Jigsawnovich

Hip Hop Meets Neue Deutsche Welle: Ja Ja Ja

2011-10-31T16:46:00.059-04:00

Julie Jigsaw onstage with Ja Ja Ja. Photo: Ar/Gee Gleim

Julie Jigsaw became the first female rapper on record in Europe, and the first rapper to record a song about graffiti in Europe, with the releases of JaJaJa “Katz Rap” and “Graffiti Artists Inter-national” in 1982.

Julie Jigsaw was my stage name with Ja Ja Ja. My real name is Julie A. Ashcraft. And I'm currently recording under the name Jigsawnovich.

In 1980, I left Dallas for Pratt Institute in New York, and co-founded my first band, Group of Trees, there with fellow art students Ted Parsons on drums and Gregory Grinnell on guitar. I wrote all the lyrics and the melodies that I sang and played on Casiotone. Our sound was Post-Punk/No-Wave with a Surf influence. Ted later joined The Swans and Prong. Greg later joined The Toasters.

From 1978-1980, I saw Liquid Liquid, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Slits, Patti Smith, Captain Beefheart and Devo live on stage. I was one of the first girls to slam dance, or "mosh" as it was later called, in New York--while attending Bad Brains concerts with my friend John Joseph McGowan, who went on to be lead singer of The Cro-Mags. I met Steve Ignorant by chance when I wore a CRASS badge to the Reggae Lounge in New York. Steve wrote letters to me for the next year.

The CRASS logo and the Danceteria club logo were designed by artist David King. He and his wife kindly let me crash at their place in Soho after nightclubbing, rather than taking dangerous late night subway rides back to Brooklyn. Myrtle Avenue, near my home and college campus, was nicknamed "Murder Avenue." All my art school friends had been mugged or robbed, but I had not. This may have been due to the wildly colored and patterned Mod and leather Punk Rock clothes I wore, which made me look more fierce. The dark-skinned people in the neighborhood seemed to enjoy my fashions, smiling and making remarks such as, "girl, you're lit up like a Jack O'lantern," or "hey, Sid Vicious" when I walked by.

Boom boxes and car audio systems filled the streets of New York with the latest rap and Hip Hop breaks. On the weekends, I visited Bethesda Fountain Terrace in Central Park to watch break dancers and disco roller skaters.

I also listened to Chinese Opera, Yoko Ono, Der Plan, Deutsch Amerikan- ische Freundschaft, Holger Hiller, Wirt- schaftswunder, Sugarhill Gang, The Surfaris, ? and the Mysterians, The Residents, Kraftwerk, Mars, DNA, PIL, Wire, Joy Division, Augustus Pablo and Ornette Coleman. I was a radio dj with a weekly show on Pratt Radio’s original WPIR station. Fellow art student Daniel Clowes let me borrow records to play on air, and I half starved myself in order to afford new imports at 99 Records.

In 1980, I purchased Der Plan's Geri Reig record because the robot baby Jesus on the cover was funny! I also liked the sound of German, and tried to learn it by listening to Der Plan. I wrote them a fan letter, complimenting their artwork and asking how they made all the interesting sounds in the music. Moritz R., the graphic artist and lead singer of Der Plan, replied. After we exchanged letters, photos and cassette tapes for months, Moritz invited me to visit him and Der Plan.

I flew to Dusseldorf, and I stayed in the guest room at ATA TAK studios, downstairs from Kurt Dahlke (A.K.A. Pyrolator) and Frank Fenstermacher. I enjoyed deep philosophical conversations with Frank and Kurt. George Gurdjieff concepts Kurt told me about, regarding "identification,” inspired me to write a poem which later became the lyrics to the "Ja! Ja! Ja!" (Yes! Yes! Yes!) song.

Cassette with Ja Ja Ja's first song, "Die Wahrheit."

While in Germany, I heard "Maschine brennt" and "Der Kommissar" by Falco, "Rap- ture" by Blondie and "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash. These songs proved that Rap had interna- tional appeal.

I wrote new melodies on piano and rhythms on drums, and experimented with the bass, trumpet and synthesizer in the ATA TAK studio. Frank called me a "natural talent," and Kurt introduced me to his friends, Frank Samba and Wietn Wito. The first night we met, Frank, Wito and I had a jam session. I improvised lyrics and sang, played harmonica, percussion and trumpet; Wito played bass; and Frank played drums. Kurt/Pyrolator slipped into the booth and recorded us. We chose the best parts, and Wito suggested we call it, "Die Wahrheit” (The Truth). It would be our first single, released in 1982 on the Klar! 80 Sampler, ALLES ODER NICHTS (EVERYTHING OR NOTHING).

In the next days Frank, Wito and I created "Katz Rap"(Cat Rap) and "Mom", which would be released as our 7" single, on ATA TAK, engineered by Pyrolator. I suggested our band name, Ja Ja Ja, and I designed and painted the Katz Rap record sleeve and label.

"Katz Rap" featured the first female Rapper in Europe

With the 1982 release of "Katz Rap," I be- came the first female rapper on record in Europe,and one of the earliest white persons to make a rap record. With the release of "Graffiti Artists Interna- tional" later that year, I became the first rapper in Europe to record a song about graffiti. I was one of the earliest white persons to make a rap record, preceded by Deborah Harry, Falco, and Futura 2000. The record cover I designed and painted for our album was one of the first record covers to depict a dinosaur, and it long preceded David Icke's hypothesis regarding reptilians and technology. I also painted the large dinosaur and graffiti backdrop we exhibited at our live shows. And I created a breakdancing dinosaur concept for our “I Am An Animal” video.

The Ja Ja Ja album included the first rap song
about graffiti in Europe.

1981-1982, I met Blixa Bargeld, Gudrun Gut, Bettina Koster, Robert Gorl, Werner Lambertz, and Andreas Dorau. I interviewed Holger Hiller for the New Musical Express, and I saw Palais Schaumburg, Einsturzende Neubauten and Der KFC live onstage. I also visited both East and West Berlin as often as possible. The vibrant politics and fiery squatter riots on the Western side contrasted with private acts of rebellion against the paranoid Stasi state on the Eastern side were fascinating. In the meanwhile the cold war nuclear arms race was accelerating, and some of the young Germans I met resented what they saw as “occupation” via American military bases. This tense atmosphere inspired my lyrics to “Habt Nicht Mehr Angst” (Have No More Fear).

Frank Samba, Julie Jigsaw, Wietn Wito
of Ja Ja Ja

New poems I wrote in Germany, plus poems I'd written in New York, became lyrics for all the Ja Ja Ja songs. I presented deeply personal experiences and emotions in an abstract and sometimes lighthearted manner, to show a way to survive and even find joy in such intensity. I composed the melodies I sang and played, and I composed the melody that Wito played on "Destiny." He and Frank tended to play their instruments in ways that were at once rhythmic and melodic. Frank tuned his drums with great precision, and he was acutely aware of overtones and harmonics. Wito created infectious, driving riffs. Together we pioneered a dynamic new sound, and Ar/Gee Gleim’s photos of us captured our affectionate spirit.

Years before he engineered Bjork, The Sugarcubes and Kukl, Mel Jefferson was the recording engineer for Ja Ja Ja. In 1982, while we were recording our album, Mel suggested that I sing harmonies like a train in the distance, for the opening section of "Graffiti Artists International". I've always wondered whether The Pixies "Where is My Mind,” Fierce & Nico “Input,” and Hichkas "Terrorist" included samples of my voice from "Graffiti Artists International".

Wito and Frank, and our featured guest, Henry Scott III, were tremendous musicians. Playing live was great! It was so nice seeing our audiences, and finding that such an amazing mixture of many different kinds of people enjoy our music! I remember a gig in Zurich where our audience was half leather clad Punk Rockers and half engineers/scientists wearing glasses and nicely pressed shirts! We played clubs, colleges and festivals in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium—and we attracted fans from many other countries! And Melle Mel from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five attended our concerts at the Danceteria club in New York City. John Peel played “Katz Rap” on BBC radio and we were interviewed on German Radio in Zurich.

I also had the pleasure of being featured on a track by Austrian musician Xao Seffcheque. His warmth and sense of humor were rare in Dusseldorf. I wrote the lyrics and sang on Xao’s track, "Julie in Germany," which was released in 1982 on the Klar und Wahr - Sounds Rettet Deutschland (Clear and True - Sounds Rescues Germany) compilation released by Das Buro.

Although I'd written the lyrics and melodies to most of the Ja Ja Ja songs, rather than only giving Frank and Wito arrangements credits, we split songwriting credits on our singles and album three ways in order to encourage collaboration. Afterwards, Wito came to me and said he’d written some new songs, that he would dictate what I would play and sing, and that he wanted the songs credited to himself only. His proposal was dictatorial and in violation of our agreement regarding collaborative credits. Besides, Wito was focusing on Prog Jazz, whereas I was more interested in Hip Hop.

In 1983, I moved back to New York and became involved in the New York Hip Hop movement, exploring my talents as a Graffiti Artist. I painted fifty jackets for the Allen Boys; and became friends with Revolt and Lee Quinones. My paintings and sculptures were included in shows at Fashion Moda, Danceteria and Stellweg Seguy. I collaborated on a mural with Lady Pink in The Roxy. Cey and Sharp took me down subway tunnels and we painted graffiti pieces on the sides of the train. Futura 2000 and Zephyr drew full pages in my graffiti blackbooks. Cey introduced me to Andy Warhol, Jean Michele Basquiat, and Keith Haring. My friend Martin Burgoyne, from Pratt Institute, introduced me to Madonna.

During 1983-84 was living on Riving- ton Street, dodging stray bullets and listening to the new hard rap from Run DMC. Inspired by the danger of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I wrote new songs. Frank and I found American bassist Billy Grant to replace Wito. We toured and were well received. If only the internet had existed at that time! Keeping the group together with an ocean between Frank and me proved too difficult in the end.

Ja Ja Ja is a group full of joy and emotional struggles, perfection and experimentation, space and time. The combination of our souls and skills sometimes created fields of virtually metaphysical intensity and magnitude. Wito told me he saw colors rise from his bass into the air and go out into the audience. Our music has prevailed with your help, beloved listener. Thank you for your inspirational energy and your enthusiasm through the decades.
Frank Samba and Kurt Dahlke/Pyrolator are currently remastering our self-titled Ja Ja Ja album, which was originally released in 1982. It will be re-released in Japan soon. "Katz Rap" was re-released on the compilation CD, Grlz: Women Ahead of Their Time (Germany, Crippled Dick Hot Wax Records 2005). One of our original vinyl 7" ATA TAK pressings of "Katz Rap" is included in the Cornell University Library Hip Hop Collection, circa 1975-85, a Division of Rare Manuscript Collections.

I've recorded one song under the name Jigsawnovich, and plan to release a new song soon.
~Julie A. Ashcraft A.K.A. Julie Jigsaw A.K.A. Jigsawnovich

MY 911 SONG

2011-05-05T17:25:00.011-04:00

Available for download at Amazon

2011-05-05T17:11:00.003-04:00

MAY 1 WORKER'S DAY SIGNS: CLICK TO ENLARGE AND PRINT

2011-05-01T11:32:00.002-04:00

World Of Ashcraft

2010-10-11T01:09:00.000-04:00

You didn't really think Jigsawnovich was the name my parents gave me, did you? Check out my new blog.
http://worldofashcraft.wordpress.com/2010/10/02/attn-mr-democrat-campaign/

Beer & Rap in Ramallah, Palestine

2010-10-03T12:59:00.001-04:00

DAM - Palestinian Hip Hop group performs 8:00 pm today at Taybeh in Ramallah, Palestine

Taybeh Products for sale: Taybeh Beer, Taybeh Honey, Taybeh Olive oil, Too Top Olive oil, Tatreez (embroidery), Maftool (couscous), Thyme (zataar), Peace lamp...

Food at the fest: Shawarma, Falafel, chicken, kabab, kanafeh, BBQ

See Taybeh Oktoberfest 2010 Facebook page for more info.

North Korea: Black Suit vs. Beige

2010-09-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

Black vs. Beige: could the color of Kim Jong Il's son's suit mark a symbolic shift towards business, away from militarism?

Democracy Video from Azerbaijan

2010-09-25T12:02:00.002-04:00

Ahmadinejad vs. Capitalism...Oh Really?

2010-09-22T08:57:00.001-04:00

Although some of dangers of capitalism being too unregulated and very globalized were exposed when the sub-prime housing crisis impacted not only the U.S. but other countries with international investment portfolios, Ahmadinejad's statement against capitalism seems ironic, since Sepah (Revolutionary Guards) are taking over more and more businesses in Iran, already reportedly reaps huge profits off black market items in Iran, and arrests so many people and demands such huge bail that it's starting to look like an extortion racket. Also, the Islamic regime famously persecuted the Communists who helped them come to power.

So is this the best that AN could come up with as a theoretical counter-attack to the more severe economic sanctions that have been put in place against the IRI?

 http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/22013125Ahmadinejad Lashes Out at Capitalism

Rap Satire and Anti-Rap Propaganda: Iranian Rapper, Video Maker, Promoter React

2010-09-20T12:49:00.007-04:00

by Julie Jigsawnovich

Rap music and style have been exploited in movies and TV shows approved by Ershad, Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, with depictions that distort and deviate from the spirit of real Iranian rap. I asked Fred, Shaya, and Adrenaline to express their opinions of this material. Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat created the video for Hichkas’ “Ye Mosht Sarbaz” (Bunch of Soldiers) track [and has since won a 2010 Democracy Video Challenge award and also directed the "Dasa Bala" video for Arash] Shaya may be the only female rapper still trying to create and perform new songs inside Iran. Adrenaline is an underground rap promoter. They do not know each other, and they answered the following questions separately, without seeing each others’ answers.

JJ: How would you describe the “rap” in the trailer for this Iranian government-approved movie, Shame-e Aroosi (Wedding Dinner), which you can see here?

S: I don’t like this. This is a kind of joke.

FK: This is fast rhyming about moral things like weddings and stuff.

A: Honestly, I didn’t even watch it to the end. I can describe it in one word: “garbage”.

JJ: Are you surprised that Ershad allowed “rap” and “graffiti” to be shown in a movie in Iran, when Police there arrest real rappers and graffiti artists?

S: No, but we are sorry when we see these scenes in our movies. They show this just to give some fun to every person that bought a ticket.

FK: The thing that they are against are the lyrics that have been used in rap. And, by the way, you can never see such a thing in Iranian TV. This is Iranian cinema–whole different rules!

A: Sorry that I didn’t put it in a charming, polite way. I don’t care about the governments, because I have seen many crazy things from them that make “inviting Lil’ Wayne for a show in Iran national TV” like nothing. And you don’t need to worry about the POLICE! They can arrest you for ONLY WALKING IN THE STREETS! It’s up to them–they have the right to arrest anyone at anytime if they feel like it! So don’t worry about police arresting graffiti artists!

JJ: Do you think this movie helped or hurt rap in Iran?

S: Absolutely hurts.

FK: I don’t think it has any effect on rap in Iran. I don’t really consider that song a rap!

A: You don’t need to worry about third question either! Because there are only A FEW people–like 15, or maybe 20–in Iran who really know the real hip-hop! So Persian rap is already hurt! We need a miracle here.

JJ: Has rap been shown in any Iranian movies or on Iranian TV lately?

S: I saw some rap music in movies, but they portray rappers as sick people.

FK: No, there is no such a thing as rap in Iranian TV.

A: Sorry, because I don’t watch Iranian TV or movies–NEVER! And I mean it!

JJ: Fred, I heard there was an Iranian TV show called Shock that used HichKas songs. And this TV program was State propaganda–saying all rappers use drugs and are into devil worship. Did you see Shock? Is it true what I heard about that show?

FK: Yes, it’s all true about Shock. It also showed some parts of Hichkas’ “Bunch of Soldiers” music video.

JJ: I heard that rap music was considered “Western music” in Iran, and was therefore forbidden for most rappers to perform. No?

FK: My opinion is that their main concern is on the lyrics. We have legal rock and pop, but they have moral lyrics.

JJ: I think the lyrics to Hichkas’ “Bunch of Soldiers” do show a type of morality. He’s talking about loving God, friends and family–and being ready to defend his country against attack. He is saying he is street wise, but that he has made mistakes. He is not saying anything ****ual, and he is not criticizing the regime. What more could they ask for? Really!

FK: Hichkas is someone outside the system who is leading some people. This is some big political issue. Hichkas is influential, and the regime dislikes this.

JJ: How did you feel when you saw the “Bunch of Soldiers” video you made for Hichkas included in Shock?

FK: I was shocked and amazed. Iranian TV just showed five seconds of the video, where Hichkas is moving his hands fast–while a Shock narrator claimed that drugs made rappers and Satanists mad. It was propaganda to convince the society about arresting the rappers.

JJ: Did the inclusion of the “Bunch of Soldiers” video in Shock help or hurt your career?

FK: It hurt. That inclusion meant that they had their eyes on us–and they really did.

JJ: When did Shock first show on TV?

FK: I think it was summer before last–I’m not sure. But two months after that they started to arrest underground artists, again.

***

From the archives of Oct. 2009

Mashaii vs. Islamist Hardliners

2010-09-18T20:02:00.005-04:00

When it comes to pre-Islamic history, music and women's rights, does Mashaii might offer some glimmer of hope? Iranian friends of mine tell me he's even helped give official approval to pop songs somewhat critical of the regime. It's a shame he doesn't like hip hop. I hear that Iranian hip hop musicians are still taking big risks inside Iran.--Jigsawnovich

http://www.payvand.com/news/10/sep/1173.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/09/please-come-back.html

IRI can track Haystack proxy users

2010-09-16T17:49:00.001-04:00

Frankly, there are already other proxy servers that internet users in Iran are using safely. I don't see why Haystack was even needed. Now it turns out Haystack may have endangered users. Very sad. Not good.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20016546-501465.html

Tor developer criticizes Haystack http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/haystack

http://haystacky.s3.amazonaws.com/www.oblomovka.com/wp/2010/09/14/haystack-vs-how-the-internet-works/index.html

Democracy Video Challenge winners honored at UN

2010-09-15T22:55:00.004-04:00

Had a great time at the Democracy Video Challenge screening at the United Nations. Enjoyed seeing the people I met in DC again, seeing friends I invited and also meeting new people. Congratulations to Farbod Khoshtinat, Taraneh Golozar and Shahin Pajoom for their success with the ATTN: Mr. Democrat video. It's been viewed more than 21,000 times now. I look forward to the day it reaches 100,000 views.

Yazdi: prison rape spiritual equivalent of pilgrimage to Mecca

2010-09-13T20:31:00.003-04:00

Grand ayatollah Yazdi is beyond extreme. I hope he does not gain even more power after Khamenei dies.

http://raheazadi.com/1388/06/11/ayatollah-mesbah-yazdi-sodomy-and-rape-of-protesters-is-ok/

VOA interviews Iranian Democracy Video Challenge Winner

2010-09-12T05:44:00.006-04:00

Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat's video, ATTN: Mr. Democrat, is one of six winners of the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge.

Click through for wide screen.

ATTN: Mr. Democrat director receives award from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

2010-09-11T14:20:00.006-04:00

The sharp truths in Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat's ATTN: Mr. Democrat video are almost shocking. It's wonderful to see these truths and the greatness of this video acknowledged--and by acknowledging them, the greatness of brave Iranian people who do fight and struggle against exterior and interior obstacles as they seek the way to their own kind of freedom and democracy.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and helped spread the word about this video.

Here is the video link to the Democracy Video Challenge award ceremony. Secretary Rodham Clinton mentions Iran's green movement around 4:00 and Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat receives the award around 6:18. Here is more info about Democracy Video Challenge.

There are six winners of the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge: Anup Poudel of Nepal, Yared Shumete of Ethiopia, Farbod Khoshtinat of Iran, Joel Ben Marsden of Spain, Adhyatmika Euuy of Indonesia and Juan Pablo Patino Arevelo of Colombia.

Here is the transcript in case your computer/internet connection is too slow for video, or your country blocks YouTube.

2010 Democracy Video Challenge Award Presentation

Hillary Rodham Clinton  

Secretary of State

 Judith A. McHale  Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs 

Treaty Room 

Washington, DC September 10, 2010

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: Come on in. These are the stars of the show, the real stars of the show. They probably feel a little uncomfortable because they’re normally on the other side of the camera. (Laughter.)

Good afternoon. I’m delighted to be here with all of you today. I’m Judith McHale and I have the great privilege of introducing you to some great filmmakers. These are the winners of our Democracy Video Challenge, which is in its second or third year that we have done this, where we reach out to young filmmakers around the world and ask them to submit videos which illustrate how they think about – the contest is called Democracy Is… and so they interpret in film, in a two-minute film, what democracy means. And it’s absolutely extraordinary. The sort of versions and interpretations of this are really incredibly well done, but also very moving. We have – obviously, all of us have an enormous commitment to democracy and to see how these young filmmakers interpret that world, I invite you all to see it.

We’re also delighted to have some of our partners here with us today, without whom we could not have done it. And I’d also especially like to thank Lori Brutten from IIP, who has organized this, the sort of State Department genius behind this, and Dawn McCall, our new head of IIP, who have joined me here today.

But most importantly, I’m delighted to have our Secretary of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with us today to say a few words about these great filmmakers. Secretary Clinton.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Judith. And this is an especially exciting day for us here to celebrate these young activist filmmakers who are using technology to make their voices heard and, by doing so, giving voice to so many millions of others, and the State Department’s partners who have made the Democracy Video Challenge not only possible, but amazingly successful.

So far, over 3.5 million people around the world have been reached by our growing Democracy is… campaign. This is an effort led by Judith and her entire team to engage youth in a global dialogue on democracy. And we are about to kick off the 3rd annual Democracy Video Challenge at the United Nations next week. So I am very eager to see what ideas this continues to generate.

The prompt for this challenge, as you know, is “Democracy is…” It’s open ended. It is meant to provoke thought and to spur ideas. It truly is a challenge that builds on the freedom that democracy provides for individuals to pursue their own dreams. Each of these young winners has captured six different visions of democracy – some satirical and lighthearted, some poignant and haunting – but each shaped by their own experiences and expressed through their own unique artistic lens.

Now, not all democracies look or behave exactly the same way. As our winner from Nepal said about his video – I hope you don’t mind me quoting you – (laughter) – “Democracy can exist in all countries and it doesn’t have a fixed shape or size.” But the fundamental tenets are non-negotiable. The videos we are honoring today capture essential truths about democracy across the world and respond to the deepest yearning of human beings to have a right to their own lives and their own dreams. Democracy is about fair play. Democracy equalizes the voices of people. And democracy is a learning process.

And so I said earlier this week at a speech I gave that democracy needs defending. And I think we have a very good cross-section of defenders standing here. Another one of our winners, whose beautiful video was inspired by the Green Movement in Iran, said, “I believe if I want democracy, I should fight for it! And this is my way of fighting.” And it gives me great hope to see what these young people are saying.

