Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On the Passing of US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

Justice Scalia passed away in his sleep in Texas while on vacation at a Ranch.   He was the longest serving Justice on the United States Supreme Court.    

Our team released this earlier on the Daily Outsider Twitter Channel as the battle lines are being drawn on who will replace him--which also came up during the latest Republican debate as they called for President Obama to allow the next President to nominate the next Justice: 

On #Americas watch as US Supreme Court Justice Scalia dies https://t.co/MBsUujn9li

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) February 14, 2016

He was a brilliant intellect and many (including our team here @ Outsiders) disagreed with many of his narrow views.    We here at The Daily Outsider, though,  extend our condolences to the Scalia Family as we salute him for his service to the United States.   May his soul RIP.

Notations On Our World (Week-End Edition): On The Fascinating US Political Scene (II)

We found this to be fascinating from the Washington Examiner which we hope all enjoy:

Revolutionary: Trump ramps up populism in post-debate New Hampshire The loudspeakers blasted the Beatles' "Revolution" when Donald Trump took the stage at Plymouth State University, writes the Washington Examiner's Byron York. "Trump railed against pharmaceutical companies. He railed against oil companies. And insurance companies. And defense contractors. Echoing at times, and even praising Bernie Sanders, Trump argued the system allows big-money corporate "bloodsuckers" to control the government. SAYS ONLY A BILLIONAIRE LIKE HIM CAN CHANGE THE SYSTEM
Bernie Sanders' Tea Party-like threat to the Democrat establishment Bernie Sanders scored his first victory of 2016 over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire - before the primary. If Sanders didn't prove he was a serious challenger to Clinton in Iowa, where just two-tenths of 1 percent of the vote separated them, he did when he appeared on the stage with her in Durham, N.H., for a party-sanctioned debate that was never supposed to happen in the first place. SANDERS HAS ALREADY CHANGED DNC'S TERMS FOR DEBATES
The man who defeated Eric Cantor foreshadowed a political upheaval Only one person can say he defeated a sitting majority leader in the House of Representatives: Republican Rep. David Brat, representing the 7th district of Virginia. Brat shocked the nation when he beat former Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a June 2014 Republican primary. Brat focused almost exclusively on illegal immigration and reducing federal debt. Less than two years later, the presidential election has given rise to similarly historic circumstances, with nontraditional candidates surging largely by emphasizing a need to restrict immigration. Brat offers his fascinating perspective in an interview with the Washington Examiner's Rudy Takala. 'I WAS OPENLY MOCKED AND RIDICULED'

On This Valentine's Day Week-End 2016....

It is Valentine's Day Week-End here in the United States.    In honor of this day, we wanted to feature thoughts curated by +Jonathan Huie  & Rumi...

Happy Valentine's Day To All!!!!

  

The bond of our common humanity is stronger

than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.

God gives us the capacity for choice.

We can choose to alleviate suffering.

We can choose to work together for peace.

We can make these changes - and we must.

- Jimmy Carter

For me, an area of moral clarity is:

you're in front of someone who's suffering

and you have the tools at your disposal

to alleviate that suffering or even eradicate it,

and you act.

- Paul Farmer

Helping someone is what life is all about.

- Willie Stargell   

If you are healthy, support those who are sick.

If you have a job, support those who have lost theirs.

If you are strong, support those who are feeble of body or mind. 

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We also hope all enjoy this courtesy of the team @ Guideposts: 

7 Things You May Not Know About St. Valentine  

How much do you know about St. Valentine, the man who inspired Valentine's Day? Discover a few surprising facts about the saint (or saints) behind this holiday celebrating love.

Read Now

Notations On Our World (Week-End Edition): On the Fascinating US Political Scene

It was quite a week on the Political Front as the battle lines were drawn on the final year of President Obama's Presidency.     The two snapshots from the Office of the Speaker and the White House were quite telling!!

It was also of note how the Presidential Campaign went into overdrive as Bernie Sanders continued quite a momentum (and as we went to press, a poll came out that had him even with Hillary Clinton in Nevada).   Our team had noted that we would not be depending on polls.   What we do know that it is going to be fascinating on the Democratic Side as underscored by the debate between the contenders.   Our view is that South Carolina will further narrow the field before moving on to Nevada and Super Tuesday.   Our team had seen the appeals from the entire spectre of the Campaigns and we had periodically featured them here to underscore the targeted, sophisticated and interesting way in which they were targeting potential donors with titles like "Where are You"?  "Are You with me"?  and other thoughts.    

Fascinating to be Witness to it all.......

This Is the Number That Matters February 10, 2016  |  Caleb Smith  |  http://spkrryan.us/1Q41jV3 You may have heard the news. President Obama submitted his budget to Congress this week, and tucked deep within the 170-page progressive manual, there's a number that has everyone talking (and not in the way you'd want).  25. That's how many cents the price a gallon of gas would increase by, on average, if the White House had its way.    [Click here to watch the animated GIF] Over time, all that change adds up, costing the average American household hundreds of dollars every year. The good news is that President Obama's plan to raise your price at the pump is dead on arrival in Congress. So while he schemes of more ways to make hardworking Americans pay for his radical climate agenda, there's only one number that really matters: ZERO. That's how much of a chance his new oil tax has in this Congress.  THE WHITE HOUSE  See what's in the President's final budget President Obama released his final budget proposal today, laying out a path to both build on the progress we've made over the past seven years and to tackle the challenges of the future. This year, you can read the President's message on the budget in a new way -- with graphics, videos, and stories from Americans who wrote to the President about the policies laid out in the budget. Explore President Obama's final budget.

Notations On Our World: On The Latest on the Oil Front.....

It was a challenging week on the Oil Front as Oil once again dropped.   This from teh Economist' KAL yet again said it all:


 


Billions are on the line and the end may not be on site.    Maybe Oil Producers have to acquire a taste for Sushi!!!

The Friday Musical Interlude : Hozier's Take me To Church

Welcome to Friday here in #outsiders as we are pleased to present our artist of the week, Hozier: 

Notations On Our World: On #Iran....

Tehran @ Night

Iran just celebrated its' 37th year of Revolution.      This is as almost 99% of the so-called reformist candidates for the Assembly of Experts were disqualified by the Guardian Council.    This includes the Grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Hassan Khomeini.   The role of the Assembly of Experts (with responsibility for Nominal Supervision of the Supreme Leader (Supreme Guide) of the Revolution) is becoming ever so paramount as rumors of Khamenei's ill health continues to persist.

The official instagram account of Jamaran (which is Mr. Khomeini's Official Channel and supported wit) lambasted the disqualification as it came out squarely on the side of the President, Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Rafsanjani.   Mr. Rafsanjani has said he would be announcing his slate of preferred candidates within the next 24 hours.   It is part of the challenge within the ruling establishment of Iran as profound challenges mount that our team has been assessing as elections loom.     Jamaran also reported about the warm greetings Rafsanjani received while "among the crowds".       This is as there continues to be a concerted effort to stifle Social Media Engagement throughout the Country.

The revolution began with a promise--and despite all the public stance taken, it appears that the promise is yet to be realized.  We could not help but wonder about this thought from Walt Disney as Iran decides:

This is as we remember the leaders of the Green Movement who are still in detention and all the prisoners of conscious who continue to be harassed and detained.