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Showing posts from July, 2022

Russia Navy Day and Hypersonic Missile Use and Navy Strategy Shift

Peter the Great was brought up again and it seems that Russia has motivations to making its way back on the global market ( You can read from a historical perspective why he is important to Russian legend and symbolism. HERE ). Russia acknowledged its inferior naval strength and seems to be pushing for greater naval bases and positioning. One concerning thing they mentioned was their hypersonic missile and how they see the U.S. as their primary threat. We can expect them to use more of this missile in their mobile/navy arsenals.  Russia is not our primary threat but certainly a thorn in side ( Long term China is more our threat at this point in history .) The hypersonic missile does bring up the need to create new innovations across the U.S. market. Our military must play its A game by being the most innovative we can so we can stay on top of the market from a defense and offence perspective ( Its possible to create faster military innovations while also encouraging wider market innova

25 Dead in Kentucky. Global Warming?

I'm not sure about global warming yet. I believe that whether it is true or not true it make sense to protect our environment as much as possible. I can also say that because our environment appears to be changing we will have to be better prepared.  Emergency kits can help people weather some difficult spots. From the video you see that some were without food and water for a few days. I'm wonder if having a sack with basic supplies, first aid, and a radio handy might help in these situations. 

Its Important for People to Stand Up for Hate-From a Constitutional Perspective

 Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are fundamental to our nation and our future prosperity. Without that we have no nation, and no real future as a unified entity. When we subjectively ignore those fundamental rights in favor or our clan, race, or religion we begin the trek backwards into third world status. Broken societies are often decided by our inability to use our systems for the best interest of everyone. Free passes are not free...they add to the cracks in our foundation. I believe that our nation will turn toward the brighter light. While we have often given wink and nod (assuming that is the case) to certain hate based behaviors we know that there is a huge percentage of society that are beginning to distrust those blind sided decisions. Integrity comes from doing the right thing consistently and in the best interest of everyone.  We will turn toward the higher moral ground because eventually our choices will begin to catch up to us. As a people we know we must either come

Free Pass for Hate: Struggling w/ Dealing with Hometown Hate

 What we have found over the past few years is that hate may not be taken seriously in our country ( Antithetical to the needs of the nation .). No matter if our capital gets sacked or we are targeting people within our hometowns we have not been able to find a way to deal with that hate ( There is some effort on a national level but not so much on our local levels. ). Free passes are not wise and seem to be something of a little concern as statistically most of these issues are unreported and unenforced on a local level. ( UCR )  We are not talking about a single incident but a repeated incident in manipulation of elderly, group level hate, rejection for jobs you were more than qualified, local police corruption ( just a couple ) and general aggressiveness by an ex sports playing group. While all of it is relevant, none of if seems to matter.  What I have advocated for is that the people who use these behaviors like tools should have mandatory mental health evaluation and that all rec

House Passes Assault Weapons Ban----Off to Senate!

The House may have narrowly passed it but it will need to make it through the Senate. I'm split on this bill. I don't think someone should be able to go down and buy a case of beer and then head next door to buy an assault weapon (Saying as an illustration example and not a fact).  We know that people sometimes do bad things with these guns. It would seem that a lot of the senseless death is through illegal weapons that wouldn't be impacted by this bill. As of recent it seems some of the perpetrators obtained them legally.  As a general concept, the more weapons we have in circulation, the more these problems will arise.  That being said I do support the 2nd Amendment. However, some guns seem like they should have more scrutiny. They are not defense oriented. There may be people who have a legitimate use for these guns but that isn't your average Joe. Thus a better background check and a 48 hour holding period might make sense on this class of weaponry. Yet, that probab

FBI and Nabs Russian Informant Trying to Interfere in Elections

 FBI nabs Russian operative. Likely the tip of the iceberg. My suspicion from a macro level is that some of the groups associated with the Capitol Riots January 6th were manipulated by these foreign operatives. You can see when you step back the way in which events were coordinated and developed in a non-organic manner (colors in crowd, staging, etc...). Let us wait to see how far this vine goes?  P.S. in case you weren't aware. Selling out your country isn't a good thing. Hate, politics, and ignorance are easy things to exploit by others. Its not party or person specific.  Indictment  and Russian National Charged with Conspiring to Have U.S. Citizens Act as Illegal Agents of the Russian Government

Hate as a Chosen Avenue to Power: How it is being used locally and nationally to create divisions in society.

