The End of the 00s: A Party In Iran, by Kaila Hale-Stern @3:00 PM
Hadi is showing me pictures from epic-looking parties. Men and women dance, their bodies caught in ecstatic pause. The women are, for the most part, rather scantily clad: microscopic skirts dominate, and belly shirts that show a good deal of taut belly. Their faces are masterworks of make-up art: streaks of vibrant color rising to the eyebrow, glitter and blush and outlined lips. They move, the partiers, with abandon, heads tipped back, preening and laughing. The pictures are from Iran. READ MORE 22
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Hates Jews For The Normal Reasons @11:05 AM
Sad news for fans of self-hatred: An expert on Jewish Iranians is casting doubt on this weekend's speculation that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a Jew whose family changed its name to avoid discrimination. Professor David Yeroshalmi, commenting on the assertion that the Ahmadinejad clan's original moniker of Sabourjian means "weaver of Jew prayer shawls," disputes the conjecture. READ MORE 2
Ahmadinejad Speaks @10:24 AM
On the eve of Qods Day, the holiday celebrated by Iran with denunciations against Israel, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sat down with NBC's Ann Curry in attempt to show the world that he is indeed as cartoonish and shifty as previously suspected. (Watch the full interview here.) I mean, seriously, what is it with this guy? He's making Ann Curry look hard-hitting. More importantly, the Iranian opposition used today's festivities to demonstrate against the regime; the Guardian has a good roundup of the protests. 3
The Iranian Dissident Fitness Program @9:11 AM
As mass trials against reformist elements take place in Iran, the government is denying accusations of violence against those detained in the wake of the recent disputed presidential election. READ MORE 7
Pope's Wrist Fallible And Other News @11:05 AM
My usual Friday attack of Let This Week Be Over Syndrome came early this week (if you're scoring at home, here's exactly when it happened), and I'll try to gut it out and take you through the rest of the day, but man am I finding it hard to care. Still, here are a couple of things you might be interested in. READ MORE 7
Iranian Protesters Arrested, Gassed @11:48 AM
There's a new round of protests in Iran: "Iranian police fired tear-gas and shots into the air today to disperse thousands of demonstrators who had defied official warnings and staged a march to mark the 10th anniversary of a bloody student uprising. Protesters chanted 'Death to the dictator' as they gathered in the streets around Tehran University, the epicentre of the 1999 protests, which were crushed by police and Basiji vigilantes." 1
Support Iranian Protesters With Cheap Wristwear @1:52 PM
Want to express your solidarity with the protesters in Iran but find yourself unable to do it on Twitter because you got kicked off of the service for retweeting every message by Jeff Jarvis and adding anti-Semitic commentary (or, uh, whatever reason you got kicked off for; this is purely hypothetical)? Good news! An outfit calling itself Unity For Us is offering these fine, pro-democracy bracelets for a mere 4 bucks a pop (not including shipping). Now you can celebrate making a difference by wearing a piece of plastic on your wrist. Remember how we all wore the yellow ones and then Lance Armstrong's ball grew back? What are you waiting for? Order now!
In other Iranian kitsch news, "On June 24, Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and American record producers Don Was and John Shanks to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran." It's a Farsi/English version of "Stand By Me," and you can find it below, but do be aware that we are monitoring who clicks through on this item and we reserve the right to use that information at any point in the future. READ MORE 7
Today In Iran @11:25 AM
After yesterday's brutal crackdown on protesters in Iran—and with opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, reportedly under house arrest, continuing to issue defiant statements on his website—this New Republic piece on the history of popular protest in the country makes for sobering reading. 1
Report: Iran Protest A "Massacre" @1:36 PM
The latest from today in Iran: "All of a sudden some 500 people with clubs came out of [undecipherable] mosque and they started beating everyone. They tried to beat everyone on [undecipherable] bridge and throwing them off of the bridge. And everyone also on the sidewalks. They beat a woman so savagely that she was drenched in blood and her husband, he fainted. They were beating people like hell. It was a massacre. They were trying to beat people so they would die. they were cursing and saying very bad words to everyone. This was exactly a massacre…." 2
Obama Makes Same Cautious Remarks About Iran, Press Goes Wild @9:00 AM
It is really quite something that the New York Times is running, on page one, above the fold, an article about yesterday's White House press briefing that says "President Obama hardened his tone toward Iran on Tuesday." Ooh, his tone! Hardened! The Chicago Tribune and others say similar. And the Washington Post says "Saying U.S. is 'outraged,' president appears to mark new phase in response to disputed election." Appears? New phase? What? A phase of doing what? (He also said Americans were "outraged" about AIG, by the way, because some people were asking about things that concern America—not to say that what is, one hopes, an Iranian revolution isn't amazing and important, but to say that the United States is in a dire horrible crisis of its own, as a matter of fact.) So none of this news analysis really holds up, no matter what Fox News proposed in the briefing room when Major Garrett asked "What took you so long" to say you were outraged? READ MORE 10
Photos From Iran @4:26 PM
Anyone who tells you that they know how the current situation in Iran will play out has no idea what they're talking about, but no matter what happens there have already been a number of images that can only be considered iconic from the week of protests. The Boston Globe's Big Picture blog has an excellent collection of photos here. 11
Two Videos, Fat And Thin: "Perez" v. "Neda" @12:07 PM
What we're all watching today! Two shocking videos about violence, both with bearing on the world economy and our global infrastructure—our very understanding of what it means to be human!
· "My first instinct is to say that I'm not saying that to make myself feel better than all the people who have watched the video, but after reading the comments on all the various different sites that have posted it, I can't help but wonder… Why would you watch it?"
· "Violence is never the answer. Ever. No matter what anyone says. Blood should never be drawn. Another person should never be hurt." 28
Iran's Government Befuddled by Attention of World @10:00 AM
Don't be sweating that up to 3 million votes in Iran could be dicey or, you know, fake. A Guardian Council spokesman explained that "voter turnout of above 100% in some cities is a normal phenomenon because there is no legal limitation for people to vote for the presidential elections in another city or province to which people often travel or commute." Oh. In typical Iran fashion, the government keep taking ideas that are substantially true and then going around the bend of crazy. Of the Western media, the foreign ministry says: "How can they say they are unbiased when their TV channel is like a war headquarters"—true! So true!—"and in fact they are blatantly commanding riots?" Oh, oops, too far again! The worst news of all? Nokia built Iran's data-spying technology. Hello, boycott! 2
Iran To Get Ugly This Weekend @2:11 PM
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has basically promised that people are going to get hurt this weekend in Iran, if they keep protesting an election that had up to 140% turnout figures in some towns. Even without those anomalies, have a look at the math. And brace yourself for the weekend. 6
Persian For Beginners @11:15 AM
Google now offers a Persian option on its Translate page to help you better keep up with the fast-moving events in Iran. I just tried it, and while it is somewhat rudimentary, it translated the first Twitter message I found—"متشکرم اندرو سالیوان برای عط سبز "Ùˆ وبلاگ شما—as "I was not going to protest until I saw that Andrew Sullivan turned his blog green in solidarity," which seems about right. 8
The Shadow Editors: Bill Keller, History Slut (Or, Bigfoot Strikes Again) @4:52 PM
Tom Scocca: Keller of 'NYT' in Iran: 'The Iranians Watch Us Closely'
Choire Sicha: Mr. Executive Editor of the Times is driving me a little crazy. His Reporter's Notebook?
Tom Scocca: Oh? Oh. "A newcomer to town."
Tom Scocca: Oh, he did not do a "Welcome to…" transition.
Choire Sicha: He's like 20 seconds away from a "Reader, I x'd Him." READ MORE 8
Iran's Leaders And Candidates To Have Friendly Chit-Chat Get-Together @9:36 AM
"The Guardian Council, one of Iran's top oversight bodies, said Thursday it would invite the country's three unsuccessful presidential challengers to a meeting to discuss the contested weekend elections." Uh oh. You can imagine how that "meeting" ends. (The Council is calling the meeting "extra-ordinary." Yikes.) Let's hope they meet in a room with a drain in the floor. Also because: "At the same time, security agents rounded up three more prominent figures affiliated with Mr. Mousavi." 2
Ahmad Batebi Speaks @11:00 AM
As protests over the disputed Iranian presidential election continue into their third day, the New York Times checks in with Ahmad Batebi, a student who became the symbol of anti-government protests in 1999 after a photo of the 21-year-old holding a bloody shirty appeared on the cover of The Economist. After the Economist cover, he was tortured and imprisoned. The magazine caught up with him last year. READ MORE 6
And Iran, While You Slept @8:37 AM
According to Iran state radio, seven demonstrators were killed Monday night. Iran's "Guardian Council" (mmm, hmm) has now said it will recount the vote in "contested areas." Is a limited recount enough? Not bloody likely. Outside Iran, people are looking into the raw election data—and howling with laughter. And Ahmadinejad supporters are having some fun with the western media still present and active: "The people who claim vote rigging should look first into the election of George W Bush in 2000 and how it was stolen from Al Gore. The West is a sore loser when it comes to the result of a democracy which is against its wishes." 3
The Way We Demonstrate Now @8:56 AM
At left, Iranian demonstrators protest against the contested results in the country's Presidential election. At right, Los Angeles Lakers fans celebrate their team's 15th NBA Championship; the LAPD reports that at least 25 people were arrested. Good morning! 9
