Mousavi: We Must Change Course

Maryam Zolfeghar - journalist IRNA - arrested today - #Iranelection 1 minute ago from web

Mousavi - http://bit.ly/fmvIZ - #Iranelection RT RT RT 10 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - no matter what the reaction of the Gov - the Bazaar will close or be at standstill - #Iranelection RT RT RT 19 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - There is nothing to fear - if asked - YOU ARE ONLY GOING SHOPPING - #Iranelection RT RT RT 21 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - the objective is to bring Tehran to standstill - millions of people go shopping but NOBODY SHOPPING - #Iranelection RT RT RT 22 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - do NOT wear green - dress normally - bring your children - if stopped u are ONLY going shopping - #Iranelection RT RT RT 23 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - stop all work and travel with friends & family toward Tehran Bazaar every day at 9am - #Iranelection breaking news 24 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - From Today every morning at 9am WE ALL travel to Tehran Bazaar - whatever reaction from Gov - Bazaar will close #Iranelection RT 25 minutes ago from web

Mousavi - We will not expend any more energy talking to the Gov in the streets - we must change course #Iranelection breaking news RT RT RT 26 minutes ago from web

reports that Bazaars throughout main Iranian cities were mostly closed today for unofficial strike - #Iranelection

link: persiankiwi (persiankiwi) on Twitter

Mahsouli Summoned to Parliament to "Answer Questions"

Iran’s Press TV reports that the country’s Interior Minister, Sadeq Mahsouli, has been “summoned” to the country’s Parliament to answer questions about his reaction to the post-election protests. Press TV adds that the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Ali Larijani, has reportedly called for state television to allow “the voice of the people who have taken to the streets in millions” to be heard.

link: Latest Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com

Iran: Bullet Fee

Upon learning of his son’s death [evidently collateral damage of the Tehran rioting], the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a “bullet fee”—a fee for the bullet used by security forces—before taking the body back, relatives said. Mr. Alipour told officials that his entire possessions wouldn’t amount to $3,000, arguing they should waive the fee because he is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. According to relatives, morgue officials finally agreed, but demanded that the family do no funeral or burial in Tehran. Kaveh Alipour’s body was quietly transported to the city of Rasht, where there is family.

link: Latest Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com

The Islamic Republic, Naked at Last

Roger Cohen writes:

During one of the violent clashes here in recent days, I saw a member of the riot police confront a protester holding a cell phone. “Don’t take a photograph of me!” he yelled at the young man.

“Why?” the man shouted back. “You’re not naked.”

But the Islamic Republic is. Everyone knows where everyone stands; it isn’t pretty. All the fudge that allowed a modern society to coexist with a theocracy inspired by an imam occulted in the 9th century has been swept away, leaving two Irans at war.

link: GLOBALIST - The End of the Beginning - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Iran: Unified Front

Although outsiders may be cheering on the idea of people power, there is no sign yet that any part of the military will switch sides, analysts said, and the government retains plenty of reserve forces to quell protests.

“What matters is what happens around the commander table within the Revolutionary Guards, and we are not privy to that,” noted one United States-based scholar, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he researches in Iran. “We are not seeing any dissension, nothing in their press, nothing in their statements — and they have not publicly gone to visit Moussavi,” he said, referring to the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi.

link: Layers of Armed Forces Wielding Power of Law - NYTimes.com

O Arizona: Sheriff Joe is Costing You Money

Yvonne Wingett and Craig Harris report:

Disputes among Maricopa County officials over the past 11 months have cost taxpayers $1.1 million in fees, according to an analysis released Monday by the Office of Management and Budget.

The fees include billings to date for six legal actions, cases in which Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, County Treasurer Charles Hoskins and the Board of Supervisors have fought each other in court. The money includes costs associated with a grand-jury proceeding focused on the $340 million court-tower project.

Like all government in the current economy, the county's budget is tight. On Monday, the supervisors adopted a $2.1 billion budget for fiscal 2010, reflecting a $122 million reduction from 2009. Administrators expect that 200 employees will lose their jobs during the early part of the fiscal year. According to County Manager David Smith, that $1.1 million in legal fees could fund 20 low-level county jobs.

link: County feud costs taxpayers $1.1 million

O Arizona: A Country Boy Can Survive, but Where Is That Cave, Exactly?

Ryan Randazzo reports:

At least two survival-related groups have formed in Phoenix since December, and groups with varying outlooks and politics have sprouted nationally from Kentucky to New York.

Of course, it's not unheard of for mainstream groups to prepare for emergencies. The Mormon Church, which reports 13.5 million members worldwide, has long counseled self-sufficiency and encourages families to keep a prudent supply of food on hand.

Disasters such as hurricanes and 9/11, and even perceived troubles like the Y2K bug, always increase interest in survivalism. The men behind the counters at U.S. Surplus Corp. in Phoenix see a crush of new customers every time tragedy strikes.

The newbies stand out from the military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts who stop in for rugged clothing, rations or canteens.

"They are the ones trying to fix up a cave to live in," store manager Gary Pickering said. "They are asking a lot of questions and buying things they normally wouldn't, like water-purification tablets."

link: Survivalism grows popular in Valley

Print vs. Digital: Round 2

Who says print is dead? Koji Suzuki, the Tokyo-based author of smash-hit horror novels like the “The Ring,” has found a new publishing medium: toilet paper. Suzuki has teamed with Hayashi Paper Company, which makes novelty printed paper products for public restrooms, to manufacture rolls of toilet tissue stamped with a nine-chapter horror novella called “Drop.”

link: Novel Idea | Bathroom Reading - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com