Thursday, June 1, 2017

Notations On World (Special @POTUS watch Edition): On the #ParisAgreement

President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S. role in the Paris climate change accord, Thursday, June 1, 2017, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)






President Trump has made it official--The US is exiting the climate accord and laid out his case affirming his view that this is an "America First" Strategy.    CNN curated reactions as the President Spoke--The statement concluded with the EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, praising the President's Decision:




.




Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Notations From the Grid (May 2017 M-End Edition): On #Afghanistan ; @ParisAgreement; #Russia & @POTUS

The deadly attack at the heart of the Afghan Capital, Kabul, underscores the continued challenge being faced in Afghanistan as the United States continues to fight on:



The close promixity to the Presidential Palace and key embassies shows a failure at the highest level of intelligence as the Taliban continue their onslaught and as the Islamic State continues to make inroads.    

Beyond Afghanistan, there is the Paris Agreement.   Our team released a special edition of Notations as we were seeing reports of President Trump's decision to withdraw from Paris as he noted in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Vietnam he's "....hearing from a lot of people...believe me...".   The agreement was signed by all with the exception of Nicaragua and Syria.   The European Union and China are issuing a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to the agreement tomorrow as the President seems to buy the arguments advanced by his EPA Adminstratior and 22 US Senators who have made economic arguments against the deal.     

In the meantime, there is of course the Russia investigation that is continuing onward.   Subepenaos have gone out as The Fired FBI Director is slated to testify next week apparently noting that President Trump pressured him over the Russia Investigatoin.      What was also interesting and "Buried" in the same digital front page of the Washington Post was a move by Former Vice President Biden to set up a potential 2020 run.    That would be quite interesting to be witness to as the current @POTUS deals with his own on-going struggles.

It is bound to be a very challenging June 2017 indeed....


Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On #ParisAgreement

Image result for Paris Agreement

There have been multiple reports that President Trump has decided to pull out of Paris Agreement  in some measure due to a letter from 22 US Republican Senators lead by the US Senate Majority Leader.   It was interesting that pleas from the G7, a majority of US Corporations and a majority of the people was not taken into account along with this plea from the UN Secretary General:

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Notations From the Gird (May 2017 M-End Edition): On @POTUS; Middle East & Other Thoughts

It was quite an interesting Memorial Day Week End here in the United States.  The President of the United States  returned to Washington after a whirlwind of a Trip.   Some note that he struck largely to script and there were no major gaffes.   However, Chancellor Merkel gave a speech noting how the United States was not to be trusted and relied upon as a partner underscoring the apparent damage the President has done not withstanding the view from the White House.

Meanwhile, back in the United States,   The  Republicans retained the House Seat in Montana.   As it goes in politics, a win is a win--however the net was about by 2 Percent that underscores the profound challenges the Republicans face as the Mid-terms are before us.    It must also be noted that meetings were held in Washington between The Trump Family , the Republican National Committee and the new PAC set up to advance the Trump Agenda as the President eyes the 2020 Re-election effort.    In the meantime, we have been seeing the Budget Blueprint by the Trump Administration work its' way through Congress with significant cuts to discretionary spending.    The Congressional Budget Office came out and noted that some 23 Million People will lose as a result of the American healthcare act--and as the CBO painted a dark picture in the out years. The President, though,  talked about a "good shutdown" earlier as the Administration begins negotiations with Congress on the debt limit increase. It was also of profound concern as the President signed an Executive Order directing the Department of the Interior to assess National Memorial Declarations done under Presidents Clinton, Bush 43 and Obama with an eye towards a rollback.    There is also the Comey Firing and its' aftermath and how Vice President Pence has been trying to cover for President Trump--it was curious how he was out of the limelight for the past 10 days or so--although he was featured on the White House YouTube Channel a number of times.   There is also the talk of "Tax Reform" which all indications are will benefit the richest in the United States.   Steve Rattner noted this in a column on how dangerous it is going to be.     The President's Son in Law and key advisor was also a focus of coverage as investigations continue to gather steam.  



A new "mid-year" budget was passed with Democratic Support  as 103 House Republicans broke with the President.     What is of note is this "snapshot" of the Trump Budget was telling as the Economist of London underscored the reality, although there are  11 initiatives proposed that may survive the budget that has been already declared "DOA": 




Over the Week-End, J-Street released this with some of the rumors about a potential move towards Middle East Peace as "Iran Bashing" was the order of the day:

  • Palestinian sources report that presidential envoy Jason Greenblatt, who returned to the region immediately after the president's trip, is proposing a summit next month between President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
  • Israel’s Channel 10 reports that the Trump team was not satisfied by the economic package offered by Israel to the Palestinians last week and wants to see more. Specifically, they have apparently asked for areas in the northern West Bank to be re-designated from total Israeli control (Area C) to Palestinian administrative control (Area B).
  • The Times of Israel reports that a senior US official in a press briefing on Air Force One said that there is talk of establishing a “common set of principles” as a first step toward peace -- a step J Street has long supported.
  • Lastly, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reports that President Trump will announce a new peace initiative within a month.

Iran's Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, published an Op-Ed in the New York Times in direct response as interestingly enough the Emir of Qatar had a congratulatory call with President Rouhani.    What is of note, though, is how the Conservatives have begun their onslaught in the aftermath of the Elections.  The Head of the Judiciary went after Rouhani hard noting that Rouhani had no right to call for the release of the imprisoned leaders of the Green Movement.   This is as there was a comment attributed to another Conservative Activist noting that the the Foreign Minister had made an apparent agreement that Iran would have over the Commander of the Quds Force to the United States.   The Iranian Foreign Minstry Spokemsan threated immediate legal action as the Foreign Minister himself issued a sarcastic resopnse to this conservative activist on his Instagram Page.     It is bound to be interesting.

The G7 And Nato Conference was also quite a sight to be witness to.    The French President made it a point of noting that he was no "push over" as the coverage over German Chancellor Merkel noted over the Week End as she noted that US is no longer a reliable partner made headlines around the World..  President Macron also met with President Putin ostenibnly to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the visit of Peter the Great--as they had what President Macron deemed frank discussions.    In the meantime, China marched along as she  Launched "Belts and Bolts to resurrect the old Silk Road:



There was the discussions on Climate Change that  President Trump demurred on.     He said he would make a decision on it next week. The frustration by the World was captured by Professor Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton: 

"Other countries are going to get sick of us joining in, pulling out, joining in and pulling out and say, 'Are we really going to work with the U.S. on this anymore?'"

The challenge over Russia was underscored by this released by Professor Turley to his Blog over the Memorial Day Week-End: 


The Rise and Fall of H.R. McMaster

by jonathanturley
H.R._McMaster_ARCIC_2014One of the most damaged individuals from the various controversies surrounding President Donald Trump has been his National Security Adviser, General H.R. McMaster.  McMaster of course replaced the most damaged individual, General Michael Flynn who is now the subject of multiple investigations.  McMaster was brought in to bring professional and credibility to the position.  He was an excellent choice.  However, the use of McMaster to try (unsuccessfully) to deflect concerns of Trump's disclosure of highly classified information to the Russians destroyed much of his reputation in Washington.  Now, what remains of that reputation seems to be rapidly evaporating with McMaster's dismissive "not concerned" response to a high-level advisor (Jared Kushner) reportedly asked the Russians to create a secret, secure communications line  through their embassy or other location.  While that allegation does not appear a criminal violation in and of itself, it would a highly disturbing addition to an already troubling story on the close relations between the Trump officials and the Russians.  The former head of the NSA and CIA under Bush said that such a back channel would be both uncommon and dangerous.
It is bound to be a challenging June.....

Monday, May 29, 2017

On This Memorial Day 2017...and on the 100th Birthday of President Kennedy....

Our team is honored to share the following compilation of thoughts courtesy of @Jonathan Huie on all our properties: 





No one has been barred on account of his race
from fighting or dying for America,
there are no white or colored signs
on the foxholes or graveyards of battle.
- John F. Kennedy

Let us never negotiate out of fear.
But let us never fear to negotiate.
- John F. Kennedy

War will exist until that distant day
when the conscientious objector
enjoys the same reputation and prestige
that the warrior does today.
- John F. Kennedy

The basic problems facing the world today
are not susceptible to a military solution.
- John F. Kennedy

And so, my fellow Americans,
ask not what your country can do for you;
ask what you can do for your country.
- John F. Kennedy

Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet.
We all breathe the same air.
We all cherish our children's future.
And we are all mortal.
- John F. Kennedy

Saturday, May 27, 2017

View of the Week (Special Edition): Theater of War: A Warrior's Last Words

We salute all who have served as we appreciate the New York Times producing this--our team was extremely moved by this:

Friday, May 26, 2017

As We Go Dark For Memorial Day Week-End Here in the United States

Please enjoy these compilation of Thoughts we have decided to feature on all our properties  courtesy of @Jonathan Huie that underscores our sense of gratitude as a team for the opportunity to serve as we wish all in the United States a joyous and restful weekend:



With gratitude, all life appears as a blessing -
without gratitude, all of life
is perceived as a burden.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't
come as a result of getting something we don't have,
but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.
- Frederick Koenig

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Notations On Our World (Special @POTUS Watch Edition): On Healthcare & the Budget

CBO: Obamacare repeal bill would leave 23 million more
people without health insurance

As President Trump continues his travels, the challenges in Washington continue.   The Congressional Budget has just scored the American Healthcare Act:

New From CBO


    H.R. 1628, American Health Care Act of 2017

    CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the American Health Care Act would reduce federal deficits by $119 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 23 million in 2026 relative to current law.


    This is Congressman Mark Sanford noted his profound reservations about the Budget as reported by the Washington Post:

    A Freedom Caucus Republican says the foundation of the Trump budget is ‘a lie’
    "What it does is it perpetuates a myth that we can go out there and balance a budget without touching entitlements,” said Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) at a House Budget Committee hearing. “It's not only a myth, it's frankly a lie."
    By Mike DeBonis  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »



    Tuesday, May 23, 2017

    Thought For the Week: On Our World & Remaining Hopeful....

    It  has been a very challenging 24 hours in our World as we have been witness to the horrific attack in Manchester with live coverage on our Al Jazeera Feed on our main property at http://www.thedailyoutsider.com.    The UK Prime Minister, Teresa May, raised the threat level to critical as she prepared to order the Army into the streets.    We could not agree more as the World was reminded that love triumphs hate.   We also were witness as the Philippines was witness to the horror of Daesh (known as ISIS/ISIL in the west) as it laid stage to a major City in the southern Island of Mindanao.   The Philippine President declared Marshal Law and cut short a trip to Russia to return to oversee operations.   This is as our team continued to assess the travels of President Trump and on-going meetings for which our Social Media Team provided updates over out Twitter Channel (and our Founder was also quite busy on his personal Twitter Feed as well).  

    In this day, we decided to share this uplifting thought our team received courtesy of the Mission we will feature on all our properties as a sign of hope and optimism and note that "We Shall Overcome":


