8/31/2015

Notations on Our World: A retrospective on a busy month in #Outsiders

August 2015 is coming to a close.   It has been quite a month as we have been fascinated with the US Presidential Elections.   Trump continues to be on top of polls along with Ben Carson.   This is as the so-called establishment favorite, Jeb Bush, seems to be faltering and as fundraising seems to be lagging.    Scott Walker is also lagging as well as on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton struggles as Bernie Sanders surges with the trust factor a perceived challenge for Mrs Clinton.   

This was Jeb's latest to help raise money:


Jeb 2016!
Running for President can be a taxing and grueling job, but it also presents you with some truly once in a lifetime opportunities. Friend, I want to share one of those opportunities with you.

On September 8th, I’m going to sit down with Stephen Colbert for his very first taping as host of the Late Show, and I have an extra VIP ticket I’d like to share with you.

Today we’re formally launching our Stephen Colbert Late Show contest, where we’ll fly one lucky winner to New York for an all-expense paid trip to watch the very first taping of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert live.  

All you have to do is chip in $3 or more right now to enter.


Enter Now
This has also been a month that has seen the implosion of the "BRICS" with Brazil in Recession, South Africa mired in Crime and a high unemployment rate and Russia reeling in light of the sanctions.   China also has profound challenges that was underscored with the explosion in Tianjin and the market carnage that also caused worldwide panic.  The only one of the "BRICS" standing seems to be India right now as it just reported a 7% growth rate for its latest reporting period.   
We have also been releasing updates on the Iran Deal as the fast and furious nature of the deal continues to be debated.     It has also been a distressing month as we have seen the continued calamity in Syria with Daesh wrecking havoc in Palmyra.   We have also been witness to heartwrenching scenes as desperate refugees risk lives for the slight possibility of a better life in Europe.    This image from Today's New York Times was telling:




Over half the population of Syria has been displaced due to four years of war that seems to have no end.   This is as Iraq is also just as chaotic.    Two Iraqi Generals lost their lives when their convoy was attacked by the Daesh Gang.   This is as grassroots movements are taking hold in both Iraq and Lebanon.   We have also been quite shocked to see the uptick in violence in Afghanistan especially as US Soldiers recently lost their lives as the Taliban continues its  aggressive push.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the continued gun violence is also of concern.  The execution style of a Harris County Texas Deputy Sherriff was horrific.   As he was putting gas in his car, the alledged gunman just walked up and shot him 15 times.    It has been quite gratifying to see the outpouring of support by the Community.    Reports we received here @ our Virtual Studios note that some $ 150,000 in donations have been collected for the fallen officer's family as this  reality in America seems to be ever so as epitomized by this simple graph from the BBC:



As we went to press with this, we were also seeing reports coming out of the Guardian in the UK about the UK Police Force losing 22,000 of its officers as new proposed cuts by the new Conservative Government takes effect.    

Our team looks forward to the opportunity to serve as we continue our quest to understand our ever-changing world.


No comments: