International water program officer. Former int'l dev journalist at @thehumanosphere and aid blogger. Craft beer drinker/brewer and coffee snob. Hack triathlete
New Hampshire, USA
Joined July 2009
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- Followers27.7K
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Tom Murphy retweeted
The “I don’t run with headphones” people are sacrificing something incredible, imo.
because I'm a moron, I never run w/ headphones. today I had them in for a long bike warmup & decided to keep them in for the run. it was heavenly. have you ever run through the change of seasons on a mid 50 degree day listening to edge of desire??? well damnit you should. shame on me for waiting so long
Tom Murphy retweeted
Really important new paper on lead: HALF of global exposure may be coming from FOOD
medrxiv.org/content/10.64898…
Tom Murphy retweeted
I think sometimes EAs forget that the goal of charity is to help people and not maximize metrics, and being perfectly “effective” creates perverse incentives for non profits.
For example, take Homeboy Industries (one of the charities Scott donated to):
Tom Murphy retweeted
Quote: "This is how USAID spent your tax dollars"
I think people have lost the will to try fact-check this guy due to the volume of lies he spreads.
Also it's actually pretty difficult with this image and quite time consuming.
It just happens I had nothing better to do. /1
Tom Murphy retweeted
Where every Sweet 16 Team's Starting-5 began playing college basketball.
(Try to figure out which teams are which)
Tom Murphy retweeted
Hi, new followers from The Argument's piece on cash transfers.
One of the papers discussed is pinned to my profile. Another recent one is this:
Tom Murphy retweeted
Giving cash seems to work better in low-income countries, but don't expect miracles in the US. #contextmatters
Kelsey Piper makes her @TheArgumentMag debut with a smart, reported piece about one of the biggest upsets in the anti-poverty literature!
In a major blow to public health research, the @DHSprogram announced on Facebook that it has closed.
Tom Murphy retweeted
After hearing that some orgs are getting reversal notices of program terminations, some are now getting RECALLS of those reversals.
One organization got a stop work order, then a waiver, then a termination, then a termination reversal, then a note that the reversal was in error.
Tom Murphy retweeted
I know many are facing uncertainty due to the situation at USAID. If you are affected, I can however I can. Feel free to reach out.
At least one thing remains constant: the lists keep coming: mailchi.mp/joshswaterjobs/wa…
#water #waterjobs #WASH #WASHjobs #sanitation #hygiene #SDG6
No, 90 Percent of Aid Is Not Skimmed Off Before Reaching Target Communities - @cgdev with the breakdown refuting Musk's claim buff.ly/42NYOGS
Tom Murphy retweeted
I ran @USAID health programs for the last 3 years. Trump’s 90 day Stop Work Order on foreign assistance does serious damage to the world and the US. Examples:🧵
Tom Murphy retweeted
A lot of people are portraying USAID as some sort of bastion of looney DEI excesses. Let’s take a look at what the sudden arresting of their operation is doing to global health. Please read the thread (my thread, not Ryan James’):
Tom Murphy retweeted
Whether or not you care about foreign aid, you should be very worried about what DOGE is doing to @USAID right now.
Breaching highly classified systems and unlawfully attempting to unilaterally dissolve an independent federal agency.
This is a test run.
🧵
“Musk’s DOGE crew lacked high-enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials — John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill — were legally obligated to deny access.” apnews.com/article/doge-musk…
Tom Murphy retweeted
It's sad that I have to say this but:
1. USAID isn't a criminal organization
2. It's not a front for the CIA
3. It's not a roundabout way to fund the Democratic Party
I'm all for a good-faith conversation about how to make USAID more efficient – but we're so far from that.
Apparently, US #WASH investments are on the chopping block for DOGE and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Tom Murphy retweeted
"In the 1958 State of the Union, President Eisenhower said that the US would lead a global effort to eradicate malaria. The time and the tools were not right then"
They are now! What an incredibly legacy that would be for any leader.
New blog, by me: Is There Any Hope for Bipartisan Cooperation on Aid in 2025?
Possible areas: localization, country focus, sovereign lending, MCC reform, fighting malaria and transparency.
cgdev.org/blog/there-any-hop…
