Happy Soul Food Friday!

Do you believe in the power of inclusion, the determined, and the potential to move humanity forward?

Silent Killers Hidden in Plain Sight:

I remain concerned about what is now regarded as a whole new category of disease and cause of death; “Diseases of Despair” that are plaguing modern society.

Longevity rates in the US have dropped in the last two years for the first time in decades, not because of the scourge of gun violence which remains a critical topic in our social consciousness that we need to address proactively and systemically as modeled powerfully and decisively right now in New Zealand (see last article below) but because of staggering rises in suicide rates, depression, overdoses from the opioid crisis, and other drugs/alcohol.

Diseases of Despair: Anomie is a psychological imbalance that leads to prolonged despair, lethargy and yearnings for self-annihilation. It is caused by a collapse of societal norms, ideals, values and standards. It is, in short, a loss of faith in the structures and beliefs that define a functioning democracy.

This week we focus on some things we can do about it…

 

A Psychotherapist Goes To Therapy — And Gets A Taste Of Her Own Medicine:

“I think that therapy at any age, it helps people to relate better to themselves and to the people around them,” she says. “It helps them to examine the way that they live their lives and take responsibility for what’s not working and also for what they can change.” 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/28/707561940/a-psychotherapist-goes-to-therapy-and-gets-a-taste-of-her-own-medicine

How To Raise Boys:

Because what it means to be a “man” is changing, as are the ways that parents are raising boys to become men. So who sets that standard? What do we expect of boys today? How do we define what kind of men we want them to be? And are there any traditional notions of masculinity worth keeping?

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/20/705220601/how-to-raise-boys

Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper: News and Views for a Meaningful Life:

“Isn’t it amazing that we are all made in God’s image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people?”  — Desmond Tutu

I’VE BEEN THINKING…

Sometimes you are lucky enough to take a trip at just the right moment…

I have been in Abu Dhabi this week for the Special Olympics World Games and, everywhere I’ve looked, I have seen the good of humanity.

Athletes from all over the world have traveled here with coaches, parents and volunteers. They have gathered together because they believe in the power of sports, the power of inclusion and the potential to move humanity forward.

Within this community, I find myself enveloped in goodness. I find myself surrounded by people who are giving themselves to others and who speak about unity, tolerance, respect and love. Those are the values that matter to them. These are the values that matter to me.

The Special Olympics World Games have been soul-lifting for me because I’ve met people of different nationalities and faiths who are committed to building a more inclusive world together. These are people who believe in a world where we lift each other up, not tear each other down. These are people who believe in a world of positivity and possibility. These are people who believe in a world where discrimination does not exist, and where the word disability is replaced with determination.

All of this has brought me hope this week as I have absorbed the tragic news out of New Zealand. It’s also brought me hope as I’ve digested the stunning story of wealth, corruption and deceit behind the college cheating scandal in the United States.

News stories like these can really get you down. They can make you feel like the world is really dark. But when you get involved with something like the Special Olympics, it can remind you that there is light in our world and that most people are good.

It’s also a reminder that the way we spend our time, and the people who we surround ourselves with, can change our perspective. You may not be able to travel to Abu Dhabi to see this, but you can still see it in your own community. After all, there are organizations like the Special Olympics doing this kind of life-changing work in your own backyard.

Through the Special Olympics, individuals with intellectual disabilities are stepping into a world where they are treated like whole beings. Many who traveled here are getting health screenings for the first time. They are reveling in the things the rest of us take for granted, like being able to see, hear or have our teeth checked. All of this makes my heart feel full. It fills me with hope and optimism and a belief that things can get better.

Of course, the news out of New Zealand has reminded me yet again that hateful and divisive words still have power, especially when they are uttered in the public space.

My guide here in Abu Dhabi is a Muslim man. He told me that his heart pounded as he watched the New Zealand news on his phone. “Violence in a place of prayer?” he said. “Why? Why?” I looked at him and, for a moment, was unsure what to say. Then, I used the words and the message that everyone else here is using.

We are here to build a world based on love, inclusion and acceptance of everyone. We are here to show the world a different way. I told him that I stand with him. I said that I am his friend and that I am sorry so many people in his faith lost their lives while in prayer this week. I told him that we should collectively condemn this kind of violence and that the best way to do so is to carry forward in a different way.

