The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Posted on 29 April 2016 by Wayne Cook

cropped-portrait-copy.jpgHave you ever had the feeling, I have been through this before? What am I supposed to learn? Since I was just downsized where I teach, I am now searching for other opportunities. I have my home based business. Contact me if you would like more information about this opportunity. I am partnering with Westgate to help friends obtain inexpensive 2-3 night stays at a nice Resort. I am also honing my Computer Skills to be able to find a position in the software/firmware industry. Our son is doing much better, but after two open-heart surgeries and a pace-maker in the last three years, it has been expensive. In doing this blog, I am relearning HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language). It is all good. I am also learning more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), fascinating subject. My goal on this website is to have more specific comments that relate to the topic being discussed. Too often, the comments are nice, but they are generic. Sometimes I include the generic comments, but if they are identical to ones I have seen before, I do not post them. Getting back to the title, some of the generic comments are the same as they were when I first started this blog. I find that fascinating.

I feel that I have been through this effort before. As Albert Einstein says: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” What have I done in the past that has worked and what have I done that has not worked? Unfortunately, I am older now than I was the last time. Even then, it is amazing the questions HR can ask that will help determine a applicants age. That is a key reason to have our own business and to start creating it while we are young (NOW!). Which reminds me of the first They Must Be Giants song I heard, Older. I know I do not discriminate against myself just because of my age. That definitely would not be too wise. We all gain experience, at least we should, as we grow older. One of the many keys to success is to use the knowledge we have gained over the years. analyze our successes and failures, learn from them and grow from them.

The purpose of life is to learn and to have joy. Sometimes it seems a bit harder than other times, but those tough times are when we learn the most.

I wish you all the best in all that you do.

Posted in Computers, Divergent Thinking, Financial Health, Health and Wellness, Northern Colorado, older Americans, Planning, Serving, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Intent is Necessary, but not Sufficient

Posted on 21 February 2016 by Wayne Cook

cropped-portrait-copy.jpgIntent is just desire. To live a full life you must be doing, or living an intentional life. I have been looking into some of the writing of John C Maxwell and like what I have been able to gather so far. I like the fact that he uses the word “Intentional” instead of just “Intent.” It is amazing the difference the two letters “al” can give to the meaning of a word. There are so many people from whom I am learning, but unless I apply what I learn it does me no good at all. I may have more knowledge, but unless I create a plan and put that plan (based on my accumulated knowledge) into action I will be no better off and will have helped no other person succeed. To not be my best and help others to be their best would be a waste of tremendous potential. All of us have God given potential into which we need to tap. From now on, these articles will be a bit more personal. The best way I know of how to help others succeed is to first help myself.

One thing I do on a regular basis is to look for people who are going out and doing in order to inspire me to do better. There are people who inspire, like Tom Houck who made a sufficient amount of money as an accountant, especially after forming his own company. Creating his own company he became an excellent presenter (from what I have seen, this is a necessary part of being a great entrepreneur). Tom then used those skills to tackle “his dream of building a wrestling academy.” It is essential to have dreams, but what are each of us doing to clarify those dreams and make them a reality.

My background is as a teaching and a software engineer. I am good at both. Both can be very rewarding. When I see a student finally understand the concepts I am trying to share is a fantastic experience. There is nothing more rewarding than that. Writing software that is useful to lots of people is good also, but unless I can see a person using the software and being really excited about what it can do for him/her it is not the same. The programs I have designed and written for which I am most grateful are:

  1. High School registration system – George Washington High School, Guam – This was quite a bit of fun. It was old school technology, using FORTRAN and punch cards. Each class was given the cards needed to fill each class. The students then went around with their master card and collected cards for each of the classes they needed. An overnight run was done and all the teachers had a roster for each class the next day. The councilors were also given a list of each student who did not have 6 cards. If they were supposed to be off campus for some work training, there were cards for those periods also. Where the students surprised when they were called into the office to explain the missing classes. I learned a tremendous amount about sorting and search algorithms designing and writing this program. This all came in very useful later.
  2. Vietnamese Refugee Locator System for the Red Cross – What I learned from the High School registration system came in very handy. Again, it was card based. Because of the search algorithms I had learned, it was very quick at finding specific people and where they were located (down to the tent and cot). The Army also had a system, but mine was so much faster (even though they had much better equipment), the people taking care of the refugees usually used the Red Cross system. To this day, if I meet a person from Viet Nam, I usually asked if they or their parents came through Guam on their way to the mainland. The Vietnamese I met were all fantastic people. The ones I know here are hard working. One owns a great Cafe here in Fort Collins, Little Saigon Cafe.
  3. Internal Diagnostics for the Tektronix 4100 series terminals and one of Tektronix’s original workstations.  Most of the programming had to initially be written in assembler based on the Intel and Motorola processors that were used in the products. I really appreciate the chips with more registers so that I could keep needed information in each so that the checks would run faster. Manufacturing was originally writing their own manufacturing diagnostics, but when they saw what mine did they soon adapted my process. One of the features they liked was the ability to plug in a set of PROMs (Programmable Read Only Memory) into a space set of sockets and my program would detect those PROMs, do a checksum on the PROMs, and then jump to a specified location. I had the privilege of going back to the International Test Conference in Cherry Creek and then Philadelphia to present papers on this program. It was a lot of fun and I met several good people.
  4. SoftBench library development – Hewlett Packard – developed the C++ library interface to the SoftBench development library. Consulted with developers in Switzerland to create a traffic control system. Unfortunately, I was a little late in this process and was not able to help them create a more object-oriented approach so they could have used their modules to develop air traffic control systems for other airports. It was a fun project and was able to travel to Sweden to help this group and other users in Europe  better use the SoftBench development libraries.

Unfortunately, live goes on the companies downsize. As I grow older I realize that most employers are looking for younger employees. This is the way the world is changing, so I do try to keep up with technical development, but I realize that I must reinvent myself and find other ways to support a family. One of the main things I have learned from all of this is that what I do must involve helping others.

Posted in Computers, Financial Health, Health and Wellness, Northern Colorado, older Americans, Planning, Serving, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Have you learned something new today?

Posted on 18 January 2016 by Wayne Cook

portrait WW Cook

I have always enjoyed learning and am interested in several areas. The three main areas in which I am interested are my health (and healthy living), computers, and education. I guess the latter can combine the first two. I fee, I am combining the three in this blog. It is a very basic blog, but I am learning some new aspects of creating a better blog.

One area of interest is how search engines work. Search
Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fascinating subject. One site I have found useful is: https://www.reliablesoft.net/category/search-engine-optimization/, a blog written by Alex Chris. There are some good ideas here, some I can use and some I cannot (like my blogs for now are strictly in English).  For now, I am adding more relevant tags and categories to my pages. As I learn more, I will do more.

The latest area of interest in health is something called “Leaky Gut.” It is usually caused about an excess amount of yeast in the intestines. The main symptom that is first to be noticed is a bloated belly. The place I am reading about this is at the website of Karen Langston. I am learning, but I do not know as much as a person who was the nutrition specialist at Sanoviv Medical Center. There are some interesting articles there. One thing I do like about her page is that she does recommend a specific supplement to help with this problem (along with many lifestyle changes). I am using the same supplements that she recommends, which is good.  Her nickname is the “poop queen” and is an expert on the digestive system. This is one part of getting yourself in overall good health. My wife is a coach of a great program that helps in a overall complete way. Her site is Diana Cook, RN.

Enjoy life and keep on learning!

Posted in Computers, Planning, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Serving, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 66 Comments

The Best Way to Grow is to Serve

Posted on 4 January 2016 by Wayne Cook

I know for me, the way I enjoy life the most is to serve others. There is something special cropped-portrait-copy.jpgabout that. I am sure each of us can think of people who have touched our lives through their service. This person may be our next store neighbor, a relative, an ancestor, or someone who lived a long time ago. Most likely, it includes all of these and more. If we all have a service attitude, then we each can contribute to a wonderful solution that will lift all of us. At the start of a new year is the perfect time to find others that have similar goals and help each other reach our goals and desires. As we serve each other, we will succeed as individuals and as a larger community.

As an example of service is the fig tree. It is created to grow and serve figs. If you are familiar with the New Testament, you are aware of what happens to a fig tree that looks beautiful but does not grow and serve figs. We each have God-given talents that might be our own unique gift to our friends and others. It takes a life-time to know what our gifts are, but as each of us discovers the gifts and talents we have and begins to use them we each will become more aware of how to better use these gifts and to discover the other talents with which we have been blessed. If we do this, we will be like the fig tree that grows and serves beautiful figs.

I know the people with whom I enjoy doing business the most are those who are willing to serve me, find out what I need and why I need it, then offer something that will fill my needs. This is done without using high pressure techniques to sell me something I do not truly need. Certain industries are more noted for this type of selling, but even when I am looking for those products I prefer dealing with a person who gives me the facts and then lets me decide. How do you like to be treated when you are looking for something? I do have products to offer, but I much prefer telling the benefits of these product in relationship to the needs of the individual and then letting them decide. I may not have as many purchases as others, but I find that I have a better opportunity to have a repeat customer. I would much rather serve a repeat customer than to pressure someone to buy a product they do not want. Through service and truly understanding what the other person needs, I can be of much greater benefit to the other person. The side benefit is that I can sleep better at night knowing I helped someone with something they truly needed and wanted. in the long run, there is always great gratitude for those who serve.

Serving others is so enjoyable. I wish you all the best for a joyous and prosperous New Year.

 

Posted in Financial Health, Northern Colorado, Planning, Serving, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Choose your Supplements Wisely

Posted on 25 December 2015 by Wayne Cook

There are approximately 1500 multivitamins and multiminerals available in North America. cropped-portrait-copy.jpg It is easy just to go to the store and choose the cheapest brand available. This may not be the best approach. I would advise looking at independent testing labs to narrow down your choices a bit. Consumer Labs goes through and regular tests various supplements. They also have a yearly ranking of supplements in various categories. Their customer satisfaction rankings were put out recently. The results were interesting.

Note: After finding out some additional information, I am rewriting this paragraph. When I am satisfied with the results I have, then I will write a more comprehensive study of where to find some good information. Look for independent testing, what guarantees the company has for world class athletes, and any other criteria you think is important.

For now, I will recommend two independent sites for checking out the quality of supplements. The first is NSF International.  I have looked into the NSF program and the standards they use for testing supplements. They do quite a bit of testing for athletic products.

The other site I use frequently and would highly recommend is NutriSearch, a Canadian company founded by Lyle MacWilliam, MSc, FP, a former member of Parliament who developed the standards by which Canada judges supplements.

My best wishes for finding the best supplements available. Have a joyous, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is Needed

Posted on 12 December 2015 by Wayne Cook

Too often it is much easier to “go with the flow” cropped-portrait-copy.jpgthan to sit down and do what needs to be done. This includes the mundane (dishes) to the health issues (I don’t feel like taking that walk today), to the current job needs (can’t the tests just grade themselves), to the financial needs of the family (the medical bills have piled up, what can I do to pay them off), to the outright emergencies (hate to say it, but for each of us this could be different).

How do you decide what is needed? Do you have a long term strategy with specific goals or is it more of a day-to-day thing? All of us fall into the day-to-day survival mode from time to time. The question is, how long do we allow ourselves to stay there. Everyone has long-term goals. They may not be fully fleshed out, but they are there.  I know for me, if I am not improving in some area, then I can too easily slip into a dangerous rut where I accomplish nothing important that will improve my life and the lives of others.

Each of us needs to decide what is the most important to us. For me, what I am working on is maintaining my health and encouraging each of my family members to do the same. Matthew is doing so much better since he received a pacemaker. It has taken awhile to get used to, sometimes he can feel it working. At other times, I can hear it. But he is doing fine with the new device. He is planning out his future well. He will be graduating with a business management and accounting degree from IBMC College (where I teach). We are also working together to build our business. It is good working with him. He is a good young man. We have a lot of work to do to make our business successful. The only way I know how to make that to work is to have a plan and execute it well. So he and I have a lot to do. We know what is needed. What is needed in your life to help you be as successful as you would like to be?

Posted in Financial Health, Health and Wellness, Northern Colorado, Planning, Thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Convergent verse Divergent Thinking

Posted on 11 October 2015 by Wayne Cook

Convergent Thinking – where ideas coalesce around one way of cropped-portrait-copy.jpgthinking that can produce a common goal or guidance. This is important for a group to eventually move forward and achieve greatness.

Divergent Thinking – brainstorming, coming up with many possible solutions to problems that need to be solved. This is often called “thinking outside of the box.” If organizations or individuals do not do this, then the best solution is often never even discovered.

