Gold Standard: What is it according to Steve Forbes?

Students often ask me what is the Gold Standard and what does it mean. I have seen countries use the standard and there has been some benefit to doing that. There are some limitations. One has to really look at the Gold Standard because it can stabilize the value of money. That can be helpful when we have high inflation. Of course as with all strategies and fiscal policies there are positives and negative. Overall......I think the Gold Standard concept has merit. I wonder if one could balance the two methods by including a battery of Gold with a few other valuable resources? Need to think about it....

Escanaba Michigan Video: A Place for Business, a Place for Outdoor Play!

This is a town unlike other towns. It is an underutilized location that has recently started the process of realigning to the global market. It is attracting paper mill investments, retail stores, small business, vacationers, and travelers. You can see the movement in the background and how that will likely start leading to overt signs of growth.  These things take time and those companies that get into "the market" early also have a first in advantage through community relationship building (I have business that I am thinking of expanding at some point. If I had an design and engineering business I would consider the attractive outdoor lifestyle and the ability to create prototypes. Lots of open space.)

(*fyi did you know the name Butterfield means "open field". Sorry sort of an inside joke on lineage lines in the area. P.S. in the literary arts it is multiple running themes within the same work. Keep that in mind if you keep reading the blog. Its not just science and serious stuff. There is some fun with it....a learning experience. *)

There is a couple of things this town has going for it beyond its location. First, it has a strong Escanaba City Council (From what I saw of Gladstone they are also forward thinking) and a new County Commissioner Committee (I'm just sort of getting familiar with them because its a new seated Committee i.e. rearranged). Furthermore, there is growing state and local interest in maximizing opportunities in alignment with other changes in the national and global market. 

The people are awesome (Ok...almost everyone is awesome. 🤣)! and a tight knit community that worked together to attract and approve potentially a billion dollar wood products investment and they are willing to work with you as well. As an additional bonus, we have the Hannahville Tribe with a great workforce and a nice casino just a few miles down the road. We also have a local college that can train workers for modern problems 🙊. (This is the forming of the basics of a resilient, economic cluster, that can shift with market changes. i.e. one area goes down and other will be a hedge up. The best case scenario would be to attract businesses that help to develop off each other through economic innovative synergy but also can hedge shared knowledge bases during bad times. At least in economic design theory.)

...sorry....every since I was a kid I used go down these rabbit holes of logic. For the most part if I mumble something just ignore me (I'm used to it. 🤷) until I tug your sleeve and tell you its probably important. tug tug. A few resources....Visit Escanaba, Escanaba City, Gladstone City, Delta County Chamber.

Dunham's Opens in Escanaba MI: Expanded Store

Healthy economies should be diverse and have a balance between a couple of different industries and create an economic draw. Retail is one thing that is making a come back in Esky and with some additional focus on the downtown we can improve the overall brand image of the town (We want it to be fun, develop a robust downtown and pro investment oriented outlook.) 

In my economic perspective, I try and think about long term growth and when a large retail outlet and/or when something else might be of benefit.  In this case I think Dunham's would be a good fit and likely contribute to the development of an outdoor brand. 

If your an outdoor person you want to get stuff and get it quick. Things break, boats break, forgotten equipment, etc. We can sort of also come to the conclusion that outdoor retail sales good and there is reason to expand. There has been an increase in tourism in the area and the use of the marina. A trend.........?

Additional outdoor tourism would generally mean more outdoor traffic and in turn higher retail on certain seasonal products, restaurant tabs, hotel rooms, vacation rentals, etc... 

If an area is having more visitors and selling more products it could be a good place to start an outdoor business. Plenty of start-up space downtown in the $100K building range.

Radio Results Network article....

Dunham’s To Re-Open Its Escanaba Store On Friday With Giveaways

I guess they got some freebees! Likewise, I didn't know this but I guess Dunham's is a Michigan based retailer.

Create a Vision, Sell a Vision, and Enact a Vision: Universal Democracy

We as a nation are in a transition where the old ideas are clashing with new ideas. Darkness and lower order values are restricting the acceptance of higher order values. The vision has been a universal democracy for a longtime where people are treated civilly and the laws appeal fairly across society. Universal democracy encourages a highly competitive nation that provides opportunities through dispersed capitalism and appropriate democratic governance. 

At least in theory.....

Then we sort of see what is happening across America with slightly different rules for different people.

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States,

by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940

The laws are important but they are often applied in one direction in a way that creates existential risks for a large portion of society.

We could fix this problem of course but without the will there is no way. We must first believe that its important to treat people fairly based on some sense of rule and honor driven system. If we do not agree with some basic ground rules then we don't have meaningful paths for national reconciliation (parties and people).

