Its a nice Sunday out. Stock markets are down, internet streaming the news and not much going on. :)
The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Friday, December 25, 2020
Nashville Terrorism Attack-FBI Press Release
Nashville has experienced a travesty in terms of physical damage to buildings downtown. Thus far it doesn't appear that anyone was hurt. What is more chilling is that it was downtown, gave a warning and was on Christmas Day! A first impression might bring to mind domestic orientation and/or display of abilities.
The reason for this act is going to be elusive for a while and investigators are going to match forensics, surveillance, online/offline chatter, and tips/leads to gain a better sense of what is going on. They will need to work backwards and answer questions as they relate to location, 15 minute warning, domestic/foreign initiatives, material access, etc....
This situation highlights why we need to work together as a unified people working to solve problems and encouraging people to engage in the political process with positive intent. Fingers crossed that no casualties occur.
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Shooting of Andre Hill-The Need to Go Further in Positive Reform
Andre Hill, another Black man shot, raises the spectrum of debate as people grasp the nature of justice and policing. There are no easy answers as we grapple with the wider ramifications of decades/centuries of discrimination and its long lasting impact on our society. Another life is lost, another officer is fired, and trust of American institutions decline. We are struggling with finding a path forward and without new leaders and ideas we are unlikely to solve these big problems anytime soon.
First, let me say that people have value and all people are entitled to universal justice. While I have never found a perfect person, and some a lot less perfect than others, there is a sense of inherent worth in each of us. It doesn't matter what race, religion, education attainment, income level or any other heuristic criteria we use to judge one other. It is not our place to use our skewed sense of being to judge anyone with the first thought that comes to mind.
At the same time, policing is not an easy job and officers put themselves at risk everyday to do the right thing and protect their communities from harm. I have seen officers step up against hate and bigotry in their communities and know first hand the positive influence they can have on their communities. Likewise, I am also aware of how an officer can engage in alleged criminal activity with what appears to be immunity.
We also know there are risks and jumpiness when officers respond to situations outside their comfort zones. The mental state of the officer and how they interpret and understand the situation and their unconscious bias can have a big impact on choice (i.e. Choice Theory). Make the wrong choice by jumping too quickly and we have another situation the undermines public trust; a family loses a member. :(
We must begin the process of reform that helps officers become more effective in their jobs while supporting them while they struggle with issues that impact their sense of identity. Police are an important part of our society and connecting them closer to the community they serve and providing for more support before problems before they rise is helpful. That support can be mental health and/or removal/reassignment until they are ready to serve again (or never again).
In many ways I feel we are limiting our capacity to compete on the global market and at the same time engage 50% of our society that do not feel as though they are part of a greater national purpose. Our leaders are trying but they simply never walked in another's shoes long enough to deeply understand the multifaceted ways of viewing and solving problems. Bi-partisan support to make our country a leader among nations is needed to continue on with our national development. While our enemy's watch afar as we tear ourselves apart and we rehash the same worn out solutions from a familiar thinking political class.
I'm working toward climbing Mount Everest (Lots of training and steps to even Base Camp 1 so I will let fate be where it lays) in hopes of raising awareness of universal justice. Something I have been doing before BLM movement. Discrimination is something I have fought against, researched and experienced at multiple times within my life. There is a path forward but I don't think we have the foresight and will to grasp a better tomorrow by making the choices we need today.
Developing Rural Pandemic Plans for U.P. Counties-Example of Annotate Bibliography
While the CDC is a primary authority they are somewhat limited by their philosophical emphasis on medical aspects of pandemic minimization (It is their job to focus on thee aspects). Full preparedness means thinking about all of the different ways the pandemic virus impacts us. That means we can think about it from a social, economic and health aspect to minimize its impact. As we reorient our businesses and activities to a post-Covid world that is likely to be focused on the health of our environment there will be changes in things like construct to allow for open air seating.
Annotated Bibliography Examples:
To better understand how to improve up on existing plans you will want to complete your background review of the current literature. An annotated bibliography isn't about just offering the reference but a little description of what each of the articles contains. For those who engage in deep research that requires categorization and organization of significant key research the annotated bibliography is important. You may want to see how it is written in APA format HERE.
O'Sullivan, B., Leader, J., Couch, D., & Purnell, J. (2020). Rural Pandemic Preparedness: The Risk, Resilience and Response Required of Primary Healthcare: Risk management and healthcare policy, 13, 1187–1194. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S265610
The publication focuses on how to maximize and protect healthcare workers. "Response consists of rural PHC teams adopting new preventative clinics, screening and ambulatory models to protect health workers from exposure whilst maximizing population screening and continuity of healthcare for vulnerable groups." (You can add as much or as little as you feel is necessary to create a description. I would think along the lines of 1-2 short paragraphs).
The research discusses how access to victim services can be limited in rural environments and offers some guidance. "Access to victims’ services has been a longstanding issue in rural communities, but has become more difficult due to stay-at-home orders and changes in daily activities." The study may help understand strategies on how to reach victims in rural places like the U.P. (You can add as much or as little as you feel is necessary to create a description. I would think along the lines of 1-2 short paragraphs).
Qing Miao, Susan Schwarz, Gary Schwarz (2021). Responding to COVID-19: Community volunteerism and coproduction in China. World Development, Volume 137, 105128. ISSN 0305-750X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105128.
Tim, Y., Cui, L., & Sheng, Z. (2020). Digital resilience: How rural communities leapfrogged into sustainable development. Information Systems Journal. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/isj.12312The research is located in China but still can give some insight on how to use community volunteers. More search on US examples needed. Delta County has a lot of volunteer resources and a tight community that can help in organizing responses. "Our research examines the crucial role of community volunteers and their effective deployment during a crisis." (You can add as much or as little as you feel is necessary to create a description. I would think along the lines of 1-2 short paragraphs).
The publication discusses three methods of creating digital resilience and how to minimize impact. Additional research on how to encourage economic resilience when/if pandemics hit by helping local small business is helpful. "Digital social innovation (DSI)—the novel use of digital technology to address societal challenges—plays a critical role in our collective pursuit of sustainable development." (You can add as much or as little as you feel is necessary to create a description. I would think along the lines of 1-2 short paragraphs).
Keep going with your search here...
Organizing and Narrowing Your Annotated Bibliography
New research is coming out in real time due to the uniqueness of the pandemic. Older research on previous pandemics may be helpful but for the most part you want to stay within the last year or so to truly understand modern medicine and methods of responding. In addition, you will also want to narrow your search to rural communities first and then when you have exhausted those resources move into broader responses. The closer you can match your research to, in this example Delta County, the more relevant it will be.
Breaking your search up into categories is important for organizing and creating themes within your paper (i.e. dissertation paper). From what I see I would use the social, economic, and health benefits because I like to study innovation and clusters. However you might want to use something else that relates specifically to the research question you propose (i.e. R1, R2, etc...). For example if you were focused only on physical resources you might break them down into categories of where they are and where they can be procured.
Possible Plan Characteristics to Look for in the Literature:
Because I would use social, economic and health there are some things from our broad knowledge that would make sense to keep an eye out for while searching. It should also be noted that while I used public open access research, in a true study I would also look at private university libraries that are not open access.
Social
-Volunteer organization-Walkable neighborhoods-Socially distanced event activities-Communication strategies-Outdoor activities-Etc.
Economic
-Open air conversion designs of business buildings-Using alleys and sidewalks for businesses and dining-Business pick up windows-Business mini-Malls where small business can still function-Selling local products in local grocery stores-Coordination of business groups-New investment opportunities.
Health
-Safety check-Hospital capacity-Spill over emergency capacity (i.e. gyms)-New business safety protocol-First responder training and safety.-Etc.
As in the case of Delta County Michigan it is helpful to think about what focus (categories) would have the most use in helping local communities develop adequate plans to overcome pandemic problems. From a macro standpoint that could have an impact on the success or failure of a nation to minimize the impact of such problems and use such times of adversity as opportunities to adapt and improve. For example, we could develop our digital infrastructure while improving our advanced manufacturing capabilities in a way that leads to increased investment and GDP growth. Nationally we are still focused on solving problems post hoc and have not yet focused on finding lasting solutions to national decline in a way that powers up multiple large sectors of society for innovative growth. We may need to take a wider look at where the problems seem to lay and solve them on a local level to push our national policies into a competitive mindset through the concept of Federalism.
A couple of ideas on how to improve Delta County's Economy Post Covid
Attracting SME Adventure-Venture Capitalism to Delta County (Escanaba & Gladstone) Through NeuroeconomicsWednesday, December 23, 2020
Photos of "Old World" Louisville KY
When we look at the beauty of these buildings it reminds some of the wealth of the industrial area. The buildings that were built are breathtaking and have a European flair to them.
