Notations From The Grid: On #SOTU, #Clinton, #Istanbul & Other Thoughts

It is State of the Union Day in Washington as the President is gearing up to speak later on tonight.  As a build up to this, the Guardian of London compiled an analysis of the key promises of President Obama and the record.  

Some of the guests include as noted by the Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal:

Meet 18 VIPs in the Audience for the State of the Union

Guests include a 4-year-old, the mom of a Navy SEAL killed during the Benghazi attacks, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, a college president who criticized students during the protests in the fall, and family members of veterans.

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 This is as another interesting development occured: Fox Business Network dropped Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul from what we here @ #Outsiders like to call the "A-Listers". Reports we reviewed this morning note that Senator Paul plans not to participate.

As we went to press, this was published by the Washington Examiner on the on-going investigations related to Bill and Hillary Clinton:

'150 agents' said to be working Clinton Foundation probe A former U.S. attorney said the FBI's reported investigation of "public corruption" at the Clinton Foundation has actually been going on for months, although it made headlines for the first time Monday. "There are now, I am told, 150 agents working on this case," Joseph DiGenova told the Washington Examiner, noting that was "a very unusually high number" of investigators to be working on one case. NO COMMENT FROM FOUNDATION SPOKESMAN

Beyond the Politics of the United States, though, the World has been witness to another horrific day as a tourism center in Istanbul was bombed and scenes of utter chaos were the order of the day: 



Ten persons have lost their lives.     In discussions we had with our founder, he  recalled the fond memories he had as he walked that beautiful and historic district.

We will be sharing observations on the State of the Union soon.    However, we wanted to end this by featuring this very interesting compilation by the team at +Muftah that has gone beyond the now in sharing the stories of the forgotten which we are pleased to feature here: 

Special Creative Writing Collection: Invisible Communities In an increasingly interconnected world, with technology and media making knowledge of other peoples and places accessible at the click of a button, it sometimes feels like we know all there is to know about the world around us. But what about those communities that cannot share their stories via the Internet, that do not have the technology or the connections, to make themselves visible to the rest of us? The purpose of this collection of creative writing is to unearth the stories of these “invisible communities,” that have been marginalized, overlooked, or forgotten, and whose narratives rarely, if ever, have made it into the mainstream. These communities include religious and ethnic minorities, the socio-economically disenfranchised, and those who have otherwise been sidelined to the edges of society. They are the slum-dwellers and the refugees, the bedouins and the sex workers, the political prisoners and the immigrants. They are the ones who stand before us, but who we rarely see. The pieces featured in this collection give us a glimpse into the lives of some of these forgotten communities. They include a personal essay on the experience of fleeing persecution in Afghanistan as a member of a minority community; a reflection on working with battered and abused women in Saudi Arabia; a poem about the immigrant experience in the UK; a look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the eyes of a little girl; and the poetic ruminations of a political prisoner watching the sun through his cell. We encourage you to share your thoughts and reactions to these pieces on the site, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. Engage with the authors, ask questions, and share your own perspectives. Please also take a moment to visit our Creative Writing section, where this collection is housed. We look forward to continuing the conversation and providing a platform for powerful, creative voices that refuse to be marginalized.  Prisoner's Sun by Tasnim Qutait  A Woman's Intifada against Domestic Abuse in Saudi Arabia by Fatima Albanawi  Standing on the Crowded Border between Afghanistan and Pakistan by Maryam Laly The Xmen Immigrants by Zena Agha  The Conflict between a Palestinian Girl and an Israeli Soldier by Hadeel Salameh

Notations On Our World: On #Iraq & #SOTU

It has been a challenging day in our World as we reported earlier about another attack in Baghdad at a Mall claimed by #Daesh during our daily Social Grid Roundup over Twitter.  We also have been assessing another potential disaster out of Iraq on the potential disaster  that may befall Iraq as a result of the collapse of the Mosul Dam.  It was also quite a day as two major earthquakes were felt in Asia in the so-called "Ring of Fire".

It is also the prelude to a big day in Washington tomorrow on the eve of the State of the Union.   We received here @ our Virtual Studios an update from Speaker Ryan's Office as America and the World awaits the momentous day:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2016 http://spkrryan.us/1mQArkZ CONTACT AshLee Strong, Doug Andres, Mike Ricci 202-225-0600 Speaker Ryan Announces Guests for State of the Union WASHINGTON — The following guests will be seated in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) box in the House gallery during President Obama’s last State of the Union address tomorrownight. Hero in the Balcony Logan Barritt, Milton, WI. Inspired by a Veterans Day lesson, four-year-old Logan Barritt asked his mother if he could use change from his piggy bank to send care packages to servicemembers stationed overseas during Christmastime. “I want to give it to the soldiers,” he told his mother. All told, starting with the $1.90 Logan contributed, more than $1,300 was raised from around the community for the effort. In December, representatives of the Janesville U.S. Army recruiting station and local veterans’ service organizations surprised Logan with a thank-you ceremony at his preschool and a letter of appreciation from his congressman, Speaker Ryan. Logan will be joined in the gallery by his parents, Nick and Becky. “Kids can be heroes too,” Speaker Ryan said. “Logan reminded us that a little pocket change goes a long way, especially when it comes to giving back to the men and women who give everything for us. I look forward to welcoming the Barritt family to the Capitol.” Poverty Fighters Speaker Ryan’s guests include front line poverty fighters from Wisconsin’s First District and around the country: Rev. Melvin Hargrove, President of Racine Unified School District, Racine, WI. A native of Racine, Hargrove is also the Founder and Senior Pastor of Zoe Outreach Ministries, where he has created programs to combat poverty and drug addiction. Bishop Shirley Holloway, Founder, House of Help City of Hope, Washington, DC. Bishop Holloway gave up a successful career with the U.S. Postal Service to found a non-profit organization that has helped more than 40,000 people dealing with addiction and homelessness. Speaker Ryan highlighted her work in a TedxPennsylvaniaAvenue talk last June. Pastor Omar Jahwar, Founder, Vision Regeneration, Dallas, TX. The first gang specialist hired in Texas state prisons, Jahwar leads an organization that provides gang prevention, counseling, and mentoring services to 17 Dallas public schools. Antong Lucky, Founder, We Make Real Music, Inc., Dallas, TX. A former leader of the Bloods gang in Dallas, Lucky created a program while still in prison to help young people get out of gangs. After his release in 2000, he joined Vision Regeneration to help end gang violence in Dallas, and has now launched a recording studio to combat the glamorization of violence in music.   Robert Woodson, Founder and President, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, Washington DC. Widely considered to be the “godfather” of the movement to empower neighborhood-based organizations, Woodson led Speaker Ryan on a “listening and learning” tourwith faith-based neighborhood healers around the country. Joanna Wynn, Founder, Walkin’ In My Shoes, Inc. Kenosha, WI. In 2004, Joanna Wynn was jobless and homeless until, after assistance from Speaker Ryan’s office, she began to receive disability benefits. Today, she leads a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people break the cycle of poverty. “The answer to poverty isn’t the money in Washington,” Speaker Ryan said. “The answer to poverty is entrepreneurs and innovators like these who are actually making a difference, community by community.” Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor are an order of Catholic nuns who have been serving the elderly poor since their founding over 175 years ago. The Sisters have asked the Supreme Court for protection from the Affordable Care Act's HHS mandate through which the government is forcing them to change their healthcare plans to offer drugs that violate their religious beliefs and threatening them with $70 million in fines per year. The Court will likely hear their case in March. A bipartisan group of 206 Members—including Speaker Ryan—filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of their case. Pope Francis highlighted the organization’s work with a surprise visit to their residence in Washington last September.  Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, the organization’s Mother Provincial, and Sister Constance Veit will represent the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Speaker’s box. “All we ask is that our rights not be taken away,” Sister Loraine said in a recent release. “The government exempts large corporations, small businesses, and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us – we just want to keep serving the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years.” “For us, this has nothing to do with politics,” Sister Constance said in an interview. “We just want to take care of the elderly poor without being forced to violate the faith that animates our work.” “The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the most vulnerable among us, and they should be free to practice their faith without the threat of government interference or intimidation,” Speaker Ryan said. “The Sisters’ stand in defense of religious liberty – one of our most fundamental rights – is nothing short of courageous, and it’s my privilege to support their cause.”

	Speaker Ryan’s Press Office | H-232 The Capitol | 202-225-0600

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): On #Americas Watch w/the State of The US Campaign & The Final State of the Union

The State of the Campaign is getting to be quite interesting as Iowa and New Hampshire comes ever so closer.  The White House fired off an opening salvo with this guidance on it late last week as the final State of the Union By President Obama draws near: 

This  President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union Address. Yes, this is his last one!  And he doesn’t just want you to tune in, he wants you to lift your voice too. 

For a little sneak peek, WATCH President Obama’s State of the Union Trailer.  

And here are some things YOU can do! 

1.       Send a Tune In message to your list serves/members

2.       RSVP on Facebook to President Obama’s final State of Union

3.       Share with your list serve/members on Facebook. Click "Join" and then share the post with your followers by clicking "invite" and "share event."

4.       Host a State of the Union Watch Party!  Screen it live through go.wh.gov/WatchSOTU

5.       Stay Tuned by sending us your Digital POC for SOTU and get real time updates from the White House Digital Team

Regards,

Jesse Moore







On the day after, the White House Will host:

















In the meantime, the week also saw Congress quite busy as it passed a bill to repeal "Obamacare" and defund Planned Parenthood.  The President vetoed it and based on the assessment at hand, we believe that the veto will be sustained.  It will be also interesting to see the GOP Response by the Governor of South Carolina will be received.

Beyond the daily affairs in Washington, there is also the Campaign itself.     Jeb Bush sent this out based on the latest polling it saw in New Hampshire:    

 

—Begin Forwarded Message—

From: Team Jeb
Date: January 09, 2015
Subject: New Hampshire poll just released

BREAKING: Breitbart: Bush in 2nd as Rubio Fades

Last night a new poll was released showing Jeb in 2nd place in New Hampshire. That’s right, he’s beating Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and even Ted Cruz.

Jeb is surging just at the right moment with only 23 days until voting starts and 31 days until the New Hampshire Primary, but unless we can raise $100,000 in the next 48 hours, we could lose this momentum.

Please, Mike, we need all hands on deck for this. Contribute just $1 right now to help us hit this goal.

Our opponents are preparing to spend millions in the coming weeks on TV, radio and online ads misinforming voters about the Governor’s conservative record, so this cannot wait.

Every day you don’t help us fight back is a day that more false attacks will go unanswered.

That’s why it’s so important for us to hit this $100,000 goal in the next 48 hours. Show Jeb you have his back and you’re committed to victory by contributing just $1 right now:

Jeb2016.com/Stand-With-Jeb/

Thank you,

Team Jeb
 

Trump, in the meantime, continues to dominate the polls.    He had opponents ejected from events in Vermont and reports note that he ordered their coats to be seized so that they could freeze.   He also ordered a Muslim participant , Rose Hamid, be ejected as well.     His latest interesting comment had to do with The North Korean Leader, Kim Jung Un.   He spoke up for him by admiring how he "wiped off" his Uncle and took on the General.   Ted Cruz--so far the front runner in Iowa--has been trying to deal with his citizenship status as Trump has been attacking him.   Whether the attacks will work is an open question.

In the meantime, on the Democratic side, it continues to be Hillary Clinton's to lose as Bill Clinton was deployed.    As Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail, the allegations against him has resurfaced--although many of these were litigated over 20 years ago.   

It is bound to be interesting for the ensuing weeks.