Saturday, November 23, 2019

Notations On Our World (Week-End Edition): On #Iran, #Israel, #Hope & Darkness


On Iran and Its' Role in the Middle East and How the People Arose 

Iranian Environmentalists Sentenced to Prison 

Quite a week has passed in our World as the impeachment hearings against President Trump concluded in the House of Representatives.   The Nationwide Protests in Iran did not garner as much coverage as the Government claimed that it put down the uprising in over 100 cities--and as leading Environmental Activists were sentenced after having been detained for over 21 Months without charge.   Meanwhile, Israel indicted its' sitting Prime Minister--and the Prime Minister rejected the indictment as a witch hunt.   

We here at the Daily Outsider pay tribute to all who came out on the Streets in Iran and extend a profound heartfelt condolence  to the families of all who have lost their lives.    We also wanted to close out with a tribute to another brave soul who has dared to challenge Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny as we commend the Financial Times for sitting down with him:




Light will overcome darkness:









Thursday, November 21, 2019

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): 2020 November Democratic Debate in Atlanta


It has been quite a 24 hours with the latest Democratic Debate, the blockbuster Impeachment hearings.   This is as halfway around the World, Iran Protests continued as it was cut off from the World--Iranians around the World including here in South Orange County held demonstrations calling for regime change in Iran:



Challenging Times...


Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Notations on Our World (Special MId-Week Edition): Out & About In Our World....



As we went to press with this special edition of Notations, the House Impeachment Inquiry was in full force as the US Ambassador to the European Union was before the US House Intelligence Committee.    We also have been assessing the on-going protests in Iran was Internet continues to be shut down although tricklers of information continues onward.   

Our team chose this here--as an emphasis on what drives us as we continue to develop our platforms to act and be a forum to act--as we look forward to the continued privilege to serve:

The cycle would be almost humorous by now if it were not so sad. Politicians who have sat idly by, not doing their jobs to address the vexing, pressing problems of our time, rush in when tragedy strikes. Whether it’s a natural disaster that caught a city off guard, or another senseless mass shooting, these folks are there—or rather are there on Twitter—to offer their “thoughts and prayers” to the victims. Then, of course, the crowd shoots back, “That’s not enough!”
Let us unravel this according to the Stoics. First, there’s nothing wrong with thoughts and prayers, per se, particularly if they are heartfelt. However, they aren’t remotely sufficient to solve most political or social problems. And yet, yelling at the people offering them is its own hollow form of virtue signaling too.
While the Stoics did talk about the importance of acceptance and about our limited control of the world around us, they would reject this modern rejection of our own agency. They would be disappointed in our learned helplessness. The obstacles of life—be they in politics or the environment or the actions of evil doers—require action. They require effort. They require that we seize what’s in our control to affect change and improve the status quo.
When Rome’s borders were threatened, Marcus Aurelius didn’t simply send his prayers to the citizens who were killed. No, he led an army to defend them. When a plague struck Rome, he didn’t flee the city and then come back to speak at funerals. He braved the terrible conditions, doing everything he could to stop the dying. Whether he was successful or not is almost secondary to the fact that he at least tried.
Because that’s what a Stoic does. We take action. We organize. We vote. We try to solve problems. We try to prevent problems from happening again. And if the leaders we’ve elected aren’t going to help with that—meaning they’re part of the problem themselves—we don’t just yell or complain about it and demand that they do better...we set about solving for that too. We do better. We make sure they do too.
No one is coming to save us. But we can save ourselves.