Firefighter Practice and Workout-Up the Ladder with Gear!

We were doing some training last night and some of the firefighters climbed up the ladder around 70-80' with gear. It should be noted that it is already warm out and putting on all of that heavy fire retardant gear, oxygen mask, tank  and then heading up a ladder is not easy. I would likely have to make a couple of "catch your breath" stops...and I work out! If there is heat, smoke and flames its going to be insane.

Firefighting isn't the easiest job someone can do. Sometimes you can go a long time with no activity and other times its absolute chaos. Its a good occupation but there are risks involved. Often firefighting and EMT services are together. I have Basic Life Support Training which I used a couple of times at various places outside of FF so its something good to get. In one case, I was shopping and someone collapse on the floor and people started screaming. I didn't do much but check vitals and make sure he was stable until EMT showed up but its our duty to society. 

07/28/20: President Trump Holds a News Conference-Bringing Manufacturing Back

Kodak Pharmaceuticals is launching to produce drugs in the U.S. instead of in India and China. They will be using the Defense Product Act. The company will produce generic drugs and the starting base of other drugs. 25% of generic drugs ingredients. The drug market is huge and ensuring U.S. companies are producing and selling overseas is important. 

Bringing back manufacturing of all types is important for the long-term success of our country. Companies move overseas, take advantage of cheaper taxes, lower costs, etc... and then sell these products back here for a higher price. The problem is that the U.S. is like a bucket and when you keep taking out and real wages don't necessary rise fast then we loss of net wealth. 

Bringing back manufacturing is an important aspect of building a strong society. It not only produces jobs but can improve the lives of Americans for generations. As we develop and move more into advanced manufacturing we will have a positive influence on global economics in addition to environmental improvement. The U.S. is more concerned about the health of our environment than many other nations.

How we bring back manufacturing is a difficult question. My take is to allow areas to capitalize on their local/regional competencies to create initial cluster, add industries to develop extended industries, and then in turn focus on innovation through these clusters that would be very difficult for other nations to copy without first building the environment first.

We still have infrastructure, labor, and a positive investment environments that may allow these clusters to develop. That will require understanding existing competencies, building export infrastructure, re thinking government, creating a safe and equal labor market,  attracting global investments, encouraging R&D, and unlocking entrepreneurial enthusiasm of the Millennial generation.

Governor Whitmer Covid Update 07/28/2020-Budgeting Issues

A few ideas on next steps with COVID. Continued discussion on outbreaks. We haven't had an update in a while so its important to stay on top of issues as they occur. Lots of discussion on budget shortfall and the shortfall for the current fiscal year. More budget shortfalls for next year. They are seeking Federal help. I suspect we will get some Federal help but will also need to think about attracting investment, manufacturing, and increased tax revenue to the state through pro-growth fiscal policies.

Part of the problem we face is that we will have to lay off others and cut into budgets like maybe education and other places. That could create some legal problems if there are rights to education and other issues. To me children are one of the most important assets and should be priority. Yet there are so many other things we need and are likely to fight about them. 

One issue is that we didn't think fiscally sound for decades. We don't think about these things when we have money. We don't invest well in the future and perhaps governments should think about building in larger cushions and rain day funds in the future. Thus, government will have to think and make decisions about when money is used what is the long-term revenue return of that money. 

Small business will be part of growth in the U.S. Michigan has an opportunity to be very business oriented and encourage people to start and run businesses through innovative legislation. That includes low interest loans, coordinated government action, regulation review, streamlining processes, encourage foreign investment, and redevelop our society. 

Poor Performing Students-Motivation or Skills?

Occasionally I come across a poor performing student. I know they can do better but they aren't. Between the sloppy work and the late assignments there are glimmers of potential leaking through. Poor performing students are typically plagued by one of two different ailments. They either don't have the skills they need or they don't have the motivation levels to continue to learn. 

Here a few solutions for professors that are dealing with poor performing students. 

1. Motivation: Explore the student's motivation and try and help them find a connection to the information that is being presented. Seek to create relevant coursework of real life world problems. If the student can find a reason to learn and they have practical use for it you have won half the battle. The motivators could be intrinsic or extrinsic but they need to be important to the student. 

2. Explore Skill Sets: Try and understand where the learning deficiencies are. If they had poor general education they may not be fully prepared so we have to consider how we improve on those areas. Sometimes augmenting work helps while other times offering general information on how to study is important. 

Students have different personalities and different problems. Most of them can be categorized into motivation and skill sets. Encouraging stronger primary and secondary education is helpful in better preparing students to work in the modern high technology economy. Much of our education fails to change and focuses heavily on an Industrialized system. Helping students understand and develop is helpful to the overall process of creating a competitive nation. 

Living a Varied and Healthy Lifestyle

We Americans are not as active as we once were. Driving a few blocks to the store, overeating, eating lots of carbs and lots of TV watching is not healthy. It adds up over the years and eventually our doctor begins to warn us about diet and exercise are important. Without change you are likely to continue down the path of declining health. You can create change in your life that leads to greater life satisfaction and health. 

I get it! We are busy and have jobs, kids, bills, clubs, and much more. Our lives are hectic! That doesn't mean we can't create a more varied lifestyle that leads to better health. No one says you have to go to the gym for three hours a day. That would get boring fast!

You can integrate workouts and healthy exercise into your life. For example, when you can take an elevator to your floor you may want to opt for the stairs. Perhaps its only a few flights but by then end of day you may have climbed it three times. 

Same can be said for lunch. You have an hour. Go speed walk around a few blocks and then sit down and have your lunch. 

During the day I like to do some sit ups, push ups and other integrated lifestyle activities. That may not be easy for everyone unless you have your own office. However, if you do it consciously all day and evening you can get in a couple of hours a day by bedtime. 

Furthermore, try and create variety. No need to do the same movement over and over like they tell you in the fitness magazines. The best health is when you have a variety of movements and activities that use different muscles in different ways. 

Try short spurts of different fitness activities like swimming, jogging, biking, walking, boxing, etc... Yes do your weights but make sure you do all of the other stuff too because our natural bodies require variety of movement and resistance types. 

I got this fitness certificate but don't use it to help others very often. Yet it did teach me about health so why not share the knowledge. Oh my doctor gave me a check up the other day and "knock on wood" she said I'm in great shape. 

Covid Vaccine Operation Warp Speed Press Release-Can We Use Streamlined Applied Research in Industry to Speed up Innovation?

Research takes a lot of time and developing vaccines takes years. Operation Warp Speed did show us that speeding up slow research is possible. Streamlining the process is important because there are a lot of approvals and hoops to jump through. However, the risks to life were greater if we didn't develop a vaccine. It was necessary to accept some risk in the process. Yet it does tell us a little about research and our ability to speed up the process.

Can we apply those ideas to universities for national innovation?

The same concept couple be applied to innovation industry research. Things take time so sometimes good ideas can't be rushed to an "aha moment". However, science does follow a process of learning, integrating, and applying knowledge. Thus, innovation has something to do with the amount of time we spend in research. We might be able to better utilize our human capital.

Online universities do have options to create more innovation in the market that impact large swaths of industry. For example, a new biodegradable plastic that can be made at a competitive price might not only make billions but also help the planet. One complaint of universities is they don't often take new knowledge and apply it quickly to industry in a way that leads to innovation. We will need our universities to invent great ideas (online and campus based) and novel solutions to be used in the market. 

Streamlining research that isn't risky to human life and encouraging universities engage in more applied research can be helpful for national R&D and innovation. Encouraging industries to help universities by investing in particular researcher on a larger scale might help some schools that are struggling. Save schools while maximizing national research. Just an idea that isn't necessarily vetted.

You can Read the Release HERE

President Trump Is Leading a Once-in-a-Generation Effort to Ensure Americans Have Access to a COVID-19 Vaccine

 HEALTHCARE

 

 Issued on: July 27, 2020

Vaccines are coming along really well. Likewise therapeutics. Moving faster than anticipated.

President Donald J. Trump

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE VACCINES: President Donald J. Trump is harnessing the full power of the public and private sectors to deliver a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible.

• The President is using all available means to ensure safe vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics are developed, manufactured, and distributed in unprecedented time and scale in response to COVID-19.
• Earlier this year, President Trump launched Operation Warp Speed, a groundbreaking partnership between the Federal Government, scientific community, and private sector to develop and deliver vaccines in record time.
  • Operation Warp Speed’s goal is to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines with the initial doses available by January 2021.
• The Administration has made large investments in multiple vaccine candidates to provide financial infrastructure for mass manufacturing, in parallel with late-stage clinical trials.
• Operation Warp Speed is directing a colossal industrial mobilization to ensure the rapid delivery of an eventual safe vaccine.

SEEING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS: The President’s strategy for safely expediting vaccine development is already achieving incredible results.

• There has been promising early data from clinical trials and manufacturing is ramping up as candidates go through late-stage trials.
• Operation Warp Speed has invested in more than five vaccines and teamed up with multiple pharmaceutical companies to safely produce as many effective vaccines as possible.
• A number of vaccine candidates have shown promising early clinical results and are either in or starting Phase 3 clinical trials, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer.
• Several vaccine candidates are using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial network to help enroll individuals into the clinical trials.

UNLEASHING AMERICAN INGENUITY: President Trump has unleashed the power of American innovation in order to fight the invisible enemy.

• The Trump Administration is using the whole of our Nation’s scientific genius to help combat COVID-19.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized more than 185 tests under emergency authorities, including more than 150 molecular tests and 30 antibody tests.
• The FDA launched its Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to facilitate new treatments for COVID-19 patients as quickly as possible.
• A number of promising therapies for COVID-19, like Remdesivir, have been identified and are already in use.

$5 million+ in Grants Available for U.P. Businesses trying to Restart Administered by InvestUP

As of July 15th 2020 there are grants available in the MEDC SMALL BUSINESS RESTART GRANT PROGRAM. Businesses can receive up to $20K and Application Deadlines close August 5th.  

Businesses in the U.P. with 50 or less employees are eligible. If the money is there some may want to take advantage of it. 

The money can be used for anything as it relates to Covid. Think in terms of payroll and expenses. 

Invest U.P. will be responsible for selecting the businesses to divide up $4,545,455. See FAQ HERE

You will also want to check out information as it relates other COVID Resources HERE.