Poem of the Week: The Road Not Taken & JFK

We have received a milestone here in our Network as we have reached our 500th Post. In celebration of this milestone, we wanted to release this special one oof our periodic features, "Poem of the Week" as our team chose this from the great Robert Frost.     We also choose to feature a speech given by President Kennedy regarding Robert Frost which we hope all enjoy.    One very important passage of this speech is noted, "...We take great comfort in our nuclear stockpiles, our gross national product, our scientific and technological achievement, our industrial might — and, up to a point, we are right to do so. But physical power by itself solves no problems and secures no victories. What counts is the way power is used — whether with swagger and contempt, or with prudence, discipline and magnanimity. What counts is the purpose for which power is used — whether for aggrandizement or for liberation. “It is excellent,” Shakespeare said, “to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.”..".   

The entire Speech is available by clicking here as we hope all enjoy "The Road Not Taken":

The Road Not Taken

    by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On @POTUS watch & #IranElection2017

The latest "drama" (to paraphrase The US Senate Majority Leader) continues in Washington as the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, came out in defense of the President as he noted that he wanted "...all the facts".   Two US Senate  Committees  has sent out letters asking for all Comey-related memos as there have been reports of countries balking at further intelligence sharing with the United States.    Wednesday also saw massive losses in the Markets--with the Dow losing over 300 Points.    

There have been some talk of Impeachment as some have begun talking about triggering the 25th Amendment as the World awaits what The Former Director of the FBI will have to say..    Vladimir Putin's dramatic intervention about an offer to give a transcript of the meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister to the US Congress.   Our view is that Putin's words must be taken with a grain of salt.   The Deputy Attorney General's appointment of former FBI Director, Robert Mueller, as Special Counsel is also of note as the investigation gathers steam.   

The President went to the Coast Guard Academy yesterday to complain about how he was treated.  One very interesting comment was from Ohio Goveror John Kasich as he noted basically to all who were supporting Donald Trump that , "...I told you so..."

There were also a few interesting developments as President Trump gears up to leave for his 10-Day Foreign Trip.   It was noted that there would be no annoucement on the US Embassy Move while President Trump is in Israel.    This is also as this came out that J-Street sent out in a Newsflash on the Iran Deal yesterday:  

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: Trump administration just re-issued sanctions waivers needed to uphold the Iran deal

Today the Trump administration took the necessary steps to continue sanctions relief to Iran in compliance with US obligations under the Iran nuclear agreement.

Although S-722 is still "working its' way through, we view this move as an implicit support of the Moderate Faction in the Iranian Elections especially as the lines have been clearly drawn.   Rouhani has garnered support from the leading internal opposition figure, Former President Khatamai, Khomeini's Grandson (referred to as the Imam's Reminder in Iran), The family of Former President Rafsajanii and a whole slate of progressives including the leading academic Professor Zibakalam of Tehran University.   His Instagram account has been especially active as he has called upon all Iranians to vote  on the progressive slate of candidates to "wipe the slate clean" .It was also quite amazing on how Rouhani called on his supporters to restrain themselves and avoid being provoked by opponents.    It has been one of the most vibrant election as we look forward to further guidance on it as we await the Election results.   

Notations On Our World (Mid-Week Edition): On the State of the World

As we went to the press with this edition of Notations,  we found this interesting "snapshot" courtesy of the @Economist of London on the State of the World.     We found it very striking how Iran was on the more "stable" index as the United States score was lowered in the aftermath of the elections.   The latest revelations on Russia and the Comey Memo underscores it all.      The Comey Memo has been collaborated--initially reported by the New York Times--has been collaborated by a multitude of sources including the Washington Post and CBS News and CNN.    Our understanding is that the former Director created a paper trail to document his discussions with the White House as the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chafetz, has asked for the documents.   The White House has denied this forcefully as we went to press.   

Beyond the shores of the United States, we're focused on Iran as it moves towards election day.    The lines are drawn between the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani and the conservative challenger, Ebrahim Raisi as the official campaign ends.    Social Media has been on fire on this.    There have been calls by Iranians Ex-Pats to boycott the elections.   It will be very interesting to see where things fall as we await the results of the elections.

The reporting from the Economist on the State of the World right now is hereby noted below as we continue to assess the aftermath of the latest revelations out of Washington and beyond:  

The state of the world: Signs of improvement A new index of global “fragility” delivers some predictable results. Finland is the world’s most stable country and South Sudan the least. But the Fragile States Index also challenges the popular wisdom that the world grew more turbulent in 2016: a majority of countries in fact became more stable last year. Exceptions abound, not least America, which had its score lowered after a polarising presidential election, writes our data team

Thought For the Week

 

Please Enjoy this "Thought 4 the Week" as a token of our appreciation as we wish all a great rest of the Week.  

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): On the latest re @realDonaldTrump

General McMaster at the White House Earlier This Evening

As we went to press, we were assessing reporting by the +Washington Post about President Trump having disclosed classified information to the Russian Foreign Minister at a meeting at the White House after the President Fired former Director Comey.   It must be noted that the President has the authority to declassify as he deems appropriate.   There have been denials by the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor as reported by the Washington Examiner earlier tonight.    General McMaster appeared before reporters to deny the report as "reported".

Beyond this latest development, there is a more interesting development looming about a possible Senior Staff shakeup at the White House.    It will be an interesting few days as we continue to assess this and curate our Twitter Channel.   

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Special Edition): On #WannaCry

As the World continues to deal with  #WannaCry, our team received this very good primer on it courtesy of the team at the +Washington Post  that underscores how we should take every care possible to be careful although as one of our Education Partners noted in an advisory for all, "....Unfortunately there is not a standard email or path by which the ransomware accesses your computer...".  As such being careful more than ever before is critical (and as we work away, we just got word that a group called the Lazarus Group (linked to the North Koreans) may be behind it as Kaprinskly & Symantec are working to investigate it): 

How to protect yourself from the global ransomware attack The WannaCry ransomware catastrophe, explained By Brian Fung  •  Read  What you need to know about bitcoin after the WannaCry ransomware attack The price of bitcoin hit an all-time high in the hours before the attack. By Brian Fung  •  Read more » Update your Windows systems now. Right now. Friday's massive international cyberattack may give you the best reason to hit “update.” By Hayley Tsukayama  •  Read more » One of the most important lessons of the crippling ransomware crisis It's a teachable moment. By Brian Fung  •  Read more »

Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition) : On This historic #MothersDay2017

It is Mothers Day here int he United States.  We wanted to begin by wishing all the most joyous of Mothers' Day as we gear up for a very interesting week before us and as we have had quite a week. Google's Doodle Tribute was quite cute:

As we assessed our World, we picked up this courtesy of the team at Ozy Media that was quite interesting in featuring who actually curated it: 

IMPORTANT MAY 14, 2017

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris

Senator Kamala D. Harris Curates OZY's PDB She just made history as the second African-American woman ever to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Today, Harris joins the ranks of OZY guest editors like Karl Rove, Katie Couric and Tucker Carlson to share her take on current must-know news and trends. A lifelong public-safety and civil-rights leader, Harris was the first African-American and first woman to serve as California's attorney general. From the courtroom to setting policy, this Oakland native has always focused on children and family wellness, and as a U.S. senator she is pushing hard on health care access and immigration.

As we congratulate our home state Senator on this milestone, it must be noted that there is some talk that she might be preparing a potential Presidential Bid in 2020 which will be interesting to be witness to as the battle lines are drawn as America continues to grapple with the Trump Presidency.   In our view, the team at France24 captured the predicament perfectly in addition to some of the analysis done in US Media (including the Washington Post on its' Daily 202 Column):

Tumultuous week puts Trump presidency on perilous path

http://f24.my/1Dfs.F

The President thereafter came out and noted that he won't talk about the "taping" of the conversations iwth the now Former Director.   What is of note is the cover of the Economist of London was telling in terms of the scepticsm at hand as the President gears up for a trip to the Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Israel: 

 

 Meanwhile, in Europe, an era comes to an end and a new era arrives as the New President of France took charge with profound challenges before it:

After Emmanuel Macron took the oath of office, he visited wounded French Soldiers and now is arriving at Paris City Hall as we went to press.  

Beyond the shores of the United States and Europe, there is the advent of the new "Silk Road' --One Belt, One Road--in China that was launched today.   Some 68 Countries are involved to resurrect the "old silk road" that China notes is to transform the World in a major way.    Our team has featured stories on it in our Twitter Feed as the Conference was launched with a keynote by the Chinese President Today:

This is as the Chinese President has committed to spending billions on infrastructure as well.     It will a focus of ours here as we transition our properties to a weekly "Focus" in line with our mission to help "change the conversation about our World".    Here is a sampling of the stories on China Dialy we hope all enjoy: Belt and Road bedtime stories-Episode 5 

There is of course, Iran--a focus of ours as the Presidential campaign heats up.   It appears from the headlines in the aftermath of the third Presidential Debate that the Conservatives lost major ground as some hard truths including directly his main conservative challenger, Raisi, over allegations before him some 10 years ago: 

Headlines in Iranian Media read, "...Ghalibaf (The Mayor of Tehran) was railroaded; Raisi was speechless.." which underscored how aggressive President Rouhani's Re-Election Campaign has been and as he published his proposed Manifesto for the Next Four Years.   Al Jazeera has prepared a good primer on the Elections that is available by clicking here.
We have also been assessing the on-going situation in Syria as the Syrian Army continues to advance, Iraq as the push to kick out Daesh out of Mosul and as in Africa, there is a growing mutiny in the Ivory Coast.    North Korea also fired off a new set of missiles.    

Beyond the political challenges in focus, there is one key development which our team has also dealt with that led to our entire network being reset at considerable cost on the latest ransomware attack. Our team released the latest guidance from US-CERT on it--Europol reports that some 200,000 people in over 150 countries have been impacted.     

It is bound to be a very interesting week indeed.....

On This #MothersDay2017 W-End....

In Honor of Mothers' Day, we wanted to share a series of uplifting thoughts of Hope and optimism here at #Outsiders courtesy of +Jonathan Huie & his team and others as we wish all the most joyous of Mothers' Day Weekends...

The soul would have no rainbow,
Had the eyes no tears.
- John Vance Cheney

The rainbow will remind me of the covenant between God and all living creatures.
- Genesis 9:16

Give thanks for the rain in your life
which waters the flowers of your soul.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.
Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
- Gilbert K. Chesterton 

“Close your eyes and imagine
the best version of you possible.
That’s who you really are,
let go of any part of you
that doesn’t believe it.”
~ C. Assaad

An #Outsider Newsflash (Special Edition): @US-CERT Guidance on Ransomware

US-CERT has received multiple reports of ransomware infections in several countries around the world. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Individuals and organizations are discouraged from paying the ransom, as this does not guarantee access will be restored.

Users and administrators are encouraged to review the US-CERT Alert TA16-091A to learn how to best protect against ransomware. Please report any ransomware incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2017/05/12/Multiple-Ransomware-Infections-Reported

Notations From the Grid (Special Africa Edition): @POTUS to fund Mugabe, says diplomat

This is the latest out of Zimbabwe as it is in the midst of a profound Economic Crisis as Robert Mugabe Clings on to power:



Trump to fund Mugabe, says diplomat: The US has announced plans to increase its funding levels to Zimbabwe, particularly in the health sector - despite a diplomatic tiff between Washington and Harare. This was revealed by the US ambassador to Zimbabwe Harry Thomas Jr at the close of the just ended Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA).

Notations From the Grid: On #ComeyFiring; #Iran & Other Thoughts....

Rod Rosenstein, The US Deputy Attorney General                       

As Thursday dawns, there was some very interesting developments in the aftermath of the firing of the FBI Director.    Mr. Comey wrote a note to the FBI rank and file noting that a US President could fire an FBI Director--and he accepted that.      However, the uproar is bound to continue especially as our team just picked up reports (first reported by the Washington Post and released by us on our Twitter Feed by Haaretz) that the Deputy Attorney General of the United States threatened to resign over the manner in which the Firing was handled.     The New York Times just released an open letter to the Deputy Attorney General that is available by clicking on here.

Beyond the shores of the United States, there is the on-going election campaign in Iran.  Our team picked up a recent campaign infomercial  broadcast on Iranian State Television as President Rouhani admitted shortcomings--but noted some very interesting facts.   He spoke out forcefully for the rights of women, was forceful in protecting the Environment and underscored it is imperative to create a sense of hope and optimism for all (the conversation is in Farsi):

The opening scenes was also telling as it began as President Rouhani made an appearance at Tehran University on the occasion of University Student Day.   The attacks on him were telling in terms of the disappointments and the true realities faced by Iranians.    In the aftermath of the Comey Firing, we could not help but wonder what would President Trump's reaction have been if he was faced with a similar circumstance....

Notations On Our World (Special Mid-Week Edition): On #ComeyFiring; @kittyhawkcorp & Other Thoughts...

As all know by now, the FBI Director was fired by President Trump.   It has been in the headlines and our team was keeping tabs on it over Twitter since yesterday.    The President himself has been tweeting as he called out  "Crying Chuck Scuhmmer" and lying Richard Blummenthal.    Our team found it of special interest how the so-called case was developed that led to the President dismissing the FBI Director.   Reporting from US Media indicates that the FBI Director found out about it through news reports (right as we broke the story here on our Twitter Feed).  Fox News has been at the forefront of noting how the firing was "overdue" (Tucker Carlson", how Comey was an embarrassment, (Sean Hannity" and the more conservative media (including Red State and others).   We also understand that the President's "Body Man" delivered the letter to the FBI Headquarters in Washington.    This is as the investigation into Michael Flynn is continuing as a number of his associates have apparently been subpoenaed.     

The White House sent out the Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary, Sara Huckabee Sanders, to push the Trump Administration talking point that the FBI Director had lost the confidence of the rank and file last night.   She was on CBS News Red & Blue program last night noting that she had just received messages from numerous FBI rank and file officers noting how Director Comey had lost the trust and confidence and it was time for new leadership.  She also noted that a "President Hillary would have fired him".    What must be noted, though, is that The FBI Director does serve at the Pleasure of the President and can be dismissed without cause.    It is bound to be a very interesting White House Daily Press Briefing today--although our team is not certain what will be achieved in 30 minutes.  

As we went to press, we are seeing the Vice President, Mike Pence, defending the President and noting how "grateful" he was for the President's decision as he has once again has been tasked with "explaining away" the President's actions.   He noted about how the country needs to move "past the politics of the past year"--yet he seems not to address that the President contributed to the very difficult politics today.    As our team was assessing overnight developments, we picked up this from the Twitter Feed of the +The New York Times Eric Lipton that was telling about the state of affairs right now : 

  

As we went to press here, there is live coverage of the Secretary of State meeting the Russian Foreign Minister which is very interesting as the Russian Foreign Minister is also scheduled to see the President later on today.     In the meantime, there is a new President in South Korea, China continues its' ascendancy with "Belt and Road,", Iran is continuing a very vibrant President Campaign as the UK continues its' election campaign that may see a radical redrawing of the political landscape as "Brexit" begins.   And more importantly, Larry Page's flying car, Kitt Hawk, will be on Sale later on this year!! :)

Never a dull moment.....

Notations From the Grid (Tuesday Edition) : On #France; #Iran & South Korea

Iran's President Attending the Opening of a rail line (Source http://www.president.ir)

The Presdent-Elet of South Korea (Source: http://www.aljazeera.com)

The President Elect of France (Source: http://www.france24.com) 

\   

South Korea has elected a liberal as President after almost 10 years of conservative rule.    It is interesting to note how the same dilemma facing the new South Korean President Elect is being faced in France as well as the New President Elect prepares to take office on May 14.     Both have problems with majorities in their legislatures.   There is also the on-going elections in Iran as well as we noted in our last edition of Notations.  

 Iran's elections is starting to get especially interesting in light of President Rouhani's latest campaign speeches.    He has gone after the main conservative challenger, Raisi (the head of the Quds Foundation) hard with allegations of corruption and his conduct as of the high ranking judicial officials of the past 38 years.      Social Media (especially Instagram) has been abuzz of the on-going efforts--including the accounts of Jamaran.ir (affiliated with Khomeini's grandson) along with the official account of President Rouhani Himself.    Iran's Official News Agency, though, continues to be supportive of the President as domestic media continues to be on the attack.    This is as Iran and Pakistan are in a diplomatic tug of war in the aftermath of the death of Iranian Guards--and as Iran and Saudi Arabia are at it in the aftermath of comments by the Saudi Deputy Crown about attacking Iran. 

As France awaits the formal swearing in of President-Elect Macron , one interesting opening was how his Former Boss, Manuel Valls, has agreed to join Macronm's Party and contest a legislative seat for his party.  Manuel Valls noted the Socialist Party to be "dead". As Europe breathes a sigh of relief, London is anxious.   this is as grassroots movements are starting to take shape to further transform Europe beyond what is already known as epitimozed by what we received here in #outsiders from the organizatoin co-founded by the firebrand former Finance Minister of Greece:

You decide! On May 21, local elections will be held in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. A progressive green-left platform called “Zagreb is OURS!” offers an opportunity to oust the populist Milan Bandic, an infamous former social-democrat known for his involvement in major corruption scandals, who has governed the city for the past 16 years. With the rise of nationalism, populism and historical revisionism in Croatian society, these local elections will have a major influence on national politics and daily life in the country. DiEM25’s CC has determined that the political program of Zagreb is OURS! is in accordance with our Manifesto and European New Deal. The program advocates the return of decision-making power to neighborhoods, and creates models where citizens collectively decide on how the city should be governed and develop. DiEM25 is a pan-European movement where its members take key decisions collectively. So all members of all nationalities – that means you! - get to decide what our position should be for this vital election. Should we support Zagrab is OURS!, or not? Just head over to the Members Section to make your choice! The deadline for this vote is Wednesday, May 17. DiEM25 members have previously engaged in democratic discussions to arrive at their positions for French elections, the Brexit referendum, as well as the Italian constitutional referendum. This is the first time DiEM25 members are voting on whether to support a candidate in local elections. The creation of new “Rebel Cities” is a major struggle which concerns all progressives in Europe, so please do vote. Carpe DiEM! Erik Edman Deputy Volunteer Coordinator

      

    Interesting times.....