Thursday, November 17, 2016

"Love Trumps Hate"


“Love Trumps Hate” Bumper Stickers on Sale For $1! 
The Next Presidential Motto?

I truly believe that Donald Trump should buy these stickers and embrace the message of love over hate.  Okay, he can cut off the bottom hillaryclinton.com stuff because it’s not about that bitter election anymore. It’s time to set a kinder tone in our nation with the news of Eric Trump being heckled, Trump supporters being accosted, and of course select Trump supporters thinking hate crimes are suddenly okay.

I think it’s a motto that will work well for our President-Elect and will help him spread a message of kindness to all. You know he’ll be trying to “trump” everything he can. And did I mention these are on sale? He could probably get a really good deal since he used to be great friends with the Clintons. Seriously.

Of course the money probably still goes to Hillary (who still needs all of the support she can get), but at least everyone who already bought one could continue to display it and feel hopeful. 


Stay positive!
NMD


View of the Week: On Fortune 2017 Crystal Ball

The team received this yesterday on what Fortune is forecasting for 2017--here is the summary by the Fortune Magazine's Alan Murray--a lot to think about:


FORTUNE CEO DAILY
FORTUNE CEO DAILY


NOVEMBER 16, 2016
Good morning.
This has been a bad couple of weeks for journalist prognosticators, so it is with some trepidation that Fortune editors have again undertaken their annual “Crystal Ball” exercise. To shore up our instincts this year, we asked IBM Watson to scour some big batches of data and spot trends. Among them:
The sharing economy goes south. Uber and Airbnb have been most popular in coastal cities, but it looks like next year they’ll be making inroads in the Southwest. There were significant spikes in news and social media mentions in places like Phoenix, Denver, Dallas.
Antibiotic breakthrough. A deep dive into news sources and medical journals found a surge in mentions of late-stage trials related to CABP, a pneumonia related to drug resistant infections. Stay tuned.
We also took some flyers on our own, without Watson’s help, including:
Barack Obama will get a $20 million book deal. That one was too easy, right? How about this:
Under Armour will merge with Lululemon. To be clear, we have no inside information. Or:
Tax reform (a limited version) will pass. It has been three decades since the last one. For those who want to read about that unlikely triumph, my book Showdown at Gucci Gulchis still in print.
And the S&P will finish the year at 2073, about a hundred points below where it is this morning.
To get the full Fortune Crystal Ball, you can go here. I should point out that last year we had some hits – predicting, for instance, that the Fed would only raise rates once in the last 12 months – and some misses – don’t ask us about the “Rubio/Haley” T-shirts we had printed.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

View of the Week-The Daily Show - How South Africa Could Prepare the U.S. for President @realDonaldTrump


On This International Day of Tolerance 2016.....



Today is the International Day of Tolerance.   In this spirit, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran shared this beautiful image that underscores the need for tolerance and Love.   For further information, please visit http://www.un.org/en/events/toleranceday/

On #Syria (II): From #Aleppo

The latest out of Aleppo--what was chilling was the last statement by those who remember the fallen, "...RIP, at least you're not suffering anymore":







On the "Virtual Prowl" on the Transition of Power & Other Brief Thoughts




This is as the Democrats have a lot of work to do as they prepare for the 2018 Mid-Terms: 



On #Syria


+Ian Bremmer earlier today shared this on his Facebook Wall on this image on our Supermoon from #Syria with a simple caption, "..  The supermoon, from Syria Even in the bleakest, some beauty......".    
 Enough said......

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Did Elvis Costello See the Future?

We here @Outsiders wanted to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Columnist, Nancy Doyle with her first Column here @ "The Home For #Outsiders: 

Did Elvis Costello See the Future? 
A Musical Treat from 1986 is Too Spot-on Today

Thirty years ago, Elvis Costello wrote "Brilliant Mistake" for his brilliant album King of America. How could he have known it would be so appropriate today?
He's British, his wife (jazz genius Diana Krall) is Canadian. But they spend a lot of time in our USofA. 


Elvis Costello's Album King of America 1986
 
He thought he was the King of America
Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
It was a fine idea at the time
Now it's a brilliant mistake

She said that she was working for the ABC News
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
Her perfume was unspeakable
It lingered in the air
Like her artificial laughter
Her mementos of affairs
"Oh" I said "I see you know him"
"Isn't that very fortunate for you"
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was a fine idea at the time
Now he's a brilliant mistake

He thought he was the King of America
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
The words of love in whispers
And the axe of love in screams
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this lovin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
I was a fine idea at the time

Now I'm a brilliant mistake

Notations From the Grid: As America & The World Awaits a Trump Presidency





As Mr. Trump begins to put together his Government, many are weighing in  and the #Outsider team has been working on pulling a divergent set of views to understand what is at hand and what to expect.    President Obama is in Europe and speaking right now trying to reassure the World as the World is understandably anxious

One insight is from the founder of GovLoop, Steve Ressler that +GovLoop  just featured in its' Newsletter that is noted as follows:

It's hard to believe it's already been one week since election night. As we look towards the Trump transition, many govies may be wondering what lies ahead for federal government. Hear from GovLoop's founder, Steve Ressler, who shares some thoughtful questions and insights on the upcoming administration. 





Read More

Monday, November 14, 2016

On this #MotivationMonday (II): Some Further "Food For Thought"

As a new week dawns, please enjoy this compilation courtesy of +Jonathan Huie & his team:


If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.


Read: How to Choose Your Life Purpose


The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.
- Benjamin Mays

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
- John F. Kennedy

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without st
rategy is the noise before defeat.
- Sun Tzu

Notations From the Grid: As @RealDonaldTrump Era Begins in America

On this #MotivationMonday: Some "Food For Thought"

The majority of our fear is given to us by the world. When you are face-to-face with your predator, all the forces in the world are not as powerful as an idea whose time has come. -Erik Wahl,  Unchain the Elephant

Onward to the New Week w/all the possiblities!!

Notations On Our World: As a New Government Takes Shape in the United States

Donald Trump's first extended interview was with 60 Minutes and it was quite telling as the country and the World awaits a new Administration with the two key appointments Mr. Trump announced on Sunday.      This Tweet  underscores the extent of the on-going concerns:
Mr. Trump's call for harassment to be stopped was welcome.     Hopefully Mr. Trump's supporters will heed the call to stop the harassment.    However, broader concerns are before the World as underscored by this on climate change:  


It is imperative ever more for all to embrace this admonition:




This view from Europe, though, underscores the challenge Mr. Trump continues to be faced with: 

Interesting times indeed......

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Thought For the Week (W-End Edition): On an Advise For Journalists in the Aftermath of #USElections2016


Poem Of the Week (W-End Edition): Don't Quit

Before running off for the W-End, some true "food 4 thought"to remember as I also ran across this from the great Patrick Henry:

“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone;
it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”

~ Patrick Henry


Onward!!!!


On #USElections2016: As @realDonaldTrump begins to assemble his Administration (Updated w/a Brief Retrospective On the Campaign itself)

As President-Elect Trump's Government begins to take shape,  the opposition is beginning to make its' voice heard.   What Marc Cooper noted on his Facebook wall is telling on a roadmap by those who oppose Mr. Trump 



Earlier in the Week, he was interview while on a trip to Armenia:



Early indication of who is on tap for senior positions in the Government is problematic.  One example is appointing an individual who is a climate sceptic in charge of climate policy.   This is as he has already stated a commitment to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.    This is why this Tweet was so interesting in this regard to underscore how sustainability is even more crucial now than ever before: 



It is also quite telling that one of the Senior Saudi Princes urged Mr. Trump not to scrap the Iran Nuclear Deal.      Will he heed the advice? 


 

There is one thing that is absolutely true:   Facebook had nothing to do with the results of the 2016 Election.   What is also ironic is how Mrs. Clinton won the Popular Vote.  How Democrats react will be interesting as there is a strong move to name Congressman Keith Ellison, one of the Two Muslim Americans in Congress, as the Next Chair of the Democratic National Committee.   

What is also quite disturbing is the rise in hate and bigotry.    For instance, there have been reports of some 25 incidents of harassment and bigotry targeting people who are not White by telling them, "...Go back to wherever you came from...".       Hopefully,  Mr. Trump will heed the call to speak forcefully against Hate & Bigotry as the petition by the Southern Poverty Law Center has garnered some 50,000 signatures so far.   Although there is no 'Sesimic" shift as Mr. Cooper suggested, the trends are a bit disturbing.      It is also imperative that the protests against Mr. Trump's Election be peaceful as all have the right to exercise their rights under the First Amendment.


Challenging times Indeed......as here is a look back on the "discourse" over the course of the campaign (How it all began), a realization of how wrong the so-called "experts" were:












What is interestikng is how CNN began to realize what how Mr. Trump could win--and by in large it was realized: 
six ways trump could win map thumbnail


Obama in North Carolina.telling all to respect a Trump  Supporter:




It was also quite interesting how the handicappers had continued to call it for Mrs. Clinton until the very end including what the New York Times' Upshot underscored:

84%


Truly Challenging Times Indeed......as the Country Looks ahead as underscored by what Senator Sanders noted in his November 11 Editorial Published in the New York Times--especially as Mr. Trump's appointment of Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell to head his Domestic Policy Transition team is of profound concern