First things first. I’m incredibly disturbed at the rudeness of the people who repaired my windshield glass. They were supposed to be here yesterday. After class I sped to the office to pick up some work, came home, and waited for the fixers. They are mobile and were supposed to be here between 1PM and 4PM. I didn’t call them until after 4PM because I’m not that impatient. Really I’m not. When I called, after 4PM, I was informed they don’t do it in the rain, and it had been raining all day. I mentioned that they could have let me know because I had gone out of my way to be here. They apologized and said they’d be here today between 12PM and 1PM. That was the jest of it. Today I went to work, came home at noon to wait their arrival. When they hadn’t appeared by 2PM I called to be sure they were actually coming. Evidently it pissed someone off because when the guy did show up an hour later he laughed and said, “You can’t be the one they said was going all “Judge Judy” on them, you look like you’re in 11th grade”.
Judge Judy? Just because I asked them if they were going to do what I sat around waiting for them to do yesterday? The fixer was a cool though. He fixed my windshield in record time.
On to Iran:
I tend to look at this whole thing, twitter thing, a little differently than most people I suppose. I was pleased to find this via twitter this afternoon. America’s Iranian Twitter Revolution. Some valid points, worth reading.
It was a little annoying to see some of the tweets about this potential revolution. Why? Because I got the impression, after following some of the links to the twit’s blogs, that the bloggers (not all but a majority) appeared to know little if anything about Iran, except possibly where it is, that we don’t want them to have nuclear weapons because they were Islamic terrorists out to nuke Israel and us off the face of the earth. It also boggles my mind, with health care and education, not to mention the economy, in such a state, that unless it’s a revolution in some far away place, something we really shouldn’t have anything to do with ( except publish as many of the photos and real Iranian tweets as possible), it’s not twit worthy. Unlike the major media, who don’t cover health care and education because those that work for major media have both, twitterer’s tend to jump on whatever comes their way as long as it’s easy and takes only a click of a finger or two, making far off revolutions enticing and anything else unlikely.
Be that as it may I found that some of the bloggers, those with no previous knowledge of Iran, it’s history or our policy history with Iran, had over the last week educated themselves, one going far back into ancient history and then going forward, if in a cursory manner, and that really is not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.
For now there is some decent coverage from the major media NYT and BBC, and bless Andrew Sullivan’s little heart, he is really in to this.
Doug is waxing poetic on this in Spoiling the saga .
And my god I think Pia is on twitter. I now have to find her.
Shirin Ebadi is going to town. Here are a few links, if you haven’t read them already.
An interesting interview with Shirin Ebadi in may of 2006
Shirin Ebadi agrees with Obama
Iran’s Human Rights Activists Being Arrested, Nobel Prize Winner Tells NPR
Void the Elections or Risk Violence
We may be innovative, but they are brave.
Great coverage, Cooper. You yourself a master tweeter.
Doug´s last blog ..Fortune-Hunter
I hardly ever tweet really. I am pretty much a failure at the tweet. I scroll it though.
Much like anything else. Darfur is another place that despite all the complaint about coverage people have educated themselves about what is going on.
I’ve managed so far to do without twitter, temped though just to be one of G’s pretty people.
Of course it’s a good idea we cover what they want us to cover — the Iranians — but you hit the nail on the head.
going judge judy is a term I haven’t heard before. ha you aren’t the type.
johnm´s last blog ..Go To Hell Dictator
Of course I’m the type, though she seems a little on the conservative side to me.
I finally sucked it up and am wearing tweet green. I do actually know where Iran is, how the election went, what everyone is protesting, and managed to avoid sporting green until this evening when I decided, like Kermit the Frog, that it isn’t easy being green, but what the hell. Maybe I’m a lemming? Regardless, it’s fascinating to observe it all.
It is fascinating.
They’ve had a busy season with all the hail and tree downing and so on.
It’d be great to read the Persian tweets, instead of the American tweets. FB added farsi translation for this “event”.. I think it is the fascination which has people by the balls, especially those who’ve never cared one way or another. It’s our bomb crowd which scares me. The state department is pretty adept in this too, ours I mean.
g´s last blog ..Surfing Liberia
Yes for sure the state department had their hands in it. But yes there is nothing wrong with fascination but it isn’t revolution.
Look like you’re in 11th grade? I would have screamed “pedophile stalker! — refund!” Only kidding, as I have exasterbated every ounce of my own basic logic.
My Twitter av is now green, mostly because I love green but the social prevalence is an added bonus that suits my tastes.
I did find it interesting that Iranian leaders are blaming us for influencing their people. Wouldn’t their usual logic dictate that their country is so great that such influence is impossible?
It’s pretty sad. But what am I going to do, when all I want is to giggle? When our country outlaws laughing I’ll rip out my vocals, and have a my brain wired to a computer that spits out Morse coded:“ha ha ha ha.“
Bennet´s last blog ..Philosophical Quandary Of Our Existence
He was a sweet old man really.
Do not go crazy on me Bennet.
Yes I tweet and even about Iran – but not too much I hope, because I do know about it and to support a certain mutual friend. Another friend, in news, is all psyched and was supposed to send me the best tweets to follow but alas.…I do think it’s important as a start
Oh and I have a beautiful Twitter page courtesy of another blogger ( a certain Courting theme repeated infinite times) I forget about twitter for weeks on time so I’m not one of the 10%
I was actually and still might going to write a post – not tweet – on how I made $157 this week by complaining twice to companies. If this trend continues I might be able to support myself badly
Looking like you’re in 11th grade is good because when people hear you they will take you seriously after spending time trying to reconcile the young looking girl with the intelligent mouth.
I’m sorry that it took hours for them to come. I’m convinced a lot of people in service industries really don’t want the economy to improve except to complain. if they did they would do the damn jobs
I agree that we have many many problems in America and I’m hoping that social media, since we have to live with it, can be a part of the solution
I do know many people on FB and Twitter who do them solely to “be popular” and that first befuddles me and then makes me take them less seriously unless they’re promoting a book, a cause i approve or, or something tangible and good – not a thousand ways to make money off the Internet. How blogging can pay you thousands a month, etc.
I use FB to connect with family and all those Junior High school friends I never knew I had. On the other hand I found my best camp friend ages 9 until we somehow lost touch and that was worth everything. And my cousins.
pia´s last blog ..The Joint is Jumping
i think social media can be part of the solution but only if people are actually doing something besides tweeting and blogging. That of course is debatable and is only an opinion.
I haven’t used fb in awhile I deleted by original account but started a another one once and rarely get back to it, though I have a lot of friends who are furiously at fb it’s is there only place online. I actually tried to claim myname though not sure if it worked I lost my passwords to several accounts. lol
I’ve been thinking of the twitter, my wife has one which is an attorney commiseration. So far I get my news still from the standard sources.
technology changes everything now we have to see if it changes anything.
There is nothing more annoying than taking off from work for some kind of service and the service never happens, that should never happen, with phones and all it is an easy phone call but at least your windshield got done.
jacob´s last blog ..Raining in the Parade
That was my beef I left work, not that I CAN’T DO A LOT OF WHAT i do at home, and also I could have stayed downtown at the university library for a few had I known they didn’t operate in rain.
Despite it all it is fascinating and frightening at the same time. I hope the intent is not voyeurism, at times it looks that way, because some awful stuff is happening and may still happen. It doesn’t hurt for people to know more, they know so little to begin with.
The term “fixer”, doesn’t it usually mean assassin? :)
I’m not sure what fixer means technically. I think you need a real avatar my cat is beginning to freak me ou.
I’m not really sure I understand the purpose of Twitter. I find it useless actually. I have an account but haven’t used it in a long time. Cooper, you forgot to mention the poor, oppressed Republicans who have also started their own Revolution using Twitter. What gives?
Chris´s last blog ..Deep Thought
I use it to follow a few aid and development blogs and some other interesting things. I don’t tend to twitter my life, though sometimes i will randomly do that. i have found some interesting links via twitter but it’s use for me is limited.
today the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed everything on the US and Britain. I hope all those twittererS didn’t think they were going to miraculously solve this, this is way complicated and I know nothing about it, just like most of the twitter people. They have a lot more to lose than we do.
the internet/twitter thing, the letting us know what is going on and then random people who know nothing passing it on is the regimes biggest fear. I say we keep helping them do what they have to do while letting them do it by themselves, but it looks like things will go back to what they were in a few weeks because people don’t want to be tortured, killed or put in jail and they have to make a living.
i wish it were different for them.
yea I saw that yesterday, haven’t read today’s news i ran all morning.