• UPDATE ON MILLENNIALS: “Empowered by a world connected by technology, the tasks of millennials have been digitized, dematerialized, demonetized, democratized…and they know how to leverage the tools at their disposal to do things more effectively… Accordingly, they crave flexibility and expect to be mobile to work from home/office/cafes/etc at their will.  Mission-driven and motivated by challenge, they work harder, faster and better if they have can experiment with exponential technologies – platforms like machine learning, data mining, robotics, telepresence and virtual reality.”  A recent Career Advisory Board study found major disconnects between millennial perspective on the ‘most important factors in career success versus perspective of their m\Managers: 30% rank ‘meaningful work’ highest and 24% ranked ‘sense of accomplishment (versus 11% of Managers in each category); while 27% said ‘high pay’ compared to 48% of Managers.  Another survey of 4000 millennials form around the world ranked their top three ‘job benefits’ as Training & Development, Flexible hours, and Cash Bonus ‘Upside’ in the value they’re creating.  [PETER DIAMANDIS BLOG – May 31, 15]
  • ‘SURVIVALISTS’ HAVE FASHIONABLY EVOLVED TO ‘PREPPERS’ – people who stockpile food, water & weapons in belief that society has a good change of soon crumbling. Whether from global pandemic, hard-core disasters, implosion of an absurdly-managed financial system, breakdown in the power supply (from overload, hacking, solar flares, electro-magnetic pulse attack from terrorists or war, etc), their expectation is hyperinflation leading to absence of goods and civil unrest – SHTF in Prepperspeak: when the Shit Hits The Fan.  Stockpiling includes gas, fire-starting supplies, first-aid kits, emergency radios, and other sensible provisions which are packaged in conventional ‘Earthquake Kits,’ but Preppers go further: some keep “seeds to grow & traps for catching their own food, and metallic rod & Vaseline-soaked cotton balls to light fires… Preppers are generally not a paranoid bunch, but rather planning ahead for the possibility, not probability.” Many put together an INCH Kit (“I’m Never Coming Home”) – basically a 72-hour backpack for quick exit if/when crisis occurs. Their mantra is simply that “the social contract is potentially written on very thin paper when stuff goes down, and those who are ready to deal with it are going to do much better than those who aren’t.”   [CHICAGO MAGAZINE – May 15] 
  • THE WORLD’S FIRST COMMERCIAL ‘JETPACK’ WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR, capable of powering a person up to 265 pounds at nearly 50 miles-per-hour for 30 minutes, well over a half mile in the air. At $150K it won’t be a toy, but “is no longer the stuff of science fiction. The Martin Jetpack, which is made of carbon fiber & aluminum, uses gasoline & fans instead of science fiction rockets… is designed for landing in tight, hard to reach places (a vital tool for emergency services)… and comes with a low-altitude parachute should things go wrong.” Superman fantasies may become reality.  [THE GUARDIAN U.K. – June 26, 15]
  • “WITH ALL THE RIDICULOUS NEW REGULATIONS, CODDLING AND SOCIETAL MORES that seem to be the norm these days, it’s a miracle that those of us over 30 survived our childhoods.” Activities which once contributed to building self-awareness, courage, perspective and social interaction but are now strongly frowned upon include: leaving home after breakfast and returning before dinnertime; riding your bike with a buddy on the handlebars and no helmets; walking to school alone; carrying a pocketknife to school; playing cowboys & Indians (now politically incorrect); playing cops & robbers with toy guns; playing games like dodgeball, tag or red rover (now deemed by school systems as dangerous with “significant risk of injury”); working for pocket money well before teen years; hitchhiking; eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches in the school cafeteria; ‘writing lines’ on the blackboard for being a jerk at school. But of course we did miss out on Smartphone video games… [ZEROHEDGE.COM – June 19, 15]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
  • A Federal Appeals Court has now ruled that Interns don’t have to be paid so long as the work serves an educational purpose and “complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees.
  • “You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln

       Stunning computer animation… So weird you can’t stop watching it!   www.youtube.com/embed/foqGirKxbvk  

       And for a truly AMAZING “magic” trick (watch to the end):  http://boredomprise.co/magician-tries-to-kiss-judge-but-its-what-comes-next-that-makes-them-all-gasp/

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE FOR OPTIMAL STRATEGIC & FINANCIAL PLANNING, OPERATIONS, MANAGEMENT & MEDIATION