On the Dawn of a New Week.....

It has been quite a weekend.    It began yesterday with a day of service at the @Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County with friends, worked at a Food Pantry and ended the night  with friends as I joined the Aliso Niguel High School's 2016 Prom--As someone who did not make his own prom, it was such a joy to see the kids having so much fun.


As a new week looms, I wanted to share this admonition from the Great Audrey Hepburn (that I also released to my personal Facebook wall) that holds ever so true here and now: 

“Nothing is more important than empathy
for another human being’s suffering.
Nothing.
Not a career, not wealth,
not intelligence, certainly not status.
We have to feel for one another
if we’re going to survive with dignity.”
~ Audrey Hepburn

 

As I have been doing some work today, I got myself an interesting milestone which was surprising to say the least as I wish all a fabulous week: 

http://mpouraryan.tumblr.com/post/144767042203/250-posts

 

Before Going Dark 4 the W-End: Nathan East | Daft Funk | Official Animated Lyric Video

I wanted to end my "walk-about" on a high note as I hope you all enjoy!!

On the Prowl w/thoughts on US Politics, AI & Other Thoughts (with a Brief Update)

What a week it has been!!

As I have been tending to commitments in the @DailyOutsider, I saw this from the Washington Examiner:

NRA endorses Trump: 'We have to unite'

The National Rifle Association endorsed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday, after months of declining to support a candidate in the GOP primary race.

"In all of history there's always been a time and a place when patriots stand up and rise up against the decree of the elites and shout, 'No more. Get your hands off my freedom,'" NRA president Wayne LaPierre told a roomful of gun owners on Friday. "That time and place is now."

Read the full story here.


What is unfortunate is that anyone who does not seem to agree with the NRA is not a patriot and not an American.     I also can't help but wonder why the NRA epitomizes such a culture of fear.

Beyond the NRA itself, I could not help but be shocked at how Trump has continued to dominate the airwaves.    CBSN, the online App by CBS News, was slated to carry his remarks live.   He was on Megyn Kelly.     Yet, he complained about "Media Bias".   He also went after Bill Clinton in regards to rape allegations--this is as he immediately sent out a tweet about the potential terrorism on the EgyptAir Flight #MS804 as Greece, Egypt and France scrambled to find the wreckage.    Although terrorism is certainly a possibility, it was a failure of leadership.  I got into a twitter give and take with a few of Mr. Trump's fans on it.      This is as the conservative media continues its' onslaught on Hillary Clinton with Karl Rove's latest comments about the "FBI Primary" as he speculated about a Hillary Clinton indictment.     In the meantime, the Democratic Side is just as nasty--but what was interesting to note was the daily notations from the Fortune's Geoff Colvin as former Massachutes Governor William Weld entering the Libertarian Party Presidential contest:

Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld said yesterday that he wants to run for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket alongside former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential nominee in 2012, who is running again. What’s intriguing is that amid rampant talk about the hope and hopelessness of a third-party challenge to Donald Trump, one is actually taking shape under the radar. A Johnson-Weld ticket, should it be chosen at the party’s convention over Memorial Day weekend, would have no chance of winning – Johnson got 1% of the vote in 2012 – but in a year of surprises it could prove surprisingly attractive to voters already seeking an alternative to Trump and Hillary Clinton. A Fox News poll conducted earlier this week, before Weld’s announcement, showed that in a Trump-Clinton-Johnson race, Johnson drew 10% support.

I agree with him in this regard:  They have no chance of winning.    However, they can potentially be a spoiler.     It seems as if those who are perceived "outsiders" are prevailing--as epitomized by the election of the new President of the Phillipines who has promised to kill off all the criminals.

Beyond the political scene, though, this truly blew me away:  

Artificially Intelligent Lawyer 'Ross' Has Been Hired By Its First Official Law Firm

What it is: Baker & Hostetler has just announced a new hire: Ross, the world's first artificially intelligent lawyer. Ross is the brainchild of IBM Watson, and it's been designed to "read and understand language, postulate hypotheses when asked questions, research, and then generate responses (along with references and citations) to back up its conclusions," as Futurism describes. "Ross also learns from experience, gaining speed and knowledge the more you interact with it."

Why it's important: A powerful glimpse into the future of professional services. Currently, even the most diehard legal assistants need time off for human needs. Ross doesn't have that problem -- and as a result, Ross can parse case law, secondary sources, legislation, and new court decisions around the clock, even delivering its curated results in natural language.

Spotted by Darryl Kraemer

 I picked this up as I read thru Abundance Insider that is published by Peter Diamandis of the X-Prize Foundation.   This is a window into the future that no one seems to be talking about--or wants to talk about.     This is as Google is continuing its' march with the development of Tensor Processing Unit and IBM is pushing ahead with True North which is helping to power on Watson.    One of the reasons #Outsiders was conceived was to help change the conversation.   

This has also been a week that the World has  been witness to unprecedented turmoil in the Retail Space as traditional retail players have been losing ground, shutting stores and trying to see what the future holds.    Target missed its' numbers, Macy's is shuttering stores and GAP is considering creating a store on Amazon.com--as Amazon continues to dominate ever more.   Walmart seems to be holding its' own as groceries seems to have been its' savior--although that will not apparently last long as Amazon is moving aggressively in that space as well.      It is also of note how two of the early stalwarts are apparently on the verge of withering away:  Yahoo and Pandora.   Yahoo is apparently getting lowball offers and Pandora is trying to sell itself.    

   

What will the future bring...a question to ponder as the weekend looms.....


(Update:  It is quite ironic how the White House Went on lockdown right after the Trump speech and endorsement:

White House on lockdown after shots fired

The White House was reportedly on lockdown Friday afternoon after shots were fired right outside the building.

Reporters said they were asked to shelter in place just before 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Read the full story here.)

Wishing all a fab & joyous weekend.

On the Prowl w/Brief Thoughts 4 the Week.....

 It is a day of retrospection of sorts personally and for the #outsiders team.   This was as one of our long-term friends suffered a profound tragedy this week  .       The team @ #released a "thought 4 the week" they picked up from my Facebook Feed.    I also  picked this up while On the "Grid" which underscores a simple art of the possible as I wish all a fabulous rest of the Week: 

On A Very Interesting Week.....

I don't mind noting how "Virtually Breathless" I've been as I have been assessing our World and continuing to assess the on-going roadmap for #Outsiders.    As the Obama Adminstration is coming to an end, it has been quite a journey to say the least.    

One extra ordinary event that happened this week was a win by the US House on a lawsuit they filed against the President regarding Obamacare which Professor Turley reflected upon in his blog after the victory:   

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WINS HISTORIC RULING IN CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE UNDER THE ACA by jonathanturley

This afternoon, Judge Rosemary Collyer issued a final ruling in United States House of Representatives v. Burwell, the challenge to unilateral actions taken by the Administration under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Judge Collyer ruled in favor of the House of Representatives and found that the Administration violated the Constitution in committing billions of dollars from the United States Treasury without the approval of Congress. The historic ruling reaffirms the foundational “power of the purse” that was given to the legislative branch by the Framers.
Read more of this post

It was also interesting how the office of the House Speaker also celebrated the ruling as the Speaker ws also trying to make "nice" with Donald Trump:

A big win for our Constitution

May 12, 2016 | http://spkrryan.us/1WtmIiM

Today, we had a big win in our fight to restore the separation of powers under our Constitution. I wanted to tell you a bit about it.
A federal court sided with the House in ruling that the administration unlawfully funded parts of Obamacare without a congressional approval.
Time and again, this White House has gone too far. So we took up this fight to defend Article I of the Constitution. The fact is this: President’s don’t write laws. Congress does.
We The People cannot accept an executive branch that acts outside the consent of the governed.
Now our fight continues. Click here to learn more about this critical legal action.
Sincerely,

 What is critical to observe is that this battle is not over by any stretch of the imagination--with the faith of millions on Obamacare hanging in the balance.  

The environment was also of concern that the team released a notation on it and the Secretary of State spoke to it:  

Kerry warns: 'Entire countries swallowed by the sea' Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that climate change is "the greatest threat that our planet has faced in modern history, in all of our history." Speaking at the University of Oxford in the UK, he said, "If you think current conflicts are all-consuming, imagine what happens when we add food shortages, water shortages, stronger storms, longer droughts, steady rises in sea levels, which are already being predicted, and entire countries swallowed by the sea." INSANE HYPERBOLE, THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

The Washington Examiner inserted its' own "take" on John Kerry's Speech which I found quite amusing.    What I was not amused by is when I saw the reporting out of Afghanistan as one of the key roads was taken over by the Taliban.   I found it further chilling as the Stretch of the so-called "Ring Road" between Kabul and Kandahar was known as Highway 1--Vietnam came to mind!!

Beyond politics and the Environment, there were two areas of concern that was notable.   One had to do with what Facebook is doing with determining what is "Trending" or "Not Trending" as it continues ot evolve into the true "World Town Square". Facebook's founder rejected the accusations--but the question of Facebook's dominance continues to be of concern.    What I found interesting in my periodic forays is how I am not seeing some of the so-called "New Media" Players like Vox in my Personal Feeds.   Vox, for instance, launched an exclusive Facebook-centric channel within the past few weeks.      This is also as I have been assessing the State of the BBC as it continues onward with the White Paper that was uneviled by the British Culture Secretary--I am at a loss to explain how they could consider tinkering with a distinct British Institution that we here @ #Outsiders have featured periodically in our on-going development.     

I have been assessing the on-going state of the Tech Space this week as well--as I saw Symanteic, Autodesk and a number of other leading players initiate layoff proceedings.  The anemic nature of earnings season (with the exception of Amazon) is a potential harbinger of challenging times before us especially as Europe continues to muddle through.    I was quite amused when I saw this comment on the plight of Francois Hollande as he continue to languish in the polls, "....Mr. Hollande's smile is all that's left ..."    What Emmanuel Marcon, the Economy Minister, is doing is also quite interesting as a third force in French politics since there is somewhat of a view that there is no left in France.  Some may even contend that there is no Real Right in the United States.

Despite a challenging week, I thought to end these thoughts with this "oldie" but "goodie" as I am reminded of Saint Junipero Serra's admonition: Sempre Adelante (Always Forward);

Onward to the new week w/all its' possiblities

On the Eve of the W-End: Quite a Challenging Week....

It has been an interesting week in our World.   The World has been as challenging as ever as Islands have disappeared due to rising oceans, Iraq continues to bleed, Brazil lost a President and Irans new Parliament conveyed.   This is also as one of the most pivotal countries in Africa, The Democratic Republic of Congo, is becoming increasingly unstable in addition to another pivotal country, Turkey.   

It was not easy to be optimistic.    As the team at #Outsiders decided to release the first edition of the Friday Musical Interlude in the Beta Site,     I ran across these two thoughts as I was on the "Grid" and they are as eloquent as they come about wanting to be aware, to make a difference and never give up for anything!!!

Wishing all a fab Friday and a fab W-End!!!

 

Working Away....

It has been an interesting week as the development work in #Outsiders has been continuing--at times with challenges.     I was reflecting upon this as I was also working away on other projects as I ran across this from +Jonathan Huie whose thoughts have been featured in the legacy sites of #Outsiders and a recent one was also featured on the new Beta Site:

Faith is realizing that you always get what you need.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

If I could tell the world just one thing
it would be we're all okay,
and not to worry cause worry is wasteful
and useless in times like these.
I won't be made useless.
I won't be idle with despair,
I will gather myself around my faith.
Light does the darkness most fear.
- Jewel 

I  also decided to have a little fun as I ran across this while working away at the Walden University E-Campus.  This was featured on BuzzFeed:  

https://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/whats-your-keirsey-personality-type?utm_term=.elarOEj2v&sub=4002574_6753121#.ykEDB1YMl

This was my result: Artisan

You’re creative and value the arts along with other creative outlets. You’ve always had a sense of adventure and are spontaneous. You’ve always valued expression, and don’t hold back on saying how you feel. You love personal freedom, and are always looking to discover new things.

It has also been a challenging week  around the World.   Over 90 people lost their lives as the thugs of Daesh attacked markets in Baghdad as the war in Iraq continues with no end in sight.     What I view as the greatest show on Earth is also continuing--as the US House Speaker Paul Ryan and the presumptive Republican Nominee Donald Trump had a meeting and promised party unity.      It is fascinating to see the upheaval in Republican Circles.

Fascinating times.....

On This Working W-End: A "Virtual Token" to Share......

I wanted to share this courtesy of @TED  as I wish all a great Mothers' Day W-End and a fantastic Week:

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

Talks to help you focus on what really matters

It's easy to get caught up in the daily dramas of life. These talks can help you step back, slow down and appreciate the bigger picture. Watch »

8 TED Talks • Total run time 1:52:07

I

On the Eve of Mothers' Day 2016.....

It has been quite a day--and finished this in #Outsider2.x Earlier!!

On the US Election Front, it has been a day of political jockeying as Senator Lindsay Graham came out strongly against Donald Trump and as Jeb Bush became the third member of the Bush Family to note that he would be sitting out the Campaign.      Donald Trump talked about it during a rally in Nebraska--Senator Ben Sasse  Home State who noted this not so long ago in regards to both candidates:

AN OPEN LETTER
to those disappointed in both of our presidential candidate choices:https://t.co/vbwOi1UGhg

Goodnight.

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) May 5, 2016

This is also Mothers' Day Weekend here in the United States.    I ran across this on Pandora which I wanted to feature as I wish all the Mothers' amongst us a Happy Mothers Day!!!

This weekend, celebrate all the Moms who Rock with a special mixtape.

Listen Now

:

On this "Cinco De Mayo 2016" & On the Eve of Mother's Day: A Virtual Token of Thanks....

Today is officially Cinco De Mayo.     As a small "Virtual Token" of thanks to all who have visited the Legacy properties of #Outsiders and for all who have had a chance to visit the current Beta Site for #Outsider 2.x as it has been developed , (Ordinary Faces; Visions; Education & Community), I hope all have a chance to check this out as I wish all "Happy Cinco De Mayo" and Happy Mothers' Day to All!!!

To commemorate this festive day, here is a soundtrack of must-have tracks at any Cinco de Mayo party.

Listen Now

On the Prowl....

It is mid-week as the #outsiders journey continues nonstop.    As I reflect upon the journey on the second month of Outsider 2.x, it was quite poignant that I ran across this  daily "minute w/Maxwell" which I wanted to feature here as I wish all a great rest of the week: 

Today's word is RESILIENCE

Thanks for joining me. What you do TODAY matters. Each day, I hope to inspire, challenge, and equip you with leadership teachings that are as timeless as they are true. I am excited to share these short, powerful, FREE video messages with YOU. I encourage you to pass these on to others, and together we can intentionally enrich the world. WATCH SHARE

As May 2016 Dawns......

It was a day again of Social Curation and assessment  as I continued supporting our ever changing World.  It was amusing to me personally as I saw speculation on Donald Trump's VP prospects.   This amusement was tempered, though, by chaos in Iraq and the continued tragedy in Syria.   For the record, I still refer to those countries in a unitary way even though both countries effectively ceased to exist as a country long ago which will be further assessed in #Outsiders over the course of the ensuing weeks.  

It was also a weekend of service as I was witness to a joyous time at the Taste of Aliso Niguel 2016. This is an event that has been held for the past 9 years supporting Aliso Niguel High School's Activites that also provides an opportunity for the various Atheltic Programs to also raise funds for their programs through an auction process.   The Food was great, the music was fabulous and the vibrancy of the community was ever so evident.      As I was also "on the Grid", this "popped up" on my personal Facebook Wall:

Embracing a sense of hope is key as  I look to what I view as another challenging month  with the ongoing daily challenges of #outsiders and other projects.   What  I took comfort were the thoughts I looked up from the great Michael Jordan which I hope continues to an inspiration to all:

On This Working W-End: Thoughts On #Outsides & #Success & Remembering Carl Sagan & Space....

Today has been exactly 30 days since Daily Outsider 2.x Beta  Began.   As I have noted, it has been a challenging transition as the tweaking and build-out is continuing.  

One of the key focus points for me is to relaunch and revamp the community channel in the new channel including on-going developments throughout my home community of Laguna Niguel and Beyond.    It is exciting as I have a unique interesting chance to put Laguna Niguel on the map with what I will be doing with the Traffic Commission Initiative that was just concluded.

