Time for Change

It is no longer business as usual, 

but that may be a good thing.

Many in this country voted for change.  There will be many changes in Washington, DC that people of all political beliefs will be closely watching and should be closely watching. Perhaps this tumultuous time will inspire more people to take action in new and positive ways. 

Stay informed:

Read a newspaper. Websites and newscasters use DRAMA!!! to get your attention, especially on slow news days. When something is in writing, you can analyze and process it on your own.

Look at issues from both sides. Don’t rely on only The Huffington Post or The National Review. Look at both and do a little research. Try to find the reason behind the newest appointee or proposed legislation. You may change your mind or you may become even more committed to speaking out.

Research topics at https://www.aclu.org/ . Even if you disagree with the ACLU’s stand on a topic, this site has plenty of links to research and to ways to get involved.

Let your Elected Officials know what you want:

http://www.senate.gov

 http://www.house.gov/ (Be careful with this site. It sends me to the wrong representative based on zip code – It isn’t the person on my ballot – so make sure you know who your rep is!)

Notations On Our World (W-End Edition): On Community Service & Giving Back On this #MLKday2017

The Corporation For Public & Community  Service here in the United States has just published its'  its' Public Engagement & Outreach Plan.    It is available by clicking here.   

One of the key dates before us here in the United States is Monday January 16 as we all honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.    We launched #Outsiders do to our part to help change the Conversation about our World.   January 16, 2017 will be an opportunity for all to work to make a difference by spearheading opportunities to make a difference.     To register an event or to find an event to serve in, please click here.    

Notations From the Grid (Thursday Edition): On the #Russia Hacking Hearing, #Syria & Other Thoughts

The Washington Post this morning reported on the hearing convened by Arizona Senator McCain as some US Senate Members were not ready to cross swords with the President Elect:


This is as halfway around the World, a very problematic development occurred in Syria:  The lack of water in Damascus as the war continues despite a supposed nationwide ceasefire:



The past 24 hours has also seen some interesting shifts in the media landscape as Megyn Kelly has decided to join NBC News, Tucker Carlson (who had a stint at CNN, founded the Daily Caller and now also works for Fox) will take over her slot and as Medium (that We here at the Daily Outsider consider a partner) has gone through a restructuring.  

As our team continued its' daily assessment of our World, we were blown away by what we saw at  the New York Times regarding  Brazil which we will be pursuing throughout the year to assess the impact of austerity on the ordinary faces of the largest country in South America.   

   

On the Virtual Prowl Some #WednesdayWisdom

As our team worked away on the network today, the team decided in the spirit of the Twitter #WednesdayWisdom Hashtag to share some "Wisdom" from our archives  which we hope is of interest:

On The Virtual Road @ CES2017 In Las Vegas: Get Ready for Your Week in Las Vegas with These CES Fun Facts

Once again, our World will be blown away by the gadgets that will be rolled out by the leading lights in the tech world this week in Las Vegas. As we keenly await some cool rollouts (Faraday with the car to beat Tesla; LG coming out to outhome Google Home), our team thought all might enjoy this from the Consumer Electronics Association that is as good a guide on the happenings. This is a show that has been going on for 50 years!!!

CTA - Get Ready for Your Week in Las Vegas with These CES Fun Facts: New Year’s Day may be the official start of the near year, but it also means we are one day closer to CES 2017! On Thursday, the doors to the world’s largest consumer technology trade show will open. But before you board the plane and head to Las Vegas, check out these fun tidbits about CES.

An #Outsider Newsflash: President Obama Participates in the Armed Forces Full Honor Review Farew...

View of the Week: As The World Awaits the Trump Administration

Happy 2017!!!

In 17 days, America will have a New President.     For our first edition of "View of the Week" for the new year, our team chose the first notations from the Fortune's  Geoff Colvin for the new year captured the essence of the first 100 days of the incoming Trump Administration: 

JANUARY 3, 2017 Topic A for business leaders worldwide is the presumed avalanche of pro-business actions about to cascade from Washington soon after the new Congress is sworn in today, and especially after Donald Trump is inaugurated in 17 days. But how much of it will actually get done? And when rhetoric becomes statutory reality, what surprises will be buried deep in the bills that are enacted and rules that are imposed? The scope of what may be about to happen is vast. Here are the big themes that business leaders will want to monitor, especially between now and May 1, the end of Trump’s first 100 days: -Obamacare repeal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised that the first Senate vote of 2017 will be to start dismantling Obamacare, but that move could be largely symbolic. The details of the Republicans’ vowed “repeal and replace” policy are from complete; the process will be extremely complex. Repealing without simultaneously replacing Obamacare could be bad news for employers, forcing them and their workers to take action with little idea of what might come next from Washington, or when. -Regulatory rollback, especially on Dodd-Frank and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Financial stocks rocketed after Trump’s election on expectations that he’d end Washington’s war on Wall Street. Some deregulation looks inevitable, and courts are already chopping away at the extraordinary structure of the largely unaccountable CFPB. But even some conservative policy wonks favor higher capital requirements for big banks as a step toward avoiding another financial crisis. -Corporate tax reform. Candidate Trump proposed slashing the corporate tax rate to 15%, which looks highly unlikely, but some reduction from today’s stratospheric top marginal rate of 39.1% could well happen. The real action would be on the accompanying changes intended to broaden the tax base by eliminating sundry deductions, credits, and other deals. -Infrastructure. Trump proposed a trillion-dollar program funded partially by private investment. The important questions are how drastically that number will be reduced and, as always in infrastructure programs, how much pork must be dispensed to secure passage of actually useful projects. -Confirmation of cabinet appointees. The Democrats don’t have enough votes in the Senate to block Trump’s appointees, but they can make the confirmation process long and painful for some of them, conceivably even unearthing information that would turn a few Republican senators against one or two of them. That’s important because the Treasury, Energy Department, Labor Department, Justice Department, HHS, and other executive departments are where much of the deregulatory and pro-business action will take place. The broad outlines of the next few months look clear, but Congress can’t pass broad outlines and agencies can’t implement them. An epic lobby-fest is already underway to shape the details, the precise language of coming changes, which will determine the winners and losers as the Republican-controlled government gets to work. That’s what leaders need to focus on now. We also hope all enjoy these thougths on leadership  as we begin a new year here at the Daily Outsider:

Notations From the Grid (Special New Years' #2017 Edition): On the #Obama Years

Happy New Year!!

Our team has been on the "prowl" as we have been assessing our World and gearing up for what is bound to be a very exciting, engaging and "hopefully" more peaceful World in 2017.    As the pivotal date of January 20, 2017 approaches, The Obama White House issued its' 8th & Final Retrospective on the Obama Presidency which we thought all might enjoy as we await the new Era here in the United States.    Please enjoy!!

THE WHITE HOUSE    In Review: The Obama Presidency As the year comes to a close, White House staff looked back at a few of our favorite moments from the past eight years. President Obama's top speeches, as chosen by his speechwriters President Obama's top moments in the digital era The President's filmmakers pick their favorite White House videos The White House's top moments in the digital era First Lady Michelle Obama's Top 10 Let's Move!Moments Looking back on eight years of letters to the President The most memorable We the People petitions