More chaos, or conciliation in Iran?

Two events today may determine whether a week of post-election turmoil in Iran ends in confrontation or conciliation. If it had any virtue at all, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran at least clarified the choices. Deliberately or not, his words made plain this is a fateful moment for the Islamic republic.
The first event is a planned demonstration in Tehran by supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Their numbers have been swollen by ordinary Iranians fed up with incompetent and corrupt governance. Up to 1 million people have taken part in previous protests and may do so again tomorrow. Khamenei was quite explicit in his address about demonstrations in Tehran and other cities. They must cease immediately, he said. His remarks were interpreted as a threat of greater violence by the state. Until now, the uniformed security forces, as distinct from the Basij militia, have not tried to halt the protests, only to control them. The demonstrators have now been put on notice that this forbearance is ending. The chances of bloodshed on a scale not yet seen have increased dramatically as a result of the supreme leader's unbending stance.
Khamenei has backed himself into a corner. The credibility of the regime now demands that his order to the protesters to desist be obeyed. If the state cannot halt the unrest, the debilitating crisis of legitimacy which has engulfed it since the election may become terminal.
For his part, Mousavi is under intense pressure to appeal to his supporters to stay away, as he has done before. He surely has no wish to be blamed for the spilling of more innocent blood. Nor does he wish to join other opposition leaders under arrest, which the supreme leader implied might happen if another "illegal gathering" went ahead.
Tomorrow's second key event offers a possible way out for both sides. Mousavi and the two other aggrieved presidential candidates, Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezaie, are to meet the guardian council, which reports directly to Khamenei. Their complaints about fraud, and the partial recount of ballots ordered last week, are on the agenda. But the true focus of the discussion may be broader: namely, what Mousavi and leading opposition figures might be prepared to accept in return for ending their campaign of dissent.
If they continue to insist on an election rerun, the talks could quickly hit a brick wall. But if the price of conciliation is a regime commitment to advance some of the reformists' priorities, including a review of economic policy, accelerated privatisation, a corruption crackdown, and greater personal and media freedoms, there may be room for negotiation. Understandings about Ahmadinejad's future may also feature.
Powerful establishment figures such as the expediency council chief, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Speaker Ali Larijani, and the former reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, are fiercely critical of Ahmadinejad and, to a lesser degree, Khamenei. But, like Mousavi himself, they have no interest in bringing down a system they helped build and which has served them well.
When Khamenei argued that the problem was not an existential one for the Islamic system, he may have been tacitly hinting at this sort of patched-up deal. "Differences of opinion do exist between officials, which is natural. But it does not mean there is a rift in the ­system," he said.
The impulse to resolve the dispute will be strengthened, meanwhile, by fear of the alternative – damaging and possibly uncontainable confrontation.
It looks like it could be a big day.

Source: Simon Tisdall

Guardian.co.uk

Hatred, chaos and savage beatings in Tehran

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- He was surrounded and pleading for them to stop but six men with clubs, batons and metal rods kept battering a young Iranian man with ruthless force. The swing that keeps replaying in my head was the black baton that smashed the man in the skull behind his left ear.
Seconds earlier the man had dared to stand up to the baton wielding men because they had shoved a 14-year-old girl. For his chivalry he got one of the most savage beatings I have ever seen at the hands of four Iranian riot policemen and members of the Baseej, Iran's plain clothed volunteer militia.
"To hell with Iran," he said as he sat beaten and battered along the sidewalk. "This is not my government. This is not my country."
A grown man who watched the beating burst into tears.
This was a glimpse of the ugly aftermath of Iran's presidential elections, which sparked outrage among supporters of candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi.
Moussavi's backers are calling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide victory a sham. They're demanding the vote be annulled. The government's response has been a ruthless and violent crackdown.
For eight chaotic hours I saw the two sides clash throughout the streets of Tehran. These were Iranians versus Iranians, but the two sides were worlds apart in appearance, ideology and brute force.

Moussavi's supporters were mostly young 20-something men and women. They were college students, young professionals with degrees demanding social freedom, a better way of life, and better relations with the West.
Two teenage girls carrying bricks had French manicured fingernails and designer sunglasses. The protesters threw objects, burned trash bins, honked their horns and chanted "death to the dictator!"
They were loud, until they heard the roar of the motorcycles.
The motorcycles belonged to two groups of Ahmadinejad supporters: Iran's riot police and the Baseej.
The riot police looked like modern gladiators, muscular and menacing with camouflaged uniforms, black boots, black bulletproof vests and black shielded helmets. They rode in pairs. One drove while the other wielded a club or a baton. They swarmed crowds of rowdy protesters in packs of about 20, beating anyone who got in their way.
On several occasions I saw female Moussavi supporters plead with their male counterparts not to run away. But they almost always did. They were clearly intimidated by the brutal show of force.
The Baseejis were just as ruthless. Those who didn't ride on motorcycles walked the streets in large packs carrying clubs. They didn't wear uniforms, so they could easily ambush protesters. They beat one protester so badly that he collapsed in the middle of an intersection and trembled uncontrollably. I saw one battered young man crawl into the lobby of an apartment building, curl up under the stairwell and sob. He had welts on his forehead and bruises up and down his arms.
"They hit me with everything," he said as he gasped for air. "They hit with clubs. They hit me with chains."
When the two sides weren't throwing objects at one another, they were hurling insults. I heard and felt the hatred on both sides.
During a Saturday afternoon news conference Ahmadinejad compared the violent crackdown against the protesters to a citation after a traffic ticket.
A few hours later thousands gathered in midtown Tehran to hear Ahmadinejad deliver a victory speech. The re-elected president said the elections belonged to Iran's people.

Never since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 have Iran's people appeared this divided.

Source: CNN

Pirates of Somalia

Somali Pirates are causing increasing chaos off the shores of Africa. They are hijacking ships from numerous countries, holding their crews hostage, and demanding millions of dollars in ransom money.

After hijacking an American cargo ship last week, and holding Capt.Richard Phillips hostage they got the attention of the World's most powerful Military. The situation began to grow tense from days of negotiation that was going nowhere. The order was then given for the Navy Seals to open fire, which they promptly did killing three of the Pirates.

The Somali Pirates then pledged retaliation hijacking two more ships, and shooting at a third just 2 days after the incident. The Pirates then proceeded to say that they would continue hijacking ships, and if their ransom demands are not met they will kill the hostages.

These modern-day Pirates in many ways operate like organized gangs. Instead of dealing drugs or running illegal guns, they hijack ships, take hostages and demand millions in ransom. In the past year alone they collected over 30 million dollars in ransom money. It is extremely profitable to them, and chances are they won't stop anytime soon.

Somali Pirates live large

Like multi-million dollar Drug Cartels these modern-day Pirates live extravagant lifestyles. With money comes power, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Piracy seems to be socially acceptable in their country. In many ways they are looked up to by the rest of society. Pirate gangs are living like Kings. They Marry the most beautiful women, live in huge mansions, drive the finest cars, and have the newest weapons. Meanwhile half of the countries population have needed food aid after almost 20 years of non stop conflict.

Somali Pirate shot callers

These gangs primarily consist of three different categories:

1. Ex-Fisherman, With their extensive knowledge of the sea they are considered to be the "Brains" of the operation.

2. Ex-Militiamen, Having fought for Somali clan Warlords, they are obviously the muscle.

3. The Techs, These are the computer geeks who operate the Military hardware, satellite phones, and GPS.

These three groups share the spoils of their multi-million dollar cash ransoms paid by the shipping companies.

Piracy has been a problem for over 10 years in this region. It all started when Somali fisherman began losing their livelihoods to the illegal trawlers that were raiding their fishing waters. These gangs don't refer to themselves as Pirates, they call themselves "Coastguards".

UFC 97 Redemption

Tonight's UFC 97 has a pretty stacked card which includes two main events

The first main event is the always dangerous Anderson "The Spider" Silva VS Thales Leites. Silva who is the best pound for pound fighter @ 185 will put his belt on the line for this title fight.

Both Silva and Leites hail from Brazil, and both hold Black Belts in Brazilian Ju-Jistu. If Silva defeats Thales Leites tonight he will set a record for most consecutive wins in the Octagon, as well as tie Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz for most consecutive successful title defenses. As if that isn't enough. If he knocks out Leites he will tie Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Matt Hughes for most KO's in championship fights!

I don't know what Thales Leites has as far as a game plan goes, but for his sake it better be a good one. Anderson Silva is an extremely well rounded MMA fighter. He will stand up and strike with anyone, take the fight to the ground and go for a submission, it doesn't matter. Silva does have a lot in his arsenal, but if he gets that Muay Thai Plum on Leites, lookout because he's got some vicious knees! Just ask Rich Franklin.

Next co main event on the fight card has been years in the making. UFC fan favorite Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell VS. former Pride champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Both fighters are excellent strikers, and this looks like it could be an all out slug fest. Liddel who is 1-3 in his last four fights, vows to silence his critics with this fight. Liddell was beaten by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Keith Jardine,and Rashad Evans in those three losses, and two happened to come by knockout. Being that Chuck has dominated the light heavyweight division for years, of course the critics are gonna crawl out of the woodwork. Some people just don't understand that your not gonna win every fight, there comes a time when you get caught. All it takes is one good shot right on the button, and it's lights out! Just like "any given Sunday" in Football. The same goes for a fight, anything can happen.

Liddell predicts that he'll knockout Shogun. I guess we'll find out.

Anna Nicole's boyfriend gets busted

Long time boyfriend of late Anna Nicole Smith arrested for prescription fraud. Howard K. Stern is being charged with allegedly supplying Anna Nicole with presciption narcotics. Stern along with two Doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich are being charged with eight felonies.

The three allegedly supplied the former Playboy playmate with thousands of pills from 2004 to her untimely death in 2007. Stern who is an attorney himself, might have a hard time getting out of this mess. If he did get her all these drugs he should have put a little more thought into not leaving a paper trail.

