On the Eve of Spring: "V-Thoughts" As We Await Spring

Spring is in the air!!

With it, there is a chance to begin anew and reaffirm.  Hope is eternal and this clip from the team @ Simple Truths is ever so timely.  Although it is not easy to note this with all that is going on in Ukraine, The Central African Republic, & Nigeria.  But, one has to keep hope alive :_)

Hope Friends Enjoy!! :-)

Onward.....

---

On the Eve of Spring: A "thought 4 the day"

Our opportunity is to Soar our Spirit.

To see Light and Joy in everything.

To spread our wings and fly boldly.

To give thanks for rainbows and butterflies -

our symbols of renewal and rebirth.

To offer daily Thanksgiving - for ourselves, our family,

our friends, our community, for the whole world.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Looking to a New Quarter: Brief Thoughts

Q1 2014 will be history soon.    It has been a very challenging period to say the least.    As I hope to take and assess "Outsiders" to the next level, I have also been reflecting upon history.    Watching the film Lincoln reminded me that if one has faith and confidence--that anything is possible.   Although the film has a bit of "Hollywood Hype", the essential fact remained that he wanted to abolish slavery and he was able to do despite all the nay sayers.     I also had a chance to see Wilson about his faith and recognition of how America had to change.    That sense of idealism in the truest sense is ever so important now.

Although Ukraine is a challenge, I remain hopeful and by the time I take up developing "Outsiders" starting next month, that cooler heads would have prevailed.  Too many people have died,  Too many people have suffered and too many people continue to suffer.  China is beginning its' annual National People's Congress and the endemic fight against corruption is center stage.   India is in the midst of an election and we will see some changes soon.    Syria's killing fields continue ever more.    Turkey continues to be besieged by a conflict between an increasingly autocratic Prime Minister and a mass movement that is yet to play itself out.     This is a as America enters the budget season with some very ambitious goals by President Obama to scale back the size of the Army--even though the US continues to spend more than all 10 other countries around the World:

Although I remain hopeful about Iran, trouble continues to be ever so on both sides.    But, as I take a "sabatical" from the writing and research on "outsiders", my mind drifted to this from the Dalai Lama and end with this fervent wish:

..and hope that I can--through the development of "outsiders"--live up to this admonition.

On the Dawn of a New Week: Believing in the Art of the Possible

As a new work week is before us here in the United States, I thought this snapshot underscores about the true "art of the possible".   Sometimes, though, what goes on in the World gives us a moment of pause.  I was reflecting upon this as I saw a front page story in this mornings Orange County Register in Orange County California about the long term unemployed:

Enough Said!!

Onward to the new week w/all its' possibilities....

On the Eve Of The Week-End: Brief "Daily Thoughts"

It has been quite a week.   Ukraine saw off its' President as he re-surfaced in Russia insisting he was still President.   This is as Venezuela began to have a carnival despite its' profound challenges.

This is a nice sentiment from Og Mandino to remember--if only those around the World truly understood with all the calamity it has to contend with:

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this?

Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again.

I will love the sun for it warms my bones;

yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.

I will love the light for it shows me the way;

yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.

I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;

yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.

I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;

yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

&

You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

We cannot despair of humanity,
since we ourselves are human beings.
- Albert Einstein

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded.
It's a relationship between equals.
Only when we know our own darkness well
can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
- Pema Chodron

Onward :-)

Notations on a Very Interesting Week-End Around The World :-)

It was a very historic weekend that saw Ukraine go through another Revolution.    The scenes from Ukraine as people power asserted itself ever more was absolutely beautiful to watch.   Just like all Revolutions, the aftermath will not be as beautiful.

In making the rounds of the "Social Grid", I saw someone citing Egypt as an example of what can go wrong.  There is also some understandable scepticism as to what Mr. Putin will do now that he's done with Sochi after having spent $ 50 Billion Dollars with a ravaged environment and a legacy that is yet to even begin to be realized.    Some on the US "Public Affairs" programs noted how Putin would be such a tough customer to deal with.    The Russian Ambassador to Ukraine has already been recalled to Moscow.

As Ukraine looks to Europe and has to balance its' very existence with the big brother to the North, there is the upheaval in the Americas.    Venezuela continues to be besieged by protests.    I am amazed that they have been able to be placated as long as they have.  It has been amusing to see Nicholas Maduro on the blame train accusing CNN and the State Department of interfering in the internal affairs of the Country.  This is also as telesur is featuring an interview with Nicholas Maduro on how the US is formenting a coup:



I have to wonder whether Nietzche was right:

“There are no eternal facts,  as there are no absolute truths.”

Brief Notations on our World & A "Thought 4 the Week-End"

It has been an interesting week around the World.    As I was working on assessing the World thru the "Grid", I saw this very hilarious poster from the noted Middle East Analyst and Scholar Robin Wright from the Wilson Center in Washington.  I could not help but celebrate this because diplomacy can work if it is allowed to work.    The good news that all will go back before the advent of the Iranian New Year to try and hammer out a deal.  It was also quite gratifying to see the reports noting that Iran had lived up to all the commitments so far as called for in the interim deal.

I was quite taken aback when I saw an article by the noted Iranian Political Scientist Sadegh Zibakalam blasting President Rouhani for having no vision at all.   This was released to a recent banned publication--but the message is interesting in that it shows the continued challenges President Rouhani continues to be faced with on both the right and the left of politics in Iran.    It is somewhat akin to the struggles President Obama has had when he seems to be attacked from all sides.

Beyond Iran, there is Ukraine.   Just like many around the World, I welcomed the deal brokered by the European Union that called for a National Unity Government and Presidential Elections. However, the protesters shouted down the Opposition Leader  Vitali Klitschko as he wanted to speak to the crowds explaining the deal.   Protesters are yet to leave the square.  Sky News is reporting that the President of Ukraine has gone to the Russian Heartland of Ukraine with the Speaker of the Parliament.

There is one more country worth watching:  Canada.   The son of the Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre   Trudeau, Justin,  is now the leader of his father's old party.  He's begun laying out his vision to challenge Stephen Harper.    It will be fascinating to see where this all goes.

As I reflect upon our World, I could not help but take comfort though in this beautiful thought from the great Ralph Martson.   We can only be thankful for the past.   We must look ahead and remember Diane Nyad's admonition to go ONWARD:

Thankful for the past

You can’t change the past. So there’s no point in continuing to rehash it in your mind.

Yes, there is much you can learn from the past. Once you’ve learned what there is to learn, move quickly on.

Though you can’t change the past, you can choose the way you feel about it. Your best choice is to always feel thankful that your past has brought you to where you are.

Where you are now is a place and time filled with great possibilities. Choose the most positive and meaningful of those possibilities, and go with them.

Go into the future with a sincere sense of gratitude and purposeful intention. Go into the future informed and inspired by the past, but not burdened by it.

The past has been good to you because it has given you the opportunity of now. Wisely use that opportunity and make the future even better.

A Sense of Purpose...Brief Thoughts....

It has been a tough few weeks.   I had to be reminded of some key crucial facts about life and not being ever so discouraged.   This latest "snapshot" from Jonathan Lockwood Huie I just reviewed along with the continued reports I am seeing right now gives a moment of pause to note that there may well be "stumbling blocks" (financial/professional), there has to be a desire to transform and change--and to smile about it while doing it.    Some may say that such actions are a "clown's smile"--but if one has a deep sense of faith and the commitment to never give up--nothing is impossible.

Onward :-)





Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is no passion to be found playing small -
in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
- Nelson Mandela

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
- Confucius

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it, Begin it now.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Powerful Dreams Inspire Powerful Action.
When you can taste, smell, and touch your dreams, you can enroll the world.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

On Modern Slavery: Horrific State of Affairs Today

The BAFTA Awards (The British Equivalent of the Oscars) for this year occurred this past week-end in London. All were then treated to a reception by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.

The Film, 12 Years as a Slave, won best picture. Steve McQueen, the Director, reflected upon the State of Slavery today. This chart I saw on Agence France Press' Facebook page truly reflected the tragedy of Modern Slavery:

Post by AFP news agency (Agence France-Presse).

