Saturday, February 7, 2009

Tobacco compaines targeting teens? Thoughts?

311>WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Anti-smoking ads on television produced by tobacco companies and aimed at parents may actually be encouraging children to start smoking, Australian researchers report.





%26quot;The tobacco companies are up to their old tricks,%26quot; said Danny McGoldrick, director of research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. %26quot;Anyone who thinks that the tobacco companies have reformed are kidding themselves.%26quot;





McGoldrick was not involved in the study, which was led by researchers at The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne.





They looked at television ratings data from 75 media markets in the United States. The team specifically looked at average exposure to tobacco company-sponsored anti-smoking ads, both those targeted to youths and others targeted to parents. Some of these ads featured titles such as %26quot;Think. Don%26#039;t Smoke%26quot; and %26quot;Tobacco Is Whacko If You%26#039;re a Teen.%26quot;





The researchers also looked over data from a U.S. national school-based survey from more than 100,000 children from 1999 to 2002.





The report was published in the Oct. 31 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.





The researchers found that, among young children, there weren%26#039;t many links between exposure to tobacco company ads and smoking attitudes and behavior.





However, among high school students, seeing parent-targeted ads was associated with kids expressing a lowered sense of smoking as harmful, a stronger approval of smoking, stronger intentions to smoke in the future and a greater likelihood of having smoked in the past 30 days, the researchers found.
Reply:Smoking should be encouraged. It causes stupid people to die sooner and therefore use up less of my socialist security.
Reply:Kids don%26#039;t smoke because of advertising. They do it for the same reasons adults do. Because it relieves tension and stress. People are going to smoke, its a free country, get over it.

I care too much about what people think of my country Iran, is that normal? Should I not care?

310>I%26#039;ve written this article and have done a lot of research to complete it, so is that normal if I want more people to read it?


I believe that if you spend 10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime%26#039;s worth of Major Media news. This article has two parts:


1. Cultural and general info


2. Political info.


Note: I%26#039;ve explained everything.Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.Specially the political part.I%26#039;ve provided evidence for whatever I say.It%26#039;s just the way it is.


****


Part 1: Cultural and general info


Hi. I%26#039;m a 19 year old Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.I study English.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.Fisrt some interesting things:


A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.Now, I found it among the English news: %26quot;The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology%26quot; The link to read about it is:


http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032....





The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!


Some interesting facts:


Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian.The pioneer in heart transplants and artificiall hearts, %26quot;artificial vessels%26quot; using nano-technology (Reported a few days ago) and so on and so! (I%26#039;ve put two websites below) The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It%26#039;s one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad... )


51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they%26#039;re among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman the nobel peace prize are Iranian. The 6th top movie director in the world is Iranian.(Abbas Kiarostami) http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/...


These are just small samples.If the media told you about Iran%26#039;s achievemens everyday and didn%26#039;t hide them, your news would be full of Iranian news!Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in %26#039;developed%26#039; countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol The list is endless.





I%26#039;m gonna introduce Iran%26#039;s international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It%26#039;s fully in English. In the %26quot;Sic / Tech%26quot; section you%26#039;ll always see Iran%26#039;s discoveries. The address is:


http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx


Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!


The list of highly-respected Iranian scientists and engineers in the world:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Iran...


The list of notable Iranian figures and pioneers:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporar...


An extract: Iranian medical community is a significant part of medical community in US and Europe


Enough evidence?





Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn%26#039;t it?):


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran


If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places:





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showth...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran


Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. %26quot;Music of Iran and Iranian musicians have received countless awards in the course of history. Every year from 1977 to 2007.Evidence? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ir...


I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they%26#039;re some of the best songs they%26#039;ve ever heard.


Here%26#039;s a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose %26quot;Save Target As%26quot; to download them. Iranian music is just modern pop which is based on electronic stuff.Experience how awsome music can be produced by electronic Trance drums instead of DJ music!





1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...


3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


8.(Farangis %26quot;A female name%26quot; 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmus...


12.(You can%26#039;t: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...





And so on and on!








The first thing the West accuses our government of is that we don%26#039;t allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don%26#039;t like as much as anyone.There are only a few restrictions.It%26#039;s cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don%26#039;t even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa.Some of Iran%26#039;s laws are based on OUR culture. You look at our country from %26quot;your own point of view%26quot;! In Iran most houses have a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style. A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!





In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, drugs, inflation and air pollution. Also, you can%26#039;t compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran%26#039;s population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we%26#039;ve transformed everything.


Ever heard Iranian girls are terrific?I%26#039;ve collected some photos showing Iranian girls! Look! Poeple are like this!





http://www.salijoon.ir/bazigar/hedye%20t...


http://www.30nema.com/images/gallery/30n...


http://i10.tinypic.com/4clk3us.jpg


http://tinypic.com/2d0nfao.jpg Is that enough?!


Some people think women don%26#039;t have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. They%26#039;re very respectful, and they%26#039;ve been the winners in so many cases: Most of them get into the best universities because they%26#039;re very smart. And they get the best jobs because of their high university degrees. They%26#039;ve got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that%26#039;s because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I%26#039;ve put a sample here.


Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? But in one case the thing that had happened was incest not adultery. Most of those footages relate to the early days just after Iran%26#039;s revolution! Otherwise you%26#039;d get new footages at least once a month!What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too.I found a BOOK of the U.S problems and it got me dizzy! Iran has its own problems too. Each country has its own problems. I know the freedom of speech in political field is so limited here, but does that really affect ordinary people? Those who are not involved in politics? You give me some dark examples which I already know of, but that doesn%26#039;t mean Iran is not a good country.I can give you a long list of the violation of human rights in all countries not just here.


http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/usa-su...





It%26#039;s like MERELY talking about Guantanamo and C.I.A%26#039;s secret prisons and some unjustified death penalties in the U.S, but does all that mean Americans don%26#039;t have good lives? Certainly not. America is a great place.Please don%26#039;t look at everything from one dimention.There%26#039;s so much to see.


Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: %26quot;IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!%26quot; %26quot;IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!%26quot; Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.


There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don%26#039;t the Media talk about them? Please don%26#039;t summarize our nation and culture with the single word %26quot;nuclear%26quot;. Although we%26#039;re proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.











It%26#039;s now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts and riding camels!


Part 2: Political info.


Let%26#039;s clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don%26#039;t get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would make them controversial topics to interest its viewers! For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that.


First of all, Iranians don%26#039;t hate anyone.We hate neither Jews nor Americans. How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! The truth us that Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story! We live basically the same lives.Don%26#039;t look at the way women dress in public places! You%26#039;ve got to see them in other places!I%26#039;ve got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov%26#039;t. Jews are faithful people! 20,000 Jews and lots of Christians live here equally with Iranians and two of Iran%26#039;s parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Moslem knocking at your door asking you to do so?


Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us.





I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone%26#039;s guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he%26#039;s going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It%26#039;s %26quot;nuclear energy%26quot;. Besides, how many %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That%26#039;s what nuclear agency says. Only Iran%26#039;s opponents are pulling Iran%26#039;s leg and what they say is just based on political conflicts. What we%26#039;re doing is legal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It%26#039;s the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.





Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! the thing is that he exactly said: %26quot;The Imam %26quot;Khomeyni%26quot; said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.%26quot;They%26#039;ve only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it%26#039;s mistranslated intentionally. Besides, they%26#039;ve been saying such things for a long time.It%26#039;s their habit.Here%26#039;s an article.%26quot;Wiped off the map....The roumor of the century.Read how the media and the U.S newspapers have twisted it into a controvertioal topic.


http://www.antiwar.com/orig/norouzi.php?...


Now you see that you were wrong.Iran has always defended itself, but it%26#039;s not an offensive country.





Some say he%26#039;s said: %26quot;The Holocaust is a myth!%26quot; Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that%26#039;s terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren%26#039;t important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that%26#039;s not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran%26#039;s population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it%26#039;s OK and no one says they%26#039;re threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima %26amp; Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you%26#039;d get the point why he%26#039;s IRONICALLY said it%26#039;s a myth. Moreover, don%26#039;t you believe in freedom of speech/mind? Agreeing with the Holocaust is not gonna bring anyone to life!If you really like to blame someone for that, hope in a time-machine and sue Hitler! lol





Some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on.


This part is just for Americans:


Those of you who say why Iran says %26quot;Death to America%26quot;:


1. %26#039;America%26#039; to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean %26quot;American people%26quot; when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up %26quot;no war%26quot; placards?! Also, I see a lot of %26quot;Let%26#039;s nuke Iran%26quot;s on YA.Isn%26#039;t that a kind of %26quot;Death to Iran%26quot;?


2. The new generation don%26#039;t say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that%26#039;s because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn%26#039;t it?


3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt%26#039;s terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn%26#039;t deny that attacking countries is a mistake. Would you?)


4. U.S. companies assistance in developing Iraq%26#039;s chemical weapons facilities during the Iran-Iraq war which killed over a million Iranians


5. USS Vincennes shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 with many civilian fatalities


6.U.S. Support for anti-Iranian terrorist organisations (i.e. the MKO);


7. Economic damage caused by U.S. sanctions and political pressure; U.S. UAV overflights over Iran violating Iranian airspace since 2003.





When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he%26#039;s said, what do you call Bush for his war crimes?


To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:


1. Firstly, It%26#039;s related to so many years ago and it%26#039;s almost a part of history, and don%26#039;t forget that when there%26#039;s a revolution, there%26#039;d be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they%26#039;re all alive and healthy. Aren%26#039;t they?


2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!!





If you like to insist on your theory of attacking Israel, I%26#039;ll tell you our logical theory: %26quot;The moment that Iran attacks Israel, Iran will be wiped off the face of the earth by the U.S and its allies and Iran is far more logical than doing such a stupid thing%26quot; So, forget about it.I%26#039;m quite sure you know that all the events and lies in the world are a part of a pre-planned scenario by major world-powers (Iran as an important country has always been a part of their plans)And the first step is to brainwash people.They excactly know what will happen even 50 years later! I think Iraq is such a good example.Attacking it with the excuse of removing Saddam while they%26#039;d put Saddam there themselves and had supported him for years! They said they had W.M.Ds and you believed them.Now they say Iran (a member of N.P.T) has nukes / is developing nukes and you believe them wilhe the nuclear agency hasn%26#039;t found any sign of illegal activities.Time to wake up!


Isn%26#039;t it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov%26#039;ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. They don%26#039;t care about hurting people%26#039;s feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. Now, what do you think? I can%26#039;t wait to see both nations in peace. It%26#039;d be marvelous!


Did you find my article informative? : )


Thanks for your time
Reply:Americans have been brainwashed for years, they have been sold the belief they are better than God.


They don%26#039;t realize how well their news is edited (returning bodies is one subtle one, which they tried to copy in Canada until freedom raised its voice)
Reply:So.... how long before a different strand of the HIV shows up that the medicine cannot slow? I say a couple months. Report It

Reply:perhaps it%26#039;s because you country is the number 1 sponsor of state-sponsored terrorism...perhaps it%26#039;s because we keep catching people from iran going into iraq and blowing our brave soldiers, trying to bring peace to a god-forsaken land, into a million bits...yeah, we hate iran...bad. we will eventually go to war with iran and we will win. big time.
Reply:Well bravo for sticking up for your people, and your culture.


But how can we have peaceful relations with a country who%26#039;s leader is calling for Jihad on America and all American interests? Unfortuantely, that is all we see of Iran in American news. It is first the responsibility of the Iranian people to stick up to your leader, and say %26quot;look we don%26#039;t like the way you are portraying our country, we want you to start acting like an adult or step down.%26quot; I know, it sounds easier than it really will be to carry out, but it has been done in other countries.
Reply:Thanks for all the info. If I am ever in jail for a long time I will have time to read it.





BTW, until you provide evidence that %26quot;The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed%26quot; I don%26#039;t believe a word of it.





That said, the Iranian people are decent, good people and the few I have met I like very much.





But, the government is made up of terrorist sponsoring thugs. Overthrow your terrorist government, then we%26#039;ll talk.





Edit: Uh, I don%26#039;t trust the US media as far as I can throw them. In case you didn%26#039;t know, The US media is anti-Israel and has been for about 30 years. If you think I%26#039;m being %26quot;brain washed%26quot; by the likes of CNN, Lyin%26#039; Dan Rather and Perky Katey Couric you are dead wrong.





I am pro-Israel, but that does not make me anti-Iranian people. If the anti-Israel psychos, Arab and Persian, would choose to live in peace with Israel, then the Middle East would be peaceful. But, because Arab leaders have repeatedly promised to wipe Israel off the map, Israel must arm themselves and be vigilent against whole nations who have dedicated themselves to its destruction and the death of its people. If you were surrounded by enemies who have sworn to kill you and your family, and you were outnumbered 1 million to one, you would arm yourself, too.





I am not the one brainwashed by the media. You are. If you took time to learn the facts, rather than mindlessly parroting the venom and misinformation spewed by the mullahs who tell you what to think, you would be far more informed.

What do you think of this as a whole without thinking about the details?

309>I believe that if you spend 10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime%26#039;s worth of Major Media news. This article has two parts:


1. Cultural and general info


2. Political info.


Note: I%26#039;ve explained everything.Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.Specially the political part.I%26#039;ve provided evidence for whatever I say.It%26#039;s just the way it is.


****


Part 1: Cultural and general info


Hi. I%26#039;m a 19 year old Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.I study English.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.


The first thing the West accuses our government of is that we don%26#039;t allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don%26#039;t like as much as anyone.There are only a few restrictions.It%26#039;s cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don%26#039;t even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa.Some of Iran%26#039;s laws are based on OUR culture. You look at our country from %26quot;your own point of view%26quot;! In Iran most houses have a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style. A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!





In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, drugs, inflation and air pollution. Also, you can%26#039;t compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran%26#039;s population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we%26#039;ve transformed everything.


Ever heard Iranian girls are terrific?I%26#039;ve collected some photos showing Iranian girls! Look! Poeple are like this!


http://www.salijoon.ir/bazigar/hedye%20t...


http://www.30nema.com/images/gallery/30n...


http://i10.tinypic.com/4clk3us.jpg


http://tinypic.com/2d0nfao.jpg Is that enough?!


Some people think women don%26#039;t have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. They%26#039;re very respectful, and they%26#039;ve been the winners in so many cases: Most of them get into the best universities because they%26#039;re very smart. And they get the best jobs because of their high university degrees. They%26#039;ve got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that%26#039;s because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I%26#039;ve put a sample here.


Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? But in one case the thing that had happened was incest not adultery. Most of those footages relate to the early days just after Iran%26#039;s revolution! Otherwise you%26#039;d get new footages at least once a month!What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too.I found a BOOK of the U.S problems and it got me dizzy! Iran has its own problems too. Each country has its own problems.


Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: %26quot;IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!%26quot; %26quot;IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!%26quot; Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.


There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don%26#039;t the Media talk about them? Please don%26#039;t summarize our nation and culture with the single word %26quot;nuclear%26quot;. Although we%26#039;re proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.








A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.Now, I found it among the English news: %26quot;The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology%26quot; The link to read about it is: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032....


The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!


Some interesting facts:


Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian.The pioneer in heart transplants and artificiall hearts, %26quot;artificial vessels%26quot; using nano-technology (Reported yesterday) and so on and so! (I%26#039;ve put two websites below) The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It%26#039;s one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad... ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they%26#039;re among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman the nobel peace prize are Iranian. The 6th top movie director in the world is Iranian.(Abbas Kiarostami) http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/...


These are just small samples.If the media told you about Iran%26#039;s achievemens everyday and didn%26#039;t hide them, your news would be full of Iranian news!Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in %26#039;developed%26#039; countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol The list is endless.





I%26#039;m gonna introduce Iran%26#039;s international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It%26#039;s fully in English. In the %26quot;Sic / Tech%26quot; section you%26#039;ll always see Iran%26#039;s discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!


The list of highly-respected Iranian scientists and engineers in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Iran...


The list of notable Iranian figures and pioneers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporar...


An extract: Iranian medical community is a significant part of medical community in US and Europe


Enough evidence?





Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn%26#039;t it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran





If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places:





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showth...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran





Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. %26quot;Music of Iran and Iranian musicians have received countless awards in the course of history. Every year from 1977 to 2007.Evidence? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ir...


I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they%26#039;re some of the best songs they%26#039;ve ever heard.


Here%26#039;s a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose %26quot;Save Target As%26quot; to download them. Iranian music is just modern pop which is based on electronic stuff.Experience how awsome music can be produced by electronic Trance drums instead of DJ music!


1.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


2.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


3.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


4.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


5.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...


6.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


7.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


8.(Farangis %26quot;A female name%26quot; 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmus...


12.(You can%26#039;t: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...





And so on and on!


It%26#039;s now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts and riding camels!





Part 2: Political info.


Let%26#039;s clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don%26#039;t get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would make them controversial topics to interest its viewers! For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that.


First of all, Iranians don%26#039;t hate anyone.We hate neither Jews nor Americans. How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! The truth us that Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story! We live basically the same lives.Don%26#039;t look at the way women dress in public places! You%26#039;ve got to see them in other places!I%26#039;ve got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov%26#039;t. Jews are faithful people! 20,000 Jews and lots of Christians live here equally with Iranians and two of Iran%26#039;s parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Moslem knocking at your door asking you to do so?


Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us.





I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone%26#039;s guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he%26#039;s going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It%26#039;s %26quot;nuclear energy%26quot;. Besides, how many %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That%26#039;s what nuclear agency says. Only Iran%26#039;s opponents are pulling Iran%26#039;s leg and what they say is just based on political conflicts. What we%26#039;re doing is legal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It%26#039;s the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.





Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! the thing is that he exactly said: %26quot;The Imam %26quot;Khomeyni%26quot; said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.%26quot;They%26#039;ve only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it%26#039;s mistranslated intentionally. Besides, they%26#039;ve been saying such things for a long time.It%26#039;s their habit.Here%26#039;s an article.%26quot;Wiped off the map....The roumor of the century.Read how the media and the U.S newspapers have twisted it into a controvertioal topic. http://www.antiwar.com/orig/norouzi.php?... Now you see that you were wrong.Iran has always defended itself, but it%26#039;s not an offensive country.





Some say he%26#039;s said: %26quot;The Holocaust is a myth!%26quot; Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that%26#039;s terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren%26#039;t important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that%26#039;s not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran%26#039;s population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it%26#039;s OK and no one says they%26#039;re threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima %26amp; Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you%26#039;d get the point why he%26#039;s IRONICALLY said it%26#039;s a myth. Moreover, don%26#039;t you believe in freedom of speech/mind? Well, if you%26#039;d like to blame someone for that, hope in a time-machine and sue Hitler! lol





Some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on.


This part is just for Americans:


Those of you who say why Iran says %26quot;Death to America%26quot;:


1. %26#039;America%26#039; to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean %26quot;American people%26quot; when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up %26quot;no war%26quot; placards?! Also, I see a lot of %26quot;Let%26#039;s nuke Iran%26quot;s on YA.Isn%26#039;t that a kind of %26quot;Death to Iran%26quot;?


2. The new generation don%26#039;t say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that%26#039;s because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn%26#039;t it?


3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt%26#039;s terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn%26#039;t deny that attacking countries is a mistake. Would you?)


4. U.S. companies assistance in developing Iraq%26#039;s chemical weapons facilities during the Iran-Iraq war which killed over a million Iranians


5. USS Vincennes shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 with many civilian fatalities


6.U.S. Support for anti-Iranian terrorist organisations (i.e. the MKO);


7. Economic damage caused by U.S. sanctions and political pressure; U.S. UAV overflights over Iran violating Iranian airspace since 2003.





When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he%26#039;s said, what do you call Bush for his war crimes?


To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:


1. Firstly, It%26#039;s related to so many years ago and it%26#039;s almost a part of history, and don%26#039;t forget that when there%26#039;s a revolution, there%26#039;d be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they%26#039;re all alive and healthy. Aren%26#039;t they?


2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!!





If you like to insist on your theory of attacking Israel, I%26#039;ll tell you our logical theory: %26quot;The moment that Iran attacks Israel, Iran will be wiped off the face of the earth by the U.S and its allies and Iran is far more logical than doing such a stupid thing%26quot; So, forget about it.I%26#039;m quite sure you know that all the events and lies in the world are a part of a pre-planned scenario by major world-powers (Iran as an important country has always been a part of their plans)And the first step is to brainwash people.They excactly know what will happen even 50 years later! I think Iraq is such a good example.Attacking it with the excuse of removing Saddam while they%26#039;d put Saddam there themselves and had supported him for years! They said they had W.M.Ds and you believed them.Now they say Iran (a member of N.P.T) has nukes / is developing nukes and you believe them wilhe the nuclear agency hasn%26#039;t found any sign of illegal activities.Time to wake up!


Isn%26#039;t it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov%26#039;ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. They don%26#039;t care about hurting people%26#039;s feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. Now, what do you think? I can%26#039;t wait to see both nations in peace. It%26#039;d be marvelous!


Did you find my article informative? : )


Thanks for your time
Reply:Very good informative article with a lot of research.


Thank You.





Reading the responses above I can see there are a bunch of Knuckleheads that don%26#039;t even want to try to educate themselves.





I think everyone in the world knows what the U. S. oil Barron%26#039;s are after in Iran........oil.
Reply:You posted this before and I answered it. I asked a few questions of you with no response.
Reply:Jesus, are we really supposed to read all that?
Reply:I found it delusional propaganda. I also don%26#039;t believe you are a native Iranian. You use clearly American speech patterns and terminology, even slang spellings and words. There is a very marked difference in word usage between native and non-native speakers...even among native speakers from different countries who speak English. You are definitely American.





Of course, if you%26#039;d like about one thing...


*****


Sure...lucky you just happen to have an %26quot;American friend%26quot; handy there in Iran to proofread all that work...ha ha ha...and lucky he decided to add all those American colloquialisms. You are TOO much.
Reply:yahoo Answers is definitely for short and brief content. You can get your articles analyzed else where my friend...Nobody want to waste time.
Reply:dude......we barely know about our own country...what makes you think our limited field of vision can include anything but what tv tells us





I feel the need to apologize for those who dismiss it as%26quot;rubbish%26quot; %26quot;a pack of lies%26quot;








they forget that America has a beautiful thing called freedom of speech and not agreeing is not the same as lieing
Reply:No, it%26#039;s not informative, it%26#039;s a pack of lies, but I%26#039;m sure you knew that.
Reply:I want to know why you want to know what we think of this as a whole without getting into the details.


I will tell you why. As the saying goes, because %26quot;the devil%26quot; is in the details.
Reply:In the words of Yusuf Islam, %26quot;You are young, that%26#039;s your fault. There%26#039;s so much you have to know%26quot;.
Reply:You are a spammer, undoubtedly from the Qods Brigade (Iranian intel services) trying to foster support for your failing islamofascist nation.





Tell me, does your article explain this article here? Dissenters being beat up, jailed, etc? Yea, nice country Mahmoud.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/world/...





guys, this spammer posts this repeatedly, there must be a hidden agenda.
Reply:Did I find your article informative? Yes





Did I find your article annoying? Yes





....





example: Iranian women can%26#039;t go to a football stadium because it%26#039;s filled with %26#039;cheeky guys%26#039;...LOL
Reply:i think the whole problem is the goverment. twenty years of undocumented nuclear activities. the call for israel to be wiped off the face of the earth. supporting a military in palestine to kill innicents. defying the IAEA for no good reason. how do you expect the world to see you. and i know you are not iran but the face of iran is loony.when you ask someone if they have stolen from your store and they say no, yet they will not show you their hands or empty their pockets, you have to assume the are thieves. such is the leaders of iran. i think the world as a whole is misinformed because most only learn about it on the news. i do not hate iran or its people. i am scared that a leader of your country will supply hamas/hezbollah or some other crackpot with the means to kill tens of thousands. if this is not the face iran wants to show then they should change their leader with someone who has some idea of reason.
Reply:Most Iranians seem like nice folks, BUT the Mullahs are the Mullahs, and that extremist Islamic movement has ruined your country. And your nukes in those hands makes us extremely nervous.





America has proven itself able to handle the burden of world power. Have your Mullahs? Not likely.





We tried to be nice to Khomeini back in the late Seventies and where did it get us? Over 50 diplomats kidnapped by your so-called revolutionary guards and our embassy trashed. No belief in diplomatic immunity there.





I remember all this quite well. I was a young adult then. You probably weren%26#039;t even born until the Eighties. There%26#039;s no forgiveness in me for any of that. Until Iran comes to terms with its act of war against the American people, we will NOT trust you as far as we can throw you.





Trying to distinguish the American government from the American people is an old, low, Leftist trick. It won%26#039;t wash. WE elect our politicians. YOU get yours appointed by your rotten Mullahs. Theocracy anyone?





Clean up your act, Iranians. It%26#039;s time for you guys to carry out a revolution in order to dump the horrors of the old revolution. It can be done. Just ask the Eastern Europeans.





Tyranny is tyranny under any name--Nazi, Communist, Islamofascist. If it smells like it, it%26#039;s tyranny.
Reply:I find this article very informing if somewhat boring.
Reply:as others said your question is too long. Well i got out of Iran


27 years ago. and I am how they say minority, the only reason i and my family and the rest of minority%26#039;s got out of Iran, was be cause we thought the history will repeat it self. The same thing will happen as it happened in 1915 the ARMENIAN genocide.





well i am very happy and glad to say that i was wrong, it did not


happened., be cause of that i am very grate full.





one other reason that most other people who got out of Iran, was because of the Islamic Laws which forced down to peoples trouts.





I am talking about right after the revolution.





right at this moment in Iran things are not as bad as use to be,


the things that we knew that is happening.





As far as the human rights back then not now. the outrages and UN human things that happen to my fellow Iranians, just because they spoke of FREEDOM.





as far as Females right back then, well i do not know how old you are, if you are young you do not know or no one has told you what the government has done to FEMALES back then


not now.





so lets not go there, it will be very difficult for our American or


others to imagine what really happened right after Khomeini came.





the PASDARS, male or female secret police.





Yes we do have a beautiful city, with 4 different complete season, the most gigantic malls which can not be found in Europe, or any where else.





I would like to open my heart and say the things that i know, but i cant cause still i have relatives over there.





So just lets prey for one day every where all human kinds will have some sort of ever lasting peace.

Should people get to know the "real" Iran as part of the globalization project?

308>If you%26#039;re answer is %26quot;Yes%26quot; read this:


I believe that if you spend 10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime%26#039;s worth of Major Media news. This article has two parts:


1. Cultural and general info


2. Political info.


Note: I%26#039;ve explained everything.Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.Specially the political part.I%26#039;ve provided evidence for whatever I say.It%26#039;s just the way it is.


****


Part 1: Cultural and general info


Hi. I%26#039;m a 19 year old Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.I study English.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.


The first thing the West accuses our government of is that we don%26#039;t allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don%26#039;t like as much as anyone.There are only a few restrictions.It%26#039;s cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don%26#039;t even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa.Some of Iran%26#039;s laws are based on OUR culture. You look at our country from %26quot;your own point of view%26quot;! In Iran most houses have a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style. A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!





In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, drugs, inflation and air pollution. Also, you can%26#039;t compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran%26#039;s population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we%26#039;ve transformed everything.


Ever heard Iranian girls are terrific?I%26#039;ve collected some photos showing Iranian girls! Look! Poeple are like this!


http://www.salijoon.ir/bazigar/hedye%20t...


http://www.30nema.com/images/gallery/30n...


http://i10.tinypic.com/4clk3us.jpg


http://tinypic.com/2d0nfao.jpg Is that enough?!


Some people think women don%26#039;t have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. They%26#039;re very respectful, and they%26#039;ve been the winners in so many cases: Most of them get into the best universities because they%26#039;re very smart. And they get the best jobs because of their high university degrees. They%26#039;ve got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that%26#039;s because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I%26#039;ve put a sample here.


Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? But in one case the thing that had happened was incest not adultery. Most of those footages relate to the early days just after Iran%26#039;s revolution! Otherwise you%26#039;d get new footages at least once a month!What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too.I found a BOOK of the U.S problems and it got me dizzy! Iran has its own problems too. Each country has its own problems.


Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: %26quot;IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!%26quot; %26quot;IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!%26quot; Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.


There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don%26#039;t the Media talk about them? Please don%26#039;t summarize our nation and culture with the single word %26quot;nuclear%26quot;. Although we%26#039;re proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.








A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.Now, I found it among the English news: %26quot;The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology%26quot; The link to read about it is: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032....


The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!


