Go download it. It's awesome.

Try this font demo, css demo, this picture demo, video demo. It gives a taste on the web in the near future (give or take 2 years after everybody else catches up)

"Is it really possible for one man to precipitate a global economic catastrophe? In the August 2009 issue of Vanity Fair, contributing editor Michael Lewis, one of the most insightful Wall Street critics writing today, investigates the central role of A.I.G.?s Financial Products division in the subprime-mortgage and financial crises that necessitated a $182.5 billion taxpayer bailout out the insurance behemoth."

(Vanity Fair)

The human eating version can be watched on "War of the Worlds".

A tribute performed by 1,500 CPDRC Inmates on June 27, 2009 in memory of Michael Jackson. Completed in 10 hours after receiving word that the King of Pop passed away.

" The Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya, was ousted by the army on Sunday after pressing ahead with plans for a referendum that opponents said could lay the groundwork for his eventual re-election, in the first military coup in Central America since the end of the cold war."
(NY Times)

The regime actually allow a protest today. Estimated 5000 people showed up.

A version of "Stand by Me" for the Iranian people.

It looks like twitter.com/persiankiwi has been arrested. Bummer. That twitter has been one of the most reliable twitter out of Tehran.

It has always been a force in Asian market for its cheap laptops, which don't last very long but good enough for the prices. Now here comes the glowing piece from NY Times. It's an amazing story.

This week we saw much decreased activities in Iran compared to the previous week. Sometime it is hard to notice that this process has been underway only for two weeks. The countinous stream of pictures, words and sounds from the event all make it seems longer that it has been.

"One of the founders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, who's also a former deputy prime minister, tells Weekend Edition's Scott Simon that what amounts to a "military coup" has occurred in his country. And he claims authorities know the election was rigged."

NPR

Burger King Singapore Ads, taking "sex sells" to the next level.



(BM)

"Online, the traffic was so thick with people sharing news of his death that the microblogging service Twitter crashed, and even Google believed it may have been under service attack, the BBC reported." (NY Times)

There I said it. Any movie that put Pyramids of Giza, Karnak Temple, Petra of Jordan in the same location deserves to be banned and destroyed.

Other than a hard line cleric calling the protesters to be executed. More here.

More updates here

MSNBC reports that MJ is dead.



He got weird en all, but boy, he was the King. This is fucking sad. RIP.

Not much update today. There are a lot of speculations and rumors about revolutionary guards members breaking ranks and intense lobbying in Qom but so far, there are no breakthroughs.

"nothing to report. (good thing I s'pose)."(Kylie)

"yeah...I have heard about it...they say they are beating people up to death...I'm not sure about axes!...there are also news about shooting, but we are not still sure...my cousin had seen on VOA Persian a boy which was shot by many bullets!!!"(Source about yesterday)

There is a rumor of possible run-off election between Mosavi and Dinner Jacket.

"News out of Iran suggests that he may be succeeding. At the very least, it seems he may have gained enough support from the clerical establishment to force a compromise from Khamenei, one that would entail a run-off election between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main reformist rival Mir Hossein Mousavi." (Reza Aslan)

If it comes through, it would be a perfect solution. Hopefully less cheating this time.

The US football team beat Spain in Confederation Cop 2 - 0.

"The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world.

Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said.

"We just know that they [the family] were forced to leave their flat," a neighbour said. The Guardian was unable to contact the family directly to confirm if they had been forced to leave."

(The Guardian)

@persiankiwi in Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher - Allah Akbar - #Iranelection RT RT RT

RT Eyewitness call from Tehran, "massacre", "throwing people off bridge", http://bit.ly/8BILI

(ed: what the fuck is going on today?)


View Iran Election Protests in a larger map

they pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us -

shab77: RT: Sea of Green was at every sq, taking on the basij and being beaten until the ground covered in blood. God help Iran #IranElection #gr88

Baharestan Sq. was Tiananmen Sq. today, just vicious violent i dont know what to call them, they're not human #iranelection

Lalezar Sq is same as Baharestan - unbelevable - ppls murdered everywhere

@iranbaan Today in Baharestan not only tear gas was used, they also severely attacked people with batons & cables. #iranelection

@persiankiwi reports of street fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now - #Iranelection - Sea of Green - Allah Akbar

@persiankiwi in Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher - Allah Akbar - #Iranelection RT RT RT

A journalist friend, just back from Baharestan, said this was the first time tear gas was not used to disassemble ppl.#iranelection

@persiankiwi: just in from Baharestan Sq - situation today is terrible - they beat the ppls like animals -

saw 7/8 militia beating one woman with baton on ground - she had no defense nothing - sure that she is dead

ppl run into alleys and militia standing there waiting - from 2 sides they attack ppl in middle of alleys

?Clashes are escalating in Baharestan.? ?People have gathered in Baharestan but the anti-riot guard and plainclothes prevent the formation of a group. Scattered clashes have been reported.?

Even so, the police presence was nothing like the massive buildup in Enghelab square from Saturday onwards.

Paulo Coelho (yeah, that Alchemist guy) connection with the Neda incident.


(undated video from Tehran - listen to the sound)

Salon has the details.

"Oil companies are salivating over the supply of black gold beneath Ecuador's rainforest. The South American country is pledging to keep the oil in the ground -- if the international community provides compensation. Now Germany has taken a leading role in raising the necessary cash." (Spiegel.de)

Will the promising quest for thermal energy drilling in California trigger earthquakes? NY Times explores the question.

That's the directive from Mosavi today.

This is actually quite cool.

"Mousavi - We will not expend any more energy talking to the Gov in the streets - we must change course #Iranelection breaking news RT RT RT
"

(AS)

Here's the full idea outlined at a Facebook page

"
In the name of God

We will not waste our energy, but act efficiently. We have conveyed our words to the coup-makers to the world in the streets. Now we need to change our strategy.

From this Tuesday, at 9 every morning we will all go to the bazaar in our towns all over the country. If they prevent us, the bazaar will close. If they do not, there will be such congestion that the business will get interrupted and the bazaar will close. If they disconnect the telephone lines, again all activities will get interrupted and the bazaar will close. As much as possible, we will shut down the whole town and go to the bazaar to shut it down.

Take everyone with you. Bring the children, too ?without any slogans-without green signs-without sit-ins; pretending to go shopping but not buying anything. We will only think of shutting down the bazaar, but do not leave any traces, not even a victory sign by our hands. NOT AT ALL.

We will only think of victory. Bring the children, all the towns of Iran, without slogans, without slogans, without slogans, quietly, quietly, quietly, without greens, without sit-ins, without fighting. If anyone starts quarrels or shouts, we will not join because we pretend to be going shopping. There is no need to fear, and everyone will come. No fights, no bloodshed, no slogans, no sit-ins. If they prevent us, we simply return because we mean to shut down the bazaar, not to assemble. If they shoot tear gas, the bazaar will close. We will act smartly and will not engage in any sort of fights although if any fighting happens the bazaar will close due to insecurity. But we will not engage in any fights, and calmly and solely think of victory. With the congestion the bazaar will shut down, or no one will be there. Under any circumstances we will win.

Dear Mr. Mousavi: We do not need your martyrdom and self-sacrifice; we need your leadership until we reach our goals. Until 9am Tuesday, the 3rd day of the martyrdom of June 20th martyrs, we will have enough time to inform everyone. Inform friends by any means: through websites, foreign media?. From Tuesday towards bazaar. Send this message to friends and the addresses below so that it gets widespread all over our dear Iran. This strategy is effective and there is no need to fear, and will bring millions of Iranians into the scene without any bloodshed. Rest assured this strategy is so effective that the enemy will soon start denying and making rumors, and will start struggling. Do not believe them because this program will continue. Do not listen to rumors and inform everyone by whatever means possible.
Wishing for success"

Obama is pissed at Dinner Jacket and his entourage.

"Today, I want to start by addressing three issues, and then I'll take your questions.

First, I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran's affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in the Iranian government are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others outside of Iran of instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false and absurd. They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran's borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won't work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they - and only they - will choose.

The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we have watched what the Iranian people are doing.

This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard. Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, not coercion. That is what Iran's own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. "

There isn't much happening on the street today but there are sporadic reports of bazaar closing joining the call for strikes. Will revise once the reports are in.

Saeed has some new gory details about what's happening in Iran. This regime stinks to high heaven.

More here and here.

Tim Burton is collaborating with Johnny Depp again in a crazy remix of Alice in Wonderland.

The story of Mousavi and Khamenei

We are all learning more about Iran than we want to these past few days :)

"Today in Haft-e Tir, there were so many members of basij that they outnumbered the demonstrators 3 or 4 to 1. They were less focused on women. This must be related to the murder of poor Neda. And this was also why whenever they got hold of a man, women would surround them and shout don?t beat him, don?t beat and they would turn and anxiously say we didn?t beat him. It was astonishing. They explained; they talked."(NIAC)

It's national strike in Iran right now.

akhormani: Baazar: Some shops not opening up today, Merchants have be threatened with withdrawal of their permits etc

OK, this is embarrassing. You might have seen graphic flyers about Neda around the Inkernets - well most of them have the wrong picture of her.

It was a case of mistaken identity.

Like last Thursday, this Thursday is going to be a day of mourning as well and in Tehran, they are going to Imam Khomenei Shrine (the site of the bizarre 'bombing' last Saturday)

Expect a bigger or as big turnout as last Thursday/Saturday. In the mean time, we'll be seeing protesters in the tens of thousands instead of hundreds of thousands (people have to tend to their affairs, make money, do their exam, etc)

go to http://www.torproject.org. It will keep the pesky Iranian government filter off your back. I just got one report from Tehran that it works fabulously.

http://tehranbroadcast.com/

This looks to be an awesome effort. They have 300 Farsi translators working furiously to translate any first news out of Tehran.

Twitter powered the information channel in Iran, Facebook rushed their Farsi UI, Google updated Google Maps for Tehran and introduces Farsi -> English translation. Google's You Tube also become a critical infrastructure for Iran's protests.

Nokia and Siemens claim that they do not provide the Internet filtering, deep packet inspection and other advanced Internet monitoring techniques to Iran, contra a piece published by WSJ yesterday. I think they are telling the truth. All of these technology sales are tracked especially for sensitive countries such as Iran.

Microsoft is missing the game from the public conscience.

I can hear regular, loud shots(?). They don't sound like the ones I've heard previously - these seem to have an echo. (Kylie)

"Kasamin Makan, Neda Agha-Setan's fiancee, was interviewed by BBC Persia, noting that Neda would have turned 27 this year. "Neda's goal was not Mousavi or Ahmadinejad, it was her country and was important for her to fight for this goal. She had said many times that if she had lost her life or been shot in the heart, which indeed what happened, it was important for her to continue in this path," he said.

Considering her young age she has taught a lesson to us all.

About the day of the incident, Mr. Makan said: "When the clashes were occurring, Neda was far away from the demonstrations, she was in one of the side alleys near Amir Abad. Thirsty and tired or being cooped up for about an hour in the car in heavy traffic with her music instructor, she finally gets out of the car and, based on the pictures sent in by the people, armed forces in civilian clothes and the Basiji targeted and shot her in the heart."

"It was over in a matter of minutes, the Shariati Hospital was nearby, the people around her tried to bring her to the emergency room by car, but before that could even happen she died in her instructor's arms."

Mr. Makan added: "We got her body back finally yesterday with some diffculties. Of course, her body was not at the Tehran Coroner but at a one outside of Tehran. The medical examiners
wanted parts of her body, including a portion of her femoral bone but the chief medical examiner would not say why and no explanations were ever given."

"Finally the family consented just so they could get her body back as soon as possible, since just this issue could have resulted in delaying the reception of the body. We buried the body in a small area in the Zahra Cemetery in the late afternoon of 31 Khordad. Also, they had brought in other people who had been killed in the protests so it seemed that the whole event was scheduled to be such.

About payment for releasing the remains, Mr. Makan had this to say: "No specific amount has been paid at this time, although hospitals, clinics, surgeons and medical examiners have been ordered by the Iranian security services, based on various orders, not to list 'bullet wound' as the cause of death on the death certificate in order to prevent the families from filing international complaints in the future. I haven't seen the release notice of Neda's remains yet, but I will obtain it from her father in the coming days."

Mr. Makan regarding government ban of memorial service for Neda Agha Setan said: "We were going to hold her memorial Monday 1st of Tir at 2:30 PM at a mosque at Sharyati street north of Seyed Khandan. But Basijis and mosque officials refused our request for her memorial service so to avoid further public confrontation and instability. They knew that Neda was an died innocently, and people in Iran and the international community are informed of that fact. So they decided to avoid a situation where a mass rally would take place. In any way, we do not have permission for a memorial service for now."