In the U.S. there is pressure to update our institutions and ensure we are maintaining the freedoms that we have earned through generations of blood, sweat and tears (Just FYI, I have a long history of people who served their country and community. Its not your place to judge someone's "Americaness" based on shallow and superficial distortions. Our history in this country and area is substantial.). Likewise there is also "water cooler" social pressure to circumvent the rules in some social circles to maintain inappropriate relationships with the public. Unchallenged, such behaviors lead to problems on a national and on a local scale.

We of course could just say its not true but it would be hard to ignore the shared phenomenon across a wide swath of society (We have tried to ignore and pretend its not true but issues are mounting. Its a growing problem and it has entered the conscious of most Americans. This is where we can get back to who/whom are the stakeholders of such institutions*). It means that while we were going through stages of national growth we made some mistakes and carry the legacy (Not unfairly so.) In many ways, we continue to make those mistakes consistently (Its more about fixing issues then focusing on the past. I leave the past to others in this respect as to what is appropriate. I'm focused on fixing the problem going forward.). 

(*In any system problems are seen as a feedback loop. While there are fads that come and go persistent problems should not be ignored as they are in need of solutions. The only way such problems persist is if leaders don't have the perspective, the competence, or the ability to change and find solutions.)

Our national competitive rests on maximizing our human capital. There is no lip service in that and there are no "do overs" if we as a nation slip behind our adversaries (That's probably why people like Congressman Santos shouldn't be a forerunner for Presidential nominee or the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology just because he turned Google from his garage into a major company right after he invented The Internet. General trust is leadership is low and we seem to not be veering in path. ). Such mistakes cost us and cost us in a big big way in the long run.

Politics needs to become a little more pure and truth/solution oriented to make it through the difficulties of the future. As our world advances with new virtual technology and global intercommunication there are going to be changes and adjustments based on information flow and environmental pressures. We have seen global influences and trends before not only oversees but also the U.S. (Arab Spring type movements of U.S. Extremists that led to the sacking of the capital with a risk at the end of it all we cold find an attempted coup. That comes from low levels of trust, unwillingness to respect the rights of others, and easily exploitable grievances much of which is based around racial and religious perspectives of America.) 

As a nation we can hold to our principles and values and make it through those transitions because in one way or another we all believe in life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as the legs of the liberty stool. We agree because they are shared principles. There are some who have no issues kicking out one of those legs by circumventing our democratic values (i.e. extremists who attacked our capital and their sympathizers and supports that we often have to deal with on a local level who create toxic environments and circumvent the law as 'We the People' voted on it and its intent. In other words, its a crime to circumvent the law intentionally and with malicious intent. Mistakes can be trained and forgiven but intentional criminal behavior is challenged directly.)

When we do overcome the disparity between word and deed, as well as truth and enlightenment, we will begin to see higher levels of national performance as the system prompts its citizenship that America is leading in the opportunity generation business (See innovation theory on transactional clusters as one idea. It might be a good or dumb idea. Again ideas that would not come forward if I bought into the hate narrative and/or allowed extremism to intimidate me or my family. There are differences between right and wrong, accountability and a "blind eye". ) 

Here is a generic example of vision, sell and enact might apply here. 

Vision: A universal democracy that hedges the best and brightest no matter what their background.

Sell it: All Americans are treated fairly and treated as though they are valued members of society.

Enact: A continuous process of self reflection purposeful change that removes roadblocks and promotes value based leadership.

I'm not sure what everyone else hopes for but I'm sure there is some variance in the population and of course some differences between what is said and what is done. By in large I think most would sort of agree with the broad example above. Those who don't, well......time will tell if America will veer into that dark path or continue forward to a universal democracy (As a simile a type of of Axis Mundi if you are open to Buddhist Culture. I wrote a poem about it in my 'cheesy' days. Its a little silly but enjoy. Truth isn't a place its a state of being. HERE. In hindsight I actually think the poem is pretty good. I should get back into it as a way of solidifying teaching just like in many was we are here.)

(** This article is designed to help you think, learn, relate and most of all come to greater awareness of your personal responsibilities to our democracy, to your community, and to yourself. Most people recognize we struggle with extremism in some of our hometowns and that can spill over into some police departments. Before you run down that mental line of thinking of "What a bastard! I'll show him!" I say this because I have a conscious and am willing to try and support those values even when its not convenient.

My feelings toward police are relatively positive but somewhat skeptical based on the actions of a minority {In the rational world we call this the ability differentiate between right and wrong as well as between a good officer and a bad officer}. Likewise, I have a history of helping police and I don't need to justify that at this time and place. I don't act on racial and religious preferences but because we need a society free from as much crime as possible. That means understanding the bigger picture of policing. 

