Pheasant Hunting Tips from a Seasoned Guide!

Few things are as joyful when compared to spending time in nature and enjoying a good hunt. While passing through Colorado I came across a nice guided hunt about an hour south of Denver. Let me just say that while the hunt was not cheap at $225 I will say that it offered a pretty good lesson in pheasant hunting by guides that have been chasing these birds for decades.

Of course I didn't pass up the opportunity to tap the brain of the guide and get a few tips.

1.) Look for a solid food source and cover. Places that were recently farm fields with corn and alfalfa seem to attract the birds. They can find food and a place to hide.

2.) Bird dogs help immensely in flushing them out without nearly stepping on them. While you certainly can hunt without dogs you will be doing a lot of walking because you need to almost step on them to scare them out. Trust me...you can't see them until they move.

3.) Pheasant don't fly very far so you can create rounding circles that heard them to a place of your choosing if you miss the shot. Take note of where they come down and hide. It should be within your eyesight.

4.) The birds love to hide on the ridges toward the top of the hill. It wasn't explained to me why this
was the case but they seem to gravitate toward the sunny side of the slope.

Can Michigan Borrow From Wisconsin and Reduce Student Loan Debt While Improving the Economy?

Student loan debt is a serious concern for both the Federal and State governments as it limits the amount of money in consumer pockets and is now showing that it is slowing economic growth potential in one of the largest young populations in history. There has been discussion on tacking the 1.48 trillion dollars in 2018 of student debt by wiping it out. We can see an example in Wisconsin that leads us to consider potential solutions for Michigan and other states when it comes to lowering student burden and bringing skilled workers to small declining towns.

Wisconsin reimburses up to 40% to a maximum of $25,000 for living in up to 72 counties. This helps move people to such rural areas in a way that helps declining farm towns and rebuild local economies.

There are other ways in which Michigan and the country can use student loans to help create higher levels of economic growth as well as reduce the overall debt without "wiping out" loans. The goal is to maximize the overall benefit to the states and the country through thoughtful forgiveness programs.

Let us consider a very robust student loan forgiveness and repayment plan that incorporates debt reduction with economic development. We may be able to see the benefits of student repayment and debt reduction programs for rural communities, certain needed occupations, military veterans, public service, volunteer work, training and education programs, public works, and much more.

Consider an example. Let us say my small town of Gladstone Michigan is declining in size with an aging population. They are in need of younger families as well as skills in metallurgy/mining, forestry, entrepreneurship, ecotourism, and healthcare.

It is possible to provide loan forgiveness for graduates that move into the area, additive loan forgiveness for being within certain demand oriented occupations, and additional loan forgiveness spanning up to 5 years for starting a business or setting roots down in the area.

Why might this help? If we are seriously discussing complete loan forgiveness, lack of people skilled nationally in certain occupations that limit economic growth, and declining rural communities it is possible to beef up these loan forgiveness programs in a way that helps the economy, the student, and industries grow.

We know we need skills to keep the economy growing. At present the labor market is tight with low unemployment, forcing industries to use immigration as a tool, and pushing up costs. Economic growth opportunities are limited without the labor needed to fulfill the jobs and growing industries. It would make sense to "hit multiple birds with one stone" if we consider a debt forgiveness program that encourages people to contribute to society in a maximum way possible.

Currently, Michigan has two major debt reduction programs that include working as a public defender and healthcare professionals. Administrators should consider a program like Wisconsin's but much more robust in its ability to reduce debt and encourage economic growth. While the public works programs were a good idea during the Depression, loan forgiveness might be a good idea in an improving economy. To effectively pull this off  we will need partnership between State and Federal entities to rethink how to maximize the benefits of reducing student loan burdens while helping people and communities.

http://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/0,4636,7-128-60970_61103_61113-129874--,00.html

http://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71551_2945_40012-135399--,00.html

Let's Talk? The Way We Lead

The way we communicate and connect with others makes a big difference in our ability to lead others to higher levels of performance to achieve important goals. Our personal communication style makes the difference between leaders and non leaders in any large community. Some will be able to tone their communication skills to connect with individuals while others are better at connecting with larger groups of people. How people perceive and understand what you are attempting to discuss makes a big difference. A few traits of leadership communication are presented below:

1.) Able to project their thoughts with clarity by using easy to understand language and easy to follow sentence structure.

2.) Are to the point and are concise.

3.) Know the culture of their target market and put words within that cultural context.

4.) Show strength in their body language, tone, and words.

5.) Communicates in a way in which people trust the message and the person.

6.) Can use different medians and can resonate among different target markets.

7.) Has a long term vision and can sell that vision to others.

A Data Driven World-Advantages and Disadvantages

We live in a data driven world and it will become more complex over time as large companies move from one market to the other one. As they connect with their customers, and more people move online, there will be lots of opportunities to collect this information. There are advantages and disadvantages to living in a data driven world.

Advantages: As our worlds become connected across countries and continents we become more familiar with each other. Typically, differences will not seem so different and people will begin to understand and sympathize with others.

Information passing from one place to the next leads to greater innovation. The world is inventing and using new products at a pace not ever seen in history.

Companies can better target their customers by understanding them and their needs. They are more connected and can send and receive information accordingly.

Prices drop as companies must compete against each other. When searching online on sites like Amazon or Alibaba you will find that regional differences often disappear.

Over the past few decades people moved from one location to the next often disconnecting from their family members. The Internet through the use of social programs such as Facebook, and Twitter, allow us to stay better connected to family, people who think like us, and the world in general.

The speed of commerce increases as electronic payments allow us to buy and purchase products quickly. While governments are slow to move online they are increasingly picking up on ecommerce ideas for simple things like car registration.

Disadvantages: As data moves across the globe and is hosted on multiple servers we will have a harder time keeping our information private. Some governments have enacted the "right to be forgotten" which allows them to have their information removed. This will likely be increasingly difficult as different countries begin to host their own information and decentralization occurs.

With a little research governments can do all types of intelligence gathering by collecting information out on the net and then putting it together to create profiles of key officials and people. This creates a risk as most governments don't understand how isolated and low level information becomes more revealing when combined.

We may also say that we will have some risk to our private information and finances as hackers and spyware steal information. There have been numerous data breaches that most companies are not able or competent of to thwart theft by motivated hackers from around the world.

The 8th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences

The 8th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences
26th to 27th March 2018
Washington DC, United States of America

The Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies is pleased to invite you to attend the 8th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences, which will be held at the Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center - 3800 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC, 20057, on March 26-27, 2018.

The Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (RAIS) creates an ample research platform for academics and researchers from all around the world and offers them the opportunity to create lasting relations for future collaborations. RAIS encourages academics and researchers to share their experiences and to contribute to the developing of diverse subjects, offering them the perspective of an interdisciplinary approach.

Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:

• Politics and International Relations
• Law, Jurisprudence
• Economics, Management and Business Studies, History of Economics
• Science and Technology Studies
• Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy
• Education, Social Anthropology, and Linguistics
• Social Policy and Social Work and Social History
• Demography and Social Statistics
• Methods and Computing, Development Studies
• Geography and Environmental Planning

We encourage academics to send their articles and abstracts on multidisciplinary studies.

Important Dates:

Abstract submission deadline: February 25, 2018
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 1 week after submission
Extended abstract/full paper/poster deadline: March 16, 2018
Registration deadlines for authors: March 21, 2018
Conference Days: March 26-27, 2018
Early Bird Registration fee: Until February 01, 2018

Visit our website http://s-sciences.rais.education/ for more information.

Contact us at rais.education@email.com.