Touring the Valley

We're Here to Help Ourselves

If you've ever worked in a large (or medium, or small) organization, you probably know that there are always changes that could be made to make operations a bit more efficient, or to reduce unnecessary expenses. In most workplaces, these are not things that would be readily apparent to a stranger who just walked in the door one day.

The potential improvements that would benefit most organizations are usually things that are noticed by people familiar with the current workflow, people who know what is being done and what the outcomes are. In any case, suddenly eliminating half (or three-fourths or a third or a quarter) of the employees would not improve productivity. And, even if removing some employees would increase efficiency, only someone who knows what tasks are being done, and by whom, could correctly decide who to let go.

The same concept applies to reducing the budget. An outsider might arbitrarily declare, as some sort of eccentric guiding principle, that everyone should just stop ordering office supplies, or that nobody should ever spend more than $5.00 on pencils. In many offices, people may be wasting paper or overwatering the plants. Nevertheless, only someone who actually works there can see what is necessary and useful, and what is wasteful.

If I wanted to improve efficiency and economy in an organization, I would take some time to work with the people and help them to identify areas for improvement. If I wanted to completely destroy an organization so that it could not fulfill its purpose, I would send in an angry clown to just fire half the staff for no reason, and I'd take away the operating budget and order a halt to all normal procedures.

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.