• COMPANY SECURITY BREACHES HAPPEN PREDOMINANTLY BECAUSE OF EXECUTIVES who have “job pressures, busy schedules, and an attitude that they are above the rules.” A broad survey of small, medium and large businesses found major cause to be absence of “patience for security measures that add time… particularly in hotels or countries where internet access is subpar (resulting in complexity and inconvenience of connecting through a secure channel), combined with inflated egos who disregard rules where security is not a pervasive culture emanating from the top of the organization.” Even aware that entire personal accounts could be subpoenaed in the event of business litigation, “almost nine in ten senior managers regularly uploaded work files to a personal email or cloud account… and more than half had taken files after leaving a job.” Protecting against cybercrime is among the highest risk management responsibilities. DCG can help.   [CSO MAGAZINE – Feb 14]
  • “THE ‘MUNCHIES’ – A CRAVING FOR FOOD which is one of marijuana’s signal effects – are triggered by a heightened sense of smell.” According to new research studying mice at University of Bordeaux, THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, “activates cannabinoid receptors and sharpens ability to smell… tricking the brain into feeling hungry by mimicking sensations that occur when it is deprived of food,” essentially gearing  the olfactory system into overdrive. [THE WEEK – Feb 28, 14] Somewhat related, according to last year’s Gallup poll, 50% OF AMERICANS EAT ‘FAST FOOD’ WEEKLY AND 80% AT LEAST MONTHLY despite the belief of 76% that nutritionally it’s “not too good.” And their instinct is pretty accurate; Subway egg sandwiches include “a solvent found in soap & shaving cream… a silicone found in Silly Putty, and a sealant used on roofs and concrete”; Most fast-food restaurants “dust their salads with an ingredient found in antifreeze and sexual lubricants”; the FDA allows tomato-based sauces “to contain 30 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots per 100 grams”; McDonalds and KFC french fries apparently contain enough sodium preservatives “to prevent bacteria or mold growth for over three years”; and Wendy’s chili is made with “silica, an anti-caking agent found in quartz or sand.” Despite instinct, the low cost/convenience/taste appeal of Fast Food clearly outweighs health concerns and only time will tell the true impacts on our health.  [HUFFINGTON POST – Feb 10, 14]
  • THE U.S. POST OFFICE HAS SOME 600 REAL ESTATE PROPERTIES “EARMARKED FOR DISPOSAL” in order to help cover billions of dollars deficit. Last year, an exclusive brokerage contract to sell or lease 56 buildings has caused significant concern due to (1) contract issuance to the world’s largest commercial real estate firm, whose chairman and major institutional investor happens to be the husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein; (2) absence of any ‘maximum contract value’ for services where the broker represents parties on all sides of value negotiation; and (3) absence of appointing any U.S.P.S. representatives to monitor performance or provide oversight. Government business as usual.  [SNOPES.com – Oct 23, 13]
  • “BANKS WERE NEVER MEANT TO OWN INDUSTRIES.” But, thanks to lobbyists and congressfolk who vote for bills with provisions they’ve never even read (much less comprehend), “Wall Street has effected a revolutionary change: the wholesale merger of high finance with heavy industry… and the banking sector that came so close to ruining the world economy five years ago has now vastly expanded its footprint… Today, banks like MorganStanley, JPMorganChase and GoldmanSachs own oil tankers, run airports and control huge quantities of coal, natural gas, heating oil, chemicals, electric power… food products and raw materials crucial to world industry and society in general – including metals like zinc, copper, nickel, aluminum & uranium… They’re also buying whole industrial processes: oil in the ground, tankers for transport, refineries that turn it into fuel, and pipelines for delivery; they also bet on the timing and efficiency of these same processes in the financial markets – buying & selling oil stocks, futures, swaps, etc… In just the past few years, fines of $400 million have been levied against JPMChase & Barclays for allegedly manipulating delivery of electricity, while Goldman was caught systematically delaying delivery of metals (from warehouses it owns) in order to jack up rents and artificially boost prices… bigger, bolder and scarier scams than ever.”   [ROLLING STONE – Feb 27, 14]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:    A Canadian metal band called Skinny Puppy has “billed the U.S. government $666,000      for allegedly using their dark, frantic music to torment Guantanamo detainees” – sort of soft-core torture.

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60% of global web traffic now comes from non-human “bots” like search engines, analytics tools, scam ads and hacking tools.

DUITCH CONSULTING GROUP – UTILIZING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL STRATEGIC, FINANCIAL, OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT PLANNING & POSITIONING