During times like these, we must remember why we are here. We must remember what we all have in common. The vast majority of us—the good of humanity—are individuals trying to build lives filled with love, family, honorable work, and a belief that things can get better. That’s true no matter who you are, where you live, or what faith you believe. The vast majority of us want to make things better. We must not lose sight of that.

So, on this Sunday, I will visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. I will visit not just as a sightseer, but as a human being standing in solidarity with my Muslim brothers and sisters around the world.

I will also stand with my Irish brothers and sisters around the world in honor of my Irish heritage. And, I’ll stand by those in the intellectual disability community, who are referred to at the World Games as “the determined.”

I’ll stand with everyone who vows to wipe out hate. As New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, “we utterly reject and condemn” this kind of violence. It has no place in our world.

Together, we can build a world based on acceptance, inclusion, faith and tolerance. We can use our words and actions to move humanity forward. We can, and we will, find a new way forward.

Love,

Dear God, thank you for this awe-inspiring, beautiful life you have created and given us. Help us do a better job of treating each other with respect and remembering that we are all in this together. Amen.

Thanks this week go to Meg M, Cathy S, Maria S, as well as NPR for being a rich source of important stories and subjects.

Stay positive, stay informed and please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama

This week:

104 Year Old Music Teacher Playing Beethoven:
Ah the joy of music…
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=442220766516793

MARCH MADNESS With Character Comments with Dr. Ed D:

Love never fails. Character never quits.
And with patience and persistence, dreams do come true.
– “Pistol” Pete Maravich, LSU and three NBA teams
(Perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history)

As many of you know, this is March Madness month.  The term is believed to have been created by Henry V. Potter, assistant executive secretary of the Illinois High School Association in 1939—the year of the first NCAA men’s basketball tournament—Oregon beat OSU 46-33.

For the first 12 years of the men’s tournament only eight teams participated.  In 2001, a 65-team tournament format was created.  Credit  television—it put the tournament on the national map.  Now the tournament breaks into four regions of 16 teams.  The winning teams from those regions comprise the Final Four.

The NCAA held its first women’s basketball tournament in 1982.  The women’s tournament started with 32 teams, expanding to 64 teams in the 1994 season.  Today, the women’s format echoes the men’s. The women’s final championship game is played the day after the men’s game.

The tournament is a“gamblers paradise.”  According to the American Gaming Association, fans wagered more than $2 billion on March Madness Brackets for the 2015 tournament.  One stat-group estimated that last year American companies lost about $1.9 billion in wages paid to unproductive workers spending company time on betting pool priorities. MM generates big bucks for gamblers, businesses, and athletic programs.

The excitement is on the court watching the talented young women and men give their all for their school.

“A team isn’t a bunch of kids out to win.  A team is something you belong to, something you feel, something you have to earn.”

(Gordon Bombay, The Mighty Ducks)

A question generally asked is “does participation in sports build character?”  As I look at it, it’s a “jump ball” or a “tie” game—a debatable issue.  I’m on the “it does” side.  Heywood Hale Broun (American author, sportswriter, commentator) noted: ”Sports do not build character, they reveal it.”

The second question that usually follows is “what do you mean by character?”  This question suggests that those on either side should, at the very least, be on the same page in defining what character is and what it means.

“A person of character,” writes Lickona and Davidson (Smart and Good High Schools-Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success School, Work, and Beyond), “embodies both performance and moral character.”

They note that “performance character” is not the same as performance (an outcome), but has certain qualities needed for the further development of one’s potential toward excellence, such as, effort, diligence, perseverance, and self-discipline.  “Moral character is relational, encompassing such qualities as integrity, justice, caring and respect.”

I have been using this definition.  Character is about behavior, about how one acts. It is about the choices that one makes.  It is about relationships (empathy, compassion, fairness).  It is about virtues (respect, responsibility, honesty) that inform the choices one makes.  Character, in sports, is about providing student-athletes opportunities to study, clarify, reflect, decide, practice and act on such virtues as respect, responsibility, perseverance, honesty, empathy, grit, discipline, loyalty, perseverance, teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership.  For student-athletes it is about sacrifice, commitment, and competition.

