M.I.A

Tosk's daily tweets will be offline until the Loudtwitter service is restored... (apparently they had a hard drive failure)

Mental health break

Treble Clef. Go see this and other stunning macro photos at 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Tweets for Today (Jun 29th)

Map of disputes between WTO Members tinyurl.com/n4j242 #

RT @earthintelnet "Global Legal Monitor Adds More than 300 RSS Feeds" (thanks resourceshelf) 80z1s.tk ¶ Fantastic resource #

Turkey: Military Ghost Rises Again bit.ly/xbWY6 #

Women: Dubai, New Destination on Trafficking Map bit.ly/16Jgex #

On Death Row: Pakistan - 7,000, U.S. - 3,200, India - 300 bit.ly/3tqjR #

(Drum roll) And now, the ne plus ultra of phoniness: Ahmadinejad wants probe of "suspicious" Neda death. bit.ly/BqayM #

It's not a Twitter revolution in Iran​ bit.ly/JMXXH #

Obama, Iran and a meaningless phrase​ bit.ly/vpDRu #

Cambodia: His paintings of "Brother Number One" saved his life bit.ly/kOF65 #

Is this leadership on health care? bit.ly/Py5qI #

RT @MariaWars: Ukraine is opening up its old KGB archive, declassifying hundreds of thousands of documents - bit.ly/AD8tC #

Bloodsuckers positioning themselves to exploit Michael Jackson's tragic death bit.ly/OwTw6 #

Egyptian Mummies Visit Hospital for CT Scan bit.ly/Pjgyk #

Pharma companies feeling 'supply chain pain', says UPS bit.ly/LqVzG #

The 'Rare' Disease That Isn't bit.ly/Zy7EG (up to 5% of pop?) #

Making Tumors More Sensitive to Chemotherapy bit.ly/uIW8s #

Jobs Travel to Transplant Mecca Shows System Flaws bit.ly/3cHN1o #

FDA weighs options to reduce painkiller overdoses tinyurl.com/n7r5f9 #

Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe tinyurl.com/mhm2ym #

Wisconsin ranked first in heatlhcare quality by federal agency tinyurl.com/lmujn3 #

RT @atomicgurl00 Marketing new chemical weapons: bit.ly/GbxOg #

RT @gamster428 RT Operation Mend needs LA buddy families; It's one of the most rewarding things you can do. bit.ly/FXaTI #

Random picture

Murs qui protègent, murs qui séparent Series, 'Walls which protect, walls which separate', from L'Express.

Tweets for Today (Jun 28th)

How come blocked followers now stay in Followers' list and count? Bah! #

RT @SteffanAntonas The raw beauty of the Cali coastline is breathtaking. twitpic.com/8mvf5 #

Also, what's the use of an 'unblock' command that doesn't work? e.g. tinyurl.com/l6xufe #

Obama Issues Signing Statement On War Spending Bill tinyurl.com/r8gbqu #

The First Licensing Round Gets off the Ground: The Politics of Oil in Iraq bit.ly/RrakW #

IRAN: "Obama Effect" Versus "Freedom Agenda" bit.ly/rpMDl ¤ U.S.-centric view of the world, it's all about us! #

Senator Baucus to put forward proposal to tax Americans for employer-paid healthcare coverage, except the unionized bit.ly/8ApKu #

Women in love: To hell and back in 15 days bit.ly/82rFG #

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Elvis, Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe: What do they have in common? bit.ly/IHnfU (why FF on list?) #

Interested in a small, auxiliary monitor for your computer? Here's one: tinyurl.com/kud28d #

Iran: Larajani faction emerges as a third force in Iranian power struggle tinyurl.com/ntmvaj #

1st round in Internet war goes to Iranian intelligence tinyurl.com/kjeuob ¶ So now an "Iranian internet invasion" Total bunk #

Report: the unemployment rate among Egyptian youth stands at 21.1% tinyurl.com/lkfe5b #

The Mountebanks & The Apostates :by Fawaz A. Gerges tinyurl.com/nvggn9 #

Money floods out of Iran as election crisis continues tinyurl.com/kuo9y2 #

Airbus livre son premier avion assemblé en Chine tinyurl.com/m8u8uk #

Le porte-parole du gouvernement japonais gaffe après l'annonce du décès de Michael Jackson tinyurl.com/o4eban MJ, Japan #

Les fans de Michael Jackson pleurent le roi de la pop en Chine tinyurl.com/mo7dpr MJ, China #

Michael Jackson ou le vrai visage de l"Amérique tinyurl.com/ml8kkr MJ opened path for Obama? #

RT @johnkeithhart RT @jpneal Tony Blair, President of Europe? bit.ly/BaIWf ¤ Because he's been so successful as Quartet envoy ?!? #

RT @FiNS: More news about the plight of sharks twurl.nl/eubvkj #

Random picture...

Ping pong tournament in China... This and other cool photos from Le Figaro here...

Random picture...

Tidal channels near Iran's Qeshm Island. Source: NASA/JS. See this and 34 other pictures taken from the International Space Station (ISS) at The Big Picture.