With that being said, I should not be silent when I also see inappropriate behaviors that damage the institution of policing and look like patterned mistreatment of people in the community. Neither should other officers stay silent within those departments to simply follow a code of silence {I'm talking about two departments of which 3 departments appear to have wisely veered from their path when they found out they were being duped by some "local" clan members and their supporters}. 

This is how I see it for right or wrong and better or worse. Generally, I'm treated pretty well by most officers and some of that is because I'm white, clean, knowledgeable and have a descent nature. Things sort of change for some when they find out you have a Muslim sounding name and Black kids{Some of the local clan members call them "nigga babies" and put them at risk because they wanted to support their friends.}. For the most part its not an "in your face" change but its a change. For those good officers in which I positively relate its because we recognize our shared sense of purpose and race and religion are not big factors in that {See difference between highly charged extremists and their negative impact on the environment and good people and their positive influence on the environment}.

At that such moment 6 out of 10 are still very nice, 4 out of 10 change automatically. Their faces change, their attitude changes, and you can tell they not only start to discount you but also begin to associate very negative things with you. {i.e. terrorism, crime, theft, dishonesty, "problem", etc.} To those 4 it makes almost no difference if you served your country in multiple capacities, your contributions or your merit as an individual . BTW it also doesn't matter that your kids are good and in school and doing the right things because they are thrown in the undesirable and criminal "other" category {i.e. pulled over 2X in an unmarked car and multiple other documented incidents. Ostracized and targeted by some adults.}.

Out of those 4 there will be 2 that don't want issues but they will avoid you because they don't want to be disliked by their social groups. The remaining 2 are generally an issue with one being the primary toxic catalyst. There is usually an aggressive and distorted personality that encourages others to have an issue with "the problem". Most of the time people know who they are but often they keep pushing {i.e. multiple department heads talking "water cooler" style about the dangers of having people like that involved in the community. No one asked them to get anyone involved in their distorted beliefs and what appears to be criminal intent of targeting and cleansing. Maybe not. It should be looked into by objective eyes to be sure.}.

The 1 extremist in the group seeks to influence others and create pressure to cause harm on the minorities and others within the community. They will circumvent the law, be dishonest, support bad behaviors, turn a blind eye, etc. Because of the current fear of being labeled a "whistle blower" and being ostracized by their own departments nearly every officers turns away from seeing obvious behaviors {Where we see this we also recognize this culture of silence was in hindsight}. They do so with knowledge the behaviors are inappropriate and damage community trust. (FYI because I care I encourage them to say something before being tapped on the shoulder. Silence on crime isn't something in the employee handbook and it makes one a hypocrite when they tell little kids and the community to report the crime they see. Aha! We get back to a definition of "community"}. 

We then must rely on the larger system to do the right thing. This is the discussion that I'm involved in on a more national and perhaps in some ways a global level. I want a free universal democracy where we work together on crime, we together build our human capital, and we as a nation focus on being global leaders in the economic and civic/moral arenas that only the achievement of a universal democracy can provide. Not everyone agrees with that sentiment {Some will park their cars in front of your house and others will try and block civic engagement by encouraging cleansing type behaviors.}. 

There is one thing we can bank on as a society and that has little to do with what I'm saying here. We will change and we will adjust either upwards or downwards. There will be voices that will encourage us to be something greater and there are voices that encourage us to be something smaller. Each time we give a free pass to anti-American and ant-Democratic behaviors we hasten that change; no matter which way we adapt. 

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. Voltaire

Take a broad based historically supported perspective on societies as it relates to sociological change and how we are consistently moving toward greater freedoms during every major societal upheaval and transition. You just need to go study the history of democracies in Western Civilization. If our wise and all knowing leaders opened a few books about other cultures they may find complementary changes in the non-Western world. There are trend lines that sort of let us know what to expect in the near future.

Now research technology and change. Think about what our world will look like in 50 years which technology has developed significantly and how science will answer many questions {i.e. solving cancer or tech to reach habitable planets}. Further look at how genetics are increasingly being mixed up and that is leading to the adaptation and resilience of our species in an shifting ecological environment {no reason to hate mixed race kids if we actually want to encourage variation and adaptability on a very neural level. In other words, the bigots and racists should understand that the next generation has genetic superiority and that comes from people push the genetic line. In other words, some mixed race children may have found their cognitive niche with what looks like two diagnosed geniuses and one undiagnosed one. Too bad we allow less intelligent people to "get rid of the problem"***}. 