The game winner:  “Good character on and off the field or court should be nurtured; bad character should be corrected.”

Many believe that the purpose of sports in schools, at all levels, should be to help participants learn the lessons of good character.  My “three-pointer”:

The best way to promote what is best about sports with young athletes is to engage in these kinds of practical activities that encourage sportsmanship and other virtues, so that the old adage that “sports build character” is not just a cliché, but an accurate description of what happens on the field.

(Craig Clifford and Randolph Feezell, Sports and Character)

Well-organized sport character education can provide powerful contexts for the teaching and learning of good moral habits.  For character education programs to succeed, athletes need both thinking and reasoning programs, role models, a supportive environment, and the strong moral/philosophical commitment of community members, parents, coaches, teachers, students, boosters, and the media.   (Jennifer Beller, ERICDIGEST, ORG.-ED477729 – 2002)

 A sport experience can build character, but only if the environment is structured, and a stated and planned goal is to develop character. This kind of environment must include all individuals (coaches, administrations, parents, participants, etc.) who are stakeholders in the sport setting.    (Joseph Doty, Journal of College and Character)

 Let the games begin and the low seeds win!

 Overtime:
Ten years ago my colleague CJ Moloney and I created a course titled “Character and Athletics” which is offered every semester.  In the course, students examine their personal character development through:

• experiences in athletics,
• investigating and critiquing programs that are designed to enhance the character of athletes,
• discussing/debating historical and current issues that promote or negate character development and ethical behaviors,
• and, exploring the role of athletics as a catalyst for social justice.

Then we developed a Character and Athletics Course offered by USD’s Professional and Continuing Education.  The course was designed for K-12 teachers, coaches, camp counselors and other athletic leaders interested in cultivating an ethical athletic culture focused on positive leadership, community building, and respect for diversity.  For more information:
https://pce.sandiego.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=43658224

Ed DeRoche, Director, Character Education Resource Center, University of San Diego, March 2019 Blog

“An Educated Citizenry Is A Vital Requisite For Our Survival As A Free People”
– Thomas Jefferson

If you are local…
Restoring Respect’s 8^th Annual Conference: Restoring Civic Literacy
April 17, 2019
REGISTER TODAY!

REGISTER TODAY!

Thanks this week go to Arman S-B, Ed D, Carl L and all of you living into creativity, character and civility!
Please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“If you have come to help me, you are
wasting your time. But if you have
come because your liberation is
bound up with mine, then let us walk
together…”
— Lila Watson, Australian Aboriginal woman, in response to
mission workers

This week:

While this week’s missives are comparatively long and heady, they contribute context, create concern, and cultivate civility- all worth attending to at this moment on the global stage…

“An Educated Citizenry Is A Vital Requisite For Our Survival As A Free People”
– Thomas Jefferson

White Nationalist Rhetoric Heard Today Echoes America A Century Ago:

“He writes that what is judged extremist today was once the consensus of a powerful cadre of the American elite…”

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/14/703535343/white-nationalist-rhetoric-heard-today-echoes-america-a-century-ago

 

The Strongmen Strike Back!

Authoritarianism has reemerged as the greatest threat to the liberal democratic world — a profound ideological, as well as strategic, challenge. And we have no idea how to confront it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2019/03/14/feature/the-strongmen-strike-back/?utm_term=.324abadc306c

 

Nothing Matters. But That’s Not What Matters:

Life is empty, I realize. But what is missing from it?
I ascertain: nothing is missing. All the ingredients for a good life are within reach.
But it’s not enough…

https://medium.com/@maartenvandoorn/nothing-matters-but-thats-not-what-matters-50a34bc9de20?source=email-825f64e43327-1552915942646-digest.reader——0-49——————7adc04c8_69e7_448d_b870_6eb9c2df7b0b-1&sectionName=top

 

Anger Can Be Contagious- Here’s How To Stop The Spread:

Even if you’re not aware of it, it’s likely that your emotions will influence someone around you today…

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/697052006/anger-can-be-contagious-here-s-how-to-stop-the-spread

 

