Welcome to Iran Magazine ( copied)
Iran is one of the biggest news stories. But it is being covered by the mainstream media in sound bites or by information disseminated by Web sites connected to interest groups, political parties and bloggers with no experience in journalism.The trend in journalism is toward specialization. But even as America’s central geopolitical position becomes ever more tied to the social, cultural and political conditions in the rest of the world, U.S. news organizations continue their contraction, closing or scaling back foreign bureaus, choosing to invest fewer and fewer resources to cultivate editorial and reporting staffs who can become, in effect, area experts.
The gap that has widened between the mainstream media coverage and the goings on in the region has contributed to increasing tensions between the West and East, dehumanizing the perception of Middle Easterners — Iranians in particular.
Tehran Bureau is a virtual bureau connecting journalists, Iran experts and readers all over the world. Our stories are written by Iranians in Iran and the Middle East, foreigners viewing or interacting with our culture for the first time, and hyphenated Iranians best suited to bridge the cultures.
Tehran Bureau is an independent news organization. It is not affiliated with or funded by any government, religious organization, political party, lobby or interest group. Read more about us on the Columbia Journalism School Web site.Iran...
North Korea:
It appears that the two serious flash points for the USA is Iran as well as North Korea. To a degree the attitude to North Korea is somewhat understandable, we must remember that the war with this nation was never concluded, finalised or whatever. Where this is going, nobody knows. I found the parade of young women on TV yesterday, with machine guns as rather grotesque.
Iran:
This country under the Shaw/King was a friend of the USA. It was USA and Canada I believe who sold Iran all sorts of atomic energy junk...they probably never needed it in the first place. Mr. Carter was unable to deal with the hostage crises and relations with this country never got back on the rails. It was okay with us for Iran and Iraq to beat up on one another, the west did not care and sold arms to both sides.
4.10.10
Germany.. huge ransom paid, ten thousand tons of gold...
...an ounce of gold in today's market sells for between 1200 and 1300 Dollars...I believe an ounce is equal to 35 grammes...1000 grammes per kilogram or 1,000- Kilogrammes per ton (2,000 pounds per ton or is it 2240#)...you do the math...it's horrendous.
The amount set by the so called victors, mostly France and Britain amounted to trillions of Gold marks or dollars...the equivalent of 9,800 tons of gold. After over 90 years, apparently Germany just paid off the last part of this horrendous assessment.
It must be remembered that four years after the end of WW1, the victors imposed this on Germany. It must be undersdtood that this war was not won or lost, there was an armistice but it also was the end of the golden years for Germany, lasting from 1871 when Germany was created until 1918, the end of WW I and the turmoil that followed.
It was the Versailles Treaty which to a large extend brought about the Hitler 3rd. Reich fascism regime and the disastrous second world war. (1939-1945 ending in total capitulation and destruction of Germany,loss of large regions of the country to Poland and Russia, and finally the creation of two german countries...one a puppet state of the USA, the other an even worse puppet dictatorship of the Soviet Union)....
Back in 1870....
Prussia beat the French ( Napoleon 3rd.) and Germany was created (1871)out of hundreds of bits and pieces of German speaking duchies and communities,( Flickenteppich they called it, or Carpetpatchwork).. miniature bits and pieces of what once was supposed to have been the holy roman empire of German nations.....which was never holy or roman, or for that matter much of an empire...The largest original component was the Kingdom of Prussia..
French provinces or territories, Elsass and Lothringen became part of the newly created German Reich.
14.9.10
Israel....now
All Israeli prime ministers have seized any opportunity for peace. The hawkish Begin returned the Sinai for a peace treaty with Egypt and sought one with Lebanon as well.
The even more hawkish Sharon ordered the Gaza withdrawal. The left-of-center hawk,
Rabin, signed the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan and the Oslo agreements with the PLO, and,
Barak, a former military commander, pulled Israeli forces entirely out of Lebanon. The Israeli public’s yearning for peace is so strong that no leader, of whatever feather, can afford to spurn a chance for it.
In contrast, Arab publics have rarely supported peace and few of their rulers have espoused it. The exceptions have mostly been assassinated, notably Jordan’s first King Abdullah, Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, and Lebanon’s Bashir Gemayel.
President Abbas, who presides over the West Bank, is clearly more a man of peace than his predecessor, Yasir Arafat, or than Hamas, the anti-Semitic terror group that rules Gaza. Is he ready and able to make a deal? Would he dare? And does he or the Palestinian Community Network represent Palestinian sentiment? These are the real questions, and not whether Israelis want peace, which only the blind or the bigoted could doubt.
11.9.10
9th.anniversary...9/11
9/11 a day to remember.
But more later,
I just wanted to get this date on the blog. I usually write my stuff on the fly..but this subject needs a bit of thinking and putting down the right words. The deed itself, blowing up the world trade center towers, part of the Pentagon and attempting to do even more damage, all on one day, is actually quite remarkable for a bunch of suicide committing religious fanatics. Subsequently, for the USA to murder 1.3 million people in Iraq and totally destroying their country is of course another matter.
We are lucky to have a fellow like Mr. Obama who may possibly be able to bring this totally idiotic nonsense to an end. Will the responsible parties ever have to face justice? Probably not. I'm talking about Blair and Bush 2...along with the military ammo pushers who promoted these crimes in the first place.
....the picture has nothing to do with it...Muslim females running from something...one of them dead or wounded in the gutter...could be Gaza for all I know, but the effect is the same.
An end must be found to stop this.
But more later,
I just wanted to get this date on the blog. I usually write my stuff on the fly..but this subject needs a bit of thinking and putting down the right words. The deed itself, blowing up the world trade center towers, part of the Pentagon and attempting to do even more damage, all on one day, is actually quite remarkable for a bunch of suicide committing religious fanatics. Subsequently, for the USA to murder 1.3 million people in Iraq and totally destroying their country is of course another matter.
....the picture has nothing to do with it...Muslim females running from something...one of them dead or wounded in the gutter...could be Gaza for all I know, but the effect is the same.
An end must be found to stop this.
7.9.10
Iraq
"Only tyrants can take a nation to war without the consent of the people. The planned war against Iraq without a Declaration of War is illegal. It is unwise because of many unforeseen consequences that are likely to result.It is immoral and unjust, because it had nothing to do with United States security and because Iraq had not initiated aggression against us."
Congressman Ron Paul (How true that statement has proved to be).
THE IRAQ DEBACLE: THE LEGACY OF SEVEN YEARS OF WAR
The U.S. occupation of Iraq continues and the reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq can at best be called only a rebranded occupation. While the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will be reduced from a high of 165,000, there will still be 50,000 troops left behind, some 75,000 contractors, five huge “enduring bases” and an Embassy the size of Vatican City.
The U.S. military’s overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein did not lead to a better life for Iraqis—just the opposite. It resulted in the further destruction of basic infrastructure—electricity, water, sewage—that continues to this day. The U.S. dropped more tons of bombs on Iraq than in all of WWII, destroying Iraq’s electrical, water and sewage systems. Iraq’s health care and higher education systems, once the best in the entire region, have been decimated. The U.S. war on Iraq unleashed a wave of violence that has left over one million Iraqis dead and four million displaced, as well as ethnic rivalries that continue to plague the nation. We have seriously wounded millions of Iraqis, creating a lifetime of suffering and economic hardship for them, their communities and the entire nation as it struggles to rebuild.
Life expectancy for Iraqis fell from 71 years in 1996 to 67 years in 2007 due to the war and destruction of the healthcare system. The U.S. use of weapons such as depleted uranium and white phosphorous has taken a severe toll, with the cancer rate in Fallujah, for example, now worse than that of Hiroshima.
The majority of the refugees and internally displaced persons created by the US intervention have been abandoned. Of the nearly 4 million refugees, many are now living in increasingly desperate circumstances in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and around the world. As undocumented refugees, most are not allowed to work and are forced to take extremely low paying, illegal jobs ($3/day) or rely on the UN and charity to survive. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has documented a spike in the sex trafficking of Iraqi women.
Iraq still does not have a functioning government. Many months after the March 7 elections, there is still a political vacuum and violence that is killing roughly 300 civilians a month. There is no functioning democracy in place and little sign there will be one in the near future.
The Iraq War has left a terrible toll on the U.S. troops. More than one million American service members have deployed in the Iraq War effort. Over 4,400 U.S. troops have been killed and tens of thousands severely injured. More than one in four U.S. troops have come home from the Iraq war with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment. PTSD rates in the military have skyrocketed. In 2009, a record number of 245 soldiers committed suicide.
The war has drained our treasury. As of August 2010, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $750 billion on the Iraq War effort. Counting the cost of lifetime care of wounded vets and the interest payments on the money we borrowed to pay for this war, the real cost will be in the trillions. This misappropriation of funds has contributed to the economic crises we are experiencing, including the lack of funds for our schools, healthcare, infrastructure and investments in clean, green jobs.
The U.S. officials who got us into this disastrous war on the basis of lies have not been held accountable. Not George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld. No one. Neither have the Bush administration lawyers who authorized torture, including Jay Bybee and John Yoo. The “think tanks,” journalists and pundits who perpetuated the lies have not been fired—most are today cheerleading for the war in Afghanistan.
The war has led to the pillaging of Iraqi resources. The U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to account for $8.7 billion of Iraqi oil and gas money meant for humanitarian needs and reconstruction after the 2003 invasion. The invasion has also led to the dismantling of Iraqi government control over the nation’s oil. In 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force, which included executives of America’s largest energy companies, recommended opening up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment. The resulting Iraq Oil Law has led to the global grab for Iraq’s resources.
The war has not made us more secure. The US policy of torture, extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention, violent and deadly raids on civilian homes, gunning down innocent civilians in the streets and absence of habeas corpus has fueled the fires of hatred and extremism toward Americans. The very presence of our troops in Iraq and other Muslim nations has become a recruiting tool.
Congressman Ron Paul (How true that statement has proved to be).
THE IRAQ DEBACLE: THE LEGACY OF SEVEN YEARS OF WAR
The U.S. occupation of Iraq continues and the reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq can at best be called only a rebranded occupation. While the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will be reduced from a high of 165,000, there will still be 50,000 troops left behind, some 75,000 contractors, five huge “enduring bases” and an Embassy the size of Vatican City.
The U.S. military’s overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein did not lead to a better life for Iraqis—just the opposite. It resulted in the further destruction of basic infrastructure—electricity, water, sewage—that continues to this day. The U.S. dropped more tons of bombs on Iraq than in all of WWII, destroying Iraq’s electrical, water and sewage systems. Iraq’s health care and higher education systems, once the best in the entire region, have been decimated. The U.S. war on Iraq unleashed a wave of violence that has left over one million Iraqis dead and four million displaced, as well as ethnic rivalries that continue to plague the nation. We have seriously wounded millions of Iraqis, creating a lifetime of suffering and economic hardship for them, their communities and the entire nation as it struggles to rebuild.
Life expectancy for Iraqis fell from 71 years in 1996 to 67 years in 2007 due to the war and destruction of the healthcare system. The U.S. use of weapons such as depleted uranium and white phosphorous has taken a severe toll, with the cancer rate in Fallujah, for example, now worse than that of Hiroshima.
The majority of the refugees and internally displaced persons created by the US intervention have been abandoned. Of the nearly 4 million refugees, many are now living in increasingly desperate circumstances in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and around the world. As undocumented refugees, most are not allowed to work and are forced to take extremely low paying, illegal jobs ($3/day) or rely on the UN and charity to survive. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has documented a spike in the sex trafficking of Iraqi women.
Iraq still does not have a functioning government. Many months after the March 7 elections, there is still a political vacuum and violence that is killing roughly 300 civilians a month. There is no functioning democracy in place and little sign there will be one in the near future.
The Iraq War has left a terrible toll on the U.S. troops. More than one million American service members have deployed in the Iraq War effort. Over 4,400 U.S. troops have been killed and tens of thousands severely injured. More than one in four U.S. troops have come home from the Iraq war with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment. PTSD rates in the military have skyrocketed. In 2009, a record number of 245 soldiers committed suicide.
The war has drained our treasury. As of August 2010, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $750 billion on the Iraq War effort. Counting the cost of lifetime care of wounded vets and the interest payments on the money we borrowed to pay for this war, the real cost will be in the trillions. This misappropriation of funds has contributed to the economic crises we are experiencing, including the lack of funds for our schools, healthcare, infrastructure and investments in clean, green jobs.
The U.S. officials who got us into this disastrous war on the basis of lies have not been held accountable. Not George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld. No one. Neither have the Bush administration lawyers who authorized torture, including Jay Bybee and John Yoo. The “think tanks,” journalists and pundits who perpetuated the lies have not been fired—most are today cheerleading for the war in Afghanistan.
The war has led to the pillaging of Iraqi resources. The U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to account for $8.7 billion of Iraqi oil and gas money meant for humanitarian needs and reconstruction after the 2003 invasion. The invasion has also led to the dismantling of Iraqi government control over the nation’s oil. In 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force, which included executives of America’s largest energy companies, recommended opening up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment. The resulting Iraq Oil Law has led to the global grab for Iraq’s resources.
The war has not made us more secure. The US policy of torture, extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention, violent and deadly raids on civilian homes, gunning down innocent civilians in the streets and absence of habeas corpus has fueled the fires of hatred and extremism toward Americans. The very presence of our troops in Iraq and other Muslim nations has become a recruiting tool.
1.9.10
Iraq
Iraq
Barack Obama
September 1, 2010 12:21:43 AM
Fred
Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues.
Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counter terrorism efforts.By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people.
We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.
In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades.
So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
September 1, 2010 12:21:43 AM
Fred
Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues.
Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counter terrorism efforts.By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people.
We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.
In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades.
So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
29.8.10
USA, midterm circus
Housing sales down, unemployment up...but why are we so unfair with this fellow Obama.
He is probably the best man for the job and on the job since Woodrow Wilson.
It will take years to repair what this last yokel screwed up and or allowed to happen.
Had McCain been elected things would be even worse.
Give the man a chance, he's on the right track.
He is probably the best man for the job and on the job since Woodrow Wilson.
It will take years to repair what this last yokel screwed up and or allowed to happen.
Had McCain been elected things would be even worse.
25.8.10
floods..hunger..famine..asia..pakistan...perspective
The recent G8 G20 conference in Toronto cost about 1.2 Billion Dollars to run and police. That is 1,000 million and 200 million, total, 1.2 billion.
In contrast, Canada so far has come up with the support of 32 million dollars for the catastrophe assistance in Pakistan. Combined with all the efforts and support from Europe, about 800 million dollars have been pledged for the support in Pakistan. Compare that with the G policing cost in Toronto and it tells you how much we (humanity) are prepared to spend for useless efforts as compared to true human urgent needs.
16.8.10
more...on the Israel scene...
With a national membership of over 30,000, and chapters throughout the United States (including Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, North Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, South Jersey and Washington D.C.), the ZOA today works to strengthen US-Israeli relations, through educational activities, public affairs programs, working every day on Capitol Hill, and by combating anti-Israel bias in the media, textbooks, and on campuses.
13.8.10
the boatpeople have arrived
What's wrong with that? Nothing.\It will give our government departments something to do...
Anyway that is what's in the news today and after being crammed up in a small ship for over three months on the pacific journey, these folks need a break, no matter what or why they find themselves in this situation.
12.8.10
why more time?
10.8.10
Israel....
I remember...way back when...1949..50..51..etc I used to feel sorry for the poor, displaced people of Palestine who were forced into UN camps to make room for the new Israeli settlements..such horror, such injustice.
War is hell and Israel has bravely fought several wars for their conquered space, territory and Independence.
And then...they end up giving part of it back, only to be sniped at and attacked from these areas.
I can not think of any wars or conflicts in the world since Hitlers Army crossed Poland to take on the Soviet Union that have resulted in permanent territorial gain for the aggressors...Israel is about the only nation I know of which has been formed, exists as a country ( and the only democracy in the region).
Just how many wars does Israel have to win to be able to build the kind of country they deserve. Enough is enough ...next time fight for , keep and defend the conquered lands for good...
This may include part or all of Lebanon,Saudi Arabia...parts of Egypt if need be, and a host of other neighboring Territories. Iraq, Iran, Syria,as well as Jordan which already is home to many Palestinians. There, I finally said it...