Hate can be a powerful tool when wielded by the wrong person to achieve inappropriate goals. Hate rears its ugly head when someone/group chooses another person/people to be a target for all of the distortions that they feel internally. Not a problem until they use a larger social group and a couple of closely associated officers to target a family they feel are less worthy then themselves. That is when the law must do its job, and when it doesn't, it means we have major problems looming into the future.  Over the past few years we have seen mass protests, a possible attempted coup, a major pandemic, the rise of China, international conflict and much more. Our world has fundamentally changed in a few short years. Our political structure started to show a splitting of seams through the use of hate, radicalism, and rage as tools to power. We have an opportunity to redirect, learn, and build better. We have started to put the economy and its people back together through changing the to

Seven Steps to Ethical Decision Making: Ethics as Central to Commerce

Ethics is an important part of business. While we sometimes feel like ethics gets in our way of "doing business" it is essential to our commercial activity. As soon as ethics declines you will find markets begin to decline after that.  Let us consider for a moment corrupt versus economies that have less corruption. Economies that have a large shadow market and regularly default on their obligations are less robust than companies that follow codes of ethics.  Why is that the case? It is because our economic system is based in human exchange and that requires trust. We would still be hitting each other over the head with clubs to get what we want versus trusting that a dollar has value, fulfilling written/implied contracts, and there are mechanism to enforce trust.  The larger the economy, the more important a general sense of trust. That means ethics is central to conducting business and if we do not enforce ethics then we run the risk of damaging the entire system. You can ga

GDP Declines: Maybe or Maybe Not Recession?

I think whether or not we can call it a recession is based on intentionality. If we intentionally slowed the economy then giving a little more time before calling it a recession is helpful. That assumes we have control over it. That is more important if other indicators are still moving forward and expanding. A few quarters isn't necessarily a recession but certainly could be considered getting close to that point. Maybe or maybe not?

Build Back Better/Inflation Reduction Act Revived in Negotiations

Things are moving in Washington. The Build Back Better, now known as the Inflationary Reduction Act 2022, was almost dead but revived during recent negotiations. There are somethings people are not going to like and there are somethings that seem to make sense. Drug prices are too high, we do eventually need to become more green (I advocate for a plug and play redundant energy grid), and we will need to tackle our budge deficits. You can read more in ... What’s in, and out, of Democrats’ inflation-fighting package and..... How Democrats plan to overhaul taxes, climate spending, and health care before the midterms You may also be interested in reading some of the bills themselves..... Whitehouse The Build Back Better Framework  and Inflationary Reduction Act  and Summary Senate H.R.5376 - Build Back Better Act Congress  Passed House.

Fed Interest Rate Update Jerome Powell

 There appears to be a need for additional interest rate hike. We are not currently in a recession but there is an indication of a slow down. 

Chip ACT 2022 Passes: Now Lets see What Happens...Innovation Pedal 1/2 Down

 Senate passes Chip Act 2022. You can Read Chip Plus HERE  and a pretty good summary in NBC HERE . We have seen positive movement on a number of bills. It seems like our leaders have a conception of what the Digital Era will look like and how choices today lead to positive and negative changes in our economic situation. If we want to maintain our leading edge we will want to push the envelop for First In advantages that include increased FDI. You will want to put the information into an environmental context. You will also want to read Innovation Act  , Infrastructure Bill  , Not out of Woods , US Can Beat China   Human Capital My cluster theory is about putting the right resources in the right places (i.e. Delta County Model) but as these pieces move into place on a national level lets see what could happen. If we get lucky we could have economic synergy where the inputs are much less than the outputs and investments have bigger returns that lead to increase investment and national gr

Michigan GOP Seeking Governor Candidate-Centralists Should be Considered

The GOP in Michigan has been hit pretty hard over the past few years. Centralists candidates are needed to be successful. That will allow someone to draw in the most amount of people. The only problem is that the person must appeal to the far right and the central right as well as independents.  You can read the following article to gain more insight. Whitmer’s race moves from ‘toss-up’ to ‘lean Democrat Whitmer's the leading Democrat candidate and I see why. While I'm a light right republican that doesn't agree with all of her policies I think she could someday be a VP if her cards are played right. Hold on before you call me a RINO (Pot calling Kettle Black. I'm more of an old guard Republican.) Now, I believe the GOP should find their best candidate and give her a run for her money. That doesn't mean should or should not win but that people are best when they compete. If the GOP has a strong candidates it will force both of them to be better. That is where the ma

