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Skip to comments.Iranian Alert - December 20, 2004 [EST] FBI Catches Iranian Surveillance Teams Red-handed in US
Posted on 12/19/2004 9:06:58 PM PST by DoctorZInEdited on 12/20/2004 10:29:05 AM PST by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Top News Story
Tehran Accuses Israel after FBI Catches Iranian Surveillance Teams Red-handed
Excerpt from DEBKA-Net-Weekly 186 Updated by DEBKAfile
December 20, 2004, 9:46 PM (GMT+02:00)
Iranian Intelligence and Security Ministry ordered surveillance of Israeli diplomatic missions
To subscribe to DEBKA-Net-Weekly click HERE .
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman announced Sunday December 19 that intelligence minister Ali Younessi would soon report to the government on an eight-member spy ring that gathered information for Israel. No further information was offered about the identities of the spies, the nature of the information they had gathered or when.
DEBKAfiles intelligence sources classify this vague, unverifiable charge as a typical Iranian exercise to cover up a fiasco. (Only recently they claimed to have put unnamed al Qaeda terrorists on trial.) It came two days after DEBKA-Net-Weekly broke the story that Iranian and Iran-sponsored surveillance teams has been discovered hanging about outside Israels diplomatic missions in the United States, South America, West Europe and the Middle East. Team members rounded up by the American FBI and Egyptian intelligence in the last ten days admitted under interrogation that they were collecting information for Iranian intelligence.
Here is an excerpt from the DEBKA-Net-Weekly exclusive:
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak gave Israels trade and industry minister Ehud Olmert some disturbing news on Tuesday, December 14, when the two countries signed an accord that grants certain Egyptian exports duty-free status in the United States.
The day before the Israeli ministers arrival in Cairo, Egyptian security services arrested a group of Egyptian Islamic fundamentalists carrying out surveillance of the Israeli embassy in Cairo and monitoring the movements of Israeli diplomats and their families in the city. They told their interrogators they were working for Iran.
Jerusalem was not bowled over by this friendly tip from the Egyptian president.
DEBKA-Net-Weeklys counter-terrorism sources report that foreign intelligence services have been telling Israel since late November that Iranian spy teams have been spotted outside Israeli missions in various parts of the world, including one nabbed by the FBI watching Israeli consulates in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston. It was made up of Iranian Americans, Arab and Pakistani students - some of them US citizens, and all activists belonging to Muslim fundamentalist groups.
They were perfectly aware that the data sent to Iranian intelligence was intended for use in hostage taking and bombing attacks against Israeli missions.
The notion of Tehran-instigated terrorist strikes in the middle of Americas main cities struck alarm in US intelligence agencies and Homeland Security department. Clearly, operations of this magnitude could not have been planned without top-level sanction from spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or without the presence in America of an operational network. Although assigned with striking Israeli consulates, there is nothing to stop this network from expanding its mission to American strategic targets as well.
Of particular concern are the close ties evolving between Iranian intelligence and al Qaeda cells based inside the Islamic republic. US intelligence sources have learned that Khamenei in person has created a new clandestine umbrella organization for bringing together as an arm of his bureau all the al Qaeda-linked groups and likeminded movements.
US intelligence experts are certain that data gathered for Tehran by the captured Iranian surveillance team may well have reached al Qaeda, some of it passed deliberately. Osama bin Ladens organization is believed to be plotting a major attack in the United States. The Islamic Republic is in the habit of using proxies for its terror campaigns, like the Lebanese Hizballah against Israeli targets. That Al Qaeda operatives are harbored in Iran and run cells in many countries make it a natural partner-in-terror.
In the wake of the round-up of Iranian teams, al Qaeda cells were also picked up in Brussels, Amsterdam, Madrid and the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo. Hizballah surveillance teams were rounded up in parts of West Europe.
The US interrogation of the Iranian surveillance team and sightings of other watchers have led Israeli intelligence and security chiefs to conclude that Tehran was plotting simultaneous terrorist strikes across America and other parts of the world, blowing up Israeli missions and Jewish centers and taking hostages in several places at once. The captured team may even have been feeding deeply buried terrorist cells set up to carry out this string of assaults and still at large.
Israel has accordingly put all its embassies, consulates and other missions, as well as airlines, shipping companies and overseas company offices on high terror alert. Security has also been stepped up at overseas Jewish institutions and schools.
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Report: Iran says it has uncovered spy ring for Israel
By Haaretz Service
Iran said Sunday its intelligence services have uncovered a spy ring that collected intelligence information for Israel, according to a report by Israel Radio's Persian language program.
Israel Radio said that eight Iranian citizens have been arrested on suspicion of connection with the alleged spy ring.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the affair was serious, but did not disclose whether or not those arrested are Jewish.
Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian is slated to release more details at a later date.
In 1999, Iran indicted 13 of its citizens, most of them Jewish, on charges they were part of an Israeli spy ring. They were tried in a closed Islamic court in 2000, and 10 were handed prison terms.
The last of the ten were released before the completion of their prison terms, following intense pressure and widespread condemnation from human rights groups and Western governments.
Iraq detains 45 illegal visitors from IranAssociated Press
Baghdad, December 19
Iraqi police detained 45 people claiming to be Iranian, Afghani and Bangladeshi after illegally crossing from neighbouring Iran, while American troops said on Sunday they captured eight Iraqis fleeing the scene of a roadside bomb blast.
The 45 detainees were captured at Mandali, on the Iranian border 97 kilometres east of Baghdad, on Saturday, Iraqi Police said.
The detainees, all men ranging in age from early 20s to 60s, claimed to be Muslim pilgrims and entered Iraq from Iran without any identity documents.
US soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division detained eight males fleeing the scene of a roadside bomb explosion near Beiji, 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, late on Saturday.
Military spokesman Master Sergeant Robert Powell said the soldiers captured the men after witnessing the explosion, but said it was unclear if the patrol was the target of the blast. No US casualties were sustained.
At least two other unexploded homemade bombs were found in the area, the military said.
Iran-EU nuke deal moving forward
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Iran said Sunday that a European delegation was to visit the country after the New Year holidays to discuss construction of a "research" nuclear reactor in the Islamic republic.
"A European delegation will come to Iran after the January holidays to discuss details of this issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters during a weekly news briefing.
The visit follows Iran`s agreement with the Europeans in Paris last month to suspend uranium enrichment activities in return for a package of trade, technology and security incentives, including the EU`s assistance in the construction of a light-water power reactor in Iran.
Iran is already building a heavy-water reactor at the central city of Arak. The plant could produce more fissionable material such as weapons-grade plutonium, giving rise to international concerns that the project could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
Simultaneously, the country's first nuclear power plant is under construction in the southern port city of Bushehr with Russian assistance under an $800 million deal. The controversial project is planned to come on stream in early 2006 at the latest, according to comments by Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev on Friday.
Moscow has, so far, resisted U.S. pressure to abandon the project, saying it has the right to push ahead with the completion of the plant, but demanding at the same time that Iran return all spent fuel to Russia. However, no formal agreement on the issue has yet been reached between the two countries.
In a meeting in Moscow on Thursday with Iran's Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Safdar Husseini, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country was ready to build new nuclear power plants for Iran, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
Referring to recent talks between Iran and the E3 -- Britain, France and Germany -- in Brussels, Asefi said Iran and the Europeans held their first nuclear committee session on Friday and discussed their "peaceful nuclear cooperation" as well as "tangible guarantees" on the implementation of their agreements.
"Preliminary discussions were held concerning the equipment used in the Bushehr power plant and other nuclear facilities, and it was agreed that such negotiations would continue," he said.
"Talks were also held on tangible guarantees which (are reflected in) the principles of the safeguards and non-proliferation treaties. It was agreed that we reach an understanding on these two subjects so that both we receive our due rights and the Europeans' concerns are removed," he added.
The two sides, however, will hold their "political and security" session Tuesday, Asefi said.
Iranian officials have, at times, warned against the prolongation of talks, with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi saying earlier last week that his country had "no interest in wasting time" and was trying to "assess the talks trend after three months to see if negotiations could guarantee Iran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes."
Iran has also been invited for the first time to a session of the 25-member club of the countries mastering the nuclear-fuel cycle, according to a quote from Asefi by the news agency IRNA.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at power generation, strongly rejecting U.S. claims that the program is a front to build atomic bombs.
Uranium enrichment is allowed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory, and the country wants it as part of its efforts to master a nuclear fuel cycle.
The EU incentives reportedly include a guaranteed supply of reactor fuel and a resumption of stalled trade talks.
Several rounds of talks on a mutual trade and cooperation agreement had been held between the two sides before Iran`s nuclear issue was catapulted into the center of their talks.
The EU-Iran talks began after the reformist President Mohammad Khatami came to power in May 1997, with the EU taking up a policy of "comprehensive dialogue" with the Islamic republic in the form of biannual Troika meetings on political and economic issues.
The political part of the dialogue covers issues regarding conflicts, including in the Middle East, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights and terrorism.
On the economic front, the European Union is exploring possibilities for cooperation with Iran in energy, trade and investment as well as refugees and drugs control.
The EU is Iran`s biggest trading partner, with oil accounting for over 80 percent of Tehran`s exports to the Union. Iran also sells agricultural products -- mainly pistachios -- as well as textiles and carpets to the EU.