Divergent and Convergent Thinking are both vitally important to any success. Too often we have only been taught Convergent Thinking in school, study for the test, know the answers the teacher wants to see. There have been several studies of the way people think. Given problems, a pre-Kindergarten student is excellent at both ways of thinking. By the time we graduate from high school, Divergent Thinking has been reduced to about 2% of the population. Industry wants people who can do both. Microsoft has devised several questions, some of which have become fairly famous, that test how (and if) a person can come up with a solution to a problem that uses divergent thinking instead of the way most of us have been taught to solve a problem. The most famous one is “Why is a manhole cover round?” If you have not heard of that, I will leave you to figure that one out. Good luck!

From my experience, if you are doing brainstorming never discourage outlandish answers because they often lead to break-through ideas. Once you have come up with a sufficient number of ideas, maybe it is time to do a little convergent thinking. Start looking for common patterns in the ideas that have been expressed. They will emerge. Always ask “What if” to flesh out these ideas. The “What If” questions will often find holes in the ideas being presented. They will sometimes lead to a whole new way of thinking about the problem. There is a limit on how late in the game new ideas can be introduced, but that is fairly late and is definitely not in the fleshing out of the idea and goal phase. Enjoy, be as creative as possible.

Once a project goes into the actual design phase, it should be gaining some structure. The team should be happy with the goals and plans being generated. The team should all be willing and able to buy into the proposed solutions. If each member feels that they are part of the solution, they will work hard at implementing the plan. If the decisions are made by one or two people, the rest will not be too happy and may not work as hard in brining the ideas to fruition. As a project transitions from design to implementation, this is where the thinking often switches from Divergent to Convergent Thinking. However, always be asking the “What If” questions so that no design problems end up in the final product.

Where Convergent Thinking works best is when the product or process has been developed and is working well. This is especially true for processes, where new people are being brought into the process. If the new people, who were not present for the Divergent Thinking part of the development of the process, want to succeed, it is best to have each new member assigned a coach or mentor to help them through the best way to implement the process. People still need to personalize the process so that it is part of them, but processes that work should be carefully taught. The new people need to internalize the process and make it work for themselves as so many people before them have done.

Understand what works and what does not. Converge on what works, Diverge on suggesting solutions to problems, whether they are new problems or problems that are starting to emerge with regard to older products or past solutions. Once you have come up with some workable solutions, then converge on a solution and start looking for ways to verify that it does work.

In case you are wondering, the reason why manhole covers are round is so that they will not fall into the manhole. Think of other possible shapes, can you turn them in such a way that they could fall in?

Posted in Divergent Thinking, Financial Health, Health and Wellness, Northern Colorado, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Health and Wealth: How Do You Enjoy Both?

Posted on 17 July 2014 by Wayne Cook

Without health, all the wealth in the world cannot be truly enjoyed. cropped-portrait-copy.jpgWithout enough wealth to take care of your basic needs, the health you do have may be hard to keep. Most of my posts have been about health. However, I am blessed with a good wife, a good family, a job I enjoy, and a business that allows me to help others with their health and wealth. I am truly blessed.

However, the economy in the United States is not the best it has ever been. For example, Microsoft has just announced 18,000 layoffs.  That is 14% of their work force. Being work-force-reduced from a good-paying hi-tech job is not fun. But it does happen. Being downsized from any other jobs is not fun either, but that also happens. Are you prepared for just such an occurrence? What are your other plans? Do you have an alternate stream of income? It is hard, especially if you are older worker. Having your own business is an important part of financial survival. But you want a business that doesn’t require a lot of overhead. You want a business that will free up your time and not take away the precious time you do have. The best businesses for this are in building relationships, not necessarily having your own business that you must be overseeing all hours of the day. Working with others, where you can earn from your work and the work of others is the best solution. The key to this type of business is one where you can help others become wealthy, and from that effort you can generate a nice income for yourself also. Find a company that encourages teamwork and rewards all in the organization in a fair compensation plan.

If you are looking at relationship (network) marketing companies, take a close look at their compensation plans. The two most common are multi-level and binary. From my experience, in a multilevel company, you need to build wide. You try to get as many people directly below you as possible. In a binary marketing plan, you have two legs. Once you fill those two legs, you build on these two legs and help those you introduce to the company to do the same. Often the multi-level compensation plans has a depth limit, so if a person comes in one level beyond that limit you will have no benefit for the work they do. In the binary compensation plan, there is usually no limit to the depth from where the income can flow up to you. In both plans, the key to success is to have about 20 members in your organization.  In the multi-level plan, you need to recruit all twenty by yourself. In most binary plans you need to recruit two to four new associates and then help them do the same. You can see with the binary plan, you will be working with others to build your businesses, while in the multi-level plan you are often forced to compete with each other for new associates. It is good to work together.

