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Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness
news & views you may not have seen about...iran, the middle east, terrorism, islam, human rights, media bias, us politics, freedom, democracy & much, much more
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Shell's Iran venture to continue...after all
2007-07-27 17:33:19
The Telegraph had another report on Shell's dodgy Iran dealings. Looks like they're going to continue supporting the mullahs (for economic reasons, of course).Royal Dutch Shell's chief executive Jeroen van der Veer said there were no plans to halt preparatory work on possible investments in Iran, despite renewed pressure about the risks of operating in a country where America has imposed economic sanctions. ...
Continue
Iran
Shell
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Activists' parents accuse Tehran of torturing their sons
2007-07-27 17:25:29
This report comes from Robert Tait at the Guardian in Tehran:Fears that Iran is systematically mistreating political prisoners and dissidents have been further fuelled after the parents of three detained student activists claimed their sons had been tortured. In a letter to the country's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the parents alleged that the students have suffered a catalogue of physical and psychological abuses since being incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison in May. The students - Majid Tavakoli, Ahmad Ghasaban and Ehsan Mansouri - were among eight from Amir Kabir University arrested for allegedly publishing anti-Islamic articles in campus magazines. The arrests followed a series of crackdowns on activists at the university, where students staged angry protests last December against Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ...
Parents
Tehran
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Exordium Volume 2 to be launched in London on August 18th
2007-07-27 01:41:14
The second volume of Mehdi Zand's series of books entitled 'The Exordium' will be launched in London on Saturday, August 18th. The book is entitled 'The Prophecy Fulfilled'.There is an update about this on his website.Apparently, there is going to be a book-signing event on the day and also live demonstration where Mehdi Zand will perform an amazing act of swordsmanship while being completely blindfolded. You can register to attend this event by sending an email with your contact details to rsvp@yaad-publications.com.Should be an interesting & exciting day, to say the least! ...
London
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Shell CEO says economics, not politics, are delaying Iran deal
2007-07-26 18:16:18
Sure, it's 'economics'...right Jeroen, we believe you.It wouldn't be because "US pension funds ask Shell to scrap £5bn Iran project"The chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc said rising industry costs and negotiation on deal terms had delayed a planned multi-billion dollar investment in Iran, rather than the threat of sanctions. "It is primarily project reasons ... are the reasons for delay," Jeroen van der Veer told a conference call with reporters. Shell has been in talks for years about building Iran's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, which would be fed by the giant South Pars gas field. Iran faces possible UN sanctions on investment because of its nuclear programme, which Washington says is a cover for the search for an atomic bomb. It has already been subjected to limited UN sanctions and U.S. sanctions. Van der Veer said Shell would consider the political environment when it had agreed a viable technical plan -- made more difficult by the U.S. sanctions which p ...
Economics
Iran
Politics
Shell
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For how much longer will the MSM crucify the Shah...
2007-07-26 18:11:35
...while, at the same time, they place little or no scrutiny on the mullahs who have been ruling the country for the last +27 years in its downward spiral back to the dark ages?My god, a group of Iranians can't even gather to pay their respects to the man, without being attacked as 'wealthy' in the Houston Chronicle.What a world. At least I can be comforted by the glorious English weather this afternoon...and contemplate whose brainchild this downward spiral of modern civilization was...I'm sure BORZOU DARAGAHI will get a lot of hate mail for his article, but why not join in? You can comment at the bottom of his article. ...
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France condemns series of executions in Iran
2007-07-26 18:04:52
Strangely enough, I found this headline on a Kuwaiti news site...At least they're 'saying' better things now. I would never expect France to 'act' on it, but their propaganda is nicer now.Saying it was strongly opposed to capital punishment in agreement with its European Union partners, France on Thursday condemned the execution of 12 Iranians on July 22 and expressed "particular concern" over the motivation behind them.Upon a request by the French State Secretary for Human Rights at the Foreign Ministry Rama Yade, the French government summoned Irans Charge dAffaires here in Paris to express its strong position to the Iranian executions and to capital punishment "in all circumstances." France also expressed its support for a global abolition of the death penalty and urged Iran to respect a moratorium it declared on stoning in 2002. ...
Executions
France
Iran
Series
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Gingrich, Thompson and the presidency
2007-07-26 17:26:06
Gingrich says it was not ever that likely he would run. Now he adds that if Thompson runs successfully, it will make it even less likely that he'd run. He may even sign on as an advisor to Thompson's campaign...Publicly, Gingrich has been sending signals making clear that a presidential candidacy for him is becoming less likely. Privately, he and some of his closest advisers have been meeting with — and, in at least one prominent case, going to work for — the lobbyist-actor and former Tennessee senator.“I’ve always said it was unlikely I would run,” Gingrich said in an interview last Friday with The Associated Press. And, he added, if Thompson “runs and does well, then I think that makes it easier for me not to run.” The same day that Gingrich made his comments, his former communications director, Rich Galen, disclosed that he had signed on as an adviser to Thompson’s campaign in waiting. In an interview, Galen termed the coincidence “an unfortunate confluence of ev ...
Presidency
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Iran 'training Iraqi mortar men'
2007-07-26 17:17:49
Here's some evidence, but will anybody ever prosecute the Iranian regime?Looks doubtful.Militias firing rockets and mortars on Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone have become more accurate because of training in Iran, the US military says.The comments were made by Lt-Gen Raymond Odierno, one of the top US commanders in Iraq. It is the latest in a series of accusations made by the US about the alleged training and arming of Iraqi Shia militiamen by Iran. ...
Iran
Training
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Report on why the BBC is the laughing stock of the nation
2007-07-25 20:03:25
From USS Neverdock:Ann Treneman writing in the Times takes the piss out of the BBC. Deservedly so. It would all be funny if the BBC's lies and fabrications weren't so serious.So, how serious does the BBC take the current crisis and how do they respond to Parliament's request for answers? "Mark Thompson, the DG, was on a 'family holiday'..." ...
Bbc
Report
Stock
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Iranian movie: 'Half Moon'
2007-07-25 19:58:43
I hadn't heard of it, but Potkin reports on it. Sounds interesting. Some excerpts from his post are below.Half Moon, however is nothing like that. It will be amongst the best movies I have ever seen. Half Moon, is about the common struggle of all Iranians to preserve their joyous culture. Something that the intellectuals in the West just never understood or probably think of as "bourgeois nonsense". Ghobadi illustrates some of the hardship of what Iranians have to go through for what people in most other places take for granted, such as the baffling stupidity of why women can not sing in the Islamic Republic.......There are some magnificent scenes in the movie. Such as when Mamo enters the forbidden village where women singers are held, and 1344 women perform the Daf in their colourful dresses.The film is about a people who are struggling to keep their joyous culture and as such the movie can not just be a sad and depressing one. In fact it is full of unique humour and despite all t ...
Moon
Movie
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Jimmy Carter: I'll mediate between Hamas & Fatah
2007-07-25 19:54:05
Hmm, let me see, that's akin to a leading an extreme Democrat asking to mediate between Iran & Syria to get them to stop causing trouble in Iraq. It doesn't suit any of their purposes. In this case, it only serve's Carter's continued desire for publicity, despite what an increasingly embarassing figure he's coming to the wider public (many of whom before actually supported the evil creep).As Washington continues a policy of isolating the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, former President Jimmy Carter reportedly has offered to mediate between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction, Fatah. The Palestinian News Agency Ma'an reported that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Scott Custer, West Bank director of the Carter Center, in Haniyeh's Gaza Strip office. Custer told Haniyeh that Carter, a Democrat, was willing to mediate between the factions. Haniyeh okayed Carter's offer, the report said.......Carter's willingness to deal with Hamas appears to fly in the face of of ...
Fatah
Hamas
Jimmy Carter
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American investors tell Shell to get out of Iran
2007-07-25 19:44:04
That's welcome news. Somehow I doubt you'd find people that logical and 'right'-headed amongst Europe's larger asset managers. The full Monte is here, and an excerpt is below.A political row threatens to overshadow tomorrow what promises to be one of the best sets of results from Shell for months after it emerged that a group of US pension funds have called on the group to scrap a £5 billion project in Iran. Some of America’s most influential institutional investors have written to Shell and other seven international energy companies warning they may suffer international sanctions because of their ties to the pariah state. The investors include New York City’s five main pension funds and the California Public Employee’s Retirement System. A two-page letter sent to Jeroen van der Veer, Shell's chief executive, and his peers at Gazprom, France’s Total and five other energy companies referred to Iran as a “state sponsor of terrorism”.The letter added: “It is increasin ...
