•  VAGUELY SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON LYING AND CHEATING: (1) Research at Cornell found undergrads lied in 37% of phone calls and 25% face-to-face, but only 14% of emails “which leave a permanent trail versus conversations which are ephemeral”;   (2) A study at universities of Arizona & N. Carolina found that sleep-deprived students lied more often (having to do with the brain region that regulates emotions & behavior), and that “a dose of caffeine helped them resist  temptation to be unethical a third more often”; (3) A Science Magazine study found that people “cheat more in messy environments which trick them into thinking that social norms are more easily ignored”; (4) A Psychological Science study found that over 60% of subjects were more likely to cheat in dark rooms (versus 24% in a fully lit one) having to do with “the impression of anonymity and feeling of not being watched.” Management is esoteric but knowing these things can’t hurt.  [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – May 19, 14]
  • ‘FAILING FAST’ IS AMONG THE NEWEST ENTREPRENEURIAL STRATEGIES. The concept is that “testing out ideas on a small low-cost scale to pinpoint potential risks” doesn’t waste or compromise critical funding until high-impact opportunities are clear. Particularly important for start-ups, but also for new initiatives at emerging businesses, this is “risk mitigation strategy for entrepreneurs who don’t have a cushion… where failure is not an option… and allows changing one variable at a time, to figure out growth drivers before scale-out.”   [KELLOGG MAGAZINE – spring/summer 14]
  •  HOOKAH LOUNGE SMOKING IS FAR FROM SAFE! Even done occasionally, it can increase risk of colds, flues, diseases includ-ing TB, and permanently impair lung cells. The impact of a typical 45-minute session is “inhaling about 10 times as much carbon monoxide, 40 times as much tar, and 30 times as many carcinogens as from a single cigarette.”    [MENS HEALTH – Jun 14]
  •  “ATTEMPTS TO DEFEAT CYBERCRIME ARE FAILING MISERABLY… as businesses and governments cannot keep up with the persistence, technical expertise and tactical skills of adversaries…and ‘insiders’ remain the greatest risk” – especially those with history of other problematic behaviors like violating policies, workplace disruption, poor performance, etc.” Services and supply chains also pose increasing risks, no matter how big their companies are. (“It took just four days for researchers to trick the newest Galaxy S5 Fingerprint Scanner, which integrates with PayPal to authenticate transactions, into accepting a mold of a fingerprint.”)  Another huge problem are BYOD policies (Bring Your Own Device) in smaller businesses which cannot afford to provide employees and are at increasing risk. Solutions are far from perfect but better than data breech. DCG can help.  [CSO – May 14]
  •  A PATHETIC EXAMPLE OF RADICAL ISLAMIC ‘EDUCATION’ is this 5-minute televised lecture from an apparently renowned Cleric.  Essentially the message is that the Devil personally shows up at every newborn birth and sticks his finger into the male or female child’s respective private part; unless the Devil deems the child a true member of the Shiite sect, baby boys are turned into “homosexuals” and baby girls into “whores.” Inconceivably unbelievable.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E8Ml-3LDKU&noredirect=1
  •  ODDS & ENDS:  Microwave package instructions about letting frozen entrees sit for a couple minutes after nuking turns out to be important. CDC researchers report that without “post zap standing time to finish cooking,” remaining bacteria in frozen raw ingredients may cause infection and/or vomiting.  ///  Last year, some 36,000 illegal immigrants already in process of being deported were released back to the public by decision of the Administration, including 174 hardcore criminals with known prior convictions for homicide or manslaughter, and hundreds of others for sex crimes and drunk driving.  ///  47% of unemployed Americans have “completely give up looking for a job” according to the latest Harris Poll. Meanwhile, the federal Dep’t of Labor tells us that within 3-½ years Millennials (kids born after 1980) will make up 50% of the U.S. workforce, and other stats suggest their job tenure now averages 20 months. ///  The first ever global study in 100 countries found “strong anti-Jewish views in more than a quarter of the world’s population,” as reported in the Wall St. Journal.
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:  “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.”  -Will Rogers
  •      “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Maya Angelou

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