Good Morning! Here is Your Curated Morning for Thursday March 2, 2023
THE TOP FIVE
Economic Development--
Megaprojects are leading the charge. Automotive and electric battery projects lead megaprojects in the post-pandemic era. The author describes how the average capital expenditure overall over the last five years has risen, averaging $179.8 million, This is an increase over 2018-2021’s average capital expenditures of $54.1 million. Incentives and deals are continued to expect to increase over the next several years as long as the economy doesn’t tank. Read the short article here.
TWO—Technology --
If you plan on going to Las Vegas anytime soon, the next time you call for a Lyft ride, you may end up in a self-driving vehicle. Lyft and its partners are testing driverless cars in Sin City. Lyft is partnering with Hyundai and Aptiv to make this service available. Others may soon join in as well. Are you ready for driverless vehicles scooting you to your favorite Casino or other big cities? Level 4 (fully automated) cars are coming to the closest big city near you. Read about it here.
THREE—Green Economy --
This morning I was met with the news that California is getting a new round of heavy storms. Rain in the valleys and up to several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada Range is predicted, with more on the way next week. California has suffered from drought for a long time, and now it seems they are getting more than they can handle. Some in California have planned for this situation, building infrastructure so that when the rain does come, they have a place to store it when needed. Read the interesting article about the work being done here.
FOUR—Diversity, Equity, Inclusion --
Bias can appear in Artificial Intelligence because the information inherent in our data is biased. AI can only learn from the information that humans have produced. As AI systems scan the available data, it builds bias into their output. This is true for written data and photographs. AI developers can fix this problem by developing extra checks and standardization. Brookings has done a great job describing how this might work in the article you can find here.
FIVE—Being Your Best --
What date will Thanksgiving fall on this year? How about in 2028? Is it worth knowing this? Maybe not, but knowing specific dates is essential when scheduling business trips and other economic development activities. Of course, you can pull out the personal computer you have in your pocket or use the type of one-page calendar outlined in this article. Using it may increase your productivity, or at the very least, it will impress your friends and family (at the next Thanksgiving)! Read the article and download the calendar here.
The Main Thing :
The community tour is an essential part of selling your community. Have you fine-tuned your community tour, or do you leave it to chance? I have been on some bad tours and some good ones. I have given good ones and bad ones too.
You have only one chance to make a good impression and don’t want any “paper jams” (read the post, and you’ll understand). A good tour of your community will do wonders for your closing rate.
You can read my thoughts and suggestions on how to do the best community tours here.
Blog I Read:
I read a newsletter called NoahOpinion. It is available on Substack, but you can read the most recent post at the link below. The Author, Noah Smith, is an American blogger, journalist, and commentator on economics and current events. Smith obtained his doctorate in Economics from the University of Michigan in 2012 and was an assistant professor of Behavioral Finance at Stony Brook University.
In this column, he goes on a bit of a rant, talking about how America has plenty of money to spend but has a hard time spending it, and when it does, it is much more expensive than it needs to be. Suppose you have been involved in economic development for a while. In that case, you can probably attest to the changes in the community atmosphere that happens more often than we care to admit.
Read the rant..er column here.
Overheard :
“I am not entitled to have an opinion unless I can state the arguments against my position better than the people who are in opposition. I think that I am qualified to speak only when I’ve reached that state.”
-Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
Something I read:
An entire section of your local bookstore seems to address “Happiness.” Apparently, we all need help trying to figure out how to be happy. The happiness kick really started with the Positive Psychology movement inspired by Social Psychologist Martin Seligman. Seeking out the positive and enhancing those attributes of your personality versus trying to solve a deficiency is the mantra of positive psychology.
Along comes a book called Beyond Happiness How Authentic Leaders, Prioritize Purpose and People for Growth and Impact. By Jenn Lin. Lin was a compadre of Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos Shoes. Despite his tragic death, she was inspired by his corporate philosophy and pursuit of happiness.
Read the review here.
Something I Watched:
Within the past six months, I have had the opportunity to see whales in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Whales are wondrous creatures, and it is hard to imagine that some whales live over 200 years or more. Scientists have found pieces of harpoon embedded in some whales dating back to the 1800s. To know that you may be looking at a creature born when this country was still trying to right itself is mind-boggling. I saw one or two whales at a time, but the people on this boat had the luck to see more than one, which is an understatement. Check out this short but really cool video here.
Something to Eat or Drink:
I visited the south this past week. I was in the panhandle of Florida near the Alabama and Georgia line. It felt more like the south than Florida (which I know is in the south, but it feels more like vacationland to me). I have often been to Florida, and it has always been southern Florida in places like Fort Meyers and Naples on the Gulf and Ft. Lauderdale and Miami on the Atlantic.
Every morning the hotel and their complimentary breakfast offered biscuits and gravy. I never had biscuits and gravy until I was an adult. This dish wasn’t served or offered much in the Midwest. However, it got me thinking about all the other meat and gravy foods I ate growing up. In particular was what I assumed was a Lativan dish, which my mother called Frikadelle. It’s rooted in Germany, and most European countries likely have a version. It basically amounted to Hamburgers with gravy…but better.
My mother's version included meat patties that were combined with ingredients one may use for meatballs, such as egg, breadcrumbs, and other herbs (dill, of course) and seasonings. It was topped with sour cream gravy. It was always served on some mashed-up boiled potatoes. If you have ever had Swedish Meatballs and Gravy, it is very similar, but instead of meatballs, think burger patties.
For meat-eaters, you can’t go wrong with meat with gravy, no matter if it is combined with biscuits or meat.
Here is a recipe for biscuits and gravy (B &G) you may want to try.
Finding a recipe for my Mother’s Frikadellen was difficult. The closest I could find was this one for Danish Frikadeller in Sauce. You can use this one, just make the “meatballs” into patties, and I would leave out the brown sugar (criminal).
Whenever you’re ready, there are several ways I can help you:
1. Economic Development; If you are looking to supercharge your economic development organization I can help by strategizing and developing a roadmap to success. Set up. a time to talk to me here.
2. Climate Change Economics; There is so much going on in this space and I can help you sort through it. Are you ready to develop a plan. or just need some coaching? Set up some time to talk about here.
3. Training and Coaching; I can train you and your team on high level productivity tools to get you into flow. Mindset, GRIT and flow come together in these sessions or through one-on-one meetings. Let's talk about your needs here.
If you have any thoughts or comments regarding any articles in this newsletter please feel free to contact me through email at martin@martinkarlconsulting.com.
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Thanks for reading the Curated Morning.