These I ran across go to the heart of  this journey of hope that I picked upon +EdCast on Friday:  

10 Great Rule For Success: A youtuber has mined some of the best insights from Elon Musk over the course of several interviews. This is a fantastic...

As I refleced upon the last thirty days, I could not help but embrace this from the great Carl Sagan and lamented the fact over Facebook as I worked "on the Grid" tending to commitments at the Daily Outsider on how he was missed :

“In science it often happens that scientists say,

‘You know that’s a really good argument; my position is mistaken,’and then they would actually change their mindsand you never hear that old view from them again.They really do it.It doesn’t happen as often as it should,because scientists are humanand change is sometimes painful.But it happens every day.I cannot recall the last time something like thathappened in politics or religion.”

..and of cousre this from Space courtesy of The International Space Station as reported by Dr. Firouz Naderi of NASA: 

Happy May day to all!!!

Working away @DailyOutsiders with Brief Thougths & a "View of the Week" To Share

It is mid-week as I have been supporting the on-going transition for the Daily Outsider and of course on with my own personal Twitter Curation.  It was kind of disappointing as I reviewed of Twitter continuing to struggle as it came out with its' latest earnings announcement.    It was also of interest that I saw that somewhat Yahoo seems to enter a reasonable period of calm as new members of the board were appointed to Yahoo's Board.  

It has also been quite a day on the political front as I have also just reviewed the speech by Donald Trump on Foreign Policy--and it was telling that he was introduced by one of the leading Neo-Conservatives, Zalmay Khalilzad who was US Ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan,  and the UN during the Bush Administration.  From what I have seen so far, it is classic Neo-Con orthodoxy.    The team had noted that it would refrain from commentary although we did reporting on it as the results were coming in yesterday.   It is also of interest that Senator Cruz is touting a major announcement later on today which will be interesting to be witness to.    

I was so happy to read up on this which I hope all enjoy:

working away..hope all enjoy this...some fab common sense "food 4 thought"..wish all a great rest of the wk...:)) https://t.co/13yvZMm961

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) April 27, 2016

On the Prowl 4 the Day as I am attending Enhancing Your Digital Presence to Increase Citizen Engagement

As I work away, I have joined this sponsored by @GovLoop on Enhancing Your Digital Presence to Increase Citizen Engagement.   There are some very interesting lessons that can be potentially applied as our work continues on the continued Transformation of the Daily Outsider.

On the Eve of a New Work Week.......

I took a "daycation" of sorts yesterday to reflect upon the #outsiders' transition and other initiatives as I joined Boy Scouts for our District Annual Camporee 2016.   It has been challenging on all more than I thought frankly.   As I reflected upon it, it was of note how one column I saw after I returned reflected upon how the death of Prince was covered as it was--and yet the untold  story of migrants, the on-going world challenges and the transformation is not truly be addressed unless one digs and digs.   It was also quite disconcerting as I saw this on the New York Times.    One statistic is worth noting:   The top 1% of American households control 42% of the Wealth.    The .01 Percent control 22 Percent alone. Businesses cannot be blamed for "going where the money is".  

The business scene this week has been challenging.    Alphabet/Google has missed its' numbers and lost some 820 Million on "other bets".    Microsoft is also not as "vibrant"--although they are not going anywhere just yet.     Intel's layoffs and Yahoo's implosion is also part of the change we are witness to.   What was hilarious was a note on how Facebook and Google can be brought down not by business fissures, but by nature.     Beyond the Business World and the realities all of us have to contend with, the political realities are also of profound concern.    The so-called "Brexit" debate (UK leaving the European Union) is of profound concern as President Obama has embarked on a so-called 'farewell tour" of sorts.    While he was in the UK, he forcefully intervened and received a push back from Boris Johnson who called the President a "Half Kenyan" which invoked outrage from across the Political Spectrum--even Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party noted that Boris Johnson went too far.+

As I look to the new week, I took comfort in this which is quite poignant thanks to the good work by +Jonathan Huie as I wish all a great week.    

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

Although the world is full of suffering,
it is full also of the overcoming of it.
- Helen Keller

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
- Japanese Proverb

Expect to have hope rekindled.
Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.
The dry seasons in life do not last.
The spring rains will come again.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach