Working Away In #Outsiders: Thoughts on #Apple & #Twitter & Other Thoughts....

It has been quite a morning here in #outsiders as the team finished off "Notations" and worked on the AM curation for the Twitter Channel.   I have also been listening to the Apple annoucement as there are some very interesting announcements including the iPhone SE.

It is also a milestone on the Tech Front as Twitter is 10 years old today.    I have been a fan of Twitter ever since the early years and despite the stumbles, I remain a fan and our team here @ #Outsiders values it ever more.   I got this Note and wanted to extend my congratulations to +Twitter as I look forward to supporting our team as our on-going work continues in serving our world to help transform the conversation about our World "One Notation, One Tweet & One Weibo" at a time:

Thank you! Ten years ago today, it began with a single Tweet. Since then, every moment of every day, people connect live about the things they care about most — all over the world. Throughout the years, you've made Twitter what it is today and you're shaping what it will be in the future. And for that, we thank you! Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St, Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94107

On A Very Interesting weekend: Working Away....

The team finished off a number of weekend editions of Notations in Outsiders as also the Twitter Daily Curation is continuing as I write these thoughts.    I was quite keen to see about what was going on in Iran as Khameini went to Mashad to make a speech and Rouhani made it a point of visit the Veterans of the War during the first day of the Iranian New Year.    Our team will be assessing Khamenei's Speech and Rouhani's Speech as we see what will happen in the New Year on the eve of a new Parliament conveying.    What happens in Iran matters.

Beyond Iran, there is the chaotic scene as the Election season is gathering pace.  As I was away on a Community commitment with the Scouts yesterday, I did not have personal visibility to the on-going predicament until I saw the team releasing the Notation on the US Election scene.   The violence and protests seem to be escalating and the Republican National Convention is bound to be quite entertaining and contentious with profound implications beyond.    I caught Governor Kasich of Ohio during my own assessment of the US Sunday Morning Talk Shows as he boasted confidence that he would be the nominee.    What I saw, though, from David Brooks from the New York Times underscored as powerful a case against Trump as I have seen after the strong word by the +National Review --Although I will grant Trump this point:  his numbers have kept rising so far:

No, Not Trump, Not Ever - The New York Times https://t.co/XZeOFyFjrJ

— Brasilmagic (@Brasilmagic) March 20, 2016

When Trump noted in a response to a question on MSNBC that "I listen to myself"--that in and of itself is a disqualification.   It is also quite disturbing to me how he has encouraged violence and not stepped up to make sure that the anger of the dispossessed as noted in David Brooks' Column is channeled to help change and not encourage riots and violence.          

As I have been assessing our World and the roadmap ahead, I ran across this that is quite timely in terms of the journey here in #Outsiders and what helps to drive the on-going development work here as I wish all a great Sunday and a great week:

Turn Failure into Innovation

Don’t fear failure. Fear missed opportunities.

Before Running Off on the eve of #Spring & #Nowruz.....

As I was finishing off my "Virtual Walk-About" I decided to pop into the Iranian Student Association at Penn State.    Their website is just fantastic to showcase what is beautiful about Iran as it showcased the poetry of Saaidi reminding us all that we are one:





It was also poignant as this beautiful clip they did that gave a tour of all the regions of Iran:


Happy Nowroz & Happy Spring.....

Working Away: On #ParisAttacks, #Music & #Nooroz

Today was quite a day as the World has been privy to a major operation to arrest one of the culprits of the Paris Attack.   As I have been working in support of #outsiders, I am also seeing a live news conference by the Belgian Prime Minister and the President of France as they underscored that they have conferred with President Obama .   I view it as a major development and made it a point of congratulating France and Belgium earlier on my personal twitter feed.     There are still questions that  have to be answered as to how this man could be roaming around for so long--but it is still a good day.   I view it as quite significant the Francois Hollande is there in Brussels

I also was witness to the beauty and appreciation of life this morning while on a morning community commitment at St. Timothy's Catholic Parish.  It was the twice-a-month restocking of the Parish Pantry which I had the privilege yet again to support.    As I left this service commitment, I was struck that I was witness to a funeral mass which I joined briefly.    It underscored all that we have to be thankful for and to be hopeful constantly.   I was reflecting upon this as I supported the curation of the network for the day.   It was also gratifying as the weekly interlude was selected as it was:  Frank Sinatra Jr.   I grew up with Frank Sinatra Sr.'s music and the striking resemblance was just beyond the pale.   The music will go on!!!!

It is also the first day of spring and the eve of Nowruz.    It is about renewal and again a sense of hope.  I conclude as I go "dark" for this Nowruz Week-End to say:  Happy Nowruz--Eid Shoma Mobarak.    We Persians underscore a simple wish:  May every day be successful for you all and all days be full of joy and Happiness.

  

On the Eve of St. Patricks' Day 2016.....

The team decided to welcome St Patricks' Day with a special edition of View of the Week that will be available on St. Patricks' Day on all the #Outsider Properties.   This is as I was assessing the day being witness to Donald Trump talking about Riots if he is not named the Republican Nominee and as I saw very disturbing reports of corruption in South Africa and Brazil.

The need to be optimistic and hopeful is ever so critical always.    I decided to share this prayer on the eve of St Patricks' Day -may we always be ever so lucky.   Don't forget to wear green tomorrow!! 

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

Working Away w/a Brief Thought On the True Possiblities....

The team was busy yet again tonight.     The team was gracious enough to allow me to share this "blast from the past"  from the #Outsider Facebook Page as the journey began: 

The literal meaning of this is: "...The darkest days will end and the Sun will come again....the best days are yet to come..."...ever so true...:-)
Posted by The Daily "Outsider" on Thursday, July 25, 2013

Onward!!

Working Away With Thoughts For the NIght On @realDonaldTrump, @GOP & Other Thoughts.....

Humans of New York Creator Brandon Stanton

It has been another busy day throughout the #Outsider properties.   It is the eve of what I call  "Super Dupper" Tuesday as a number of important states including Illinois, Ohio and a number of other states are voting--including the crucial State of Florida.       The #Outsider team will be assessing the results throughout the day on Wednesday.   Early Voting has been going on already.  

As I was working away, I saw reporting on a letter by the founder of Humans of New York which has garnered over 1.5 Million Likes on Facebook and has gained worldwide notoriety  the Trump juggernaut continues.    The letter truly captured my view in such a powerful way.    I am very glad to see Governor Kasich, Senator Rubio and Senator Cruz speaking out forcefully as they have.   I am not sure whether this will make a difference for the "Trumpista" Voters who seem not to care so far.     Sarah Palin joined the raucous earlier today.     Wednesday will determine the next phase.    This on the Sydney Morning Herald captured a very interesting video from the New York Times that is well worth seeing as well to underscore the hypocrisy of the Trump Campaign:

Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton pens open letter to Donald Trump

DAISY DUMAS 1:57pm | "I can confirm— the hateful one is you." So writes the man behind Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton, in an open letter to presidential hopeful Donald Trump that has so far been liked over a million times.

I noted in a visit on the Grid how scary it all was--and it is getting to be even more so and how disgraceful it is becoming.    I caught Bob Schiffer on CBS News and he underscored how the unknown will be quite detrimental as the Republicans may well potentially break up into two different parties.

    It is such a powerful letter that I decided to embed it here as I also saw this from Boris Yeltsin that I found especially poignant: “You can build a throne with bayonets,
but you can’t sit on it for long.” 

An Open Letter to Donald Trump:Mr. Trump,I try my hardest not to be political. I’ve refused to interview several of...
Posted by Humans of New York on Monday, March 14, 2016

Working Away w/Notations On the latest in #Outsiders and #hope.....

It has been a busy weekend here in #outsiders.  The team has been working away with Notations along with other thoughts.   It has also been a distressing 24 hours with attacks in Turkey and Ivory Coast.   This is also as the US Presidential Campaign has taken an unfortunate turn which is horrific.  I got into a Twitter feud with a Trump Supporter on this very question Friday Evening as the reporting in the aftermath of the Chicago riots took center stage around the World.    

As I was working away, I finished off this wonderful story on Medium (that I contribute to in support of @DailyOutsider which I note below and the entire link is also available by clicking here: 

Medium Daily Digest

---

PUBLISHED BY

AUTHORS AND PUBLICATIONS YOU FOLLOW

‘Facebook turned me down’ — the job rejection letter that turned into a $4 billion check

We’ve all been there — the job rejection that really stung, as with this tweet from Brian Acton in August of 2009…

… ¶ Brian was feeling a bit washed up. His 11 years as an early employee at Yahoo! was now two years in the past. ¶ He’d bounced from job to job in Silicon Valley’s startup land, and now he’d been…

in Life Learning, by Marc Cenedella

Such Stories are ones that inspire the art of the possible--one of the implicit ideas behind #Outsiders.    

What I took comfort in was this thought our team released to the Daily Outsider Facebook Page earlier to underscore a sense of believing some simple facts that President Kennedy reminded us all

A "Thought 4 the Weekend" to share....wishing all a great weekend.....
Posted by The Daily "Outsider" on Saturday, March 12, 2016

As I was assessing our World, supporting the work of #outsiders looking to the new week, I could not help but wonder whether all are truly understanding this or not.    The need to remain hopeful is ever so evident now.

Onward to the new week with all its' possibilities...

On the Eve of the weekend: Notations

It was quite a day in our World as the Prime Minister of Canada was welcomed at the White House and as the GOP went at it again.   Our team decided to be more upbeat as it featured selections from the artist of the week, Kygo,  as it continued its' on-going research for upcoming editions of Notations.

As I was finishing off an early round "on the grid", I ran across this from a Facebook Friend that blew me away: 

"I failed 3 times in college. I applied 30 times to get a job but I was always rejected. When KFC came to China for the...
Posted by Shahriar Shahabi on Thursday, March 10, 2016

Jack Ma is just fascinating as Alibaba continues to rise ever more.       As I reflected upon it further, I saw this that the team was gracious enough to let me release in my own notations--the story of #outsiders in some ways is about a belief in the art of the possible:

Be resolute in your goals,
but flexible in your tactics.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams

You must do the things you think you cannot do.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

In the midst of crisis, boldly seize opportunity.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 






Onward to the weekend with all its' possibilities.... 

Working Away On This Thursday w/Thoughts: On Mrs. Reagan, #Iran & @realDonaldTrump

It has been a retrospective day here in #Outsiders although our Social Media Team has been assessing the World and released a few other things It has been quite a day in our World as the World has been witness to quite a revelation as first reported by Britain's SkyNews on how #Daesh/#ISIS has been recruiting.   It was interesting how a report came out (that our team released on our Twitter Feed) On how some of the documents may be dubious.  It is also interesting how I just reviewed a report on CNN on how The US is getting ready to blame Iran for a cyber attack on a New York Dam in 2013--as Iran just tested two new long-range ballistic missiles which has raised ire in Congress.

I have been thinking about the Trump Phenomenon over the ensuing days as well as the punditry class continues its' discussions in anticipation of March 15.     What was very disturbing was what Mr. Trump noted in a conversation about how Islam hated America and basically doubled down on his continued ban on Muslims.    

This is also a week, though, as America will  bid a final farewell to Mrs. Reagan.     I hope to be able to catch the live stream of someone who truly made a difference and wanted to share this that crossed my desk for all--as our team continues onward with its' ongoing research and engagement:

“If either of us ever left [the] room, we both felt lonely.  People don’t always believe this, but it’s true.  Filling the loneliness, completing each other – that’s what it still meant to us to be husband and wife.”  - excerpt from Mrs. Reagan’s book, “My Turn” “Being first lady has taught me so much.  Over those eight years in Washington, amid the exaggerated ups and downs of life at the White House, I found out what was really important to me.  I learned how to serve.  I grew, and I learned how, despite intense scrutiny and criticism, just to go on being myself – to let Nancy be Nancy.  And for this, and for so many other things, I’ll always be grateful.” - excerpt from Mrs. Reagan’s book, “My Turn” The Reagan Foundation has partnered with Fox News Channel to provide you with a live stream of Mrs. Reagan’s funeral on Friday, March 11, from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (Pacific).  The livestream can be accessed at www.youtube.com/reaganfoundation andwww.reaganfoundation.com/memorial.  For continuous updated information on the week’s events, please visit the Reagan Library’s web site at www.reaganlibrary.com. Thank you, The Reagan Foundation

Working Away.......

The team has been "On the prowl" as we are also seeing the results from the latest states starting to come in.   Our team published a "notation" earlier today on it.

It was also another very interesting day for me as I was on the "Grid" on the Daily Prowl supporting #Outsiders.    I saw this from Robin Wright which was quite a story on #Iran:

Working away making the rounds as I saw this....there is still a very very long way to go despite the apparent incremental gains in #Iran.....Thank you Robin Wright for this...beautifully written as always....
Posted by Mike Pouraryan on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Mir Hossein Mousavi was the leader of the Green Movement that continues to be under detention along with his wife.    Khatami, the Former President, contineus to be banned (just like Mandela was) as Rouhani continues his incremental moves.     Khamenei continues to call the shots as he made a move to appoint a lower level cleric as the "Supremo" for the Foundation that looks after Imam Reza Shrine that also happens to be one of the biggest enterprises in Iran.      I made it a point of writing an tweet on Khameini's Twitter Account noting how desperate the situation ahs been in Mashad that gets 20 Million Visitors a year and how at least half of the people live below the poverty line.       Our team will have more on a future edition of "Notation" on it--I note this because I have been thinking about what now as the elections was just held and assessing the simple question:  What Now?    

As A New Week Dawns: Thoughts On #Outsiders & Mrs. Reagan.....

It is the dawn of a new week and our team has been busy with a series of notations and views of the week.   It has been quite a busy weekend and our team is on the prowl with the daily watch #hashtags.  But, it was also a bit of a sad weekend as I begin this week though in my own "corner" with a personal thought on the passing of Nancy Reagan.    The Former First Lady passed away from congestive heart failure this weekend at the age of 94.   

I had profound disagreements with President Reagan from a policy perspective.   However, I could not help but underscore how he worked to bridge differences and make courageous decisions.   For instance, I  viewed his decision to raise taxes as courageous that went against conservative orthodoxy.  I viewed his courageous stance against the NRA as principled.   I even view his attempt at an opening to Iran in 1986 as courageous as well.       For me, the power behind what made
I personally had profound disagreements with President Reagan from a policy perspective.   However, I could not help but underscore how he worked to bridge differences and make courageous decisions.   For instance, I viewed his decision to raise taxes as courageous that went against conservative orthodoxy.  I viewed his courageous stance against the NRA as principled.   I even view his attempt at an opening to Iran in 1986 as courageous as well.       For me, the power behind what made Reagan Reagan was Mrs Reagan.  It was ultimately a love story that sustained Ronald Reagan in good times and tough times--especially as Ronald Reagan came out with his letter announcing his disease and the long goodbye. --which again underscored a sense of courage that is at the heart of leadership today.   

