A Blast From the Past: Leadership in Action

“@guardian: Martin Luther King in London, 1964: reflections on a landmark visit http://t.co/Di5iHlaa6X”a great blast from the past 💥👏👏😬
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) December 2, 2014

View of the Week: On Righteousness & Values

On the Dawn of December here in #Outsiders, these collections of thoughts from +Jonathan Huie brings home the responsibility that we all have for righteousness and a sense of Purpose:  To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Nelson Mandela When the rights of any group, no matter how small, no matter how marginal, are violated, your liberty, your freedom is put at risk. Let there never be a day when we cast about in horror and have to ask the question, "How did it ever come to this?" - Thomas Childers   I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. - Albert Schweitzer Giving is the highest expression of our power. - Vivian Greene Honor, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Choice, Vision, Action, Celebration, Unity - The Values of an Inspired Life. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. - Lao Tzu & This:  Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.     ~ Buddha Enough Said....

On Small Business Saturday 2014 : An #Outsiders Newsflash

We wanted to begin the new month by reporting on Small Business Saturday in the United States for 2014 is before us on November 29, 2014.  It was an initiative that was launched by American Express to support Small Business:

On Nov 29, celebrate small businesses that matter to you. Where will you #ShopSmall on #SmallBizSat? pic.twitter.com/PMb7ikcTAd
— Shop Small (@ShopSmall) November 24, 2014

We here @ #Outsiders join the Speaker of the House in having all Small Business Supported to enhance communities throughout the United States:

Tomorrow is #SmallBizSat. Be sure to get out & support local businesses in your home community. http://t.co/NI0lWT2gJG
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) November 28, 2014

On Being Thankful :-)

It is the eve of Thanksgiving Week in the United States.    It is a time for us all to step back and remember ever more all that we're thankful for.     As we go "dark" for this Thanksgiving Week on all #Outsider Channels, we wanted to simply say thanks to all who have supported this "labor of love".  We also remain ever so hopeful about our World as we look forward to reflect upon a World that although challenging, it is one to embrace and believe in.

Wishing all the happiest of Thanksgivings....

View of the Week: Leadership in Action :-)

Post by The Daily "Outsider".

Thought 4 the Week

Great #inspirationalquote from the @Simple_Truths Sunrise Inspiration app: http://t.co/LLLeJN0okn pic.twitter.com/WtII71bg0X

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 20, 2014

On #GivingTuesday: Brief Thoughts

We here @ #Outsiders have been enthusaistic supporters of Giving Tuesday:

I just supported #GivingTuesday 2014 on @ThunderclapIt // @GivingTues http://t.co/grN4Q6c9HY
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 19, 2014

Although the rationale of it all is crucial to embrace giving and service, the hope is to spread the word that every day #GivingTuesday so that we can all do what we can to make a difference to live up to Archbishop Tutu's Admonition:

..Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.... - Desmond Tutu
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 18, 2014

View of the Week: Is Diplomacy Possible to achieve a "Vision of the Possible"

Throughout the Week-End, we reflected upon a very busy Week_End of "Summitry" around the World.   The "Summitry" has continued as Australia played host to India and China--including an address by the President of China to a joint sitting of Parliament.   It is all welcome.   The challenge is where all this talking is going to lead--especially as there are talks scheduled on Climate change in Lima, Peru and further meetings in Kathmandu, Nepal.    

It was a pleasure to add my name to an initiative by the National Iranian American Council to reflect upon what Diplomacy Is.   Diplomacy is ever so Personal in that the fate of the ordinary outsiders depends on this as wars continue to rage on throughout the World.    The horrific daily reports out of Iraq and Syria is a testament to the challenge as the war continues with no apparent end in sight.   Although there continues to be hopeful signs about the talks with Iran, the opposition in both Iran and The United States is profound cause for concern--based on what I have seen on the "Social Grid".

What is clear is ever so important to note:   Talking is a lot better than shouting.  The question is whether people will have the courage to actually do so.

