Rebuilding Local Food Systems for Better Health and a Stronger Economy

If the benefits of supporting local farmers, reducing calories, improving taste, and enjoying the peace of mind that comes from home-cooked meals weren’t already enough, you now have another compelling reason: new research shows that ultra-processed foods are causing a wide range of health issues. These problems span from general health concerns to excess calorie consumption—not to mention the chemicals commonly added to these products.

I had this idea once 
of buying 40 acres,
20 for hunting
20 for field and a
movable paddock livestock.
I can't get my potatos to
grow in my pot right. 
That idea might be out.
Maybe maybe not.
Thinking about for retirement
down the road but may
want to start soon.

The article referenced below also highlights the rapid growth of food industries and large distributors. One lesson we should have carried forward from COVID is the importance of maintaining local food sources. While this short piece isn’t focused on where to buy your food, it is worth considering how much of your diet could come from locally grown produce. Strengthening local farming could help small farmers return to the land and build direct relationships with customers—cutting out layers of industry profits that typically don’t benefit local communities.

Like many of you, I also struggle to find the time to cook. I’m getting better, though, and one thing I’ve realized is that cooking in bulk is a major time-saver. You don’t have to do everything at once, either. If I’m busy, I’ll mix a dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for a while, and come back later to finish it. It doesn’t always go perfectly, but it often works—and it saves me time.

When you shop, try to choose foods with the least amount of processing and the lowest number of “empty calories” that don’t contribute to your health. I’ve heard people note that fresh, healthy food is becoming more expensive while cheap, highly processed food seems to get even cheaper—which can feel discouraging when trying to make better choices. We might encourage our leaders to think about that before they vote on legislation.

Still, we should be thinking about ways to improve food quality, strengthen food resilience, and support our economy at the same time. Building a robust local farm system—and encouraging young people to return to farms abandoned during the mass consolidation of the 1970s—could play an important role.

As a licensed fitness and yoga trainer, I’ll also add this: if you need help getting started, feel free to reach out and I can set something up virtually. Going to the gym is great, and I’ve been switching up my own routine because adaptability and variety often lead to better overall performance. But we need to master our food choices, too, because research consistently shows that nutrition is a major contributor to overall fitness and long-term health.

Ultra Processed Foods

Breaking the Chain: Symbolism, Behavior, and the Quest for Social Unity When Thinking About Hate and Corruption

We can continue to explore this hypothetical, philosophical, and theoretical thought experiment story on The Clan aimed at understanding how to create as much indivisibility as possible to foster social and economic health. One major detractor any society face's is hate and corruption, which not only limit full participation and contribution but also drain resources badly needed to foster a stronger society. In our learning example a clan court protected wrongdoing and intentionally allowed harmful behaviors to out-group members to remove them and allow others to enrich themselves off hate and corruption. Negligence and lack of backstops allowed behaviors to continue on a long time and created new victims in both in and out-group members. To understand how these behavioral patterns emerge and how they shape society, we can turn to philosophy. The article included below is of symbolism so that would seem to be a fitting discussion for a rhetorical exercise. Keep in mind this can be any place, anywhere, any peoples and applies in general to the nature of humanity. The same problems in history since the beginning of civilization but these problems can be overcome with greater commitment to shared values and the minimization of hate and corruption. It is a philosophical discussion so there is no right or wrong way to look at a problem or question in so long as insight is created and that insight leads to knowledge and purposeful choices (i.e. awareness). 

This picture was meant to
be thought provoking. 
New truths create new
 perceptual symbolic realities.

This is a philosophical discussion so
we should consider
how knowledge leads to insight
and how insight creates new perceptions
and how new perceptions form
our subjective realities. 
Plato discussed being free from 
the chains of limited
knowledge and insight
in a way that allows one
to see things differently closer to
as they are. i.e. the sun
that burns their eyes
when leaving the cave.

Philosophically, can you reverse hate
by creating new shared perceptions
new symbolism
that tie people together? 
Maybe maybe not? 🤷

In this learning example, we find that hate and corruption rarely arise suddenly or from a single event involving a single victim. Instead, these behaviors are long-running and deeply embedded in the psychology of the perpetrators. Their precursors can range from feelings of superiority to overt mockery of other races or religions—behaviors meant to strengthen in-group identity by degrading out-groups (Same mechanics in bullying behaviors). This is not specific to any one demographic; any race, religion, region, or group can engage in such behaviors at different times in history. What is unique to every people's is whether they have built the moral conscious and structure to defend against such crimes against purpose and society.

Patterns of corruption often intermingle with patterns of hate because both stem from similar tendencies: a lack of empathy and a willingness to exploit others for personal gain. Hate exploits perceived differences, creating rigid boundaries that produce unequal social cues and uneven levels of engagement, performance, and opportunity. At times, societies may even reward or reinforce these poor behaviors financially or socially. The vast majority of the time unwittingly. Awareness brings opportunities for purposeful choice so moral stories carry with them generation to generation values.

How we interpret the world—individually or collectively—depends heavily on symbols and the meanings we assign to them. Keep in mind that language is based on symbols and our language can be a reflection of our internal perceptions (Language as Symbols and Stanford-Human Mind Shapes Reality). The more heuristic and automatic our interpretations become, especially when unexamined, the more likely we are to arrive at conclusions detached not based in logic or fact but unexamined beliefs. There is always a distinction between the physical properties of something and the symbolic meaning we attach to it so how we perceive our world can change. (Think of the interpretation of the Coke bottle so different from our own based on deep cultural understandings and symbolism. Gift of the Gods). 

Hate rarely has anything to do with the actual targets; it grows from distorted thinking and is reinforced by behaviors that rationalize harmful actions (In our example misbehaviors were incentivized and encouraged in some clan based circles and its influence on courts.). Ultimately, it is fear-based and reveals a lack of authentic inner confidence. Word choice, symbolism, microaggressions, and negative comments—when counterproductive or misaligned with the reality of the targets—say far more about how perpetrators see themselves and their world than about the people they aim to diminish. This is why many emphasize the value of individuals who can unite teams rather than those who spread toxicity as important consideration in leadership selection. The best and brightest of the from the coming of adult age generations should continue to move upward to create circulation of updated and realigned values and choices (We don't wan't to be in a situation where we make continuously poor choices, that are continously misaligned least we lose our competitiveness. ).

This brings us back to symbolism. Beliefs and values are often symbolic based in our cultures and language, and group-based symbolic behaviors may reveal underlying attitudes that can be activated under pressure—for better or worse (Mostly prosocial because it is most helpful but can sometimes go the other way.). Reducing hate and moving toward indivisibility may require understanding how symbolic cues contribute to harmful behaviors. One way to conceptualize this progression is: Symbolism → Micro-Aggression → Open Disdain → Acts of Hate. While difficult, it may also be possible to reverse this progression once hate has taken hold by redefining the underlying symbolism. Likely much easier if discovered and challenged early before open disdain by creating expectations aligned around core values (In theory).

According to the study below, symbolic displays are often precursors to actualized hate-based behaviors. This is an important insight. In our clan story not only were the unthinkable normalized but witnesses, victims and whistleblowers targeted to protect wrong doing and that went on for years and it changed when communities-society put pressure to change and began to remove those fostering hate and corruption. I also suspect that if we focused more on what unites us—shared values, shared commitments, shared purposes—we would better understand how to bridge differences and work toward goals that benefit communities and society at large. We all benefit when we are striving toward the same goals and outcomes. There are social engagement and there are quality of life enhancements and economic growth when when words and actions are aligned with shared values. As general advice: build strong communities of togetherness, forgive small trespasses, and collaborate to create a better world that allows each person the opportunity to contribute their best with purpose. In theory, we can re-solidify and re-anchor our symbolism and sense of togetherness through cooperation and mutual reliance. 

Symbolic and Realized Hate Aggression

*This is a philosophical, theoretical, hypothetical thought experiment for learning purposes only. One can agree, disagree, change around the elements etc. There is no right or wrong answer and each person will see something a little different. Philosophical dribble.

2024 Firefighter Fatalities: RIT Air Pack Equalization

Firefighting is serious work, and every year firefighters and civilians are injured or lost. Anything that improves those numbers matters, and technology can help reduce some of the inherent risks. As the climate becomes more volatile (depends on who you ask), we should expect more structure fires, wildfires, and large-scale incidents. There is already evidence that the size and intensity of fires are increasing, which only adds to the complexity. This is why rapid intervention team (RIT) training is so important—it strengthens the ability to rescue firefighters and civilians when things go wrong.

For example, if someone becomes trapped and is running out of air, rescuers may need to provide an emergency air supply to buy time for extrication. Learning how to equalize or transfer air between tanks becomes a critical skill in such situations. I was familiar with two methods, but the other two taught in the video were new to me, so it expanded my understanding (I have some diving experience so some of these seems sort of similar to underwater issues. Hopefully more diving this year.).

As a part-time firefighter, I try to keep up with training as much as I can. It took me several years to really understand how different systems and procedures fit together. Over time, exposure and repetition make things more intuitive. Then one day you realize you grasp the fundamentals, but also that under pressure—when seconds count—your speed, clarity, and decision-making must improve, because the real world rarely mirrors a textbook.

There is a growing need for firefighters today, so if you’re in a position to volunteer or go part-time (I'm sure if you are healthy and able a career might be a track), consider joining. If you can’t join, there are still ways to contribute—fundraising, administrative help, or community support. And consider donating to your local fire department; even small contributions help. If you’re a business, it’s also a meaningful way to support the community while gaining positive visibility. If you’d like to make a tax-deductible donation, feel free to reach out—I can connect you with departments that would put those funds to excellent use.

72 Firefighters died on the scene, 26 from fires, and 46 from cardiovascular events. 2024 Annual Firefighter Report

The Not-So-Great Fisherman’s Guide to Trying Anyway: Maybe I Should Have Took the Fish Tour

An idea for a floating 
fish tour and fish lunch 
business. People go fishing
for a few hours and have a fish
sandwhich or meal.

Maybe support local
stores and homes
with a native protein source
from the Great Lakes. 
Commercial fishing is in high
demand and can be explored
but we have to improve
the environment, fish stocks,
sustainable funding.
Perhaps tourism can help.

More free ideas! Stick it on a hook!

 Finding the best places to catch fish with the right rig is basically a never-ending science experiment—except my lab coat is a hoodie, and my research assistants are seagulls judging me from the shoreline. Catching fish is unlikely to make even the tiniest dent in my grocery bill, but it does give me time to catch up on the news and do a little reading while my bobber lazily floats around like it’s on vacation. Every now and then I reel it in, change the bait, and toss it back out like I actually know what I’m doing. If I get really ambitious, I’ll jig the line a little to see if motion attracts fish—or at least scares off the ones already laughing at me.

Ice fishing is coming, too, and since my success rate isn’t exactly threatening the local fish population, I figure I should read up on what fish like to do during the winter. Pretty soon the ice will form on my usual spots, and I’ll have to wait until it’s thick enough to stand on. Although, let’s be honest: if I’m perched on a dock or a deep edge, I might just chop a hole and drop a line in without actually stepping onto the ice. Call it “lazy man’s ice fishing”—safer, warmer, and demands zero bravery.

Either way, it’s just nice to be outside. You just have to dress warm enough to survive that wind, which has the personality of a grumpy old man yelling at you to go home. I usually throw on my insulated garage duck bibs—they slide on and off easy, which is important since I’m often on my way to the grocery store or running errands. This way, I can stop for a quick cast like a fisherman who refuses to let adult responsibilities steal all the fun.

We had snow last week that
melted fast. The cold
weather is coming.

I found two articles that break down fish behavior and the kinds of lures they supposedly can’t resist. I don’t pretend to be the world’s greatest fisherman—if anything, the fish are probably sharing tips about me—so I keep reading and trying to figure out how to convince them to hop on my hook. There are endless tricks, and I’m sure the seasoned anglers out there have some of the world's best kept secrets. 

