Out & About….

It has been a challenging week as I read about the harrowing story of Nizar Zakka–I decided  to release the write up here after having released a Tweet on it–Very sad & Tragic:

Source: Freed Lebanese national Nizar Zakka arrives in Beirut from Iran

Out & About w/Brief Thoughts in My Corner On this 75th Anniversary of D-Day

It is June and the 75th Anniversary of D-Day is before us.     I captured this while working away on commitments for the Daily Outsider to remember:

75 years ago 1.4 million Americans gathered in the UK to help launch #DDay. Wednesday President Trump will commemorate the allied soldiers who fought side by side on the beaches of Normandy.

Listen to US General Dwight Eisenhower’s words to troops before the historic invasion👇 pic.twitter.com/tvcBXnyuu1

— British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) June 3, 2019

I pray for the day that we have the courage to say #NoMoreWar–to outlaw the most malignant of human creations as noted by General MacArthur.     #WeWillNeverForget.

 

Out & About in Our World w/Thoughts here in my WordPress Corner

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 

The Chinese have a saying:  May we live in interesting times.   We sure are, aren’t we?

The House Democrats Efforts to investigate the President has been blocked repeatedly by President Trump.   As Professor Turley’s thoughts are always a must read for me, I find his stance on it interesting-to say the least–especially with his latest as he cast doubt on some of the determinations regarding a potential impeachment against the President.   The President went after Justin Amash, the House Republican Member from Michigan–calling him Light Weight, etc.–I can’t help but wonder if he’s done nothing wrong, why he and the rest of the enablers are so nervous.

As I close out this with this on Professor Turley’s Views on Impeachment, I am also profoundly concerned about a potential conflict with Iran.    After toning down the rhehtoric, there was another tweet from President Trump (and all have realized by now that the Tweets reflect the President’s Thinking) on saying any threats will mean the end of Iran–never mind the 85 Million Iranians that have been held hostage by the Facist Cult–Profound challenging Times..

 

Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been hitting the airways to declare that the evidence of impeachable acts by President Donald Trump is not only clearly established by the Special Counsel Report but additional impeachable acts are unfolding every day. 322 more words

via Report: Democrats Hold Closed Door Caucus Rejecting Impeachment Move . . . Without A Single Dissenting Voice — JONATHAN TURLEY

Out & About w/this In my WordPress Corner On This Military Appreciation Month

Let’s Celebrate Military Appreciation Month as we mark a series of important military dates and anniversaries, including Memorial Day.

Source: Military Appreciation Month

Out & About in my WordPress Corner w/this New Film Pays Tribute to Marines Who Stopped Truck Bomb Attack in Ramadi

For this monthly contribution here in my WordPress Corner, I chose this courtesy of military.com regarding  ‘The 11th Order,’ a short film chronicling the selfless heroism of two Marines in Iraq, gets its first screening in May.

Source: New Film Pays Tribute to Marines Who Stopped Truck Bomb Attack in Ramadi

 

Out & About w/this on Leadership…

Spring is in the air–and I wanted to feature the second of two features I decided to showcase  here in my WordPress Corner for the month–the advise he gives is absolutely paramount for success as a leader–some lessons to be learnt by us all!!!

I recently spent time at Alcatraz…as a tourist, of course. The old federal penitentiary hasn’t housed prisoners since 1963. As a history nerd it was fascinating to walk the same halls as some of the world’s most famous criminals like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the “birdman” of Alcatraz. Some of the […]

via 4 Steps to Break Out of Your Leadership Prison Cell — Leading with Trust

Out & About w/this From #Egypt….

Sisi strikes again!!

I have chosen one of two write-ups to feature this month here in my WordPress Corner–this first one is courtesy of Professor Turley on the tragedy that is Egypt–and what is unfortunate is how the United States stays silent:

Our close ally, Egypt, is again proving the worst expectations of its authoritarian rule. Singer Sherine Abdel-Wahabdemon commented to an audience in Bahrain that “Here I can say whatever I want. In Egypt, anyone who talks gets imprisoned.” Egypt could object and show that it remains a nation committed to free speech. Instead, it immediately…

via Singer Complains About The Lack Of Free Speech In Egypt So Egypt Bans Her From Performing — JONATHAN TURLEY

Out & About…

March has begun and it has been quite a month.    At last count, 14 have declared their candidacy for the Presidency of the United States–as a number of folks said no including Michael Bloomberg.      I decided to share his Note to America to underscore and the challenges being faced:

 

March 5, 2019 Our Highest Office, My Deepest Obligation

I’ve never made any secret of my belief that Donald Trump is a threat to our country. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, I said: “New Yorkers know a con when we see one.” Last fall I spent more than $100 million supporting Democrats in the midterm elections. Republicans in Congress had failed – and are still failing – to fulfill their constitutional duty to hold the president accountable. Instead, they indulge his worst impulses and refuse to work with Democrats on the most urgent issues. It’s essential that we nominate a Democrat who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country back together. We cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translate into “Four More Years.” Many people have urged me to run. Some have told me that to win the Democratic nomination, I would need to change my views to match the polls. But I’ve been hearing that my whole political career. I’ve run for office three times and won each time, in no small part because I’ve never stuck my finger in the wind to decide what I should believe. It’s not who I am, nor do I think it’s what voters want in a leader. They want someone who levels with them, even when they disagree, and who is capable of offering practical, sensible and ambitious ideas – and of solving problems and delivering results. I come out of the business world. I’ve had executive jobs in both the private sector and government. Finding solutions to tough problems is my life’s passion. My skills are in building and leading teams that draw up innovative plans and then work together to implement them. I think this is exactly what our country needs in a president, especially after what will be four years of chaos, disruption and deceit. I know what it takes to run a winning campaign, and every day when I read the news, I grow more frustrated by the incompetence in the Oval Office. I know we can do better as a country. And I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election. But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field. There is another factor that has weighed heavily on my mind: the likelihood that our biggest national problems will worsen over the next two years. With a leader in the White House who refuses to bring the parties together, it will be nearly impossible for Congress to address the major challenges we face, including climate change, gun violence, the opioid crisis, failing public schools, and college affordability. All are likely to grow more severe, and many of the president’s executive actions will only compound matters. I love our country too much to sit back and hope for the best as national problems get worse. But I also recognize that until 2021, and possibly longer, our only real hope for progress lies outside of Washington. And unlike most who are running or thinking of it, I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to devote the resources needed to bring people together and make a big difference. Since leaving public office, I’ve created and supported initiatives that are rallying citizens and leaders of cities, states, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to take action on their own. Like me, most Americans want to improve their communities and get big things done. Together, we’ve shown that’s possible even without help from Washington. I know there’s much more we can accomplish over the next two years, but only if we stay focused on the work and expand upon it. And the fact is: A national presidential campaign would limit my ability to do that. So as I’ve thought about a possible presidential campaign, the choice before me has become clear. Should I devote the next two years to talking about my ideas and record, knowing that I might never win the Democratic nomination? Or should I spend the next two years doubling down on the work that I am already leading and funding, and which I know can produce real and beneficial results for the country, right now? I’ve come to realize that I’m less interested in talking than doing. And I have concluded that, for now, the best way for me to help our country is by rolling up my sleeves and continuing to get work done. Here’s one way I’ll do that. In 2011, following the failure of cap and trade legislation in Congress, I teamed up with the Sierra Club on a campaign called Beyond Coal. By organizing and mobilizing communities affected by the harmful pollution of coal-fired power plants, we have helped close more than half the nation’s plants – 285 out of 530 – and replaced them with cleaner and cheaper energy. That was the single biggest reason the U.S. has been able to reduce its carbon footprint by 11 percent – and cut deaths from coal power plants from 13,000 to 3,000. Now, I will take the next big steps. First, I will expand my support for the Beyond Coal campaign so that we can retire every single coal-fired power plant over the next 11 years. That’s not a pipe dream. We can do it. And second, I will launch a new, even more ambitious phase of the campaign – Beyond Carbon: a grassroots effort to begin moving America as quickly as possible away from oil and gas and toward a 100 percent clean energy economy. At the heart of Beyond Carbon is the conviction that, as the science has made clear, every year matters. The idea of a Green New Deal – first suggested by the columnist Tom Friedman more than a decade ago – stands no chance of passage in the Senate over the next two years. But Mother Nature does not wait on our political calendar, and neither can we. The same applies to gun violence. Congress has not passed a major gun safety bill in nearly 25 years. Last week the Democratic House voted to approve a bill strengthening the background check system, but the Republican Senate is virtually guaranteed to block it. Nevertheless, thanks to strong grassroots efforts that we have spent years organizing and mobilizing, 20 states have passed stronger background check bills or adopted other laws that help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. But 20 states is not enough, and we can’t stop now given the risks to our country. Gun violence and climate change are not the only urgent challenges where we must make progress even as Washington continues to ignore proven solutions. We know how to improve public schools and dramatically reduce the racial achievement gap. We did it in New York City, by raising standards, increasing accountability, and giving our children the education they need to thrive in today’s knowledge- and technology-based economy. We know how to increase access to college for low-income students. My foundation is doing just that, by working with colleges to increase financial aid and recruitment, and giving high school students more support with the application process. We know how to reduce opioid addiction; improve the quality of health care and access to it; and reduce homelessness on our streets. We extended life expectancy by three years in New York City, and I’m working to help other cities make similar progress. We know how to strengthen local communities, by investing in civic leaders and the innovative work they are doing to tackle our nation’s challenges from the ground up. This is a central focus of my foundation’s work, and it is where answers to many of our toughest challenges lie. And we know that to protect our democracy, we need to organize to protect every citizen’s right to vote. On these and other issues, Washington is unlikely to take effective action over the next two years. Progress depends entirely on the rest of us. In the weeks and months ahead, I will dive even deeper into the work of turning around our country, through concrete actions and results. And I will continue supporting candidates who can provide the leadership we need – on climate change, gun violence, education, health, voting rights and other critical issues – and continue holding their feet to the fire to deliver what they promise. I hope those who have urged me to run, and to stand up for the values and principles that they hold dear, will understand that my decision was guided by one question: How can I best serve the country? While there would be no higher honor than serving as president, my highest obligation as a citizen is to help the country the best way I can, right now. Learn more on Bloomberg Opinion or The New York Times.

Out & About w/this from Purdue On How Millions of tons of the world’s plastic waste could be turned into clean fuels, other products through chemical conversion

For my first posting for Feburary, I chose–Please Enjoy:  Millions of tons of the world’s plastic waste could be turned into clean fuels, other products through chemical conversion

Out & About On Quite A Week…

It has been quite a January–Over 800,000 Federal Employees are not being paid and have been going to Food Pantries.     This is as Speaker Pelosi withdrew the Invitation to speak at the State of The Union until the Government shuts down  There might be some movement–but we’ll have to see where it goes.  It is simply tragic!!

Of all the suffering I’ve seen and the challenges epitomized by this letter from the Air Traffic Control Folks, this was quite timely as the Coast Guard Commandant made a very powerful statement–I was honored to help release this to my Twitter Feed–The idea of Soldiers relying on Food Pantries is just absolutely unacceptable.

I continue to hope that reason prevails:

Your Coast Guard leadership team & the American people stand in awe of your continued dedication to duty, resilience, & that of your families. I find it unacceptable that @USCG members must rely on food pantries & donations to get through day-to-day life. #uscg pic.twitter.com/TZ9ppUidyO

— Admiral Karl Schultz (@ComdtUSCG) January 23, 2019