Being involved with technology solutions professionals see things that could be a real threat to you, your staff or even your business; while the internet can be seen as a wonderful tool (cloud based communications and solutions for example) and all of the other great achievements that the internet has created there is a far darker side to it all; of that there is no doubt and it can be a real threat.

And factually you have in your business nowhere to run or nowhere to hide; sooner or later it becomes a high odd’s bet that employee, you or your company will suffer and in severe cases the effects could even close your company overnight.

Don’t believe this? Read on where examples of actual major threats are shown below. Not worried? You should be!

It’s so dangerous that Deloitte opened a cyber threat hunting service!

But on an everyday level to ordinary SME’s just like your business there really is no amount of anti virus this or anti malware that available that is really going to help; the examples below show you exactly why; things these days have moved on exponentially to levels that you may not believe, but some are revealed that are actual examples highlighting just how bad these threats have become. There will be casualties no doubt but you don’t want to be one of them!

Email has been a driving force that has moved forward communications between every aspect of business that anyone could imagine, from sales, customers, support, management, publicity and many more important areas; but it’s obvious that the underlying technology of email servers are flawed and because it’s now a worldwide transport for communications that’s hard to fix; these communications channels have to be compatible with every other email server in the world and that creates massive inherent vulnerabilities.

In almost every town, city or country, government bodies are working towards combating fraud and other nasty things from many areas, but email is one of the most widely abused platforms there is because of the ease of abuse by non-experts. And if you’re not an expert it does not take long to learn how to be one!

One organisation in the UK is Action Fraud operated by the police and while they handle other areas of fraud, email scams are very high on their list.

But here’s where things start to get nasty. Since the advent of cryptocurrency worldwide fraud has increased exponentially. And in the USA SEC Rejects Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund because they are very concerned about investor losses in Bitcoin.

However, this article is specific; Bitcoin is being used fraudulently and in both of the cases shown below Bitcoin is clearly involved in the transportation of monies to the perpetrators of these illegal demands on you, your staff or even your business. It’s no joke and anyone ignoring these really bad potential harms to their organisation will sooner or later come unstuck in maybe a really big way. The results could be catostrophic.

The first example shown below included personal details of the recipient that have been removed for security reasons. But this email (that passed every check through a company’s infrastructure) is threatening the life of an employee and should never be ignored.

Note that bitcoin and email addresses are edited for security purposes throughout this article.

HERE IS EXAMPLE ONE VERBATIM:

“From: kristin*********

Sent: ******

To: *********

Subject: How to save themself

Read this warn carefully, since it can be the last in your life.

People are by nature envious. Given the fact of successful development of your business, people (your contestant ) paid me 30,000 Pound Sterling for your head on a stick.

It’s not the first time I’ve done this kind of work, but I’m already tired of these envious bastards and your life will be the last one I’ll take or will not do, it’s up to you.

Under normal circumstances, I would just do the work for which I was paid without going into the details, but I’m going to get away from it and go on a long-awaited vacation.

You have 2 versions for deciding this problem.

Adopt my proposal or refuse.

You pay me 5 thousand GBP for safe your life and you receive all the information about the customer with whom you apply to the police and thus you save your life and the lives of your relatives.

The second option is you ignore my proposal and turn to the police, but by the same token you will only postpone your judgment day, even if I can not do the work, then somebody else will do it, not within a week and say in a month or half a year, but order for your head will be fulfilled sooner or later.

Thus, you will be afraid of every rustle, walk around looking and thinking that you are being persecuted.

If you want such a life, your choice, but if I were you, I would think very well.

Tickets to England have been taken for July **, and you have exactly 3 days to transfer money to an anonymous account bitcoin 1QJNjRmon3iD3RwdjaGomFLHs25B******.

I can check the last time receipt of money before the flight to you, on the **th

In the event of receiving a reward, I will not come to take your life, but will also pass all the information about your customer (Let the bastards get what they deserve) and you can protect yourself, otherwise you know the consequences.

The well-being of the future life depends on your choice.

Think about your life, you family.

on all will of Allah”

END OF EMAIL MESSAGE ONE

The above email is unedited except for recipients details and Bitcoin account numbers. It can be clearly seen in this email that there is a threat on the life of the recipient. While some recipients would simply brush this type of email off, others become extremely concerned; it’s easy to see exactly why. Indeed some recipients will go and pay the demanded money and not think twice. Imagine that a key employee received this email and they completely believed its contents? The resultant downfall of the employee could be extreme. This email threatens the recipients life and mentions their family etc.

Notice that the spelling is incorrect for English on this example (undisclosed but its in the content) and somehow the writer suggests that the email is the ‘will of Allah’. Probably not. But the user identified the recipient was in ‘England’ likely from the email address so the recipient could believe some of the contents.

The above email passed numerous checks throughout the receiving companies infrastructure. Now it’s easy to see if you are tech savvy, but most email users are not. And if you’re a small SME then things could happen that could literally create very serious effects on your business even though the email targeted an employee. But if you’re not tech savvy and a company owner, would you believe the above? and send money? Many will have and that ‘feeds’ the criminals for millions of pounds or in this case $US.

Bitcoin in the above example is used because Bitcoin CANNOT be traced to the ultimate recipient of the payment. This is a major flaw in crypto currency and one reason (irrespective of some suggesting it’s an easy way to make money) you really should have nothing to do with it. Criminals use Bitcoin all the time.

As suggested, you just might not believe the above email if you received it, but there is no doubt that you might well believe the next example because it has information in it that is only known by you!

HERE IS EXAMPLE TWO VERBATIM:

From: “Gloriana Feany”

To: *********************

Date: *********

Subject: (HERE WAS THE USERS NAME AND THEIR PASSWORD)

I know ****** is your password. Lets get right to the purpose. You may not know me and you are most likely thinking why you are getting this email? Nobody has paid me to check you.

actually, I actually setup a malware on the X videos (porn material) web site and you know what, you visited this site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were viewing videos, your web browser initiated operating as a RDP that has a key logger which gave me access to your display and webcam. Immediately after that, my software program gathered every one of your contacts from your Messenger, social networks, and emailaccount. And then I created a video. First part displays the video you were watching (you’ve got a fine taste hehe), and 2nd part displays the recording of your web camera, yea it is u.

There are two different possibilities. Let us take a look at each one of these options in details:

1st alternative is to skip this message. In this case, I most certainly will send your very own video clip to all your your contacts and visualize concerning the humiliation you will see. Moreover if you happen to be in a committed relationship, how it will affect?

Next choice should be to give me $3000. We are going to call it a donation. In this scenario, I most certainly will quickly remove your videotape. You will continue your way of life like this never took place and you will never hear back again from me.

You will make the payment through Bitcoin (if you do not know this, search for “how to buy bitcoin” in Google search engine).

BTC Address: 18PvdmxemjDkNxHF3p3Fu9wkaAZ********

[CASE sensitive, copy & paste it]

In case you are thinking about going to the law enforcement officials, very well, this e-mail can not be traced back to me. I have covered my actions. I am also not trying to charge you a lot, I simply want to be rewarded. I’ve a unique pixel in this e-mail, and at this moment I know that you have read through this email message. You have one day in order to pay. If I don’t get the BitCoins, I will certainly send your video to all of your contacts including family members, colleagues, etc. Having said that, if I receive the payment, I’ll erase the recording right away. If you really want evidence, reply Yup! then I will send out your video to your 7 friends. This is the non-negotiable offer, and thus please do not waste my personal time & yours by responding to this e mail.

END OF EXAMPLE TWO EMAIL:

This is an entirely different threat. The recipient picked this email up because of a multitude of reasons that were simply incorrect and not representative of their actions on the internet; however, the stated password was about 80% shown (and it would be reasonable to assume the perpetrator knew the rest of the password). This could be seen by many as a factual document and it’s credibility is created in the recipients mind by the inclusion of the password in to the threat.

Imagine owning a SME business that might indeed be a larger business, the threat demanded much more money and the recipient had viewed what was suggested in the email? People do. It could be seen as likely or at;east a possibility that the recipient might well pay the money to the perpetrator through Bitcoin. And again Bitcoin rears its ugly head.

Again in this second email instance shown the email passed all checks and tests in the company where the email was received. So these are real threats to individuals or business.

But consider this; how did the perpetrator get the recipients password? (it was an old password but nevertheless was mostly valid). The perpetrator suggested key logging on a site known for pornographic video and images. But that is most likely not where the perp got the details from.

When reading about companies like Facebook, TalkTalk, Dixons Carphone Warehouse, Equifax, Adobe, AOL, Apple, AT&T, British Airways, Mastercard and Visa, Compass Bank, Dominos Pizza, DVLA UK, Dropbox, Kmart, Hewlett Packard, eBay, Experian, Trump Hotels, Gmail, Vodaphone, Walmart, Morgan Stanley, NHS, Ofcom, SnapChat, Adidas, Macys, Sony Pictures (and the list goes on) is it really no wonder that most personal details of importance (even financially) of individuals and businesses are all over the internet. There is a Wikipedia about these breaches of data that is extremely concerning reading as these breaches involve all kinds of information that will no doubt be available to buy on the internet. With the incredible reductions in share prices at Facebook maybe that might be the start of a mass exodus from those sort of ‘social media’ sites; but of course Facebook is merely one of the very long list of companies that have let you down through not protecting your data properly as the list above clearly demonstrates.

Its easy to see why GDPR has become law and countries will continue to pass GDPR legislation accordingly. Thank all of the companies mentioned above and many more for allowing this ridiculous situation that could be the start of the downfall of the internet as it is known today.

