Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

Draven Rodriguez - Youth Suicide Reaches Beyond Pressure-Cooker College

Draven Rodriguez was a young man who wanted to be different, at least in his high-school yearbook photo.

And he went through channels to try to make that happen. Schenectady High School didn't allow his photo to also include his rescue cat, Mr. Bigglesworth. It was a viral sensation, though, on the Internet.

In addition, the principal Diane Wilkinson decided that in her photo in the yearbook would be a group one. That contained Wilkinson, her own rescue dog, Rodriguez and Mr. Bigglesworth  That might have helped the plight of animals in shelter who needed homes.

Those at his school and his parents at home also saw him gifted in his ability to make friends.

Yet, reports NBC News, Rodriquez, 17, years old, took his own life. Until now, the media have been filled with coverage about the myriad suicides among promising students in college.

Because of the string of recent suicides at the University of Pennsylvania, there was a deep dive into what might be triggering such severe mental health issues. Here is the resulting report. Essentially, students received some kind of message that they had to be perfect. Of course, that's impossible to measure up to.

Now, we bear witness to a suicide in high school, of an imaginative yet rule-abiding student with a lot of friends.

What are we as a society or supposed protector of the next generation missing? And/or what are high school and college students missing that we Baby Boomers had that prevented us from pulling the plug?

Frederick's of Hollywood - The Pill, Madonna & Victoria's Secret Killed The Brand

"Frederick's of Hollywood, a purveyor of racy women's lingerie for almost seven decades, is reportedly shedding one-third of its 93 stores." - Tom Huddleston, Jr., Fortune, February 19, 2015. Here is the article.

The soft-porn underwear Frederick's of Hollywood peddled aligned with the ethos of repressed sex. It was amazing for both females and males to flip through its catalogue and stare at underpants with the whole backside missing.

Then came The Pill. The threat of pregnancy was no longer standing between females and sex - and enjoying it. Madonna, who wore underwear on stage and simulated sexual movements, removed the last vestiges of "sacred" and "exclusive" from sex. Then Victoria's Secret added style to underwear. What female dared wear anything else. What male shopped for his galpal's intimate gift anywhere else.

To save itself, Frederick's of Hollywood would have to hire a top fashion designer, change its name and put some serious money into marketing. Gimmicks would be useful too. Those might include product placement on "The Good Wife." Diane, Alicia and Grace could get into the act. 

Reputation Is Man-Made: Buckeye Rowing Alumni Association Honors David Messerschmitt

Reputation is made by human beings. And it's those human beings who determine if that reputation will be good or bad. 

At Ohio State, late DLA Piper lawyer David Messerschmitt had been a dedicated rower. Earlier this month he was stabbed to death in a posh hotel in D.C. The circumstances raise questions about the possibility of an alleged double life. But, the Buckeye Rowing Alumni Association has established the David Messerschmitt Scholarship in his honor. Here is the coverage by WJLA.com.

This weekend Messerschmitt is being laid to rest in Ohio. The memory of him can endure as a brilliant intellectual property lawyer, devoted son and brother, loving husband and fun uncle for nieces and nephews.

No, it's not always necessary to hire a public relations firm to restore a reputation. That can be done with people power. One wonders if DLA Piper will also establish paid internships in his honor. They can support summer programs for disadvantaged high school students in the D.C. area to learn about the law.

Messerschmitt's name can be embedded in the collective American consciousness for what he was excellent in.

 

David Messerschmitt Saga (so far) - Wanted: Psychologists' Interpretation

Successful lawyer David Messerschmitt, an expert in intellectual property, had been employed in BigLaw firm DLA Piper. In 2012, he married. Apparently he and his family in Ohio remained close.

Then, as the media reported and I posted on my syndicated legal blog, Messerschmitt was found dead on February 10, 2015, in the Donovan hotel in D.C. He had been stabbed in the back. Here are the details.

The police noted that in the hotel room were condoms, lubricant, enema and credit cards strewn around. A person of interest had been identified climbing the stairwell. Fingerprints of a person other than Messerschmitt had been in the room. A $25,000 reward is being offered.

I am interested in sharing with readers psychologists' interpretations, in an abstract manner, how this sort of allegedly reckless behavior can and does boil up from the unconscious.

Those interested please just send a few paragraphs, your professional credentials, and, if you wish, a photo. Should you want to keep your identity private, that will not be disclosed. Email to Jane Genova mgenova981@aol.com. I can also arrange a phone interview with you, if you prefer.

Your insight will be posted on one or more of my three syndicated blogs.

Oliver Sacks, Thought Leadership, End Of Life Meme

" .... my luck has run out - a few weeks ago I learned that I had multiple metastases in my liver." Oliver Sacks, The New York Times, February 19, 2015. Here is the opinion-editorial.

Loved thought leader Oliver Sacks is going to teach us how to die. He kicked that off with his already iconic op-ed. It has received more than 800 comments.

In doing that Sacks follows in the steps of Christopher Hitchens. His essays in Vanity Fair were his platform for letting us know that, no, you just don't go gently into the night. The pain was preventing him from having access to his number-one tool for dealing with life on life's terms: writing.

Thought leaders, particularly in Campaign 2016, also need to share their wisdom on these end of life issues. I'm among the 76 million Baby Boomers who can't duck those realities.

For one thing, our close friends in our age group want us to listen as they sort out. For another, so many of us have been searching for a belief system about What's Next after we pass over. And, third, to help us with the grief of losing our animal companions, we want a sense of where they might be hanging out.

Looking at death doesn't have to be a downer. I wish I had embraced that when my father was dying. I would have been a more effective listener.

 

Push Is Back - Or Maybe It Was Always In Demand For Plum Jobs

It was a hold-over from the days of affluence, the time in which we Baby Boomers spent the lion's share of our careers. With so much opportunity around, back then it was considered bad form to act hungry during a job search. WASP manners, that is gentility, prevailed.

So, in applying for a part-time plum writing job today, I kept my professional cool. The powers that be requested that I put together a writing sample based on a news clip. In an hour. That I did.

Then the stunner. An email back stating it wasn't in the ballpark. Gone were the vestiges of good form. I called. Yes, I picked up the phone. I asked with great intensity for feedback, in detail. What in my sample didn't align with their requirements?

I countered, nicely but with intensity, every item. Then the editor brought out there was a lack of agreement between subject and verb in the very line of the first paragraph. I indicated that I had spotted that after I had sent the draft, corrected it and immediately sent another. I noted that I had explained that in the subject head.

Then, I asked for links to what their preferred tone was.  I said I really needed to identify where I had been off.  The links would be sent soon, was the reply.

Instead of links, I got the job offer. The contract came several hours later. From now on I will push for work. Maybe most of us had done exactly that and just didn't realize it when we were after what we fingered as a plum opportunity.

Ronan Farrow - Will Second Chance Work Out?

In the unforgiving world of television, Ronan Farrow gets a second chance - or what is positioned and packaged as such.

His current show on MSNBC "Ronan Farrow Daily" has been axed, reports Politico's Dylan Byers Blog. This is no surprise.

Farrow seemed incapable of getting the hang of creating a force field during an interview. Electricity? Nada.

In his next shot he will be launching primetime specials. In addition he will keep being a special correspondent and partnering with NBC News Investigative Unit. 

My hunch is that eventually Farrow will be quietly phased out of MSNBC. His gifts don't seem to be in broadcast.

David Messerschmitt Crime Scene Report, The Public's Right To Know, The Family/Law Firm

On February 10, 2015, the media reported that promising law associate at DLA Piper, David Messerschmitt, had been murdered. His special expertise had been intellectual property. Very marketable field.

The body was found in room 400 at the-more-than-$300-per-night Donovan hotel in Washington D.C. No other details were provided at the time. What many professionals and those who had attended law school, such as myself, thought was: such a tragedy. The guy had gotten so far in a difficult industry. The legal sector has been downsizing since it crashed in 2007.

Bit by bit the details have been released. Here you can catch up with the media reports, as I posted them on my syndicated legal blog Law and More. Those reports include the police affidavit of the room 400 crime scene. Long story short, the details allegedly could indicate that this could have been a paid encounter with a sex worker, which had gone very wrong.

The room was covered with blood. Earlier in the week the media disclosed Messerschmitt had been stabbed in the back. In the room were lubricant, condoms and an enema. His wallet was found near his head. Credit cards were "strewn" around the room.

Now, of course, those following this saga - at least if they have families and understand how important branding is in professional services such as law - might be asking the question: How much detail must be released to inform the public and how much detail can be kept confidential to protect the family and the employer?

From years of watching "CSI," we have become insulated to the gore of the crime scene. However, that was television. That was pop culture. That was fun, in sort of a dark way. There was no direct connection to real human beings and the future profitability of a business.

Now might be the time to reflect on civility versus freedom of information. Yes, I earn my living directly and indirectly through media. Yes, I know: If it bleeds it leads. And, yes, my heart breaks for the wife and parents of Messerschmitt. DLA Piper probably will have to invest in reputation restoration. What's published has major consequences.

 

Tech Isn't Bullet-Proof - Yes, You Need Two Of Everything

"AOL Mail has been down since early this morning." - Mott Burns, TechCrunch, February 19, 2015. Here is the article.

Though tech is touted as such a wonderful gift to humanity, obviously it's not bullet-proof. Those of us on AOL need another mail system. For me that's Yahoo.

My i-platform smartphone doesn't always transmit the whatever. That means I have to have a backup voice system if I want to stay in business. For me that has been an AT&T landline.

Redundant systems can be expensive. Technology was supposed to reduce costs. That's not always the case.

"Mad Men" - Final Season, Starting April 5, Has Characters In 70s Outfits

For the final season of "Mad Men," we fans will have lots more to focus on than if Don Draper commits suicide or changes.

In the New York Daily News, Jeanette Settembre gives us a sneak preview into the fashion shift. All the characters, from Draper to ex-wife Betty, will be wearing 70s styles.

That means plaid jackets for the guys and slacks to the office for the women, along with mini and maxi skirts.  Also Don's second wife Megan will expose her belly button and wear flared jeans.  

Given that deep dive into the counterculture 70s, we can expect more wine than hard liquor, marijuana and hash. It's possible uptight The Professional Woman Peggy will begin using stoned language, at least in her copy.

All this could be a painful journey back to our youth for us Baby Boomers who really did believe peace and love could fix the world - as well as our own lives. The characters in "Mad Men" might have that same illusion.