Thanks Dr.Zin. I get a chuckle out of these reports. Iran is developing nuclear weapons and we're supposed to be shocked that Israel has spy teams on the case. Yeah, this is breaking news. Note to Iran, you boys are about to get your lunch handed to you. I guess that will be a surprise too.
Boy, this was a tough call hugh Phil. This is an audible no respectable coach would object to.
How do you say 'heap big crater' in Farsi?
Iran Shows Persian Gulf Historical Maps
Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran unveiled a collection of historical maps on Sunday in a bid to prove the legitimacy of calling its neighboring sea the Persian Gulf instead of the "Arabian Gulf" as it also is listed in the new world atlas by National Geographic.
Last month, Iran banned the sale of National Geographic Society publications to protest the "Arabian Gulf" inclusion. The issue also has caused widespread protests by intellectuals, historians, students across Iran, formerly Persia.
Identification of the Gulf region and various parts within it has long been a sensitive topic for Iran, which believes that there has been a pan-Arabist campaign since the 1950s - led by late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and followed by deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein - to call the sea the "Arabian Gulf."
Iran considers use of that term an affront to its sovereignty.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, who inaugurated the exhibition of ancient and historical maps Sunday, said the name of the Persian Gulf cannot be changed.
"Presenting historical evidences here is merely for the sake of reiteration," Kharrazi said.
The exhibition included a 1990 atlas released by National Geographic that identifies the sea as the Persian Gulf and the islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs as owned by Iran.
In its eighth edition atlas released in October, National Geographic used the term "Arabian Gulf" alongside "Persian Gulf" and referred to the islands as "occupied" by Iran and "claimed" by the United Arab Emirates.
In a Dec. 8 statement on its Web site, National Geographic said it was aware of the sensitivities of the issue and had held "constructive and informative" discussions with individuals and organizations representing Iranian and Persian interests.
"These meetings have also given us an opportunity to affirm our long-standing position that the Persian Gulf is the historic and most commonly used name for the body of water southwest of Iran," the statement said.
It said the company was reviewing ways to further clarify notations on map products and services.
Earlier, it had defended the atlas, saying it recognized the Persian Gulf as the primary name but used the "Arabian Gulf" alongside it to make is easier for users searching for that designation.
The Tehran exhibition displayed about 100 historical maps, including a 1952 Arabic map printed in Saudi Arabia that identifies the sea as "Persian Gulf."
"As all of us are aware, the United Nations in two documents issued respectively in 1971 and 1984 has declared the Persian Gulf as the official name of the sea," Kharrazi said. Also attending the exhibition were foreign diplomats based in Tehran.
Iranian researchers and historians have launched a campaign to defend the Persian Gulf name, and youths are also collecting signatures through the Internet to support the campaign.
"Intellectuals, researchers and everybody who respects preserving historical names can't remain silent to such a clear distortion of facts. Iranian researchers are working through articles and scientific evidence to defend the name of the Persian Gulf," political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand said.
45 arrested in Iraq while crossing from Iran
Iraqi police arrested 45 men for illegally trying to enter the country through its border with Iran.
Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they captured eight Iraqis fleeing the scene of a roadside bomb.
The police said that the 45 men were arrested late Saturday at Mandali, on the Iranian border 60 miles east of the Iraqi capital. The detainees had no identity documents but said they were Muslim pilgrims coming from Iran, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. Their age ranged from early 20s to 60s.
Also U.S. soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division captured eight men fleeing a roadside bombing late Saturday near Beiji, about 150 miles north of Baghdad.
Master Sgt. Robert Powell said the soldiers arrested the eight men after they saw the blast, however he said that it wasnt clear if the patrol was the target. There was no word of casualties among the Americans.
Also the U.S. military said it found two unexploded homemade bombs in same area.
Anti-occupation rebels have launched several roadside attacks targeting U.S.-led forces to force them leave the country.
During the late night raid, U.S. occupation forces also seized thousands of dollars, 15 personal computers and a range of communications equipment.
10 U.S. firm's workers kidnapped in Iraq
Meanwhile 10 employees for Sandi Group were kidnapped in Iraq, a security source in Baghdad confirmed on Sunday .
The Associated Press Television News aired a videotape showing four masked militants holding 10 Iraqi hostages from the company.
The Associated Press reported that the armed men who appeared in the video, said they would kill the 10 hostages if their employer doesn't leave Iraq. They also threatened to launch more attacks on its Iraqi operations.
In the video, nine blindfolded men appeared lined up against a stone wall and another one lying down; apparently wounded, together with a group of armed men covering their faces with Arab head scarves, and holding machine guns.
The Sandi Group -- which is headquartered in the U.S. -- employs 7,000 in Iraq and provides security, transportation, lodging and translation services in the country.
Chad Knauss, an American and deputy chief operations officer of Sandi Group in Iraq, refused to comment on the report.
Wow...could it be that those in charge of US intelligence and Homeland Security are morons??
Pilgrims. Sure.
Hah hah ha...
Pretty good!
Thank you. :^D
December 20, 2004
Iran-EU Nuke Deal Moving Forward
Modher Amin
TEHRAN -- Iran said Sunday that a European delegation was to visit the country after the New Year holidays to discuss construction of a "research" nuclear reactor in the Islamic republic.
"A European delegation will come to Iran after the January holidays to discuss details of this issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters during a weekly news briefing.
The visit follows Iran`s agreement with the Europeans in Paris last month to suspend uranium enrichment activities in return for a package of trade, technology and security incentives, including the EU`s assistance in the construction of a light-water power reactor in Iran.
Iran is already building a heavy-water reactor at the central city of Arak. The plant could produce more fissionable material such as weapons-grade plutonium, giving rise to international concerns that the project could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
Simultaneously, the country's first nuclear power plant is under construction in the southern port city of Bushehr with Russian assistance under an $800 million deal. The controversial project is planned to come on stream in early 2006 at the latest, according to comments by Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev on Friday.
Moscow has, so far, resisted U.S. pressure to abandon the project, saying it has the right to push ahead with the completion of the plant, but demanding at the same time that Iran return all spent fuel to Russia. However, no formal agreement on the issue has yet been reached between the two countries.
In a meeting in Moscow on Thursday with Iran's Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Safdar Husseini, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country was ready to build new nuclear power plants for Iran, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
Referring to recent talks between Iran and the E3 -- Britain, France and Germany -- in Brussels, Asefi said Iran and the Europeans held their first nuclear committee session on Friday and discussed their "peaceful nuclear cooperation" as well as "tangible guarantees" on the implementation of their agreements.
"Preliminary discussions were held concerning the equipment used in the Bushehr power plant and other nuclear facilities, and it was agreed that such negotiations would continue," he said.
"Talks were also held on tangible guarantees which (are reflected in) the principles of the safeguards and non-proliferation treaties. It was agreed that we reach an understanding on these two subjects so that both we receive our due rights and the Europeans' concerns are removed," he added.
The two sides, however, will hold their "political and security" session Tuesday, Asefi said.
Iranian officials have, at times, warned against the prolongation of talks, with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi saying earlier last week that his country had "no interest in wasting time" and was trying to "assess the talks trend after three months to see if negotiations could guarantee Iran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes."
Iran has also been invited for the first time to a session of the 25-member club of the countries mastering the nuclear-fuel cycle, according to a quote from Asefi by the news agency IRNA.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at power generation, strongly rejecting U.S. claims that the program is a front to build atomic bombs.
Uranium enrichment is allowed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory, and the country wants it as part of its efforts to master a nuclear fuel cycle.
The EU incentives reportedly include a guaranteed supply of reactor fuel and a resumption of stalled trade talks.
Several rounds of talks on a mutual trade and cooperation agreement had been held between the two sides before Iran`s nuclear issue was catapulted into the center of their talks.
The EU-Iran talks began after the reformist President Mohammad Khatami came to power in May 1997, with the EU taking up a policy of "comprehensive dialogue" with the Islamic republic in the form of biannual Troika meetings on political and economic issues.
The political part of the dialogue covers issues regarding conflicts, including in the Middle East, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights and terrorism.
On the economic front, the European Union is exploring possibilities for cooperation with Iran in energy, trade and investment as well as refugees and drugs control.
The EU is Iran`s biggest trading partner, with oil accounting for over 80 percent of Tehran`s exports to the Union. Iran also sells agricultural products -- mainly pistachios -- as well as textiles and carpets to the EU.
Iranian daily asks government to freeze nuclear talks with EUTEHRAN, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- A conservative Iranian daily on Monday called on the government to pull out from negotiations with the European Union over nuclear issues unless the Europeans relinquished "policies of demands and new terms."
Jomhouri Islami newspaper said in it editorial today that the European side have broken promises made to Tehran to abide by the Paris Accord.
It called on Britain a leading member of the European Troika, to refrain from meeting US demands and impose what the American administration wants.
The paper lashed out at Britain as the part that wanted to gradually embarrass Tehran, noting that Iran always faces new demands and terms.
The paper criticized Iran's agreement to negotiate with the European Union instead of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a "political mistake," a move that allowed other countries, like the United States, to intervene through its links with the Europeans.
Freedom in Farsi blogsTens of thousands of Iranians have embraced weblogs as a way to access the forbidden and challenge the sanctioned, writes N Alavi
Monday December 20, 2004
An image by Iranian photographer Shadi Yousefian vividly portrays the dual identity experienced by young people in Iran
In September 2001, a young Iranian journalist, Hossein Derakhshan, devised and set up one of the first weblogs in his native language of Farsi. In response to a request from a reader, he created a simple how-to-blog guide in Farsi, thereby setting in motion a community's surreal flight into free speech; online commentaries that the leading Iranian author and blogger, Abbas Maroufi, calls our "messages in bottles, cast to the winds".
With an estimated 75,000 blogs, Farsi is now the fourth most popular language for keeping online journals. A phenomenal figure given that in neighbouring countries such as Iraq there are less than 50 known bloggers.
The internet has opened a new virtual space for free speech in a country dubbed the "the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle East", by Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF). Through the anonymity and freedom that weblogs can provide, those who once lacked voices are at last speaking up and discussing issues that have never been aired in any other media in the Islamic world. Where else in Iran could someone dare write, as the blogger Faryadehmah did, "when these mullahs are dethroned ... it will be like the Berlin wall coming down ..."?
In the last five years up to 100 media publications, including 41 daily newspapers, have been closed by Iran's hardline judiciary. Yet today, with tens of thousands of Iranian weblogs there is an alternative media that for the moment defies control and supervision of speech by authoritarian rule. Even though the subject matter of many weblogs may seem tame by universal standards, most surpass the limitations imposed by state censorship. There is an endless variety of bloggers who are fans of everything from Harry Potter to Marilyn Manson.
Yet to find these digital depictions of youth culture superficial would be to forget that self-expression is a rare privilege in Iran. These commentaries vividly bear witness to a reality that Iranian youth are almost fixated with the culture they are being deprived of. They offer a glimpse of a society where, for some, David Beckham, lipstick and St Valentine's Day celebrations have become cherished symbols of freedom.
Like an invisible conveyor belt running through the rejections of the ministry of culture, banned material eventually ends up on the internet. In Iranian blogsphere you can even download hand-typed abstracts from the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, who was the subject of a fatwa, or death order, issued by the late Ayatollah Khomeini.
While for some blogging allows them to revel in the forbidden, for others it's a way of organising action and spreading the word. As RSF's 2004 Internet Under Surveillance report states: "Weblogs are much used at times of crisis, such as during the June 2003 student demonstrations, when they were the main source of news about the protests and helped the students to rally and organise".
In the aftermath of last year's earthquake in Bam, with well over 20,000 deaths, the Iranian weblog community was totally immersed in the currents of a national disaster. Bloggers were busy through a variety of non-government organisations sorting out their own collections points and the transportation of aid; notifying their virtual community of the whereabouts of survivors relocated to hospitals in urban centres; organising hospital visits, charity sales and recruiting volunteers.
In April 2003, when Sina Motallebi, a web-journalist, was imprisoned, Iran became the first government to take direct action against bloggers. Sina's arrest was only the beginning and many more bloggers and online journalists have been arrested since. As RSF puts it: "In a country where the independent press has to fight for its survival on a daily basis, online publications and weblogs are the last media to fall into the authorities' clutches ... through arrests and intimidation, the Iranian authorities are now trying to spread terror among online journalists".
Recent reports have also suggested that the authorities are seeking to implement a national intranet, which would separate Iran from the world wide web. But technological trends may be working in favour of free speech, as even China has not been able to fully contain the free flow of information.
Paradoxes seem central to Iran, where a political ethos of education for the masses has forbidden all forms of free expression. It remains to be seen for how long a small group of ageing clerics can impose their designs of a radical state on a predominantly educated society where 70% of the population under 30 has no memory of the revolution.
Iranian weblogs allow us to eavesdrop on the personal conversations of a closed society, providing a unique momentary glimpse into the inner struggles that a burgeoning young population face, the steady shift of an ideological state, and a revolution within the revolution. As the political satirist and star of Iranian blogsphere, Ebrahim Nabavi, puts it: "After 25 years fortunately we have exported our revolutionary ideas to the whole world ... Europe, America and Asia ... but we have exported all of it ... so there is none left at home ... but the leaders of our country cannot be bothered to announce this to the world".
· N Alavi author of IranBlog was born in Iran. After attending university in the UK and working in the city of London and academia she returned to her birthplace working for an NGO for a number of years. Today she lives in the UK.
Two face death after Iran morality trialHuman rights groups urge Britons to help save abused women from execution by hanging and stoning
David Smith
Sunday December 19, 2004
The Observer
Two women convicted of crimes against morality in Iran are facing imminent execution, one by being buried up to her chest and stoned, Amnesty International said last night.
One of the women, a 19-year-old with a mental age of eight who was forced into prostitution by her mother, is to be flogged and executed. An official said yesterday he was waiting for orders on whether to stone or hang her. The other woman was convicted of adultery and is due to be stoned to death this month in accordance with Iran's severe penal code.
Amnesty issued an urgent warning that time was running out for both women and urged the international community to tackle Iran over its executions of women and child offenders. In August another mentally ill girl, 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi, was hanged in a street for having sex before marriage.
The 19-year-old, known as 'Leyla M', was a prostitute by the age of eight and was raped repeatedly, according to a Tehran newspaper report. She gave birth when aged nine and was sentenced to 100 lashes for prostitution at about the same time. When she was 12 her family sold her to an Afghan to be his 'temporary wife', while her mother became her new pimp, 'selling her body without her consent', the report said.
At 14 she became pregnant again, receiving a further 100 lashes before giving birth to twins. When her temporary marriage ended, her family sold her again, to a 55-year-old man who was married with two children and did not object to Leyla's clients coming to his house.
Last month, Leyla, appearing at a court in the central Iranian city of Arak, was sentenced to death on charges of 'acts contrary to chastity' by controlling a brothel, having intercourse with blood relatives and giving birth to an illegitimate child. The sentence has now been passed to the supreme court for confirmation. She apparently 'confessed' and faces being flogged before being executed.
Iran has executed at least three child offenders in 2004 and 11 others are believed to have been sentenced to death, according to Amnesty. Under the penal code, girls as young as nine and boys as young as 15 can be executed.
Interviewed by an Iranian journalist in her cell, Leyla was asked if she understood she was to be put to death. 'Yes, that's what they are saying,' she replied. 'But people in prison say this is a lie. They want to frighten you a bit.
'I haven't done anything. My mother told me to go to a man's house and I did. If she said don't, I wouldn't have. I was frightened. If I didn't listen to her, she would have harmed me. She beats me - my father, too.'
Asked when she was first forced to have sex, Leyla said: 'I was eight, the first time my mother took me to a man's house. It was a horrible night. I cried that night. Cried a lot. The day after she [my mother] came after me and took me home and bought chocolate and crisps for me.'
Leyla has been robbed of the consolation of spending time with her children. 'We used to play together before I went to prison. For some time they were with my mother and then they went to my father. I don't know where they are at the moment.'
She said of her father: 'He is a very bad-tempered man. He frightens me. But I liked him when he bought me goodies.'
Asked if her mother had visited her on death row, Leyla said: 'No, she hasn't. If you see my mother, tell her that she promised to bring me crisps and chocolate. Also tell her not to forget my red dress.'
Campaigners in Iran are compiling a petition against the execution, which they will present to the United Nations. Another group, the International Committee Against Stoning, is to meet officials of the European Union tomorrow in an attempt to build diplomatic pressure on Iran over the imminent execution of Hajieh Esmailvand, whose sentence for adultery was upheld by the supreme court and changed from death by hanging to death by stoning, before Tuesday. The man with whom Hajieh had the affair, who was 17 at the time, has been sentenced to death by hanging.
Mike Blakemore, of Amnesty International UK, said: 'Time is running out for Hajieh and Leyla, but it's still not too late. People in the UK can help stop these executions by writing to the Iranian authorities, letting them know that people around the world will not sit idly by and let this happen.
'But these horrific cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Every day women are subjected to terrifying violence, repression and abuse. Violence against women is a human rights atrocity and one we must tackle urgently.'
Under Iran's 'divinely ordained justice', girls as young as nine are charged with 'moral crimes'. The best that they can hope for is to die by hanging(Filed: 19/12/2004)
As one young woman awaits sentence and another faces death this week, Alasdair Palmer reveals the Iranian legal system's shocking barbarity towards children
"My mother doesn't visit me in prison. If you see her, tell her she promised to bring me cheese curls and chocolate. And she shouldn't forget to bring my red dress."
A protest against the regime in Iran
Those pathetic words may be among the last utterances of a 19-year-old girl, identified only as Leila M, who has been condemned to death in Iran for "acts incompatible with chastity".
According to Amnesty International, Leila has a mental age of eight. What evidence there is of her life so far records an existence of unrelieved misery and brutality.
She was sold into prostitution at the age of eight by her parents. She recalls the experience of when her mother "first took me to a man's house" as "a horrible night. I cried a lot but then my mum came the next day and took me home. She brought me chocolate and cheese curls."
Forced by beatings and threats to continue "visiting men" from that night onwards, she became pregnant and had twins when she was 14. She was punished with 100 lashes by the Iranian courts for giving birth to illegitimate children.
Leila was bullied back into her degrading and demeaning work. Earlier this year, she confessed to the authorities that she had been working as a prostitute since she was a child perhaps because she thought that they might help her escape her miserable existence.
