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Thread: Eurasia Topics

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    US Concludes Islamic State Khorasan Behind Kabul Maternity Ward Attack

    US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad announced Thursday evening that an American assessment on recent violence in Afghanistan has attributed two attacks to the Islamic State Khorasan - including a deadly attack on a Kabul maternity ward.

    "The USG [US government] has assessed [Daesh] conducted the horrific attacks on a maternity ward and a funeral earlier this week in Afghanistan," the ambassador said via Twitter on May 14, referencing the Tuesday massacre committed by gunmen who killed at least two newborns and 12 mothers and nurses at a Kabul hospital.

    "[Daesh] has demonstrated a pattern for favoring these types of heinous attacks against civilians and is a threat to the Afghan people and to the world."

    "[Daesh] also opposes a peace agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and seeks to encourage sectarian war as in Iraq and Syria," he said, arguing that Daesh is attempting to delay peace in the region.
    Despite Washington linking the Afghanistan-based Daesh franchise to the event, the group has not claimed responsibility in the attack - which is an uncommon occurrence, because the militant group has been known to even lay claim to violent acts carried out by other individuals or organizations.

    Prior to the US ambassador's announcement, the Afghan government blamed the Taliban for the May 12 massacre. However, the Taliban has denied involvement in the attack.

    Human Rights Watch has dubbed the maternity ward murder spree
    an "unspeakable" act and "apparent war crime," while the United Nations has called for the perpetrators to "face justice."

    US Concludes Islamic State Khorasan Behind Kabul Maternity Ward Attack - Sputnik International
    Last edited by OhOh; 15-05-2020 at 09:25 AM.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

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    Adult Movement and Dynamics of Clavigralla tomentosicollis (Heteroptera: Coreidae) Populations in Cowpea Fields of Benin, West Africa

    Hans Dreyer,Johann BaumgÄRtner

    Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 90, Issue 2, 1 April 1997, Pages 421–426, https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/90.2.421

    Published:
    01 April 1997

    Article history


    Abstract

    In southern Benin the
    temporal dynamics and adult movement of Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål were investigated in cowpea fields during 1991 and 1992 by counting and mark—recapture methods. The phenology and adult movement of this pest were related to the pod and seed formation period. A rapid colonization by immigrating adults closely coincided with the pod formation phase of the plants. Oviposition occurred at the beginning of pod maturation and was succeeded by an increase of the nymphal density until pod harvest. The analyses of adult movement yielded daily emigration rates of 7—20% of the resident adult densities, whereas the daily percentage of in situ adult mortality was <5%. The decline in the number of adults toward harvest time is therefore mainly caused by emigration rather than to field mortality. The high mobility of C. tomentosicollis and the rapid field colonization are important elements in the planning of adequate pest management strategies.
    Adult Movement and Dynamics of Clavigralla tomentosicollis (Heteroptera: Coreidae) Populations in Cowpea Fields of Benin, West Africa | Journal of Economic Entomology | Oxford Academic

    Eurasia Topics-unnamed-jpg

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    20 years after the unconditional Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon: what has been achieved? (1)

    By Elijah J. Magnier: @ejmalrai




    A woman mocking an Israeli tank left behind when withdrawing from south of Lebanon in the year 2000, using its cannon as a hanger to dry cloths. Photo by @YounesZaatari

    We were Hezbollah trainers. It is an organisation that learns quickly. The Hezbollah we met at the beginning (1982) is different from the one we left behind in 2000”. This is what the former Chief of Staff and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, said twenty years after the Israeli unconditional withdrawal from Lebanon.

    For the first time we met a non-conventional army, but also an ideological organisation with deep faith: and this faith triumphed over us. We were more powerful, more technologically advanced and better armed but not possessing the fighting spirit …They were stronger than us”. This is what Brigadier General Effi Eitam, Commander of the 91st Division in counter-guerrilla operation in south Lebanon said.
    Alon Ben-David, senior defence correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, specialised in defence and military issues, said: “Hezbollah stood up and defeated the powerful Israeli Army”.
    Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the architect of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, said: “The withdrawal didn’t go as planned. The deterrence of Hezbollah and its capability increased greatly. We withdrew from a nightmare”. Barak meant he had planned to leave behind him a buffer zone under the control of his Israeli proxies led by the “South Lebanon Army” (SLA) commander Antoine Lahad. However, his plans were dismantled and the resistance forced Lahad’s men to run towards the borders, freeing the occupied buffer zone. As they left Lebanon, the Israeli soldiers said: “Thank God we are leaving: no one in Israel wants to return”.
    Israeli soldiers are happy to leave Lebanon in the year 2000. In 1982, Israel believed the time had come to invade Lebanon and force it to sign a peace agreement after eliminating the various Palestinian organisations. These groups had deviated from the Palestinian compass and had become embroiled in sectarian conflict with the Lebanese Phalange, believing that “the road to Jerusalem passed through Jounieh” (the Maronite stronghold on Mt. Lebanon, northwest of Beirut, a slogan used by Abu Iyad). Israel intended Lebanon to become the domicile of its Palestinian conflict. It failed to realise that in so doing it was letting the Shiite genie out of the bottle. Signs of this genie began to appear after the arrival of Sayyed Musa al-Sadr in Lebanon and the return of students of Sayyed Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr from Najaf to their home country and residency in the Lebanese Bekaa. Also, the victory of Imam Khomeini and the “Islamic revolution” in Iran in 1979 was not taken into consideration by Israel, and the potential consequences for the Lebanese Shia were overlooked.
    The 1982 Israeli invasion triggered the emergence of the “Islamic resistance in Lebanon”, which later became known as “Hezbollah”, and it forced Israel to leave Lebanon unconditionally in 2000. This made Lebanon the first country to humiliate the Israeli army. Following their victory over the Arabs in 1949, 1956, 1967 and 1973, Israeli officials had come to believe they could occupy any Arab country “with a brass band”.
    Israeli soldiers exited through the “Fatima Gate” (on the Lebanese border, also known as Good Fence, HaGader HaTova) under the watchful eyes of Suzanne Goldenberg on the other side of the border. She wrote: “After two decades and the loss of more than 1000 men, the chaotic Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon leaves its northern flank dangerously exposed, with Hezbollah guerrillas sitting directly on its border. The scale of the Israeli fiasco was beginning to unfold… After the Israelis pulled out of Bint Jubayl in the middle of the night, their SLA allies, already in a state of collapse in the centre of the strip, simply gave up. Branded collaborators, they and their families headed for exile. Behind them, they left tanks and other heavy equipment donated by their patrons. Shlomo Hayun, an Israeli farmer who lives on Shaar Yeshuv farm, said of the withdrawal, “This was the first time I have been ashamed to be Israeli. It was chaotic and disorganised.”
    Israeli withdrawal (2000) crossing Fatima Gate. What did Israel and its allies in the Middle East achieve?
    In 1978, Israel occupied a part of southern Lebanon and in 1982, for the first time, it occupied an Arab capital, Beirut. During its presence as an occupation force, Israel was responsible for several massacres amounting to war crimes. In 1992, Israel thought that it could strike a death blow to Hezbollah by assassinating its leader, Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi. He was replaced by his student, the charismatic leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah has proved to be more truthful than the Israeli leaders, and thus capable of affecting the Israeli public through his speeches, as Israeli colonel Ronen, chief Intelligence officer for the Central Command of Israel Defence Forces, has said.
    The new Hezbollah leader showed his potential for standing up to and confronting Israel through TV appearances. He mastered the psychological aspects of warfare, just as he mastered the art of guerrilla war. He leads a non-conventional but organised army of militants “stronger than several armies in the Middle East,” according to Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli Chief of Staff.
    The Israeli doctrine relies on the principle of pre-emptively striking what is considered as a potential threat, in order to extinguish it in its cradle. Israel first annexed Jerusalem by declaring it in 1980 an integral part of the so-called “capital of the state of Israel”. In June 1981, it attacked and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor that France had helped build. In 2007, Israel struck a building in Deir Ezzor, Syria, before it was completed, claiming that the government had been building a nuclear reactor.
    6 years after its withdrawal, Israel declared war on Lebanon in 2006, with the aim of eradicating Hezbollah from the south and destroying its military capacity. Avi Kober, a member of the department of political studies at Bar Ilan University and researcher at the Israeli BESA centre said: “The war was conducted under unprecedented and favourable conditions the like which Israel has never enjoyed – internal consensus, broad international support (including tacit support on the part of moderate Arab States), and a sense of having almost unlimited time to achieve the war objectives. The IDF’s performance during this war was unsatisfactory, reflecting flawed military conceptions and poor professionalism and generalship. Not only the IDF fail in achieving battlefield decision against Hezbollah, that is, denying the enemy’s ability to carry on the fight, despite some tactical achievements, throughout the war, it played into Hizballah’s hands.”
    “Soon we shall pray in Jerusalem” (Portray Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah). Israel withdrew from the battle without achieving its goals: it was surprised by Hezbollah’s military equipment and fighting capabilities. Hezbollah had managed to hide its advanced weapons from the eyes of Israeli intelligence and its allies, who are present in every country including Lebanon. The result was 121 Israeli soldiers killed, 2,000 wounded, and the pride of the Israeli army and industry destroyed in the Merkava Cemetery in southern Lebanon where the Israeli advance into Wadi al-Hujeir was thwarted.
    Hezbollah hit the most advanced class Israeli destroyer, the INS Spear saar-5, opposite the Lebanese coast. In the last 72 hours of the war, Israel fired 2.7 million bomblets, or cluster bombs, to cause long-term pain for Lebanon’s population, either through impeding their return or disrupting cultivation and harvest once they did return. “An unjustified degree of vindictiveness and an effort to punish the population as a whole”, said the report of the UN commission of inquiry conducted in November 2006 (Arkin M. W. (2007), Divining Victory: Airpower in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, Air University Press, Alabama, pp 67-71).
    The battle ended, Israel withdrew again, closed the doors behind its army, raised a fence on the Lebanese borders, and installed electronic devices and cameras to prevent any possible Hezbollah crossing into Palestine.
    When Israel’s chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said “Israel instructed Hezbollah in the art of war”, he was right. Hezbollah has learned from the wars that Israel has waged over the years. In every war, Hezbollah saw the necessity of developing its weapons and training to match and overcome the Israeli army (which is outnumbered) and which enjoys the tacit support of Middle Eastern regimes and the most powerful western countries. Hezbollah developed its special forces’ training and armed itself with precision missiles to impose new rules of engagement, posing a real threat to the continuity of the permanent Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
    Today, Hezbollah has sophisticated weapons, including the armed drones that it used in Syria in its war against the Takfirists, and precision missiles that can reach every region, city and airport in Israel. It has anti-ship missiles to neutralize the Israeli navy in any future attack or war on Lebanon and to hit any harbour or oil platform. It is also equipped with missiles that prevent helicopters from being involved in any future battle. The balance of deterrence has been achieved. Hezbollah can take Israel back to the Stone Age just as easily as Israel envisages returning Lebanon to the Stone Age.
    Hezbollah is Israel’s worse nightmare, and it was largely created by the Israeli attempt to overthrow the regime in Lebanon, occupy Lebanon, and impose an agreement that Israel could then mould to its own liking. But the tables were turned: a very small force emerged in Lebanon to become a regional power whose powerful support was then extended to the neighbouring countries of Syria and Iraq. The harvest journey has begun.

