IMF Indicates Faster Growth for US and China: Leaving Some Markets Behind

IMF states that US and China will power international growth but some countries will be left behind. Emerging markets may not have the capital to power out of the pandemic. That might leave two large countries growing as emerging markets try and find an escape hatch. We may find new challenges come to true light as countries power back up to a competitive status.

I wonder how some of these changes will impact the supply chain networks of the US and China? 🤔 Companies seek resources and if the two countries (US and China) are creating contracts it will impact the global flow of information and resources. That means there could be some reorientation of supplier networks. 

  

Should North American Companies Shorten Their Supply Chains After Suez Canal Blockage?

When problems companies that will be around in the future adapt and adjust. Incidents like the blocking the Suez Canal create risks for companies that rely on those products to keep operations going. We also cannot ignore the geopolitical pressures that are in play from COVID, global warming and US manufacturing reemergence. Conducting an environmental scan can help to determine risks to U.S. companies and why they may want to rebalance their supply chains to include a certain percentage from the U.S./Canada and Mexico. Read Environmental Scan

Statistically every supply chain will have a disruption at some point. Yet this incident perked the ears of the U.S. business community that may want to adjust their supply chain strategies. The ship will likely be dislodged in the coming days but the incident does perk ears in terms of long-term risks of supply chain disruption in the U.S. and abroad. If your company relies on imports and you have a 2-3 week delay 1.) Is there local capacity to fill the gap? 2.) Can your business eat the cost?  

Manufacturers need secure supply chains that could be fostered through more local suppliers. Read what Captain Andrew Kinsey states about supply chain disruptions to manufacturers HERE. Shorter supply chains could also mean opportunities to develop more efficient supply chains by considering the merits of a distribution hub in Delta County Michigan.  You can rea d about the possible economic benefits of developing the Great Lakes manufacturing base through infrastructure enhancements Delta County Export Infrastructure

Colorado Shooter Highlights Mental Health Aspects of Hate Based Violence

Hate and rage comes from a deep dark place where chronic pain and emptiness lead people to act in destructive ways. When horrific things like this happen we often look desperately for some sense of an explanation. Those causes are likely many but at the root seems to stem from the same mental health issues. As our science advances we are likely going to find better ways of dealing with mental health problems and help people before such atrocities occur. 

At the moment we are left with gaps in our understanding on how to handle and manage hate driven violence. It makes no difference what race, religion, ethnic, etc... of the perpetrator as the damage is felt in different communities. An investigation will help determine motive and whether it was a hate based crime and/or something else (...personally I'm seeing this as having another root cause🤷).  

What we do know already is that there were prior mental health issues and a bent towards the use of violence to solve problems. The intent to commit violence is based in the pre-frontal cortex activities. It is possible to stimulate the prefrontal cortex to limit violent tendencies. (HERE). Thus the problem may be psychological and/or biological determinants that can be explored. 

What we may end up seeing is that early intervention is important. Once someone is in contact with the criminal justice system we need the mechanisms to assess mental health issues and find referrals out to people who can help them. Perhaps we can avoid future violence through proper coding, research and intervention. You can see an idea I thought of for Michigan....Counseling and Coding Hate Crimes

Border Crisis Problem? Maybe Our Foreign Policy Should be Directed More Toward Orphans.

Children are piling up on the boarder and we need to decide how to handle the crisis. We will want to be empathetic to these children and their plight in a way that maintains the natural boundaries between two countries. Finding a solution might be difficult because each option has hits own pitfalls. However, we might want to explore helping the children in Mexico through the use of orphanages and child centered foreign policy initiatives. 

Within 60 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border are numerous orphanages that would appreciate additional financial, academic and medical support (Even better if corporations sponsored some of the needs. Escanaba Polo Mallet Company donates some of its start up profits to help these orphans.). We may consider funding these orphanages and expanding their capacities to help children abandoned with the goal of reuniting with parents. Such children will have access to education and healthcare from caring staff instead of a chain link fence and border guard. 

Of course there would need to be some initiative in registering this children for tracking purposes and ensuring parents know where/who to contact to have someone to search the database for their children. Reuniting them with their families and supporting them through foreign policies that improve upon the U.S. brand and further our global initiatives is important (...not to mention developing business partnerships with Mexico that bring supply chains back from Asia and help these orphans with future jobs. I once thought of an idea to bring U.S. companies to help sponsor primary and online college education of orphanages to groom them to be managers for U.S. companies in Mexico.🤔)

I'm not saying it is the only solution, but that is is one option we can explore for its legal, ethic, and moral dynamics. As a nation we may want to focus our attention and efforts more on children then other non-essential desires of foreign aid recipients. The money goes a long way in helping these children and build good will initiatives that warm relationships in a way that is mutually beneficial for both countries.

Many of these orphanages are self-funded through private donations and are always looking for more help. While the ones I have visited do an excellent job with minimal resources they are almost always stretched thin. Funded through private donations, they are at the fluctuations of good will versus having a stable funding source. One U.S. Nonprofit that helps Mexican orphanages is.....

Corozon de Vida at https://www.corazondevida.org/

We can't say whether government will come up with a solution soon but we do know we will need to do something. It would make sense to invest in Mexico's orphanages for spill over benefits. Lots of children will be separated from their parents and helping Mexico handle this crisis is important. Just a sliver of our budget might make a big difference in the lives of these kids ($$ Stats by Country)

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Fed Chair Jerome Powell Testify Before House Financial Services Committee

Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testify before the House Financial Services Committee. You can read her statement HERE. Notice she said the Treasury is tasked with increasing small business and entrepreneurship. Helping micro-businesses and entrepreneurs in rural communities. 😊

Louisville Kentucky Bridges Photo

 Louisville Kentucky. Just outside Joes Crab Shack.  

UN Secretary-General Encourages Nations to Take Extremism Seriously

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres discusses the danger of growing extremism. He also discusses how these groups are becoming more internationally connected and a bigger threat to countries. We are just sort of becoming aware of these dangers in the U.S. A very good article that outlines what is occurring and why the international community is concerned. We are still struggling with how serious we want to take these issues and we find that some groups are getting free passes only because we don't have the mental framework to see the motives behind many crimes. HERE