Touring the Valley

Random Thoughts

After a while, there were so many mass shootings, the news media lost interest in reporting them. I expect that's going to happen with plane crashes, too.

I'm so tired of all the entities that want me to download their app just so I can shop / read the article / get past the popup. I don't need 5,000 stupid apps all over my phone!

King Charles I of England believed in the "divine right of kings", meaning he thought God want him to rule. When he was put on trial for treason and other crimes, he claimed that no court had jurisdiction over him. He was found guilty and executed.

I miss the days when U.S. presidents used to at least pretend to have dignity.

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” - John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961

Firing large numbers of people doesn't just affect the fired workers. It doesn't just affect their families. It affects all the small businesses around their homes and workplaces. Fire 500 people, and that's 500 people who don't need to get anything drycleaned any more, 500 people who aren't stopping for coffee on the way to work, who aren't going to that little deli for lunch, who won't impulsively stop to buy flowers on the way home, 500 people who aren't able to pay for daycare now, who won't go to the car wash every week, who can no longer afford the farmer's market on the weekend, who won't be replacing the old couch after all, who start cutting their own hair instead of going to the salon, who decide to cut back on Christmas presents this year.

When I was a kid, I learned not to give bullies what they want. If you comply with them, they come back for more. If not, they go away.

Trickle-down Misery

Firing large numbers of people doesn't just affect the fired workers. It doesn't just affect their families. It affects all the small businesses around their homes and workplaces.

Fire 500 people, and that's 500 people who don't need to get anything drycleaned any more, 500 people who aren't stopping for coffee on the way to work, who aren't going to that little deli for lunch, who won't impulsively stop to buy flowers on the way home, 500 people who aren't able to pay for daycare now, who won't go to the car wash every week, who can no longer afford the farmer's market on the weekend, who won't be replacing the old couch after all, who start cutting their own hair instead of going to the salon, who decide to cut back on Christmas presents this year.

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Just the Facts, Ma'am

[Note: This was originally posted several weeks ago, but has been updated since then to include more news sources.]

It often seems that traditional news networks and papers, sometimes referred to as "legacy media," have lost their reliability. Many have been compromised by political considerations. They may be owned by people or corporations with financial or ideological ties to special interests or a particular political party and its enablers, or they may simply have decided to "obey in advance." We are increasingly frustrated by their (apparently intentional) failure to report certain events and facts, while focusing obsessively on others.

Sometimes the best reporting on events within the U.S. comes from observers outside the U.S. It is also worth considering the growing body of "independent" journalists, some of whom have walked away from legacy media, others who have emerged from the world of podcasts and social media.

The Guardian covers American and international news for an online, global audience.
Al Jazeera was the first independent news channel in the Arab world
Irish Star aspires to bridge the gap between Ireland and America
BBC News, a public service broadcaster, established by a Royal Charter, and principally funded through the licence fee paid by UK households.
University of Michigan Library Research Guides lets you search hundreds of international news sources simultaeously.
The Contrarian is self-described as "unflinching journalism in support of democracy."
Pro Publica offers investigative journalism in the public interest.
Associated Press is widely considered unbiased in its reporting.
NPR is an independent, nonprofit media organization.
Military.com, daily news along with in-depth investigations on issues that impact the military community
Stars and Stripes provides independent news and information to the U.S. military community from around the world.
Media Matters is a web-based, not-for-profit,progressive research and information center dedicated to monitoring, analyzing, and correcting misinformation in the U.S. media.
Democracy Docket is a digital news platform dedicated to information, analysis and opinion about voting rights and elections in the courts.
C-Span shows U.S. government hearings and other events without adding opinions or interpretations.
Allsides displays top news stories from Left, Center, and Right perspectives, and provides media bias ratings for over 1400 outlets and writers
1440 is a news digest attempting to focus on fact-based stories.
The Tennesse Holler, a reader-supported digital site with the slogan "Always yell the truth."
Le Monde is France's leading newspaper. It makes its website available in English
Corriere della sera is a leading Italian newspaper.
The Independent is a UK-based newspaper with a U.S. edition

Also, take a look at your town's local newspapers (if they still exist). Local papers often have an obvious political leaning, but can still be good sources for stories that are not well-reported elsewhere.

Losing the Benefits They Paid For

If you think cutting off Social Security and Medicare is not a problem, think some more. If you're under 65, do you want your elderly parents or grandparents to move in with you? It might not be as much fun as you think.

Look up the retail prices of the medications they take. Ask the doctor's office how much an uninsured patient pays for a visit.

Do your parents want to move in with you, or would they rather stay independent as long as possible? Do you have a spare room, or will someone have to sleep on the couch? How will the folks feel about giving up their furniture and accumulated possessions? Do you have closet space for them? How many bathrooms do you have? How much money can they contribute toward groceries, utilities and other household expenses? Are you all able to make major financial and lifestyle decisions together? Do they approve of the way you clean house, or the way you cook? Do they approve of the way you are raising your children? Do you enjoy their helpful suggestions and comments?

How much help with housework will your aging parents be able to provide? Do they have problems like incontinence, short-term memory loss, hearing impairment, failing eyesight, difficulty walking? Will you be able to leave them alone when you go on vacation? Or will you take them with you, and will they (or you) enjoy it? If the day comes when they need full-time care, will you or your spouse be able to provide it? Or can you afford health care workers (strangers in your home all day)?

If your parents are no longer living, will these issues apply to aunts and uncles, aging cousins, or even your older siblings? If you still have teenagers or 20-somethings living with you, can you afford to keep them plus the older relative who needs expensive pills?