Investors
Iran
Shell
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Video of hanging in Iran
2007-07-25 19:35:32
I saw a video of a recent hanging that took place in Iran on Harry's Place. Please see the post below. It is correct in saying that 'who the hell knows' if the people being hung are actually guilty of anything aside from opposing the mullahs' rule. And the sickos observing shout Allah Akbar, god is great. At least 92% of the Iranian people oppose their current illegitimate regime, according to the most recently carried out poll.To watch the video, click here or on the picture above (be warned, it is graphic).Wonder when the BBC will be discussing this on the televised news...guess it's 'not in their interests'...So says Iranian blogger Arash Kamangir, speaking of course from Canada, where he is a student. In Teheran, of course, he would also be executed for this blasphemy.......Now, according to some reports, the four were executed for murder and conspiracy. This might be the case, but, frankly, who the hell knows? Iran's judiciary routinely trump up ludicrous charges or tag on ...
Iran
Video
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What's the point...
2007-07-25 19:25:23
...of 'talking' to the Iranian regime, if afterwards we criticize them for what we already knew was true? These thugs only understand things in their own language.The news item I'm referring to can be found here: US accuses Iran after Iraq talks.Iran has increased support for militia groups in Iraq in recent months, the US ambassador in Baghdad has said. Ryan Crocker spoke after meeting his Iranian counterpart for rare talks on Iraq's security crisis, only the second direct meeting in almost three decades. Washington blames Tehran for fomenting violence in Iraq, while the Iranians are demanding the US withdraws troops. ...
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Persian not Farsi
2007-07-25 19:20:41
Aryamehr has posted a long article about the actually quite simple concept of why we should call the Iranian language 'Persian' and not 'Farsi'. Check it out if you have the time. ...
Persian
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Iran - Further information on fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest of Adnan Hassanpour & Mansour Tayfouri
2007-07-25 19:13:00
Amnesty reports.Adnan Hassanpour and his cousin Abdolwahed (known as Hiwa) Butimar have been sentenced to death. Adnan Hassanpour, a Kurdish journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was detained on 25 January and environmentalist Hiwa Butimar on or around 23 December 2006, both in Marivan, Kordestan province. They were reportedly held incommunicado in a Ministry of Intelligence facility in Marivan, and transferred to Marivan prison on 26 March.Following his arrest Hiwa Butimar‘s home was searched by members of the Intelligence Service, who are said to have confiscated items including Kurdish flags, videos in Kurdish and family pictures of a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. The confiscated items were also reportedly used as evidence against the cousins, who reportedly appeared before a Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on 12 June, in the presence of their lawyer.Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwa Butimar were reportedly returned from Marivan prison to an unconfirmed place of detenti ...
Arrest
Fear
Information
Iran
Treatment
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Two great Pahlavi Kings
2007-07-24 21:47:00
Aryamehr remembers the two last legitimate leaders of Iran, and focuses on Reza Shah. Good summary for those who have formed their opinion of the Pahlavis based on what you've heard in the mainstream media. They did so much to help rebuild their country, but unfortunately the world (or at least our major media outlets) decides to brand them as brutal dictators - even at a time when the ruling mullahs continue to execute and torture thousands, which goes unreported in the world press. With rulers such as Kim Jong-Il receiving little real scrutiny - in a country where you can be executed if you don't have 1 of 2 mandated haircuts - it makes you wonder why media organizations such as BBC and CNN until very recently couldn't let a month go by without talking about how awful the shah of Iran was...The major part of Aryamehr's post is pasted below. Also background info can be found here and here.Iran before Reza Shah the Great was a an impoverished, disease-stricken, bandit-ridden, land ...
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2 articles on Iran from NRO
2007-07-24 21:32:00
Tea with Iran (by Peter Brookes): this piece provides some background information about my earlier post on this subject. However, he is not so black & white as me, and adds a little twist at the end of the article...he thinks it may actually do some good to placate the naysayers of not 'engaging with Iran'...methinks not, but I understand where he's coming from.Are We France? (by Thomas Sowell): he compares our pacifism on Iran to France's pacifism / appeasement of Hitler. Worth a skim. ...
Articles
Iran
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US acts against groups aiding Hezbollah
2007-07-24 21:26:00
Some movement from the Bush administration. Funny, it always seems to come from the financial side of things...god forbid they actually try to do something overtly & directly against the mullahs and for the Iranian people... The Bush administration took action Tuesday against an Iran-based foundation, including its U.S. branch, for allegedly providing support to Hezbollah, a terrorist group the United States has blamed for bloodshed in the Middle East. The Treasury Department's action covers the Martyrs Foundation and Goodwill Charitable Organization of Dearborn, Mich., which the government identified as a fundraising office for the foundation. "We will not allow organizations that support terrorism to raise money in the United States," said Stuart Levey, the Treasury Department's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The government also moved against al-Qard al-Hassan, a Beirut firm that the U.S. government believes was used by Hezbollah "as a cover to manage ...
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Iran launches new crackdown on unIslamic dress
2007-07-24 21:23:00
As predicted...details below and here:UPDATE: I hadn't noticed this angle on it (provided by USS Neverdock)...According to the BBC this is a 'subtle' Iran.Iran on Monday launched a new wave of a moral crackdown against women who "dress like models" and men whose hairstyles are deemed unIslamic, police said.Tehran's police force dispatched dozens of police cars and minibuses into the early evening rush-hour to enforce the dress rules at major squares in the city centre, an AFP correspondent said. ...
Crackdown
Dress
Iran
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92% of Iranians oppose current regime...
2007-07-24 19:54:00
...says another survey. That must be pretty close to the truth. It also says that "many would endorse 'Velvet Revolution' or even foreign military intervention."Read more about the survey here. WND has the scoop:A new survey reveals that 92 percent of the subjects of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's totalitarian government do not believe their nation's role is positive, and two-thirds would support a "Velvet Revolution" to remove him from power. The survey, by the Center For the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights, found that almost six out of 10 Iranians would support a foreign military action for the purpose of taking Ahmadinejad out of the role as dictator. "There is clearly a huge distinction between the Islamic Republic of Iran and its intentions as a regime and its people," reported Said Jabbari, a senior analyst with the center. "As a totalitarian regime it does not represent the aspirations of the Iranian people," he said. "Don't use 'Iran' and 'this regim ...
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Santander gets nailed
2007-07-24 19:33:00
The big European bank is doing business with blacklisted Iranian banks...details here and below.Santander, one of Europe's biggest banks, has been trading with an Iranian bank that is blacklisted by the US for allegedly financing nuclear proliferation.Santander, Spain's largest bank and the owner of Abbey in the UK, was doing business with Teheran-based Sepah as recently as March, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.Trading with businesses that are blacklisted for alleged links to terrorism is a serious breach of US law and can have draconian consequences.......The treasury spokesman said: "We've been meeting with our government counterparts, as well as financial institutions, throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East to discuss the risks of doing business with Iran." ...
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In case you didn't read it, this post on Fouladvand is attracting lots of attention, but no comments!
2007-07-20 17:21:00
Strange, eh? I am re-posting it here fyi.Where is Fouladvand? And why is no one reporting his absence?Dr. Froud Fouladvand is missing, and has been for a long time now. His own TV station has now admitted that they do not where he is or what has happened to him. There are many rumors circulating, but nobody knows for sure.Whatever one think about his tactics and strategy, he was one of the few people on TV trying to make a real difference through his programs - illuminating many of the realities behind Islam and trying (in his own way) to fight against the mullahs.The amazing thing is that not one of the other Iranian satellite TV stations has mentioned it. Could it be that they are too jealous of him, because he was/is 'real', and they just want to take his audience share now? Are they really that callous and corrupt?Many readers will recall that he was arrested at his home in North London in June 2005 under the guise of being a 'terrorist' and his house was trashed. Obviously MI5 ...
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