Thought 4 the Week (W-End Edition): On the Roadmap

On this Final day of January 2016, Our team settled on this from the wonderful compilation done by +Jonathan Huie which we hope all enjoy!!!

Follow what you are genuinely passionate about
and let that guide you to your destination.
- Diane Sawyer

The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps.
- Bob Black

Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show
you what is possible for your life.
- Les Brown

People come into your life and people leave it...
you just have to trust that life has a road mapped out for you.
- Orlando Bloom

We're all pilgrims on the same journey -
but some pilgrims have better road maps.
- Nelson DeMille 

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): ON "Peak Stuff"

As our team was working away, we ran across this as we decided to feature the image (also available in the "Tweet" from the Guardian that underscores a subject we look forward to pursuing here: 

If having more no longer satisfies us, perhaps we’ve reached ‘peak stuff’ | Will Hutton https://t.co/9wKMcD5f2p

— The Guardian (@guardian) January 31, 2016

In our view, what he's noting is profound and it goes to the question of priorities--one of the implicit goals for us here in #Outsiders.

The Friday Musical Interlude: A New Day For You by Basia

Welcome to the Final Friday of January 2016  here in the #Outsider Network.   We hope all enjoy this selection from our artist of the week, Basia as we wish all a fabulous Friday and a fabulous week:

Thought 4 the Week: On Perfection

Our team has been on the "Prowl" as we hope all enjoy this: 


When you finally accept that it's OK not to have answers
and it's OK not to be perfect,
you realize that feeling confused
is a normal part of what it is to be a human being.
- Winona Ryder

Perfectionism is not a quest for the best.
It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves,
the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.
- Julia Cameron

Don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.
- Marilu Henner

An #Outsider Newsflash (Special Edition): On the Aftermath of #SOTU2016

Our team will be joining this conference sponsored by Grant Thorton:



This was also as we saw an interesting article from former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates On Government Management that is worth noting here as the Presidential Campaign is now in full force:

http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2016/01/ex-defense-chief-presidential-candidates-running-government-tougher-it-looks/125371/?oref=govexec_today_pm_nl

An #Outsider Newsflash: Guidance From the #IRS

We just received this from the IRS within the past hour here at our Virtual Studios and we wanted to report on it...the summary is noted below for reference as issued by US-CERT:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the tenth in a series of tips intended to help the public protect personal and financial data online and at home. This tip describes steps tax preparers can take to protect sensitive information. Recommendations include conducting a full scan of all computer drives and files, making sure that tax preparers' security software updates automatically, and using robust security software that helps block malware and viruses.

Users and administrators are encouraged to review the IRS Security Awareness Tax Tip Number 10 for additional information.

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2016/01/25/IRS-Releases-Tenth-Security-Tip

Tip of the Week: The Best Ways to Print Photos from Your Smartphone

The Best Ways to Print Photos from Your Smartphone: Here's our favorite apps, services and products to get your photos off your phone and into your hands as physical prints.

View of the Week (W-End Edition): Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World

Thought 4 the Week (W-End Edition)

We hope all enjoy this courtesy of the team at Simple Truths--a simple yet powerful message:

The Butterfly Effect

How Your Life Matters

In a perfect world we hear something once, record it in our brain, and never need to hear it again. Well, I don’t know where you live, but my world is far from perfect. I have doubts, fears, and disappointments in my life and occasionally I need a “shot of inspiration.” That’s what this beautiful 3-minute video is all about! The uplifting words with the stunning photographs will bring simple, but life-changing ideas to life. So relax, turn up your speakers and enjoy the video. And don’t forget to share itwith friends and coworkers.

All the Best,

Mac Anderson

Thought 4 the Week (W-End Edition): On The Right Conduct

As we welcome the weekend here in #Outsiders, we wanted to begin by once again showcasing the thoughts done by +Jonathan Huie which is telling that we hope all enjoy:

Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.

- Abraham Lincoln

Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

We must adjust to changing times

and still hold to unchanging principles.

- Jimmy Carter

'

+

Tis the business of little minds to shrink,

but they whose heart is firm,

and whose conscience approves their conduct,

will pursue their principles unto death.

