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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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Iran's destabilization of Iraq
2007-07-16 00:15:00
More evidence pours in...I spoke to a soldier who was based on and off in Iraq for 3 years, and he said that while there are lots of little factions fighting for control over different regions of Iraq, the only groups that are properly organized and effective on a national level and in Baghdad are the ones known to be sponsored by the Islamic Republic. Stories like this just add weight to observations like his.US finds Iran rockets aimed at Iraq baseIn a remote Iraqi village a world ends, and the war beginsUS raid on Iranian-linked militiamen leaves 19 dead in Iraq ...
Iran
Iraq
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Renewed clampdown on women in Iran is guaranteed
2007-07-16 00:13:00
That's what their own police say...IRAN warned that its police will enforce a drive against clothing deemed unIslamic with renewed vigour this month by doubling the number of forces assigned to check up on lax dressing, local media reported.Thousands of women have already been warned and hundreds arrested across Iran for failing to adhere to the country's Islamic dress code since the drive began in April, its toughest such crackdown in years.Ahmad Reza Radan, the head of Tehran's police force, dismissed any notion that the crackdown was now fizzling out, saying it was "unstoppable''. ...
Iran
Women
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Avigdor Lieberman has it right
2007-07-16 00:07:00
He has said the UN deal with Iran over its nukes is a ruse. And he's right.Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman warned Saturday that Iran's announcement it would allow UN officials to inspect its nuclear reactors is a diversionary tactic.The rightwing Yisrael Beiteinu party head said the Islamic Republic's permission for International Atomic Energy Agency members to return to the reactors after they had been banished is an attempt by Tehran to "buy time.""The world must not fall into this trap and should continue to push for further sanctions against Iran," Lieberman said. ...
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'Blood was everywhere, the smell of death'
2007-07-15 23:57:00
At least someone in the West is reporting about this...baby steps, I suppose?...Criticism of Iran's judiciary is mounting following the brutal execution of a man who was convicted of adultery more than a decade ago and stoned to death on Jul. 5. Although the head of the judiciary branch, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, issued a written order stopping the execution almost a month ago, the judge in the case insisted on stoning Jafar Kiani to death. ...
Death
Smell
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Commercial satellite photos reveal tunneling near Iran nuke site
2007-07-15 23:53:00
Gee, what a surprise - tunnels like these have always existed to hide the mullahs' real nukes. The story can be found here, with excerpts below.A U.S. research group reported that Iran was constructing a tunnel inside a mountain near a uranium enrichment facility. The group said the tunnel could be designed to conceal nuclear activity or anti-aircraft batteries. "The construction activity is taking place in the closest mountainous area to the Natanz site, strongly suggesting that the site is affiliated with Natanz," the Institute for Science and International Security said. ...
Commercial
Iran
Photos
Reveal
Satellite
Site
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Benjamin Netanyahu still fighting he good fight
2007-07-15 23:50:00
He is still fighting for divestment in Iran - read more here & below.Iran divestment campaign in trouble By Kaveh L Afrasiabi His star may be fading in Israel, but hawkish Likud leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is making steady progress in his other campaign - for divestment in Iran.Since officially launching it in Boston last January, Netanyahu and his right-wing US supporters, such as Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, have managed to persuade a number of state and local governments in the United States to adopt the key objective of his campaign, that is, forcing US pension-fund companies to divest from firms doing business with Iran. ...
Fighting
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Union wants release of Iranian activist
2007-07-15 23:38:00
As you know, I've been away and just learned through reading through the headlines that Mansour Osanloo has been taken by the authorities. What a shame, but only a matter of time for him, I suppose, as he was actually trying to do something to harm the regime, so it would seem. Details can be found here.The International Transport Workers' Federation has appealed for the release of an Iranian union leader who reportedly was kidnapped earlier this week in Tehran.Mansour Osanloo, leader of a bus workers union, ``is still in custody somewhere by agents unknown,'' federation spokesman Sam Dawson said Thursday.The Associated Press was unable to contact any member of his family in Tehran for information on the case. Osanloo, 47, president of the Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed (Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company), was accosted by several men as he stepped off a bus Tuesday evening, the federation said, quoting information from its Iranian affiliate. ...
