Iran: Weekend Update

There's more information coming in than I can track. I'm trying to verify everything (as best as I can) before posting here or retweeting (RT) on Twitter.com. For pretty well verified, constantly updated information check out Nico Pitney's LiveBlog. For other interesting sites, information, etc.
Check out the following:

Time Mag re: How Obama Should Respond

Time Mag re: Neda Becomes Cause (explains Shiia martyrdom and mourning history)

Mother Jones eye-witness account of Police and Workers Aid Demonstrators

Search Engine Journal re: How to Follow Iran Online

Press TV (Iran State media source) re: Parliment Speaker criticizes Guardian Council

BBC re: Today vs. 1979

Guardian Weekly eye-witness account

Press TV re: Ahmidenijad thanks Leader for Support

One blogger's approach to Get Info INTO Iran

I'm off to tweet #IranElection. Best wishes, safety, and freedoms to you all.

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Iran!

Here's what I'm obsessively following and doing.

Tweeting
Check out Five Ways Tweeters can Help Iranis. These pertain to passing on reliable information, helping with secure IPs, etc. I'm personally RTing (or "re-tweeting") only critical information, such as a map to the foreign embassies in Tehran that are protecting and treating injured protesters, information regarding secured IPs and anonymizers, First Aid insutructions (English and Farsi/Persian) for bullet wounds, chemical burns, and broken bones. I am NOT making statements of a political nature - I am keeping in heavy circulation items that relate to the safety of the peaceful protestors, and their right to have their voice heard without threat of bloodshed. But seriously, focus on First Aid stuff and don't get too swept up in "Allah o Akbar". Especially if you're one of MY readers...

Keeping up with Nico
If following #IranElection on Twitter is way too intense for you (literally hundreds of new tweets each minute) Nico Pitney at Huffington Post has been LiveBlogging the Uprising for days. This is an excellent resource and through volunteer Iranian-Americans, most of what Nico posts has been translated into English. His reporting seems to be pretty well confirmed information (and NOT some of the fear-inspiring rumors shooting around right now).

Trying to Understand
BBC article "Consequences of Engaging Iran"

Tehran Times (state media) claims "Police Were Lenient"

NY Times Op-Ed by Roger Cohen (Brilliant - definitely worth reading.)

As always when posting about current events, tragedies, or personal times of woe, I must mention that I don't believe in prayer. If you wish to do so for the people of Iran, of course that is your RIGHT. But I entreat you, please, DO something as well. Even if it's just keeping track of things, trying to understand our fellow homo-sapiens across the globe, or Tweeting first aid tips.

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I've been up to my eyeballs in Tehran, Iran, Mousavi, Ahmedinejad, Khomeini, Twitter, Facebook, and everything else quasi-revolutionary. I could say something either pithy or profound about the consequences of theocracy, me being an antitheist and all. But I tell you, I am to stunned. I am watching this the way I watched the 9/11 footage. I am reading tweets, and can't keep up with the #IranElection posts. By the time I've read 5, another 400 have come in. But what was posted within 20 SECONDS summarizes for me the bravery, stakes, risks, injuries, and threats being endured by the Opposition people of Iran.

tanyanoel: RT from Iran ! CHEMICAL BURN FIRST AID http://bit.ly/Za5k5 (expand) #IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 #iranelections #iranelection #freeiran

bocateacher: RT IRAN : Shiraz Is A City Under Fire. Full Blown Riot (Confirmed) #IranElection

inkcanada: RT from Iran SPREAD THE WORD IF YOU FIND BASIJ MARKS ON YOUR DOORS JUST CLEAN IT WITH BENZIN/PETROL!! #IranElection #Iran #Tehran #Mousavi

reemiireem: RT from Iran: was a nightmare, I can barely breath & my face is burning, friend shot in the arm & friend's brother is missing #IranElection

eadvocate: FIRST AID: CPR: http://is.gd/15sNQ (expand) , Broken Bones: http://is.gd/15sNR (expand) Gunshot Wounds: http://is.gd/15sNS (expand) #IranElection #Tehran #iranelection

samsafay: URGENT! REPORTS Police blocking people tryign to go to Embassy - BASTARDS!#IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 #iranelections #iranelection

claret63: RT@WeStandAs1RT RT! CHEMICAL BURN FIRST AID http://bit.ly/Za5k5 (expand) #IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 #iranelections #iranelection

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