Barackface

Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Fraud In Iran

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos Mashable

The fraud in Iran is and has been that an elected president answers to an unelected mullah. That is what these street protests are about. That is what this movement is about. And it needs to spread from country to country. I wish a movement upon every Arab country there is. Street power!

This movement is not just about wanting a new president, this is about wanting a new constitution altogether.

Iran: This Is What I Am Talking About

In The News

Iran police, militiamen clash with protesters Los Angeles Times

Bomber killed at Khomeini shrine - Iran media Reuters

Police force Iran protest off streets guardian.co.uk
Gauging Whether Obama Is Creating Openings in Iran New York Times

Obama urges Iran stop 'violent and unjust actions' Reuters

Obama to Iran's leaders: Stop 'unjust' actions The Associated Press

Obama resists pressure to speak out more forcefully on Iran Christian Science Monitor
Twitter on the Barricades in Iran: Six Lessons Learned New York Times

Extend a Hand to the People of Iran Washington Post

Web support pours out for Iran protesters The Associated Press

IRAN: Gates and Mullen talk Twittering, texting, the modern ... Los Angeles Times
IRAN: A familiar fear migrates to the US Los Angeles Times

US has limited inroads to understanding Iran The Associated Press

Analysts See Demonstrations Bringing Fundamental Changes to Iran Voice of America

From Acts of Defiance, Democracy May Grow in Iran New York Times

Hundreds gather in Westwood to protest Iran election Los Angeles Times

Thousands Rally Across Globe for Iranian Protesters Voice of America

Iran's Gaurdian Council meets to review election fraud claims ... New York Daily News

Why now in Iran? AMERICAblog
Watchdog boss: Iran wants nuclear weapon technology CNN International

UN Atomic Energy Chief Says Iran Wants Bomb Technology New York Times

Legacy-building IAEA chief goes public with closed-door remarks Reuters

UN Nuclear Chief: Iran Wants Nuclear Weapons Technology Voice of America

On Iran, Mr. President, You're Doing Just Fine Huffington Post

Obama's Three-Part Case on Iran TIME

What Obama says to Iran matters OCRegister

Why is anyone listening to the GOP suggestions on Iran? Daily Kos
Amid turmoil in Iran, Google and Facebook speed up Farsi-language ... San Jose Mercury News

IRAN: Facebook launching in Persian Los Angeles Times

Amid Iran Turmoil, Google Adds Persian To Translation Service New York Times

BBC enlisting new satellites to broadcast in Iran The Associated Press
Iran council ready to recount 10 pct of votes - TV Reuters

Iran body ready to recount up to 10 pct of ballot boxes AFP

Iran to recount 10 percent of ballot boxes: Report Sify

Statement By Iranian-Americans On The Elections And Current Situation: Huffington Post
FACTBOX-How Iran's ruling bodies work Reuters

Protesters in Iran are chanting 'Death to Khameni' Examiner.com

My Feelings About Iran's Supreme Leader TPMCafé

US Can't Act or Speak Alone On Faith

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Iran: This Is What I Am Talking About

Iran Is A Major Country

Iran is not a full-fledged democracy, it is a semi-theocracy of unelected mullahs holding supreme power. But at least it holds elections. Saudi Arabia does not. Egypt does not. Iran has much stronger democratic credentials than Saudi Arabia or Egypt.

I Wish Iran's People Power In The Streets Upon Every Arab Country

Mass movements are science, they are not alchemy. They can be brought about. They are the best way to topple authoritarian regimes. They are super cheap. It is so much cheaper to drop 1,000 laptops than a humvee.

We need mass protests in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and every Arab country that does not have elected leadership. That is the only sane way to conclude the War On Terror.

Iran Should Shoot For Complete Democracy

I fear these mass protests might go to waste like those in Burma for lack of a clear articulation of the ultimate goal and the tactics and strategies to get there. This is not just about one rigged election. This is about total democracy.

