U.S., Canada, Mexico: Working Together to Create Shared Opportunities

We know that supply chains and emerging threats have come onto the global marketplace. The U.S. has an opportunity to maximize its position by partnering with its two closest neighbors to cover different aspects of the markets. Mexico as a low cost provider and Canada as a resource and manufacturing partner. Drawing some of our firms back from the international market and creating real innovative value in the U.S. is important for our success. (I could go on and on but I got to go get some work done.) From a security standpoint it also ensures we are closely tied to those markets and we have each other's general well being in mind. 

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day: The Threads of Fate!

"The Runaway," Norman Rockwell, 1958

Source: NR Museum

Runaway teaches a cop how "To See".

Our officers keep us safe and are part of a long line of people who protect our communities from those who want to do harm. Policing is a profession that is changing and adjusting in ways that creates an open call for all those who want to be part of what will be emerging. While there has been some recruitment issues of late, I would encourage our youth to get involved, join, and make a difference. A large batch of youth are coming of age and need to be part of things and this is their chance to have a positive impact (No matter what our challenges, differences, or adjustments we should always look at creating solutions.)

There is an article in Police Chief Magazine that provides a perspective on some challenges law enforcement faces. It ranges from perception to skill set. The digital era will make policing one in which advance technical skills, science, and cognitive flexibility will be required to understand the unique. Leadership can come in many forms and while we glorify a certain kind of leader they are only one type. 

Consider some history of the day in National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. 

You can also watch this motivating recruitment video. Training is adjusting and there will be new skills for a new time (Technology and cultural shifts will require change.) The more good people we have from diverse backgrounds (gender, age, race, religion, education, skills, cognitive, etc...people of shared vision.) the more successfully we can protect our communities from crimes and serve our communities through outreach/referral.

Does your threads of fate spin to a career in Law Enforcement? If you feel motivated by the video below perhaps you should explore that small idea and let it grow. I know some departments that might want to talk to you in their recruitment efforts.

Escanaba in the Moon Light Showing in St. Folsom CA January 22nd, 2023

Deer Hunting is part of the local tourism
so from an economic standpoint and 
a herd management standpoint we want it
to grow. This is a great article. Source: Drawing Detroit 

Its tough being buckless in the U.P. It is like missing your two front teeth during Christmas. People know it, they don't say much, they think its kind of cute, but also a broken rule and a right of passage (Run Bambi....I'll distract them. Into the thicket you go!! Don't look back! As fast as your little hooves can go! 🦌 😂 ) It is almost as though you never learned how to survive in your natural state. In the U.P. we live and breath nature everyday in a way people from other places will not understand. We live with and among native peoples and our history is as deep as Norway pine roots. Escanaba means "land of the red buck" and I have lots of native friends so many of the people have a deep connection to the land. (I guess when I was a little kid my grandmother used to bring me to the Hannahville Tribe Pow Wows. I could do a couple of the dances; probably not very well. She was part Black Foot she said, but her past relatives assimilated into Hannahville.  {I think she was Blackfoot just over quarter. She looked native and I bet people thought she was Italian. Back then you hid being Native American because people didn't always treat you well. Its nice to know we have changed that. I probably have some of the story right and some wrong so I can't really say at this moment its a fact. It might just be a fading memory and in a poetic manner the last to hear it or dance it from her line. Yikes! That's actually a little sad. I remember very little. Bits and pieces. Mostly watching one feather out of many. Not even sure what kind of feather. Lots of jumping and lots of colors and fun. That is it mostly. A couple of steps maybe. 😓 It may not be an accurate story at all. I'm not sure it makes much of a difference now anyway. 🤷} In Native American tradition stories are often oral and change from generation to generation. In my case, I'm probably such a low percentage that it is miniscule so it would not be fair to claim the honor of being Blackfoot. I do believe in some ways we are all related. Anyway, you can watch a video honoring the Blackfeet HERE and some of their spiritual beliefs HERE. They had a tough time in history. My grandmother was a great woman. Worked as farm labor, until my gramps came back from WWII. He fought on Burma Road as a medic and asked to take her from her toiling plight and marry her {$5 a week I think. She gave $3 to her family and kept $2}. My gramps was an American and my grandma an "American" and yet they still built a successful farm and business (s)at the blinking light in Hyde and I lived across the yard until about 5 or 6 ish. Our family used to own a store and auto lot called Riverside next to the Ford River we used to walk down to and get ice cream.  That was successful enough to have a nice location in Esky and then sold to another family. I'm not sure if the Chain started before or after but I do remember hanging out in the t.v. room in the back.) 

 

January 22nd, 2023
Sutter Street Theatre
717 Sutter St. Folsom, CA 95630

More Info HERE.

 

The show is being presented at a theater at St. Folsom which looks like such a beautiful place outside Sacramento. Go ahead and take a look on Google Maps

Their choice of movie selection for the evening also shows refined taste in comedy. If I can make a suggestion. Escanaba in Da Moonlight pairs very well with wine from Sun Winery in Bark River. If you want a real treat consider going into Esky and getting some Cheddar cheese at Debacker Family Dairy. Come and visit us sometime! Don't just watch the movie, get on the plane and come hike, fish, boat, and all the other cool stuff! Live it for a while with us. Its a place that is drawing some interest from lifestyle enthusiasts. 

*The video is on YouTube for Free. (If you want to see something interesting look at 51 minutes into the show, ie. Area 51? I once heard that the Northern Lights attracts UAPS as much as a bug zapper in a Yooper summer. ok...i'm kidding but its a little funny.)

   

The Santos Method (Fast or Slow Track): Should We Audit Congressional Resumes (CV)?

Right now Santos is in the news for his "embellishments" and seemingly inventing much of his knowledge, background and skills. You can read this article in the Guardian (It seems sort of a Left leaning paper but it has some benefits and some truth to it.). Read In Santos’s district, reactions to brazen lies remain mixed: ‘I might let him slide’ to freshen your memory.

I'm not going to bash Congressman Santos (Sorry I needed to edit) because there was some confusion and I'm unsure if he is a Congressman or not. 🤷 Santos is the symptom and not the root. This issue might be a persistent problem in our current politics where there are many people working diligently toward honest governance and an unfortunate too many people eating at the trough of tax payer dollars without pushing our nation forward.🐷 

"Embellishments" Lead to Intentional Candidate/Election Confusion

We Americans/"Americans" (Someday we may be able to use one word again depending on the choices of our leaders) already have a hard time trying to figure out who is telling the truth, who is trying to help/harm our country, what values our political candidates hold, and what their qualifications might entail. Throw on top of that "embellishments" all over the political spectrum and no wonder we are really unsure of who we are and are not voting for (Leaving us only a blind party vote). 

Its an issue of general integrity because we must have the best, brightest, and most thoughtful people in Congress as they are designing, building and sailing this American Ship.  Dangerous waters should encourage excellence from our helmsman (Gender neutral term.) because our kids are learning from them and our future options rely on their choices today. (P.S. I know a great place in the U.P. Congress should consider building ships. Sorry...shameless plug for my community. No seriously...I feel no shame in helping my community. I guess multiple birds with one stone.). 

Just like a job, if you over "embellish" on your resume you could get fired because of potential loss/miss use of shareholder value (In this case its the American people). I think there should be some punishments for those who intentionally mislead on the paperwork that got them elected. One could make a case that We The People should have accurate info to make informed decisions. (In a weird way we might have elected a fictional character to Congress. I didn't think it was possible but here we are!) 

In many ways one could make a moral fraud case out of intentionally dishonest information that led to the procurement of illicit benefits from the American taxpayer (i.e. the little people we forget about once we got to the top.) It kind of makes you wonder how many other Congressman (Used as a gender neutral term.) lied on their documents and paperwork to get jobs and important committee work they may not have been qualified for (Politics seems like such a game. Hopefully they are not rolling the dice on our futures.)? 

(Yikes! We may not want to dig into the resume question too deeply. It could open a can of worms. 😬 However if fate demands it, I would say what would be interesting is if we took the electronic version of everyone's resume at this screen shot moment {digital snap shot} and put them up for researchers and/or an ethics review committee. {We would probably want to ensure no one can go back post hoc edit them. Seems impossible right?} and then conducted a basic audit. We are not talking about small mistakes, or something from years ago, but present/recent "embellishments" that were obvious mistruths and would constitute a type of fraud. Would 1/3rd, 1/5th, 1/10th of resumes contain these major invented "embellishments"?)