War is hell and Israel has bravely fought several wars for their conquered space, territory and Independence.
And then...they end up giving part of it back, only to be sniped at and attacked from these areas.
Just how many wars does Israel have to win to be able to build the kind of country they deserve. Enough is enough ...next time fight for , keep and defend the conquered lands for good...
This may include part or all of Lebanon,Saudi Arabia...parts of Egypt if need be, and a host of other neighboring Territories. Iraq, Iran, Syria,as well as Jordan which already is home to many Palestinians. There, I finally said it...
9.8.10
billions of dollars...wasted
...and this picture is of a woman, pregnant widow, being executed with three rifle shots to the head...I don't think we can leave this horrible and corrupt place until some kind of humanity has come to it to protect women and children.
7.8.10
Dear Fred:
I want to thank you for signing my birthday card.
Michelle told me that she was planning something a little different this year, and I was overwhelmed by the kind words I received from so many supporters like you.
Thank you again for taking a moment to sign my card. As far as birthdays go, it is hard to imagine topping this one. But then again, Michelle always has a way of surprising me.
Sincerely,
Barack
I want to thank you for signing my birthday card.
Michelle told me that she was planning something a little different this year, and I was overwhelmed by the kind words I received from so many supporters like you.
This job has a way of offering humbling moments. And the support you have shown me, time and time again, has sustained me through any number of difficult days. It is more than any president deserves, and I could not be more grateful.
On my birthday, I spent some time considering what the year ahead will bring -- a new set of challenges and opportunities, some that we can foresee and some that we cannot.
If we continue to stand together, I know we will continue to move America forward and win these fights for change.Thank you again for taking a moment to sign my card. As far as birthdays go, it is hard to imagine topping this one. But then again, Michelle always has a way of surprising me.
Barack
Mr.Obama is probably one of the finest men and best choice to occupy the white house since Woodrow Wilson. I signed his Birthday Card along with another million or more others and above is the nicely worded response.
31.7.10
a billion dollars...waste
The recent in Toronto Canada G8 & G20 event apparently cost over a billion dollars to police. Including local ,provincial, federal RCMP...army?...all together a billion dollars cost to police this event.
Unless I'm out a decimal point...that's the equivalent of the cost of building 4,000 homes at $250,000 each or over 20,000 seniors residences at $50,000 each. What a waste.
Other billion dollar efforts with little or nothing to show for are:
The long rifle gun registry efforts, money wasted by the last federal liberal government ...
The E-Health registry attempt, Ontario Provincial government waste by the current Ontario Liberal government.
22.7.10
G20 and all that...
Back to the G20.
Because the U.N. as it is structured accomplishes little or nothing on the worlds economic scene, the G club added Japan and Germany to the original 3 participants...G5 then...They later added Canada and Italy and there you are, G7. More recently The Russian Federation was invited and the G8 created.
As a result of the G8 & G20 meeting here in Toronto Ontario Canada an expense of over a Billion Dollars incurred....not sure if that included the damage a bunch of idiots caused during the meeting...on the whole apparently the meeting went well...not sure what agreements resulted and what world piece progress was made.
July2010
My hope was that the financial happenings would improve somewhat but sadly another pile of money is lost in mutual funds, it looks like while the stockmarket is only down about 1% from last year end, the mutuals took a loss of over 4 points in the last three months...one wonders where this is going.
9.6.10
24.5.10
four years...
I've been writing in bits and pieces on this blog for exactly 4 years. My main attempt in putting some lines togeter from time to time was to point out the stupidity of our ways in this world.
Finally the yokel administration of this idiot in the USA has come to an end, but we may have to live for a long time with the screw ups and inaction of this fellow Bush 2. To this day I don't think he has a clue why some people in this world hate America. It looks like Mr. Obama is quite capable in reversing the downhill route america was on. I wish him luck...so far so good.
Finally the yokel administration of this idiot in the USA has come to an end, but we may have to live for a long time with the screw ups and inaction of this fellow Bush 2. To this day I don't think he has a clue why some people in this world hate America. It looks like Mr. Obama is quite capable in reversing the downhill route america was on. I wish him luck...so far so good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)