It has been quite a week yet again as we bid farewell to January and begin February. It has been a rainy and now windy one here in Southern California as I finish off some thoughts.
January 2016 saw the Eastern Part of the United States buried under Snow. One of my Facebook Friends featured a work by her husband that was a site to see which I wanted to share here:
This was also a month that saw Implementation Day and I was on the record in support of the Nuclear Deal while continuing to be vehemently opposed to the policies of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian President made the rounds in Europe including a meeting with the Holy Father:
The Third person on this picture is an old classmate of mine who was present at the meetings and it was quite gratifying to be witness to it. As Iran was making the rounds signing deals, the distressing reality in Iran was of profound concern that our team is working on a notation soon. I was truly surprised when I saw editorials in both the New York Times and the Washington Post on the reality in Iran on the eve of the elections. It was surprising how they agreed on the dire situation in the country as over 90% of the so-called reformist camp were disqualified. Even the grandson of the Founder of the Islamic Republic was disqualified because he was not "schooled enough in theology". This noted in the New York Times said it all:
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Onward to February with all the possibilities!!
January 2016 saw the Eastern Part of the United States buried under Snow. One of my Facebook Friends featured a work by her husband that was a site to see which I wanted to share here:
This was also a month that saw Implementation Day and I was on the record in support of the Nuclear Deal while continuing to be vehemently opposed to the policies of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian President made the rounds in Europe including a meeting with the Holy Father:
The Third person on this picture is an old classmate of mine who was present at the meetings and it was quite gratifying to be witness to it. As Iran was making the rounds signing deals, the distressing reality in Iran was of profound concern that our team is working on a notation soon. I was truly surprised when I saw editorials in both the New York Times and the Washington Post on the reality in Iran on the eve of the elections. It was surprising how they agreed on the dire situation in the country as over 90% of the so-called reformist camp were disqualified. Even the grandson of the Founder of the Islamic Republic was disqualified because he was not "schooled enough in theology". This noted in the New York Times said it all:
It is absolutely on pointe as it was pointed out that Mr. Rouhani is a product of the system but when he notes that if the opposition is disqualified, then when is the point of the election--hopefully someone will notice. This was also as this program on the Voice of America's Farsi Service laid out a very devastating reality on how Iran is today and the outright theft and corruption seems to be rampant:
The broadcast is in Farsi--but the realities it lays out is extremely troubling.
As I was working away gearing up for the new week, I was also supporting the team as the team continued its' on-going daily Social Media Curation. The latest carnage in Syria was of profound concern as #Daesh attacked the holiest Shiite site in Damascus that ostensibly Iran sent forces to protect resulting in the death of 60 people. I was so moved when I saw this while on Twitter to underscore how challenging a time we are faced with as another round of talks on Syria begins:
artist @aiww proves the power of imagery. asylum is an inalienable human right. #neverfoget pic.twitter.com/UVeuJnJeQe
— Lali in South Korea (@LeapingLali) February 1, 2016
It is striking how the Iranian Official News Agency is headlining again the days that Khomeini returned to Iran as the regime commemorates what is referred to as "Fajr" whereby there is a 10-Day celebration leading to the day the Revolution was formalized.
There is another "Dynamic" going on as Iowa officially launches the Presidential Campaign. There is some speculation now as I was assessing it all that it appears that Donald Trump will run away with it all for the GOP despite all the efforts to stop him. Our team finished a final wrap with a snapshot of the discourse from all campaigns on the eve of Iowa. I could not help but pick up what Andy Borowitz noted though:
We will spend over 5 billion dollars on the 2016 elections. There has to be a cheaper way to find the worst people in the country.As I look forward to February and supporting the on-going development of #Outsiders, I took heart in this admonition:
Posted by Andy Borowitz on Sunday, January 31, 2016
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Onward to February with all the possibilities!!
