Channeling Castro | Gerald Ashley

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley and Marc Ross discuss inflation, supply chain challenges, central banks moving too slowly, mortgage rates, depressed discretionary spending, how alcohol lost its cool, moves by OPEC+, the need for nuclear energy, the political plays by Team Truss, Biden suggesting Putin is ready for Armageddon, how does NATO respond to a chemical attack, the psyops of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

IMF to lower global growth forecast: WSJ reports the head of the IMF said policymakers must do more to reduce inflation, noting that raising interest rates and other measures are needed despite the short-term pain they could cause.

The Times: Global recovery setback could wipe out $4trn, warns IMF chief

WTO sees sharp slowdown in global trade, pointing to possible recession: High inflation, borrowing costs, and supply disruptions are weakening global demand for exports and imports. WSJ

Ford hikes price of electric F-150 pickup again on rising supply costs: Bloomberg reports the F-150 Lightning Pro now starts at $51,974, up 30% from the original price in May.

Bloomberg: US mortgage rates rise for seventh week to highest in 16 years

How alcohol lost its cool: A third of pub visits are now alcohol-free, but drinking has been losing its cred in pop culture for a while now. Daisy Jones

OPEC, allies move to slash oil production, eliciting blistering White House response: WP reports White House officials reacted after the OPEC Plus coalition moved to curb production in response to falling prices.

White House accuses OPEC+ of aligning with Russia: FT reports oil production cuts prompt backlash from Washington amid soaring energy inflation.

US to ease Venezuela sanctions, enabling Chevron to pump oil: WSJ reports the proposed deal would require Caracas to open talks with political opponents, with the aim of free elections in 2024.

The Trussonomics warning: The UK government's disastrous rollout of its "mini-budget" is a cautionary tale for policymakers around the world as they pursue measures to help households deal with rising energy prices and inflation. When an economy is already operating near capacity, one group's benefit is another group's cost. Jason Furman

‘Seeking hope’: MPs reflect on Liz Truss’s calamitous Tory conference: Some Conservatives fear the party is heading for defeat at the next election as the new PM reels from setbacks. FT

A chaotic conference fractures Liz Truss’s young premiership: Twelve years in power catch up with the Conservatives. Economist

Night of the hurried U-turn: How Truss and Kwarteng dumped their tax cut: Even as Liz Truss was being toasted for her tax-cutting resolve, PM and chancellor were bowing to clamor to reverse course. Guardian

UK Leader Liz Truss faces political backlash after sparking market turmoil: The new prime minister came to office promising Thatcher-esque economic revival, but skepticism has mounted among investors, and her own lawmakers. WSJ

Tory MPs aren’t happy — and neither is Liz Truss The Times

Labour are ‘very clearly the favorites’ to win the next UK election, pollster Sir John Curtice said.

Putin at 70: Isolated, irrational, and fearing for his health: There seems little for the president to celebrate on Friday as Russia’s elite dares to ask: is he losing control? The Times

An unhinged Putin is a warning to China and Xi: As he turns 70, Vladimir Putin won’t be reflecting on how his longevity at the top has resulted in a rotten state structure and disaster abroad. Xi Jinping, who is 69 and counting, should. Clara Ferreira Marques

Putin’s apocalyptic end game in Ukraine: Annexation and mobilization make nuclear war more likely. Tatiana Stanovaya

WP: Russians flee by boat to Alaska after Putin’s military mobilization

CCP convenes to prepare for 20th National Congress: On Sunday, the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party will hold its seventh and final plenum in Beijing, bringing its five-year term to an end. Led by General Secretary Xi Jinping, the plenum is expected to fix the agenda for the national party congress, which starts on October 16 and ushers in the party's new leaders.

Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard Netflix

Rogue Male - Geoffrey Household Amazon

38 at the Garden: HBO documentary 38 At The Garden recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world. Trailer

Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - Philip E. Tetlock + Dan Gardner Amazon

Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art - Virginia Heffernan Amazon

No negativity allowed | Ann + Sid Mashburn

Recorded in August 2022, a Brigadoon Monthly Call with Ann + Sid Mashburn.

Ann Mashburn started her career on the editorial side of fashion at Conde Nast. She served as an assistant to famed Vogue fashion editor and stylist Polly Mellen, which meant lots of running around and schlepping samples, but also working on photo shoots with some of the greats: Richard Avedon and Irving Penn on one side of the camera, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford on the other (to name a few).

She left Vogue to serve as Glamour's fashion editor, and then as a stylist at J.Crew a few years later. Ann took a break from the world of tearsheets and photo shoots to raise her daughters, but jumped back in when she and Sid moved to Atlanta to open the shop in 2007.

Sid was also in the fashion industry, working as a designer (J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Lands’ End.) Since meeting in their early 20s, they’d known that whether it was making mix tapes or throwing parties, what they really loved wasn’t just creating things, but sharing them with others. They may not have known it at the time, but they spent the first 20-something years together laying the creative groundwork for a brand of their own.

Sid Mashburn is an American fashion designer and head of his eponymous brand based in Atlanta.

Sid had always wanted to build a menswear brand. But from the records playing to the rugs underfoot to the ephemera pinned to the moodboard, his dream was as much about the physical space to share it in as the clothing itself.

Hospitality, not just design.

The brand has brick-and-mortar stores in Houston, Dallas, Washington DC (Georgetown), and Los Angeles (Brentwood) with the main store in Atlanta's Westside Provisions District.

Sid Mashburn grew up in small-town Mississippi but began his design career in New York in the mid-1980s, as J.Crew’s first men’s designer.

His interest in tailoring and vintage clothing (and love of the hunt) made up for his lack of formal design training, and he designed the brand’s first heritage piece—the Barn Jacket.

He was later recruited by Ralph Lauren to join the design team at Polo, and after subsequent stints leading design at Tommy Hilfiger and Lands’ End, it was time to do his own thing.

His wife Ann had been on the editorial side of fashion, working in magazines at Condé Nast (Vogue, Glamour) and then as a stylist at J.Crew.

Since meeting in their early 20s, they’d known that whether it was making mix tapes or throwing parties, what they really loved wasn’t just creating things, but sharing them with others.

They may not have known it at the time, but they spent the first 20-something years together laying the creative groundwork for a brand of their own.

You can follow Ann Mashburn on Instagram here and follow Sid Mashburn on Instagram here.

Notes:

"Clothes stores and restaurants are both hospitality businesses and customer-centric."

"Being surrounded by excellence."

Familiarity + Surprise

"How do we make the store a wonderland?"

The Soap Opera: Serving you natural and luxury bath and grooming products since 1972 - Madison, WI Web

"Making the tailor shop the central focus of the store... part theatre and celebrating the acumen of the tailors."

The original inspiration board in Sid Mashburn's Atlanta men's shop. Featuring: A note from Chef Alton Brown, a giraffe, and an OG Apple sticker. Pinterest

Why barn coats—a J. Crew classic—are coming back: Humble and versatile, the men’s barn jacket—a utilitarian American staple for hunters, farmers, and politicians—has found new favor in the pandemic era among urbanites and suburbanites. WSJ

#YouNeedThisIPromise

Good.

Better.

Best.

Core.

Core-Plus.

Fashion.

"How do you open up the aperture of customer opportunity?"

"Every outfit can only take one lead singer."

Kiton

Diadora

Lands' End

WSID radio + liner notes

'London Bridge is down' | Gerald Ashley

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley and Marc Ross discuss being back from summer break and hip surgery, a new PM, a new King, the US Midterm Elections, the role of central banks in the global economy, Mikhail Gorbachev influencing Xi Jinping, Boris Johnson making a comeback, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II BBC

Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 - 2022: Britain’s longest-serving monarch whose reign was defined by an unwavering sense of commitment to her people and her country. The Times

The end of an era: The death of Elizabeth II: It deprives Britain of a thread that wove the nation together, and linked it to its past. Economist

Queen Elizabeth II, longest-reigning British monarch, dies: Her seven decades on the throne spanned the dismantling of an empire and a shrinking of the UK’s role in the world. WSJ

Bloomberg: GOP bickers, plays defense as dream of Congress ‘red wave’ fades

+ Democrats have more than double the money in the bank than Republican
+ House Minority Leader McCarthy to unveil GOP platform on September 19

Dems erase GOP’s Senate advantage: Four factors, including a better political environment for Democrats and some struggling GOP candidates, have turned the Senate battle into a coin flip. Politico

The Democrats are likely to lose the House but keep the Senate: Meet our election-forecasting model for America’s 2022 midterms. Economist

Liz Truss vows energy crisis action ahead of first day as PM: BBC reports Liz Truss has promised to deal with surging energy costs and to cut taxes after winning the Tory leadership contest to become the next PM. She will succeed Boris Johnson after being formally appointed by the Queen at Balmoral Castle on Tuesday.

Liz Truss’s inheritance: A UK economy on its knees: The new prime minister faces record inflation, a faltering pound, spiraling energy costs, and an ill-timed labor shortage. WSJ

Gorbachev’s reputation rests on the world’s amnesia George F. Will

The Party congress that will change the world begins on October 16: China has set the start date for the 20th National Congress, the nation’s high-level meeting where Xi is expected to consolidate his power. Nadya Yeh

How China’s party congress actually works: Unpacking the institution of the National Party Congress – its essential concepts and some common misunderstandings. Ling Li

Summoned by Bells - John Betjeman Amazon

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels IMDb

The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World - Scott Hartley Amazon

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century - PW Singer Amazon

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Web

Brigadoon Monthly Call | September

Title: Communicating innovation

Speaker: Suzanne Zurn | Head of Strategic Communications @ National Security Innovation Network

RSVP

Super mama talent | Mary Kay Ziniewicz

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Mary Kay Ziniewicz and Marc Ross discuss the future of hiring, recruitment, and workforce management, the untapped talents of mamas, recognizing the lifecycles of families meeting business needs, workforce demographic challenges, building a two-sided marketplace, providing businesses access to off-market talent, and the latest happenings at Bus Stop Mamas.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Based in Minneapolis, MN, Mary Kay Ziniewicz is the founder of Bus Stop Mamas. You can follow her on LinkedIn.

Bus Stop Mamas: An on-demand workforce engagement tool connecting businesses with an untapped pool of high-level talent -- moms.

+ Bus Stop Mamas introduces super businesses to super mama talent, super fast.

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau Current Population Survey data, 55% of US mothers are employed full-time, and another 17% are employed part-time. Of course, that's not taking into account the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on mothers in the workforce.

Report: About two-thirds of the 23.5 million working women with children under 18 worked full-time in 2018 US Census Bureau

For mothers in the workplace, a year (and counting) like no other: Research from McKinsey over the past year shows just how dramatically the pandemic has affected working mothers. They’ve grappled with a “double shift” of household responsibilities, mental health challenges, a more difficult remote-work experience, and concerns about higher rates of unemployment—particularly among mothers of color and single mothers. These burdens come on top of structural barriers for working women, including being the “only” woman in the room and playing an allyship role for others. McKinsey & Company

The pandemic has been punishing for working mothers. But mostly, they’ve kept working. When it came to who lost jobs, education mattered much more than gender, a broad new analysis found. NYT

Report: Employment characteristics of families - 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics

Modern public relations | Frank Washkuch

Recorded in July 2022, a Brigadoon Monthly Call with Frank Washkuch.

Frank Washkuch became executive editor of PRWeek US in 2019.

In this role, he oversees daily news on PRWeek and also takes on extra responsibility for features, thought leadership, weekly blogging, and other brand-development activities.

Washkuch joined PRWeek parent company Haymarket Media in 2005 as web editor of SC Magazine, subsequently progressing onto PRWeek as a reporter in 2008.

He became news editor of Direct Marketing News in 2009 before moving back onto PRWeek as news editor in late 2011.

Since January 2018, Washkuch has split his time equally between PRWeek and MM&M, overseeing news on both brands.

He is co-host of PRWeek’s weekly podcast and a driving force behind PRWeek’s must-read daily Breakfast Briefing.