    https://ejmagnier.com/2020/05/16/20-...en-achieved-1/

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    20 years after the unconditional Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon: what has been achieved? (1)

    By Elijah J. Magnier: @ejmalrai

    Eurasia Topics-es7atviwkaekwzp-jpeg


    A woman mocking an Israeli tank left behind when withdrawing from south of Lebanon in the year 2000, using its cannon as a hanger to dry cloths. Photo by @YounesZaatari

    We were Hezbollah trainers. It is an organisation that learns quickly. The Hezbollah we met at the beginning (1982) is different from the one we left behind in 2000”. This is what the former Chief of Staff and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, said twenty years after the Israeli unconditional withdrawal from Lebanon.

    For the first time we met a non-conventional army, but also an ideological organisation with deep faith: and this faith triumphed over us. We were more powerful, more technologically advanced and better armed but not possessing the fighting spirit …They were stronger than us”. This is what Brigadier General Effi Eitam, Commander of the 91st Division in counter-guerrilla operation in south Lebanon said.

    Alon Ben-David, senior defence correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, specialised in defence and military issues, said: “Hezbollah stood up and defeated the powerful Israeli Army”.

    Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the architect of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, said: “The withdrawal didn’t go as planned. The deterrence of Hezbollah and its capability increased greatly. We withdrew from a nightmare”. Barak meant he had planned to leave behind him a buffer zone under the control of his Israeli proxies led by the “South Lebanon Army” (SLA) commander Antoine Lahad. However, his plans were dismantled and the resistance forced Lahad’s men to run towards the borders, freeing the occupied buffer zone.

    As they left Lebanon, the Israeli soldiers said: “Thank God we are leaving: no one in Israel wants to return”.

    Israeli soldiers are happy to leave

    Lebanon in the year 2000. In 1982, Israel believed the time had come to invade Lebanon and force it to sign a peace agreement after eliminating the various Palestinian organisations. These groups had deviated from the Palestinian compass and had become embroiled in sectarian conflict with the Lebanese Phalange, believing that “the road to Jerusalem passed through Jounieh” (the Maronite stronghold on Mt. Lebanon, northwest of Beirut, a slogan used by Abu Iyad). Israel intended Lebanon to become the domicile of its Palestinian conflict. It failed to realise that in so doing it was letting the Shiite genie out of the bottle. Signs of this genie began to appear after the arrival of Sayyed Musa al-Sadr in Lebanon and the return of students of Sayyed Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr from Najaf to their home country and residency in the Lebanese Bekaa. Also, the victory of Imam Khomeini and the “Islamic revolution” in Iran in 1979 was not taken into consideration by Israel, and the potential consequences for the Lebanese Shia were overlooked.

    The 1982 Israeli invasion triggered the emergence of the “Islamic resistance in Lebanon”, which later became known as “Hezbollah”, and it forced Israel to leave Lebanon unconditionally in 2000. This made Lebanon the first country to humiliate the Israeli army. Following their victory over the Arabs in 1949, 1956, 1967 and 1973, Israeli officials had come to believe they could occupy any Arab country “with a brass band”.

    Israeli soldiers exited through the “Fatima Gate” (on the Lebanese border, also known as Good Fence, HaGader HaTova) under the watchful eyes of Suzanne Goldenberg on the other side of the border. She wrote: “After two decades and the loss of more than 1000 men, the chaotic Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon leaves its northern flank dangerously exposed, with Hezbollah guerrillas sitting directly on its border. The scale of the Israeli fiasco was beginning to unfold… After the Israelis pulled out of Bint Jubayl in the middle of the night, their SLA allies, already in a state of collapse in the centre of the strip, simply gave up. Branded collaborators, they and their families headed for exile. Behind them, they left tanks and other heavy equipment donated by their patrons. Shlomo Hayun, an Israeli farmer who lives on Shaar Yeshuv farm, said of the withdrawal, “This was the first time I have been ashamed to be Israeli. It was chaotic and disorganised.”



    Israeli withdrawal (2000) crossing Fatima Gate.

    What did Israel and its allies in the Middle East achieve?

    In 1978, Israel occupied a part of southern Lebanon and in 1982, for the first time, it occupied an Arab capital, Beirut. During its presence as an occupation force, Israel was responsible for several massacres amounting to war crimes. In 1992, Israel thought that it could strike a death blow to Hezbollah by assassinating its leader, Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi. He was replaced by his student, the charismatic leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah has proved to be more truthful than the Israeli leaders, and thus capable of affecting the Israeli public through his speeches, as Israeli colonel Ronen, chief Intelligence officer for the Central Command of Israel Defence Forces, has said.

    The new Hezbollah leader showed his potential for standing up to and confronting Israel through TV appearances. He mastered the psychological aspects of warfare, just as he mastered the art of guerrilla war. He leads a non-conventional but organised army of militants “stronger than several armies in the Middle East,” according to Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli Chief of Staff.

    The Israeli doctrine relies on the principle of pre-emptively striking what is considered as a potential threat, in order to extinguish it in its cradle. Israel first annexed Jerusalem by declaring it in 1980 an integral part of the so-called “capital of the state of Israel”. In June 1981, it attacked and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor that France had helped build. In 2007, Israel struck a building in Deir Ezzor, Syria, before it was completed, claiming that the government had been building a nuclear reactor.

    6 years after its withdrawal, Israel declared war on Lebanon in 2006, with the aim of eradicating Hezbollah from the south and destroying its military capacity. Avi Kober, a member of the department of political studies at Bar Ilan University and researcher at the Israeli BESA centre said: “The war was conducted under unprecedented and favourable conditions the like which Israel has never enjoyed – internal consensus, broad international support (including tacit support on the part of moderate Arab States), and a sense of having almost unlimited time to achieve the war objectives. The IDF’s performance during this war was unsatisfactory, reflecting flawed military conceptions and poor professionalism and generalship. Not only the IDF fail in achieving battlefield decision against Hezbollah, that is, denying the enemy’s ability to carry on the fight, despite some tactical achievements, throughout the war, it played into Hizballah’s hands.”



    “Soon we shall pray in Jerusalem” (Portray Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah).

    Israel withdrew from the battle without achieving its goals: it was surprised by Hezbollah’s military equipment and fighting capabilities. Hezbollah had managed to hide its advanced weapons from the eyes of Israeli intelligence and its allies, who are present in every country including Lebanon. The result was 121 Israeli soldiers killed, 2,000 wounded, and the pride of the Israeli army and industry destroyed in the Merkava Cemetery in southern Lebanon where the Israeli advance into Wadi al-Hujeir was thwarted.

    Hezbollah hit the most advanced class Israeli destroyer, the INS Spear saar-5, opposite the Lebanese coast. In the last 72 hours of the war, Israel fired 2.7 million bomblets, or cluster bombs, to cause long-term pain for Lebanon’s population, either through impeding their return or disrupting cultivation and harvest once they did return. “An unjustified degree of vindictiveness and an effort to punish the population as a whole”, said the report of the UN commission of inquiry conducted in November 2006 (Arkin M. W. (2007), Divining Victory: Airpower in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, Air University Press, Alabama, pp 67-71).
    The battle ended, Israel withdrew again, closed the doors behind its army, raised a fence on the Lebanese borders, and installed electronic devices and cameras to prevent any possible Hezbollah crossing into Palestine.



    When Israel’s chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said “Israel instructed Hezbollah in the art of war”, he was right. Hezbollah has learned from the wars that Israel has waged over the years. In every war, Hezbollah saw the necessity of developing its weapons and training to match and overcome the Israeli army (which is outnumbered) and which enjoys the tacit support of Middle Eastern regimes and the most powerful western countries. Hezbollah developed its special forces’ training and armed itself with precision missiles to impose new rules of engagement, posing a real threat to the continuity of the permanent Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

    Today, Hezbollah has sophisticated weapons, including the armed drones that it used in Syria in its war against the Takfirists, and precision missiles that can reach every region, city and airport in Israel. It has anti-ship missiles to neutralize the Israeli navy in any future attack or war on Lebanon and to hit any harbour or oil platform. It is also equipped with missiles that prevent helicopters from being involved in any future battle. The balance of deterrence has been achieved. Hezbollah can take Israel back to the Stone Age just as easily as Israel envisages returning Lebanon to the Stone Age.

    Hezbollah is Israel’s worse nightmare, and it was largely created by the Israeli attempt to overthrow the regime in Lebanon, occupy Lebanon, and impose an agreement that Israel could then mould to its own liking. But the tables were turned: a very small force emerged in Lebanon to become a regional power whose powerful support was then extended to the neighbouring countries of Syria and Iraq.

    The harvest journey has begun.

    https://ejmagnier.com/2020/05/16/20-...en-achieved-1/

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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Which part of 'Eurasia Topics' are you having difficulty with?
    None at all.

    Forum: Speakers Corner

    Air your opinion on current world affairs. A forum for civil discussion and exchange of ideas. No flaming or abuse allowed. All posts should include your opinion on the subject, not your opinion of the member posting.

    https://teakdoor.com/speakers-corner/

    Unlike yourself. I am not geographically challenged.

    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Nunavut hunters in 'disbelief' over government's attempt to cut narwhal harvest
    An off topic, North American centric. distraction.

    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Adult Movement and Dynamics of Clavigralla tomentosicollis (Heteroptera: Coreidae) Populations in Cowpea Fields of Benin, West Africa
    An off topic, African centric. distraction.
    Last edited by OhOh; 17-05-2020 at 11:17 AM.

  7. #432
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    None at all.

    Forum: Speakers Corner

    Air your opinion on current world affairs. A forum for civil discussion and exchange of ideas. No flaming or abuse allowed. All posts should include your opinion on the subject, not your opinion of the member posting.

    https://teakdoor.com/speakers-corner/

    Unlike yourself. I am not geographically challenged.
    Are you really that dense? (Rhetorical question)

    Oh well . . .

    Aramaic


    Aramaic (ארמית Arāmît, Ārāmāyâ), a member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, has a remarkable 3,000-year history. It was spoken by Aramaeans, an ancient semi-nomadic people who had lived in upper Mesopotamia. This area is now, occupied by Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. Hebrew is closely related to Aramaic.
    Aramaic is thought to have first appeared among the Aramaeans in the 11th century BC. By the 7th and 6th centuries BC, it became the lingua franca of the Middle East, and later it became the official language of the Achaemenian Persian dynasty (559–330 BC). It was eventually displaced by Greek, following the conquests of Alexander the Great.
    In the 6th century BC, Aramaic replaced Hebrew as the language of the Jews, particularly in Syria and Palestine. Consequently, portions of the Old Testament and versions of the Talmud are written in Aramaic. The Dead Sea Scrolls were also written in Aramaic, in addition to Hebrew and Greek. Aramaic is believed to have been the native language of Jesus and the Apostles. The language continued to be widely used until it was replaced by Arabic around 650 AD.
    Modern or Neo-Aramaic today is a group of related languages, rather than a single language. It includes modern spoken varieties of the language that evolved in scattered communities throughout the Middle East that have succeeded in preserved their language throughout history.
    Ethnologue lists 19 varieties of Neo-Aramaic dialects spoken today. The largest groups are Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo. Modern Aramaic languages with at least 1,000 speakers are listed in the table below. The data is based on Ethnologue.
    Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 30,000 Iraq
    232,000 worldwide
    Chaldean Neo-Aramaic 100,000 Iraq
    206,000 worldwide
    Hértevin 1,000 Turkey
    Bohtan Neo-Aramaic 1,000 Georgia
    Hulaulá 10,000 Israel
    Lishana Deni 7,500 Israel
    Lishán Didán 4,230 Israel
    Lishanid-Noshan 2,200 Israel
    Northwestern
    Turoyo 3,000 Turkey
    62,000 worldwide
    Mandaic
    Modern Mandaic 5,000 Iraq
    Classical Mandaic extinct as a spoken language but continues to be used as liturgical language of followers of the Mandaean religion Iran
    Western
    Western Neo-Aramaic 15,000 Syria

    Status

    None of the Neo-Aramaic languages have official status in their countries. Most monolingual speakers tend to be older adults. Younger speakers learn Aramaic as a second language along with the dominant language of the country as their first language. Many varieties are endangered, and some are already extinct.





    Dialects

    Top
    Aramaic is spoken in scattered communities across the Middle East, from Azerbaijan to Syria. As a result, there are many varieties, not all mutually intelligible. The main division is between Eastern and Western varieties. Religious practices have also played a part in creating language barriers among speakers of Aramaic. As a result, there is no mutual intelligibility among dialects spoken by Christians, Jews, and Mandaeans.