- Thomas Paine

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

Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal.
Live this day as if it were your last.
The past is over and gone.
The future is not guaranteed.
- Wayne Dyer

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
- Raymond Lindquist 

The Frirday Musical Interlude: The Great Diane Schuur Sings "....A New York State of Mind..."

Welcome to Friday here in #Outsiders as we feature our Artist of the Week, Diane Schurr as she sings A New York State of Mind dedicated to all the great people of New York City and the State of New York!!

Thought 4 the Week

For this edition of Thought 4 the Week on this Friday, we hope all enjoy this:

View of the Week (Special Edition): A Call to Action to Cheer Up!!!

It has been a gloomy week in Our World.    Our team decided to feature this we just received throughout all our properties to underscore that there is lot that we have going for us and we here @ #Outsiders are committed to reflecting upon the positive as well as the challenging. 

Please enjoy as we join the ever eloquent Geoff Colvin's call to action asking all to Cheer Up!!!

Daily insights on leaders and leadership By Geoff Colvin

January 21, 2016

There are moments when bad news piles up like a snowdrift and it becomes impossible to dispute that the world is doomed. This is one of those moments. The earth is cooking: Last year was the hottest ever recorded, resulting in global weather weirdness such as devastating Mississippi River floods in December. Stock markets are plunging: The Dow has lost 1,700 points, almost 10%, in three weeks, reflecting deepening fears of multiple economic woes, such as… China is slowing:Its economy grew last year at its slowest pace in 25 years and, as my Fortunecolleague Scott Cendrowski points out, the official growth numbers are almost certainly exaggerated. Oil is falling: The rout continues, with prices now around $26, and while that may be an eventual economic benefit for many countries, it’s an immediate problem for the world economy. It’s one reason why… Global growth is disappointing: The World Bank recently cut its forecast of 2016 global growth, and most other forecasters are doing the same. And as if all that weren’t bad enough…Bernie Sanders is surging: He leads Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and maybe in Iowa, propelled in part by fantasyland economic proposals that would stop any growth the U.S. economy has left in it. Depressed yet? I detail this catalog of misery because part of a leader’s job is to offer hope, which seems almost impossible at the moment. Yet it can be done. We just need to lift our gaze from today’s news and look at the slightly bigger picture. Among the things you may notice, chosen at random and in no particular order: -The developed world—the U.S., the European Union, and Japan—stopped using more energy just before the last recession. Their economies have grown since then (if not terribly fast), but they haven’t used more energy. This is unprecedented in world history. -The world’s people are better off than they used to be. In the developed countries we’re focused on stagnant wages, missing the larger reality that billions of people have risen from incredibly miserable poverty in the past 20 years. There’s a long way to go, but this is astounding progress. -People are living longer. Yes, the trend brings problems. But on the whole I bet you’d agree that life is good and more of it is better. -We live in the most peaceful world there has ever been. I realize that sounds crazy, but it’s a fact that Harvard’s Steven Pinker has documented in his brilliant book The Better Angels of Our Nature, which Bill Gates has called “the most important book of the decade.” -Pretty soon we won’t have to drive. Maybe you can remember when it was fun, but now it’s just dangerous drudgery. Accidents are declining in the U.S. and will fall dramatically as autonomous vehicles take over. And by the way, the U.S. has now gone over five years without even one person dying in a passenger airline accident. -There are no statistics on this, but the world is certainly more full of creativity, energy, and promise than ever, with more people who are better educated receiving more opportunities to use their abilities. -And if you insist on something more immediate to cheer you up, consider that on Sunday afternoon we will get to see two of football’s all-time greatest quarterbacks,Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, face one another, almost certainly for the last time, in a high-stakes game. Even at moments like this, the good news is out there if we look for it. And I would even say it outweighs the bad. Cheer up!

Notations From the Grid: On #Davos 2016

Two newsflash From Davos as #Davos has begun!!!

LIVE: How will the Fourth Industrial Revolution transform lives? https://t.co/F47vsFD8SM #wef #4ir @paulkagame @satyanadella @sherylsandberg

— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 20, 2016

Two lessons for humans from ant colonies https://t.co/AcTDakI6uS #wef pic.twitter.com/mJMxkPF5AV

— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 20, 2016

An #Outsider Newsflash: @IRS Releases Ninth Security Tip

We just received this @ our Virtual Studioes from the IRS--Ever So critical!!



https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2016/01/19/IRS-Releases-Ninth-Security-Tip

Happy #MLK2016: Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We here @ #Outsiders are celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   We have decided to feature a number of his admonitions throughout our Network which were reminders to us all here @ #Outsiders on what we have embarked and hope it serves as an inspiration to all.  

Happy #MLK2016 to all as we extend our thanks to the team at +Global Citizen for the wonderful retrospective they put together!!

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): California State Capitol Fellows Program

One of the new features for this year we're rolling out is periodic opportunities we run across thanks to our network.   This was was courtesy of the Nooner that featured an exciting opportunity for those who wish to enter public service which we hope is of interest in California State Government

• Capital Fellows Program - There are only three weeks left to apply for the Capital Fellows program. The deadline is February 6, and I strongly encourage you to consider it if you are looking at work in the Capitol or as a bridge between undergrad and grad school, as some of the best legislative staff (and even legislators) started as fellows. Get more info here.

Notations From the Grid (Week-End Edition): On the Art of the Possible (From #India)

We are always on the prowl here in #Outsiders on the art of the possible.   The House of Faith underscores a true sense of the art of the possible: 

This mosque is an all-green structure. https://t.co/dw01PU9ccN pic.twitter.com/AzRQoSatQ5

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) January 17, 2016

View of the Week (W-End Edition): An Opportunity to make a Difference

Our team has been pleased to join this and we wanted to feature this as a sense of the true art of the possible  and engagement in our World.   We hope all consider joining!!!

Thank you for becoming a global citizen. You’ve joined a community of millions of people working together to create a better world. You probably joined Global Citizen because you care about ending extreme poverty, combating disease, and protecting the environment, and you want to make a difference (even if you’re not sure how). You came to the right place. As a global citizen you can learn more about issues you care about, connect with like-minded people, and take meaningful actions to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Want to know how you can start to help?  Watch and share this short video, and show the world that we have the means to end extreme poverty.

Here’s what we know: Since 1990, extreme poverty has been reduced by half. We’ve made A LOT of progress in combating poverty, but there’s still work to be done. Today, 1.2 billion people still live on less than the equivalent of $1.25 a day.That’s nearly 20% of the world’s population. But there’s hope. The Global Citizen community is committed to supporting the world’s poor so they have a fair chance to improve their lives. Check out this short video to learn more about the impact we’re making as global citizens.  Consider this your first step in helping to create a better world. That’s what being a global citizen is all about. Thank you for all that you do,  Global Citizen

Notations From the Grid: On the Possible, #SOTU & a Special "Thought For The Week"

For this edition of "Thought  4 the week" we wanted to begin with this from President Obama's State of the Union Address:

We also took special notice from this our Founder shared with us as our #Outsider journey continues as we've "Begun":

The Friday Musical Interlude: OceanLab Performs Above & Beyond

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: 

A "V-Thought" 4 the Week: יהודים וערבים מתנשקים | Jews, Arabs & #Love

We just saw this which we understand has gone super viral in the aftermath of a decision by the Israeli Ministry of Education to ban a book on the relationship between a Jew and an Arab.    The book itself has become a best-seller and the clip has been beautifully done about love.

Notations On Our World : On the Aftermath of #SOTU (2nd in a Series)

As our team released a new edition of "Notation" on the political aftermath of the President's Speech, we wanted to feature this on the Educational Analysis of the President's Speech for all to review:

NAP's Guide to the Science within the State of the UnionIn President Obama’s final State of the Union, he set high goals for America in fields like STEM education, cancer research, and climate change. Both the scientific advancements of the past and the first steps toward that envisioned future are laid out in the resources from National Academies Press. We've annotated the full transcript of the President's speech with lists of our related materials. A selection has been highlighted below, and you can read our complete guide at Notes from NAP. All of the reports below are free to download. As always, MyNAP members also receive a 10% discount off the list price of the print book.

On the Eve of The Final #SOTU For @POTUS: The View From the White House & the Speaker's Office

Our team has been on the prowl on the eve of the State of the Union.   The GOP will also have the response and we will work to feature both speeches tomorrow here in #Outsiders.   The White House released a number of interesting infographics as a prelude to the Speech which we wanted to feature here as part of our mission for the Education Channel:

   

The White House #SOTU page is full of interesting thoughts and ideas.     Our team also popped into the Speaker's Website as this was noted:


We look forward to assessing both speeches.

Thought For The Week: The Great Rumi Reminds Us

An admonition to remember: 

Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.~ Rumi
Posted by Rumi on Monday, January 11, 2016

Notations From the Grid: The Latest From #Texas

This interesting 92-Page Booklet published by the Governor of Texas is trying to work on a realignment of the US Constitution as the Nation has been witness to the siege of a Federal Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.   It is interesting reading which we will be assessing over the ensuing weeks:

http://gov.texas.gov/files/press-office/Restoring_The_Rule_Of_Law_01082016.pdf

Notations From the Grid : On #Islam & the On-Going Dialogue

As we gear up for the new week, we wanted to begin the new week with some interesting tidbits on the on-going dialogue on Islam which is critical for all to be aware:

Friends, please Retweet what the true Khalifa of Islam says about ISIS & #ParisAttacks. #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist pic.twitter.com/AMHLlNifre

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) November 14, 2015 

Bill Clinton: Who represents Muslims?
Jan 4, 2016: Bill Clinton tells a moving story about Muslims. Regardless of your political persuasion, these messages by influencers are important. ===========- You can follow my posts for more articles and videos on American Muslims. Here's a short video I was honored to be interviewed for recently -> www.upf.tv/video
Posted by Tarek El-Messidi on Thursday, January 7, 2016 

Parts 1 & 2: Dalia Mogahed on The Daily Show (Jan 7, 2016)- Also see Dalia on this 10-min video on American Muslims: www.upf.tv/video
Posted by Tarek El-Messidi on Friday, January 8, 2016

We found these to be very telling.

Thought 4 the Week (Week-End Edition)

As the 2nd Week-End dawns here in the #Outsider network, we wanted to begin with this Thought:

“Let grudges become non-factors in your life.
Holding onto them gives them undeserved energy.
It’s okay to remember,
but better to not to care or even better?
Forgive.”
~ Kris Calvert

& This from +Jonathan Huie :

We must free ourselves of the hope
that the sea will ever rest.
We must learn to sail in high winds.
- Aristotle Onassis

I am the captain of my soul.
- William Ernest Henley

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached,
don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.
- Confucius

To reach a port, we must sail -
sail, not tie at anchor - sail, not drift.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt paraphrasing Oliver Wendell Holmes

Onward....

The Friday Musical Interlude (2016): The Music of AR Rahman

As the year has begun in earnest here in #Outsiders, our team settled on a bit of an unconventional choice for the first Friday Musical Interlude of #2016:  The Indian Maestro AR Rahman.   As noted in the tribute by the Hindustan Times, he's got  "... two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Grammy Awards, four National Film Awards, a Golden Globe, 15 Filmfare Awards and 13 Filmfare Awards South to his credit. It was his Birthday this week and we hope all enjoy this (as we hope all enjoy the selections we're releasing throughout our properties):

View of the Week (Special Edition): On Shia V. Sunni

During the Late PM "Virtual Beat, our team ran across this "snapshot" courtesy of the @Economist of London that we've featured here that provides a simple overview of the Schism in Islam which we hope is of interest:

View of the Week: On World Challenges & The Role of Leadership...

As we went to press today while on the "Virtual Beat" here in #Outsiders, we were witness yet again to the carnage on-going in Securities Markets.    The Dow lost over 300 Points and other markets around the World have suffered--as China has prohibited selling in light of the profound challenges in the markets. As we also went to press, we saw the latest from the IMF as it underscored the implosion in the BRICS Economies.     Our team has noted the challenges in Brazil throughout the Daily Social Grids.  The challenges in Russia, China and South Africa are ever so evident--India seems to be faring better although the social and security challenges (epitomized by the attack on the Indian Air Base by infiltrators from Pakistan) underscores the profound challenges being faced by India with this latest from West Bengal on the violence out there. What we received here at our Virtual Studios in the Daily Power Sheet from the Fortune's Geoff Colvin goes to the heart of the problem of such challenges-leadership and anticipating it all.   It is tough, yet crucial read for all to get a sense of how to anticipate challenges and not merely react and be ready to face it head on: We should never make much of a single day’s stock market moves. After all, even the crash of 1987, in which the Dow dropped 22% in one day, didn’t portend a recession, and there’s an old saying that the market was predicted nine of the past four recessions. But still, yesterday’s global plunge in stocks – down 7% in China, down 2.2% in the U.S., down 2.5% in Europe – is just one of several accumulating signs that just maybe a downturn is on the way. Among the others: -Manufacturing contracted for a second straight month in December, the Institute for Supply Management reported yesterday. Activity is now at its lowest level since the last recession. -Construction was weak in November, the Census Bureau said yesterday. -The U.S. economy apparently grew even more slowly last quarter than economists had thought. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta yesterday revised its 1.3% estimate of fourth-quarter growth down to 0.7%. J.P. Morgan Chase cut its estimate from 2% to 1%. Does all of this add up to anything? It’s easy for business leaders to tell themselves it doesn’t. The economy is almost never hitting on all cylinders, and some recent signs are encouraging. Consumers are spending with enthusiasm; they may buy more cars this year than ever before, for example. But wise business leaders are always fighting our remarkable human tendency to delude ourselves about bad news. That’s why former General Electric CEO Jack Welch liked to tell his managers, “Confront reality as it is – not as it used to be, not as you wish it were, but as it is.” So obvious, yet he had to keep saying it. Even when conditions turn clearly terrible – historically terrible – many leaders still can’t fully accept the new reality. I’ll never forget J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon marveling at such leaders at a Harvard Business School conference in October 2008 – the most acute moment of the financial crisis. “I am shocked at the number of people who are watching that train [recession] coming down the track, and they’re still worrying about their strategic plan for 2009,” he said. “We cancelled all that stuff – all of it – meetings, trips, travel, you name it, to focus on the fact that we’re in the middle of a real crisis.” The economists who declare recessions still hadn’t done so. He wasn’t waiting for them. Caterpillar came through that recession far stronger than through any previous one, and the reason is clear. Long before the recession hit, then-CEO Jim Owens had forced company managers to devise a “trough strategy” for bad times. They hated it. But when Cat’s business “really drove off a cliff” in the autumn of 2008, CFO Ed Rapp told me, “we didn’t have to scurry around. We said ‘Pull the trough plans and do it now.’” Maybe today’s troubling omens don’t mean anything. But the best business leaders will be those with the fortitude to imagine right now that they might.

Thought 4 the Week

 

For this first edition of "Thought 4 the Week" (which will be a feature in this channel for #2016), we wanted to share this from the great Irving Berlin:

“Our attitudes control our lives.
Attitudes are a secret power
working twenty-four hours a day,
for good or bad.
It is of paramount importance
that we know how to harness
and control this great force.”
~ Irving Berlin

 

As #2016 Begins: Thoughts On Making a Difference

Our team has hit the ground running for #2016.     We wanted to begin the new year here in #Outsiders with this 'snapshot" on how companies strive to make a difference--Happy #2016:

Motivation Manufacturing a Productive Work Culture How external factors actually pressure people to be generous and collaborative. Read More  Philanthropy Investing for Social Good The best impact investors see opportunities where others do not. Read More  Psychology Give the Gift of Time Helping others may give you the feeling of more time and happiness. Read More  Leadership The Transforming Power of a Home Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford shares four inspiring stories. Read More    Society Driving Change with a Multi-Pronged Approach Kat Taylor tackles systemic problems in finance and food by creating value for both businesses and consumers. Read More