Great article in the paper which led me to an amazing blog written by an Iranian (his site is- http://hoder.com/weblog/) . Here is a quote taken from the article:


Derakhshan, 31, who was born to a traditional Iranian family with ties to the government, is the godfather of the Iranian blog culture. Five years ago he left Tehran after the regime shut down the newspaper at which he worked, as there was strict censorship in Iran at that time. Since then Derakhshan has settled in Toronto, where he writes a political blog (www.hoder.com), and helps young Iranians launch their own blogs in order to feel culturally involved and to cope with the strict censorship of the media in Iran. "My goal is to break through the apathy of young Iranians," he says in an interview last week at a Tel Aviv cafe.
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Derakhshan, whose ideas approach those of the Iranian Reform Party, which failed miserably in the last parliamentary elections, says the situation in his country can be altered only via elections, "which are the hole in our political system," and not by external pressure. "In order to bring young people closer to politics," says Derakhshan, "we have to change their language, because that is where ideas are created and determined. I write in unofficial language in my blog, and sometimes even crudely, like in the satirical programs on American television. This is the only way to create new norms."

He also speaks about Iran's nuclear threat and feels that they should not be attacked from the outside. In fact, he says that in the right hands (a democratic government), nuclear weapons really do not pose a threat. As impressive as this young man is, I beg to differ. What has Iran had a truly democratic government? On which future horizon does it appear that they will? I don't advocate mass bombing of their facilities but I think their days are numbered if they close off the UN.

On another note, the news is very unclear about the death of the 17 year old shepard up north today. I don't think that a trip up north to Metualla or Kirayat Shimona is in store this weekend. The shiek has given the green light and when Nasralla speaks...well you know.