( Referenced article: Mousavi seeks to overturn Iran election result | Reuters )
Article quotes:
"Police have detained over 100 reformers, including a brother of former President Mohammad Khatami, a leading reformer said. A police official denied Khatami's brother had been arrested."
"Speaking at a news conference Ahmadinejad described the election as "clean and healthy" and dismissed complaints by defeated candidates as sour grapes."
""Some people want democracy only for their own sake. Some want elections, freedom, a sound election. They recognize it only as long as the result favors them," Ahmadinejad declared."
"A spokesman for Mousavi said his newspaper, Kalameh-ye Sabz, and its website had been shut down. Mobile telephone text services have also been interrupted in Tehran for several days, and the British Broadcasting Corporation said Iran was using "heavy electronic jamming" to interrupt its widely watched BBC Persian television service."
"U.S. Vice President Joe Biden cast doubt on the election result but said Washington was reserving its position for now. "It sure looks like the way they're suppressing speech, the way they're suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there's some real doubt," he told NBC's "Meet the Press" when asked if Ahmadinejad had won the vote.""
13 June, 2009
Iran election results predictable: contested and violent [w/vid]
I hate to say this, but I told you so.
Every step of the Iranian election process was predictable -- the high turnout, the Iranian-government blocked participation, the suspicious election results, and the violent response.
Friday's election in Iran is indeed a large step forward in the political participation of Iranians both abroad and within their country, as indicated by estimates placing overall participation at upwards of 80% of the electorate, with international participation by Iranians abroad increasing 300%.
The run-up to the election was extremely exciting, especially to the rest of the world that witnessed the social fervor that swept across Iran as the younger and well-educated populace became involved. Also, challengers to Ahmadinejad dared to use English U.S. slogans, such as "Change" (used incessantly in the recent U.S. elections) in a country whose government has long promoted an anti-American position.
There were other remarkable "westernized" election procedures, such as a televised debate between Ahmadinejad and his leading challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh.
However -- little that has happened amidst the turmoil in the past three days has surprised me, and I hope that few others were either. Mousavi's campaign really took off in the last few days before elections, and his high-tech campaign (using Internet sites like Facebook and 21st century communication tools like mass-text messaging) was well utilized by the increasingly educated and more pro-western college-age youth and other supporters of Ahmadinejad's opponents.
But as predicted, the Iranian government limited Internet access to social networking sites in the few days before the election. And they shut down all text-messaging within the country. And there were reports of polling stations turning away would-be voters. And no independent monitors were allowed inside the polling stations.
What did the world expect from a country controlled by the elderly and extremely conservative Islamic religious leaders?! (View a BBC exploration into Iran's system of government)
Listen to this day-old CNN report in which Ahmadinejad is questioned by CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour. One must bear in mind that his quotes are indeed translated, but given the dire situation in his country, President-elect Ahmadinejad seems ridiculously flippant, overly praiseful, and sounds like an idiot puppet. He purposely refrains from ensuring the safety of opponent, and his reference to the odd traffic accident to me sounded a bit ominous.
Even if the elections weren't rigged and Ahmadinejad wasn't the puppet of the ruling religious elite, one would think that he would at least acknowledge that Iran IS NOT the most secure and stable country in the world.
The fact that there are four distinct parties involved in the riots -- Ahmadinejad's civilian supporters, Ahmadinejad's civilians opponents, Iran's religiously-controlled government, and the armed police and military encharged with keeping order -- provide a curious and dangerous imbalance.
I would hazard a guess that the majority of Ahmadinejad's opponents are younger and more liberal, more of the recent college graduates -- they will have learned of the effects of a 30% unemployment rate coupled with high inflation rates. They will be more familiar with the West and the economic and political difficulties that Iran faces in the world should they continue on their isolationist path. They will possibly even include less-religious individuals and those who believe in a more honest and transparent religious rule -- not that which is currently in place and holds its power through cover-ups, deceit, and unspoken fear.
I would also postulate that Admadinejad's supporters are the more conservative, more old-school Islam, more fearful of opposing their "beloved government" lest they or their loved ones be harmed, and fearful of any change -- they probably remember the 1979 revolution.
We shall see how far this fiasco continues. Let us hope that the Iranian people's fervor and energy so witnessed by the world in these past few days stirs itself into a more stable and respectable government, and not a bloody repeat of the 1979 revolution.