Monday, December 21, 2020
Rock Climbing into the Cave's Mouth-Allegory of the Cave
The morning air whipped cool and a muddy trail made hiking somewhat more challenging than expected. A few days earlier I found a cliff face that stretches as far as one can see just off the trail and up the hill. Most people probably would miss it if they were not actively looking for contour changes of the tree canvas. With my backpack loaded with ropes, harness, and grigri I marched upwards until I was abruptly halted by a wall of rock.
Life is a little like a cliff face that blazes a trail through the forest for miles. While the rocks may seem insurmountable it is still up to you to decide how to deal with difficulty. Some with throw their hands up in frustration and stomp back home, others will run head first without thinking right into their peril, and a small few will find their way up, over, and around challenges. Your strategy is often based on how you view yourself and life quit, muscle it, or finesse a solution. It takes time and patience to walk the ridge and find spots that will allow you to climb safely. While you maneuver along the rock crevices to find your entry strategy you may get smacked in the face by branches and scraped raw by razor sharp thorns.
Ok...sorry...enough with the similes! The point is that each of us has to decide how we want to deal with difficulties. Today...I was just trying to find a place to climb. Maybe someday I will try and climb Everest but I have a long way to go yet in training and abilities. Much more effort is needed on putting myself in lower oxygen levels. I will be heading to Colorado in about a month or so. I would like to raise awareness for a concept called "universal" justice where Americans are treated with a universal value system that seeks to foster a better society.
Congressman Bergman Votes in Favor of Covid Relief and Appropriation Bill FY21 that Impact the U.P.
It is important for people to stay informed about happenings in the Michigan's 1st District of the U.P. Particularly you may be interested in the FYI Appropriations. The actual document is HERE. Lots and lots of details so you might need to take your time.
A little about Congressman Berman if you want to know more. HERE No matter which political party you adhere (or none at all) you want to know who is representing you and what they believe. The quality of a person is based deeply in their character. Our nation needs wise leaders from both parties and that requires loyalties to certain fundamental American beliefs.
The following was taken from his press release and provides some highlights.....
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Washington - Today, a deal was reached between the House, Senate, and White House on a COVID package and appropriations bills. Rep. Bergman voted in favor of the legislative package to avoid a government shutdown, provide additional coronavirus relief to American families, and secure major wins for Michigan's First District and the State of Michigan as a whole. "Workers and small businesses across the First District are at a breaking point after 10 months of restrictions from the state and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm pleased that critical PPP and EIDL funding and tax provisions are part of this legislation as businesses across our district face unprecedented pressure, especially during the holiday season. Bergman also added, “While I supported this deal to bring targeted coronavirus relief to Michigan families, I am disappointed in the continued dysfunction in Washington. This type of legislating is irresponsible and a reckless approach to federal budgeting; but with the options presented tonight, I am supporting the workers and small businesses across the District who have been in dire straits since March.” Topline details on the COVID relief deal:
First District Priorities and other topline details of the FY21 Appropriations package include:
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Saturday, December 19, 2020
Michigan Becoming a Leader in Business Development
Business seems to be pushing in as a leader in new business formation. This is good news if we find that those who were laid off from business have decided they would love to state a business and grow. Starting new business in a Pandemic may not be ideal but the one's that will succeed will also push for increase hiring a few years down the road. Small business are often known to grow fast once they are able to get through their break out stages.
We could foster these business start ups to give the young generation the best chance at future success by developing economic clusters so they may innovate off of each other.
In Michigan we have a 61% increase in new business applications in 2020 when compared to 2, 3, & 4 % average in the state over the last decade.
If you look at the nation as a whole you will find an increase in 38% new business applications when compared to 5,6,7% ish range over the past decade.
Which Nations are Likely to Succeed in the Post-Pandemic Digital Economy?
- Expanding adoption of digital consumer tools (e-commerce, digital payments, entertainment, etc.)
- Attracting, training, and retaining digital talent
- Fostering digital entrepreneurial ventures
- Providing fast, universal, terrestrial (e.g. fiber optics) and mobile broadband internet access
- Specializing in the export of digital goods, services, or media
- Coordinating innovation between universities, businesses, and digital authorities
- Improving mobile internet access, affordability, and quality to foster more widespread adoption
- Strengthening institutional environments and developing digital regulations
- Generating investment in digital enterprises, funding digital R&D, training digital talent, and leveraging digital applications to create jobs
- Taking steps to reduce inequities in access to digital tools across gender, class, ethnicity, and geographic boundaries (though many access gaps still remain).