Notations On Our World (Special Quarter-End Edition): On The State of Our World

 As the Quarter comes to an end, our team chose to report on an upbeat note courtesy the team at the Visual Capitalist (that we value their work immensly) about the happiest countries in the World:

We will be dark throughout our properties through the July 4, 2021 Independence Day Week-End here in the United States.   However, our Facebook Wall and Twitter Corner will be updated twice a day.

We look forward to "seeing" all in our properties starting in July and beyond as our team is ever so grateful for the continued privilege to serve.

Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition): An "Outsider Wall" On the Week that Was

June is coming to an end and America is gearing up to celebrate July 4.  Our team chose to "headline" our Weekly "outsider wall" with an Image courtesy of Nasa on the World way beyond us!!

This was a week that former President Trump went back on the Campaign Trail, The US Senate Republicans stopped an Elections Overhaul Bill, Iran's transition began as nationwide strikes gathered steam and as a new plan to cut off Iran from the Worldwide Web took shape, Afghanistan's situation became tenuous, as the Taliban gained the upper hand, critical race theory was the talk of the right in the United States, COVID-19's Delta variant continued to wreak havoc throughout the World and Israel's new era was born--although the realities on the ground continue with what the group Breaking the Silence noted recently.   

We present the following curated weekly "Outsider Wall" on the week that was:

Currencies The international role of the euro The EU's bonds may yet rival American Treasuries as safe assets of choice

Full-court press America’s Supreme Court paves the way for college athletes to get paid The court decides 9-0 that current rules violate antitrust regulations

Foreign not-in-service America says it’s back. But where are its ambassadors? The pace of Joe Biden’s diplomatic appointments is painfully slow. That could hinder his foreign policy

Charlemagne The EU: Made in America America is an engine of European integration, intentionally or not

As the World changes:

 

 

Austin, Milley Push Back on Lawmakers' 'Critical Race Theory' Accusations By Tara Copp Republicans fighting against critical race theory confronted Pentagon leaders in an unusual showdown between white lawmakers, a Black defense secretary, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff over what kind of teachings about racism were appropriate in military education and training.  Read more »   LATEST NEWS Jun 22, 2021 Iran's President-elect: Tehran's Ballistic Missile Program 'Nonnegotiable' Iran's new hard-line President-elect, Ebrahim Raisi, said Monday he would not negotiate over limiting Tehran's ballistic missile program or its support for regional militia proxy forces. ... Read More EU Announces More Sanctions on Belarus European Union foreign ministers announced Monday a fresh raft of sanctions against the Belarusian government, this time targeting 86 officials and state-owned entities. The United States followed with sanctions of its own, with Britain expected to announce new measures in the next few days. ... Read More Joint Statement on Belarus The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom, and the European External Action Service. ... Read More National Intelligence University Joins the Office of the Director of National Intelligence The National Intelligence University (NIU) officially transitioned from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on June 20, 2021. ... Read More   Taliban Take Key District In Northern Afghanistan, Encircle Provincial Capital Taliban fighters overran a key district in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz on June 21 and surrounded the provincial capital, police said. Read More Grave violations against children in conflict 'alarmingly high', latest UN report reveals More than 19,300 boys and girls affected by war last year were victims of grave violations such as recruitment or rape, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for experts to reach them, the UN said in its annual report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), published on Monday. ... Read More Putin Says Coronavirus Situation In Some Regions 'Aggravated,' Authorities Rush To Cope Russian officials, grappling to contain a deadly new third wave of coronavirus infections, have reopened a mobile hospital in Moscow as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the situation in some regions has worsened. ... Read More 'No Money, No News': Asset Freeze, Arrests Signal End for Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Paper Hong Kong's last pro-democracy newspaper appeared one step nearer to closing Monday, as Apple Daily announced it was airin its last nightly news show and dozens of staff resigned. ..  Read More

 Our campaign last winter on IDF invasions of Palestinian homes in the occupied territories is bearing fruit. One of the routine practices we highlighted was mapping missions, in which soldiers invade homes of Palestinians who are by definition innocent, almost always in the dead of night, ostensibly in order to gather intelligence on the house and its residents. Last Tuesday night, Kan 11 News reported that the Head of the IDF's Central Command has decided to end the practice of mapping missions. According to the news report, the pressure applied for years now by civil society NGOs was a major factor in the decision.

This practice involves waking up all of the family members, including children and the elderly, conducting a short interrogation and in most cases drawing a map of the house and taking pictures of all of its residents. While the IDF claims that this is done for intelligence purposes, our testimonies tell a different story: after many of these missions the maps and information gathered are thrown away. The purpose of these missions, like so many others, is to "make our presence felt" - to constantly remind Palestinians that we're in charge, lest they dare challenge our authority. We're used to the IDF justifying its actions, no matter how egregious, as being necessary for security purposes. But it is now clearer than ever: this has always been about maximizing our total control over the Palestinians living under our occupation.

The new Middle East emerges in the Knesset This month, Israeli political leaders announced a historic unity governing coalition — the most diverse ideological, political, and religious in the country’s history. Led by the centrist Yesh Atid party, in tandem with the firmly right-wing Yamina party, it draws on parties of Israeli Jews from the Left and the Right. But to secure its one-vote margin in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, it will be joined for the first time by a party representing Israeli Arab Muslims. Politically, it is a marriage of convenience designed to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, but its reverberations are being heard from Gaza to Tehran and well beyond. Read the full story here.

Notations From the Grid: Out & About in America On the Week That Was Courtesy @SethMeyers

While out & About in America this week, our team chose this courtesy, Seth Meyers, on the Week that was: