Thursday, August 26, 2010

History

German internment camps in World War II

I was surprised to learn several years ago that not only were Japanese interned in the US, but German-Americans and Italians were also put into camps. Some were immigrants, but others were American citizens! It is an injustice that no one seems to acknowledge this fact, and few know about it, like a piece of history swept under the rug and forgotten.
This is an interesting site with first-hand accounts:

http://www.foitimes.com/

I have a special interest in it because my ancestry is German. I also live not far from Fort McCoy, WI, where some Germans were interned during World War II.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Reform

This, I believe, and have for some time, is the best way to reform Middle Eastern governments, through movements from the people within, not from pressure by Western governments who don't understand the internal dynamics of a country. We should support pro-democracy movements like this (though in most cases not overtly except verbally and over the internet). When the people realize that democracy is a much better alternative than the authoritarian governments they have, they will reform countries like Iran organically, from within, instead of artificially, from without, a much better prospect.

SOURCE: http://www.straight.com/article-329966/vancouver/one-year-after-iran-election-fraud-western-governments-still-miss-point
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One year after Iran election fraud, western governments still miss the point

By Setareh Danesh

Last week marked the first anniversary of the fraudulent Iranian elections on June 12, 2009, and the shaping of what has come to be known as the Green Movement. This time last year, the world was watching brave acts of nonviolent resistance, and suppression which no word is violent enough to describe.

On June 13, 2009, tens of thousands of protesters poured onto the streets asking “Where is my vote?” On June 14, plainclothes militia, the Basij, attacked the University of Tehran, Isfehan, and Shiraz dormitories, murdering at least five students. June 15 was a day of silent demonstration for three million people in Tehran, which ended with the Basij opening fire on protesters from the rooftop of a mosque.

On June 16, the staff of a nearby hospital protested against the number of deaths by bullet wounds and the fact that the injured and the bodies of the dead were being forcefully removed from the hospital. The demonstrations continued in the days following until the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, held Tehran’s Friday prayers on June 19, threatening people with further bloodshed. Sure enough, on June 20, we not only witnessed more protests, but the painful death of a 27-year-old student, Neda Agha-Soltan, as she stared at the cellphone camera recording her, dying with her eyes open.

Despite the vicious crackdown that followed after, the Green Movement has been standing strong for a year now. The 70 percent of the Iranian demographic which is under the age of 30 has a strange ability to survive the arrests, tortures, and rapes through the world of information and technology. And this alone has caused enough structural blows to the Islamic Republic that the nuclear issue, at least in the past year, has been the least of its concerns.

And as usual, western governments, and the G8 and the UN Security Council, are missing the point. The sanctions on Iraq and Libya never worked and only caused humanitarian crises, and of course the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are still not working. However, it seems as if all political discussions on Iran are forever destined to be confined to the nuclear issue, leaving us with only two options: sanctions or war. Or, in other words, to kill civilian populations slowly through starvation, or promptly with bombs.

If there is one entity that can prevent the Iranian government from producing nuclear weapons, it is Iranian civil society. In a country where we are witnessing the region’s single most progressive student, worker, feminist, and environmentalist movements, now all active under the political umbrella of the Green Movement, the only object of fear for Khamenei and his puppet government is the Iranian people. And the best possible solution for them to steer out of their current crisis of legitimacy is for a military attack to be imposed on Iran, so that they can align the people against a foreign enemy, and silence all domestic dissidence under the label of treason.

After all, this is precisely what was done during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when western governments threatened by the Islamic revolution supported Iraq in the war and sanctioned Iran. This single-handedly intensified Ayatollah Khomeini’s domestic support as a result of wartime nationalism, which further allowed him to execute some 10,000 political dissidents, and guarantee the establishment’s power until at least another generation.

And today, we are the other generation. Last week, there were protests in over 90 cities around the world, including Vancouver and Victoria, in solidarity with the Iranian Green Movement. If western governments manage to not miss the point again, there are many opportunities for the world’s nations and states to support the Iranian people and allow the regime to deteriorate from within. But, if they do miss it, we shall soon be witness to a western-backed Israeli attack which will destroy Iranian civil society and crush all hopes for a democratic, non-nuclear Iran.

Setareh Danesh is a founding member of the Green Student Movement of Vancouver and the Students for Iranian Green Movement Association of Victoria. She is writing under a pseudonym to avoid being arrested while visiting Iran.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

बप टीएस तो Iran

Well, this is interesting.

BP should reduce its ties to Iran, if that's possible. Or, as Dubowitz says in the article, "If Washington doesn't close this loophole, Iran could soon be a partner in energy projects off our own shores."

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http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996921,00.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fnation+%28TIME%3A+Top+Nation+Stories%29
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Like most of the major Western oil companies, British Petroleum has cut back its ties with Iran as international sanctions against the Islamic Republic have mounted in response to its nuclear program. BP several years ago halted investments larger than $20 million into Iran's energy infrastructure, remaining below the threshold for penalties set by the 1995 Iran Sanctions Act. And in the second half of 2009, the company halted the sale of refined petroleum products to Iran, which Tehran needs because of its limited domestic refining capacity.

But BP remains one of the most active major western oil companies engaged in joint-venture energy projects with the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum outside of Iran. In the last five years, BP has begun extracting around 4 million cubic meters per day of natural gas from a field in Britain's North Sea in a 50-50 joint venture with Iran, worth $1 million a day at June 15, 2010 spot prices. And BP operates one of the world's largest gas fields in Azerbaijan in a joint venture with Iran and other foreign oil companies, producing 8 billion cubic meters of gas per year, worth up to a reported $2.4 billion per year. (See TIME's video "Oil Spill Anxiety on the Bayou.")

The Iranian entity with which BP has partnered in these ventures is the Swiss-based NaftIran, a key player in Iran's energy sector and a major strategic asset for the country, according to U.S. officials, western intelligence agencies and outside analysts. "[NaftIran] is a big story for us," says one U.S. official who tracks Iranian strategic interests. NaftIran buys the vast majority of Iran's petroleum imports, the officials say, and it is "heavily funded" by the central government in Iran. U.S. officials believe some of the company's investment decisions are made by Iran's parliament, and that they are guided by diplomatic as well as business objectives — such as building influence with partners to weaken Western pressure on Iran.

From 2005 to 2008, NaftIran's revenue increased by 50%, from $14.7 billion to $21.9 billion, while its net income rose from $129 million to $134 million, according to its website. Over that same period, NaftIran's two major ventures with BP have come online. After making an initial investment of $500 million in the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field, NaftIran began drawing 10% of the profit of the enterprise when it began producing gas in 2005. It now produces 8 billion cubic meters per year, according to Tamam Bayatly, communications manager for BP in Azerbaijan. BP owns 25.5% of the venture, as does Norway's StatOil, while Russia's Lukoil holds 10%, like NaftIran.

All participants in the joint venture have management say in investments and operations of the undertaking, according to Ms. Bayatly. The second phase of Shah Deniz, for which NaftIran expects to invest $1.7 billion, is scheduled to begin producing gas in 2016-17, and may produce as much as 16 billion cubic meters per year. See pictures of Iran's presidential elections and their turbulent aftermath.

In the North Sea, BP and NaftIran's subsidiary, the Iranian Oil Company, or IOC UK Ltd., are 50-50 joint partners in the Rhum gas field which produces approximately 4 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, roughly 1% of the UK's daily consumption, according to a BP source. That amounts to some $1 million of natural gas per day at June 15, 2010 spot prices, according to Jonathan Gupton, an energy economist with the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. The total value of IOC's projects in the North Sea amounts to $794 million, according to the NaftIran website. In both the North Sea and the Azerbaijan ventures, BP takes a fee for operating the fields, then a cut of the profits. BP declined to say how much it makes from its joint ventures with Iran. (Comment on this story.)NaftIran is also a shareholder in BP, holding 24,683,858 shares of the company, according to Bloomberg, worth approximately $775 million, and representing 0.8% of the company's common stock. An official at NaftIran, reached by phone in Lausanne, declined to comment for this article.

BP's history of cooperation with Iran long predates the Islamic Revolution, the company actually having been founded as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in the early 20th century. And its involvement with Iran's energy sector is hardly unique among among international oil companies. In addition to StatOil and Lukoil, German, French and Italian companies have joint ventures with Iran's Ministry of Petroleum. Iran has reached agreement with Spain's Gas Natural SDG S.A. to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Croatia, according to Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish think-tank that focuses on Iran's energy interests. "We've been able to identify a lot of projects, but to me it's the tip of the iceberg," Dubowitz says.

The breadth of Iran's efforts to expand joint ventures with foreign energy companies are a concern for U.S. officials hoping to isolate and weaken Tehran's leadership. "Energy is a major source of revenue for the Iranian regime which then gets comingled in their budget and provides support for everything the Iranian government does," says Juan Zarate, former top counterterrorism official at the National Security Council, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The Iranian budget has line items for support to direct anti-Americian activities, in some cases lethal anti-American activities."

As Congress prepares new U.S. sanctions legislation that would punish third-country companies doing business with Iran, some on Capitol Hill are considering whether to target companies involved in joint ventures. As they do, Congressional aides are weighing whether punishing such cooperation will enrage Western European or other countries, weakening the fragile anti-Iran coalition the U.S. has struggled to build over the last over the last 18 months. "The challenge here is that if you throw something in at the last minute you may have second order consequences that you haven't figured out," says one Congressional staffer involved in negotiating the legislation.

Some U.S. officials and Capitol Hill staffers downplay the significance of joint ventures such as those between BP and NaftIran: "In many ways [Iran's] at a very early stage of the game," says one U.S. official. But Dubowitz and others are pushing Congress to include Iranian joint ventures in the coming sanctions package. "If Washington doesn't close this loophole, Iran could soon be a partner in energy projects off our own shores," says Dubowitz.
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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Suppressing of #Iranelection not deliberate

So, Twitter did not do this deliberately against #Iranelection or anything (why would it?), but still, it kept the word from getting out in favor of "immediately popular" topics like World Cup and names I assume have to do with the World Cup.
That does not mean that previous topics are not relevant to today, however; a new surge in what was from the past could become "interesting" again. In the case of #Iranelection, it is more than just "interesting", it is vital for the Green movement in Iran, which relies on the Internet for communication. Perhaps they should create a new hashtag for it to become an "immediately popular" topic.

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About Trending Topics

Charles Jan 19
UPDATE: Recent Trending Topics Improvements

5/14/2010

Twitter is about what is happening right now, and we have recently updated our trending topics algorithm to reflect this. The new algorithm identifies topics that are immediately popular, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help people discover the "most breaking" news stories from across the world. (We had previously built in this 'emergent' algorithm for all local trends, described below.) We think that trending topics which capture the hottest emerging trends and topics of discussion on Twitter are the most interesting. While this is very much a work in progress, with this tweak we have taken a big step toward capturing how trends quickly emerge and grow on Twitter. We also think it's compelling to know what the "most popular" topics are, and we will look to capture this in some way in the future.

It is important to note that this new algorithm does not "block" any topics from trending. If topics you saw regularly in your Trending Topics menu have disappeared or are not showing as consistently as before, do a saved search for them on your homepage. That way, in one click, you can view search results for topics that matter most to you. Also consider localizing your Trending Topics menu, as shown below.

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If this is true....

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Get Rid of Censorship for #Iranelection

Thousands of people have been tweeting on #Iranelection since 12 June 2009. They are human rights activists, journalists, media and people from Iran who are living under a violent, fascist regime that imprisons, tortures and executes them for trying to exercise free speech, asking for democracy and equality, and their membership of political opposition groups. Indeed, the information posted on #iranelection has become vital for Iranians in danger, who are censored in their own country by a regime which limits internet, TV and other media access. #iranelection was at the forefront of changing the world's opinion of Twitter, leading the 'Twitter revolution' and showing that it can be used to further serious human rights issues. It is no exaggeration to say that lives have been saved because of communication between Twitter users in and outside Iran. In addition the media goes to #iranelection to collect information which it then relays to its stations and worldwide. Here is the problem: #iranelection, if Twitter is fair, has top 10 trended, and would continue to do so, nearly every day since 12 June 2009. This is how trending should work - the people decide which topics trend by working hard to contribute to the tag. During important protests, many thousands more tweets are posted on #iranelection, as we need communication to be effective, fast, and get backwards and forwards between Iran, the world and the media. On 12 June 2010, the anniversary of the disputed Iranian elections, the tag was moving so fast it needed several translators working for nearly 15 hours plus hundreds of contributors to document the protests occuring in real time. When we examined the trending topics, however, we saw that #iranelection was not trending. It was a surprise, so we checked it out. That day the top trending topics included FIFA World Cup and #worldcup as well as the oil crisis and some media stars. However, as we researched further we found that #iranelection WAS PRODUCING UP TO TEN TIMES THE AMOUNT OF TWEETS PER MINUTE THAN ANY OF THE OTHER SO-CALLED TOP TRENDING TOPICS!! When we investigated, we were told that Twitter had set up a 'new algorithm' which deselected established tags and allowed more 'immediately popular' topics to trend. Not only is that censorship (however it is done) and goes against the principle of 'if you tweet, you trend', it is also contradictory. How can something NOT be 'immediately popular' if it is producing up to 10 times the amount of tweets than the other tags??? More seriously, media go to Twitter to see what is trending. If #iranelection IS trending, but Twitter do not allow that to be seen, it is NOT an exaggeration to say that lives could be lost in Iran. If the media do not cover the event as they do not realise there are thousands of protesters on the streets risking their lives, and those protesters are not as protected by the attention of the media. In addition, many people spend thousands of hours volunteering to tweet on the tag or attend protest events worldwide, at great cost to them and their organisations in terms of time and resources. Some organisations also rely on publicity to obtain donations etc. We believe this censorship of #iranelection is totally unacceptable and needs to be removed immediately. It undermines the whole basis of Twitter's philosophy and, worse, can endanger people's lives. We hope you will all agree that this is relevant to ALL the hashtags on Twitter - it could be YOURS next! We would therefore appreciate it if you would please sign this petition in support of fairness, equity and of vulnerable people around the world who rely on #iranelection, as well as other tags which may be affected now, or in the future. Thank you.
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Sign twitition at: http://twitition.com/87qzt

Saturday, June 12, 2010

"Neda"

Iran opposition leader vows to continue struggle



By ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2010 7:02 am | 1 Comment



Iran's opposition leader pledged on Saturday to continue the struggle against the government, even though the mass protest on the anniversary of last June's disputed presidential election has been called off.

Mir Hossein Mousavi said the opposition will "continue our peaceful methods" to resist a government it decries as fraudulent. But the leader's subdued tone also reflected the movement's indecisiveness and powerlessness in the face of a violent government crackdown.

Mousavi and another top opposition figure, Mahdi Karroubi, on Thursday called off the plan to take to the streets on the anniversary of the June 12 balloting, citing fears of violence and concerns for the lives of the protesters.

The opposition says at least 80 protesters have died so far in street clashes between security forces and protesters in the post-election turmoil _ Iran's worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The authorities have put the figure at around 30.

Central Tehran streets were tense in the afternoon hours Saturday, as people left offices at the end of working hours. Saturday is the first day of the workweek in Iran. Hundreds of police were deployed on main junctions, but there were no signs of disturbances or public gatherings.

The government, which had warned that any unauthorized gatherings Saturday would be heavily confronted, said the extra deployments were part of regular maneuvers in Tehran.

Since last June 12, the opposition has claimed that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected through massive vote fraud and that Mousavi was the rightful winner. It rallied for months against the election results but was met by a heavy government crackdown.

Mousavi's statement Saturday said that while the opposition "may put off its presence in one arena," it will persevere through other ways _ a reference to staying away from street gatherings and attempting to find alternative ways for a political struggle.

The statement on Kaleme.com cited Mousavi as saying that spreading the truth about the nature of Iran's ruling establishment was the most potent weapon for the opposition now.

"We need to spread awareness, this is what they fear," Mousavi said. "This is their vulnerable point. If we can spread awareness, there will be a huge popular force behind the demand for change."

He urged Iranians to distribute films, photos, video clips and cell phone footage of what's really going on in the country.

"We have to expand social networks, websites, these are our best means," Mousavi added. "These work like an army. This is our army against their military force."

As with Mousavi's statement on Saturday, dozens of Web posts and proclamations against Ahmadinejad and the ruling system are issued each day _ but all they amount to is words against muscle.

The Iranian leaders appear to be far more secure on the anniversary of the election than during the tense weeks after the vote last June, when hundreds of thousands of protesters followed Mousavi through Tehran streets after allegations of massive ballot fraud to sink his Green Movement.

Now, Mousavi and Karroubi's backpedaling is likely to be interpreted as another win for the Islamic state and its key protectors, led by the Revolutionary Guard and its network of paramilitary units known as the basij.

But the past year has not been without moments of deep change for Iran _ a year ago, it would have been unthinkable to chant slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters in Iran. The chants are now common and have punched holes in the political firewall that once separated the theocracy from the people.

At the same time, Iran's rulers have retrenched and handed more control to the Revolutionary Guard, resulting in a far more aggressive hand at home and a less compromising attitude aboard _ including a hard line over Iran's nuclear program that brought a new fourth round of U.N. sanctions this week.

Source:http://lacrossetribune.com/news/world/middle-east/article_8114f35c-7d59-5f85-869b-fe080737046e.html

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"'We have to expand social networks, websites, these are our best means,' Mousavi added. 'These work like an army. This is our army against their military force.'

As with Mousavi's statement on Saturday, dozens of Web posts and proclamations against Ahmadinejad and the ruling system are issued each day _ but all they amount to is words against muscle." --Words can be powerful. The pen is mightier than the sword and has helped overthrow dictatorships.

"But the past year has not been without moments of deep change for Iran _ a year ago, it would have been unthinkable to chant slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters in Iran. The chants are now common and have punched holes in the political firewall that once separated the theocracy from the people." --Evidence it has done something. Iranians have made their Voice heard. One voice-one Neda- can change the world.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Sanctions against Iran
The article states, at the very end, that Ahmadenijad's supporters will use the sanctions as a "rallying cry". Does this mean that they will become strengthened through it? In this case, it might not be such a good move. And, unless I'm mistaken, sanctions usually hurt the people more than the actual regime--it depends on the situation. Still, some action must be taken to keep nuclear arms out of Iran. And I'm not sure what Iranians think (the people not the politicians). Especially the opposition.

Source: AP


Iran dismisses sanctions, but tried to avoid them


By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Writer – 23 mins ago

UNITED NATIONS – The U.S. and its allies scored a long-sought victory Wednesday by pushing through new U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear program, punishments Tehran dismissed as "annoying flies, like a used tissue."

The sanctions target Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles and nuclear-related investments. Oil exports, the lifeblood of Iran's economy, are not affected because targeting them would have cost the U.S. essential support from Russia and China.

President Barack Obama said the sanctions are the toughest Iran has ever faced. They required several months of difficult negotiations by the five veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council members — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — and non-member Germany. This is the fourth round of sanctions aimed at getting Iran into serious discussions on its nuclear ambitions.

"Actions do have consequences, and today the Iranian government will face some of those consequences," Obama said. He left the door open to diplomacy but said Iran "will find itself more isolated, less prosperous and less secure" unless it meets its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the new sanctions as "annoying flies, like a used tissue."

"We do not recognize sanctions," he said in Tajikistan, where he is on an official visit.

Tehran insists its program is peaceful and aimed at producing nuclear energy. The U.S. and its allies say Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons; they want Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and start negotiations aimed at ensuring that it uses nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes.

The new resolution bans Iran from pursuing "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons," bars Iranian investment in activities such as uranium mining and prohibits Iran from buying several categories of heavy weapons including attack helicopters and missiles. Iran, however, already has most of what it would need to make a weapon.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, warned that "choosing the option of confrontation will bring Iran's resolute response." He did not say what that is.

"The path of confrontation with the rights of nations is a dead-end road and will be costly and at the same time useless for those pursuing it," Iran's official news agency quoted Jalili as saying.

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee accused the United States, Britain and their allies of abusing the Security Council to attack Iran.

"No amount of pressure and mischief will be able to break our nation's determination to pursue and defend its legal and inalienable rights," Khazaee said. "Iran is one of the most powerful and stable countries in the region and never bowed — and will never bow — to the hostile actions and pressures by these few powers and will continue to defend its rights."

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice dismissed Khazaee's statement as "ridiculous" and "reprehensible" and declared that "these sanctions are as tough as they are smart and precise."

The resolution was approved by a vote of 12-2 with Lebanon abstaining and Brazil and Turkey voting "no." Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent council members, brokered a fuel-swap agreement with Iran that they offered as an alternative solution to concerns Tehran may be enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.

The sanctions put Iran in the unusual position of bashing key allies China and Russia. Both countries voted for the resolution and either could have vetoed it. Ahmadinejad warned Russian leaders last month "to correct themselves, and not let the Iranian nation consider them among its enemies."

In Moscow, the Itar-Tass news agency reported that Ahmadinejad will not take part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan beginning Thursday. The group was created in 2001 to address religious extremism and border security in Central Asia, and has grown into a bloc aimed at defying U.S. interests in the region.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to tour the World Expo in Shanghai this week, but is not expected to hold talks with senior Chinese leaders.

Iran holds more leverage over China, which needs Iran's oil and gas to feed its growing energy appetite, than it does over Russia, which has long provided important technology to Iran including building the country's first nuclear reactor. The facility is expected to begin electricity production this summer.

The Security Council imposed limited sanctions in December 2006 and has been ratcheting them up in hopes of pressuring Iran to suspend enrichment and start negotiations on its nuclear program. Iran has repeatedly defied the demand and has stepped up its activities, enriching uranium to 20 percent and announcing plans to build new nuclear facilities.

The new resolution imposes sanctions on 40 Iranian companies and organizations — 15 linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, 22 involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities and three linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. That more than doubles the 35 entities that had been subject to an asset freeze.

The sanctions add one individual to the previous list of 40 Iranians subject to an asset freeze — Javad Rahiqi, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center. All 41 individuals will also now be subject to a travel ban.

Rahiqi declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

The resolution also calls on all countries to cooperate in cargo inspections — which must receive the consent of the ship's flag state — if there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the cargo could contribute to the Iranian nuclear program.

On the financial side, it calls on — but does not require — countries to block financial transactions, including insurance and reinsurance, and to ban the licensing of Iranian banks if they have information that provides "reasonable grounds" to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that new sanctions would pave the way for tougher additional measures by the U.S. and its allies. France's U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud said after Wednesday's vote that European Union foreign ministers will be meeting on Monday and France would like "a tough translation of the resolution," but it's up to the 27 countries to decide on additional sanctions.

The resolution was approved despite an Iranian diplomatic offensive launched in April. Jalili visited Beijing that month in the wake of U.S. reports saying China had dropped its opposition to possible new U.N. measures against Iran.

Iran also approached several non-permanent Security Council members, including Bosnia, Brazil, Turkey and Uganda, in hopes of averting new sanctions. Inviting diplomats from all 15 members of the Security Council to a two-hour dinner in New York in May was seen as Iran's high-profile attempt to head off additional penalties.

China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said after the vote that the sanctions were aimed at curbing nonproliferation and would not affect "the normal life of the Iranian people" nor deter normal trade activity, a view echoed by Russia's U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin.

The five permanent council members, in a statement after the vote, reaffirmed their "determination and commitment to seek an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue ... which would restore international confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program." It welcomed and commended "all diplomatic efforts in this regard, especially those recently made by Brazil and Turkey."

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the new sanctions were "a mistake" implemented "just for spite." According to the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency, Silva said the resolution's supporters "threw out an historic opportunity to peacefully negotiate the Iranian nuclear program" — the fuel-swap agreement his country and Turkey had championed.

Under the proposal, Iran would swap some of its enriched uranium for fuel for a research reactor in Tehran. The U.S., Russia and France have said that — unlike the original plan drawn up eight months ago — the proposal would have left Iran with enough material to make a nuclear weapon.

The new sanctions should bring little direct political fallout for Ahmadinejad. The country has been deeply polarized since last June's disputed presidential election — which the opposition claims was rigged by vote fraud — and Ahmadinejad's backers are likely to use the sanctions as a rallying cry.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

It has almost been a year since Neda's death shocked the world. Almost a year since the Iran election and its unforeseen outcome. This year may true revolution take place, freedom pouring over the barriers and washing away the old regime, so that Neda's, and so many others', deaths will not be in vain.

Everyone should see this documentary about Neda, and it should galvanize us to do whatever we can to support freedom in Iran and everywhere.

You can find the video at:
http://www.thisisforneda.com/

Friday, April 16, 2010

The US has some of the most dangerous cities in the world: Detroit and New Orleans.

How did it get to this point? Is there anything we can do about it? What about the other cities? What are the common factors?

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Detroit+most+dangerous+cities+planet/2914738/story.html

Detroit one of the most dangerous cities on the planet: CNN
By Star StaffApril 16, 2010 12:04 PM

WINDSOR, Ont. — Detroit has been named one of the most dangerous cities on the planet in a survey cobbled together by CNN. Joining Detroit on the dubious list are such tourist hotspots as Bagdad, Karachi, Pakistan, Beirut and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The list was cobbled together as part of CNN's Urban Planet series and is based on data from Mercer's global report on personal safety and Foreign Policy magazine's most recent report on murder rates. The list is also based on data from Forbes and the Citizen's Council for Public Security.
The full list of cities includes Detroit; New Orleans; Juarez, Mexico; Karachi, Pakistan; Caracas, Venezuela; Cape Town, South Africa; Moscow, Russia and Kinshasa in the Democratic Repubic of Congo.

Monday, April 12, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/world/13summit.html

Thursday, April 8, 2010

पेतितिओं फॉर इरान

Petition to stop the violent actions of the Iranian government against protesters.


http://iran-information-project.org/pages/search/1findnum.php?thenumber=139

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Freedom has suffered a decline

From freedomhouse.org
On January 12, Freedom House released its findings from the latest edition of Freedom in the World, the annual survey of global political rights and civil liberties. According to the survey’s findings, 2009 marked the fourth consecutive year in which global freedom suffered a decline—the longest consecutive period of setbacks for freedom in the nearly 40-year history of the report. These declines were most pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, although they also occurred in most other regions of the world. Furthermore, the erosion in freedom took place during a year marked by intensified repression against human rights defenders and democracy activists by many of the world’s most powerful authoritarian regimes, including Russia and China.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

There's mostly just a lot of camera shaking until about 1:07, but it's an amazing tribute to Neda Soltan and those who keep her in their memory.


I decided to begin this blog because last summer I was shocked into awareness by the violence in Iran. I was literally glued to Twitter for two days during the crisis after the June elections, devouring tweets on #Iranelection in English, watching videos taken from cell phones on the streets of Tehran, retweeting information that would (I hoped) help Iranians.
I am a political science major, but I consider myself to be more a writer than a political person. However, one reason I was attracted to political science is because I wanted to make a difference in the world. I am still rather vague about what that difference might be, but I have realized, partly through Iranians making themselves heard through one of the only channels still open to them, that the Internet provides an opportunity for communication and a potential catalyst for change.
This blog is about getting the word out about people who are living under oppressive regimes around the world. It is not endorsing any political party or any 'end' of the political spectrum;but it is dedicated to freedom as an ideal outlined in the Declaration of Independence which does not derive from governments but from God, governments themselves merely "deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed".
I will mainly post links to articles about people who are fighting for their freedom, such as those in Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and other areas around the world that are lesser known, and about countries in which there is a substantial degree of freedom, but where freedoms are being eroded at an alarming rate, such as in Russia. I would also like to raise awareness about humanitarian crises, for a person needs food and shelter before they have the ability and desire to fight for freedom. Often it is the lack of freedom that contributes to dire economic and social conditions in the first place.
I would also like to include, when appropriate, parallels in history, and examples from fiction, movies, and television, since these are how we transmit values and ideas.

Dedicated to harnessing the power of the Internet for positive change for those who fight for freedom around the world.