View of the Week: TEDTALKS//The Most Popular

Welcome to #Outsider Week-End.   For this edition , we wanted to report on this compliation of TEDTALKS courtesy of the team +TED  that underscores a vision and an affirmation of the art of the possible:

The most popular talks of all time

Are schools killing creativity? What makes a great leader? How can I find happiness? These 20 talks are the ones that you and your fellow TED fans just can't stop sharing. Watch »

Total run time 5:42:25

Thought(s) For the Week-End: On Lira's "Feel Good" & never giving up...

Rosewater, Jon Stewart's Movie based on the story of Maziar Bahari in Iran, was previewed in the United States.  It was a compelling story that we will feature here in #outsider soon.  But, the idea of feeling good, making the right choice and realizing what defeat is truly is was also part of the story and part of this compelling drive ever so needed to create a true "Vision of the Possible".    We hope all enjoy these "Thoughts 4 the week" as we embark upon another week-end here in #outsiders:





&  Not Forgetting:

An "Outsider" Newsflash: #CometLanding .on @Philae2014

Witness to History..:-) :-)

ESA DG J-J. Dordain: "We are the first to have done that, and that will stay forever!" #cometlanding https://t.co/CfRlOqi1n8
— ESA (@esa) November 12, 2014

@esa congrats to @ESA on #CometLanding ...looking forward to updates from @Philae2014 ...beautiful to be witness 2 history :-) :-) :-)
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 12, 2014

On This Veterans Day 2014: Remembering & Reflecting

The Daily Outsider ™: On This Veterans Day in the United States & #ArmisticeDay around the World: http://t.co/5DKbULlQcA
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 11, 2014

On Net Neutrality: Comments & Observations

We here at #outsiders were gratified when #POTUS came out in favor of Net Neutrality.    We openly questioned whether The FCC will listen though:

President Obama: The FCC should classify the Internet as a utility http://t.co/50k8u2UYla”glad to see this. Will #FCC listen? 😕🙏
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 10, 2014

We remain hopeful as we continue to develop #outsiders.    It is of profound concern when emerging leaders like US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas compares this effort to insure a level playing field to his perception of Obamacare.    It was also quite interesting as Cable Companies suffered drops in their stock price as #POTUS view was announced by the White House.  

During the latest open comment period, we were able to send our thoughts in to the FCC and will eagerly the FCC deliberative process as we hope FCC continues to play its' constructive role for all.    

On the "Grid" For the Week_End: A View of the Week on the True Art of the Possible....

..that in turn makes achieving a Vision of the Possible:

A "View of the wk" to share...how ordinary people make such extra ordinary leaps 2 overcome...enjoy & wish all the m…http://t.co/HHxwLYdecP
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 9, 2014

& a recommitment to:

Kare Anderson: Be an opportunity maker 09:46 minutes · Filmed Sep 2014 · Posted Nov 2014 · TED@IBM We all want to use our talents to create something meaningful with our lives. But how to get started? (And ... what if you're shy?) Writer Kare Anderson shares her own story of chronic shyness, and how she opened up her world by helping other people use their own talents and passions. Watch now »

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

Onward....

Notations For the Week-End: On Twitter (The View From the "Grid")

Twitter is a beautiful tool for outreach and we use it here @ #outsiders as we continue our on-going development of the #outsider community.   But Twitter seems to have some challenges as epitomized by  this chart reported by the Business Insider recently: 

CHART OF THE DAY: Twitter Is Having A Hard Time Attracting New Users  Twitter reported earnings for its fiscal third quarter of 2014 on Monday. Revenue, earnings per share, and even monthly active users (MAUs) fell right in line with Wall Street expectations. There was no grand surprise, and the company’s stock tanked roughly 9% after the announcement. Twitter’s monthly active users are arguably the company’s most scrutinized metric, since everyone cares about how Twitter plans to regularly attract new users. But while membership rises each quarter, the growth of MAUs on the network continues to slow down. According to Twitter’s data charted for us by BI Intelligence, Twitter reported 284 million MAUs in Q3 — up from 271 million in Q2 — but year-over-year growth is down to around 21% this quarter, whereas growth in the year-ago quarter was just shy of 38%. Twitter has been trying new things like “buy” buttons to increase user engagement, but this slowdown in MAU growth was somewhat expected. Business Insider’s Jim Edwards predicted earlier this year that the “temporary uptick” in MAUs was likely due to the World Cup, and that Twitter would likely have trouble figuring out how to keep that growth going through Q3 and Q4. Twitter needs another World Cup-size event, or some kind of new incentive, to drive more users to the real-time sharing network. Read » Beyond this immediate numbers, there is the long-term viabliity of Twitter that some have brought into question as noted in this analysis by the Economist of London.      It will be quite interesting to assess this evolution as the giants on the scene--Facebook & Google--battle it out.    It was quite interesting that Google stumbled a bit.

Thought 4 the Week

Remembering....Onward.....

View of the Week: President John F. Kennedy's "Peace Speech"

We are witness to War and conflict which is distressing ever more.    It is ever so timely today to remember these words resonate today.     Will we have the courage to live up to this to achieve a true Vision of the Possible?     As historians have consistently debated, if only he had lived to see through his admonitions....

View of the Week: On Space Travel & The Possiblities (Featuring Dylan Tweeney)

It has been a tough week for Science and Space Exploration.  An Orbital Science Unmanned rocket bound for the International Space Station blew up shortly after take off and just within the past 24 hours, a Virgin Galactic Plane crashed killing one of the pilots and severely injuring one of the others. For this edition of "View of the Week", we wanted to feature Dylan Tweeney's Column (that originally appeared in Ventureweek and was published to all newsletter subscribes) here for reference. We here at #outsiders are with him as ho notes, "...And while we ponder those risks, let’s stop for a moment to silently reflect on the bravery of those who are leading the way, and who — like today — sometimes pay the ultimate price. ....".    We must never forget.

Virgin Galactic crash is a tragic reminder of the dangers of space flight By Dylan Tweney, Editor-in-Chief This week was a sobering reminder about the inherent dangers of space flight. On Tuesday, an unmanned Antares rocket containing 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments bound for the International Space Station malfunctioned, prompting its operator, Orbital Sciences, to trigger its self-destruct system. And then today, during a manned test flight, Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites’ space plane SpaceShipTwo suffered an “anomaly” — code for something seriously wrong — and crashed. As I’m writing this, the status of the pilots is unknown, but it appears that one was killed and the other suffered serious injuries. We don’t know all the details of these two incidents — it may take months to complete full investigations — so I’m not going to speculate. But I think I can say that this week will set the private space industry back by years. That’s unfortunate, but it is probably necessary. Our admiration for the work astronauts do has always been tempered by our knowledge of how dangerous it is. I grew up reading books and poring over photos of the Apollo program, which was a terrific triumph (we put men on the moon, and did it in less than a decade) punctuated by the disasters of the Apollo 1 launchpad fire and Apollo 13. Later, like many aspiring nerds, I obsessed about the Space Shuttle program. There, too, years of success were marred by two high-profile disasters. When the Challenger exploded 72 seconds into its flight in 1986, killing everyone aboard, I was in high school. I can still remember how the principal came on the P.A. to let us know what had happened, and to ask for a moment of silence and prayer. The images of that explosion’s fragmenting smoke trails still make my heart clench. Then, many years later, in 2003, the Columbia broke apart upon reentry, killing its crew. After that happened I felt like the Shuttle program might never recover. And in some ways it didn’t: While NASA continued to fly Shuttle missions, they happened less frequently and at far higher cost than the designers of the Shuttle had ever anticipated, partly because of the complexities involved in making sure they were safe. But for the past five years, it has seemed that we’d moved into a new era of space flight. Instead of the old, expensive, nationalistic bureaucracy of NASA, we have a nimble, international movement powered largely by private corporations. As these corporations began to play a larger role, the variety of space travel increased, encompassing high-budget and low-budget projects and everything in between. That’s been a fantastic thing to watch for space enthusiasts like me, and I think it’s on balance been good for humanity, too. National governments could cooperate to build and supply the International Space Station. Ordinary schoolkids could design experiments and actually send them into space. The super-rich, like Richard Garriott (aka Lord British) or Anousheh Ansari, could spend tens of millions of dollars to play space tourists aboard the ISS. A NASA astronaut could record a music video for YouTube or publish Instagram photos from orbit, engaging millions in the adventure of space travel. And those who were wealthy enough to afford a $250,000 ticket could dream of going on a short but exhilarating suborbital flight aboard Virgin Galactic, which made remarkably fast progress toward FAA approval and actual paid space flights, which were scheduled to begin in 2015. All of that seems sadly naive now. Yes, there is a lot of vibrant innovation happening in space travel now. And that innovation