Tweets for Today (Jun 27th)

Google thought Michael Jackson traffic was attack bit.ly/gSWp2 #

WWIII posters (WW II posters updated w/social media, etc.) bit.ly/LvKgE #

What is the best way to limit the upcoming H1N1 pandemic? bit.ly/zgguT #

The Most Absurd Horror Film Posters Ever bit.ly/JhgdH #

RT @igeldard Iranians avoid censorship with Navy technology htxt.it/tAor ¤Embed Tor in Firefox, harder for US to keep tabs on its own #

RT @CindyKing: 10 Fascinating Frozen Wonders of Nature - bit.ly/nNfB4 #

RT @CindyKing: 12 Greatest Low-Tech Inventions - bit.ly/vqA8y #

tinyurl.com/lt9eve Is wrecking the bazaaris' business really a good way to increase support for the protests? Wouldn't seem so... #

The Hate Crimes Bill: How Not to Remember Matthew Shepard tinyurl.com/ml2gm3 #

Karzai Urges Taliban to Cast Votes tinyurl.com/l9s3dc #

Art implies Prez claiming right to indefinite detention *because* Cong won't allow Gitmo closure tinyurl.com/pno7u9 Non-sequitor! #

Hussein Told FBI He Bluffed About WMD to Ward Off Iran tinyurl.com/na8e5q #

The Iran chessboard, as seen by Team Obama tinyurl.com/rc43tb #

The Revolution Will Not Be Digitized. How the Internet helps Iran silence activists. tinyurl.com/lpu9qn #

RT @igeldard Germans fear Twitter could bias general election htxt.it/2xIR #

How Quarreling Ayatullahs Affect Iran's Crisis tinyurl.com/mqfx9u Decent article (though Time) #

How the FBI Broke Saddam tinyurl.com/p9rot4 and tinyurl.com/nbqbgv #

Want to Stop Israeli Settlements? Follow the Dollars. tinyurl.com/m62bja #

Brazil abandons search for Air France victims... Tweet reactions tinyurl.com/l8wxbe #

Does the state have the upper hand? tinyurl.com/kkhfb7 #

Premier-Designate Hariri Vows to Form 'Homogeneous' Cabinet tinyurl.com/m7x35h ¶ Homogeneous? In Lebanon? Homogeneous? #

The Aoun clip controversy to a psychoanalyst tinyurl.com/msa3z5 ¶ No fan of GMA, but video diagnosis? Will they ask Dr. Drew next? #

On Iran tinyurl.com/mjy6br #

Mental health break

(a little on the jerky side, but....)

Nanovision Mimo UM-710 - USB ext monitor

Interested in a second, third, or fourth monitor on your computer? Nanovision makes a line of small external monitors that connect via USB and use DisplayLink technology to create a virtual graphics card. Unbox the monitor (in the box you get the mimo monitor, the stand and connector, a USB cable, a manual, and a CD-ROM); plug in the monitor with the USB cable; install the driver; and reboot the computer. A control button on the task bar allows you to tweak your settings.

You want to click on 'Extend To' and chose the direction you want e.g. if you choose 'Down' then you can move your mouse pointer from your desktop to the mimo by moving it down off the desktop screen onto the mimo screen. Click on 'Advanced Options' to pull up Windows' Display Settings... if you click on the appropriate monitor number you will see that the 'Extend the desktop to this monitor' is checked. Voila, ready to go!

Once I had the mimo set up, if I chose the 'Mirror' setting, the mimo mirrored the desktop. However, given the differing screen resolutions and sizes between the mimo and the desktop I could only see part of the desktop screen on the mimo, which did not seem particularly useful. Choosing the 'Extend' setting just gave a blank mimo screen (not blank, actually the background from the desktop without anything else...). Some head scratching ensued. OK, so perhaps this is totally obvious and assumed to be known by the user (since it isn't mentioned anywhere in the documentation!) , but all that is necessary to do is to drag the selected application or widget onto the minimo! For example, the picture and screen captures below show Windows Media Player on the mimo while web browsing on the desktop.

All in all, a nice addition if you want to keep an eye on a program, widget, etc., for example a Twitter client such as Seesmic, while working in another program on your desktop (or laptop for that matter). It "works "out of the box", only takes a couple of minutes to set up, and works very well. It is a little expensive, but definitely a cool gadget.

Note: there are other models with additional features. For example the UM-750 also has a microphone, web cam, and also a touch screen.

Mimo UM-710 Review: Amazing Alternative for Double Desktop
The Nanovision Mimo UM-710 - USB powered external monitor
Nanovision MIMO UM-710 & UM-730 USB displays Review
Review: Nanovision mimo UM-710
Unboxing: 7" LCD Mimo Monitor UM-710 model

Tweets for Today (Jun 26th)

Greeenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary & Analysis H.R. 2454 (House Committee on Energy and Commerce) tinyurl.com/n3lmwy (107-pg PDF) #

Israeli Firms Accused of Profiting Off Holocaust tinyurl.com/n6y9bk ¶ After Swiss banks, Italian ins cos, US banks, an Israeli bank! #

US DoD: "I would urge everybody to take a deep breath & not to hyperventilate about this particular ship. We are in this for the long run" #

Iran supreme leader's son seen as power broker with big ambitions tinyurl.com/ly3cp8 #