    The Mission

    You Can’t Sail If You Never Leave the Harbor

    A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. –Grace Hopper
    She knew something was wrong.
    Culture creates prisons, and she was trapped inside one.
    Teachers told her she wasn’t good enough. Professors told her the same, and she dropped out.
    Her father begged her to reconsider.
    But she wasn’t having any of it.
    Her father had a choice. He could try to guilt her into college and be content with her taking the “safe” path. Many people went in that direction, and some of them were happy. Or, he could make the heart-wrenching choice of encouraging his daughter to find her own path.
    If he simply gave her “freedom” or an easy path, it would be like giving her an inheritance. The easy way carried serious tradeoffs. The easy path carried diseases of comfort. He saw what those tradeoffs did to all the people around him.
    People became automatons seeking greater levels of comfort with reduced amounts of personal risk. They became angry at any minor disturbance or lapse in comfort. They were ready to lash out at the systems of cooperation or their peers the moment they felt anyone was getting more than their “fair share.” The thought of his daughter becoming one of those comfort-craving zombies made him shudder.
    He visualized her path in the short term, and didn’t want to see her struggle. But then he considered the long term, and thinking of her sacrificing her full potential was unbearable.
    Freedom had to be earned, in order to be appropriately valued.
    Individuality could only be forged in the furnaces of adversity.
    He heard the passion in his daughter’s voice, the yearning for freedom.
    So he presented her with a simple offer.
    “You can skip college.”
    The girl’s eyebrows raised. And her father knew what she wanted most… the family sailboat.
    “And I’ll give you the boat.”
    Her eyes lit up and a smile from ear to ear crept over her face.
    “But…” sighed her father.
    She was frozen in anticipation.
    “You have to sail it around the world.”
    She moved her lips to protest but he held up a finger.
    “No protests and no negotiation. You want freedom, and that’s wonderful. But you’ll have to face a challenge in order to earn it. The ocean and the real world are the best teachers I know.”
    The 26-foot boat glistened in the sun. In a mixture of fear, elation, and confusion, she spoke before she could think.
    “I’ll do it.”
    Her father’s heart sank but he knew he made the right choice.
    At 18 years old, with no formal training, no GPS, and no crew, Tania Aebi took that 26-foot boat and sailed around the world. She became the first solo female sailor to circumnavigate the world. She took a sextant for celestial navigation, a radio direction finder, and a few other simple supplies and embarked on a year and a half adventure.
    Sunset, Photo Twenty20.
    She faced storms, almost had her boat crushed, and came face to face with the ultimate enemy: herself and her mindset.
    She returned. Unscathed.
    Biologists have a term called neoteny. They use it to describe species they’re studying who retain juvenile features well into adulthood.
    Many of our cultural institutions have become training grounds for neoteny.
    More twenty and thirtysomethings live at home than ever before.
    Americans in the top 1% of global wealth whine about how they don’t have enough. Meanwhile, they have pocket supercomputers more powerful than the ones NASA used to get to the moon. Instead of using them to become learning machines, hike across the country, or connect with like minds to build new things, they use them to play games.
    Tania Aebi isn’t a household name. She’s not “rich” but she’s free.
    Your name doesn’t have to become “known.” You don’t have to do what the crowd does. All of us can become free, unique individuals through adversity. There are safe paths always waiting for us. There are those who profess to “love” us by helping keep us in comfort. Their fear of the unknown can keep us from the adventures that make life worth living.
    The challenge is to find and earn love from those willing to endure the pain of watching us struggle.
    The struggle doesn’t have to lead to a million or a billion dollars. Most of the world lives on a few dollars per day. When Elon Musk was taking jobs from the Canadian unemployment office, he taught himself to live on $2 a day (hotdogs and oranges) to remove his fear of poverty. Culture has an endless buffet of fears and hamster wheels for you to run on. Escape them and kill your fears with direct real-world experience.
    Take massive action, and then cut off any possibilities of regret. Face adversities and take full agency for your choices. Leave the safe harbor, but if you find yourself riding tumultuous waves or shipwrecked, don’t breathe a word of complaint. There are always gifts and lessons for those who take radical agency of their own lives.
    Culture wants to keep you infantile. Those who are addicted to comfort have an allergic reaction when they spend time around those who can ensure uncomfort. Do you want to be addicted to comfort, or addicted to achievement?
    While certain comfort-addicted neo-maniacs in the world worship “the coming machine singularity,” you can become a real singularity through facing and overcoming adversity.
    You can become a unique individual if you find someone who loves you enough to allow you to endure challenges. It won’t be easy, and it will mean intense isolation from most people. But do you want to be like most people?
    “It happens rarely, but whenever I do read a newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch television, on a variety of topics, I find myself wondering, “How? How can this happen? How can people be so gullible?”
    [I’m renewed with] gratitude to my father for having given me the chance to dodge full immersion in the homogenizing machine, and makes me more determined than ever to pass this gift of becoming an individual on to my own children.”
    — TANIA AEBI, world record holder, first circumnavigation of the world by a solo female sailor
    Don’t be afraid to leave the harbor.

    Notations On Our World (Special Tuesday Edition): On the Road w/ @POTUS, The Horror in #Manchester & the @POTUS Budget


    It has been a whirlwind as our team has been on the prowl assessing the latest out of the Middle East.  President Trump left for the Vatican after 27 Hours in Israel as the bashing of Iran continued and symbolism was the order of the day--and after what President Rouhani deemed a "Show" in Riyadh.      What is important to note was Professor Nasr's analysis on the Iranian Elections that seems to have been totally overlooked by President Trump in his comments--and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.    

    This is as the World was witness to the horrific attack in Manchester, the UK, as 22 innocent victims fell victim  to a horrific attack by what has now been reported to be a 22-Year Old Suicide Bomber named Salman Abadi--who is of Libyan origin.    Here are images of two of the victims:

    Saffie Roussos and Georgina Callendar

    We here at the Daily Outsider mourn all the victims and pray that their families are given the solace by the almighty to overcome this profound sense of grief.

    Meanwhile, in the United States, our team was working away assessing "Trumpnomics" as the budget was announced to build upon the "blueprint" laid out.      One telling sign of the Administration's Priorities is this--and our team will be featuring the full call to action on our "ordinary faces" property--one key point to note was that All agree that the President's Budget is "Dead on Arrival"  as the Budget deliberations begin for the new Year": 

    Today, the White House released a full budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018, an expanded version of the Administration's "skinny budget," which was released earlier this year.
    The Administration's full budget proposal provides the funds necessary to shut down the Corporation for National and Community Service over the course of the next year. If enacted, this budget would eliminate federal support for national service programs and have a devastating impact on the communities they serve every day. Click here to read our full statement on the White House budget proposal.

    What we also must note is the three special elections in Montana, North Carolina and Georgia.    As we went to press, we saw a new poll that gives the Democratic Aspirant a 7% edge in the run off--this is as we're seeing a close one in Montana--although North Carolina seems to showcase a return of another GOP candidate.

    In our quest to bring all views to light, we wanted to report on this we just received from the Bi-Partisan Policy Center that underscores the profound challenges the President's Budget faces as deliberations begin:

    BPC Experts Weigh In on Trump Budget
     
    Washington, D.C.– As President Donald Trump unveils his first budget proposal today, calling for a massive shift in government priorities, Bipartisan Policy Center experts weigh in on how the proposal would affect a range of specific policy areas.
     
    Watch our Facebook Live on the budget at 2pm ET.
    Tracy Terry, director of energy:

    "Given how critical the moment is for American innovators, we are disappointed to see the president's budget request suggests drastic cuts to programs with strong track records in job creation, economic growth, and energy security that are critical to capturing future opportunities."

    Bill Hoagland, senior vice president, and Katherine Hayes, director of health policy:
     
    "Policies that provide flexibility to providers to move toward patient-centered care have the potential to improve quality and lower Medicaid costs, without a widespread loss of coverage or reduced access to medical care."
     
    Steve Bell, senior advisor:
     
    "The FY18 budget will likely not fund the 350-ship Navy that Trump advocated last September while campaigning and cannot accommodate increases in troops for the Army and Marine Corps. It leaves uncertain such items as a new bomber and the future of advanced submarines."