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  • Net filter opponents plan web protests

    Rosanna Ryan
    ABC Australia
    Tuesday, Dec 22nd, 2009

    More than 80 activists packed a Brisbane university classroom on
    Monday night, hoping to build on a social media campaign against the
    Federal Government’s proposed internet filter.

    Last week federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced
    the Government would move ahead with plans to force all ISPs to block
    “Refused Classification” material.

    The material would include sites on overseas servers containing
    child sex abuse, bestiality, sexual violence or detailed information
    about how to use drugs or commit crimes.

    Activists argue the blacklist will also include material that should
    be accessible to adults, such as pornography that is legal to possess
    in Australia, and information about topics such as abortion and
    euthanasia.

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  • Terror cops to carry SAS assault rifles over fears of gun battles in street

    Jon Clements
    UK Daily Mirror

    Tuesday, Dec 22nd, 2009

    Armed police are to routinely carry SAS assault rifles over fears of running gun battles in the streets with terrorists.

    Nearly 250 extra Scotland Yard marksmen have been trained on the
    high velocity Heckler & Koch G36 giving a massive increase in
    firepower.

    The 5.56mm calibre gun will be issued to all Armed Response
    Vehicles, after security chiefs warned there will not be time to
    scramble the SAS in a Mumbai-style assault on London.

    Instead, Met marksmen, who patrol 24 hours a day, will be sent on
    what is “effectively a search and destroy mission”.
    Research on the Indian attacks last December, where Islamists with
    AK-47s killed 166 civilians, showed most victims in hotels died within
    30 minutes of capture.

    And police now believe it may be safer to storm a building immediately.

    Full article here

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  • Bomber Had No Passport, Helped To Board Plane By Sharp-Dressed Man

    Travelers harassed by intense airport security after Nigerian on terror list was allowed to attempt attack on Flight 253

    Bomber Had No Passport, Helped To Board Plane By Sharp Dressed Man 271209top

    Paul Joseph Watson
    Prison Planet.com
    Sunday, December 27, 2009

    A passenger who boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253
    in Amsterdam with attempted plane bomber Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab
    says the would-be terrorist had no passport and was aided by a
    sharp-dressed man who claimed Mutallab was a Sudanese refugee, just one
    of a plethora of startling inconsistencies surrounding an incident that
    has led to ramped up security and increased levels of harassment in
    airports.

    Every single fact that has come to light since the
    attempted bombing on Christmas Day directly indicates that the bomber
    was deliberately allowed to board the plane and that his attack would
    have succeeded if not for the alert and brave reactions of the
    passengers and flight crew.

    According to Kurt Haskell, an attorney with the Haskell
    Law Firm in Taylor, Michigan, “He and his wife were sitting on
    the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they
    saw Mutallab approach the gate with an unidentified man.”

    Mutallab was a poorly dressed, young looking individual, but he was accompanied by a man in an expensive suit, Haskell told MLive.com.

    “He says the suited man asked ticket agents
    whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said,
    ‘He’s from Sudan and we do this all the time.’”

    Although Mutallab is Nigerian, Haskell said the
    well-dressed man portrayed him as a desperate Sudanese refugee in an
    attempt to elicit sympathy and as a way of bypassing his lack of
    documents.

    “The ticket agent referred Mutallab and his
    companion to her manager down the hall, and Haskell didn’t see
    Mutallab again until after he allegedly tried to detonate an explosive
    on the plane,” states the report.

    Crucially, Haskell said that after the plane landed he
    saw another man being taken into custody by the FBI along with
    Mutallab. However, the FBI later said that Mutallab was the only
    individual taken into custody.

    Were the feds retrieving their own agent, the sharp
    dressed man who ensured that Mutallab boarded the plane despite his
    overwhelmingly suspicious circumstances?

    Mutallab was a known security threat who was on the
    terror watch list. He is barred from entering Britain after being
    refused a new visa due to applying for a fake university course.
    Separate reports said that he did hold a valid visa, which begs the
    question, how can someone on a terror watch list be allowed to fly?

    “On the one hand, it seems he’s been on the
    terror watch list but not on the no-fly list,” he said.
    “That doesn’t square because the American Department for
    Homeland Security has pretty stringent data-mining capability. I
    don’t understand how he had a valid visa if he was known on the
    terror watch list,” Dr Magnus Ranstorp of the Center for
    Asymmetric Threat Studies told the London Independent.

    It has also been revealed that Mutallab’s father
    contacted U.S. intelligence officials a month ago and warned them that
    his son was a threat, but nothing was done.

    The bomber’s father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, was a
    a former minister and chairman of First Bank in Nigeria. The bomber
    does not fit the image of a disgruntled, rag-tag terrorist. His
    considerable wealth allowed him to live in luxury at an imposing London
    mansion.

    As a result of the failed attack, new security
    directives have been introduced for anyone traveling into America.
    Intense body and hand-luggage searches and sniffer dogs have been
    beefed up at departure gates and passengers have been ordered not to
    stand during the final hour of the flight and are not allowed access to
    any of their hand luggage during the final hour.

    However, if you’re a suspicious looking man on a
    terror watch list with no passport carrying explosives, you should
    breeze through security with no questions asked, just be sure to have a
    sharp-dressed man with you at all times.

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  • Airport Tyranny Ramped Up After Staged Plane Bombing Attempt

    Youtube
    Sunday, Dec 27th, 2009

    Passengers flying into the United States from abroad
    should expect additional security measures at U.S. and international
    airports a day after a passenger detonated a device aboard a flight
    from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan, the Transportation
    Security Administration said Saturday.

    Popout

    Measures will include increased pat-downs and gate screening, as
    well as having to stow carry-ons and personal items, including pillows.

    “We ask that passengers follow the instructions of international security and flight crews,” the TSA said.

    Security has also been ramped up at U.K. airports and at Schiphol
    Airport in Amsterdam, where the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,
    went through “normal security procedures” before boarding
    the flight, according to security officials.

    Abdulmutallab, 23, was charged in a federal criminal complaint
    Saturday with attempting to destroy the plane Friday on its final
    approach to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and placing a destructive
    device on the aircraft, the Department of Justice said.

    At Schiphol, secondary screenings were boosted Saturday with body searches and bag checks, officials said.

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  • Foiled Terrorist Bombing in Detroit: An Excuse to Expand the Bogus War On Terror

    Kurt Nimmo
    Infowars.com
    December 27, 2009

    The explosion of what witnesses describe as a firecracker on
    Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas
    arrives at an opportune time for the Obama administration. The alleged
    perpetrator, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, like shoe bomber Richard Reid
    before him, appears to be an incompetent patsy. Mutallab told
    investigators he was on a mission from al-Qaeda and he got the
    explosive materials for the botched attack in Yemen.

    Popout

    Yemen is a new front in the war against the manufactured enemy al-Qaeda. Not only is the United States providing assisstance
    to the Yemeni government to bomb supposed al-Qaeda bases in the
    southern part of the country, but Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes
    against targets in the north. Mohamed al-Anisi, the Yemeni national
    security chief, told told the Saudi Arabian newspaper Okaz that his
    forces were cooperating with Washington on attacks and accused Iran of
    aiding Houthi Shiite rebels. Earlier this week, a Saudi Ministry of
    Defense official said 73 Saudis were killed fighting the Houthi rebels,
    according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

    Earlier this week al-Qaeda exploited an anti-government rally in
    Sanna. “Al Qaeda militants made a rare public appearance in
    restive south Yemen on Monday, telling an anti-government rally that
    the group’s war was with the United States and not the Yemeni
    army, residents said,” Reuters
    reported on December 23. “The West and Saudi Arabia fear al Qaeda
    will take advantage of the Yemeni government’s focus on a
    Shi’ite rebellion in the north and rising secessionist sentiment
    in the south to spread its operations to the kingdom, the world’s
    top oil exporter.” An explosion during the demonstration killed
    three people.

    Popout

    The failed bombing of Flight 253 provides an excuse to expand the
    GWOT into Africa. “The alleged bomber’s nationality and his
    apparent origination in Nigeria raised immediate questions about
    airport security in Africa’s most populous country, where
    corruption, organized crime and crumbling infrastructure have long
    hobbled an otherwise oil-rich government,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
    “The alleged attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound jet by a
    Nigerian national Friday raises new concern over possible extremist
    Islamic activity in Nigeria and West Africa, a corner of Africa where
    al Qaeda so far hasn’t put down significant roots.”

    Ethiopian and U.S. intervention in Somalia was justified to the
    international public under the pretext of fighting terrorism and
    al-Qaeda. “Ethiopia has become a regional surrogate or proxy for
    the United States and Britain. This is evident from the coordination of
    the U.S. military and Ethiopian troops in Somalia,” Global Research noted in January, 2007.

    “America’s renewed interest in the Horn of Africa dates
    to November 2002 when the US military established its joint taskforce
    in Djibouti, now the base for 1,800 troops, including special
    operations forces,” The Guardian
    reported on January 13, 2007. “By then, the west had good reason
    to fear that Africa had become an arena for al-Qaida, and that the
    failed state of Somalia could become a haven for the
    organization’s operatives.”

    Ethiopia invaded Somalia with US encouragement and military
    assistance after the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), an Islamist militant
    group that ruled much of the country, made military advances. On
    January 5, 2007, al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri —
    the notorious CIA operative in Afghanistan who was shepherded by the western intelligence asset the Muslim Brotherhood — issued a message urging Somalis to fight against the Ethiopian invaders.

    The ICU is a classic intelligence fabrication. It was armed by none
    other than Victor Bout, described as the world’s biggest illegal
    arms dealer. Bout worked with CIA front companies in Afghanistan. He
    also worked with the United Nations and African warlords, according to
    investigative journalist  Wayne Madsen.

    “Unified Quest 2008″ underscores the importance of
    Africa in the bogus (and highly profitable) GWOT. The May 2008 United
    States Army War College war game included representatives from several
    NATO countries, Australia, and Israel, along with the private military
    contractors the Rand Corporation and Booz-Allen. Among scenarios
    examined during the game were the possibility of direct American
    military intervention involving some 20,000 U.S. troops in order to
    “secure the oil,” and the question of how to handle
    possible splits between factions within the Nigerian government. The
    game ended without military intervention because one of the rival
    factions executed a successful coup and formed a new government that
    sought stability, reported the Stop NATO newsgroup.

    Obama has defined the Africom mission to be within in the parameters
    of U.S. national security and the larger globalist agenda.
    “America has a responsibility to advance this vision, not just
    with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When
    there is genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not
    simply African problems — they are global security challenges,
    and they demand a global response,” he said during a speech
    delivered on July 11, 2009. “Our Africa Command is focused not on
    establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these
    common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa and the
    world.”

    Africa Command was established October 1, 2007 as a temporary
    sub-unified command under U.S. European Command, which for more than
    two decades was responsible for U.S. military relations with more than
    40 African nations. Africa Command was formally activated October 1,
    2008, during a public ceremony at the Pentagon attended by
    representatives of African nations posted in Washington, D.C.

    In addition to paving the way for expanded incursion in Africa, the
    failed bombing provides an excuse to further harass an impose police
    state measures on airline passengers. “President Barack Obama,
    vacationing in Hawaii, ordered heightened security, calling for
    ‘all appropriate measures to be taken’ after receiving a
    briefing from national security officials, a White House statement
    said,” reports Bloomberg. Obama considers yesterday’s incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

    Airport security was increased around the world today. “The
    Department of Homeland Security said passengers may notice additional
    screening. Security at airports in the U.K., continental Europe,
    Canada, parts of Asia and Australia was increased today, and a European
    Commission statement said the authorities are in contact with Dutch and
    U.S. officials,” BusinessWeek reports this morning.

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  • Why was he ever allowed to fly? Syringe bomber had been barred from Britain, was on a terror list and even his father had warned U.S.

    Jason Lewis and Sharon Churcher
    UK Daily Mail
    Sunday, Dec 27th, 2009

    The former London student charged with attempting to
    blow up a transatlantic airliner carrying 278 passengers was barred
    from Britain, it has been revealed.

    Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab finished an engineering course at the
    University College London last year, but a fresh visa request was
    refused in May after he applied for a bogus course, Whitehall sources
    said.

    The 23-year-old son of a wealthy Nigerian banker was charged in
    hospital last night with attempting to destroy the aircraft during its
    final approach to Detroit airport on Christmas Day, the US Justice
    Department said.

    Four weeks ago Abdulmutallab’s father told the U.S. embassy in
    Abuja, Nigeria, that he was concerned about his son’s religious
    beliefs. This information was passed on to U.S. intelligence officials.

    The alleged bomber was also on a separate U.S. terror database, but
    was not considered an immediate threat. His name was absent from
    ‘no-fly’ lists.

    Full article here

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  • Wealthy, quiet, unassuming: the Christmas Day bomb suspect

    Andrew Johnson and Emily Dugan
    London Independent
    Sunday, Dec 27th, 2009

    With his wealth, privilege and education at one of
    Britain’s leading universities, Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab had
    the world at his feet – able to choose from a range of futures in
    which to make his mark on the world.

    Instead, the son of one of Nigeria’s most important figures
    opted to make his impact in a very different way – by detonating
    80g of explosives sewn into his underpants, and trying to destroy a
    passenger jet as it came in to land at Detroit Airport on Christmas Day.

    As he was charged by US authorities last night with attempting to
    blow up an airliner, a surprising picture emerged of the would-be
    bomber.

    Abdulmutallab, 23, had lived a gilded life, and, for the three years
    he studied in London, he stayed in a £2m flat. He was from a very
    different background to many of the other al-Qa’ida recruits who
    opt for martyrdom.

    Full article here

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  • What fun!

    Surely our Aussie friends know this great entertainer . . . I was just introduced through my email this morning:

    James Galea

  • Security tightened for U.S.-bound air passengers

    Reuters
    Sunday, Dec 27th, 2009

    Airline passengers headed for the United States faced
    tighter security measures on Saturday after an attempt to blow up a
    U.S. jet bound for Detroit, including pat-downs and an order to stay
    seated during the last hour of flight, airlines and security officials
    said.

    Air Canada advised U.S.-bound travelers to arrive early at airports
    to allow extra time for security screenings, including additional
    personal searches.

    “Passengers should also expect flight delays, cancellations
    and missed connections, and limit themselves to a single piece of
    carry-on baggage,” Canada’s largest airline said on its
    website.

    “New rules imposed by the U.S. Transportation Security
    Administration also limit on-board activities by customers and crew in
    U.S. airspace that may adversely impact on-board service,” Air
    Canada said.

    Full article here

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  • dyad 1909

     
    dyad 1909 | ólafur arnalds (2009)
    in case you don’t know, ólafur arnalds has just released new ep. the new ep is called “dyad 1909″. sadly there ain’t much “new” material to discover his compositions. contained a total of seven tracks, one of them “3326″ is taken from “eurology for evolution”, other two tracks “lokaðu augunum” and “við vorum smá…” are taken from “variation of static”. we are left over with four new tracks; “frá upphafi”, “brotsjór”, “til enda”, and “_…og lengra”. the tracks “brotsjór” and “til enda” are so magical and make me crave for more!

    related :

    1. found songs
  • SNEAKY $#!$^%$ Grocery deli!!!

    Okay … I know to read labels, as a vegetarian I habitually read all the way down … but then I assume my husband of 20 yrs married to a vegetarian, will do the same.

    Guacamole from our grocery: First ingredient … Haas avocado 😀 . SECOND ingredient, though: FOOD STARCH, MODIFIED! 😡 😡 😡

    Cheap starch filler!!!! I am sure it is stabilizing and texturizing … WHAT EVER. 😡

    I told him, next time buy me avos, onions, tomatoes and cilantro and I WILL MAKE MY OWN. More hygenic, anyways. 😡

  • 2010 Camaro designer Sangyup Lee leaves GM, moves to Volkswagen

    Sangyup Lee

    According to the folks over at Car Design News, Sangyup Lee, the respected designer of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, has resigned from General Motors and is on his way to accept a position as Chief Designer of Exterior at the Volkswagen/Audi Advanced studio in California.

    Lee will take up his new position in mid-2010 and will report to Jens Manske who was appointed Executive Director earlier this year. He will be responsible in inspiring a new group of design staff in Santa Monica.

    Lee worked with GM for 10 years. Along with working on the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Lee was also involved in the project between Bertone and GM where he created the 2004 Buick Velite Concept. He also threw in his two cents on the new Stingray Concept.

    Well, we’re sad to see Lee go seeing as he helped resurrect one of the most iconic muscle cars in American history.

    – By: Omar Rana

    Source: Car Design News (via AutoBlog)


  • InfoValue launches new IPTV service, high quality live TV over WiMAX in Asia Pacific

    infovalue_logoWith our US-centric focus, we often forget that globally, WiMAX has over 500 network deployments in more than 145 countries. One of the current hotbeds for WiMAX deployment is the Asia-Pacific region which is expected to see explosive growth over the next two years. Capitalizing on this growth opportunity is InfoValue, a US-based IPTV company. InfoValue has announced the launch of its newest IPTV service, which promises to deliver high quality live TV and interactive video-on-demand over WiMAX networks in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific market. They claim the service can deliver a consistent, high-quality H.264 stream in moving vehicles, handling tower to tower handoffs with ease. Sweet! Now if they could just get Sprint to jump on board and bring real mobile TV to the US… Full press release after the break.

    WiMAX High Quality Mobile H.264 IPTV Deployment by InfoValue

    WiMAX customers use InfoValue IPTV services to view high quality H.264 live TV channels and video-on-demand content on their laptop PCs, 3G phones, and other handheld devices anywhere and anytime within WiMAX coverage area.

    Elmsford, NY (PRWEB) December 25, 2009 — InfoValue Computing, Inc. (InfoValue), experts in providing innovative, high-performance IPTV platforms and solutions, today announced its IPTV deployment at a brand new WiMAX infrastructure in Asia Pacific. The installation is powered by InfoValue QuickVideo IPTV platform and provides high-quality live TV channels and video-on-demand content to WiMAX mobile customers.

    WiMAX customers use InfoValue IPTV services to view high quality H.264 live TV channels and video-on-demand content on their laptop PCs, 3G phones, and other handheld devices anywhere and anytime within WiMAX coverage area. Customers can watch live TV programs in fast moving cars crossing multiple signal towers without any interruption or quality degradation. Customers can watch video-on-demand content with full interactivity, including fast forward and rewind.

    “InfoValue IPTV solution empowers WiMAX service providers to offer leading edge IPTV services to their customers in a way that truly helps them build premium quality and increase customer loyalty,” said Monsong Chen, CEO of InfoValue. “We are excited about this deployment as it turns the future vision into today’s experience.”

    InfoValue QuickVideo is a feature-rich, reliable and scalable IPTV platform for large scale deployments. InfoValue QuickVideo offers comprehensive powerful features, ranging from high-quality HDTV channels, video-on-demand content, to network-based personal video recording (nPVR) and time-shifted television (TSTV). InfoValue QuickVideo is uniquely positioned to partner with WiMAX to offer premium mobile IPTV services to simultaneously generate new revenues, increase customer base, and reduce operational expenses.

    Founded in 1994 and experts in providing comprehensive IPTV platforms and solutions, InfoValue is recognized for innovations and advances in IPTV technology that has set the pace in performance, scalability and intelligence. InfoValue QuickVideo™ IPTV platform is based on a standards-compliant, open architecture that is optimized with innovative, patented technologies. InfoValue QuickVideo, which is currently being used by telecommunication carriers, corporations, governments, educational institutions, hospitality providers, and broadcasters around the world, offers interactive video-on-demand and video multicast capabilities, as well as integrated video indexing, distributed video caching, server clustering, and video service management capabilities. InfoValue delivers turnkey IPTV solutions for specific industries, including InfoValue SuiteTV for hospitality, InfoValue BizTV for training and communications, and InfoValue NextGenTV for residential. InfoValue’s corporate headquarters is located at 4 Westchester Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10523. More information on InfoValue and its products and services is available at www.infovalue.com, via e-mail at info (at) infovalue (dot) com, or by phone at (914) 345-5980.

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • U.K. study suggests women don’t park as well as men

    Filed under:

    ParkingWe’ve heard this before: men are better at parking than women. It sounds like a bunch of macho male ego BS that’s been perpetuated since the days of Leave it to Beaver (happy 94th birthday, Barbra Billingsley!) and Father Knows Best, but the U.K.’s Telegraph reports that a study shows that this myth may not be far from reality.

    Dr Claudia Wolf from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany lead a study of 65 men and women, testing different parking maneuvers of both sexes. The vehicle of choice was an Audi A6, and test subjects were timed during head-on, reverse and parallel parking. Parking accuracy was also measured. The end result? Men parked their vehicles an average of 20 seconds faster than women while also managing to park the Audi closer to the center of the spot. Dr. Wolf says the study demonstrates that men have better spatial awareness than women, but the good doctor was sure to keep men’s egos in check by adding, “it is not as if there was a massive failing by women. It is just about parking – not the triumph of men over women.”

    We’re not sure that a study of 65 random test subjects is a big enough sample to definitively say that men are better parkers than women, but the test does give guys a small feather to stick in their caps nonetheless. We’d suggest not bragging about it to your wives and girlfriends, though, because that could lead to… unpleasantness.

    [Source: Telegraph | Image: Bruno Vincent/Getty]

    U.K. study suggests women don’t park as well as men originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • dads gone to be with my beloved mother

    Well….my dad’s gone….he stole away into the heavens to be with my beloved mother……his true love…….his sweetheart.They are together again,at last. Even though it hasn’t been a year since my beloved mother passed away,my dad has never been the same. All this year has been so hard for him,she was his rock,she kept him alive,he died mentally when she went,he suffered so. I loved my dad,but I actually find some solace knowing he’s with her and not suffering anymore. I just wanted to let you all know ,thank you all for being here.
  • Natural Remedies to Controlling High Blood Pressure

    WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? People can have high blood pressure for years and not know it. Nearly 30% of adults in the United States have high blood pressure and of those over one-third are unaware that they have this condition. These numbers come from the American Heart Association.

    When your doctor takes a blood pressure reading it is reported as two numbers. The first, or the upper number, being systolic and the second or lower number being called the diastolic number. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have issued the following guidelines for interpreting these numbers.

    • Normal Blood Pressure is below 120/80 mmHg

    • When systolic pressure is 120 to 129 and diastolic pressure is 80 to 89 this is defined as prehypertension.

    • Stage 1 hypertension is systolic 140 to 159 and diastolic between 90 and 99.

    • Stage 2 hypertension is when systolic is higher than 160 and diastolic is over 100. Read more…

  • Nephew Of Opposition Leader Is Killed, Critic Predicts Regime Collapse, As Iran Descends Into Chaos Again

    iranWhile America was kvetching about new security restrictions, and what it would mean for holiday travel, Iran continued its descent into total public chaos for the second time this year.

    The first time was in the aftermath of the disputed elections this summer.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, the nephew of chief opposition leader Mir Hossain Moussavi has been killed.

    The protests — which coincide with the Iranian festival Ashura (celebrating martyrdom) — brings new uncertainty to the regime. In a timely, must-read regime critic and Duke professor Ayatollah Mohsen Kadivar predicts the current system is toast — and that it’s only a matter of time.

    Meanwhile, wrenching images and videos are flowing out of the country once again. The LA Times has culled several interesting videos.

    Now see the footage >>

    Join the conversation about this story »

    See Also:


  • On Mr. Sizzly Pants, terrorism, and airline safety

    Die-Hard-Alan-Rickman_l

    I’m safely ensconced in a ski hut in Austria but I’ll be traveling back to the US of A shortly and I look forward to not being able to use electronic items in the last hour of my nine hour flight. After all, that is the magic hour, the hour during which most intercontinental planes are circling over US soil and would, therefore, apparently make the biggest impression on a scared and frightened American populace. After all, if Mr. Sizzly Pants (thanks, Xeni and Antinious), late of Nigeria, had blown his bomb over Amsterdam who would care? As O’Reilly et al point out, that den of iniquity would be better off for it.

    I’m all for airline safety. I’m all for security. I’ll stew in my juices for the last hour of the flight if need be. But security directives that expect terrorists to use the same basic game plan over an over again are, at best, magical thinking. Bruce Schneier once again hits the nail on the head when he writes:

    Only two things have made flying safer [since 9/11]: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.

    The rest of the security theater happens on the ground and we will have to give up a great deal of liberty and treasure to stop future Sizzler’s from lighting up their seats. Try flying El Al from Jerusalem. You are examined to within an inch of your patience by chipper but thorough Israeli operatives. They had us take everything out of our carry-ons, gave us pat-downs, and generally suspected every single thing in their field of vision a potential threat, including defenseless MacBooks. Israel has a real problem on its hands and if our threats are as real and as near as theirs, then by all means incorporate that draconian system at JFK. But that’s not appropriate. They have an ages old hot conflict over their border. He have some Nigerian dude with firecrackers.

    We are working under the assumption that all terrorists are like Alan Rickman in Die Hard – we’ll appointed bad-guys with guns and bombs galore. I assert that this is wrong. Most attacks on planes will be thwarted from now until forever. Random nuts will pop up, the news cycle will whirr itself to pieces over it, and we will feel less safe. We will have to turn off our iPods, won’t be able to go to the potty, and will suffer under the theater of security.

    To quote Schneier again:

    Only one carry on? No electronics for the first hour of flight? I wish that, just once, some terrorist would try something that you can only foil by upgrading the passengers to first glass and giving them free drinks.

    There are better ways to stay safe and I know the TSA is trying their best but this parade of regulation is reactive, not preventative. When the real Alan Rickman terrorist team wants to get its way, it will (ask the folks in Mumbai). All we can hope is that our technology, our culture, our politics, and our perception in the world will protect us as it has for the past half-century.

    For more information check out Sascha Segan’s article on Frommer’s about the delays.


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