Do Androids Dream of Racist Stereotypes? tinyurl.com/nrj58k #

FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final. Half time and South Africa looking good against a sluggish Brazil (the winner to play the US) #

RE FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final.... Bah, apparently what I am watching on TV is delayed... just saw on Twitter that Brazil won 1-0... #

Development: Western Aid Declines, Financial Bailouts Mount bit.ly/11hiwH #

Social media will not get me to eat your gross pizza bit.ly/RRXPP Pizza Hut, etc. using Facebook and Twitter #

Inhaled Growth Hormone Safe For Children Deficient In This Key Protein bit.ly/1MbeS #

"Pas de fraude électorale", affirme le Conseil des gardiens bit.ly/Jtjvp "il n'y a eu aucune fraude dans le scrutin" #

Chronologie de Madagascar (1787-2009) bit.ly/B9Zha #

Berlusconi: "Ils veulent de moi parce que je suis bon, généreux, sincère, loyal, et je tiens mes promesses" bit.ly/qUKjg #

Berlusconi: bit.ly/wa1gF On menu: boeuf fumé, pâtes aux champignons, côtelettes aux pommes de terre, tourte au yaourt, jeunes femmes #

India Undertakes Ambitious ID Card Plan bit.ly/tI2Ge An ID card for every Indian in 3 years? Would be great, but color me skeptical #

Michael Jackson Leaves Enormous Debts as Well as Fans Behind bit.ly/127iaU $500 million in debt? #

Concentration camp brothels, hushed-up chapter of Nazi-era horrors bit.ly/3U13x Meticulously planned by Himmler/SS #

Israeli Army amasses troops, military hardware along Lebanese border bit.ly/2P26OF #

5 Decades of US Behavioral Scientists Implicated in Torture bit.ly/TKhL2 Seems a side job for Amer Psych Assoc (APA) presidents #

Michael Jackson lived like king but died in debt bit.ly/3BAOHq This one says $400 million #

RT @SusanneUre Sri Lanka astrologer is arrested (for predicting that the president will be ejected from office) bit.ly/y8QCZ #

Hariri court opens secure tip Web site tinyurl.com/msn8yk Tips anyone? #

No hotdogs for you! bit.ly/16mdif #

Axe wound, or not? tinyurl.com/ls8swh #

Monica Conyers pleads guilty to conspiracy (wife of Rep John Conyers D-MI) tinyurl.com/lcnupn #

RT @sibeledmonds State Department Seeks 'Viable' Iranian Candidates: Now Accepting Applications... tinyurl.com/kppdlu #

RT @jranck Iran tells Ahmadi and Khamenei, "Just Beat It" via 3quarksdaily bit.ly/Z0q5q ¶ It had to happen! MJ + Iran #

If it turns out that Gilead Shalit *is* released, will Israel lift the blockade of Gaza? e.g. tinyurl.com/bbfafe #

RT @exposur3 The Big Picture: Recent scenes from the ISS bit.ly/mOUkk #

RT @antibullshit Healthcare industry spend $1.4 mill/day on lobbyists. tr.im/pTPq 1/2 ¶ Uh, so what? Is this a bad thing? #

2/2 Since "HC industry" = mult constituents (ins, pharma, hosps, docs, etc) w/ diff & competing priorities, a lot cancels out. Add all=silly #

Biotech Drugs Need Only 7 Years Protection, U.S. Says bit.ly/oXdXC #

1 Million Americans Likely Stricken by H1N1 (per math model) bit.ly/166JtN #

Alcohol link to one in 25 deaths (worldwide) bit.ly/5w8r1 ¤ US pols not calling in the FDA? #

RT @jranck Media fantasies in Iran | Abbas Barzegar |guardian.co.uk bit.ly/sz2qb (via @mikewhills) #

Random picture...

From the welcome screen at the web site of the Rahbar (Leader) of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyid ‘Ali Khamene’i. Hmm, closet Moussavi supporter? Nah, just kidding, actually green is the traditional color of Islam (e.g. see here, here, and here).

Random picture...

Marjan the blind lion of the Kabul zoo, see the original article below, followed by a translation...

Source: Marjan, lion aveugle de Kaboul, symbole des guerres afghanes

(De Kaboul) Marjan est un lion. Il est le héros du zoo de Kaboul. Sa statue est installée face à l'entrée du parc et un photographe attitré y attend le visiteur pour l'immortaliser posant à ses côtés. Il est dit aussi que caresser sa crinière de bronze est garant de bonne fortune. Le sculpteur a particulièrement soigné la noblesse de l'animal, mais sur un mode réaliste, n'oubliant surtout pas de représenter l'orbite vide, signe poignant de la souffrance infligée à l'animal. Marjan était un héros aveugle. Il fut à la fois bourreau et victime de cette histoire qui renvoie une fois encore à la guerre.

Elle est largement connue à Kaboul et au delà, sous des versions différentes. Je tiens celle-ci d'un contemporain. Nous l'appelerons Nagib. Il était ce jour-là notre guide dans Kaboul. Selon son récit, l'histoire s'est passée alors que les moudjahidines, après avoir remporté une victoire historique, s'installaient au pouvoir en 1993. Maîtres pour un temps à Kaboul, ils se montrèrent incapables de s'entendre pour gouverner et leurs divergences se traduisirent en affrontements violents et finalement en guerre civile. La ville et ses habitants étaient alors pris en otages.

Le zoo fut l'un des terrains de la bataille. Plusieurs factions y passèrent et se payèrent sur la bête, si l'on ose dire. Ils mangèrent quelques-uns des pensionnaires, le cerf et quelques lapins et tuèrent l'unique éléphant. Le lion, ce fut différent. Un combattant impétueux -Nagib ne souvient ni de son nom ni de la faction à laquelle il appartenait- décida de le défier en combat singulier. « On va voir lequel de nous deux est le vrai lion », aurait-il crié en sautant dans l'enclos. Ce furent ses derniers mots.

Moudjahidin ou taliban ?

Le combattant avait un frère qui, pour venger l'affront, jeta une grenade sur l'animal, lui brisant les dents et lui arrachant un œil, entre autres blessures. Le lion avait perdu la vue mais il survécut plusieurs années avant de mourir de vieillesse en 2002. Dans une autre version, la victime était un taliban qui s'était réfugié dans cette partie du zoo alors que la bataille faisait rage alentour avec les moudjahidines et il serait tombé accidentellement dans l'enclos du lion. La suite, le frère, la grenade, etc. est commune à toutes les versions, mais celle de notre interlocuteur est aussi une sorte d'allégorie.

Il faut dire que Nagib, était lui même un moudjahid à cette époque. Il avait seize ans quand il rejoignit la résistance contre les soviétiques dans les rangs prestigieux commandant Massoud et il y passa vingt-deux mois. Il raconte qu'il a quitté les moudjahidines peu avant la victoire et la prise du pouvoir parce que les comportements de ses camarades de combat, lui inspiraient, dit-il, les plus grandes craintes.

Les faits lui ont donné raison et ce fut même pire encore, mais l'épisode du lion, apparemment anecdotique à l'échelle de la nouvelle catastrophe qui s'abattait sur l'Afghanistan, lui semble une assez bonne illustration de ce qui précisément allait conduire le pays au désastre.

L'arrogance et la forfanterie du défi, suivies par une vengeance aussi cruelle qu'irréfléchie, voilà bien pour Nagib, ce qui marqua l'époque et nous entraîna dans la spirale d'une violence sans fin. Quinze ans après, il dit avoir parfois des remords, mais il ne regrette pas l'idéalisme de son engagement. Il ne comprend pas bien comment les valeurs du combat se sont aussi vite corrompues, mais c'est une autre histoire.

Quant au lion Marjan, le héros de celle-ci, il est bien à sa place. Dans son innocence et sa fierté, il symbolise le pays et le peuple, bafoués et trahis par ceux qui prétendaient gouverner leur destin.

« Nous sommes tous comme Marjan. La violence ne nous a pas abattus. Nous avons survécu. Le peuple est toujours vivant, mais comme le lion, édenté et aveugle. »

Situé à la périphérie de la capitale, le long de la rivière Kaboul, le zoo est une attraction populaire. On y vient en famille, hommes et femmes mélangés, ce qui n'est pas si fréquent dans l'espace public de la ville, sinon au bazar. Ce n'est pas un zoo très riche, mais sa clientèle ne l'est pas davantage. Les visiteurs appartiennent visiblement au petit peuple de Kaboul. Ils vont d'enclos en cages avec une joie curieuse qui fait plaisir à voir tant les occasions de réjouissance semblent leur être comptées.

Cachez ce cochon chinois…

The remainder of the article may be read here... The full translation is below:

Marjan, Kabul's blind lion, symbol of the Afghan wars:

(Byline Kabul) Marjan is a lion. He is the hero of the Kabul zoo. His statue is installed at the entrance to the park and an appointed photographer waits there to immortalize visitors posing next to it. It is also said that rubbing his bronze mane is a guarantee of good fortune. The sculptor took great care to emphasize the nobility of the animal, but realistically did not forget to show its empty eye socket, poignant sign of the suffering inflicted on the animal. Marjan was a blind hero. He was at the same time torturer and victim of this story that goes back to the war.

It (the story) is well known in Kabul and beyond, in different versions. I got this version from a contemporary, let us call him Nagib. That day he was our guide in Kabul, and according to his account, the story happened when the moudjahidin, after having gained a historical victory, took power in 1993. Masters for a time in Kabul, they showed themselves unable to agree enough to govern, and their differences were translated into violent confrontations and finally into civil war. The city and its inhabitants were then taken as hostages.

The zoo was one of the battle-grounds. Several factions spent time there, and one could say they lived on the animals. They ate some of the inhabitants - the stag and some rabbits, and they killed the single elephant. The lion, that was different. An impetuous combatant, Nagib couldn't remember his name nor the faction to which he belonged, decided to defy the lion in single combat. “We will see which of us is the true lion”, he shouted while jumping into the enclosure. These were his last words.

Moudjahidin or taliban?

The combatant had a brother who, to avenge the affront, threw a grenade at the animal, breaking its teeth and putting out its eye, among other injuries. The lion had lost its sight but he survived for several years before dying of old age in 2002. In another version, the victim was a taliban who had taken refuge in this part of the zoo while the battle raged around with the moudjahidin, and he accidentally fell into the lion's enclosure. The remainder of the story, the brother, the grenade, etc. are common to all the versions, but that of our interlocutor is also a kind; of allegory.

It should be said that Nagib, was a moudjahid himself at that time. He was sixteen years old when he joined the resistance against the Soviets, (serving) in the prestigious ranks of commandant Massoud, where he spent twenty-two months. He said that he left the moudjahidin shortly before the final victory and seizure of power, because the behaviors of his comrades in combat inspired great fears in him, or so he said.

What (subsequently) happened proved him right and even more, but the episode of the lion, apparently anecdotal compared to the scale of the disaster which fell on Afghanistan, seemed to him to be a good illustration of what precisely was going to lead the country to disaster.

The sheer arrogance and brazenness of the challenge, followed by an act of revenge as cruel as it was thoughtless, was for Nagib, an indicator which characterized the era and led to a spiral of violence without end. Fifteen years later, he says he sometimes has remorse, but does not regret the idealism of his engagement. He does not really understand how the values of the combat were so quickly corrupted, but that's another story...

As for the lion, Marjan, the hero of this story, he is well in his place. In his innocence and his pride he symbolizes the country and its people, ridiculed and betrayed by those who pretended to control their destiny.

“We are all like Marjan. The violence did not kill us. We survived. The people are still living, but like the lion, made toothless and blind.”

Located at the periphery of the capital, along the Kabul river, the zoo is a popular attraction. Families go there, men and women mixed, which doesn't happen very often in public except for at the bazaar. This is not a very rich zoo, but then neither are its customers. The visitors belong obviously to the small people of Kabul. They go from enclosure to cage with a curious joy, a pleasure to see given that their occasions for rejoicing seem somewhat limited.

Hide this Chinese pig…

Perhaps fifty species live in the park, the majority of them local fauna along with some rarer animals donated by the Peoples Republic of China, such as the superb bear and the pair of lions which replaced Marjan (himself also a gift of the Chinese), and a pig, recently arrived it seems, then subsequently quickly withdrawn from public sight.

An international news agency, quoting the zoo administration, wrote that this was due to the fear of swine flu. One can truly say that the presence of the pig in the Kabul zoo had caused a certain queasiness among the visitors and that it being put into quarantine satisfied everyone. Nobody really stopped in front of its empty enclosure, the more so because in the neighboring enclosure one could admire a Marco Polo stag with superb horns.

And even if the zoo is, as already mentioned, modest, the spectacles offered to the families by the macaques or the bears seemed to suffice for their happiness. One sees few smiles in the streets of Kabul and one can imagine that there aren't very many reasons to have happy faces. At the zoo, even if you don't understand what the parents are saying to their children, they seem happy to be there together. And it is this image that you retain, this small naive happiness which we enjoy while looking of the animals, which do not seem more unhappy here than elsewhere, although they are not freed... but that is not the subject of our story today.

At least one can pay this homage to them; to lighten their glances, to give birth to smiles and laughter in a city which does not seem to offer many occasions for this. Places of distraction are not legion in Kabul. Free access within easy reach of the inhabitants of the city, and this brave, small zoo is precisely one of these rare oases.

I do not know if the visitors who are photographed with the lion learn lessons from the tale by our friend Nagib. But they certainly do not fail to rub Marjan's mane.

Tweets for Today (Jun 25th)

"Shock and Audit" tinyurl.com/n8cpac Mother Jones on the defense budget... #

Blood diamonds continue to flow tinyurl.com/kokdpx #

Can university subjects reveal terrorists in the making? tinyurl.com/m5r56h The usefulness or not of profiling... Beware, engineers #

Iranian Supreme Leader Received U.S. Nuclear Appeal Ahead of Election tinyurl.com/lvzern #

Iran's Clash of 'Titans' May Not Resolve Itself Soon tinyurl.com/kqbdck #

Will Afghanistan's election be fair? tinyurl.com/m5nwtn Some claims (?) it is being fixed #

Legg Mason CEO gets bonus, because without 2 items the co "would have had net income...." (enough to pay bonus) tinyurl.com/kl4vh9 #

RT @JimmySky In fairness to Gov Sanford aides "I'm getting Argentinian tail" sounds like "I'm hiking Appalachian trail"' (via @caseycoleman) #

Unions Fight Over Health-Care Workers (SEIU vs. NUHW) tinyurl.com/lm8uto #

RT @dailydish How is it poss for Obama to pay tribute to... Neda.. while suppressing ours? tinyurl.com/mzjp2g ¶ Easy... mote, beam #

RT @jamaldajani Scowcroft: US 'has agents inside Iran' tinyurl.com/mtxm5o ¤ Well of course, but is it smart to say so out loud? #

RT @jranck how language gets in the way of our understanding of the Middle East bit.ly/sO97o "The language that absolves Israel" #

Singular = Basiji, plural = Basij. Singular = Sepahi, plural = Sepah. I made the mistake of having these switched... #

Computer failure may have caused D.C. train crash tinyurl.com/n4qtvl So, NTSB can quit saying 'we told you to buy new cars" #