If you are local…
Restoring Respect’s 8^th Annual Conference: Restoring Civic Literacy
April 17, 2019
Hope You can join us and be the change we wish to see in the world…
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restoring-respects-8th-annual-conference-restoring-civic-literacy-tickets-57213645554

Thanks this week go to ALL OF YOU for caring!
Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“If you have come to help me, you are
wasting your time. But if you have
come because your liberation is
bound up with mine, then let us walk
together…”
— Lila Watson, Australian Aboriginal woman, in response to mission workers

This week:

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time.
But if you have come because your liberation is
bound up with mine, then let us walk together…”
— Lila Watson, Australian Aboriginal woman, in response to
mission workers

Follow Up from International Women’s Day…
Empowering Women is Critical for World’s Economy, Says Lagarde…

Takeaways:

• Increased emphasis on women’s empowerment beyond the important ethical considerations, “represents a missed opportunity in the pursuit of macroeconomic stability and inclusive growth”
• Adding one more woman in a firm’s senior management or corporate board while keeping the size of the board unchanged is associated with an 8–13 basis point higher return on assets
• “If banks and financial supervisors increased the share of women in senior positions, the banking sector would be more stable too

By the by…
In finance services:
Only 2% of CEOs are women
Only 20% of Board seats are filled by women
Bias at best. Discrimination at worst!
Glad to be part of an organization bucking that trend and modeling fairness and diversity!

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/03/07/empowering-women-is-critical-for-worlds-economy-says-lagarde/

Love,
Nev
(not a communist, not a trade unionist, not a Jew-though my peeps are sometimes referred to as the “Jews of India”, not a women, and sure as hell NOT giving up!)

In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then… they came for me. ..And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
–Rev Martin Niemoller, January 1946

Greta Thunberg, schoolgirl climate change warrior:
‘Some people can let things go. I can’t’
One day last summer, aged 15, she skipped school, sat down outside the Swedish parliament – and inadvertently kicked off a global movement…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/greta-thunberg-schoolgirl-climate-change-warrior-some-people-can-let-things-go-i-cant?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

and now Greta is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/14/greta-thunberg-nominated-nobel-peace-prize?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Teens Pull Off Incredible Rescue of Boy Dangling from Ski Lift:
What makes a hero?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/watch-teens-pull-off-incredible-rescue-of-boy-dangling-from-ski-lift/vi-BBUeZNv

If You Are Local…
Impact Measurement Workshop for Nonprofits and Social Enterprises in the San Diego community
Here’s an awesome chance for organization’s to audit, build, and understand the impact their team is creating, as well as kick start their impact measurement journey or “re-spark” it if they have already begun their process.
Individuals from all types of industries, will get to see what the value of Impact Measurement is, where along the spectrum of measurement they are currently, and learn practical skills for what to do next!
It will be at DeskHub in Little Italy and it’s free!
Impact Measurement is firmly built on the foundational belief that teams can’t improve what they aren’t measuring. To really achieve our aspirational mission’s we need to identify the critical mission steps to keep us on path.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/impact-measurement-workshop-for-nonprofits-and-social-enterprises-tickets-58405283776?ref=estw

 

Thanks this week go to NPR, Ron M, Reem F, and Change Agents Everywhere!
Please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time.
But if you have come because your liberation is
bound up with mine, then let us walk together…”
— Lila Watson, Australian Aboriginal woman, in response to
mission workers

This week: Protecting Our Planet, Honoring Our Women, & Transforming Every Community Through Literacy

World Wildlife Day March 3^rd 2019:

Learn about the 15 Biggest Threats to the World’s Oceans and what we can do to help save them…
https://www.newsweek.com/world-wildlife-day-2019-oceans-pollution-global-warming-1349026

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2019:
#BalanceforBetter

A balanced world is a better world. How can we help forge a more gender-balanced world? Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Local Company Learning Upgrade Transforms Community & Supports Social Mobility Through Literacy!

