ITEMS WITH THE MOST PAGE VIEWS AND MY FAVORITES - IV

An eclectic blog (November, 2009, through December, 2014) with sections on Biography, Commentary (General, Economics and Investing), Fiction, Health Care, Oil and Gas, Politics, Photographs, and Poetry (Children's Poems, General, Health, and Space Poems) and (new) Poems By Others: http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/07/reunite-gondwanaland-2009-june-2011.html  As of the end of 2014, the blog contains 419 items.

In the new Poems By Others Section, Ogden Nash's poem Fossils garnered by far the most page views overall:  423 with 72 of these added in the past year [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/01/fossils-by-ogden-nash-poem.html] as the blog bears down on 25,000 page views.  No posts in 2014 obtained as many as 200 pages views.  The year 2013 saw two pieces that moved into 200 page views category: My Maternal Grandmother (Biographical) with 220 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-maternal-grandmother-biographical.html] and Working Underground: My Rational Self and My Emotional Self with 210 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/01/working-underground-my-rational-self.html]. Previous items with more than 200 hits are: You Are So Lucky (Biographical) with 266 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-are-so-lucky.html] and Muammar Qaddafi And Me (Biographical) with 223 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/12/muammar-qaddafi-and-me-biographical.html]. The former was no doubt popular because of the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011 and deals with my first three days in Japan in 1965. The latter was popular because of the overthrow of the Libyan dictator Qaddafi.

There are 13 others with 100 to 199 page views, one of which is biographical, a new one, The Tea Cup Seismograph on August 12, 2014 (145 page views) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-tea-cup-seismograph-biographical.html], and The Break Even Price Of Fracking Oil on October 8, 2014 (193 page views) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/10/break-even-price-of-fracking-oil.html].

Each piece I have written is like a child and I love them all, but it is common that some children are loved more than others. My personal favorite continues to be the Effectiveness Of Taxes from May 7, 2010 with 116 page views (up from 62) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/05/effectiveness-of-taxes.html] followed by Basics of Bureaucracy from July 26, 2011 with 129 page views (up from 127) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/07/basics-of-bureaucracy.html].  Important new additions to this small list of personal favorites is Is The Atmosphere An Infinite Sewer? from February 11, 2014 with 47 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/02/is-atmosphere-infinite-sewer.html] and The Plight Of American Workers from May 22, 2014 with 22 page views [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/05/plight-of-american-workers.html]. In the first one, I point out why decreasing taxes on individuals is an inefficient way to stimulate the economy. I liked this so much that I refer to it in three other pieces. In the second one, that was written many years ago, I give some real rules of dealing with bureaucrats in a humorous fashion.  In the first new one on the atmosphere I also conclude that global warming is indeed occurring and that the atmosphere is not the infinite sewer that many believe.  In the second new one on American Workers, it is explained why the Golden Age of the American worker may be over.  It deserved 10 times the attention it got.

Let me give two Honorable Mentions. I wouldn't say this is a favorite of mine, but it can be important to some, i.e. Preferred Stock Investing from November 27, 2011 with 194 page views (picked up 7 more hits in 2014) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/11/preferred-stock-investing.html]. I have invested for about 60 years, but never got involved in preferred stocks until the last decade. I would also like to mention one poem Upon the Second Anniversary Of Apollo 11 from January 9, 2010 with only 12 page views, the first landing on the Moon [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/01/upon-second-anniversary-of-apollo-11.html]. Normally a couplet or more just pops into my mind and I construct a poem around it (An example is So How About An Asteroid from July 20, 2011 with 76 page views) that contains my favorite couplet: Who could possibly be annoyed/About the study of an asteroid. The Second Anniversary of Apollo Eleven, however, was little noticed which I thought was too bad as this was the first time I sat down to compose a poem from scratch.

ITEMS WITH THE MOST HITS & MY FAVORITES - II

An eclectic blog (November, 2009, through December, 2012) with sections on Biography, Commentary (General, Economics and Investing), Fiction, Health Care, Oil and Gas, Politics, Photographs, and Poetry (Children's Poems, General, Health, and Space Poems): http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/07/reunite-gondwanaland-2009-june-2011.html  As of the end of 2012, the blog contains 200 items.

The items with the most hits continue to be: You Are So Lucky (Biographical) with 223 hits [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-are-so-lucky.html] and Muammar Qadaffi And Me (Biographical) with 213 hits [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/12/muammar-qaddafi-and-me-biographical.html]. The former was no doubt popular because of the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011 and deals with my first three days in Japan in 1965. The latter was popular because of the overthrow of the Libyan dictator Qadaffi.  As for last year's report, there are six others with 100 to 199 hits , none of which are biographical and all from before 2012.  One came close, however, with 99 hits:  The Salt Content Of Foods from July 7, 2012: http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2012/08/salt-contents-of-foods.html which was closely followed by The Light from October 13, 2012, a biographical piece with 96 hits: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=112427639902898514#editor/target=post;postID=6263706723454027302

Each piece I have written is like a child and I love them all, but it is common that some children are loved more than others. My personal favorite continues to be the Effectiveness Of Taxes from May 7, 2010 with 57 hits [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/05/effectiveness-of-taxes.html] followed by Basics of Bureaucracy from July 26, 2011 with 124 hits [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/07/basics-of-bureaucracy.html]. In the former, I point out why decreasing taxes on individuals is an inefficient way to stimulate the economy. I liked this so much that I refer to it in three other pieces. Alas the reading public did not agree as to its great value. In the latter that was written many years ago, I give some real rules of dealing with bureaucrats in a humorous fashion.


