Thursday, February 22, 2018

As We Go Dark.....

Please enjoy these compilation of thoughts as we gear up for March throughout our properties and as we hope all enjoy live Feed of SkyNews & Al Jazeera along with our Daily Updates produced for us by Paper_li in our Twitter Channel:



We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

Being defeated is often a temporary condition.
Giving up is what makes it permanent.
- Marilyn vos Savant

Expect to have hope rekindled.
Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.
The dry seasons in life do not last.
The spring rains will come again.
                                                                                     - Sarah Ban Breathnach

If I could tell the world just one thing
it would be we're all okay,
and not to worry cause worry is wasteful
and useless in times like these.
I won't be made useless.
I won't be idle with despair,
I will gather myself around my faith.
Light does the darkness most fear.
- Jewel





Onward !!!! 

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Out & About In America Witness to #NeverAgain







It has been quite a week in America as the debate in the aftermath of the Parkland massacre has continued.    Earlier this afternoon Washington Time, President Trump, Vice President Pence and Education Secretary DeVos hosted a Listening Session at the White House with Parkland Survivors that we understand were selected by the Administration that included and others--including the co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise and a Father who lost his daughter at Columbine who founded Rachel's Challenge.   It was a powerful moment as our team chose selections of one of the most powerful two hours we've been witness to as we are also featuring a very powerful clip from Brooke Baldwin as we saw some of the attacks on the kids as epitomized by what Trevor Noah noted below: 




President Trump declined to join the Town Hall by CNN as well as Governor Scott.     Beyond this powerful day after a profound week, this clip from Tom Friedman was extremely troubling that all should take note of as we agree with him in how the Republican Party has remained silent: 

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On @realDonaldTrump; #MSC2018 & Other Thoughts On Quite a Challenging Week...

President Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday. Mr. Trump has made little if any public effort to rally the nation to confront Moscow for its electoral intrusion or to defend democratic institutions against continued disruption.


As America celebrated President's Day this week , our team chose to feature an interview by Noam Chomsky-- one of the leading intellectual thinkers of our time.  He recently gave an interview to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on his views on @realDonaldTrump with changes to US Nuclear Policy, the new Budget and the on-going political landscape in light of the indictments announced by the US Justice Department related to the Russia Investigation last week:





This is as The Chief New York Times Correspondent for the New York Times, Peter Baker, noted this over the week-end in the aftermath of the testimony by the heads of the Intelligence Community, the admission by General McMaster of Russian Collusion at the Munich Security Conference--even though Mr. Trump undermined General McMaster comments shortly thereafter in a Tweet:


The tragedy in Florida also continues to resonate--This image was quite striking as the Students in Parkland have called for a March on Washington and as the President was scheduled to have a listening session later on today.  


‘We have to stop voting for Republicans; we have to stop voting for people who take money from the NRA.’

The powerful 7 Minutes Speech by one of the Students, Emma Gonzales, gave voice to the stark choices and how the students simply, "We Don't deserve this" as The President blasted the FBI for being "distracted" By the Russia Investigation:

"They say that tougher gun laws do not decrease  gun violence. We call BS!" Florida high school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez calls on President Trump and lawmakers to tighten gun restrictions in impassioned speech at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale https://t.co/DgnqrrVs9x

What we found fascinating over the weekend was the give and take between The Iranian Foreign Minister and the Israeli Prime Minister (who's under a cloud of suspicion including being recommended by Israeli Police to be indicted for Corruption.   

It will be a continued challenge.   

Monday, February 19, 2018

Notations On Our World (Special Weekly Edition): ; Out & About in #America On this President's day 2018

 On this President's Day here in the United States, Our team choose a selection of coverage on the US Domestic Scene especially in the aftermath of the Tragedy in Florida and the Mueller Indictments.: 







The Annual Gates Letter is also critical to underscore courtesy of the Fortune's Alan Murray:

Bill and Melinda Gates, who run the largest philanthropy in the world, published their annual letter this morning, and it exudes the optimism that Bill expressed when he guest-edited TIME magazine last month. In the letter, the two also make a good faith effort to answer what they say are the 10 toughest questions they get asked about their philanthropy.
One that caught my attention was this: Why do you work with corporations?
Is that a “tough question”? This gets back to the New York Times column I cited yesterday, which disparaged business efforts to address what have traditionally been public sector issues—like fixing the health care system, exploring space, or providing general education and training.
I talked with Melinda a few days ago, and she provided some insight.
“Bill and I think the private sector is vital in the equation” of addressing social problems. “We always try to have in the back of our mind: What’s the role of government, NGOs, philanthropy, the private sector?”
The private sector, she says, is growing in importance. “Things are shifting. Perceptions are shifting. Companies are being pushed by their millennial workforce, which is asking them to do these things… It’s not just CSR anymore. Companies want to do the right thing for their employees and their customers.”
In their letter, the Gates mentioned working with GSK, Johnson & Johnsonand Monsanto on various initiatives. In our conversation, Melinda cited work the foundation is doing with Merck and Bayer on reproductive health. “We have more and more companies approaching us, and approaching us with good ideas.”
Is there a limit to the private sector’s ability to address such problems? Of course. “They aren’t very good at reaching the bottom billion,” Melinda says. But that still leaves plenty of scope for constructive action.
This is as some of the profound policy challenges remain: 




'Federally Supported, State Managed, Locally Executed' Disaster Recovery

'Federally Supported, State Managed, Locally Executed' Disaster Recovery

DAVE NYCZEPIR  |   FEMA wants state and local governments to play a 'larger role' post-disaster while shifting those funds to mitigation.


The Opioid Epidemic Has Cost the U.S. More Than $1 Trillion

QUINN LIBSON  |   Most of the financial cost of the crisis came in the form of lost earning and productivity potential for those who had died.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On The Shootings Today In #Florida & #FordMeade

It has been a tragic day here in the United States as there has two shooting that made National Headlines--which has triggered another round of thoughts and prayers by President Trump and Vice President Pence and calls to not "come to conclusions.    As we went to press here, there were 16 of the young at the Florida School were reported as dead--suspect had an AR-15 that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once noted to be a "Sportsman Weapon".

The following two set of statistics we picked up were quite telling and tragic: 





 





We ask:  
How much is enough?

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On #SouthAfrica & #Zimbabwe

Jacob Zuma announced his resignation during a speech at Union Buildings in Pretoria [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
Jacob Zuma Announces his Resignation (Source: Al Jazeera) 
Tsvangirari revealed in 2003 he was being treated for colon cancer [File: Marcel Mettelsiefen/Getty Images]
Morgan Tsvangirari, The MDC Leader and Former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (Source: Al Jazeera) 



What a day it has been in Southern Africa...

We begin with South Africa as Jacob Zuma finally relented and resigned with immediate effect as the President of South Africa.    The challenges faced by his successor, Cyril Ramaposa, will be profound.   We look forward to assessing it over the ensuing weeks and months as South Africa faces crucial elections in 2019

Southern Africa also lost an icon, Morgan Tsvangirari.   Our founder remembered fondly as he was witness to the unity agreement that saw him become Prime Minister.   He noted how the plight of Zimbabwe was the driving force to have him launch his first blog that eventually he helped evolve into what we are today here in our properties.    We extend our condolences to the People of Zimbabwe and to Mr. Tsvangirari family.   May his soul  RIP




On This Valentine's Day 2018: Chali Chali Phir Full Video Song | Baghban | Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini


On behalf of all of us here at the Daily Outsider, please accept our best wishes on this Valentine's Day 2018 as we hope all enjoy this beautiful celebration of Valentine's Day thanks to the great Amitabh Bachchan

Happy Valentine's Day as we hope all enjoy this "Bonus" with another celebration of love!!! 









Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): @netanyahu is recommend to be charged with Bribery & Breach of Trust


Well the surprise is in as underscored by the Haaretz' Chemi Shalev:

Monday, February 12, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): Out & About......

The Cast of "Comedy President" (Source; Viacom/Guardian) 
Welcome to a new week here in our Properties.   

The challenges in Washington was evident as the debate over DACA continued, The US Government was briefly shut down, The President continued his war on Law Enforcement as his Administration continued to remake what Steve Bannon deemed "The Administrative State"--as the late night comedy circuit of Trevor Noah et. al had a blast with all that went on throughout the week underscored by the Stephen Colbert-Produced, "Comedy President" shown on Viacom's Showtime.    The Week at hand is bound to be challenging as underscored by CNN over the weekend.

Beyond the shores of the United States, it has been quite a week as Iran and Israel continued their Cold War in Syria in the aftermath of an Iranian Drone being shut down and a 50 Million Dollar Israeli F-16 being shut down by Syrian Air Defense.     This is also as The War in Syria continues with the Turks continuing their on-going onslaught in the Kurdish Areas.    It was also the 39th Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution as Iran was shocked with the alleged suicide of a leading Academic and Environmental Activist--Iran alleges he killed himself over evidence he was a spy.  

As our team continues its' daily service, we decided to begin the week on a bit of a high note with this window into the future.   We normally feature such thinking in our "Visions" Property, however we view it as appropriate to showcase a continued sense of hope and optimism with this Peter Diamandis published on the profound possibilities:




If you could design any structure, free of all constraints, what would you envision?
Put aside today’s architectural limits. What home would you dream up?
Exponential technologies are converging and revolutionizing the way we design, build and inhabit everything.
The global construction industry is projected to surpass $10 trillion in 2020, and the total U.S. housing stock alone grew to $31.8 trillion last year.
Both industries are ripe for massive disruption.
In this blog, I’ll be covering four key tech trends that are revolutionizing what is possible in architectural design and construction:
  1. Autonomous robot builders
  2. 3D and 4D printing
  3. New materials from unexpected sources
  4. Designs that adapt as you build
Let’s dive in.

New Materials Enter Construction

For thousands of years, we’ve been constrained by the construction materials of nature.
We built bricks from naturally abundant clay and shale, used tree limbs as our rooftops and beams, and mastered incredible structures in ancient Rome with the use of cement.
But construction materials are about to get a HUGE upgrade.
Here are the top three materials disrupting the future of construction:
1. Upcycled Materials: Imagine if you could turn the world’s greatest waste products into their most essential building blocks.
Thanks to UCLA researchers at CO2NCRETE, we can already do this with carbon emissions.
Today, concrete produces about 5% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But what if concrete could instead conserve greenhouse emissions?
CO2NCRETE engineers capture carbon from smokestacks and combine it with lime to create a new type of cement. The lab’s 3D printers then shape the upcycled concrete to build entirely new structures.
Once conquered at scale, upcycled concrete will turn a former polluter into a future conserver.
Want to print houses from dirt? No problem.
The Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) can now turn any soil into a building material with three times the tensile strength of industrial clay.
A massive breakthrough for developing regions, IAAC’s new 3D printed native soil can build houses on-site for as little as $1,000.
2. NanomaterialsNano- and micro-materials are ushering in a new era of smart, super-strong and self-charging buildings.
While carbon nanotubes dramatically increase the strength-to-weight ratio of skyscrapers, revolutionizing their structural flexibility, nanomaterials don’t stop here.
Several research teams are pioneering silicon nanoparticles to capture everyday light flowing through our windows. Little solar cells at the edges of windows then harvest this energy for ready use.
(Thermochromic smart windows change color when exposed to sunlight.)
Researchers at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab have developed similar smart windows. Turning into solar panels when bathed in sunlight, these thermochromic windows will power our buildings, changing color as they do.
3. Self-Healing Infrastructure: The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates a $542.6 billion backlog needed for U.S. infrastructure repairs alone.
And as I’ve often said, the world’s most expensive problems are the world’s most profitable opportunities.
Enter self-healing concrete.
Engineers at Delft University have developed bio-concrete that can repair its own cracks.
As head researcher Henk Jonkers explains, “What makes this limestone-producing bacteria so special is that they are able to survive in concrete for more than 200 yearsand come into play when the concrete is damaged. […] If cracks appear as a result of pressure on the concrete, the concrete will heal these cracks itself.”
But bio-concrete is only the beginning of self-healing technologies.
As futurist architecture firms start printing plastic and carbon-fiber houses like the stunner seen below (using Branch Technologies’ 3D printing technology), engineers are tackling self-healing plastic.
WATG Designs 3D-Printed Freeform House with Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic
Plastic not only holds promise in real estate on Earth, it will also serve as a handy material in space. NASA engineers have pioneered a self-healing plastic that may prove vital in space missions, preventing habitat and ship ruptures in record speed.
The implications of self-healing materials are staggering, offering us resilient structures both on earth and in space.

Enhanced Design & Architecture

While incredible new materials transform what we build, AI and VR are revolutionizing how we design.
1. AI-Driven DesignIn the past, if you wanted to build a high-rise, you needed a static, precise blueprint. Moving parts were not an option.
Now, real-time, AI-aided Building Information Model (BIM) will enable blueprints to learn and adapt to changing ground conditions, weather, equipment and even new design ideas.
In the future, AI will help design our blueprints, optimizing construction methods, breakthrough materials, and design features. It may even recommend IoT components for our high-rises depending on their purpose and landscape.
2. Virtual Reality Shaping Real EstateIn one of my previous blogs, I discussed how VR will reshape our real estate shopping experience. Forget real estate agents and physical house hunting. Why not visit a house in a different city from the comfort of your living room at 3 a.m. and see how it looks with blue walls and your own home furniture?
VR is about to transform the real estate design process too.
Imagine the possibilities: you design your company’s dream office using a Building Information Model and allow your managers to walk around the (virtually) finished product before it’s ever built.

Build with Robots and 3D Printing

Designs and machinery won’t build us finished products on their own… or will they?
Welcome to the new frontier of autonomous robot builders and skyscraper printers.
1. Autonomous Robotics and Robot Swarm Construction: While robots have already started permeating the construction industry, what if they could construct buildings entirely autonomously?
Many are already tackling this challenge, using everything from flying robots to termite-like swarm constructors.
RoboticsX aims to send autonomous robot builders to Mars that can adapt to shifting ground conditions. CEO Peter Boras spoke of plans to scale up 3,000 collaborating robots in the hopes of building structures almost entirely unaided.
The company’s X-1 Smart Industrial Robot can already collaborate with its colleagues, adapt tasks in real time, share its capabilities with other machines and perform predictive maintenance.
A team at Switzerland's NCCR Digital Fabrication has also built a fabricator robot. Pre-programmed with design model data, the robot can build any steel-reinforced framework autonomously on-site.
Inspired by autonomously collaborative termites, Harvard robotics researchers developed swarm construction robots that can collaboratively build a programmed design, block-by-block, without centralized control.
Imagine the implications. Eliminating human safety concerns and unlocking any environment, autonomous builder robots could collaboratively build massive structures in space, or deep underwater habitats.
2. 3D and 4D Printing: In one of the developments I’m most excited about, we will soon be printing tomorrow’s structures.
3D and 4D printing are redefining the way our buildings look, feel and even move.
You may have heard of the Chinese company WinSun Design Engineering Co., which printed 10 houses from recycled materials in 24 hours at a cost of about $4,800 each.
Or Dutch studio DUS Architects, who used sustainable bioplastic to 3D print a full-sized canal house in Amsterdam.
But architectural printing is only getting started.
While companies like INNOprint can print an emergency shelter in only half an hour, others are finding ways to print unprecedented designs, like this never-ending looped house, buildable with one massive robotic 3D printer.
Janjaap Ruijssenaars 3D prints prototype of house with no beginning or end
And now for the real kicker: Remember those magical moving staircases in the Harry Potter films? Turns out these may no longer be exclusive to the wizarding world.
4D printing will one day make such structures a reality. Born out of MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, 4D printing involves 3D printed objects that can reshape and even self-assemble over time.
These structures involve 3D printing rigid and expandable materials alongside one another. When the expandable materials encounter certain conditions, like water or heat, they reshape and reposition other rigid parts of the structure.
As a result, 4D printed structures have moving joints that can reshape the entire component, whether into different shapes or stairwell directions.

Final Thoughts

With the convergence of autonomous builder robots, 3D and 4D printing, AI-guided design and unprecedented smart materials, we are about to witness the mass disruption of construction and real estate.
What new architectural frontiers will you unlock? How will your company design and print the future? What homes and space colonies will we inhabit?

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Special W-End Edition): @RepAdamSchiff on the #DemMemo | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Notations On Our World (Special W-End Edition): On #Iran Watch....


As Iran is on the eve of celebrating the Revolution tomorrow, we received some disturbing news on the death of the leading Iranian Environmental Activist that authorities in Tehran claim killed himself (or some reports state he died of a heart attack).    The New York Times reported on it:



On behalf of the entire Daily Outsider Team, we extend our profound condolences to his family as we salute his work and courage on behalf of the people of Iran.    We also join the call for President Rouhani to order an independent inquiry into his death that the Wall Street Journal's Farnaz Fasshini noted : 





Friday, February 9, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Our World.....

On Politics in the United States Right now (in the aftermath of the #NunesMemo ) 
It has been quite a week as the Markets got trillions wiped off their valuations and as The US Government was faced with another funding deadline.   Earlier this week, the White House Press Secretary called Democrats lazy for refusing to make a deal as she noted how "they won" the last fight.    The Democratic Rebuttal to the #NunesMemo was voted out of Committee and it was before the White House.   We will continue to monitor Congressman Schiff's Website & Twitter Feed for on-going updates.  

This was also a week that saw a number of members of Congress rebuke the President as noted below: 




We have also been assessing the horrific scenes out of Syria--including hospitals hit throughout Idlib Province.   This is as we also have been assessing the on-going power struggle in South Africa as the ANC continues its' struggle to force President Jacob Zuma to resign.  We have also continued to assess the on-going situation in Iran especially on the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution--President Rouhani held a Press Conference noting that he heard the People's Pleas.   This is as protests continue onward and as American Dual Nationals continue to be held as noted in this Tweet by the Wall Street Journal's Farnaz Fassihi earlier this week:


Our team was also assessing the on-going developments in the Maldives.   Maldives is especially poignant as its' former President, Mohammad Nasheed (currently in exile in Sri Lanka), was one of the leading advocates for Climate Change as his own country is at the forefront of Climate Change--he even went as far as holding a Cabinet meeting under water.     As there has been less and less focus on it in the United States, what we found so poignant was what the ever eloquent @KalToons noted about the state of Mother Earth right now: 



Earth Under Siege (Courtesy @KalToons) 


We could not help but be amused by this on the State of the Media in the United States as Fox News continued its' jealous advocacy of President Trump's agenda and as Sinclair builds out its' Media Empire: 

How Broadcasting is Under Siege (Beyond @FoxNews Courtesy @KalToons) 

As Syria Burns, Iran continues to deal with the aftermath of the protests, Turkey continues to attack Syria's Kurdish Region, Yemen continues to burn--there is Palestine.    The Israeli Defense Minister came out to say there is no crisis in Gaza as Israel continues its' blockade of it--and as Gaza Hospitals have shut down based on the latest out of intifada.      In the aftermath of the President's Decision regarding Jerusalem, this was published by Ahmed Tibi as Vice President Pence was in the region and the Arab members of the Knesset were manhandled and taken out: 

What will Trump ask next from the Palestinians? Their consent to living under apartheid - and to say thank you? Opinion @Ahmad_tibihttps://t.co/tlqgq6aQy3


This was also an interesting snapshot of the State of our World especially as threats loom large in the World Economy: 










We also hope all take heart with these thoughts complied by @Jonathan Lockwood Huie that we find inspiring and have featured throughout our properties: 



If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars. - Rabindranath Tagore

Your success and happiness lies in you.
Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. - Helen Keller

Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie





Remaining ever so hopeful....

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): @ElonMusk-When He Proved EveryOne Wrong - MUST WATCH

For this edition of Notations, we decided to feature one of our heroes, Elon Musk. Please enjoy this clips:














Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On the Recent Stock Market Sell-Off


Our team has been assessing the state of the markets as we received this from Edward Jones as our team continues to remain hopeful as epitomized by this image from our Founders' Archive


4 Things to Know About This Market Pullback

The stock market has pulled back in recent days, with U.S. equities posting their largest drop in two years. The size and speed of the selloff may feel alarming, but there's no cause for panic. We believe conditions are more positive than the reaction of the past few days would suggest, which is why we think this is a short-term respite within the ongoing bull market. Here are four things to know about this pullback: 
1. The source of this selloff isn't sinister. We think there are two primary drivers behind the decline:

  •  
  • Rising rates - Interestingly, it's actually good news behind the market move. A 17-year low in unemployment and continued solid job growth have begun to spur a lift in wages. Last week's jobs report showed that, after averaging 2.2% growth since 2010, wages increased at the strongest rate since 2009. This, however, began to foster fears of rising inflation, leading to concerns that the Federal Reserve will tighten policy faster, sending longer-term interest rates to their highest level since 2014. Stocks have reacted negatively as expectations of higher rates have been re calibrated across equity market values. 
  •  
  • Pent-up selling - It had been more than 400 days since the last 5% pullback. In fact, the largest drop in 2017 was just 2.8%. With stocks delivering strong, steady gains over the past two years, with no noteworthy dips along the way, we think this selloff is likely being exacerbated by pent-up selling demand and short-term profit taking.

    2. We've seen similar knee-jerk reactions before. The daily point declines in the Dow appear staggering, but this is not uncharted territory. We've experienced similar sharp reactions in the market in recent years, with short-term selling giving way to healthy rebounds as the dust settled and markets reconnected to broader fundamental conditions:*

  •  
  • In August 2015, the market fell 11.2% in about a week, with the Dow shedding 1,879 points in six days, including an intraday drop of 1,100 points. The stock market had a return of 12.5% over the next three months. 
  •  
  • Stocks dropped 12.0% in the first six weeks of 2016, including a seven-day stretch in which the Dow dropped 1,375 points. The market then gained 13.5% over the following three months. 
  •  
  • Following the Brexit vote in June 2016, stocks dropped 5.3% in three days, including an 871-point drop for the Dow. Stocks posted a return of 8.6% over the next three months.

    We don't think this precludes the market from further volatility in the coming days or weeks, but we do think this dust will settle as well.
    3. The fundamentals are actually improving. Over short periods of time, markets can frequently be led by headlines and emotion. But over time, we expect economic conditions and the direction of corporate earnings to drive performance. The U.S. economy is near full employment, consumer and business sentiment has risen dramatically, manufacturing and service activity is at multi-year highs, and GDP growth in 2018 is poised to be the strongest since 2015. Similar trends are playing out around the globe, where recent data suggest economic growth is on the upswing. Equally positive, corporate profits are rising at a healthy clip, with earnings expected to rise at a double-digit pace this year.
    Not all market pullbacks are created equal. Corrections driven by emerging cracks in the economic foundation can turn into bear markets as a recession emerges and corporate profits decline. But pullbacks that occur against the backdrop of sustained economic expansion and rising corporate profits - as is the case currently - present attractive opportunities for long-term investors.
    4. Perspective prevents panic. Even with the recent decline, stocks are simply back to the level we were at roughly two months ago. More importantly, equities are still up an incredible 47% over the past two years.* We just concluded the longest stretch on record without a 3% pullback. So while this selloff may feel extraordinary, we're coming off an extraordinary rally. The return to more normal levels of volatility may feel uncomfortable, and while we think volatility will be the norm rather than the exception moving forward, we think the broader bull market still has gas left in the tank.
    Market pullbacks don't come with an expiration date. But when the market's fundamental underpinnings are strong, we do know that declines are typically temporary. After an extended period of record-high stock prices and record-low volatility, the current dip offers an opportunity to:1. Review your situation, comparing your portfolio and your progress to your goals to ensure you're still on track.
    2. Reassess your tolerance for risk, making sure you're comfortable with your level of risk and that it is aligned with your long-term strategy.
    3. Rebalance, where appropriate. Staying the course may mean no action is necessary. At the same time, we think the market's decline is creating an attractive opportunity to rebalance to the mix of equity and fixed income appropriate for your situation, including (where appropriate) capitalizing on the pullback.
    Your financial advisor understands what's important to you and uses an established process in partnering with you to help keep you on track. Working with him or her will help you understand how this market reaction may impact your situation and actions you can take to stay well-positioned toward your goals. 
    Craig Fehr, CFA
    Investment Strategist
    *
    Source: Bloomberg, S&P 500 index total return. Past performance is not a guarantee of what will happen in the future.