• “SMARTPHONES ARE INTERTWINED WITH OUR LIVES,” replacing not only landlines, but computers, cameras, iPods, books and newspapers. Surveys show up to three-quarters of American users never switch off their phones and half check it before getting out of bed each day (two-thirds if measuring just millennials), while 10% wake up during the night to check status. Daytime, some 37% use smartphones “primarily for making actual phone calls” (versus social media, email, photos, news, etc.), but landline instruments are creeping back as people discover the benefits of: (1) “being more intentional about accepting calls versus just accepting invites; (2) focusing fully on the person talking for improved quality of call outcomes – productivity, accuracy & efficiency; and (3) living mindfully in the moment for a greater sense of fulfillment, by preventing calls from encroaching into the rest of one’s life.”  [FAST COMPANY – 3/25/19]
  •  “CULTURE IS THE OUTCOME of the vision or mission that drives an organization, the values that guide the behavior of its people, and the management practices, working norms, and mindsets that characterize how work actually gets done… In merger situations, while 95% of executives describe ‘cultural fit’ as critical to the success of integrating teams, 25% cite a lack of cultural cohesion & alignment as the primary reason merger integration efforts fail.” DCG have decades of experience in providing ‘Cultural Congruity’ services to clients, which consistently demonstrate two critical strategies: (1) that initiatives be driven by leaders instead of delegated to HR or Communications groups, and (2) that they be developed well in advance, and utilize a tactical mixture of “hard measures (like structured incentives) with soft measures (like communication and celebration)” throughout the new company.  [McKINSEY & CO – March 19]
  • 45% OF HEART FAILURE PATIENTS ARE REHOSPITALIZED within six weeks, and 25% within 30 days. This occurs predominantly when blood oxygen volume is low or blood pressure is high, which “causes breathlessness, tiredness, dizziness, and increases risk of kidney & liver as well as further heart damage.” Inventors at Rochester Institute of Technology have now designed a toilet seat with WIFI-enabled sensors that can monitor patients and transmit directly to doctors on a real-time proactive basis, since “the aorta – the body’s largest artery – runs into the thighs, reducing the likelihood of mistakes from self-monitoring, and conceivably saving millions of lives.” [DAILY MAIL.CO.UK – 3/21/19]
  • “AMERICA IS AT WAR WITH OURSELVES, A TANGLE OF IDEOLOGIES ALL PULLING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS… Things that use to be taken for granted – values like common decency and civility – are suddenly rare. Issues that were once uncontested are suddenly grounds for fierce debate.” Fault lines have evolved between boomers & millennials, urban & rural dwellers, educated & non-educated workers, activists vs liberals vs conservatives, and collectively ‘haves’ versus ‘have-nots.’ According to Pew Research, there are no issues that are widely considered top priorities by both parties, and the average partisan gap in their rankings is 19 points… Not since ‘slavery’ has there been such a stark contrast between ideologies of the States… and the days of even general consensus seem lost.” [LBN EXAMINER – 3/24/19]
  • “A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE MAKES IT LIKELY THAT CANNABIS USE IS TRIGGERING MENTAL-HEALTH PROBLEMS.” A Kings College London clinical study of over 900 European patients newly diagnosed with psychosis found 30% tied to “strong cannabis – with potency greater than 10% increasing the risk five-fold and less potent strains increasing it three-fold… Meanwhile, in some brands (Royal Gorilla, Girl Scout Cookies, Fat Banana) the THC level is above 25%.” [THE ECONOMIST – 3/23/19]
  •  THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:”Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”

       20% of Americans are expected to bet some $8.5 BILLION on NCAA ‘March Madness’ in this couple weeks. According to the American Gaming Ass’n, nearly 30% are betting on Duke.

      “Renegade State: The Four Families that control California” https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7352te

      A very clever monkey dummy: https://biggeekdad.com/2019/03/monkey-hypnotizes-ventriloquist/