"Real election numbers have been cited indicating that Mousavi won by an enormous landslide. I have yet to find an explanation of how these figures were attained, however."
Here's the story: Mohammad Mahdi Asghar, head of information technology for Iran's Ministry of Interior, leaked the data and then, in a display of stunning bravery, publicly confessed (if he hadn't, less credence would have been paid to the data). Shortly afterwards, his car "accidentally" caught fire and he was killed.
None of this has been covered by the mainstream media, a heartbreaking result in light of this fellow's sacrifice, but Iranian bloggers are trying to report the story here.
A few months ago, I scoffed when people guessed that economic recovery might be within sight. I'm pessimistic about our escaping this anytime soon. But some recent experiences leave me feeling like we're downright drowning.
First, in the last few weeks, I've been noticing retailer desperation ratcheting up to an unprecedented degree. My local supermarket's shelves are suddenly filled with cheap meager items. For example, I found a box of eight small kitchen garbage bags for a mere $1.75. Eight small garbage bags! In better times, such micro-portioning would be found only in convenience stores, and sold at obscene markup to those needing a quick few this or that. But eight bags for $1.75 isn't convenience store pricing. It's more "Jesus-Christ-does-anybody-out-there-have-a-lousy-buck-seventy-five-in-their-wallet??" pricing. And that's scary.
Then there was Warren Buffet's announcement yesterday that his data shows consumer sales to be "very, very soft". When speaking Nebraskan, the use of two "very"s in conveying bad news is the local equivalent of pitiful shrieking and sobbing.
And, as I mentioned yesterday (sorry, I can't stop thinking about it), UK's Daily Telegraph reports that American authorities are thinking about bulldozing the downtowns of a bunch of cities - the better to concentrate remaining survivors. Naturally, we're talking about cities like Flint and Detroit. Oh, and Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Memphis. Perhaps you've heard of them.
"US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive: Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic 'shrink to survive' proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline"
....you'd probably figure the article had appeared in some whacky ultra-right-wing publication, right?
Makes good sense, actually. Take Detroit, which might really do well to be "split into a collection of small urban centres separated from each other by countryside," per this report.
The middle of a recession may seem an inappropriate time to discuss charitable donations, but non-profits really need help at times like these. And now, more than ever, it's essential to try to get the best bang-for-buck with any funds we do manage to scrape together for good causes.
Many people vet non-profits by researching them on Charity Navigator. You can learn, for example, how efficiently donations are applied - i.e. what percentage of your contribution serves the actual cause, rather than the organization's salary, infrastructure, and marketing.
That's good, but not it's not good enough. Better: before giving money, volunteer for a while. Chip in time or talent, and, by working with the organization, you'll soon have a clear idea of what they're made of. You'll find out whether they're truly as earnest and dynamic as their brochure paints them! You'll also learn how competent the people are - significant because screwed-up organizations, however well-intentioned, won't do much good with your money.
A big bonus is that you'll be helping with more than just your bank account. And that feels a lot better than just coldly opening your checkbook!
I've gone this route with a number of organizations over the years, all of which looked great on paper. I've found that the view from the inside is often very different. This method has helped me dodge some bullets, and donate far more wisely. And I suspect my efforts (editing copy, helping with branding, etc.) have helped at least as much as my donations.
This only works for smaller charities, however. Volunteers at large non-profits rarely see the workings above middle management level, and it's hard to judge operations via a manager or two.
Even when mainstream media was covering Iran's post-election movement (insofar as it ever was, with few or no reporters on the ground), they were perpetually 12 hours behind the frontline Twitter feeds and Iranian news sites. Now that the news has become All Michael Jackson All The Time, we're not even getting late-ish scraps. So let me update you with a few impressions and predictions based on what I've been reading all along. None of this seems to have been reported here:
1. In the past day or so, the reformist clerics and politicians are banding together and emboldening their condemnation of the regime.
2. There are many rumors circulating that the regime is about to make an unprecedented about-face and greatly soften their anti-reformist rhetoric - a real breakthrough.
3. Many hardliners both in and out of power are thought to be opportunists, and will switch sides if the wind starts blowing the other way.
4. "Real" election numbers have been cited indicating that Mousavi won by an enormous landslide. I have yet to find an explanation of how these figures were attained, however.
5. I reported here over a week ago that many of the thuggish Basij militia who appeared to be savagely beating their own countrymen were actually paid Hezbollah mercenaries. That revelation is slowly but steadily gaining ground, and it remains to be seen what this will mean for Hezbollah's attempt to transform into a mature, responsible political party or for Iranian attitudes re: the Palestinian conflict.
6. Evidence has been gradually mounting that the Revolutionary Guard, staunch supporters of Ahmadinejad, is a more powerful and independent player than many had realized. Religious leaders like Koumenei may, in the end, find themselves unable to control those guys. If, as now appears just a bit more likely, the mullahs capitulate, things could actually get far worse.
Check out some fresh discussion of the administration's rhetoric during the Iranian crackdown in the comments to this posting....including the following observation about yesterday's news:
"Finally, WTF is going on with Biden giving a public green light to Israel to nuke Iran? Is this just another idiotic Biden slip, or is there a conceivable strategic reason to offer Supreme Leader this shiny precious gift? And, anyway, who is the United States to pronounce on which countries have the right to attack other countries? I thought we were beyond that sort of arrogance??"
In case you missed it, this tough Vanity Fair article is said to have stoked some of the pressure on Sarah Palin this week. Money quote:
"Andrew Halcro [a former political opponent] later remembered that he and Palin once compared notes about their many encounters, and she said, “Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I’m amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, Does any of this really matter?'"
Stephen Hawking believes we've entered a new phase of evolution. Seems a little dubious to me, and Professor Hawking is obviously a physist, not an evolutionary biologist, but, hey, it's Stephen Hawking, so this is worth a read and serious consideration.
This one's a view rather than a read, but it's abundantly worth ten minutes of your time. I've done much reading about the current Iran situation, slowly adding pieces to the puzzle, but the remarkable Brazilian investigative journalist Pepe Escobar tears it all open, providing background info not easily found elsewhere, in this video for The Real News Network:
