• ‘INFORMAL MEDIATION’ SERVICES WHICH DCG PROVIDE involve quiet direct discussion between decision-makers in dispute, without attorneys/ family/ business associates/ 3rd parties. The process is directed toward (1) helping those principals clarify the Goals they want to achieve; (2) determining what issues are relevant priorities necessary to make that happen; and (3) then finding middle ground compromises and tactics to achieve resolution. In business/ personal/ family disputes, an impartial Mediator functions as an intermediary who, with appropriate knowledge in financial, tax, valuation, and emotional aspects of the dispute, can actively facilitate a reasonable and realistic compromise, in a timely and majorly less costly process than litigation. DCG should always be consulted for perspective before legal threats or filings are pursued.

• WHY DO NEARLY 40% OF GALLUP-POLLED AMERICANS NOW HAVE “NO TRUST AT ALL in newspapers, TV or radio, as well as weak confidence for all three branches of government?… Because nearly all western media outlets are in the demographic-hunting business, utilizing ‘audience-optimization’ models: instead of starting with a story and following the facts, they now start with what pleases their audience and work backward toward the story. The overwhelming majority of national media organizations now cater to one ‘side’ or the other,” with Pew Center surveys finding over 90% of Fox audience conservative and MSNBC’s liberal. “This bifurcated system is fundamentally untrustworthy since media choose in advance which facts to emphasize or downplay, to cover or avoid, based on considerations other than truth or newsworthiness – not journalism but political entertainment, with the defining characteristic being inaccuracy, and the Story is now the boss.” [REAL CLEAR POLITICS – 12/1/22]

• BUSINESS STRATEGY IS MOSTLY ABOUT ALLOCATION OF LIMITED RESOURCES to areas with optimal potential to meet Goals, with minimal risk. This usually requires complex decision-making – “when an objective ‘best’ option is impractical, even impossible, like Marketing strategy, which involves myriad reactions from customers & competitors which cannot be reliably foreseen.” Researchers at Northwestern University studied some 200 million Chess moves (by hundreds of thousands of players from hobbyists to grandmasters, over eight years of games) to determine “how they handled the fog of complexity, with findings led to real world tips: (1) Business leaders should not assume that top-performing employees will make the right call in a split-second crisis, since benefits of expertise fade when there’s a time crunch; and (2) When facing multiple good options, consumers/customers may tend toward alternatives with benefits immediately obvious,” so best to keep marketing & presentations simple. [KELLOGG INSIGHT – 11/1/22]

• SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISORS’ RESPONSE TO CRIME, increasing above 10% in some categories, is to have now approved live surveillance feeds, and the use of “military-grade equipment, including deployment of lethal force by the city’s 17 Robots against violent suspects such as mass shooters or suicide bombers. The Robots can climb stairs, lift over 85 pounds, overcome curbs, probe hazmat situations, and self-right when flipped over.” California state law which authorizes such policy was authored by the SF City Attorney. [SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE – 11/29/22]

• THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:

How Hackable Are You? Test your own personal cybersecurity with a quick five-question quiz. If your score scares you, call Dennis, who serves on the Board of Secure The Village, for courtesy consult. https://securethevillage.org/how-hackable-are-you 

Shoplifting approached $100 billion last year, predominantly from Organized Retail Crime (ORC), “carefully planned operations where criminal groups steal large amounts of ‘swag.’ Most stolen items are those in consistent demand and easy to resell online,” including deodorant/ laundry detergent/ razors/ infant formula. [ECONOMIST]

The Dep’t of Labor loaned funds to most states enabling them to pay Unemployment Benefits during the pandemic. Only five states have yet to repay DOL funds, led by California still owing over $18 billion, and New York $7¾ billion. https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/budget.asp