We have examples of what happens in other places when people plagiarize and engage in "embellishments". Australian Labor Minister Resigns (Also why I encourage high integrity in higher education.)

What We Don't and Do Want to Happen

 We need to change the culture of politics from "anything goes" to professional national management (When our decisions really have impact on the success of the nation and the ability to maintain the health of our democracy through being informed citizens.). I mean we should see some change if our democracy is more important than our politics (As an open question to my fellow Americans/"Americans". Do you think Congress will audit? There might be many reasons not to audit but it would be kind of telling right? Bi partisan committee, fact check resumes as a limited scope effort, punishments for actual embellishments and removal for gross "embellishments". We need the best and brightest at the top and not the most "connected". Sometimes we might need to make more room and correct an error. Perhaps 10% have some form of serious embellishment? We will probably never know. 🤔 Sorry, I sometimes go down these long strings of logic to see where they might end up. I digressed into a flight of fancy. 🙈🙉🙊💨 )

I believe most (likely over half) are doing the right thing and doing it the right way. They are working in a culture that accepts certain things that would be inappropriate in other environments. Saying that means that we also recognize there is room for improvement and a willingness to get everyone on the same page so as to improve our national prospects and ensure the torch of liberty continues to shine light on our democracy.  

Life Quiz (Disclaimer. Not an actual quiz.)

Life Question: Based on your personal experience and background are you more likely to pick the A.) Fast Track side of the spectrum or B.) Slow track to success? side of the spectrum.

Fast Track (Option A): 

-Embellish your resume.

-Press button blindly for party loyalty.

-Represent 5% of society.

-Self-enrich. 

-Say yes to everything that will keep me in office. 

-Doesn't understand policies and doesn't read them (Someone will tell me what to vote for.)

-Listen only to the rich and powerful to change policies for more donations and money.

-Support nepotism over merit. This comes with the responsibility to remove people in my party that act as the "voice of conscious". (Its a problem everywhere and not just the U.S. Its a dangerous problem and often leads to human atrocities that are judged by history as immoral.)

-Subjective values that apply differently to different people (i.e. will spend more time hating the other side and coming up with one line zingers then doing my job and solving problems.) 

-Pretend I'm perfect and have no insight into my behavior. No need to learn new things. 

Slow Track (Option E):

-List what you have actually accomplished so Americans can make informed decisions (I would love to hear more about their dreams, visons and goals. If they can inspire, I believe "Americans" + Americans will follow. Oh my! If we keep going on that route I will have to start writing the word Americans as a single unified entity. Oh my!). 

-Will consider the full scope of stakeholders needs before voting (Even the ones that didn't vote for me.). 

-Willing to give up self gain for national gain in alignment with responsibilities. 

-Listen to the needs of the poor and remove road blocks to success (Developing our human capital fully and broadly). 

-Take the time to understand polices (I don't need anyone to tell me what I should believe. I will listen to both sides but I have a responsibility to understand how I'm casting my vote.)

-Listen to both sides and take extra time listening to those I disagree with or don't understand so as to better understand their needs and in turn craft better policy. 

-Encourage universal inclusion versus exclusionary and divisionary politics and outcomes.

-Regardless of background I want the right people in the right jobs so to ensure my nation is strong and viable. (I would support having someone from another party take an important role if they were more qualified. That is how important we should take our roles and likely the level of decision making needed for the next chapter in this American novel.)

-Holds universal values and applies them fairly to people regardless of race, religion, background or any other superficial smallest worth heuristic projected distortion that has already done serious harm to our country. 

-Be humble and understand I still have many things to learn about myself and others.

(Maybe we should have Congress take this little self reflection quiz before they run for office next time. We might be able to make this a Likert scale where they have to select from A to E based on their personal values.  A.) 'I'm selfish and in government for the wrong reasons' all the way over to E.) 'I care about ALL people and want my democracy to be healthy.' If we were to further rank their answers we should probably not vote for those leaning heavily to the Fast Track A and vote more for those closer to Slow Track B. At least that would be my suggestion. 🤷 )

(**That isn't a real study and its just for illustration purposes only.** The whole article is about getting people to think and make improvements to our national governance. A real study would need an actual validated instrument and go through many different trials before its considered to have utility.{ It likely has some construct validity that can be supported in others research though.💁} While we could develop a valid instrument with research, I bet in many cases the answer was decided a long long time ago. See Did They Pass the Marshmallow Test as kids? )

(Most are doing a great job but there is that minority of people who are creating a toxic environment for everyone else and detracts from the free flowing and free thinking environment leaders need to thrive {Thrive not just survive!}. We really have to wonder how and why some ever got into politics in the first place.)