Having battled my own demons with Oxycontin and Xanex addiction, I can honestly say that mixing Opiates with Benzodiazepines is simply a cocktail for disaster. With help from family and friends, I was one of the lucky few who was able to kick the habit before hitting rock bottom, most are not so lucky.

I have known people who have overdosed several times and have hit rock bottom, and still continued to use and abuse drugs. Oxycontin and Xanex are two of the most addictive prescription drugs known to man. Most people don’t do drugs with the notion that they are going to be an addict. It’s actually quite the opposite, they think it would never happen to them. Trust me, I know because I was one of them.

Once you experience that euphoric high a couple of times, chances are you are hooked. It starts out with a little bit, but that little bit always turns out to be a lot more in no time. From that point on you find your days and nights are consumed with chasing the dragon. I compare it to the Mafia, once you’re in deep, it’s virtually impossible to get out. My friend and I went to his dealer’s house together, to cop Oxy one day, and I’ll never forget what he said to me. He looked me straight in the eye and said “I’ve seen this [Oxy] destroy bigger and badder guys than you”. I guess you know you have a drug problem if your dealer tells you that!

A few months after that, I had had enough and quit cold turkey. I realized that drug addiction is a one way street that leads you to one of three places: The hospital, Prison, or the Morgue. I personally experienced two of the three and that was enough for me.

Unfortunately for Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, and most recently former WWE Wrestler Andrew “Test” Martin, experienced the most fatal of the three. So remember kids, “Say No To Drugs”.

Attention Walmart Shoppers

This is an open letter to ignorant people that shop at Walmart.

I went to Walmart the other day with a list of items that I needed. I am personally not a big fan of shopping at Walmart, or any other grocery store for that matter. That is why when I go I have a list in hand of the things I need. My mission is simple I get in, get out, and get on with my life. There are some people who have a different spin on it, and like to make the Walmart experience a day long event. That's all well and good I guess everybody needs a hobby, and that happens to be theirs

I'm minding my own business walking through the store, making a pretty good dent in my list. Next aisle I get to was a little crowded. I weave my way through the traffic, only to hit a roadblock halfway down. On one side was a 400lb woman yapping on her cell phone, On the other side was her overflowing shopping cart. Although I felt bad about interrupting her in depth phone conversation about how many calories were in the box of cookies she was eyeballing, I politely said excuse me. I assumed she would be as polite to move so I could squeeze by, silly me. Ignoring me briefly, she paused her extremely important phone conversation looked at me and said sarcastically: can I help you? Are you freaking kidding me? Yeah you can help me, you can move out of the way so I can get by thanks for asking! She complied to my request, but not without bitching to her friend on the phone about how rude I was. If it wasn't for ignorant people like you, who are oblivious to what's going on around them, I wouldn't have to be so rude. If she is that concerned about counting calories (which I doubt) and dealing with "rude" people, then she should call Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. They can count the calories for her, and deliver the food right to her door!

Now being even more frustrated with the shopping experience, I proceeded to knock out the remaining items on my list. I finally finished, and hastily made my way to the register. Craving an adult beverage at this point, I quickly got in line. As luck would have it the line wasn't moving. Overhearing the people in front of me complaining about how slow this lady was going. I assumed they were talking about the Walmart employee behind the register. I looked to see what the hold up was, and much to my surprise it turned out to be my ignorant new friend! She still had her cell phone in one hand, and slowly putting her groceries on the counter with her other hand. I thought what the Hell did I do to deserve this! I then said out loud so she could hear me, if there's no one in front of you, and a line of pissed off people behind you, that would be YOU holding up the line! The look on her face was priceless! I then jumped over to a line that was actually moving, got out, and got on with my life!

Monkey Goes Bananas

Now here's something you don't see everyday. A 70 year old lady with a 200 lb chimp for a pet. On Monday Sandra Herold of Stamford Connecticut asked her friend Charla Nash to help get her pet chimp Travis back into his cage. Evidently the chimp used a key to unlock his cage and escape.

My first question would have to be, what the Hell is a 70 year old lady doing having a 200 lb. primate for a pet? Secondly, how did he get a hold of the key to his cage?

Now the situation takes a gruesome turn for the worse. The chimp, medicated with Xanex (obviously not enough) proceeds to go "Ape Shit" on the neighbor literally mauling her face off! Travis' owner scared to death that her friend was going to die, tries stabbing the crazed chimp with a knife, and hitting it with a shovel. When that didn't phase Travis she called 911. Having a tough time trying to explain the situation to the 911 operator, the Police were eventually dispatched to the scene. The officers did neutralize the horrific event, momentarily.

After getting the irate monkey into the Police car, it proceeded to attack one of the officers. The Cop shot the chimp several times, finally killing him.

The old saying, "It's only funny until someone gets hurt...........then it's hilarious! Doesn't really apply to this bizarre story.

This vicious and unprovoked attack could have been easily avoided. Bottom line, people should leave the boarding of exotic animals to the professionals.