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Slow Horse Crisis Management Substack
One of my favorite books and TV series is Slow Horses, created by Mick Herron. It deals with a group of MI5 (British domestic security) agents who are the rejects of the intelligence world. I have affection for the “slow horses” because there are parallels to those of us who, for some reason, went into […]
Dez Reads. Michelangelo’s Hidden Art, Instagram’s Informative Influence, DraftKings’ Daring Deal, Teen Traders Triumph, and more. Substack
Welcome back to another edition of Dez Reads, where we delve into the stories that shape, shake, and stir the cultural, entertainment, finance, and political headlines. This week, we venture into a secret room in Florence that whispers of Michelangelo’s genius, navigate the shifting sands of news consumption on Instagram, marvel at the financial acumen […]
Dez Reads. Sphere’s Spectacular Surge, Ride-Share Riddles, Kennedy’s Campaign Echo, and more. Substack
Welcome back to Dez Reads, your essential digest of the week’s most subtly influential stories. This week, we explore the surge in revenue following the Sphere Las Vegas opening, the newfound profitability paths for Uber and Lyft, the media’s adaptation to transformative changes, the enduring allure of the Kennedy legacy, the mixed reception of Apple’s […]
How Big Tech Wants You to Think About Big Tech Substack
Did you watch the Super Bowl ads this year? If you did, you might have noticed that three Big Tech companies – Google, Snap, and Microsoft – used their ads to showcase their products and services in a positive light. But why did they do that? And what does it mean for their future? In […]
Dez Reads. Bank Branches, Mickey Mouse Fight, Podcast Palooza, and More Substack
Welcome to Dez Reads, a recap of everything interesting that our team read and discussed amongst ourselves the week of February 9, 2024. The reputation and influence disciplines are extremely complex; understanding and impacting public opinion requires an intense curiosity about the world. We are always reading smart, in-depth reporting and analysis of trends in […]
Boeing and the Taylor Swifting of Crisis Management Substack
I don’t like flying. I’m not a science guy and don’t really believe in aerodynamics. Big things shouldn’t be, you know, Up There. I believe in gravity, the laws that state that heavy things that are Up There will fall Down There if they’re not held up by something. I am not well respected as a physicist. I have, […]
Pay No Attention to This Money Substack
Former University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok penned an oped in the Philadelphia Inquirer arguing that wealthy donors should have limited influence in what happens at the schools they give money to. Bok’s piece set off a flurry of emails and calls between friends and acquaintances who attended such schools. The upshot of the […]
Dean Wormer Goes Before Congress Substack
Last week, Harvard’s Claudine Gay, Penn’s Liz Magill and MIT’s Sally Kornbluth went before Congress to talk about free speech and antisemitism, imploded, and unwittingly declared war. It’s not a good thing for the presidents of prestigious universities to be unwitting. Unless, of course, they had their wits entirely about them, as I believe they […]
Brave White House Interns Revolt! Substack
When I was 22, I stomped into the Oval Office one morning; I leaned on the Resolute Desk and said to President Reagan, “Ron. Buddy. You gotta go over to Berlin and tell the Gorbymeister (that’s what we called Gorbachev) to tear down that wall.” I stressed, “You may think I’m at the bottom of […]
Weakness is Strength in Propaganda Wars Substack
I saw an Instagram post of a young woman tearing down posters of Israeli children whom Hamas had kidnapped. She was identified as an attorney who represented abused women and children. I shared it with a few friends, pointing out the irony of an advocate for the vulnerable tearing down reminders babies were being held […]