Notations From the Grid: On the "Virtual Road" w/@POTUS

@POTUS (which is the twitter handle for President Obama) is in New Orleans on the 10th Anniversary of Katrina.   +The Guardian reported on it earlier:

On the "Virtual Road" w/ @POTUS as he visits Tremé 10 years after #Katrina hit New Orleans – in pictures http://t.co/NJ6d14swyP

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) August 27, 2015

It was striking to see how both @POTUS and New Orleans Mayor Landrieu had aged since the past 10 years.    It was quite an image as Mayor Landrieu (then the Lt. Governor of Louisiana) was on the boat helping to rescue people.      We are also just as certain as the Guardian that the President did not have to wait for a table when  he visited Willie Mae's!!!

Notations On Our World: On the "Moves" In Washington re: #IranDeal (w/a late breaking update)

Our team has been On the" prowl" during the morning Daily Roundup.    This is an excerpt from the Daily 202 that +Washington Post publishes with their take on the state of the deal with Iran right now and as it featured a recent image of Khameini at a recent speech in Tehran:

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on August 17 (EPA/Posted on the Supreme Leader’s official web site)
— Increasingly, on the Iran deal, it’s very likely that Senate Democrats will muster the votes necessary to block a veto override. Privately, some leading deal critics acknowledge they’ve steeled themselves for this outcome. Republicans think they can probably secure the 60 votes for a resolution of disapproval but not two-thirds to overcome the president’s rejection.
The new D.C. parlor game is: who will be the 34th senator that clinches the win for Obama? PowerPost’s Karoun Demirjian notes that some of the “undecided” Democrats will almost certainly support the agreement, but they don’t want to be the decisive vote because of the political risks. Someone like Michael Bennet, the former DSCC chairman, probably fears drawing heavy fire from outside groups during his 2016 reelection campaign in Colorado, for example. Senators like Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal or Michigan’s Gary Peters might be more willing to speed the White House momentum.
Among the undecided Democrats are several members with aspirations to take on bigger leadership roles, such as Maryland’s Ben Cardin, Delaware’s Chris Coons and Virginia’s Mark Warner. Obama did a round of local TV interviews on the deal yesterday, targeting the undeclared Democrats, including on D.C. stations (which reach Cardin and Warner’s constituents).

The next big question, once Obama gets to 34, is if the president can reach 41. That would allow Senate Democrats to filibuster and spare Obama the need to use his veto pen. But that’s a much heavier lift: 12 of the 15 undecided Senate Democrats would need to rally behind a deal that’s still very controversial.

All indications are that the deal will be approved not withstanding the concerted lobbying effort against the deal.    Wendy Sherman was on MSNBC's The Last Word last night refuting assertions by the current GOP front runner, Donald Trump, on the Iran deal.   She underscored how it is very hard to "hide" evidence of nuclear activity as repeatedly underscored by the leading experts in the World.

However, as we went to press, a report just came in from +i24news EN  on an +International Atomic Energy Agency statement on Iran having built an extension at Parchin--one of the disputed military sites.  

As our team has continued its' on-going assessment, this from the UK Foreign Secretary was telling:

Read @PHammondMP's thoughts on @TheIranDeal & what happens if Congress walks away : https://t.co/1LJ2rBv1yZ #IranDeal pic.twitter.com/iOaCFz4HBT

— Andrew Overton (@AROverton) August 27, 2015

This was as Donald Trump spoke about what he has deemed a "bad" Iran deal and plans he has for a joint rally with Ted Cruz in Washington to oppose the deal.

Notations On Our World: As Prominent Iranians Speak up For the Iran Deal, A Note on the True Realities

This is a major development:

On the perilous #Vote4Peace quest as Prominent Iranians launch campaign calling on Congress not to kill #Iran deal http://t.co/Q47lXnMxz0

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) August 26, 2015

What is critical to understand is that many of these prominent Iranians have suffered at the hands of the Islamic Republic--and yet they have come out in support of the deal.   We also wanted to underscore this true picture of Iran Today that speaks volumes:

“Things are getting freer.  Even a few years ago, I couldn’t wear what I’m wearing now without inviting a rebuke.  The...
Posted by Humans of New York on Wednesday, August 26, 2015

NotationsOn Our World: Horrific Scenes From Macedonia

The refugee crisis in Europe is becoming more acute by the minute.    As we have been assessing the situation, we are seeing estimates of some 800,000 refugees that will be expected to arrive at Europe's shores.   There seems to be no clear answer.

Our team was shocked beyond words as we saw this On the Grid from Macedonia: 

Macedonia – Greece border, 21 August 2015 – video by f.bytyci
Posted by Fatos Bytyci on Friday, August 21, 2015

How long before the cries of the Children are heard?  How long before the World truly musters the courage to change? 

Notations On Our World: An #outsider newssflash ( The Latest From Washington)

We just received this from the Congressional Budget Office as Congress is in recess and the budget battle is about to be back in the news when they return to Washington.    As we continue to assess the US Political scene (with the campaign heating up ever more), we will have updates over the ensuing days.

A developing story.....

New From CBO Presentation on CBO’s Updated Budget and Economic Projections Remarks by Keith Hall, CBO Director

View of the Week: On #Israel Watch w/ #TheIranDeal & #War

For today's edition of  "View of the week", we wanted to feature this from Starfor that has an interesting take on recent disclosure by the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as the debate over the Iran Deal continues throughout the World:

"Israel: The Case Against Attacking Iran is republished with permission of Stratfor."

Our team released the late breaking news on it in our Daily Twitter Curation yesterday.   It is quite startling how this was released in spite of the strict controls in Israel today as the Congress of the United States builds up to the pivotal vote on September 17.

Notations On Our World: On A Challenging W-End In Our World....

It has been quite a weekend here throughout the World.   During our "daily roundup on the Web, we ran across this courtesy of +Haaretz הארץ published on the Web on Sunday:


This depicted the very challenging relationship between the Jews and Arabs.      This is as Daesh (known as IS in the West), blew up the temple in Palymria  shortly after it executed the local head of antiquities.  We remembered this hero in our edition of "Notations" Published last week.   What we also found of curious interest was Israeli Oil Imports as reported by +i24news EN .    It was noted that 77% of Israeli Oil Imports came from Iraqi Kurdistan which has helped to underwrite the war effort against Daesh.     

In addition to the challenging history as depicted above, an article on the Israeli Prime Minister, (available by clicking here) also reported in +Haaretz הארץ painted a devastating picture of a Prime Minister who seems only in continuing in office at all cost--as epitomized by his appointment of the UN Ambassador.    This is as the Former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has called the current Prime Minister weak and indecisive.   This is also as the Mayor of Jerusleaum, Nir Barkat, has announced a bid for the Likud leadership.    He believes in the unity of Jerusleaum and underscored this repeatedly.   This was underscored in the BBC Documentary that is available here for the next 11 Months.   The Train that dividies Jerusleaum is the symbolic status of the true nature of the City and the challenging history the World has been witness to.

We have also been assessing the situation in Lebanon.   Lebanon has no defacto government and the rubbish problem in Beirut has led to demonstrations against the Government.   This is as Hezbollah has continued to be the de facto government in the South and as it continues its' war supporting Bashar Assad.       We also were quite surprised to see reports of Mahmoud Abbas planning a visit to what he deemed the Sister State of Iran especially as the debate over the Iran Agreement continues.  It was quite a development as US Senator Reid of Nevada announced his support on Sunday.     

It is also quite disconcerting as we went to press with our first edition of Notations for the week as to how the markets have continued to be devastated by the uncertainty in World Markets.    The Sensex in India has tanked some 1,000 points and the Nifty is below 8,000.    This is as we reported on our Twitter feed on the carnage in Chinese Markets.   China is especially worrisome as the slowdown in the Economy is worst than Chinese leaders have feared especially as the fight over corruption continues.  This New York Times article lays out a worrisome picture of the reality in China today.    Furthermore, Our team released a Twitter Feed on the carnage on China's markets on the Daily Outsider Twitter Feed.  As we assessed the continued carnage, it shows that China Officialdom is also concerned.

Challenging Times.....

Notations For the weekend: Happy Ibn Sina Day.....

Today is Ibn Sina Day.   

We wanted to honor Ibn Sina, known as  (Avicenna)  in the West on his day.     It has been noted that his work has influenced Christian Philosophers including St. Thomas Aquanius. He was also a pioneer in Medicine as well with his Book, The Cannon of Medicine.   

We look forward to sharing perspective on him in the "Education Channel" here @ #Outsiders over the ensuing weeks and months.

