1/10/2015

Notations For the Week-End (II): On the Eve of the March for Unity in #Paris

On the eve of the March for Unity in Paris, we here @ #Outsiders continue to be amazed at the stories of courage in the midst of such horror.   The last reports we've reviewed note that hundreds of thousands will join the call by the French Government to march in Paris--as marches have continued throughout France.     

 This from the Guardian of London said it all:



It was unfortunate how News Corp. Supremo, Rupert Murdoch, jumped into the fray as he did and was offended when many took exception to his call for all Muslims to apologize with this tweet:

 

 & then went on to say this:



A clip of the Mehdi Hassan clip was sent to his Twitter Account which we noted here earler in our Daily Write-ups.     It is our hope that his staff will make sure he sees it.   It was also amazing to see how one of his employees, Sean Hannity, hosted a "Audience special" of his show on Fox.   He was "Outraged" at the silence of the American Imams.   A link from the +Muslim Public Affairs Council was sent to his Twitter Account--hopefully those on his staff who monitor it will insure he sees it.   Rupert Murdoch noted when the scandal engulfed his newpaper properites that those who worked for him practiced, "Lazy Journalism".  It seems as if he needs to remind his crew at Fox on it.  What is unfortunate is how such leaders seem not to realize the sense of responsibility.    This was also shared on Twitter as well--a plea from the Martyred Muslim Police Officer which spoke volumes :



At last reports, 40 heads of State and Government--including the King and Queen of Jordan, the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of Palestine, The Prime Minister of Turkey, The Chancellor of Germany, the UK Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Spain along with the President of the European Union and the Prime Minister of Italy--are joining this march.    France, though, has tough questions it has to confront and this underscores it:   





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Notations For the Week-End: On Our Ever So Challenging World

As we begin the week-end throughout the channels of #outsiders,  the latest horrific news was from Nigeria as a 10-year old Girl was sent as a suicide bomber by the Boko Haram.     This was also as the latest compilation from the Economist said it all:

From The Economist Espresso: Carnage as Boko Haram attacks Baga; Marxist group claims responsibility for suicide-bombing in Turkey
http://econ.st/1tNPRDf

It is welcome as the World converges upon Paris tomorrow.      Avaaz launched a Virtual March Call (which we were very honored to add our name to) to join the Virtual March in Solidarity.  Please click here to join this march as the World continues its' unisom voice ever more as spearheaded by Google's $ 300,000 contribution:
Charlie Hebdo signs
 French media has pledged to help Charlie Hebdo as staff at the magazine have vowed to publish next week with a print run of 1m. Photograph: Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images

 and 
It is small comfort as we saw this admonition from White Eagle--yet the need to be ever so courageous is paramount during this dark hour in our World because We Shall Overcome:   
  
Go Forward With Courage
“When you are in doubt, be still, and wait;
When doubt no longer exists for you then go forward with courage.
So long as mists envelop you, be still;
Be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists
-As it surely will.
Then act with courage.”
~ Ponca Chief White Eagle
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Notations For the Week-End: On the United States.....

It has been a difficult first week for 2015 around the World.   One bright spot was the Economy in the United States as noted  by the drop in the U3 unemployment rate and as almost 252,000 Jobs were created during the 4th Quarter of 2014: 


A more "accurate" view is the U6 rate which is defined as , "..  not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U-3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons." Note that some of these part-time workers counted as employed by U-3 could be working as little as an hour a week. And the "marginally attached workers" include those who have gotten discouraged and stopped looking, but still want to work. The age considered for this calculation is 16 years and over..."  What will be quite an accomplishment is if and when the U6 rate also drops below at least 8%.   The problem is that despite this growth, it is yet to be further broad-based.  

 Markets have been volatile over the past week, though.    It is welcome news as Crude has dropped to below $50 a Barrel.    We have seen reports of Gas being as low as $ 1.55 in some part of the Country.    Whether that is sustainable is a different question as countries around the World dependent on Oil will continue to face profound challenges.

 Congress is also back at work as the Republicans took charge.   The team @ The +National Priorities Project shared a snapshot of what is before the country and we wanted to note this here:
 

2015 Budget Battle Deadlines
In order for Congress to avoid rushed backroom budget deals like the 1,600 page Cromnibus, they must adhere to deadlines in the budget process. Here are the ones they need to keep in mind this year.

About Those Resolutions...
If Congress could achieve just these three new year's resolutions for 2015, we would consider it modest progress compared to the gridlock of 2014.

What Lawmakers Have Been Up To
Already this week, the new Congress has taken action to implement restrictions on Obamacare, approve the Keystone XL pipeline, cut Social Security, and make tax cuts for the wealthy appear more economically attractive.


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