• FIVE STARTUP BUSINESS MISTAKES that consistently “lead to frustration, dissention, poor performance, and often failure” almost always stem from: (1) Lack of strategic planning to encompass clarity & consensus of owners/managers as to Goals, Objectives, and Timelines; (2) Shortcutting management talent to optimize operations, marketing, sales, personnel and finance; (3) Overestimating revenues, which typically take longer to materialize than anticipated and are frequently at prices below expectations; (4) Underestimating costs, usually due to shortcutting research and instead basing forecasts on gut and wish-lists; (5) Underfunding which results from projections based on unrealistic assumptions. DCG have decades of experience in effective launch of new businesses, and often on a pro-bono basis; call us before your reality check bounces. [BUILDITBACKWARDS.COM – Sep 17]

• THE DYSFUNCTIONALITY OF CONGRESS OVER SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIONS have created a frustration level leading to realistic potential for a ‘Constitutional Convention’ – which authorizes State Legislatures to directly Amend the U.S. Constitution without Congressional involvement or approval. The process requires 34 states to ‘call’ for such a Convention and 27 have already done so, specifically targeting a ‘Balanced-Budget’ amendment. If another 7 agree, it’s likely that amendments might further look to “limiting the federal government’s power, and to establishing term limits for members of Congress… A Convention’s freedom applies only to proposing amendments, which still require ratification by 38 states… however, since its scope cannot be limited, a Convention would theoretically have the ability to also change the ratification process… This mechanism for change (Article V) has never been used, and even politically informed Americans often have no idea it exists,” but the process is pretty far along and well organized, so a real possibility. [THE ECONOMIST – Sep 30, 17]

• THE WORLD’S MOST LIFELIKE HUMANOID ROBOT – with “intelligence, social presence, skills to manipulate, walk, make emotional and social bond…and ‘learn’ from conversations with real people in the real world… Sophia shares the stage with her ‘brother’ Einstein, a robot that wants to help children to learn.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiJvYQfzKn0 Astonishing!

• TODAY’S ‘VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS’ – Alexa, Siri, Google, Cortana & Facebook – are handy, but are always listening, with a recording of every command stored on their servers. While supposedly maintaining Privacy, they gather audio files and “use that ultrasonic data to profile you.” If the always-on microphone creeps you out, here’s how to simply turn it off, as well as how to delete existing recordings: www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2017/09/29/how-stop-your-devices-listening-and-saving-what-you-say/715129001/

• “WE KEEP BEING TOLD THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT NORMAL. This much has been blindingly obvious. He had never run for office or otherwise served in a public capacity. He has been accused, not without reason, of breaking all manner of political norms. But he was never going to conduct business as usual from the West Wing and this should be no surprise – since while running for office he repeatedly promised to ‘drain the swamp’ and shake things up. Americans knew who they were voting for, and history will judge the results. That said, his nascent presidency has coincided with perhaps the greatest violation of political norms this country has ever seen – a violation that has nothing to do with his behavior. Since the election, there has been a sustained, coordinated attack on Trump’s legitimacy as President, following his victory in a free and fair election. This has the potential to cause far more lasting damage to America than his controversial style... The self-styled anti-Trump ‘resistance’ has created a standard it must meet to justify the broken norms and political trauma to which it has subjected the country, but the better part of a year into his presidency, his enemies have not come close to meeting that standard… To date, despite all the misleading claims in news reports, the only actual crime related to the Trump-Russia investigation is the criminal leaking of classified information about U.S. citizens by intelligence officials.” When is enough enough? [IMPRIMUS.HILLSDALE.EDU – Sep 17]

• THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it.” How to recognize a Stroke victim: F.A.S.T. – Face drooping/ Arm weakness/ Speech difficulty/ Time to dial 911

The cost of free medical care, education & law enforcement for America’s illegal immigrants approximates $135 million annually, split roughly 1/3 federal and 2/3 state. According to the Federation for Immigration Reform, “despite claims from pro-illegal immigration advocates that aliens pay significant off-setting taxes into the system, the total is below $20 million.”

District 9 Director’s New Short Movie Offers A Disturbing Look At Our AI Future: https://futurism.com/videos/district-9-directors-new-short-movie-offers-a-disturbing-look-at-our-ai-future/?utm_source=Digest&utm_campaign=43451f5152-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_10_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_03cd0a26cd-43451f5152-247173009&mc_cid=43451f5152&mc_eid=6e2022519e