White House Press Briefing May 18th, 2020

There is a lot of information in this so you will just want to watch it to understand the current state of the day. Everything from COVID to Walking Dogs.

Senator McBroom Discusses the Special Needs of the U.P.

The video was taken before the announcement and you can see he has concern over the U.P. and some of the economic challenges that it has faced during this problem. Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the area. Starting to open up helps in this process of reclaiming some of the loss.


 

Get Your PPP Loans Forgiven. See Application

The PPP Loan was designed to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll. Review the press release below as it has some information on how to apply for forgiveness.

Below was from Congressman Bergman press release....

SBA and Treasury Release Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application

The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions for the application. The form and instructions inform borrowers how to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans, consistent with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  SBA will also soon issue regulations and guidance to further assist borrowers as they complete their applications, and to provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities. The form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including: Options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an “alternative payroll covered period” that aligns with borrowers’ regular payroll cycles Flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the eight-week period after receiving their PPP loan Step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness Borrower-friendly implementation of statutory exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction based on rehiring by June 30 Addition of a new exemption from the loan forgiveness reduction for borrowers who have made a good-faith, written offer to rehire workers that was declined The PPP was created by the CARES Act to provide forgivable loans to eligible small businesses to keep American workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The documents released today will help small businesses seek forgiveness at the conclusion of the eight week covered period, which begins with the disbursement of their loans. Click here to view the application and instructions.

Governor Whitmer Announces Partial Opening of The U.P and Traverse City 05-18-2020

Governor Whitmer announced the opening of the state in a phased manner with two sections opening tonight. Unlike previous announcements that outlined the plan and opened up parts of the economy the state is moving into its final stages (Not sure of the total time frames). The Upper Peninsula and Traverse City area are opening up tonight at midnight. This opening will include bars and restaurants. According to her speech Northern Part of Michigan is a testing ground to see if there are any spikes in cases and will set the tone for the rest of the state.

Executive Order No. No. 2020-6   Creation of COVID-19 Office of Worker Safety and Instructions to Departments and Agencies on Worker Safeguards

Executive Order No. 2020-91 Safeguards to protect Michigan’s workers from COVID-19

Executive Order No. 2020-92 Temporary requirement to suspend certain activities that are not necessary to sustain or protect life. Rescission of Executive Orders 2020-77 and 2020-90


EO 2020-92 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Discusses The Economic Crisis and Policy

There is a lot of information in this video as it pertains to economic policy. Liquidity in the market helps keep businesses going and further keep people on the payrolls. It doesn't necessarily change the fundamentals of the market but does create more trust that people can get through this and get the help they need. The true issues are the disruptions to our normal commercial patterns. Buying time helps us stay "right sided" as an economic ship for a while but it will only be for a time as the damaged seems take on water. We can bail, pump and work together to weather the short term crisis but we must patch those holes, modify our rigging and open our sails to the skies if we are going to reach our destination.

Our recovery relies on a number of important things.....

1. Adapting our economy, businesses, education, infrastructure, etc....to build the fastest, leanest, and most adaptable vessel on the planet. Its hard to navigate rough weather if your ship hasn't been updated, old rigging, and deferred maintenance.

2. Finding a vaccine that will help us return to "normal" not forgetting this can happen again if we do not take care of our environment and our health. A clean ship with healthy crew is more resilient to disease and crisis.

3. Building trust with all Americans around core motivating values that fully unleash our amazing innovative creative human capital. Our crew should all believe in their American mission and be treated as valued members.

Presidential Executive Order on Seafood Competitiveness-EO 13921

The Presidential order encourages the protection of current fishing by combating illegal fishing and finding zones for the creation of sustainable fishing. The world is more interested in fish as a healthy protein source that limits cancer. The worlds population and demand is such that many areas are over fished and countries that produce such fish sources do so in a dangerous manner with little regard for the quality of the fish or the environment. This order seems to look for ways we can create sustainable fishing practices at sea. That will likely be much better than allowing nations that circumvent environmental protections to be served on American tables. Thus, providing our own sources will make a difference if our industries can innovate and find ways of farming fish on ground and in the ocean in an efficient manner that reduces waste as much as humanly possible.

Presidential Seafood Compet... by Dr. Murad Abel on Scribd

Rock Climbing in Marquette Michigan-Glenda's Pile the "Coffee Shop" Climb

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan holds the rock climbing capital of Michigan. The northern edge near Marquette has a number of different sites one can hike up to. I was up there for a couple of hours and didn't see anyone so be careful and let someone know where your going.

This climb has a lot of moss and while it looks here like you have places for fingers and toes you really don't. Its slippery and would be very difficult to climb in certain seasons.

I had to use an ascender to climb up parts of the rope trying to grab where I can. There are a couple of trees at the top you can anchor but you may need to consider where you are climbing. If I had a longer second rope I might have went to a better spot.

I will need to go back and take a look at other faces and where it is a little easier to climb instead of ascend and rappel.

Park in Noquemanon South Trails Trailhead and then move Northeast up a hill to a couple of different cliffs you can climb. The coordinates are 46.515, -87.408. Check this site out for more information. https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106425820/glendas-pile




What is interesting about this climb is that it easy and convenient to get to but not necessarily easy to climb. I would call it the "Coffee Shop" climb as one can get a cup of coffee and head out there quickly before moving onto the rest of the day.