Fashionable article

[...] if you wait long enough, fashion comes around again.

Now, ladies and gentlemen.

Where would one stumble upon such an old wisdom?

Think thrice.

Now?

No?

Want a little help?

Well, on a website registrated in the wonderful land of the Peace Nobel Prize Winner 2009.

Still no clue?

Well, take your time.

. . .

Congratulations, anyway, if you guessed the right answer.

And ... the peace of the night.

Urgent appeal to save the life of Farzad Kamangar

Via Jams O'Donnell:

'Education International (EI) has been informed that Farzad Kamangar, the Iranian Kurdish teacher and social worker sentenced to death on "absolutely zero evidence" according to his lawyer, could be hanged on Wednesday 26 November 2008.

According to several reliable sources, he has been taken from his cell 121 in ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison in preparation for execution. Jail security officers are said to have told him he is about to be executed and they are making fun of him, calling him a martyr.

The Revolutionary Court issued the death sentence against Kamangar on 25 February 2008. His lawyer has said: "Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him." Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. The last time Kamangar was seen, he was at the health clinic of Evin prison and his physical condition was poor. Witnesses testify that he has been beaten again. Kamangar has not been allowed to see his lawyer or family members for the past two months.

EI has been appealing to the Iranian authorities to commute Kamangar's death sentence and ensure his case is reviewed fairly.

Now, EI is once again appealing to Iranian judicial authorities to halt the execution. EI is also asking members of the international community urgently to intervene.'

Please click here to send a message of protest to President Ahmadinejad.

Update:
Tried four times, however when pushing the 'send message'-button the message would not be sent.

in case you wish to speak out, you may directly address President Ahmadinejad, by using your own account and sending an email to following address:

dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

This is the message I sent:

Mr. Ahmadinejad,

having learned right now that Farzad Kamangar faces hanging in the next few hours, I call upon your humanity to immediately commute his death sentence and have his case re-examined through a fair trial.

The peace of the night,
Sean Jeating, Germany

- - - - -

Choose your own words, or - in order to save time - you may copy and paste the message above - don't forget to sign with your own name, though. :)

Thank you.

Social Perversity in Turkey

... or: 'Social reality' in Turkey

Variations on a dialogue (in 2010?):

1.

- You say you have been gang raped by bureaucrats, men of law, politicians and an 80-year-old retired general?!

- Yes.

- What’s your age?

- 13.

- So you should go home and tell your parents.

- ?

- They can file a complaint if they wish.

- But it’s me who …

- You are too young to differentiate what is rape and what is love.

- But …

- Your family will know how to restore your family’s honour. Farewell.

***

2.

- So you say, the day before yesterday you have been gang raped by bureaucrats, men of law, politicians and an 80-year-old retired general?!

- Yes.

- What’s your age?

- The day before yesterday?

- Yes.

- 13.

- So you should go home and tell your parents. They can file a complaint if they wish.

- But, why can’t I …

- You are too young to differentiate what is rape and what is love.

- But I am married.

- With 13?!

- No, yesterday was my birthday. And my wedding.

- Well, but that was yesterday. You were still 13 when …

- My husband got 500 dollars f …

- He was not your husband the day before yesterday, hm?

- No. … eh …Yes.

- You are obviously slightly confused. Go home, tell your parents and your husband, and they will know how to restore your family's honour. Good night and good luck.

Irreal?

Well, read this, and then go on talking.

h/t Internation musings

US-Smurfs to protect 'their' people

As I stated some days ago here at Bock the Robber's:

Not that I’m prone to conspiracy theories, but in context with what has happened during the past eight years, and what is happening right now - you all will know what I am refering to; if not, please ask -, I found reading this interesting, if not disturbing.

Why? Focusing on the most ... interesting sentences, here's an extract:

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
[...]
“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring [1] mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col. Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations. “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year.”
[...]
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.
[...]
The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.
The package is for use only in war-zone operations, not for any domestic domestic purpose [2].

Who knows? Even Col. Clutiers doesn't.

“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier said. “It makes me feel good as an American to know that my country has dedicated a force to come in and help the people at home.”

Good night, America. And good luck.


[1] I like this word. Seems the US-citizens can be sure of living in 'enduring freedom'.
[2] As far as I remember, this very sentence had been 'forgotten' in the original version, which seems to have been updated September 30th. Well, nice correction, anyway.


P.S.

The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced “sea-smurf”).

Now, isn't this a funny name? ... Ha. Ha. Ha.