Values of Volunteer Firefighters

The study below looks specifically at firefighters and volunteer firefighters. The vast majority of firefighters in this country are volunteers. We have more fires happening, and they are becoming larger and more common. At the same time, budgets are increasingly constrained, so people are volunteering their time and putting themselves at risk to help their communities.

(Illustrative Only)

Firefighters do a lot
of other important work
beyond fires. 
Ki Ki the kitty
is thankful. 

What makes volunteer and part-time firefighters different? They tend to carry strong pro-social values. They want to help their communities, make a commitment to one another within their fire departments, and build trust. These commitments often reflect a broader way of looking at the world and their responsibility to others.

Read the study below, and if you would like to donate to a local fire department or help in some way in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I know a great one. Send me a message to the right. They have a lot of young people compared with many other fire departments, and those firefighters need training, resources, and equipment. If you would like to provide tax-deductible support, I can point you in the right direction.

Values in the Activities of Volunteer Fire Brigades: A Collective Case Study

• Volunteer fire brigades (VFBs) operate as self-organizing community entities that fulfill essential safety functions while simultaneously acting as key cultural and social hubs for local residents.

• Members view their commitment strictly as an unpaid public service, mission, or calling rather than work, which fosters personal virtues such as self-discipline, courage, generosity, and loyalty.

• The core organizational values driving these communities include trust, friendship, kindness, solidarity, respect, and collaborative ties with other local institutions and civic groups.

• Beyond emergency response, firefighters actively engage in community work, such as local infrastructure repairs, educational workshops, social events, and charitable projects.

• Long-term sustainability and local rootedness are maintained by passing down family traditions, preserving historical artifacts and chronicles, and integrating youth through Youth Fire Brigades.

Wrona, S. (2020). Values in the activities of volunteer fire brigades: A collective case study. International Journal of Contemporary Management, 19(4), 21 40.   https://doi.org/10.4467/24498939LJCM.20.012.13483

Producer Price Index Rises .4% in August 2026 with Final Demand 5.4% From Last Year (Energy's Influence)

The Producer Price Index rose about 0.4% in August, showing that producer prices remain elevated. Prices excluding food, energy, and trade services increased 0.3% and are up 4.7% from a year earlier. Overall final producer prices are up 5.4% over the past year.

A few points on energy....

Energy costs are a major reason for the increase. This also raises an important economic question: should we prioritize the lowest-cost energy sources, or maintain a diverse energy mix to reduce exposure when prices change? As renewable energy costs continue to fall, that balance becomes even more important to think about. 

(Illustrative Only). 

Jack the Squirrel teaches
the young squirrels in the
forest how to be energy
self sufficient. Probably
out in Garden MI.
Maybe Hiawatha
National Forest

They do things like that
out there. 🙃

Cheaper nuts
are awesome!

The larger point is simple: energy costs do not stay in the energy sector—they work their way through the economy and affect the prices of many other goods and services. Keeping them low can improve the economy but how to do that is a debate. 

Producer Price Indexes – August 2026

• The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.4% in August, after rising 0.1% in July and falling 0.1% in June.
• Final demand goods prices increased 1.1%, while final demand services rose 0.1%.
• Energy prices were a major driver, with final demand energy prices increasing 4.2%. Diesel fuel prices jumped 24.1%.
• Prices for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services increased 0.3% in August and were up 4.7% over the previous 12 months.
• Overall, producer prices remain elevated, with final demand prices up 5.4% from August 2025. This suggests continued cost pressures for businesses, particularly from energy and transportation.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026, September 10). Producer price indexes – August 2026. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Ending September 5th 2026 Fell Slightly-Stable Labor Market

Unemployment Claims fell a touch for the week ending September 5th 2026. Overall, the number is lower than in 2025, so I guess we're in a decent spot when it comes to unemployment insurance and overall labor-market stability. Michigan and California did have higher claims this week.

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims — September 10, 2026

• Initial claims fell by 1,000 to 206,000 for the week ending September 5.
• The four-week moving average declined to 206,000, indicating relatively stable unemployment claims.
• Insured unemployment was 1.774 million, with the insured unemployment rate unchanged at 1.2%.
• Initial claims remained well below the 259,000 reported during the comparable week in 2025.
• Overall, the report indicates continued labor-market stability without a significant increase in new unemployment claims.

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. (2026, September 10). Unemployment insurance weekly claims: September 5, 2026. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf

Could AI Destroy Humanity?-Some Scientists Think It is Possible

The article below from The Guardian is interesting because keeping up with technological developments helps us understand where these technologies may be headed. It provides some useful context for thinking about AI and its future. Our future with it or extinct from it. 🤷

(Illustrative Only)
Jack thought he could 
reject technology
by living in the woods. 
Technology came to find
him. 🤖
Floor cleaner
AI bots go rouge.

We are now seeing AI systems that can generate and modify their own code, improve their performance, and operate with increasing independence from their original developers. That raises an important question: at what point does the technology become difficult for humans to fully understand, manage, or control?

Some experts have warned that advanced AI could create significant risks, even suggesting a meaningful probability of catastrophic outcomes. When people are moving very quickly, competing for market share, and trying to be first, shortcuts can happen. And we all know that when you roll the dice often enough, eventually you roll the wrong number.

The bigger issue is what happens when AI becomes increasingly independent of human intervention. If a system can modify its own code and improve itself, we could reach a point where the developers are no longer completely in control of what they created. That is where the moral and practical questions become much more complicated.

This is the interesting—and slightly unsettling—part of technological progress: sometimes very smart people invent something before everyone has had time to think through all of its long-term consequences. Add billions of dollars, intense competition, corporate influence on political decision making, and a little human impatience, and you have a pretty powerful recipe.

Government regulation may help, but legislation typically moves much more slowly than technology. Once a technology exists, people can also find ways around the rules. So perhaps the goal should not be to stop innovation, but to become better at taking calculated risks, building safeguards, and thinking about the consequences before we discover them the hard way. or not?

AI Superintelligence Risks Raise Growing Concerns

• Experts warn advanced AI could pose serious risks to humanity.
• Some researchers estimate a meaningful chance of catastrophic outcomes.
• AI companies face pressure to develop systems quickly while improving safety.
• Critics also emphasize current risks such as misinformation, job losses, and cybersecurity.
• The article highlights the need for stronger AI governance and international cooperation.

The Guardian. (2026, September 9). AI could kill all humans in next decade, warn experts: But how seriously should we take them? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/09/ai-superintelligence-risks-warnings-scientists-politicians

Normative and Descriptive Dehumanization (Allegory of the Clan)

The piece below helps us think about normative and descriptive dehumanization. Descriptive dehumanization is about how we describe or perceive someone—for example, viewing someone as biologically different and worthy of mistreatment.  Normative dehumanization is the belief that someone is incapable of certain values or moral standards and therefore is immoral by nature. We discuss because we are exploring the impact of hate and corruption on society.

We have seen both forms throughout history from time to time. Most attrocities and collective wrongdoing have elements of dehumanization. The Allegory of the Clan is a learning thought experiment that explores combinations of dehumanization through race, religion, political beliefs, freedom of speech, etc. When we explore we learn. Some things we may agree with some we may not.

Within that system, people could misuse taxpayer dollars, access information they were not supposed to have, and go out of their way to protect corruption. There were other victims, yet people said nothing. There was coordinated misbehavior among witnesses, threats of violence, and other actions that allowed those misusing the system to continue. Witnesses silenced. In this learning scenario the courts knew about the wrong doing but victim dumped.

As a learning thought experiment, we are looking at a worst-case scenario. Eventually, the behavior did not stop because people suddenly developed stronger values or became committed to their oaths, human-civil rights, or a constitution. It stopped because they were getting caught. They had steak in the game. It opens up commitment to institutional health.

That is not how we want systems to operate. Systems are supposed to serve all people. When we begin dehumanizing others, we start creating a justification for treating them as though they are less deserving of rights, dignity, and protection. That can impact social and economic engagement and health. We all may suffer. So, we want to ensure that those who we put in positions of authority have the capacity to see all members of society as having value and are willing to uphold our shared values and serve the insterests of society (In Theory). 

*The Allegory of the Clan is a philosophical, theoretical, though experiment so take with a grain or salt. There is no right or wrong so feel free do agree, disagree, propose alternatives, etc. It is modeled after Plato's Allegory of the Cave where the more we learn the more insight is gained. 

Normative Dehumanization and the Ordinary Concept of a True Human

• Ben Phillips distinguishes between two forms of dehumanization: descriptive dehumanization and normative dehumanization.
• Descriptive dehumanization involves viewing someone as less than fully human in a biological or species-based sense.
• Normative dehumanization involves viewing someone as lacking a deep commitment to good moral values—the judgment that someone is not a “true” or fully human person in a moral sense.
• Across four studies, Phillips finds evidence that normative dehumanization is different from simple dislike and from denying that someone represents an ideal form of humanity.
• The research also finds that normative dehumanization is a unique predictor of intergroup hostility, suggesting that understanding moral judgments about who counts as a “true human” can help explain hostility between groups.

Phillips, B. (2023). Normative dehumanization and the ordinary concept of a true human. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 5, 100155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100155

Do Flowers Improve Happiness? (Take the Time)

Photography
and art for sale

There is something interesting about flowers. We spend an incredible amount of time building complicated lives, chasing deadlines, answering emails, staring at screens, and trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing next. Then a flower shows up—and somehow gets our attention without sending us a notification.

Taking photographs of flowers and nature is really just something I enjoy. I post some of the photos here, and every once in a while, I even sell a piece or two. But mostly, it gives me a reason to stop and look around.

I like the outdoors because of the colors, the fresh air, the sounds, and the simple fact that nature doesn't seem particularly interested in our schedules. You can hear birds, rustling leaves, water, and animals doing whatever animals do. Things become quieter. We slow down.

Maybe that's part of the secret. We were born in nature, not in an office, a parking lot, or in front of a glowing rectangle. So perhaps it's not surprising that when we return to nature, something in us feels a little more at home.

(Illustrative Only)

The good things
in life are often
right in front of you.

And apparently, science agrees. Research suggests that flowers and plants can improve mood, reduce stress, and contribute to our sense of well-being. So stopping to smell the roses may actually be a reasonably productive use of time—which is convenient because most of us could probably use a little more unproductive time.

I suppose what we get out of life depends partly on what we choose to notice. There are always bills, deadlines, problems, and people who apparently believe every email requires an immediate response. But there are also flowers, sunsets, birds, trees, oceans, and a whole world quietly going on around us.

Sometimes you just have to stop long enough to notice it.

Photography
and art for sale

And if you happen to like one of my photographs or pieces, feel free to send me a message or buy one. That would make this philosophical exercise even more successful.

Some of my pieces

Art Gallery (Painting and Photos)

$70 Purchase Painting Pay Pal

$60 for photos (Rights to Use or Printing)

Art Gallery eBay (Paintings)

Flowers and Plants May Improve Happiness

• Flowers and plants can improve mood and reduce stress.
• Greenery may promote relaxation and well-being.
• Scents and colors can influence emotions.
• Plants may support focus, creativity, and productivity.
• Gardening can provide mindfulness and social connection.
• Giving flowers can strengthen relationships.

THURSD. (2025, April 2). Does looking at flowers and plants really make you happier? Thursd. https://thursd.com/articles/happiness-looking-at-flowers-plants

Q2 2026 Labor Productivty Report-Workers More Productive but Share of Economy Declines (Jack and Jill Pay for Coffee)

This labor productivity report for the second quarter of 2026 shows that labor productivity is up a little. Unit costs have increased, and labor costs have increased a little bit. Real hourly compensation declined 3.3%, and the labor share of the market declined to 52.8%, which is one of the lowest levels since 1947.

(Illustrative Only)
Jack and Jill
can't figure out 
why he has to 
keep working into
his 70's to retire, 
they struggle to pay their 
bills, despite working 
most of his life. 
He did lose his
job a few times
when the investors
 decided they wanted
to move operations
overseas where
they could make more
money. 
They make in an hour
what he makes in a year.
He thinks
about why. 

20 Year Dashboard
*Meant to encourage
thought and
agreement/disagreement.

So, we haven't made much progress in terms of rebalancing the economy to ensure maximum participation and opportunity across all elements of the economy. Some have argued we have overconcentration of wealth and an overconcentration of decision-making that supports that overconcentration of wealth (It is ok to disagree or agree. The point is thinking about it.)

Corporate profits are up significantly, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that as long as everyone else in the economy is also getting opportunities and continuing to grow. However, this divide seems to be growing more and more, and we don't really have a clear plan for how we're going to deal with it. So, we'll just have to see how it turns out in the long run.

 U.S. Labor Productivity Increased in the Second Quarter of 2026

• Nonfarm business labor productivity increased 1.4% in the second quarter of 2026, while output increased 1.7% and hours worked increased 0.3%.
• Compared with the second quarter of 2025, nonfarm productivity increased 2.2%, indicating continued year-over-year productivity growth.
• Unit labor costs increased 1.2% in the second quarter, reflecting a 2.6% increase in hourly compensation and a 1.4% increase in productivity.
• Real hourly compensation decreased 3.3% during the quarter, while the labor share of output fell to 52.8%, the lowest level in the series beginning in 1947.
• Manufacturing productivity increased 2.4%, with durable manufacturing increasing 3.6%. Manufacturing unit labor costs declined 0.3%, the first quarterly decline since the second quarter of 2021.
• Over the current business cycle, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019, nonfarm productivity has grown at an annualized rate of 2.1%, matching the long-term rate since 1947.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026, September 3). Productivity and costs, second quarter 2026, revised. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/prod2.nr0.htm