Violent vigilantes frighted community in Iraq.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100801/FOREIGN/707319894/1002
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Strong quake jolts southeastern Iran
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.
Active Tectonics at the Natanz Region, Central Iran
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
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
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hichkas "ye rooze khoob miad" performed by a little girl
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:
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Jealous Robot Wants to Take Over the World
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."
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
interesting terminology: "beingness"
Friday, July 16, 2010
Iranian Regime Compared to South American Dictatorships, Sepah Retreats from South Pars Oil Field, Bazaar Strikes Continue
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Public Enemy in Central Park
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."
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tax Exempt Donations to Illegal Settlements in Israel
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…"
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…"
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Nobody Beats the Drum - Grindin' video
Space Invaders meet Get Smart meets Tetris
click through for full screen
click through for full screen
Israeli and Palestinian kids play soccer together
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
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.
Chiddy Bang - "Sooner Or Later" (Pretty Much Amazing Music Video Premiere) from Pretty Much Amazing on Vimeo.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child trailer
Thanks to Dj Spooky for bringing this film to my attention!
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.
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.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Celebrate the American Revolution this July 4th
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.
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