Thursday, September 28, 2017

Notations On Our World (Special Quarter-End Edition): As The Quarter Winds Downs...

As our team has been  busy during this "sabbatical" to plan out our Quarter, we have also been assessing our World as It has been quite a few weeks.   Our team continued to curate our Twitter Channel as we were witness to the devastation in Puerto Rico,     The pivotal elections in Germany and the continued drama that ensued at the United Nations with President Trump threatening to destroy North Korea and tear up the Iran Deal.    The drama over Brexit ensued as the British Prime Minister fought off rear guard action from Boris Johnson and as the Labor Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, went after her hard during the Labor Party Conference.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the GOP unveiled what it deemed its' Tax Reform Plan--with profound implications for State and Local Governments as captured by Politico this morning with its' Morning Briefing: 

WHY PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES WORRY ABOUT TAX REFORM: The long-awaited tax plan rolled out by President Donald Trump and Republican leadership puts public school advocates on edge - and not because it seeks to expand school choice, as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and some allies wanted. The initial proposal - which outlines principles for a tax overhaul - would eliminate the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT. People tend to think about federal support for education in the form of grant programs, said Michael Dannenberg, director of strategic initiatives for policy at the nonprofit Education Reform Now. "But they rarely consider much larger federal tax expenditures, like the state and local property tax deduction that subsidizes local school spending," he told Morning Education.
How SALT works: It allows individuals to subtract from their federally taxable income "some or all of the amounts they paid for state and local taxes on real estate property, income, personal property (mostly vehicles), and sales (in some states that do not levy income taxes)," a 2011 paper from the Center on Education Policy explains. This provision offers "an incentive, in the form of lower federal taxes, for individuals to engage in activities that benefit education and the larger society. For example, taxpayers may be more inclined to save for their children's college education, continue their own education, or pay state and local taxes for education and other public services if they know these investments or payments will be offset to some extent by a federal tax break."
"This is our No. 1 issue in the tax package right now," said Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for policy and advocacy at AASA: The School Superintendents Association. "When you look at how much school districts rely on state and local funding, this is groundbreaking. Schools rely heavily on state and local taxes, and the willingness of taxpayers to pay them."


The President also suffered another setback with the defeat of Obamacare--although he's advised he would be issuing an Executive Order on it next week.   President Trump suffered a profound setback in Alabama.     The Esquire's Charles Pierce captured the profound challenges that Roy Moore's Nomniation presents:

Esquire 
 
 
I'm Out of Empathy. I'm Out of Pity. I'm Out of Patience.
 
Roy Moore is dangerous, and those who support him are destroying our democracy.
 



 The team at the Financial Times captured this in this roundup that we wanted to report on as we gear up for a very busy 4th Quarter in our World (Registration May be required):

Onward to the 4th Quarter.....




 

FT round-up September

This month's top reads

European leaders aim to seize the moment for reform

Read now

FT Series

1McLaren shifts supply chain
2Cutting down on red tape
3Sealmaker benefits from devalued pound
Get the full series

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): An #Outsider Newsflash-On #Maria

Please note this breaking development courtesy of the White House on the latest on Hurricane Maria along with the central repository created by FEMA for all in the path of the Hurricane at the bottom of this notation: 

Hurricane Maria

Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump received two briefings on hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and announced an amendment to the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands disaster declarations. These amendments will provide additional disaster assistance by authorizing additional federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures over the next 180 days. “Over the last several weeks our Nation has been tested by the destructive force of Mother Nature,” the President said in yesterday’s press conference, “but we will respond to it with an even mightier force: the resolve of the American spirit.” Those who have been affected can apply for assistance through FEMA-here is a central repository available here: 



Access to Disaster Help and Resources



Friday, September 15, 2017

Reflections....

As we go dark in all our properties, we hope all continue to enjoy visiting our Virtual Circle we've curated in our home property and our broadcast pods featuring Al Jazeera and Sky News.  We also will keep our Twitter Channel updated with regular updates courtesy of our partners Nuzzel and Paper_li.

As we have reflected upon our journey, these captured the essence of our view on the privilege we have had to serve as we look forward to the on-going journey:


Gratitude is an attitude that hooks us up to our source of supply.
And the more grateful you are, the closer you become to your maker,
to the architect of the universe, to the spiritual core of your being.
- Bob Proctor

It is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives
for which we should be particularly grateful.
They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness --
just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it;
just warmth and shelter and home folks;
just plain food that gives us strength; bright sunshine on a cold day;
and a cool breeze when the day is warm.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder

We also pay tribute to all the valiant fighters for freedom and justice around the World as we also remember all the journalists, human rights campaigners and the US Dreamers as we leave you all with one of our favorite poems that has inspired us ever more: