Kenosha Shooting: Now is the Time for Our Nation to Think About Long Term Solutions

 Kenosha Wisconsin shooting helps us think about race and perception in our nation in a way that we have never done. Our nation is based on fundamental values that tie us together. We are in a cultural transition and there will be people lining up to ensure their perception is the loudest voice in the room. People are angry, upset, and have low levels of trust in public institutions. 

A good article to read is Illinois teen arrested in fatal shooting at Kenosha protest, police say Be forewarned there are some fairly graphic pictures in there. It provides a kind of time line of what they think happened. Its not good people!

Now is the time to think about our long term goals as a nation before more people are hurt. The roots that make up the arguments are long and they are deep touching upon national wounds. This is one of those conflicts that must be felt for national reconciliation. Its been a flash point for a long time.

Whether we accept the need for universal justice and capitalistic full economic engagement or some other competing ideology we must start to think about how we want this to turn out in the next few years and what we want our nation look like a decade down the road?

Leadership is born in times of uncertainty and now is the time for our leadership to step up to the plate and start drawing all the stakeholders together. I believe that multiple deaths have now occurred and people are coming into these areas for all types of different reasons and not all of it is about being good or doing good to others. This is one of those defining moments for our nation as it could escalate out of control very quickly. 

Thus, we must work on talking to a wide group of stakeholders of appropriate justice reform that helps our officers work well from a functional standpoint and helps officers work well within different communities. This isn't about getting soft on crime but by getting effective and building a policing and justice structure that helps good officers shine and poor officers to be plucked from the tree before they do harm.

There are reforms that make sense and would be of benefit to all the interested parties. If we can restore trust in the system within these communities we can also restore a sense of community and peace as a nation. Some possible reforms are simple such as transparency, training, community inclusion, cultural & metric adjustments, social worker assists, alternative punishments, oversite, internal investigations, stronger recruitment and termination practices, feedback loops, ....and the list can go on. 

We want everyone to be on the same page to think about how our nation is on a path to greater human freedoms and development and we must define what the next stage in human rights development will look like. Police and minority communities don't need to be against each other if they get down to the business of creating intentional dialogue on what are the things that must stay the same and what things can be changed. 

That means rethinking Justice and making improvements. The point being that we can move to a place where people worthy of a second chance get it while those who are out to harm others are safely taken out of community engagement. There are few people who would disagree with that. We can become a single nation of universal justice where police and community are working toward the same ends...building stronger communities and a stronger nation.

Maxouris, C. Ebrahimji, A. & Levenson, E. (August 26th, 2020). Illinois teen arrested in fatal shooting at Kenosha protest, police say CNN. Retrieved https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/26/us/kenosha-wisconsin-wednesday-shooting/index.html

You may be interested in the twitter posting by the Kenosha Police Department

pic.twitter.com/2skV5edTUE

— Kenosha Police Dept. (@KenoshaPolice) August 26, 2020

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Defends Changes

 The post office debate is a big one and I won't go too far into it as it is highly contentious. I do understand the need to reform systems and the revenue needed to support their existence but I also understand the vital nature of service this institutions provides. Changes may also mean ensuring there are transition periods so that radical change doesn't overwhelm peoples abilities to change and adapt to changes. Pushing too hard to fast for change leads to some backlash. They call this the "human nature" of organizational strategy adjustments.

There appears to be some other political arguments as they relate to voting election time so I will just stay clear of that conversation for now. 🙈🙉🙊

Paralanguage and Communication Capabilities

Language is one of the most fundamental aspects of our life and society. Without language we are stuck with little ability to work together as a group and share resources for mutual survival. It is what helps us formulate culture and come to understand each other in a way that defines fundamental values. Understanding para-language leads to higher levels of awareness and knowledge of our social world. 

Language relies on the verbal and non-verbal information. By providing context to language through tone, volume, etc.. that are nonphonemic in nature. 

When used well paralanguage can use to support better better ideational, interpersonal and textual information that leads to stronger meaning and communication (Martin, & Zappavigna, 2019)

Typically this is done verbally but it can also be done in written form. As we become more familiar with written language we will train our brains to find written paralanguage attributes within the word choice and prose. 

Let's think of this as a potential learned skill. If you are able to increase your communication channel by better understanding paralanguage in verbal and written form you would also be able to obtain more information from communicating with others. When a conversation is important you can take the information, break it down further, and use that information more effectively. 

Martin, J. & Zappavigna, M. (2019). Embodied meaning: a systemic functional perspective on paralanguage. Functional Linguistics, (6) 1. 

Rima, A. (2019). Nonverbal Communication in Text-Based, Asynchronous Online Education. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, (10) 1.

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Steve Rattner: U.S. Economy Is Still In Shambles-A Couple of Thoughts on Higher Education and Job Changes

I'm listening to the news this morning while working and thinking about what Steve Rattner, New York investment asset manager and economic commentary, was saying about a slow down in hiring. He could very well be correct in some of his predictions and warnings. As companies adapt they shed old systems and move more toward more effective emerging platforms such as virtual business structures. The virtual can make us more productive and lessens the need for costly physical presence (i.e. large office building).

It should be noted we will also find there are certain types of businesses where physical proximity during the day impact performance in a positive way. Each industry will create its own standards (more virtual or physical) based upon shared modes of business that allow such companies to work together effectively within a supply chain. 

I wonder how long this employment trend will continue as we also know that Digital GDP can speed up economic activities as organizations (and transactions) migrate online. Innovation is 3X faster with new capital investments than R&D alone. Thus the 2-5 year lead time on investments may mean we have a bump in economic performance and then a bigger bump a few years down the road as changes take full effect. 

The increase in productivity and virtual adaptation may balance out job loss with a followed up job gain. As we add new virtual jobs based on lessened need for physical presence which reduces our costs and increases profits. That money will likely be reinvested into markets that are growing thereby encourage greater structure changes and improved virtual effectiveness. 

Its this market adaptation that will raise job opportunities in new markets and slowly suck the resources out of an older system. For example, high technology manufacturing is going to take resources from other market sectors that are less profitable and put them where emerging patterns. Jobs may open up in new sectors faster than job loss if our society is creating net positive value.

These faster market changes is one reason why higher education institutions must increasingly be adaptable...which is one reason for the market based competency approach of online higher education system a couple of colleagues and I worked entitled Aligning Curriculum to Industry Needs. 

As we move through this transition we must make sure we are re-educating people to perform at their maximum capacity in industry and economic platform. There is so much that can be said here about two world society. The highly educated working virtually and the less educated stuck in jobs that require heavy physical presence which continues to leave them with the short end of the stick (i.e. generational poverty). 

To rectify this new problem we will need better online education models that will allow more people to become educated at a lower price structure. Societal adaptation occurs when we are able to push people to learn new skills and then apply them in the workplace. The technology is there to educate America's labor force for mass societal transition into the digital world. 

The chaos we experience is because we are changing our economic structure, societal structure, technology capabilities, higher education modes, etc... at one time. Trends have been moving in that direction for a long time and the Pandemic sort of launched us only half prepared into the Gail. As things begin to settle down we will see interesting economic changes. 

I'm waiting for 2020 Q3 to come out because I suspect that by the end of that Quarter we should see jobs, economy, and other things on an upward trend that in turn should be a powerful 4th quarter. Next year could see other economic improvements as people return to work and the economy speeds up with these new adaptations. A few years down the road we might see significant jumps in GDP; depending on government policies. All of this is dependent on how things turn out. 

Morning Joe (August 24th, 2020). [Youtube Video] Steve Rattner: U.S. Economy Is Still In Shambles. MSNBC https://youtu.be/fhWzRngMslQ 

Kenosha Police Shoot-Leaders Should Act To Solve the "Crisis of Trust" in Justice

We are in a time of transition and its time to start thinking about things in new ways. Its been that way a long time and yet we haven't fully grasped the concept that our society continues to move toward the free. While we will always need police, and should respect those good officers that help people, sometimes there are events that sting our moral sense and fathom the mind on how long will it take to create a proper review process so as to avoid future incidents such as this. 

HR practices follow standard protocol. If an employee receives one complaint "ok" if it is not serious...its a reason to engage in more training. If an employee receives multiple serious allegations of misconduct and we take no action we consider the term negligent if a situation such as the Kenosha Police Shooting occurs down the road. Leadership has responsibility to ensure they understand their crew and are willing to remove "bad apples" when necessary.

I must say that I know a lot of great officers and they are doing the right thing. We will need some type of policing no matter what happens going forward as there are destructive people in the world who don't follow standard value systems. However, we also need policing to be transparent and have moral values around truth that deeply respect human life. 

