:
F/Sa June 25 -

NEW SATRAPI OUT -

*Though Embroideries is not a
continuation of the Persepolis story,
it sits at the heart of the same world--
a brutally policed society where
an extraordinarily rich and
inventive culture still prevails,
if only behind closed doors...

Maureen Freely lauds
Marjane Satrapi's gossipy
graphic novel of Iranian history.*

Embroideries:144pp,
Jonathan Cape, Publisher

:: Guardian Books ::

...

:
F/Sa June 25 -

RETREAT FROM OUR ERA?

*Ahmadinejad's election stands to complicate Iran's gradual engagement with the West, including difficult negotiations over the country's nuclear program. The apparent victory completes the domination of Iran's elective offices by the religious fundamentalists who have long held ultimate authority in the theocracy.*

"What if he executed all his promises?
What kind of society would we have?"

Karl Vick fleshes out some details and
implications of the Iranian election result.

:: WashPost ::
-- Reg Req'd --

...

:
Fr June 24 -

IRAN: HARDLINER WINS -

*Tehran Mayor Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad - a hard-line
conservative who has said Iran
should embrace the principles of the
1979 Islamic Revolution - was
declared the winner of Iran's
presidential election early
Saturday, garnering more
than 61 percent of the votes,
according to Iranian television.*

:: CNN.com: Hardline wins :::

...

:
We June 22 -

IRAN'S FORBIDDEN WORDS -

Iranian state security agents on Tuesday confiscated election materials from the Nazar Printing House premises in downtown Tehran because the items contained
taboo words.

This is a chilling article by Karl Vick.

*In a recent interview with state television, Ahmadinejad said he would shutter the Tehran Stock Exchange because the uncertain nature of trading offended the tenets of Islam.*

Some Iranians have expressed the suspicion that remarks such as that about the Tehran Stock Exchange signify that the whole process is being "engineered" or a choreographed charade which aims to give people the illusion that they are exercising choices, while they are actually being manipulated by the current regime. Hmmm... paging Philip K. Dick.

:: WashPost ::
-- Reg Req'd --

...

:
We June 22 -

IRAN'S SEVEN DWARFS -

*...the outcome of the second round is of crucial interest because it will offer a clear indication of the line the 'Supreme Guide' intends to pursue in the next four years. The system could arrange things for either Rafsanjani or Ahmadinezhad to win in the second round.*

Amir Taheri analyzes the
Iran election and polity.

+ Worth a read.

:: Gulf News ::

...

:
We June 22 -

SARTRE'S WEEK -

*Sartre demands that we see
ourselves as active agents,
even when we might prefer
the irresponsibility of
seeing ourselves as victims...

He demands that we see
a world seemingly out of control
as made up of human choices
and the structures these create.*

:: IHT: Sartre at 100 ::
-- By Ronald Aronson --

...

:
Tu June 21 -

SUMMER SOLSTICE -

*Up to 21,000 people gathered
amid beating drums and blowing
horns to witness the Summer Solstice
at Stonehenge on Tuesday.*

:: BBC: Wiltshire ::

:: PHOTOS ::

...

:
Tu June 21 -

BRIDGE MEDIA -

Asharq Alawsat is the latest
entrant to the English-language
Arabic Media on the Internet.

Launched in London in 1978, it is printed simultaneously on four continents in 12 cities and is "famous for conducting in-depth interviews with prominent and influential personalities," according to its about page.

:: Asharq Alawsat ::

...

:
Tu June 21 -

2 SOAP OPERAS -
Reality TV + Ramadan Series -

# Caught in the act on videotape:

Wafa Samir Ibrahim al-Biss was
intercepted on her way to blow up
the Seroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva.

*Her story riveted Israelis TV viewers Monday evening, complete with interviews and security camera footage of her apparently trying unsuccessfully to detonate the bomb. The footage also showed her removing her outer clothing to reveal the bomb.*

:: Haaretz ::

* * * * *

# Preview: AGENT 1001:
Glitzy new Egyptian spy thriller -

*For years no spy series have been produced in Egypt. The television industry there turned to other genres: historical series, or family-social comedies. Therefore, the decision to produce a series such as this one surprised Egyptian television critics, who wanted to know the source of the decision.*

Zvi Bar'el gives an extensive review of the mini-series, including information about the author and cast, with a description of
the story.

:: Egyptian TV ::

...

:
Tu June 21 -

HARIRI'S WIN -

*The victory of the Future Bloc led by Saad Hariri ... means an anti-Syrian coalition is set to dominate parliament for the first time since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1991
civil war...

The Hariri victory fell short of the two-thirds parliamentary majority that would have facilitated the removal of Emile Lahoud, the president, whose mandate was extended in October for another three years.*

:: FT.com: Lebanon ::

Hariri is reported to be a graduate
of Georgetown University.
+ Worth a glance:
Georgetown has initiated:
:: The Arab Information Project ::

...

:
Tu June 21 -

NEWSPAPER SEIZURES -

The Monday editions of Aftab
and Eqbal were banned from
distribution in Iran because they
contained allegations of election-
rigging by candidate Karroubi.

:: IRNA ::

-- via Hoder --

+ Will Hoder be able to
exit Iran on schedule???
Stay tuned...

...

:
Su June 19 -

TALEBAN INCURSION -

*Taleban insurgents in
southern Afghanistan say
they have executed a provincial
police chief and are holding
30 local officials hostage.*

:: VOA News ::

...

:
Su June 19 -

EVAPORATED? -

*A century after Sartre's birth,
there is a lack of real intellectuals
in French culture...

'French intellectuals today are narcissistic self-publicists with no humility. We're living in an era of entertainment and they are right in the middle of it,' said Depland.

The Left Bank's well
of ideas runs dry.*

:: The Observer ::
-- By Alex Duval Smith --

...

:
Su June 19 -

IRAN CHARADE -

*The hardline mayor of Tehran is to face a veteran former president in a run-off for Iran's presidency, after a surprise result in Friday's first round.

The second round pits conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against pragmatic cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who led Iran for eight years until 1997.*

:: BBC: Iran run-off ::

And Christopher Hitchins
reports from Iran in a longish article.

...