The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Fencing is a great sport for finiteness and rapid response. Someone I know asked if I would go fencing with them (actually two people), because I still go occasionally, and I was delighted (Its hard to find fencers because its not a common sport. NMU has an alumni club or something but I never made it there yet. I go other places when I do but have a plan to make it someday. ). I have fenced off and on throughout the years with foil, sabre, and epee. Compared to the really good guys that show up 3X a week for years on end, I'm a moving swiss cheese target! However, sometimes I land a few good swashbucklers in there and usually by the end of the bout I will be asked to play again (...even if just to be a moving target. Basically, your good enough to be worth beating consistently. ðĪ·ðĪš btw...fencing actually does hurt even with the padding on. Once I came back with multiple welts on my arms and chest. Sabre is my favorite because it is free flowing and there is a little pain when you get hit so its a great motivator! ...I also love inspiring videos...from beginning to end. ð)
Anyway, what I like about the sport of fencing is that it is quick and it requires excellent conditioning and hand eye coordination. Reactions are almost instantaneous and sometimes bouts are won with no more play area than a few inches. You can't beat the finiteness of a sharp point. You will likely develop very strong cardiovascular fitness as well. One drawback is the repetitiveness of the sport from lunges. That will require weight training regularly to balance muscle usage and development. As a bonus fencing is a classy sport. Its a beautiful and goes back in history a long way making it more of a cross generational and cross era connection (Sticks/spears in ancient times and light sabers in Star Trek).
We often don't think that the CIA super spy intelligence stuff has any real impact on business and the economy. Rest assured it does! Things like sanctions, conflict, international relations, treaties, etc., etc. all contribute to the functioning of the global economy through open or closed pathways of business, travel, communications, resources, banking, so on and so forth... Information in understanding our world is key to national success and will be even more so in the future as more and more information hits the airwaves. The CIA plays a central role in understanding and thwarting efforts by foreign nations to exploit weaknesses in ways that are nefarious in origin (In relatable terms, people likeDr. Evil and his international master minds have been and likely will continue to be chased by people like the 'International Man of Mystery' Austin Powers for the foreseeable future. "Its Freedom Baby Yaa" ok sorry I got sidetracked. I do that from time to time.
Basically, criminals hide and the CIA uncovers them as well as collects data on important national security issues. Kind of interesting video... The CIA is hiring. They also have secrete code you can try and crack. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't care. Can you solve the uncrackable code? {Honestly, I think the last one is symbolic and that is why the same thinking that works for the first layers doesn't work for the last. Maybe not?).
Anyway....
All that data can help businesses make important decisions about where to invest and how to adjust their processes to avoid unnecessary operational impact. Knowing and understanding "hot spots" also leads to better business decisions. If you are planning on doing some international investing you might want to check out the Economic Overview: CIA Fact Book There is lots of excellent information about different countries in there. Take some time and explore the site because it might be a good place to start looking for information for a market study.
Wait!!!!Wait!!!!✋Before you dump your money to the first charlatan with expensive cologne and diamond studded designer sunglasses selling the latest version of snake skin oil, you might want to check out which countries you can and cannot invest in. The US Dept. Treasury Sanctions List seems to be pretty helpful in that regard (ð ). You will want to stay compliant and ensure your business doesn't get into hot water. When the hammer of international justice comes down its not going to worry about your latest pedicure or manicure. Nails will get chipped. ðĪ
Issues that flair up bring all types of disruptions to things like supply chains and investments so it is important to monitor. Each country carries its own risks, benefits and rewards. One must calculate the risks of investing in countries for themselves. For example, the International Finance World Bank Group has some great information on how to invest in fragile conflict zones (Investing in Conflict Areas) (If you don't know what the World Bank Group is, they invest in economies to reduce poverty.)
1. Be conflict sensitive every step of the way.
2. Avoid the dilemma of choosing between short- and
long-term impacts.
3. Act fast during transitions, but remain engaged
during setbacks.
4. Commit more than money.
5. Stick to standards, but be flexible with timing.
6. Bring in new players and innovate.
7. Keep markets open for international trade and
investment
When you live in the U.P. you are going to get cold! It can snow up to a foot, wind whips across the fields and lakes, ice is everywhere and roads are slick. Many accidents happen when conditions are cold and icy. If your fighting a fire you could be standing out in hazards for significant amount of time with water crystalizing in mid air making everything frozen (It's cold even with turnout gear. It helps but your extremities are still going to feel it. One time I went to a minus 20 degree scene and my fingers were frozen to the bone even with heavy fire retardant gloves. Fingers, toes and face usually get it first.). The same can be said for car accident scenes where people have been stranded in the cold for a significant amount of time and hypothermia has set in (In rural places like the U.P. you should always have a safety bag. Yikes! ðĻ)You might just get cold! Expect it! Prepare for it!!! ðĨķ
Likewise, if you enjoy the outdoors and are visiting the Delta Count, MI. area, you may want to review the video below. For those of us who sometimes get a little extreme with our outdoor activities this is doubly important. You really need to come visit the area to see it for yourself (...also you can come invest here if you want hedge your portfolios. {<<<Example of shameless area promotion plug. ð)
Safety is important and knowledge keeps you safe. A nice discussion morphed among firefighters (FF), "How long does it take to get hypothermia and how long until you are incapacitated in freezing cold weather?" .....the answer is.......Everything is dependent on the conditions but think somewhere around 10 minutes of exposure can lead to hypothermia and 1 hour will pretty much kill you! You can read more about that HERE.
(P.S. we are looking for a new grass truck so if you have $100k to donate to a non-profit, or any other help, that would be nice. You will receive much more in good karma than you could ever donate in other places because the blessing you receive here helps to give blessings to others in emergency situations. See...if your a spiritual person you might think "Wow, I can give once and it just keeps on giving as long as the truck is being used." Its like a jackpot of awesomeness! A type of good karma lottery! If your a company that is even better PR. Anyway, if your in the holiday spirit and/or year end tax balancing Santa mood you can contact the dept. HERE.) :)
Parks, trails, and the outdoors are awesome and improve the quality of our lives! Delta County just received $83,600 to update Ford River Twp. Park. The program comes from the Recreational Passport Grants. We typically pay for these when we update our license and want to use the parks.
I'm not sure what general park development means but I would suspect it is a general fund allocation for improvement of the park (...at least from a first glance. You may need to look around if you want some additional info on what specifically it is allocated. For a swing set or a trail its all good news as far as I'm concerned.)
Considering I once lived as a child out in Bark River and initially went to Ford River school systems....I'm happy to see it happen. ð
The DNR has a shorter press release HERE. A map of the park HERE.
It is interesting to watch how our democracy continues forward despite its most recent challenges. We are thrivers! The speaker hasn't been selected yet and after 6 votes the house can't do their normal work until one is selected. This is how democracy works. Things have for the moment returned to normal sort of idea volley and exchange. Its a conversation....democracy is a conversation of settling upon solutions. It may not seem like that at first but just keep watching. One way or another the system is designed to push out an eventual solution (...even if it isn't at first apparent.)
Different peoples and groups have different agendas. No one can get everything they want. Some of the points may be valid and some not so much. However, it is about understanding and making those adjustments where they seem appropriate. For example, spending must move down, govt. revenue must go up, or some combination in between. Most people would agree with that, but how that happens is based on how people vote, discuss, and resolve (As long as no one is sacking the capital the discussion and debates are normal. Even some of the sort of political maneuvers are normal. I'm just watching to see how this all works.)
I'm listening to the speeches and I believe that the key idea going forward is to manage for all Americans with the most sound solutions with the greatest chance to succeed. Visions that put us in the place of the most options, best market position, and at the center of the global supply chain value. Finding ways in which we can solve real problems for people at different income spectrums and if we can't solve it then lets remove the road blocks that hold people behind.
That likely means borrowing ideas from each other, researching new solutions, brainstorming, looking over the horizon, setting goals/objectives and compromising so we can overcome our challenges (Party neutral statement.)
We all know we need water but did you know that there are studies that help to show that people who drink sufficient water live longer and with less disease when compared to those who drink too little water? According to a study of water spanning over 25 years found that lower water consumption, as defined by serum sodium levels, led to shorter and more diseased lives. You can read the study HERE.
Initially, I found the study in an CNN article. You may want to peruse for a more layman's explanation. HERE.
So how much water should you drink?
Women should consume 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of fluids daily, and men should have 3.7 liters (125 ounces) daily.
If your into sports and you workout then you might want to drink more water. To tell you the truth I should drink much more and the article and study sort of help highlight that for me.
You can watch Governor Gretchen Whitmer's inauguration below and for the most part it was a pretty good speech (Its historic because of the pandemic and the extremism case so its a situation that will be recorded in the books and analyzed by historians.) In case you didn't notice it, the design of the ceremony appears to be a statement against extremism (A real slight provocation of defiance sort of interwoven into the theme. That is what I see it anyway.). Healthy democracies draw everyone into the same shared goals (There are certain things that Republicans and Democrats can agree upon.)
As a light R, I generally lean Republican but I will support anyone whom I believe is the most qualified for the job because the stakes are bigger than any single election. That of course doesn't mean I would agree with everything she (or Democrats or even Republicans) do/does and of course if I was a politician, which I am not, I would probably argue some key points on some policies and maybe even win a few (Winning defined by bringing everyone forward with a coherent plan.). However, based on what was available at the end of the run, she appeared to be the most qualified. It is what it is and she won a free and fair election so that is what Michiganders want (I support that and have an oath to that. Just in case if you were wondering if party or country is most important to me. For some it is kind of confusing but with hope Democrats and Republicans will find some common ground.)
(This is why new strategies are needed for Republicans in Michigan. We want healthy and robust competition in MI politics so to encourage the best ideas and candidates. Democrats and Republicans often borrow from each other so having high quality candidates also means beneficial debates, discussions, strategies and outcomes. i.e. learning organization/state. In a healthy democracy, we can debate civilly and with good intent without jumping into the sludge with cannon ball style enthusiasm. That criticism applies to both parties and I think in general Americans are becoming irritated with political immaturity that endangers all of us.
As a side note, there was one Republican candidate that I thought would have done well but he dropped out once the whole signature scandal broke out. I don't think he knew anything about it, but perhaps felt like it would damage his good name. While he might not have that kind of admin experience I think he probably would have learned quickly and gave it his best. Interestingly, this is why we must do everything with integrity. In my mind, based on my understanding, it looked like the lack of integrity of some of the "connected" people in "the field" actually undermined the entire party and the election process by falsifying signatures. ð)
(Hopefully, lesson learned for Republican reemergence as old/new guard comes forward to fill open party gaps. Diversify the party based on new national demographics and the needs of the next American era. Republicans have a lot of good stuff to say but do need a strategy. We never really know what will actually happen so let us wait and see over the next 4 years. Amazingly enough, the world continues to turn..... in the meantime lets innovate the state. ☝)
