On The Prowl For the Day (With Updated Comments on Late Breaking Developments)

It has been quite a morning already in Washington.    It is ever so worrisome as our team has been assessing the aftermath of Congressman Kevin McCarthy dropping out of the race to replace the House Speaker.   It was horrifying to me personally as I heard one of the members of the House Freedom Caucus on changes that is necessary and I noted now the "Tyranny of the Minority" seems to be the order of the day in Washington right now.    It is of profound concern as the nature of Government is itself and the issue of Governing itself.  I went into the #Outsider archives to assess the "Conservative" read on why the Speaker resigned--although he did issue a statement that he will stay until a new House Speaker is elected--and as Donald Trump just "chimmed" in taking credit by saying how everything is a "mess" in Washington: 

Sept. 25, 2015
NEWS 6 Times John Boehner Clashed With Conservatives John Boehner, who announced he would leave Congress by the end of October, was elected as House speaker in 2011. He's clashed with conservatives on several occasions since then. Read More
NEWS Former Speaker Newt Gingrich Explains Why John Boehner Resigned Gingrich left the speakership in 1999 with members of Congress frustrated by his leadership, similar to the circumstances facing Boehner. Watch the Video
NEWS 37 Tweets About John Boehner's Resignation Twitter was buzzing Friday morning as news spread about Boehner's resignation. Read More
NEWS Flashback: John Boehner Boasted of 'Broad Support' Just Two Months Ago Facing a motion to remove him as speaker, Boehner pushed back at his critics in July. Watch the Video
NEWS Meet the Man Who Challenged John Boehner's Speakership The Daily Signal visited Rep. Mark Meadows last month while home in his Western North Carolina district. He reflected on his decision to present a motion to oust Boehner. Read More
COMMENTARY

I am glad to see Peter King of New York notes how Donald Trump is a "funny guy", but this is not a funny matter--and so glad he's noting that America is turning into a "banana republic".    The Tyranny of the Minority is ever so in evidence--and it is of profound concern.

Beyond the National Concern our team is focused on,  I have also been assessing some late breaking developments here in our home base of Orange County about a shortage of Skills that Orange County seems to be facing which we will talk about in our Community Channel.   It is also of note that Cities have begun the process of recruiting for Commisions and Committees.  The City of Laguna Niguel has already begun the process and other will be following suite.

As I was supporting the work of #Outsiders and other projects, I could not help but wonder about this admonition and whether the  +GOP  can truly live up to the admonition noted below--This is why I am supporting #Outsiders so that the conversation can be changed:

 My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right. ~ Sophocles

As A New Week Dawns in #Outsiders: On-Going Thoughts.....

It was quite a busy weekend throughout #Outsiders as we "hit the Virtual Ground Running".  On the Business front, I was personally not too surprised as Walmart continued to rightsize and American Apparel declared bankrupcy.    It was also tragic to see the demise of Haagan's that will result in some 11 stores closing in Orange County.   I will never forget the face of a long-time Vons employee who decided to stay with Haagan's.    Yet, Albertson is planning to go public.

I was quite proud to see the City of Laguna Niguel announcing a "Jr. Statesman" program which our team will be releasing an update in our Community Channel, South County Matters, within the next day or so.   I have also been quite amazed at how the City of Laguna Niguel has been so committed to the safety of Pedestrians as the Community gears up for National Walk-To-School Day and the on-going Community Service Initaitive for Pedestrians on-going at the Traffic Commision which I currently serve as the Vice Chair.   It is also exciting times in South County as the developments of the Downtowns in Mission Viejo, Dana Point and Laguna Niguel continue 

I have also been quite interested in the race for the House Speaker as I saw this from the Heritage Foundation's Daily Caller:

Oct. 5, 2015
NEWS Meet the Underdog Republican Running for Speaker of the House House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy may have emerged as the frontrunner in the race for speaker of the House, but Florida Rep. Daniel Webster is emboldening his Republican colleagues to buck leadership's status quo in favor of a new approach to legislating. Read More
NEWS Jason Chaffetz Announces Speaker Bid: Americans Don't Want 'Status Quo,' but for 'Us to Fight' "We were entrusted by the American people with the largest majority the Republicans have ever had since Babe Ruth was swinging the baseball bat." Read More

I think the Fortune's Geoff Colvin was rigtht in his daily "Power sheet" that our team has featured as part of its' on-going curation in the Education Channel that the outgoing Speaker, John Boehner can make history.     What I found disturbing was this comment by Jason Chaffetz that the American People want them to "fight".   I respectfully disagree with it--The American People want you guys to govern.       I was not too impressed with Mr. Chaffetz during the planned parenthood meeting as he ended the meeting with a chart supposedly from Planned Parenthood--which ended up being from an Anti-Abortion Organization.       On the Presidential Front, I am amazed by the continued rise of Senator Sanders as he draws bigger and bigger crowds.    

Beyond the beauty and majesty of Orange County and the challenges of US Politics, it is also a World that is burning around us.    One interesting piece of news was (and our team will be working to assess it) was the agreement on the Transpacific Partnership that would create a free trade zone with 11 countries that encompass 40% of the World's Trade (and encompass the Countries of "NASIIM" we're rolling out).      There is also the inferno of the Middle East too.      Russia is now "all in" in Syria as Israel again is under siege and potentially facing a third Intifada by Palestinians.    This Haaretz Editorial I saw was quite telling in how the Israeli Prime Minister was taken to task:

An article has been sent to you from Haaretz.com:

Netanyahu: A PM detached 
from reality

There is no question Israel Matters--and this interesting tidbit our team was analyzing underscored this:

Hi , Of the many peoples and issues that comprise today’s Middle East, few are as fascinating – or as complicated – as those that define Israel. The threats and challenges to Israel’s existence and territory are many – including an aspiring nuclear power in Iran, the proximity of Islamic State jihadists in Syria, or even closer to home, where policies toward or adopted by Palestinians are a source of perennial tension. No study of current events in the Middle East is complete without an understanding of the pivotal, frequently controversial role that Israel plays in this region. Add to your own insights on the issues with this FREE e-book, “The Geopolitics of Israel: Biblical and Modern.”

It will be quite an interesting week......

Working Away & remembering ever to "Dance"......

The new quarter has gotten off ot a fast and furious start.    Our team was busy with the Musical Interlude this week with Herb Alpert as it also finished Notations on the horrific tragedy in Oregon earlier.    I also caught President Obama's News Conference that was quite a tour-de-force on Syria, Gun Violence and lessons learnt on the Visit of the Holy Father that our team had the privilege to comment on--about being better and the urge and need to serve--and the need to be responsible in Government.     

As I had the privilege to support the work of #Outsiders, I also took a moment of pause to once again borrow from the archive that the team has of thoughts from a must read for us:  +Jonathan Huie  which I wanted to share with all that goes to the heart of the purpose of life:

 

When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor.

It's to enjoy each step along the way.

- Wayne Dyer

Life may not be the party we hoped for,

but while we are here we might as well dance.

- Anonymous

On the Dawn of a New Quarter: Brief Thoughts & a Prayer.....

It is the dawn of a new Quarter.    This is my 50th Post since I launched this 'Corner'.    I ran across this checking my personal Twitter feed from a Twitter Friend this morning:

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. pic.twitter.com/p3prAQvMUR

— ThomScott (@ThomScott) October 1, 2015

It gave me a profound pause as I continue to work on and support the on-going development of #Outsiders.   It has been an intersting journey to say the least as we take a contemplative day.  

I begin this new quarter with the Prayer of St. Francis and the Lord's Prayer:   


   

    
May it be so for all.......   

On the Eve of a New Quarter.....

Our team sat down to assess the Quarter.    As the team finished off two special edition of "Notations", it decided to end the Quarter by featuring a Quarter-End Musical interlude of Kygo.   I hope all who visit enjoy it when it is available tomorrow on the properties of the #Outsiders.