However, many eye witnesses told BBC Persia that a large gathering took place with the intention of performing a memorial service at Al Reza Mosque at Nilofar square in Tehran. But the security forces intervened by throwing people out of the mosque and intervening with the service.

Mr. Makan also commented on fake pictures of videos claiming to be Neda at various sites:"I was looking at some sites including 'iReport'. There was a picture of a young woman with green signs from previous calm demonstrations and had claimed it was Neda before being shot. These pictures have no relation to the event. It seems that Mr. Mousavi's supporters are trying to portray Neda as one of his supporters. This is not so. Neda was incredibly close to me and she was never supportive of either two groups. Neda wanted freedom and freedom for all."

BBC Farsi tried to contact Neda Agha-Sultan's other family members but was told by a close relative of hers that, for reasons of their own, the Agha Sultan family could grant an interview.
"

(HP)

"This is the resource page for NedaNet, a network of hackers formed to support the democratic revolution in Iran. Our mission is to help the Iranian people by setting up networks of proxy severs, anonymizers, and any other approprite technologies that can enable them to communicate and organize ? a network beyond the censorship or control of the Iranian regime." (nedanet)

This is legit. Viva la Hackers.

More stores from the frontlines

TODAY 4pm - Haft Tir Sq, Tehran - black/green candle vigil - sitting on floor - in memory of our martyrs - #Iranelection RT RT RT (look at the map below)

The marker below Laleh Park is Tehran University.


View Iran Election Protests in a larger map

Undercover militias have attacked the main office of Kalameh Newspaper in Tehran, employees are trapped inside

BBC reported police conflicts & use of tear gas in front of Jaam-e-Jam as well. #iranelection #gr88 #neda

?Laleh Park and Shiroudi Stadium have become the command center to organize anti-riot police and plain clothes.?

?People are trying to gather in 7 Tir square, but being dispersed before they can gather momentum. Many many Basijis. People btwn 1000-2000. they?re preventing others from joining. As soon as they gather somewhere they attack, so they run away & regroup?

BBC Persia interviews Neda's Fiance

RT Iran: Police & plain cloths usings tear gas, pepper spray and batons to disperse crowd. #iranelection #gr88 #neda

But at night from 10 to 11 pm we all come out and say Allah o Akbar [God is Great] and Death to the Dictator.

I'm going, but I'm scared. I may go quietly.

people are frightened to death here. they have gone quiet. the stores are closed.

you cannot believe it. they have turned this place into a killing field.

Mail to BBC: Niloofar Mosque not letting ppl with candles in to mourn #neda. About 15 bikers attacked the mourners. #iranelection #gr88

At the subway station at Haft-e-Tir, police did not allow anyone to stand still, asking them to keep walking and separating people who were walking together.(NPR)

@tehranbureau we laughed a lot when i told my friend rafsanjani being called 'reformist' in the west

@iranbaan No memorial service will be held for #Neda , cuz no mosque is authorize to hold a funeral for her #iranelection

@oxfordgirl Sea of Green creates a Sea of Light for those who have died for Iran'd freedom. #iranelection #iranelections #gr88

@oxfordgirl Police and basiji all over tehran, but candles appearing every corner,ever avenuw, every alleyway. #iranelection #iranelections

@oxfordgirl Tens of thousends of candles lit throughout Tehran, mashad, Shiraz, Ahwaz.

@iranbaan They're hitting ppl in Hafte Tir Sq.,3-5 thousand ppl are there.A friend who just left there confirmed. #IranElection

@iranbaan Theres Anti-riot police with guns in their hands from roof tops in 7th tir sq. #iranelection

BREAKING NEWS: Iranian police attack hundreds of protesters with tear gas, fire in the air to disperse Tehran rally, the AP..

Clashes are underway in Tehran after police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters and fired in the air, AP reports.

'Ma hamamoon boghz too galoomoon moonde' (we all have lumps in our throats)

hadinili: High tensions in Hafte Tir Sq. and around.

"I shouldn't be surprised but of course you know everything changed and they did not come.

They're all at Haft e Tir, but I haven't heard anything from there."(Kylie)

Around 1,000 pro-reform Iranians gathered in a central Tehran square #Iranelection @ap

well...since I have exams these days, I am studying all day and I can't go out anymore!!!
But, from what I get from local news, the situation is calm right now!! (Tehran source)

It'll be going past my dorm. They closed the faculty and there are uniforms all over the place.(Kylie)

road blocks controlling movement of people from North to South Tehran to stop ppl joining Sea of Green #Iranelection

Tehran Majlis - Parliment - under heavy guard and road blocks with armed militia - #Iranelection

today we have hidden cameras in good locations ready to give u film - #Iranelection

situation in Tehran very tense today - many roadblocks -

from 5to7 people will gather in the streets of Tehran with candles to bear witness and mourn for Neda and other fallen friends

"5:22 AM ET -- Karroubi calls for public mourning of Neda today. In a Facebook post, the reformist candidate who has been supporting Mousavi and appearing with him at rallies calls for people to gather at a central Tehran location at 4PM to mourn Neda. This could get explosive."

(HP)

"Instead, in confronting the political turmoil that has consumed the country this past week, the Iranian government appears to be engaging in a practice often called deep packet inspection, which enables authorities to not only block communication but to monitor it to gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation purposes, according to these experts.

The monitoring capability was provided, at least in part, by a joint venture of Siemens AG, the German conglomerate, and Nokia Corp., the Finnish cellphone company, in the second half of 2008, Ben Roome, a spokesman for the joint venture, confirmed."

(WSJ)

"
Locked in a bitter contest with Iranians who say the presidential elections were rigged, the authorities have acknowledged that the number of votes cast in 50 cities exceeded the actual number of voters, state television reported Monday following assertions by the country?s supreme leader that the ballot was fair."

But the authorities insisted that discrepancies, which could affect three million votes, did not violate Iranian law and the country?s influential Guardian Council said it was not clear whether they would decisively change the election result."

(NY Times)

Nomads, an Indian friend of mine is going to the UK to study for a year and intends to travel around Europe before and after the academic year. He was curious to know which 'International Youth cards/memberships' he should sign up for. I remember an International youth travel card that got me some bad ass deals in '05-06.

Any suggestions? Hit me at dhruv(dot)chitgo(at)gmail(dot)com or just respond in the comments section of the post. Cheers.

http://proxyheap.austinheap.com/phase1.php. This is legit. austinheap.com belongs to the guy in the US that wrote the proxy set up instructions.

"
There is a woman who is being beaten. She?s horrified and hysterical but not as much as the anti-riot police officer facing her.

She shrieks, ?Where can I go? You tell me go down the street and you beat me. Then you come up from the other side and beat me again. Where can I go??

In sheer desperation, the officer hits his helmet several times hard with his baton. ?Damn me! Damn me! What the hell do I know!?"

(NIAC)

"The sight of hijab-wearing teenage girls walking away sweating from punching him as hard as they could was just as disconcerting as the sight of the girls partying all night in the heady days before the vote."

We tend to dismiss the gun totting rednecks as mad paranoids for their love of guns and distrust of governments and hatred towards tiranny. The current Iranian example shows that they have a point.

"As protests and counter-protests unlike anything seen in Iran since the 1979 Revolution roil the country and captivate the world, LIFE presents photographs taken by an Iranian who is there, in the midst of the action. Pictured: Defiance in the streets the day after the disputed results of the June 12, 2009, election. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Tehran-based photojournalist who made these pictures is now missing. See next caption for details."

(Life.com)

"A NOTE TO OUR READERS: We are saddened to report that the Iranian photojournalist, whose pictures appear in this gallery, is missing. He has not been in contact with us; this morning we received the following email from one of his relatives. We will update this space when we have more details. THE EMAIL: Hi im [photographer?s relative], when he go out side yester day for he never came back home and also his friend and a lot of our young brave people, government arrested them [. . .] don?t let them suffer in those bloody hands. With thanks."

(Life)



The photographer has a site at http://tehranlive.org/

Iran's most senior dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri calls for three days of national mourning for those killed in street protests, Reuters news agency reports (bbc)

Saeed uploaded a new video from today.

Today looks quieter but it could be misleading. We totally rely on reports out of Iran since pretty much the international media has been lobotomized beyond recognition except for a few brave journalists. Jon Leyne of BBC was thrown out of Iran today.

Chatham House of UK, a think thank, releases an analysis of the election results. Go check it out.

*supposed to be today.

This is the list of embassies in Tehran accepting the injured. Some are blocked by Iranian security forces. The list is constantly updated as the information is validated.

Dear all,

PLEASE! Got to http://www.szigetfestival.it/vuoi_suonare.html Take 170 seconds in a tab of your browser, write those two words to indicate you are human and vote for Betty Ford Center. This could literally be life changing.

To make the story short, me and my friends need your help. My friends of Betty Ford Center, a great Italian rock band that has been working super hard to make it in the music business for many years, lots of sleepless nights and cheap cheap meals, is finally seeing some results of their work, they have a super cool video, an awesomely produced EP and last week for example, they were on the Italian national TV playing. These are real, very experienced musicians that are putting all they have to make it, just like many of us do and did for AIESEC.

I guess I never really understood how hard is the music business is until now that I am helping them and another band friends of ours to organize their Europe tour and I am sleeping less too. It is definitely the hardest, most ambitious and best project I have worked for since I finished my AI term two years ago (not in a corporation s I thought then).

As a result of very hard work and lots of lobbying, Betty Ford Center got into the finalists to be new comer bands playing at Sziget this year, you cannot imagine how HUGE that is, with this the band could actually make it big. Being selected to play in the festival depends on user votes on the festival site.

The two bands and the people like me that help them with management were pulling together all their fans and friends for two weeks until now to keep Betty on first place of voting based on honest votes. But things have changed in the last few days like in a very cheap Mexican soap since two days ago a couple of unknown bands that had very little votes until that point, in one night, in a few hours started getting hundreds of votes and put themselves ahead of Betty as Betty had decided to take a stand and win the contest with honest votes instead of using programs to change your IP address and vote a million times for themselves.

The organization of the festival in Italy was alerted of what was going on, but unable to do much and without proof of what was going on besides what was obviously being observed inserted a 170 secs capcha on the site. So, we are still trying to win as many honest votes as possible and are almost there to get back on track, and I guess these other guys are not sleeping because they keep on clicking and clicking on themselves.

So I guess you know what I will say. I am going back to all AIESECers and nomads to ask for the last bit of help in the last day of voting.

PLEASE! Got to http://www.szigetfestival.it/vuoi_suonare.html Take 170 seconds in a tab of your browser, write those two words to indicate you are human and vote for Betty Ford Center. This could literally be life changing.

If we make it, we definitely will inform you when Betty will be on, and we are definitely looking forward to meet you there!

Labels: festival, music, summer, Sziget

"To recognize labor-union and social rights in Iran, the international labor organizations have declared the Fifth of Tir (June 26) the international day of support for imprisoned Iranian workers as well as for the institution of unions in Iran. We want that this day be viewed as more than a day for the demands of labor unions to make it a day for human rights in Iran and to ask all our fellow workers to struggle for the trampled rights of the majority of the people of Iran.
With hope for the spread of justice and freedom,
Autobus Workers Union

" (Narco News)

Google is updating Tehran imagery to 18 June 2009.

Demotix has more.

The girl that died on a gunshot wound to the heart yesterday was Neda.

"Her name was ??? (#Neda), which means voice or call in Farsi. She is the voice of the people, a call to freedom - RIP, Neda""

"Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani suggests that some of the members in the Guardian Council have sided with a certain candidate in the June 12 presidential election.

Speaking live on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Channel 2 on Saturday, the speaker said that "a majority of people are of the opinion that the actual election results are different than what was officially announced."

(HP)

8:04 pm: Mehr News reports [Persian] that the Assembly of Experts announced their full support for Khamenei?s Friday address

Huge news. The Assembly of Experts is the organization that has responsibility of electing and supervising the Supreme Leader. (NIAC)

Rafsanjani is the head of the Assembly of Experts and he has been working in the background to street the assembly toward Mousavi's position. If the above news is accurate, he has failed to do so.

Updates: not true. There is still hope

"Once again thanks for the great job in reporting the events. Just a comment about your 7:33pm item about the Assembly of Experts. The statement is not by the Assembly of Experts, but by Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the "Dabirkhane" of the Assembly of Experts. His statement doesn't carry much weight and definitely not a blow to the freedom movement. After all, there are certainly many Khamene'i loyalists in the Assembly of Experts and such comments could be expected from these cowards."

(HP)

They didn't manage to go to mountain on the weekend as previously reported.

"We didn't end up going to the mountains. We were able to go out to a park and eat icecream, as if it were a normal day. It was safe enough on the street because there was nothing planned after the prayers." (Kylie)

"The Iranian police commander, in green uniform, walked up Komak Hospital Alley with arms raised and his small unit at his side. ?I swear to God,? he shouted at the protesters facing him, ?I have children, I have a wife, I don?t want to beat people. Please go home.?" (Roger Cohen - New York Times)

Speech from US President Barack Obama:

We'll have to see and wait for more comprehensive reports of what's going on today.

The good news is it looked like violence was not worse.

The suicide bombing reported today at Khomenei was just bizarre.

BBC rocks today, CNN blows.

http://elections.7rooz.com/link/845/ Video from Shiraz University today.

Omid reports gunfire/clashes at Gisha St. in Tehran. People have reportedly put street on fire.

Norwegian embassy accepting wounded: No. 201 Dr. Lavasani St. (Ex. Farmanieh St.) Corner of Sonbol S

Rasht, Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz severe conflict between people and the military continues



http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1149602027692&ref=nf
"Basij shot to death a young woman in Tehran?s Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim?s chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St. The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know." (NIAC)






This looks like Photo of the year

Just got off the phone with friends in Iran. They are now beyond election, now its all out revolution. #IranElection

Embassy of the Rep. of Slovenia Tehran No 30, Narenjestan 8th Alley Pasdaran Ave Portugese Embassy No.30,Nezami St.,Abbas Pour St.Valy-e-A

Confirmed: Mosuavi is amongst people, and he's ready for martyrdom (via his facebook)

Injured may be taken to German Embassy Tehran: Avenue Ferdowsi 320-324, phone 0098-912-1131007

RT from Iran Mousavi - confirmed - IF I AM ARRESTED THE NATION IS TO STRIKE INDEFINITELY! #Iranelection RT RT RT

Protests seem to have become distributed across city after police did everything it could to prevent one large crowd
(ed: this government tactic is going to back fire. This split means their forces are going to get split as well and the chaos will spread around the city. Suddenly people won't have to go downtown to join the march. They can do it two blocks from their neighbourhood. They are spreading the fierce defiance all across the city)

Sodium metabisulfite Na2S2O5 mixed with water (5% solution) cures CS tear gas. Wash eyes with solution

people stormed in from three sides
(ed: this is going to last all night long)

British, Slovenian, Dutch, Irish, Australian embassies are now accepting the injured #gr88 #tehran

Italian Embassy accepting injured at 81, Neauphle Le Chateau Ave.

Reports: Protesters at 7Tir pushed back Militia and gathering at the SQ.

"So much tear gas everywhere that people in their neighborhoods around have burning eyes." #iranelection

"Since guards turned back people going to Azadi Sq, they retreated to those areas and are fighting the police there." #iranelection

"War going on in South Kargar st. , Tohid Sq., Arya Shahr? in Tohid Sq. people have captured and blown up a police truck" #iranelection

more from omid007: Reports: A Mosque at Azarbiajan St. is on the fire...

Reports: Another Person died at Loghman Hospital.

RT IRAN People are gathering at Tajrish SQ, Shouting: "Death To Dictatror" and "I will Kill Who Killed My Sister and Brother!"

Protesters in Revolution sq r chanting: Goftim agar taghalob besheh basatetoon jam misheh!! "We told u if u cheat it'll be the end of u"!

More likely helicopters spray some sort of chemical. wash you bodies as soon as possible. Use face masks

over eyes and skin, if injured go to address Belgian embassy Avenue Shadid Fayyazi 155-157 (ex.-Fereshteh) 16778 Tehran

@protesterHelp: British embassy is accepting injured Iranians; 198, Ferdowsi Avenue Tehran.

@IranDemokratia Australian Embassy accepting injured: No. 13, 23rd Street, Khalid Islambuli Ave - Telephone+98 21 8872 4456



(ed: I heart BBC)

@persiankiwi: Tehran is burning with the blood of our Martyrs - The streets are full of dead

@LilyMazahery: "Mousavi is at head of Jayhoon ave. giving a speech."

"mousavi among people: I am ready for death"

"Mousavi - Confirmed - I have prepared for martyrdom"

Video of shootings to the crowd today reported by BBC Persia.

BBC Persia live streaming is here

In response to the violence of the security forces, people are now beginning to shout ?Death to Khamenei?

Another twitter, Iranelection, says the demonstration ?has turned into scattered street fights parallel to Enghelab-Azadi Sq?

RT f/iran: Police and Baseej are in the alleys connecting to the main streets, arresting people.

RT from Iran: it's two decades that he speaks same kind of bullshits, we are really sick & tired of him.

RT //Tehran is awake again! Police and militia forces on all major sq.s! Ppl are fighting back. Gotta go out again!

Iranian RT: "Younger sister is missing. i'm dying with worry. please pray for us." --Know that we are...

@persiankiwi tonight to the streets - for freedom

@Elizrael :Two reports in from Tehran about helicopters pouring boiling water on protesters @Mirriaam & @madyar )

Gunshots continuously heard from Ghasr-ol-dasht street

Got A Call: Many People Injured By Police and Milittia Near Tohid SQ.

Crowds growing as more ppl turn out to support Freedom in Iran

An eyewitness in Enghelab square reports around 20,000 riot police, made up of Basiji militiamen and soldiers, and armed with rifles, tear gas and water cannons.

pedestrians have filled up Qods street and the square

Heavy clashes on azadi street, chants of death to khameni Street full of rocks & fire

RT From Iran: About 5000 Protesters pushing back Police, Bassij & Hezbollah to Azadi St

I'm in the centre of Tehran close to Enghelab Square where the demonstration was supposed to have been held. But there's a huge security presence here, thousands of men from every possible service: police, revolutionary guard, military police, the riot police in full riot gear, and the much-feared Basij - religious paramilitaries who see themselves as the shock troops of the Islamic revolution.

It's impossible for any groups of people to get through these to Enghelab Square and hold their demonstration.


The witnesses told The Associated Press that between 50 and 60 protesters were seriously beaten by police and pro-government militia and taken to Imam Khomeini hospital in central Tehran. People could be seen dragging away comrades bloodied by baton strikes. Helicopters hovered over central Tehran. Ambulance sirens echoed through the streets and black smoke rose over the city. Tehran University was cordoned off by police and militia while students inside the university chanted 'death to the dictator,' witnesses said."



We don't know the date of this confrontation.

eyewitness calling VOA TV: all sorts of security forces on the streets around Azadi Sq. many plainclothes on bikes with batons

Basidj leaving after being confronted with the masses of people!

CNN airing live feed of State TV. My god, disinfo about protester violence & Mousavi. Shameful..
(ed: CNN is a dickhead)

Press TV just announced that Mousavi and Karroubi will be held accountable for any casualties today

RT from Iran: Smoke covered all of Enghelab sq. and people are fighting back with stones.

Proposed Rule for Journalism. They kick you out, you don't show State Run Television. Sound fair? #IranElection
(ed: CNN is such a loser)

HUNDREDS OF IRANIAN SECURITY FORCES INJURED IN RECENT CLASHES

Getting rprts injured protestors have nosebleeding due to gas used by police
(ed: so far there is no overt violence on the rally. Good news)



First video

@oxfordgirl : State of chaos in Tehran. No one believes the bomb is anything but gov plot - who knows!

BBC Persia Video : Shooting BBC Persia (not sure if the video is from today !)

RT from Iran: Confirmed: Family of those arrested in the past week have gathered in front of Revolutionary Courts.

Shooting directly to the people in Azadi ST

Assembly of Combatant Cleric' supporters are alos out despite rally being cancelled

Press TV: "bombing hits mausoleum of imam khomeini in south tehran

Police have closed off Tehran University

Enghelab street is fulll of people between ghods st. and Enghelab square

RT FROM TEHRAN: Houses in alleys opening doors to injured protestors, one source reporting hallway is full of beaten ppl,

CNN In breaking news now on tear gas and water cannon being used on protesters at #IranElection rallies.

RT from Iran: Enghelab sq. clash getting intense.

people are trapped between Behboodi and Enghelaab

police using tear gas, water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters in Tehran,They are beating "people" in Enghelab St., not only the protesters!

Voice of shooting in Azadi street...

Heavy clashes on azadi street, chants of death to khamene'i,The street is full of rocks and fire!

In Khosh Street police is attacking people with batons and pepper spray trying to disperse people, shots can be heard around Azadi

RT Iran/Iraq war veterans joining ppl saying we didn't lose arm/leg/life fought 8 years for mullah to lie/kill #iranelection #gr88

EmirOmid: Very large crowds now in Enghelab Sq. and growing by the minute.

Thousands of people attempting to enter Tehran protest site have been blocked by heavily armed police, eyewitness says.

Protestors must keep piling into squares. 300 basij cannot defeat 10,000 angry oppressed people! #iranelection #GR88


Tazahorate

The police asked people before the basijis conflict with them Became dispersed,Police guard are all the streets of Tehran. Streets full of the population!

And they're quoting Homer: "And what he greatly thought, he nobly dared"

(bbc)

RT : I've seen fascism today. Full gear riot police, para-military forces with UZIs, 12yrs childs with e-battons and sprays.. #IranElection

RT frm IRAN Confirmed Basij everywhere in Tehran, no violence yet, they are trying to scare the ppl of Iran. #iranelection #iranelections

Report: Top Iranian opposition leaders fail to attend Guardian Council meeting; police warn Mousavi
Iranian presidential candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi failed to attend a meeting with the Guardian Council, according to Iranian state TV. Police chief warns Mousavi of firm action against demonstrations. (France 24)


RT mathflood: Breaking: Mousavi walking from Ettelaat office to Ministry of Interior; 10000 people walking with him; join him #iranelection

What's the best way to hook up with 72 hot Persian girls in Iran? get beat up by the Basij #iranelection

according to witnesses in tehran fully armed bassij forces are put all over the key zones in tehran by busses and truck #iranelection

RT from Iran: END THE FUNDAMENTALISM! END THE OPPRESSION! END THE TYRANNY! NO MORE! WE SHALL PAY WITH OUR BLOOD FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIO ...

It is now 4:13pm (Iran timezone) and people are filling out the street. #IranElection

Brothers & Sisters Go On the streets NOW. Do not fear Death. Fear only oppression for nother 30 years. #iranelection #iran09 #gr88

Rafsanjani or his family members will attend rally today. #iranelection #iranelections #gr88

Mir Hossein Mousavi: The CRUCIAL Demonstration on Saturday 16:00 in Tehran and all around the world, please spread this message around

RT Tehran: Millions of pple R protesting, all in black and Silence, they cannot walk, it is packed w/h people

People going to Enghelab in larg numbers and growing rapidly. police there but not doing anything. #Iranelection #gr88

This is it! T minus 2 minutes--reports of large crowds coming from all over to Tehran-- #iranelection #tehran (via @

#iranelection : Protest starts NOW in Tehran, CNN covering Iran again. Christiane Amanpour contributes..

It's starting soon. Godspeed.

The MC went to the mountain yesterday. It is safe to assume they have yet to return back today. AIESEC Tehran is unknown. We can assume some of the members will be joining the rally right now.

"State television reported that a reformist group called the Combatant Clerics Assembly had called off a rally planned for Saturday, saying that ?permission was asked to hold a rally, but since it has not been issued, there will be no rally held.? The clerics? statement was also posted on a Web site linked to the main opposition candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi. " (NY Times)

Combatant Clerics withdraws from the rally because they couldn't get a permission. They are not very "combatant" after all.

"Previously, he [Mousavi] was revolutionary, because everyone inside the system was a revolutionary. But now he?s a reformer. Now he knows Gandhi ? before he knew only Che Guevara. If we gain power through aggression we would have to keep it through aggression. That is why we?re having a green revolution, defined by peace and democracy" (Guardian)

It's a good and bad news. The regime will need to coordinate its people as well.

"Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy."

www.torproject.org

"In response, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, which is the armed forces sanctioned by the constitution of Iran, have taken measures to protect the people of Iran, and the sanctity of the Republic. Those measures have included arresting Besiji militants, as well as patrolling the streets of various cities, focusing on Tehran, almost continually since Wednesday afternoon until the time of writing, Saturday morning. As they have been ordered, they have taken many Resistance members into custody, however they are yet to turn any over to Pasdarna forces. At this point, that is close to a direct defiance of orders from the Supreme Leader.

At some point after the Army began pursuing Besiji leads, with the combined efforts of the Resistance, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army's leading officers began telling top politicians, including Khamenei himself, that they plead for no violence, or they will be forced to carry out their constitutional duty and fullfil their oath, protecting the people of Iran. They cite Article 143 of the Iranian Constitution.

Additionally, they state that Ahmadinejad personally violated Article 145 of the
Iranian Constitution by using foreign forces against citizens of Iran. As of Thursday evening, both Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah were known to be aiding the Revolutionary Guard."

(Pastebay)

From the reports I've read, there's a sense of fatalism of what lies tomorrow. Most are expecting a violent crackdown and yet every single report shows a resolve to show up tomorrow.

BBC gets two extra satellites for its BBC Persian, Google deployed Farsi translation tool and Facebook released Farsi language version.

Basiji hunting, not unlike Zombie hunting.

"By the way, two nights ago I went out to see a few things ... as the general crowds spread into their homes militia style Mousavi supporters were out on the streets 'Basiji hunting'.

Their resolve is no less than these thugs -- they after hunting them down. They use their phones, their childhood friends, their intimate knowledge of their districts and neighbours to plan their attacks -- they're organised and they're supported by their community so they have little fear. They create the havoc they're after, ambush the thugs, use their Cocktail Molotovs, disperse and re-assemble elsewhere and then start again - and the door of every house is open to them as safe harbour -- they're community-connected.

The Basiji's are not.

These are not the students in the dorms, they're the street young -- they know the ways better than most thugs - and these young, a surprising number of them girls, are becoming more agile in their ways as each night passes on.

Also, with $10K every local police station lock can be broken and guns taken out...the police too are crowd friendly...for sure put a gun in their hands and these young become a serious counter-balance to the Basij...call them 10% of 18-22 year olds - that makes circa 10 million around the country versus max 4 million Basijis.

For all I've seen, discussed and observed on the ground I wouldn't dismiss option (4) too easily." (Washington Note)

The option 4 he mentioned refers to a collapse in the system which give birth to an armed conflict. Pray that it will not get to that - but at this stage, it looks like they will not submit to the current regime anymore.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mir-Hossein-Mousavi-/45061919453

"I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I?m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It?s worth to read the poems of Forough and Shamloo again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves which I told my family who should receive them. I?m two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow's children?" (translated by NIAC)

Godspeed

"I have been given the responsibility of telling the world what is happening in Iran. The office of Mir Hossein Mousavi, who the Iranian people truly want as their leader, has asked me to do so. They have asked me to tell how Mousavi's headquarters was wrecked by plainclothes police officers. To tell how the commanders of the revolutionary guard ordered him to stay silent. To urge people to take to the streets because Mousavi could not do so directly." (The Guardian)

Khamenei's beligerent sermon today ensured that he will be tossed out along with Dinner Jacket when this is all done. He could have marked his legacy in the Iranian modern history as the dude that actually respond to the "Iranian Street". But no, he blamed the "zionist" media, the arrogant west, etc. It's so bizarre everybody is fuckin' laughing their asses off.

Protest with the Quran in your hand, sit down if they attack, while citing the Quaran 8.61, Use Gandhi method

hold Quran and cite Quran 8.61 "If they seek peace then seek you peace" Shame them into peace!

Khamenei had declared war, but Green must remain calm and continue silent rallies.

Fuck you for demonstrating. It's illegal. Trust me, there is no election rigging. Wait until the investigation is done. And death to America.

I am following @Vahid4Reform and see what translation he comes up with. (ed: is my 'expert' commentary)

-------------------------------------- START -----------------------------

This is way past the normal time for Friday Prayer in Tehran #iranelection #gr88

IT started

Now they are chanting down with the USA (ed: nice - good ole style "death to america")

Now Some one is talking about Netaniaho's Plan condemning Isreal

Now the crowd is chanting Down With Isreal

People say Hossein hossein is our moto, martyrdom is our wish !

People wont stop chanting and greeting him (this is normal - Khameni peps encourage it actually)

FYI, kHAMENI will not talk about Politics is his first part of speech #iranelection #gr88 (ed: there are two parts, first is religion, second is politic. So I'm going to skip the first part)

Khameni is now taking about islam and talking about a historical event at the time of prophet Mohammad #iranelection #gr88

Khameni now is talking about an example on Islam that addresses why people should not be devided #iranelection #gr88

I see ahmadi nejad in the first line of prayers! #iranelection #gr88 (ed: Dinner Jacket is there!)

Khameni now says since the begining of islamic revolution Iran has gone through tough times but we have come out victor #iranelection #gr88 (ed: this can go either way)

our people are faithful and youth should be aware #iranelection #gr88

Khameni says we passed the 8 -year war with the said sprituality #iranelection #gr88

I saw Mousavi in the crowd I guess

(ed: now start the political speech)

Khameni says he is going to address the issue of Election #iranelection #gr88

3 issues 1- to address general public 2- address elites

third issue to address arogant leaders of the world (ed: I am talking to you, Berlusconi!)

1- to people : I say thanks to people for their great participation #iranelection #gr88 (ed: nice)

This was a great manifistation of people's participation #iranelection #gr88

You showed the world that we have the best democracy in the world #iranelection #gr88 (ed: boasting)

the 12 Imam is behind this movement #iranelection #gr88 (ed: do I hear, Dinner Jacked, you are fired?)

I am proud of you#iranelection #gr88

our young generation showed and proved thir political understanding (ed: indeed. bravo)

Khameni says It is normal to have difference #iranelection #gr88 (ed: yeah, but call off the dogs of Basij)

People love their country and that's why the voter turn out was great #iranelection #gr88 (ed: true dat)

this election was a earth quick for your enemies #iranelection #gr88 (ed: blah blah blah)

outside country #iranelection #gr88

and harthened your friends outside country #iranelection #gr88 (ed: yeah, the tweeps)

thsi election showed off religious democracy to the world #iranelection #gr88 (ed: get to the point already. It also shows Diner Jacket is a fool)

dimocracy void of sprituality is a westerm democracy but ours is different #iranelection #gr88

Khameni says :This election showed people trust their electoral system #iranelection #gr88 (ed: BOOOOOOOOOOOO)

if peopel were not hopefull and free they wouldnt have attended the ellection #iranelection #gr88 (ed: and ? and ? talk about the results already)

Our foreign enemies want to break us apart #iranelection #gr88 (ed: oh no)

Khameni says: is linking the crisis to Iran's enemies outside country (ed: damn, I don't like where this is going)

khameni says: and they lost! (ed: who ?)

khameni says: dont fall for this plot

This plot has been going on for month and i warned #iranelection #gr88 (ed: oh jeez - he is standing his ground)

Islamic republic is strong and will not shake by this sorts of threaths (ed: talk about the election result dammit!)

Compettions between candidates were transparents and free (ed: @#$@#$@#5 @#$@#$)

we thought teh competition was among insiders of regime (ed: this doesn't make sense. Probably translation issue)

the foreign media are trying to show that we have a opposition (ed: oh chrissake. CNN was off in the weekend)

they are (all 4 candidates ) belong to regime. (ed: all your bases is belong to me)

Khameni says: Mousavi was my prim minister #iranelection #gr88 all others had high level positions #iranelection #gr88 (ed: make his president. He won the election)

They have difference of opinion but they all belong to Islamic stablishment #iranelection #gr88

Zionist media were trying to say otherwise #iranelection #gr88 (ed: the obligatory Jew bait. )

I consider one better than others but people had to make that decision #iranelection #gr88 (ed: wow. Fire dinner jacket - dinner jacket - fire his ass)

each one of them could be critisized in one way or another #iranelection #gr88 (ed: here we come.)

People trusted the regime and they voted for their favorite candidate #iranelection #gr88 (ed: but dinner jacket stole it from Adam Lambert!!)

Presidential televised debates were good for people to make their decision #iranelection #gr88 (ed: and Mousavi nailed the jacket dude)

debates helped transparency #iranelection #gr88 (ed: mmmmmm)

khameni says: stands of candidates was offered to public #iranelection #gr88 (ed: on and on and on)

He repeats twise so people get it #iranelection #gr88 (ed: here comes the punchline)

Right of vote belongs to people #iranelection #gr88 (ed: damn straight my man!)

Khameni says : debates caused higher participation too #iranelection #gr88 (ed: holla!)

(ed: I need to pee. Please get to the point)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - these debates should continue less negative parts (ed: ??)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - criticicm is good for you if you really want to improve (ed: Yes, everything can be improve by a simple call to kick jacket's ass)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - deficiencies that need to be removed from these debates for future (ed: oh no)

showing the current and past situation very bad , was not good (ed: I am freaking confused)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - they mentioned rumors sometime and not facts (ed: yeah, like the election result)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - some candidates lost their tempers - not goood (ed: I'm talking to you, Ahemdi)

I enjoyed the freedom of expression (ed: me too)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - I enjoyed the whope thing but i becaome sad because of negative aspects of debates and campaigns (ed: obama! obama! obama!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -I shoudl tell you the truth - all sides made mistakes (ed: and?)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - lots of allegations and insults were exchanged (ed: true. I call Ahemdinajad "dinner jacket". Punishment awaits me)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - document fabrication was happening (ed: yeah, two japanese dude got caught in Switzerland last week bringing fake US bond worth 134 billion dollars. No joke. Google it up)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -they called the current president names, and the other side too

loyal people of revolution were demolished such as Rafsanjani and Nategh noori (ed: Jacket you bastard!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -they have never been convicted at court (ed: hooray!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -so no one is allowed to accuse people (ed: where's the punchline!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - I know Rfsanjani for 52 years now he is a pillar of the revolution (ed: that is true fact. He was the original Ayatollah Khomeini inner circle.)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -Rafsanjani has sacrificed his life for islam and revolution (ed: He also has led the Assembly of Experts, a body of 86 high level clerics, which can decide the fate of Khamenei)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - We should not creat misunderstanding among people (ed: Good point but where is he going with this)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - he has difference of opinion with current president(ed: Rafsanjani backed Mosavi and wants an election do over)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - although current presidents Ideas are colser to mine than Rafsanjani

Khamenei says: #iranelection -NateghNoori the same

(ed: this is Nategh Nouri wikipedia entry)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - our stand is clear on corruption(ed: sure, but Jacket is an election thief)

IKhamenei says: #iranelection -slamic r of iran is the healthiest regime in the world (ed: get to the point dude)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - we should not use some Zionist institutes data about corruption(ed: fuck. He's pretty much saying the election was fair)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - this election was an epic movement (ed: it is and it is inspiring people around the world)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - Cmpetition is over (ed: true, but what's your point)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -everybody competed within the system (regime)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - people trust and the leaders and candidates shoudl trust the system too (ed: oh, he is digging his heels)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - our system will not allow any election rigging (ed: but it happened!!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection -there is a difference of 11 million vote how can rigging happen ! (ed: easy. Google up on "Guide to election numbers manipulation using Microsoft Excel")

Khamenei says: #iranelection - in the mean time i order for an investigation

Khamenei says: #iranelection - only through legal pathways

Vahid4REformKhamenei says: #iranelection - I will not accept any inovative technics (ed: No Twitter!!! Death to Twitter!!)

Khamenei says: #iranelection - if our legal framework gets broken we will not be trusted in the future (ed: Dude, open the window and check out the tweets. People are doubting the system.)

(ed: ok Vahid4Reform stopped his updates. Probably because the sermon is ending)

"And, of course, Iran in 2009 ? better yet, Iran on June 12, 2009 ? is not the same as Iran in 1979. Just as Tehran?s neighborhoods cannot be fixed in time, the cultural lives of Iranians have greatly changed in the past 30 years. The postrevolutionary period has seen the expansion of education, the entry of women into the work force in large numbers, and changing patterns of marriage and even of divorce. These have all shaped Iranian society. The pseudo-sociology peddled by so many in the West would easily dissolve with a week?s visit." (Op-Ed by an Iranian in NYT)

This is a forceful and enlightening opinion on the situation in Iran. Kudos.

"AIESEC all alive and well - we're all going up the mountains today, to avoid the Friday Prayers chaos. " (Kylie)

"THIRTEEN cases of bubonic plague have been recorded in eastern Libya, near the border with Egypt, Health Minister Mohamad Hijazi told AFP on Wednesday, stressing the situation was under control.

'Thirteen cases of the plague have been recorded in a village 30 kilometres away from Tobruk. Eleven people have already (been treated and) left hospital,' he said, without reporting any deaths. " (Strait's Time )


"Bubonic plague is the best known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as Pasteurella pestis). The term "bubonic plague" was often used synonymously for plague, but it does in fact refer specifically to an infection that enters through the skin and travels through the lymphatics, as is often seen in flea-borne infections. Bubonic plague kills about 50% of infected patients in 3?7 days without treatment, and is believed by many to be the Black Death that swept through Europe in the 1340s, killing millions." Wikipedia

Screw this Iranian thing, let's go to the issue that really matters, titillating sex scandals

"A showgirl who claims that she and other women were paid to attend Silvio Berlusconi?s private parties said yesterday that she had pictures showing her with the Italian Prime Minister in his bedroom.

Patrizia D?Addario, a former model and escort girl, said that she had given prosecutors audio tapes but also had secretly recorded video footage of her encounters in the Prime Minister?s Rome residence" (Timesonline)

Let Berlusconi alone !!




This guy, Senator John Ensign, a US Republican Senator from Nevada, just admitted a couple of days ago for screwing his closest staff's wife one or two years ago. Now that's real news.

