To Prosecute or Not to Prosecute a Former President?

To prosecute or not prosecute a former president is an interesting debate. There is the rule of law and there is politics. It opens a Pandora's Box because no one should be immune from the law that are passed by a body of people and yet prosecutions should not be part of any politically driven motivations. This is the danger of hyper-politics. Decisions become skewed and people must decide which is more important; law or elected governance (Will one be immune or supersede the other?). Its not an easy decision for anyone to make and there are likely going to be all types of  pit falls in terms of how this could play out (and/or how people think about it.). 

In my fantasy land I feel that if I commit an intentional crime I should be held to account but that bar might be higher in this situation based on the sheer power dynamics involved (Perhaps intentionality might be part of the debate.). In other words, the case would need to be very strong and be public and be logically coherent. You must have a very good case to bring something like this forward. It would need to be clear cut and easy to sell or otherwise you run the risk of failure. Whether one should or shouldn't bring forward the case is not what I'm saying, but what I'm saying is this is going to be interesting to watch and it sends a chill down my spine. Damned if you do and damned if you don't! 

Wow! I don't envy the person who must make decision over this (However, their name and their decision will be a historical moment I'm sure.). Maybe it Should be a Supreme Court choice? I wonder if its possible to let the Supreme Court look at the evidence and decide if the case should go forward or should be dropped. There is a reason why have three branches of government the other two might have something to say about it (I doubt this is how that works and I'm not a political lawyer. I'm more of a philosopher and theorist. History can tell you what happens to philosophers for asking the right questions at the wrong time.😬 Yet history may also define this differently in the future then the way we see it today. Was it justice upheld or justice denied?)

Pericles by Perugina c. 1450-1523

Option 1: If you know someone committed a crime and walked from that crime for fear of political backlash it might damage the entire system and the perspective of people's trust in institutions (Essentially will people feel they/he walked and they/he were supported in that walk? Would it have an impact on the long term viability of the Republican Party and in turn the future Democrat party? Its a risk to think about.). 

Option 2: If you don't know 100% sure someone has committed a crime and the attempt fails there will likely be backlash and retaliation because the law is no longer a deterrent (It would either mean there was no crime or the bar so high to prosecute a crime that the law no longer is a deterrent against future crimes. It could also mean that prosecution can be, or seen as, politically motivated and such retaliation as "justified".). 

What I can say is that if I was supreme judge for a day and had to make a decision I would resent being put in this lose-lose situation and would want to flip the script somehow. What/which is more important, the elected body of people who pass and vote on laws, or the power of individuals that were supported through these legislative networks? Is it a party or country debate? (That is not an opinion on whether or not a crime has been committed or whether or not it should be prosecuted but pointing out some bigger questions that will likely make their way into the history books; either ours or others. I'm recognizing the difficult nature of the question...and not making a public opinion. I'm just outlining the debate.)

Time is the king of all men, he is their parent and their grave, and gives them what he will and not what they crave. Pericles

Read, "Republicans warn Justice Department probe of Trump would trigger political war"

Standing Under Waterfalls

 A couple of nice pictures you might be interested in. I took these hiking the other day. 

Three Major Approaches Fitness: Food, Weights, Cardio

Fitness is something that should be part everyone's life and leads to a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This becomes even more important for busy professionals that want to be in great shape and seek to maximize their time. I've met high performing individuals that really know how to go after the goals in work and fitness (They actually sort of work together.). Maximizing your time means understanding the fitness literature and avoiding the "fad" programs. 

First let us look at two quick studies.....

Study 1 Motivation with Changing Sequence: One study indicates that when we change the intensity from time-to-time there wasn't a huge differences in growth but there was in intrinsic motivation. "Varying exercise selection had a positive effect on enhancing motivation to train in resistance-trained men, while eliciting similar improvements in muscular adaptations." (Baz-Valle, et. al. 2019).

Study 2 Energy Cardio and Weight Training: Another study indicates that high intensity exercise and low intensity exercise led to similar weight loss as long as the amount of energy expenditure was similar. However, during the weight loss process including weight training reduced lean muscle mass loss (Bellica, 2021).

What we learn from these two studies is that the amount of energy expenditure is important. We also find that incorporating weight training reduces lean muscle loss during the loss process. 

There are three things I would consider in any fitness program in relation to maximizing results 1.) food and nutrition, 2.) weight training and 3.) cardio energy levels. All three of these will give you the best results. However, each person will be slightly different so you may need to consider your own personal habits and goals in meeting those objectives. 

I'm a certified fitness trainer and can conduct sessions via zoom (or other venue) to help you achieve your goals. Setting up a plan to reach your fitness goals within the first few sessions is helpful and then we can check back with each other a few weeks to see how you are doing. We can discuss any fitness related questions you may have. I only take a few clients here and there based on time availability. You may contact me via email. Email Trainer

Baz-Valle, E., et. al. (2019). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0226989

Bellicha, A. et. al. (2021) Effect of exercise training on weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: An overview of 12 systematic reviews and 149 studies. Obesity Reviews, 22 (S4). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13256

Firefighters Battle Two Blazes in Florida: Places to Help!

2020 fires in the $billions
NFPA

Two fire blaze in Florida with 10K of acres destroyed and over a thousand homes evacuated. People have sort of sidelined firefighters over the years as non-essential but we have experienced increased fires that constitute national disasters and that makes them our new nature warriors (In many places firefighters are also first responders to accidents and other incidents.). There is so much damage that happens because of fires and they are becoming increasingly common (Global warming or not....its getting more common and often more destructive.). 

Its hard to watch on the sidelines as such fires rage and destroy people's lives. I wonder if they need volunteer firefighters to come to the area? (Sometimes I think it would be great to be independently wealthy and do such things. Life isn't like that unfortunately and most of the time we waste our money on frivolous interests.) I think that as weather patterns change such fires are likely to become more common. I looked around to see if they need additional help. If your not a firefighter you can still do something and donate.....

1. SUPPORT YOUR FLORIDA FIRE FIGHTER CHARITIES

2. FIREFIGHER CHARITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

2. FLORIDA FIREFIGHTERS SAFETY AND HELATH COLLABORATIVE

3. RED CROSS

4. BAY COUNTY VOL FIREFIGHTERS NEEDED

5. REBUILD BAY COUNTY

World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2022: International Labor Organization Report

If you like the picture
Donate to Orphans 
Its a quick sketch so don't beat it up
too bad. 😕

Labor is essential to our economies and without considering people in our equations we have lost touch with the root of economic equilibrium. While technology helps augment labor we will still need the human capacity and abilities to meet challenges. The Pandemic has taught us that those who do not have education and are not at least partly tech savvy will suffer more than those who have learned those skills. Poorer countries suffered more than rich countries, laborers suffer more than online workers, and minorities suffer the most! 

It doesn't have to be that way......

The U.S. did pretty well once the pandemic ended and that was based in part on its state of technological development at that time and the capacity of a prior generation's infrastructure. Not all countries and people can say the same and it was apparent the differences from performers and non-performers. Those difference can grow or shrink depending on how we decide many smaller challenges on a day-to-day basis.

Such disparity also helps us better understand the direction that the U.S. should head if it wants to master upcoming challenges that are likely to be realized over the next 10-20 years. Inequalities, poor educational systems, unequal justice systems, declining trust in societal institutions, politics/governance, increase capitalistic opportunities and many more will need to change to an emerging youth that no longer lives by the beliefs of prior generations and refuse to be locked out of opportunities.

Human capital and the ability to develop people's abilities across a wide spectrum and stratus of society leads to continued future growth. To many who have been advantaged by established interest these are abstract and easily discarded concepts of philosophers and dreamers; and yet we sort of intuitively know them to be true. Cracks have formed and those cracks can lead to national rebuilding efforts or faster crumbling of foundations. Its a choice!

Within the report you will find how different regions of the world were impacted and some of the reasons as to why that may have happened. To understand the labor market and future labor trends we can read how different countries succeeded and failed. (While not in the report new advanced wearable tech for manufacturing and other purposes is likely to change some of those equations for advanced manufacturing nations with higher levels of education, skill, human capital.)

A couple of key points from the report 'World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2022':

-Pandemic recovery is uneven and tilted toward wealthier countries. (Starting early and being central to the supply chain helps.)

-Economies with labor intensive exports didn't do as well (One reason US should innovate to hedge human skill and technology.)

-Developed nations saw increases in business. (We may find in 5-10 years after the pandemic that some of those businesses will bump the economy. I suspect that in 2023-2024 we will also see a bump as new strategic patterns learned from the Pandemic are more fully implemented.)

-Inflation seems to be a result of demand, supply chain, and patterns of opening.

-Those who work from home and have access to technology do better (One reason why the U.S. should move into an advanced digital age.)

-Annual growth of wages in the U.S. but a lower real minimum wage (Likely meaning that lower skilled labor is losing financial ground.).

International Labor Organization (2022). The World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2022. Retrieved Web Location.

Secretary Antony Blinken Suggests U.S. Won’t Ban Russian Oil & Gas Without Europe’s Permission

I'm watching this video and like many Americans watching how there have been changes and adjustments within the U.S.-Ukrainian War. As the war gets more violent there is an increasing call to do more to create pressure. Increased discussion by U.S. and Euro allies on banning Russian oil. Not 100% sure of how we would meet the world's needs quickly but I suspect we could (One must take a good look and run some projections.)

 I'm not a fan of fossil fuels and yet I still recognize the U.S. has some of the world's highest deposits of oil (See American Oil & Gas Reporter). That puts a lot of power in the U.S. if they can ramp up production and get it shipped to fill the supply/demand issues. It could prompt nations to start thinking about their oil dependence and the need for change.

Personally, I would like us to develop our green technology and reduce this dependency. Perhaps its possible to product the oil and then use funds from that oil to push the R&D development of green technology. Kind of like taking a lesser evil and using it to solve a problem and finance green development (Its not a vetted idea and certainly isn't even thought out well. It might ease opposition if we know it can be used to build something more sustainable. We solve some battery and solar problems with that money and we might be happy in the long run.)

The Value of Social Media Marketing: Different Ways to Measure Effectiveness

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is here to stay and is increasingly central to marketing activities. 86% of marketers want to know the ROI value of marketing channels and they don't often have great measurements.  Furthermore, they may also be missing other important markers if they focus exclusively on ROI alone. What we find from a study entitled How companies evaluate the ROI of social media marketing programs: insights from B2B and B2C that social media expenditures are increasing and there are different methods companies use to determine online behaviors (Silva, Duarte, & Almeida, 2020). 

Those other methods include:

1. Comments

2. Number of Leads

3. Number of Followers

4. Views

5. Shares

6. Sales

7. Access to other sites

8. Clicks on posts

What the study does help us think about is that SMM marketing isn't just about ROI in a financial sense but takes into consideration other metrics that give a rounder view of how brands are created and how they interact with their environment. If you don't want to read the whole study don't worry but at least browse the introduction and conclusions. 

Silva, Susana & Duarte, Paulo & Almeida, Sara. (2020). How companies evaluate the ROI of social media marketing programs: insights from B2B and B2C. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. ahead-of-print. 10.1108/JBIM-06-2019-0291.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341410017_How_companies_evaluate_the_ROI_of_social_media_marketing_programmes_insights_from_B2B_and_B2C