Right Truth

The Banality of Evil

From David Goder at One Jerusalem blog, "The Banality of Evil". A photo album now in the Holocaust Museum which shows the human face of evil. Mr. Goder says: Please watch this photo album.

China bans bra, underwear, sex toy ads and more world news

No more advertisements for bras, sexy undies, sex toys, or related items in China. That goes for "llegal 'sexual medication' advertisements and other harmful ads [which] pose a grave threat to society." The sex police say, "no more for you!"

BEIJING - China has banned television and radio ads for push-up bras, figure-enhancing underwear and sex toys in the communist government’s latest move to purge the nation’s airwaves of what it calls social pollution.

Regulators have already targeted ads using crude or suggestive language, behavior, and images, tightening their grip on television and radio a few weeks ahead of a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress at which some new senior leaders will be appointed.

The latest move by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or SARFT, also bans advertisements for sexual aids such as tonics that claim to boost performance in bed.

The notice indicated that regulators were concerned about both lascivious imagery and outrageous or insupportable claims about some products' benefits or effectiveness. [snip]

China has already also issued strict rules for TV talent shows, including the banning of "American Idol"-style mass audience voting by mobile phone text message or the Internet. [snip]

Regulators have also banned television shows about cosmetic surgery and sex changes, and a talent show that they deemed coarse. (AP via Peace and Freedom II)

That sounds like Iran rather than China. Now, on to other/more serious news:

Kingdom Urges New Approach to Middle East, Arab News

Addressing the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the Israeli occupation of Arab territories was the main reason for the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region.

“Current circumstances in the Middle East are extremely dangerous. The Israeli occupation of Arab land continues to transform the whole region into multiple crisis zones (more)

Thanks to Caroline Glick, we get a reminder from Ahmadinejad - if you make up laws out of your own heads, you have put yourself in the position of God, Villagers With Torches

Mahmoud the bold, Yourish (hat tip Elder of Ziyon)

Lally Weymouth of the Washington Post - daughter of the late Katherine Graham - interviewed Mahmoud Abbas for the paper. The interview is here.

Elder of Ziyon is certainly correct that there’s nothing “moderate” in the positions he espouses.

Spin Dr. Rice, Time Blog, Middle East:

A state of denial about the real Middle East? A forced effort to salvage Bush's legacy? A stubborn determination to persist with flawed policies? What to make of Condi Rice's spin (such as here and here) in New York this week, as she rallied support for Bush's proposed international meeting on the Middle East and laid down her narrative of what the administration has accomplished in the region thus far. (more)

Confusing? Maybe. But we all need to get this right., World Wars

Figuring out where you stand in the confusing, semi-factual, frequently context-free torrent of charges and counter-charges [against the IDF/military] is hard for some to do. But absolutely essential if we’re going to stop terror. (more)

Islamic Thought Contagion, Infidel Bloggers Alliance

Memetically, Islam is a very successful memeplex (group of memes). Several embedded memes help make it so. For example:

If Muslims drift away from Mohammed's teachings, God will end the world. That makes converting others and promoting Islam a matter of survival. It also motivates Muslims, as Lynch points out, "to dissuade each other from losing faith." (more)

Islam: Increasingly Unpopular, The Truth Shall Set You Free

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the fact that Islam encourages violence. A full 45% now believe that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. (more)

A Dose of Reason On Iran, Mitchell Plitnick's Blog, TMP Cafe

Let’s start with this: Iran is a threat. Iran has long harbored ambitions of expanding its influence in the Middle East, and the destruction of Iraq removed the biggest barrier to their goals. Iran is the leader of the Shi’ite world, a part of Islam much smaller than the majority Sunni, but also a group whose people happen to be situated in several countries (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq) on top of large oil deposits. (more)

Iran Hegemony: What's not to like?,Spot On

... they [ Iran] have legitimate interests in the region could go a long way toward calming the place down. But Iran has to accept that the U.S. has interests, too, and those need to be taken into account as well. If the U.S. steps away from the zero-sum politics of the last 28 years, then Iran has a responsibility to do so as well. (more)

Islam’s incompatibility with democracy and equality, Muslihoon

This is most forcefully demonstrated by the fact that after Muhammad’s flight [from Mecca to Medina], Muhammad revelations take on a vastly more political tone (almost to the point of legal minutiae) and a much more intolerant tone (as, being the indisputed leader, he no longer had to tolerate or appease anyone). (more)

Ahmadinejad at Columbia, Jesse Larner, The Huffington Post

Iran is not a dictatorship. It's an oligarchy with certain aspects of democracy, including meaningful elections and a meaningful parliament with some real power. Sort of a hybrid system. It is true that, as the Iran-is-not-so-bad posters have it, women vote and have full political rights, and there are Jews and Christians and Zoroastrians in parliament. Ultimately, however, power rests with the Supreme Religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Guardian Council (which can overrule the parliament and which must approve all candidates for the presidency.) (more)

Iraq Thought-bites, Greg's Brain

Since most U.S. military services, formerly carried out by the U.S. military itself, are now privatized and handled by U.S. corporations using mostly non-Iraqi and non-U.S. citizens, much and possibly most Iraqi spending will go to them. Much of this spending will go to services that never get done or are done with much greater cost than was previously accomplished by U.S. military workers: (more)

It is my judgement that Iran, while blustering, IS FULLY confident of victory in any set of circumstances, and this guides their policy, Iran threatens counterstrike at Israel with 600-missile arsenal, Villagers With Torches

The Dripping Faucet Drips. Drip… Drip… Drip…, Islamanazi

The Israelis attacked a nuclear research facility at Dir a-Zour! Nowhere else but here on this blog and at two links only will you find Dir A-Zour listed on Google. Wikipedia has nothing at all on Dir a-Zour. The other Google link refers to the area as a source of oil exports and a “research facility”. A search for Syrian oil resources, research, exports and so on produces absolutely no mention of Dir a-Zour! (more)

Have a great Sunday evening!

Sunday Reading List, September 30, 2007

Most important this Sunday, is "October 4th, Free Burma blogger campaign!". Read all about it and the brave bloggers in Burma at Confessions of a Closet Republican. Let's all get on board and do what we can.

Report Reveals Rampant Corruption in Iraq, Stormwarning's Counterterrorism Blog

Burkean Reflections is continuing his series called: Blog Watch. This week it is Glenn Greenwald. I think this is a series you all will be interested in following:

This week's "Blog Watch" entry dissects and exposes Glenn Greenwald, a far-left blogger who's actually one of the more interesting Bush-bashers among those of the radical blogosphere.

The AFLAC Scam, Stix Blog

Jesusland Revisited, The Wandering Heretic

YID With LID has an update on the State Department "no Jews" program:

Miriam's Story-UPDATE/US State Department "No Jews Allowed" Program

Yesterday I reported that The US State Department was funding a business training course for middle east residents, run by the University of California (no surprise there). This program was initially open to citizens of "Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel (limited to Israeli Arab citizens), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen." (read it all)

A Paragraph You Should Read, Webloggin

"My Blowjob with Ahmadinejad" by Dick Stengel, cub reporter, America Digest

IGNORANCE IS BLISS - DEADLY BLISS - DESCENDING LIKE A GUILLOTINE BLADE ON OUR NECKS, Anti-Mullah

“I guess to MoveOn, the First Amendment is only for the rich.” Who Can Afford To Be Sued By Them, Right Voices

Saddam asked to take WMD info into exile, BlackFive

Are the Taliban "The Enemy" or Not?, Counterterrorism Blog

On Being Wrong about Ahmadinejad and Columbia University, Stormwarning's Counterterrorism Blog

The Many, The Scum, The Left, Flanders Fields
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123Beta OTA Weekend

Killer amoeba eats human brain until you die

"A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die." It sounds like science fiction but it's true. (Hat tip Ron)

Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.

"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL'-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

In Arizona, David Evans said nobody knew his son, Aaron, was infected with the amoeba until after the 14-year-old died on Sept. 17. At first, the teen seemed to be suffering from nothing more than a headache.

"We didn't know," Evans said. "And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."

After doing more tests, doctors said Aaron probably picked up the amoeba a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River between Arizona and California.

Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.

Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve.

The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the brain, where it continues the damage, "basically feeding on the brain cells," Beach said. (By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer)

Not at all related, but probably of much more interest than the brain eating amoeba:

Political Pistachio has an excellent radio show lined up today. Dr. Blogstein will be one guest, "something about illegal aliens" presented with comedy. Check it out.

Iraq News: Top Shi'ite cleric meets Sunni leader, from Wake Up America

WHAT HAS THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS DONE FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY???, "SHAKEN" BUT NOT "STIRRED"!!!

Check out Anti-Mullah's UCI News Roundup

No Jews in State Department program, no Jewish bullets in Iraq, Afghanistan

IDIOTS!!! "Israeli-made bullets bought by the U.S. Army to plug a shortfall should be used for training only, not to fight Muslim guerrillas in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers told Army generals on Thursday." via Useful Fools:

Since the Army has other stockpiled ammunition, “by no means, under any circumstances should a round (from Israel) be utilized,” said Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, the top Democrat on a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee with jurisdiction over land forces.

[ … ]

Although the Army should not have to worry about “political correctness,” Abercrombie was making a valid point about the propaganda pitfalls of using Israeli rounds in the U.S.-declared war on terror, said Rep. Curt Weldon, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the subcommittee on tactical air and land forces.

“There’s a sensitivity that I think all of us recognize,” Weldon told the Army witnesses, including Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, who led the U.S. Third Infantry Division that captured Baghdad in April 2003.

State Department: No Jews Allowed, via Atlas Shrugs:

By their fruits we shall know them and so we know them. As desperate as State is for translators, that won't hire Jews that speak Arabic. And now this. YidwithLid has the full story. Throughout history State has abetted evil and abandoned American interests.

From YID With LID:

Where was the ACLU? How come Congressman Ellison isn't screaming about profiling. Here we go again with another example of how the PC police only cares when things are convenient for them. According to Israel National News. The US State Department was funding a business training course for middle east residents, run by the University of California (no surprise there). This program was initially open to citizens of "Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel (limited to Israeli Arab citizens), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen."

That was of course until an Israeli Jew you checked the program out. When she saw the biased criteria, she took action via emails, and publicized this issue enough that individuals and journalists became interested too, leading to the changes made by the Beyster Institute.

Univ. of Cal. Backs Down from 'No Jews Allowed' Program

(IsraelNN.com) A U.S. State Department-funded University of California program which provides business training for residents of the Middle East specifically excluded Israeli Jews - until Jewish journalists protested.

The University of California has now altered the program's eligibility requirement that initially barred Israeli Jews. The turnaround in policy also may have saved the State Department, whose Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) finances the program, from having to provide an embarrassing explanation. MEPI also selects the participants. [snip]

Israeli Jews originally were excluded despite the program’s stated advantage as "an important cultural exchange." Fuller did not explain the initial "confusion" in barring Israeli Jews.

The programs are to be held in Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, all of which have relations with Israel.

Following the e-mail complaints to Beyster, the US Embassy of Yemen online document which announces the program was down for more than a day until the words "limited to Israeli Arab citizens" were deleted. [View the document announcing the program by clicking here. When prompted with "Do you want to open or save this file," click on "Open."] (more)

I did not give the link for the above-mentioned file, because "the document from the State Department’s web site apparently contains a virus called the “tibs dialer.” It’s now removed for that reason." via YID With LID

In other news:

Arggghhhh!! Ahmadinejad and Evo, holding hands!!!, Spanish Pundit (read the article here)

CAPTION: My Friend, there ARE Homosexuals OUTSIDE Iran

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Sharing the insanity and Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, Stix Blog, Big Dog's Weblog, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, Adeline and Hazel, , third world county, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, AZAMATTEROFACT, guerrilla radio, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Nuke's News & Views, Webloggin, Cao's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

China and Russia refusing new Iranian sanctions

Russia and China refuse to discuss the possibility of new sanctions on Iran. (AP, via Terrorism Research Center) "The chief U.S. missile defense negotiator defended plans to place anti-missile sites in Eastern Europe, saying Wednesday that the system could prevent a war with Iran by building an effective deterrent."