An #Outsider Newsflash (8/21/2015): On Markets

One of the major developments this week has been the markets.  This is the snapshot available on Bigcharts for two of the key indices in the United States as reported by http://www.bigcharts.com within the past hour: 

  

As our team reviewed the indices, it was surprising how every single index has been down. This from the Guardian of London puts it all in perspective:

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/21/global-market-turmoil-in-six-charts

Beyond that, there is the price of Oil.    It is at its lowest since 2009.    There is some worry that the continued depressed price of Oil points to a slowdown in demand as driven by the situation in China.   Challenging times indeed.    

What is further contributing to this turmoil is the continued political turmoil that is fueling the flame.  Our team was busy w/daily Twitter curation with updates from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.    As we went to press, we saw reports of Israel attacking Syrian positions in retaliation for missle attacks.    Syrian Army had fired anti-aircraft missiles as Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes.  

Notations On Our World: On Leadership

The Syrian White Helmets At Work

One of the daily "must reads" for our team here @ #Outsiders is Fortune Magazines' Daily Powersheet.    This is as we have been witness this morning to the desparation of migrants in Europe as Macedonia fired on migrants trying to push themselves to get into Greece and as Turkey is facing another election due to a failure in leadership.     This is also as Brazil continues to be engulfed with a widening political scandal due to a widening corruption probe. . The company at the center of it all, Petrobas, is trying to deal with a crushing debt as Oil Prices continue their downward spiral.   

There are indeed things to cheer about--as this excerpt below from Geoff Colvin Shows.  For us, though, the story of the Syrian White Hats is also worthy of mention.    As the story from Al Jazeera shows, they are the true heroes of the carnage in Syria that is one of the focal points of our team--available here by clicking on this link as we honor them here. 

As we hope all enjoy this, we could not agree more with Geoff Colvin's thoughts as he noted, "....  they’re absolutely clear about their purpose, and they’re fulfilling it. They can cheer us up...."

Daily insights on leaders and leadership By Geoff Colvin

August 21, 2015

The world is sick and tired of its leaders, or so it seems this morning. -“China Blast Corrodes Faith in Leadership,” the WSJ headlines. In China, leaders aren’t supposed to let such disasters happen, especially when they damage middle-class homes; similarly, investors thought president Xi Jinping could stop the stock market from plunging and are bitter now that they find he can’t. -Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned yesterday, having done the exact opposite of everything the voters elected him to do in the economic crisis. -The U.K.’s Labor Party seems about to elect as its new leader Jeremy Corbyn, an avowed socialist and anti-leader who, as an MP, has voted against his party’s position some 500 times. -In the U.S., Republicans pondering their party’s next presidential nominee favorDonald Trump, who has never held public office. At a moment like this, it’s easy to forget there are actually plenty of admirable leaders performing excellently right now. Here are three I especially like. They’re all in business; they all run companies on Fortune’s new Change the World list of companies that are doing well by doing good; and they’re all less known than they should be. –Doug Baker runs Ecolab, a specialty chemical company that focuses on water management, hygiene, and food safety. He and Ecolab are constantly winning awards for responsibility and ethical standards; most recently, Baker was named Responsible CEO of the Year by Corporate Responsibility magazine. All of which is nice, but what makes him worth our attention is that he also runs a knockout business. The stock, near an all time high, has nearly quadrupled since he became chief 11 years ago. -Unless you have diabetes, you may not know Novo Nordisk. “We’re world famous in Denmark,” an executive once told me, wryly, at HQ in Copenhagen. Even if you know the company, you may not know the CEO, Lars Rebien Sorensen. For 15 years he has been directing the company’s longtime mission of helping people worldwide with diabetes, hemophilia, and other diseases. Independent research estimates that the company’s early efforts in China have saved 140,000 life-years from diabetes-related complications. And by the way, the stock is up by a factor of 22 during Sorensen’s tenure. -You certainly know Whole Foods Market, and let’s acknowledge right away that its stock is near a three-year low. But I don’t care—co-CEO and co-founder John Mackey, a free-spirited vegan contrarian, is as ardent a capitalist as I know while also focusing the company on health, fairness up and down the supply chain, and the social consequences of his business. He’s passionate about profit because he can’t do anything else without it. His net worth is an estimated $100 million; he pays himself $1 a year. I like all these leaders because they’re absolutely clear about their purpose, and they’re fulfilling it. They can cheer us up as we read the headlines.