June 18 Silent Rally

"But, had the authorities here allowed open coverage of the rallies in the last 48 hours, they would have done themselves a favour. Since the announcement of seven deaths two days ago every gathering here has increasingly taken a more peaceful tone. Likewise the initial overreaction by the security apparatus seems to have been corrected.
" (Guardian)

It looks like it is getting more peaceful in Tehran during the day but more violent in other cities. This points to an increasingly more discipline movement as it is harder to stay peaceful in the face of violent crackdown than to let hundreds of thousands to go crazy and start vandalizing properties.

It also points to the increasingly more neutral role being played by the riot police in separating the movement people to clash directly with the Basij. There is no love lost for the Basij. As a morality police, they have become to the tool of government to suppress aspects of daily life (clothing requirement, public behavior, etc) and now for attacking the protesters. They will go to the dustbin of failed ideas once this is all over.

The peaceful day does not extend to the night. When the night comes, it tells of a different story with Basij terrorizing the populace.

The sound of defiance in Tehran's nights.


It is worth repeating that Tehran is not a war zone. Twitter lives on highlights so it's important to sit back and take broader view.

People do not want to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. They want to kick Dinner Jacket's ass for stealing the election. Now its demands have grown to dismantling the Basij infrastructure and organization and a few more, but everything points to a reformation movement than a revolution.

This is why Dinner Jacket is going down. Firing his ass is easy and it does not take much concession from the supreme religious leadership. Mousavi comes from the very system that found the Islamic Republic. He is not going to destroy that system.

There is a conflicting message whether there will be a rally today or not. It is not clear whether the conflicting messages are all legit or has been affected by a misinformation campaign. Will follow up later.

Friday is a weekend in Iran.

September 11, 2001 was a culmination about the evil being perpetrated under the name of Islam. That dark mark for a long time stayed in the consciousness in the West.

It matters little when stream of leaders and religious scholars and laymen declaring that Islam is a religion of peace while we are bombarded with the images and videos of people in dark mask and green ribbons declaring "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) before slaughtering their victims with long knives. As if Islam itself rejoice at the slaughters.

It is true that these fuckers represented only sliver of the billion strong believers but this is just statistics. It is true that the majorities of Muslims communities live in peace, but nobody is inspired by normality. In societies where the interaction with Muslims are limited, the image being created by murderers and "terrorisers" receive no competitions in strong enduring image.

The proud election Iraq is marred by the involvement of the US and the civil war in the country. Palestinian liberation cause is marred by hooded men with guns and pictures of kids with suicide belts. Hezbollah in Lebanon was filled with rhetoric of war and armed resistance.




The people of Iran changes everything.

Suddenly the West discovered the example that it can identify with, the call for fair elections and freedom and the defiance against tyranny. The peaceful protests of millions resonate and the reaction was immediate. The restraint and strength against the violence being perpetrated against them bring the comparison to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. This current movement has quickly turned into the most current symbol of non violence movement.

The Palestinian cause never receive the level of outpouring of supports that being shown to the Iranian people right now.

The color of green now also represents the struggle for freedom.

The cries of "Allahu Akbar" that reverberate in Iranian nights suddenly is understood as call of freedom. Religion of peace? Now people can say, "Yes, I can see it now".

Friday is the day of rest and prayer in the Muslim world. You go and congregate in Mosques in mass. That's in normal day.

Tomorrow is not a normal day.

If you think today's or Monday's rally as huge, we can easily see the number easily double tomorrow.

Ayatollah Khameni will also be doing sermon at the Friday prayer tomorrow. We are waiting what he will say.

I am betting he will say that he listens to the voice of the people and Dinner Jacket is a fool, so "he's going to fire his ass" (Farsi expression)

Ask Google to change their logo to green for one day.

They should do it.

On May 27th 2009, Microsoft cut Live Messenger service in Iran

"Microsoft has opted to participate in sanctioning Iran, but more so the Iranian people by cutting off Windows Live Messenger."

"Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea are all affected by the surprising move, with a company spokesperson clarifying to the media that: ?Microsoft has discontinued providing Instant Messenger services in certain countries subject to United States sanctions. Details of these sanctions are available from the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control.?" (NIAC)

It's surprising because nobody asked them to cut the service.

You know the drill - waiting for new amazing photos. The rumor is that it's bigger than Monday.



"To many Iranians, Ahmadinejad is little more than just that: a fool. He is ?meymoon?, or ?the monkey?, and a running joke during these elections has involved a cartoon monkey with fascist slogans. Or he is ?Amagh?-inejad; Idiot-inejad, in other words. Iranians don?t mince their words, and with such a dearth of respect for their president it is no wonder the streets of Tehran have been flooded with protestors."(Telegraph)

@ZeldaAlicia: Mousavi, Khatami, Rafsanjani family members, senior Mullahs all at rally Tehran today.

"The weekend is here! We picked up Tabiri, VPX today from the airport. Was awesome to finally meet him. This means our team is complete, and transition will get underway on Saturday.
" (Kylie)

Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, & all good things will be yours.
? Swedish proverb

Cigarettes and Tea

"hamsters are a great choice for a pet. their shit is pelletized, so it is easy to clean up. they do not eat very much, and you will be delighted at how they fill their cheeks with reserve food. they also know how to run on wheels, and enjoy confined spaces. this means that you can give them the tube from the toilet paper roll and they will climb inside of it, then start gnawing on it. they are good gnawers, like all rodents.

that being said, i should warn potential hamster owners about three ways that your hamsters can easily die:
1) they are good at gnawing, as i said earlier, so they will instinctively gnaw at the boundaries of their cage. if it is a glass aquarium and the panels are joined by some kind of glue, they will surely gnaw at the glue, and poison themselves if the glue happens to be toxic.
2) if you have to male hamsters together, they will surely fight to the death. if you have a male and a female hamster together, and you forget to feed them one day, they will fight to the death.
3) baby hamsters are the miracle of life, and you can teach your children about the miracle of life vicariously by having them observe hamsters reproduce. yet the mother hamster will eat her babies. sometimes she will eat all of them, and sometimes just a few of them. i don't know why, but don't get too excited when she whelps, because maybe she will just eat all of the babies.

thank you dody for bringing up this important topic.

fair elections for iran!!" (Jesse)

"And so what you're going to see tomorrow is something that was pulled exactly out of the playbook of 1979, which is that you have these massive mourning rallies, where you mourn the deaths of those who were martyred in the cause of freedom. And these things tend to get a little bit out of control, they often result in even more violence by the security forces and even more deaths, which then requires another mourning rally which is even larger, which then requires more violence from the government, and this just becomes an ongoing snowball that can't be stopped.

That's how the Shah was removed from power, was these mourning ceremonies. And so Mousavi very smartly calling for an official -- not a rally -- but an official day of mourning tomorrow. I think we're going to see crowds that we haven't even begun to see yet, and then follow that, on Friday, which is sort of the Muslim sabbath, the day of prayer, which is a traditionally a day of gathering anyway. This is just beginning, Rachel, this is just the beginning." (HP)

The Pundits have kvetched about Iranian effort to expand its sphere of influence in the Middle East through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine and Syria for a while; They speak of Arab leaders trying to figure out how to limit this ominous Persian sphere in the region even by privately agreeing with Israel position toward Iran.

Well the event for the past days just bulldozed that notion. This is the real Iranian influence. The sight of millions of people peacefully demonstrated against the regime and resisting the violence being put against them, the call of "Allahu Akbar" on rooftops that reverberate the Iranian nights, the insistent demand for more freedom and fair elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This is what people can relate to, a home grown movement without the meddling of the usual Western powers.

I bet a lot of reformists in this region stand in awe of what the Iranians are doing right now. They would wish they can galvanize their own people like this.

I read that the Internet has been cut to only a couple of hours since yesterday. I cannot get through so there is no confirmation today.

Freegate, a software to bust a country's firewall.

Written to break through the Chinese firewall, now being used to work around the Iranian firewall.

"The push to remove witnesses may be the prelude to a Tehran Tiananmen. Yet a secret Internet lifeline remains, and it?s a tribute to the crazy, globalized world we live in. The lifeline was designed by Chinese computer engineers in America to evade Communist Party censorship of a repressed Chinese spiritual group, the Falun Gong.

Today, it is these Chinese supporters of Falun Gong who are the best hope for Iranians trying to reach blocked sites."
(Kristof)

And this is another one

http://www.torproject.org/

and the solid Freenet

http://freenetproject.org/

Viva la Hackers!

http://iran.greenthumbnails.com/

http://twitter.com/alyssa_milano is tweeting a storm. Dinner Jacket is doomed.

http://tsdo.org/irandrop/

Email text or files/MMS to: irnfax1@drop.io

Call in audio: 646-495-9244 x 86888

Arrange a conference call: 218-486-3891 x 129467385

Fax (with this coversheet!) to: 856-632-7637

The tweeps are going crazy with this video showing Hillary going Full Green Jacket You Tube

Students/Alumni of University of Chicago is opening a fax line at +1 888 308 3025 for Iranians to fax their stories. It will be posted on http://www.iranfax.org.

Now we need pigeons.

from this excellent Iranian blog http://raymankojast.blogspot.com/

So far so good. The Guardian is estimating the crowd at 500,000 people.

----
saw police wear green scarfs riot man was crying #IranElection

far as eye can see people in every corner people everywhere...revolution is close to end...ghandi would be proud #IranElection

http://tehranbureau.com/2009/06/16/the-leaders-of-iran?s-election-coup/

"The upper picture shows Rezaee with 633,048 votes at 09:47; the lower shows the same candidate with 587,913 votes at 13:53 later that day, a decrease of 45,135.?"

Half time Iran 1 - South Korea 0

MobileActive.org is a community of people and organizations using mobile phones for social impact. We are committed to increasing the effectiveness of NGOs around the world who recognize that the 3.5 billion mobile phones provide unprecedented opportunities for organizing, communications, and service and information delivery.

"there?s only one reason for the Assembly of Experts to meet at this point, and that is to actually talk about what to do about Khamenei. So, this is what I?m saying, is that we?re talking about the very legitimacy, the very foundation of the Islamic Republic is up in the air right now. It?s hard to say what this is going to go." (NIAC)

If you are curious about what it takes to wire a nation ecommerce infrastructure literally from scratch, follow http://faridaz.nomadlife.org/.

Curious Animals

"It was interesting that the special forces - who normally take the side of Ahmadinejad's Basij militia - were there with clubs and sticks in their camouflage trousers and their purity white shirts and on this occasion the Iranian military kept them away from Mousavi's men and women.

In fact at one point, Mousavi's supporters were shouting 'thank you, thank you' to the soldiers.

One woman went up to the special forces men, who normally are very brutal with Mr Mousavi's supporters, and said 'can you protect us from the Basij?' He said 'with God's help'.

It was quite extraordinary because it looked as if the military authorities in Tehran have either taken a decision not to go on supporting the very brutal militia - which is always associated with the presidency here - or individual soldiers have made up their own mind that they're tired of being associated with the kind of brutality that left seven dead yesterday - buried, by the way secretly by the police - and indeed the seven or eight students who were killed on the university campus 24 hours earlier.

Quite a lot of policeman are beginning to smile towards the demonstrators of Mr Mousavi, who are insisting there must be a new election because Mr Ahmadinejad wasn't really elected. Quite an extraordinary scene.

There were a lot of stones thrown and quite a lot of bitter fighting, hand-to-hand but at the end of the day the special forces did keep them apart.

I haven't ever seen the Iranian security authorities behaving fairly before and it's quite impressive." (abc.net.au)

Another version of article in the Independent is here.

When the pirate bay gives a damn, then you are exposing gazillions of people to the Iranian cause. PirateBay is the place to download movies, files, application, etc (mostly illegals) and used heavily across the world (everybody loves FREE MOVIES !!!)

There are more and more people tuning in. Remember that we are still in the first week. They will introduce new dynamics online and fuse the energy to sustain this for a couple of weeks. I think we are reaching consistent rhythm right now on what's going on. People will protest everyday, some will get hurt or killed, but they will show up everyday. The morning will be calm because people had to work, etc (Tehran is not a war zone) then they will join the cause at 4-5 PM, at the end of the day and the beginning on day in the West. When the night comes they will cry "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) and "marg bar dictator" (Death to Dictator) on the roofs and from their windows and brace for the nightly attack.

Then more and more people across Iran will join in the demos and it gets bigger. The ones on the sidelines will change their mind and participate.

And this trickle of water turn into a stream to rivers and finally into an ocean that engulf any government regime.

@bioanarchism: When governments fear the ppl, there is liberty. When the ppl fear the government, there is tyranny

Which services have caused the greatest impact? Blogs? Facebook? Twitter?
It's Twitter. One thing that Evan (Williams) and Biz (Stone) did absolutely right is that they made Twitter so simple and so open that it's easier to integrate and harder to control than any other tool. At the time, I'm sure it wasn't conceived as anything other than a smart engineering choice. But it's had global consequences. Twitter is shareable and open and participatory in a way that Facebook's model prevents. So far, despite a massive effort, the authorities have found no way to shut it down, and now there are literally thousands of people aorund the world who've made it their business to help keep it open. (Clay Shirky)

also makes it the perfect tools in a time of crisis. It gives everyone access to HUMINT (Human Intelligence) in real time of what's going on the ground.

"Everything is sunshine and puppies here this morning."
"Everyone is reported safe this morning too."
(Kylie)

(From here)

Censored Name reports his own observations on the course of events of 15th June 2009 in Tehran

I left my home in Tajrish along with my family at 3 p.m. We went down Valiast Street which is the main northern-southern avenue in Tehran and entered the Evin Exp'way which leads to Enghelab Street. We knew that people are supposed to gather in Enghelab Sq. (Revolution Sq.) at 4 and march toward Azadi Sq. (Freedom Sq.). From Gisha Bridge onwards, we saw people walking down. Cars were blowing their horns and people were showing victory sign. We went to Navvab Street and parked our car at the end of the street. Then we took a taxi to bring us back to the Enghelab Street. On our way, near Jomhouri Sq. (Republic Sq.), I saw a group of about 20 militia with long beards and batons on motorbikes. My hand was out of the car window with a little green ribbon (the sign of reformists) around my finger. One of the militia told me to throw that ribbon away. I showed him a finger. All of a sudden, about 15 people attacked me inside the car. They beat me with their batons and wanted to pull me out. My wife and my daughter who were sitting in the back seat cried and hold me tight. I also hold myself tight on the chair. They wanted to shatter the car windows. The driver went out and explained that he is a taxi and we are his passengers and he has no fault. After about 5 minutes,they left. My elbow hurts severely. Then, a young man from their group came and kissed my elbow! I told him: You know, I don't hate you. I am like you with the only difference that I know more and you are ignorant. He apologized and left.

We joined the crowd in Enghelab Street.

Read carefully:

What I saw today was the most elegant scene I had ever witnessed in my life. The huge number of people were marching hand in hand in full peace. Silence. Silence was everywhere. There was no slogan. No violence. Hands were up in victory sign with green ribbons. People carried placards which read: Silence. Old and young, man and woman of all social groups were marching cheerfully. This was a magnificent show of solidarity. Enghelab Street which is the widest avenue in Tehran was full of people. I was told that the march has begun in Ferdowsi Sq. and the end of the march was now in Imam Hossein Sq. to the further east of Tehran while on the other end people had already gathered in Azadi Sq. The length of this street is about 6 kilometers. The estimate is about 2 million people. On the way, we passed a police department and a militia (Baseej) base. In both places, the doors were closed and we could see fully-armed riot police and militia watching the people from behind the fences. Near Sharif University of Technology where the students had chased away Ahmadinejad a few days ago, Mirhossein Mousavi (the reformist elect president) and Karrubi (the other reformist candidate spoke to people for a few minutes which was received by cries of praise and applause. I felt proud to find myself among such a huge number of passionate people who were showing the most reasonable act of protest. Frankly, I didn't expect such a political maturity from emotional Iranians who easily get excited. My family and I had put stickers on our mouths to represent the suppression. Placards that people carried were different; from poems by the national poet Ahmad Shamlu to light-hearted slogans against Ahmadinejad. Examples include: " To slaughter us/ why did you need to invite us / to such an elegant party" (Poem by Shamlu). " Hello! Hello! 999? / Our votes were stolen" or " The Miracle of the Third Millenium: 2 x 2 = 24 millions" (alluding to the claim by Government that Ahmadinejad obtained 24 million votes) , "Where is my vote?" , " Give me back my vote" and many other.

We arrived in Azadi Square where the entire square was full of population. It is said that around 500,000 people can be accommodated in this huge square and it was full. Suddenly we saw smoke from Jenah Freeway and heard the gunshot. People were scared at first but then went forward. I just heard the gunshots but my sister who had been on the scene at that part told me later that she saw 4 militia came out from a house and shot a girl. Then they shot a young boy in his eye and the bullet came out of his ear. She said that 4 people were shot. At least one person dead has been confirmed. People arrested one of the Baseeji militia but the three others ran away when they ran out of bullet. At around 8 we went back on foot. On the way back people were still in the street and were chanting Allah Akbar (God is Great).

I was coming home at around 2 a.m. In parkway, I saw about ten buses full of armed riot police parked on the side of the street. Then I saw scattered militia in civil clothes with clubs in hand patroling the empty streets. In Tajrish Square, I saw a very young boy (around 16) with a club who was looking at the cars to see if he can find something to attack. I don't know how and under what teachings can young boys change into militia.

I came home. Tomorrow, people will gather again in Valiasr Square for another peaceful march toward the IRIB building which controls all the media and which spreads filthy lies. The day before Yesterday, Ahmadinejad had hold his victory ceremony. Government buses had transported all his supporters from nearby cities. There was full coverage of that ceremony where fruit juice and cake was plenty. A maximum of 100,000 had gathered to hear his speech. These included all the militia and the soldiers and all supporters he could gather by the use of free TV publicity. Today, at least 2 million came only relying on word of mouth while reformists have no newspaper, no radio, no TV. All their internet sites are filtered as well as social networks such as facebook. Text messaging and mobile communication was also cut off during the demonstration. Since yesterday, the Iranian TV was announcing that there is no license for any gathering and riot police will severely punish anybody who may demonstrates. Ahmadinejad called the opposition as a bunch of insignificant dirt who try to make the taste of victory bitter to the nation. He also called the western leaders as a bunch of "filthy homosexuals". All these disgusting remarks was today answered by that largest demonstration ever. Older people compared the demonstration of today with the Ashura Demonstration of 1979 which marks the downfall of the Shah regime and even said that it outnumbered that event.

The militia burnt a house themselves to find the excuse to commit violence. People neutralized their tactic to a large degree by their solidarity, their wisdom and their denial to enage in any violent act.

I feel sad for the loss of those young girls and boys. It is said that they also killed 3 students last night in their attack at Tehran University residence halls. I heard that a number of professors of Sharif University and AmirKabir University (Tehran Polytechnic) have resigned.

Democracy is a long way ahead. I may not be alive to see that day. With eyes full of tear in these early hours of Tuesday 16th June 2009, I glorify the courage and bravery of those martyrs and I hope that their blood will make every one of us more committed to freedom, to democracy and to human rights.

Viva Freedom, Viva Democracy, Viva Iran

The dark brought out the ghosts in Tehran - we will know tomorrow what damages they do in this very night.
"1000?s on balconys - tehran is alive with sound of freedom - marg bar dictator -"

BBC reports that the rally today is pretty big.

"Cries of Allahu Akbar starting accross the dorms again." (Kylie)

A statement from Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri (wikipedia)

"One of the bloggers whose Twitter feed we have been following reports that he has come back from the opposition rally in Tehran. He writes that he is worried about what members of the pro-government militia, the Basij, might be planning: ?demo today v\peaceful but it is going to change tonight - too many baseej.?" (The Lede - NY Times)

Except this ominous message from a reliable twitter

@persianwiki "unconfmd major incident at Azadi - shooting - fires - ppl running #Iranelection"

FloTom: RT from Iran: Conflict b/w people and special guards in Azadi sq. UNCONF: People have taken over Meghdad Basij station. #IranElection #GR88

Andrew Sullivan just got a bunch of fresh videos from today's protest.

Twitter has turned stupid in the past hour. The flow of new info has degraded significantly. There is barely anything coming out regarding the current demonstration at 5PM local time. Now it is filled with a bunch of retarded retweets.

"With so many updates at #iranelection, what relays (or proxies) were working and what were not became almost indiscernible. I started monitoring all the proxies and created a webpage that warehoused which were functioning and which were not. I asked people I had never met and never spoken to before to post @ me on Twitter any they knew of. And they did.

But that information was public. Anyone on Twitter could find it. Anyone could access the page I created. When the Guardian Council began monitoring tweets, other members of the community reported it and reported it to me. We had to adapt instantly to maintain the ability of the Iranian opposition to mobilize. Quickly, I set up a secure page. Instead of sending relays @ me publicly, I now asked for them to be sent via Direct Message (DM) or e-mail. They came in a flood.

My website has been attacked by Iran. My servers are melting. But individuals in the opposition are still able to use technology to mobilize each other. And the tech community around the world is still able to support them.

Now less than twenty-four hours later I am receiving over 2,000 simultaneous connections per second from Iran. When I wake up, I will have received over 300 e-mails from volunteers trying to contribute and lighting the path forward for a movement ? both new and old.

Americans ignored the subversion of their democracy. When a people, better than us, stand up to secure theirs, I could not, I would not, let them down. The revolution may not be televised, but it will be tweeted." ( Austin Heap )

(HP)

Apologies to Larry the Cable Guy.

Waiting for reports to come...

@oxfordgirlPro Mousavi rally moved out of Vali Asr and will gather at Vanak sq to avoid clash with Ahmadi rally.

"There were other unexpected attendants in the crowd: clerics from the holy city of Qom. A handful of the clerics had come to show their support and spoke to the crowd. The audio file of their speech was being passed around via Bluetooth at a rapid fire rate among protestors. "We are bringing you a message from the marja [senior clerics] of Qom," one said. "Without exaggeration, all the marja of Qom are against the current situation. The only person who � the marja have accepted is Mir Hussein [Moussavi]. For the past two nights, Ahmadinejad has tried to see the [senior clerics] and they have refused." The crowd roared their approval. A local Tehran cleric, sporting a white turban and black robe, was also getting the rock star treatment in another part of the crowd. Protestors constantly thanked him and snapped cell phone pictures with him." (Newsweek)

"Yeah, apparently the strike has been a bit of a no-show.

There's tension building about the rally tonight though. Pro-Dinner Jacket guys were scheduled to gather at 3pm at ValiAsr Sq, fully aware that there's a pro-Mousavi rally scheduled there for 5pm.

Not looking forward to the fall out."(Kylie)

or uneven

"10:38 am: Twitter feeds from Tehran are reporting that today?s worker strike went according to plan, with most offices in Tehran deserted." (NIAC)

Enjoy.

@ruthamos
RT Send emails to news stations telling them not to post people's USERNAMERS on TV! This is crucial! #iranelection

Another blog tracking the Iranian development and I think this one speaks Farsi. Uskowi also speaks Farsi. This Commentary Magazine blog is also a good source (writing from Lebanon).

"A country not known for its transparent practices in business, politics and many other areas, Indonesia is pressing ahead in its long-running anticorruption drive by opening up cashier-free ?honesty cafes? across the archipelago." (NY Times)

http://gr88.tumblr.com/ This great tumblr blog outlines first aid steps to take in case of emergency.

Labels: music

http://unite.opera.com/

You can stay neutral but protect the people. Roll up the tanks on the major roads and have the soldiers stand guard all day all night. Go guard Tehran University and its dormitories.

It's nice there currently in Russia. He should ask for asylum.

Russia has an excellent samovar for tea, which Iranian seems to have as well.



(Wikipedia)

But it is weird for a President to leave a country when it is in turmoil and millions are demonstrating against your fraud election.

Maybe something in the works here. Russia gets to keep him and in exchange Iran gives Russia some free discount on gas.

(Mossavi 1388 Flickr)

"The sun was setting as I waited with my Iranian colleague in front of a local municipal office while my partner went to get our car, parked miles away. For much of the day, a seemingly endless crowd had covered a six-mile stretch of Revolution Road in downtown Tehran, marching peacefully as security forces stood by silently.

The demonstrators had come from all corners of the city and various backgrounds -- religious and secular -- to protest election results that they believe were rigged. For months many of them had campaigned night and day for Mir Hossein Mousavi, a candidate who had challenged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, promising to deliver a moderate reformed Iran." (WSJ)

• Not every gun shot heard and reported by twitter is directed at people. It is completely possible that its a warning shot to disperse crowd (shooting to the air). We saw this tactic on the street of Jakarta as well.
• Not every videos are actually videos of this current event in the past 3-4 days. The same applies for pictures.

More excellent writing from Laura Secor, a veteran of Iranian elections (she was on the ground in 07, 05, etc)

Follow this brief instruction on how to set it up with on a windows machine, or macosx machine or a linux machine.

If you dont' have a server (most people don't), you can set up a VPS account with provider such as godaddy.com or serverbeach.com. It costs ranging from 40 dollars to 150 dollars a month. For a proxy, you don't need powerful server. A cheap server account will do. You can google "VPS provider" or "VPS account" and check the price you like.

A proxy is critical for the Iranian bloggers/Internet users because that is the only way they can access twitter, facebook or other means of communication. The government has crackdown on web access and filtering many sites.

