On the Year That Was: Some #RandomThoughts as 2023 Dawns....

 

2022 will be in the history books in a few hours here in Southern California.    It has been quite a year for me in many respects.    It has also been quite a history-making year in many respects.

I have been witness to a second Iranian Revolution in my lifetime.    Here in Southern California, I had the honor to join several marches in support of the Iranian Revolution organized by selfless souls as I continued my ongoing social media advocacy efforts as a simple ordinary face-whether it was to write to the White House and Congressman Levin.  A political hero of mine, Lula, fought back and regained the Presidency in Brazil.   Meanwhile,  Back here in America, I had the pleasure to serve as a member of the California State Organizing Committee for Country1st, the organization launched by Adam Kinzinger to combat toxic tribalism and restore sanity to American Democracy.   The danger is not over by any means as 2023 dawns, and the 2024 campaign begins in earnest. 

Of all the work, what I have begun and worked on thanks to Ecosia was especially poignant about how even a simple ordinary face through efforts can help to save our planet.  I also was quite proud of the engagement with Global Citizen, too.    As I continued work on projects, assessing our World--including the ongoing work at the Daily Outsider--one conversation on SkyNews really left an impression on me.   The images of two young children I captured on SkyNews were from a SKyNews Program called Kidversation.    The Young Girl, Vitoria, is an aspiring Ballerina who was born without arms--Yet, what she's done is nothing short of a miracle.   The young man with a prosthetic leg who interviewed her is just as inspiring.  Their love of life and appreciation was genuinely inspiring and uplifting.   There is no excuse anymore.

 

Mike,   Thank you for joining the movement to end extreme poverty NOW! Let’s take a look at the impact you’ve made this year.

You've taken 28 actions Thank you for helping us build the movement by taking action!  You have 414 points Use your points to earn exclusive rewards by visiting here.  Together, we have taken 3.3 million actions That's a lot! And raised 12.5 billion In cash grants and loans. Top Actions Taken By Global Citizens: President Biden: Declare a Climate Emergency Stand for a Better World. Pledge to Make an Impact Urge Leaders to Invest in Sexual and Reproductive Health NOW

We can't wait to see what we make happen in 2023!   See you then!

October 7, 2022

Thank you for contacting the Biden-Harris Administration.    President Biden and Vice President Harris value every opportunity to engage with the American people, and the Administration is grateful for your outreach. Our country faces many challenges, and messages like yours help us better understand how the Biden-Harris Administration can serve American families.  We take careful note of the suggestions, thoughts, questions, and stories we receive, and we’re working hard to ensure you receive an appropriate response.  Sincerely, The Office of Presidential Correspondence

5,000

review views

Aliso Niguel High ...

5/12/16

I am there everyday..and the vibrancy of the campus is just beyond words.

You're protecting our oceans!   Thank you for funding plastic removal projects with your rewards.

Your solar charger is on the way!   Thank you for all of your impact.      Congratulations! You've earned a solar charger. Your solar charger will be shipped to you soon.

I wanted to personally thank you for being such a climate hero.   You have planted over 100 trees, which is the amount needed to sequester the carbon emissions of an average US resident for the next 5 years!  That puts you in the TOP 5% of our customers in terms of impact, and is something you should be super proud of . I close out this with a gift courtesy of the team at Spotify:

	All of your favorite tracks in one playlist.

	I know the best is yet to come--Onward with 2023!!!

Out & About With Some Mid-Month #RandomThoughts

 As the mad dash to year is in full swing, I chose a set of #RandomThoughts on Images from my "walkabout" in Orange County while also noting a snapshot of the year I had on Spotify:

 

	How did you listen in 2022?

	It’s finally here. Open your Wrapped to reveal your #1 artist, top songs, minutes listened, and so much more. Spoiler: You listened to 1,752 different artists this year.

OPEN WRAPPED

	2022 had an amazing soundtrack, so we’ve also wrapped up the year's musical highlights for you.

