UCI bans Muslim Student Union

Posted on June 14, 2010 by iPouya

UCI’s MSU should just establish a new club with a similar name, i.e. the Muslim Student Association, and continue to raise awareness of Israel’s murderous policies. OC Register – Excerpts:  Ayloush called the university’s actions “unprecedented, heavy-handed and draconian.” “It appears to be politically motivated to silence any future peaceful and legitimate criticism of Israel’s brutal practices,” he said. “This was nothing but a peaceful and symbolic protest of the Israeli Ambassador at UCI. It was a reflection of a growing worldwide campaign by human rights activists to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and their racism toward the Palestinian people.”

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Red Cross: Gaza blockade illegal

Posted on June 14, 2010 by iPouya

Excerpt: But the ICRC – a neutral organisation – said the meagre list of goods allowed into Gaza doesn’t meet the needs of the territory’s 1.5 million inhabitants.

The shortages are particularly dire in Gaza’s health care system, where the ICRC said more than 100 essential medicines – including chemotherapy and hemophilia drugs – are unavailable. Many basic medical supplies, like colonoscopy bags, are also barred from Gaza and routine blackouts cause damage to medical equipment.

“The state of the health-care system in Gaza has never been worse,” Eileen Daly, the ICRC’s health co-ordinator in Gaza, said. “Thousands of patients could go without treatment, and the long-term outlook will be increasingly worrisome.” B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, released its own report on Monday documenting dire conditions in the Palestinian territories. The group noted that 95 per cent of Gaza’s factories have closed, that 98 per cent of residents suffer from blackouts, and that 93 per cent of Gaza’s water is polluted.

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Apple: The New iPhone 4

Posted on June 13, 2010 by iPouya

For those of you who live in a cave and are just venturing out for the first time, Apple recently announced the release of its newest iPhone. See a video of its design here welcome you to the future. You can pre-order on June 15 and it comes out June 24.

Posted in Technology | 4 Comments

Green Movement: One Year On

Posted on June 12, 2010 by iPouya

My friends in Iran say that Iran was dead today and that nothing happened on the streets. Of course, they couldn’t be everywhere at all times. Here’s footage of a protest at Sharif University.  Here’s footage of a protest at Tehran University. And here’s footage of rooftop chants the night before. Still, they’re all a far cry from what happened this time a year ago, but things are not altogether quiet either.

Reza Sayah at CNN had this to say: “While the opposition movement initially had strong showings with seas of green banners, arm bands and signs coursing through Tehran and other cities, the protests have largely fizzled out in recent months. Perhaps the most evident sign of this was on February 11, when Iran’s security forces clashed with demonstrators — coming through on a promise to crack down on protesters on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and the fall of the Shah.”

Yet, Hamid Dabashi had this to say on CNN as well: “One year later, the Green Movement is unfolding in multiple and varied ways, and nothing will stop it. It may thunder as a cascade or flow quietly on a plateau — but like any other bountiful river it will not stop until it reaches its destined ocean.”

Posted in 22 Khordad, Iran | Tagged , | 4 Comments

iPouya.com: Major Renovations Complete

Posted on June 10, 2010 by iPouya

I couldn’t be more excited about the recent changes implemented onto my blog. First, with the help of friends, I updated the entire program running the site, making it much more secure and user friendly.  Then I cleaned up much of the blog’s links, spammed comments, and categories. Lastly, I searched long and hard to find a cleaner more sophisticated template, which is the most exciting part about the new changes.

The new template allows for tabs at the top, which now includes my youtube channel, a tag cloud on the top right of the sidebar (a tag cloud is another way to search through the blog), a drop menu for post categories, which is good because it organizes the sidebar more effectively, and provides links to my facebook and twitter accounts at the top of the sidebar (so “follow me” on twitter!). I even changed the counter at the bottom of the sidebar opting for a more enjoyable design!

Most importantly, blogging is fun again. I will be blogging much more frequently now. And should the blog run into problems again, be informed that I will jump on it immediately.

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Iran: The Twitter Devolution

Posted on June 10, 2010 by iPouya

Foreign Policy – Excerpt: But it is time to get Twitter’s role in the events in Iran right. Simply put: There was no Twitter Revolution inside Iran. As Mehdi Yahyanejad, the manager of “Balatarin,” one of the Internet’s most popular Farsi-language websites, told the Washington Post last June, Twitter’s impact inside Iran is nil. “Here [in the United States], there is lots of buzz,” he said. “But once you look, you see most of it are Americans tweeting among themselves.”

A number of opposition activists have told me they used text messages, email, and blog posts to publicize protest actions. However, good old-fashioned word of mouth was by far the most influential medium used to shape the postelection opposition activity. There is still a lively discussion happening on Facebook about how the activists spread information, but Twitter was definitely not a major communications tool for activists on the ground in Iran.

Posted in 22 Khordad, Iran, Social Networking | Tagged | 3 Comments

World Cup 2010

Posted on June 9, 2010 by iPouya

Football fans of the world unite! World Cup 2010 is here at last. For us Iran football fans, disappointment occurs often, yet we will never forget 1998, the underdog story behind Iran’s bid to qualify for the tournament and it’s epic win over Team USA. Watch this ode to 1998.

I wonder what’s going to happen this year… any Zidane-esq headbutts? 🙂 For what teams are you guys cheering?

My two uncles are flying in tomorrow night for several days of football obsession… should be a great time. Have fun everyone.

Posted in Iran, Sports | Tagged | 4 Comments

Jewish flotilla to break Gaza siege

Posted on June 8, 2010 by iPouya

YNet News: The German-Jewish organization Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East is preparing a Jewish flotilla to the Gaza Strip. “We intend to leave around July,” a member of the organization, Kate Leitrer, said to Ynet. “We have one small craft so far, in which there will be between 12 and 16 people, mostly Jews.”

Leitrer, herself Jewish, said there was great interest in joining. “Getting another boat means more expenses, and we’re discussing this possibility,” she said. “Because of limited space, there will be school equipment, candy, and mainly musical equipment, and there’ll be musicians aboard who’ll teach the children of Gaza. They need to see that Jews are not what how they are drawn in their eyes.” Leitrer also claimed that Israel acted criminally in its lethal raid on the Gaza flotilla last Monday.

“The head of UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) appealed to the world to send ships due to the shortage of important supplies in Gaza,” she said. “By stopping the flotilla, Israel acted criminally. Israel must not act like pirates.”

The activists are frightened, she said, but not by Hamas.

“Jews have been to Gaza in the past, and they were treated in a friendly manner,” Leitrer continued. “We have also talked with them recently, and they are very keen for us to come. We are frightened by what happened on the Marmara, but if you are committed to do good things, you have to act. People were also killed in the fight against fascism.”

Posted in Gaza, Palestine | Tagged | 2 Comments

Flotilla activists “shot 30 times”

Posted on June 8, 2010 by iPouya

So much for Netanyahu’s claim that the assaulting Israeli soldiers used minimal force: al Jazeera - Two men were shot four times, and five of the victims were shot either in the back of the head or in the back, Buyuk told the newspaper, based on preliminary autopsy reports.

Ibrahim Bilgen, a 60-year-old activist, was shot four times in the temple, chest, hip and back, the autopsy revealed.

Nineteen-year-old Furkan Dogan, a US citizen of Turkish descent, was shot five times from less that 45cm in the face, the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back.

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Anger continues in Turkish street

Posted on June 8, 2010 by iPouya

See the al Jazeera video here.

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There’s at least one journalist left in DC willing to do her job…

Posted on June 4, 2010 by iPouya

and that’s Helen Thomas. See her grill the White House spokesperson here.

Posted in Flotilla Massacre, Gaza | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Gaza Petition

Posted on June 4, 2010 by iPouya

Avaaz.org – Nearly 400,000 have signed in less than a week: “We call for an immediate, independent investigation into the flotilla assault, full accountability for those responsible, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade.”

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Lowkey on the flotilla massacre…

Posted on June 4, 2010 by iPouya

Again, Lowkey, puts it down passionately and effectively. See the video here.

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Keith Olbermann and Ed Peck on the flotilla massacre

Posted on June 4, 2010 by iPouya

and they, especially Peck, speak with razor sharp rationale. See the video here.

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Ecuador & South Africa also recall their ambassadors to Israel over massacre

Posted on June 3, 2010 by iPouya

Palestine Telegraph: The President Correa said: “The ambassador should leave Tel Aviv immediately, in protest against the attack on the fleet of freedom, which led to the killing and wounding of civilians. Nicaragua decided on Wednesday to freeze the diplomatic relations with” Israel.

YNET News: “In view of the recent attack on the flotilla ship carrying relief aid to Gaza, South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in consultation with the presidency has decided to recall its ambassador to Israel, Mr. Ismael Coovadia,” said ministry official Malusi Mogale. “We condemn this attack in the strongest terms. In our view, this derails the peace process in the region and by withdrawing our ambassador we would like to send a strong message of condemnation to the government of Israel,” said Mogale.

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