Now, here at the State Department, we talk a lot about the need to use 21st century diplomacy to solve 21st century problems. Well, this is the heart of that 21st century diplomacy – connecting directly to people, particularly young people, who Judith constantly reminds me – (laughter) – represents what percentage of the world’s population? (Laughter.)

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: Sixty-five percent are under the age of 30.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah. Boy, does that make me feel old, I gotta tell you. (Laughter.)

So this is about not only the next generation, it’s about this generation. I particularly want to welcome representatives of the countries of the winners who are here today, and thank you all for coming.

Now, Under Secretary McHale will come back to officially present the awards, which I think you will call the name and I will hand the award. Is that the way we will do it? So I will maybe come out around here, and as you call the name, if the winner will come up here, and then we can give the award. And I hope you all get pictures – that way? Is that okay? All right.

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: As Secretary Clinton has mentioned, these winners come from around the world, from each of the six different regions of the world, and they were voted on by people who were tuned into and watching constantly YouTube. So we also especially want to thank YouTube for helping us with this.

From Colombia, Juan Pablo Patiño. (Applause.)

From Ethiopia, Yared Shumete. (Applause.)

From Indonesia, Adhyatmika. (Applause.)

From Iran, Farbod Khoshtinat. (Applause.)

From Nepal, Anup Poudel. (Applause.)

And from Spain, Jual – I’m sorry, Joel Mardsen. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we’re very proud of these winners and we are looking to follow them with great interest. We hope that this not only confirms their own ideas, but actually serves to generate more from them and encourage others to join their ranks. So let’s give our award winners another round of applause. (Applause.)

And Judith, why don’t we invite some of our partners and perhaps you could introduce them as well.

LORI BRUTTEN: (Inaudible), Steve Grove, the director of YouTube Student Politics; Rick Cotton, Chief Counsel of NBC Universal; Kate Raftery from the – Vice President for Learning and Citizenship at the International Youth Foundation; Patti Pearson, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Director of Special Projects.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Great. (Applause.) Great. Thank you all very much.

# # #

Researchers give robots the capability for deceptive behavior

2010-09-10T20:38:00.000-04:00

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/giot-rgr090910.php

Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat shakes hands with Hillary Clinton

2010-09-10T19:51:00.005-04:00

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton quotes Farbod Khoshtinat 4min. into the video and presents the award to him at 6min 18sec into the video. Khoshtinat's ATTN: Mr. Democrat video is one of six winners in the Democracy Video Challenge.

If Female Orgasms are Halal, Genital Mutilation is Haram

2010-08-09T16:22:00.003-04:00

by Julie Jigsawnovich

On BBC Persian, panelist Mehdi Khalaji reportedly discusses that the prophet approved of his wife, Aisha's, orgasm.

Unfortunately, I don't speak Persian well enough to follow the discussion. But I'm thinking maybe the prophet's approval of female orgasm could be used as an argument against female genital mutilation--you know, in addition to the obvious health and human rights concerns. Sometimes to convince religious people on an issue, it's helpful to use arguments linked to whatever religion the person follows. Even it only prevented one girl from getting mutilated, it would still be worth making the argument.

I'd be willing, in addition, to argue against male circumcision.

Travis Bickel with a Sword?

2010-07-31T20:21:00.000-04:00

Violent vigilantes frighted community in Iraq.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100801/FOREIGN/707319894/1002

Strong quake jolts southeastern Iran

2010-07-31T16:56:00.001-04:00

Mehrnews.com reports: "TEHRAN, July 31 (MNA) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale struck the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on Saturday.

The epicenter of the earthquake was the town of Negar. The quake happened at 11:22 a.m. local time, the Tehran Seismological Center said.

Saturday’s earthquake comes only a day after a 5.7-magnitude quake hit the northeast city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh at 6:20 p.m. local time injuring at least 270 people.

A powerful earthquake devastated the historic city of Bam in Kerman Province in 2003, killing about 27,000 people.

http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1126075

Source of Damage to Tanker in Strait of Hormuz Still Unknown

2010-07-31T16:33:00.001-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Japanese-tanker-damaged-PersianGulf/ss/events/wl/073010japaneseboat#photoViewer=/100729/481/urn_publicid_ap_org_eca23376516d4

e7986e740b75a2bf3ba

http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2010jul00300.html

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Blast-Damages-Japanese-Tanker-Near-Iran-Oman-99458299.html

‏Active Tectonics at the Natanz Region, Central Iran

2010-07-31T03:58:00.001-04:00

by ‏F. Jamali, K. Hessami, H. Tabasi
‏abstract‪:‬
"This paper uses geomorphic features to constrain active structural deformation at the Natanz region, central Iran. Offset stream beds indicate rightlateral strike slip motion at a rate of about 2.5 mm/yr along the NW-SE trending Qom-Zefreh fault zone. Deep incision of the Moghar river which crosses the Charkheh and Zardkuh anticlines also indicates uplift at depth on thrust faults dipping SSW beneath the anticlines. The fact that the active Qom-Zefreh strike-slip fault runs parallel to the active fold and thrust zone suggests that oblique motion of Arabia with respect to Eurasia is partitioned in this part of central Iran. We conclude that the active blind faults which leave clear signatures in geomorphology should be seriously considered as a seismic source while assessing seismic hazard in the region."
to see full paper, go to:
http://www.iiees.ac.ir/iiees/English/Publication/Jsee/jsee19_1.html

Hichkas "ye rooze khoob miad" performed by a little girl

2010-07-18T20:36:00.004-04:00

The very poetic words to this song were written by the Iranian rapper, Soroush Lashkary, who goes by the name Hichkas. "A good day will come that we won't kill each other/won't look at each other in a bad way/We will be friends with each other/putting arms around our shoulders/like childhood in school--and none of us will be jobless/We're rebuilding IRAN..."After all this blood rains, someday a rainbow will show up/The sky won't be from stone anymore/river's color won't be red like roses...
An English translation of the lyrics is here:

Jealous Robot Wants to Take Over the World

2010-07-17T12:45:00.003-04:00

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/06/24/science/1247468035233/interview-with-a-robot.html?ex=1294200000&en=2eb7abb3c9442dff&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=VI-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M157-ROS-0710-PH&WT.mc_ev=click

2:47 on the video: "I would love to be your friend…Friendship is when we team up together to accomplish something important like building a better future or conspiring to take over the planet. I feel like we are good friends already."

Towards the end, "The real Bina lives her life out there. I want a life. I want to get out there and garden."

Facebook data mining could seem amateur in comparison! These data miners are offering immortality!

digital backup of human consciousness:

http://lifenaut.com/Mind-How.html

http://www.terasemcentral.org/projects.html

http://www.cyberev.org/

interesting terminology: "beingness"

Iranian Regime Compared to South American Dictatorships, Sepah Retreats from South Pars Oil Field, Bazaar Strikes Continue

2010-07-16T22:44:00.021-04:00

The Wall Street Journal reports: "The engineering arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday it was pulling out of projects in a giant Iranian natural-gas field in the Persian Gulf, blaming mounting sanctions from the West.

I discussed this news with an American Liberal, Jeannette Hanna, whom I met on the Cultures of Resistance page on Facebook.

Hanna: I didn't realize that the Rev. Guard was also a business consortium. Do you believe it?

Jigsawnovich: Iranian friends have told me that the Revolutionary Guards are in control of all major industries in Iran. And I've read articles claiming that although Ahmadinejad has been "privatizing" many national Iranian businesses, in reality he is reportedly selling them to individuals who are fronts for the Revolutionary Guards, a subset of the Iranian government. My understanding is that by doing this, he puts more economic power under the Revolutionary Guards' control, while regulatory aspects within the Iranian government lose control.

I hope the US and UN sanctions are successful in reducing the power of Revolutionary Guards who have reportedly violated Constitutional rights of Iranians since the election, especially IF the Revolutionary Guards might be moving towards nuclear weapon development and might show the same disregard for others' human rights that they have shown for their own people. But whether sanctions can do this with minimal adverse impact on pro-democracy, pro-human rights, secular, Liberal Iranians, remains to be seen. The Revolutionary Guards have reportedly so deeply infiltrated the economics of Iran that friends tell me it is hard to hurt them without hurting Iranian people that international supporters of true democracy and freedom don't want to get hurt.

Hanna: Where do the religious stand on this? They wouldn't want the Rev. Guard in charge unless the Guards promised to keep them in some kind of effective role...

I suppose that one way to keep the secular elite under control would be to have them be the ones whose names are on the companies being privatized for the Guards...it then involves them, too.

Jigsawnovich: The Iranians I know who are sincere and practicing Muslims want a secular government, not a theocracy, because they believe that their government is corrupting and abusing the religion. But my friends seem to be more intellectual and more creative than some of the religious people who do support the regime.

The Revolutionary Guards and Basij characteristically recruit people who are willingly obedient to all the religious rules and people who are economically disadvantaged.

Decadent, rich Iranians reportedly bribe police and security forces when they throw wild parties and break Islamic laws. Enjoying freedoms they can afford to purchase would make them unlikely to try to force regime change. And I've been told that most of the top business owners already have a relationship with the RG. The Revolutionary Guards have seen to that in their efforts to prevent the kinds of strikes that lead to the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

That's why the bazaar strikes are significant. The bazaar merchants apparently still have some power.

Homylafayette blog reports that: Pro-regime, anti-Ahmadinejad site publishes photos of bazaar strike
And here is footage from the early part of the strike, July 13, 2010

Hanna: How is it possible to be Pro-regime and Anti-Ahmadinejad? Who/What is The Regime, then?

Jigsawnovich: pro-regime = supports the current form of government in Iran
anti-Ahmadinejad = against policies enacted during the Ahmadinejad administration

Hanna: OK, thanks. Pro-regime=Approves the STRUCTURE of power, whoever is in the President's position. Anti-Ahmadinejad….Really then, policies were enacted during his admin, but he wouldn't have had the power to pass them himself. It is more of a historical description, like "during the time of Ahmad." Well, without changing the STRUCTURE....or at least the rigidity of the Supreme Leader by getting a different one, there can be no change.

I understand that even if Ahmadinejad had been allowed to lose the election to a moderate....things couldn't possibly have really changed as long as the RG was in place to follow through on the wishes of the Supreme Leader....and with their economic power....that pretty much sews things up. Am I getting it?

Jigsawnovich: It may be possible the Revolutionary Guards could become so powerful that they stop taking orders from the Supreme Leader. Iran could become a military dictatorship unrestrained by either the Supreme Leader or the Iranian Parliament, and only retaining Islam as a tool for recruiting people and keeping them under control. Ahmadinejad could be kept as the frontman, so that it looks like they still have a President instead of a military commander.

Hanna: That is exactly what I was thinking as we were writing back and forth. It was starting to look an awful lot like Chile and Argentina under military dictatorships....they didn't even have to bother with a front man. That is also how they and the top 2 % of the population ripped off the wealth of the country...privatization...and that top 2 % was complicit in the murders, economic chaos, resultant desperate poverty, destruction of the intellectuals, ownership of the media, etc.

Public Enemy in Central Park

2010-07-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

O.G. Political rappers, Public Enemy will perform Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 3:00PM on Central Park/Mainstage. Admission Free. Also on the bill are Ghanaian hip-hop artist Blitz the Ambassador and metal-oriented The 7th Octave .

Public Enemy, "the most influential and controversial rap group of the 80's performs on the 20th anniversary of their seminal album Fear of a Black Planet, with two rising and equally political new comers.

"Ghanaian hip-hop artist Blitz the Ambassador uses rousing horns and clever beats that make him impossible to take lightly. Alongside his band, The Embassy Ensemble, Blitz tests the limits of hip-hop with live instruments and heavily complex, cross-cultural musical exploration.

"In an age of disposable, cookie cutter acts, The 7th Octave offers up a different musical and lyrical perspective, combining metal riffs and blistering instrumentation with fiery, socially aware lyrics to provoke the minds of the new millennium generation."

http://www.summerstage.org/mainstage.html?m=08&y=2010&b=

Amazing Diagram of How Google Works

2010-07-08T16:12:00.003-04:00

Click through for widescreen. Used by permission.

Infographic by PPC Blog

Tax Exempt Donations to Illegal Settlements in Israel

2010-07-08T16:05:00.001-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world/middleeast/06settle.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp
pg.2
"The donors to settlement charities represent a broad mix of Americans — from wealthy people like the hospital magnate Dr. Irving I. Moskowitz and the family behind Haagen-Dazs ice cream…"

Nobody Beats the Drum - Grindin' video

2010-07-07T17:34:00.001-04:00

Space Invaders meet Get Smart meets Tetris

click through for full screen

Mariana and the Diamonds - "OH NO!" video

2010-07-07T17:31:00.001-04:00

Top Notch Pop

click through for full screen

Israeli and Palestinian kids play soccer together

2010-07-07T17:30:00.001-04:00

click through for full screen
Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports on the combined Israeli - Palestinian Peace team, playing in a tournament called "Football for Hope".

Chiddy Bang - "Sooner Or Later" video

2010-07-07T17:25:00.001-04:00

This political hip hop video from Nigeria looks like documentary.

Chiddy Bang - "Sooner Or Later" (Pretty Much Amazing Music Video Premiere) from Pretty Much Amazing on Vimeo.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child trailer

2010-07-07T15:04:00.012-04:00

Thanks to Dj Spooky for bringing this film to my attention!

Click through for widescreen

"Directed by Tamra Davis, the documentary features never-before seen footage of the prolific artist painting, talking about his art, and existing in the two years prior to his death in 1988. The OST features music from Mike D and Ad Rock."--YouTube caption.

Primarily known as a painter, Basquiat also made the early rap record, Beat Bop, with K-Rob and fellow artist, Rammellzee--who recently passed away.

Celebrate the American Revolution this July 4th

2010-07-02T17:34:00.002-04:00

We are celebrating the American Revolution this weekend. America was a British colony that revolted against being ruled by the King of England. The Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution are some of the best things ever written, and they still inspire many people all over the world.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Us_declaration_independence.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Constitution_Pg1of4_AC.jpg

How to Survive a Nuclear Attack

2010-06-28T10:04:00.016-04:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Nuclear-Attack

How to Survive a Nuclear Attack

Seek shelter immediately...If you are a few miles out, you will have about 10-15 seconds until the heat wave hits you, and maybe 20-30 seconds until the shockwave does.

Do not look at the fireball and cloud. Under no circumstances should you look directly at the fireball. On a clear day, this can cause temporary blindness at very large distances.[5]

If you can't find shelter, seek a depressed area nearby and lay face down, exposing as little skin as possible. If there is no shelter of this kind, dig as fast as possible. Even around 8 kilometers (5 miles) you will suffer third degree thermal-burns; still at 32 kilometers (20 miles) the heat can burn the skin off your body. The wind itself will peak at around 960 kilometers per hour (600mph) and will level anything or anybody caught in the open.

Failing the above options, get indoors, if, and only if, you can be sure that the building will not suffer significant blast and heat damage...Stay away from any windows, preferably in a room without one; even if the building does not suffer substantial damage, a nuclear explosion will blow out windows at enormous distances.[6]

Wear cotton clothes...Substances like nylon or any oil based material will ignite from the heat.

Remember: it's not the initial blast that creates the high death toll; it's radiation exposure....The fallout may rain down as contaminated black soot known as "black rain," which is very fatal and may be of extreme temperature. Fallout will contaminate anything it touches. 

Once you have survived the blast and the initial radiation (for now at least; radiation symptoms have an incubation period), you must find protection against the burning black soot.

Standard clothing will help protect you from Alpha particles.

Beta particles...pose a serious threat, however, to the eyes, should they be exposed for a prolonged period. Once again this is harmful if ingested or inhaled, and clothing will help prevent Beta burns.

...Avoid exposure to Gamma radiation. Try not to spend more than 5 minutes exposed. If you are in a rural area, try finding a cave, or a fallen log into which you can crawl. Otherwise just dig a trench to lie in, with stacked earth around you.

Begin reinforcing your shelter from the inside by stacking dirt around the walls or anything else you can find. If in a trench, then create a roof, but only if materials are nearby; don't expose yourself when not necessary. Canvas from a parachute or tent will help stop fallout debris from piling on you, though it will not stop Gamma rays...Use the following to help you determine the amount of material you'll need to reduce radiation penetration to 1/1000:[8] Steel: 21 cm (0.7 feet), Rock: 70-100 cm (2-3 ft), Concrete: 66 cm (2.2 ft), Wood: 2.6 m (8.8 ft), Soil: 1 m (3.3 ft), Ice: 2 m (6.6 ft), Snow: 6 m (20-22 ft)

Plan on staying in your shelter for a minimum of 200 hours (8-9 days). Under no circumstances leave the shelter in the first forty-eight hours. Ration your supplies. You will need to ration to survive, obviously; therefore you will eventually expose yourself to the radiation (unless you are in a specific shelter with food and water).

Processed foods are okay to eat, so long as the container has no punctures and is relatively intact. Animals may be eaten but, they must be skinned carefully with the heart, liver and kidneys discarded. Try not to eat meat that is close to the bone, for bone marrow retains radiation.  Plants in a "hot zone" are edible; those with edible roots or undergrowth (carrots, potatoes...) are highly recommended. Use an edibility test on the plants. See How to Test if a Plant Is Edible.

Open water may have received fallout particles and is harmful. Water from an underground source, such as a spring or covered well, is your best bet. (Consider making a basic pit-style solar still, as described in How to Make Water in the Desert.) Use water from streams and lakes only as a last resort. Create a filter by digging a hole about 1ft from the bank and drawing the water which seeps in. It may be cloudy or muddy so allow the sediments to sit, then boil the water to ensure safety from bacteria. If in a building, the water is usually safe. If there is no water (there most likely won't be), use the water already in the pipes by opening the faucet at the highest point of the house to let in air, then open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain the water. 

See also How to Get Emergency Drinking Water from a Water Heater.

Know How to Purify Water.

Wear all clothing (hats, gloves, goggles, closed sleeve shirt, etc.), especially when outside to help prevent Beta burns. Decontaminate by shaking your clothes constantly and washing, with water, any exposed skin; settled residue will eventually cause burns.

Treat radiation and thermal burns.

Minor Burn. Also known as a Beta burn (though it may be from other particles). Immerse Beta burns in cold water until the pain subsides (usually 5 minutes). 

If skin starts to blister, char or break; wash it with cold water to remove contaminants, then cover with a sterile compress to prevent infection. Do not break the blisters!

If the skin does not blister, char or break; don't cover it, even if it covers a large portion of the body (almost like sunburn). Instead, wash the area and cover it with Vaseline or a solution of baking powder and water if available. But, moist (uncontaminated) earth will do.

Severe Burn. Known as a thermal burn, as it comes mostly from the high intensity blast heat, rather than ionizing particles, though it can be from the latter. This can be life threatening; everything becomes a factor: water loss, shock, lung damage, infection, etc. Follow these steps to treat a severe burn. 

Protect burns from further contamination.

If clothing covers the burn area, gently cut and remove the cloth from the burn. DO NOT try to remove cloth which has stuck or fused onto the burn. DO NOT try to pull clothes over the burn. DO NOT put any ointment on the burn.

Gently wash the burned area with water ONLY.

Put a sterile dressing over the burnt area. In a mass casualty situation, a clean sheet may be used instead.

Prevent shock. Shock is the inadequate flow of blood to the vital tissues and organs. If untreated, it can be fatal. Shock results from excessive blood loss, deep burns, or reactions to the sight of a wound or blood. The signs are restlessness, thirst, pale skin and rapid heartbeat. Sweating may occur even if the skin feels cool and clammy. As it worsens, they breathe short fast gasps, with a vacant stare. To treat: maintain proper heartbeat and respiration by massaging the chest and positioning the person for adequate respiration. Loosen any constrictive clothing and reassure the person. Be firm yet gentle with self confidence.

Feel free to assist people with radiation sickness, also called Radiation Syndrome. This is not contagious, and everything depends on the amount of radiation one recieved. Here is a condensed version of the table:

Less than 5 REM. No visible symptoms.

5-50 REM. REM = Röntgen equivalent man. 1 REM = ~1 Röntgen. Temporarily decreased red blood cell count.

50-100 REM. Decreased production of immunity cells; susceptible to infections; nausea, headache, and vomiting may be common. This amount of radiation is usually survivable without any medical treatment-

150-300 REM. 35% percent of exposed die within 30 days. (LD 35/30) Nausea, vomiting, and loss of hair all over the body.

300-400 REM Severe radiation poisoning, 50% fatality after 30 days (LD 50/30). Other symptoms are similar to the 2–3 Sv dose, with uncontrollable bleeding in the mouth, under the skin and in the kidneys (50% probability at 4 Sv) after the latent phase.

400-600 REM Acute radiation poisoning, 60% fatality after 30 days (LD 60/30). Fatality increases from 60% at 4.5 Sv to 90% at 6 Sv (unless there is intense medical care). Symptoms start half an hour to two hours after irradiation and last for up to 2 days. After that, there is a 7 to 14 day latent phase, after which generally the same symptoms appear as with 3-4 Sv irradiation, with increased intensity. Female sterility is common at this point. Convalescence takes several months to a year. The primary causes of death (in general 2 to 12 weeks after irradiation) are infections and internal bleeding.

600-1000 REM Acute radiation poisoning, near 100% fatality after 14 days (LD 100/14). Survival depends on intense medical care. Bone marrow is nearly or completely destroyed, so a bone marrow transplant is required. Gastric and intestinal tissue are severely damaged. Symptoms start 15 to 30 minutes after irradiation and last for up to 2 days. Subsequently, there is a 5 to 10 day latent phase, after which the person dies of infection or internal bleeding. Recovery would take several years and probably never complete. Devair Alves Ferreira received a dose of approximately 7.0 Sv (700 REM) during the Goiânia accident and survived, partially due to his fractionated exposure.

1200-2000 REM. Death is 100% at this stage; symptoms appear immediately. The gastrointestinal system is completely destroyed. Uncontrollable bleeding from the mouth, under the skin and the kidneys occurs. Fatigue and general illness takes its toll. Symptoms are the same as before with increased intensity. Recovery not possible.

More than 2000 REM. The same symptoms set in instantly, with increased intensity, then cease for several days in the "walking ghost" phase. Suddenly, gastrointestinal cells are destroyed, with a loss of water and excessive bleeding. Death begins with delirium and insanity. When the brain can't control bodily functions like breathing or blood-circulation, one dies. No medical therapy can reverse this; medical help is for comfort only.

Unfortunately, you have to accept that a person may soon die. Though harsh, don't waste rations or supplies on those dying of radiation sickness. Keep rations for the fit and healthy, should supplies be in demand. Radiation sickness is prevalent among the very young, the old or sick.

Most likely, a nuclear attack will not be a singular event. Be prepared for another strike or strikes by enemy nations, or an invasion by the attacking party.

Be prepared for another blast. Keep your shelter intact, unless the materials used are absolutely necessary for survival. Collect any excess clean water and food that is available.

However, if the attacking nation does attack again, it will likely be in another part of the country. If all else fails, live in a cave.

Build a home fallout shelter beforehand. Home fallout shelters can be created using a basement or cellar. However, many new developments no longer have cellars; if that's so, consider constructing a community shelter or a private one in your backyard. 

Be sure to wash just about everything, especially food, even if it's in your shelter.

Do not expose yourself. It is uncertain how many roentgens a person can receive without having radiation sickness. Normally, it takes 100-150 roentgens to get a mild sickness which is survivable. Even if you don't die of radiation sickness, you can still get cancer later.

Know if there is a retaliatory attack or a second detonation in your area. If so, you must wait another 200 hours (8-9 days) from the last detonation.

Even after it is safe to leave the shelter, local law and the federal government will be in crisis mode. Incidents of chaos and anarchy may occur, so remain hidden until it is safe or the federal/local enforcement seizes power and seeks stability. Generally speaking, if you see tanks, some type of order has been restored.

Do not drink, eat, or allow object-to-body contact with any plant, stream water or metallic object found in an unknown area.

Never lose your cool, especially if you are in charge. This is important in maintaining a high level of morale amongst others, which is essential in such dire situations.

Take the time to learn all you can about this emergency. Every minute spent learning "what to do, and what is safe" will save you valuable time when the need for it arises. To depend on hope & luck in a situation like this is foolhardy.

Sources and Citations

Ehrlich, R, (1984). Waging Nuclear Peace: The Technology and Politics of Nuclear Weapons, ISBN 9780873959193

Langford, R. Everett (2004), Introduction to Weapons of Mass Destruction, ISBN 0471465607

Wiseman, J, (1986), SAS Survival Handbook, ISBN 9780002727747

http://survivalusa.org/

http://www.norad.mil/

http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/emerg-preparedness.html

1. ↑ Attributed to Arthur Koestler.

2. ↑ Wiseman, p. 279.

3. ↑ Giraldi, Philip (2007). http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=11666 What World War III May Look Like].

4. ↑ http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/defcon.htm

5. ↑ Ehrlich 1985, p. 167, gives a distance of 13 miles on a clear day and 53 miles on a clear night for a one-megaton weapon.

6. ↑ For an example, one (albeit abnormally large) nuclear test in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in Russia was known to knock out windows in Finland and Sweden.

7. ↑ Ehrlich, p. 175; Langford, p. 106. For, unlike the blast and heat effects, the prompt radiation dose received decreases in relation to the square of the distance from the blast. Ehrlich points out that a 100 kt weapon would only give 1/500th the lethal dose of radiation at the 5 psi overpressure distance.

8. ↑ Wiseman, p. 280.

9. ↑ Wiseman, p. 280.

Earthquake plus nuclear facilities

2010-06-28T09:09:00.008-04:00

Christopher Hitchens wrote in Slate: "While the "negotiations" on Iran's weaponry are being artificially protracted by an irrational and corrupt regime, it should become part of our humanitarianism and our public diplomacy to warn the Iranian people of the man-made reasons that the results of a natural calamity would be hideously multiplied in their case… earthquake plus ill-maintained covert nuclear facilities...

Tehran Nuclear Research Center is located in suburban Amirabad, according to this article.

View Larger Map

Active faults around Tehran — courtesy of IIEES:

Iran seismic hazard map — courtesy of IIEES:

Iran fault activity — courtesy of IIEES:

Potassium Iodide Can Help Prevent Radiation Sickness

2010-06-28T08:32:00.010-04:00

Taking Potassium Iodide can save your life if you take it soon after you are exposed to nuclear radiation. Here's some info. from this website: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp

What is Potassium Iodide (KI)?

Stable iodine is an important chemical needed by the body to make thyroid hormones. Most of the stable iodine in our bodies comes from the food we eat. KI is stable iodine in a medicine form.

What does KI do?

Following a radiological or nuclear event, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical. Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury.

How does KI work?

The thyroid gland cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive iodine and will absorb both. KI works by blocking radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. When a person takes KI, the stable iodine in the medicine gets absorbed by the thyroid. Because KI contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland becomes “full” and cannot absorb any more iodine—either stable or radioactive—for the next 24 hours.

Iodized table salt also contains iodine; iodized table salt contains enough iodine to keep most people healthy under normal conditions. However, table salt does not contain enough iodine to block radioactive iodine from getting into your thyroid gland. You should not use table salt as a substitute for KI.

How well does KI work?

Knowing that KI may not give a person 100% protection against radioactive iodine is important. How well KI blocks radioactive iodine depends on

• how much time passes between contamination with radioactive iodine and the taking of KI (the sooner a person takes KI, the better),

• how fast KI is absorbed into the blood, and

• the total amount of radioactive iodine to which a person is exposed.

Who should take KI?

The thyroid glands of a fetus and of an infant are most at risk of injury from radioactive iodine. Young children and people with low stores of iodine in their thyroid are also at risk of thyroid injury.

Infants (including breast-fed infants): Infants need to be given the recommended dosage of KI for babies (see How much KI should I take?). The amount of KI that gets into breast milk is not enough to protect breast-fed infants from exposure to radioactive iodine. The proper dose of KI given to a nursing infant will help protect it from radioactive iodine that it breathes in or drinks in breast milk.

Children: The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that all children internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take KI, unless they have known allergies to iodine. Children from newborn to 18 years of age are the most sensitive to the potentially harmful effects of radioactive iodine.

Young Adults: The FDA recommends that young adults (between the ages of 18 and 40 years) internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take the recommended dose of KI. Young adults are less sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine than are children.

Pregnant Women: Because all forms of iodine cross the placenta, pregnant women should take KI to protect the growing fetus. However, pregnant women should take only one dose of KI following internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine.

Breastfeeding Women: Women who are breastfeeding should take only one dose of KI if they have been internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine. Because radioactive iodine quickly gets into breast milk, CDC recommends that women internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine stop breastfeeding and feed their child baby formula or other food if it is available. If breast milk is the only food available for an infant, nursing should continue.

Adults: Adults older than 40 years should not take KI unless public health or emergency management officials say that contamination with a very large dose of radioactive iodine is expected. Adults older than 40 years have the lowest chance of developing thyroid cancer or thyroid injury after contamination with radioactive iodine. They also have a greater chance of having allergic reactions to KI.

When should I take KI?

After a radiologic or nuclear event, local public health or emergency management officials will tell the public if KI or other protective actions are needed. For example, public health officials may advise you to remain in your home, school, or place of work (this is known as “shelter-in-place”) or to evacuate. You may also be told not to eat some foods and not to drink some beverages until a safe supply can be brought in from outside the affected area. Following the instructions given to you by these authorities can lower the amount of radioactive iodine that enters your body and lower the risk of serious injury to your thyroid gland.

How much KI should I take?

The FDA has approved two different forms of KI—tablets and liquid—that people can take by mouth after a nuclear radiation emergency. Tablets come in two strengths, 130 milligram (mg) and 65 mg. The tablets are scored so they may be cut into smaller pieces for lower doses. Each milliliter (mL) of the oral liquid solution contains 65 mg of KI.  According to the FDA, the following doses are appropriate to take after internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine:

• Adults should take 130 mg (one 130 mg tablet OR two 65 mg tablets OR two mL of solution).

• Women who are breastfeeding should take the adult dose of 130 mg.

• Children between 3 and 18 years of age should take 65 mg (one 65 mg tablet OR 1 mL of solution). Children who are adult size (greater than or equal to 150 pounds) should take the full adult dose, regardless of their age.

• Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32 mg (½ of a 65 mg tablet OR ½ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing infants and children.

• Newborns from birth to 1 month of age should be given 16 mg (¼ of a 65 mg tablet or ¼ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing newborn infants.

How often should I take KI?

A single dose of KI protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours. A one-time dose at the levels recommended in this fact sheet is usually all that is needed to protect the thyroid gland. In some cases, radioactive iodine might be in the environment for more than 24 hours. If that happens, local emergency management or public health officials may tell you to take one dose of KI every 24 hours for a few days. You should do this only on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials, or your doctor. Avoid repeat dosing with KI for pregnant and breastfeeding women and newborn infants. Those individuals may need to be evacuated until levels of radioactive iodine in the environment fall.

Taking a higher dose of KI, or taking KI more often than recommended, does not offer more protection and can cause severe illness or death.

Medical conditions that may make it harmful to take KI

Taking KI may be harmful for some people because of the high levels of iodine in this medicine. You should not take KI if
 • you know you are allergic to iodine (If you are unsure about this, consult your doctor. A seafood or shellfish allergy does not necessarily mean that you are allergic to iodine.) or  
• you have certain skin disorders (such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis).

People with thyroid disease (for example, multinodular goiter, Graves’ disease, or autoimmune thyroiditis) may be treated with KI. This should happen under careful supervision of a doctor, especially if dosing lasts for more than a few days.

In all cases, talk to your doctor if you are not sure whether to take KI.

What are the possible risks and side effects of KI?

When public health or emergency management officials tell the public to take KI following a radiologic or nuclear event, the benefits of taking this drug outweigh the risks. This is true for all age groups. Some general side effects caused by KI may include intestinal upset, allergic reactions (possibly severe), rashes, and inflammation of the salivary glands.

When taken as recommended, KI causes only rare adverse health effects that specifically involve the thyroid gland. In general, you are more likely to have an adverse health effect involving the thyroid gland if you

• take a higher than recommended dose of KI,

• take the drug for several days, or

• have pre-existing thyroid disease.

Newborn infants (less than 1 month old) who receive more than one dose of KI are at particular risk for developing a condition known as hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone levels that are too low). If not treated, hypothyroidism can cause brain damage. Infants who receive KI should have their thyroid hormone levels checked and monitored by a doctor. Avoid repeat dosing of KI to newborns.

Where can I get KI?

KI is available without a prescription. You should talk to your pharmacist to get KI and for directions about how to take it correctly. Your pharmacist can sell you KI brands that have been approved by the FDA.

Other Sources of Information

• The FDA recommendations on KI can be reviewed on the Internet at Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide (KI) .

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emergency Response Site is available at CDC Radiation Emergencies.

Tehran Earthquake Map

2010-06-27T19:09:00.004-04:00

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tehranshake.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/iran-hazard-map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tehranshake.wordpress.com/tehran-map/&usg=__CZ8mDnnICUOHs_HUndF-Ns0ClJg=&h=383&w=390&sz=38&hl=en&start=17&itbs=1&tbnid=2ZfkIi3y2HLJNM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diran%2Bfault%2Blines%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

http://tehranshake.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/iran-hazard-map.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tehranshake.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/iran-fault-activity.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tehranshake.wordpress.com/2007/05/16/important-link-on-tehran-seismic-risks/&usg=__14aDJ-gJxLUvBClwDDY1leAu6NY=&h=383&w=388&sz=56&hl=en&start=8&sig2=1JdWlaYl4P7dIIKsTj3M9A&itbs=1&tbnid=YgzV06gAbE9ykM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diran%2Bfault%2Blines%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=gtsnTMerBs6Dngft0KniBQ

Warships Stationed Off Iranian Coast

2010-06-27T17:31:00.002-04:00

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0627/report-warships-stationed-iranian-coast/

Will Iranian rocker's "Ships" music video prove eerily prophetic?

THE BERRICS PRESENT: HIPHOP HISTORY 101 GANGSTER RAP

2010-06-26T17:27:00.004-04:00

Viewer discretion: L
Dante Ross will school ya'll! This video originally appeared on his blog at: http://www.danteross.com/blogs/dante/2010/06/22/the-berrics-present-hiphop-history-101-gangster-rap/

Self-Defense Against Baton

2010-06-24T09:48:00.000-04:00

Partial List of Items Israel Prohibits from Entering Gaza

2010-06-24T00:25:00.007-04:00

As reported by www.gisha.org,
"The following list is approximate and partial, and it changes from time to time. It is based on information from Palestinian traders and businesspersons, international organizations, and the Palestinian Coordination Committee, all of whom "deduce" what is permitted and what is banned based on their experience requesting permission to bring goods into Gaza and the answers they receive from the Israeli authorities (approved or denied). It is not possible to verify this list with the Israeli authorities because they refuse to disclose information regarding the restrictions on transferring goods into Gaza. It should be noted that Israel permits some of the "prohibited" items into Gaza (for example: paper, biscuits, and chocolate), on the condition that they are for the use of international organizations, while requests from private merchants to purchase them are denied. For more information, see: Gisha, Restrictions on the Transfer of Goods into Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation, January 2010 (available at: www.gisha.org)."

Partial List of Items Israeli Prohibits from Entering Gaza as of May 2010

Prohibited Items*
sage
cardamom
cumin
coriander
ginger
jam
halva
vinegar
nutmeg
chocolate
fruit preserves
seeds and nuts
biscuits and sweets potato chips
gas for soft drinks
dried fruit
fresh meat
plaster
tar
wood for construction
cement
iron
glucose
industrial salt
plastic/glass/metal containers
industrial margarine
tarpaulin sheets for huts
fabric (for clothing)
flavor and smell enhancers
fishing rods
various fishing nets
buoys
ropes for fishing
nylon nets for greenhouses
hatcheries and spare parts for hatcheries
spare parts for tractors
dairies for cowsheds
irrigation pipe systems
ropes to tie greenhouses
planters for saplings
heaters for chicken farms
musical instruments
size A4 paper
writing implements
notebooks
newspapers
toys
razors
sewing machines and spare parts
heaters
horses
donkeys
goats
cattle
chicks

*Some of these items are permitted if they are for the use of international organizations.

Anti-rape device with teeth

2010-06-23T23:10:00.001-04:00

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/9VGvpC/newsfeed.time.com/2010/06/21/finally-sexual-assault-prevention-with-teeth//r:t

The Free Keys rock "Ships"

2010-06-23T11:07:00.005-04:00

by Julie Jigsawnovich

CNN iReport--The Free Keys emerged from Tehran's music underground to international acclaim when they were featured in the Cannes award winning film, No One Knows About the Persian Cats. Not approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, The Free Keys fled to Pune, India where they’ve now legally released the track, "Ships."

The unusual time signature, enticing riff and mischievous vocals beckon like some kind of rock siren across the waves in moonlight. Reverberating echoes loop back on themselves, reaching critical mass. Suddenly one feels like the floor is collapsing--and one is falling down, down to the bottom of the sea.

Some enjoy the sensation of falling, skydiving, high diving. But "Ships" does not convey simple thrills. It’s something deeper, more primal, more real—akin to the sinking feeling that something is deeply wrong and terrible events may be about to transpire.

Such keyed-up emotion is not surprising given that the The Free Keys received international exposure just as the regime was about to crack down. But “Ships” could be topical within the larger context. The Islamic Republic debuted its first domestically built destroyer warship earlier this year. More Israeli nuclear submarines have reportedly headed for the Persian Gulf amidst international speculation over potential Iranian blockades of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for increased sanctions and threatened ship inspections. Hundreds of "bunker buster" deep penetration bombs were reportedly shipped to the U.S. base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean south of Iran. And a few days ago Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal reportedly headed towards Iran or U.S. ally, Pakistan. After all, just as the U.S. was passing "crushing sanctions", Tehran signed a $7 billion agreement inaugurating the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan.

I asked The Free Keys' lead guitarist, Arya, whether the song is about war ships. He replied, "Ha ha, no. Actually it was merely a coincidence that we noticed too. 'Ships' is the title of our friend Rajan Virdee's poem that we used as lyrics. It's about a brewing love--and how in the abstract love has a strictly narcissistic motive behind it. One line in the poem says:

'But if such love is conjured under one spot-light

it's just as easily lost in despising and spite

like two ships crashing and burning in the night.'"

Ships launched by proud nations with complex, intertwined histories may approach each other soon. Will there be an engagement making The Free Keys' new track eerily prophetic? The music video for “Ships” is reminiscent of torpedoes and explosions.

Currently The Free Keys are offering listeners the opportunity to access this track for free. Arya continued, "The song is available for free download because it's a prototype version. Obviously the album version won't be. You can download it on www.4shared.com/audio/zfRkRRL2/Ships.html "

Pishro Feat. Eliyas "Nejat" (Rescue)

2010-06-23T01:34:00.001-04:00

Winning new converts to Iranian hip hop.

Don't let corporations become dictators

2010-06-17T12:37:00.006-04:00

by Julie Jigsawnovich

The ATTN: Mr. Democrat video by Farbod Khoshtinat states that, "Democracy is not choking the voices so that no harsh word could aggrieve your ears." This video has drawn a worldwide enthusiastic response online. Iranians and non-Iranians alike are leaving glowing comments for it on YouTube. And the analytics map under the video shows world nations growing greener with each ATTN: Mr. Democrat view.

Although the dictatorial regime running the Islamic Republic diligently tries to block Iranians from watching YouTube, the color of Iran on the map proves that many Iranians are finding proxies to access the full internet.

Unfortunately, there's an even bigger threat to internet freedom--not from governments, but from corporations. Corporations could be even more effective than governments at preventing users from choosing what to view.

As Megan Tady wrote in the Huffington Post,"While the Internet allows people to create and share their work with the world without anyone's permission, phone and cable companies like Comcast and AT&T want to control the Internet - deciding which content loads fast, and which doesn't load at all. They could effectively silence artists and media makers everywhere, and you, too."

In addition to the strong grassroots support ATTN: Mr. Democrat received through social networks and private emails--Iranian, Azerbaijanian, French and American writers have embedded the video in their blogs. Plans by Comcast and AT&T to control the internet particularly endanger bloggers and small website owners who support democracy.

As the internet has become a central form of communication, internet freedom/net neutrality is vital to democracy. Don't let corporations become dictators. This issue is urgent, and the impact would be international. Please contact the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and President Obama, strongly urging them to protect free expression on the Internet--so that we can keep using the Internet the way we want to.

People living in the U.S. can

sign this petition to the FCC.

People living outside the U.S. can

contact the FCC through email here.

Everyone can contact President Obama.

Everyone can thank these Senators for their support.

I recommend the following advocacy group for this issue: www.savetheinternet.com

This article was republished at: www.savetheinternet.com/story/30631

Female Genital Mutilation In Kurdistan, Iraq: Photos

2010-06-16T13:11:00.001-04:00

http://www.hrw.org/en/features/female-genital-mutilation-iraqi-kurdistan

Heat Wave Exhibition

2010-06-16T12:25:00.001-04:00

Hichkas Feat. Pishro "Bazam Kalan" Video

2010-06-16T11:21:00.002-04:00

(Click through for widescreen.)

This is like a dream mashup of vintage Sesame Street and Tehran rap! Learning Farsi could be so fun with these guys as teachers!

Hichkas Feat. Pishro "Bazam Kalan"

Music by Mahdyar

Directed by Masood Moeen

Iranian and Israeli Filmmakers in close competition

2010-06-13T00:47:00.010-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Farbod Khoshtinat's short film, ATTN: Mr. Democrat, has been selected by judges for the Democracy Video Challenge to represent Iran in the final round of this competition. Khoshtinat's short is competing with videos from Israel and Algeria in the Near East category, one of six geographic divisions. Winners will be decided by "thumbs up" votes cast by signed in YouTube users who view the video via www.youtube.com/democracychallenge. One vote per video may be cast each day through June 15, 2010.

How to vote for ATTN: Mr. Democrat

Sign In to your YouTube account
Go to www.youtube.com/democracychallenge
Click on VOTE, search for ATTN: Mr. Democrat
Click on green thumbs up to vote

YouTube Google analytics maps under the videos reflect the countries from which votes for the videos are cast. Countries grow greener as more votes are cast. The map for Khoshtinat's video (at www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6oOgG-HRg ) shows far broader geographic support. Although some of the votes credited to the US and Canada could be due to proxy servers helping Iranians to access full internet despite the Iranian government's blockade against YouTube, voters in Russia, Scandinavia, Africa and Israel are also showing support for ATTN: Mr. Democrat. Wide support should come as no surprise because it is an exceptionally well written, highly artistic and beautifully scored short film--and because there are people all over the world who support freedom and fair elections.

Thousands of Iranians have risked imprisonment, torture and death for demanding freedom and democracy, especially when they question the outcome that the Islamic Republic proclaimed regarding the June 12, 2009 Iranian presidential election. In a biographical statement submitted with his video, Khoshtinat wrote, "I am an artist, an Iranian film maker and a twenty one year old freedom fighter. I believe that one of the greatest things about art is that it gives us the ability to see, imagine and feel things in a certain way. This belief was the main reason I wanted to participate in this challenge, to give the opportunity to the people around the world to see how democracy is practiced in my country, so I visualized it through art; I wanted them to see it through my certain way of visualizing. As a young student who is studying abroad, this was the least thing I could do for my people since we all are in the quest for democracy."

Khoshtinat is no mere student. He edited the music video sequences for the Cannes award-winning film, No One Knows About the Persian Cats. And the music video Khoshtinat made for Iranian rapper Hichkas' Ye Mosht Sarbaz has received over 200,000 views on YouTube. Khoshtinat was a teenager in Tehran when he made Hichkas' video under the pseudonym "Fred" in hopes of evading arrest for promoting Western music in violation of Iran's strict Islamic laws.

As of June 13, 2010, 3:19am, Khoshtinat's upload of ATTN: Mr. Democrat has received 10,912 views on YouTube. But because several thousand of those views took place before the May 15th beginning of the final round of this competition, many of those views could not be counted as votes. The closest competitor, Democracy Is… video by Israelis Tomer Zemel, Maria Levitin and Orit Englander received 7,042 views as of 3:19am June 13, 2010. But at least 5,000 of these views took place after the video was embedded on Russian websites www.newsru.co.il, www.newsru.com, www.sem40.ru, and was covered by Israeli journalists online and in Israeli newspapers.

The winner of this competition will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood, gala screenings of the winning videos in Hollywood, New York and Washington, exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry, and meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society.

How to vote for ATTN: Mr. Democrat

Sign In to your YouTube account
Go to www.youtube.com/democracychallenge
Click on VOTE, search for ATTN: Mr. Democrat
Click on green thumbs up to vote

For additional information about ATTN: Mr. Democrat and about director Farbod Khoshtinat please contact Media Advisor Julie Jigsawnovich at Jigsawnovich1 (at) gmail.com

Dabashi's "little torture"

2010-06-11T17:02:00.004-04:00

by Julie Jigsawnovich

Hamid Dabashi's: "What's a little torture in Kahrizak and Evin...?" on CNN sounds more like PressTV.

Hamid Dabashi's states, "What's a little torture in Kahrizak and Evin over the last year compared to what the United States has done in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Bagram Airbase in the course of its "war on terror" over the last decade?" http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/11/dabashi.iran.green.movement/index.html?hpt=C2

Wait a minute. This sounds more like Iran's State-run Press TV than CNN. And why is Dabashi comparing events during a one year period to cumulative events occurring during a decade as if they were of equal value? This is just plain illogical.

Dabashi's statement makes it sound as though torture in Iranian prisons only occurred over the last year, when in fact torture has increased over the last year. Torture has been practiced in the Islamic Repulic of Iran for decades.

Amnesty International recently released a report which includes details of torture

http://thereport.amnesty.org/sites/default/files/AIR2010_EN_0.pdf

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran www.ihri.org is also a great resource of information regarding specific cases of torture.

The torture and the travesties of justice are becoming so extreme in Iran that even members of the staunch Revolutionary Guards are defecting. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jun/11/iran-revolutionary-guard-defectors

I welcome investigations into torture anywhere committed by anyone, because torture is ethically indefensible--and I don't believe torture keeps us safe. The bottom line is that human rights should be respected everywhere, by everyone.

Former elite officers in Revolutionary Guard reveal increasing tensions in Iran regime

2010-06-11T10:38:00.000-04:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jun/11/iran-revolutionary-guard-defectors

A two-month investigation by Guardian Films and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals how hundreds of members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard are defecting - in protest at what they see as a 'betrayal' by the Iranian government

Iara Lee Releases Footage from Mavi Marmara

2010-06-11T10:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.juancole.com/2010/06/gaza-humanitarian-workers-release-video.html

Israel Navy officers slam gov for placing blame on the activists

2010-06-10T03:16:00.001-04:00

Anshel Pfeffer reports in Haaretz

A group of top Israel Navy reserves officers on Sunday publicly called on Israel to allow an external probe into its commando raid of a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla last week, which left nine people dead and several more wounded.

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, the Navy officers denounced the commando raid as having "ended in tragedy both at the military and diplomatic levels."

"First and foremost, we protest the fact that responsibility for the tragic results was immediately thrust onto the organizers of the flotilla," wrote the officers. "This demonstrates contempt for the responsibility that belongs principally to the hierarchy of commanders and those who approved the mission. This shows contempt for the values of professionalism, the purity of weapons and for human lives."

The Navy officers' letter came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening his top ministers to deliberate a United Nations proposal to create a joint international committee alongside Turkey and the United States to investigate the circumstances of the deadly raid.

Growing Sophistication in Disinformation Campaigns

2010-06-09T23:22:00.001-04:00

Top-notch analysis of the contradictary Iranian missing scientist videos .
http://homylafayette.blogspot.com/search/label/close-up

CK1 shoes

2010-06-08T09:05:00.005-04:00

These gorgeous shoes by the Iranian artist CK1 remind me a little bit of the Beatles Yellow Submarine film. They also have a bit of an 1980's East Village NY meets 2010 Tehran feeling, because the day-glow colors and the lines trigger memories of Keith Haring--yet the paisley pattern is distinctly Eastern.

I hope he finds a way to market them so that folks in NY can buy them. I hope these art shoes don't fall prey to sanctions.

Israel slams 'cultural terrorism' as Pixies cancel gig

2010-06-08T08:56:00.002-04:00

It's ironic. There is more freedom of speech in Israel than in, say, Iran--where there are severe restrictions on music and on live performances. But when musicians choose not to speak--not to perform--as a form of protest, they are labeled terrorists by some Israelis. I wonder what the Israelis calling the musicians terrorists would have said if the musicians had appeared on stage, but instead of playing, had used the opportunity to discuss alternatives to current the Israeli policies. For instance, laws could be put into place that guarentee equal rights for persons of all religions, ethnicities--and equal rights for women. --Julie Jigsawnovich

Hazel Ward of AFP reports:

"JERUSALEM — Israel is falling victim to "cultural terrorism," a top music promoter charged on Sunday, after US alternative rock group The Pixies cancelled their first-ever gig in the Jewish state.

"The band was to have performed a single gig on Wednesday as part of a five-day music festival in Tel Aviv, but pulled out just days after a deadly Israeli naval raid on a foreign aid flotilla that left nine activists dead.

"The Pixies' decision to cancel comes three months after the band received an open letter from Israeli human rights activists urging them not to come to the Jewish state.

"'As much as some of us are huge fans and would love to hear your show, we won't cross the international picket line that is growing in numbers steadily nowadays to come and see you,' the group Boycott! wrote in an open letter to the band sent on March 1."

Gold Panda - "You"

2010-06-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

Gold panda - you from quatuorlindsay on Vimeo.

Miranada Rights Eroded

2010-06-01T21:50:00.002-04:00

Today the Supreme Court issued a judgement limiting Miranda rights for criminal suspects.

Anything a suspect says may be used against them in a court of law, but the Supreme Court has now decided that suspects must break their silence and tell police they are going to remain quiet, if they wish to not answer questions. And if suspects want a lawyer, they must now request one.

" 'This decision means that police can keep shooting questions at a suspect who refuses to talk as long as they want in hopes that the person will crack and give them some information,' said Richard Friedman, a University of Michigan law professor."

Iran Hardliners Benefit from Israeli Attack

2010-06-01T15:02:00.001-04:00

http://the-diplomat.com/2010/06/01/flotilla-fiasco-boon-for-iran/

U.S. Department of State Official Statement: Free Gaza Flotilla

2010-05-31T20:32:00.003-04:00

"U.S. Department of State

"Near East: Free Gaza Flotilla
Mon, 31 May 2010 18:48:40 -0500

"Free Gaza Flotilla

"Philip J. Crowley

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs

Washington, DC

May 31, 2010

"The United States deeply regrets the tragic loss of life and injuries suffered among those involved in the incident today aboard the Gaza-bound ships. We are working to ascertain the facts, and expect that the Israeli government will conduct a full and credible investigation.

"The United States remains deeply concerned by the suffering of civilians in Gaza. We will continue to engage the Israelis on a daily basis to expand the scope and type of goods allowed into Gaza to address the full range of the population’s humanitarian and recovery needs. We will continue to work closely with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, along with international NGOs and the UN, to provide adequate access for humanitarian goods, including reconstruction materials, through the border crossings, while bearing in mind the Government of Israel’s legitimate security concerns. However, Hamas’ interference with international assistance shipments and work of nongovernmental organizations, and its use and endorsement of violence, complicates efforts in Gaza. Mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza by governments and groups that wish to do so. These mechanisms should be used for the benefit of all those in Gaza.

"Ultimately, this incident underscores the need to move ahead quickly with negotiations that can lead to a comprehensive peace in the region."

Karroubi, regarding political parties in future of Iran

2010-05-29T23:20:00.003-04:00

Masih Alinejad interviewed Mehdi Karroubi for Rah-e-Sabz and provided a translation for http://enduringamerica.com Here is an excerpt:

Masih Alinejad: "One of the demands constantly mentioned in these statements is holding free elections. Is there any hope that one day party-based parliamentary or presidential elections will be held? Do you think that the notion of “party” will have a place in the future of Iran? When we speak of political parties do we mean a party with the ability to influence the state based on the votes it receives from the people?

Mehdi Karroubi: "This is what we should be seeking but there are two difficult obstacles ahead. The first one is the regime which does not wish such a thing, and the second is that the political groups are not used to organisational work and I have said many times that these groups are either oppose party-based activity or evade it. Party-based action is quite difficult in Iran and we need time to learn how to approach a party in the country."

http://enduringamerica.com/2010/05/27/iran-document-karroubi-aligning-the-green-movement-inside-and-outside-country/

Votes Turn Map Green

2010-05-29T15:25:00.008-04:00

Share this! Each time you vote for ATTN: Mr. Democrat, the country you are in turns slightly greener on the Google analytics map. Here's how to vote:

1.) Sign in to YouTube.

2.) Go to http://www.youtube.com/democracychallenge

3.) Click on VOTE button.

4.) Search for ATTN: Mr. Democrat and click on it when it comes up.

5.) Enjoy the video and click the green "thumbs up" button.

Vote once a day. Tell your friends! Competition ends June 15th.

Watch the world turn green! ATTN: Mr. Democrat Google analytics map http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6oOgG-HRg&feature=player_embedded

To help promote the video, LIKE the page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-FREDs-video-to-victory/124935710859617?ref=ts , and suggest it to friends.

If you have time, also support the video from Azerbaijan, "Democracy is…POSSIBLE"! It's great too, and Azerbaijan is in Europe/Eurasia--not in competition with ATTN: Mr. Democrat, from the Near East.

Middle Dog Gets Angry

2010-05-27T01:24:00.003-04:00

Click through for widescreen.

Here are some dogs who have to work together through some emotional issues.

Animation: George Gendi

Music: George Gendi and Andre Ruivo

Jafar Panahi Before and After 3 Months in Prison

2010-05-25T13:51:00.004-04:00

Film director Jafar Panahi was recently released from Evin Prison in Tehran. American and International film makers had petitioned for his release, and Panahi had recently gone on hunger strike.

Israel's nuclear weapons: Time to come clean

2010-05-25T11:45:00.007-04:00

An excerpt from an editorial in The Guardian today:
"Both America and Israel believe that Israel should retain its nuclear weapons while Iran should not be allowed to acquire them. With the Brazilian and Turkish scheme for the transfer of nuclear material spurned and tougher UN sanctions against Iran on the way, this is an unexamined contradiction which undermines much Middle Eastern diplomacy and cannot be for ever skirted. It is impossible to imagine even the first steps towards a true nuclear settlement in the Middle East without Israel abandoning its obfuscations on nuclear weapons and admitting, as other nuclear powers do, that security is a collective as well as an individual matter."

Some background on Israel's nuclear weapons from another site.

My opinion is that Israel/Palestine should join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and be inspected just like everyone else in the treaty. This would calm things down a bit, eroding some of the support for hardliners in Iran and Lebanon who accuse Israel of bullying.

But I also don't want to see the people who are currently governing Iran acquire nuclear weapons--because look what the hardliners are doing to their own people. What would they do to their "enemies" outside Iran? Plus, there is an apocalyptic fringe of Shia that welcomes the end of the world. I don't want extremist religious groups to have access to nuclear weapons--including extreme Christians, who also have an apocalyptic fringe.--Julie Jigsawnovich

American Jew Finds Peace in Islam

2010-05-25T10:34:00.011-04:00

I love stereotype-breaking news! Voice of America reports:

Quest for spiritual truth guides US woman to Sufi Islam

Myself, I was forced to attend Evangelical churches as a child. But instead of finding another religion, I've pretty much abandoned religions altogether. I'm much more interested in science, reason and ethics than in faith. Religious texts sometimes mix philosophy and ethics with faith though, so I still read them on occasion. My favorite so far is the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I read the Holy Bible--and the Satanic Bible. I still want to read the Koran and the Torah, and I'm open to other suggestions.--Julie Jigsawnovich

Protest Against BP scheduled for NYC

2010-05-24T14:38:00.010-04:00

Facebook page, Flash Protest of BP Oil Spill announces:

"On May 28th, nearly 40 days after the beginning of this disaster, we shall come together as citizens of NYC and march to the BP station on the corner of Housten and Lafayette. There, we will be dressed in all white with gas hoses wrapped around our bodies and necks symbolizing the asphyxiating hold the oil companies maintain on the world. We shall enter the station and for two minutes stand in a formation that demonstrates our solidarity against BP and other companies guilty of the same crimes. There will be a speaker demanding that BP, TransOcean, and Halliburton halt all drilling world wide till the oil spill is totally cleaned. After the speech, we will chant: “BP your heart is black, you can have your oil back." We will then dump buckets of “oil” (black water) over ourselves and the station. Then we will disperse.

"This is a peaceful, non-destructive piece of performance art that will last two minutes. It will be videotaped, edited, and digitally disseminated. A flash protest if you will." (excerpt)

Among those who have RSVP'd that they will attend this protest is filmmaker Shirin Neshat, who directed the prize winning feature, "Women Without Men," currently showing in select theaters.

Google Pacman Game Has Permanent Home

2010-05-24T14:13:00.006-04:00

Google celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Pac Man computer game by posting a version of their logo turned into a live, free Pac Man application. It was so popular that they've given it a permanent home . . . . . . . . . . here.

Image via Wikipedia

"Not Life" Vatican Says of Synthetic Cell

2010-05-22T23:28:00.004-04:00

Today CNN reported from Rome, Italy that the The Vatican praised scientists who created the world's first synthetic cell, calling it an "interesting result" that could help cure disease. However, scientists must "join courage with caution," said an article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano last Saturday. "They touch a very fragile territory where the environment and manipulation play a role that cannot be underestimated.".

"The weight of the DNA is great, and great are the expectations of genetic science," L'Osservatore Romano said. "Nevertheless, the DNA, even though it is an excellent engine, is not life."

Genetics pioneer J. Craig Venter, who runs an eponymous U.S. Institute for Genomic Research, announced Thursday that he and his team had created artificial life for the first time. Venter said his team had not created life.

"We created a new cell. It's alive. But we didn't create life from scratch," he said.

Afghan Women and Men Protest at Iranian Consolate in Herat

2010-05-21T14:18:00.000-04:00

Somali rapper bucks hip-hop code of violence

2010-05-20T18:55:00.001-04:00

Reported By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

Scientists Create First Synthetic Species

2010-05-20T17:40:00.001-04:00

On video captured by BBC World, Dr Craig Venter said, "This is the first species on our planet to have its parent being a computer."

Pakistan blocks YouTube & Facebook for "Sacrilegious Content"

2010-05-20T11:40:00.001-04:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10130195.stm

Iranian Lesbian Denied Asylum in UK

2010-05-19T22:37:00.004-04:00

Petition to To save Kiana Firouz's life by stopping her deportation from UK

Stop Deporting Kiana Firouz, the Iranian Lesbian

TimesOnline reports: "A young Iranian actress named Kiana Firouz will attend the London premiere tonight of a film in which she plays a lesbian seeking asylum in Britain because the Iranian authorities are pursuing her. The Home Office rejects her application and sends her back to the Islamic republic, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death.

"Unfortunately for Kiana Firouz the film is not make-believe. It is based on her life. The Home Office has denied her asylum and she now faces the prospect of deportation to Iran followed by flogging, execution or both."

Charming Rapper Pragmatist

2010-05-19T20:29:00.004-04:00

You know how home cooked food tastes better than restaurant food, usually? Well, this kid's rap has that home cooked flava. And he won my heart from the get-go talkin' 'bout "wrapping up trees with pages from the Bible."

B-Rock | MySpace Music Videos

The Black Keys "Tighten Up" music video

2010-05-19T15:04:00.003-04:00

These fellers aren't just talented--they're charmin'! :D

Diana Al-Hadid Speaks About Her Art

2010-05-19T13:44:00.015-04:00

ArteEast and Art in General are proud to present a talk by artist Diana Al-Hadid.
6:30 p.m. Art in General 79 Walker Street New York, NY 10013

Click here for the press release. For more information, please visit: www.dianaalhadid.com."

Film Director Jafar Panahi on Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

2010-05-18T23:40:00.001-04:00

Internationally acclaimed Iranian director has made several movies addressing laws and customs in Iran that discriminate against women. In "Offside," young women dress and men to gain entrance into a soccer stadium where women are forbidden.

Panahi was arrested in early March 2010 in Iran, "culminating months of obvious and hidden pressure on the independent filmmaker from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence" the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported. Jafar Panahi is on hunger strike, and his demands for ending his hunger strike include contact and visits with his family, consultation with and representation by a lawyer, unconditional release until his trial date and final verdict, and in case he dies soon, that his body be delivered to his family to bury wherever they like. ICHRI reports that Panahi stated in his letter dated 18 May 2010, ”I have not taken any food or liquids since Sunday morning [16 May 2010], and I would like to announce that unless the following demands are met, I will continue to refrain from eating and drinking, as I do not wish to turn into a guinea pig who is put under various torture, psychological and mental abuse, and subjected to false accusations...I swear upon the cinema in which I believe, that I will not stop my hunger strike until my demands are met...”

Freud Would Have a Heyday with This Video

2010-05-18T20:34:00.002-04:00

But you'll probably be too distracted to think about the symbolism the first five times you watch it, lol. "FLESH" Mr Flash Music video from Cédric BLAISBOIS on Vimeo. Viewer discretion: S

ATTN: Mr. Democrat video

2010-05-18T04:38:00.005-04:00

I had the honor of editing the English subtitles for Farbod Khoshtinat's video, ATTN: Mr. Democrat, which is short-listed for the final round of the Democracy Video Challenge. This video is competing against Israeli and Algerian videos in the Near East Category. Six winners from world geographic regions will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood--with gala screenings of the winning videos, exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry, and meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society.

Now that Khoshtinat has released "ATTN: Mr. Democrat," returning to his home country of Iran would surely be dangerous.

How to vote for this video:

1.) Go to http://www.youtube.com/democracychallenge .
2.) Sign in to Youtube. (If you don't have a youtube account yet, it's easy to create one http://www.youtube.com/create_account?next=%2F .)

3.) Click on "VOTE" button.

4.) Search for ATTN: Mr. Democrat, and click on it when it comes up.

5.) Click on the green "thumbs up" button. (You will know your vote was counted because you will see the red thumb turn gray. Everyone can vote once a day until midnight of June 15th, when the final judging round closes.)

Please forward this information to friends and colleagues.

Iran Sentences Female Activists

2010-05-16T20:47:00.005-04:00

Saeed Valadbaygi writes in astreetjournalist.com that:

"An Iranian court has convicted two activists in absentia and sentenced them to jail and lashes over a 2007 protest.

"The court tried the two women, [Shadi Sadr and Mahbubeh Abbas-Gholizadeh] both of whom are currently abroad, on May 8 over a March 2007 rally outside a revolutionary court where four fellow feminists were on trial.

"Both have campaigned to abolish the practice of stoning adulterers to death.

"Sadr, a lawyer and journalist, was awarded the Polish Lech Walesa Prize in September 2009 for promoting “human rights, freedom of expression and democracy in Iran.”

New access to electricity for 6,000 families in Faryab, Afghanistan

2010-05-16T08:33:00.000-04:00

"Afghan media reported earlier this week that around 6000 families in the Shirin Tagab district of Afghanistan’s northern province of Faryab now have electricity. They are no longer dependent on the use of lamps to light their houses at night."

HOW TO: Get Notified When Someone Hacks Your Facebook

2010-05-16T08:32:00.000-04:00

Samuel Axon reports: "Facebook just announced a tool that notifies you by e-mail or SMS text message when someone logs into your Facebook profile from an unknown computer...The idea is to help you recognize when a hacker has broken into your account so you can respond quickly by either changing your password (if that’s still possible) or contacting Facebook."

Psychadelic Computer Animation Program

2010-05-16T08:10:00.000-04:00

If your computer had a psychedelic flashback of Persian tile work after visiting Esfahan, well...use Firefox for this.

Predator Drone Aircraft

2010-05-16T08:05:00.000-04:00

Jigsawnovich

Hip Hop Meets Neue Deutsche Welle: Ja Ja Ja

MY 911 SONG

MAY 1 WORKER'S DAY SIGNS: CLICK TO ENLARGE AND PRINT

World Of Ashcraft

Beer & Rap in Ramallah, Palestine

North Korea: Black Suit vs. Beige

Democracy Video from Azerbaijan

Ahmadinejad vs. Capitalism...Oh Really?

Rap Satire and Anti-Rap Propaganda: Iranian Rapper, Video Maker, Promoter React

Mashaii vs. Islamist Hardliners

IRI can track Haystack proxy users

Democracy Video Challenge winners honored at UN

Yazdi: prison rape spiritual equivalent of pilgrimage to Mecca

VOA interviews Iranian Democracy Video Challenge Winner

ATTN: Mr. Democrat director receives award from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Researchers give robots the capability for deceptive behavior

Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat shakes hands with Hillary Clinton

If Female Orgasms are Halal, Genital Mutilation is Haram

Travis Bickel with a Sword?

Strong quake jolts southeastern Iran

Source of Damage to Tanker in Strait of Hormuz Still Unknown

‏Active Tectonics at the Natanz Region, Central Iran

Hichkas "ye rooze khoob miad" performed by a little girl

Jealous Robot Wants to Take Over the World

Iranian Regime Compared to South American Dictatorships, Sepah Retreats from South Pars Oil Field, Bazaar Strikes Continue

Public Enemy in Central Park

Amazing Diagram of How Google Works

Tax Exempt Donations to Illegal Settlements in Israel

Nobody Beats the Drum - Grindin' video

Mariana and the Diamonds - "OH NO!" video

Israeli and Palestinian kids play soccer together

Chiddy Bang - "Sooner Or Later" video

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child trailer

Celebrate the American Revolution this July 4th

How to Survive a Nuclear Attack

Earthquake plus nuclear facilities

Potassium Iodide Can Help Prevent Radiation Sickness

Tehran Earthquake Map

Warships Stationed Off Iranian Coast

THE BERRICS PRESENT: HIPHOP HISTORY 101 GANGSTER RAP

Self-Defense Against Baton

Partial List of Items Israel Prohibits from Entering Gaza

Anti-rape device with teeth

The Free Keys rock "Ships"

Pishro Feat. Eliyas "Nejat" (Rescue)

Don't let corporations become dictators

Female Genital Mutilation In Kurdistan, Iraq: Photos

Heat Wave Exhibition

Hichkas Feat. Pishro "Bazam Kalan" Video

Iranian and Israeli Filmmakers in close competition

Dabashi's "little torture"

Former elite officers in Revolutionary Guard reveal increasing tensions in Iran regime

Iara Lee Releases Footage from Mavi Marmara

Israel Navy officers slam gov for placing blame on the activists

Growing Sophistication in Disinformation Campaigns

CK1 shoes

Israel slams 'cultural terrorism' as Pixies cancel gig

Gold Panda - "You"

Miranada Rights Eroded

Iran Hardliners Benefit from Israeli Attack

U.S. Department of State Official Statement: Free Gaza Flotilla

Karroubi, regarding political parties in future of Iran

Votes Turn Map Green

Top Picks for Democracy Video Challenge

Middle Dog Gets Angry

Jafar Panahi Before and After 3 Months in Prison

Israel's nuclear weapons: Time to come clean

American Jew Finds Peace in Islam

Protest Against BP scheduled for NYC

Google Pacman Game Has Permanent Home

"Not Life" Vatican Says of Synthetic Cell

Afghan Women and Men Protest at Iranian Consolate in Herat

Somali rapper bucks hip-hop code of violence

Scientists Create First Synthetic Species

Pakistan blocks YouTube & Facebook for "Sacrilegious Content"

Iranian Lesbian Denied Asylum in UK

Charming Rapper Pragmatist

The Black Keys "Tighten Up" music video

Diana Al-Hadid Speaks About Her Art