ILO rpt: GIVE GIRLS A CHANCE – Tackling child labour, a key to the future bit.ly/tgzgP #

RT @pronto24: Colombia tiene más de dos mil niños con VIH SIDA, según estudios #

VC's automated Twitter feed spreads malware bit.ly/yIh7a auto feeds, one reason not to follow #

Microsoft defends Outlook HTML decision bit.ly/fZb4c Despite over 19,000 tweets against #

Senegal leader warns EU of competition from China, India bit.ly/ST9Uh West, give us more aid, or else #

Venezuela: 154 mil homicidios en una decada de Chavez bit.ly/pqbOy #

IDF develops electronic devices that can be used by observant soldiers on Shabbat bit.ly/11nj7g halakhotechnic advisors #

No hotdogs for you! bit.ly/16mdif #

Oil, a North Sea hostage bit.ly/4nY1wi Contango, higher prices... #

Detainees Were Also Murdered At Bagram in Afghanistan bit.ly/PD3I5 #

N. Korea warns of "dark clouds of nuclear war" on peninsula bit.ly/JKFn0 #

First Europeans were cannibals: bit.ly/Qe9Xf #

Rafsanjani has enough support to remove Khamenei bit.ly/YUJS6 "unconfirmed reports" or rank speculation? #

One month til KRG elections bit.ly/2FADb #

Study: Heads of top U.S. companies snub blogs, Facebook bit.ly/ATP3z #

RT @inteldaily Neutralising the toxicity of vaccines: bit.ly/xz1vS ¤ Paging Swami McCarthy (and other assorted nuts) #

Many Americans Still Have Limited Knowledge of Generics tinyurl.com/mbevl3 1/3 don't know same effectiveness; 2/3 don't know cheaper #

Insurance or health? Which drives healthcare reform tinyurl.com/mwvrk2 #

New Drug Kills Cancer with Few Side Effects tinyurl.com/mh939a #

(Some pre-packaged) Salads 'rival Big Macs for fat' tinyurl.com/n572cl From U.K. #

RT @toosinbeymen SUPREME LEADER may BE REMOVED BY EXPEDIENCY COUNCIL. PLEASE RT bit.ly/17X4eP ¶ Any validity ? Or wild speculation? #

RT @jranck Iran : la "troisième révolution" ? - Proche-Orient - Le Monde.fr bit.ly/10SNNS #iranelection #

A Balanced Approach to Irregular Warfare (by commander of U.S. Special Operations Command - USSOCOM) tinyurl.com/ljdfoa #

Random chart...

A chart showing world economic output, in which the current recession so far tracks fairly well with the depression... Source and additional information here: Green shoots, 1930

Leverage...

Not content with letting the facts speak for themselves, some are trying to leverage existing differences and/or animosities to embellish the facts, presumably to get a better reaction and/or more support from the "west" i.e. United States, U.K., Europe, etc. A couple of memes that have circulated and continue to circulate:

• Forces or countries inimical to the U.S. are portrayed as the only ones who have rushed to congratulate Ahmedinajad on his re-election. You know who, the 'usual suspects' - Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, China, etc. Proof, were it needed that they are all a bunch of "thugs." Unfortunately for this meme a number of leaders who are classified as "friendlies" (for example, Turkish President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan) also congratulated Ahmedinajad; as well as a number of U.S. "clients", including Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan), Jalal Talabani (Iraq), Fouad Siniora (Lebanon), and President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilan (Pakistan)...

• Rumors and tweets abound that various countries/external forces have supplied manpower to help the Iranian authorities crack down on the protestors (e.g. see below). Again, the "usual suspects" are fingered e.g. "arabs", Chechens, Hamas, (Lebanese) Hezbollah, Syria, and (again) Venezuela... Some of this could be from Iranians who are loath to believe that their countrymen are willing to engage in the violence against them, but it's also another example of embellishing by leveraging existing prejudices and animosities to strengthen the message....
  

Right-wing Media & Twitter Echo-Chamber Continue to Spread Unsubstantiated Rumors

Tweets for Today (Jun 24th)

Debka: US military strike at North Korean vessel would send Tehran a strong signal tinyurl.com/n9svr4 ¶ HUH?? #

No Matter Who Is President of Iran, They Would Stone Me tinyurl.com/mup2oj #

Silvio Berlusconi keeps an eye on the new Miss Italy tinyurl.com/67zywh #

Mojtaba Khamenei: gatekeeper to Iran's supreme leader tinyurl.com/kto6ud #

Iran's Kurds go on strike tinyurl.com/mhlrey #

Israeli woman denied social benefits for visiting Palestinian husband tinyurl.com/m2hfao #

Le Japon admet que la Chine sera bientôt la 2e économie mondiale tinyurl.com/lj57gm #

Vol AF447: confusion autour des boîtes noires tinyurl.com/l88qcr "A ce jour, les enregistreurs de vol n'ont pas été localisés" #

En 1979, l'Iran s'enflammait : les leçons d'une comparaison tinyurl.com/ny7yxq #

Marjan, lion aveugle de Kaboul, symbole des guerres afghanes tinyurl.com/nfx5ye #

Israël autorise l'expansion d'une colonie illégale tinyurl.com/m3bz3d #

Les cobayes du Dr Folamour tinyurl.com/l284ov Rongelap, Marshal islands, US H-bomb tests #

RT @plar More than 350 soldiers launched airborne assault into one of the last Taliban strongholds is.gd/1bqJE ¶ "One of the last"? #

Berlusconi : «Je n'ai jamais payé une femme» tinyurl.com/kwfoxb #

Christophe Bassons: «Armstrong vehicule la triche!» tinyurl.com/mtqcol #

NY Fed: Timelines of Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis tinyurl.com/nwrs4k (PDFs) #

Malaysia: Blacklisted For Not Enforcing Trafficking Laws bit.ly/Ads0X #

La France au pilori dans l'affaire des "BMA" bit.ly/ajaes "Biens mal acquis" #

Le candidat conservateur retire sa plainte bit.ly/hqNbv Mohsen Rezaie withdraws election complaint #

Khamenei says Iranian system will not be bowed by force bit.ly/vmj3E #

Cheney's memoir due in 2011 bit.ly/JCzHx Hoo boy... #

Child soldiers fight LTTE ghosts bit.ly/6WqYT #

Exclusive: U.S. contacted Iran's ayatollah before election bit.ly/I3Tln #

RT @rallaf: Tony Judt's "Fictions on the ground" is unmissable, every single word. tinyurl.com/m2ec2z #

is wondering if unrest will shown up as hit to Iran GDP... (don't some of the Basij have jobs when they aren't beating protestors?) #

Investigating the Khobar Tower Bombing: Why Was Al Qaeda Excluded From the Suspects List? tinyurl.com/lt5f5r #

In New Theory, Swine Flu Started in Asia, Not Mexico tinyurl.com/mzosoz #

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report "The hidden cost of healthcare" tinyurl.com/na9nyo #

Transcript of the Deputy Comm For Counterterrorism, NYPD, speech at WINEP... tinyurl.com/msnthf #

RT @sapolsky BLOOD BROTHERS: To understand American policy better, I suggest you consult... tinyurl.com/loa258 #

Obama Keeping Promises That Grow Government; Abandoning Promises That Hold It Accountable? tinyurl.com/l79vhh #

Twitter having blocking issues? Some won't block despite multiple tries, some do but stay in Follower list and count... #

Barry R. McCaffrey: A new approach to Cuba tinyurl.com/kqyp6o #

Bolivia: Acusan a Evo Morales ante la OEA por delitos de lesa humanidad bit.ly/tZm4k #

German Researchers Tackle Untidy Desks bit.ly/DNLmj All bow before 'Ordnung'. Nothing like conforming to stereotypes! #

Casting Catastrophe: German Jews Horrified by Britney Holocaust Role bit.ly/11LF3B #

Thought experiment: If Rafsanjani and co were to manage to wrest power from Khamenei, would that end protests? Or are they past that point? #

Alarming News tinyurl.com/lxgxbm Wasting money on adv spectroscopic portals (ASP) to detect radiation & identify source. #

Girl burned by white phosphorus leaves Bagram tinyurl.com/mlnux6 "mil... can't be certain if theirs/enemy round" Taliban have WP? #

FARC, Hezbollah, Venezuela, UBL.. involved drug trafficking W Africa... How long before add Khamenei, Ahmedinajad? tinyurl.com/nwa2el #

Why Afghanistan might gain a CEO tinyurl.com/lnzgrt Is this idea making a comeback? #

Compl Berlusconi: To "I have never paid.." add "If I'd known she was an escort, I'd have chased her away at once" tinyurl.com/mkyywq #

Cyberwar menace causing insomnia? Sadly, no tinyurl.com/npku4x (another Dick Destiny rant... always good) #

The silent killer in Uganda tinyurl.com/kp54ks ... and increasingly in Africa... Obesity #

Has the U.S. Played a Role in Fomenting Unrest During Iran's Election? tinyurl.com/nt8e2e #

On the Khobar towers bombing I - tinyurl.com/nqckre II - tinyurl.com/mpu6cr III - tinyurl.com/n8nyvg (IV & V coming) #

Tweets for Today (Jun 23rd)

PayPal's "Do Stuff for Money" puts some cash behind your begging bit.ly/1VdPYk #

RT @rallaf Ayatollogy, Mubarakology and scholars of opaque regimes tiny.cc/M5Vpo #

Fmr Deputy NatSec Advisor: Twitter Founders Should Get Nobel Peace Prize tinyurl.com/mlqxh4 ¶ As likely as tinyurl.com/d3jnss #

Moussavi's letter 6/20 bit.ly/uDSc3 ¶ Who knew that the Khomeini era would be considered the "good old days"? #

BP Statistical Review of World EnergyJune 2009 tinyurl.com/kjvrej (45-pg PDF) #

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters: Tear down the (West Bank) wall tinyurl.com/mrkfxe #

1/2 Steve Clemons of Washington Note fixated on "Basiji hunting" - seems a fan of "hunting down", "ambushing' and using "Cocktail Molotovs" #

2/2 tinyurl.com/mzbfv9 Good idea to encourage, when protesters trying best to keep peaceful? #