I included some of the DNA stuff
because it helps learn that race and racial 
superiority are highly subjective
and often inappropriately used.
Source: Genetic Study

{I been sort of looking at geology on all family sides and it seems my kids and my background are very global in genetic make up. We hit every corner of the planet. I like to think of it as taking a little sunlight from each of the four corners of the earth and putting them into the bright eyed nature of our/my youth. Their background in this area predates most other families. To my Ivy league educated friends and associates I thought the explanation of Butterfield genetic line was interesting and its potential influence over the concept of Purtanism. Wow...perhaps a whole line of religious free thinkers! By Golly!. Even their Arab/African line as some interesting people in it as well...records being more sparse. Our world is smaller than we think. Maybe or maybe not? It would take more family history study. Sorry...I digress. I'm looking for some Old English Tea.  No slurping! }

While I understand how the ability to hate others temporarily pushes away the deeper feelings of powerlessness, the best place to deal with that is in a counseling session and not directed toward those you 'love to hate'. 💁 {There is more to patriotism then skin color, religion, or surface symbolism. America is an idea and I'm more afraid of saying too little than the consequences of saying too much. It was an idealist's oath.} At the end of the day, we are either becoming all this or all that. 

Let's not relive the past so let me highlight some of the words for those who forgot....."brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." The Gettysburg Address 1863 Lincoln.  When you stand in front of that flag with hands on heart....do you know what your saying and why you are saying? Think about it deeply for a second before screaming in self-righteous anger "That dirty dirty Muslim opened his mouth about freedom!" or "What does that crazy _____fill in blank________ think he is saying and why should he talk about 'my country'" I earned my spot to live here, enjoy its freedoms, and challenge those who are polluting its values. My kids and their kid's future rely on people just like me putting their hand up and say, "no".

Let us respect the past and live for the future. (What I will do is contribute to ensuring our democracy doesn't perish by holding close to my oaths and encouraging others to stand for theirs. Beyond that, I will be positive, polite, and engaging but I will not sugar coat bad behavior no matter what powers of darkness shall overshadow the nudging of my words or the tempest that whirls just beyond the earshot of rumors and whispers. {<<<<That's a little practice on poetry. I thought it was good. 🤷) If it doesn't apply to you don't worry about.....they are just words and an opportunity to think for yourself (At least until someone says you are not allowed to talk so openly with an opinion 'radically' different then their own. Freedom religion has already been a problem and perhaps Freedom of Speech may also become a problem; even when its helpful. It does sort of upset established good old boy networks and risks exposing some of the bad behaviors that some might consider corrupt in orientation.)

10 Killed in Mass Shooting in LA. Something Isn't Working Right?

The LA shooting is very sad state of affairs and could be part of a trend toward intentional destructiveness by some of our youth. While testosterone and a little chest pounding can be normal, the willingness to pick up a gun and mow people down is dangerously disturbed. Its antithetical to the very core needs of civilization and smacks against healthy mind and/or biology of the perpetrators. The problem is solutions and the political will to make good legislation. 

Incidents like this is where strong police tactics and training can make a huge difference in outcomes. This is where the legislative powers should support research on better tactics and investigation methods. Its difficult but necessary discussion. Whether this is mental health related, hate related, gang related, easy gun access issue or something else, it remains to be seen. 

Taking all of these mass shooting incidents and uploading them into a database for analysis will tell you much about these crimes. You might be able to start seeing patterns of which guns, where they are getting it, beliefs, characteristics, interview comments, etc. (If one were to create a basic framework we might have 2 or 3 questions to ask each perpetrator during interrogations that can be compared against the answers found in other interrogations to test similarities.) That requires not only the investigative pieces at individual departments but also the ability to collect and analyze such investigations on a macro level. Science can solve problems.

USA Labels Russia’s Wagner Group A Criminal Organization

New sanctions on Wagner as a criminal organization. It looks like this organization has been engaged in the shadow market and perhaps sanction running for a long time. At this time, such networks are likely used by Russia as a way of masking behaviors during the process of resource procurement. What is a TOC? 

Eating for Performance, Health, or Appearance

This is a great video I came across while looking for something on nutrition. For those of you who know me I have a fitness trainer license but don't really use it. Still, I like to share what I learn about health because we have an obesity problem in this country. Furthermore, business professionals often eat poorly so nutrition is a common problem.

After watching this video I want make a few changes to my diet. I have been focusing on my macros but its hard to get to the required protein levels while still not going over your calorie count. Two opposing forces that left little extra calorie space for healthy nutrients. I hear variety and natural nutrients are common problems.