	LISTEN NOW

 

Out & About With Some #RandomThoughts On #Iran

 

Iranians have arisen--as I write this, it was the third day of a nationwide call to action as nationwide strikes have occurred in every part of the country.   My dear partner and joined a protest rally in Irvine, California, this past Sunday in support of the revolution as I leave all with some additional images:

On the Prowl With Some Month_End #RandomThoughts

Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season in the United States as my Community of Laguna Niguel is coming alive.   But this spirit is tempered by challenges beyond our shore (including Ukraine and Iran right now as over 20,000 are under detention and many are being tortured).

I pulled together the following #RandomThoughts as I continue to remain hopeful in spite of the profound challenging times before us:

 

I close out these month-end #RandomThoughts with this beautiful tribute done by a Canadian Legislator to the revolution in Iran:

 

On Iran Right Now: Thoughts As The Revolution Rages On

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan)

On This #Thanksgiving2022 Eve in the U.S.: Brief #RandomThoughts

It is Thanksgiving Week in the United States.   It has been quite a few weeks--and that's quite an understatement.

I tended to my VW this month and in honor of the revolution in Iran, dubbed my VW the #WomanLifeFreedom Car in line with a campaign that my local VW Dealer launched.   I have also been quite keen to do what I can about supporting the Iranian Revolution--as I attended events and have continued the active advocacy on Social Media.   This is in spite of all that the regime is doing to kill, sow division, and create mayhem--as they did by attacking Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan  Saturday Night.        It was also a moving day as I joined Laguna Niguel's Veterans Remembrance Ceremonies and wrote a brief memo on the "chalk wall" the City sponsors--and I added a book on my City to my library. 

As I was working away on projects including The Daily Outsider, Virtual Education, and Social/Community Advocacy, I ran across this to report on : 

 

The headline image I selected says it all--Hope in the face of adversity.

As I close out these brief #RandomThoughts with the following courtesy USAFacts, I wish Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Celebrate Thanksgiving with a fact feast  Thanksgiving is days away, and USAFacts has been busy cooking up dessert. The 7 days of pie buffet has returned for a wide-ranging, fact-based look at nonpartisan numbers. If you’re looking for a conversation starter, dig into these data dishes. Single-person households have increased more than fivefold since 1960, from 7 million to 37 million. Last year, 47.3% of households had married couples, while 11.1% of people lived alone. Those figures were 74% and 3.9% in 1960, respectively. The odds are good that at least one person at your dinner table either switched occupations or left the workforce last year. Bartenders were the most likely to change occupations in 2021, while taxi drivers and chauffeurs were the most likely to stop working entirely. The share of the population younger than 20 has decreased by more than 13 percentage points since 1970. And since 2000, the 65 and older populations in Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado have more than doubled.  Federal student loan borrowers might have something extra to be thankful for this year. In August, the Biden administration announced the cancelation of up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 annually. As of June 2020, the median federal debt for Asian, Black, and white women was $20,000. It was $25,000 for Asian men, $14,000 for Black men, and $18,000 for white men. Hungry for more? See the other pie charts and explore the related articles. Then test your knowledge of the data in a special weekly fact quiz.    Data behind the news  People are facing steep ticket prices as they take to the skies for holiday travel. From September 2021 to September 2022, the overall inflation rate for all items in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 8.2%. However, airline fares rose 42.9% during the same period. Are you likely to experience delays at the airport? See your destination’s track record here.  Minnesota raised more turkeys than any other state last year. Illinois grew 652 million pounds of pumpkins, more than the next five pumpkin-producing states combined. Learn more about the farm origins of favorite Thanksgiving dishes at USAFacts. One last fact October’s food prices were up compared to a year prior. Turkey and other uncooked poultry was up 16.9% over 2021. (For comparison, it rose 1.7% from October 2020 to October 2021.) Flour was 24.6% higher, while butter was up 26.7% USAFacts collected metrics from the CPI so you can see which kitchen staples might cost this holiday season.