Some interesting facts:


Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian.The pioneer in heart transplants and artificiall hearts, %26quot;artificial vessels%26quot; using nano-technology (Reported yesterday) and so on and so! (I%26#039;ve put two websites below) The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It%26#039;s one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad... ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they%26#039;re among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman the nobel peace prize are Iranian. The 6th top movie director in the world is Iranian.(Abbas Kiarostami) http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/...


These are just small samples.If the media told you about Iran%26#039;s achievemens everyday and didn%26#039;t hide them, your news would be full of Iranian news!Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in %26#039;developed%26#039; countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol The list is endless.





I%26#039;m gonna introduce Iran%26#039;s international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It%26#039;s fully in English. In the %26quot;Sic / Tech%26quot; section you%26#039;ll always see Iran%26#039;s discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!


The list of highly-respected Iranian scientists and engineers in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Iran...


The list of notable Iranian figures and pioneers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporar...


An extract: Iranian medical community is a significant part of medical community in US and Europe


Enough evidence?





Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn%26#039;t it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran





If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places:





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...


http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showth...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran





Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. %26quot;Music of Iran and Iranian musicians have received countless awards in the course of history. Every year from 1977 to 2007.Evidence? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ir...


I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they%26#039;re some of the best songs they%26#039;ve ever heard.


Here%26#039;s a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose %26quot;Save Target As%26quot; to download them. Iranian music is just modern pop which is based on electronic stuff.Experience how awsome music can be produced by electronic Trance drums instead of DJ music!


1.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


2.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...


3.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


4.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


5.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...


6.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


7.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


8.(Farangis %26quot;A female name%26quot; 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...


9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...


11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmus...


12.(You can%26#039;t: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...





And so on and on!


It%26#039;s now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts and riding camels!





Part 2: Political info.


Let%26#039;s clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don%26#039;t get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would make them controversial topics to interest its viewers! For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that.


First of all, Iranians don%26#039;t hate anyone.We hate neither Jews nor Americans. How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! The truth us that Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story! We live basically the same lives.Don%26#039;t look at the way women dress in public places! You%26#039;ve got to see them in other places!I%26#039;ve got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov%26#039;t. Jews are faithful people! 20,000 Jews and lots of Christians live here equally with Iranians and two of Iran%26#039;s parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Moslem knocking at your door asking you to do so?


Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us.





I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone%26#039;s guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he%26#039;s going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It%26#039;s %26quot;nuclear energy%26quot;. Besides, how many %26quot;nuclear weapons%26quot; do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That%26#039;s what nuclear agency says. Only Iran%26#039;s opponents are pulling Iran%26#039;s leg and what they say is just based on political conflicts. What we%26#039;re doing is legal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It%26#039;s the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.





Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! the thing is that he exactly said: %26quot;The Imam %26quot;Khomeyni%26quot; said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.%26quot;They%26#039;ve only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it%26#039;s mistranslated intentionally. Besides, they%26#039;ve been saying such things for a long time.It%26#039;s their habit.Here%26#039;s an article.%26quot;Wiped off the map....The roumor of the century.Read how the media and the U.S newspapers have twisted it into a controvertioal topic. http://www.antiwar.com/orig/norouzi.php?... Now you see that you were wrong.Iran has always defended itself, but it%26#039;s not an offensive country.





Some say he%26#039;s said: %26quot;The Holocaust is a myth!%26quot; Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that%26#039;s terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren%26#039;t important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that%26#039;s not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran%26#039;s population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it%26#039;s OK and no one says they%26#039;re threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima %26amp; Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you%26#039;d get the point why he%26#039;s IRONICALLY said it%26#039;s a myth. Moreover, don%26#039;t you believe in freedom of speech/mind? Well, if you%26#039;d like to blame someone for that, hope in a time-machine and sue Hitler! lol





Some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on.


This part is just for Americans:


Those of you who say why Iran says %26quot;Death to America%26quot;:


1. %26#039;America%26#039; to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean %26quot;American people%26quot; when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up %26quot;no war%26quot; placards?! Also, I see a lot of %26quot;Let%26#039;s nuke Iran%26quot;s on YA.Isn%26#039;t that a kind of %26quot;Death to Iran%26quot;?


2. The new generation don%26#039;t say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that%26#039;s because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn%26#039;t it?


3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt%26#039;s terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn%26#039;t deny that attacking countries is a mistake. Would you?)


4. U.S. companies assistance in developing Iraq%26#039;s chemical weapons facilities during the Iran-Iraq war which killed over a million Iranians


5. USS Vincennes shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 with many civilian fatalities


6.U.S. Support for anti-Iranian terrorist organisations (i.e. the MKO);


7. Economic damage caused by U.S. sanctions and political pressure; U.S. UAV overflights over Iran violating Iranian airspace since 2003.





When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he%26#039;s said, what do you call Bush for his war crimes?


To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:


1. Firstly, It%26#039;s related to so many years ago and it%26#039;s almost a part of history, and don%26#039;t forget that when there%26#039;s a revolution, there%26#039;d be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they%26#039;re all alive and healthy. Aren%26#039;t they?


2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!!





If you like to insist on your theory of attacking Israel, I%26#039;ll tell you our logical theory: %26quot;The moment that Iran attacks Israel, Iran will be wiped off the face of the earth by the U.S and its allies and Iran is far more logical than doing such a stupid thing%26quot; So, forget about it.I%26#039;m quite sure you know that all the events and lies in the world are a part of a pre-planned scenario by major world-powers (Iran as an important country has always been a part of their plans)And the first step is to brainwash people.They excactly know what will happen even 50 years later! I think Iraq is such a good example.Attacking it with the excuse of removing Saddam while they%26#039;d put Saddam there themselves and had supported him for years! They said they had W.M.Ds and you believed them.Now they say Iran (a member of N.P.T) has nukes / is developing nukes and you believe them wilhe the nuclear agency hasn%26#039;t found any sign of illegal activities.Time to wake up!


Isn%26#039;t it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov%26#039;ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. They don%26#039;t care about hurting people%26#039;s feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. Now, what do you think? I can%26#039;t wait to see both nations in peace. It%26#039;d be marvelous!


Did you find my article informative? : )


Thanks for your time
Reply:Thank you for this. I live in the mountains in the western US. I saw a video of an Iranian ski resort and it didn%26#039;t look unlike here! :-) It%26#039;s sad how our press acts as propaganda for the government by demonizing Iran and Iranians.





I think its very important for Iranians to distinguish between %26quot;America%26quot; and the American Government. When you say death to America we take that personally. Our government has been taken over by corporate power, the war profiteering machine and special interests. Bribery is allowed and called campaign donations and the AMerican people are losing our liberties and freedom because of this. Our government has become very corrupt because of legal bribery. The true America would be a Constitutional America, but our president has even said, %26quot;the Constitution is just a g-dammed piece of paper.
Reply:That does sound very nice. Care to join me for some tea?
Reply:The fact that you keep showing your diatribe about Iran over and over again under different headings is one of the reasons I do not like Iranians. They are crafty and untruthful.

Affordable health insurance 4 someone with prexisting conditions? I have no kids and in a low income household

307>I NEED MEDICAL INSURANCE!


I have recurrent urinary tract infections that are often resistant to antibiotics. I have Kidney stones as well, had a Kidney infection and when I was hospitalized they urged me to see a specialist but I CANNOT AFFORD a specialist! A social worker in the hospital said that I shouldn%26#039;t even bother applying for medicaid because I don%26#039;t have children so applying would likely be a waste of time. I am unemployed at this time due to several psychological issues I will not get into. Medication is too expensive. I need medication in order to be mentally balanced. I started taking Valium %26amp; Adderall and both help me feel sane. The only problem is I don%26#039;t know how much longer I can even afford it!! Anti biotics are so costly as well!


