Eating Out and Eating Healthy

 Eating out and eating healthy is not impossible. Sometimes it comes down to choice. As you can tell salads do the trick. Sometimes you make mistakes and you have mushrooms on bread.

Enjoy life! Forget the unimportant stuff!

Wagner Group Stands Down and Leader Leaves: A Win for Ukraine

This is an interesting article on the Wagner Group and its turning against Russia. I'm not going into all the claims of the group but its interesting to see how these groups sort of function under infighting. The Ukrainians were given a gift during their counter offensive. Even if the Wagner leader leaves to another country peacefully there will be a natural shift on the battlefield. Perhaps new leadership, infighting, distrust and many other things. This is something the Ukrainians can use for their advantage. 

Let us see how it turns out. 

Wagner head says group standing down after claims of deal

There are mixed reports I guess. The strategic implications could be profound if it plays out in a certain way. 

Manistique Lighthouse: The meaning of change.

 Over the past few years I have seen things that sadden me as to how they function and operate. They are inherently immoral and in many ways supported in inappropriate ways. Lighthouses represent to me change. I'm changing as a person because there are just some things are that are not justified and they indicate a bigger issue that we need to solve as a society. Thr change is a good thing i think. Those who support certain behaviors because they do not understand the greater value of human life and the purpose of our institutions should be somewhat ashamed. They are not and there are some of us who recognize this inability to fix the issues.

We must find a better way. We need no second class citizens in our society (From a sociological level we do have them and most societies do. We should be more universal in our values and approaches.).  I can accept that wrong is the lay of the land sometimes (beyond just a mistake or two) but I do have concerns over how those weaker values impact other things if they spread. I suppose they also impact the next generation and our society as a whole. As far as I'm concerned, the lessons learned here are invaluable to the issues we need to tackle at some point. The problem is that they are not typically popular issues until we look at the long term consequences of what most people would sort of cringe at right away. 

With good peace and good karma we stick that in the bank of lessons learned and move on.  

Manistique Lighthouse in Gallery

When National Growth and Economic Development is Separate from Human Development

We are in this odd place in our society where we have seen extremism rise and protests occur at a time when our nation must rejuvenate and compete internationally (They are not gone, they are just more or less in the background and I think these issues will rise again because we haven't addressed them adequately at the root level. i.e. simple things like where complaints go and other tweaks have not been adjusted. Very simple but important things in the long run that create stronger feedback loops and adaptable performance. One could collect those and save lots of time and money into investigations because a running metric can be trusted by the public because it is not managed by those who may have a vested interest in not making such metrics valuable. Its just one solution. Someone could come up with another that is better and I might agree. Ask me tomorrow and if I learn something new I might adjust it). Often we like to focus on the financial metrics but then ignore the fundamentals of what makes those metrics possible. There appears to be a lopsided perspective on what makes a society strong and how to ensure long term national health.

 As a simple observation I have noticed that when I talk about Constitutional Justice my visitor count goes down but if I talk about economics it goes sky high (I guess some of my readers feel are more interested in the later). While I certainly I want to explore economics as avenue to development, I cannot just sweep under the carpet the fundamentals of human to human relations. (This is why I believe simply ignoring people and our central values is a bad overall choice. It sometimes takes people who have seen such systems breakdown to continue to push for healthier society even when it doesn't get votes and/or leads to an end result to a rewarding career of dishwashing. This is often the end result of those who feel we should have a level of integrity in the system. It happens here and it happens in other countries. If you have not been on the receiving end of unchecked self-enriching hate you probably don't understand the value of an inclusive and just society. Forget the destructive nature of our current political positioning when dealing with such important issues. Not much has happened on that front to deal with it so its the average person that sort of needs to voice their opinion.) 

Here is one potential explanation of why this occurs. First, as a person whose family has seen injustice and dishonesty within the system I cannot separate our future economic health from the way we treat people. If you looked around history and anthropology you will find that the way we treat people is central to any societal development. Our societies are a bunch of exchanges and limiting those and/or distorting those intentionally isn't a good thing.

