC backers and operatives who are gearing up for the general election fight are preparing for three possible opponents…”

Though they say they’ll be ready for any outcome of the GOP primaries, they are looking most closely at three scenarios that could unfold in the new year.

What are the scenarios, who are the opponents and what will the strategy be?

Follow this link for the full post.

MEDAL OF HONOR WAS DELAYED BY ANTI-SEMITISM
It took Tibor Rubin more than a half-century to receive the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary bravery under enemy fire in North Korea during the fall of 1950. When he finally received the medal from President George W. Bush, Tubin was 76.

Corporal Rubin, who was known familiarly as Ted, had lived quietly in southern California since the end of the Korean War, mostly working in a liquor store owned by his brother Emery. He was 86 when he died on Saturday at his home in Garden Grove, Calif., a nephew, Robert Huntly, said.

Go to this link to learn more about this American hero’s story and the truth behind the egregious lag in time in took for him to be awarded the nation’s highest military honor.

THE SUPER BOWL FOR MOVIE TRAILERS
Forbes says, “For studios wanting prime real estate to show off their 2016 tentpoles, getting their theatrical trailers shown before screenings of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is akin to the Super Bowl.”

Actually, it’s better than the Super Bowl since the people seeing The Force Awakens in theaters will be arguably more primed to actually see a movie in theaters in the first place, and of course studios won’t have to fit their sell into a thirty-second spot. But yes, like the annual climactic football game that closes out each NFL season in late January/early February, Star Wars is the very best place to sell your movie to bazillions of moviegoers of all shapes and sizes.

“Next week’s release of J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars sequel is perhaps the most anticipated movie in recent years. And as such, there is no better place to tease your upcoming big-budget fantasy blockbuster than before The Force Awakens.”

“Warp” to this link for the complete post.