Notations On Our World (WeekEnd Edition Part 1): On the latest on @GOP, @RealDonald Trump & Other Thoughts

As the United States was witness to Super Tuesday, Super Saturday was also held on Saturday March 5 2016 here in the United States.    Kansas, Maine, Kentucky, Nebraska along with Louisana voted in both Democratic and Republican Primaries.

Senator Cruz won Kansas and Maine and maintained some momentum on the delegate count.   Once again, Senator Rubio did not have a good night on all fronts as he apparently is betting on Florida as the Orlando Sentinel came out for him.   There was some analysis that said that Mitt Romney's speech somehow helped Senator Cruz as Senator Cruz underscored how he is fully prepared with his plan.   One interesting highlight of Senator Cruz' interview was his answer about nuclear accidents because his plans call for elimination of the Department of the Energy.   He said that such responsibilities will be transferred to other Federal Agencies as part of his quest to save 500 Billion Dollars.

The evening culminated with Mr. Trump holding an improtu news conference at one of his properties in Florida.   As he was being thankful to the people of Kentucky and Louisana, he continued with put downs for Senator Cruz by calling him a liar and by calling upon Marco Rubio to quit.   He called the Media the most dishonest people on the face of the planet and directly addressed the issue of Torture that he had called for and thereafter backtracked by noting that he would abide by the laws.  His rationale was   that #Daesh was not playing by the rules and as such Water Boarding and other illegal acts must be allowed to proceed.   He said he would "expand" the laws as some of the audience cheered him on.    He also talked about the Iran Deal and committed to getting to the bottom of the Levinson Case--who is still missing as he criticized the Iran Deal and how Iran got 100 Billion with nothing in return.    

During the same news conference, he touted his very large event in Florida.    The +The Sydney Morning Herald   reported on it:

Echoes of fascism as Trump demands pledge at rally

12:52pm | Analysis: As Florida rally reached a crescendo, Republican frontrunner told crowd to salute and vote for him "no matter what".

This is the view from the World on it.    In addition, someone asked about The Levinson Case.    He also touted the fact that he is self-funding his campaign.      What was interesting was how John Oliver de bunked the myth of Mr. Trump's comments that our team commented on.     Beyond the Media Put down and the comments at hand, what has been of concern is what Mr. Trump has said about people who have railed against him.      There have been reports that the Ricketts has been bankrolling an anti-Trump effort and Mr. Trump has said for them to "watch it".      He also had the same view towards The Speaker of the House earlier.    

Challenging times indeed......

The Friday Musical Interlude: Shakatak Plays Invitation

Welcome to Friday here in #Outsiders with this selection we've chosen from our artist of the week: Shatakak &   invitation:

Notations On Our World: On #Americas Watch w/ @realDonaldTrump & Other Thoughts....

It has been quite a week on the political front as the Trump Juggernaut continues and the so-called establishment within the Republican Establishment has begun a concerted effort to derail Mr Trump.   As we have been assessing this week, we just saw a new position on torture by Mr. Trump as he notee that he would be now in favor of following the law on Torture.    Torture is  illegal in the United States.

This was just a sampling of the developments on the "anti-Trump" movement that was quite a spectacle to be witness to as reported by the Guardian of London:   

• 

  George Clooney interview: ‘Donald Trump is a xenophobic fascist’

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  Mitt Romney says Trump's 'third-grade theatrics' not worthy of presidency

As Mitt Romeny spoke, Trump hit back and hit back hard as reported by the Daily  Beast on the eve of the GOP Debate: 

1. VULGAR TRUMP: MITT WOULD’VE GOTTEN ON HIS KNEES FOR ME Donald Trump responded to Mitt Romney’s speech Thursday during a rally in Maine, hitting the former Republican nominee by saying he would have gotten on his knees for the Trump endorsement back in 2012. “I am not a fan of Barack Obama and that was a race that I backed Mitt Romney, I backed him, you can see how loyal he is,” Trump said. “He was begging for my endorsement. I could have said, Mitt, drop to your knees, he would have dropped to his knees, he was begging. He was begging me.” At another point, he railed against Romney as a “choke artist” and said “chickened out” of running again in 2016. Our team watched excerpts of the GOP debate as all tried to appeal to their constituecies  There are a number of very critical dates in the primary calendar that would determine the fate of Senator Rubio, Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich.     Governor Kasich noted as such when he said that the next batch of primaries are in his backyard as America and the World will continue to be subject to 4 months of intrigue and drama.    As the GOP has been in its' feud, the Democrats are also continuing their quest.  Based on the wins by Mrs. Clinton, our view is that the nomination is Mrs. Clinton's barring any unforseen circumstance--an indictment or any other development.   The granting of immunity to the State Department Staffer handling the Clinton Email Server is a sign that th FBI is trying to get things wrapped up as there are reports that some 100 staffers are working on the case.     One thing we've found of special interest has been the apparent drop in Democratic turnout as reported by both the New York Times and Washington Post recently.     We hope all are enjoying the show!!!

Notations From the Grid : On the aftermath of #SuperTuesday re: @realDonaldTrump

As we went to press, the dust is starting to settle down as Trump is on a roll.     Mr. Cruz has won Texas and Oklahoma and Mr. Rubio has won Minnesota.

However, the Media has begun actually begun to look at him closely.   John Oliver laid out the true realities about Donald Trump that the World needs to take note of:   

This is as the Union Leader came out with this on Chris Christie as a number of leading New Jersey Papers are calling for his resignation as he has apparently spent 265 Days out of New Jersey:

.@UnionLeader publisher @deucecrew on @ChrisChristie endorsement: "Boy, were we wrong." https://t.co/3kDzpyxoa3 pic.twitter.com/JuCZEnqD1f

— UnionLeader.com (@UnionLeader) March 1, 2016

This is as the counting in Alaska is still counting:

149 votes separate Cruz and Trump in the Alaska GOP caucuses. Follow the results here: https://t.co/h8E9ztmrFi pic.twitter.com/H1QCK7giNq

— POLITICO (@politico) March 2, 2016

Truly interesting times.....

Notations On Our World: On @GOP; @RealDonaldTrump & Other Thoughts...

On Mr. Trump in the Economist of London: http://tinyurl.com/jsqavz9

The results are starting to come in from "Super Tuesday"--also known as the "SEC" states.   What is clear is that the nomination is Donald Trump's to lose as we went to press.      Whether the so-called Establishment wing of the Republican Party is able to somehow stop Mr. Trump remains to be seen.   So far, nothing seems to.   As for his main rivals, Senator Rubio and Senator Cruz, it will be interesting to see how they fare tonight and whether they would win anything or not.   How emerging leaders like Senator Sasse of Nebraska will respond (who noted he's not a Politician when he was on MSNBC's Morning Joe Earlier this morning) will also be interesting to observe.

As for the Democrats, our view is that it is Mrs. Clinton's to lose despie Senator Sanders' very impressive showing--including a decisive win in his home state of Vermont.    Our view is that not withstanding the strength of primary wins, the challenge is the general election  

Truly interesting Times....

Notations On Our World: On This Super Tuesday 2016....

It is Super Tuesday and people have begun to vote.      As we assess the aftermath within the next few days, we thought this snapshot from +Jonathan Huie  that was quite timely on this major day:

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act!

Action will delineate and define you.

- Thomas Jefferson

All elections are important. While is is vitally important to choose between the final two candidates in November, it is at least equally important to select those two candidates. Primary elections get much less turnout, but they are the time we Americans truly define the kind of country in which we, and our children, and our children's children will live.

Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.

- William E. Simon

Today, "Super Tuesday," is the day primary elections are held in many states. Whenever your primary election is being held, PLEASE VOTE!

If humanity does not opt for integrity, we are through completely.

It is absolutely touch and go.

Each one of us could make the difference.

- R. Buckminster Fuller

Voting is an expression of INTENT. Intent is a powerful energetic force.

Our INTENT for the future of our world is the greatest power we can ever control - use it wisely and fully.

CHOOSE your future, and take ACTION - be the hammer, not the nail. VOTE!!!

Voting is an expression of three key life principles -

CHOICE, INTENT, and ACTION.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Notations On Our World (Special Month-End Edition): On 2016 w/ @RealDonaldTrump, #Iran, #BRICS & Other Thoughts

It has been quite a week in our World as we bid farewell to a very challenging Feburary here in #Outsiders.  As our team continues its' assessment, we were pleased to see that the latest effort at a Syrian ceasefire seemed to be holding (with some minor violations).  Whether that is sustained is another matter as the Russians have noted that they would resume aerial bombardments of  #Daesh and #Al Nusra.    

We have been assessing the results out of the pivotal Iranian Elections over the last 24 hours since the polls closed.   Polls were repeatedly extended to allow all who had been in line throughout the Country to vote.    The first results have been quite encouraging for the reformist faction.    The top two candidates for the Assembly of Experts (also referred to as Khobergan Rahbari) which supervises and elects the Supreme Leader (Supreme Guide) are Rafsanjani and Rouhani.    Rafsanjani, the Ex-President and consummate power broker  has garnered almost 700,000 votes.  The current President, Rouhani, has garnered almost 650,000 votes as well from the Constituency of Tehran.       It will be interesting to see the elections to this body in the aftermath of the elections.

We have also been assessing another potential pivotal development as the elections results in Iran continues to trickle in.     Tabassi, the leading power broker in Province of Khorassan, has been taken to hospital with a brain hemorrhage.     Tabbasi and his family have been the defacto "royal family" in Khorassan since the Revolution.   Under a decree issued by Khomeini, he took charge of the "Qods-E-Razavi" foundation which has extensive holdings throughout Iran and is estimated to be worth around 700 Million Dollars and has an estimated income of almost 130 Million Dollars a year.   All of these are estimated numbers--the exact numbers are not exactly known since these organizations are beyond the purview of State Control and are only answerable to Khameini.  Tabassi--nominally in Khameini's name and acting as a deputy--oversaw it.     Why Khorasan (now divided into three separate provinces) matters is that the biggest city, Mashad, is where the tomb of the 8th Shiite Imam, Reza, is located and is among the most visited cities despite its' own profound challenges.      Tabbasi was a member of the Assembly of Experts and decided against standing--and whether he survives his illness remains to be seen.    Iran's Official News agency reported on President Rouhani having dispatched his Health Minister to oversee Tabbasi's hospitalization and had given apparent appropriate direction to that effect.    It is one of the number of stories we would be assessing as we continue to assess the aftermath of what is clearly a pivotal change election within Iran.

Beyond Iran, there is the US Elections.   The South Carolina Democratic Primary was held and the apparent South Carolina "Firewall" Hillary Clinton counted on held as she had a decisive victory thanks in large part to the major African American support she had.     She spoke after the election and underscored how the campaign will be going "national" as Super Tuesday Looms:

In the meantime, the GOP fight is continuing.      Two sitting governors have come out in support of Donald Trump:  Chris Christie and Paul Le Page.       There are also reports that the US Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is authorizing members of his caucus up for re-election (some 24 of them) to go against Trump in order to make sure that they are not engulfed as the Trump juggernaut continues so far with little or not effort by others within the GOP to stop it.      Marco Rubio did finally take the fight to him during the Thursday Night Debate as the nastiness of the back-and-forth was in our view very painful to watch.    This is as    Some interesting stories are starting to make the headlines again as ventures such as Trump University (being sued by the New York Attorney General).     What was even more striking was how two Former Presidents of Mexico have gone after Trump hard as noted in this Guardian article.     We decided not to feature his more "explicit" comments made in an interview with the Fusion's Jose Ramos--but it underscores what the World thinks of Mr. Trump as he continues his ascednancy.     It was also of note how Mr. Trump was adamaent about attempts to have the New York Times and the Washington Post "Pay" for "hit stories" on him--some of them being reported right now as they are stepping up scrutiny of his business dealings over the years as he called the Media "terrible".   

As we assessed what the thinking was on Trump, two excerpts of two leading Conservative luminaries especially was striking that is critical :  Erick Erickson and Jonah Goldberg.    Erick Erickson's Column in his Daily "Resurgent" was especially striking:

I Will Not Vote For Donald Trump. Ever.

When I wrote in National Review that I was against Donald Trump, I said and have maintained since his entry into the race that if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, I would support him. No longer. Donald Trump has had no "road to Damascus" conversion. He only wants to date the preacher's daughter. Once he's gotten in her ballot box, he'll be back to his pro-abortion New York values self.

& as for Jonah Goldberg from the National Review:

The thing I don’t find amusing is that he’s an insecure bully. He really does strike me as Biff from Back to the Future (Part II). His cheap macho posturing and boasting is simply tacky. I see him as a sad and insecure man. And what I truly find so depressing is that millions of Americans see the same blowhard overcompensation and mistake it for strength.

Beyond the shores of America, we have also been keeping an eye on the BRICS Countries.  We had been assessing the state of the "NASIIM" Countries (that we have deemed as our up and comers) as well.    South Africa has been one of the members of the so-called "BRICS" which was touted as the alternative to the G8 for the longest time.     South Africa has been embroiled in a profound struggle for the longest time as Jacob Zuma is engulfed in a corruption scandal and as he tries to figure out who is going to replace him.   Recent rioting throughout the country has been of profound concern as the opposition continues to gather strength daily.     However, one ray of hope that we saw was the Budget present by the Finance Minister that drew general praise from all quarters.    This was reported recently on the actual budget numbers: 

Deloitte Quick Tax Guide – SA National Budget Speech 2016/17 (Feb 2016) RECOMMENDATION
For the latest tax table, rates and key tax changes for the 2016/17 fiscal year, download our pocket style, Quick Tax Guide. Be in the know and stay updated with the key highlights of Minister of...

Brazil has been on the brink due to the on-going economic and political paralysis.   The advent of Zika has not helped at all especially as the Rio 2016 looms large.    Russia has been continually flexing its' muscle as the Economy continues to be challenged by the price of Oil.    China's slowdown and continue social challenges is of continued concerns as exemplified by recent crackdown on activists as the President continues to advocate the "Party First" philosophy.      Our team has continued its' "China Watch" hashtag as it assesses what the thinking of Official China is.    One interesting report was how the People's Bank of China Governor was optimistic that tools were available to navigate.   One very interesting development was the issuance of an APP by the State Council (China's Cabinet).    

The only relative bright spot has been India (one of the two "I"s in our "NASIIM" countries that stands for rays of hope).     The economy has been growing and the Prime Minister,  Narendra Modi, seems to be popular.     As we went to press here, he was on his "Maan Ki Baat" (the equivalent of the Fire Chat) in order to help fashion the debate in the aftermath of the controversies with student deaths and with the rioting in the State of Haryana that resulted in water being cut off to the capital, New Delhi.  

It has been quite  a week-and quite a month.       What March will bring will as always be interesting and enlightening....