Category Archives: International

One more thing…

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And then I’ll get back to US politics, I promise. After years of waiting around and negotiating behind the scenes, BTS has decided to go ahead with their mandatory military enlistments. Kim Seokjin, the eldest of the group, could enlist within the month after the release of his latest solo work. I love the way BTS and BigHit are handling this. They’ve been jerked around enough by the SK government trying to profit from them while holding enlistment over their heads. Both BTS and ARMY went through a lot, emotionally, since Festa dinner this year. For the most part fans … Continue reading →

BTS Concert in Busan – free to view tonight

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Over on Twitter, I realized that I have not seen a single mention in western media of the huge, free concert BTS is performing in Busan, South Korea on Oct. 15 at 6 pm KST. That’s tonight at 3 am MDT for those of us in Colorado, so I’m looking at another all-night romp. The concert is free to attend, and the non-transferable tickets ran out in minutes. The effort is in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, to show that what seems like a sleepy seaside city can present a major world event. Fortunately … Continue reading →

Now that’s impact…

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For this Iranian revolution. There are now over 274 000 000 (274 million) tweets on the Persian version of the Mahsa Amini hashtag. For context, since mid-2013, the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag has accumulated 63 000 000 (63 million) tweets. #IranRevolution — Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) October 12, 2022

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In Iran, protests spread to include oil workers

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A crucial economic sector for Iran. Oil workers in Iran went on strike in support of protests against the regime. Oil is a critical sector for Iran. This is a big deal. pic.twitter.com/8IJUM1paNK — Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) October 11, 2022   And the women’s protests have spread among schoolgirls as well. The courage this takes can not be overstated. The girls took over their school and are chanting "death to the dictator"❤️ #Iran pic.twitter.com/s9MX8Dbsll — Sofia Ukraini (@SlavaUk30722777) October 4, 2022 This report from The New Yorker is a good read. Iran’s Protests Are the First Counter-Revolution Led … Continue reading →

Repression in Iran

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Authorities in Iran continue to crack down on the widespread protests that arose in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death while she was in the custody of the morals police. We finally have an in-depth review of how the government has reacted to the protests, in the form of a well researched article on the evidence that the government’s response has been harsh and terrible. (WashPost gift link should get you past the paywall for a while). Tactics of repression: How Iran is trying to stop Mahsa Amini protests A visual forensics analysis shows authorities using indiscriminate force, making violent … Continue reading →

Women of Iran ~ Dancing for freedom

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Reports (from MSNBC, no link) are that somewhere between 40 and 50 people have been killed in and around the Iranian protests. The protests are not disappearing, though, if anything they continue to spread. Internet outages continue, so information still comes slowly. The women have been forbidden to dance, but they dance anyway. I love these clips so much. This is what civil disobedience looks like in an Islamic Republic. #IranProtests #IranRevolution For 43 years women in #Iran have been forbidden to dance & sing in public or show their hair & they are saying enough. It’s really that simple. … Continue reading →

Update on Iranian protests

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From Sept. 20, this is the first video I saw from the protests in Iran. Unprecedented scenes in Iran: woman sits on top of utility box and cuts her hair in main square in Kerman to protest death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police. People clap their hands and chant “Death to the dictator.” #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/2oyuKV80Ac — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022 A report from Arash Azizi at Newsweek: Iran’s Regime May Have Just Sparked a Revolution On Sept. 17, Mahsa’s funeral in her native Kurdistan province was accompanied by massive protests which soon spread … Continue reading →

Protests against dictators around the world

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As I return home, the world is in a state of turmoil in many places. I like to think that these uprisings against authoritarian regimes will continue and spread, but we know of course that such uprisings often get suppressed and the people who engage in them may end up dead or in prison. Which only highlights the incredible courage of those people who have taken to the streets this week in Russia and Iran. In many ways it’s easy for me to be an activist, though I’ve had moments in my life where I felt quite scared to speak … Continue reading →

The Ukrainian advances around Kharkiv

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Over the past few days Ukrainian forces have moved swiftly, regaining several towns and a lot of land near Kharkiv. It is possible that this will be decisive in turning this war around at last. At the very least, Russian forces are looking very weak. From what you’ll read below, it is clear that Ukraine itself has no intention of stopping while Russians still occupy their land, but how Putin might react to these events is still uncertain. Faster and Furiouser: Ukraine’s Forces Take Back Kharkiv Oblast and More …the narrative in Ukraine has changed in huge way over the … Continue reading →

What patriarchy looks like in everyday life

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Beaten for no reason, dragged off the street for violations of modesty laws, subject to torture in those detention centers, refused school and work choices—this report shows exactly how women in Afghanistan are treated by the Taliban. Women who dare to protest, and some women do dare to, are treated even more harshly.   In the New York Times (gift link, no paywall) another report shows the same brutal situation. Taliban Rewind the Clock: ‘A Woman Is a Helpless and Powerless Creature’ Girls are barred from secondary schools and women from traveling any significant distance without a male relative. Men … Continue reading →