#Transitioning - A Fool's Confession

Signs  - It's Not Going Well

You always excluded me from certain things, keeping me at arms length. Maybe I wanted more than you were willing to give. I should have seen it. I should have known what was going to happen.

You did what was best for you. In the end, it wasn't all you. I hurt myself.

I learned a lot about myself and about balance in relationships. I became aware of a self destructive pattern. I changed my expectations, and in so doing, started to view myself positively. I'm glad for that, and how it helped me grow and mature. 

In a strange way,you helped me grow. I became me.

A Fool no More

A healthy relationship is when two people develop a connection based on:

• Mutual respect.
• Trust.
• Honesty.
• Support.
• Fairness/equality.
• Separate identities.
• Good communication.
• A sense of playfulness/fondness.

Checklist

Obstruction

Mueller's 10 Instances

The investigation of the Special Council found 10 instances of obstruction by the president to attempt to derail the investigation into election interference of the 2016 election. Mueller found clear evidence that the Russians interfered. Mueller did not find conclusive evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians.

There is evidence that Trump tried to interfere with the investigation. He is not being prosecuted because the special council is not allowed to indict a sitting president.

According to the Associate Press, these are the ten instances.

PRESSURE ON COMEY TO END PROBE OF MICHAEL FLYNN

This includes the president’s statement to then-FBI Director James Comey regarding the investigation of then-national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump told Comey: “I hope you can see your way to letting this go.”

PRESIDENT’S REACTION TO THE CONTINUING RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

Among the evidence is the president telling then-White House counsel Don McGahn to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from the Russia investigation and Trump’s subsequent anger at Sessions. Trump also contacted Comey and other intelligence agency leaders to ask them to push back publicly on the suggestion that Trump had any connection to the Russian election-interference effort.

FIRING OF COMEY AND AFTERMATH

Mueller’s report says “substantial evidence” indicates Trump’s decision to fire Comey in May 2017 was the result of the FBI director’s unwillingness to say publicly that Trump was not personally under investigation. On the day after Trump fired Comey, the president told Russian officials that he had “faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

AP Video

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APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL AND EFFORTS TO REMOVE HIM

Trump reacted to news of Mueller’s appointment by telling advisers that it was “the end of his presidency.” The president told aides that Mueller had conflicts of interest and should have to step aside. His aides told Trump the asserted conflicts were meritless. Following media reports that Mueller’s team was investigating whether the president had obstructed justice, Trump called then-White House counsel Don McGahn at home and directed him to have Mueller removed. McGahn refused.

FURTHER EFFORTS TO CURTAIL THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’s INVESTIGATION

Trump instructed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to have Sessions publicly announce that, notwithstanding his recusal from the Russia investigation, the investigation was “very unfair” to the president, the president had done nothing wrong, and Sessions planned to meet with Mueller to limit him to “investigating election meddling for future elections.”

EFFORTS TO PREVENT PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF EVIDENCE

In summer of 2017, Trump learned that the news media planned to report on the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between senior campaign officials and Russians offering derogatory information about Hillary Clinton. The president directed aides not to publicly disclose the emails setting up the meeting. Before the emails became public, the president also edited a press statement for Donald Trump Jr. by deleting a line that acknowledged that the meeting was “with an individual who (Trump Jr.) was told might have information helpful to the campaign.”

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS TO HAVE SESSIONS TAKE CONTROL OF INVESTIGATION

At several points in between July 2017 and December 2017, Trump tried to get Sessions to declare that he was no longer recused from the Russia investigation and would assert control over it. The report says there’s evidence that one purpose of asking Sessions to step in was so that the attorney general would restrict the investigation’s scope

TRUMP ORDERS WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL TO DENY THAT PRESIDENT TRIED TO FIRE MUELLER

In an Oval Office meeting in February 2018, Trump told McGahn to “correct” a New York Times story that reported Trump had earlier instructed McGahn to fire Mueller. Trump also asked why McGahn had told Mueller’s investigators about the directive to remove Mueller. McGahn told Trump he had to tell the investigators the truth

TRUMP’S ACTIONS TOWARD, FLYNN, MANAFORT AND OTHER POSSIBLE WITNESSES

Mueller looked at whether Trump’s sympathetic messages to Flynn, former campaign manager Paul Manafort and others were intended to limit their cooperation with Mueller’s investigation. When Flynn began cooperating with prosecutors, Trump passed word through his lawyer that he still had warm feeling for Flynn and asked for a “heads up” if Flynn knew of information implicating Trump. Trump praised Manafort during and after his criminal convictions, and refused to rule out a pardon for his former campaign chairman.

TRUMP ACTIONS TOWARD MICHAEL COHEN

Mueller noted that Trump’s conduct toward Cohen, a former Trump Organization executive, changed from praise to castigation after Cohen began cooperating with prosecutors. The evidence could “support an inference that the president used inducements in the form of positive messages in an effort to get Cohen not to cooperate, and then turned to attacks and intimidation to deter” cooperation and undermine Cohen’s credibility, Mueller wrote.

Trump is now saying it's okay to accept information on his political opponents from foreign governments. If you're not alarmed, you should be. This is clearly against the law.Trump has already stretched the boundaries of the law and gotten away with it. He is now stretching it further. He is blatantly inviting collusion.Obstruction
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Feed Your Mind/Expand Your Understanding

Echo Chambers

Do you think in the age of social media it is easier to be loose with the truth?

