Good Morning! Here is Your Curated Morning for Thursday March 9th, 2023
THE TOP FIVE
Economic Development--
The world of economic development always has its eyes turned towards Texas. In the media, Texas always seems to get all the big projects. And whether you live in Houston, Dallas, or Austin, something always seems to be happening. Good For Texas! However, not everyone seems to agree on how economic development incentives should be disbursed. What? Discord in Texas? Say it’s not true. Read about the issues here.
TWO—Technology
McKinsey has a focus on technology trends. This easy-to-read article discusses the top technology trends from 2022 that will impact our future. It is what you would expect, Artificial Intelligence, the Cloud, and the Metaverse are all trends impacting business right now and will in the foreseeable future. Read this report here.
THREE—Green Economy
The mistake many people make when confronted with new technology or a shift in thinking about energy, for instance (fossil fuel vs. renewables) is that it is meant to hurt you personally. If you work on an oil rig, yes, there will be a transition. However, public and private leaders have concluded that long-term resiliency is more important than short-term outcomes. These are the conclusions from this McKinsey Report. Economic Development is about public/private partnerships, and the new Resiliency Consortium has arisen to answer the call Read about it here.
FOUR—Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
News of former President Jimmy Carter entering hospice has me thinking of Habitat for Humanity and the work he has done for them over the years. Habitat has recently embarked on an initiative called 3x30 which stands for 3 million homes by 2030 for black homeowners. Long shut out of home ownership due to discriminatory practices, Habitat aims to assist in the remedy. The organization is teaming up with other organizations to make this program happen. Read about it here.
FIVE—Being Your Best
My passed away just shy of her 92 birthday. Until the end, she was active, attending a swimming aerobics class several times a week. When the gym where she exercised (and socialized) closed, she stopped. That is also about the time her cognitive abilities quickly diminished. There is now an abundance of studies indicating that exercise and mental cognitive skills are closely related. In other words, don’t stop exercising. The linked article lends more credence to this idea. You can read it here.
The Main Thing :
I have been promoting the idea that rather than being a hindrance to economic development, climate change represents an opportunity. It’s a matter of reframing the issue. However, personally, I think it is more than simply an economic development play; it’s a threat to our existence. Ask anyone on the receiving end of a drought, an intense hurricane, soaring heatwaves, or, more recently, 7-foot snowfalls in the California Sierra Madre mountains. To say the climate isn't changing is sticking your head in the sand.
I have put together seven initiatives that cities working closely with their economic development organizations can do to reduce carbon emissions. Read about these seven in my post here.
Blog to Read :
Strategic Foresight is a way to undertake a planning process that will result in scenarios. Most strategic planning has a static outcome which, if for some reason your efforts fail and outcomes are not achieved, heads roll. In Strategic Foresight, several scenarios are considered and depending upon your organizational dynamics, you can pull yourself to the future you want.
In this blog post published in LinkedIn, the author describes how building these scenarios can “future-proof” your company or organization's long-term strategy. The article, “Building a sustainability strategy? Future-proof it with these four scenarios” can be found here.
Overheard :
“Forget artificial intelligence - in the brave new world of big data, it's artificial idiocy we should be looking out for.”
I Listened to:
These days listening to music might entail “listening” to it via a YouTube video. This is the case for the musical artist Angele. Watching the videos might be necessary, unless you are fluent in French. Angele is a Belgium-born singer and songwriter who is famous across the pond and will be appearing in several venues in the USA this year.
I was looking at the line-up for the Coachella Music Festival and saw the name and stumbled upon the song and video Amour, Haine & Danger.
While I don't understand the words and can't find a translation anywhere, it is apparent that the song is about our society’s obsession with our “smart devices.” Watch the video, and you will understand what I mean.
Adding to the video is the sweet melody and wonderfully innocent voice of Angele. If you want see more of her videos, you can see her on this website. Also, her official website can be found here
Something to Watch:
I came across this short video about an effort in Saudi Arabia to build a new “neighborhood,” called “New Murraba.” If it was built, it would be very interesting to see and behold. The building pictured above would hold the equivalent of 20 Empire State buildings.
They would need to start soon if we are transitioning to a non-fossil fuel economy. What happens to all those riches when no one buys Saudi oil anymore? You can link to a video about it here. You can read about it here
Something I read:
The Deficit Myth -- Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the Peoples Economy by Stephanie Kelton is a book that has old Supply-Side economists either shaking in their boots or laughing hysterically. Read the review and, more importantly, read this important book yourself and draw your own conclusions.
I found the book very easy to read, and if you need more explanation about her ideas, she has a newsletter, and you can find her all over YouTube, guesting on various news shows and other media.
This book is a timely read based on recent discussions about the debt ceiling. She will blow a hole in your beliefs about the deficit. As I read this, I wondered why some of this information, if it is to be believed, isn’t talked about more.
Read my book review here.
I like to have a salad more than occasionally. My salads are usually comprised of several standard ingredients without compromise. I must have Arugula. If I order in a restaurant, I will pick the salad with Argula. At home, It’s always Arugula. Other than that is usually whatever is in the fridge or cabinets. Here are my main ingredients for what we call Marty’s Salad:
Arugula
Blueberries
Feta Cheese
Nuts: Any combination of Walnuts, Sunflower seeds and Pastachios
Avacado
Protein: Chicken or Tuna
Dressing: I make my own dressing which usually consists of a basic vinaigrette recipe with the following added ingredients: Soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, and salt and pepper to taste.
These ingredients may seem odd or not go together very well, but to me, they hit the spot. You may also notice the “Asian” flavoring of the dressing. I can’t resist the taste of soy sauce and sesame oil. I would add it to everything if I could.
When I can find it, I like using a salad dressing called Kewpie Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing and Marinade. Again, If I could, I would put this dressing on everything. If you can;t find it in the store you can order it through Amazon.
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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Economic development, business development or leadership consulting is available by contacting me via email (see above) or calling me at 518-450-3250.
You can review my services and offerings at www.martinkarlconsulting.com.
Thanks for reading the Curated Morning.