Today the Diva wants to share an article of general interest rather than specifically related to disaster recovery.  See: The surprising thing Google learned about its employees — and what it means for today’s students

Project Oxygen shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM expertise comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.

The Diva has produced both a semi-annual and annual summary of significant postings in past years.  It is her hope that practitioners, consultants, and academics would find an annotated index, by topic of use.  Before embarking on that effort for the year 2017, she would like to hear from readers if they would find that a useful resource.

It has been a very busy year, and the Diva sometimes works on this blog 7 days a week. The Diva would appreciate your support for this effort. Specifically, she needs to hire  some assistance with fixing broken links and creating an index for this calendar year. Please donate via the PayPal link in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.  Thank you.

Update: So far, with just one exception the donors are those who are consistently supportive. Where are you newbies?

I know some readers will not like this news, but I just report it. I do not create it. The Diva was a federal bureaucrat for many years and worked as a consultant or contractor for several federal agencies. While I have to say I suspected this response would happen,  I am quite intrigued with the details of how it happens.

From Bloomberg News: Washington Bureaucrats are Chipping Away at Trump Agenda.

Update: Be sure to check out the interesting comments below.

Here is a direct link to the GAO unit that examines disaster assistance:

Recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other events have highlighted the challenges the federal government faces in responding effectively to natural and man-made disasters—both in terms of immediate response and for long-term recovery efforts. GAO has identified challenges and areas for improvement in disaster response and recovery, fiscal and administrative challenges in the National Flood Insurance Program, and federal preparedness and response to public health emergencies.