Notations From the Grid (Special Editon): On the Cont'd Tragedy in #Syria

Our team was working away on its' Friday Review as we saw this on SkyNews that we shared over our Twitter Feed:

On #Europe watch as @moas_eu rescuing #Syria refugees fab job by @SkyNews Witnesses Distressing Migrants Rescue https://t.co/CFlNIFriUS

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) January 15, 2016

The scenes are frankly horrific.  The anguish of a Mother is the worst thing one could be witness to.    We have to be aware--we here @ #Outsiders will do our part.

The Friday Musical Interlude: OceanLab Performs

On this Friday, once again we are pleased to present the Friday Musical Interlude.  For this, our team chose the artist "OceanLab" which we hope all enjoy: 

Notations From the Grid: On The Aftermath of the GOP Debate & A Sampling of Campaign outreach

The Sixth GOP Debate is now history.      The attacks on President Obama and Hillary Clinton dominated the night--in addition to the sparring over Ted Cruz' qualifications to run for office, Donald Trump's temperament and the record of Chris Christie who called Obama a "Petulant Child".     This is as Mr. Trump doubled down on the Muslim Question that has driven 500,000 Britons to ask for him to be banned from the UK:

	The Guardian (@guardian)
Republican debate: Trump doubles down on Muslim ban as Bush calls him 'unhinged' – livetrib.al/HnhuKef #GOPDebate

On the eve of the debate, the Charlotte Observer published this in the aftermath of a Muslim Woman being ejected from a Trump Rally:

It was also of note that there was a call for guns and more guns in response to the President's Executive Action moves on Gun Control.    It was also of interest to note that as we went to press, Mr. Trump had widened his lead in Polls in the aftermath of the attacks by the President and Governor Haley of South Carolina.   It was quite interesting that the Wall Street Journal stood up for Governor Haley in the Thursday Edition of the Wall Street Journal.  

Our team did a quick compilation of a selection of what Campaigns did that we hope all enjoy:

A passionate and focused Marco dominated the debate stage in Charleston tonight. He showed a national audience and the other candidates on the stage why he is the smartest and strongest candidate for the President. He has the vision, the ideas, and the strength to take back the White House. That's exactly what tonight made clear. If you agree with me that Marco is exactly what our party needs to win in November, go here to make an instant secure donation to sustain our growing momentum. Moments like tonight are what's inspiring millions of Americans to join up with Team Marco. But organizing our grassroots, driving voter turnout, and getting Marco's message out isn't cheap. We need your help right now just to keep the campaign running through the intense primary season that's about to start. Will go you click here to show your support for Marco? With votes beginning in just 18 days, Marco is coming under attack even more than ever -- from Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, and some Republicans. We need the support of voters like you to push back on these misleading attacks - any amount you can afford makes a difference. Thanks for your support, Terry Sullivan Campaign Manager Marco Rubio for President This is from the Hillary Clinton Campaign: Hi tweeter friends! The sixth (seriously, sixth) Republican debate is in the books, and what did we learn? That we can’t let a single one of those guys become president. Our friends at The Briefing put together a look at what 2017 might look like if one of these Republicans, you know, wins -- and spoiler alert, it’s downright terrifying. Check it out @TheBriefing2016, and retweet liberally. Meanwhile, Team Hillary was out in force tonight working hard to make sure Hillary is our Democratic nominee. Retweet and share the love! @mintimm No #GOPDebate for me tonight. I'd rather be gearing up for the Iowa Caucus! #HillYes @ChristieSonya Our @HillaryforNH GOTV training is underway in our PACKED #Nashua office - ready to win this with @HillaryClinton! @natimontelongo Counting down the days for the #NevadaCaucus as if it was my quinceñera. @HillaryforNV #EastVegas is READY TO GO! Natalie, we feel the same way. (How great is that??) Thanks for standing strong, Team Tweeters -- and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to register for our Facebook training this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET: http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/R4KS5RLWAZ5Y2AU Have a great night -- talk to you soon! -Jess

Notations On our World: On #SOTU & Beyond (4th in a Series)

President Obama's State of the Union had four interesting questions he posed. It focused on securing a viable future, Technology , being safe while not being the World's Policeman while calling for a transformation of the political debate. On the 4th pillar of his comments, it was interesting how the discourse we've featured over the past 24 hours is yet to be realized. Trump went after Governor Haley as he noted how he had "paid her loads of Campaign Cash" and now how weak she is--this is as we featured some of the comments courtesy of the Washington Post that was reported earlier. It was also of note that Justice Alito, Justice Thomas and Justice Scalia were not at the event. This is as the campaigns are on a mad dash to get ready for Iowa. On a side note, Oil dropped to below $ 30 a Barrel and the Stock Markets have been taking a tumble--which will also be a focus of us over the ensuing weeks as earnings season gets under way.

It was again of note of #SOTU 2016 (The President's Last State of hte Union), we wanted to feature the view from the Conservatives (as noted in a recent edition of the Heritage Foundation's The Daily Signal): 

The surprising reason this congressman walked out of the State of the Union. Rep. Steve King walked out of the U.S. House chamber minutes before Obama's speech, leaving his chair on the House floor empty. He also left hisguest gallery seat open.

President Obama outlined his agenda. Here's what conservatives have on theirs. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, outlined the policy issues conservatives plan to pursue in 2016. The Daily Signal's Philip Wegmann has the story.

House Republicans are not backing down from "criminal intent" addition to prison reform debate. "I think a deal that does not address this issue is not going anywhere in the House of Representatives," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Judiciary Committee chairman.

What we're reading: "Is it any wonder that voters are angry and restive?" That's the question Heritage Foundation senior fellow Mike Gonzalez asks the day after President Obama’s final State of the Union address. Gonzalez says the presidential campaign comes at the right moment in history: It brings to an end the Obama experiment and offers an opportunity to refocus on assimilation in America. Read more at National Review. As we were "on the prowl",  this was the view from the Hillary Clinton Campaign.  The Democrats were also on a fundraising push of the email that was released by Speaker Ryan's Office that we reported on earlier:

Hey -- are you watching the State of the Union? It’s incredible when you think about how much we’ve accomplished over the last 7 years, from the Affordable Care Act, to ending two wars, to last week’s actions to expand background checks and prevent gun violence.

We have so much progress to protect -- and so much work still to do. We know that Hillary is the right successor to protect and build on President Obama’s legacy, and we think everyone else should know it, too. Spare a share?

RETWEET THESE:

@HillaryClinton America is better because of @POTUS' leadership. Proud to call him my friend. Let’s build on his progress. #SOTU -H

@creynoldsnc Proud to say #ImWithHer, but tonight will also be grateful to have gotten to work for @POTUS as he accomplished so much. #ThanksObama

SHARE THESE:

Thanks!

- Jess

P.S. The State of the Union would look and sound a little different from a Republican President -- follow along and retweet at @TheBriefing2016!

As we went to press, this was sent out by the Rubio Campaign as they gear up for their debate later on this evening:

$100,000 in 24 hours. That's the goal our campaign has set out to raise before tomorrow night's debate.  will you chip in $24 right now to help us get there?        >>> Chip in $24 >>>      Tomorrow night all eyes will be on me. You see, all of my opponents know that our campaign is the biggest threat to their success. They know that we are garnering the support of more Americans every minute, and they are going to throw every attack possible our way to see us defeated. I need your help to fight back. I'm emailing you today because if we are able to raise $100,000 before I step on the debate stage, it will send a strong message to my opponents and the media as well that we're going to win this thing. We have 24 hours before the debate begins. Will you chip in before it does?    I know the next eleven months are going to be grueling but our nation is worth it. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't truly believe that our nation deserves a better leader. I know that with your urgent help today, we will be successful in November and finally take our nation back. I hope I can count on you before I step on the debate stage tomorrownight. Sincerely, Marco Rubio Republican Candidate for President P.S. Time is running out. Tonight I'm completing my final preparations fortomorrow's debate, and I need to know I have your support. In fact, I've asked my Campaign Manager to send me an updated list of supporterstonight so I can review it before I hit the hay. I hope I'll see your name on that list.       >>> Chip in $24 >>>

Notations On Our World: On the Aftermath of #SOTU (3rd in a Series)

As our assessment of the aftermath of President Obama's Last State of the Union  Speech continues here in #Outsiders , we wanted to feature two very divergent Views of what the President noted:   