Activist
Union
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UN hails Iran nuclear agreement
2007-07-15 23:33:00
Wohoo! Now the UN can go back in and look at some more areas and be denied from looking in others and then we can go through this whole charade again! What a joke.Al-BBC reports. ...
Iran
Nuclear
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Iran: Violations of human rights continue unabated
2007-07-15 23:27:00
Human Rights Watch reports:Amnesty International is greatly concerned by continuing human rights violations in Iran, including new arrests of human rights defenders and the high rate of executions, including the first execution by stoning confirmed by the authorities since a moratorium on stonings was announced in 2002.The organization is again calling on the Iranian authorities to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that no one is detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression or association, and to impose an immediate moratorium on all executions and take steps to remove the death penalty from Iranian law. ...
Continue
Human
Human Rights
Iran
Rights
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Still not quite back up
2007-07-12 14:19:00
Am swamped this week, so will try to resume full coverage of news, etc. on Saturday or Sunday.Sorry!NtB ...
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Zara Kazemi gets sham trial in Iran
2007-07-11 14:29:00
No surprise there. The Canadian government should also be ashamed of themselves for not pushing Iran harder. The full story can be found here - worth a read if you're not familiar with the background of this case. ...
Iran
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Imam accused in JFK plot wanted help from Iran
2007-07-11 14:26:00
Gee, well there's a surprise. Any major terrorist attach aimed at the US and associated with Islam that is well organized most likely stems back to the mullahs in Iran in some way or form...the NY Post has the story.A Shiite imam accused of plotting to blow up fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport wanted to seek Iranian backing for the terrorist plot.The disclosure came yesterday in a court decision denying bail to the Trinidadian-based cleric, Kareem Ibrahim.Mr. Ibrahim, 62, is one of four men arrested last month on charges connected to the plot. At the time, American law enforcement officials said Mr. Ibrahim encouraged his co-conspirators to seek funding for the attack from outside their home countries of Trinidad or Guyana. While American authorities have not provided more details, a judge in Trinidad wrote that evidence, including tape recordings, suggests Mr. Ibrahim intended to seek backing for the plot from individuals in Iran or Britain.In those recordings, Jud ...
Help
Iran
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UN delegation in Tehran for talks
2007-07-11 14:19:00
Talk, talk, talk. The UN and the Iranian regime's stooges are both very good at that. Will the UN actually do anything? Well that would be about as likely as the current Iranian regime ceasing to execute its own citizens without fair trial. HabibiC (BBC) is on the case. ...
Tehran
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Iran 'adulterer' stoned to death
2007-07-11 14:13:00
While it is the first time the regime has actually admitted this has happened in 5 years, everyone knows it happens much more often than they would like to admit...al-Beeb has the scoop.The Iranian judiciary says a man has been stoned to death for adultery - the first time it has confirmed such an execution in five years.Jafar Kiani was executed last week in a village in north-west Qazvin province.Amnesty International said Mr Kiani and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, 43, were convicted of adultery more than a decade ago. The human rights group has appealed for Ms Ebrahimi to be spared. Adultery is a capital offence, punishable by stoning, under Iran's Islamic law. In 2002, the judiciary suspended the practice. ...
Death
Iran
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I'm back
2007-07-11 12:46:00
Away for a bit longer than expected, but posts should resume as normal either today or tomorrow.Noggr ...
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Noggr's out for summer...
2007-07-01 03:49:00
Well, for about a week. So no posts until the w/c July 9th.Please email me if you see anything of interest so I can post it when I return.Best,NtB ...
Summer
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Iran bans negative petrol stories
2007-06-29 16:00:00
What do you expect? I don't know what to make of all of this activity in Iran right now. Usually when there is 'real', significant and unified protests taking place across the country by people who truly want to remove the mullahs from power, there is absolutely no international (Western) media coverage of such events. This is the true 'black box' of (Western) journalism. So when the likes of al-BBC, al-Reuters and al-CNN begin covering 'riots' and mass 'protests' in Iran, I am automatically dubious as to who is organizing the activities and what their actual motives are. Saying that, this could be a legitimate expression of the Iranian peoples' continuing and intensifying hatred of the ruling regime, but as of now the jury would seem to be out. In any case, al-Beeb's article on the media clampdown can be found here, with excerpts below.Iran's top security body has ordered local journalists not to report on problems caused by petrol rationing, a day after its surprise intro ...
Iran
Stories
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The Economist should be ashamed of itself...
2007-06-29 15:39:00
Translation:Turning news into OpinionOpinion into Opportunity (for us)...for the first line of their recent article on the crack-downs in Iran.The first line of their article reads: "Is Iran slipping back into a more repressive mode?"This implies that the Islamic Republic has not been repressive as of late, which if they just had a quick look through my blog (or similar ones), they could clearly see is not the case. But that wouldn't fit their editorial agenda, would it?To be honest, I couldn't get past that first line of the article, so I don't know what the rest of it says - but it's most likely not worth reading. ...
Itself
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Mansoor Osanloo - can a unionist unite Iranians?
2007-06-29 15:33:00
I don't know how many of you have been following Mr. Osanloo's progress in trying to unite Iranian workers against the mullahcracy.He's been traveling to visit various European unions, and seems to be making a little bit of progress.Amir Taheri has written an article about him and his efforts - have a look at it here, it's worth a read.Some Western commentators have called him "the Iranian Lech Walesa" after the Polish trade unionist who helped bring down the Communist empire. The mullahs ruling Iran, however, regard him as "a dangerous enemy of Islam".The man himself, Mansoor Osanloo, a 48-year old leader of one of the many illegal trade unions that have sprung up in Iran in the past few years, shies way from both sobriquets."We do not have a political agenda," he says. "All we are asking for is for Iranian workers to be treated as free human beings, not as slaves."Osanloo first made his name in 2004 when along with 14 fellow-workers he created the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehr ...
Unite
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House pressures Iran with gas bill
2007-06-29 15:15:00
This is a follow-up to a brief post I made earlier in the week which includes more details of the bill. The full Washington Post article can be found here, with excerpts below fyi. The fact that the mullahs lack the refining capacity to produce enough petrol/gas to fulfil their domestic needs is an illustration of their systematic under-investment in crucial industries within their economy, and blame should therefore not be placed upon countries/companies who are now deciding to limit or cease oil exports to Iran because of very valid political reasons. But you can rest assured the MSM will spin it to make everything the USA & Co.'s fault.Leaders of a bipartisan House panel, seeking economic pressure against Iran, acted Thursday to try to reduce Tehran's import of gasoline.A bill introduced by Reps. Mark S. Kirk, R-Ill., and Robert E. Andrews, D-N.J., who set up a congressional group on Iran's nuclear programs two years ago, coincided with angry protests in Tehran against fuel r ...
Gas
House
Iran
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Islamic Bicycles, by the Islamic Republic of Iran (Part Deux)
2007-06-29 15:00:00
This is a follow-up article to a piece I commented on previously. Just another example of how ridiculous the mullahcracy was, is and will continue to be until it is destroyed.The Islamic Republic of Iran has devised an "Islamic bicycle." This new vehicle comes fully equipped with a cabin to conceal parts of a female cyclist's body. The new technology is less about the bike and more about suppressing women. Iran, unlike Saudi Arabia, allows women to drive cars. In fact, Iran's top race car driver, Laleh Seddigh, is a woman. Women also ride motorcycles, although they must be accompanied by a man (and must sit behind him).But Iran forbids women from riding bicycles (thus, the newly designed bike). The belief is that sexuality is easily stimulated in both sexes. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced in 1999 that "women must avoid anything that attracts strangers, so riding bicycles or motorcycles by women in public places causes corruption and is thus forbidden ...
Iran
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No posts today
2007-06-28 17:56:00
Hi all,Sorry, swamped with work today, no time for posting.However, here are a few headlines fyi:Sound the alarm (Jpost article on Bolton's comments re: Iran)Iran continues to pass death sentences on child offenders (Amnesty)Why Are Three Americans Still Being Held in Iran? (ABC News)Have a good one,NtB ...
Posts
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Iran fuel rations spark violence
2007-06-27 19:00:00
al-Beeb is on the scene.UPDATE: so are many others:Iran's economy could undo Ahmadinejad (The Times of London)Protests rage over petrol rationing in Iran (The Telegraph)Gas Rationing Sparks Anger in Iran (NYT)Nationwide Protests Triggered (AFP)Photos (Iran Focus): 1, 2 & 3At least 12 petrol stations have been torched in the Iranian capital, Tehran, after the government announced fuel rationing for private vehicles. Windows were smashed and stones thrown at the stations, and there was traffic chaos as motorists queued to buy fuel. Iranians were given only two hours' notice of the move that limits private drivers to 100 litres of fuel a month. Despite its huge energy reserves, Iran lacks refining capacity and it imports about 40% of its petrol. The country has a large budget deficit largely caused by fuel subsidies and the inflation rate is estimated at 20-30%. ...
Fuel
Iran
Spark
Violence
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Iran training fighters in Iraq
2007-06-27 18:51:00
Well, duh. The evidence continues to pour in.Iran is training fighters in Iraq and helping to plan attacks there despite diplomatic pressure for change, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, while violence around the Arab state killed at least 19 people.The latest accusation levelled against Iran by the U.S. military followed rare diplomatic talks in Baghdad last month between the two old adversaries to discuss Washington's concerns in Iraq."There absolutely is evidence of Iranian operatives holding weapons, training fighters, providing resources, helping plan operations, resourcing secret cells that is destabilising Iraq," said chief military spokesman Brigadier General Kevin Bergner."We would like very much to see some action on their part to reduce the level of effort and to help contribute to Iraq's security. We have not seen it yet," he told a news conference. ...
Fighters
Iran
Iraq
Training
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Even the weather report is biased on CNN
2007-06-27 18:48:00
LGF makes a good point...how deep does this run?!Clicking “Jerusalem, null” brings you to the page for Israel, of course.Could be an innocent mistake, you say? But that’s not all—not by a long shot. Their “Weather Location Selector” lists Gaza and the West Bank as countries separate from Israel—and their list of Israeli cities includes several Arab villages which have not existed since 1948.And in a related outrage, another reader emailed about Samsung’s list of support centers in the Middle East—which includes the imaginary country of “Palestine,” but not Israel. ...
Biased
Cnn
Report
Weather
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Abu Hamza complains of human rights abuse because of gay prison caretaker
2007-06-27 18:22:00
Now that's rich.What a hypocrite.Hope he rots in there...with his hook up his ar*e. Allahpundit is there again.The cleric is claiming it is against his religion and human rights to be treated by a homosexual. The source said Hamza’s solicitor wrote to the governor demanding his client is given a new regular nurse.The prison service refused saying it does not discriminate on grounds of sexuality.The source said: “The nurse is upset about it. He has spent the last couple of years doing everything for Hamza, even wiping his bottom.“It shows how little respect Hamza has for others. The nurse dresses him, washes him, cleans his teeth, cuts his toenails, trims his beard and applies ointment for his skin disorder.” ...
Abuse
Human
Human Rights
Prison
Rights
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The BBC's Hamas Spy
2007-06-27 18:18:00
Hamas, BBC - one in the same? Allahpundit is on the case. Well, their aims are pretty much the same, it would seem.Despite Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) opposition and per the request of the BBC, the coordinator of government activities allowed a Hamas member who works for the BBC to enter the Gaza Strip last week to assist in efforts to release kidnapped journalist Alan Johnston.Defense officials told The Jerusalem Post that a week ago, a request came from the BBC asking that a Palestinian employee of the news company who is believed to be a close associate of senior Hamas officials be allowed to enter Gaza. ...
Bbc
Hamas
Spy
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