But is it time to go back and retrospectively fine each and every company involved in the dispersal of personal details? Are those companies any less ‘guilty’ now? It seems for many companies that the only thing they understand is when they are faced with very large fines; and even the fines might be irrelevant to organisations like Facebook and Google because large fines seem to be ‘petty cash’ to some of those companies. But shere price reduction wakes them up.

If anyone is concerned about a ‘key logger’ from the above email example getting your information Kaspersky latest offering of internet security includes software that stops key loggers from logging your information as you type.

A third example of fraud covered in this article relates to a company that received an email pro-forma invoice to pay from one of its regular suppliers. One day the finance department received a pro-forma invoice that needed to be paid immediately. The email address and the invoice itself looked entirely unremarkable. The sending company advised the finance department that they had recently changed banks and that the new details were on the invoice attached. Finance paid the £60,000+ ( $US 80,000) invoice.

The only problem was, that the invoice was completely fraudulent, the email address did read correctly unless you looked close (instead of wonderful.com it was wonderfull.com (just made up example to illustrate the methodology used) and the recipient in the finance department saw and read what they were used to seeing. The real question is, how did the perpetrators get all that information about what an invoice should be like, the real suppliers details, etc., their website and email addresses and more; it’s food for thought and make no mistake it can be so easy to allow one of these scams through your business; the chances are pretty high and the consequences could be dire and even bankrupt your business if taken to the extreme.

There is no doubt that the underlying email systems are no longer fit for purpose in general and have not been for some time. Notice that in the first example the scammer sent mail from ‘mail.bg’ and the second one (even more concerning) was from ‘outlook.com’. While the sending email addresses can be ‘replaced’ with any email address upon examination those two shown emails seemed to be real; indeed one of the perps even used Google to advise how to use Bitcoin for payment. But there are multiples of very large companies that every day offer a service but allow their email servers and systems to send out such threatening emails to users. Maybe it’s time to pressure these organisations (outlook.com, gmail.com and there are multiples of others) to actually filter their emails properly as well as the sendersbefore these sort of threats go out and create serious harm that these sort of messages could easily do.

Of course there are millions of other examples of fraud through an outdated abused email system (and other related internet technologies) that could be shown here, but the aim of this article is to educate readers so that they don’t fall foul to these sort of appalling scams.

One company, Network Systems has seen many of these sort of internet related issues and offers a cybercrime service to SME’s to help to create a safe environment for empolyees and business as they work on the internet today.

Hopefully this article will at least make the reader think very hard about how they are going to ensure protection of employees and their company and if nothing else that is a wothwhile objective. Using specialist companies will always help more than by just trying to put solutions in place created by someone without experience in this area and could actually save your company.

If you have been infected with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), then you have genital warts. They are probably continually itchy, they look ugly and they are a major cause of frustration.

But, fortunately there is a solution and it is Wartrol. Wartrol’s genital warts treatment is 100% safe and natural. This means there is no possible way of getting side effects from harmful chemicals.

In a recent Wartrol review the performance of Wartrol was studied precisely. The results concluded from this Wartrol review were far better than expected.

Good visible results were seen in approximately 3 week, and complete relief was seen in 4 to 6 months depending on severity. The success of the treatment on all the tested patients was over 97%.

Dermatologists determined the Wartrol treatment extremely effective. The safety of the product is considered very safe. There were no side effects noted what so ever.

By looking at the results of this Wartrol review it’s straightforward to see why Wartrol is by the leader in genital wart treatment. Not only were results of the Wartrol review better than expected statistically, but the patients were more than happy with the ease of the application of the product. They found it more appealing than other painful treatments and embarrassing options.

Among the patients one of the best parts to the product was there were secondary outbreaks within the test group. Both men and women showed absolutely no signs of the genital wart returning.

Wartrol have extremely high standards for themselves in terms of safety and effectiveness, combine this with the potent ingredients, cost efficient prices and a proven reputation it’s no wonder why it’s the best genital warts treatment. The fact they offer a 3 month money back guarantee shows that they have absolute confidence in their product.

If you go on the need in search of a hosting service, you will not be surprised to see the words ‘unlimited features’ in the packages offered by hosting providers. There are many companies that can provide customers with massive resources but only a handful of clients are able to fully use the resources provided to them.

Like in any other industry there will always be some major players that dominate the sales while another group of players have poorer sales. This is similar to the eighty twenty rule. So, many hosting companies use ‘unlimited features’ because they are forced to. Instead of competing on who provides more, they rather just claim that they provide everything. No matter it are more or less resources, things can be done with just a click of a button on the website’s control panel. With no extra or special work needed for it, providers have no hesitation at all to offer unlimited resources. While more and more companies are performing this action, they still have to compete in order to secure more clients. They will have to offer extra features like Ruby on Rails in order to stay in the competition.

It use to be a thing that customers are weary of when it comes to unlimited resources because they suspect that the providers are running on cheap hardware and this might affect their website’s performance. It used to be the case but with today’s cheap price on hardware, things are different. The performance of the website will not be degraded. This is due to the improve technology making things better than before. So, in no time at all, all web hosting provider will be offering unlimited resources because it will be an industry standard. Any company that do not provide this will just be left out.

So, now you understand why providers are all coming up with these sorts of packages. It is a need for evolution in the industry. If they do not offer, they will be out of business. Therefore, they need to provide unlimited resource packages to stay in the game. So, we can be sure that all companies will be offering this kind of packages in the near future.

Your property in Turkey not selling? Follow these steamy hot tips and see a speedy sale within one month.

The art of finding the right buyer at the right price starts not with the agent or the property but with YOU! Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Are you ready to let go?

2) Do you 100% know and believe it’s worth the price you’re asking?

3) Can you ‘imagine’ your buyer?

If you’ve answered ‘No’ to the first two questions…. You’re going to encounter a lot of ‘No’s’ in your property selling experience. Either your viewings will be almost zero or prospective buyers will leave your property saying a big fat ‘NO’!

Maybe you’re having difficulty answering the first two questions … ambiguity leads to buyers dropping out at the last minute … all yes, yes yes … then when it comes to the crunch another big fat ‘NO!’

If you’re unsure whether your property is worth your price… you’d better check the market. Do not bank on your selling agent doing this correctly … get out there and check for yourself! It’s you who has to be sure … remember ambiguity ultimately leads to non commitment.

A successful sale comes from a committed buyer! That commitment starts with YOU!

Properties never move with a clean sale flow if You cannot hands on heart answer this question with a gutsy ‘yes’ based on your own research!

If you genuinely believe that your property is priced too cheap … this can cause hiccups too. Why? Because your sticky, resentful feeling inside will lead to the first question being answered ‘No’.

What about the final question… having difficulty there? If you can’t imagine exactly who is going to buy your property then you’re going to be hearing ‘I can’t see us living here’ an awful lot! That’s of course if you do manage to get any viewings. Remember… the average properties shown to a client are THREE. Now this is where you have to get very realistic about your sale… The bottom line is – selling agents will promote what they think will sell. If they can’t picture anyone living in your property do you really think you’re going to get in to their golden three? Highly unlikely!

Why do you think there’s all this hoo hah about staging properties … scrubbing them up clean – It goes far deeper than just a good show. It starts with the mind… your mind! Who do you see living there? Who does your agent see living there? Who does your viewer see living there? If everyone’s in the flow together it can only lead to a positive outcome …

Signed, sealed and SOLD!

Let’s talk a bit about your future occupier of your holiday home… just saying a young family or retired couple is not enough! I want you to really, really think about them … occupations, lifestyle, preferred food, TV programmes they watch. No … I’m not barmy! This stuff works. Ask yourself … Who’s behind your keyhole? Don’t leave your thoughts in the ethers… write it down, write it down!

Remember… It’s all in the detail!

Perhaps your selling agent is not up to scratch either… Test them with the three questions too. Are they willing to let the property go? In the overseas property market many agents work harder at selling new developments because first and foremost they make more commission, secondly it’s far far easier (no chasing owners, little paperwork, show rooms do their job!) and thirdly after-service taken care of by development team. Or maybe, they really don’t think the property is worth your asking price … or even worse they can’t remember your property at all. All bad signs!

There are 3 sets of people in this chain … You, the agent and the buyer. However, many owner’s approach their selling rather blasé … Ultimately, If you are struggling to sell your overseas property I can bet your bottom dollar that you’ve not been able to answer Yes, Yes, Yes to all 3 questions.

Take ownership of your ownership!

Sit down and really consider the questions. You may find that your other half doesn’t really want to sell … or you’ve placed your property with the wrong agent. Whatever… light will be shed and you will know your hindrance. It’s then up to you to take appropriate action. If you want to see your Turkish villa fly off the shelf in one month start by answering all three questions

Are you ready to let go?

Do you 100% know and believe it’s worth the price you’re asking?

Can you imagine your buyer?

with a big resounding YES!

The 0BVIOUS…

I want you to do a little mind travel now … sit back relax and take yourself to the sunny shores of Turkey. To the road where your property sits … Go on … walk right up to it and take a look. Anything strike you as odd? Perhaps there’s something missing?

Roof, windows, doors … no you’re okay there. Sorry to sound a little cynical but this ‘point’ really bugs me. The answer I’m looking for is… A sign!

Remember … estate agents in Turkey are not the same as in the UK where a chap in a van pulls up and promptly nails a big ‘For Sale’ on your property. There are a few estate agents in the larger resorts who do make an effort … but on the whole signs are just not on the agents selling agenda in Turkey. Reasons? … well there are a few. One of the strangest is the Turkish often don’t want their neighbours to know what they’re up to … but that doesn’t help you!

So ask yourself… If I was to walk by your property would I know it was for sale?

Ask your Turkish agent to assist you if you’re not in Turkey… at the end of the day they’ll make a total of 6% commission on a resale property. Make them work for it! Let’s get this into real figures… if your property is sold for £50,000 they will receive 3% from you and 3% from the buyer in total this is a grand sum of: £3,000. Now surely this is worth them doing a little extra on your behalf … (and theirs too if they get a sale!)

Many agents don’t want properties signed because they think every Tom, Dick and other emlaks (Turkish for estate agent) are going to come along and take your property. Yes … this is another weird thing about Turkish estate agents… because of the lack of sole agreements you could have your property on with a zzzzzzzzillion estate agents if you so wish. An estate agent likes to keep your property under wraps if possible … their wraps!

One of the easiest options to ‘sign’ your property is to have a weather proof, custom made banner with eyelets created. Many companies offer this service on the internet and you can have your banner delivered in just 3 days! All you need to do then is send it to your site manager, neighbour or friendly emlak. Or failing that … a nice excuse for you to hop on a plane and attach it yourself!

CREATING THE SIGN…

Remember not to make the mistake of having the contact details printed too small! Make sure your sign can be read from a passing car! Also take a tip from the Feng Shui masters of old … Use yellow (gold) and red. Didn’t do Macdonalds any harm! And if you really want to pay those Feng shui masters homage … buy a flag whilst you’re on line to your banner company. Moving objects attract attention … a waving flag from your balcony could pull you that all important buyer! Turkish flags are a great Feng Shui colour too … and you won’t go upsetting the neighbours!

Make it your mission in the next seven days to get FOR SALE with a telephone contact clearly displayed on your property. Three days to order, four days to post and dah… dah… you’re another step closer to reaching your buyer within 30 days!

These are just the first 2 of the hot tips in the series to get your property moving in Turkey … Hopefully, they will give you food for thought!

We’ve all read the stories and seen the films, but would you spot a zombie apocalypse if it were staring you right in the face? What if it was happening right now, on your website?

Unattractive, unresponsive and inaccessible? Yep, you guessed it, that’s a zombie website.

You can spot a zombie website a mile off – walking around the Internet eating up search results and spreading outdated information. You see, the Internet is continuously working… always on. Nothing can stop a zombie website from dragging its lifeless body, missing limbs and all, across the Internet and hurting your business’ reputation.

Zombie websites continue to exist, but no longer properly serves the business that gave it life. Let this be a cautionary reminder of what can happen and how to tell if your site is among the walking dead.

Slow and clumsy

Zombies are dreadfully slow and clumsy, moving with no agility, which is the opposite of what you want your website to be doing. If your website is slow to load, it is killing your online business. No one is going to wait more than a handful of seconds to see what a site has to offer.

Websites are also often slowed down by images and other content which are excessively large. If they haven’t been properly optimized, compressed, or cached, you will have a slow, lumbering hulk of a website – all of which demonstrates the characteristics of a zombie.

Zombie apocalypse

You also must update code, and scan for bugs which could generate the equivalent of the zombie apocalypse to your website. Avoid the white screen of death and look for updates regularly.

Of course, some websites are never rejuvenated. They look exactly the same as they did in, say, 2008 when they were first launched. These sites have no updated SEO, so search engines never find them. They also have graphics and design which, if they are found, make them look as if they died long ago, but no one bothered to tell them. Can anything on the Internet be more gruesome to look at than a pitifully outdated design?

Back from the dead

Finally, there are the saddest zombie websites of all – Dead Domains! These are sites with once proud domain names who have died and then were resurrected. These might be online variations of once larger retailers, or former brick and mortar stores whose online domain was dug up by someone else, and now the website exists to sell for that surviving company.

——

Visitors look at your website as a reflection of your business… your virtual front door. Is your website walking the Internet like a dead zombie when you’re not even working? Ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Is your content stale, old and stagnant?
2. Your site smells like 2009?
3. Are you losing out on customers because of incorrect contact information?
4. Are mobile/tablet users getting a negative experience on your site?

BETTER SAFE THAN ZOMBIFIED

Don’t let your website fall victim to zombies. Take all steps necessary to maintain its survival. It doesn’t require voodoo. All you need is a great designer team… (and brains, of course). Do it now! It may be trolling the Internet like a walking dead zombie, eating dissatisfied and non-return clients like braaa-iiins.

Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is busy giving their point of view and trying to prove why they are right? Where no one is actually listening or trying to understand other individuals’ points of view. The alternative meeting format is where everyone listens to and agrees with the meeting leader. No one contributes or adds ideas, they are just compliant.

In my experience most meeting are either one or the other. But when you think about it, what is the point of most meetings? Meetings are usually held to make decisions. The outcome that most people would want from the meeting is that the BEST decision is made, not that any decision is made, or another sub-committee is formed but that a decision that delivers results is made. Then we move on.

So as we hustle from meeting to meeting being very busy, achieving nothing in the way of measurable results, we land up with yet another sub-committee. All because we have lost the art of dialogue. So, the question is; what is the difference between dialogue and discussion?

DISCUSSION – Discussion is the way that most people communicate. During discussion we present our ideas and everyone analyzes and dissects them from their different points of view. The purpose of discussion, though, it to make sure you win, or that your point of view is the one that is accepted. During the discussion you will support your idea and give your points more strongly until, eventually, others agree with you. You want to prove that you are right, and the most knowledgeable, as does everyone else in the discussion. Great! With everyone trying to win the argument, no decision is ever made and we eventually need to form a sub-committee to decide. Or the CEO, or team leader, uses his or her divine autocratic right and decides for the team.

DIALOGUE – Dialogue on the other hand is an exploration of ideas. It is not a new form of communication but is the way the ancient Greeks and many so called ‘primitive’ societies are seen to explore ideas. During dialogue everyone works together contributing towards the idea. Remember the team is greater than the sum of the parts; therefore more is achieved from the dialogue as each person’s ideas add to the last. In a dialogue no one is trying to win. They are trying to learn and create. They suspend their individual assumptions and explore ideas and issues. It is a free flow of ideas where participants continue to think and watch themselves think. The great physicists Heisenberg, Pauli, Einstein and Bohr described the conversations they had with each other. As we know from history their conversations (dialogue) changed traditional physics because what they could achieve as a group exceeded what each could do as individuals. Interesting? So who is ‘primitive’ now?

How do you get your team to dialogue? There are 3 conditions needed:

You are closer to achieving dialogue when your team meetings are filled with questions. Questions indicate an attempt at understanding. Sit back in your next meeting and see how often a question is asked. No questions = no dialogue.

Teams can enter dialogue if everyone knows what is expected of them in advance and if they truly want the results created through dialogue. Dialogue is playful conversation and everyone must be willing to play with new ideas. Who says you can’t have fun and grow at the same time?

I hope you can achieve dialogue in your teams. Since we became aware of the difference and have been trying to practice dialogue we have really had some amazing insights into our business and what we do. We have achieved a whole level of new understandings.

Who knows, maybe there is something amazing that your company could achieve if you all just put your heads together. 1 + 1 = 3 makes a lot of sense!

There is an ongoing controversy as to whether aspartame is responsible for causing headaches in people who ingest it. The FDA calls aspartame the most researched food additive ever approved.

While there have been multiple reports of users experiencing sudden and severe onset of migraine headaches after using of aspartame, studies done by various institutions would seem to indicate the link is not causal. The FDA says they have received the results of over 100 clinical trials and doxological studies, and upon review they have concluded that aspartame is safe for ingestion by the human population.

Following concerns in the late 1970s about saccharin, an artificial sweetener marketed as Sweet ‘n Low, the industry sought an alternative product. Saccharin remains on the anticipated carcinogens list, as it has been proven to cause cancer in animals; despite this it remains a highly popular sweetener.

Aspartame, marketed under such brand names as Equal and NutraSweet, was approved by the FDA in 1981, and is present in many diet drinks, foods and gum as well as being marketed heavily as a tabletop sweetener.

Aspartame is frequently used by dieters wishing to reduce sugar consumption. As a very low calorie product it has found favor with calorie counters world-wide.

In the past decade, many reports have been made by aspartame users concerning adverse effects, particularly in the case of migraine headaches. Patients claiming they suffered serious headaches after consuming aspartame took part in an in-depth study under the auspices of the Duke University Medical Center.

Dr Susan Schiffman carried out the study; with Monsanto/NutraSweet making a contribution to the costs. NutraSweet, you will recall, is a brand name under which aspartame is marketed. Researchers evaluated 40 sufferers of aspartame related headaches.

Some subjects of the study were dosed with a 30mg/kg bw on days three and five of the double blind study. Others received a placebo. Of the volunteers who participated in the study, 35% who consumed aspartame developed headaches, but 45% in the placebo group developed headaches.

There has been frequent criticism of the study due to its short term and below optimum conditions. Researchers counter by claiming that all the CDC guidelines had been complied with, so the results were valid.

These results of the study, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, claimed that no correlation whatsoever existed between consumption of aspartame and migraine headaches (1).

Allegations of aspartame promoting migraines are numerous on the world wide web. Researchers have carried out over 200 studies in order to evaluate the safety of aspartame, looking at everything from lymphoma to epilepsy,. It is completely harmless, in the opinion of the FDA.

The European Food Safety Administration published a review stating that aspartame had indeed caused lymphoma in laboratory rats, but since no other studies had shown similar results, concluded their study was faulty and declined to raise any concerns about aspartame (3).

After evaluation of nearly half a million men and women aged between 50 and 69 over a five year period, the US National Cancer Institute concluded there was no evidence to link aspartame consumption with lymphoma, leukemia or brain tumors (4).

The Scientific Committee on Food did an exhaustive review of more than 500 papers on the subject of aspartame and came to the conclusion that concerns about aspartame causing any adverse reaction were unfounded (5).

Proponents of the use of aspartame have raised concerns that the ‘myth of aspartame headaches’ can cause people to overlook severe medical problems and that blaming aspartame for migraines can endanger those with more serious health issues. Sufferers of frequent headaches or migraine should always consult their medical practitioner, irrespective of what they perceive the cause to be.

Those with migraines who stop taking aspartame sweetened beverages and foods and experience a cessation of symptoms are said by the medical community to be experiencing a form of ingrained reaction – they believe strongly that the aspartame is the cause of their symptoms, so the absence of aspartame causes the pain to cease.

This is also expected to work the other way – that if they believe drinking an aspartame sweetened beverage will give them a headache, they will proceed to develop one – a theory upheld by the results of the placebo group in the Duke trial.

This has not been proven beyond doubt; to date there has been no medical evidence to corroborate suggestions that the consumption of aspartame will trigger a migraine. At the time of writing, the Duke Study is considered to be the most authoritative on the subject.

(1) New England Journal of Medicine Volume 317:1181-1185 November 5, 1987

(2) CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety April 20, 2007

(3) EFSA findings (Website available on request)

(4) Council on Scientific Affairs (1985) Aspartame. Review of safety issues.

(5) Scientific Committee findings Website available on request

Amenorrhoea is a condition implying the fact that a woman at reproductive age is not having menstrual period. A woman is considered to be at reproductive age at any age between her first period and the occurrence of menopause. During this while the only moments when lack of period is normal are during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. In any other circumstances, if no menstrual period occurs for three months, the woman is susceptible of suffering of amenorrhoea. This condition can have a multitude of causes and in certain cases it might imply the incapacity of a woman to conceive babies. Amenorrhoea, depending on what caused it in the first place can be permanent or temporary.

The primary way of classifying amenorrhoea, though, is by the time when it occurs. We can be talking about primary or secondary amenorrhoea. The first type means that menstrual period is lacking in young women under the age of 16. It can either be the fact that they have never had their first period and they don’t have sexual characteristic either, or it can only be the lack of period, with all the other characteristics of their sex developed normally. Secondary amenorrhoea occurs in women who have had normal periods up until then. It can have a variety of causes, from uterine scars to administration of certain medication.

Secondary amenorrhoea can also be caused by hormonal imbalance due to a malfunctioning of the pituitary or thyroid gland. If a doctor establishes that the condition is permanent, various treatments are available, unless amenorrhoea doesn’t pose any dangers for the health and the woman doesn’t want to conceive babies anymore. In such a case, treatment is not compulsory. In determining the appropriate treatment, the physician needs to first determine what caused amenorrhoea. Sometimes balancing the hormones is required, while in other cases it can be solved by surgery.

There are external factors that can lead to secondary amenorrhoea and, if those are removed, the woman will get back to normal without specific treatment. Certain prescribed pills like contraceptive ones can cause amenorrhoea and the menstrual period will normalize a while after the woman stops taking them. A condition known as athletic amenorrhoea is also common and it occurs in women exercising a lot or practicing certain sports. Diet also plays a part and amenorrhoea has been reported to occur in women that are constantly dieting in order to lose weight or to stay in shape and don’t consume enough calories to sustain their activity.

The state of Ohio has quietly ruled out a new investigation of the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State. This despite a front-page story in Cleveland’s Plain Dealer (May 9, 2010) reporting that two audio forensics experts, using modern-day enhanced technology, concluded they heard someone issue a “Prepare to fire” order on a tape recording made by a student.

Amanda Wurst, the press secretary for Ohio Governor George Strickland, sent me an e-mail saying: “We do not have the resource [sic] to conduct such an analysis.” There has not been an official announcement, and there may not be, but Wurst’s statement seems to rule out any further study of the recording by the state of Ohio.

It also appears that the U.S. Justice Department will join the state in pretending this new evidence does not exist. Joe Bendo, a friend and business partner of Terry Strubbe, the Kent State alumnus who taped the gunfire from a close by dormitory window, told me that no one in the Justice Department ever contacted Strubbe or asked to review the original tape. It is now been more than two months since the Justice Department was also asked to conduct additional tests. The Department also has not made a public announcement, which comes as no surprise to long-time May 4 observers.