We have failed to change when the need for change was/is obvious, because I believe we have emphasized primarily economics as our method of national growth and forgot about creating the environment where maximum human development leads to greater economic growth. Its like trying to build a wall by using flour instead of sand in the mortar. Looks good but breaks down quickly under pressure (i.e. social pressure)

To me, economics is the measurement of human behaviors in a quantitative form. If we focus on the hard numbers and not on the soft numbers such as innovation that comes through human development we may end up coming up short in competition. It is also why we may need to change how we treat people to reclaim our futures (Some are doing it right and some are doing it wrong. When its wrong our politicians, judges, and leaders sometimes allow it to be wrong. That is their values. I might disagree but I'm part of the second tier of societal members so what people like me say doesn't really matter much; even if we are more accurate historically.) 

If we go back in history we will find that renaissances occur when human development jumped forward in innovation. The environment allowed for a more fuller development of human capacity and capability. People are open to new ideas and new ways of doing thing. This is why I support our Constitution and moral conscious in our legal structures and social lives (I know, I know, its not that important and it isn't easily countable into one's bank account or political votes. However, I believe there are numbers that would directly show the relationship between accepting third world behaviors and poor economic GDP growth. There is research that shows positive environments lead to greater growth. Just ask yourself if you things are in an optimal state politically and socially. If you reflect for a while I think most of us could agree that improvement would be helpful and we are not in a utopian perfect state at the moment where we can breath freely and relax our efforts.)

Focusing on the hard numbers and not on the deeper meaning of what those surface metrics represent is a big mistake our administrators sometimes make. When we begin to live by our Constitution and ensure moral conscious in our justice system I think we will find people to be more responsive to engage the economy (i.e. quiet quitting). The same can be said about any of our other institutions and systems. i.e. business, education, social engagement, etc.

What is in it for me? I have seen people do horrendous things and get a free pass to do those things because they exploited racial and religious differences. The tools of hate allowed them to take advantage of the sick and elderly for money and manipulate a large group of people to intimidate others to help them in that cause (2X). Furthermore, their close connection and employment with some law enforcement allowed them to exploit those connections and default the local system through a carefully constructed and coordinated hate narrative (Freedom of speech doesn't include freedom to harm. What I'm doing here is using freedom of speech appropriately. I'm saying we can change, change is helpful, and change leads to growth. Usually when I say that, someone will do something creepy and violate those basic rights. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech take a backseat to social needs and somewhat extremist leading perspectives. ) 

Personally, I think we need to do a better job of working on our economic fundamentals but for most part those who should know better roll their eyes (Accountability doesn't necessarily mean jail. It means addressing these concerns so as to protect and serve the public. Its an opportunity to grow and change in a positive way. Some of our leaders are too short sighted to see the bigger picture. They won't check their assumptions. Furthermore, I do not have an assumption that it is all wrong or right, but I have knowledge that it isn't always right and it hasn't always been right for a long time. Few want to change but they love to talk about justice. Mostly its just talk for votes when its convenient. I believe if you want change we will make change happen. If we don't, we won't. Its simple with profoundly complex outcomes.). Yet I think that is short sighted and an inaccurate approach to human and economic development. You cannot separate the environment we create from our potential for long term economic development. That would be a short-sighted and often bigoted approach by these systems. 

I'm 100% for police, 110% for civil rights and a supporter of institutional integrity and an inclusive society. In other words, I support not only the surface numbers of economic growth but also the fundamentals of human development that leads to economic growth. While freedom of speech and freedom of religion are written on crusty old pieces of paper it is those who refuse to sell out some of our basic values that keep society going forward. Trust, and trust in shared values, builds better societies that have greater long term health (I will pull some studies another day. This is an opportunity to learn so if you feel really angry about an inclusive well developed society where trust in our institutions grows/improves then feel free to click off and enjoy your day.)

Do I expect justice. No not really. I think it sort of tries to do the right thing but it often falls short. There are just too many legal loop holes and protections for bad behaviors. Sometimes judges can make their way through all of those sort of false mirrors and sometimes they can't. At present we have no better system but I suspect if we continue to politely push for it to have moral conscious and enlightened viewpoints someday they will recognize its value (Many have but its a spotty system because of the leakage of other values into that system. i.e. social connections, racial-religious anchoring, etc. As a parent and as a learned person I want to do my part to ensure our children have a bright future. That has nothing to do with silencing positive voices that remind these systems of their loftier duties. Feel free to discard.)

Why Hate Robs Society of Opportunities? A case for broad based development.

Eight portrait heads of Socrates,

illustration to Lavater's "Essays on Physiognomy". 1789

We talk a lot in this society about improving our competitiveness and you will hear people discuss economic theories with great painstaking detail. However, they seem to miss some important key underlining aspects of building a great society. We must do more to maximize our human capital and that is increasingly unlikely the more we free pass hate. Those who bring us together do so because they see the greater need to preserve and grow our central core values as guides to a growing societal system. There will be those who will exploit the good of diversity for the bad of self gain. Hate behavior is goal directed.

Consider this interesting article in Foreign Affairs Hate Speech on Social Media: Global Comparisons. 

It discusses how hate speech can be somewhat destructive to society and that is more acceptable in some societies than others. However, hate speech also signals societal class positions/value and that in turn creates divisions that block opportunities. This is why hate speech as a devaluing and dehumanizing aspect to it. That is not a problem for those who benefit from such speech but it is a long term problem for society when large swaths of people are signaled they will have limited rolls in society and no matter what they do it won't lead to a positive outcome. To me, I want the best and brightest from all backgrounds to build a country. The picture is bigger then self interest or childish false anchoring of one's inherent value (Republican or Democrat).  

(Even if one was a bigot they might see the longer term logic in ensuring the whole system functions at its best so as to secure their own best interest. The problem with blind hate is that it is short sighted and often emotional in nature as a projection of one's own inadequacies. I know your thinking I'm projecting and perhaps your right. Yet I accept my inadequacies of my inadequacies and feel that I'm still a descent person so it doesn't really matter much. 😱 Heap on the inadequacies and I will learn from them. Yaaa. I got it like that and that came from decades of learning. I think over that time I became more puzzled and amazed by human behavior. 💁 I know that I don't know much. Feel free to click off from my drooling and rambling.) 

When we create intentional signals of class difference we also begin to see the long-term impact of such divisions on overall performance (i.e. not having higher GDP growth or perhaps larger amounts of people on public assistance to make ends meet with declining wages and lost economic footing. Let us not get into the discussion on inflation and declining value of the dollar. Both lead to chronic deficits because resources are not maximized. While one may do all types of governmental top-down things to correct, nothing is going to work better then universalizing the environment to maximize development and motivational entrepreneurial effort as fundamentals of capitalism and democracy. Think about what capitalism is in terms of effort and democracy is for individual empowerment.). If there is one thing the U.S. can maximize is its diversity. It is a relatively untapped resource that is cheap. It only requires us to have a change of heart as a society to our shared futures. That will require moving beyond old paradigms of racial/religious rhetoric utilized by all sides of the debate to one in which we seek to maximize the best out of people through shared commitment to principles (i.e. we all work toward our shared best interest. Racial and religious differences don't matter in that. Broad based opportunities for those who strive no matter what sector of society they came from. Easier said then done..) 

In other words, we have to create the right environment for maximum human capital development. Think deeply about whether we are creating that right environment and whether we could do more to be more competitive. Take a systems macro perspective all different kinds of people in society and what most people are likely to agree. That would be a somewhat universal perception of value that moves beyond the shallowness of individual race and religion (I have great respect for religion and think their underlining values contribute to our society and ethical understandings. I want to learn from them all. I like to think of them as philosophies of perfection. I'm an open minded person. I also like lots of non religious philosophers as well. I like to learn from our historical best and brightest minds. ).

