Category Archives: Politics
Lottery of Life
From the advertising campaign “Lottery of Life” by the charity “Save the Children”: If you think that your wealth, your health, your education and your prospects in life are something that you have earned yourself, think again. Links: If you … Continue reading
Iran determined to set new record in 2011
Unfortunately a record of the abhorrent kind: In the first 2 weeks of this year alone, Iran has already executed 47 people. And that is the official number. As the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran points out, this … Continue reading
Shirin Ebadi’s Fear
The Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has interpreted the harsh sentences imposed by the Iranian government on fellow lawyers in Iran as a “sign of fear” on behalf of the regime. That may well be so, … Continue reading
Mossad’s Ark
Given the Arab countries’ continuing contest to outdo each other with their suspicions against Israel, it was only a matter of time until someone would try beat Egypt’s claim that the Israeli security service Mossad was behind lethal shark attacks: … Continue reading
Das war die Wehrpflicht.
Das war es also mit der Wehrpflicht: Zum Juli 2011 wird nach 54 Jahren die Wehrpflicht in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ausgesetzt, was einer praktischen Abschaffung gleichkommt. Man wird wohl nie klären können, ob dieser Eingriff in das Leben junger Männer … Continue reading
Emancipation of women in Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran is again at the forefront of social progress (see my previous posts about scientific and academic progress): This time, it’s women’s rights, something very dear to the Mullahs. All over the world, women are victims … Continue reading
Death to the Conifers!
Deforestation speeds up climate change in two ways: First, the loss of trees reduces the forests’ capacity to convert carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Second, if deforestation is not carried out for the production of timber, but for the winning of … Continue reading
What do the Students want?
Ever since the UK government announced its plan to raise the cap of tuition fees that British universities are allowed to charge and to introduce changes in the student loan scheme, British students have filled the streets with protests, have … Continue reading
Iran punishes athlete for standing next to an Israeli.
In a recent post, I had already wondered how Iran’s government would react to an Iranian chess player losing the world record in simultaneous chess to an Israeli player. Well, now we know how Iran’s sports administration has handled a … Continue reading
“For Neda” wins Foreign Press Association Media Award 2010
The documentary “For Neda” about the life and death of Iranian protester Neda Agha-Soltan, which I had the honour to play a small role in, won the Foreign Press Association Media Award 2010 in the category of TV feature/documentary. The … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 