Notations From the Grid: On #IS; #IranTalks & Other Brief Thoughts

One of the most perceptive observers of our time, Mehdi Hasan of +The Huffington Post UK  has written a very crucial and perceptive article on the true nature of the merchants of death of Dayesh (also known as IS/etc.) in the West for the +New Statesman of London.         As we here @ #Outsiders released it earlier to our Facebook Page, we wanted to release it here for reference:

Post by Mehdi Hasan.

It is a powerful read that would add to the narrative already prevalent amongst the observers of the World to counter the prevalent Islamphoia today that has also been led by the founder of +Zaytuna College , Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and the +Muslim Public Affairs Council .    It was also newsworthy to note a Story in yesterday's Washington Post about how Dayesh  is imploding from within--as it continues its' reign of terror and destruction.    This is as the aftermath of the letter on Iran continues to debated throughout the political circles.  Although it is interesting how the letter itself has been debunked, Senator Marco Rubio has doubled down by noting that  he would absolutely send another letter.  It will be interesting to see what his reaction would be if a Democratic Congress did this if he was President as the +Vox put together a nice overview of this for all to review.  

  

Notations From The Grid On #IranTalks: On the Direct Intervention by US Senators & Other Thoughts

47 United States Senators were signatories to a letter spearheaded by Freshman Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas directed at the Iranian Leadership as it advised the Iranian Leadership on what they perceived to be their "takeaway" on the intricacies of the US Constitutional Process.  This was the view from Israel as reported by +i24news EN :

#GOP "US senators try to undermine #Iran nuclear talks"😨and they suggest more of the same😱 http://t.co/2GLI510J7r http://t.co/2GLI510J7r
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) March 9, 2015

It understandably ignited a firestorm on legal circles and within the Social Media Grid.   We here @ #Outsiders were quite intrigued and fascinated by the discourse.  One of the most poignant and perceptive rebuttals was drafted by Professor Jack Goldsmith of the Harvard Law School:

As #IranTalks continue, on the #GOP "letter" & the errors @lawfareblog..A Virtual High Five 2 u Prof. @jacklgoldsmith http://t.co/PGxSHnoHGH
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) March 10, 2015

Of all the rebuttals and analysis, the Vice President's Statement was even more poignant:

Biden statement on Senate GOP Iran letter pic.twitter.com/hFKsxfCC5Y
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) March 10, 2015

It was also quite interesting how dismissive the response was from the Iranian Foreign Minister.  Dr. Zarif noted that he viewed it as nothing more than a publicity stunt to undermine the negotiations.  He also noted that if the Congress (as both the President and the Vice President noted) undermines this effort, it will hamper the effectiveness of future Presidents.   It is striking how this letter was spearheaded by a US Senator who is a graduate of Harvard Law School.     What is also even more ironic is how this letter echoes the exact sentiments by the hardliners in Tehran--the same hardliners who were admonished by President Rouhani last year when he told them they can "go to hell" for shivering over the pending nuclear deal.   President Rouhani also addressed the challenge yesterday as he spoke at a Martyrs' Conference in Tehran as he saluted what he called Iran's Soldiers of Diplomacy as Dr. Zarif looked on.    It is also noted that there are more US-Educated Ph.D's in President Rouhani's Cabinet than in the Adminstration--including Dr.Zarif who is a graduate of the University of Denver and the head of the Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Salehi.  Dr. Salehi is a graduate of MIT.       

As the deadline looms large, It is even more ironic how Rouhani/Zarif in Tehran and Kerry/Obama in Washington are dealing with the same set of challenges.    

On the Prowl 4 the Day: Attending Clinton Global Initiative University (Brief Comments)

Clinton Global Initiative University is now being held and our #Outsider Team is attending it.   Right now, there is a fascinating round table moderate by Chelsea Clinton on Big Data which is off the charts in terms of the possibilities being deliberated on how data can be harnessed to help transform the World as we know it.   This was as wonderful achievements by student leaders were featured including Cloud4Cancer and Freshspire which we will have discussions on in the Visions Channel soon

The possibilities are limitless:

"You have to have the feeling that you are responsible for changing the world." - @TawakkolKarman #LaureateCGIU pic.twitter.com/OjgjVqeEuI
— Laureate Connect (@LaureateConnect) March 9, 2015

On the Eve of a New Week: Mindi Abair' "Smile" ....

A New Week Dawns in "Outsiders" and we here @ the #Outsider Team hope all enjoy this Musical Interlude to begin the new week:

Witness to History: What a beautiful Image

What a beautiful day it was......

..and We Shall Overcome.....

View of the Week: Talks to Restore Your Faith in Humanity

Enough Said!!

As part of our continued quest to assess our World, we wanted to report on this latest "curation" of TedTalks which we hope is of interest:

Talks to restore your faith in humanity (12 talks)

Sometimes it’s easy to think the worst of human beings. But these inspiring talks can help you remember: altruism, kindness and helping hands are all around. Watch »

Total run time 3:06:54

Notations From the Grid: One of the Leading Voices of Islam Speaks

For this edition of "Notations From the Grid", we wanted to feature this latest from Hamza Yusuf that is very powerful in directly refuting the narrative that the Media in the West has been pursuing:

Post by Hamza Yusuf.