No Convictions In Michigan Governor Whitmer Kidnapping Trial: What The?

Its interesting that that two were set free with no charges; not even a misdemeanor. Its just seems so odd to me that you plot and plan and get a free walk. That doesn't necessarily mean they should go to years and years in prison if they weren't directly involved but a free walk seems a little odd. They are adults and whether or not FBI agents are asking them questions they still have a responsibility to say "no".  While in this case it may not constitute a crime I don't think it was innocent behavior. One of the reasons why I advocate for mental health as an alternative for criminal conviction if the involvement was mild and/or non violent (MI. Track and Solve) While most of us just do what our social groups expect us to do we still have some responsibility over our behaviors; or at least should. When you move from talking to acting there are some boundaries that are crossed where risks become more heightened. That doesn't mean everyone in the group was involved in the same level but that their engagement level and willingness to violate existing laws (and in a deeper way societal values) should be weighed. You can read more in Jury acquits two men in Michigan governor kidnapping case, deadlocks on two others

Beware of Greed and Gifts: Two Men Impersonating Law Enforcement with Connections to Foreign Intelligence

Scary stuff happens in the world all the time but this reminds us of the depths of backroom darkness that can exist (Until their caught and then someone turned the light on. That is what a case will attempt to do....determine the events, money source, objectives, involvement, etc. It comes down to showing patterns of behaviors.) Two men, lots of money, lots of gifts, and inching closer to important inner circles with potential ties to foreign intelligence 😠. When you step back and think about it you should sort of feel a little queasy that this is even possible. Yet, it is and that is why one should beware of unsolicited gifts (Well, I guess you should be aware if someone solicits gifts as well.).

Money seems so important to people. Small compromises start turning into bigger compromises and before you know wholesale moral defaults. This is why business should start with ethics because when it functions as it should it will be self-correcting but when self oriented personalities get involved it is a matter of seemingly small fractional compromises (One need is out of balance with life homeostasis and in turn forces one to change their value framework. Our lives and performance are maximized when we have a balanced life that fulfills those inner urges and needs. Sorry a little psychobabble.) Standing for Ethics.

When someone is offering something that is outside the normal framework of social expectation one should be a little cautious of what that eventually might be connect with (A bigger favor perhaps. There is probably some similarities between the old Mafia tactics and these two. It will be interesting to see what happens and if many small compromises lead to ethical lapses that sort of suck individuals into their influence). Small gifts and mutual token exchanges are normal but larger gifts and exchanges are often a sign of manipulation. Key personnel might need more awareness of how such groups infiltrate through smooth talking and incentivized behaviors. If you ever want to know who to trust....trust those who tell you the things you don't want to hear! (No seriously....they aren't saying the things you want to hear to please you while at the same time they are still fair, consistent and accurate. I trust those who have integrity and empathetic souls because they act on principles and act in the best interest of people. Most of the time we just trample them in the herd of the self consumed.. The rest are just sort of pushed around by their urges and finding avenues to fulfill them with no real awareness of what they are doing. See a description of Robopathy types of behavior. That leads to issues like this where people can be compromised based on unmet urges and needs without the awareness that limits their ability to be manipulated. i.e. someone using rumors to manipulate people who are not full conscious of their behaviors..)

Russian Battered Economy and Troops Indicate Future Shifts in Policy

 Russia is at a point where it has lost a lot of power and position over the past 40 years and will have to decide to engage the rest of the world or isolate. Its military is bad shape and its economy is limping along. There is nothing wrong with a stable Russian economy as long as they act within acceptable international behavioral standards. Ukraine was a fight that looks like it has the potential to put the last nails in the Soviet coffin and could mark a change for the nations direction as well (Coming to grips with the change will be the hardest part for them. Unless something out of normal expectations happens it looks like there will be greater awareness among the population the difficult internal situation Russia was in prior, during and after the Ukraine conflict. Ukraine might be seen as a desperate attempt to revive a dying bear. We may find that Russia was already limping along the lines of more serious problems not known by the general public.). The nation and its leaders (Putin, Oligarchs, bureaucrats, influencers, etc.) will need to decide to fully embrace pro-West conceptions or push for internal isolation of people and institutions. We will likely know in the next week or so a better picture of the success/failure of Russia's invasion in Ukraine, Russian economic strategies, and where some of the weaknesses and cracks are appearing.  See Kremlin spokesman admits ‘we have significant losses of troops,’ calls it ‘a huge tragedy. 

It appears that the shift in troops is a possible exit strategy (Plan B). What they push for will be interesting. They may want the Eastern/Russian half of Ukraine but are likely be using it as a political win that their troops were overall effective in achieving their goals. They didn't really because of the loss of international prestige (...for those who fear such power.) that they are a strong nation. They may be strong but not on the level they were seen as prior to this invasion. 

Russia to be suspended from UN for human rights violations. 

What Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court Means

Its important to have diversity at the top as much as it is at the bottom of the economic stratum. What this Senate vote does is provide a new perspective at the very top. While she may be the first Black supreme court judge she also provides a sense of additional trust in the justice system (Anyone can make it to any position within this country. That is motivating for many young people! Maybe now we can also think about how diverse is the educational background of future judges. Coming form elite schools gives you a certain perspective through educational indoctrination. We may benefit from those who have other forms of education and ways of looking at issues.). Her specific race is less important than nudging the Supreme Court closer to being more reflective of society. She has a duty beyond any current racial and religious debates to help ensure that there a widening of perspective that contributes to our nation. Her job will be to be fair and do that based on facts in a universal manner. Her race is part of who she is and/but when she votes/decides issues it will need to be in the best interest of all of society. Her perspective will be valuable contribution I think to seeing alternative perspectives and providing a new perspective.  (I'm a light right conservative that believes we need a fully integrated society to create the most opportunities for success through human capital development. She will also need to look beyond politics to think long term. Republican and Democrat are parties that influence a great many things but at the end of the day it is our democratic institutions that must stand strong no matter what political powers there are swirling on Capitol Hill) Congrats to her and lets wait to see what happens........

FBI Russian Hackers Foiled: A Couple of Simple Tips for Business

Hacking is becoming a way of life and a lucrative business for those computer geeks that didn't have much of a childhood life. Geekdom has now become part of international espionage in terms of gaining information and money from unsuspecting victims. Companies must deal with these threats all the time and that can be extremely costly in terms of IT staff and potential consumer data loss. So knowing what types of activities are going on in the cyber word is pretty important for those that work within the IT fields. 

You can gain more information from Justice Department Announces Court-Authorized Disruption of Botnet Controlled by the Russian Federation’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU)

If you have a business your going to need to protect consumer information as much as you can. Information is valuable and people (governments) want that information to exploit different types of weaknesses to gain advantage. Sometimes that is for money while at other times they may have a political point (Lots of other reasons as well.) Consumers are rarely happy when they learn their data is up for sale to the sleaziest bidder because the store they have been loyal to for the past decade was all too happy to gain the information to make a sale but not so happy to protect that data (Its praying upon unsuspecting victims). .

You can gain some insight on how you can protect your business in Nine Practical Ways To Protect Your Company From Hackers And Phishing Attacks (Ok...I recognize that the article is 1 year old and in the tech industry that might seem like decades ago. So yestercode! My generation was the first to have computers so we still remember some of the older coding languages like Fortran and Colbol that allowed us to bounce a ball around the screen. I don't remember any of it but super cutting edge back then. 😎😏 However, most companies are pretty far behind the curve so this isn't that old for them. This seems to be another reason why technology needs to be disseminated faster from university discovery to industry practical use. Kind of part of a rapid innovation cluster concept I been thinking about.)

Increasingly, governments are using hacking (through proxy hacking groups) to gain information and shut down important online sites and physical structure. We have a responsibility to update our technological economic system to create one of the most large scale advanced digital era economies. COVID gave us the nudge but our environmental pressures are likely to push us into full development. I'm sort of curious about 2023/24 transition period and if digital GDP growth will be experienced.

 

Minneapolis Police Officer Won’t Be Charged In Deadly Amir Locke Shooting

 There has been a lot of discussion on policing in today's world and let me say I have seen the best and the worst of it. When we have situations like this there is going to be inflamed passions and arguments. People who line up for and against policing. This is a different kind of case as someone is holding a gun and that sort of changes the scenario of things. Everything gets heightened. It will be hard for some to get over this and I think we all feel some sadness when another life is lost (We as a society failed in some ways. Amirs life was important and I think of all the possibilities that a person could be.  Instead...there is death and that stops those possibilities permanently. 😢). However, it would be hard to blame this on anyone specifically (i.e. the officer) based upon what has been presented as most of us are likely to have reacted in this way under similar circumstances (The warrant itself and the method might be a completely different issue and we will have to wait to see what happens with civil filings. That appears to be a policy issue but may not specifically apply to this officer but could force change in how such warrants are served. There are risks involved so looking at information and historical data will tell us the success or failure of certain policies. Reviews are necessary feedback loops.  When done well we may be able to improve training and adjust policies to protect police lives, the "alleged" and those who are innocent bystanders. Sometimes we can find a better way while sometimes we can't. Yet if we don't know because we never took a macro look then we simply never looked. I think in this way we could start taking a local and national or international review at what is working and apply that as a standard. ) When things go bad we are talking about fractions of a second to think and respond. Barely enough time for the brain and hand to interact. Its sad and that doesn't take away from the need to continuously improve policing in this country. I support police and the concerns of protestors 100% and there is lots of room for honest discussion and growth. We can pray for a better tomorrow and we can pray our leaders see a need for shared solutions. Its a big and important issue if we want to stay competitive over the next few decades and likely a long time into the future. We need a common vision

Raphael the Renaissance Painter: Discovering and Foster U.S. Genius

 Raphael was a famous figure of the high Renaissance time. I didn't not know this but apparently he was one of the more productive geniuses of his time. He is well known for his paintings. You can gain an understand of his work in Raphael review – the Renaissance master who made saints and virgins glow. You can also see art pieces at UKs National Gallery. during April, 2022 (I need some super cheap tickets! 😢). 

We have all these very smart people form our past and the only difference between them and the gifted geniuses in the U.S. today is discovery (Most programs are probably not run by gifted either. There are fundamental differences that they might not know.). Many of our gifted programs are located in wealthy schools and with students that likely have high IQs, and elite education, make it into these programs. The vast majority of gifted kids are buried in their poverty, community, mundaneness and social expectations. A waste of U.S. human and intellectual capital!

Here is some information on the National Association for Gifted Kids. (I can't vouch for the organizations but I suspect they would take donations.) I try and donate a little through a learning lab business (Escanaba Polo Mallet Company) as well as other causes like orphans, rescue horses, etc... I think many of these kids have a tough life with the "gifted curse" and unless developed we are not only wasting opportunities but also limiting their lives. Oh wait!!! Were still focused on the needs of our generation!