Speed of Life

"For all of its empty talk about Egypt, the government of Iran should allow the Iranian people the same universal right to peacefully assemble and demonstrate in Tehran that the people are exercising in Cairo." - White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor ”We wish the opposition and the brave people in the streets across cities in Iran the same opportunity that they saw their Egyptian counterparts seize in the last week.” She added, ”We are against violence and we would call to account the Iranian government that is once again using its security forces and resorting to violence to prevent the free expression of ideas from their own people.” - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Video from Feb 14, 2011 protests against Ahmadinejad in Tehran An eyewitness in Tehran today reports for the BBC: Mohsen Asgari BBC News, Tehran "Riding on the back of a motorbike, holding my mobile to take video footage, I went to central Tehran on Monday afternoon. My driver sk...

Against the Light - سهراب - Sohrab 29"x69" oil on screen 2009 (detail) "Also arrested were the mother and brother of Sohrab Aarabi, a young Iranian man slain during protests in June." - Los Angeles Times - 28 December 2009 Leading Iranian dissidents arrested, body of Mousavi's nephew missing "This is a very important moment in Iranian history, and it is probably time to start asking whether Iran's uprising could become a Berlin Wall moment. It's not just an issue of the sporadic protests once or twice a month... It's also one of the most vibrant and imaginative civil disobedience campaigns anywhere in the world." - Robin Wright, author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," from a conversation with CNN.

Behesht-e Zahra / Tehran today - July 30, 2009 / Zahra Rhanvard (Mousavi's Wife) #iranelection #neda #sohrab The Call - ندا -Neda 40 days after Neda Agha Soltan's murder, thousands of Iranians have gathered at the graves of those killed by Ahmadinejad's government. Today, at least 3,000 mourners pushed past riot squads to lay flowers on Neda's grave. A chant heard at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery today declared, "Neda is not dead. This government is dead." The Los Angeles Times reports that the security forces, after an initial flurry of arrests in and around Behest Zahra, retreated from the growing crowd. Noted Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mahnaz Mohammadi, and Rokhsare Ghaem Maghami were briefly arrested then released. Enduring America reports: Etemade Melli has an account of Mehdi Karroubi’s appearance at the memorial, including the resistance of mourners when security forces accosted him, and of his speech. The English translation, courtesy of Mani: Karro...

Green Scroll Unveiled in Paris - July 25, 2009 David Bowie's "Heroes" for the people of Iran. Amsterdam rallies - July 25, 2009 To the People of Iran: "We have heard your voices. We are with you!" - Archbishop Desmond Tutu Reza Aslan - "Stand Up for Iran" Shirin Ebadi - Message of Support for Iran Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin. Link Below: Artists 4 Freedom

United 4 Iran Presents Arts Program for Peace at UCLA Date/Time: Jul 25 2009 6:00pm - 9:00pm Price: Free to the public Where: UCLA Bruin Plaza 308 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles CA 90024 United4Iran event at UCLA Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Laureates, Iranian Poets and Artists Support July 25th Global Day of Action Protests in Iran Continue - Global Activism Increasing In Los Angeles a coalition of student organizations, United4Iran.org, Levantine Cultural Center and others are presenting an evening of music, poetry, speeches and solidarity messages on Saturday, July 25, from six to nine pm. Among the presents/performers are Sussan Deyhim, Maz Jobrani, Mamak Khadem and Naked Rhythm. A press release from United4Iran quotes several prominent leaders and others: "We deplore the violence and crackdown on peaceful protesters, the increasing restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment of a growing number of civil leaders in Iran. " —Archbishop Destmond Tutu, Nobel Peac...

U2 Amsterdam July 21, 2009 , originally uploaded by u2log.com . U2 adds images of the protests in Iran to the live presentation of Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Update: U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom More shots at: U2 Log

U2 Paints Berlin green for Iran (Sunday Bloody Sunday for Iran - Live in Berlin - July 18, 2009) Update: U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom Artists 4 Freedom in support of Iran: Artists 4 Freedom Text of the Rumi Poem Here: U2 Scrolls Rumi Poem During Barcelona Concert July 7, 2009 Video in Milan Can Be Found Here: U2Goes Green Again for Iran in Milan "Our private lives continuously intersect with the history of our time." -Huston Smith

"Our private lives continuously intersect with the history of our time." -Huston Smith

Revolution '09 موج سبز , originally uploaded by greggchadwick . Gregg Chadwick Revolution '09 موج سبز 48"x36" oil on linen 2009 (in progress - the revolution and the painting) An Iranian citizen writes from Tehran: (from Andrew Sullivan) "I remember September 11, 2001. I remember watching TV all day worried and sad. I remember holding candlelight vigils with my friends for the victims. Then George W. Bush went on to declare us as one of the “Axis of Evil.” I remember asking myself, “Why?” Not a single one of the terrorists was Iranian, and I wondered why he didn’t bother to make a distinction between the government and the people. In fact, in all of the Middle East I don’t think there is a more pro-American nation than Iran, but no one made such a distinction. Consequently, the Iranian people were viewed with an aura of suspicion in every airport and embassy around the world for the rest of the Bush administration." "But all of that unfounded ...

تجمع مردم معترض به نتایج انتخابات-هفتم تیر ماه 88 رو به روی مسجد قبا واقع در محدوده خیابان شریعتی Video report seems to confirm reports that thousands of protesters gathered today in & around Ghoba mosque. #iranelection #gr88 #neda

Cue David Bowie's Heroes as you watch this video from Iran which was posted today. Amazing courage.

Today in Tehran. The Guardian has a source on the ground who estimates that today's silent protest has a drawn a crowd of up to a million people. Much more at: A Day of Mourning