The best wishes to all those who are struggling with regard to work and income. Find multiple ways to bring in income and you will be the most secure. <ay you all have good health and sufficient wealth for the desires of your heart.

 

Posted in Financial Health, Health and Wellness, Northern Colorado, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

NoCo Chamber of Commerce Jobs Summit

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Wayne Cook

Income (and jobs) are important to individuals. cropped-portrait-copy.jpg Good financial health is almost as important as good physical health. I decided to take a break from writing about physical health and post some notes from a meeting I attended today.

Future of jobs in NoCo (Northern Colorado) – (31 July 2013) Presented by the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce

I will include each of the speakers and have a point summary of my thoughts on what each of them said.

Technology Job Trends in Northern Colorado

Martin Shields, CSU Regional Economist

  • Tech sector has lost more jobs.
  • 600 layoffs at Center Partners yesterday.
  • Efficiency and productivity up, so job growth slower.
  • Region has added about 5,000 jobs in health care, consumption sector, manufacturing.
  • All other areas are stagnate.  Computer manufacturing on steep decline.
  • With Affordable Care act and aging population, driving healthcare growth.
  • In 40 years Fort Collins has grown from a small cow town to a sophisticated metropolis.
  • Advanced technology industries hard to define, so based on qualifications of the work force.
  • Dot com bubble easily seen in Colorado economy. In last ten years the US.tech sector growth is much better than Colorado.
    25% decline in high tech jobs in Colorado since 2000. Back at level (7.3% of overall job) it was in 1980.
  • Most high tech venture capital going to coastal cities and not to Colorado. Over time the concentration on the coast of venture capital is getting stronger.
  • Presentation slides will be on line later.
  • In 2001 tech workforce 73% higher than national average, now only 53%.
  • HP will continue to be an important partner, but life science much larger growth area.
  • With international competition so strong, it is hurting local economy, we need to have clusters of a particular industry to have a growth area. Example: microbreweries.
  • Need to move forward, or we will be another Detroit.

Economic Development: ignite style
– 15 seconds per slide, 5 minute presentations

Josh Birks City of Fort Collins Health Director

  • Several companies have invested in Fort Collins, as well as the city investments. Fort Collins investments are just seed money to private investments. Midtown corridor is a hopeful new example.
  • Unemployment is about 5.3%.
  • By 2015 we should have a robust economy, new mall, Max buses, new Woodward Governor HQ, etc.
  • Fly wheel, series of Small Steps to make momentous changes in the community.

Walt Elish, CEO of Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation

  • Opportunities best for 24-35 age group. We are still not at the pre Great Recession level.
  • Has information on demographics. Works with existing and desired companies for NoCo. Works closely with various government units to make sure that the two are in agreement with regard to the companies wanted for this region.
  • The Quality of Life of the residents of this are dependent on Primary Job (salary and benefits so that people can afford the life style they want).

Aging and the Labor Force in Colorado and Larimer County

Cindy DeGroen, Projections Demographer at Colorado Department of Local Affairs

  • Aging of the Baby Boomers will have a major factor in Colorado.
  • Before the Baby Boom population that moved to Colorado in the 1980s-2000s, Colorado had a very low 65 and older population.
  • With Baby Boomers deciding to stay in Colorado, the 65+ demographics is rapidly shifting.
  • Rural counties are losing population, but the percentage of 65+ people is increasing, because they are not leaving like the younger generations are.
  • Front Range and Western Slope are showing increases in population and in those 65+.
  • People over 65 growing faster throughout Colorado than any other age groups.
  • Currently, 10% of population of Colorado are 65+, but lower than most other states. We are just catching up with other states.
  • Colorado not an attractive place for people 65+. Very few of this age group move to Colorado, most growth due to aging population (people who choose not to move as they grow older).
  • In 1980s Colorado was attractive to Baby Boomers.
  • In general, 65 and over spending on services and not on goods.
  • Colorado usually attracts people between 25 and 40. Rarely attracts older people. Larimer County not a destination for retirees.
  • Before now, Colorado has never had an older population. Consumption of health care increases with older population. For each person 65+, it creates at least 0.1 jobs in health industry.
  • In this decade growth in households lead by someone over 65 will increase by 80% in this decade. About one-third of households will be lead by someone 65+.
  • 69% of those 65+ will have a disability.
  • People 55+ are staying in work force longer. Younger people getting more schooling so are staying out of the labor force longer.
  • Labor force is aging. Diversity is lager for younger population.
    In time of transition because of baby boomers, after they mature, later generations will keep proportions about the same.

Jacob Castillo, Larimer County Workforce Economic Development Manager

  • Education now preschool through death and is more technical than it used to be.
  • Employers want people who are productive in 30-90 days.
  • Workforce Center can help businesses as well as individuals.
  • Side note – The Larimer County Workforce Center has great classes. If their employer classes are as good as their future employee classes, then they are a big help to the community.

Jerry Thurber Larimer County, Workforce Investment Board Member

  • A skill you learn today will be obsolete in 3 years.
  • New employment economy driven by technology and statelessness.
  • As needed skills change, current (and sometimes future) employees have a tremendous skills mismatch for a new position.
  • Finding technical workers who either live or are willing to move to this area is critical to our success.
  • We need to strengthen math skills for K-12 education
  • The areas that we need to emphasize in schools are expressed by the acronym STEAM:
    • Science
    • Technology
    • Engineering
    • Arts (design)
    • Mathematics
  • These areas are critical to improve in our education system, otherwise we will not be able to compete in the world marketplace. Side Note: I agree strongly with this point, after earning my Colorado Principal license from CSU I applied for the PhD program in order to help the schools improve on the math, technology, and science curriculum. CSU said that they had no one in the department who could help in this area, so could not help me earn a PhD emphasizing STEAM area improvements in education.

Success Snapshot: Woodward Governor

Rocky Scott from Woodward Governor on Why Woodward Governor Chose Fort Collins for Their New Headquarters

  • In the next few years, Rocky expects 10% growth expected in Woodward Governor market share, 3% growth in jobs.
  • What does a community need to do to get large companies like Woodward Governor?
    • Speed
    • Highly educated workforce
    • Attractive location that will attract strong talent
    • Right to work state
    • Reduced life cycle costs
    • Amenities
    • These requirements can be divided into Hard and Soft requirements
    • Effective/efficient government
    • Low risk
    • Low conflict
    • Transportation
  • 60% of population in Fort Collins has college degrees
  • People want to be where there is a good quality of life.
  • Pouder River in Lincoln Triangle was ideal location for Woodward Governor. They love the river and its potential for Fort Collins
  • Side Note: They bought the old Link-N-Greens Golf Course at 777 E Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, which was first settled as a farm.
  • Woodward Governor is planning to preserve the old barn and grain towers
  • They like the fact that the new sight is close to library, museum, and river. They plan to develop the property next to the river as a park for city residents.
  • Plan to build out over next 40-50 years. Headquarters will be the first building built. Photovoltaic energy to be used.
  • Occupancy is planned for 2015. Six months later they will be able to ship product from the site.
  • Want rail transportation around downtown like the old Birney street car system that used to be in Fort Collins
  • Side Note In order to achieve the latter goal, I would highly recommend that Woodward Governor works with the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society.

(When) will the Economy Pickup?

