Out & About with Some Month-End #RandomThoughts

@Laguna Niguel Smart & Final:  April 2020 

It has been a very challenging Month in many ways.     Although it was a month of reflection and engagement, it was also a month that saw how our World as we knew it ended thanks to a Virus.   

I had the pleasure to be supportive of the initiatives at the Daily Outsider as our team pulled together guidance from the WHO, the CDC, The State of California and the Orange County Department of Health.    Schools and Government Buildings in my hometown, Laguna Niguel, have been shut down.  It will be a long road back to recovery--I am hopeful that the Daily Outsider will play its' part as we emerge from the Shutdown and start thinking about #LifeAfterCorona.    We have been busy with on-going editorial work throughout the platforms as we have tried to be uplifting in spite of the profound challenging times we live in.   It has also been a busy month with my Virtual Education Activities & my Doctorate as well.   

I had the chance earlier in the Month to join a Zoom Meeting sponsored by Coro.  The head of the LA Economic Development Corporation gave a devastating picture of the shutdown--90% of Los Angeles International Airport being shut down.   This devastation has continued with massive unemployment numbers--but the most tragic story has been the number of infected with COVID-19 and the number of our fellow Americans who have died--so far over 60,000.    Unfortunately, the clamor in the conservative media has been challenging to be witness to--with one of the President's Chief Supporter even calling for a peaceful rebellion.  I also joined the Virtual Earth Day Celebrations as Ed Begley Jr. and His Daughter hosted a Virtual Worldwide event--and also caught comments by World War Zero hosted by John Kerry.  I look forward to continued engagements.

Beyond the shores of the United States, I continued my work & assessment regarding Iran.   It was disheartening to see how the regime showed how it had no regard for for the ordinary faces in Iran-as it clamoured to open the economy as COVID-19 continue to ravage the Country.    The head of Tehran's City Council, blasted official figures of the dead in Iran--and then there was an announcement earlier today that just at Tehran's Main Cemetery, some  13,000 people were buried as the regime continued to lie and mislead trying to potray an image of normalcy.     Tehran's Main Cemetery is under the municipality of Tehran--yet the head of the Council got in trouble.  I want all to realize that the head of the Council, Mohsen Hashemi, is the eldest son of Hashemi Rafsanjani--the former President who was killed on orders of Khameini.   This is as the plight of the people continued to be  heartbreaking--and yet the regime  clamored for the opening of religious sites and celebrated the launch of what they deemed to be a satellite.  What it turned out was a reverse Webcam as noted by the Commanding General for the US Space Command.    What was even more agitating was that the Supreme Leader (Supreme Guide) Of the Country opened up a page on his site for people to contribute even though he controls billions in assets.  Furthermore, he gave his "assent" for some funds to be released to the Government and also gave his "assent" for privatization--which is another scheme for the Government to fleece the people.     Tehran's Stock Exchange is continuing to increase even though there  is no fundamentals to support such an increase.    As I was assessing the daily analysis, I saw a report that the average age of addicts in Iran had fallen to 8 years--this shows that another generation is being lost to the Revolution as the previous four generations.   This is as the rights of women continues to be trampled--which is one of the darkest periods over the past 41 years--underscored by this report on Iran International as one of the Detainees, Sepideh Gholian, noted torture by women prisoners in Iranian Prisons.   

One of the most disheartening of messages    I caught this on Iran International as the Wife of Reza Pahlavi, the eldest Son of the late Shah of Iran, went to Greece to see first hand the plight of Iranian Refugees which was produced by Iran International:  







By lending her support, Yasmine Pahlavi highlighted the plight of these Iranian Refugees who were living in horrible conditions In Greece.   This is not about when anyone is a Royalist or not--as I noted in a note when I released this to my Facebook Storyline-- but it is about treating humans in a righteous and fair way.   Right after this premiered on Iran International, I saw reports of a  She was joined by one of the leading Iranian Entertainers, Arash--Although the narration is in Farsi, the scenes are just horrific to see.   I also saw rays of hope as I saw a new Cafe opened up by a refugee.     As I saw this hope, I also saw a statement from the head of the local labor federation in Northern Iran as he noted how his members could not even afford to pay for bread--in a country that is one of the richest in the World in terms of resources.   

As I was working to wind down the month, I released this to my Instagram Page in support of Donate A Photo to reflect upon  #LifeInTheTimeofCorona , celebrate the history of Iran and to honor the victims of Ukraine Flight 572 which I also released to my Facebook Wall below: 

   The families of the victims of flight PS752 have launched PS752Justice.   I had the pleasure to be supportive and look forward to being supportive in whatever way I can.  A numbe of protestors were sentenced to a combined 84 months in Northern Iran for protesting the shooting of the ariline--and a number of students at Amir Kabir University were also summoned for questioning.  This is as there is no indication of anyone being held accountable--including the Commander, Hajizadeh, who was touted as a "Hero" recently on State Television.    

This month also saw disheartening news--the Orange County Fair was cancelled.  However, it was a welcome development because it was about people staying safe and healthy as we continue to deal with #LifeInTheTimeofCorona.     Businesses have adapted to the realities.   Our local Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize a gradual reopening and Mayor Davies of our City sent forth a letter lending support to it.  It was also great to see the City working on and creating the Economic Development Tool Kit--as the Chamber also spearheaded a #LagunaNiguelStrong Campaign which I had the pleasure to join by ordering a shirt which I showcased earlier this week:

It has been gratifying to make the rounds to visit local businesses to do my small part to be supportive and to uplift them fully embracing all they asked to do to practice social distancing--It is also good to have seen a uptick exemplified by a bit more cars in the streets.  


This was also a month that I had a chance to catch a very tough movie: 

Visions du Réel Receipt Hello mike pouraryan, Thank you for booking Of Land and Bread. You now have 24h to complete the screening. Bonjour mike pouraryan, Merci d'avoir réservé Of Land and Bread. Vous avez maintenant 24h pour finaliser votre visionnement. Watch Now

Of Land and Bread showcased the plight of the people of Palestine who lived under Israali Occupation.    This is as Israel is slated to have a new Government--I had supported Benny Gantz in my on-going daily Social Media commentary and realized how he chose Israel over his political plight--although I also realized how many of his supporters were disappointed by once again getting into Government with Netanyahu.   I can only hope that as the incoming Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, he will not forget the 25% of Israelis who are of Arab & Palestinian Origin.   I have no hope for a peace process as the peace process is dead--because the Trump Adminstration has seen to it with the moves it has made spearheaded by the President's Son in Law, Jared Kushner--who called the Administration response to the #CoronaPandemic a success story in spite of over a million people infected and over 60,000 dead.   

It was also great to be witness to continued efforts by Government and Non-Governmental Institutions to be supportive.   It was also great to see businesses being supportive.   For instance, Farmers Insurance just extended almost a 40% reduction in premiums--For the record, Farmers is my Personal Insurance Provider for Auto & Home and I made a point of extending my appreciation to my friend and long-time agent, Hakim Salhi.   A sampling of what Government has been doing is noted below:  

OC Health Care Agency Announces Launch of the OC COVID-19 Testing Network 04/21/2020 02:04 PM PDT The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is pleased to announce the launch of the OC COVID-19 Testing Network, which offers COVID-19 testing starting Tuesday, April 21, 2020 to Orange County residents who meet the criteria detailed below. There is also the long-time issue of Food In Security that has become even more acute as a result of the Economic Havoc.    Our community stepped up and a sampling of food banks who serve the less fortunate throughout Orange County: Calvary Chapel WestGrove: Food Pantry* Food Distribution Hours: Wednesdays 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Fridays 3:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. Location: 12832 Knott Street, Garden Grove, CA 92841 Christ Cathedral: Food Bank Pre-bagged food distribution: Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: 13280 Chapman Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92840 by front gate of the property Cool Water Ministries: Mobile Food Pantry* Must be 13+ years of age. Hours: Fourth Saturday of the Month 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Location: 515 East Almond Avenue, Orange, CA 92866 Families Forward: Drive Through Food Bank Drive through service including food and diapers Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: 8 Thomas, Irvine, CA 92618 Food for Christ at the Rock: Drive Through Food Bank Hours: Drive through will be 7:00 am - 9:00 am on Saturday. Phone: (714) 331-6311 Location: 101 East Orangethorpe Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92801 First United Methodist Church of Orange: Sack Lunch Program* Small bag of nonperishables Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: 161 South Orange Street, Orange, CA 92866 Mariners Church: Food Pantry* Hours: Wednesday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Phone: 949-769-8131 Location: 5001 Newport Coast Dr, Irvine, CA 92603 Saddleback Church: Peace Community Resource Center Food Pantry Fresh and nonperishable grocery items, packages contain 5 days worth of food Families may receive assistance once every 30 days Locations: Anaheim, Irvine South, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Rancho Capistrano, San Clemente Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Groceries Hours: Sundays 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Phone: (714) 544-3141 Location: 1221 Wass Street, Tustin CA 92780 Salvation Army Orange County: Drive Through Food Distribution Canned foods, produce, frozen goods Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. For residents of North and Central Orange County - Bring ID May receive food once monthly, Must meet low income guidelines (TEFAP) Location: 1515 W. North Street, Anaheim, CA The Salvation Army of Southern California* Bring Picture ID Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Phone: (714) 832-7100 Location: 10200 Pioneer Road, Tustin, CA 92782 Second Harvest Food Bank Drive Through Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Location: Honda Center parking lot: 2695 E. Katella Ave. Enter off South Douglass Road. Southwest Community Center Provides Hot Meals. Must Be Consumed off-site. Hot Meal Hours: Monday-Sunday 12:00 p.m. Food Pantry Hours: Monday and Wednesday 9:00 am-1:00 pm Phone: (714) 547-4073 Location: 1601 West Second Street, Santa Ana CA 92703 South County Outreach: Appointment Only Food Pantry Food distribution will be by appointment only. Any shopper coming without an appointment will be directed to call the hotline. Phone: Pantry Hotline at 949-380-8144 ext. 207 Location: 7 Whatney, Suite B, Irvine, CA 92618 Tustin Drive Through Food Drive Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Location: Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center, 621 West First St., Tustin CA, 92780 As I was working away on these month-end thoughts,  I reviewed comments by President Trump as he went after "Democratic" States, blamed China and threatened Tariffs without taking a bit of responsibility even though he was informed about this.    But what I took comfort in was this I captured from  the Persian Gulf that Radio Farda featured as it was Persian Gulf Day:

I could not help but take comfort in this courtesy the team at the Daily Stoic that provides an absolute admonition to us all:

As we’ve discussed, one could look out at the world right now and see a lot of negative. Or you could grab the other handle, as Epictetus says, and see the positive. It’s an open question: Is this a great time to be alive or a terrible one? Are we blessed to have spent twenty years without any major wars, without any truly global crises, with sustained periods of economic prosperity and incredible technological advances? Or has it been twenty years with three major recessions, with the terror of terrorism, disruptive or disappointing tech, and now with a global pandemic?

Here’s the Stoic’s answer: It doesn’t matter. Because you don’t control when you live. What history will think of this period compared to other periods is meaningless. The only thing that counts is that you’re alive right now.

We don’t choose when we live, we choose how we live. That’s it. You didn’t ask for this moment. Maybe you’d prefer things to be different. Well...they aren’t. And you’re going to have to make do. Understand this and you will be wise. Adhere to it and you will be successful.

How can we make the most of right now? That’s the question. How can we live well within—or in spite—of what’s happening? That’s our job. You think Marcus wanted to live through the plague or Epictetus in a time where slavery existed or Seneca during Nero’s rule? Nope. But they figured it out. They made it work.

There are also two key dates to note-first the advent of the Web that allows us all to be on and to the voice as we have been thanks to some great visionaries:

The World Wide Web was born 27 years ago today (April 30, 1993).

It begin as a @CERN project called ENQUIRE, initiated by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee.

When @timberners_lee first proposed the World Wide Web in 1989, his boss responded: "vague but exciting" pic.twitter.com/fSlPuOS0Us

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) May 1, 2020

I also note that tomorrow is Labor Day around the World--and the Month of May has a very important day-Mothers Day:





As I conclude I wanted to remember all the fallen of COVID-19 and ask that the almighty grant solace to their loved ones.   I also salute all the Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Workers  , the Grocery Clerks, the UPS & Fed-Ex Drivers, the Uber Drivers, the Lyft Drivers, The Public Transport Workers, Law Enforcement Officers, Fire Fighters, Soldiers and all others workers who have been at the forefront of keeping us alive, fed and protected during this Pandemic.   

I know #WeWillGetThroughThis and emerge stronger.   I close out my #RandomThoughts with the following Visual #RandomThoughts From my archive I released on my Twitter Feed throughout the Month as I say loudly--Onward: