Academic-Capital

 The economy took a little dip. Its not expected to be long based on some of the projections by investment firms. We seem to have run into some issues of contraction (See below). I'm not sure what the big problems are nor what all of the solutions might be. What I can say is that I think we need to do more to attract investors in our communities. Foreign and domestic investment can make a difference. If we want to be on top of the world market we have to make our spot on the global supply chain the most lucrative. We also need to be an export oriented and innovative nation.  Reuters has a pretty good synopsis of how we are doing economically in the Q1-2022  US Economy Contracts Q12022 Things like less disposable income, lower exports ( I hate this!!!! I just don't know why we struggle with bring back investment and exporting more. 😤 ), lower consumer sales, lower profits and a total of 9 out of 22 industries contract ( Its not to be long term but its a crystal ball issue .). H

This are getting interesting to say the least. I'm kind of busy today so I'm not going to say much. It looks like momentum has shifted. In any situation like this it is important to understand. To prosecute or not prosecute is still an open question with pit falls either way. The biggest issue is what happened and how can we avoid it again? I still kind of think there is a pot stirrer in there somewhere. Depending on how much someone digs they may find a patterned system with the hats, members, coordination, etc... Its not enough to say it may be that way, one must actually connect and create valid the dots. That requires researchers, interviews, and panels. Not an easy task to decipher mistake form intention. Before you get all excited about what I believe. I just am watching to understand. I think there is possibility for more issues in the depth but that doesn't mean it is. I always focus on the maintaining our institutions (a older conservative idea that may have been f

The world is not an easy place. Some are born with golden opportunities and others are locked out of those opportunities. Democracy provides people a chance at self governance and capitalism provides people an opportunity to rise on their own merit. Yet there is a divide in society and that will likely be the next big challenged after our current bout of extremism  (National success is a series of doors and challenges. Just like in personal development, societal development requires us to collectively master each challenge.) To overcome the next challenge means we must strengthen certain values that are an essential part of the deal. We must act with integrity at all times and places. The higher one's station and position in life the more they should hold strong values. Those values should tell us that we need a unified society focused on the same positive outcomes for everyone (based on merit and not class).  The connected class should be well aware that the essential purpose of t

Most analysts would at this point say no way Ukrain can win and push the Russians out! I say it is possible but it won't be today or tomorrow unless.... You can read Russia Winning War in Ukraine.   With the right supplies, sanctions, and a few unexpected Russian mishaps based on existing weaknesses (the things Russia doesn't show the public) occur, then the tide could turn (i.e. defaulting on debt, economic woes, lack of ability to muster resources and a few battlefield losses).  We were a little slow in our response and in many ways hoped to give Ukraine the ability to fight without creating a decisive victory. Troop levels are depleted on both sides but Ukrainians have more international support. With a change in strategy, better equipment, and back up support by well trained/seasoned mercenaries Ukraine could possibly turn the Russian assault into a route.  Russia is running thin on multiple fronts and I suspect in many ways hiding that through false strength puffery (Putin

In the path to sustainability in our environment and our economy we will need to invest in research. You can read about UoM Great Lakes Research and their partnership with LSSU in the UP with the Coast Guard under the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research . What does the cooperative do? "Hosted by the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan, CIGLR consists of a Research Institute and a Regional Consortium that is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), universities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we work to achieve environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the Great Lakes." What are they going to look at? ...."climate change, extreme weather events, invasive species, harmful algal blooms and ecosystem protection". Here is the thing. If we want to maximize our natural fish as a future protein source and fishing industry as well as furth

One of the nasty little tid bits to team performance that business executives, coaches, and team leads struggle with is deciphering the right types of personalities that are most likely to help in creating strong teams. If you are like most people in a position to hire others, you want to find hard charging people who seek to focus on the tasks at hand. What you don't want is them to be so self oriented that they create dysfunction and conflict.  Teamwork is a process of recruiting the right mix of people through their skills and personality to build a strong performing team. Agreeableness seems to be one of the traits you can look for in a potential candidate. Let me give you an example. Agreeableness was found to have significant impact on about 93% of other traits. It was a bridge between multiple traits and in many ways seemed to influence them as a general outlook. You can read about that that study in ' Agreeableness a helpful trait for general success in life, study find

I recently took this picture of Escanaba Marina. I'm unsure of whether to include or not in the gallery. Sometimes I initially include something and then take it out or other times I might ignore a picture and later find it interesting.  It isn't a science as some like some things and some don't like others.  Since I'm completely on the fence I figured I would just include it. If you haven't been to Escanaba Marina or have a boat and are coming into the area I would stop, walk around the park, and go out to eat in the nearby downtown.  There a few restaurants within 5 blocks. There are a couple of new ones being developed within a few blocks. If your an investor you might want to check out this underdeveloped little northern destination. Plenty of downtown space and an administration that is easy to work with.  Escanaba Marina Escanaba Marina: Northern Get Away

Curiosity is one of those terms that is association with exploration, trying new things, openness to experience, and pondering the possibilities. Organizations often look for workers but have a more difficult time fostering curiosity. The typical organization is highly rigid and often based more in fulfilling one's immediate workload with little to no time for curiosity.  Not putting time aside for curiosity may not be the best long term choice from an adaptive standpoint. Consider organizations that need to keep innovating and developing to compete with other companies. Curiosity and the willingness to ask questions makes a big difference in long term development.  While it isn't always a 1X1 equation it is an additive process. Some will waste exploration time and some will put more more into the process. Small changes discovered through many curious hands can provide a cutting edge advantages to companies. One big discovery/adjustment could revolutionize both the company and

Ukraine has lost some ground as of recent because they did not have the correct tools for the fight. The essential question is Can Ukraine Resist and Reemerge from Lost Ground? They will need to hold ground and eventually regain ground and that won't happen unless they are protected from relentless shelling. Under the right circumstances they can come back. Russia is using its large arsenal of semi-modern old equipment, large troops ranks, and superior artillery in the fight. They are overwhelming the smaller but more functional Ukrainian forces. They can spend all day softening their targets and keep Ukrainian troop movements hunkered down and at a minimum ( A strategy that would likely work against Russia with the right equipment ). Supplies often have to trickle in and with shortages it is apparent Ukraine is in a tough spot. Three interesting things are going on..... Interesting #1 It appears that the Russian nation is defaulting for the first time since the Bolshevik Revoluti

I do some photography and painting as a hobby and try when I can to donate to charitable causes. I like the colors as bright and tropical feeling. If you like see below and where you can purchase the picture. I have a lot so I will add when I can. Marina Life: Boats, Palm Trees and Blue Skys Purchase on Etsy Store

Polo Mallets are expensive and cost a lot of money. In most cases they are $200+. When you add that to that other equipment it can be $1,200 or more for a helmets, boots and more. That is a lot of money to get started in the game. Considering the expense of mallets and how often they break polo players are often looking for alternatives.  Escanaba Polo Mallet Company offers quality entry level mallets for $99. While our mallets are just as good as those that are $200 we seek to make it easy for people to get started. Thus we keep our entry level mallets cheaper ( If one is interest in a $250+ custom mallet they should contact us at escanabapolomalletcompany@gmail.com ) Here are a few attributes of our mallets you may like... 1.) Solid construction of bamboo and hardwood. 2.) Made in the U.S.A. 3.) Light. Under a few pounds. 4.) 52" standard length. Can be cut a different length for $10 charge. Contact for adjustment escanabapolomalletcompany@gmail.com. 5.) We are a good works sta

I can tell you stories horrendous that would make the most hardened criminal ponder their internal value systems. When people do bad things the worst thing others can do is line up to support that hate. When we engaged in intentional destructiveness we do so because of our social networks. It may also be an indication that some of the supporters harbor deeper feelings of racism and bigotry. We are defined by our choices and actions and no one can take that away from them ( I doubt they have the insight to know the root of their behavior. ) This large group of hate supporters can't say me or my children have done anything to them, were rude to them, or have harmed them in any way. What they can say is that after extremely aggressive behaviors toward myself and my children and the discovery of potentially fraudulent behaviors certain boundaries were created. That group felt they were better than the targets and jumped in to try harm my family ( Some see themselves as supporters of th

There are people who feel justice is a joke. Some will be given free passes and others will become responsible for all of society's ills ( In most societies one group or another is picked. ). It makes no difference what position one is in or their perceived value to society ( I have a Muslim name and told my family was targeted for that reason. At present it appears corruption is given a free pass. Time will answer that definitely. I expected that but I have been wrong on a number of occasions. I don't even really care that much any more. Free passes should be embarrassing in the modern century. It is a devaluing of life. ). Justice isn't a joke and when we give a free pass to behaviors that are obviously wrong we make a mockery of the rule of law. Punishment isn't necessary but accountability is a must! That should come with moral conscious and wisdom. It makes no difference if someone is the president or the lowest ditch digger ( I respect the later more than most in

 Federal Chair Jerome Powell discusses some changes on inflation. You can read an overview in Powell's Warning . I'm not going into super depth about what he is saying but I would agree that there are larger environmental factors involved outside the U.S. ( i.e. war, supply chains, etc.. .) We want to see wages rise without necessarily raising price ( That will require rebalancing our labor market to raise value, wages, and functionality. It means we do more with our current labor and increase their market inputs. None of that means that companies should not think about the growing differences between executive pay and labor pay. A level of narrowing that gap can be helpful. ). Interest rates are likely to rise to slow the economy down. Part of me thinks there is some advantages to putting ourselves at the center of the highest value leg of the global supply chain and leak off to our allies lesser activities to raise the value of our labor. Not 100% sure how to do that. Too bad

 Ukraine is stuck in a difficult spot. It must not only defend itself but also push back against Russian forces. If you read ' Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk now ‘completely under Russian occupation ’ after months of fighting' you will get a pretty good sense of their dire situation.  We have heard over the past few weeks a few things the Ukrainians may be suffering from that include 1.) lack of ammo, 2.) slowing Western support, 3.) lack of artillery  and air protection and 4.) lack of troop replenishment.  To win this war Ukraine may need to change some of its strategies but it will also need to garner faster and more forceful support. With Belarus appearing to enter the war and threats made against other western nations we should have some concerns.  Coordinated effort to get the Ukrainians the things they need and provide advanced tactical support may be helpful. At present this is their war but tomorrow it may be other nations. A protective buffer becomes diminished and w

In my mind law and moral conscious should be connected.  We have experienced a lot of extremism over the past few years as a nation. We don't really have a strong understanding of what it is and how to resolve it. I believe the makings of such extremism existed for a long time but we neither had the theoretical lens to see it nor the foresight to tackle such issues early.  Let us talk about domestic extremism for a moment. If you were a minority of some time ( Muslim, Arab, Jew, Black, Asian, White, etc... The race and religion isn't important as it is based in who has power and who can be scape goated. ) you may have experienced extremism at one time or another. Now that has moved onto different forms and beliefs. While people may have experienced unchecked hate against those seen as "untouchables" in society it wasn't coordinated on a large group level. Some people moved from individual rage to group rage and shared sense of hate purpose. When given a level of p

Is art beneficial to business? It's a simple question of whether painting has a place in modern business. We often think it is for the flighty and non serious. Obviously it has benefits for the advertising arenas but how about visualization and decision making?You may want to read a little something on business creativity and how creativity leads to better overall decision making and business Intelligence. Creativity in Business . The National Endowment for the Arts has a working paper specifically on Artists and Business . While my art may not be the greatest not everything I do is useless. Its a learning process utilizing as many senses and experiences as possible. It becomes increasingly possible to see the possibilities of "out of box". Support your local arts for long term competitiveness.  Painting of lilacs and mountains. Purchase in Etsy Shop . Some of profits go to various charities. Slowly growing. 

If you really want to understand what is being passed with the gun compromise act you should read the The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in full. There are things like mental health help, background checks, red flag, funding, etc.. Thus, there was an effort of our leaders to address an issue and put forward a solution. We will have to see if The House will pass it as it is seen as less supported in this arena.  Just to clear out my own bias I have no problem with people having hunting guns, target practice guns, antique guns, self defense oriented guns and in some cases more powerful guns. I am just not sure when higher military grade guns are needed by the average person in society ( I am also not an expert in all the different uses for guns but am descent at absorbing different perspectives. This is just a post to help myself and others think through some options.  ).  I do understand the fear of some gun owners who feel that things they view as sacred are being taken away. Some m

If your looking for an outdoor kayaking adventure you may want to do go down the Au train River. Au train MI. is located about an hour north of Escanaba and there are about 3-4 kayak renal places within close vicinity. It takes about 3-5 hours to go down the river with lots of places to stop on the banks. A few bathrooms in the state forest as well.  I suggest you pick up your cans and garbage. It was very clean and clear but there were a few cans that people recently left. Its not your trash dump. I believe the kayak companies go down and look for them but I think people should be a little more mindful that we have pristine beauty in the U.P. and we don't want to mess with that. I like the outdoors so I look with disdain when people leave junk. Other than a few small exceptions it was beautiful. Bring your sunscreen, cooler, food and other stuff! Bring drinking water as the sun can get hot. We had a large group of 30 people. Memories of Au train. Mining Journal You can gain some s

Group rage starts with loyalty to individuals who rage. Why people rage run from all different justifications but most rage is usually unwarranted. People who critical think typically don't rage against others. They may be upset, they may disagree, but they don't have the psychological benefits to rage. Rage is a deeper emotion that does sometimes have value for self defense but is often used as offence to harm others.  In situations where hate is mixed rage is often marked by the desire to maintain a cover on one's internal feelings ( Sometimes other incentives such as money and embarrassment but these are associated with deeper issues ). An early childhood loss, feelings of inadequacy, etc.. and to keep at bay those overwhelming feelings so they project them onto a target.  Typically these targets are people they are jealous of, who disagree with them, frustrate them, or are better then them in some way or form. They may or may not be better but they are perceived that wa

Cicero Denounces Catiline  1889 We have certain universal values that should be supported and encourage in society. We must pull the fringes back to the center through shared commitment to our institutions. Americans first and parties second. We have a responsibility to be honest and protect each generation from the selfishness of the few. Democracy is like a sacred torch that must fed with positive thoughts and positive actions to maintain its hard won benefits. Each generation will adjust its meaning ever so slightly expanding the practical adaptability of Democracy. We are limping in our obligations because some in society feel entitled that they should have their way at all costs ( A faulty ethical system that can lead down a logical path that can justify political extremism and critical thinking deficits. ) I agree with the danger of outside influence impacting our elections and in turn trying to create internal dissention. Some are unwittingly just blindly (  mental slaves of f

One of my friends caught a great pike in the Escanaba harbor. I didn't measure it but likely 30+ inches. I think he is going to let him go. I was encouraging to cut it up and give me some for supper but because of its size I am going to text him and tell him to let move on in its life. According to a Michigan Document    " Delta County Chicago Lake, Carr Lake, Hamilton (McDonald) Lake, Lyman Lake, Escanaba River upstream from first dam at US-2, Round Lake (T40N, R20W, S1): no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) greater than 24 inches. "  We initially went there to dive and pick up a drill he lost and help the marina grab a bubbler that fell into the water. I did get to try out my used Coleman outdoor/underwater camera I bought on Ebay for like $15. Is ok but want to take it into deeper water. Anyway....it was a good catch! You might be interested in reading.... Pike Stats Rules and Gu

We just sort of have to keep watching how threats are being used to create a level of fear to control outcomes. This is how extremist movements gain power through the use of numbers and threatening and/or actualization of violence. We have turned a blind eye to these behaviors for too long and now they are coming back to bite us ( We should have dealt with them earlier but we may not have understood or seen it. ). This is why people ( Republican, Democrat and Rationalists ) must work together to thwart and stop extremism from fermenting in the first place.  Oedipus at Colonus , Jean-Antoine-Theodore Girous 1788 Analysis A few ideas on how to limit radicalization may include...I believe there is a place prior to a full radical catalyst where intervention would likely have positive change and encourage critical thinking just before mental solidification. For example, inserting correct information when a group is beginning to debate and come to radical conclusions can go a long way. Once

There is an association between the quality of the business student and the quality of a quality business hire. While we often thing in terms of grades one should move beyond such limited understanding to include such things as creativity, communication, leadership, systems thinking, personality, ethical values, time management and persistence in fulfilling responsibilities.  Before they come looking for a professional position they should have many of basics completed and should have the motivation to come to work and do a solid job every day. There are few to no excuses for not doing your work (i.e. homework) in business. Businesses want deliverables every time and on time; variations need justification.  Creativity : The new need for uniqueness in a technological transforming society shifting into the Digital Age. Communication: The ability to use different forms of communication to share ideas and draw resources.  Leadership: The ability to chart one's own course and lead fro

( A few comments about the article below. The idea is to develop a start-up and support learning development of other entrepreneurs. 30%+ of profits go to charity. ) Success in business comes from trying out new ideas. Escanaba Polo Mallet Co. has been playing around with different pricing strategies as it develops its mallet model. Having a level of flexibility helps to determine what the mallet will fetch in the market and ensure a reasonable return rate ( Much of our profits go to charity so profit is necessary for our general mission. ) According to the US Chamber of commerce, " If you’ve already launched your business, you can experiment with these strategies until you determine what works best for your business. You can also vary strategies between products depending on the market for each good or service. ".  You may want to read the full article ' 7 Smart Pricing Strategies to Attract Customers '. It discusses price skimming, market penetration, premium prici