I have a family history of cervical Cancer and I NEED to see a gynecologist for a pap test but cannot afford it! I need dental insurance cause I have cavities but can%26#039;t afford that either!


I feel hopeless! Can someone give me some hope?
Reply:First off, Be very wary of medical discount cards. They are not regulated by the Department of Insurance nor do the people that sell them need to be licensed. This means you have little recourse when you have problems with the plan. If you are tempted by the low price and claims of “save up to 80%” be aware that very few doctors actually take these cards. It does you little good if you have to drive 4 hours to find a doctor that will accept the card. One state couldn’t find any doctors in that state that took the card and only one dentist who was on probation for unlawful activities so they banned the sale of the card. See this link http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/wes... for more information. Many other states are starting to ban these cards.





Before signing up with any discount plan get a list of doctors. If they won’t give you a list consider it to be a scam. Call the doctors on the list to make sure they’re still taking the card (many don’t even know that they’re listed as a provider) and that they’re accepting new patients.





Second, you%26#039;re probably not going to be able to get on an individual insurance policy. You are unemployed so the only thing available will be a short term medical. Short term medical policies do not cover pre-existing conditions. Even if you were employed most policies will not cover pre-existing conditions and many will not accept you based on the total of your conditions. You may want to visit a local independent agent. This person knows the plans available in your area and can find out if any plan will take you.





Third, you should still check on Medicaid. You don%26#039;t have to have kids to be accepted for Medicaid. Depending upon what state you are in there are income and asset requirements. Google Medicaid and your state and you%26#039;ll find their website. On the website will be information on how to qualify and how to apply. Don%26#039;t let any hospital social worker tell you that you can%26#039;t get on without trying for yourself.
Reply:Hope is on the way, go to this site, it will explain everything to you. You can get all of your medical needs taken care of for a lot less money. If you have any questions let me know! www.everyonebenefits.com/fornido

Allied international credit and there unlawful practices?

306>has any person had problems with allied credit collection toronto. they broke several consumers laws in british colombia here are just a few of thier lies and ignorance .called a woman whose mother was terminal with cancer, this lady was staying at the hospital when not working , paying for some medications. they constantly violated the law by phoning her at work . the stress did catch up , suffered breakdown and severe asthma attack, causing lost work .constantly called husband stupid , these are parents of a mentally challenged daughter , stupid people do not get custody . made anti- jewish remarks to husband . called at 5 am went so far as to say that her mothers cancer never happened. made remarks to husband about his canadian citizenship . great uncle buried flanders field faxed copy birth certificate . called husband drug addict tested negative. refused to converse with doctor .told husband to get a job cpp disability documents faxed. another lie .all documented COWARDS
Reply:Im not an expert on the matter but its my understanding that collections agencies merely have to contact you a certain number of times before they can take the situation to court and get a judgement against the person and eventually a garnishment of wages. What they say during those contacts should presumably be professional but in your case its far from it. Document the calls, time, date, and whom you spoke with. Most collections companies record the calls. Start your own file and then contact the management and higher ups within the collections agency and have them do an internal investigation. Perhaps they arent aware of how their employees are treating those they call. Then call and file a report with the better business bureau in your area regarding their poor business tactics, and then contact an attorney and a cop:file harassment charges against them and file a civil suit for mental anguish etc.
Reply:I am helping someone in fort myers, fl having the same difficulty with this company. I want to write to the higher ups but cannot find names. Can someone share some names with me?

Honestly, is smoking THAT harmful? and aren't they exagerrating a little bit???

305>Do you think anti smoking ads exagerrate?? I mean all these documentaries, films, ads and stuff about how smoking cigarettes gives you cancer, strokes, heart disease etc.. Do you believe everyone who smokes will end up having one of these problems? What%26#039;s the rate of people who will be seriously affected by cigarette smoking ?? I%26#039;m asking this because I see so many smokers out there and I%26#039;m wondering if all of them will die of cancer or smoking-related illnesses


I just quit smoking yesterday (I%26#039;ve been smoking about a pack, for about 3 years)
Reply:Yep, smoking is that harmful. Your lungs weren%26#039;t designed to inhale burning smoke and chemical fumes, and it shows over time. I have known several people to pass away due to cancer or other lung related diseases due to smoking. Does everyone who smokes die from lung cancer? No, but a heck of alot more do than people who don%26#039;t smoke. I don%26#039;t know numbers and rates, because they are different depending on who is reporting them. The tobacco companies%26#039; numbers will be much lower than say the TRUTH campaign numbers. There are tons of studies, but the results are all the same, smoking is bad for you. Plain and simple. Not just smoking, but chewing tobacco and dip will give you cancer as well.





Congrats on stopping smoking, your children will thank you for it and you may even get to meet your grandchildren :-)





Smokers on the other hand run the risk of checking out early, abandoning their family and missing out on life%26#039;s joys such as holding your baby granddaughter for the first time. Think about those things if you start to pick up a cig again.





Hope this helps! and good luck! :-)
Reply:It depends on how long you smoke. I%26#039;ve heard ridiculous claims about how each cigarrette takes off a certain amount of your life- but that%26#039;s just silly. If you smoked for a relatively short period of time then quit, your lungs will totally recover.





But yes, smoking is THAT harmful. If the people you see smoking keep doing it for years and years, they will eventually develop some sort of health problem.
Reply:It is only harmful in large amounts. Smoking a pack here or there will allow your body to recover. Damage from long terms of smoking, however, is forever.
Reply:It is THAT harmful. It happened to some people I know.. I%26#039;ve seen it with my own eyes!
Reply:congrats on quiting.


i quit 11/2 years ago.


there is evidence that smoking causes or increases the risk of some of the illnesses you mentioned.


it also thickens the blood which could lead to blood clots in major organs like the liver, heart, lungs and brain.


there is no doubt smoking is hazardous.


and it curtails breathing dramatically. i can now go up a flight of stairs without becoming winded. i can run and play games with my daughter without taking so many breaks to catch my breath or have a smoke.


i think the benefits of not smoking way outweigh the reasons to keep smoking.


i wish you the best of luck with your quiting.


oh, and you save tons of money to use for other things.


good luck. stick to it. smiles.
Reply:Scientific research has shown that non-smoking restaurant and bar employees absorb a potent carcinogen--not considered safe at any level--while working in places where they had to breathe tobacco smoke from customers and co-workers. The carcinogen, NNK, is found in the body only as a result of using tobacco or breathing second-hand smoke.





Elevated levels of NNK showed up in the urine of non-smoking employees shortly after they encountered second-hand smoke during their shifts. Moreover, levels of NNK, which is known to cause lung cancer, increased by 6 percent for each hour of work. American Journal of Public Health





And that is just the non-smokers!!!





Lung cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia, heart and arterial problems are well documented in smokers. It does not stop there - try looking at the skin of a long term smoker. Dry and with lots of fine wrinkles and bad colour indicates serious problems in the bodies health!





Smoking related deaths outstrip every other cause!!!





