My perspective on most issues is biased from forty years in the communications business, with twenty of those years being focused on investor relations issues, and all but ten years involved in my own entrepreneurial communications firms (the company I co-founded in 2000 has consistently been ranked among the nation’s fastest growing for each of the past several years).  Over the course of this career, I have seen the communications business change in major ways.  But right now, the industry is in the midst of a truly fundamental revolution.  The investment community clearly recognizes that there has been a major change in the business and also accepts that more change is on the horizon.  But is that view robust enough? Read more…

If history does repeat itself, can it happen in a mirror image?  Consider the strange similarity (in reverse) between Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.  They are distinct mirror reflections of each other, and if that continues, we just might see a major Obama market rally – in about six years. Read more…

This morning I read a brilliant article analyzing the market bottom:  “Markets Have Hit a Bottom, But Is It THE Bottom?” by Eric Coffin, a contributor to Seeking Alpha, where I saw the article posted.   Coffin does a great job taking a look at various economic fundamentals from the price of copper to the actions of the Fed.  He comes to the conclusion that although there are some positive signs out there, too much volatility remains to make any firm predictions about whether the market has hit a true bottom or not.  I agree with him, but Read more…

The G20 summit of the world’s largest economies does not officially get underway until Thursday, April 2, but there are already signs that the event could be a significant benchmark in the evolution of the economic crisis. Read more…

The communications industry, which has been based on two fundamental flaws, is in the process of adopting a third.  This is coming as a consequence of “New Media” gurus misinterpreting the importance of new communications tools. Read more…

Shortly after I began this blog, I wrote: “I’ve taken at least three months away from the office…. Mostly, I am spending every day involved in gaining a better understanding of the digital aspect of communications…. My goal isn’t to become an expert on any particular part of new media – my goal is Read more…

On April 1, President Obama will meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace; he will be in London for the G20 summit, which will begin the next day.  Britain currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20.  In addition to the U.S., the G20 meeting will also be attended by countries including Japan, China, France, Germany, Russia, India and South Africa.  Whatever else comes out of the meeting, the photo of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama might well become iconic. Read more…

The sun isn’t up yet on the East Coast of the U.S. as I am writing this, but the prospects of the national strike in France has led me to an early check of the  news to see what is happening (to the degree I can access it – shame on the mainstream American news media for totally missing this story!). Read more…

There is a massive protest called to take place throughout France on March 19.  According to a Reuters story datelined March 19, some 75 percent of the population support this protest, which is expected to draw more than one million people to the streets.  This protest may be yet another indication that the worldwide economic crisis is morphing into a global social/cultural/political crisis.  If that is the case, any current predictions about when the economy may bottom would become irrelevant, because economic programs will be trumped by political turmoil. Read more…

“Accept The Truth Whatever The Source.” That’s an expression from The Talmud.  I know because I quoted it when I spoke in front of the School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia, when I was a teacher there in 1968-69.  I was speaking to an all-white male panel as a Jewish white boy from out of town who was teaching in the public schools.  It was the year after the schools were forced to reopen by the U.S. Supreme Court after being closed for seven years as the nation’s most severe example of “massive resistance.” Read more…