CPI Inflation Declines .01% on Energy in March 2025

Good news that inflation has been temporarily tamed and much of that is because of lower costs of energy. It might cost you a little less to heat your home or power your car. That is not a bad thing considering many things have gone up over the past few years. For those of us who are not rich, reduction in basic costs helps (save and invest). If you are a business, then energy is a major component of costs and profitability. You may want to read, 

March Consumer Price Index US Bureau of Labor Stats

Energy is important is a fundamental aspect of keeping the lights on, powering manufacturing and ensure the economy is functioning well. Gas/Oil are still one of the biggest contributors and therefore decreasing their cost has an upward economic lift. However, diversity of energy is also important so using various forms and creating multiple inputs that range from coal, nuclear, solar/hydro renewable, etc. Each energy source should be evaluated based on its total costs and benefits (including environment). 

Consider,

A Broader Perspective on Inflationary and Energy

In my theoretical lens decreasing energy costs in the U.P. is important. There has been a movement to utilize existing power plants more effectively. Let us also not consider some sustainable things we can do such as reducing waste and ensuring we keep the environment clean in the long term by thinking about new science and energy production/sustainability (science is additive process and cost parity is still important). 

Things take time and it is a process. Eventually in the future are likely to have very clean sources and use certain resources more frugally with increases in efficiency with everyday advanced technology(hypothetically) At this time in history oil, coal and nuclear are some of thecheaper sources but that doesn't mean we can't make them cleaner by reducing waste or continuing to explore diversification of the gride through local and regional production (protection from outages through redundancy). 

Source CPI March, 2025

Ocean Beach Farmer's Market: Fresh and Sustainable

The other day I frequented the Ocean Beach farmer's market. Yes, I love to hang out with the beachy people in my flip flops and bermuda shorts but am not a great surfer so I feel a little like a poser. To be fair I can surf but not a very good one. I get up and fall down. Not withstanding my poor ability to grab a good wave, I walk on the beach regularly, dine, dance and other activities next to the water. Those activities include frequenting the OB Farmer's Market to stock up on fresh produce, have some delicious food and every once in a while, buy something from the small consignment clothing distributors. 

I also like farmer markets because they do support smaller farmers as well as diversify our food supply chain. Many growers are industrialized and that has squeezed out some smaller farmers. Organic helped them find a niche. Having markets like this allows a more direct relationship between the farm and the consumer as well as provide another source of obtaining food during COVID like shutdowns (They may be in the past but we should learn from the past and diversify our food supply.)

The Farmers Market Coalition

Ocean Beach Farmer's Market

Cooperation Between Large Firms and Start-Ups in Cluster Development (Transactional Cluster Theory)

Innovation is the name of the game in the Digital Era (Economic Platforms) because those who are ahead of the pack in creative and innovative development often also lead the market (...assuming they can also win on price and manufacturing). Companies want to compete and they need to find strategies to quickly ramp up capacity in order to provide next generation products that will support GDP growth. In my research I'm looking at economic clusters and creating sustainable rapid innovative systems that improve quality of life as well as economic prospects through interactive industry development.

(Remember this is theory play so it is possible and while research supports the idea, there are some earlier version clusters in existence. As of yet we have not yet fully developed a next gen sustainable cluster system that has the capacity to enhance existing industries as well as spark new industries. In theory it doesn't mean something will for sure work but that the likelihood of success has some research support. What is a Theory?)

Reviewing studies like the one below adds a piece to the knowledge based on how the relationship between start-up and larger corporations interact. Large and small businesses often connect/partner to share resources, information, ideas, and opportunities both in competition and collaboration. Knowledge transfer and the development of innovative resources being some of the bigger influencers in the process of creating something new that has wider stakeholder appeal. The right environment will often speed those innovative processes along.

Smaller firms connected to much larger supply chain creates an ideal method of taking good ideas and generating new inventions. New inventions/products help bolster a positive Return on Investment (ROI) to their respective industries. In environments were small firms, mixed with some anchor industries, create a level interactivity, it can lead to growth for participating industries (in theory). The anchor industries ensure the infrastructure is functional and the smaller firms can utilize such infrastructure for innovative product/service development. In other words, the anchor industries help solidify and maintain the cluster through capacity maintenance.

Picking the right anchor businesses within a cluster that has upward growth characteristics requires certain infrastructure inputs that can enhance each other as well as help spur innovation in start-ups that help to serve such anchor businesses. They can do this while being connected to a wider supply chain that provides opportunities to maximize resource allocation and scalability of new products. The same being said for shared R&D projects where one discovery can be applied to multiple industries and/or even to a new emerging industry (i.e. a new metal used in cars, rail, space, etc.)

In some ways, such startup firms would also carry less risk because they were launched within an existing network that would have a pre-existing need for their services/products. Seeding in fertile investment soil with existing customers is a good first step. If the ideas and new products/services solve the problem, then they can be adopted outside the cluster for greater industry innovation. If an entrepreneur comes up with a new solution that helps multiple local anchor businesses, then you have something of value. That value derived from having something to be sold on the market (in theory. Creative Destruction AI).

The innovative microcosm environment is where multiple stakeholders can help further the growth of a few industries at once while creating net positives for local residents through an interconnected system of interrelated transactional activities. As an example, the quality of life improves retention and skill recruitment which furthers industries through labor supply, which rely on trade education, and the higher wages that go with advanced skills, that provide a bigger tax base, which is spent on community improvement, that is used to quality of life, etc. (a type of cycle).  In theory a cluster can help with something like UP Employment %. because of new high skilled jobs and stronger community resources (In theory. Perpetual Sustainable Economy).

This is one study I'm looking at in including in my scientific paper and book I'm working on (They are not groundbreaking from what I understand but a discussion on innovation systems and how they may function to improve national innovation.). It states that start-ups and large companies facilitate exchange of resource and capabilities that enhance market power and access. In my theoretical lens I would take this to mean that small firms within a cluster may be able to feed larger networks with new ideas, inventions, and prototype products. The cluster firms chosen because they can interact with other firms and create new things that feed multiple industries (The difference whether one is creating a hedged cluster long term community development or a focused cluster for specific industry growth.). 
Large Firm and Start-up Innovation Review

*Remember that theory play isn't necessarily a fact but it does appear to be likely under certain factors.

Giglio, V., et. al. (2025). Cooperation between large companies and start-ups: An overview of the current state of research. European Management Journal, 43 (1). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237323000919

Ramazan U., Tuluce N. and Aykac, M. (2024) Creative destruction and artificial intelligence: The transformation of industries during the sixth wave. Journal of Economy and Technology, Volume 2, Pages 296-309, ISSN 2949-9488, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ject.2024.09.004.

Escanaba City Council Regular Meeting Thursday (April 03, 2025): Cost and Benefit Analysis

A discussion that revolved around beautification and cost. As with all entities there are limited resources, and one would want to naturally avoid long term costs. So far, the city has run in the black so they will weigh and balance resources, grants and opportunities. There is benefit to beautification that can have dollar and cents outcomes but where and how much takes some time to ferret out. Of course, finding an additional grant to offset the longer-term maintenance costs as well as fixing up an existing walkway might have some benefits. Maybe one could explore doing the something similar with the walkway that needs work thereby reducing cost for the city while still getting some of the benefits of green learning (scan apps). 

Anways, I thought this was interesting for those who want to know how to do a cost and benefit analysis. Cost and Benefit Analysis

What Firefighters Can Teach Business Executives

What can firefighters teach executives? Well, they can teach about things many business executives wouldn't know unless they were in the service, a fist responder or someone who put themselves in difficult situations to help others. Because firefighters regularly their lives at risk, often without financial support (volunteer and underpaid) to help a greater purpose, they have a track record of developing high functioning teams to best fulfill their missions and reduce risk. They can also teach about essential concepts such as managing stress/EI, taking care of one's physicaal health for peak performance, resolute belief in something greater, and they know who they are serving (stakeholders).

A couple of thoughts came to mind after reading the report below on the skills needed by firefighters. There may be a few things executives can learn to round out their knowledge. There are those who build and those who protect and there is knowledge to be gained from both.

A Number of Things Firefighters can Teach Executives:

-Firefighters work in high stress situations and learn to manage stress while still functioning at their best. Managers who foster their emotional intelligence can better handle stress and work with others consistently.

-Firefighters must create teams and function as a single unit. Executive teams should have focus and work together around those goals. Practice makes perfect.

-Firefighters must stay in good health to work at an optimum. Executives know the body and brain work together so they exercise when it is needed. You can't neglect one if you hope it won't impact the other.

-Fiefighters believe in what they are doing, are internally motivated, stay on task until the fire is out. Hiring people who believe in their work, are committed to finishing the project, and show up everyday is important. Motivated internally driven employees are diamonds.

-Firefighters must be supported by a community and rely on that community for information and performance. Managers should understand their social resources and who they serve. They must learn to manage their organizational environment and serve their stakeholders well. 

Not everything can be learned in a book. Yes, a lot can but not everything. Sometimes having some real life exposure the chaos of challenging situations like firefighting, military, service, first responding, public safety, etc. can help fully develop people. If you haven't seen tough situations and found ways through them it is difficult to know where your essential strengths lay when you must rely on them. Boardroom battles and battling a blaze may be different but you will learn persistence and resilience (i.e. the grit entrepreneurs and students need). Despite challenging situations you can learn overcome.

According to this study, personality, behavior, physical condition, and psychological characteristics can affect firefighter resilience. Organizational and management style also impact performance.  Factors Impacting Firefighter Resilience

*If you want to donate to a great volunteer fire department that supports a large area then message me to the right and I will point you in the right direction. The department is tax deductible so companies with giving funds may consider. I'm always looking for grants and resources because the equiptment needs are expensive. Feel free to contribute!

Access to Justice as a Positive Impact on Economic Development (Theoretical Thought Experiment)

If you have been following along for a few years we are exploring the concept of justice and its impact on various aspects of our social and economic lives. I'm a big-time supporter of justice and believe that it is one of the root foundations of society. A type of sacred responsibility that reaches back to our precivilization histories (A universal truth. Plato had forms as ideal. . Plato Forms A universal truth is deeply embedded into our collective unconscious and is fundamental to all societies. Collective Unconscious. Some might say they are even hardwired into our collective existence. This is deep philosophy.)

Moral Conscious: Sometimes the moral conscious of decision makers could be low and moral arguments hold little weight in encouraging higher standards of justice. This may also be why in our learning example so many victims were created because of clannish based social networks with their own rules, values and beliefs. Those unwritten rules impacted decisions because all information was sorted through a distorted lens. They saw what they wanted to see and revealed their intent and perception.

(The above lens comment means that if we start with a bias based on our own perceptions of life, and lack of ability to see other's perceptions as having merit, we will be like fish in the fish bowl. We can't see out of the fishbowl and may not even know that our lives are consumed by what is in the tiny fish bowl. Information is distorted by that lack of insight and exposure. Sometimes it is innocent based reflecting on the personality and sometimes it is milicious reflecting on the personality. A Theory of Mirrors.)

Social Learning: We could probably bring in arguments of social learning and why it’s important to not reward highly manipulative behaviors that took advantage of the sick, harmed vets, put kids in harm's way and many other outcomes of normalized bullying. If such behaviors are seen as ok in society and/or acceptable against out-group members (dehumanization) then they become normalized (Why there must be checks and balances.). Social Learning Theory

Economic: However, there may also be an economic dollar and cents reasons why institutions must act with integrity and serve a higher purpose. According to this study, access to justice has economic benefits. The formula that calculates access to justice is an interesting one. There is a sizable noticeable impact of when access to justice is restricted and/or allowed. One of the reasons why victims should not be stuck with the bill of perpetrators or decisions made to placate social groups, clans, tribes, politics, etc. Access to Justice and Economic Growth

In our philosophical learning example bullying, aggression, corruption, and retaliation were tools to keep numerous victims quit. Through the power of mass reporting the community (officials and average citizens) used their eyes and ears to expose the network and begin to reap the positive economic upswing (Confounding variables are present but it would appear that justice is an underlining unconscious assumption/truth of the wider society. Maybe/maybe not?) However, justice for all victims was not at first realized and that is a good point to keep looking at in future discussions. 

*This is a hypothetical philosophical thought experiment for learning purposes to explore the nature of society and good governance. Take with a grain of salt and it is ok to disagree.

Unemployment 4.2% adding 228,000 Jobs

A larger than expected hiring upswing and a slight uptick in unemployment. There is a lot of debate because the market is providing different indicators that are somewhat contradictory to each other. Most economists would struggle to understand uncharted territory.

March 2025 Employment