is both exhilarating and, I think, necessary. But after this week, it seems clear we need to take a strong, sober look at the risks, as well as the rewards, of space flight. Bloomberg estimates that, if U.S. air travel were as risky as space travel is, we’d have 272 airplane crashes a day. Clearly there is more work to be done in making rockets safer, and maybe that’s what the space industry needs to focus on next. Those risks, great as they are, should not ever stop us from going into space. But we should be looking at them with open eyes. Virgin Galactic crash is a tragic reminder of the dangers of space flight By Dylan Tweney, Editor-in-Chief This week was a sobering reminder about the inherent dangers of space flight. On Tuesday, an unmanned Antares rocket containing 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments bound for the International Space Station malfunctioned, prompting its operator, Orbital Sciences, to trigger its self-destruct system. And then today, during a manned test flight, Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites’ space plane SpaceShipTwo suffered an “anomaly” — code for something seriously wrong — and crashed. As I’m writing this, the status of the pilots is unknown, but it appears that one was killed and the other suffered serious injuries. We don’t know all the details of these two incidents — it may take months to complete full investigations — so I’m not going to speculate. But I think I can say that this week will set the private space industry back by years. That’s unfortunate, but it is probably necessary. Our admiration for the work astronauts do has always been tempered by our knowledge of how dangerous it is. I grew up reading books and poring over photos of the Apollo program, which was a terrific triumph (we put men on the moon, and did it in less than a decade) punctuated by the disasters of the Apollo 1 launchpad fire and Apollo 13. Later, like many aspiring nerds, I obsessed about the Space Shuttle program. There, too, years of success were marred by two high-profile disasters. When the Challenger exploded 72 seconds into its flight in 1986, killing everyone aboard, I was in high school. I can still remember how the principal came on the P.A. to let us know what had happened, and to ask for a moment of silence and prayer. The images of that explosion’s fragmenting smoke trails still make my heart clench. Then, many years later, in 2003, the Columbia broke apart upon reentry, killing its crew. After that happened I felt like the Shuttle program might never recover. And in some ways it didn’t: While NASA continued to fly Shuttle missions, they happened less frequently and at far higher cost than the designers of the Shuttle had ever anticipated, partly because of the complexities involved in making sure they were safe. But for the past five years, it has seemed that we’d moved into a new era of space flight. Instead of the old, expensive, nationalistic bureaucracy of NASA, we have a nimble, international movement powered largely by private corporations. As these corporations began to play a larger role, the variety of space travel increased, encompassing high-budget and low-budget projects and everything in between. That’s been a fantastic thing to watch for space enthusiasts like me, and I think it’s on balance been good for humanity, too. National governments could cooperate to build and supply the International Space Station. Ordinary schoolkids could design experiments and actually send them into space. The super-rich, like Richard Garriott (aka Lord British) or Anousheh Ansari, could spend tens of millions of dollars to play space tourists aboard the ISS. A NASA astronaut could record a music video for YouTube or publish Instagram photos from orbit, engaging millions in the adventure of space travel. And those who were wealthy enough to afford a $250,000 ticket could dream of going on a short but exhilarating suborbital flight aboard Virgin Galactic, which made remarkably fast progress toward FAA approval and actual paid space flights, which were scheduled to begin in 2015. All of that seems sadly naive now. Yes, there is a lot of vibrant innovation happening in space travel now. And that innovation is both exhilarating and, I think, necessary. But after this week, it seems clear we need to take a strong, sober look at the risks, as well as the rewards, of space flight. Bloomberg estimates that, if U.S. air travel were as risky as space travel is, we’d have 272 airplane crashes a day. Clearly there is more work to be done in making rockets safer, and maybe that’s what the space industry needs to focus on next. Those risks, great as they are, should not ever stop us from going into space. But we should be looking at them with open eyes. And while we ponder those risks, let’s stop for a moment to silently reflect on the bravery of those who are leading the way, and who — like today — sometimes pay the ultimate price.

