Thursday, July 9, 2020

Hotel Del Coronado Fountain-The Meaning and Beauty of Fountains

I'm a big fan of fountains as they create an atmosphere of eloquence and depth in a way that can spruce up any neighborhood. This is the one outside Hotel Del Coronado. Obviously this is a luxury hotel so the crown is kind of cool. Despite its posche image there is a long history of this hotel starting in 1887. Presidents and celebrities flocked here.

....and of course the deeper psychological/cultural meanings of fountains.

In history, psychology and dream interpretation fountains are seen as rejuvenation, bringing to awareness, and life in general. Water is rejuvenated and brought forth clean in a way that one lives a good life. Most of the water is underneath and it represents bubbling forward of knowledge and awareness. At least this is what the cultural and psychological interpretations mean.

Either way...they are cool pieces of architecture.


Govenor Whitmer Discusses COVID-19 -Bias in Healthcare-Test Your Impressions with Word Association

Governor Whitmer discusses the up tick in COVID cases and the need to be more diligent. In addition there is further training for healthcare professionals on bias. Healthcare and poverty are big issues. I didn't see the statistics but I would suspect that poor health also hits rural White, Hispanics and others. That doesn't minimize the influence of discrimination as access to opportunities is part of a Capitalistic society where people can earn based on their abilities no matter what their background or creed. We don't really have that type of society and in many ways designed laws that are not truly promoting of different types of businesses, opening of opportunities, etc... It seems we are starting to think about it and work on it. It will be the challenge of our time that both Republicans and Democrats will start thinking about (not trying to get political here).

Randy Rash is the dean of the college of nursing (not sure where) and discusses implicit bias. Implicit bias exists and impacts our society. It is our "monkey" brain and jumps to quick answers without critical thought. I and my children have been subject to that implicit bias as short-sighted individuals engaged in coordinated harassment. They couldn't look beyond the color of a jersey, skin, or their own poor self image. So..yes much of what we decide about people isn't directly in our conscious focus. The silver lining is that some of those who who could have been mislead were not and acted on an inner gut feeling that the information was incorrect. Still it is there and we have to learn to deal with it.

I think word association is one way we can quickly and imperfectly check.

Choose some words that represent other people and take notice of the first things you think of.  Think in terms of race, religion, opposing political views, etc... that really are controversial for you and make you feel uncomfortable. Then take a few minutes and think about some alternative impressions and you may find that the "monkey brain" makes quick judgments (Process #1) and our slower rational brain (Process #2) is more logical. With training we can learn when process #1 can help us react quickly to danger and when when #2 can help us think more logically and strategically. This is often the case with people who develop their mental powers and their ability to switch between one and the other. It is important to remember that process #1 "monkey brain" isn't necessarily bad in situations where someone is being chased by a lion, roving gang of criminals, or in war but it isn't always as accurate as process #2 when we had a chance to think about it for a while. It has something to do with the prefrontal cortex and how the other networks in our heads work, draw and process information.


Self-Identity and the Bind Eye in the Creation of Systematic Injustice

Justice in the U.S. should be neutral in the sense that it is blind to things like color, religion and other differences. Within the human mind is the ability discern between those that are similar and those that are different. When someone looks like us we are much more likely to hire them and given them the benefit of the doubt while those who look different are much more likely to be seen as having negative traits. When this behavior becomes common place it impacts entire populations.

As one sits and judges a situation those that look similar and come from similar backgrounds are likely to have better options and escape justice than those that look different. It is those similarities that occur over and over in the justice system and in social affairs.

We think this issue occurs only on the ground level but can impact even the investigation of crime and the eventual judgement of who gets judged and who doesn't.

I'm not being a radical here. What I'm saying is that if we want a powerful nation and justice to stand for a level of truth we need to start thinking about what is going on deep in the brain.

Think this can't happen? A study looking at different cultural backgrounds and how they judged faces found that there were noticeable differences even in the evaluation of baby faces (Lehanya, Reddy, Karodia, 2015).

Baby's faces? Wow!

The study really isn't about justice but it does highlight how justice can be skewed by cultural laden perceptions of even baby's faces through ethnocentric viewpoints. We are not always talking about in your face discrimination but that kind which comes from friend or foe evaluations based in our past tribal existence.

What?

We have been programmed for a long time to view people with similar characteristics and friends in the wild for survival and those with different characteristics as potential threat. This deeply rooted survival technique makes its way into the modern court system.

Those who look different and have different religions or lifestyles are likely going to get the short end of the justice stick. Those who look the same and share similarities that allow the judges and officials to see themselves in the other person spark their empathy and in turn less punishment.

Deep in our brain we have learned to create our self-image from those around us in a "looking glass self" sort of theoretical perspective. Those who are different have less connections to our view of our selves from an neurological perspective.

How does this play in out in a real life situation?

Lets say you have one person that looks like you and has the same religious beliefs while you have someone who looks different and has a different religious beliefs. Someone is going to choose between them. This doesn't necessarily mean a judge it could be a group of "judgy" people n a sports club, social club, judges, law enforcement, administrators, political groups, or any other social entity. It is any place where people compare and judge themselves against the views of others.

One of these people are from your social group and the other isn't. One you know to be like you and the other is different. The person who looks the same gets blind support even when their actions constitute a crime because others are encouraged to rally against the "enemy". Of course the "enemy" in this case may actually be the more honest person trying to be helpful while protecting their kids.

That doesn't matter because the halo effect and discriminator viewpoints skewed all of the information presented to a maladapted vantage point. People who would normally be rational become irrational and justified in inappropriate behaviors.

Facts, truth, critical thinking, etc... have no function in irrationality. This heuristic and often skewed thinking happens on the street and in courtrooms and other places throughout our nation. We are not judging by the quality of character but by the quality of our ability to see ourselves and others accurately.

If we are going to grow as a nation we have to start thinking about Justice on a more holistic level. We should have evolved by now as a species to look beyond brand clothing, misinformation, color, political status, religion and much more. We should be thinking about the entire national system and our chance to create something better for our children. If we want to act and judge like monkeys than we will likely find each generation becoming weaker while if we are able to enlighten ourselves we can continue our developmental path to improve our world for the next generation. Justice shouldn't be skewed by our need to justify our own self-worth by condemning the different and praising the profane. American values are about equality and opportunity and self-development.....there are those who support national development and there are those who thwart it in their own self-interest.

Lehanya, S., Reddy, N., Karodia, A. (2015).  Evaluation of Municiple Manager's Roles in Strategic Implementation. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Studies, (5), 1-2. Like Here

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

FBI Director Christopher Wray Discusses China-Ideas on How to Improve a National Response

FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed the growing problem and nearly 50% of  active counter-intelligence cases that impacts economic activities in the U.S. Increases of 1,300% of data theft have been seen as of late. Using military and non-state hackers to target information areas for exploitation.  Chinese data theft activities are coordinated and must eventually be evaluated centrally to find associations between knowledge and information. Some people are being swept up within the national grinding of cultures without actually knowing it. As the threat looms on their is increasing need to find successful strategies.

The Chinese have been stealing information for a long time...perhaps even beyond 2 decades. We know that because there have been targeted theft to large databases. You can kind of look at the dates and sort of figure out what type of information they are trying to access and cross analyze when you conduct an environmental scan.  That information is being sifted and scoured to gather intelligence on people and in turn influence their competitive stance.

Think of this as as a large scale method of finding, attracting, and gathering information in inadvertent smaller ways that lead to the creation of large data bases and development of complex models.

One reason why the Chinese have been doing this and others have not been so successful is because they have a central Communist Party with a structured hierarchy. That allows for faster copying and adaptation but it doesn't necessary improve "innovation". Innovation comes from clusters and networks where individuals have more freedom to explore ideas and act on them. Research supports Capitalism, exploration, motivation, and market driven innovation for leaps in development. However, having more top-down control can take and act on existing information more quickly making the nation hungry for new information.

FBI Director Christopher Wray discusses China espionage. https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/the-threat-posed-by-the-chinese-government-and-the-chinese-communist-party-to-the-economic-and-national-security-of-the-united-states

National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien's Comments
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/chinese-communist-partys-ideology-global-ambitions/


Here are a few not well thought out ideas......(this is a blog not an academic journal 👀)

1. Invest in Data Storage: Block chain and other methods that disperse and encrypt large data without slowing down recall can help improve protection.
2. Update Data Infrastructure: Create improved data infrastructure (as well as other essential infrastructure) to improve protection and movement of resources.
3. Invest in Universities: Ensure that universities are integrating more science into their curriculum for higher technology type work.
4. Recruit Diversely into the Intelligence Community: Recruit from a wide range of people for intelligence positions. Innovation doesn't come from one way of thinking and solving problems means data "crunchers", actors, artists, scientists, psychologists, diversity (ethnic, religious, racial) and much more. Think in terms of functional teams.
5. Foster the Gifted: Foster the gifted and advanced individuals so that you can improve innovation in industry as well as make the intelligence community leap beyond current abilities. When necessary they have the ability to solve novel problems and find moving patterns in large data sets to make predictive modeling.
6. Tap Big Data: Have a better understanding of Big Data, AI, and other methods of making sense of large amounts of data.
7. Fund Academic Research: Fund research on certain projects that will help the entire level improve.
8. System Thinking Managers/Leads: If you are going to run an intelligence network you need system thinkers that can impact and adjust entire chains of functioning as well as understand foreign chains.
9. Partner: Partner with other nations on crucial projects and be willing to create win-win vs win-lose situations.
10. Foster Core American Principles: Foster core American principles as well as "Intelligence Principles" based on strong inner values and commitment to the bigger principles of American values and the advancement of society in large.
11. Management Structure: Create a management structure where central processes exist but there is exploration of ideas when they are relevant to a case.
12. Ask Academics to Help: Asking and partnering with universities/academics can make a big difference in extending the power of our intelligence community exponentially.
13. Training Military/Academic Thinking: Adjust training to include different ways of looking at information through partnerships that create training that pushes people to break molds of thinking.


Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Join Corozon De Vida Monthly Membership for Orphans

I've done a little work for these kids and try to help this organization as much as possible. As I get older I get more involved in direct support. They do a great job working on raising these kids and funding orphanages in Mexico. It is important to remember that there is no funding for orphanages from the government so it is left to churches, private donors, and non profit organizations. Some orphanages have nothing and some have much more.

Chewy Getting a Walk
They do more than create commitment to these kids they create a sense of family and also try and send them to college after. The orphanage becomes their home. Spending sometime in a Catholic boarding school and from a difficult early childhood where love was almost always in short supply I can say that I understand these kids and want to to much more to help them in the future. That also includes others kids within the U.S. that have opportunities to truly grow and develop their talents.

HERE is the site for monthly donations or one time donations.

HERE is my site I donate money to from my good works business Escanaba Polo Mallet Company.

The Importance of University Research-Creating and Sharing Knowledge for National Innovation

Education functions as an important institution of learning and change. It offers an opportunity for students to move into depth on particular concepts and then raise that knowledge through research so that a nation we continue to move forward. Education that takes place before education should focus more on the ability to function broadly in society as well as contain enough nuggets for future trade work or higher education. As a value generator for society higher education can raise knowledge for more scientific-industry development as well as higher order thinking that leads to leadership and a better life. Research, whether online or on ground, is important for national innovation and is an important part of university life.

Consider the many minds that create a powerful nation. Innovation allows us to develop products, fight pollution, improve on our national structure, and raise the value for shareholders. It also allows us to improve the lives of our citizens as well the quality of life through better understanding of how we as a species live and interact with our physical and virtual world.

The more we know the better our policies will be. The cloudy thinking of poor judgement gives way to a more evidence based system of thinking. Critical thinking becomes part of the method of evaluating complex situations.

Whether one is an online university or a ground based university there will be an increasing need for science for industries, government policies, and just about every other facet of life. That doesn't mean we don't take chances and try new things but we accept that these are risks and could very well lead to new ways of doing things if researched and seen through a critical eye.

We talk sometimes about enlightened societies and science must be part of that society. That doesn't mean religion can't help us explain our world and understand things that we do not understand but that science is an important method of discovering the intelligent design around us. We know that science, innovation, and values can lead to better societies through incremental improvement and better decision making.

I suggest that universities do more to prepare students for a world of science and big data. With education people can further understand the esoteric nature of religion and science in the discovery of our place in this vast universe. We are not talking only industry but the advancement of the human species to something more capable of grasping the next space frontiers and reaching beyond the moon while still improving our lives here through stronger economic and ecological growth. National innovation comes from the many projects and studies that develop new insight and adaptations.

Video of Sea Lions on the Dock

Coastal people have become accustomed to sea lions and there is a way that leads to cohabitation. I guess coastal people enjoy and live off of the water so they know that protecting wild species and learning to find harmony with them is vitally important to the eco system's success.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Coronado 4th of July-Pictures and History

Happy 4th of July in Coronado. Took the old dinghy over around the bay, by the Maritime Museum and over to Coronado for lunch. Coronado has a long history with the military and Navy. You can read about some of the history. Very nice place and I recommend people visit.

Read About the History of Coronado HERE









Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Coronavirus Update -Police, Budget, Schools!- June 30, 2020

Governor Whitmer updates on schools and Cornavirus. What is important here is that people need to be diligent and wear their masks. Young people may not be the ones who get sick but they are the ones who become super spreaders because they are in contact with so many people. Be safe this weekend and enjoy the holidays. B-Partisan budget agreement was reached for dealing with Covid-19 costs. Discussion of exporting cooperation between the two different parties to develop stronger policies.

Policing is an important one here......

Some discussion on policing adjusting. Some of the standard stuff like choke-holds, no-knock, false 911 calls, credentialing, auditing agencies, and mental health adjustments. Of these strategies the retention of officers to live and work in the same area, auditing complaints, and false 911 complaints are important.

Some of these are pretty good. Good apples are officers that should be retained and supported. However, there are officers that circumvent the law and don't often take selfies and post it on Facebook when they do violate the law. Thus we can't just rely on high level data to remove them. The ability to protect complaints and audit information is important. I'm assuming that false 911 complaints are a hate crime means also false police reports in general.

In a case I'm familiar with the officer has a record, supported a false complaint, and allowed a woman to slip into a coma because of his bigotry and the influence of social networks. Yet...he had issues his whole life and ever since he was a child was struggling with certain issues that pushed him to continually seek attention from others and to adapt increasingly rude behaviors. Thus, recruiting and credentialing are important to finding stronger officers, helping poor officers adjust, and remove those who "don't get with the program".

Living and working in the same area helps to ensure that people become accountable to their communities and become part of it. If this means someone can accept a job and then move their within a certain time frame it may help with recruitment and offering opportunities for officers to gain additional experience. I will have to look when the actual plan is published.

We are trying to support our officers, hold accountable bad officers, and build a system that can self-reflect and adjust. Policing will become more effective and strong recruiting will occur when the community is involved and a positive brand image is created.

Big Data is still impacting how we understand and see these cases. The data helps us make more sense out of what is actually happening and will likely become part of a stronger evaluation of how to handle future pandemics. This is one of the first times we have so much data in one setting because technology can now track them in a way we were not able to do in the past. We are slowly coming to the understanding that the entire globe and world functions of certain natural laws and systems that can be understood, tracked, adjusted and projected when the right kind of information is collected.


Saturday, July 4, 2020

MI Dept. of Natural Resources Does "Shout Out" to $7 Billion Impact of Waterways

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources does a shout out to Michigan Water Ways. The article Michigan Department of Natural Resources highlights Michigan waterways by Casey Warner discusses the $7 billion economic Impact of Waterways. Natural resources can have a big impact on the economy when they are used for tourism and to attract businesses such as fishing, fishing supplies, and other related industries.

The article discusses the history of waterways in Michigan and how it has helped people from before the beginning of the state. Below you will find an image of the various harbors boaters can use.