JD Foster – US Chamber of Commerce

  • The economy is not there yet!
  • What is holding the economy back?
  • If the economy is to withstand hits, it needs full employment.
  • Recovery started in 2009, but we have been falling behind ever since. We have not gotten back to where we were before the Great Recession.
  • All data says the economy is recovering, but no where near what the recoveries have been in the past.
  • Slow growth is the new normal, people argue that thesis as good as it gets and India and China will overtake us.
  • Use rubber band, top is 0% unemployment, bottom is full employment (about4%-5% unemployment). When unemployment goes above this level, it is like a rubber band being stretched, it wants to return to normal. This is the first time this has to happened.
    Uncertainty includes tax policy, Dodd-Frank, and Obamacare. Some companies have huge committees to try to figure out what the effects these will haven’t heir businesses.
  • All the uncertainties from Washington has increased unemployment by at least 1.3%.
  • High taxes proposed by government has slowed growth.
  • Household wealth was crushed in 2008-2009. Start-ups usually funded by household wealth. Recovery will take off when household wealth fully recovers.
  • Recovery fueled by moving capital and other resources to high productive activities. Capital adjusts quickly, but labor does not adjust as quickly. In past, our strength was the flexibility of our workforce. American workers usually have been willing to move to find the opportunities availability.
  • Companies need to be more easily hire and fire and workers need to be able to move. Housing bubble not only ruined housing market, it also made many people “under wat” and they could not sell their home so could not move.
  • Housing prices are now starting to increase, so people will be better able to sell their homes and move.
  • When our economy is doing well,shocks do not  affect the economy.
  • Quantitative easing is like pushing on a string. Can buy at a low rate, but reversing it will be very expensive, pushing up interest rates.
  • Fed chooses words very carefully. Foreign investments in the US have also kept the interest rates down. But the interest rates will move rapidly when the Fed starts to change. US debt has increased by 30% compared to the economy. This is the first time in history.
  • No budget in US is a problem.
  • Europe has half it’s countries in recession, rest in worse shape. Many countries have high levels of unemployment. They try to solve this by increasing taxes, which worsens they employment picture.
  • China is in a big growth bubble. How much of their growth is real?
  • China is not adequately auditing local government rates.
  • If US interests rise, dollar will increase in value, Chinese Yuan tied to dollar,will this hurt them.
  • Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid do not serve anyone very well.we need to understand we have and entitlement problem. We need to address these entitlement programs, if we possibly can. When will we do it.
  • Winston Churchill said that “The Americans will choose the correct solution, after they have exhausted all other possibilities”

Emily Wilson – Rocky Mountain Innosphere Director of Communications

  • Works with start ups and entrepreneurs.
  • Incubators for Bioscience, tech, and clean tech.
  • Pipeline development – use education and other resources to start up ideas that may eventually a turn into companies..
    NetZeroCities.?
  • After Hours presentations can keep you up-to-date on innovations in NoCo.
  • Text to 22828 to keep informed.

David May, CEO Fort Collins Area Chamber President

  • Stay focused on job creation.
  • Read Coming Job Wars
  • FC residents hungry for good jobs.
  • FortCollinsWorks.com
  • Lobby various levels of government. Work closely with city of Fort Collins to recruit companies.
  • Polls people who run for City Council, make sure they help the people and companies of Fort Collins.
  • Have great partners who supported this meeting.
  • Adjourned Meeting
Posted in Chamber of Commerce, Financial Health, Northern Colorado, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Know What You Are Taking

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Wayne Cook

In 2011, when I had my physical, the blood-work came back great.  I was happy for that.  The doctor commented on how few prescription meds I am taking.  I prefer to know all about a medication before I even consider taking a new med.  I need to know how it works, what organs it affects, how it affects those organs, what side effects does it have, and are the potential risks worse than the problem.

For example, in 2010 my doctor mentioned that my cholesterol was up (268+) and that he would like me to take a cholesterol medication.  In 2011 I was able to drop my total choloesterol to 193 with the HDL being 63 (these are my results and no guarantee is implied).  In 2012, I dropped my total cholesterol to 168. If these numbers were not so good and he recommended that I take a statin (or similar) drug, I would ask him a series of questions, which could probably be applied to many other medicines.

  1. How is cholesterol produced?  What organ produces it?
  2. How does the medication reduce the production of cholesterol?
  3. Does cholesterol really cause the problem or is it oxidized cholesterol and homocysteine levels that causes the problem?
  4. What other substances does this organ produce?
  5. How does the body use these other substances?
  6. What would be the effect on the body if these substances were lacking?
  7. Where would the body get these substances if they were truly needed? Or would the body have to do without these substances?
  8. Is there a better, more natural alternative?

These are just a start to the questions you can ask. Please create your own list of questions.

Also, find out if there are any of your friends who have been on the medication which your health care specialist is recommending for awhile and ask what side effects they have experienced.  Some that are listed on some cholesterol medications are muscle weakness and gastric reflux.  Will you need another medication if you are affected by any of these side effects?

The bottom line is to know your body, know the facts, and ask lots of questions. Always consult your health care specialist, but be a working partner with him/her because it is your body and you are the best person to take care of you.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Medications, older Americans, Uncategorized | 7 Comments