What is so sad is how such continues to go on even today and how the World seems to be so powerless to stop it. When can we transform? Will we ever transform?   I suppose we must never lose faith as this admonition reminds us all of:

Faith:

When you walk to the edge of all the light you have

and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown,

you must believe that one of two things will happen:

...

There will be something solid for you to stand upon,

or, you will be taught how to fly

- Patrick Overton - from his book of poems: The Leaning Tree, 1975

On the Dawn of a New Week: A "Thought 4 the Week" :-)

I am gearing up for a new week while my mind is half-way around the World as the People of the United Kingdom continue to deal with Extreme Weather, the killing fields of Syria and the Central African Republic continue with no end in sight and as Venezuelans once in for all have arisen to demand their rights.    I found this simple clip ever so important to realize what's important--if only the current political leadership in our World truly embraced the simple message that the team at Simple Truths shared with us.

I hope all enjoy this...and wishing all the best of weeks....

Watch Now

View of the Week: On the Iranian Revolution

In Iran, the 35th Anniversary of the 1979 Revolution was celebrated.      Of all the remembrances, the one that struck with me was this by the talented Iranian Actress Golsifteh Farahani that depicts 120 years of Iranian History.  I first ran across this while on "Facebook", but the images sent chills through my spine and the words--although in Farsi--is about a sense of silence that should never be believed and a sense of hope.

Will that sense of hope be ever realized?

Post by Radio Zamaneh.

On the Eve of a "Working Week-End": Remembering These Words of Wisdom

One of the highlights of my evening is always to receive this summary of "thoughts" from Jonathan Lockwood Huie.  This is one of the most timely and notable ones of all about the need to overcome obstacles no matter what.

Onward  :-)

 

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.

Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

- Michael Jordan

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it, Begin it now.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

It doesn't matter if you try and try and try again, and fail. It does matter if you try and fail, 

and fail to try again.

- Charles Kettering

Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities.

Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers

you cannot be successful or happy.

- Norman Vincent Peale

On the World This Week: An "Ordinary Face" Reflects

As we assess the World this week here for Outsiders, I nearly fell out of my chair in laughter.    Field Marshall Al-Sisi, the Egyptian Military Ruler, has declared his intentions to run for President.   I nearly fell out of my chair in laughter at how the World somehow was amazed.  The Egyptian Elite has played its' hand brilliantly as Journalists are muzzled, the ordinary man and woman on the Street is suffering while the top 1% gets ever so powerful.  The case of the Al Jazeera Staff being detained is just one example.   We have worked to add our humble voice for the Al Jazeera Staff to be released while on twitter using the hashtag (#FreeAJStaff).

I have also been assessing the latest out of Afghanistan.   My mind drifted back to 2007 as I wrote about Karzai on "ordinary faces" @ http://ordinaryfaces.blogspot.com/2008/01/reflections-on-2007hopes-for-2008.html:

[B]
I can't help but reflect upon the current forgotten war: Afghanistan. It was a year that saw the lies of Pat Tillman (which I talked about),it saw the Taliban roaring back stronger than ever and Afghanistan becoming the biggest poppy producer in the world. Yet, Hamid Karzai went on the BBC and at the White House announced that everything was great. When Karzai was asked about the poppy production, he claimed that poppy was actually decreasing. Karzai also invited the "good" Taliban to join him. Why the Taliban want to join a corrupt, discredited government is beyond me. Karzai also has no credibility. Tariq Ali, the Pakistani/British Commentator, told of Karzai's younger brother running the Heroin ring and also running a weapon smuggling operation. I am just amazed as to the nerve of this man standing besides President Bush and going off telling us how things are great. But, I guess an ordinary face in the crowd like me is not supposed to understand and question, just believe what he's being fed.[/B]

Many of us knew then what a fool he was.   It is interesting how the media now is noting how Karzai is drifting away.  This is as Afghanistan is beginning elections for a new President that features some of the leading personalities that are part of the Afghan 1%.  They include Ashraf Ghani, the former Finance Minister, a brother of Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the former Foreign Minister.   I never forget while on the "grid" making the rounds on Facebook how a friend remarked about a conversation he had with Abdullah Abdullah.  What was remarkable was how this friend was impressed--yet noted that after the morning jog on the Dubai water front, he got into his chauffeur drive Rolls Royce and drove away.   It is about power and money--nothing else.  Although President Obama summoned his commanders to Washington for a meeting this past Tuesday, it will be worst in 2014 as the Taliban continue onward, drugs become ever so rampant and the plight of the person on the street becomes ever so challenging.

The atrocities in Syria are becoming ever so rampant.   The UN has been at the forefront of documenting some of the profound atrocities especially against Children.  It was simply tragic to see a child who was carried out of Mosque in Aleppo that was hit by Government Helicopters.   The hope that Assad would be overthrown is now an unrealistic as ever as ever as all have fought this war to a standstill.  It is exactly that the trench warfare of World War I until the breakthrough battles of 1916 that ultimately culminated in peace.   One example of the profound atrocity is the case of Dr. Shah, a British Surgeon who was killed by Syria Security Forces after being captured working in a Rebel Hospital.   Dr. Shah's mother confronted Syrian Officials courageously as she demanded justice for his slain son.   What can one answer a mother who has lost a son?    In the meantime, the war in Syria is consuming Lebanon and Iraq and causing havoc in Jordan.

One thing is for sure:  No one must envy the inbox of the US Secretary of the State and the President of the United States right now.

Also released to http://www.outsiderviews.com  Feb. 2014 (All rights reserved)

A Brief "Thought" 4 the Day.....

As I write this, I am listening to France24 reporting on the War in Syria.   What is at hand in Syria is tragic.   It seems ever so hopeless as both sides have fought themselves to a standstill.   Turkey, in the meantime, is trying to muzzle free speech and undermine Democracy.

I wonder, as I saw this from John Maxwell, what he would say as he reflects upon our World today:

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.

View of the Week: How One Clip Foresaw the Politics of Today :-)

A "Thought the Day" to Begin This New Week :-)

While on the "Grid", I saw this courtesy of the Success Magazine's Darren Hardy:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”   Marianne Williamson

Enough Said!!

Onward to the new week w/all its' possibilities :=)

On the Eve of Super Bowl Sunday 2014 :-) MetLife's National Anthem with Peanuts :-)

Enough Said as at the Dawn of Super Bowl Sunday 2014!! :-)

Hope all enjoy the Super Bowl :-)

A "Thought 4 the Week" On the Need to be Happy and reverent

I had the privilege to join Scout Sunday Service at my local Catholic Parish.   Scouts and Scouters are reminded to be reverent and always give back.    It was also such a joy to see the love  shown was that was ever more. 

As the new week is at hand, I also had a chance to saw this "oldie" but "goodie" courtesy of the team @ Simple Truths about a need to be happy no matter what the circumstances are:

Watch Now As I always end my "Thoughts 4 the Week", I am reminded to move "Onward"  as the great Diane Nyad tells us about how it is every so possible.

A "Thought 4 the Week" to Start the 2nd Month of 2014....

As a new week dawns, I decided to release this "Thought 4 the Week" courtesy of Jonathan Lockwood Huie:

 

 Conflict cannot survive without your participation.

- Wayne Dyer

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the practice of tolerance,

one's enemy is the best teacher.

- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Few are the giants of the soul that actually feel

that the human race is their family circle.

- Freya Stark 

An "enemy" is a mirage -

an image of self reflected on the sands of Hell.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

Lord, grant comfort, joy and health

to those I call friend,

to those I call "enemy,"

and to those I have cursed by my indifference.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

An "Outsiders" Newsflash (2/1/2014): How have economic sanctions impacted daily life in Iran?

A new month has dawned and with it--a whole host of possibilities.



As the World and Iran continue talking, there needs to be a realization of the reality of life in Iran today.    In making the rounds of the "Social Grid". a friend noted this courtesy of the PBS newshour that underscores the reality that is life in Iran today.