Female Iranian athletes continue to face obstacles from their own government and...

"On Friday, a Bahraini FIFA official banned the Iranian women's national soccer team from playing against Jordan in the second round of the qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympic Games in the Jordanian capital city, Amman."

They forfeited their games and were eliminated without even the touching the ball.  How fair is that?


Here's the link to this informative piece discussing the situation.

Native Americans' objection to "Geronimo" as code name for Bin Laden raid

He was a Native American military leader.  Sure, he was a warrior and probably killed many American soldiers.  But he was fighting Mexico and America's expansion to the West, his ancestral lands.  Code Name for Bin Laden?!  Not Cool. 

Here's the Washington Post article.

“I was celebrating that we had gotten this guy and feeling so much a part of America,” Tom Holm, a former Marine, a member of the Creek/Cherokee Nations and a retired professor of American Indian studies at the University of Arizona, said by phone Tuesday. “And then this ‘Geronimo EKIA’ thing comes up. I just said, ‘Why pick on us?’ Robert E. Lee killed more Americans than Geronimo ever did, and Hitler would seem to be evil personified, but the code name for bin Laden is Geronimo?”

“It’s how deeply embedded the ‘Indian as enemy’ is in the collective mind of America,” she said. “To this day, when soldiers are going into enemy territory, it’s common for it to be called ‘Indian country.’ ”

Bin Laden's burial @ sea does not follow Islamic tradition or law!

This is from CNN:

"Osama bin Laden's body was buried at sea according to Islamic law because no country was willing or able to take his body for burial on land, senior Defense officials said.  "When there is no land alternative, Islamic law dictates that the body be buried within 24 hours, and that was the basis," one official said."  A second senior Defense official said there was no country willing or able to accept the body for burial, and U.S. forces "took pains to observe Muslim law.""

 

What?  How about an unmarked grave somewhere?  How about after proper preparation for burial, taking his body in the middle of the night and bury it anywhere in Pakistan?  No land alternative?  Come on.  There is no land alternative when the deceased dies on a ship and land is more than 24 hours away.  That's not what happened here.  What the administration is saying regarding Islamic tradition and law is not accurate.  They just did not want to bury him on land, preventing any chance of the site being identified.  That's all and that's if they really killed him!         

LIBERATION NOW!!!

Libya, Iran, Bahrain, Bahrain, Palestine, Syria, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia, Yemen, Morocco, Kuwait... Domino Theory, Middle Eastern style!

LIBERATION NOW by abbeyz71

The Green Movement (موج سبز) is alive and kicking!

Okay so today's demonstrations were not as huge as June or December 2009, but the Iranian nation showed the government and the world that the movement is not dead.  It has been sustained for almost two years and will not die down.  The youth won't let it die down.  The women won't let it die down.  I am in awe of their courage.  They're all my heroes.  Here are the latest videos from today.  Remember foreign press is virtually nonexistent in Iran.  These videos are shot by ordinary (for the lack of a better word -- nothing ordinary about their courage) Iranians while facing danger and precautions.  Long live Iran.  Long live freedom.   

The only constant is change!

Change is brewing in the Middle East.  First Tunisia and now Egypt.  Algeria is being the good neighbor following up on what's happening in the neighborhood.  Jordan's king Abdullah II dismissed the government and appointed a new prime minister.  Yemen's President Saleh announced that he will not run again after mass protests.  It begs the question: what regime is next in the region?  Hmmm...

"The only constant is change" by abbeyz71

IDF and Peres give conflicting signals about attacking Iran, or are they?

Are these two reports really conflicting? One is talking about preparations to attack and the other about not planning to attack. Are preparations to attack and not planning to attack two separate things? Read both news reports and you be judge. I'd like to hear your comments.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is basically saying it's making preparations to be able to launch an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities within days or even ours of being given the green light. An Israeli intelligence official further stated that Israel would not make the threat without the force to back it.

Yet only last Thursday President Peres dismissed speculations that Israel is planning to attack Iran. He further stated that progress with Iran depended on international cooperation and exploring whether dialogue presented a real opportunity or if Tehran was just stalling.

Iran's inflation in 2009, 5th highest in the world - not the shocking part of this news story

Oh no. I'm actually insulted that we're 5th. I was hoping more for 1st or 2d. What's shocking is that Press TV - English language 24-hr. news channel funded by the Iranian government - cites a CIA report for this finding!!! Never thought I would live to see this.

Here. Check it out for yourself:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87879&sectionid=351020102

Iran's former Presidents concerned about the looming crisis, express their views

As the U.S. and Iran move closer to a possible confrontation over the nuclear issue, two of Iran's former presidents express their concerns and views.

Iran's 4th President and former Speaker of the Parliament Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is reportedly trying to persuade the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (boy he has a long title!) to give into some Western demands in order to avoid a showdown with the United States and save the Islamic Republic. Although conservative, Rafsanjani has consistently demonstrated his pragmatism ever since his days at the Parliament over twenty years ago. He is believed to be the most influential member of the establishment as well as one of the wealthiest (if not the wealthiest) Iranians living inside the country. Here is a link to the related Guardian's article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1998047,00.html

Also during the World Economic Forum meeting, Ahmadinejad's predecessor President Khatami today called for calm heads to reduce building tensions between the United States and his country over its nuclear program. You may read more about it below: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070125/wl_nm/davos_iran_dc_3

It appears that the Iranian leaders are beginning to feel the heat mainly fueled by President Ahmadinejad's rhetoric. I don't personally remember the last time that the Islamic Republic was facing such a grave threat to its existence from outside of Iran. Maybe during the Iran-Iraq war?!

What do you think?