• WANT AN HONEST, REALITY-BASED PERSPECTIVE ON THE MATTER OF NEW IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA?  A six-minute video may flabbergast you; a picture is worth three-billion words…  http://www.youtube.com/embed/LPjzfGChGlE
  •  POLITICAL PERSONALITY GENERALLY MOVES TO THE RIGHT DURING MID-20s.  Research shows a “fairly universal and timely rightward shift when people experience significant shifts in the traits biologists use to describe human personality.” Specifically, declining ‘openness’ (associated with intellectual curiosity, preference for variety, and voting for the left) and increasing ‘conscientiousness’ (characterized by self-discipline and dutifulness) which influence support for more conservative politics. The trend is further accelerated by parenthood, when new parents tend to believe that increasing crime rates and a ‘dangerous world’ necessitate more conservative strategies. Contrary to popular belief that “people older than 30 become more conservative because they are more likely to own a house, earn higher salary, and have too much at stake to back a revolutionary call to destroy the existing order,” reality is that correlation between family income and political views (based on Party identification in the 2012 election) is below two-tenths of a percent. Rather, “the young tend to lean Left because of passions and idealism; as they age, the incline toward Right is because they become more realistic or cynical.”  [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – Apr 21.14]
  • ‘CHAOS THEORY’ ESSENTIALLY CONTENDS THAT “an uncountable number of parts, operating independently in an unpredictable manner, have a tendency to organize themselves into stable and flexible working systems, as patterns evolve and adjust themselves.” Government basically denies chaos theory, operating instead on a premise that “ever more complicated rules and regulations…for a centrally-controlled society” better serve the citizens at large. But “wherever we see it at work, the determined hand of State degrades and distorts…with coercively backed regulations…while artificially obstructing society’s ability to respond…and stripping it of the means to develop its own solutions. In virtually every area that the State controls, the natural feedback loop inherent in a complex system is broken… ignoring the rules that everywhere else govern the development of a stable yet adaptable complex system.  [INTELLIGENT OPTIMIST – Mar/Apr 14]
  • COFFEE DRINKER CAUTION:  (1) It takes 10 minutes for caffeine to enter your bloodstream, 30-45 minutes to affect alertness, and 4-8 hours for the effect to fade; (2) The chlorine in tap water can form “less than savory compounds in your coffee… and using a paper filter traps the oils and fine particles that give your brew body”; (3) In a 2011 study, half the coffee makers tested positive for yeast & mold, with 9% “harboring coli-form bacteria”; (4) A Mayo Clinic study found that men exceeding four cups/day have a 21% more likely death rate.  [MENS HEALTH – May 14]
  • “IT MAY BE THAT A SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE IS TO EAT BEFORE YOU FIGHT” since low glucose levels impact spousal affection, according to a recent Ohio State University study of more than 100 heterosexual couples married twelve years on average. Based on daily bloodstream measurements of glucose over a three-week period, experiments found clear correlation with the degree of spousal “annoyance… aggressiveness… and torment.’  [THE ECONOMIST – Apr 19, 14]
  • LIKE ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS TO YOUNG PEOPLE, the majority of whom are unaware of its risks – “lasting impairments on memory, intellectual functioning, and emotion control in still-developing brains; linkage to depression, anxiety, even psychosis; and addiction by one-in-six (according to Nat’l Institute on Drug Abuse) with dependence that can lead to isolation, failure at school & work, and often profound unhappiness.” Pot has been legalized or decriminalized in 17 states – prudently for adults, but with widely varying protection for minors and some looming problems.  [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – Apr 28, 14]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:    

          “The problem with ‘Best Practices’ is that they are based on a backward look. We need to look forward toward ‘Future Practices’ to ready our next generation of leaders.”   

                        “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” -Charles Darwin   

           And just in case the Benghazi coverup scandal matters to you: Click Here for perspective on the real issues.

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