Let me give two Honorable Mentions. I wouldn't say this is a favorite of mine, but it can be important to some, i.e. Preferred Stock Investing from November 27, 2011 with 167 hits (picked up about 30 more hits in 2012) [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2011/11/preferred-stock-investing.html]. I have invested for about 60 years, but never got involved in preferred stocks until the last decade. I would also like to mention one poem Upon the Second Anniversary Of Apollo 11 from January 9, 2010 with only 7 hits, the first landing on the Moon [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/01/upon-second-anniversary-of-apollo-11.html]. Normally a couplet or more just pops into my mind and I construct a poem around it (An example is So How About An Asteroid from July 20, 2011 with 32 hits) that containes my favorite couplet: Who could possiboly be annoyed/About the study of an asteroid. The Second Anniversary of Apollo Eleven, however, was little noticed which I thought was terrible so this was the first time I sat down to compose a poem from scratch.

BASICS OF BUREAUCRACY

([Everett Estes Ford] has spent many years working both sides of the scientific street in research and administration. During this time he has uncovered 10 fundamental rules for dealing with bureaucrats that make life more acceptable for the bureaucrat and more successful for the worker. He first revealed these "basics of bureaucracy" to a class in New Project Leader Training in 1982 in Reston, after returning to research following a five-year tour as Chief of the Branch of Isotope Geology. Once again a bureaucrat serving as Assistant Chief Geologist for the Eastern Region, he has been heard muttering, "They still haven't caught on." So [Everett’s] Basics of Bureaucracy are repeated here for your reading enjoyment and edification.)

When you must deal with bureaucrats, there are certain principles to keep in mind. Remember you presumably want to win something. If you violate the principles, you may still succeed in winning, but bureaucrats are skilled in making such a success protracted and unpleasant.

1. Don't raise the negative instincts of a bureaucrat.

Presumably you are dealing with the bureaucrat because you want some sort of action. All bureaucrats instinctively known that sins of omission may get your wrist slapped, but sins of commission can get you in jail. So bureaucrats don't like action. Being a positive manager is exhausting, and it is much easier to say no. Don't raise this natural inclination. Be positive in your proposed action.

2. Don't make a bureaucrat think.

Bureaucrats spend most of their time putting out fires and don't have time to think. It is nice to give the bureaucrat options but be sure to say which one you want and why mostly benefits will accrue if it is adopted. Again, you be positive.

3. Make the bureaucrat functional.

Most bureaucrats harbor secret worries that they are a part of the problem rather than helping with the solution. Remember that for every rule that says we can't do something, there is another that says we can and, probably, should do it. The bureaucrat is the key to unlocking the bottleneck. Give the person a positive, functional course to follow.

4. Never surprise a bureaucrat.

If there is anything a bureaucrat likes, it is to appear well informed. There is nothing bureaucrats hate more than to appear at a meeting thinking they are well informed only to learn of a new direction, option, or tangent to be considered. This goes 10-fold if the bureaucrat is unexpectedly informed at the meeting that he or she is in deep yogurt. Be predictable.

5. Making a decision is one thing; implementing a decision is another.

One of the things that really wears bureaucrats out is, after going through the agonizing and hazardous process of making a decision, to have the matter come up again ... and again-and again. The first thing you know they begin to act the parent or even child instead of the adult. The older you get, the more you realize the importance of trust. If you trust someone, you don't worry about how smart, industrious, talented, or knowledgeable that someone is. You figure they can handle it or muddle through somehow. If you don't trust someone, you always wonder whether that person can or will do a job, whether they know enough, etc., no matter how smart, industrious, talented, or knowledgeable they are. Once you agree to a course of action, stick to it. To be dependable is golden.

6. Let the bureaucrat take credit.

Blanton Collier once said, "You can accomplish a lot in this life if you don't care who gets the credit." With that approach, the Cleveland Browns professional football team went from fifth place the year before to almost winning their division title in Collier's first year as coach.

7. Keep it simple.

Try to accomplish one goal at a time. A "square law" is operating. It isn't just twice as hard to accomplish two goals at once; it is four times as hard. Some-times the apparently slow way of accomplishing one goal at a time is actually the fast way. There is nothing a bureaucrat likes better than a complete plan. Try not to get sucked into this myth of achieving a complete plan. Complete plans almost never are developed because there is always a weak point. If they ever are finished, they usually are obsolete by the time of adoption. As C. Northcote Parkinson once said, "The buildings for the League of Nations were finished in 1938. And so was the League of Nations." Emphasize consequences of no decision.

8. Ask a question with a clear request for response.

Everyone knows bureaucrats hate to respond and live in "black holes" where memos come in but nothing goes out. An amazing number of incoming memos never really ask for a response. You will in-crease your chances of a response if you ask a question, an obvious question complete with question mark. Make it simple and declarative. If you just say you need "some" action by a certain date, it is not clear you want a response. Some organizations even demand that all letters and memos that ask questions receive some sort of response.

9. Follow Up

Every bureaucrat receives more requests that require action than can be handled. In management training, bureaucrats are taught to have a low priority file of things they aren't really keen on doing. After a reasonable period of time, you should follow up on your request. It is particularly effective if you can offer some way you can help move things along.

10. Patience Is A Virtue In The Civil Service

In a country like the U.S., there are always opportunities for change. This is particularly true in the Geologic Division where bureaucrats change on a three- to-five-year basis. If once you fail, refine your arguments, wait a while, and try again. As my mother used to say, "There are no problems, only challenges and opportunities for growth."

(Reprinted From The Cross Section, U.S.G.S., Geologic Division, v. 16, July 1982)