Notations On Our World (Special Weekly Edition): Water: Think Again | @KavehMadani | TEDxKish

Kaveh Madani is one of the leading environmental thinkers in the World who served as the Deputy Head of Iran's Environment Organization and was briefly imprisoned before he escaped Iran.    This is a powerful 17 minutes we urge all to listen.

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): From our Archives....

Please Enjoy!!! v BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS. WE’VE BECOME AMERICAN. Cool Earth has a lot to say thank you for this Thanksgiving. Because of you, we’ve been able to give a lifeline to 113 rainforest villages, saving nearly 100 million trees. And to celebrate, we’ve become an American charity. This means your donations to Cool Earth are now tax deductible through the IRS. Our gift back to you. The magic number (or EIN) is 26-3688173 Happy Thanksgiving from the Cool Earth team

GovLoopers,

In some ways, being a leader in government is a unique challenge. Not only do you have colleagues to lead, but you also have a public to serve. And the dynamics of a government agency, with multi-tiered bureaucracies and a wide variety of experienced employees, can add complexity to your job.

However, even in the unique environment of government, managers can ease their burden by learning some universal leadership tips. One of GovLoop's featured bloggers, Nicole, offers great advice about how to lead when you may be younger or less experienced than your team.

Lessons Learned as a Young Supervisor

But even with the best tools and wisdom under your belt, you're bound to make a mistake every now and then. With that in mind, consider how inevitable criticism can strengthen your leadership ability.

How Great Leaders Deal with Criticism

Finally, one of the easiest ways to improve your management skills is to learn from other leaders. Do you have any other leadership tips? Let us, and your fellow GovLoopers, know.

  

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Teachable Moments (Cont'd)

As a new week dawns, our team chose this latest courtesy of Jonathan Lockwood Huie and his team we hope all embrace:

Life consists not in holding good cards
but in playing those you hold well.
- Josh Billings

You play the hand you're dealt.
I think the game's worthwhile.
- Christopher Reeve

All men and women are born, live, suffer and die;

what distinguishes us one from another is our dreams,

whether they be dreams about worldly or unworldly things,

and what we do to make them come about.

We do not choose to be born.

We do not choose our parents.

We do not choose our historical epoch,

the country of our birth,

or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.

We do not, most of us, choose to die;

nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death.

But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live.

- Joseph Epstein

Customs form us all.

Our thoughts, our morals, our most fixed beliefs,

are consequences of our place of birth.

- Aaron Hill

Yet within these quite extreme constraints, progress, success, and happiness are still possible.

We all have free will, but only within the harsh constraints of predestination.

Within the limits placed upon our lives by the circumstances of our genes,

our place and condition of birth, the parenting we receive, and other events beyond our control,

we are defined by the free will we can still exercise.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Our circumstances define the playing field, not the outcome.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): On @Comey Watch

James Comey's New Book, A higher Loyalty,  is now out.   Mr. Comey has conducted a major media Blitz.   As of the last time our team checked the Amazon rankings, it was at Number one.

 Our team caught this from the team at USA Today which we present for this special Friday Edition of "Notations" (as we also featured a special edition in our main property as the memos were released :

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Google For Education

Catch up on EDU in 90 Last year, we launched EDU in 90, a Google for Education video series that focuses on an important topic for educators, administrators, and school leaders each episode. This season, we’ve covered everything from differentiation with Classroom to codingon Chrome to apps that work with Classroom. Missed an episode? Check out our full series playlist. Watch Videos

Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition) : On National Volunteer Week...

Please enjoy as we hope all consider joining this week:

Celebrate Service During National Volunteer Week, April 15-21 It’s National Volunteer Week! Powered by Points of Light, this week is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service on our communities. The local events, volunteer projects and social media conversations that take place during the week demonstrate that service unites – bringing people together to tackle society’s tough challenges, spark change, and build stronger, more resilient communities. Here are three easy ways to celebrate service this week: Volunteer in Your Community: Celebrate service by making a difference in your own community during National Volunteer Week. Find local opportunities to get involved. Recognize Volunteers: National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve. Nominate a volunteer for the Daily Point of Light Award. Share Your Passion: We want to know, what inspires you to serve? Download and fill out the #ivolunteer signboard, take a photo holding the sign, and share on Instagram or Twitter using #ivolunteer and #NVW. Download the #ivolunteer signboard. Check out our National Volunteer Week marketing resources to get sample messages, shareable social media graphics, and more!   Learn More About National Volunteer Week

As We Go "Dark" Throughout Our Properties.....

As we go dark for the Week-End, we hope all enjoy these "Random Thoughts" as we also hope all enjoy our Twitter Updates produced for us by the team at @Paper_Li as these thoughts will be featured throughout our Properties as a Virtual Token of Thanks: 

Achievement seems to be connected with action.
Successful men and women keep moving.
They make mistakes, but they don't quit.
- Conrad Hilton

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and
try again in a different way.
- Dale Carnegie

Overcoming Obstacles Requires Thought as well as Stamina.
Choose your goal and keep your eye on it. Never give up.
Perhaps you will need to change your plan
and approach you goal from a different direction, but don't quit.
Keep thinking. Keep re-planning. Keep going.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Notations From the Grid (Special Edition): Threats of Ransomware

National Cyber Awareness System:

Ongoing Threat of Ransomware

04/09/2018 08:38 PM EDT

Original release date: April 09, 2018
NCCIC has observed an increase in ransomware attacks across the world. Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, designed to deny access to a computer system or data until a ransom is paid. Ransomware typically spreads through phishing emails or by unknowingly visiting an infected website.
Ransomware can be devastating to an individual or an organization. Anyone with important data stored on their computer or network is at risk, including government or law enforcement agencies and healthcare systems or other critical infrastructure entities. Throughout different ransomware events, NCCIC's best practices and guidance remain the same:

• create system back-ups
• be wary of opening emails and attachments from unknown or unverified senders
• ensure that systems are updated with the latest patches

NCCIC encourages users and administrators to review its Ransomware page and the U.S. Government Interagency Joint Guidance for further information.

Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition): Random Thoughts For the Week

As we feature this admonition from Malcom X, Please Enjoy These Thoughts courtesy of Verne's Insight & the Marshall Project:   

Execution is Strategy -- I'm not sure I completely agree with General Omar Bradley, whom Tom quotes as saying "Amateurs talk about strategy. Professionals talk about logistics" but I get the point. Victory ultimately comes down to excellent execution and as Tom notes above, it's all about what you do next, in the next five minutes. Notes Tom:

EXCELLENCE is your next conversation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next meeting. Or not. EXCELLENCE is shutting up and listening-really listening. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next customer contact. Or not. EXCELLENCE is saying "Thank you" for something "small." Or not. EXCELLENCE is the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay over-reacting to a screw-up. Or not. EXCELLENCE is the flowers you brought to work today. Or not. EXCELLENCE is lending a hand to an "outsider" who's fallen behind schedule. Or not. EXCELLENCE is bothering to learn the way folks in finance [or IS or HR] think. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay "over"-preparing for a 3-minute presentation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is turning "insignificant" tasks into models of ... EXCELLENCE.

This is a checklist worth formatting and posting in front of every person in the company!

Where the First Amendment doesn’t apply. Arthur Longworth is serving a life-without-parole sentence for murder in Washington state. He’s also an accomplished and award-winning author. But now he’s being punished for what corrections officials say is the infraction of “lying to staff.” Longworth suspects he has lost privileges, including a job in the library and a seat in a classroom, because of his writing, including his work as a contributor to The Marshall Project. In collaboration with Crosscut, TMP’s Eli Hager has our story. THE MARSHALL PROJECT

Finding college by way of prison. Marcus Lilly says now that he knew he would go to prison before he would go to college. But a grant program offered during the Obama era allowed him to take classes at the Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland. The program changed his prison experience and gave him hope for the future. Now he’s out, studying at the University of Baltimore, and proud to be able to tell his teenage son that he’s turned his life around. In collaboration with Vice, here is the latest in our “Life Inside” series. THE MARSHALL PROJECT

Massachusetts judge vacates 11,000 convictions in nearly 7,700 cases. The lab scandal surrounding former chemist Sonja Farak took another step toward resolution Thursday when a judge vacated convictions that prosecutors previously had dismissed. The move allows thousands of former defendants to more easily apply for jobs and housing now that their invalid convictions are off the books. THE BOSTON GLOBE Related: Many of the defendants already have served their time and are out of prison. WBUR

Notations On Our World (Special Friday Edition): On the Gun Debate

Earlier this week, America was yet again witness to another shooting--this time at YouTube Headquarters.   This again brought the issue of Gun Control to the forefront.      Japan may be a case study in what can be done:

Japan has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world. There is an 11 step process that is required to purchase a gun, including exams, inspections and training pic.twitter.com/W9D4fENz5D

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) April 4, 2018

Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition): Out & About in Orange County On This Voting Year...

Elections are on the Way.     As part of our mission here in our Education Property and in line with our broad mission to help change the conversation in our World, we are pleased to showcase this latest from our home County's Registrar of Voters that underscores the commitment to transparency and voting: 

Home   |  Voting   |  Results   |  About

2018 Election Academy Underway Our 2018 Election Academy began this week – a record 60 members of the community attended (shown in this photo). Classes will continue through May 2nd and include in-depth discussions on election security. Neal Kelley Registrar of Voters

Current Election NewsClick Automated Registration Starts at DMV in April – Here’s a Few Facts Read more

Automated Registration at DMVIn just a few days visitors to DMV will experience a new addition when conducting transactions – proactive voter registration options. People will be asked to affirm their eligibility to vote and will be given the choice of opting out. Use this link to read additional info. 1,662,550 Voter Information Guides and CountingWe've prepared our order for 1,662,550 Voter Information Guides for Orange County voters. These guides, as seen here, will begin hitting voters' mailboxes beginning the week of April 30th.

Final Candidate Log Ready for ViewingOur online candidate log is now complete. This log contains only qualified candidates - an updated log will post once filing closes for the SD29 and SD32 contests. Use this link to view any contest that will appear on the ballot. Voter Registration at Upcoming Health FairWe will be at the Friendly Centers Health Fair in Placentia on Wednesday, April 4th to provide voter registration opportunities and recruit volunteers. Use this link to view our full Community Engagement calendar.

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On NCCIC FY 2017

National Cyber Awareness System:

NCCIC FY 2017 Year in Review Now Available

04/02/2018 04:15 PM EDT

Original release date: April 02, 2018

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) is pleased to present the Fiscal Year 2017 NCCIC Year in Review. This review highlights NCCIC’s critical role in protecting the Nation’s cyber and communications systems. Throughout the document, you will find informative data describing our organization, as well as our success stories.

NCCIC continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product. Please identify "Fiscal Year 2017 NCCIC Year in Review” in the appropriate field.

Notations On Our World (Special Weekly Edition): As a New Week & A New Quarter Dawns

Welcome to the New Quarter Here in our Virtual Network.

Please enjoy this profile on the Prime Minister of New Zealand on our periodic series we're launching we have deemed, "Profiles in True Tremendousness" taking our inspiration from the Daily Show's Trevor Noah:

Onward to the New Quarter!!!