On the Eve of a New Month: On #Freedom, @DailyOutsider, #KhizrKhan, #Turkey & Other Thoughts

I worked away on some weekend commitments at @DailyOutsider as I have been assessing what happened in July.    I still can't help get over the speech by the father of the fallen American Hero and the aftermath.  I made it a point of responding to Mr. Trump's comments on his response to Mr. Khan's comments and suggested that if he had just said I salute his service and his family's sacrifice--it would have sufficed.    What I found disturbing was how his Campaign Chair in trying to clean up Mr. Trump's latest gaffe, did not even acknowledge the family's sacrifice.    There is no policy response though despite The Trump Campaign Chair to the contrary--except attacks.  

Alan Murray at Fortune did a call to action about which Billionaire one will support--as Michael Bloomberg came out in support of Hillary Clinton and Mark Cuban did as well.    I hope I can contribute to the Fortune Network in response to it soon.   I have decided to be with Michael Bloomberg and Mark Cuban--and I will have more to say on it in @Medium  Soon in response to Alan Murray's call to action.   Michael Bloomberg's story is especially poignant on how he got to where he got--and as an Eagle Scout and political independent, his views resonates with me especially.    

Beyond the US, I have been horrified by the aftermath of the coup in Turkey.    For me, it was a pleasure to have shared this editorial over my Personal Twitter Feed while working away 

One of the best editorials I've seen capturing the reality of #Turkey -t u @WSJ 👏🏼👏🏼 re Turkey’s Gulen Demand - WSJ https://t.co/WwywTNMqf3

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) July 31, 2016

I have had profound disagreements with the editorials of the Journal over the years--but their courageous stance against Donald Trump has been stellar--and as an observer, I am grateful as I was with this.   I was hopeful that somehow what Erdogan was trying to do in Turkey would be the perfect antidote to the horrors of Daesh.    As I saw one of the images published in one of his meetings in his palace, it showed him alone--which reminded me of Khameini.   Erdogan seems to have borrowed a page from the way Khameini runs things which is even more disturbing.     I would suggest strongly that the United States does not buy into anything that comes out of Turkey in regards to Mr. Gulen.   

As I finish off before being "dark" here in my "Virtual Space" to begin a new month, I again did a "drop by" on Twitter and one of my favorites-@BrainyQuotes-had this which speaks volumes:

As I finish off these thoughts, it is also a bit of a milestone as this is my 229th write up here in my "Virtual Space".  It has been fun, so far!!!

Onward to August with all the possibilities :) :) 

Working away w/Thoughts For the W-End.....

I ran across this series of thoughts courtesy of +Jonathan Huie  which I found to be so timely as I also supported The Daily Outsider W-End Beat with updates over the Twitter Channel.    It is so disturbing to see the level of anger out there right now.    I am glad that I was allowed to feature this in my own "Virtual Space":

 

An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.

- Cato

We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another -

until we speak quietly enough so that our words can

be heard as well as our voices.

- Richard M. Nixon

When angry, count to ten before you speak.

If very angry, count to one hundred.

- Thomas Jefferson

Anger is often more hurtful than the injury that caused it.

- English Proverb

What I also found so timely was this I saw on my inbox from Pope St. John Paul XXIII which all of us need to remember--I know it was quite a reminder for me with some of the on-going challenges:

“Consult not your fears
but your hopes and your dreams.
Think not about your frustrations,
but about your unfulfilled potential.
Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in,
but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
~  Pope John XXIII

 

As I finish these thoughts, I wanted to wish all the very best of the W-End s as a new month is before us.

Onward!!!

Working Away As July 2016 is "almost history"..and August 2016 is before Us....

It has been a very challenging week of sorts working away at @DailyOutsider and other Projects.    But there is so much to be thankful for despite all the profound challenges.    I thought this "thought 4 the week" courtesy of +SUCCESS Magazine  was kind of cool as I hope all enjoy as the week winds down and we look to August--which for us here in South Orange County means kids are going back to school:

Please enjoy as I wish all a great W-End 

On The Eve of the W-End: Remembering Madiba

As we have been witness to a challenging week, I thought to step back and reflect upon one of the giants of our time.       I picked up these images as a measure of motivation, hope and engagement I trust will also find so as I wish all a great W-End:






 

 

Working Away w/Thought(s) 4 the Week on #leadership, #life & Social Good

I wanted to revisit an old admonition I have at my desk daily which I look at daily: 



I also ran across the seven principles that I thought is so timely as we are dealing with such unprecedented change in our World which I trust will be part of the evolving nature of #Outsiders that I was very glad that Alan Murray  of +Fortune Magazine  noted this in his newsletter as the Democratic National Conventions is on-going in Philadelphia:

. ...Support for the twin drivers of post-World War II prosperity - globalization and digitization - is eroding. How should global business respond? Rich Lesser and Martin Reeves of BCG have an interesting piece out this morning that calls on business leaders to adopt a new "corporate leadership manifesto." It "won't be easy," they say; but failing to adopt it may mean companies lose their "freedom to operate." You can read the full piece here later today, or read my summary of their "seven imperatives" for business below: 1) Use technology to rethink globalization. In the future it must be less about global supply chains and low-cost offshoring, and more about serving the needs of individual markets. 2) Create business platforms and ecosystems that allow more people to participate. That's not just for tech businesses, but also for things like energy, with decentralized grids, or manufacturing, with decentralized supply chains. 3) Deploy technology from front to back. Business often adopts technology with a view toward increasing efficiency and eliminating jobs. Lesser and Reeves says they should start with serving the needs of customers, and work back from there. 4) Invest in human capital. The rapid pace of change requires people to constantly be acquiring news skills to survive. Companies should facilitate that re-skilling. 5) Apply a social business mindset. Business must think about the effects of their operations on communities and underserved populations. The Milton Friedman construct - that the social responsibility of business is to make a profit - is no longer sufficient. 6) Rethink compensation. Workers need a living wage, and exorbitant pay for corporate leaders, particularly when not linked to performance, undermines support for business. 7) Own the narrative. Business leaders need to do a better job explaining to the world how capitalism solves problems and creates prosperity.

On the Dawn of a New Week: Thoughts...& Other Thoughts.......and believing in Miracles......

As the new week is at hand, I decided to share some "tidbits" of thoughts over the past weeks--and as I was on Facebook, this popped up from 2010--It is this admonition that was so timely in the current challenging political environment before us:

This is as also saw this that is quite a tough admonition to live up to:

“We must admit
the vanity of our false distinctions among men
and learn to find our own advancement
in the search for the advancement of all.
We must admit in ourselves
that our own children’s future
cannot be built on the misfortunes of others.
We must recognize
that this short life can neither be ennobled
or enriched by hatred or revenge.”
~ Robert F. Kennedy

As I was trying to temper my disappointment about the tone of the Republican National Convention, I saw this from another Facebook Friend who is one of the leading schoalrs of Iranian History int he World Today about his fears as he also featured Fareed Zakaria's takedown of Mr. Trump:   

After Mr. Trump's speech, for the first time I am worried for my family and the future in this country. I am just like Fareed Zakaria. I was born into a secular Muslim family. That is part of multiple identities which I carry. As Carlo Gainzburg once wrote, to paraphrase him, he never identified himself as a Jew, until he was identified by others to be as one.

If I am to be classified, stamped or have a badge, or my family and I are to be put into some camp, in the name of security, I will leave. But before I turn in my American passport and leave, I hope others will not vote for this candidate of the Republican party. This is not about keeping the party line. It is about common decency and humanity.

What he said during his speech was in line with fascist speeches of the 1930s and 1940s. This man is devisive and destructive for this country and for the rest of the world. Government is not a business. International politics is not corporate America. Letting the army and the police into the street of America will not solve our problems. Bombing other countries will not bring security to the US and the world. It will only worsen it.

What has become to the party of Lincoln and Roosevelt?

I also begin this week with this simple and yet powerful clip from one of my favorite artists Cold Play--the race has to be finished--and that we shall: 

On the Eve of a New Week...A "Tip of the week" To Share.....

The team at the +Business Insider put this together I hope the team enjoys: 

Onward to the new week with all its' possibilities 

On the Eve of A New Week :)

Had a chance to check out upper Newport Bay before joining the @mchangtennis supporting the fab work done & @homeaidoc Blown away at the beauty and also by how folks come together as they have to fight the cancer of homelessness. Wish all a great Sunday and a great week as I once again also send a special shoutout to #jnj 4 @donateaphoto & how over 1 million images have helped some 90 causes

A photo posted by Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) on Jul 24, 2016 at 10:02am PDT

Working Away.....

Jefferson Quran 

As I was working away @ The Daily Outsider, I also was working away on the "Grid" assessing the aftermath of the Donald Trump Speech last night.     I did not see the speech but read the transcript and what I read was dark, scary and divisive.      The +Vox  Ezra Klein gave voice to the danger of the Trump Presidency.      Although I did not see the speech, I caught snippets of it when the Daily Show and the Late Show provided analysis on it which validated what Ezra Klein noted in his article.  The problem has been that unless one was a fan of +The Real News Network    Followed & checked out the Twitter Channel for the Daily Outsider , read the Economist of London, watched the Daily Show,  the Media was by in large asleep at the Wheel until it was too late.    The coverage was in the billions--and it yielded the result as it did.    Jon Stewart joined the late show to tear into Mr. Trump's narrative--for me the most powerful point was when the pseudo-patriots did not even want to renew the support for the 9/11 First Responders.      

As I was working away on the "Grid", I picked up the image posted by a Facebook Friend on the Thomas Jefferson's Quran that is now at the Library of Congress.     I could not help but wonder about Newt Gingrich's Comments on Muslims as I saw this and took President Obama's queue to actually check out as I saw this on the Library of Congress on how tolerant they actually were as America was being formed (an experiment that continues even now).

There were some late breaking developments on the political front Beyond the historical facts, there were some late breaking developments.     An 18-Year Old German-Iranian went on a shooting spree in Munich and then killed himself.     This is as Hillary Clinton settled on Tim Kaine, the US Senator and Former Governor of Virginia, as her Vice Presidential Pick.    News reports (and I picked it up first on Twitter) started the news, Mrs.  Clinton sent out a text (with her signature "H") and then it became  news.   It is probably a good choice since Virginia is important and if they win, Virginia Governor Terry McAculiff (A Democrat)  will appoint a Democrat to replace him.    The "snapshot" by the Washington Post captured the selection process and the thinking by Mrs Clinton brilliantly tonight.

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

On the Eve of another working weekend.......

Please enjoy this on Grit I ran across courtesy of one of my Walden University Professors from +TED:

It is about, in the end, the art of the possible!!!

Onward to the Weekend with all its' possibilities

Working Away w/some midweek thoughts remembering Richard Nixon on This @GOP Week 2016

As I work away, some true "food 4 thought" From Richard Nixon--Despite his own oversights (and he admitted as such himself when he said, ".....Well, I screwed it up real good, didn't I?..." still these thoughts and especially the final one resonated greatly....


 

  

Working Away Being Witness to History w/Brief Thoughts....

It is always fun to be witness to history right now as the formal roll call is on-going as States declare their votes for Donald Trump.   As the convention continues, The commentary on all sides has been interesting,  to say the least as Mr. Trump gears up for the general election.    

I had this in my archives that I thought was quite appropriate to truly reflect upon the art of the possible and overcoming odds with this tribute to the great Maya Angelou.       In many ways, her story is the story of America --and the need to overcome is ever so evident now:

For me ... until her passing yesterday ... she was just a poet that had an opportunity to share her words at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993... Her parents divorced when she was 3. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend at age 7. At 17, she was a single mother. In her 20's, she was a shake dancer in a nightclub, a prostitute, a cook, and ran a brothel.  Had I met her at that point, I'm guessing I'd have felt sorry for her and maybe a little judgmental at the same time. I'm pretty certain I'd never have bet on her as someone who would go on to have such an incredibly positive influence on so many people during her life ... and following her life.  She went on to be a singer, an actor, a civil rights activist (worked with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King), a college professor, a writer, a speaker, and ... a poet.  She also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian honor in the United States).  Next time I'm feeling judgmental (at work or in life) or a little down about something or feeling some past action (something I've done or something someone else has done) will make it difficult to keep moving forward ... contributing something positive to the world ... making good things happen ... next time ... I've got a new hero.  Rest in peace, Maya Angelou. Nice work!  Sam (the guy behind this stuff)

On This First Day of a New Week.....

On this Tragic Day in #BatonRogue: Brief Personal Thoughts

It has been a dark day in America as three cops fell as they were doing their job protecting the citizens of Baton Rogue, Louisiana.    As I supported @DailyOutsider earlier with a View of the Week, for me this was personal in many ways I remember how cops talked about how they expected the worst and hoped for the best.   It should not have to be that way.   They are us--and we have to remember that.    I understood this ever more when I had the pleasure to attend my City's Citizens Academy.

After Dallas,   I made it a point of reaching out to my local Police Leadership team underscoring how an attack on one Cop is an attack on us all.    As the Police Commissioner of New York noted, we live in perilous times and it is a very complex place--talk is not enough.  We have to go beyond it.   I also note how Commissioner noted how we have to stop talking past each other.    We have to also think about Guns in this Country--the idea of an AR-15 being legal is just beyond the pale to me. 

We can, shall and will overcome.

Working Away w/Brief Thoughts.....

It was a horrific week in our World with the attack in Nice on Bastille Night.   It was also even more horrific to be witness to the coup in Turkey and the aftermath.     The reports of mass arrests and purges in the aftermath of the coup have been even more horrific with some images coming out of Turkey that are just too gruesome to observe.

As I reflected upon this, I ran across this that speaks volumes: 


When life's problems seem overwhelming, look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself fortunate. ~ Ann Landers

So much to be thankful for indeed....Onward to the new week with all its' possibilities...

Working Away w/Brief Thoughts For the Week......

It was quite a historical day as Britain changed Prime Ministers.   It is always fun to be witness to history.      This is as Our World continues to be  faced with profound challenges in our World.    A sense of being grateful again was brought home as I listened to this latest +TED talk from this brave soul from Syria:


The extent of the devastation is simply too shocking to embrace and understand.  I never thought about how Architecture laid the foundation for War.    

When will we have the courage to transform our thinking?    Can we, though?

As a New Week Dawns.....

I had a "tad bit of fun" as I was working away visiting this Site on some thoughts that took what was on Facebook and formulated some edicts--it is actually pretty good!!

Onward to the new week w/all its' possibilities

Working Away w/Notations For the W-End.....

Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away.   He was not well known in the West--and I personally was  not  as aware of him as I should have been until I saw reports of his passing that was widely reported around the World.    He was 92 years old.

He was the founder of Pakistan's largest welfare organization.   When I saw the headline in Saturday's New York Times about deeming him Pakistan's "Mother Teresa", it prompted me to check on him.   It was striking to me that he only had 868 Entries in Google and 79 Entries in Bing.    As I read the reporting in +i24news EN, It struck me that he only owned 2 pieces of clothes.     It is the story of such people that gives me a sense of optimism and hope.      

As I was working away, I helped finish off a View of the Week on a sense of hope I was talking about--what John Legend is trying to do with the inmates in California was so moving.   These thoughts reminded us all of what we must embrace and be aware thanks to the great work +Jonathan Huie does:  

Jesus preached more and taught more about helping

the poor and the sick and the hungry

than he did about heaven and hell.

Shouldn't that tell us something?

- John Grisham

Jesus said: "When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you."

- Luke 14:13-14

Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

- Jesus of Nazareth (John 13:34)

Helping & Love....lessons to be remembered by us all....

Wishing all a fabulous Sunday & a fantastic Week......

Tragic Days.....

America has been witness to the tragic shootings of two African American Men within the past 24 hours.     However, I could not help but take to my personal space here as I note how ill I was to my stomach I was as I saw that 10 Dallas Police Officers were shot and three have died by snipers during a protest rally in Texas.   I helped finish an update for #Outsiders earlier tonight on it.    I can't even begin to imagine what the families of the fallen officers are feeling.   Thoughts and prayers for those families are just not enough more for them--is it?   

Some will say this is not a time for politics--especially the folks at the NRA, Gun Owners of America and their supporters in Congress.    Over the last number of years, we have seen shooting after shooting.   Kids got shot in Sandy Hook.   Nothing was done.    People of faith were shot in Charleston.   Nothing was done.   A lowlife subhuman  madman massacred 150 people in Orlando.    Nothing was done.   Now, 10 cops have been shot and three have died.    This is as the President spoke to the profound challenge that African American Men Continue to face consistently in the hands of law enforcement while on his last NATO Summit.     Although some  arguments by Brooklyn College's Corey Robin has merit,  it is critical that we all collectively make a concerted effort to not just make sure the African American Community is safe, but all Americans are--and the insanity is pervasive ever more.

Yoda's admonition is ever so true now: 



The time to do something is Now.    The time for trying is over.   The tragedy of it is that Congress is not even trying (despite the best of intentions) as it talks about the Constitution and their claim to protect "due process".  What about ensuring public safety?    As the Benghazi obsession was finished by Congress after millions spent, now they've got another one:  The Clinton Emails.     

The need to govern is ever so evident.     Will that happen?   I wonder....

Working Away w/Mid-Week Notations On #Iraq, #Iran, #Freedom & #Hope

Independence Day 2016 W-End here in the United States was quite a weekend.  I had the privilege to work on a number of Community Service Projects including helping to host the Open House for St Timothy's Catholic Parish 's Food Ministry Pantry that I have the privilege to serve as a staff member.   I also worked on supporting the City of Laguna Niguel's 38th Annual Run in the Park and thereafter with my local Scout Troop as the Troop had the first ever Hot Dog Stand.    A Visual Essay was produced for the DailyOutsider Community Page.   

As I was reflecting upon this wonderful weekend of Community spirit, my mind again drifted away half-way around the World as the carnage continued ever more.   As I write this, Bangladesh is witnessing another terror attack on Eid-Fitr Celebrations and a gun battle has been raging on.   I was just numb as I saw reports over the weekend about the Over 250 People have lost their lives in Baghdad.   There seems to be no end to the carnage that has been unleashed by the subhumans that in the name of Islam do whatever it is they are doing.  I compare this to what I saw as Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo cited a verse of the Holy Quran--A catholic hospital quoting a Muslim Verse--on the back of its' business card.

I also helped finish a notation for Outsider on the Chilcot Report on the Iraq War.   The Iraq War was one of the reasons that I took to the Virtual World--without knowing the intelligence, those of us who advocated how wrong the whole war was proved right all along.   This from the Guardian of London said it all:

The Guardian view on the Chilcot report: a country ruined, trust shattered, a reputation trashed | Editorial https://t.co/LejMFchCqy

— The Guardian (@guardian) July 7, 2016

I caught Tony Blair's Statement.     I will not put much stock in his statement and only note this final thought that says it all in a full rebuttal to his statement:  "...Mr Blair’s impulse to trot alongside a know-nothing cowboy might reflect a deep need to bury the CND badge of his youth and earn some muscular respectability. Mr Corbyn’s ascent is the most ironic of the consequences of his historic mistake. But by far the most serious are still being played out far away – on the streets of Iraq...."  I would also take their comments one step further by underscoring how the whole region is in chaos over this disastrous decision.     