It was suggested that it takes five years to get your system clean from the day you give up. Recent research suggests some harmful effects are never removed!
Reply:It all depends on how much you smoke. The longer you smoke, the higher the chance of you developing cancer. Smoking is linked to a lot of other health issues besides cancer and heart disease. When I think of all the toxins that they put in cigarettes to make them burn slower, it makes me want to quit even more. I smoke about 10 cigarettes per day which doesn%26#039;t seem like much to me but as I get older, I see my energy drain quicker. I think smoking contributes to that. My mom recently quit after 20 years of smoking and I am so proud of her. Maybe I need to seriously get into that frame of mind as well and make my son proud.
Reply:It%26#039;s not an exaggeration. My dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer a year ago, at age 89. Cancer does NOT run in our family. The first thing the doc asked was, %26quot;Do you smoke%26quot;? My dad hadn%26#039;t touched a cigarette in over 30 years. He had smoked for 40 years plus. The Urologist told him that most men who have smoked at some point in their lives, will end up with Bladder cancer. Luckily, my Dad had an easy go of it and is now 91 and cancer free. So, you see, smoking can affect you way down the road and it%26#039;s not all about throat, mouth and lungs. It can affect your entire body.
Reply:Nope, diseases caused by smoking are indeed not exaggerated.....and congrats of quitting.... hardest job in the world.
Reply:Hi,





Glad to here you have stopped smoking, now all you have to do is break the habit.





Smoking is an addiction to nicotine so you will get withdrawal symptoms but you have been doing it for quite a while so it will have also become a habit.





Things like buying a morning paper, and your ciggies.





The after a meal smoke, one before bed these are habitual things that have also got to be overcome.





Smoking is also a voluntary form of lung exercise and all the tar and rubbish you have been inhaling has kept your lungs moist.





They will now dry out slightly and will be not exercising.





So, do some deep breathing exercises first thing in the morning and last thing at night, not much just enough to stretch your lungs out.





Suck a humbug or any sweet if you feel the urge to smoke.





Three things:-





Don%26#039;t throw all your ciggies away, keep a pack in a drawer,


that way you will never be craving that much you have to go buy some, you will always know if you want to give up you could do, but you are not going to give in.





Count the hours + minutes that you have not smoked, then the days. Every minute that goes past is a milestone, if you can do it for one minute then you can do it for two after all you sleep for 7-8 hrs without smoking. Trying to forget is a passport to failure.





Close your wardrobe doors and do not open them for three or four days. When you open them you will then smell how you always smelt to other people, like stagnant smoke.





I have not smoked for 22 years, when I packed it in I was having to have a glass of sherry to help me sleep, I ate like an horse and had sweeties in abundance.


I used to wake up confused as to whether or not I still smoked, because even to date, in my dreams, I always smoke.





It is not an easy thing to do but after a while when you realise how you don%26#039;t get out of breath and how bad your breathing actually was and of course how you smelt to others, you will be glad you gave it up.





Skip





I know you will always find an exception to the rule, an 80 year old who has smoked for years with no effect on his health but for every one like that there are hundreds that have died.
Reply:One Third of all cancers are caused by smoking! One Third!
Reply:Yes, smoking is that harmful. It is the primary cause of lung cancer in the world today.





Smoking does not mean the you will get lung cancer, but it does raise the possibility that you will develop it later in life.





Quitting smoking is one of the best things that you will ever do for your long term health.
Reply:Yes! smoking is that harmful. I have lost two grand parents to lung cancer due to smoking. And currently have a grandmother that has emphazema. She has been battling this for over ten years and it gets worse every day. Not all smokers get cancer it is true however due to other peoples second hand smoke, people who do not smoke are suffering with lung cancer. No one knows who will get the different problems related to smoking. That is just not something that can be predicted. Did you know that by quitting smoking you just added ten years back to your life? or that is what I heard. Smoking is a bad habit and I would commend you for quitting. Good luck and Congradulation on quitting.

Would someone plz post an Accomplishments BIO of OBama as I am of Hillary?

304>This is only a short list of the good she has done, starting back in her early life.


You can pull it up by bringing her history BIO up online. There is much much more.





Early life


Raised in a politically conservative household,[11] at age thirteen she helped canvass South Side Chicago following the very close 1960 U.S. presidential election, finding evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon,[12] and volunteered for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater in the U.S. presidential election of 1964.[13] Her early political development was shaped most strongly by her energizing high school history teacher, who got her to read Goldwater%26#039;s classic The Conscience of a Conservative[14] and who was, like her father, a fervent anti-communist, and by her Methodist youth minister, like her mother concerned with issues of social justice; with the minister she saw and met civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago in 1962.





Rodham attended the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami, where she decided to leave the Republican Party for good; she was upset over how Richard Nixon%26#039;s campaign had portrayed Rockefeller and what Rodham perceived as the %26quot;veiled%26quot; racist messages of the convention





That summer, she worked her way across Alaska, washing dishes in Mount McKinley National Park and sliming salmon in a fish processing cannery in Valdez (which fired her and shut down overnight when she complained about unhealthy conditions).





Law school





During her second year, she worked at the Yale Child Study Center,[34] learning about new research on early childhood brain development and working as a research assistant on the seminal work, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child (1973).[35][36] She also took on cases of child abuse at Yale-New Haven Hospital,[35] and volunteered at New Haven Legal Services to provide free advice for the poor.[





and volunteered at New Haven Legal Services to provide free advice for the poor.[34] In the summer of 1970, she was awarded a grant to work at Marian Wright Edelman%26#039;s Washington Research Project, where she was assigned to Senator Walter Mondale%26#039;s Subcommittee on Migratory Labor, researching migrant workers%26#039; problems in housing, sanitation, health and education;[37][38] Edelman would become a significant mentor to her.[38]





In the late spring of 1971, she began dating Bill Clinton, who was also a law student at Yale.








Early Arkansas years





Rodham co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a state-level alliance with the Children%26#039;s Defense Fund, in 1977.





For much of that time[81] she served as the chair of that board, the first woman to do so.[82] During her time as chair, funding for the Corporation was expanded from $90 million to $300 million,[70] and she successfully battled against President Ronald Reagan%26#039;s initial attempts to reduce the funding and change the nature of the organization.





Clinton appointed her chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee the same year,[83] where she successfully obtained federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas%26#039; poorest areas without affecting doctors%26#039; fees.





In one of the most important initiatives of the entire Clinton governorship,[92] she fought a prolonged but ultimately successful battle against the Arkansas Education Association[92] to put mandatory teacher testing as well as state standards for curriculum and classroom size in place.[92] She introduced Arkansas%26#039; Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth in 1985, a program that helps parents work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy.[94] She was named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1983 and Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984.





First Lady of the United States





When Bill Clinton took office as president in January 1993, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the First Lady of the United States, and announced that she would be using that form of her name.[116] She was the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree[117] and to have her own professional career up to the time of entering the White House.[118] She was also the first to take up an office in the West Wing of the White House:[48] the First Lady usually stays in the East Wing. She is regarded as the most openly empowered presidential wife in American history, save for Eleanor Roosevelt.[119]





Along with Senator Ted Kennedy, she was the major force behind the State Children%26#039;s Health Insurance Program in 1997, a federal effort that provided state support for children whose parents were unable to provide them with health coverage.





She promoted nationwide immunization against childhood illnesses and encouraged older women to seek a mammogram to detect breast cancer, with coverage provided by Medicare.[140] She successfully sought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health.