Russia Holds Out Poss of Nuclear Reductions tinyurl.com/mtcywq ¶ Bah! Even reduct to 1,500 less effective than eliminating UK/France #

Be Careful What You Wish For: The Flawed Concept of Regime Change in Iran tinyurl.com/mu6ow8 #

RT @mkapor "Missing" S.Carolina gov was hiking the Appalachian Trail bit.ly/qPdra ¶ All these folks hyperventilating need to chill #

1/2 Mousavi 'accepts principles/institutions of Islamic republic, inc Revol Guard & "Basij' & also 'freedom of expression in all its forms" #

2/2 Contradiction here? Does Basij have a function other than preventing 'freedom of expression in all its forms'? tinyurl.com/nbluhk #

Gaza's 1.5 million people are getting 350 calves today -- the first Israeli delivery in nine months tinyurl.com/neo86f #

Tech giants deny helping Iran eavesdrop bit.ly/yYaAP #

And the top children's hospitals are... bit.ly/ZPBoG #

Opinion: Iran con ojos venezolanos bit.ly/1bujEm #

Venezuelan private media fear fresh assault bit.ly/g327p #

Karoubi appelle à une cérémonie de deuil jeudi pour les victimes bit.ly/Pbbfy #

NYT: Clerics Silent on a Turbulent Election bit.ly/vQBK3 #

Come the hour, come the Mujahideen bit.ly/aiqcY #

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran Speaks Out on Current Crisis bit.ly/13Ic0F #

Satellites Guide Relief To Earthquake Victims bit.ly/xBD6c #

RT @ASQ Free webinar on transforming hospital care from 2008 Baldrige Award hospital winners tinyurl.com/ljkop5 (via @chrismoy) #

Federal Saving From Lowering of Drug Prices Is Unclear bit.ly/pDXCp ¤ "historic agreement to lower drugs costs" bull... #

Random chart...

Graphics showing the 2008 world consumption per capital in tonnes of oil (above) and natural gas (tonnes oil equivalent, below). Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2009

And crude oil prices from 1861 to 2008:

Tweets for Today (Jun 22nd)

Brazil: The country's largest university becomes a battlefield bit.ly/a0q5w #

Paraguay: Senador afirma que Evo Morales fue a insultar al Parlamento bit.ly/1auJYj #

Téhéran demande à Londres et Washington de cesser leurs "ingérences" bit.ly/132MZk #

Towards obligatory comment control in the (online) French press ? bit.ly/3bPK8 #

President Peres applauds Iran street protesters bit.ly/2gyuC Surprise! #

Western media coverage tinyurl.com/n37kgl (Angry Arab diatribe) On target... #

Who knew that the Khomeini era would be the 'good old days'? bit.ly/uDSc3 (Mousavi letter) #

RT @Pravda_RU: Greenland to become 51st state of the United States bit.ly/kSnhF ¤ Huh? ???? #

RT @Beirutspring: Finally, the truth about Israeli "settlements" from the NY Times : bit.ly/1a0tzb #

Mullah Omar reasserts control of Taliban: report viigo.im/YUm #

City in central China rocked by violent riots: residents viigo.im/YUo #

Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' Maiden Flight Takes Off This Month viigo.im/YUu #

Iranians Translate Protest into Folk Song of Martyred Woman viigo.im/YUv #

Children of Conflict:The Real Victims viigo.im/YUz #

Duch « ému » à l'idée de la mort d'un million de Cambodgiens bit.ly/17AHFD ¤ Chilling stuff... #

Dalai Lama: My job too big for 1 man. After 500 years of autocracy, Tibetan leader calls for democracy bit.ly/b3SZU ¤ Act, becoz best #

Donald Rumsfeld in Repose bit.ly/WuLNe ¤ He's right about the free pass given to Powell (and to a lesser extent, Rice) #

The First Branded Pharma Tweet bit.ly/yJbLR #

MRSA risk from dog and cat bites tinyurl.com/ld6h2v (pets get from owners....) #

New Strategy Eyed for AIDS Treatment tinyurl.com/mq2242 #

Keeping teeth brushed/flossed = reduce gum disease, risk of heart attack & stroke. Now, link to memory loss? tinyurl.com/nq7pgp #

At V.A. Hosp, a Rogue Cancer Unit tinyurl.com/kuqzws (botched 92 of 116 cancer treatments over more than 6 yrs & covered up) #

Thomas Friedman Clogged My Toilet tinyurl.com/nhccvr ¶ very funny!! #

RT @MXML RT @3arabawy Ex post: Why "RT Iran" or "RT from Iran" doesn't do what you think it does tinyurl.com/n85pn6 (via @1D4TW) #

Twitter will flood you with sponsor offers. Or not bit.ly/VI1cO #

Kaiser's window to health care's future bit.ly/xVQwF #

L'armée à la rescousse du régime iranien? bit.ly/NjppG (Note: Sepah, NOT army) #

Lanka turns away ship carrying aid for displaced Tamils bit.ly/jxtnc 884 tons of food, medicine, etc. #

Chavez urges 'respect' for Iran election outcome bit.ly/Evkkn ¤ Heh... #

Guardian Council rules out vote nullification bit.ly/Me1eI #