Join me in celebrating the Grand Prize winners of the Adult Literacy XPRIZE, a San Diego-based org that is doing such important work in our community.
Attached are a press release and front-page articles that were in the news recently.
So proud to say I have been a small part of this journey as they now get the recognition and support they so well deserve to scale up to help millions of low-literate families!
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190208005329/en/Teams-Tie-Grand-Prize-7M-Barbara-Bush

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/technology/sd-fi-xprize-barbara-bush-learning-upgrade-20190216-story.html

Stay quadruple bottom line focused:
People
Planet
Profit
Purpose

Congrats to Team Lobo and gratitude to all that make our world better through their hard work and positive energy!
Pay it forward.
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

This week:

Did you watch the Oscars last weekend?
For many a 3 hour + show is pushing it, so here are my favorite highlights with the “why” behind my choices from a soul-filled perspective- all in under 15 minutes.

As Jason Carbone, reality show innovator and UCSD Alum shared recently at a UC San Diego Triton Leadership Conference keynote, it is an existential imperative that we save the art and craft of storytelling as it is essential aspect that defines our humanity.

Today’s consumers of media find themselves in a pitch battle between story and spectacle!
The constant accelerating quest to create the next “watercooler moment” keeps raising the stakes and leaving us wondering which ‘reality’ will prevail- authentic human story or the over-the-top spectacle that titillates but lacks substance, meaning and value.

1. In the midst of Hollywood’s biggest night Lady Gaga and Bradley Coopers duet of Shallow, subordinated all the glam and sparkle and distractions in the background as the two artists disappeared into each other with a command performance that is definitely worth (re) watching! Experience the art, the artists and the creative process merge into a moving meditation of mastery…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVx-zvCjUZU
2. Olivia Colman’s Acceptance Speech for Best Actress in a Leading Role is as genuine and moving as it can get! You couldn’t script this, and if you did it certainly wouldn’t land like this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy8z_Tq_VHo
3. Rami Malek’s Acceptance Speech for Best Actor speaks to every artists struggle with their identity as they try to figure out who they are. Making this even more poignant as Rami himself is an immigrant and first gen American who plays Freddie Mercury- a gay man and an immigrant who lives his life unapologetically…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy4GL6RtVOk
4. Spike Lee’s Oscar Acceptance Speech for BLACKkKLANSMAN while politically charged and not necessarily well delivered, provides rich context for this nation’s struggle against racism that is his lived experience, with a great grandmother who was a slave and a grandma that was a college graduate and saved social security checks to pay for Spikey Poo’s college education. It made me go back and watch, Do The Right Thing this week and it blew my mind! Make the moral choice between Love v. Hate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTo3XYm33WU

Nike- Dream Crazier: While this was actually an Ad that ran during the Oscars it speaks compellingly to gender inequality. “So if they want to call you crazy, fine, show them what crazy can do!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY

Well done is better than well said!

Gratitude to artists of life who speak truth to power and elevate humanity in the process!
Here’s to the artist in you. Now go out and live your masterpiece…

Pay it forward, there is no going back.
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

 

In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then… they came for me. ..And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
–Rev Martin Niemoller, January 1946

This week:

Creating A Positive Workplace Culture – A Little Kindness Goes A Long Way:

Research shows positive environments produce positive benefits specifically to engagement, relationships, health and the bottom line

Does your company promote a positive work culture? Do you consider yourself a person who acts with kindness and positivity? Today’s high stress work environment is taking a negative toll on our overall well-being. We spend more time working than we do anything else. It is becoming more important now to pay attention to how we treat each other whether at work, home or at the grocery store. As a team and culture specialist, how we interact at work has consequences on our well-being

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/creating-a-positive-workplace-culture-a-little-kindness_b_59a43419e4b0a62d0987b0f0?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003&fbclid=IwAR2FpzPaaCSiVZs09tK5yp-7ClrWH9CkHisBUB6f08G7mO4MlIHEtIPELZ0

Students Learn From People They Love:

Putting relationship quality at the center of education and honoring the Power of Vulnerability where emotion is not the opposite of reason, it’s essential to reason…

https://vegnews.com/2019/2/12-year-old-activist-challenges-pope-francis-to-go-vegan-for-1-million

 

12-Year-Old Activist Challenges Pope Francis to Go Vegan for $1 Million:
A group of animal advocates, including actress Mena Suvari, Sir Paul McCartney, and young vegan activist Genesis Butler, urges the Pope to set an example by going vegan for Lent.
https://vegnews.com/2019/2/12-year-old-activist-challenges-pope-francis-to-go-vegan-for-1-million

 

What’s Going On In This Picture?
Amazing Images From Four Years of “What’s Going On In This Picture…http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2016/08/16/learning/images-from-four-years-of-whats-going-on-in-this-picture/s/VTS11-02-15LN.html?interstitial=true&prev=3&next=4&src=3

 

Thanks this week go to Marlaine M, Alan D, and leaders promoting kindness and positive culture everywhere!

Please pay it forward.
Love,
Neville

 

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned
here. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and
the acceptance of love back into our hearts.”
— Marianne Williamson

This week:

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? From Dr. Ed DeRoche:
The title of Tina Turner’s first comeback song after a hiatus that followed an abusive marriage and domestic violence.
February—the month of love and friendship; the celebration of Valentine’s Day, and the call for people of character to do something (cards, candy, cash)

A History Lesson
Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”
Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. https://www.history.com/topics

A Science Lesson
There is an extreme powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation…This universal force is LOVE….
Love is Light to those who give it and receive it.
Love is Gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others.
Love is Power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness.
Love unfolds and reveals.
For love we live and die.
Love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limit.
Love is God and God is Love….
From a letter by Albert Einstein to his daughter

A Question: What Is This Thing Called Love?
The title of a song written by Cole Porter that asks: “What is this thing called love, this funny thing called love? Just who can solve this mystery?
Psychologist, Barbara Fredrickson, author of the book Positivity, writes about “the science of happiness” and focuses on ten positive emotions – love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration and awe. She writes that these ten emotions give life to the “happiness habits” of building and maintaining strong relationships.
“Love,” she writes, “comes into play in a close and safe relationship. Love is the most common feeling of positivity and comes in surges. Love bonds us to those with whom we have the deepest connections. Love fosters warmth and trust with the people who mean the most to us. Love makes us want to do and be better people.”

Another Question: What is Good Character?
Our friend, character education guru, and psychologist Thomas Lickona answers:
It’s having the right stuff on the inside strengths such as honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and self-control. Character is built, not born. We create our character by the choices we make. Good choices create good character; bad choices create bad character. Character is the key to self-respect, to the respect of others, to positive relationships, to a sense of fulfillment, to achievement, to a happy marriage, to success in every area of life.

Three Views of Character and Love
I found these quotes in my files. I do not know who the authors are.
Your character is who you are. To understand yourself is to know your character. To love yourself is to love your character.
People of character know how to love. They love unconditionally. They forgive freely. They lift up all people without prejudice or discrimination. You never really know the true quality of someone’s character until the road gets rocky…those, who truly love us, always stick with us; the losers fall off the boat quickly!

Practicing Forgiveness Even When It Is Hard:
This Grammy artist shares where that soulful spirit comes from.
Yes sometimes love means having to say you are sorry…
http://www.nprillinois.org/post/encore-brandi-carlile-practicing-forgiveness-even-when-its-hard#stream/0

Difference: The ONLY Thing We Have In Common:
Empathy for others and seeing the divinity in them, even when they don’t look, think or act like us is a noble human trait!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parenting2.0/permalink/10156109544683061/

Thanks this week go to Ed D, Marlaine C & All Lovers of Humanity and Sentient Beings

Please pay it forward!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

This week:

You Deserve Privacy Online. Here’s How You Could Actually Get It:

In 2019, it’s time to stand up for the right to privacy—yours, mine, all of ours. Consumers shouldn’t have to tolerate another year of companies irresponsibly amassing huge user profiles, data breaches that seem out of control and the vanishing ability to control our own digital lives.

This problem is solvable—it isn’t too big, too challenging or too late. Innovation, breakthrough ideas and great features can go hand in hand with user privacy—and they must. Realizing technology’s potential depends on it.

We all deserve control over our digital lives. That’s why we must rein in the data brokers Read the full story

Here Are Some Tips on How to Better Protect Your Personal Email Accounts:

• Use complex passwords of at least 10 characters long (combination of upper and lowercase, symbols and numbers).
• Change your email password regularly, and use phrases instead of words (e.g. Change “SmellyCat” to “_Sm3llyC@T_”).
• Use dual-factor authentication (e.g. Gmail’s 2-step-verification), where access to your email requires your user credentials and a soft-token like a one-time code texted to your mobile device. If your email service does not have dual-factor capability, change email providers !
• Do not use the same password for multiple websites. (We are all guilty of this)
• Do not enter password hints when prompted.

 

I Mentored Mark Zuckerberg. I Loved Facebook. But I Can’t Stay Silent About What’s Happening:
I am really sad about Facebook. I got involved with the company more than a decade ago and have taken great pride and joy in the company’s success … until the past few months. Now I am disappointed. I am embarrassed. I am ashamed. With more than 1.7 billion members, Facebook is among the most influential businesses in the world. Whether they like it or not–whether Facebook is a technology company or a media company–the company has a huge impact on politics and social welfare. Every decision that Read the full story

 

What you can do if your child has allowed Facebook to mine their phone for $20/month:
Here are some issues you need to discuss with your child…

1. Personal information is money

Let your child know that their personal information is worth a lot more than $20/month. They need to value it and protect it.  Talk to them about being selective with the information they provide to apps and websites.

2. They can be spied on

Inform your child that they are potentially being spied by Facebook. Even though Facebook claims that they are not spying on teens but how do we really know what Facebook is doing.  Since Facebook is collecting all the information they have about your child, for all we know they are monitoring everything about their digital lives.

3. They can be accused of a crime

Everyone has the right to privacy, especially children. Facebook collect — and store — untold amounts of data. It’s unclear what it is doing with the data they pick up. And if it’s subpoenaed, they might have to hand it over.

Say your kid jokes about terrorism or something else illegal; if there’s an investigation into those activities, Facebook might have to give up the transcripts.

4. Talk to your child about online safety 

When such an incident happens, talk to your child about the event and the implications of it. Let them know that big tech companies can never protect them online. This goes not just for Facebook but all social media platform.

All the personal information your child have shared can be sucked out of them instantly. Once their data is exposed it is irreversible and Facebook cannot protect them from this.

Finally, don’t forget to install parental monitoring software on your children’s phone. This can help you oversee what sort of apps your child has downloaded. You can tighten their security or prevent them from installing apps that you’ve decided are just too risky or untrustworthy.

https://kidsnclicks.com/what-you-can-do-if-your-child-have-allowed-facebook-to-mine-their-phone-for-20-month/?fbclid=IwAR0h-7kYtsKbRDHiDajCawcMAJGcVSFAXSgYAOfNl3Ndkf0RsjW5DECPTlE

 

Apple rolls out fix for FaceTime eavesdropping bug- Everything you need to know about the iPhone XR

San Francisco (CNN Business) Apple has fixed the FaceTime bug that let people eavesdrop on unanswered group video calls.

The software updates — iOS 12.1.4 and macOS Mojave 10.14.3 — were rolled out to iPhones, iPads and Mac computers on Thursday, nine days after videos of the bug in action went viral on social media.

A person could exploit the glitch to hear live audio on another other person’s phone, even though the recipient had not accepted the FaceTime call. In some cases, the bug could also show live video of the other person if they pressed a volume button to dismiss the call.

Apple said it will compensate 14-year-old Grant Thompson and his family for flagging the bug more than a week before it attracted national attention. The company, which didn’t reveal how much the reward would be, said it will also contribute money toward his education.

While investigating the bug, Apple discovered another security issue involving Live Photos on FaceTime. The company did not specify what the bug was or how it worked, but the new updates fixes that issue. Apple disabled the use of LivePhotos in FaceTime on devices that have not yet been updated.

To install the software updates on iOS devices, go to Settings -> General -> Software Updates and tap “Download and Install.” On a Mac, open the App Store and go to the Updates section.

If you disabled FaceTime, you’ll have to turn it back on in Settings to resume using the feature.

The bug was first reported by 9to5Mac on January 29 after people began sharing videos of it in action on social media. Apple disabled the Group FaceTime feature later that day for all users while it worked on a software fix for the issue. The bug worked on iPhones and iPads running iOS 12.1, and Apple PCs running macOS Mojave, which recently added the Group FaceTime feature.

