Effective Communications – Life Lessons

By Terry Orr

While we all believe that best practice of effective communications are part of your good skills sets – all to often they fall short of the desired mark.  Thus some life lessons to share to help improve and sharpen those skills.

Keeping it Simple – Ensure the receiver easily understands your message

Ask questions – Clarify what has been transmitted to ensure the right message was received.

Trust but Verify – Verify information to ensure it is correct – before beginning actions.

Set the example – Good leaders establish the right way to do things by their actions.

Follow-up with written recap – Immediately after meeting, sit down and capture the essence of what was communicated, identify any actions or questions to be answered and forward that back to the other parties involved for their comments to ensure all are working from the same sheet of music.

For more information on Effective Communications, please follow these links to earlier articles:

http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-is-effective-communication-month.html 

http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2012/06/effective-communications-month-june.html 

Give it a try and let us know your results.

(Photos from Google) 

Skyscraper Month

By Terry Orr

It is hard to ignore those towering, unique structures that often defy ones senses and laws of gravity.  These Architects continue to dazzle us in their abilities and imagination in creating works of engineering marvel.

London firm Grimshaw has submitted plans for a 90-storey skyscraper in a suburb of Sydney, Australia. The Aspire Tower, designed for a competition held by Parramatta City Council, will have spires reaching to 336 metres and a roof height of 306 metres – higher than the Q1 tower in Queensland, which is currently the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. For more information and pictures ~ http://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/22/grimshaw-submits-plans-for-australian-aspire-tower/

A Chinese tycoon is planning to revolutionise the way skyscrapers are built by bolting together the world's tallest building from factory-made parts in just seven months.  The new skyscraper will house more than 30,000 people, and include a shopping centre and hotels. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9577080/Worlds-tallest-skyscraper-to-be-built-like-Meccano-in-seven-months.html

Living the high Life: New York Penthouse at 870 feet high for rent: $60,000 a Month has breath taking views of the city – visit this website for more photos and information:

http://news.asiantown.net/r/25254/Living-the-high-Life--New-York-Penthouse-at-870-feet-high-for-rent---60-000-a-Month

Round skyscraper (Aldar headquarters, Abu Dhabi)

Downsizing the Federal Government

By Terry Orr

Which of these do you recommend to be significantly downsized or out right closed down?

Government Agencies We Should Get Rid Of Immediately

1. Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
2. Administration on Aging (AoA)
3. African Development Foundation
4. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
5. Agricultural Marketing Service
6. Agricultural Research Service
7. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
8. AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
9. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
10. Appalachian Regional Commission
11. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
12. Arctic Research Commission
13. Arms Control and International Security
14. Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee
15. Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
16. Bonneville Power Administration
17. Botanic Garden
18. Broadcasting Board of Governors
19. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
20. Bureau of Industry and Security
21. Bureau of International Labor Affairs
22. Bureau of Justice Statistics
23. Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
25. Bureau of Public Debt
26. Bureau of Reclamation
27. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
28. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
29. Chief Acquisition Officers Council
30. Chief Financial Officers Council
31. Chief Human Capital Officers Council
32. Chief Information Officers Council
33. Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
34. Commission of Fine Arts
35. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
36. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
37. Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
38. Community Planning and Development
39. Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
40. Corporation for National and Community Service
41. Council of Economic Advisers
42. Council on Environmental Quality
43. National Institute of Food and Agriculture
44. Denali Commission
45. Department of Commerce (DOC)
46. Department of Education (ED)
47. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
48. Department of Labor (DOL)
49. Domestic Policy Council
50. Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs (State Department)
51. Economic Adjustment Office
52. Economic Development Administration
53. Economic Research Service
54. Economics & Statistics Administration
55. Election Assistance Commission
56. Elementary and Secondary Education
57. Endangered Species Committee
58. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
59. Energy Information Administration
60. Environmental Management (Energy Department)
61. Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
62. Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
63. Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC)
64. Federal Consulting Group
65. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
66. Federal Geographic Data Committee
67. Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight
68. Federal Housing Finance Board
69. Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds
70. Federal Interagency Committee on Education
71. Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy
72. Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
73. Federal Labor Relations Authority
74. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
75. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
76. Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
77. Federal Transit Administration
78. Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
79. Financial Management Service (Treasury Department)
80. Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission
81. Fish and Wildlife Service
82. Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
83. Foreign Agricultural Service
84. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
85. Fossil Energy
86. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
87. Government National Mortgage Association
88. Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
89. Health Resources and Services Administration
90. Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)
91. Indian Arts and Crafts Board
92. Information Resource Management College
93. Innovation and Improvement Office
94. Institute of Education Sciences
95. Institute of Peace
96. Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group
97. Interagency Council on Homelessness
98. Inter-American Foundation
99. International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB)
100. Japan-United States Friendship Commission
101. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
102. Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries
103. Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
104. Joint Fire Science Program
105. Lead Hazard Control (Housing and Urban Development Department)
106. Legal Services Corporation
107. Marine Mammal Commission
108. Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department)
109. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
110. Merit Systems Protection Board
111. Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
112. Millennium Challenge Corporation
113. Minerals Management Service
114. Minority Business Development Agency
115. Mississippi River Commission
116. Multifamily Housing Office
117. National Agricultural Statistics Service
118. National AIDS Policy Office
119. National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
120. National Capital Planning Commission
121. National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
122. National Drug Intelligence Center
123. National Economic Council
124. National Endowment for the Arts
125. National Endowment for the Humanities
126. National Gallery of Art
127. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
128. National Institute of Food and Agriculture
129. National Institute for Literacy
130. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
131. National Labor Relations Board
132. National Science Foundation
133. Natural Resources Conservation Service
134. Northwest Power Planning Council
135. Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight
136. Office of Government Ethics
137. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
138. Office of Science and Technology Policy
139. Office of Thrift Supervision
140. Open World Leadership Center
141. Overseas Private Investment Corporation
142. Pardon Attorney Office
143. Peace Corps
144. Policy Development and Research (Housing and Urban Development Department)
145. Political Affairs (State Department)
146. Postsecondary Education
147. Presidio Trust
148. Public and Indian Housing
149. Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department)
150. Radio and TV Marti (Español)
151. Railroad Retirement Board
152. Regulatory Information Service Center
153. Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department)
154. Research, Education and Economics (Agriculture Department)
155. Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Transportation Department)
156. Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
157. Rural Business and Cooperative Programs
158. Rural Development
159. Rural Housing Service
160. Rural Utilities Service
161. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
162. Science Office (Energy Department)
163. Social Security Advisory Board
164. State Justice Institute
165. Stennis Center for Public Service
166. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
167. Surface Transportation Board
168. Susquehanna River Basin Commission
169. Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
170. U.S. Mission to the United Nations
171. U.S. Trade and Development Agency
172. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
173. Vocational and Adult Education
174. White House Commission on Presidential Scholars
175. White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance
176. Women’s Bureau (Labor Department)
177. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

In addition to this list – what other federal spending should be targeted?

Lightning Safety Awareness Week 2013

By Terry Orr

National Weather Service (NWS) Lightning Safety Tips:

Lightning: What You Need to Know

• NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!
• If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
• When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
• Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
•  

Indoor Lightning Safety

• Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
• Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
• Never lie flat on the ground
• Never shelter under an isolated tree
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
• Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)

 (Photo from NWS)

Fruit and Vegetables

By Nurse Diane

June is National Fruit and Vegetable Month.  It’s the perfect time to celebrate, because there are alot of family gardens popping up all over town.  The most popular crop here is tomato.  I have never grown any, because people, who do grow them, always have more than they can eat, and they like to share. Other popular crops include: squash, bell peppers, onions, jalapeño peppers, corn, okra, beans and peas.  I don't know of too much fruit grown around here, there are watermelons, cantaloupe, and occasional strawberries and blueberries.

Fruits and vegetables are a great way to get the most nutrition out of your calories. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.  Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

I have been trying to add more fruits and vegetables in my diet, so here are some tips to help sneak some extras into your meals:

Wake up to fruit: make a habit of adding fruit—fresh, frozen or dried—to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.

Stock up: Fill your fridge with raw vegetables and fruits—"nature's fast food"—cleaned, fresh and ready to eat.

"Sandwich" in fruit and vegetables: Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumbers and tomato as fillings.

Top your pizza with lots of veggies. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.

So while the veggies are popping up in your area, stock up and learn how to freeze them to save for the winter months, and if you can't eat enough veggies or fruits, you can always have a V-8!

(Photos from Google)