Ideally we'll have VPS providers and amazon.com (they sell virtual servers) providing Iranian proxy friendly set up already so people can just purchase and don't have to go through these technical steps.

I thought this recap was useful, in case you don't want to read through all of the nl posts (Coming from Fark.com care of user Tatsuma):

I wrote yesterday about looking for signs of parents joining their children in the protests. I stated that it would be an important marker and sign that the movement has become widespread and receives mainstream support.

I think it is clear today that the massive protests in Tehran (and other cities in Iran) have proven that indeed the parents are joining the students.

The body that lie on the pavement belong to a 40-50 year old guy. Most likely he has a wife and children and there's a good possibility he was part of the conscripted soldiers in Iraq-Iran war. More like him are in the movement. The reckless young have been joined by their fathers and mothers.

As I state previously, as long as the Army remains neutral and does not declare war on its own people, we will see Dinner Jacket out of power before the month ends. A police force or militant thugs cannot contain a massive number angry mass. There is not enough bullets to stop a moving mass intending to kill you. They have fear too. Because you will run out of bullet and you will have to reload and this angry mob will kill you by tearing you apart by their hands.

An army force is on another level against an unarmed mass of civilians. They have artillery and tanks, which more than just mere rifles and guns, has the ability to destroy a massive number of people.

But I don't think they will get that far.

They are trying right now to do raids every night, beat and torture a couple of students and beat and shoot protesters on the street. It worked before in 2007 and in the years before that - but that was just the reckless youngs - now the old are closing ranks and their combined force will bring down this pathetic fucker from power.

Boston.com Big Picture (high quality shots from Tehran)

The body of a shot protester lie on the street of Tehran today. Picture from TPM.

"The problem with shooting protesters in Iran is that there will be a funeral, which will be another occasion for protest; and then a memorial service (more protest) and then a 40-day memorial (more protest). If more protesters are shot at these commemorations of the fallen, there will be memorials and protests around them, too. This thing could grow." (Juan Cole)

Devrim and Gulajahan are expecting the spawn of Devrim to be released to the world anytime soon now. Today is the due date.

Follow Kylie at http://kylie.nomadlife.org. Apparently the shots are coming up again. This time she could hear it (the initial incidents were far from her location)

(twitpic)

@persiankiwi: confirmed there is shooting in Azadi sq. protesters wounded and shot, no numbers yet, still hearing gunfire. #Iranelection

@habibsaher: murder at Azadi square, they are shooting at people, 3 dead, please help! #IranElection

@zahrahb: PressTV confirmed gunfire in azadi sq. #iranelection

BBC just confirmed it. AP as well.

It looks like though that the shooting is still limited and sporadic. We have not seen any reports indicating concerted effort to kill mass number of protesters.

Who would have thought that Iranian emerges as a staunch defender of democracy.

Tehran is a city of 686 km(sq) - that's pretty big. So for all the noises and demonstration happening in some part of the city, most of the daily activities in the city should function as usual. It is not a war zone.

(twitpic) (Kylie)

more pictures on 25khordad

(BBC)

and this is a link to Google Map.

And people have been requesting proxy addresses to upload videos. Floods of proxy servers number are being distributed on tweeter right now. With good luck, I think soon will see some grainy videos taken by cell phone directly from the protests.

If you have the time, please join me in live blogging the Iranian protests. Send me email at dody@nomadlife.org and I'll send you the invite.

Otherwise, send a mail to dodyg.nomadlife@blogger.com. It will automatically post to this main blog. Don't forget to put your tag name inside the content because this account publishes under my name.

The planned massive protest in 20 Iranian cities is about to start - just in time for the West to wake up."The march has started - I can hear massive noise and car horns coming from Enghlab Square." Kylie

"I've been given firm orders not go near Enghlab Sq, but I can hear lots of noise, car horns etc coming from there." (Kylie)

from Curious Animals

She's doing frequent updates today live from Tehran at http://kylie.nomadlife.org

I am taking a couple hours of work to configure nomadlife so we can handle the live blogging of the Iranian march due in 6 hours. So you will see different layout, etc. We will return to present form after all these madness are over.

Peaceful march today from Enghaleb Square to Azadi at 4pm.

Remember than Tehran is UTC/GMT +4:30 hours

As you know, there is AIESEC in Iran and their MC is in Tehran. I got confirmation that everybody is OK for now.

I have been looking for a sign that the youth protests and mass demonstration have been joined by their parents. This was the turning point in our experience when the mass demonstration by university students in Indonesia became a torrent of force fueled by widespread support in the society, when parents, the always conservative part of a society, shed their reluctant to create trouble and join their children on the street. We overthrew at 35 year ruler back then.

Ahmed Dinner Jacket is a much smaller target.

And it looks likes the signs are arriving.

"People have left their houses? doors unlocked for demonstrators to have a safe haven to escape when the riot police attacks them. The solidarity and unity of the people is amazing." (NIAC)

"Reza Shoja, The Media Line's correspondent in Tehran, reported widespread demonstrations throughout the city. "Parents were throwing bricks with their children," Shoja said. "Lots of government banks and buildings were torched and another night of violence is expected." (Media Line)

And like in Islamic Revolution 1979, people are shouting 'God is Great' from their rooftops and apartments.



And tomorrow they will all march in 19 cities. Bullets will most likely fly and the blood of the innocents shed on the streets. May tomorrow be a turning point? It's hard to tell but every confrontation with the regime will open new dynamics in this completely unstable situation.

If the army stays neutral, as what has been suggested, I bet the Dinner Jacket regime will fall before this month is out.

http://iran.twazzup.com/

"In the days before the vote, my Iranian contacts breathlessly compared the atmosphere in Iran to that of 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution. In the last twenty-four hours, the unavoidable analogy has become 1989. The big question is where we are: Wenceslas Square or Tiananmen." (New Yorker)

http://twitter.com/alirezasha

"I woke up this morning to find piles of burning rubbish spaced out between the dormitory buildings. I thought ?woah, the girls must have been angry last night?. Then I walked through the guard room and onto the street." (kylie.nomadlife.org)




"The street we are on has been closed to traffic, and there will soon be a march. Again, I?ve been told to stay in my room tonight, as my dorm is also on this street. It is widely expected that the protests will be worse than yesterday."(Kyle on Sunday)

Take care and Godspeed.

Labels: Iran

This picture symbolizes what's happening in Iran right now. That's Lady Liberty right there.

Labels: Iran

""My next door neighbor is an Iranian immigrant who came here in 1977. He just received a SAT phone call from his brother in Tehran who reports that the rooftops of nighttime Tehran are filled with people shouting 'Allah O Akbar' in protest of the government and election results. The last time he remembers this happening is in 1979 during the Revolution. Says the sound of tens of thousands on the rooftops is deafening right now." " (via Andrew Sullivan)


"Everyone here is shocked, but not surprised. It's like we all knew that no matter how we voted, it would end this way.

There is heated discussion in the office, rapid Farsi that I don't understand but don't have to.

There are whispers of a 'green revoution'.

Yesterday, all SMS services were blocked here. Today, BBC website among others is also blocked. God forbid Iranians actually know what's going on in their own country.

It's hard to tell what will happen next." (kyle.nomadlife.org)
"In neighborhoods across north and central Tehran, shouts of "Death to dictator!" fill the air, mostly in female voices, coming from house windows. There are also shouts of "Allah-o Akbar!" ? reminiscent of the revolution ? on the urging of a communique from Mousavi's office." (Time)


"In an interview, Mr. Mohsen Makhbalbaf, the distinguish movie director and spokesman for Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi, has declared that there has been a coup in Iran whereby the elections have been rigged, and people?s vote have been altered on a vast scale, in order to declare President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the ?victor.?

According to Mr. Makhbalbaf, in the early hours after voting had ended, the Interior Ministry had called Mr. Mousavi?s campaign headquarters to inform them that Mr. Mousavi would be the winner and, therefore, Mr. Mousavi must prepare a victory statement. Mr. Mousavi was, however, asked by the Ministry not to boast too much, in order not to upset Mr. Ahmadinejad?s supporters. Many of the president?s supporters are among the ranks of the Basij militia, and thus armed.

According to Mr. Makhbalbaf, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was also informed of the developments. He also recommended a ?good management? of the victory statement, meaning not boasting greatly about the victory, because that would be in Iran?s national interests and stability.

At the same time, the reformist newspapers were also informed that they can prepare their Saturday edition to declare Mr. Mousavi the winner, but were not allowed to use the word pirouzi (victory) in their articles, in order not to upset Mr. Ahmadinejad?s supporters. One reformist newspaper prepared its front page with the title, ?People took back the flag of their country [from Mr. Ahmadinejad].?

But, just a few hours later, a center that had been set up by Mr. Mousavi in Gheytarieh (in northern Tehran) for monitoring the election and vote counting, was attacked by armed security agents. They ransacked the center, destroyed computers, and attacked the staff. Supporters of Mr. Mousavi intervened and arrested 8 security agents. The police was called to take them to prison, but the police released the attackers." (Tehran Bureau)

Labels: Iran

Nico Pitney is blogging from HP has more details.
"Through Facebook we have received news that Mir Hossein
Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Gholamhossein Karbaschi are under house arrest."(NIAC)

Labels: Iran

http://www.opera.com/freedom/

It looks like the protest is limited to a district in Tehran.







Oh no,
?Association of Combatant Clerics has announced we must cancel this election?s results and hold a new election?"


(An approximation on a Combatant Cleric - a scholar and a warrior )

Labels: Iran

Daylife
Speaking with her hands at the trial yesterday.

The New York Times writer took another crack on the case after yesterday's article. There's pretty much a cottage industry being built around this case. Amazing.

"Amanda Knox took the witness stand Friday in the trial in which she is accused of killing her roommate in Perugia, Italy, Meredith Kercher. After nearly a year and half of being painted as a wild party girl, it will be intriguing to see how the European press treats her first appearances in court. Judging by the comments posted in response to my piece on the case, many people have a very harsh view of her, and there?s a racial component, which I?m not sure I understand." (NY Times)

Labels: italy

"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a substantial lead in Iran's presidential election with about 77% of votes counted, officials say.

(NYTimes)

Reads: "Even I (the mayor pictured) drink the Mayor's water...tap water produces neither refuse nor packaging, costs one euro per 1,000 liters, is good, safe, inspected every day and is delivered directly to all homes."

"at polling station in Tehran on June 12, 2009" Daylife

...And kept the world in balance.



The amazing story of Bertie Broda reads like a John le Carr� novel: it is a tale of espionage and counter-espionage, elaborate spycraft, love and deception. But, above all, it is the story of a double-life, filling in one of the last pieces in the complex jigsaw of Cold War espionage. Broda was the KGB?s prize spy: from the Cavendish Laboratories at the University of Cambridge, he provided Soviet spy chiefs with a stream of Britain?s nuclear secrets, including the blueprint for the early nuclear reactor used in the US Manhattan Project. Agent ?Eric?s? secrets enabled the Soviet Union to catch up in the race to build the bomb and set the stage for the nuclear standoff that followed. The most remarkable thing about the scientist-spy was his ability to evade detection: he died in 1983, a celebrated professor of science at the University of Vienna. (Times)

Stocks of wild fish are collapsing rapidly. What should an eater do? Eat more squid!

"In fact, farm-raised fin fish are really the cage-raised chickens of the sea: in many instances wild fish are harvested to produce feed for farmed fish (nearly 90 percent of the world?s fish oil goes into fish food), and it takes three pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farmed salmon (other farmed species require even more). Aquaculture is also a local pollutant and a major consumer of antibiotics, and it has long been thought that escaped farmed fish will interbreed with and weaken wild fish."
(link)

AIPAC vs JStreet
She is our Indonesian lobby in Washington

"Barack Obama hugs his younger half sister Maya at his high school graduation. (Photo courtesy of Maya Soetoro-Ng / March 23, 2007)"

(Global Post)

A protest in Kiev against Sex Tourism in Ukraine. The only thing is using a scantily clad woman is not exactly making the point. It's a wrong visual.

Cairo got the 121 rank
Economist

putting refills from an expensive pen into a cheap surrogate body. (link) i tried it and it works!

FP is putting out a photograph series about sulfur mining in Kawah Ijen, an acid lake in a crater in Indonesia. Boston.com though has a much better high resolution photographs.

It is also breathtakingly beautiful (and deadly). The lake is so acidic that it pretty much dissolves anything.

Labels: Indonesia

"A suicide bomb attack on a luxury hotel in the north-west Pakistani city of Peshawar, has killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more.

Reports say gunmen stormed the outer security barrier at the Pearl Continental Hotel before blowing up a vehicle in the car park.

Scenes of panic ensued. Casualties are thought to include several foreigners.

A series of bombs have hit cities including Peshawar since a government crackdown on Taliban militants. "
(BBC)

Dammit. Stay safe folks.

"The Pakistani military is supporting the militia, or "lashkar," in Upper Dir district on the request of local officials and tribal elders, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told CNN.

Outraged over a suicide attack on a local mosque during Friday prayers, about 400 residents formed the militia early Saturday and began battling Taliban militants. The attack on the anti-Taliban mosque killed at least 40 people and wounded 80 others."(CNN)

And a note of advice to Taliban, if you fashion yourself as students of Islam, it is not a good idea to attack a mosque, especially when people are having Friday prayers.

"Obama was raised by white people
That's why he pursued and married Michelle. He was not hostile to black women, or color-struck.

If he was raised by blacks, he'd share the contempt they all have for black women. Examples are most of the comments in this forum....

The truth of the matter is that black women should look at men of regardless of race. They need to focus and concentrate on a man's character, not his complexion."(Betty Chambers - A commenter on theroot.com)

It was a response to an article written by a woman titled "What Single Women Can Learn From Michelle

"The Run Well training tool helps you get ready for race day with customized training plans, and helps you track your progress. Some of the country's top running coaches have helped develop programs that will work for runners of any level." (NY Times)

Labels: health

http://www.therevolution-revolution.com/

"Airway management is also a nightmare. There is so much redundant flesh that you can't see your internal landmarks, and the floppy tissue inside the throat collapses the airway the moment the patient is relaxed enough for intubation. And the trachea is buried deep in case you need to pursue a surgical airway, which is further complicated by the "no neck" phenomenon. I remember a 700-pounder who needed airway management; I watched as an ER doc, an anesthesiologist, and a surgeon stood at the head of the bed and politely argued over who would have to try first. I've good success in actually getting those airways, but it's always terrifying." (allbleedingsstop)

The UN launches University of the People.I bet the same committee that did the London Olympic Logo came up with the name

"
Mirek Topolanek, the eccentric former Czech prime minister, is no stranger to problems with photographers. Last year he punched a Czech cameraman who took a picture of his sleeping baby. But this weekend he has found himself in an almost impossible struggle to protect his dignity, after being shown naked and in a state of arousal next to Silvio Berlusconi's swimming pool.

..
The Czech media had recognised his white rubber wristband - a sign of support for the anti-Castro movement in Cuba - given to Topolanek by George W Bush during a visit to the United States last year. "It is me in the photograph," Topolanek said. "But it has been modified. The picture is not authentic. This is absolutely insolent interference in my privacy. Besides, there is nothing wrong or compromising. It was a private holiday in closed premises, not outside on a beach."" (The Guardian)

"The presidential campaign, now in its final week, has reached a level of passion and acrimony almost unheard-of in Iran.

In part, that appears to be because of a surge of energy in the campaign of Mir Hussein Moussavi, a reformist who is the leading contender to defeat Mr. Ahmadinejad in the election, set for Friday. Rallies for Mr. Moussavi have drawn tens of thousands of people in recent days, and a new unofficial poll suggests his support has markedly increased, with 54 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him compared with 39 percent for Mr. Ahmadinejad." (NY Times)

The main contenders


Ahmed Dinner Jacket, the current President of Iran and a Holocaust denier.

Mir Hossein Moussavi, current President of Iranian Academy of Arts.


"Supporters of former Prime Minister and Iran's upcoming presidential election candidate Mirhossein Mousavi wear green scarves, Mousavi's campaign colour, as one of them flashes a victory sign in north western Tehran, June 7, 2009." (Daylife)
Cool picture, but versace?

This is their famous debate a couple of days ago.



(English translation)

"Lebanese supporters of the Christian Phalangist and Lebanese Forces parties celebrate their victory in the central city of Zahleh on June 8, 2009."
(Daylife)

Check out the standard table here, categorized by age.

The battle of compact and cheap ass computer has just begun.

"Men who have fled the fighting in the Swat valley between the Pakistani military and the Taliban have little to cheer them.

"Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling in straight sets to win his first French Open and equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
World number two Federer becomes only the sixth man to have won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments." (BBC)

http://www.elpais.com/fotogaleria/imagenes/censuradas/Berlusconi/6527-1/elpgal/

I don't think you need good Spanish to know what the link points to.

Read it here for free - thanks to Project Gutenberg Australia.

"So all these things are going to take time. But this is why I say America can't -- we cannot do this for the parties. I mean, I do think that sometimes there is a schizophrenic view in the Middle East of America. On the one hand, everybody wants America to stop meddling, don't interfere, don't be imperialist. And then, on the other hand, when is America going to solve the Palestinian crisis? Why haven't they done this? Why haven't they created democracy and human rights in -- throughout the Muslim world? Well, you can't have it both ways, right? We can't, on the one hand, be the respectful partner who's listening to other countries, and on the other hand you expect us to solve every problem, and nobody else makes an effort. And part of what I've tried to do today is to instead say, we will be a partner, we will work with you, but everybody is going to have to carry their own weight on this thing." (whitehouse.gov)

"Q Mr. President, why have you chosen -- why did you choose Cairo as the venue for the speech? Because the Arab population, after all, make up only about 20 percent of the Muslim population, and Indonesia --

THE PRESIDENT: I should have gone to Kuala Lumpur. (Laughter.)

Q Or Indonesia, which is the biggest country. And also -- I mean, the expectations on you are really, really high doing something to heal the rift. Do you find that a burden at all? And what would be your yardstick of success in mending ties in your first year -- first term of office?

THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Well, I thought it was important to come to Cairo because I think, if we're honest, the greatest tension when it comes to the relationship between the Muslim world and the United States in recent years has centered around the Middle East. In some ways, going to Indonesia would almost be cheating -- (laughter) -- because I would have a home court advantage. Not only am I personally close to the culture and have a sister who's half Indonesian, but I think that, frankly, the relationship between the United States and Indonesia has generally been strong. It was weakened for a time immediately after the Iraqi invasion, but generally speaking, there have been strong lines of communication.

"Its fabulously wealthy owner is unknown, but names linked to the plane include Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, owner of the Savoy Hotel. It is being designed to order by the Worcestershire-based firm Design Q.

In a space normally given to 600 passengers, the owner and his guests will enjoy five-star treatment from the moment of arrival." (Daily Mail)

"Vaillant?s other main interest is the power of relationships. ?It is social aptitude,? he writes, ?not intellectual brilliance or parental social class, that leads to successful aging.? Warm connections are necessary?and if not found in a mother or father, they can come from siblings, uncles, friends, mentors. The men?s relationships at age 47, he found, predicted late-life adjustment better than any other variable, except defenses. Good sibling relationships seem especially powerful: 93 percent of the men who were thriving at age 65 had been close to a brother or sister when younger. In an interview in the March 2008 newsletter to the Grant Study subjects, Vaillant was asked, ?What have you learned from the Grant Study men?? Vaillant?s response: ?That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.?" (The Atlantic)

"Congo's $9,000,000,000 mineral deal with China is holding up agreement with the International Monetary Fund on reducing its external debt. " (VOA)
I mean, what the fuck. This is also part of the broader trend of rising cases of rape in Eastern Congo.

Pakistan's dawn.com is a good source to keep track of what's going on with the battle of the Swat valley and the predicament of the refugees.

"The day he died was one of the darkest in my life. He became sick, weak, and I was there. I was there when he suffered. I was there when he asked for help, for water. I was there to receive his last words. But I was not there when he called for me, although we were in the same block; he on the upper bed and I on the lower bed. He called my name, and I was too afraid to move. All of us were. And then he died. I was there, but I was not there." (Elie Wiesel)

Yeah, I'm watching him as well, he's a great blackman.
Czech Republic

Forbes' annual ranking of the world's ultra famous "Celebrity 100" Report was just released.
Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna and Beyonce top the list. Obama is the first current US president to be on the list, he got the 49th rank.

But the devil is in the details. Health reform will fail unless we get serious cost control ? and we won?t get that kind of control unless we fundamentally change the way the insurance industry, in particular, behaves. So let me offer Congress two pieces of advice:

1) Don?t trust the insurance industry.

2) Don?t trust the insurance industry.

Paul Krugman

There have been chatters on the interweb about the link of the holocaust with the founding of the state of Israel. The argument was "well, Arabs didn't do it, why do the Palestinians have to lose their land?". That is correct but unfortunately not relevant. It is unfair that 700,000 Palestinians were driven by terror and some violence from their land but that is on par with any founding of the nations.

R.I.P David Carradine (he committed suicide in Thailand yesterday)

I set the home page to display only one day posts, since yesterday's live blogging contains a lot of pictures making the site slow to load. We will resume multiple days display on this blog soon.

An unnamed spokesperson for Danger Mouse says that "due to an ongoing dispute with EMI" the book of photographs will "now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'" While offering no specifics, EMI has acknowledged the legal dispute with Danger Mouse and released a statement saying, "Danger Mouse is a brilliant, talented artist for whom we have enormous respect. We continue to make every effort to resolve this situation and we are talking to Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) directly. Meanwhile, we need to reserve our rights."

You can order the book, sans music, from the official Dark Night Of The Soul Web site. In the meantime, you can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an Exclusive First Listen. (NPR)

15.45 PM. Obama's convoy leaving the university. He spend more than an hour after the speech, presumably having Q&A session. The traffic in the square is now back to its jam packed self. The security agent left the office as well. All is clear. Mabrouk Cairo for hosting such a fine event. That's all, thank you for participating.

15.40 PM. Obama's convoy just left. We have PICTURES !!! :) Soon.

14.39 PM. That's all folks. It's been interesting and tense as well. Now we have to get back to work. Traffic is starting to flow in the square again.

02.11 PM. The speech was just completed. Wow, I think it's an amazing speech. Alright, the square activity started again (car being blocked, etc). That means he's leaving the university pretty soon.

Part 1 is here

10.51 AM. This ambulance just past the square siren all blaring. Those dudes where checking a passing taxi just moments ago.



10.40 Photo of Obama arriving to Cairo Airport (Al Jazeera)

10.35 AM. Tum tidum. There is nothing to see here. Traffic is still on.
10.06 AM. If you look hard, you might see a sniper or two at the top of the dome.
9.49 AM. The security forces briefing.

9.49 AM. The security forces start to assemble in four corners of the square. The black uniform is normal Egypt police uniform but I guess these guys are elite ones. Normal police on the street just don't look this fit. Good luck guys.

Cairo University, the location of the speech, 9.30 AM

The US State of New Hampshire just legalize Gay Marriage. Congrats.

A lot of firms are giving vacations tomorrow in Cairo because of the traffic blockade thanks to Obama's visit. His popularity is rising by the hour :)

The National Development and Reform Commission, China?s top economic planning agency, reports that about 40 percent of China?s $586 billion stimulus package has been allocated to green business and infrastructure, including environmental protection, transportation and power grids.

...

In terms of pure monetary value, however, the roughly $221.3 billion green stimulus package is the largest in the world.

The American Congress, by comparison, approved roughly $112 billion worth of green initiatives as part of its $787 billion stimulus bill.

Check this video about the Natal project Rafa wrote yesterday. Freaking amazing.

"The evident anointing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son as heir apparent is cause for both alarm and relief among those searching for signs of change among the North's ruling elite.

It's just as easy for Pyongyang-watchers to be pessimistic or optimistic in analyzing a puzzle about which no one has any first-hand knowledge. " (atimes)

Microsoft has announced a motion controller which reconigses your hand gestures, your facial expressions and your tone of voice, and you can use it all to control the games.�It might be a technology in its infancy and it will take some time for it to be ready for mass usage, nevertheless I think it's an amazing step forward and one that will open many opportunities in the near future.

Labels: game, news, technology

http://blog.sleepinginairports.com/


LAX

Conservatives Warn Quick Sex Change Only Barrier Between Gays, Marriage

"The decision of whether to build, and how much, goes to the heart of the tensions between the administrations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Obama, an unaccustomed and no-budge conflict between Israel and the United States. Washington is standing firm against any additional settlement construction in the West Bank, including what Israel argues is necessary to accommodate what it terms ?natural growth.?" (NY Times)

"read your piece on the Hama solution... I was in Syria in 2007 and dropped by Hama to have a look around... no one would really talk about it (given I had very very basic Arabic) but the main consensus was that in 1982 there was a 'big problem'... the only thing I could see was a clutch of 1980s/Soviet style housing constructed in one particular part of the city... apart from that the place was a chilled out river side town... check out the water wheels - the main feature of the town. http://www.angelfire.com/journal/millbuilder/album5.html"

This is the best place to keep track of it, in a forum of professional and amateur aviators.

"Sounds like a fantasy, but Santa Fe-based architect Edward Mazria has done the math, and his "14x" plan, which he calculates will generate $14 in private spending for every stimulus buck spent, is creating major buzz in city halls and statehouses across the country." (Mother Jones)

and when finally this baby is out for production,



Tata will challenge the throne.