As I was working on supporting the network,  I just saw this from the Office of the Speaker and think that it is a fitting tribute to one of the pivotal persons who served America.  .  May her Soul RIP: 

Mrs. Reagan March 7, 2016  |  Speaker Paul Ryan  |  http://spkrryan.us/1M2ZiIc On January 20, 1989, after the new president was sworn in, President and Mrs. Reagan departed Washington from the East Front of the Capitol Building. Today, at my request, flags above the Capitol fly at half-staff in honor of her memory.  President Reagan could not have achieved all he did without Nancy. She brought a sense of grace and dignity to the White House, and the times. She showed us all the meaning of devotion throughout his presidency, and his long goodbye.  This was her service. It was her way of giving back.  The people’s House extends its condolences to the Reagan family and offers its prayers on the passing of a great American. Flags at the U.S. Capitol fly at half-staff in honor of Nancy Reagan's memory.

Working Away: On #outsiders This Week & @SabbathManifesto

It has been admittedly a challenging week in #outsiders with team members down with the flu and as all took queue from me noting how "virtually breathless they all were".     As our team finished the latest notations, one exciting one I was happy about was their selection of one of my favorite groups: Shakatak as selections were featured on our properties.

As I have been finishing off some brief thoughts, I just saw a tweet from the Guardian that Ben Carson has officially dropped out of the Presidential Race.   It will be quite a show to be witness too--no question.  As I was supporting the team with some of the other initiatives including Brexit (the subject of a future notation), what shocked me was that the former President of Brazil was detained in a widening corruption probe.    This is as I was also reviewing reports this week on the rather obscene brithday celebration by the dictator of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.    Mugabe was one of the original focus points as I launched what has eventually evolved into #outsiders today--more on that soon.

Beyond our World, there is also another interesting event before us--The National Day of Unplugging.   I hope I can live up to this 24 hours--Please check out what they are up to by visiting here--as I hope to be "dark" to live up to this (and as I hope our team is as well!!!):

Wishing you all a great weekend:

On This First Day of March......

March is before us here in #Outsiders.   As our team has been on the "prowl", I just got word that Jim Kinney, the co-founder of AOL, passed away.    What in many ways AOL began is why we are here.  May he RIP.

I also saw this I received from a friend  I ran across this from a friend on a very challenging story that I hope to pursue further:

TED release; PBS interview & article: My 665 Days in Prison in the U.S. View in your browser

Mahmoud Reza Banki - My 665 days in prison: Full video TED Week at UCLA Anderson

Since this journey began about six years ago and not by choice, we have come a long way; you have come a long way with me. Releasing of this video from TED Week at UCLA Anderson embodies much of what I not only believe but also lived through for 22 months in prison. I consider it a significant attempt for me and all of you who have stood by me or taken part to make a difference. I ask you to watch & share it; let’s raise awareness; let’s spark change. Thank YOU! Three updates from this weekend - please share to spark change:   TED video released: https://youtu.be/twTpuIF9Fhc Article on PBS Newshour: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/despite-nuclear-deal-collateral-damage-of-sanctions-snares-iranian-americans/# Interview with PBS Newshour: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/enforcing-iran-sanctions-still-tangles-iranian-americans-in-spiders-web-of-laws/

My 665 days in prison – Full TED video releasewww.RezaStory.com On the day I was released from prison in California, after 665 days of incarceration, a host of emotions raced through my mind: on the one hand I should have been happy to be finally free; on the other hand I kept asking myself: ‘why did it take so long?’ Previously I sent out the note below along with a one-minute TED video teaser. Since then I have spoken at the Renaissance Weekend, completed my fourth LA Marathon promoting the cause, taken part in the Bipartisan Summit on Criminal Justice Reform in DC, and spoken before various audiences on this important cause of justice and how we as a nation can do better. It is now time to tell the full story.  The full version of my TED video is now live for the first time: https://youtu.be/twTpuIF9Fhc  I need your help! Our country and your future need your help! To raise awareness and to improve our criminal justice system. The president also highlighted this need in his State of the Union address: “[Let’s] reform the criminal justice system so it protects and serves all of us.” Many others have also recently joined the movement to improve our justice system. Take part! I am asking you to share this video and my story with your family, friends and colleagues; with lawyers, journalists, news outlets; advocacy groups, media and politicians; and to get the word out on social media by sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and other channels; let’s raise awareness; let’s spark change. More information on my case available at: www.RezaStory.com I have always felt extremely lucky to have made it this far and to be here. I’m also lucky to be heard and to reach others through your support; let’s make a difference one person at a time. No one should suffer injustice in the ‘land of the free’. M. Reza Banki.PhD.MBA Email: mreza.banki@gmail.com Twitter: @MRezaBanki #RezaStory Facebook: M. Reza Banki www.RezaStory.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On The eve of March: Thoughts on @realDonaldTrump; #Iran & #Hope

It has been a very interesting and challenging month.      As I write this,  I can't help but agree with Joe Scarborough about the depressing weekend on the political scene. I could not believe the GOP Debate (and I only watched very small excerpts).   The David Dukes controversy has also persisted  as   Donald Trump first disavowed David Dukes before saying he did not know who David Dukes is. Some of the pundits noted that Trump was tired--but rejecting the KKK should not be a big deal.   What is unfortunate is that there is zero substance to what he has to offer--I am yet to see anything beyond "Making America Great again".    

      

As I have been working to "wind down" this leap month, I made it a point of sending Joe Scarborough  a thank you for taking down David Duke.   The new South reflects the true realities of an integrated society.    Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are trying to stay in it--but the odds are becoming increasingly    Super Tuesday tomorrow is going to be quite a day though as alOur team did some good work on Iran this week assessing the on-going election and the aftermath.  The team just released an updated tweet on the Twitter Channel as the World awaits the results.   I could not agree more that although the governing reformist faction gained, the Iranian State Institutions continue to be under the control of the so-called conservatives with the ultimate power residing in the person of the Supreme Leader.      Whether this is sustainable remains to be seen in terms of reforms.    

It should be quite a March as we will be bidding farewell to this leap year.      I popped into Twitter and ran across this which I wanted to end my brief personal thoughts as we begin March:

Working Away With Some Brief Thoughts For the weekend......

As the team finished off the on-going daily curation work, I thought I end my day "On the Grid" with this from the team @ John Maxwell--the message is powerful and profound for all--it is ultimately about the art of the possible!!

I wish all a fabulous weekend!!

Today's word is ADVERSITY

Thanks for joining me. How are you handling adversity? How are you sharing your gifts, and inspiring others? No matter what your life brings you, or how difficult your life is… you can create beauty and music, even from adversity. I encourage you to pass these on to others, and together we can intentionally enrich the world. WATCH SHARE

Working Away While On the Road w/thoughts on Music, Leadership & Harper Lee

I have been on the road on my bi-weekly Community Commitment at St. Timothy's Catholic Church.   I had the pleasure to join friends earlier today as our Parish's Facilities Manager was nice enough to give us a tour of the Construction and the Pantry that I have the privilege to serve in.

As I hope all enjoyed the team's selection of this week's Artist of the week on the network, there was one very perceptive Daily Fortune Powersheet from Geoff Colvin (available by clicking here).   The team has featured his columns periodically here in #Outsiders and I share it with my students all the time.    As America decides and the World watches, lessons in leadership is ever so crucial.    This excerpt particularly caught my eye:

When the world’s opinion of an organization’s future changes so sharply, how should a leader respond? The basic advice is simple: Show, don’t tell. You can insist that your company is just as strong as it was in December, but it’s all a big shrug. What else would you say? Effective leaders let their actions speak. The prime example of the past six weeks is JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon spending $25 million of his own money to buy company stock, which is down 20%. The stock bumped up slightly on the news, but more important is that employees, customers, suppliers, and other constituents got the message that Dimon is genuinely confident.

While on the road and on my personal twitter feed, I saw reporting on the passing away of Harper Lee, the author of to Kill a Mockingbird.    I wanted to send a special shout out to the team at +The Guardian as they put together this which I released earlier--such souls truly never die--they endure

 

Remembering Harper Lee who passed away...such souls never die w/her quotes: 10 of the best https://t.co/BRMRbxazfh

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) February 19, 2016

For a change, the team was "taking it easy" today as they were nice enough to release a Good Turn I did earlier this morning.    It will be an interesting week-end of analysis though as the team's on-going assessment of our World continues.

Onward....

Working Away with Brief Notations From #Iran.....

It has been yet again a whirlwind of a week throughout #Outsiders. I just finished off reading up on this on Iran I released to my personal Pinterest and Facebook pages because it continues to underscore the profound challenge being faced inside the Country. What I find fascinating is how despite all that the conservatives have done to thwart the reformists, it clearly appears that reformists have a chance. W will be assessing this over the course of the ensuing weeks--I personally would find it quite interesting if Janati (the head of the Guardian council); Khatami (not related to the ex-President leading the reformists faction) and Mesbah Yazdi (one of the key mentors of the so-called conservatives and a leading voice for Iran's version of #Daesh) are blocked from the Assembly of Experts. 

 Fascinating is the only word...

Working away with brief thoughts on #sunset & wishing all a @GoodNight Thanks to @Space_station during #YearInSpace :)))

It was another challenging day as President Obama spoke, the Republicans responded and the World continueI decided to do something a bit different today.   The daily curation on twitter and on-going development was on-going--but this I saw "blew me away".   I have had a habit of featuring his nightly "signoffs" as well as the team--but this one especially blew me away in more ways than one.  It underscores the beauty of Space and how it is so important upon us all to preserve it.  

Until tomorrow.....

Day 326. Colors of #sunset. #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/SBwFSPr2gt

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 17, 2016

Working Away w/Brief Thoughts On the Eve of Presidents' Day 2016....

It is the eve of President's Day in the United States.    The team worked on a number of notations which will be available in a while as a tribute to Presidents' should also now be available in the Ordinary Faces Channel.

As I was on my personal "Virtual Walk-About" for the night, I saw a post on Facebook from one of the leading human rights scholars and activists in the World I've had the pleasure to meet, Elahe Amani.  .    I shared this on my Personal Facebook page as these brave souls are in my thoughts and prayers as they take up arms against the subhuman scum that have wrecked so much havoc on Syria and Iraq.  There has been enough scholarship on what led to this cancer.  These brave souls have taken up the ultimate solution--and such stories must be told until the day the cancer of Daesh is eradicated.  What is also ever so critical that the conditions that led to this Cancer must also be addressed:  Lack of Hope, Opportunity and Freedom.      These three conditions continue to be the problem even today as I saw in reporting done over the weekend.    What is troubling to me is how the current aspirants to the Presidency seem not to realize it.


On the Dawn of Presidents' Day, my old and dear Friend Col Bentley was gracious enough to share this image of Mt. Rushmore that is just beautiful as I am gearing up to release it to the Troop 772 website that I have the privilege to curate and edit as the Webmaster as I also have the pleasure to share the original posting at the end of this 

Former Isis Yazidi sex slaves take up arms for revenge, to win back Mosul and 'bring our women home' - An armed brigade...
Posted by Elahe Amani on Sunday, February 14, 2016

On this Valentine's Day 2016....

I thought this simple yet profound statement from the team @ Simple Truths (whose thoughts the team periodically share on the Daily Outsider Twitter Channel) was so appropriate--Happy Valentine's Day 2016!!!

Love Is a Verb

Make Your Relationships Great

Life moves at lightning speed–in the end, it won't be the days that matter most, but the moments spent with those we love. So relax, turn up your speakers and enjoy the video. And don’t forget to share itwith friends and coworkers.

All the Best,

Mac Anderson