Has Social Media limited our ability to think for ourselves?

Politics and Rage

Theoretically, liars should easily be exposed by a well informed community of social media users. But that doesn't seem to be happening in many cases. There are leaders who continually feed the rage machine and their loyal followers continue to lap it up. They continue to reinforce their views with half-baked theories and and base their opinions on flawed premises. Yes, everybody is entitled to their opinion, but when their opinion does not match the facts... what then? Double down? Dig in?

A Better Way

I grew up in an atmosphere of free and open debate. We focused on policies instead of personal attacks. I was encouraged to investigate, to listen, to learn. Is this happening anymore? 

Enlightenment comes when our minds are open.

Creative Barriers

The Recurring Dream

Over the past two weeks I've had variations on the same dream. I'm hire by a public radio station, given the charge to make things happen, only to discover there are endless barriers in place. Without resources...without commitment from the top, change can become more than difficult. The dream has a basis in my actual experience.

"We can't do that because we've always done it this way." "If you want the resources you need, find them, because we have other priorities." "Not now (not ever?)"

I guess I have unresolved issues, but there are things you can do to empower creative people. I found this at Robert Half.

Give employees a reason to care

The fact is, if people aren’t feeling connected to your company, there’s little incentive for them to be innovative.

Empower your employees to make decisions and take action

People who are trusted to take safe risks and attempt new ways of doing things just may stumble across that next great business solution. .

Don’t make staff jump through hoops

You may think that it’s easy for employees to offer their ideas, but is it really? If managers are constantly behind closed doors and meetings tend to be one-way discussions, the message to staff is that their feedback isn’t welcome.

Do what you can to remove the red tape

Consider which internal processes might be stifling innovation. 

Rethink competition

Setting up contests for individuals at work can be useful for goals such as achieving sales targets. However, be cautious about creating too competitive of a work environment when you’re trying to encourage innovation.  

Calm the naysayers

A key reason people often hesitate to offer fresh proposals is that they worry what others might say.  

Ease up

Employees who’ve been working sixty-hour weeks for months on end aren’t very likely to make notable contributions other than completing basic assignments.  

Make preventing burnout a high priority

Developing programs that promote work-life balance, such as offering telecommuting or paid time off for volunteer work, can help.  

Set the example

Recognize that as a leader, you are the model for the entire team.  

Do what you can to minimize your own stress so you can be at your best

It stands to reason that a relaxed, positive mood is more conducive to innovative thoughts than a tense one. Whenever possible, don’t skip your lunch break, and take a head-clearing walk when you need to recharge.

Lying Politicians/Feet to the Fire

Lying About Brexit

Politicians stretch the truth all the time. Sometimes they out-and-out lie...repeating the lie over and over. What if we could really hold them accountable, especially when their lies lead to dire consequences?


A private prosecutor in Great Britain is accusing Boris Johnson of lying in the run-up to the Brexit vote. Apparently it was a whopper. Johnson has repeatedly claimed that Britain paid £350 million a week to be in the European Union. A claim that was rebuked by the head UK's Statistics Authority, calling it a clear misuse of official statistics.

Johnson, who is running to replace Theresa May, must now face charges of misconduct in public office.
There's more on this from NPR.

Boris Johnson Is Ordered To Face Accusations That He Lied To The Public

Imagine what it would be like if we could do that here?

Nagging Questions/Public Radio

It's  A Personal

Medium

Does it make sense to replace regular programming with specials (lots of 'em) in and around holidays?

I like to think I've become a pretty typical listener. I tune in when convenient for me with the expectation I'm going to find what I come to expect. Instead, at times, I'm getting specials. It's not what I want. So...I tune out.

What's the Point?

I used to program that way. Specials in and around holidays used to give the regular staff a day or two off. It also gave producers a shot at airtime for their content. What's missing in this equation is the listener. 

Is there an assumption the listener is going to listen from beginning to end? If so, it's false. It's not the way we use radio. The listener's expectation is consistency. That consistency leads to loyalty. If you're measuring with PPM, it's easy enough to tell if the one-off special is having an impact.

I don't think it's working. 

Editorial Choices

Perhaps, if there was more promo real estate for fewer specials, the programming might work. Your gambling the content is of sufficient relevance to be appealing to your audience. Instead, focus on one or two specials, promote the hell out of it and see what happens. Your promotion strategy should include all platforms. After a few of these attempts you'll get a good idea of what works and what doesn't. I'm not hearing that. I tune in because something your scheduling consistently meets my needs. Then, out of the blue, it's not there. The special just seems to be filling space. I didn't know it was coming, I didn't hear the opening, and I have no clue as to what this is.

Ask yourself if you would replace All Things Considered for a special on the snail darter? If you program music, would you replace an hour with a special on crafting or decoupage? Why not? It's art, right? Would you program music so far outside your format that a listener tuning in halfway through would think they have found the wrong station or wonder, what's happening? 

There's nothing wrong with special content. Think audience first. Does this enhance the experience of my listeners? The answer has to be yes. Then, let them know what's coming.

Nagging Questions

Solving Life's Mysteries

If it really is evaporated milk, why is there liquid in the can, and if all the milk evaporated, what is that in there?

I found this:

Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar.

 I think it would be more intriguing if you spent a dollar on a can of nothing. It could have been like freeze dried water...just add water.