In 2009, newly elected President Obama gave a stunning speech in Prague that outlined a clear vision for a world without nuclear weapons. He promised to lead the world into a future where nuclear weapons would no longer play a role in our national security. In a word, it was inspiring. But in the president’s final State of the Union address last night, those words seemed like a distant echo. There was not a single mention of American leadership to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Instead, our president seems to have taken a 180-degree turn on nuclear disarmament. President Obama has proposed an overhaul of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal that will cost more than $1 trillion over the next three decades. This overhaul includes funding for a new nuclear-tipped cruise missile that experts say is dangerous, unnecessary and expensive.1 TAKE ACTION: Send a letter to President Obama urging him to kill the new dangerous, expensive nuclear cruise missile. Advances in U.S. conventional forces have eliminated the need for a new cruise missile. The cost of these cruise missiles would be between $20-$30 billion -- that’s money we don’t have for a weapon we don’t need. And because these missiles can be launched without warning, the likelihood of miscalculation or escalation to nuclear war is huge. President Obama needs to abandon plans to fund the new nuclear-tipped cruise missile. At the moment, the proposal to fund the new cruise missile is just that -- a proposal. But the President plans to submit his final budget proposal as president to Congress in early February. We have an opportunity right now to pressure him to remove the unnecessary cruise missile from his final budget proposal before it’s too late. But we must act quickly. If the new cruise missile makes it into the president’s final budget proposal to Congress, it will be much harder to fight. Urge our president to eliminate funding for this dangerous, unnecessary and expensive nuclear weapon. Fight on, Ryan Rastegar Digital Engagement Manager Global Zero The latest news and analysis from Reason.com Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Obama's Final SOTU Is a Dud, Like His Presidency Domestically and abroad, he has set more fires than he put out. by Nick Gillespie Video: Obama Moves the Goalposts Again Is there a better way to deal with this annual State of the Union exercise in empty pageantry? by Matt Welch and Jim Epstein Obama Promised Optimism at State of the Union -- We Don't Need Politicians For That Optimism about America comes despite politicians not because of them. by John Stossel In State of the Union Rebuttal, Nikki Haley Takes on Donald Trump The South Carolina governor defended immigrants of every race and religion. by Stephanie Slade

Notations On Our World: On The Aftermath of #SOTU (First in a Series)

As President Obama spoke, the office of the House Speaker released the following in rebutttal to the President's remarks: 

We Can Do So Much Better... January 12, 2016 | Speaker Ryan Press Office | View Online | http://spkrryan.us/1ZrxQ1Z We’re about 30 minutes into President Obama’s final State of the Union address and it isn’t going so well. Lofty platitudes and nostalgic rhetoric may make for nice soundbites, but they don’t explain how to defeat ISIS, fix our critical safety net programs, and get our economy back on track. This isn’t a real path forward to restore a confident America. We can do so much better. By listening and bringing people together, here are just some of the things we’ve accomplished over the last two months: We boosted funding for our military to ensure our troops are well-equipped to accomplish their mission. We passed a bill requiring the president to put forward a real, comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIS. We replaced No Child Left Behind with an educational system that gives power back to the states. We made a down payment on tax reform by making permanent key tax breaks to foster certainty for hardworking families and business. We overhauled our customs laws for the first time in a generation so that American businesses can compete globally on a level playing field. We lifted the outdated, 40-year ban on crude oil exports, which will create an estimated 1 million American jobs and add $170 billion annually to our GDP. And we're only getting started. Already in 2016, we’ve put a bill on the president's desk to repeal Obamacare, showing that there’s a clear path to do this without 60 votes in the Senate.Tomorrow, we’ll send a bill to the president’s desk that rejects one of his most harmful regulations, the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule. This is just the beginning of a year in which we’ll present a bold, pro-growth agenda to address the big challenges the country is facing. Because, frankly, the American people deserve much better than what we’ve heard so far tonight. For a positive vision of America’s future, be sure to tune in to Nikki Haley following the President’s address at www.sotu.gop.gov.

--it was also of note that some of the more conservative elements within the Republican Party attacked the Governor of South Carolina as outlined below:

• Breitbart headlined its story: “Republican Party Uses State Of The Union Response To Attack Trump.”
• “Trump should deport Nikki Haley,” Ann Coulter wrote in one ofsix-anti Haley tweets.
• Radio host Laura Ingraham chimed in:  “The country is lit up w/ a populist fever & the GOP responds by digging in, criticizing the GOP candidates dominating polls?! NOT SMART.”
• Former Ted Cruz aide Amanda Carpenter wrote: “Haley’s speech would’ve been good except for the GOP self-loathing.”

The "establishment" within the GOP was different: 

• Charles Krauthammer, on a Fox News panel, called it the best State of the Union response he can ever recall hearing.
• The Washington Examiner’s David Drucker said Haley’s response “will likely elevate her to the top of the list of potential vice presidential contenders.”
• National Review editor Rich Lowry said it’s “always a tough assignment”: “Haley was a little shaky at beginning, but moving treatment of Charleston shooting and nice riff on GOP agenda.

 

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.

Read More 

 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