The courts did respond by pulling Leila out of prostitution, but they also imprisoned her and used her confession to convict her of "moral crimes", for which the judges have decided the appropriate penalty is death.
They dismissed evidence from doctors and social workers that she has a severe mental handicap. This week, Iran's Supreme Court, which by law must confirm every death sentence imposed by the lower courts, will rule on whether to uphold her execution.
There is every indication that the Supreme Court will decide that Leila must die. Earlier this year, they upheld a sentence of death on 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi. Atefeh had also been convicted of "acts incompatible with chastity".
In her defence, she said she had been sexually assaulted by an older man. The judges did not care. So, on August 16, at 6am, Atefeh was taken from her cell and hanged from a crane in the main square of the town of Neka.
Witnesses report that she begged for her life as she was dragged kicking and screaming to the makeshift gallows. She shouted "repentance" over and over again a gesture which, according to Islamic law, is supposed to grant the accused the right to an immediate stay of execution while an appeal is heard.
Atefeh's cries were in vain. Haji Rezaie, the judge who presided over her trial, put the noose around her neck himself. He said he was pleased to do it. "Society has to be kept safe from acts against public morality," he insisted.
He ordered that her body be left hanging from the crane for several hours so people could see what happened to teenagers who "committed acts incompatible with chastity".
In the case of Hajieh Esmailvand, a young woman found guilty of adultery with an unnamed 17-year-old boy, the Supreme Court has not only confirmed the death sentence imposed by the lower court, but changed the means of death from hanging to execution by stoning.
Hajieh's original sentence had been for five years' imprisonment followed by death by hanging. A month ago, the Supreme Court annulled her jail sentence but only so that Hajieh could be stoned before December 21, and with the recommendation that she should be.
In the next two days, it seems likely that Hajieh will die from wounds caused by stones thrown by "executioners". The Iranian Penal Code states that women should be buried up to their breasts before being stoned. Article 104 is specific about the type of stones that should be used when a woman is to be punished for adultery. They "should not be large enough to kill the woman by one or two strikes, nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones". Hajieh will die slowly, in agony, buried in sand, as officials lob correctly sized stones at her head.
It is a fate that also awaits Zhila Izadyar, a 13-year-old girl from the northern province of Mazandaran. She has been sentenced to be stoned to death after her parents reported that she had had an incestuous relationship with her 15-year-old brother and had become pregnant by him.
Zhila has already received a "preliminary punishment" of 53 lashes. A representative from Iran's Society for the Protection of Children's Rights has managed to visit Zhila in prison. She found the 13-year-old in a desperate state, in solitary confinement and unable to keep down food. She has not been allowed to see her child.
"I am scared. I want to go home," said Zhila. "I want to go back to school like the other children." But if Iran's judges have their way, Zhila will see neither her school nor her home again. She will be buried up to her neck and the last thing she will see will be stones hurtling towards her head.
The barbarity towards children of the Iranian legal system is all the more surprising in that it contradicts the international legal obligations on the treatment of children, which the Iranian government has adopted. Iran is a signatory both to the International Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which explicitly forbid the execution of minors - let alone their killing by stoning.
Even Iran's chief justice has seemed to recognise that, although stoning is prescribed by Sharia law as the punishment for women who have sexual relations with men to whom they are not married, pelting a woman to death with rocks counts as excessively cruel.
Two years ago, he ruled that, while stonings should still be the nominal punishment for adultery and pre-marital sex, that sentence should be routinely commuted to execution by hanging.
It appears from the fate in store for Zhila Izadyar, however, that his commitment to the de facto abolition of stoning was about as sincere as the Iranian government's commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There are no plans to change any of the provisions of the Penal Code that relate to children, and which state that girls as young as nine can be executed (boys have to reach the age of 14 before they can be killed).
Many Iranians are revolted by the brutality and injustice of their judges' attitude to children. Shadi Sadr, an extremely brave lawyer who represents Atefeh Rajabi's family, has filed a suit against the judiciary for wrongful execution, and is preparing a murder charge against the judge who hanged her.
While fundamentalist mullahs still hold on to power in Iran, her suit is unlikely to succeed. Indeed, those who are disgusted by judicial decisions cannot even safely express their condemnation of a system that not only hangs children, but beats them to death in public: Kaveh Habibi-Nejad, a 14-year-old boy, suffered this fate on November 12 for eating on the streets during Ramadan. A witnesses said that they thought he died because "the metal cable being used to flog him hit his head".
Mahbobeh Abbasgholizadeh, an Iranian academic, was arrested on November 1 after having queried some aspects of Iranian justice in a speech she made at a conference. She was held for a month before being released and charged with "acting against the security of the country". If she is convicted, it could mean an indefinite prison sentence.
The European Union has said that it is ready to "intensify" political and economic ties with Iran if the Iranian government takes steps to allay international concerns over its involvement in terrorism and the abuse of human rights. But the Islamic administration seems to care more about protecting what many of the religious hierarchy regard as "divinely ordained justice" than achieving fresh political and economic concessions from the EU.
Britain, France and Germany, acting on behalf of the EU, have already agreed to further trade links with Iran, after Tehran agreed to suspend its uranium-enrichment process, which could yield material suitable for nuclear bombs.
For Hajieh Esmailvand and Zhila Izadyar, the prospects are bleak. The best they can hope for is to die by hanging rather than being stoned. As for the mentally retarded Leila M - she seems likely to hang in public before Christmas.
Yep, spying is standard practice when dealing with enemies, especially suicidal enemies that want to nuke Israel and the US. I wonder how shocked the MSM will be to find that the CIA was also spying on Iran. Personally, I think we or Israel shoulda gone in and done em. No negotiations, no UN bullsh*t.
Iran: Israel, U.S. Rigging Iraq ElectionMon Dec 20, 2004 09:24 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Israeli and U.S. agents were behind bombings in Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities of Kerbala and Najaf, Iran's Supreme Leader said Monday, accusing Tehran's arch-foes of trying to rig Iraq's elections for their own ends.
Shi'ite Muslim Iran was quick to condemn Sunday's car bombings in Najaf and Kerbala, which killed 66 people.
"I am sure Israeli and American spy services were behind these events. This is a plot which aims at keeping the Iraqis so busy that they will miss the exceptional chance to participate in the January 30 elections," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, speaking to Mecca pilgrimage organizers on state TV.
"The British and Americans want to hold elections on the surface but in reality they want to bring their own agents to power by holding superficial elections," added the Supreme Leader, who has the last word on all state matters.
Officials from oil-rich Iran have called for fully democratic elections next year in Iraq, where the majority of people are their Shi'ite coreligionists.
President Bush and Iraq's interim Defense Minister Hazim al-Shalaan have accused Iran of aiding al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and former agents of Saddam Hussein in inflaming pre-election violence.
Many analysts believe that the simmering violence in Iraq distracts Washington's gaze from Tehran.
Ayad Allawi: Iraq Defense Min's Iran , Syria Comments Not Govt View[Excerpt]
December 20, 2004
Dow Jones Newswires
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi distanced himself Monday from his defense minister's comments in which he accused Iran and Syria of supporting insurgents in Iraq, saying this did not represent the government's position.
Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan said Wednesday Iranian and Syrian intelligence agents, together with former operatives from Saddam Hussein's security forces, were cooperating with the al-Qaida group in Iraq led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Both Iran and Syria have denied the accusations saying they want to see a stable Iraq.
Asked to comment about Shaalan's statement, Allawi told reporters: "I have no comments. The minister of defense was talking from his own perspective, it's not represent the government attitude."
He declined to elaborate.
In July, Shaalan said Iran is Iraq's "first enemy" for allegedly supporting the insurgency against the U.S.-installed government. ...
12/19/04 - IRAN AND SYRIA MEDDLE IN IRAQThe following is an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government:
Officials of Iraqi's interim government say Iran and Syria are supporting terrorists in Iraq and trying to sway the national assembly elections set for January 30th. Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalann said that Iranian and Syrian intelligence agents, along with former operatives from Saddam Hussein's security forces, are cooperating with the al-Qaida in Iraq group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
President George W. Bush says that Iraqis should be allowed to determine their own future, without interference from either Iran or Syria:
"We have made it very clear to the countries in the neighborhood... that we expect there to be help in establishing a society in which people are able to elect their leaders; and that we expect people to work with the Iraqi interim government to enforce borders, to stop the flow of people and money that aim to help these terrorists. We've made that very clear. . . . And we will continue to make it clear to both Syria and Iran that...meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq is not in their interest."
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher says the United States has expressed its concerns directly to the governments of Iran and Syria:
"We are indeed seeing a variety of efforts by Iran to support groups or otherwise get involved in the internal affairs of Iraq. . . . Iran made a commitment to combat the flow of terrorists and support for terrorists across the Iranian border and to avoid any kind of interference in Iraq's internal affairs. . . .We think it's in the interests of all, including Iraq's neighbors, for people to respect the political transition and stabilization process and to help us succeed in Iraq, and we will continue to state very clearly our view that Iran needs to live up to those standards. . . . We've called on Syria to prevent its territory from being used by Baathists or former people associated with the regime to support the insurgency and we've called on them to return money and other assets that belong to the Iraqi people."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. will do "whatever is appropriate" to keep this kind of interference from affecting the course of events in Iraq.
Posted Sunday, December 19, 2004
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TEHRAN, 19 Dec. (IPS) The Islamic Republic is increasing brutal treatment of women in Iran despite calls from the European Union and international human rights organisations to pay more attention to the appalling human rights situation.
The Islam-based Judiciary, a power that like all other important organs of the regime is directly controlled by the leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, has ordered the death of at least four women in the last six months, all of them on charges of prostitution or attitude contrary to the Chariaa, or Islamic laws.
Hajjiyeh Esmailvand, a thirty years-old woman from the northern city of Jolfa, on the borders with neighbouring Azerbaijan, is the latest victim of Islamic laws, was sentenced to death on accusation of having a sexual relationship with an Azeri man.
Hajjiyeh Esmailvand, a thirty years-old woman is the latest victim of Islamic laws, being sentenced to stoning.
"Her (death) sentence is approved by the Supreme Court, but there are no orders to carry out the sentence. We do not yet know if it is by stoning or hanging", the British news agency Reuters quoted an official as having confirmed.
According to reports, Ms. Esmailvand was sentenced to five years imprisonment, to be followed by execution by stoning, for adultery with an unnamed man who at the time was a 17 year old minor. Although the exact date of her arrest and trial are not known, it is reported that she has been imprisoned in the town of Jolfa, in the north west of Iran, since January 2000, the London-based Amnesty International reported on the case.
The Iranian Penal Code is very specific about the manner of execution and types of stones which should be used. Article 102 states that men will be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts for the purpose of execution by stoning. Article 104 states, with reference to the penalty for adultery, that the stones used should not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes, nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones.
All death sentences in Iran must be upheld by the Supreme Court before they can be carried out. In November 2004, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Hajieh but changed the lower court's verdict from death by hanging to death by stoning. Reports suggest that the Supreme Court has ordered that the remainder of Hajiehs five year prison sentence be annulled so that the stoning sentence can be carried out before 21 December.
The news follows reports of a 18-year old girl, "Leyla M", who has a mental age of eight, reportedly facing imminent execution for "morality-related" offences in Iran after being forced into prostitution by her mother as a child.
Leyla was reportedly sentenced to death on charges of "acts contrary to chastity" by controlling a brothel, having intercourse with blood relatives and giving birth to an illegitimate child. She is to be flogged before she is executed. She had apparently confessed to the charges.
Leyla was forced into prostitution by her mother when she was eight years old, according to the 28 November report, and was raped repeatedly thereafter. She gave birth to her first child when she was nine, and was sentenced to 100 lashes for prostitution at around the same time. At the age of 12, her family sold her to an Afghan man to become his temporary wife.
His mother became her new pimp, selling her body without her consent. At the age of 14 she became pregnant again, and received a further 100 lashes, after which she was moved to a maternity ward to give birth to twins. After this "temporary marriage", her family sold her again, to a 55-year-old man, married with two children, who had Leylas customers come to his house.
Amnesty International UK Media Director Mike Blakemore said:
"This is an urgent case. Hejieh could be killed in the next five days if we do not act quickly. Our members here in the UK are writing to the Iranian authorities, imploring them to stop this brutal execution. Campaigners in Iran are also taking action. But we need more people to stand up and be counted, to tell the Iranian authorities that this is not acceptable.
A month earlier, Zhila Iazadi, 13, was sentenced to death by stoning on decision from a court in the Kurdish city of Marivan, after being found by her devout parents that she was pregnant from her 15 years-old brother.
However, the Supreme Court changed the original sentence into imprisonment after Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize alerted the international community while on a tour of Scandinavian nations.
Prior to this case, Atefeh Rajabi was hanged in August in the Caspian Sea port of Neka for sex before marriage.
The Iranian Penal Code is very specific about the manner of execution and types of stones which should be used.
The judge, a cleric, who hanged Atefeh himself in the citys main square insisted she was 20, but lawyers and diplomats who saw her death certificate confirmed that she was only 16.
Amnesty International is aware of at least one case in which a sentence of execution by stoning has reportedly been issued this year. According to a report on 8 January 2004 in the Iran newspaper, a criminal court in the city of Qazvin sentenced an unnamed man to 80 lashes and 10 years' imprisonment to be followed by execution by stoning. It is not known whether this sentence has been carried out.
Amnesty International believes that the death penalty is the most extreme form of torture. It is a cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and a violation of the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
It is clear that the punishment of stoning is designed to cause the victim grievous pain before leading to death. Such methods of execution specifically designed to increase the suffering of victims are of particular concern to Amnesty International, as the most extreme and cruel form of torture, the human rights organisation said.
One in three women around the world suffers serious violence in their lifetime, at home, in the community or in war, just because they are women, Amnesty International said, adding that the Organisation is running a global campaign to Stop Violence Against Women.
The human rights organisation is calling on governments to repeal laws that permit and encourage violence against women, and on communities to challenge attitudes that allow violence to continue. ENDS IRAN EXECUTIONS 191204
Editors note: For details of how to help stop the executions of Hajieh and Leyla M, please go to: www.amnesty.org.uk/action/
A nice convenient accident might set back the programs for a couple of years. We could clean up before that and be in a much safer position.
I agree Paul. We're going to give the wrong nation too much playing room one of these days, whether it be North Korea or Iran.
And when they do what they are bound to do, Jimmy Carter will be out there on the talk circuit making sure we're to blame for his coat tails.
It would appear that Iran hasn't learned.
A terrorist network based in Afghanistan launched the deadliest terror attack ever on America. 3 months later, Afghanistan's regime was removed from power.
Iran: You want to attack America? Go right ahead. Bring it on. Either you'll fail, or you'll be successful. 'Success' means your regime will be facing imminent destruction. In diplomat-speak, it is not in your interests to attempt an attack.
Another thing. I read that the terrorists, and former Saddam loyalists, and the usual suspects (Iran, Syria, etc.) are doing everything that they can to stop the election in Iraq. Meaning that for them, it is all or nothing. Which really isn't surprising. But I think it is plausible that Iran might have an incremental plan, such as:
1) Import terror to Iraq.
Option number 1 is having an effect, as President Bush admitted today. But not as much as the Iranians would like, I suspect.
2) Have one of their friends launch a massive terror attack.
Option number 2 is basically the Iraqi equivalent of 9/11 in terms of scale. Pull all their efforts together and try for one or two spectacular attacks. But, failing that, or if the elections are still on track (somehow, but if they pulled off such an attack, it might be quiet difficult to keep the elections on track)....
3) Have the Iranian military launch a full-scale invasion of Iraq. Iran would be giving up and taking care of business the old-fashioned way. Their troops would also be slaughtered by the Americans.
4) Iranian launches missles on multiple Iraqi cities, with conventional payloads. Iraq would be total chaos, and if the Americans were slow to launch a counter-strike (as I suspectthey would be), Iran would claim a propaganda victory. They might also claim possession of nuclear warheads for good measure.
or, the nightmare scenario...
5) Iran detonates a nuclear device in Baghdad. I recall a report that Iran's rulers want a device ready by January '05. The possibility that the report is valid is chilling, but then again it could be the Chalibi Syndrome. SO I don't know. But it is possible. But I would tend to rate it as "unlikely."
But, then again, the enemies of democracy and freedom are viciously desperate. January 30, 2005 is doomsday for them.
John Loftus tonight presented an intruiging scenario for taking down Iran (ultimately) in the 2005 timeframe, assuming the elections are successful.
1) Iraq goes to the UN (ignore that detail if you want, it's just a waste of time anyway), demands war against Syria for formenting the 'insurgency'. Let's assume that the UNSC says 'No way!' (the worst part of it is, Syria itself is on the Security Council! What madness...). Iraq invades Syria with 'assistance' from the US military. The US recovers Saddam's WMD's, thus restoring worldwide legitimacy to the war in Iraq. Since they are in Syria already, they take down the puppet Lebanon, and get the rest of the chem and bio WMD's. The coalition shuts the nuclear services Syria is providing for Iran, and retrieves the paperwork Syria doesn't destroy in time before the Marines knock on the door.
So, then, Iran is severed from its Islamic puppets/partners (they still have China, Russia, North Korea, etc.), and we have the incriminating evidence against Iran in full force. Which hopefully Annan and Co. can't ignore any longer. Loftus says that the White House told Israel, essentially, "Don't bother dealing with Assad anymore. His government won't be around much longer."
It's basically the backdoor strategy into Iran, in my mind. Hey, if it works, and soon enough, it's good enough for me. Just hope it is soon enough. If the whole thing works, there will be peace in Israel, at least for a time. Wow. Iraq isn't a clean affair. But, hey, neither was World War II.
I just hope that the elections go off smoothly. 40 days away now. Afghanistan couldn't have gone smoother. NO matter what happens in the next six weeks, we gotta have the elections. Won't be perfect. But the Democrats and the OCSE weren't satisfied with the election process of 2004.
What an insult. Europeans monitoring our election. The world would be a dark place without America.
The president says this will be liberty's century. Hey, he's doing his part. I just hope he won't be too late to avert a disaster.
Faster please.
But do it right!
This thread is now closed.
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text:
"Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better." - Unknown
Video from kari reid
"Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better." - Unknown
I surprised no one has commented here about all these reports of them dating again. But I personally never believe what they are writing about. And I don't think they ever broke up in the first place. Hmmm... only time will tell whats real and fake. I wish them the best in there lives.ReplyDelete
you should never listen to the stinkin so called "news" being reported on tv or tabloids, or rags/mags, whether it's positive or negative. The sell lies and gossip, they don't know the truth, they don't tell the truth, they exist to make money and to brainwash people, that is their sole purpose. These same fuckers who are saying positive things now are the same ones who tried their best to destroy Kristen and Robert nearly two months ago. So, turn a blind eye and ear to them and say fuck you! We can find our own truth.
Use your own brain and common sense to seek the truth. Don't let the media influence your own intelligent mind to assess a situation.
Totally agree. Certain gossip bloggers who kicked Kristen when she was down by disparaging her character and making her motivations suspect and fanning flames of hate are now proclaiming they know the "truth" and are kind enough to share it with us. And I say, fuck you, you know nothing.Delete
Amen @ TopazReplyDelete
I will believe it when confirmed by our Robsten blog masters!!!!!.....and not from the money making....manipulative....heartless.....fkrs.ReplyDelete
this video makes me cry really of joy , hope we the fans got no pictures or clues about if they are together but we believe in her love and that keep us with the hope!ReplyDelete
I really love that we can moderate the comments. Just declined 2 very nasty ones. Again, go and throw your hate some where else.... :)ReplyDelete
So happy to have found this place after Robstenation shut down :( That was a very very sad day, but I found you guys, and am so grateful for this site! We all need to be understanding and caring at these fan sites, people who are here should be here because they respect and admire Rob and Kristen, not spread hate or nasty words.
So again, thanks for this place!! :)
Hi Alma,
I actually found this site around the same time as that robstenation site. I very rarely commented on her site because I thought she was a little paranoid with moderating comments. One time, I posted something positive on her site, but I mentioned that I got the information from your site, and she never posted it. I did it again the next time, and she still never posted it. So I am not sad at all that she closed down her site, but very happy that you guys never gave up on Robert and Kristen. So keep up the good work, we rob and kristen fans really appreciate all the lovely updates.
@anonymous 3:06 Thank you for your sweet words, sweetie :) And I too love you guys so much. We couldn't turn our backs on them now that need us the most. :")Delete
@Topazemerald thanks sweetie for sticking around with us. Each of you that have stayed with us through this tough times are really speacial. I'm sure Rob and Kristen feel the same way :")Delete
This song could not be more perfect for them right now. One of my new faves!!!!!!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
Love this comment format much more than disqus! I hated disqus, it was always hard to sign on and never seemed to work right. Thanks @Robsten Dreams for switching :)ReplyDelete
You're welcome @anon6:33. We do think it's blogger friendly and very easy to manage. *hugs* PS. It'd be really awesome to know you guys' names :DDelete
Forgive my ignorance but how do you make up your name instead of Anonymous...i don't know how.
@anon 5:33am, You can log in using your google account, or if you choose name/url - you can put down your name/url (it can be your you tube adress, twitter or even tumblr). Right now im using my twitter one :)Delete
This blog is my daily Robsten multivitamin with energy drink. I miss them together so much and this is my fixed each day to go along.
I am ever grateful to find this site with all the awesomeness of the master moderators and oozing dedication not only for Rob and Kristen but for the fans like us.
Alma, you are 100% right, you cannot turn your back to someone who needed you most. I will always love you and respect you more for that.
We will all be hand in hand to CELEBRATE the day when Robsten comes back with a VENGEANCE...haters can only look and drool.
Thank you ...thank you.
My heart aches for them. I wish them the best.ReplyDelete
Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate <3
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Overview of New High-Availability Features in CUBRID 8.4.0
posted 6 years ago in CUBRID Life category by Esen Sagynov
Perhaps, the HA (High-Availability) feature is one of the most important in any fully-featured database management system. It refers to an ability to minimize system down time while continuing normal operation of service in the event of hardware, operating system, service, or network failure. This ability is a critical element in the network computing area where services should be provided 24/7. This is why it is one of the must-have Enterprise level features.
The CUBRID HA feature has a shared-nothing architecture and is based on transaction log replication which guarantees 100% database consistency between master and slave database servers. This is different from that of MySQL Replication, which is "asynchronous and does not guarantee that data from the master has been replicated to the slaves" (see MySQL HA). To perform synchronous replication in MySQL, users have to either purchase external solutions or use them under open source license terms. All-in-one CUBRID Database with built-in HA feature makes it easier for users to provide continuous high-availability and 100% data consistency.
There are two ways to configure the CUBRID HA to keep databases synchronized throughout multiple server systems:
1. Database Server Duplication
The Figure 1 shows a common HA configuration where a database server is duplicated (indicated as a node A and node B in the figure). In case a master database server (node A) fails, the requests failover to a stand-by server (node B), which becomes a master server. Once the failed server (previously master server) is recovered, it becomes the slave database server.
2. Broker Duplication
The Broker is a CUBRID-specific middleware which is a part of the CUBRID's 3-tier architecture. It relays the communication between the Database Server and external applications be it the CUBRID Manager, the JDBC or PHP Connectors. It provides functions including connection pooling, monitoring, and log tracing and analysis.
The Figure 2 shows another HA configuration where a broker is duplicated (indicated as a broker b1 and broker b2 in the figure). In case a broker b1 fails, the requests failover to a broker b2. Once the failed broker (broker b1) is recovered, the requests failback to the broker b1. Such configuration is only possible in database systems with a 3-tier architecture, which CUBRID represents.
CUBRID HA Development History
The CUBRID HA feature was first implemented in CUBRID version 2.0 based on the Linux Heartbeat daemon which allows clients to know about the presence or disappearance of peer processes on other machines. However the Linux Heartbeat, as an external package, was not optimized for CUBRID, thus, difficult to maintain.
Therefore, in CUBRID 2.2 the Development team has dropped the support for the Linux Heartbeat package and implemented the native CUBRID Heartbeat component with accent on reliability, integrity and ease of use. The CUBRID Heartbeat feature is included in the cub_master process. It exchanges heartbeat messages with cub_master processes of other nodes and executes failover on the standby server when a failure is detected. It also monitors the availability of the HA related processes (cub_server, copylogdb, applylogdb) on a regular basis. Thus, since version 2.2 the CUBRID HA feature is being developed completely in-house.
These days NHN Corporation, the largest CUBRID user, deploys CUBRID with HA mode enabled in 70% of all its CUBRID deployments.
HA Improvements in CUBRID 8.4.0
There are three major directions when it comes to improving the CUBRID HA feature in the 2008 R4.0 version. They are Convenience, Stability, and Functionality.
As the High-Availability feature is one of the most complex implementations of any database system, DBAs report many issues pertaining to much efforts to configure, deploy, and later analyze the logs. Therefore, the CUBRID HA in version 8.4.0 is meant to bring ease of configuration, administration, and use, so that any one-month-fresh DBA can enable the HA support for their CUBRID database servers.
Below is what the CUBRID HA Development Team has already performed for CUBRID 8.4.0.
- Revised configuration scripts that are easier to edit and reconfigure.
- Revised and added the CUBRID HA utilities - additional commands and tools to manage the HA feature.
- Revised all error codes and messages to display more comprehensible messages.
- Improved HA monitoring tool - the feature frequently requested by most DBAs.
- Improved HA logs representations to display readable outputs.
- Improved manual and documentations to facilitate DBAs' learning process and work.
For the sake of increased stability of the CUBRID HA feature, the HA Dev Team has performed intensive code refactoring, cleaning, and quality assurance. The internal algorithms are also modified and improved, especially for log duplication. For instance, see Figure 3.
CUBRID HA provides three copy modes for transaction log duplication:
- Sync mode (most stable mode with no data loss)
- Async mode (fast but with data loss)
- Semi-sync mode (mid-fast and no data loss)
The most important in the HA is its functionality. The HA feature in CUBRID 8.4.0 release will provide the following new features:
- New PHRO broker mode: PHRO (preferred host read only) is another RO mode, which enables the broker to lookup the prioritized hosts first before other hosts so that DBAs can easily control (configure) the connection order. As a result, there will be four broker modes: RW (read write), RO (read only), SO (slave only), and PHRO (preferred host read only).
- New M:S:R configuration: In CUBRID 8.4.0 there will be not only M:S (Master:Slave) but also M:S with multiple replicas. This configuration will provide much lower networking and disk I/O loads for heavy read loaded Web services, than the single master and multiple slaves configuration does.
- Multiple slaves in a single server: This is best for small size Web services whose primary goal is to lower the cost. This configuration will allow to gather all (or some) slave databases on a single host. Thus, it will be possible to allocate a single physical machine for multiple slave databases, each of which are separately replicated from their own master databases.
Currently, the CUBRID HA is known for its stability and reliability. However, the new version will be even more powerful and much more easy to use, so that even any one-month-fresh DBA can enable the HA support for their CUBRID database servers. Besides, the CUBRID HA feature will best fit the needs of enterprise services which require 100% data consistency between master and slave database servers and continuous availability."The CUBRID HA is the most distinguishing and key feature of CUBRID for Enterprises. Therefore, we will continue improving it, and provide a reliable and easy to use HA solution to ensure the data availability and consistency throughout all data servers," says Wonhee Jeon, a leader of the CUBRID HA Development Team.
To learn more about other new features coming in CUBRID 8.4.0, read Roadmap: What to Expect in CUBRID 8.4.0.


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Sankashti Chaturti 2011 in Hindu calendar based on Indian Standard Time. Sankashti Chaturti, or Ganesh Sankashta Chaturthi Vrata, is an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha in a Hindu lunar month. Here are the dates of Sankashti Chaturti in 2011, which falls on the 4th day in a Krishna Paksha lunar fortnight or on the fourth day after full moon or Purnima. Ganesha devotees observe a fast (fasting – upvaas) on Sankashta Chaturthi Vrata days.
Sankashti Chaturti days in 2011 is based on Indian Standard Time (IST).
January 22, 2011, Saturday – Sankashti Chaturti
March 22, 2011, Tuesday – Angarak Sankashti Chaturti Vrat
April 21, 2011, Thursday – Sankashta Chaturthi Vrata
May 20, 2011, Friday – Sankashti Chaturti
June 19, 2011, Sunday – Sankashta Chaturthi
June 19, 2011, Sunday – Sankashta Chaturthi
July 18, 2011, Monday – Sankashti Chaturti Vrat
August 17, 2011, Wednesday – Sankashta Chaturthi Vrata
September 16, 2011, Friday – Sankashti Chaturti
October 15, 2011, Saturday – Sankashta Chaturthi
November 14, 2011, Monday – Sankashti Chaturthi
December 14, 2011, Wednesday – Sankashti Chaturti Vrat
When Sankashta Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday it is known as Angarak Sankashti Chaturti and is considered highly auspicious.
Note - Depending on the beginning of Tithi in a region, the Vrat might be a day before or a day later. We will be updating such differences regularly.


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Skip to comments.Baal, Jupiter, and other God(s) of Romney's LDS sect of Mormonism.
Posted on 10/29/2011 10:14:55 AM PDT by SENTINEL
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and RINO Presidential candidate Mitt Romney have brought the many aspects of the breakaway LDS sect of Mormonism into the media spotlight. Energetic accusations and counter accusations, denials, coverup and obfuscation rule the discussion, all he while the forest is missed for the trees.
I present here the most shocking evidence yet brought to bear against the christianity claims of mormons.
Mormons believe Baal and Jupiter helped create the universe.
A graven image of Baal at the Nauvoo Illinois LDS Temple.
This is a photo of the very Jupiter Talisman that Emma Smith, Joseph's widow, claimed was his most prized possession and was in his pocket the day he died.
Just a little "light reading" from the breakaway LDS sect's version of Mormonism's Book of Abraham proves that mormons, like buddists, hindus, ancient greeks, egyptians and other babylonian mystery religion offshoots believe in multiple gods.
Abraham Chapter 4:
1 And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.
2 And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters.
3 And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light; and there was light.
4 And they (the Gods) comprehended the light, for it was bright; and they divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness.
5 And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night.
6 And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and it shall divide the waters from the waters.
7 And the Gods ordered the expanse, so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so, even as they ordered.
8 And the Gods called the expanse, Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and this was the second atime that they called night and day.
9 And the Gods ordered, saying: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto bone place, and let the earth come up dry; and it was so as they ordered;
10 And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, aGreat Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.
Strangely, Brigham Young declared the entire JST a fruad, and the LDS sect broke away from mormonism and the teachings of Joseph Smith....They threw out the JST version and don't use it to this very day.
....And people wonder why prominent lds mormons like Harry Reid and Mitt Romney who are so blatantly dishonest are so welcomed by lds hierarchy.
he'll fit right in in DC. Brings a spiritual dimension to the freaking superstitious secular witchcraft and paganism they all engage in.
Not a Romney fan, but people believe all kinds of ridiculous things, most notably many of those who like to point the finger.
yea, and there are some people out there who actually believe Mary was a virgin when she had her baby. Go figure.
If this statement is intended to convey some meaning, I confess it's too sublime for me.
>> the breakaway LDS sect of Mormonism
Breakaway?? I thought the LDS sect was the majority of mormons, by a very large margin?
If the LDS sect broke away from the mormons 150 years ago because of the JST, then why quote the JST now as proof of the LDS sect's apostasy?
well, do you believe Jesus raised from the dead? Where's the science in that?
Just because you like your myths better than Romney's, doesn't make you superior. Not by a long shot.
I so agree. I think it would be far more productive to discuss his policies and the problems with them.....and leave his religion alone.
In addition to multiple commands in the bible to expose the works of darkness, and in addition to being a lifelong FORMER mormon myself and suffering many years guilt, robbery and spiritual tyranny under works-righteuos heretics, I can prove that Romney is not a Christian, in the same way he is not a conservative. If he would quit making false claims to the contrary on both fronts, I would quit proving him a liar.
Science? Superior?
Are you hallucinating?
Ba'al, Jupiter, Osiris, et al are just the same name of the infamous leader of ancient Mesopotamia - Nimrod. He, his wife Semiramis, and their son became a trinity of gods worshiped by all in the area except Abraham. And that caused a slight problem for Nimrod when Abraham, with his exceptional hospitality skills, went around preaching the good news of ethical monotheism about a God who wasn't human.
Mormonism is just the same old pagan crap but just repackaged. If Romney wants to be the god of his own planet I don't think I need he needs practice doing it at the cost of the taxpayer.
the hate mormon stuff is getting tired.
Nice anti-Catholic post n00b...that'll go over well.
AMEN. All cults are just the same old pagan crap but just repackaged. They ALL had their beginnings with Nimrod. Just change a few names, add a few 'new and improved' works, and voila'..They all stem from Babylon. And they are all under the umbrella "Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth." There is nothing new under the sun. Just "prettier" gift wrapping for some..
Yes, the LDS are the "breakaway" sect, they are the ONLY ones who abandoned the JST version. What i am trying to show is the pattern of deception they use. They left true Joseph Smith mormonism long ago, now they claim all the other branches are rogue. They are the largest and wealthiest so they get away with it. You will note if you watch these threads that very much of the time they do nothing but try to cover up the original sourced quotes of the original founders of mormonism that folks like myself post. The fact is they are so far detqatched from "mormonism" as it was restored, it actually embarasses them...And because they can plainly see the internet is destroying them, they are looking at Christianity as nothing more than a place to hide.
The problem is now in the last 20 years or so they have set their sights on Christianity. The same pattern will be repeated, they are not Christians, but first they will claim to be, and if they succeed they will use their MASSIVE wealth (Think Fortune 50, not 500 sized corporation) to run true Christians into the ground.
in your book it is okay to be anti-Mormon but not anti-Catholic? Explain.
Oh, this should be good...
Um, you have been here 12 days...
Take a look at #4.
You REALLY need an explanation?
I highly recommend the excellent "Know Your Enemy" dvd set available from "TheFuelProject" channel on Youtube or theapologeticsgroup.com for anyone wanting a comprehensive lesson on the source of ALL false religion, called "Mystery Babylon" in the bible.
Believe it or not, the Old Testament refers to 'Gods' as well. In Genesis, when God says, "Let US create man in our own image" the Hebrew word used for God is Elohim - a plural. Hence, 'let US..." This has been suggested as God's self-referential acknowledgement of His triune nature - being Father,Son and Holy Spirit.
While I strongly disagree with Mormomism, we should not be so hasty to point out fault with something that exists in our Bible too.
Nice anti-Christian post.
Plato was a philosopher in Athens. Where's the science in that?
That belief isn't exclusive to Catholicism.
Nice anti-Catholic post n00b...that'll go over well
yea, and there are some people out there who actually believe Mary was a virgin when she had her baby. Go figure
Here's a thought: then stay out of the religion forum.
The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit- Three in One.
It's anti-protestant, too, for that matter.
Let us is the first teaching of the trinity, which Christians believe is 3 persons in One eternal God ..unlike Mormons we do not believe it was separate gods.. John 1 clears that up..
Brian, I want to make sure that you know that the book of "Abraham" is in the lds sect's "Pearl of Great Price", FLDS/LDS "prophet" Joseph Smith claimed to translate it off of a piece of parchment found on some egyptian mummies which were part of a travelling circus sideshow. The "Translation" was proven to be utterly false with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, many years later. It turns out the ancient drawing was a very common eqyptian "have a good afterlife" card called a "book of breathings", which was placed with almost all the dead. This is from the lds sect's Pearl of Great Price".
>> What i am trying to show is the pattern of deception they use. They left true Joseph Smith mormonism long ago, now they claim all the other branches are rogue.
Smith created the Mormon church and then decided he had to translate the Bible. Most mormons read his Bible and said, "No way Joe!" and split, effectively taking the name of his church with them when they left. I don't believe that mormons are true Christians, but they are more Christian than most secular Americans who claim Christianity as their faith without ever setting foot in a church, reading a Bible, or praying (except when they discover they have cancer).
This isn't deception. It is discernment.
Protestants could say the exact same thing about Catholics. Orthodox Catholics could say the same thing about Roman Catholics. Methodists could say it of Episcopals. Assembly of God could say it of Methodists. Paul's church would say it of Peter's. Christianity is a history of people thinking that they've found the One True Way and splitting from those who think the old ways are right. But, we share enough common history and common beliefs that we all still know who the real Enemy is...I hope.
You don't steer people away from a bad church by telling them they are wrong, or that their church is evil. You draw them away by showing that your way to God is right and that your church is better. I don't care about the mormons, except that they are evangelizing their faith and mine is sitting there with "Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds" and empty parking lots!
There are those full cognizant of what mormonism is and there are those who have been deceived as to what mormonism is. You will find answers in the old testament where it deals with false prophets and minions or servants of Satan. I will say nothing further on this period.
Which one? She had at least seven.
>>Brian, I want to make sure that you know that the book of "Abraham" is in the lds sect's "Pearl of Great Price",
OK, so the LDS sect broke off from the mainstream mormons of the day because of the JST. Then, they incorporated a book of the JST into some other book. Is that right?
"If Romney wants to be the god of his own planet I dont think I need he needs practice doing it at the cost of the taxpayer."
That's good. And it would actually apply to all power-hungry politicians. They want to be gods at our expense. May they're all Mormons.
It would be best to leave labeling criticism as "hate" to the liberals.
I disagree with you about what Christianity is, it is a relationship with Christ, not a religion. I have that relationship. Please trust my motives and methods.
re: "Just because you like your myths better than Romneys, doesnt make you superior. Not by a long shot."
That's not the writer of the original post's intent. He is not trying to say Mormonism's beliefs are superior or inferior per se - he is attempting to demonstrate that Mormonism differs greatly from orthodox, historical Christianity.
This is an issue with many Christians because Mormonism has been trying to equate itself with orthodox Christianity for the past 40 years. While I understand the issue, I don't think Romney's religion is relevant to whether or not he should be president. I oppose Romney because of his liberal political views and policies.
If anything, Romney and Reid are very, very much "jack" Mormons. That is, they really don't follow their religion too much.
Obviously, you think both Christianity and Mormonism are equally mythical and worthy of being mocked - fine, but you are going after the anti-Romney people for the wrong reasons. Just thought you should know.
Baal schmaal, as long as he's not worshipping Allah in there I could care less.
And I'm not a Romney fan. I'd prefer pretty much any other candidate except Ron Paul. But the details of his religion are irrelevant to me.
From left: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois, and President Thomas S. Monson, the head of the LDS Church, look on as Obama observes a detail on his family pedigree chart being pointed out to him by Mormon apostle Dallin Oaks. The denomination has presented such compilations to several recent US presidents.
I never have been Catholic...but I WAS mormon. I know it for the cult it is.
Are you mormon? Explain.
Ping for later
There is not book of Abraham in the Bible. Chapter 4 anyway seems to be a copy of Genesis chapter 1 with the word God changed to Gods.
There is a book Called the "Pearl of Great Price" in mromonism which includes "Abraham", "Moses" "Joseph Smith-Matthew" and "Joseph Smith-History". Joseph Smith-Matthew was an attempt by Joe to "re translate the bible" to see if the members would accept it, and after he saw that they did, he embarked on the whole bible. Funny thing is the Joseph Smith Matthew version the lds sect uses does not match the Joseph Smith Translation version of Matthew.....However, lds mormons are quick to point out when asked about JST that they use it, referring actually to JS-Matthew in the POGP, in other words, THEY LIE ABOUT IT.
Is it OK to point out that mormon men believe they can become gods providing they pass the temple recommend test and take part in masonic rites and covenants in their temples and Christ's Grace is insufficient but they must "do all that they can do"???
I stand corrected. Thanks.
re: "Believe it or not, the Old Testament refers to Gods as well. In Genesis, when God says, Let US create man in our own image the Hebrew word used for God is Elohim - a plural. Hence, let US... This has been suggested as Gods self-referential acknowledgement of His triune nature - being Father,Son and Holy Spirit. While I strongly disagree with Mormomism, we should not be so hasty to point out fault with something that exists in our Bible too."
You are quite right that the noun for God in some Testament passages is literally, "gods", however, the article following the plural noun is always singular. This is why Christian theologians believe that these references to God using a plural noun followed by a singular article may be indeed a forshadowing of the doctrine of the Trinity - which you also mention.
I just thought mentioning the singular article should be noted. It is also interesting that the Book of Mormon also teaches the Trinity. I don't have the passages right in front of me, but possibly with a computer search of the Book of Mormon, you could find references to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as One. In fact, many of the current Mormon doctrines of God being an exalted man, no existence of Hell, etc. are not taught at all in the Book of Mormon.
A little book written by a gentleman named John L. Smith called "Witnessing to Mormons" or "How to Witness to Mormons" documents all these passages in the Book of Mormon that teach overtly Christian doctrines of salvation, the Trinity, existence of Hell, etc.
His approach is to use the Book of Mormon (along with the Bible) to demonstrate to Mormons how their current beliefs are in opposition to the Book of Mormon. This happened because Joseph Smith bascially incorpoated 75 percent of the New Testament into his "Book of Mormon". Therefore, some real Christian doctrines are still in the Book of Mormon.
I don't know if this book is still available, but I got a copy from the Tanners (who also wrote a very fascinating book called "Mormonism, Shadow or Reality?").
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Michael A. Freed, Ph.D.
Michael A. Freed, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience
Department: Neuroscience
Contact information
123 Anatomy Chemistry Bldg.
Department of Neuroscience
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058
Department of Neuroscience
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058
Education:Permanent link
B.A. (Psychology)
Yale University, 1976.
Ph.D. (Anatomy)
University of Pennsylvania, 1985.
B.A. (Psychology)
Yale University, 1976.
Ph.D. (Anatomy)
University of Pennsylvania, 1985.
Description of Research ExpertiseRESEARCH INTEREST
Structure and function of the vertebrate retina
In vitro retina, whole cell voltage clamp, two-photon microscopy, transgenic mice, computational modeling of detailed neural circuits
Our lab vertically integrates information about chemical synapses with systems-level knowledge of neural circuits. Our guiding hypothesis is that the design of the retina is constrained by noise and the need to limit the number of vesicles and spikes used to transmit information. Noise occurs at the retinal input from random photon absorptions, is generated by the biological components that the retina is made from, and reduces visual performance. The number of vesicles and spikes should be limited because they consume metabolic energy and because the optic nerve has a limited net spike rate. Therefore, we study noise generated by synapses and test hypotheses about the design of retinal circuitry.
Selected PublicationsFreed, Michael A., Liang, Zhiyin : Synaptic noise is an information bottleneck in the inner retina during dynamic visual stimulation. Journal of Physiology 592(4): 635–651, 2014.
Liang, Zhiyin, Freed Michael A.: Cross inhibition from ON to OFF pathway improves the efficiency of contrast encoding in the mammalian retina. Journal of Neurophysiology 108(10): 2679-88, Nov 2012.
Liang, Zhiyin, Freed, Michael A.: The On pathway rectifies the Off pathway of the mammalian retina. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 5533 - 5543, 2010.
Freed, MA, Liang, Z: Reliability and frequency response of excitatory signals transmitted to different types of retinal ganglion cell. Journal of Neurophysiology 103: 1508-17, 2010.
Xu, Y., Vasudeva, V., Vardi, N., Sterling, P., Freed, M. A.: Different types of ganglion cell share a synaptic pattern. Journal of Comparative Neurology 507(6): 1871-8, 2008.
Tokutake, Y., Freed, M. A.: Retinal ganglion cells - spatial organization of the receptive field reduces temporal redundancy. European Journal of Neuroscience 28: 914-923, 2008.
Zhang, L. L., Pathak, H. R., Coulter, D. A., Freed, M. A., Vardi, N.: Shift of intracellular chloride concentration in ganglion and amacrine cells of developing mouse retina. Journal of Neurophysiology 95(4): 2404-16, 2006.
Koch, K., McLean, J., Segev, R., Freed, M. A., Berry, M. J., 2nd, Balasubramanian, V., Sterling, P.: How much the eye tells the brain. Current Biology 16(14): 1428-34, 2006.
Freed, M. A.: Quantal encoding of information in a retinal ganglion cell. Journal of Neurophysiology 94(2): 1048-56, 2005.
Koch, K., McLean, J., Berry, M., Sterling, P., Balasubramanian, V., Freed, M. A.: Efficiency of information transmission by retinal ganglion cells. Current Biology 14(17): 1523-30, 2004.
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Last updated: 11/11/2014
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Last updated: 11/11/2014
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


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Examines visual art and architecture as a reflection of human interaction with the socio-political and physical environment of a particular era. Focuses on viewing, analyzing and comparing many art forms in an historical context, and covers the Paleolithic, Ancient Near Eastern, and Aegean cultures, beginning about 30,000 BCE. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available. (For detailed information, see the Course Content and Outcome Guide ).
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FUDU wrote:jb wrote:Interesting take by Kingpin bring bak the old cavs example.
I nake the case that the very reason for the Daugherty - Price run was that they DID blow it up and sell out for lottery picks instead of trying to scrape along for the 8th seed.
If you recall, the '85 Karl team was a collection of scrappy vets and so-so draft holdovers. they started slowly and ended up giving the Greatest Collection of Players in NBA history on one team one hell of a challenging series, causing them to expend enough energy to destroy what would have been a 3 peat run for them.
But interesting stat about that series, IIRC we outscored Boston by a point for the series while losing 3 games to 1.
And having 1 dude blow up for 120 points during Fantasy Football doesn't help you in the other 15 weeks he gets -6. But it is an interesting point considering how lopsided a few of those games were.