"The creed of our democracy is that liberty is acquired and kept by men and women who are strong and self-reliant, and possessed of such wisdom as God gives mankind – men and women who are just, and understanding, and generous to others -- men and women who are capable of disciplining themselves. For they are the rulers and they must rule themselves.”  Franklin D. Roosevelt

Why Integrity is Needed in Government and Institutions? Highest Values or Highest Bidder?

It's hard to squint your eyes and see a world where people consistently do the right thing and they stand by their most basic American principles. Politics can push us forward or hold us back. While we may have barely made it through the most recent capital sacking event (We can say if we are pre or post extremism yet or what the consequences are if we don't come together.) we are unlikely to be completely done with these false beliefs and somewhat jaded view points from both parties. 

Le Serment des Horaces
Jacques-Louis David
What is an oath worth today? 
(Americans and "Americans")
We should be "One nation under God"

I kind of find it interesting that people say they are representing their districts when parties almost slice society blindly in half by party and then in half again by those willing to vote and about half again by those most political involved and get the votes out.  If the politician has not veered in thinking to include the needs of the other half of society, half of the voters, and half of the opposing politically motivated in their decision making they are only representing about 15% of society (Of that 15% we can take the people who just want to be part of something and those who are following blindly to the about 5% that are the vocal members of society that push the decisions. What would be interesting is if we could actually get down to that number by pulling various studies. I'm not sure what the exact number is, not that there is an exact number with many different studies with different methodologies, but that it could very well be a plausible supported ballpark number. It passes the thumb test. It should not come to shock that only a small percentage of society are highly interested and highly engaged in a way that they make the mountain of choices for those not involved.)

What you will often hear are words like, "I'm representing my people" or "people voted for me and I'm their voice". That is partly true and partly not true. Its' sort of an embellishment of self-righteousness (Kind of like what I'm doing here. 😏  More to it than that, but its probably partly true. The difference is that I know it while many people around me have low insight into their own decision making processes. Sorry the last part is a truthful pun.) Based on the options available, people vote on what resonates with them. Sometimes there are people doing the right thing, but often we find people just saying things that others want to hear (The ones with integrity are often removed for those who follow the line....and that has already led to problems. It concentrates power and it allows that power to manipulate others. Democracies should be bottom up and have free thoughts and free ideas without bullying, pushing, lying, or taking advantage of others to get our way in adherence to 5% of those highly active. ) 

Leadership is more than that! I can pull study after study but what does it matter at the end of the day? We must change our hearts about the quality of our leadership and the need to ensure that they are governing for all of the American people and not just the sliver that was mobilized to vote for them. Our politicians are chosen to make wise decisions for us all; sometimes they do great and sometimes not. 

If our politicians focus on governing for all the people and the nation versus their followers or party I think we could move through the next challenges with relative ease. If not, well we will bounce back to the same old behaviors that almost lost our nation the first time. An "American" is one who serves their people beyond their parties, beyond themselves, and beyond herd group adherence; at least in my limited mind (We are often more worried about the superficiality of those oaths and not their meaning.)

Consider Who are Wise? (I'm obviously not wise because I say things people don't want to hear.)

What is your Archetype? (Go judge for yourself and then go judge yourself)

Integrity and Leadership (We all have room for improvement. Some of us see where we can improve but many of the people who push to be in politics don't see the need for self improvement as accurately as they should. That leads to all types of erroneous choices.)

America is an experiment and lets not taint, pull the plug on it, or warp it with self interested politics (Applies equally to both parties). 

 The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. 'Apostle of Liberty' - Thomas Jefferson

(Will we get there? Yaaa...but when and how are the questions.)

Fencing: A Sport of Finiteness and Rapid Response

Passata Soto

The "Night Thrust"

Source: Bennerson Little

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. 🤷🤺 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. 😏)

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). 

CIA Director Bill Burns Discusses World Challenges: How are Investments and Economy Impacted By World Events?

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 like Dr. 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 (🔍 ). 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. 😤

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