I caught up on the latest Last Page that was on Voice of America's Farsi Service.    There is a scandal brewing in Iran as it has been exposed that Senior Managers (including Ministers) have received hefty pay packages, sweet deals on Loans and expenses that are just beyond the pale.   Some of them, it appears, make more that the President of the United States!!!!   This is some 12 Millon People officially are unemployed and  as repression continues.    I tracked down this beautiful song from a very talented artist who was imprisoned for giving voice to the true challenges in the country right now:  




The song is about freedom and hope  despite all the challenges that the Country faces--and in the end noting that freedom will prevail.   It showcases some of the most successful Iranian Women including Anouseh Ansari (The first Iranian-American Woman in Space that went to space on the Russian Space Station); The winner of the equivalent of the Nobel Prize Maryam Mirzakhani along with Golshifteh Farahani and the Oscar-Nominated Shohreh Aghdaslou.     Here is a translation of the lyrics thanks to the folks at Lyrics Translate: 

We are happy, joyful and full of laughter

Even though we are imprisoned,

Our way is blocked and our feet sore

But we set fire,

We are the generation of roars

And have joined our hands together,

We are covered in blood but we know

that at the end of the story, We're free

♫♫♫

We've been in the prison for 100 years

and won't stay here any longer,

We become windows and vocal cords*

and sing the freedom song

We are the generation of roars

And have joined our hands together

We are covered in blood but we know

that at the end of the story, We're free

♫♫♫

We share the same story and pain

and have made our sorrows into one,

We side by side search every single house

to find our dreams

We are the generation of roars

And have joined our hands together

We are covered in blood but we know

that at the end of the story, We're free

We are covered in blood but we know

at the end of the story, We're free

at the end of the story, We're free

at the end of the story, We're free

He was released on bail--I have not seen anything lately being loaded on his YouTube Page though.     The repression is ever more evident now as three Iranian Music Distributors have been sentenced to jail despite the promises of the current President to change things.

As I was catching up on the "Social Grid" For the night, I ran across this courtesy of a Facebook Friend that I took comfort in--Not easy when one is witness to such a challenging World--but there is no choice--is there? 

On this #July4 2016 W-End: Thoughts on #Liberty, #Compassion & The Possibilities....

As I write this, it is now "officially"July 4 as America celebrates its' independence day.   It has been a working weekend for me as I have watched a season of the West Wing as I work through some plans for the Daily Outsider--it was great to be able to be supportive as the corners were curated and the Twitter Channel was worked through.

It has also been a week as I have been witness to the wonder of Community spirit in Action.  I reflected upon it briefly when I was on NextDoor earlier today for the Community.    Whether it was the City of Laguna Niguel Run in the Park or the vibrancy of St. Timothy's Catholic Parish, it was just such a joy to be witness to it all.  

I wanted to be "dark", but I was so moved by this as I watched episodes of the West Wing with this on Blame and Compassion: 




If it was within my power, I will force every single candidate to listen to this 3 minutes and to really sit back and think about our future especially as America along with all the other episodes of the 7 seasons of the West Wing to really think about and reflect upon the promise of America.   I wonder if that can be possible.

As I will be away on Community Commitments and gear up for a challenging quarter at #Outsiders and beyond, I finished this on Twitter Earlier in support of @DailyOutsider before making sure @DailyOutsider goes dark for July 4: 

@DailyOutsider before being off 4 #July4th hope all enjoy #quote & the latest wish all a safe & happy 1 ✨✨💥🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/M9w4WKhdku

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) July 3, 2016

As I finished this, I saw this on my "hike daily" feed:  

"You have to make it happen-Denis Diderot" 

& this courtesy of +Jonathan Huie that is one of my required readings and #outsiders features it prominently in the "Thought For the Week" Corner: 

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson [Declaration of Independence]


They who can give up essential liberty
to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
- Abraham Lincoln

The only thing necessary for evil to triumph
is for enough good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke

The best way to enhance freedom in other lands
is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.
- Jimmy Carter

It is up to us...isn't it? 

Happy 4th!!!