The First Lady worked to investigate reports of an illness that affected veterans of the Gulf War, which became known as the Gulf War syndrome.[48] Together with Attorney General Janet Reno, Clinton helped create the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice.





In 1997, she initiated and shepherded the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which she regarded as her greatest accomplishment as First Lady.[48] As First Lady, Clinton hosted numerous White House Conferences, including ones on Child Care (1997),[141] Early Childhood Development and Learning (1997),[142] and Children and Adolescents (2000),[143] and the first-ever White House Conferences on Teenagers (2000)[144] and Philanthropy (1999).





Hillary Clinton traveled to 79 countries during this time,[146] breaking the mark for most-travelled First Lady held by Pat Nixon.[147] In a September 1995 speech before the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Clinton argued very forcefully against practices that abused women around the world and in China itself,[148] declaring %26quot;that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women%26#039;s rights as separate from human rights%26quot;[148] and resisting Chinese pressure to soften her remarks.[146] She was one of the most prominent international figures at the time to speak out against the treatment of Afghan women by the Islamist fundamentalist Taliban that had seized control of Afghanistan.[149][150] She helped create Vital Voices, an international initiative sponsored by the United States to promote the participation of women in the political processes of their countries.








Traditional duties





Clinton initiated and was Founding Chair of the Save America%26#039;s Treasures program, a national effort that matched federal funds to private donations for the purpose of preserving and restoring historic items and sites,[184] including the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner and the First Ladies Historic Site in Canton, Ohio.[48] She was head of the White House Millennium Council,[185] and initiated the Millennium Project with monthly lectures that discuss futures studies, one of which became the first live simultaneous webcast from the White House. Clinton also created the first Sculpture Garden there, which displayed large contemporary American works of art loaned from museums in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.[186]





Senate election of 2000


Clinton has served on five Senate committees: Committee on Budget (2001鈥?002),[203] Committee on Armed Services (since 2003),[204] Committee on Environment and Public Works (since 2001),[203] Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (since 2001)[203] and Special Committee on Aging.[205] She is also a Commissioner of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe[206] (since 2001).[207]





Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Clinton sought to obtain funding for the recovery efforts in New York City and security improvements in her state. Working with New York%26#039;s senior senator, Charles Schumer, she was instrumental in quickly securing $21 billion in funding for the World Trade Center site%26#039;s redevelopment. She subsequently took a leading role in investigating the health issues faced by 9/11 first responders.[211] Clinton voted for the USA Patriot Act in October 2001, as did all but one senator. In 2005, when the act was up for renewal, she worked to address some of the civil liberties concerns with it,[212] before voting in favor of a compromise renewed act in March 2006 that gained large majority support.[213]








As a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Clinton strongly supported military action in Afghanistan, saying it was a chance to combat terrorism while improving the lives of Afghan women who suffered under the Taliban government.





TAKE NOTE: %26quot;should such action be required%26quot;


Now those who go on about her vote can eat crow!!....





Clinton voted in favor of the October 2002 Iraq War Resolution, which authorized United States President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq, should such action be required to enforce a United Nations Security Council Resolution after pursuing with diplomatic efforts.





In late 2005, Clinton said that while immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake, Bush%26#039;s pledge to stay %26quot;until the job is done%26quot; is also misguided, as it gives Iraqis %26quot;an open-ended invitation not to take care of themselves.





Clinton voted in 2005 against the confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States,[220] and in 2006 against the nomination of Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court;[221] both were confirmed. In 2005, Clinton called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how hidden sex scenes showed up in the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[222] Along with Senators Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh, she introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act, intended to protect children from inappropriate content found in video games.





In March 2007 she voted in favor of a war spending bill that required President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within a certain deadline; it passed almost completely along party lines[234] but was subsequently vetoed by President Bush.





In May 2007 a compromise war funding bill that removed withdrawal deadlines but tied funding to progress benchmarks for the Iraqi government passed the Senate by a vote of 80-14 and would be signed by Bush; Clinton was one of those who voted against it.





Clinton has enjoyed high approval ratings for her job as senator within New York, reaching an all-time high of 72 to 74 percent approving (including half of Republicans).
Reply:I can, but if you%26#039;re voting for her then shouldn%26#039;t you have done your homework and figured who you would vote for based on your needs?..I%26#039;m voting for whom I%26#039;m voting for cause I have educated myself on ALL the candidates.
Reply:I really wish I had an equally long post for Obama%26#039;s accomplishments but admittedly I do not. I know that as state legislator he raised the Illinois minimum wage and he got health coverage for 20,000 un-insured children. I also know that he has co-sponsored the (with Feingold and McCain) campaign reform act preventing elected officials from becoming lobbyists and restricting the corrupt practices of elections.





I know that he also worked hard on a transparency bill that would open up all ear-marks, all government spending, and all supporters of pet projects to a searchable internet database cross referenced with the spendings supporters.





The fact that he is much younger and is only a junior senator would severely limit the list..... more time in washington = better resume. However, I think that the things that Obama accomplished are not only important but were worked on in a bi-partisan way and often got passed.





With Hillary%26#039;s long list of accomplishments are a long list of failures, as well as mistakes. She voted to authorize a war with a country whose leader tried to assasinate the presidents father (even my father knew that coocku bannannas wouldn%26#039;t stop till saddam was gone regardless of consequences). She also seems to have a long list of failures.... including health care reform (her big issue) which proves that she cannot get the job done (or at least that she couldn%26#039;t in the past) largely because she is unable to bring others with her on the issues. Sorry but you don%26#039;t get credit for a consistent record of NOT getting the job done..... Trying is not really a scorecard checkmark (though it is admirable).





I think she might make a decent president, however I also think that with her in the White House we have another 4-8 years of partisan BS that is getting really really tired. You just don%26#039;t get as much of that with Obama or even with McCain. A part of her record is that she was already in the White House..... but what has occurred through that time? We were handed off to George Bush and the mess we have today. I am not faulting her or her husband for that but I am saying that clearly we are worse off today than we were 16 years ago. This is a fundamental problem because after 8 (possibly good years) will we be at a political place to allow another Bush to take over? That is a risk I am unwilling to take.... sometimes you have to look at the big picture as well as the baggage that comes with a person regardless of whos fault it may be.





One main issue is that most Hillary supporters take Bills record and assign it to her. Some of that is perfectly just.... however if that is the case one must really ask if Bill was THAT good of a president to warrant 8 more years. I think he was a good president, but not THAT good. I think that people are setting the bar so low in politics that basic competence is being touted as amazing..... he left the country marginally better than he took it..... not much more. We could play it safe with Hillary, or we could take a bit of a chance with Barrack. When you are unafraid you take that chance on possible greatness..... even if the result bites you in the butt. I%26#039;m taking the chance, and admittedlly %26quot;rolling the dice%26quot; because I think it is worth it.
Reply:Gee, I could copy and paste Wikipedia as well.


What does that mean?





I%26#039;ve done my own research on both candidates for the past year.


I%26#039;ve been reading about Clinton %26quot;doings%26quot; in the news for years.





I will never be swayed by %26quot;opinion%26quot; over my own research.


I also don%26#039;t expect to change anyone%26#039;s mind because I say so.





You want facts on Obama, do your own research.


Try his website or some of the websites that lists all the candidates





Just a couple of sites I%26#039;ve visited.