The closures leave the Kent State case still without resolution. No further light will be shed on the most important unresolved mysteries: What happened in those final moments before four students were killed, and who gave this “prepare to fire” order and why?

The controversy over the tape began over three years ago when one of the wounded students, Alan Canfora, who survived the gunfire claimed to have had the Strubbe tape enhanced by a rock and roll buddy. Canfora claimed he could hear an order: “Right here. Get set. Point. Fire.” However, none of the eyewitnesses who gave statements to the FBI and other investigative bodies heard those words. The authenticity of his claim was also questioned by former military men, who insisted that no officer would issue such a nontraditional command.

Last spring a reporter for Cleveland’s Plain Dealer asked two nationally known forensics audio experts, Tom Owens and Stuart Allen, to independently review the tape. As the Plain Dealer reported, the experts could not hear the words “Right here. Get set. Point. Fire.” However, the experts reported hearing something else that no one had anticipated: a “prepare to fire” order six seconds before the Ohio National Guardsmen did precisely that.

Significantly, the two audio experts’ conclusions directly contradicted the sworn testimony of more than 30 Guardsmen who testified at the 1975 civil trial which considered wrongful death and injury claims brought by the parents of the four slain students and the nine wounded survivors. Almost to a man, the Guardsmen denied there was such an order. If Owens and Allen are right, that means that the Guardsmen committed extensive perjury at the trials. Such a cover-up would have been one of the most expansive in modern history.

It now appears that if there are any further developments in the case, they will not come from any official government entity. Strubbe and Bendo have hired their own experts and plan to produce a documentary based on their findings. There is no way of knowing whether further analysis will confirm or cast doubt on the recent findings.

In the meantime, the surviving victims are left only with new suspicions as to why the Guardsmen resorted to lethal force. We are only somewhat closer to learning what happened when the war in Vietnam was brought home.

Do you take your business personally? It’s an honest question. Most people say “It’s business, don’t take it personally.” But really, is that possible? I don’t think so. I think business is personal. Let’s face it, we are people. We are people who have lives, who love and care for others. As humans we are compassionate, thoughtful and we have feelings. So how can we take the feelings out of business? We can’t. We can, however, take the negativity out of it.

What do I mean by take the negativity out of it? A lot of business owners take ‘no’ personally. Let’s take a look at a service-based business such as a coach, personal trainer, massage therapist or even a virtual assistant. In these businesses it is customary to make offers to prospects to come and benefit from our services. Yet, when we hear ‘no’, we can take it to mean that the prospect is saying ‘no’ to us personally, when in fact it is to the services we provide.

I call this type of behavior victim behavior. It means that when we are told ‘no’, we feel as if we have been rejected and then we go down the “I’m not good enough” path… which never leads to anything positive. That is what I mean when I say take the negativity out of it. YOU are good enough. When you go into victim-mode your energy dwindles, you have less drive to get things done, and you certainly don’t feel like making another offer because — gosh forbid — if that person says ‘no’ too, you just won’t be able to deal with it.

Yes, we do take our businesses personally. I have been there. I have felt down and out when someone has said ‘no’ to me. I have felt like maybe I’m not good at this and who would want to work with me anyway. It wasn’t until I realized that I was being a victim and I was taking ‘no’ personally. What they were saying ‘no’ to, in reality, is themselves. They are saying no to their growth, their potential and their happiness.

Here is a secret: usually when someone who is a good fit for you says no, it is because they aren’t feeling as if they are good enough. They may be feeling they won’t get the great results you are telling them they can have. They may feel it will be too hard (another negative and certainly an excuse) and they won’t be able to live up to your expectations… or even their own.

Just so you know; many people use money as an excuse and truly sometimes it is a valid reason. However, if they have looked you up and asked to talk to you, chances are it is time for them to move forward and they may be fearful and in the victim mentality.

Thus, here are several “rules” to remember so that you don’t take ‘no’ personally in your business:

Rule #1: You are good enough, right here and right now!

Rule #2: You have what it takes to be powerful in every situation.

Rule #3: You are not your business – if someone says no, it isn’t ‘no’ personally.

Rule #4: Keep a list of the things that you excel at, and if you do take a ‘no’ personally pull those out and read them.

Rule #5: Remember Rule #1

Everyone feels as if they might not live up to expectations and therefore they might not even try. Whenever you hear a ‘no’, try to keep in mind also that it is a no now but not forever. I know I’m not the only one who has had a potential client say no and then come to me at another point in time and said yes. Oftentimes people need to think on things and to process it. Yes, sometimes they need to feel the pain of the struggle a little longer before they can say yes to themselves… which, remember, is who they ultimately are saying yes to.

A wise mentor once said to me, “You take yourself everywhere, so why not take the best of yourself each time, leaving behind the possibility to take things personally because it never serves you well.”