• THE IMPACT OF JOBLESSNESS CONTINUES TO “SHRED THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF FAMILIES” IN AMERICA. Over the past couple decades, marriage rates have plummeted and out-of-wedlock births increased (to 53% in Hispanic and 72% in African-American communities) which research studies generally attribute to the decline of income for poorly- educated men. Notwithstanding the breakdown of marriage from factors like the sexual revolution, feminism, waning of religion, liberalized divorce & welfare programs, reality is that even employed men have seen inflation-adjusted wages drop by 20%, “making them less attractive as husbands and contributing to the growth of single-parent families.” The dismal labor market is unquestionably a major obstacle to reversing this trend and the consequence is that “on average, children in single-parent homes do worse – lower grades, more drugs, higher arrest rates – than those raised by two parents who can devote more money and time… Boys who lack a positive or stable male role model are especially at risk and ultimately become less appealing as husbands” which perpetuates the problem. Ironically, the current economic crisis was initiated by Congress’ liberalization of government-backed lending policies designed to promote ‘family’ home ownership – application of the law of unintended consequences. [WASHINGTON POST – Apr 14, 13]
  • THE STRONGEST PREDICTOR OF GROUP EFFECTIVENESS is the degree to which co-workers or team members help each other. Evidence from many studies shows that “across diverse contexts, organizations benefit when employees freely contribute their knowledge and skills to each other” – even more so than from what are conventionally considered the most critical factors: “clear, challenging, meaningful vision; well-defined roles & responsibilities; appro- priate rewards, recognition & resources; and strong leadership.” It turns out that organizational effectiveness is most facilitated by simple cross-platform “helping behavior” which serves to: (1) enable problem solving to get work done faster; (2) enhance team cohesion and coordination; (3) ensure transfer of expertise to new employees; (4) balance workload when some team members are overloaded or distracted; and (5) establish an environment in which customers & suppliers feel they are top priority. Company culture is often the nemesis of such processes, but “by encouraging employees to both seek and provide help, rewarding ‘givers’ and screening out ‘takers,’ companies can reap significant and lasting benefits.” DCG can assist you in bridging old-line with progressive infrastructure. [McKINSEY QUARTERLY – Apr 13]
  • QUOTED HOURLY FEES FOR TOP ATTORNEYS across the country now average $880 for Partners and $500 for Associates with under five years experience; over three hundred top lawyers now bill $1,150. Even with ‘discounts’ of up to 30% demanded by big clients “who have grown accustomed to pushing back on price during the recession,” big law firms are still collecting on average 85% of quoted rates for reported hours worked. WALL STREET JRNL – Apr 9, 13
  • BACK BEFORE ‘GUN CONTROL’ WAS IN VOGUE, a Roy Rogers commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNWr9eF2Huk
  • ‘DRUNKOREXIA’ IS THE NEWEST STUPID COLLEGE TREND: “skipping meals or exercising heavily to save or burn calories, to make room for drinking at night.” One study found kids on this path “20% more likely to have five drinks in a single sitting”– i.e. they’re combining starvation with binge drinking. Another 40-university study of some 22,000 students found “those who had vomited or taken laxatives to lose weight in the previous month were 76% more likely to binge drink.” Research is pretty conclusive that “drinking on an empty stomach leads to higher levels of impairment and intoxication, increased risks of sexual assault or unprotected sex, DUIs, alcohol overdose… and, in the long run, gastritis, ulcer and malnutrition.” The cause of this new trend is mostly ‘fitness-friendly’ alcohol ads, particularly when aimed at young females (like Anheuser-Busch marketing on Weight-Watchers website, or Beam’s SkinnyGirl Cocktails). As with anorexia, which starves the body of vitamins and protein, kids relying on alcohol for calories can end up with heart, bone and organ problems, as well as depression. It’s bad news. [THE ATLANTIC – Mar 27, 13]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:
    “Madness is rare in individuals, but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule” — Nietzsche

    “Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of shit by the clean end.”