(As a side point. You can be proud of your race and religion without being rude or disrespectful of others. For example, I'm proud of my two mixed kids. They can be proud white men or proud black men. Makes no difference to me. What I want them to do is find that which they feel best represent them and anchor to our values as a family. It doesn't need to be exclusive of one or the other. Give honor to the past and their ancestors who became a piece of them. I try and teach them of what I know of both and I have asked relatives on their mother's side to share their history with them. I believe as a conservative that diversity is good for us as a people from a moral, social and scientific perspective.

 It might not be far fetched to say that diversity creates evolutionary adaptability which creates resilience as a species, people, and nation. Maybe, one would have to look up diversity and species health to see if that would be true on a macro scale. I came across this article. I think the smaller the population the more diversity is important for health. However, we are going through a lot of environmental changes so diversity probably does more good then anything else. What Is Genetic Diversity and Why Does it Matter? Seems sort of plausible anyway. Ladies and gents....intermingle.😂)

Review this article in the Economist, Prioritizing people: human capital moves to the core of responsible, sustainable business strategies

The article discusses how inclusion creates higher firm profits. There are other studies that support the same concepts. It is just hard to sell that our next stage of development is a universal democracy where all people of different backgrounds are respected for the quality of their character and their societal merit as defined through their behavior (not their wealth, social status, race, religion, gender, etc.. )A truer merit system.

As a person who has been a target of hate and has seen systems wobble/default and have looked at the issue for a long time I have come to find that we are not maximizing our human capital assets to the best of our abilities. The environmental and institutional signals are sometimes off and not conducive to full motivational broad based development. We have an untapped human capital source that can be used to revive our nation through the motivation of shared mutual focus and developmental interests.

(I have two kids that have so much potential but because of their mixed skin color I do not believe they will ever have the same opportunities as many other kids. In a very honest way, I don't see them getting as many opportunities because not everything is the way it should be. I wish I could say different but the current truth is they will need to work 2X harder than others. They also had more things taken from them than given so that is what it is.  We talk a lot about diversity but at the end of the day there is the official diversity and then their is the social diversity. Its the subtle social side of things that often causes the most problems. So, I'm thinking about how we maximize our human capital through broad based development that has the greatest impact among our broadly diverse society. I don't have a solution, I'm only thinking about it. That is more than others efforts.)

Escanaba Lighthouse Boathouse

 Escanaba Light House Boathouse

You can check out the gallery HERE.

If your in the area there is a little hidden beach there. You can walk down. Its flat rocks in the front and then sand out about 4 feet or so. Its a good place to lap swim. Put your wetsuit on and go!

S&P Global Flash US Composite PMI: US economic upturn slows in June as dependence on services grows (June 23, 2023)

Service seems to increase more and manufacturing declines some. Orders seem to be up and the service industry is hiring. Demand is raising business confidence (That is important for determining future investments and business behaviors. If they are confident they will act with confidence on the market and make things happen.), international demand is low, inventories at customers are high, Q2 GDP should be around 2%, labor may have some impact (Why portable technology improves human capital is beneficial to do more with limited physical head count. Moving workers to top of the value chain and automating lower level functions might help better allocate labor.)

Key findings: Flash US PMI Composite Output Index(1) at 53.0 (May: 54.3). 3-month low. Flash US Services Business Activity Index(2) at 54.1 (May: 54.9). 2-month low. Flash US Manufacturing Output Index(4) at 46.9 (May: 51.0). 5-month low. Flash US Manufacturing PMI(3) at 46.3 (May: 48.4). 6-month low. 

Who are PMI by S&P Global? Use the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for accurate and timely insight into the health of the global economy.

S&P Global Flash US Composite PMI™ 2023