Side note: it’d be great to see places in the U.P. and beyond consider setting up fish nurseries funded by hobby-level commercial fishing licenses (I'm not in that position to encourage someone to look into more fisheries or using tourism to fund them. I'm way down the chain....one of the little people). Kind of like recycling fishing and tourism revenue back into boosting native fish populations and supporting local ecology. It could help sustainability, tourism, recreation. Just an idea—might work, might not, but it’s worth chewing on. For now I'm just working on the right bait to catch the right fishes.

You can view the ice forming.

Ice Fishing the Upper Peninsula

5 Baits for Ice Fishing Yellow Perch

AI, Market Signals, and the CEO’s Path to Competitive Advantage: Dripping Syrup Example (Conference Board Q4 CEO 2025 Survey)

You’re a CEO or executive, and you’ve realized that technology is advancing far faster now than it has in the past. AI has become an increasingly valuable tool for recruitment, efficiency, market research, cost reduction, product development, customer experience, and much more. With this shift comes the need to hire people who can use modern technologies effectively, which means significant training will likely be required across the organization. As you seek to figure out a strategy it is beneficial to ponder what other CEOs are thinking and what they are doing to navigate the market. Surveys and industry reports allows one to understand the economic environment and create better strategic solutions.  

Representing a maple syrup 
tasting room and distribution
hub for example local export brand
as an alernative strategy.
Can technology make local 
development more possible?
Blending local assets and market changes.

Reading industry reports—such as the Conference Board’s Q4 2025 CEO survey—provides useful insight into current executive thinking. According to the report, CEOs believe that market conditions are becoming more challenging and that the overall economic outlook has worsened. Even so, many are choosing to increase hiring, raise wages, and allocate more capital spending compared to the previous quarter.

Leaders can use reports like these to benchmark their own strategies. For example, if you’re considering hiring new talent to adjust your approach or gain an edge over competitors, it helps to know that other executives are facing similar pressures. These insights also provide a sense of how companies may behave in the near term based on their outlook and expectations. You can then guage some of your own strategies in comparision to others.

That said, just because other companies are taking certain actions doesn’t mean you should follow the same path. Instead, these insights help you understand the landscape more clearly (The more you know, the less hazy it is). Sometimes, when everyone is heading in one direction, the better opportunity lies in a slightly different strategic approach. A strong grasp of economic principles and market dynamics allows organizations to manage resources more effectively and hedge against emerging trends.

An Example of Understanding the Market to Understand Strategic Options

A picture representing
profits up, markets opened, 
new jobs, visitors in store, area branding,
local circulation of wealth
and increased local tax revenue.

Imagine you own a maple syrup farm outside Escanaba or Gladstone and want to open a syrup shop downtown, where Escanaba is quickly becoming an entrepreneurial and investment hotspot. Suppose you notice many syrup producers nationally are adopting AI-powered tree-tapping systems to cut costs and sell their syrup to large wholesalers—consistent income, but often lower profit margins. Instead, you decide to partner with other local syrup producers within a 60-mile radius and invest in AI technology that enhances efficiency, improves quality, and helps develop unique flavors (for example, a BBQ-style syrup). Together, you launch a shared regional brand—maybe something like Delta County Drippers, Inc.—and open a storefront downtown for tourists, restaurant owners, and locals to sample and buy the products (Various sizes with various prices). UP Maple Syrup From there, you strike deals with national and international distributors to get the brand on shelves worldwide and the back of your store the loading dock. (Many of these buildings were built in a way that may now help start-ups. Free idea—run with it!)

Learning the Truck, Learning the Role: Volunteer Firefighter and Adaptive Communities

Volunteers—whether part-time or on-call—remain a vital part of rural communities, and in some places they’re being considered as a way to help offset the cost of maintaining full-time staffing. The challenge, of course, is the amount of training and the sheer number of hours firefighters dedicate to serving their communities. As with anything worthwhile, it requires time spent reading, practicing, and staying engaged. For those of us who have regular jobs, businesses, and other responsibilities, that commitment is significant—but absolutely worth it.

One area I want to learn more about is the trucks. Watching YouTube videos and seeing the trucks in action during practice has helped me understand their operation and reduce response times. It makes sense that firefighters should have working knowledge of the different functions and roles so we can step in where needed. Now that a few things have cleared from my schedule, there’s a good chance I’ll be able to participate more and respond more often when calls come in.

Firetrucks are more complex
now requiring more training.

Lately, I’ve been focusing on truck operations—understanding how the trucks function, how to stop, shift to neutral, go into drive, open the tank-to-pump, prime, and begin drafting water. I already knew some of this, but it still takes me a time to look around and make sure everything is set so more knowledge speeds that up. Some people do it so often that it’s second nature. The video below was helpful, so I wanted to share it.

The more we train, the more prepared we are to help build adaptive, resilient communities. With environmental pressures rising and budgets tightening, preventative measures matter. After reflecting on the article below, I realized I still have a small brush pile near my garage that needs to be cleared out—something I started but hadn’t finished. Removing it will create a better defensible space in case of a fire. Sometimes it’s the small things like this that make a big difference in reducing risk and damage.

By the way, if you’re interested in donating to a local fire department, I can point you in the right direction. Several departments in our area would put your support to good use—whether through equipment purchases or community service efforts.

Fire Adaptive Communities

The K-Shaped Divide and Finding Meaning in Simplicity: My Snowblower and Free Opportunities Tomorrow

A K-shaped economy is one in which the upper echelons of society increasingly earn more while the lower echelons struggle. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This dynamic can also strain small businesses, which in turn affects innovation over time. Mature, well-established companies might thrive in a K-shaped recovery, but that strength comes with a potential long-term cost if resources and innovation begin to dry up among smaller firms.

If that sign seems up everyday 
I guess people have to 
create their own opportunities
with small business, profitable,
hobbies, and enjoying the
simplicity of life to create new
ideas.

This is one reason why some policymakers might emphasize the importance of supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, innovative clusters (where large and small firms can grow together), and the revitalization of downtowns with new attractive products that we may someday want to export (potential long tail of wealth generation). We’ve been consolidating wealth and directing attention toward the needs of large companies for decades, and while that can bring benefits, it also risks creating economic instability if the system becomes unbalanced. Each of the sizes should be balanced so there is constant flow of innovation, wealth generation and even ideas on a macro level. Why Start-Ups are Important to the Economy?

K I got a plan for how to deal with the economy. It is my plan and I think you can make a better one for yourself. 

Personally, I prefer doing much of my own work, and as I get older, I find myself consuming less and spending more on the things I genuinely value. When you’re young, it’s easy to buy things to impress others, but once you develop a clearer sense of self—independent of external displays of wealth—you begin focusing more on what truly brings you joy (If your young spend less, do more yourself, and save to buy assets because they grow. The same for stocks, houses, and land. We need more of the average people rising in wealth and bringing their hard earned values along with them. Once you reach a certan wealth threshold it is easier to make wealth. This is why the first million is the hardest and why the wealthy often stay wealthy. When you make it, go back and help the little peeps. i.e. generational social exchanges.).

Beat the K Economy
with low tech snow season solutions!
Our great and great great grand parents
removed snow the old
fashion way but also 
created wealth for the Baby Boomers.
Next generation is expected
to have it harder. It takes about 3
generations from what I have read
 to burn wealth but
one can revitalize and extend
that through rejuvenation. 
New technology might
contain some of that ability.
Can you harness it in your small business?

In the context of a K-shaped economy and my own hobby-business pursuits, I’ll likely need to cut back in a few areas: making more coffee at home instead of buying it, choosing activities I enjoy that aren’t expensive, and investing my time where it brings the most fulfillment. Maybe that even means spending more time thinking about ways to improve the economy—and working on my next masterpiece painting I can sell for $40 (that few buy) 🙃 

(As an example I was going to buy a new snow blower $1200 but opted for an electric one to see if that will suit my needs $270. If I don't like it, I will return it but if it does the job it has less parts and less likely to break down. People love to debate gas vs electric but I might as well try it for the price to see if it works well enough for my driveway and maybe my neighbors. I'm thinking the batteries won't last that long but I might be wrong. This is also why companies are experimenting with batteries now. Also, electric is more of a simple design with less moving parts than gas engines. Gas engines have more power but likely to break down more often. It is just a preference at this point. Money saved! Take that K Economy!).

JP Morgan K Shape

CBS-K Shape Impact