It has been quite a Quarter as I look forward to working on the continued trasnformation of Outsiders with a number of the exciting projects including the launch of the "NASSIM" countries, The UN Global Goals, comment on the work of organizations like the Climate Reality Project and the Main Street Partnership as the US Election Cycle gathers steam and as we also continue to assess the Technological Evolution we are witness to.  

As I finish off some late work in #Outsiders, I decided to borrow this from the #Outsider Vault courtesy of +Jonathan Huie as noted below as we look forward to the new quarter:

Winding Down the Quarter: Thoughts On #Iran, #US & Other Thoughts

It has been an interesting morning already here in #Outsiders.   As the team finished off Notations & Newsflashes and worked on the Daily Twitter Curations, one very interesting newsflash caught my eye.    i24News reported (and I released it to my personal Twitter Feed) on a handshake between President Obama and The Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Zarif at the UN.    One of the "dead-enders" in Tehran objected to it because he felt that a "red line" was crossed.     I am not sure when being polite was wrong--but it appears to be the case with the dead-enders in Tehran.

I also saw some reports that President Rouhani was undern pressure to return to the Tehran.  He did cut his trip short to go back to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy in Saudi Arabia as the death Toll and the missing continues to rise:



This is as he reviewed the troops accompanied by his First Vice President before going into meetings on this.      This is also as our team was reviewing the latest disturbing reports out of Afghanistan as Kunduz fell to the Taliban as President Ghani of Afghanistan ordered a counterattack.    It was ironic that US Warplanes were bombing Kunduz as they did in 2001 as the team also reviewed reports of a rethink in further drawdowns of US Troops in the country.

Beyond the inferno in that part of the World, there is the political inferno in the United  States.   The team finished a notation on it as the scramble for "Cash" and "poll numbers' continues.    Just this morning an appeal for Jeb came out under President George H.W. Bush, Jeb's Father as another one yesterday came out from George P. Bush, his son who is serving as Texas Land Commissioner and will mor than likely run for Governor.       This is also as stories continue on Hillary Clinton's slide in the polls and the continued speculation over the Biden Candidacy.    Our team had decided to refrain from direct commentary--but with the Speaker's resignation and the looming deadline of a new Fiscal Year, it is becoming quite interesting to say the least.

Interesting times as we look to a new quarter......

As a New Week Begins: On #Outsiders & thoughts on #Beauty & #Failure

It was another intersting and challenging weekend on the political front with the Speaker of the House resigning.   It was such a joy to support the release of Notations being witness to history as the Holy Father was in the United States.  Our team released the last update on his trip late last night.

It is going to be another interesting week.     I wanted to step back while enjoying the Lunar Eclipse last night here in Orange County (our home) to reflect upon the true beauty of our World as the team was gracious enough to let me borrow this from one of the team's "Must Reads" from this selection from +Jonathan Huie  which was quite "poignant" to me that I wanted to release on the eve of a new week and as we wind down a very interesting Quarter and gear up for the 4th Quarter throughout the #Outsider Properties: 

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.

- Franz Kafka 

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,

we must carry it with us or we find it not.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I also wanted to note forget this admonition (which I reminded the team of) from one of my personal favorites I look at daily , Darren Hardy of +SUCCESS Magazine  which is one of my personal reads and the team released a "View of the Week" on it over the weekend in the Education Channel:

FAILURE.

While most people make the mistake of avoiding failure whenever possible, I want you to do the opposite.

Run right at it, and seek as much failure as you can!

This is why (and how it played a huge role in my own success!):

Action for today: Go to post

Onward with the New week!!!

:-)

Working Away: Some Mid-Week Notations (On Yogi Berra & Other Thoughts)

It has been an interesting morning here at our Virtual Studios.     The Pope has been at the White House, we got word on the Pardon of the Al Jazeera Journalists and our team has been tracking the latest from Indian Prime Minister Modi.

I was a bit saddened at first when I saw the report earlier this morning on the passing of Yoggi Berra. I personally was a profound fan of his "Yoggism"--but I also think that we should not be saddened by the passing of such men.  We have to celebrate it.   For me, the one is probably the most classic of all as his wife asked him where he wanted to be buried.  His answer: "..I don't know....surprise me".  I nearly fell out of my chair in laughter.     I just looked up his classics that the team +BrainyQuote  put together which I hope all enjoy: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra.html

As I was pounding the Virtual Pavement, though, I ran across this courtesy of the team at GiveMore that does some great work in the areas of Motivation and giving all a moment of pause and yes, "To Think..."--what #outsiders is about in the final analysis:     

"Think of a flabby person covered with layers of fat. That is what your mind can become - flabby, covered with layers of fat till it becomes too dull and lazy to think, to observe, to explore, to discover ... not wanting to be disturbed or questioned into wakefulness." – Anthony de Mello   "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie - deliberate, contrived, and dishonest - but the myth - persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." – John F. Kennedy   "The softminded person always wants to freeze the moment and hold life in the gripping yoke of sameness." – Martin Luther King, Jr

Personal Thoughts On the Occasion of the Release of "We're All Mexicans" (With A Brief Update)

As the debate over the comments by Mr. Trump and Dr. Carson has continued to occupy the "punditry" class, one very cute clip I ran across undermined this by the ever so talented Emilio Estefan who happens to be the husband of Gloria Estefan:

The message is just simply too powerful to ignore.     The lack of regard for the Constitution, the contribution of immigrants and the essential history of the country is just beyond the pale.  The latest manifestation of it was late last night on Fox News.     I reflected upon this on my personal Facebook page late las night as I simply noted that we shall and will overcome this sense of bigotry and ignorance.   As I thought about the debate, I looked up this old clip from "Newsroom" that is compelling beyond words--Mr. Trump, Dr. Carson et. al should listen to it again and again: 



As I supported the team's effort with the daily curation and social grid updates, my mind could not help but be inspired by the Holy Father's reminder to many of us that we were all Foreigners once and it was critical for all to remember this fact to aspire to transform America.

On This World Peace Day 2015....

Monday is #PeaceDay! Share this image & post what you are doing for peace http://t.co/dxonbgAf3t pic.twitter.com/NLwkxUqfo7

— United Nations (@UN) September 20, 2015

I had the pleasure to share this on my Personal Twitter Feed earlier tonight as I work away on  commitments in #Outsiders.    At times, it does not seem that anyone can do anything right now with the Syrian Inferno.    This is as the World is witness to the indignities the Refugees are suffering at the hands of Europe.  

Challenging times....

On the Eve of a New Week: On #Gratitude, #Youth, #Faith & Other Thoughts

It has been an interesting weekend of reflection as I continued to support the curation of releases on this working weekend in Outsiders and gearing up for the new week.    It was also a moment of pause for me to be thankful as I continue to support the evolution of Outsiders over the ensuing weeks.   I joined a number of Community leaders for the afternoon yesterday to honor the achievements of the "Trailmasters" of Troop 772.  It is such an honor to see leadership in action.  I captured this scene as the leaders kept a watchful eye on the Scouts swam, surfed and had a fantastic time.   

There is a lot going on in our World right now which will be the immediate focus for us here @ # Outsiders including the UN General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative, the visit of the Holy Father and the on-going challenges our team has been in focus on.     I did catch this Sunday's Meet The Press and was disturbed by the comments by Ben Carson on noting that Muslims should not be President.   It was very gratifying to hear the conservative stalwart Hugh Hewitt remind all that Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution has no litmus test for those to run for office.  I made it a point of tweeting my thanks to him.

As the team finished off a View of the Week on Gratitude, I wanted to share this I ran across this morning that was so perceptive from Senator Corey Booker:

“Before you speak to me about your religion,
first show it to me in how you treat other people.
Before you tell me how much you love your God,
show me in how much you love all His children.
Before you preach to me of your passion for your faith,
teach me about it
through your compassion for your neighbors.”

It is quite a lesson to be taken to heart by us all.    

Onward!!! :-) 

Thoughts On The Eve of another Working Weekend....

It was such a joy to support the team in choosing and releasing the Friday Musical Interlude and the selections for the very talented Iranian American Singer, Rana Mansour. I can't help but reflect upon a very challenging week as we were witness to quite a show this week on the political circuit with the GOP candidates.

I could not help but be amused by how Fiorina seems to have emerged as the "flavor of the day".    The debate and the aftermath has been discussed to death by the "punditry" and some of the after-thoughts are not worth even the time of day being mentioned here.    Our team will provide a monthly update on the state of the campaign starting next month in the aftermath of the first Democratic Debate.    

Despite disagreements I have with all the candidates, I can't help but admire the courage of all who throw themselves out there.    With the myriad of forms, the 24x7 scrtunity they have to endure, I can't help but wonder--why do it?    When you get in, what then?    What I did find quite telling was this exchange about Fiorina as she criticized Hillary Clinton for her campaign:      



What I found laughable was how still even today there are people in the United states don't believe Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. 

As our team assessed the "day" and worked on the twitter feeds it was also quite telling how Republicans had also descended on South Carolina to attend a 6-Hour Heritage Action Event which Mr. Trump backed out of due to what the Campaign called a "business transaction" in the aftermath of the birther question noted last night.     I will only note this:  Some of the Republicans may well make it to a Republican President's Cabinet including George Pataki and Chris Christie.  In the meantime, though, the business of Government has to continue as a budget battle looms which our team will continue to monitor.   We also will be sharing thoughts on the visit of Pope Francis slated for next week.

The team allowed me to once again borrow this from +Jonathan Huie to underscore the spirit of what #outsiders and about the possibilities:  

The most difficult thing is the decision to act,

the rest is merely tenacity.

The fears are paper tigers.

You can do anything you decide to do.

You can act to change and control your life;

and the procedure, the process is its own reward.

- Amelia Earhart

The only way to discover the limits of the possible is

to go beyond them into the impossible.

- Arthur C. Clarke 

Working Away......

It has been an interesting 24 hours yet again.     The team worked on some initial GOP "post-debate" thoughts as the punditry class on the right and the left continues its' analysis.   One of the key interesting talks points was on Religious Liberties as the case of the Kentucky County Clerk was brought up.     It was striking as I ran across this during my own daily review on the "Grid":

As the work in #Outsiders continues, I could not help but take comfort in this I saw on my Personal Twitter Feed from the always perceptive +Jonathan Huie which I also released to my personal Pineterest & Facebook pages earlier as we continue to assess our World here in #outsiders and work on long-term plans:

There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi http://t.co/SZtiVxxTMr pic.twitter.com/AptQkaAfUx

— Jonathan L. Huie (@jonhuie) September 17, 2015

On the Prowl w/A "tip of the week" To Enjoy :-)

I enjoy reading up the work by Stratfor.      They did a nice job putting this together which I wanted to share with all:

Hi , As confusing as global affairs may seem at times, the behavior and policies of different countries can be reasonably easy to predict if you follow a method – and especially if you understand the implications of geography. Predicting the behavior of people is much more difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. Certain principles apply almost universally to the human race -- including the hierarchy of loyalties that define identity and the different effects that wealth or poverty have on one’s long-term thinking. Learn the principles that geopolitical futurists apply to predicting the events and trends that will define the world with these FREE slides.

On the "Prowl" For the Day: On #Iran, #Democracy & Other Thoughts

As I work away supporting @DailyOutsider, I carved out a bit of time to catch a Boy Scouts Live Stream on JTE "Journey to Excellence" as I shared it also on my personal Twitter feed earlier.  I have   the pleasure to serve as a Boy Scout Leader managing the website for Troop 772 in Laguna Niguel California.   The insights shared is quite interesting to insure the leaders of tomorrow through the creation of Scoutbook to support the development of the Youth that our team decided to report on in the #Outsider Community Channel South County Matters earlier today.

I also continued working on supporting the team as Notations were released on the Iran Deal on the debate in Iran in Education and on being Witness to Democracy as we await the Republican Debate on +CNN  later on this evening.    It was quite interesting to me as the new leader of the Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, decided to "Crowdsource" the Prime Minister Question time as he did.    

I wanted to conclude these thoughts with this I just saw on my personal Email which I found to be gratifying from the team +Global Zero which speaks volumes on the power of Social Media that is ever so fascinating to be witness to:

Daily Notations While Working Away: On Our World, #Turkey, #Iran & Other Thoughts

It has been an interesting 24 hours yet again as I worked on supporting the team with the Daily Social Grid curation and assessing our World.    I was not too shocked as I saw Tony Abbott in Australia being toppled by Malcolm Turnbill which I hope will see a more sensible Australia emerging after the chaotic time in Australia.  I suppose when Tony Abbott lost Rupert Murdoch, it was only a matter of time.    Australia is the "A" in the "NASIIM" concept our team is working on which will be a regular series in #Outsiders.    I have also been fascinated by the latest out of Singapore (The "S") as they just had elections.  

What I continue to be worried about is the inferno engulfing the Middle East.   As our team continues to review the horrific daily reports, it again brought home to me personally the gut-checking article Walter Russell Mead did for the Wall Street Journal.   I wanted to again release this here from his own Twitter Feed for all to review:

We are witnessing today a crisis of two civilizations: the ME and Europe. Immigration is where the two collide. http://t.co/2B3pzTjnvv

— Walter Russell Mead (@wrmead) September 11, 2015

His article was a hard read for me especially in the way he characterized Iran and Turkey.   Turkey is continuing the path of self-destruction after so much achievement during the enlightened years of AKP rule as Edrogan is continuing a misguided policy that is on the verge of tearing the country apart with an economy that is teetering, a security situation that is perilous and the inferno of the Kurdish insurgency that continues in such a profound way.   I commend the team at +BipartisanPolicy as they released this which I received on my personal inbox that underscores another domino that would fall:

Political, Ethnic Violence Tearing Turkey Apart Is Turkey on the brink of civil war? Both Turkish and foreign commentators have asked, following the collapse of the two-and-a-half year ceasefire between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The renewed conflict is playing out both within and outside Turkey’s borders, as Turkish warplanes bomb PKK camps in Northern Iraq and PKK militants launch attacks in Turkey’s cities. The intensification of violence has claimed the lives of at least 70 Turkish servicemen and hundreds of PKK fighters since July, causing widespread concern that Turkey may be returning to the violent conflict that consumed much of the 1980s and 1990s. The renewed violence is having disastrous spillover effects in Turkish society, encouraged by the charged rhetoric of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), that threaten to tear the social fabric of the country apart. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Turkey Task Force warned of this possibility in itsfirst report, stating that failure to address Turkey’s remaining democratic deficits, particularly the Kurdish question, could cause Turkey to “fall victim to some of its unresolved social tensions, potentially destabilizing the country and setting back its political and economic progress as well as its aspirations for regional influence.” If allowed to continue, this could lead to the “Syrianization” of Turkey, bringing ethnic conflict once again to Europe’s doorstep.

 I hate to use the "Domino" analogy--but the old rules and new alignments do not apply as we are witness to the profound implosion of the Middle East.  

On the "Virtual Run" w/Daily Outsiders: Personal Thoughts 4 the Night......

It has been a challenging 24 hours in our World as the World has yet again been witness to atrocities beyond the pale.    As I worked away supporting the work of the Daily Outsiders, I released two personal tweets which I wanted to report on here:

😓😓😓 as I reviewed this on Death in #Syria - The New York Times http://t.co/RwGgdMFKEC

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) September 14, 2015

Don't mind noting driven to tears by this: Our lives were saved by #Lebanon: the people who fled #Syria – in pictures http://t.co/jImz5Ch2rN

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) September 15, 2015

As the World has been witness to death and destruction, what especially struck me was the story of the 10-year little girl and the fact that she started a school.      

I just saw a Tweet cross my desk whereby a migrant boat heading to Greece from Turkey sinks and 13 are dead.   When can we make sure that there are no stories like Barra?