As We Bid Farewell to October 2014....

 One of the "must reads" for us is the daily updates from Business Insider.    This snapshot is just one indication of the very challenging times being faced all around us.   The idea that somehow the White House Computer Network can be hacked should be a very scary thought to all.

We here @ "Outsiders" were also privy to "phishing " with the past 24 hours.  A note was received, "supposedly" from Apple stating that an iCloud account was supposedly tried to be "hacked" as noted in this email below.   We reached out to Apple and frankly were amazed by the speed of the response.  It appears that Apple was aware of this and how this "phishing" was attacked as it were.   We deleted the actual button noted for this--but it was hilarious that they even spelled "Activate" incorrectly.    

Dear Apple Customer,

Your ITunes Connect has been used to open a session ICloud from an unauthorized computer.

Your ITunes account is now locked,

Please Access To Your Account And Check Your Information.

To reactivate your account 

Thank you, Copyright 2014 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. This is some good pointers for all to consider:

As for the headlines from the Business Insider, the developments below underscores the challenging times that we continue to be faced with in the Tech Space--although it is of great interest that the new devices have been rolled out as they have which we hope to feature here in the #visions channel soon: 1. Microsoft has revealed its wearable device: Microsoft Band. It goes on sale today and will retail for $199. 2. Samsung's third-quarter income was down 49%. The company warned earlier this month that its Q3 earnings wouldn't look good. 3. 3,000 Microsoft employees were let go yesterday. The cuts came from HR, finance, marketing, sales, and IT. 4. CurrentC, the mobile payment system favored by a group of US retailers, has already been hacked. It's the biggest rival to Apple Pay. 5. IBM has announced a partnership with Twitter. Businesses will be able to use Twitter data to help them understand their customers. 6. Uber drivers have spoken out over the low wages they receive. Some claim to be struggling to receive the minimum wage.  7. HP has revealed a new desktop computer that doesn't have a mouse or keyboard.Instead, it has a touch mat. 8. Nintendo says that it could see its first annual profit in four years. Mario Kart 8 has been a big success. 9. Hackers managed to breach the White House computer network. The Russian government is suspected to be behind the attack. 10. A taxi association president has compared Uber to ISIS. Many taxi associations consider Uber to be operating illegally.   As we bid farewell to October, it is timely that we remebmer this and underscore how change can be ever so important for our long-term success to truly aim to create the "vision of the possible":

A View of the Day On This Day: Reflecting & Remembering

On the "Prowl" around the "Social Grid"..and this "compilation" of some of the leading lights of our time past and present reminds us all of the true "art of the possible" :-) 

“The only man who never makes mistakes
is the man who never does anything.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

 

You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out.

-Steve Jobs

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.     ~     Kahlil Gibran

Action for today:
So here’s what I want you to do today.

Remind yourself of your BHAG.
Let’s make sure you have one so you know what direction to point yourself in.
Then make sure you have broken it down into quarter to quarter, month to month, week to week and day to day stepping stones.

If you need help with designing this step-by-step plan, you might want to look into the Living Your Best Year Ever program. It’s what I use to achieve all my BIG goals.

Now… forget your BHAG.
You know your map leads there.
Only focus on what’s next.
And do what’s next with all your will, energy, and focus.

Hey… it’s ALL you have to do.
This is a big secret to achieving outrageously big goals, while never having it feel difficult or stressful all along the way.

While most people carry the burden, stress and overwhelm of this massive and daunting goal all day, ultimately paralyzing them into submission, you are effortlessly moving from next to next.

What’s funny and quite amazing is you will achieve, or in most cases far surpass, your BHAG and they will barely have gotten started… and they will be stressed, frustrated and disappointed.

Coffee mentor chat over.
Now, what’s next?

Your Daily Mentor,
-Darren

... Go to full transcript

Onward!!!