On Our World: Brief Notations

As we bid farewell to May 2014, this was gratifying to observe: [HTML3456]

I salute the people of #Egypt for speaking w/their vote: Sisi loses turnout battle in Egypt's election http://t.co/yqrc0dYTKh via @AlMonitor

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) May 30, 2014

[/HTML] The people of Egypt had the courage to express their sense of dissatisfaction after 2 years of represssion as Sisi engineered his way to the top. He has promised the World, though--and one wonders if he's able to deliver. It was also of interest to assess President Obama's new vision on Foreign Policy that he delivered at West Point. He tried to inject a sense of realism into the new realities while seeking to underscore that the United States will continue to play a preeminent role in World Affairs. This is as he also announced a total drawdown by 2016 and how he underscored the fact that it will be up to the Afghans. It will be curious to see how the new President of Afghanistan will deal with the issues. Karzai, in the meantime, is having a great time making the rounds as he attended Indian Prime Minister Modi's inauguration. Another pivotal player has been Iran--a particular focus here in "Outsiders". Iran is continuing on-going discussions with the P5+1 folks at the technical level and The Foreign Minister continues to be ever so optimistic. It is nice to be optimistic--however the proof will be in the agreement. This is as some facebook users were sentenced to a combined 128 years in Prison. As such, the struggle to transform Iran seems to be as slow as ever. Europe, also, has undergone a profound political Earthquake as the Eurospectics swept the elections. The National Front in France won 24 seats in the European Parliament. The UK Independence Party scored similar victories throughout the UK. [LINK=http://www.france24.com/en/20140529-young-anti-far-right-protesters-urge-france-wake/] It was quite a scene to see an estimated 4,000 French Students as they urged France to "wake up". [/LINK] Hopefully the people of Europe will wake up in realizing that they are better off together than apart as their broken economies are finally beginning to mend after a very tough and challenging five years as exemplified by a recent report on Spain by the IMF. Beyond the Continent, there is the continued insurrection in Ukraine. It was extremely shocking to read accounts of a Ukrainian Helicopter being shot down by Rebels that saw 14 soldiers--including a well-regarded General--killed. The new President-Elect of the country has vowed to crush the "bandits" of the East. The road ahead will be long and hard. It is not easy to be inspired and encouraged as one assesses the World as May 2014 enters the dustbin of history. But, there is little choice but to stay hopeful and inspired:

A final thought 4 the wk ..hope friends enjoy & make it a grt 1: 31 Quotes 2 Inspire U! #happiness http://t.co/oOsevhkz3T via @SlideShare

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) May 26, 2014

Also on "http://www.outsiderviews.com" released 5/2014

Thought 4 the Week: On Being a Rainbow as Maya Angelou Reminds Us All...

A wonderful tribute courtesy of the team @ GiveMore :-)

May the almighty bless us ever more in this--especially as one of the rainbows of our family passed away today who did her utmost to be a rainbow for us all--May the almighty bless you ever more Najmeh Joon....

View of the Week: On the State of the Internet & the Future

When Mary Meeker Speaks, the World Listen!! She spoke @ Re/Code and it is ever so insightful as ever: 

KPCB Internet trends 2014 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Hitting the Ground Running As the New Week Begins w/this "Tweet" 4 the Week :-).

Being Witness to History is always fun as India's 15th Prime Minister was sworn in. The moves the new Indian Prime Minister has made are surprising to say the least. It is also a hopeful day especially as Pope Francis is on his Middle East Trip. This "Tweet" was to underscore a sense of hope on a personal note as the new work week begins--onward!! :-)

On this Memorial day, reflecting upon the 4 agreement winding down May 2014 is about 2 be history..have a fab wk :-) pic.twitter.com/SordO135jL

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) May 26, 2014

On Memorial Day 2014: Yearning for "ONE WORLD"//A Musical Interlude to Enjoy by Rob Tardik

This beautiful song epitomizes the desire of us ordinary folks who yearn for a World of One....May we continue to strive for it as a new week begins :-)
Onward w/the New Week with all its' possibilities...

A "V-Thought 4 the Week" On the Advent of a New Week

As a new week dawns, a perceptive "V-Thought 4 the Week" courtesy of the team @ Simple Truths..Onward w/the New Week w/all its' possiblities:

The Strangest Secret

Watch Now

On India Right Now : Brief Notations As a New Era Dawns

It is a new day in India as there is gavel-to-gavel coverage on as Narendra Modi takes charge in India.  It is quite a day to be witness to history especially as there have been a lot of subtle changes like for instance not giving the children of politicians Ministerial Posts.

Some notations on this day was reflected upon in Outsider Views earlier...excerpts of it are noted below:

India's NDTV24 is providing live gavel to gavel coverage of Prime Minister Designate Modi's big day. I saw him visiting Rajghat, The Memorial to Mahatma Gandhi to pay homage to the Father of India: 

He has been on twitter noting that he is on his way to seek the blessing of Former Prime Minister Vajpayee as he continues gearing up for his day when he gets sworn in at 6:00 PM India Standard Time with his Council of Ministers. The Cabinet has been formed and the key ministers seem to have gotten the nod. There is speculation that Sushma Swaraj is one of the so-called big four as she is slated to be the Foreign Minister. It is interesting that her Twitter handle has been changed. The Prime Minister's Staff has also been finalized as well including the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. There are 23 Cabinet Ministers, with an additional apparent 10 Ministers with independent charge and 11 Ministers of State. It will still be a smaller government than the previous government. 

As developments go on, what is interesting is that the Prime Minister-Designate may retain the Defense portfolio. It is not confirmed yet. This is as Nawaz Sharif has just landed in New Delhi along with the other South Asia leaders. Hamid Karzai has also just landed. It was interesting that he did not have time to see Barack Obama when he was in Afghanistan. 

There is of course the view from the ever eloquent and perceptive write Arundhati Roy as she noted in an interview with Pakistan's Dawn.com that, "..Now, we have a democratically elected totalitarian government....".      

It is quite an event--and fun and ever so exciting to be witness to.....