Stocks, Bonds, Dollar Lower-CNBC TV18 LIVE

 I like watching the market news because when the market changes everything else changes around it. What we pay in interest rates were seen in market changes prior to this. Today there was a stock, bond, and dollar sell-offs which could indicate some panic but is unlikely unless it continues. I would think it would mean something more along the line of market shits. Something more fundamental is occurring and that is why we see some push for liquidity and cash value by investors. I'm curious to see what is going to happen. 

Luxury goods are down and some of that is blamed on the issue as it relates to China. It could be that investors feel that the COVID situation has gone on a long time and there may be some market shift jitters that impact high end purchases. Some people are thinking about carrying wider "boring" funds with traditional and stable stocks. Lets wait and see....

Violence Between Protestors-Do We Choose the Easy or the Hard Way?

We are in a culture clash as rival protests groups become increasingly violent. This conflict isn't so much about police and justice reform as it is about cultural difference. If we deal with these issues right away through a natural discussion we would have moved through this troubling times with more ease. However, we wait to deal with the issue directly and in turn justice and our politicians were struck like "deer in headlights" with what to do next.  

I don't blame them because we have been frightened on the discussion of American identity and race. So people on both sides don't really understand all there is to know about the people on the other side. We need to directly deal with the essential values of what makes someone an American and in turn how our miscued judgments lead to racism. 

People are fighting about legitimacy and full consideration in society....police and justice reform are symptoms of the main concerns....and thus having discussions that bring police and protesters together would be a wise choice for politicians. Their goal should be to create a safe and effective outlet for concerns so as to take the risks of violence off the street.

Our discussion should shift toward what true equality within a capitalistic society looks like. Are we all included? Are there divisions for race, religion, education, income, occupation, etc...? To me it means everyone gets the same chance for success or failure based on their personal merits unhinged from background. Distinctions means that we do not have a universal concept of justice and are limited by our own philosophical failures.

As a nation, we need to move toward greater universal principles of human freedoms while at the same time being realistic about what changes can occur at this time and which ones would weaken police ability to protect the public. There are also things police and our officials can do to see how they can universalize their core assumptions and improve on their policing abilities. 

We will learn the easy or the hard way. Trying to navigate both sides is going to teach us about principles that apply to everyone...or otherwise we run the risk of a lot of chaos as the sides line up. The hard way is one which we don't deal with these issues directly and as a nation and we let political pressure build to act. I suspect the hard way will be more violence. The easy way is to jump in on the discussion of race and reform on a national level and provide stronger mechanisms of peace making.

Tested Out Diving Equipment-Found Industrial Junk

I bought some used diving equipment and went diving this morning. I have been sort of lazy about it working on other projects and work and stuff. However, the weather was nice and the water was clear so I put all my stuff in the dinghy and took off!

I tried out a new/used tank strap and put it in wrong like three times before I got it right. Its still not perfectly tight but there is something I'm doing wrong. For the time being its doing its job and will have to play with it until I get it right next time.

The used mask and snorkel worked great. I don't like the hard plastic type seals. I looked for a higher quality rubber mask seals and a good quality snorkel that can be used on the left or right side. 

Didn't find anything important but I told some anglers where they drop off was so they can fish by the ride. They asked me if I could see fish and I told them there were a few small ones but I would look on the ridge because it was sunny and warm out. They may want the deeper water until the afternoon.

I did find some industrial junk. I suspect it fell off of a ship at one point. Like a large donuts with a little fuel pipe or something on the side. Its too heavy to pull out of the water. 

 

Little Book Findings 50 Cents-Hume and Anthropology?

Books may well be on their way to the past. Walking down OB I come across a book shelf on the sidewalk that says "Books 50 Cents Each). This isn't the first time I've seen this antique door do it. Sometimes you find some great buys on a beach main blvd. Little crumbs of knowledge in the old way we used to store information----on paper!

David Hume Philosophical Historian and an Introduction to Physical Anthropology for a dollar! 😏

Making Your Unique Office Space for Virtual Workers

Virtual work is different than traditional office settings. Because you will be sitting in the same room all day in your house you may want to make it look and appeal to you as much as possible. With boats you have some limitations so I created multiple spaces. One outside, one inside, one on the couch area....different places to work. I also spend some time in coffee shops so I can work and get out of the boat. 

This is kind of a cool space. I made it using crooked bamboo poles that I won't use for mallets. I then used them to create a canopy frame out of bamboo, pvc pipe ends and hockey tape. That was just to test the idea because I want to take it down when I leave without having to work too hard. It held up well in the wind while at the dock so I think there are a couple of places where I can make some of the connections permanent through glue and twin to strengthen it even more. 

I had to get creative because I wanted a nice cool space to work that blocked me from the sun. I went out and got a "hippie wall covering" from Ocean Beach and then slung that over the top with some bobby pins. I didn't make it tight because I want it to not get caught in the wind. It works perfect!

I can sit out there and work in the shade. If the sun comes in from an angle I can just put up another sheet. I ordered on Amazon a heavy cloth canvas cover with ringlets I can put over the top for rain and then use white sheer drapes on the sides to make a Coco Cabana/Cabo type feel to it. I will post pictures when I get around to getting the drapes. 

Bloomberg Free Online Stream LIVE-Global Financial News

This is a free live stream for business enthusiasts and investors. As you know Bloomberg has a great name in the business world and provides some strong content. This stream provides information on Global Financial News which helps us understand how business is impacted by global activity. It is one way people can understand the markets and how they function across the globe to influence local things like our towns and jobs. It is important to understand where and how the markets work to better understand economic development. 

Free Online Economic Book to Read-Industrial Organization

 Its important to keep up with new knowledge and changes. So when I can get a free book of good quality I will definitely worth the time to read it. The book "Industrial Organisation" from Oxford Economics is free to read. I don't think you need to join anything. Just click the link. I checked on Incognito mode and it still worked.

It covers great topics such as Theory of the Firm, Transaction Costs, Innovation and Game Theory. All the good stuff. It is what I based the fundamental principles of my own theory of Clusters and Transactional Costs on. I'm applying that to a specific example Delta County Michigan to understand how it might help/not help communities such as theirs where there is a lot of underutilized potential. 

or HERE

 

Agarwal, A. (2007). Industrial Organisation. North-Holland Is an Imprint of Elsevier. 

Small Business Adaptation of New Polo Mallet Features-New Weighted Head!

We listen to our customers regularly to see how to improve our products. We want to make one of the best most affordable American made mallets on the market. Each time we hear feedback we make adjustments and keep increasing our quality. We had high rankings before but want to be the absolute best we can be at Escanaba Polo Mallet Company. There are some steps I follow to gain as much feedback methods as I can to make improvements and changes.

1. Review Customer Wants: Everything goes back to your customer and what makes them happy. 

2. Define the Problem: We had a few people indicate they would like to see a heavier head. I couldn't agree more so I set upon a path to weight the head while still following my good works objective of sourcing locally. 

3. Experiment: Experimenting with different methods makes a big difference in new solutions. I experimented with different styles and weights and found what works best. Through experimentation I came on a process that works well for me so you will want to explore your solutions. 

4. Sell and Gather Feedback: The process of business renewal and improving the product makes a big difference in long term product success and marketability. Talk to your customers, get to know them, look at what people say about polo mallets and what kind of features they want. Do your market research.

In this case I used lead to make the head slightly heavier give it a little more bend in the shaft and the crack of the ball. While most people liked the heads we had and repeat bought we always want to improve (i.e. feedback loop). We then put just a little more weight into the head and found a way to customize this if need be. I believe that is the general strategy in which we will go. To create the best custom mallets for the price and then create a brand off of our mallets. Its just about learning and applying.

Escanaba Polo Mallet Company that is good works oriented and helps children, horses and encourages greater awareness of business principles of entrepreneurs. https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Discusses Monetary Policy

The presentation was stuffed full of little details. I suspect there were a lot of people watching for business reasons and seeking to look into the crystal ball of what the Federal Reserve plans to do next. The video helps highlight how solving our societal problems means we need to use different tools in places where they are most effective. To me, this is supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of Millennials to help them create more of their own opportunities and bring manufacturing back to the U.S. That will only happen if we have policies that encourage low interest business loans match with local, state and regional stakeholder policies that attract investment and entrepreneurship. 

Its their new world anyway.......

Inside Higher Ed Article on "Moody's: Coronavirus Drives New Business Models, Disruption for Higher Ed"

I'm reading the article, "Moody's: Coronavirus Drives New Business Models, Disruption for Higher Ed" by Rick Seltzer and what I find is that our environment forces us to adapt and change in ways that we have a hard time grasping until we have few options left. Online education has been growing for some time and there is not a strong case for including more of its strengths into higher education models. The pandemic highlights a few things that we should consider.....

Online Capacity Building: Its hard for universities to build up their online offerings because of culture and expertise. Slowly, online education has become a viable option for professor employment and work arrangements. If we transition thoughtfully, we can integrate traditional teaching modes of thinking with more nimble online development. There is a balance to be played here in tradition and adaptation. Sometimes we may want to consider constructing that capacity in homegrown initiatives or buying that capacity somewhere else such as outsourcing.

Traditional Campus Capacity: Traditional campuses are wonderful places to learn, develop and grow. They create a physical space for students to have a place where learning is at the center of their world. Memories are created from campuses and people are forever tied to their school identities. Some schools are unlikely to see the same foot traffic as they once did and cost structures might change to reflect a dip in face-to-face students (i.e. live stream classes) What to do with those buildings and the extra capacity is going to be a big question for leadership if we can't bring campus attendance up.

The author brings up a good point about outsourcing versus creating internal capacity. Having a user friendly interface and high customer service is going to be an important aspect of successful online education. A positive experience improves retention. Online education has really changed over the years and can offer course materials and interactive learning in one place and setting. Virtual learning is based on the powerful information transference of the Internet and we will still need professors to interpret that information and provide their expertise. 

Outsourcing has advantages in terms of specialized knowledge gained through working with different industries and application of features to industries and institutions that may not have working knowledge of such online platforms. In this case, online education knowledge is a must for any successful in-house program and if a university doesn't have it then they just don't have it and must find a different place to obtain capacity.

Outsourcing the essential core functions makes sense when you need to build your internal capacity and seek to focus on other business management aspects. There may come a point where you do not need the help of a service provider but that is also dependent on how the service provider adapts to their environment as well. If they use their starting knowledge to truly capitalize on innovative so that there are market advantages to staying with the firm then they can maintain real value. Fall behind on creating "scalable" new technologies and your future prospects turn dim. 

Its a pretty good read. Here is the citation for it. 

Seltzer, R. (August 27th, 2020). Moody's: Coronavirus Drives New Business Models, Disruption for Higher Ed . Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/08/27/moodys-coronavirus-drives-new-business-models-disruption-higher-ed