. . . until the U.N. nuclear agency reports on Tehran's disclosure of its past suspicious nuclear work at the end of the year, France's foreign minister said Thursday.

Bernard Kouchner said France, the United States and Britain are trying to persuade the Russians and Chinese not to wait to consider a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would toughen sanctions on Iran for defying council demands to suspend uranium enrichment.

But he said he did not think the council would be able to take up a new sanctions resolution until after December, when the International Atomic Energy Agency's report is due.

"I think that it would be very difficult to convince the Russians and the Chinese before," Kouchner told reporters at a breakfast meeting. "We'll do our best to convince them, but honestly, the position was difficult to tackle."

Earlier in the day, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, told Russian news agencies that new sanctions would undermine the IAEA's work.

"The U.N. Security Council measures on Iran should be balanced and respond to the steps taken by Tehran itself that obliged to answer all questions," Lavrov was quoted as saying by ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti.

On missile defense averting war with Iran:

"Our intent is to address emerging threats in the Middle East," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John Rood said in an interview with The Associated Press during a visit to London to attend a conference on defense trade. "Countries like Iran are developing long-range missile systems. And we're concerned not only about the emerging capability but of the hostile intent from countries in the region."

Washington plans to place a radar facility in the Czech Republic and a battery of up to 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. The European sites would be added to two other interceptor sites — in California and Alaska — that are primarily in place to counter a threat from North Korea.

Moscow objects to the plans, saying the system is meant for spying on Russia. (more)

Texas Fred emailed me this image today. He says, FEAR THIS !!!

Oh my.

Linked with:
Don't forget to defrag, 123 Beta
Fall changes open trackbacks, Woman Honor Thyself

US air strike kills senior al-Qaeda leader in Iraq

The dead al-Qaeda leader, Abu Usama al-Tunisi, a Tunisian described as a in line to succeed Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Al-Qaeda in Iraq's Egyptian leader -- DEAD -- killed in a US air strike in Iraq. The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist. He won't need any ACLU supplied attorneys. That's right, the ACLU is providing FREE attorneys for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other Gitmo detainees. As Stop the ACLU says, "Nothing but the best for our enemies!"

Tunisi also led a cell in Yusifiyah that kidnapped and killed two US soldiers June 16, 2006 -- Kristian Menchaca, 23, and Thomas Tucker, 25, according to Anderson.

"Abu Usama al-Tunisi was one of the most senior leaders within Al-Qaeda in Iraq," said Anderson, the chief of staff of Multi-National Corps Iraq.

The general said the September 25 strike that killed al-Tunisi was a "significant blow" to al Qaeda in Iraq, which he said has been severely disrupted by US operations and may now be reassessing its position in Iraq.

He said his opinion was that Al-Qaeda will shift its forces from Iraq to Afghanistan, and try to expand its operations there.

"All we can tell you is that by numbers and how the groups are operating in very remote locations and not collaboratively they're fractured, ruptured, mitigated here. And the question becomes, where would they go? What would they do?" he said.

Anderson detailed a series of raids this month in Baghdad, Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah and Musayyib in which scores of suspects were detained and nearly 20 others killed. Among those captured were other associates of Tunisi. (more at AFP)

Also see:
Al Qaeda in Iraq Losing, Thanks to Concerned Local Citizens, Army-Military News
Why We’re Winning Now In Iraq, Pat Dollard
Senior Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Killed by Coalition Forces, Miami Press
A senior Al-Qaeda leader killed in Iraq: US military Doctor Bulldog and Ronin

Linked with:
Friday Free For All, Stop the ACLU
Don't forget to defrag, 123 Beta
Fall changes open trackbacks, Woman Honor Thyself

Evil Wal-Mart Offers Medications for $4.00

Wal-Mart is expanding it's very popular and successful prescription drug program. Its $4-a-month generic drug program "is adding about seven new compounds including generic versions of the widely used heart medication Coreg and the anti-fungal drug Lamisil." (NYT)

The company said it would also sell a month’s supply of two popular birth control medications and a fertility drug for $9 each, a move meant to lure young women shoppers to the store. The company said it decided to offer those drugs at $9 because they would not have been profitable at $4.

While the additional drugs seem likely to attract some new pharmacy shoppers to Wal-Mart, the changes are more an incremental move than a broad expansion of the company’s $4 drug program.

In all, the company said its $4 generic plan would now total 361 prescriptions, an increase of about 30 prescriptions. Because those include different formulations of the same compound, the number of different drugs in the program is actually less than 160.

The company said its $4 program now covered about 40 percent of the prescription drugs sold at its Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Neighborhood Market pharmacies.

The program’s expansion was announced a year after Wal-Mart introduced its $4 generic plan, which has been copied by other retailers. Government economists recently credited those pricing plans with contributing to a slowdown of inflation in the Consumer Price Index for prescription drugs. (more)

This should be a good thing. Wal-Mart should be getting praise for this program. I know Wal-Mart is the evil empire to some, but what about some kind words when they do something good like this?

Other good reading:
An Open Letter to Justice Clarence Thomas, A Few Shiny Pebbles
World powers delay Iran sanctions action, Reuters
The Central Asian Nexus Part 1, Stop Islamic Conquest
Canada worse than Mexico for U.S. border security, Canada Free Press
The New San Francisco Treat . . . OTA, Common Sense America
How should Britain cope with the recent influx of immigrants?, Telegraph
Pakistan court clears way for Musharraf's re-election bid, USA Today
Enforce the Law: It Works, Adam's Blog
Students Protest Pledge of Allegiance, Stop the ACLU
Web Reconnaissance for 09/28/2007, The Thunder Run
Citizenship Exam Stresses Principles, Big Dog's Weblog
Can Any Agenda Based Source be Trusted?, The Pink Flamingo
Blackwater Faced Bedlam, Embassy Finds, Washington Post
Don't forget to defrag, 123 Beta
Fall changes open trackbacks, Woman Honor Thyself

Much of southern Africa stripped bare from Zimbabwe famine

Very interesting, from Crime Busters of South Africa:

Much of southern Africa stripped bare from Zimbabwe famine - also see: http://www.AfricanCrisis.co.za

 

Sept 24 2007 -- PRETORIA, South Africa. NASA satellite images show that all of southern Africa is becoming a devastated landscape --  stripped bare of all vegetation.

• Especially Zimbabwe but also its borders with South Africa and Mozambique have been stripped of nearly all its trees, and in some places, even the grass is  gone.

This is due to the fact that millions of Zimbabweans (pop.14-million) are now so chronically hungry that they have stripped the entire landscape of everything edible - first the wildlife, livestock and edible field-foods, and now they are even eating the bark from the trees and setting alight the veldt to hunt fleeing rodents. More than 4-milllion Zimbabweans have already fled to neighbouring countries, mostly to South Africa, where they are forced to live rough, without any aid agencies to help feed or house them.

• These latest NASA images show the thousands of bush fires and the grey smoke which is covering the whole of Southern Africa.

These fires have been burning for months already and in South Africa, many are still smouldering underground local farmers warn -- flaring up again as soon as dry leaves and branches provide fresh tinder.

In Mozambique and Zambia, where there is still something left to burn, the veld fires are still raging.

SEE NASA 'REALTIME' SATELLITE PICTURES:

 

LINK:

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007211-0730/Mozambique.A2007211.1120.2km.jpg

Austrian-Iranian Economic Ties

Below are the Austrian-Iranian economic ties.  This article expands on previous articles his past week where we have reviewed the French and German and Chinese and Venezuelan connections, to Iran.  Thanks to Insights Into Today's Middle East:

• Austria continues to promote its exports to Iran, despite the Holocaust denial and threats to annihilate Israel from Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
  
  
• Austrian exports to Iran have been covered by government guarantees. In 2005, Iran was fifth among nations benefiting from such guarantees, according to the “Österreichische Kontrollbank.”
  
  
• Vienna opposes an effective sanctions regime by a “coalition of the willing” that would go current U.N. Security Council resolutions. The government even intends to grant new Hermes export credit guarantees for trade with Iran. “There are no recent changes with respect to loan guarantees for German exports to Iran. … According to the German Minister for Economy … Iran related export credit guarantees are still available,” the semi-official Nachrichten für den Außenhandel (News for Foreign Trade) wrote in February 2007:. The “Österreichische Kontrollbank” put out the same message on the very same day: cover for export credits would continue to be available.
  
  
• This year, the Vienna-based company OMV signed a letter of intent to complete a joint natural gas project in Iran (for more details, see below).
  
  
• Austrian officials have made clear that they have no plans to reverse their expanding economic ties with Iran
  • In June 2007, Austria’s Economy Minister, Martin Bartenstein, described Iran as a significant source of energy supply to Europe, stressing the importance of energy security.
  • In December 2003, Bartenstein, announced that Iran became Austria’s most important trade partner in Southern Asia. He added that this position should be tightened and strengthened in the future.¹
  • Christoph Leitl, President of Austria’s Chamber of Commerce added: “What can not be connected through politics can be connected through trade and commerce.”²
• Iranian officials have returned the favor:
  • In November 2006, the President of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, M. Kamoushi emphasized that: “Austria for us is the gate to the European Union.”
  • Iran’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Davoud Danesh Ja'fari, underlined Iran's strategic position in the Middle East and Austria's unique position in Europe, calling for enhancement of mutual economic ties.³
• This Austrian policy of strengthened economic ties with Iran is a stab in the back for Iranian student and human rights groups, because a policy of “change through trade” is very unlikely to change the behavior of Tehran’s radical regime.

OMV’s Joint Natural Gas Project With Iran

• On April 21, 2007, the Vienna-based company OMV signed a letter of intent to complete a joint natural gas project in Iran.
  
  
• The investment, according to OMV, will go toward the development of part of the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, a liquefaction facility as well as subscriber agreements for liquefied natural gas.
  
  
• Although the company did not release any information about the size of the investment, the Standard reported that the contract with NIOC is valued at nearly 22 billion Euros during the next 25 years.⁴
  
  
• OMV’s activities in Iran began with the signature of an exploration contract for the Mehr block with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in May 2001.
  
  
• Here are some key facts about OMV:
• Austria’s largest listed industrial company
• Central Europe’s largest oil company
• Exploration and production activities in 18 countries on five continents
• Consolidated sales: EUR 18.97 billion EBIT: EUR 2.06 billion
• Market capitalization: EUR 12.84 billion
• 5,180 employees (Petrom: 35,813 employees)
• Stockholder structure: OIAG 31.5%, IPIC 17.6%, free float 50.9%
• 35% stake in Borealis A/S 50% stake in AMI Agrolinz International GmbH 10% stake in the Hungarian MOL group 45% stake in BAYERNOIL Raffineriegesellschaft mbH 50% stake in EconGas GmbH 51% stake in Petrom SA 34% stake in the Turkis Petrol Ofisi
  • Production target of 500,000 beo/d until 2010⁵

UPDATE:

1 Website of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Labor, December 2003 2 “Austria is Iran’s gate to the European Union”, OTS, November 23rd, 2006 3 “Iran, Austria booting economic ties,” PressTV, June 12th, 2007 4 "Breite Front gegen US-Einmischung", Der Standard, April 25th, 2007 5 OMV website

Other reading:
Contrary to Conservative Opinion, Racism DOES Exist in the US, The Pink Flamingo
Nine Killed in Burma today, article and amazing images at Spanish Pundit
John Edwards Is Going On Public Assistance, Right Voices
Our Crazy Health-Insurance System, By John Stossel, RCP
Your Dog can save America from Disaster, Planck's Constant, and Mychal Bell is an idiot and a thug
Laura Ingraham - Mike Gravel Uses Dragon Logic, Conservative Cat
A Google translated article bites the left in the a$$, The Twin Cities Conservative
Good Stuff Friday, 123Beta
Crescent of Betrayal, Stix Blog