Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

Staples Taken Private - But Likely Competitors Such as Boxaid Will Continue Eating Its Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Back in the late 1980s, newbie entrepreneurs such as myself might have found Staples a gift from the small-business gods. It blew into shopping centers in 1986.

At that time, that new category creator brought a huge selection of office supplies, affordable prices and caring staff to equipping the little guy.

It was okay for a newly minted consultant to agonize in the aisles of Staples about what kind of business stationary to purchase. Clerks never lost their patience.

That was then.

By the beginning of the 21st century, Staples, Patron Saint of Small Business, had lost its way.

The big boxes carried much of the same merchandise much cheaper.

The clerks seemed to lack concern.

Then there were those bizarre experiments of becoming a consumer electronics company when even the giants in that category were struggling.

Its e-repair desk was undermanned. In contrast, online vendors such as BoxAid provided fast remote affordable service for computers and even printers. BoxAid's Jonathan (800-999-6872, extension 807) would even educate me, at no extra charge, about how to prevent the problem in the future. No surprise, BoxAid receives awesome reviews. 

Also, Staples' store within a store phone venture didn't carry the iPhone. Duh.  One of its Connecticut branches was not far from Verizon. Of course, that experiment venture didn't last long.

Maybe Staples was able to keep the lights on through its corporate niche. Large and mid-sized companies could order supplies and Staples would deliver. But they could also transact that through Amazon.

Now it's come to this: Private equity firm Sycamore Partners acquired the firm for $6.9 billion. Here are the details from Bloomberg.

But, some of us who have followed the Staples stock (I was among those who had covered it for Motley Fool) are not optimistic that being a private entity can reverse its downward trajectory. There seems no place for it in the current marketplace. 

A solution would be to create new space, the way it did back in the 1986. That could be to focus on types of artificial intelligence (AI) small businesses such as mine need and can afford. 

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Saint Kathryn - Gabriel Sherman of Legal Sector

Lawyer-journalist Kathryn Rubino has created a brandname by covering gender discrimination compensation lawsuits filed against BigLaw.

With so many of them and all of them being high profile, Rubino, whose columns are published on Abovethelaw, could become the Gabriel Sherman of the legal sector.

Sherman achieved fame through his relentless digging around the life and times of Fox News' Roger Ailes. Ailes is dead but the mess at Fox News grows. Sherman still has lots of material. He also has a job at the cool New York Magazine.

Rubino's latest article outs yet another alleged situation in which a female lawyer has been "cheated" by her law-firm employer. Here is how the coverage starts:

"Steptoe & Johnson has now joined the ranks of Chadbourne & Parke, Proskauer Rose, LeClairRyan, and Sedwick as a defendant in a gender discrimination lawsuit."

From the get-go as a contract lawyer at Steptoe, Lee contends she had been paid less than others doing similar work. That was even though she received stellar performance reviews.

The alleged problem wasn't rectified when she was promoted to associate. Yes, she did receive compensation bumps upwards. But they still did not level the playing field with male lawyers with similar credentials and performance track records.

Lee is being represented by Lori Andrus of Andrus Anderson. The lawsuit mentions one other female lawyer at the firm who allegedly had also been "cheated."

Next month, about 260 public television outlets will show the documentary "Balancing the Scales." By Sharon Rowen, it tells the story of female lawyers. Here is Rubino's coverage of that from yesterday.

Several years ago, Sherman published the best-selling biography of Ailes "The Loudest Voice the Room."

It was perceived by some as so threatening to the Ailes Brand that the media tycoon's personal public relations representative Bob Dilenschneider tried a stealth move. It was to pony up $15,000 to promote a previously published positive biography of Ailes.

Members of the media traced that caper back to the Dilenschneider Group. Ailes looked foolish - as if he truly feared what one writer could do. The world smirked. 

A book publisher should provide Rubino with a hefty advance to analyze why such gender discrimination prevails in the legal sector and propose remedies.

Already she has taken on the persona of Saint Kathryn, the defender of the underdog in the legal profession. Before being officially hired by Abovethelaw, she produced a series of articles for it on how lawyers could navigate the soul-withering tasks of document review. 

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Class of 2021 - On the Way to No Regrets

"I didn't read all the books on the list."

That's what a member of the Class of 1967 at Seton Hill, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, confessed to me that first night in the dorm.

We were sharing a tin of homemade fudge. Both of us were well on our way to the Freshman 15, that is, the usual weight gain. 

"I didn't either."

That's what I replied. With a smirk. I was going to be the class's free-thinker. 

"And, I'm not here to marry a dentist." That's what I added. The college was all-woman. Roman Catholic, too.

I kept that resolution. I never did get married.

Instead I wound up an early adopter of blogging. I covered a four-month trial about the alleged harm done to inner city children by the lead paint manufacturers such as Sherwin-Williams.

In addition, I tended bar on Calle San Francisco in Barcelona, Spain.

I instructed those contemplating dental tourism in Mexico to get a second opinion about being told their crowns needed replacement.

There were a million downloads of the e-book on how I lost everything. 

Currently I am thinking about establishing an institute for comebacks. 

As was typical in those days, the thick envelope sent to incoming freshmen had a multi-page list of books that had to be not only read but thought about deeply before arrival on campus.  

For the Class of 2021, the to-dos that last summer before taking on the tough job of trying to grow up should include:

Becoming fluent in a foreign language. Preferably Mandarin. That's what more and more help-wanted require. Three months spent in the part of China where Mandarin is spoken would be on the money.

Starting to feel comfortable around a common computer language. The objective is to be at home.  

Picking up the resume buzzwords for the chosen career path. Soon enough they will be applying for an internship and have to position and package themselves just right.

When it comes to books, those in the know pay attention to the first 50 pages. That's enough to get their heads around the idea and any new buzzwords being introduced. Language was and still is everything. 

There are exceptions to required reading. For example, I would recommend that the Class of 2021 do all of  Peter Thiel's "Zero to One." That would provide a head start on putting together a billion-dollar enterprise in their dorm rooms.

Youth shouldn't be wasted in achieving good grades.

My clients who achieved grades good enough to get them into medical and law school regret that whole enchilada. Those industries have changed so much. Had they to do it over again they would have started a business, any kind, when they had the endurance to pull serial all nighters.

Me?

My "bad attitude," as the nuns in charge labeled it, brought me the work I love. I still am doing all-nighters to turn around ghostwriting assignments. 

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The Ugly American - 2017 Version

There are so many institutions and values in America which have positioned and packaged this nation as number-one in the world.

At the top of the list is our legal system.

That could all go down the drain.

In its place could return the perception of The Ugly American. That could range from how the U.S. Supreme Court operates to the alleged legal machinations in the White House.

The Washington Post hammers that the latest Pew Research Center survey found that around the world only 49% view the U.S. favorably. That's down from 64% during the Obama Administration.

Also only 22% approve of Donald Trump as president.

The exception to that point of view is how the Russians see America.

In addition to the legal system, in play could be how American tourists are treated. Sure, some nations might want their dollars. But even that lust for money could be over-ridden by an antipathy to supposed American values.

What else could be affected is how U.S. corporations are regulated abroad. This week we bear witness to the European Commission fining Google $2.42 billion for anti-competitive practices in its Shopping Service. There could be more of this.

The timing might be just right for "60 Minutes" to do a segment on the 2017 version of The Ugly American.

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Google - Will It Wind Up a King Lear, Ranting It's More Sinned Against, Than Sinning

The fundamental of capitalism is confidence in the dynamics of the Invisible Hand. Or, how the unfettered marketplace plays outs.

That's why anything which unfairly or illegally disrupts that operation must be identified and punished.

Otherwise, trust is destroyed in capitalism. Nations will seek to adopt another economic system. 

The European Union (EU) has determined that Google is one of those illegal players. And, therefore, a serious menace.

The BBC reports:

"Google has been fined 2.42bn euros ($2.7 bn ...) by the European Commission after it ruled the company had abused its power by promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results ... The ruling also orders Google to end its anti-competitive practices within 90 days or face a further penalty."

Google announced that it may appeal the ruling. That hasn't been decided.

In the past Google has contended that Amazon and eBay have more power over how purchases are made than it does.

That claim could motivate the EU to also investigate those corporations for possible anti-competitive policies.

The EU has left it to Google to figure out how to modify its shopping service to make it comply with anti-trust mandates. That solution could mean new rules for advertisers. The Mad Men of 2017 might be totally unhinged. 

Some of us might smirk about Google's original slogan about doing no evil. The EU development is the kind of material William Shakespeare would have written a tragedy about.

Google could be depicted as a kind of King Lear. That toppled power could find itself an outlier, ranting that it's more sinned against that sinning.

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Drudge Report Curates New Game of Watching Megyn Kelly, Fox News Scramble - The Best Summer Entertainment Ever

The Drudge Report knows exactly what news internet surfers want.

So, of course, it has curated Variety's coverage of the low ratings for both Megyn Kelly's "Sunday Night" and for her old home Fox.

Glam Girl Kelly and the House Roger Ailes built are the ones many love to hate right now. They had been hot, influential and rich. Now they seem to be racing to has-been status.

The game is to watch them scramble.

It's in a downward trajectory that dumb mistakes are made.

A classic case had been all the experiments Dan Rather tried on the air when he took over "CBS News" from Water Cronkite. Initially, Rather wasn't clicking. That's a lot how Kelly isn't connecting with the NBC audience and how Fox can't find a post-Ailes identity. New York Magazine and Vanity Fair are making hay of the latter's crisis.

Let's get granular.

Kelly is easy to hate, mostly out of envy. She seemed to have it all. That has included:

• Law degree and experience practicing law at the brandname law firm Jones Day
• Megawatt presence on Fox during Campaign 2016
• A book published - "Settle for More"
• Three children
• Beauty, including long legs

Currently, that all is not enough for her to make the transition to an old-line network.

Fox is also easy to hate, mostly out of rage for how it seemed to put profit over decent human values. Who will ever forget how that partisan cable channel allowed female employees to be allegedly sexually exploited by Ailes, Bill O'Reilly and more. 

No question, America is the land of comebacks. The Puritans who settled here were the first example of that. Misfits in the old country, they put together the foundation for what would become the fastest growing economy in the world.

Sure, Kelly and Fox can put themselves on an upward trajectory. But, that isn't the point. The point is that how they screw up on their way down before they might start back up is providing great fun this summer.

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Megyn Kelly's "Sunday Night" - Ratings in Downward Spiral

One-time star of partisan cable Fox News - Megyn Kelly - seems to be having a problem adjusting to old-line network television.

Many had anticipated this. After all, the viewer experience the late Roger Ailes had created was and still is very different from what network audiences expect and want.

In the four weeks her new show on NBC - "Sunday Night" - has been on the air, the ratings keep heading south. Not north. Yesterday, "Sunday Night" got clobbered by both "60 Minutes" and "America's Funniest Videos."

Here are the Nielsen numbers, provided by Daily Mail:

• Week 1 -6.1 million
• Week 2 - 3.61 million
• Week 3 - 3.5 million
• Week 4 - 3.41 million.

For the Fourth of July long weekend Kelly will be taking a break from hosting the show. She will return the following Sunday. Should we read anything into that?

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Katherine Dettwyler - Line Between Private and Professional Selves Blurred

The world knows: The University of Delaware will not renew the contract of adjunct professor of anthropology - Katherine Dettwyler.

That institution of higher learning stated: Her negative comments on Facebook about Otto Warmbier did not reflect its values. 

Of course, the lawyers are wondering if the U of Delaware's decision was legal. After all, when she posted her diatribe against supposedly rich white men such as Warmbier, she was not, at that time, employed by the university.

But, there is the common sense matter that the line between the private and the professional selves currently is blurred. Maybe it always was. 

From the get-go of social media, my colleagues in ghostwriting who worked for large corporations knew they had to be circumspect. On their blogs, for example, they stuck to subjects such as how to create a thought leadership essay that would resonate. The sandbox they played in was very small. 

In good-old print days, when employed full time by a major auto company, I knew not to identify it or make any negative references to its business in my articles for The Wall Street Journal. 

The parameters of free speech often aren't aligned with professional success. That's exactly why many professionals hire media coaches. They have to learn to navigate public discourse without damaging the interests of stakeholders. That's also exactly why most organizations have carefully trained media representatives. 

Sure, there may be a right to free speech. But there can be an economic cost. Perhaps that shouldn't be the situation. But it usually is.

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Albert Demagnus Fatal Home Invasion - Flashback to Petit Family Tragedy

Three thugs entered the home of Albert Demagnus.

The house was in an upscale location in Georgia. They allegedly stabbed Demagnus to death. They had demanded cash and jewelry. Their getaway was the victim's own Lexus.

Demagnus, 74, had been chief executive officer of Computer Management.

Demagnus' wife, who was unharmed, immediately called 911. The Lexus caper got two of the suspects caught quickly. One is still at-large.

This brings flashbacks of the Petit family tragedy in an upscale section of Connecticut.

Two thugs entered the house. When they were through, the wife and two young daughters had been raped and murdered. The house was set on fire. The father, medical doctor William Petit, had been badly beaten but survived.

The murderers were quickly apprehended, just as in the GA home invasion. After being convicted they were sentenced to death but CT ended the death penalty.

The one survivor managed to put together a new life but still has intense nightmares. He has remarried, had a son and then successfully run for political office. No longer does he practice medicine.

One wonders if Demagnus' spouse can find a way back from this trauma.

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Girl Falls From Amusement Park Ride - Legal/Branding Fall-Out

The world rejoices that the ride-faller at Six Flags Great Escape was rescued. The condition of that 14-year-old girl remains unknown, however.

But, in this litigious society, the question on so many minds is: Does she have grounds for a lawsuit?

In addition, the brand is everything. How might this mishap impact business this summer at Six Flags and other amusement parks?

On LawNewz, Aaron Keller presents the pros and cons. But, essentially, he is not bullish on her prospects for a personal injury lawsuit or one involving alleged product liability. Litigation against amusement parks does not happen often.

On the pro side for personal injury litigation, there is the possibility on these grounds:

• Negligence such as not keeping up the equipment
• Failure to warn of risks involved
• Lack of adequate training for ride operators
• Not giving appropriate instructions to riders.

As for the product liability contention, there could be design or construction flaws.

On the con side, here are the amusement park's usual defenses:

• Riders are aware of the risks and decided to go ahead anyway
• Tickets usually carry disclaimers (This is similar to the disclaimers psychics post. Those specify the experience is for entertainment purposes only.)
• Not complying with the rules.

The public relations fallout should be of more concern to Six Flags and other amusement parks than any litigation.

Families have many options for how they will enjoy this summer. Instead of putting the children on the rides in an amusement park they might decide to go camping or drive to explore Alaska. They could also invest in having a pool constructed in their backyards.

Events such as a fall from a ride damage the brand in the short term. Long term destruction could occur if there is another accident.

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