“Today’s software update fixes the security bug in Group FaceTime. We again apologize to our customers and we thank them for their patience,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “In addition to addressing the bug that was reported, our team conducted a thorough security audit of the FaceTime service and made additional updates to both the FaceTime app and server to improve security”

Thompson, a high school freshman in Arizona, discovered the flaw on January 19 while trying to start a FaceTime group chat with his friends. His mother Michele Thompson tried to warn Apple about the issue by calling, emailing, tweeting at, and even faxing the company, but Apple did not publicly address the problem until was shared online by other iPhone users.

 

If you are local…
Making Work Meaningful with Purpose Calling & Passion:

MAKING WORK MEANINGFUL
WITH PURPOSE CALLING & PASSION

Register

Join us for an Evening of Learning & Inspiration on February 12^th

According to Gallup, only one-third of the American workforce are actually engaged, while 16% are actively disengaged, leaving 51% that are just showing up and doing the bare minimum!

But why? Jeff will explore what is behind this atrocity, what to do about it and what it will mean to you, your employees and your customers.

You will discover:
– How business lost its meaning
– How a leader’s personal purpose and calling are the cornerstone for positive change
– Proof: An experiential exercise to prove the process can make work meaningful

Click here to watch a video On Purpose.

Agenda:

5:30pm – 6:00pm – Networking, Registration, and Happy Hour
6:15pm – Welcome
6:15pm – 7:45pm – Main Event

Biography of Jeff Blanton

Jeff’s purpose in life is “Mobilizing Possibilities.” His book, “Jailbreak Leadership”, provides a proven process for leaders to discover both their Purpose and Calling. When aligned to their natural passion, leaders gain the confidence to fully utilize their unique gifts and apply their own powerful principles to make work meaningful for themselves as well as the businesses and individuals they lead.

Frustrated, both by his own lack of satisfaction and the fact that over 80% of today’s workforce is not fully engaged, Jeff aggressively sought after a solution for making work meaningful. His 35 years of successfully leading large strategic change initiatives, for well-funded start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, became the backdrop for understanding how the Purpose and Calling of the leader is the key for changing how we all see work.
Jeff is the President of the Blanton Group, an organization dedicated to helping leaders transform Purpose into possibility. He is involved with multiple non-profit boards and has been engaged in all forms of business ministry.

Jeff’s radio show can be heard on AM 1210, FM 106.5 North County on Sunday afternoons. You can also follow Jeff and his guests on his highly engaging podcast, Jailbreak Leaders.

When: February 12, 2019
5:30 PM – 7:45 PM

Address and Parking:

Corporate Alliance
9540 Towne Centre Dr, Unit 150, San Diego, CA 92121

Free parking in front of building.

Pricing:

CCSD Member – $15

Chamber of Purpose/Purpose SD Member – $20
(promo code required)

Corporate Alliance Member – $15
(promo code required)

Friends of CCSD – $20
(promo code required)

Non-Member – $30

New Member: Become a member today and
get this event FREE! – $100

Register

Thanks this week go to Peter S, Jojo S, Parenting 2.0 and Mindful Digital Citizens and Parents Everywhere!

Please Pay It Forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by electricity, began where he stood to put his dream into action, and despite more than ten thousand failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not quit.”— Napoleon Hill:

 

This week on a doggone lighter note…

“May I always be the person my dog thinks I am”

Enjoy some light-hearted vids with (hu)man’s best friend!

Unleash your unbounded spirit with Stella
If this doesn’t make you smile check your pulse…
https://youtu.be/YNrkaYOk2Ps

And this proves you can teach old dogs new tricks!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/5I_QzPLEjM4?rel=0

Can’t we just get along?

‘Superpower Dogs’ who will save the world & steal your heart:
‘Superpower Dogs’ finally pays respect to an overlooked breed of superhero: the four-legged variety. The first IMAX film to focus on dogs arrives March 15 in theaters nationwide, highlights canines that are saving lives, fighting crime and making life better for humans around the world…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/01/24/exclusive-imax-trailer-superpower-dogs-steal-your-heart/2648245002/

Thanks this week go to Bob C for the vids, and to Kailee, Ellie and all the animals in the world that give us unbridled joy!

Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.”– King Solomon