How Far We've Come!!! :-)

Our team was busy on the evening review when we ran across this that we wanted to share.   Just in case anyone does not know, this is an IBM 5 Mb Hard Drive that was being shipped in 1956.   Enough Said!!!

Notations On Our World: On the Eve of the @Pontifex (The Pope) arrival in the US (Updated)

As we went to press, The Holy Father was finishing off his tour of Cuba that saw him meet Fidel Castro.

Our team decided to do a brief "retrospective" on the Pope's Climate Change encyclical which has drawn some fire recently from the more conservative elements of the Republican Party.   Our team found is especially funny as the conservative firebrand Michelle Malkin noted how the Vatican should embrace Air Conditioning.    We released this to the Daily Outsider Twitter Feed earlier today:

On the eve of the @Pontifex visit to US, reflections on his encyclical on climate change – as it happened http://t.co/jRGhENQdsq

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) September 21, 2015

We also wanted to report on this open letter from the Marshall Project we periodically consult as the Holy Father will be visiting a Prison in Philadelphia which is also remarkable that underscores the commitment he has to social justice everywhere around the World: 

Dear Pope Francis. You are about to enter Philadelphia’s largest jail. Here’s what you should know. The facility is dangerously overcrowded. Inmates are subjected to humiliating treatment, including beatings that have been recorded on video. And local officials are constantly battling with judges and federal investigators over the pace of reform. It is a microcosm of America’s debate over the state of corrections. A letter from The Marshall Project. THE MARSHALL PROJECT 

The Washington Post's James Hohman in his  "Daily 202" had an interesting take on the views of the Holy Father notable for all to review:

1. He wants to open Cuba. His Vatican played a central behind-the-scenes role in last year’s secret U.S.-Cuba negotiations. Long before he was elevated to the papacy, with a book he wrote in the ’90s, Francis spoke out against the American embargo. Visiting Cuba this weekend, he praised the thaw between the two long-estranged neighbors as “an example of reconciliation for the entire world” that “fills us with hope.”
2. He strongly backs immigration reform. The pope has decried the “inhuman” conditions that migrants face coming to the U.S. from Mexico, and he’s proddedEurope to accept more Syrian refugees. “I expect that Francis, in his address to Congress, will challenge our national conscience on immigration and remind us of the growing human toll resulting from our indifference and failures of political will,” Jose H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community, writes in an op-ed for today’s Wall Street Journal. “In calling Americans to compassion and hospitality, he will also be calling us to reclaim our roots as a nation of immigrants and a refuge for the world’s downtrodden.”
3. He calls for aggressive climate change action. The Pope issued a 184-page encyclical on climate change this summer, saying humans are mostly to blame. “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” he said, describing global warming as “one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.”
4. He supports the Iran nuclear deal. Last week, at the International Atomic Energy Agency conference in Vienna, the Vatican’s foreign minister praised President Obama’s agreement, saying that “the way to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be that of dialogue and negotiation.”
5. He recognizes Palestinian statehood. The Vatican signed a May treaty that was widely criticized by Jewish leaders in both Israel and the U.S.
6. He talks about income inequality more than even the Democratic presidential candidates. Francis spent decades pastoring in the slums. “Inequality is the root of social evil,” Francis says. He decries “trickle-down theories” as a “structurally perverse economic system.” Visiting Bolivia this summer, the Pope called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil.” He says the problems of the poor should be “radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation.”
7. A devotee of social justice, this Pope has repeatedly urged more public assistance for the poor. “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation,” Francis wrote in a 2013 exhortation. “I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor! It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare.”

It was also quite remarkable as Politico just reported that the United States has apparently reached out to the Vatican to assist with the release of the 4 Americans being held in Iran.   We here @ #Outsiders are also following the case of the 4 Americans and will provide commentary as required.   

An #Outsider Newsflash (9/21/2015): On the #Haifa Film Festival

It was gratifying to see this newsflash we received from Israel today which we hope to report on over the ensuing weeks:

MFA Newsletter

Haifa Film Festival to host Iranian director Makhmalbaf, Acco Fringe Festival goes international The event will host more than 80 filmmakers and film-industry professionals. Claude Lanzmann will be the festival's guest of honor and receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will head the feature film jury.  This year the Acco Festival goes international, hosting fringe theatre shows from all over the world and a large delegation of performing artists from China . Yabalek! to be performed at the Acco Festival Copyright: Courtesy Israel Ministry of Tourism  The 31st Haifa International Film Festival will take place from September 26 to October 5 at the Haifa Cinematheque and other theaters around the city. This year, the event will host more than 80 distinguished filmmakers and film-industry professionals from around the world, and is expected to attract some 300,000 visitors, who will be able to choose from 280 screenings of new films from all over the world, including over 70 Israeli films. Legendary documentary director Claude Lanzmann, best known for his Holocaust documentary Shoah, will be the festival's guest of honor and will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award for Lanzmann, who is celebrating his 90th birthday this year, will also commemorate 70 years since the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps. A new digitally restored version of Shoah will be screened, along with several of Lanzmann's other films, among them Sobibor, Le Rapport Karski and The Last of the Unjust. Lanzmann will give a master class that will be open to the public, and will meet with documentary film students at the pitching event. Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will be head of the jury for the Israeli Feature Film Competition. His latest film, the political satire The President, will be screened. In 2012, Makhmalbaf made the documentary The Gardener, about the Bahai Gardens in Haifa, and it will be shown as part of a retrospective of his films, among them A Moment of Innocence (1996) and The Cyclist (1987). Among the guest directors: Peter Greenaway, the British director known for the filmsNightwatching, 8 1/2 Women and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, will screen his latest film, Eisenstein at Guanajuato, at the festival. Italian actor/director/screenwriter Sergio Castelitto will present the latest film that he directed,No One Is Saved Alone. Also from Italy, director Luca Guadagnino will attend screenings of his latest movie, A Bigger Splash, which stars Tilda Swinton and Dakota Fanning. Sharunas Bartas, one of the most acclaimed Lithuanian directors, will present his latest film, Peace to Us in Our Dreams. About the Festival The Haifa International Film Festival was established in 1983 and was the first of its kind in Israel. In the spirit of the city of Haifa, home to one of Israel's most diverse populations, the festival promotes the values of pluralism, co-existence and peace. Over the last three decades, the Haifa Film Festival has gained global reknown, showcasing the latest award-winning films. The Acco Festival of Alternative Theatre, now marking 36 years since its founding, is a lodestone for culture-lovers from all over the country, with a tradition of innovation in mounting new, original works of theatre. It is one of the most important cultural events in Israel and particularly in Acco. Hundreds of thousands of people who attend the street shows highlight the artistic mosaic which has turned the Acco Festival into one of the most special and unique festivals in Israel. The festival will take place during the Sukkot holiday, from September 28 to October 1, 2015. Awarded recognition by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage preservation site, Acco is a city where Jews, Arabs, and Christians live together in harmony, with mutual respect for each others' cultures. The festival takes place in a unique city where visitors can enjoy its alleyways, antiquities, marketplaces, scents, the new and the old, creating for the visitor the greatest, magical human theatrical show in Israeli culture. This year the Acco Festival goes international, hosting fringe theatre shows from all over the world and a large delegation of performing artists from China. Alongside the competition performances, the festival presents a wide and rich variety of open-air and street performances from Israel and abroad. A special production for the Acco Festival this year is “The Gypsies are Coming…” This is a rich and authentic Gypsy celebration, a family of wanderers with a special circus of their own. For the duration of the Festival the Old City’s Moat Garden will be transformed into a Gypsy encampment. Artistic Director Gil Alon: "This year the theatre will meet with additional arts and engage in dialogue with them. Theatre that incorporates opera, live music, video, dance, and movement. Theatre with an urge for adventurousness."

Notations From the Grid: On A Challenging World & Hope

As we went to press with this early edition of "Notations", our team is watching a special on the plight of refugees broadcasting on Al Jazeera.    It was also quite distressing as we reviewed reports from the New York Times on Sunday as we reviewed reporting on all who are eyeing to leave conflict zones.    The number of Passport requests has risen 5-fold in Afghanistan to 5,000 a day as the Taliban are wrecking havoc throughout Afghanistan and as refugees continue to suffer ever more escaping the trouble spots of our World.

We wanted to share this our founder released earlier that we hope brings some sense of hope especially on this World Peace Day:

On the eve of @Pontifex visit here in the US, hope all enjoy his List of 10 Tips for Becoming a Happier Person: http://t.co/8y1zBlGGNr

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) September 21, 2015

The Holy Father's 10 Secret to Happiness is truly something to aspire to.   It was also of note as we were reminded of the acronym Hope: 

• Hang On
• Pain Ends

It is small comfort to the thousands who have been displaced by war and not forgetting this old admonition:

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. - Confucius

— Great Minds Quotes (@GreatestQuotes) September 21, 2015

View of the Week: On Being #Grateful

We are on the eve of a new week throughout the #outsider network as we begin.   It has been an interesting week as we have been reflecting upon the US Election Scene, the Middle East Inferno, The Migrant tragedy in Europe and the evolving future before us.    It is also a week that the Holy Father comes to the United States which we look forward to commenting on throughout the week.

Our team took a moment of pause to reflect to simply say thank you.     The journey has been a labor of love so far as and the thoughts by one of our must reads, +Jonathan Huie , epitomized it ever more:

We can only be said to be truly alive in those moments

when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

- Thornton Wilder 

Gratitude bestows reverence,

allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies,

those transcendent moments of awe that change forever

how we experience life and the world.

- John Milton

We are grateful ever more and look forward to the opportunity to serve and hopefully continually live up to St. Junipero Sera's admonition:   Siempre Adelante (always forward).   

 

Notations For the Week-End: On the United States

Image Source: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/opinion/crazy-talk-at-the-republican-debate.html?_r=0, retrieved 09/18/2015 

The US elections season is in full force and all have been quite busy.    Our team had decided to withhold daily commentary on it and to provide a monthly "Notation" on it especially as we are witnessing a very busy October with a new Republican Debate before is and the First Democratic Debate as well.    It will be interesting who will be left standing as the Republicans continue their debate.

Our team saw this interesting  asssessment done by the Fortune's Geoff Colvin as he reflected upon the "day after" of the GOP Debate--with a focus on "Performance": 

Daily insights on leaders and leadership By Geoff Colvin

September 17, 2015

If you had just landed from Mars last night at 8 pm EDT, having never heard of the Republican candidates or seen a polling number – if all you had to go on was what you saw in the debate on TV – whom would you have picked as the leaders? You probably would have picked Donald Trump simply because of the attention all the others paid to him, plus the amount of talking he did, which was more than anyone else. And then you likely would have picked Carly Fiorina for her polished, presidential demeanor and command of policy issues, and Jeb Bush, who also talked a lot, spoke well about policy, and pushed back effectively against Trump’s bluster. But I suspect you never would have guessed Ben Carson, who was hesitant, uncertain, and practically invisible in the early going. He got warmed up and asserted himself better as the interminable evening wore on, but he alone refused to attack Trump even when presented with obvious opportunities. And yet in all the polls – in Iowa, New Hampshire, and nationwide – Carson is the only candidate ranking anywhere near Trump in popularity. A conundrum of this race, and a lesson for leaders everywhere, is that the two most successful candidates so far are the loudest one and the quietest one. That fact tells us a few things: -There is no superior leadership style or any definable leadership personality. Style and personality are not what make a leader. -Authenticity always comes through. As different as Trump and Carson are, they’re both real, and voters can sense it. They can also tell instantly, and generally dismiss, who’s delivering rehearsed, focus-group-tested talking points. -Differentiation is key. Marketers will tell you that the most important factors in brand power are differentiation and relevance. Trump and Carson are in many ways at opposite ends of a spectrum, and much of their strength comes from being at the ends, not in the middle. Other observations: Most of the commentary this morning focuses on Fiorina, and rightly so – she performed excellently and will certainly rise in the polls. It remains to be seen whether her record as CEO of Hewlett-Packard will become an issue. She and Trump sniped at each other over this until Chris Christie shut them down by calling their spat “childish” and irrelevant to the voters. He did Fiorina a favor by changing the subject because she was indeed a disastrous CEO. As she now gets more attention, we’ll see if anyone really cares. Christie was hugely improved over the previous debate. But he still isn’t sufficiently differentiated. Bush’s performance was once again a snooze until he went after Trump for bringing Bush’s wife into the debate. Then he became authentic and energized. A continuing problem is that he keeps talking about the importance of optimism, and it falls flat. He might heed some advice often given to writers: Don’t tell me, show me. That is, don’t talk about optimism. Be optimistic. Jeb Bush sent out a fundraising appeal afterwards to "thrwart" conservative attacks.    What was quite an editorial was the one in the New York Times as it provided a factual analysis of the reality check that must occur over the course of the campaign as well.  The Image above depicts the view at hand.       In the meantime, though, the business of governing continues.    The United States Justice Department just settled with GM over the ignition switch debacle.    It also went after VW forcing VW to recall 500,000 cars.    This is just some of the key headlines as the daily affairs of the people continue onward which we look forward to noting and reflecting upon.   This is as  we went to press for this edition of "notations", we were seeing reports of Iran having released some key Al Qaeda figures in exchange for a kidnaped diplomat.     It was also of note how The US-Russia dialogue seems to be gathering pace anew as Russia has made a major commitment to support Bashar Al Assad.     There is also another very interesting event before us:  The arrival of Pope Francis.   It has meant the launch of the biggest domestic security operation in the US.   He is arriving on September 22 and it will be quite an event to be witness to.   It will include declaring the founder of the California Missions, Junipero Serra, A Saint. We wanted to end this edition of "notations" with this from the Clinton Campaign.   It was just funny--we hope all agree:

Notations On Our World (Week-End Edition): On #Canada

There is a major election going on in Canada.   Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister, called for an election and so far is struggling in the polls.    The latest debate was held and the Official Opposition, the NDP,  sent out this update below.  What is also interesting was how they were also relentless in how they have been after the Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau, who has been leading a resurrection of the former Governing Party in Canada.

This is one interesting election to observe:

If Justin Trudeau is at risk of losing his own seat, how can he possibly defeat Stephen Harper on October 19th? // Eleven points.  According to the polls, that’s how much Justin Trudeau is down by – in his own riding. Papineau, Quebec used to be a safe Liberal seat, but the tides are turning. Despite his high profile as the Liberal Leader, our NDP candidate, Anne Lagacé Dowson, is polling eleven points up on Justin Trudeau. That’s not a coincidence. Anne is an accomplished journalist, working for over 20 years at CBC/Radio-Canada. She is well respected in her community and formerly the head of a non-profit organization dedicated to ending bullying and discrimination. And she knows Tom Mulcair is the only leader with the plan and the experience to bring change to Ottawa. Because if Justin Trudeau is at risk of losing his own seat, how can he possibly defeat Stephen Harper on October 19th? Tom Mulcair is ready to get Canada on track. He proved it last night in the debate, and now it’s up to us to keep this campaign going strong into the final stretch. This is a snapshot of the coverage the NDP Leader received as the election draws near in Canada: