November 11, 2016 nº 1,811 - Vol. 13
"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must undertake to support it."
Thomas Paine
In today's Law Firm Marketing, How a single sentence can drive more response to your marketing
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Who might be in Donald Trump's cabinet?
The election just ended and the new president doesn't even take office until Jan. 20. But the transition from 44th to 45th president is already consuming Washington. Keeping in mind the truism that nobody who knows is talking, and those who are talking don't really know, here are some of the names being floated, leaked and speculated about.
• Let's start with chief of staff, a key position that will influence the filling of many others. The name of Reince Priebus, currently chairman of the Republican National Committee, has often been mentioned. Priebus was a steady backer of Trump, when many in the party establishment wanted nothing to do with the brash businessman, and put the party's apparatus behind Trump's campaign.
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who quickly gave his support to Trump after being vanquished by him in the primary campaign, has also been mentioned in connection with this job or another post in the incoming administration. Christie has been serving as head of the Trump transition team.
• Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, was spotted taking a long walk on the White House grounds with Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough during Trump's Oval Office visit with President Obama Thursday, leading some to speculate that he could be in line for the post.
• Also add to the list of potential chiefs of staff Steve Bannon, who served as Trump's campaign chief after coming over from the conservative website Breitbart News.
• Another longtime Trump backer is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Could he be the next secretary of state? Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who acted as Trump's attack dog on the campaign trail, is said to be interested in becoming attorney general.
• A couple of members of the US Senate might also be tapped for posts. Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions for secretary of defense? Or maybe Tennessee's Bob Corker for secretary of state.
• For homeland security, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas could make the list. Another Texas congressman, Jeb Hensarling, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, is reportedly under consideration as Treasury secretary.
• Another Trump aide, campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, tweeted that she has been offered an unspecified White House job.
• And if Trump wants to go rogue, Sarah Palin is among those rumored to be interested in becoming secretary of the interior.
Beyond the names, here are five things to know about the transition, including how many jobs the new president needs to fill and whether the Obama administration will need to help.
Immigration lawyers fear the worst, face anxious clients after Trump victory
Immigration lawyers and their clients have had plenty of time to be anxious over a year-and-a-half-long campaign that began with Trump’s characterization of Mexican illegal immigrants as "rapists." By the time the New York businessman had claimed the Republican nomination in July, advocacy groups were sharing best and worst cases. The election is deflating for activists who had hoped for comprehensive immigration reform under President Obama but had to settle for a series of administrative steps they regard as temporary salves or half-measures. Some of Trump's promises, such as the border wall, would require a good deal of time and money to implement as well as possibly requiring approval from Congress. Trump's pledge to reverse executive actions issued by Obama, on the other hand, could be authorized in late January, shortly after Trump takes office. That includes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which deferred immigration actions and granted work authorization to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the US as children. The Republican-controlled Congress, determined to take tough action on immigration, could also pass laws rolling back legal protections, like rules protecting victims of human trafficking or domestic violence. Even if Trump rolls back Obama’s orders, the new administration would probably focus its early enforcement efforts on immigrants with criminal records. The US government has already stepped up enforcement actions in recent years, immigration lawyers say, as part of the Obama administration's attempt to bargain for comprehensive reform.
How data failed us in calling an election
Predictive analytics, and election forecasting in particular, remains a young science. Experts say some of the models could be off 15 to 20 percent. The election prediction business is one small aspect of a far-reaching change across industries that have increasingly become obsessed with data, the value of it and the potential to mine it for cost-saving and profit-making insights. It is a behind-the-scenes technology that quietly drives everything from the ads that people see online to billion-dollar acquisition deals. But data science is a technology advance with trade-offs. It can see things as never before, but also can be a blunt instrument, missing context and nuance. All kinds of companies and institutions use data quietly and behind the scenes to make predictions about human behavior. But only occasionally — as with Tuesday’s election results — do consumers get a glimpse of how these formulas work and the extent to which they can go wrong. The danger, data experts say, lies in trusting the data analysis too much without grasping its limitations and the potentially flawed assumptions of the people who build predictive models.
1 - Italy court dismisses appeal against Dec. 4 reform referendum - click here.
2 - California voters approve marijuana for recreational use - click here.
3 - Judge accused by Trump of bias to hold university case pre-trial hearing - click here.
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Singles Day: Alibaba closes in on record sales
E-commerce giant Alibaba looks set to smash the sales record for its annual Singles Day event. About 12 hours into the event, sales had reached 82.4bn yuan ($12.1bn). Last year's record was $14.3bn. But some have questioned the accuracy of the numbers, amid claims of inflated sales data at online retailers across China. Merchants passing off counterfeit goods as genuine is also an industry problem. Alibaba reported 85% of purchases had been made on mobile phones during Singles Day.
What will a Trump presidency mean for China?
Trump has threatened trade retaliation. And his presidency could herald new instability in the region if he pulls back on the US security umbrella that's been in place since the end of World War II.
Chinese public security official is elected to lead Interpol
Meng Hongwei will lead the global police agency. The move could facilitate China's anti-corruption drive, but rights groups worry that Beijing might use the agency to track down political dissidents.
How a single sentence can drive more response to your marketing
By Tom Trush
It's among the most frustrating challenges in business...
Persuading prospects who know they should take you up on your offer -- but don't follow through for some reason.
Maybe it's a money situation ... a lack of information ... a trust issue .. or possibly they're just frustrated with part of your sales process ...
Whatever the case, adding one piece of social proof to your marketing can help fix this problem.
Now, I'm not talking about something as common a testimonial, case study or review. What I'm sharing with you today targets a far deeper desire.
In fact, it hits at the heart of three fundamental human motivations (as detailed by Steve J. Martin in The Small BIG: Small Changes That Spark Big Influence):
1. To make accurate decisions as efficiently as possible
2. To affiliate with and gain the approval of others
3. To see oneself in a positive light
You see, our brains are wired to follow the crowd. So mimicking the actions of others is often seen as a shortcut to good decisions and acceptance (see motivations #1 and #2).
As such, it's critical that you explain in your marketing how many others similar to your target audience already took action on your offer.
Of course, you must be honest. Please don't fabricate numbers to create fake appeal. Doing so only leads to lost credibility.
One example Martin shares in his book comes from Britain's Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, the agency tasked with collecting the country's taxes. Martin and his team were brought in to help reduce the number of late-payers.
Previously, most efforts focused on repeated threats of fines and legal action.
Martin and his team, though, tapped persuasive science by simply adding one sentence to the agency's standard letter. It told recipients of the large number of citizens who paid their taxes on time.
This single line led to collecting 86% percent of the outstanding debt. For comparison, in the previous year, just 57% of the outstanding debt was collected.
One sentence that explained what most others are doing literally brought in billions in overdue revenue.
Incredible, isn't it?
You may have seen a similar concept carry over to hotel towel use. After all, how many times do you see signs suggesting you do the environment a favor and reuse your towel?
Well, researchers Dan and Chip Heath from Stanford University discovered a way to actually get more people to take this action.
The change in behavior only required (again) a single sentence. In their study, they increased towel reuse by 26% with a sign that said:
The majority of guests at the hotel reuse their towels at least once during their stay.
Notice again how this sentence tells what many others are doing.
So think about it ...
How can you incorporate the actions of others into your offers?
Tom Trush is available at https://www.writewaysolutions.com/blog/free-book-offer/.
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© Trey Ryder
FREE LAWYER MARKETING ALERT: If you'd like to receive Trey Ryder's weekly Lawyer Marketing Alert, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Write "Subscribe LMA" in the subject line and write your name and e-mail address in the body of the message.
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Sobornos
Abogados de la ex presidenta de Brasil Dilma Rousseff, que fue juzgada y removida del cargo en mayo, presentaron documentos a la principal corte electoral, que según la denuncia, que prueban que el ex vicepresidente y hoy mandatario Michel Temer recibió sobornos. (Presione aquí)
Energía
La estatal de electricidad ENDE de Bolivia adjudicó al consorcio privado boliviano-español EMIAS-ELECNOR, la construcción por US$ 70,5 mlls. dos plantas de energía solar, una en el Salar de Uyuni, maravilla natural y gran reservorio de litio.
China – LA
China espera desarrollar su cooperación económica con Latinoamérica a un nuevo nivel durante la gira que el presidente Xi Jinping iniciará entre el 17 y 23/11. por la región. Los países que visitará el presidente asiático son : Ecuador, Perú y Chile. Esta será la tercera visita del presidente Xi a Latinoamérica desde que llegó al poder (tras las de 2013 y 2014), y se centra en países de la costa del Pacífico con los que el gigante asiático mantiene una importante relación económica y política.
Anti-Trump protests in US cities; Portland police say protest is 'riot'
Protests have been held for a second night in several US cities after the election of Donald Trump as president - but with smaller crowds. They were mainly young people saying a Trump presidency would create deep divisions along racial and gender lines. However police in Portland said they were dealing with vandalism and aggressive behavior. In response, Trump tweeted that the protests, incited by the media, were "very unfair". Earlier, he met President Barack Obama at the White House and described him as a good man.
'Crazy' to say Facebook helped Trump win - Zuckerberg
Facing criticism that fake news on Facebook aided the rise of Donald Trump, founder Mark Zuckerberg has strongly defended his network. "Facebook should not be held responsible." "The idea that fake news on Facebook influenced the election in any way is a pretty crazy idea," he said. "If you believe that then I don't think you have internalized the message Trump supporters are trying to send in this election." Some data has shown that fake stories were being far more widely shared on the platform than follow up stories debunking the claims. For an increasing number of people, particularly Americans, Facebook is becoming the primary source of news coverage.
Ireland to appeal EU Apple ruling this week
The Irish government announced Tuesday that it would submit its appeal within the week against the European Commission's demand that Apple pay back-taxes. In a statement on Tuesday, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said that the Irish government "fundamentally disagrees with the European Commission's analysis and the decision left no choice but to take an appeal to the European Courts and this will be submitted tomorrow." Ireland and Apple both deny wrongdoing. (Click here)
Voters in three states reaffirm death penalty
The legal status of the death penalty was upheld in three state referendums Tuesday. Oklahoma citizens voted in favor of State Question No. 776, which will add an explicit protection of the death penalty to the state constitution. Oklahoma will be the first state to have such a protection. In September executions in Oklahoma were put on a two-year hiatus so Oklahoma can reevalute its lethal injection procedures following a botched execution and several drug mix-ups in the past two years. Also on Tuesday, Nebraska citizens voted in favor of Referendum 426, to reinstate the death penalty, which repealed last year's decision to abolish it. Over 61 percent of voters were in favor of the referendum. California voters faced two contradictory propositions relating to the death penalty. Proposition 62, favored by slightly over 46 percent of voters, would have eliminated the death penalty. Proposition 66 will speed up the appeals process, so those convicted will spend less time on death row before their executions. Over 50 percent of voters favored this option, with some ballots yet to be counted. Those in favor of Proposition 66 said it will give victims closure, save taxpayer dollars and protect law enforcement officers. Those against the Proposition said shortening the appeals process increases the risk of executing an innocent party and will lead to added expenses.
Court upholds decision to ban LinkedIn in Russia
A Moscow court upheld a decision to ban the professional social network LinkedIn Corp. in Russia, according to news agencies, in a landmark ruling enforcing a personal data law. (Click here)
Dead man wins city election in California; Female rival calls foul
A prominent city councilman had urged voters to re-elect Gary Ernst rather than challenger Nadine Scott — despite Ernst's death in September.
Indian bank chaos continues after ATMs reopen
Long queues continue outside banks and several ATMs have run out of cash in India, three days after 500 ($7) and 1,000 rupee notes were withdrawn as part of anti-corruption measures. Many ATMs of big banks in Delhi and Mumbai were either shut or not dispensing cash. ATMs opened at midnight after being shut for 48 hours and hundreds queued up early morning to make withdrawals. The surprise government move is aimed at tackling corruption and tax evasion. But many low-income Indians, traders and ordinary savers who rely on the cash economy have been badly hit.
Taiwan parliament poised to pass same-sex marriage law
The Taiwanese Parliament has begun work on passing three bills in support of same-sex marriage. Mei-nu Yu, a ruling Democratic Progressive Party MP, is sponsoring the same-sex marriage bill now in line for parliamentary debate. Same-sex marriage a was also supported by President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female head of state, just this past October.
Petrobras racks up massive losses due to write-offs
Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras has reported a massive loss for the third quarter of its financial year. Analysts had been expecting the firm to make a profit, but instead it lost 16bn reais ($4.8bn). Petrobras said low oil prices had forced it to cut the value of oil fields and other assets. The firm is restructuring under new management after a corruption scandal battered the company's finances last year. More difficulties are yet to come. The company still needs to settle more corruption-related cases in US courts and find buyers willing to pay good prices for its assets, all at a time when global oil players are not doing well.
Polish army to teach women self-defense for free
The Polish defence ministry is launching free nationwide classes for women to learn unarmed combat. The classes will start at 30 military facilities, running from 19 November until 3 June. Polish army instructors will provide the training. The techniques will include defensive postures, how to break holds, and guards against kicks, strangulation and assaults with a weapon. Some Poles see the initiative more as a way for the army to promote its image.
Russian banks hit by cyber-attack
Five Russian banks have been under intermittent cyber-attack for two days, said the country's banking regulator. Hackers sought to overwhelm the websites of the banks by deluging them with data in what is known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The hackers behind the DDoS attacks are believed to have generated the huge amounts of data by taking over smart devices such as webcams and digital video recorders that use easy to guess passwords. Devices in the USA, India, Taiwan and Israel were all used in the attack, said the security firm.
Federal appeals court rules New Mexico Ten Commandments monument unconstitutional
The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled Wednesday that a New Mexico city's Ten Commandments monument placed on the City Hall lawn is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2012 against the city of Bloomfield by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of two residents who are members of the Wiccan religion. The appeals court affirmed the lower court ruling citing the First Amendment, which requires that government action can't endorse a specific religion. The court held that when, "the government ... displays on public property, it is adopting the message conveyed by that monument as the government's own speech. The court reasoned that an observer of the monument could draw the impression that the city was endorsing a religion.
UK Supreme Court rules against 'bedroom tax'
The UK Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against the government in two cases that were challenging the government's "bedroom tax." The two decisions were in contrast to the other five cases that were decided in favor of the Department of Work and Pensions. The argument was that the new tax regulations put in place in 2013 created unfair discrimination against those with disabilities. It removed subsidies for social housing tenants whom the department determined to have "spare" rooms in their homes.
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