In The News

Joe Klein: What I Saw at the Revolution TIME It was as if someone had opened a door and an entire country had spilled out. ...... the working-class Ahmadinejad supporters and the wealthier, better-educated backers of Mousavi ...... put the internal rivalries at the highest levels of the Iranian government on public display for the first time, and in the most embarrassing fashion. ......... much of the cheese-buying public — the working class, the elderly, the women in chadors — seemed to adore Ahmadinejad. One of the favorite slogans of his supporters was "Ahmadinejad is love." ........... The lines at the central mosque were every bit as long as they were at the voting stations in sophisticated north Tehran. There was a smattering of Mousavi supporters, but the Ahmadinejad worship was palpable. ........ as concerned with Ahmadinejad's crude populist style as with his crude populist economics. ....... He also criticized Ahmadinejad's incendiary rhetoric on international issues like Israel and the Holocaust ........ "My mother supports Mousavi, and my father supports Ahmadinejad," he said. "I was uncertain until I saw them debate. Ahmadinejad seemed stronger. I don't think I would want Mousavi negotiating with other governments." ....... the reformers I spoke with seemed as unyielding as Ahmadinejad, if more politely so, when it came to discussing what Iran would be willing to concede in negotiations with the U.S. They were adamant on Iran's nuclear enrichment program ..... "It's natural that the first step should be taken by the Americans," said Karroubi, the most progressive of the four presidential candidates. "We didn't stage a coup against your elected government," he said, referring to the CIA's participation in the 1953 overthrow of the Mohammed Mossadegh government. "We have not frozen your assets. We don't have sanctions against you." ....... "Only the skin color has changed" from George W. Bush, he said. ....... "Look, for the past 30 years, the Supreme Leader — first Khomeini, now Khamenei — has blamed all our problems on the Great Satan," a prominent conservative told me. "If you take away the Great Satan and we still have problems, how does he explain it? Almost everyone here is in favor of ending this war with America. But no one has less incentive to make peace than the Supreme Leader." .......... It seems likely that no matter how many people flood the streets in protest, the Supreme Leader will continue to back Ahmadinejad.
Iran: Four Ways the Crisis May Resolve the unique combination of discord on the streets and infighting in the corridors of power currently under way in Tehran. .......... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei appear to have been taken aback by the surge in support for the pragmatic conservative candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. .......... there are still millions of Iranians strongly backing Ahmadinejad. ...... it's unlikely that the opposition will be in a position to destroy the government. ....... "adjust" the result so that no candidate has a clear majority, forcing a runoff election between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi. ....... at his first press conference following the announcement of his victory, Ahmadinejad reportedly asked his opponents to submit lists of candidates for membership in his Cabinet. ............ (Mugabe's opponents settled for the deal only when they had been so pummeled that they could see no hope of unseating him.)

Obama Lays Out 'Sweeping Overhaul' of Financial Rules Bloomberg the most sweeping overhaul of the U.S. financial regulatory system in 75 years, seeking to correct a “cascade of mistakes” that toppled major securities firms, froze credit markets and destroyed $26.4 trillion in stock market value around the world. ......... adding an additional layer of regulation for the biggest firms. It would create an agency for monitoring consumer financial products, make the Federal Reserve the overseer of companies deemed too big to fail, and bring hedge and private equity funds under federal scrutiny. ......... “An absence of oversight engendered systematic, and systemic, abuse.” ......... has called the “sweeping overhaul” of regulations one of his top domestic priorities, said he wants to sign legislation by the end of the year. ....... “For community banks that had nothing to do with this crisis, this will be massive regulation that will burden them with new costs” ......... the proposal simply adds to the layering of the system without addressing the underlying and fundamental problems ......... The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency would oversee products from mortgages to credit cards. It would have authority to ban “unfair terms and practices,” punish companies for violations with fines and penalties and write rules to set higher standards for banks and non-bank companies. ........ The central bank would get responsibility to oversee all systemically risky financial firms, a move that aims to eliminate gaps in oversight that contributed to the collapse of Bear Stearns .......... higher capital requirements and stronger regulatory scrutiny “our proposals would compel these firms to internalize the costs they could impose on society in the event of failure. ........ Geithner said he sees “no plausible alternative” to having the Fed oversee institutions that pose system-wide risk. “We’re redrawing the boundaries of authority”
Iran Upheaval Highlights Internal Political Fissures Voice of America The turmoil has boosted the stature of some of Iran's leaders. It has also diminished the stature of others - particularly the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ....... another struggle, perhaps a more significant one, taking place in the corridors of power in Tehran ........ 2005 ..... Then, the relatively unknown mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ........ the Iranian government seems stunned by the reaction and unsure what to do. ...... Rafsanjani's public silence. .... he is fiercely working behind the scenes. ........ Rafsanjani can use his chairmanship of the body as leverage with the Supreme Leader to undercut the president. ........... the protests as Iran's biggest crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ......... we'll have to watch to see if the demonstrations continue, if the government continues to backpedal ....... The Guardian Council is apparently only going to scrutinize electoral results from selected districts. But Mir Hossein Mousavi has called for a fresh election.