The Friday Musical Interlude: Bob Baldwin Performs "Stevie" featuring Marion Meadows

It is Friday here in #outsiders and it is time for the Friday Musical Interlude.   Our team has chosen Bob Baldwin as the artist of the week and we hope all enjoy this selection: 

Notations On our World: On #Iraq & #Syria

This was an image captured in an edition of the Wall Street Journal as the chaos continues to engulf Iraq.   What we have found quite interesting is how an Iraqi Parliamentary Committee has found that Nouri Al Maliki and at least 30 other officials were directly responsible for the fall of Mosul which IS/#Daesh continues to hold even today.

As we have been assessing this, it is also of interest to note that Malaki and the current Prime Minister are both members of the Al Dawa which is a Shitte based party that is strongly supported by Iran.  It must also be noted that Iran is currently on the frontlines of the fight against IS/#Daesh.  It is also of note how the current Prime Minister has made some major decisions on Government reorganization.   Such decisions have included the elimination ofthe post of Vice President and a considerable streamlining of the Government in response to nationwide protests.   Our team will continue to monitor this major development.

Beyond Iraq is Syria.   We here @ #Outsiders join many around the World as we mourn the brutal execution of the head of antiquities in Palyrmia, Khaled al-Asaad.        This 82-year Old Scholar dedicated over 50 years of his life to preservi ng the heritage of our World.     As we went to press with this latest edition of "Notations",  we reviewed reporting by the Guardian of London that he refused to disclose the hidden treasures in that city which led to his execution. 

As we mourned this hero, we were also horrifed as we saw this image captured so beautifully by the New York Times on the true face of the misery of Syria :

Laith Majid from Syria, holding his son and daughter, cried for joy after arriving safely in Kos from nearby Bodrum,...
Posted by The New York Times on Tuesday, August 18, 2015

A tough 24 hours yet again.....

Notations From the Grid: ON #theIranDeal (with Brief late breaking developments)

The debate over the Iran Deal has continued at a fast and furious pace as Members of Congress have been declaring their intentions over the past few weeks.  The latest to oppose is Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona who expressed his reservations over the weekend.  This is as nuclear experts signed a letter in support of the agreement and as 36 retired high ranking officers came out in support of the deal.    This is as MoveOn has spreaheaded a campaign in support of the deal.    

The opposition has been hard at work.   Our team has seen estimates of upward of $ 40 Million Dollars spent by AIPAC and its' allied organizations trying to scuttle the deal.     It is interesting how similar strands of arguments have been made by   more conservative elements within #Iran as well.   Such organizations have included JINSA, UANI  and a number of others.   What is clear, though, that it is going to be a struggle to the finish.

One very interesting sentiment on the true reality was expressed by Professor Dabashi of Columbia as the Supreme Leader continues his stance on how there were be no further compromise beyond the nuclear deal: 

the Ayatollah protests too much --on every occasion he has he wants to assure himself --more than he does anyone else...
Posted by Hamid Dabashi on Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Change is in the air--and it is evident as Iran is opening up and the World is opening up to Iran.   The Economist reminded the World that the Revolution is over--we could not agree more:




As we went to press with this latest edition of "Notations", one leading Republican came out in favor of the deal:  Richard Lugar, the Former Senator from Indiana and a long time Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.     This is as Senator Menendez came out against the deal--as two additional Democratic Senators came out in Support.    @POTUS (which is Twitter speak for President Obama) needs 11 more Democrats to hold the line--and as all now, we are "twitter freaks" here @ #Outsiders.

This is ever so a developing story...and fun to comment on.....

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): The Death of Julian Bond

Julian Bond has passed away.   He was a co-founder of the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee and the Southern Poverty Law Center and served as a long-time Board Chairman of the NAACP.    This image depicts him as he was barred from taking the oath of Office in the Georgia House in 1966 after he endorsed a statement on opposition to the war in Vietnam by the head of Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee, John Lewis (Now a Congressman).     

Tributes have been coming in fast and furious over the "Social Grid" and our Founder shared this over his personal twitter feed earlier:

May the soul of this noble soul #JulianBond RIP....@POTUS spoke for all Americans this day..... https://t.co/NVzDTzOwTz

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) August 16, 2015

He made a difference and we here at #Outsiders salute him and pray that his soul RIP.

Notations On Our World (weekend edition): A potential earthquake across the "Pond"

The United Kingdom's "official opposition" in Parliament, the Labor Party, is having a leadership election and Jeremy Corbyn has counfounded all the sceptics and has a real shot at winning.   He's from the so-called "left wing" of the party which prompted an intervention from the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair that it faces annihilation.    This is as Mr. Corbyn has said taht Mr. Blair may be facing a trial over the Iraq War as Mr Blair has made quite a lucrative career in private life.      

Our time found it quite onpointe as The Guardian , was ever so direct in explaninng why no one seems to be listening to Mr. Blair:



The Iraq War looms large as Labor tries a new path.

It is a developing story--but a fascinating one.

The Friday Musical Interlude: Vincent Ingala

It is Friday here in #Outsiders.   For this week, our artist of the week is Vincent Ingala.    We hope all enjoy, "If I Could Fly":

Notations On Our World: An #Outsider Newsflash On This Historic Day in #Havana

.@JohnKerry: #Cuba’s future is for Cubans to shape. #USCuba http://t.co/JXEHLES4kV

— Department of State (@StateDept) August 14, 2015

It was a beautiful sunny day in Havana as The flag of the United States has just been raised over the US Embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 Years.   The poem by Richard Blanco on belonging to the sea was just beautiful beyond words.   This was as the Secretary of State gave a rousing speech as he underscored how a new day has arrived--this is the first time that a US Secretary of State has been on Cuban soul since 1945.

We found it quite a nice touch as he delivered part of his speech in what he viewed as near flawless Spanish and culminated with a simple admonition that all diplomats remember:  Promises made, promises kept.  The Embassy Marine Contingent in 1961 that brought down the flag for the last time were there to hand off the flag to the Embassy Marine Contingent Havana 2015 who in turn raised the flag.   

Fun to be witness to history....

Notations On Our World: An Ever So Challenging 24 Hours & #OVERSHOOT

It has been a challenging few days around our World as we have been witness to the continued calamity in Iraq and Syria and the political paralysis in India.    Our team has been busy with our  "Twitter Watch" on the latest from China and India over the past 24 hours--along with "The Daily Update".     

We have also been on the prowl with another challenging problem  with our World which we will report on:  Our Planet.    August 13 will be officially "Earth Overshoot Day" whereby, "...Global overshoot occurs when humanity’s annual demand for the goods and services that our land and seas can provide—fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, wood, cotton for clothing, and carbon dioxide absorption—exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can renew in a year. Overshoot means we are drawing down the planet’s principal rather than living off its annual interest. This overshoot leads to a depletion of Earth’s life-supporting natural capital and a buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Learn more".       It is a developing story which we will have comments on over the ensuing weeks.     The interactive map above from the team @ Earth Overshoot Day  is quite insightful for all to get a sense of the challenging times we are faced with   It was quite timely as our team was able to join this Webinar sponsored by MIT & UPS which we have made available to our community: 

WEBINAR ON-DEMAND

Thank you for attending, Mike. We hope you enjoyed our recent webinar, "The Power of Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty." Here's how to access the event materials: • Watch a recording of the presentation and Q&A — available for a limited time. Access instructions below. • Read a summary of key insights (PDF). • View the Twitter chat and continue the conversation at#ResiliencePower.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS 1. Visit http://sloanreview.mit.edu/webinar-ups-2015/on-demand 2. Enter your unique PIN 68469 in the PIN field and click "Logon." 3. Click the "Open" link on the right to watch the archived webinar. Please note that you must listen through your computer speakers. To test your system compatibility, click here and select "Check System Compatibility for Participants." If you have any trouble accessing the webinar, please call our Customer Support line at 877-297-2901 (International callers, please call 972-588-8035).

EVENT MATERIALS Event Summary (PDF) Read insights and highlights from Yossi Sheffi's presentation and Q&A session. (The event slides will be available to all registrants in late September.)

As we went to press with this latest edition of "Notations", we received some distressing news about the cancer of Jimmy Carter.    According to a statement released by the Carter Center, he has cancer that has spread.   We will continue to monitor it over the course of the ensuing days.

Notations From the Grid: On The Tragedy in #Syria

The horror of Syria continues with no end in sight as we saw this on the Human Rights Watch Twitter Feed earlier this morning during our "Daily Roundup":

The Brief: Syria's deaths have topped 240,000; 70,000 of those killed were civilians. More: http://t.co/5pV1jIyspc pic.twitter.com/u6luWDBlOE

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) August 10, 2015

It  has been also quite disconcerting as we have reviewed attacks in Turkey over the past 24 hours as we also saw this:

It is chilling 😱😨but the world will overcome http://t.co/k1K8pFBzXu pic.twitter.com/pPS0VxOzhF

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) August 10, 2015

Thought 4 the Week-End