Gladwell’s Back!: Underdogs and Misfits…..Jedi Mind Tricks for the Rest of Us….The Greatly Exaggerated Death of the Book…Econ Recon: The Once and Future Fed…..Is Housing REALLY recovering?

September 2, 2013

Labor Day

“There is only one to avoid criticism; do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.”

 Aristotle

Gladwell’s Back: Underdogs and Misfits!

Over the past 15 years Malcolm Gladwell’s books such as “The Tipping Point”, “Outliers” and his columns in the New Yorker Magazine have captivated readers with their wit and ability to introduce us to new ideas and to upend old ones.

His latest book  ‘David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants” will be released on October 1. The title is self-explanatory and here are a few ways to sample in advance what the book has to offer:

• Marketing Guru Seth Godin (in my opinion, one of the web’s best marketing blogs) just published a one page review in which he describes Gladwell’s latest offering as his “Tour de Force.”
• A 10 minute video interview with Gladwell himself outlining the book’s main message.
• A New Yorker article by Gladwell (8 pages) from May 2009 that became the foundation for his new book.

 Jedi Mind Tricks for the Rest of Us

Remember the “Jedi Mind Tricks” from Star Wars that Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker used? Here are “Jedi Mind Tricks :17 Lesser Known Ways to Influence People” in your next sales call or pitch without having to undergo the rigorous training to become a Jedi Knight!

The Greatly Exaggerated Death of the Book

The music industry has been transformed by technology: the film industry is “taking its turn in the technology barrel” with the end result not yet clear. What about the book business? The Kindle and the Ipad have led many to believe that the physical, paper in your hands, analog device that has stood the test of centuries is rapidly being replace by the digital reader….but is it? To paraphrase Mark Twain, it would appear that the death of the book has been greatly exaggerated. Check out this brief article on  “E-book vs. P-Book” for some wisdom on not getting ahead of the market place.

Econ Recon: The Once and Future Fed…Is Housing REALLY Recovering?

ITR Economics principal and Vistage Staff Economist Alan Beaulieu looks at the housing market ongoing recovery since 2008 and while acknowledging a recovery, urges caution ahead. Find out why he thinks there are Mixed Signs for Housing.

The Fed has been the center of attention in the post-2008 economy and assumed a greater role in influencing it than at any time previously. Maybe it’s been too great a role muses Brian Wesbury who suggests it’s time for the new Fed Chairman who succeeds Dr. Bernanke to resume a more traditional role in his latest “Wesbury 101 video”:  Who Can Normalize the Fed?”