Weeding out bad apples raises the prestige of the department and the profession so that honorable law enforcement officers can shine through and help their communities. Without a review process we will continue to experience "snaps" like this that leads to death of a person, the arrest of an officer, tarnishing the badge, and a community (and society) already in flames!

We have some knowledgeable reforms that could help....

1. Recruit officers for personality and performance.

2. Review credible and/or repeat complaints.

3. Ensuring accountability throughout the system. 

The very start of reform begins in who we recruit (personality) from what sources (diversity) and indoctrinating them into a culture of inclusion (universal human suffrage). These aren't ideals of a philosophy book but are necessities if we want to keep the fabrics of society from unraveling. Our republic rests on certain fundamental principles that should apply to all citizens.

I have seen police corruption and coordinated racial/religious bullying and haven't seen an account made of the behavior. Highly manipulative misinformation seeking to use connections in law enforcement for their own personal agenda. Yet...without a review process, turning the "blind eye" and following up on the community's complaints we are unlikely to see changes that will have a positive impact on departmental performance outcomes.

When you read the article...... 

Civil Tights Leaders Demand Accountability in Kenosha Police Shooting you will get the sense that people don't trust leadership (Mandani, 2020). There must be an investigation and going outside the area to do that might be the best bet if local officials are unable to take care of the problem themselves. Assuming that the Justice Department is also seen as objective then it has an opportunity to come to a transparent outcome with the public. 

So we should start thinking about internal review processes that lessen risk and encourages higher performance in a way that leads to a stronger department and a stronger connection to the community. 

 People in influential positions should positively and politely change perspectives through persistent discussion that raises awareness until we are better able to understand and deal with our current problems.  Reviews and investigations are not about coming out to a specific answer as that would create additional bias to assess predetermined findings. Instead it is more about understanding the nature of what happened to ensure that it doesn't happen again. The community and law enforcement can work together to create trust if both sides come to understand the needs of the other. 

Mandani, (August 24, 2020). Civil Tights Leaders Demand Accountability in Kenosha Police Shooting. Retrieved NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/civil-rights-leaders-demand-accountability-kenosha-police-shooting-n1237916

Amazon Prime Fresh Service - No Need to Walk

A friend turned me onto Amazon Prime Fresh Service. While traveling or in San Diego I don't always have access to a car so I'm left hoofing it with my bike, taking public transportation or walking. Its not as bad as it sounds and one does get used to it. The exercise helps me stay in shape but I realize that many cities don't have the same level of public transit infrastructure like San Diego. 

So if I want to enjoy a day without biking, walking or other forms of manual labor I might consider using a delivery service. I will use it if its going to be convenient and not be a hassle That is something called customer annoyance factor, or hassle factor if you prefer, which will often push your customers away. If your customer gets annoyed using your service or system they will not come back. 

 Thus, you will want your customer service and easy of use to be high so as to retain your customers from trying out new services and websites.

So what I found was that many of the delivery services either charged too much or were delivered a few days later. I hope that wasn't their full blown attempt to serve Millennial's or people who don't want to go to the store during a pandemic.....because they need some work. 

For the first time I tried out Amazon Prime Fresh based on a recommendation and as long as you had $30 bill they delivered for free. That is really good if you can lower the amount of times you buy and just bounce up your bill a little. 

The other benefit I liked is that they allowed you to have a delivery window the same day. That means I can order in the morning and have it a few hours later. Not bad!

It is possible to live a life in transit as long as you try and adapt to the more digital world around us. Having items delivered means I don't have to leave the marina unless I really want to. I can stay home and work! work! work! ....ok maybe a good balance is better. :) I have a few other projects I'm working on as well so not needing to take a lot of time to go places helps. 

Days River Trail Volunteer Workers Needed-Delta County Michigan

 Delta County has a lot of trails for hiking, walking, biking, horse riding, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, etc... and many of those trails are maintained by volunteers. If you are in the area and want to volunteer then you can show up at the trail head. More information at http://dcntrails.com/

WORK BEE TOMORROW AT DAYS RIVER!

We will be getting started on the initial stages of hand building single track trails at Days River Pathway tomorrow at 5pm. If you are interested in volunteering meet at the trail head between 5-5:30pm. Some tools will be provided, please plan to bring work gloves and feel free to bring a garden rake or shovel.

For more information contact Andy Claes at 906-280-5971