The Belief in Justice: Ensuring Value in Our Insitutions

 Justice is an important thing. It seems like a game to many attorneys and people but it has a serious part to play in national growth and development. It is the way in which we deal with conflict, hold account criminals (prince or pauper), and uses wisdom to find the right tool for the right job. Our justices must learn to fuse wisdom, law and moral conscious into one through a universalized outlook.  What does that mean? It means that all people are treated with dignity within the system. Some don't get a free pass because of the right religion, skin color, social connection or ideology. They shouldn't get to walk because we don't want to acknowledge the inappropriateness of behaviors ( This seems to be a growing concern for most Americans and yet we struggle with grasping its fundamental nature to our long term national health. Clanship is growing and cutting across our institutions and there are very few things more dangerous for trust than this. . Hindsight is usually

Why Escanaba Should Not Be Ignored as a Shipping Spot: Great Lakes Shipping Up

 We have ignored many of our assets and the development of opportunity where it is increasingly obvious that such development is necessary. Escanaba holds a deep sea port for larger businesses, rail, land, and road. It is ripe for investment and ready to make change. Lots of different assets such as large plane cargo airports and relatively low cost investments. The problem is that our Michigan and Federal partners should start thinking about utilizing the assets in front of them but that takes a wider look at national development.  Could Great Lakes Solve Shipping Problems I have wrote two pieces that I think have value both as a development of higher innovation through clustering and the use of infrastructure. Maybe its not a good idea but it seems like it has sort of fit with the general trends. Delta County Shipping and Innovative Cluster Theory

Poll Indicates that 1 in 5 Americans Believe Political Violence Can be Justified: Our Leaders Keep Their Eyes on the Big Prize!

The scary polarization of the nation is continuing. A new poll indicates that an increasing number of people are willing to use violence to get their political way. Likewise around 1/2 of people feel that a civil war with occur. They even said a high percentage of people felt that a strong leader is more important than democracy ( I am completely lost. It should be the opposite. Democracy is about the art of compromise. Something our leaders should think about deeply. )You should read the two articles below to gain a better perspective.  1 in 5 Americans think political violence could be justified, according to UC Davis study  You may also want to read  Political violence and the future of democracy: Take a look in the mirror, America I'm not going into detail but what we are experiencing is completely unwise of our leadership. We as a people are integrated and live in each other's neighborhoods. The amount of devastation that could occur because people have "legitimized&q

Pope Visits Canada: You can't apologize but you can pray for a better world.

 The Pope came to Quebec and apologized for behaviors of others ( The religious workers that harmed the native populations. ). It is important to remember that religion is to help us be better but we as people who follow any particular religion ( Muslim, Catholics, Christians, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, etc... ) know that it is more of a guide to something better. It doesn't give us the right to be "better than others" or disrespect the lives of others. Deeper than all of the recitations and memorizations is a meaning behind the prayers that lead to thought and thought leads to positive actions that improve our world ( Its great if you have a religion but half of prayer is about self-reflection. Formally or informally and that is where the hypothetical miracles occur. When we look inward in prayer to understand the outward {self reflection that gains insight. Needle in camel of eye because of the distractions of life. }.)  Each religion has its own wisdom and each religion

The Danger of Placating Bullies, Bigots and Corruption in Society

Sometimes we feel like if we don't acknowledge something it will all go away by switching our focus (Sometimes it does if it is a minor issue and unrepeated.). That isn't always the case. Small mistakes made in earnest are different than intentional mistakes done with malicious intent. When we are able to differentiate between intentional and unintentional we make a small step forward in knowing how to put our society back on a healthy track. Placating bullies, bigots and corruption doesn't do anyone any good as it encourages unhealthy adaptations to personal (individual choice) and societal (collective choice) that leads to repeat of such behaviors (Perhaps on a national level...oops sorry...that would never happen! 🤷).  There is an appropriate amount of legal/enforcement/social pressure that obtains the highest immediate and long term results. Too light and it looks like a wink and nod and too heavy it looks like political anger. Using the right tools at the right time i

California Fires Growing: Firefighters as Global Warming Champions

 I do believe Global Warming is a real thing and if its not a real thing we still have a responsibility to protect our environment. We are a fragile species and when our environment changes it will make changes on our lives as well. From an environmental-historical perspective were in the sweet spot of environments that allowed us to flourish and grow. If our environment shifts we will have to make more serious adjustments in our lives.  While forest fires are common, it also seems to be more common and more widespread. They also seem more destructive. More fires mean more resources will be allocated to protecting our environment and protecting ourselves from the environment. Firefighters are the champions of global warming.  Firefighters risk their lives and battle the blazes. People die firefighting every year when responding to everything from car accidents to blazing buildings. Its not an easy task, but they are always there to help. We should support those firefighters as much as

Convicted: Trump Campaign Chief Bannon Guilty In Jan. 6 Case

 Its argued that he hid insurrection evidence and is convicted for contempt. There is a difference between being convicted for not responding to subpoenas and the other a smoking gun related to wrong doing of the Trump administration (i.e. intentional insurrection or foreign intelligence construction of a coup attempt. We can't say either happened until it has been proved beyond a shadow of doubt it has happened. However, anything is possible. ). So we have to keep them sort of separate. While one might be a motivation for the other it may also not be directly related. What he says will be important from a testimonial standpoint. So let us wait and see.....

Stone Cutters House Photo

You may be interested in a photo of a stone cutters house. A German immigrant built it. Purchase a Stone Cutters House  

Why Our Sense of Fair Play and Justice Will Need to Change for National Growth

Our nation has struggles and we are only beginning to walk in the direction of fixing them. People who do bad things often get a free pass with the pleasure and clapping of people within their social networks. Highly skilled employees and youth don't get good jobs because they weren't born rich or didn't come from the right social background. Encouraging those who have the power to change those things seems to be a relatively useless endeavor because they don't look at America's needs but the opinions of their political/social group (It is becoming misaligned and they need to work on representing all of Americans and not just the far right or left loud voices).  We will change because we have no options but to change. Change is constant and we should expect it as a method of societal adaptation. We think we have options and we think that as long as we are taking care of ourselves we need not think about our behaviors or its impact on the rest of society. We drag our

MI16: Indicates Russian Forces Running Out of Steam

 If Russia is running out of capacity they will then seek to consolidate their gains fairly soon. It is close to the time for Ukraine to push hard to not allow them to dig into the lands they have taken and in turn create zones designed to punch homes into Russian defenses and put them on retreat. One has to wonder if the final pushes by Russia in expanding the war on all fronts at the time when Ukrainian leadership is replacing key members and attempt to gain as much land as they can before ending the war. Very few things the Russians have said have been true up to this point. They say they have designs on the entire country but other intelligence agencies are saying they don't have that level of capacity with a high amount of national capacity in Ukraine. Let us wait and see what happens. 

What Have I Learned from January 6th? Leadership vs. Followership

 I have learned we need a lot of work as a nation. That people should reflect about who they are, the country they want to build, and how their behaviors are contributing to our growth or decline. I have also learned that our leaders are not infallible and their opinions are not necessarily any better than the common man's (Merit being based in logic and advantages to the widest amount of people.). They should be required to earn their place in influencing others because it is a big responsibility (Think about it. We can't just spew things out of our mouth without having a bigger purpose in it.) Great leaders are defined by their ability to think for themselves and have a moral backbone. We saw both misinformation and lack of backbone creep up through our ranks. People simply followed and put our entire system at risk (likely influenced in some ways be foreign intelligence). Some stood up and they too the hit for doing so. While one may make a political argument about this, I d

Ford Doubles Down on EV Battery Development (Can Michigan Capitalize?)

 Ford is pushing for better batteries. Its a large push and with a 7 layer deep supply chain it is a complex arrangement. We should remember that this is just the beginning. Batteries will develop over time and will be able to be sustainably recharged (maybe even while using) quicker and that will likely impact things like space flight, military, robotics, and houses. Development doesn't happen in a vacuum and as soon as a new development occurs it can be quickly adopted ( One reason why I encourage cluster development in places like Delta County MI. where it is possible to build new industries by pairing developing for design and prototype creation to butterfly multiple industries. It has ports, rail, mining, airport, bases just to the north, ship building nearby, and a new space launch center to the north. A nearly finished, need more time, Economic Cluster Theory that could help some U.S. industry grow faster than other nations. Maybe not....we will see. In alignment with Perpe

Lawmakers Make Steps to Protect Democracy (Electoral Count Reform and Election Security)

We have seen a lot over the past few years. Trust in our leadership has declined because of herd mentality and the failure of both sides to see looming problems clearly and wisely. In many ways party politics has become more important than the survival of the U.S. tribe and created short and long term dangers. We have two acts being worked on that seem to show we are adjusting and willing to take a step toward ensuring we can't play "politics as usual" with our country ( Yes it belongs to "We the People" and not to any party. I can say that as a light right Republican with lots of Liberal friends ).  I still wonder if down the road we will find foreign intelligence collaboration not only among the extremist but all the way to the top. The figures involved certainly could have pulled off chaos and downed our system but it took a few brave souls to stand against the mob and believe in something greater then themselves ( Those are heroes....not the fail to walk the

Photos of Farm and Equipment (Upper Peninsula of MI)

 This farm and equipment is located near Rapid River Michigan.  Lots of places for horses and hobby farms. Underutilized and under invested area.  You may purchase in my online Gallery HERE You can purchase in my online gallery HERE

Daisy on the Beach Photo

 Daisy on the beach photo. Taken in the U.P. You can purchase or see more in my gallery HERE

Why Are We Having a Hard Time Holding Corruption Accountable?

 In my humble opinion there are two reasons why we are having a hard time holding police corruption accountable. Let me say, I'm 100% for police but also very much against corruption and targeting people for social networks and bias reasons. We as a nation must change the way we see and handle obvious violations of our Bill of Rights and Constitution least we someday break the system. The reasons why we do and don't is the proof in the pudding and often dereliction of our most sacred oaths. There are better paths forward but we have to accept them. That means being self reflective and supporting a higher value system. Often giving the benefit of doubt to people of a certain race, background or occupation regardless of their merit or worthiness. When supported by a network that has shown prior coordinated poor behaviors we have a dangerous situation where free passes can embolden others to act in similar ways. ( Most of the members are good people but are so wrapped into their s

Russian Collaborators, Defensive Positions and Renewed Offensive (Can Ukraine Effectively Counter Offensive?)

 We have three interesting things going on in Ukraine. This is the moment Russia tries to take advantage of Ukrainian leadership chaos and create a final push for their strategic Plan B locations (Manufacturing and Port based. Highlights why the U.S. needs to develop their own ports, infrastructure, and innovative manufacturing.). It is also the time when Russians are hunkering down their line and in a few short weeks would likely have very difficult to retake defensive positions. Its not the that Ukrainians can't win but they will have to decide what is most important.....risking everything to get everything back or risking less to maintain a smaller and weaker Ukrainian state. Offense or Defense? (We must also wonder if they have the ability to do so....that is an open question.) 1.) Collaborators: The ranks of Ukraine are struggling with what appears to be Russian collaborators/spies. If true, that represents a risk for Ukrainians and their ability to outmaneuver and use stealth

Photo Lighthouse From The Water Escanaba

 Uploading some of the pics I took last week of Escanaba Light House. Kind of a nice one.  You Can Purchase Here

This is Where Protests May Not Be Helpful: Warrant: Minneapolis SWAT snipers shot Andrew "Tekle" Sundberg

There are fundamental differences between those who are peaceful and those who engage in horrendous activities that harm others. Violence is rising in our society and we need to find meaningful solutions. Police do have a responsibility to ensure the safety of people and that may come down to difficult choices. When there has been an attempt to find a peaceful resolution and risks continue things can get murky. Its not so easy to just say something incorrect happened (That occurs through a review and not jumping to conclusions.).  According to the mother she states she was target for violence from the suspect and her kids will now likely suffer PTSD (We have a hard time thinking of rights of kids to live in a society free of violence. I know, I have been targeted once and the kids rights were the last thing anyone thought of. Its not easy standing up for their rights when people subjectively apply these rights, or take them away, as they wish. Even worse when they are not qualified to

A Few Points on Ensuring Accountability in Hate and Human Capital Development

Throughout the years I have seen people do atrocious things to others based on racial and religious ethnic strife. We love to pride ourselves on the ability to be a first world nation and we have all the makings to be great. Potentiality can turn into realized existence. One of the biggest detractors to human capital development is disparate treatment within our institutions.  For example if a local college tells someone they are highly qualified and then retracts it based on good old boy networks, racial, and religious perspectives that should be illegal.  Likewise, if someone coordinates hate against someone using a large group of ex sports players that should also be illegal.  Furthermore, if law enforcement members of their social group engage in corrupt practices in support of their friends that should also be illegal (especially if there are multiple uninvestigated community complaints).  The problem is that as common men and women we have little protection against these violatio

Dock During Day Photo

 I'm working on uploading various pictures to my small but growing art gallery. Not sure why I like this one but it has color which is nice.  Docks During Day. Purchase Here

Extra Money in Pentagon Defense Budget. Use Wisely With Three Suggestions

 Extra money is a good thing for the Pentagon. Its money that can be used to strengthen our defense (My Republican Side). It is also opportunity to develop new capacities as we are no longer that further ahead of our adversaries. We will need to compete and maintain our competitive advantages but be increasingly wise about money. Three suggestions: 1. Free Innovation Money: Focus on developing innovation and new weaponry. Hedge space, industrial wearable tech and robotics. I developed a rapid innovation system that seeks to spark positive change in multiple industries for wider economic growth. Needs design and prototype firms in the same area mixed with the right local infrastructure and small manufacturing. If someone has a better idea great! So far I haven't really seen it but sometimes doing new things makes sense....that is called a learning society/organization. 2. Don't waste the money: Make sure the money is focused on key objectives. Keep tabs and try new things but do