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Going To A DL21C Event

I have decided to go to the DL21C event tomorrow. I have no interest in Bill Thompson. I have no interest in the mayoral race, period. But I gave my shout out to Bloomberg back in December. Better - way better - Gillibrand (Kirsten Gillibrand Is A Good Choice) than Thompson, but oh well. I guess I want to play my small part in rapprochement. Peace out.

Wikipedia: Kirsten Gillibrand On May 15, 2008, Gillibrand gave birth to her second child, Henry Nelson Gillibrand, making her the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a member of Congress. Her House colleagues gave her a standing ovation for working until the day she gave birth.

This country has a long way to go in terms of making the workplace gender friendly.

That last event invite from DL21C, (An Event Invite From DL21C: This Can't Be Real) I t

Image via Wikipedia

hought through the technical ramifications. It came from Caputo. It also came from someone who knows I like women politicians.

If it were not for my immigration status glitch, the Caputo saga last year would have had another ending altogether. I myself was completely surprised on June 4.

I mean, I am on record at this blog having come out strong for Hillary 2008. That was until Barack said he might run. (Switching To Obama) Obama 2008 was the therapy I had been looking for all my life. I needed it. For me.

The go to event for me in town is the New York Tech MeetUp. But I think I like the idea of showing up for random DL21C events. I am as political as ever. I am open to the idea. You don't make peace with friends. Here's my contribution to peace in the Middle East. I am going to a DL21C event.

Mideast: Permanent Peace Is Possible
Mideast Peace: Tech Industry Style

It is just that an organization that calls itself 21st century is not as digital as it can be.

But I am going to first reply to that Caputo Facebook mail. I am coming, if DL21C does not want me to, an email back would be much appreciated. Just to be on the safe side of not having to go through a show-him-the-door experience.

Bloomberg has been a remarkable Mayor, one for the history books. I think he deserves another term if only as a reward for the good work he has already done. It also does not escape me that he happens to be Jewish. After Spitzer so flamed out, I like the idea of at least one high flying Jewish person still around. (Larry Ellison) There are black guy Mayors all over America, two in DC. This guy is the only Jewish Mayor. Right now I have no plans to, but later in Fall I

Image via Wikipedia

might even show up for a few events. So it might not hurt to study the opponent who completely turned around on me the first (and last so far) Thompson event I went to. A few weeks later I endorsed Bloomberg. (Independent For Bloomberg)

I don't give a flying fuck about Charlie Rangel. By extension I don't give a flying fuck about Bill Thompson. Proof? I have not bothered to google him up. I don't know anything about him, and that is just so fine with me. Rangel endorsed him, didn't he?

I seem to be so blase about the local races. I got my startup. That is all the rush I need.

2009 has been a Twitter and a Netizen year for me, not a Facebook and Barackface year.

Okay, so here's an email to Cordelia Persen. Just checking to make sure.

Image via Wikipedia

Friday, June 12, 2009

Sotamayor's Nomination As Historic As Barack's Election, Maybe More So

Image via Wikipedia

And why Newt Gingrich is a racist and a sexist.

Sotamayor is a Minority Female. That is like being Dalit in India.

Old white men like Newt Gingrich have always occupied the White House until now. They have always been the only people on the Supreme Court until recently. The Supreme Court has never had a Minority Female. The old white men still overwhelmingly dominate the Congress. What's wrong in the picture? Until recently there was no bathroom for women on Capitol Hill.

There have been times when I have admired Newt Gingrich. He comes up with ideas. I am a big fan of market solutions to long standing problems. Where I differ is when he thinks market solutions are the only solutions.

But on social issues Newt is a dinosaur.

As late as 2005, late into 2006, the Dems looked so irrelevant. So I am one of those to think the Republicans are going to have a comeback down the line. That is how democracy works. But such pendulum swings are not automatic. The Republicans are going to have to stop being the party of old white men if they are to have any shot at reoccupying the vital center of American politics.

In The News

The Typecast Party Newsweek The Republicans are a party in search of an identity, and the incendiary language surrounding the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has shown just how far off track they've gone. Sotomayor is better qualified in terms of her legal credentials than anybody currently on the court. .......... the over-the-top remarks from Newt Gingrich and Tom Tancredo created a backlash that Senate Republicans are still trying to dig their way out of with Hispanic voters and women without offending the party's Southern-white-male base. ......... A USA Today/Gallup poll this week found a third of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of their own party. ........ "She's boring," says a liberal activist. ......... She hasn't had to address guns, gay rights, abortion. ..... Sotomayor can't be stopped, and that could embolden Obama to be even more aggressive with his next appointment. ..... The expectation is that if Ginsburg steps down, her replacement would almost certainly be a woman ....... "Free this nation from this Obama oppression," Voight intoned at the GOP dinner. ...... If only Obama could hand down affordable access for all to health care on a stone tablet.
GOP risks loss of respect if it goes after Sotomayor, poll finds MiamiHerald.com

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Bush Sr: Stop the name-calling on Sotomayor Seattle Post Intelligencer
Bush defends Sotomayor nomination United Press International
George HW Bush condemns right-wing attacks on Sotomayor: Those ... Think Progress
Bush defends Sotomayor nomination Legal News Line
Candace Gingrich speaks out on brother Newt Sovo.com, GA
The Case for Getting off Base Wall Street Journal
Newt Takes Palin in Smackdown on Party Night: Margaret Carlson Bloomberg
Political Expert Newt Gingrich: Obama officially a Failure. Daily Kos
Am I a Moderate Republican, Rush? RushLimbaugh.com
Obama on healthcare bill: Flexibility on details, not results Boston Globe, United States
Of White Men And “Wise” Latinas 411mania.com, TX

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Newt Gingrich on Twitter: Sonia Sotomayor 'Racist', Should Withdraw ABC News
Newt Gingrich is Wrong--Sotomayor's No Racist, She's Sam Alito of ... U.S. News & World Report
Newt Gingrich: Sonia Sotomayor a 'racist' Politico
Sotomayor a racist? Newt Gingrich takes it back Los Angeles Times, CA
Gingrich Walks Back Calling Sotomayor A Racist -- Not TPMDC
Newt Gingrich Backs Away From Calling Sotomayor a Racist ChattahBox
Could Sotomayor Be Right About White Men? TPMCafé, NY"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn't lived that life." ....... everybody from Newt Gingrich to Joe Lieberman to Lindsey Graham seems to be hell bent on proving her right. These guys, believe it or not, are just like the folks who run BET - both groups seem to be committed to pimping a distorted view of dysfunctional male misogyny......... Has Gingrich just totally lost it? ....... That metaphorical "wise Latina" is looking smarter already.......... Lindsay Graham and Joe Lieberman are as angry as two spoiled little three year old toddlers who have been forced to share the toys their daycare provides with all the other kids. These two clowns have decided that they are just going to take their ball and go home...no, wait, they are going to SHUT DOWN THE SENATE. Brilliant. Just brilliant. ...... At the rate these guys are going, the "wise Latina" doesn't even have to be wise - just experienced. ..... What gets me hot under the collar about these buffoons is the same thing that gets my blood pressure up when I see some of the ridiculous images of black people BET keeps showing over and over - their total disregard for reality. ....... What I'm really trying to say here is that when you take the preening and the posturing and the politicking away, white men are just like any other men. Its the charlatans and fakers who insist on acting out, the way kids do when they aren't getting enough attention, who are currently giving the rest of America's white men a bad name.

US expresses concerns over Nepal's peace process Xinhua
Nitish opens 140 bridges in Bihar on a single day Times of India
Obama battles campaign against Canadian-style health care Canada.com
Nepal's first woman deputy PM Shailaja dies Hindu
Washington. Hillary Clinton to make official visit to Canada Canada.com
McAuliffe defeat is another blow to Clinton legacy The Associated Press
Obama on healthcare reform: Mr. Flexible Christian Science Monitor
Congress looks to step up revival plan in Bihar Times of India
BJP core group wants to cash in on Bihar 'model' Times of India
India to pull back Kashmir troops Financial Times
India issues guidelines for Indian students in Australia Economic Times
Schwarzenegger: A bad time to sell state assets San Jose Mercury News
Google Gets Going on Enterprise Apps Reuters
Globe, Smart in race for Wimax roll-out Manila Bulletin
Google reaches toward the enterprise FierceCIO
Google says it loves competition ZDNet
As US gov't circles the wagons, Google's brass stays cool Christian Science Monitor
Is it going to be an 'All Bachchan' show at IIFA! Times of India
Dell tweets $3m in revenues Register
Baxter: Swine flu vaccine due in July Chicago Tribune
Dell reported to be thinking acquisition Bizjournals.com
GOP should favor health overhaul Atlanta Journal Constitution
Why Dell Can't Buy Palm New York Times
Palin Continues Her Feud With Letterman FOXNews

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Assurance Vie

Il s'agit de trois entreprises françaises.

Pour cure thalasso bretagne. Thalasso thérapie repose sur les propriétés thérapeutiques éprouvées de l'eau de mer. L'eau de mer, du climat, de la marine, boues marines, les algues et le sable sont connus depuis longtemps pour leurs vertus curatives. Ils sont utilisés par cette installation pour la thérapie, ainsi que le bien-être.

P rix vin: Pour les prix des vins, visitez ce site. Il est bien prévu que le site répond à de nombreux vendeurs de vin. La liste de fournisseurs et de marques de vin est assez long et complet.

Assurance Vie est un fournisseur d'assurance-vie, l'un des plus haut sur le marché français. L'entreprise fournit l'assurance-vie pour les expatriés, il est ouvert à fournir l'assurance-vie sans examen médical. Il fournit l'assurance-vie pour le non français en ligne. Les bénéficiaires peuvent choisir entre une somme lum de paiement ou d'un paiement annuel.

Rape Evidence And The NYPD

Black Cop Shot Down In Harlem By White Cops: The Race Angle

The way to cure this malaise is to shoot for a NYPD that is about half female at all levels.

Op-Ed Columnist - Is Rape Serious? - NYTimes.com When a woman reports a rape, her body is a crime scene. She is typically asked to undress over a large sheet of white paper to collect hairs or fibers, and then her body is examined with an ultraviolet light, photographed and thoroughly swabbed for the rapist’s DNA. It’s a grueling and invasive process that can last four to six hours and produces a “rape kit” — which, it turns out, often sits around for months or years, unopened and untested. Stunningly often, the rape kit isn’t tested at all because it’s not deemed a priority. If it is tested, this happens at such a lackadaisical pace that it may be a year or more before there are results (if expedited, results are technically possible in a week). .... this isn’t justice; it’s indifference. ..... The report found that in Los Angeles County, there were at last count 12,669 rape kits sitting in police storage facilities. More than 450 of these kits had sat around for more than 10 years, and in many cases, the statute of limitations had expired. ..... There are no good national figures, and one measure of the indifference is that no one even bothers to count the number of rape kits sitting around untested. ..... a broad distaste for rape cases as murky, ambiguous and difficult to prosecute, particularly when they involve (as they often do) alcohol or acquaintance rape. ....... “They talk about the victims’ credibility in a way that they don’t talk about the credibility of victims of other crimes” ...... one shining exception: New York City has made a concerted effort over the last decade to test every kit that comes in. The result has been at least 2,000 cold hits in rape cases, and the arrest rate for reported cases of rape in New York City rose from 40 percent to 70 percent ........ Some Americans used to argue that it was impossible to rape an unwilling woman. Few people say that today, or say publicly that a woman “asked for it” if she wore a short skirt. But the refusal to test rape kits seems a throwback to the same antediluvian skepticism about rape as a traumatic crime.
Op-Ed Columnist - After Wars, Mass Rapes Persist - NYTimes.com a new foreign policy agenda is emerging around issues like poverty, genocide, climate change and a topic that until recently was hushed up — sexual violence. .......... mass rape as an element of warfare in Congo, Darfur, Bosnia, Rwanda, Liberia — but the lesson here in Liberia in West Africa is that even when the fighting ends, the rape continues ......... the 14-year civil war in Liberia, from 1989 to 2003, when as many as three-fourths of women were raped .......... so many of the girls are pre-teens. ...... the best way to deal with rape — whether in Darfur or Liberia, or even in the United States — is to demystify it, dismantle the taboos, and address it directly ........ Congo and Sudan, where the brutality is particularly appalling ...... even when wars end, mass rape continues by inertia. ...... Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected a president in Africa, has sent strong signals that rape is intolerable.
Well: My Brief Life as a Woman The side effect that surprised me most were the hot flashes — not that I got them, I was expecting that, but by how intense they were. They often woke me in the middle of the night and made me sweat so much that I drenched the sheets. In midwinter I’d walk our miniature poodle, Bijou, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I sometimes felt as if Deb could fry eggs on my chest. (It’s also a bit disconcerting when your hot flashes are fiercer than your wife’s.) ...... certainly under-represented in the arts. Where are the great hot flash novels or movies? How come there’s not a Web site or magazine called “Hot Flash Monthly”? ....... Not only was I temporarily menopausal, but it appeared that I was also turning into a teenage girl from the early 1970s. ........ my six months of hormone therapy ...... my lifelong sense that the world of women is hormonal and mysterious, and that we men don’t have the semblance of a clue. ........ when your significant female other bursts into tears at the drop of a dinner plate or turns on you like a rabid pit bull — whether she’s pregnant, having her period or in the throes of menopause — believe her when she blames it on the hormones.

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Friday, June 12, 2009

Thursday, June 04, 2009