Here are a few concerning videos uploaded onto YouTube that I consider a few of the most informative:
A BBC and Associated Press Report
Huge crowds protest the election results. The crowd is orderly, but things could easily turn very nasty.
A compilation of still images -- Please note that the pictures are more graphic.
Every step of the Iranian election process was predictable -- the high turnout, the Iranian-government blocked participation, the suspicious election results, and the violent response.
Friday's election in Iran is indeed a large step forward in the political participation of Iranians both abroad and within their country, as indicated by estimates placing overall participation at upwards of 80% of the electorate, with international participation by Iranians abroad increasing 300%.
The run-up to the election was extremely exciting, especially to the rest of the world that witnessed the social fervor that swept across Iran as the younger and well-educated populace became involved. Also, challengers to Ahmadinejad dared to use English U.S. slogans, such as "Change" (used incessantly in the recent U.S. elections) in a country whose government has long promoted an anti-American position.
There were other remarkable "westernized" election procedures, such as a televised debate between Ahmadinejad and his leading challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh.
However -- little that has happened amidst the turmoil in the past three days has surprised me, and I hope that few others were either. Mousavi's campaign really took off in the last few days before elections, and his high-tech campaign (using Internet sites like Facebook and 21st century communication tools like mass-text messaging) was well utilized by the increasingly educated and more pro-western college-age youth and other supporters of Ahmadinejad's opponents.
But as predicted, the Iranian government limited Internet access to social networking sites in the few days before the election. And they shut down all text-messaging within the country. And there were reports of polling stations turning away would-be voters. And no independent monitors were allowed inside the polling stations.
What did the world expect from a country controlled by the elderly and extremely conservative Islamic religious leaders?! (View a BBC exploration into Iran's system of government)
Listen to this day-old CNN report in which Ahmadinejad is questioned by CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour. One must bear in mind that his quotes are indeed translated, but given the dire situation in his country, President-elect Ahmadinejad seems ridiculously flippant, overly praiseful, and sounds like an idiot puppet. He purposely refrains from ensuring the safety of opponent, and his reference to the odd traffic accident to me sounded a bit ominous.
Even if the elections weren't rigged and Ahmadinejad wasn't the puppet of the ruling religious elite, one would think that he would at least acknowledge that Iran IS NOT the most secure and stable country in the world.
The fact that there are four distinct parties involved in the riots -- Ahmadinejad's civilian supporters, Ahmadinejad's civilians opponents, Iran's religiously-controlled government, and the armed police and military encharged with keeping order -- provide a curious and dangerous imbalance.
I would hazard a guess that the majority of Ahmadinejad's opponents are younger and more liberal, more of the recent college graduates -- they will have learned of the effects of a 30% unemployment rate coupled with high inflation rates. They will be more familiar with the West and the economic and political difficulties that Iran faces in the world should they continue on their isolationist path. They will possibly even include less-religious individuals and those who believe in a more honest and transparent religious rule -- not that which is currently in place and holds its power through cover-ups, deceit, and unspoken fear.
I would also postulate that Admadinejad's supporters are the more conservative, more old-school Islam, more fearful of opposing their "beloved government" lest they or their loved ones be harmed, and fearful of any change -- they probably remember the 1979 revolution.
We shall see how far this fiasco continues. Let us hope that the Iranian people's fervor and energy so witnessed by the world in these past few days stirs itself into a more stable and respectable government, and not a bloody repeat of the 1979 revolution.
Here are a few concerning videos uploaded onto YouTube that I consider a few of the most informative:
A BBC and Associated Press Report
Huge crowds protest the election results. The crowd is orderly, but things could easily turn very nasty.
A compilation of still images -- Please note that the pictures are more graphic.
11 June, 2009
Indian sex workers learn karate
( Original article appears here: BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indian sex workers learn karate )
I'm a bit impressed with this movement -- the Indian Community Welfare Organization is apparently training the female sex workers for free. According to the BBC article mentioned above, there are about 90,000 sex workers in Tamil Nadu state alone, so the group certainly has their work cut out from them!
Although I don't support any kind of sex industry on the grounds of basic morality and its ability to corrode the familial and societal structure of a civilization (this would require another posting in and of itself), the free karate lessons are a great way to aid the women in their on-the-job safety (on woman described being stripped naked left that way), and are a good way to increase their self-esteem -- leading to the possibility of them one day leaving the trade itself.
(But based on the video on the BBC article, the women have some work to do themselves in actually learning the moves....)
I'm a bit impressed with this movement -- the Indian Community Welfare Organization is apparently training the female sex workers for free. According to the BBC article mentioned above, there are about 90,000 sex workers in Tamil Nadu state alone, so the group certainly has their work cut out from them!
Although I don't support any kind of sex industry on the grounds of basic morality and its ability to corrode the familial and societal structure of a civilization (this would require another posting in and of itself), the free karate lessons are a great way to aid the women in their on-the-job safety (on woman described being stripped naked left that way), and are a good way to increase their self-esteem -- leading to the possibility of them one day leaving the trade itself.
(But based on the video on the BBC article, the women have some work to do themselves in actually learning the moves....)
05 June, 2009
New to this blog? Find out why you should read it, what it's about, and who's behind it !
Why are you doing this?
I love discussing things with people. I love sharing my ideas and hearing feedback, and I love giving feedback to others.
Our relationships and in fact our entire society is based on a process of give-and-take, and thus, so is what we know and believe.
I've come to realize that there are very few things that we come to know for ourselves -- we know what we're told growing up. Our basic understandings are based on those that our parents or teachers believed, our political beliefs are strongly influenced by the news we hear on TV and other media, and our friends greatly influence our behavior. Our religion is usually that of our family.
How much do we really know for ourselves? How much do we know that we've learned independently? What do we know that we have decided for ourselves? Should we trust what we think we know?
Hopefully some of the things I write about and some of the discussions that begin and continue on The Threshold can help us -- you and me both -- to move towards a personal understanding of things build on a solid foundation. And the better we understand our world, our beliefs, and our traditions, the more important they become to us the better decisions we can make.
We might even be able to make this world a better place...
So, what is The Threshold?
According to Webster's Dictionary, a "threshold" is defined thus:
thresh·old
noun
1. doorway: a doorway or entrance
2. starting point: the point where a new era or experience begins
3. level at which an effect starts: the level at which a psychological or physiological effect or state starts
This blog is meant to serve as a window to important news events, interesting topics, and fresh intellectual insights. In essence, after experiencing it, everyone should leave more informed and more intellectually satisfied; The Threshold can become a new "starting point" to a more informed life journey.
There are so many instances that I come across news articles, other blogs, etc. all over the Internet that make me want to scream in rage, jump for joy, rant until I'm blue in face, or simply share and discuss what I've come across. This blog is somewhere for me to act on that desire, and a place for the world to communicate directly in reponse.
Please -- the point is not only for me to express my vision and my views, but for everyone reading what I'm writing to do the same! Debates and responses are encouraged -- in fact, they are the goal. I firmly believe that the best way to a better and stronger understanding of what we know is to discuss things with each other -- to bounce ideas off of one another.
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America and the world needs a better understanding of what we're doing and where we're going. Honestly, it's hard to not be scared to death at our future as humankind if you pay attention to the news.
Who are you and where do you come from?
I grew up outside of Detroit, and am now a college student living in Michigan, USA, studying Political Science, French, and Environmental Studies.
I am a retired performing pianist, and am now a photographer, an editor for my college newspaper, and the founder and past-president of my college's independent political group (HCI Blog) -- among other things. You can view my profile to the right.
Oh yeah -- I'm just turning 21, so I'll be around for a while! Everything I learn and know today further enriches my life and hopefully that of those around me.
Why should anyone care what you have to say?
Here's where I could list my academic standings, awards, honor societies, etc. and try and convince everyone that I'm super-special, super-smart, and the biggest inflated ego East of the Mississippi. But I won't -- that's niether true nor is it the point. :-)
Sure, I'm opinionated -- isn't everyone who has a blog?
The amazing things about blogs is that everyone with an ability to access the Internet can publicly comment on anything. Too often, however, there's no rationale behind what people are saying -- I will, when possible, cite sources and supporting information when addressing a controversial or in-depth subject.
The point is that everyone should be able to voice their opinion -- however, if they desire to be heard and their opinion carefully considered, then they should return the favor. That's why I'm doing this -- I can comment, someone else can comment on that, I can respond, etc.
Let's start the discussion!
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