Christmas is an Important Time of Togetherness: What it Means to Me?

Christmas has an interesting history that moves all the way back through Europe in various forms and times. Historians discuss the background and origins of such traditions ranging from paganism all the way over to a Christian tradition. It doesn't make a difference to me in so much as it is a story of community togetherness.  During Christmas we have an opportunity to truly engage with each other a few days and enjoy various events and activities with friends and family.

As a person with openness to different religions and people I have come to recognize Christmas as a day of peace. It is a day of thinking about what is good in the world. Being thankful for the many blessings our lives have brought us. It is a time for kindness and the putting away of petty grievances. Its a time to sort of think of the meaning of things.

On this day we should pray for peace and togetherness. As a nation and as a people. We believe in freedom of religion to ensure we can practice these traditions anyway we desire. It is important that we maintain those values into the next generation. I like to give gifts, watch The Christmas Story and cook. Mostly spend time with family.

[For the young generation, life before technology was much different. Pull down maps. No air conditioner. I remember having a black and white tv even though the living room had a color one. People were just moving off of farms. These are the nostalgias of that time. Beautiful memories. We can respect the past and embrace the new. BTW you should watch the story...its good!]

You may be interested in reading The Short History of Christmas and The History Channel Christmas

Table Talk on Democracy

Democracies are important to the world and having freedom of speech and freedom of religion is important and central to good health. Open conversation is what helps build great nations. We have a responsibility to always be truthful and build our communities. Loyalty to our Constitution is more important than loyalty to party or ideology (I'm a light R with lots of liberal friends but I am caring less and less about politics. Leadership should be open to new ideas from both sides of the isle and more importantly outside the isle to ensure the best strategic paths are taken). We should focuses on togetherness and essentials of building our nation.

Real GDP at 4.9%-Broken Down by State

 Michigan GDP is 2.3%. it should be higher. Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 3rd Quarter 2023 

The Real GDP for the nation grew at an annual rate of 4.9 percent. 

Some Economists See a Strong 2024 and Some Do Not

Not everyone believes that the economy will be strong next year. Its an open discussion among economists on which way the economy will go. There are mixed markers out there. Good points on standard error.

Third Estimate GDP Q3 2023 U.S.-Not too shabby! Hopefully its keeps going!

GDP rising, spending up, disposable income increasing and things seem to be moving forward decently. The information below is like a quick snap shot of some of the basic points of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) December 21st 2023 release. Notice from the chart on the bottom there was a market disruption during COVID and then an eventual settling out of these wide market swings. What I'm looking at from a research standpoint is whether that level post pandemic is benchmarked at higher then pre pandemic in a way that indicates that a quick infusion of technology and business adaptation has changed some of the fundamentals [i.e. manufacturing return, increased GDP, etc.]

Other data have indicated that the labor market and human capital has not grown as fast and could be the key to enhancing those things that are doing well while encouraging high societal participation. At this point there are multiple benefits that may come from higher economic human capital engagement of which only some are in the economic realm.

The following information was quoted from Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate), Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate), and GDP by Industry, Third Quarter 2023. To put this information in full context you really should read the release.

-"Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023 (table 1), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 2.1 percent.

-The increase in real GDP reflected increases in consumer spending, private inventory investment, exports, state and local government spending, federal government spending, residential fixed investment, and nonresidential fixed investment. Imports increased (table 2).

-Disposable personal income increased $143.5 billion, or 2.9 percent, in the third quarter, a downward revision of $0.5 billion from the previous estimate.

Personal saving was $851.2 billion in the third quarter, an upward revision of $35.9 billion from the previous estimate. The personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 4.2 percent in the third quarter, an upward revision of 0.2 percentage point.

-Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments) increased $108.7 billion in the third quarter, an upward revision of $3.0 billion from the previous estimate (table 10).

-Profits of domestic nonfinancial corporations increased $90.8 billion, an upward revision of $14.7 billion. Rest-of-the-world profits increased $8.8 billion, a downward revision of $1.9 billion. In the third quarter, receipts increased $22.0 billion, and payments increased $13.2 billion."

Chickens and Cybersecurity Blend Old and New!: Escanaba City Council Meeting (December, 2023)

The development of modern towns in the Upper Peninsula is about blending the old and the new in a new way in which they create a line of continuity to the past while opening opportunities to innovate the emerging future. There are questions and debates on things ranging from chickens all the way over to cybersecurity. There are no right or wrong answers. Beyond chickens there are issues that include cybersecurity, training, and large turnouts for Escanaba Christmas. It makes me think of Smart Cities: Culture, Metabolism, Governance and Escanaba A Future Smart City?

"The chicken did not cross the road.

The road passed beneath the chicken."

Albert Einstein

-Debate on Chicken and Ducks continue!

-Cybersecurity grant funding request (Keeping up with the digital world. There has also been significant investment in the Internet creating a potential new Digital Nomads Land.)

-Incident Response Training (I have been advocating for training and updating local skills. New industry in the area and growing tourism attraction might require additional first responder skills. Especially true if that is outdoor tourism where people get lost in the woods or fall through the ice.)

(Seems like this new city manager is on top of things. Might have a good career ahead of him. Conscientious and detailed.)

-Largest Christmas parade put on by the DDA the town has ever experienced. People were having fun and enjoying themselves. I'm very proud of this town and how a sense of community and community engagement has taken hold. The firefighter trucks were awesome! Support them and join them! Escanaba City Parade 2023.

CC

I'm seeing a town that is ready for additional investment. Economic indicators are strong, people are engaged, strong team of city leaders, waterfront and recreation growth, tourism rising, developing infrastructure, A billion+ investment in the paper industry, and current market demand for extended stay get-aways for vacationers, digital nomads, and many more. The people have open arms to new ideas, businesses, and people (i.e. a greater sense of wholeness).

The Economy 2023 and 2024: Platforms or Flatforms?

Dr. Powell discusses rates and the economy for 2023 and 2024. Inflation and growth are both expected to decline. They are related.  The relationship between inflation and GDP is complex but there is at least a tertiary one. Consider Inflation: Banks, Inflation and Growth. Its a mixed bag with recession possible but increasingly unlikely. As inflation declines so does the chances of high growth (In partially supported theory. There are lots of confounding variables in the market and relationships with such broad implications are anything but causal). However, the projections are based on a number of assumptions of prior economic behaviors. It is not definitive because there has been variance in the market thus far. Even bringing the economy to a healthier place without a recession is fairly rare historically. Hats off to you Dr. Powell (Seriously, he earned it this round. Very nice work and brilliant. )!

Yahoo Finance published a solid article outlining some economic factors Shifting Economic Views 2023 (Lots of detailed information. Read slowly.). Another informative article is provided by CNBC Inflation is Different This Time (Spells it out seemingly clear and hits many of the highlights). You may also gain a concise highlighting in a White House Press Release in 10 Charts US Economy 2023.

The thing I'm looking for in the post-Covid economy is the adaptation of the business community and a level homeostasis between the U.S. economy and the global market. We will have to see if a trend settles out at a slightly higher functioning level that could potentially indicate an improved U.S. competitive base/position.  (Comparing broad economic indexes across different time frames helps. Once we find a level stable trend we can "pretend" it is a new base level and see what changed occurred in only a few years. If lucky that may have highlighted broad economic shift. "Pretend" meaning an economic number to anchor other assumptions. Change the "pretend" number to an updated number based on additional trend data and you can watch how an analysis changes. Theoretically you could do this if you had the time and no friends. 🤓 Ok..sorry Its not hard if you accept the apple to maple comparison across a number of broad based measurements. Not in my plans at the moment. Rather be surfing and working on my beach bum alternative career 🏄 and my palm tree retirement napping spot. 🌴 Grab a philosophy book and that is the best life can offer. Maybe get a job sweeping up or clerking at a store for a few side $$ and well I'm richer then most people. <<< Umm...makes me wonder. 🧔🌞We should probably work on fixing that. The nation is brimming full of the power of untapped human capital just waiting to be watered and spouted into full bloom.🌱 Farmers of future opportunities will seek to sow the seeds of how technology magnifies the abilities of people. )  

(This "platform settling" could provide a hint of a higher market homeostasis based on the amount of quickly increased digital online activities as a % of the economy/GDP. Another way of saying that new technologies have improved U.S. total productivity and expanded human capital (as a tool). That would happen through many trillions of micro transactions fundamental to an economy. Prior research supports the GDP growth from the Internet through its additive efficiencies and expanded creativity/innovation. That same growth increase could come from new AI, infrastructure, new investments, etc. adaptations. In other words, the pandemic forced companies to change some fundamentals of the market, created some chaos, and then settled into something higher functioning/adapted. Theoretically, but only time will answer that question for sure. An open scientific question yet unanswered.  🤔)

Platforms or Flatforms? Let us wait and see....