    • Christian
      The Christian Modern Aramaic languages are often called Modern Syriac, or Neo-Syriac. They are also sometimes called Assyrian or Chaldean. The varieties are not all mutually intelligible. East Syriac communities are usual
      ly either Chaldean Catholics or Assyrians.
    • Jewish
      The Jewish Modern Aramaic language
      s are now mostly spoken in Israel, and most are facing extinction since older speakers are not passing the language to younger generations. The Jewish dialects from communities that once lived in Iraq are not all mutually intelligible. In some places, Christians and Jews speak unintelligible dialects, while in other places they understand each other.


    Structure

    Top

    Sound system

    The sound system of Aramaic shares many features with other Semitic languages, particularly with Hebrew. Aramaic varieties draw on a general pool of 25-40 phonemes, i.e., sounds that make a difference in word meaning. Older dialects tend to have larger phonemic inventories than modern ones. For instance, some modern Jewish Aramaic pronunciations lack emphatic and geminated (doubled) consonants. Other dialects have incorporated sounds from the neighboring languages, particularly Arabic, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Persian and Turkish. Due to its isolation, the consonant system of Western Aramaic has developed quite differently from other Aramaic varieties.

    Vowels

    All Aramaic varieties have three vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning. They can be either short or long. Vowel length affects word meaning. In the table below, vowel length is indicated by a colon after the vowel. There are also two diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/. Emphatic (pharyngealized) consonants turn all vowels into a schwa /ə/, a vowel similar to a in about.
    Front Central Back
    Close
    i, i:
    u, u:
    Open
    a, a:

    Consonants

    The table below shows the consonant phonemes of Aramaic (from Wikipedia). Like other Semitic languages Aramaic has the following features::

    • a wealth of consonants produced at the back of the oral cavity
    • an opposition between voiceless plain and emphatic consonants, e.g., a plain /t/ and a pharyngealized /tˤ/ (Emphatic consonants are pronounced with the root of the tongue retracted.)
    • an opposition between single and geminated (double) consonants; all consonants, except for pharyngeal and glottal, can be doubled (geminated) by holding them for a longer period than their single counterparts. Whether a consonant is single or double makes a difference in word meaning.
    • absence of consonant clusters at the beginning of words.


    Interdental Palatal Uvular Pharyngeal
    voiceless plain
    p
    t
    k
    q
    ʔ
    voiceless emphatic
    voiced
    b
    d
    g
    voiceless plain
    θ
    s
    ʃ
    x
    ħ
    h
    voiceless emphatic
    voiced
    ð
    z
    ʒ
    ɣ
    ʕ
    m
    n
    x
    l
    Flap/trill
    r
    w
    j

    • /tˤ, kˤ, sˤ, tsˤ, tʃˤ/ are emphatic consonants with no equivalents in English.
    • /θ/ = th in thin
    • /ð/ = th in those
    • /ʃ/ = sh in shop
    • /ʒ/ = s in vision
    • /ʔ/ = sound between the vowels in uh-oh
    • /x, q, ħ, ʕ/ have no equivalents in English
    • /j/ = y in yet


    Grammar


    The grammar of Aramaic is typical of Semitic languages.
    Nouns and adjectives
    Most Aramaic nouns, like nouns in other Semitic languages, are built on tri-consonantal roots. Some of the features associated with nouns and adjectives are listed below (based on Wikipedia):


    • There are two grammatical genders, masculine and feminine. The feminine absolute (basic form) singular is usually marked by the ending -â.
    • There are two numbers, singular and plural with vestiges of the dual number for paired objects.
    • Nouns and adjectives have three states that are similar to cases in European languages: absolute state is the unmarked case, the construct state is the case of the possessed object, the emphatic state is an extended form of the noun that functions somewhat like a definite article.
    • Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.


    Verbs


    The verb system of Aramaic is quite complicated. Below are a few of its most salient features:

    • Alterations of the verbal root K-T-B mark different categories.
    • There are two tenses that are called perfect and imperfect.
    • There are six conjugations, three basic and three derived.


    Word order

    The normal word order in Aramaic is Verb-Subject-Object. Modifiers follow the noun they modify.


    Vocabulary

    Words consist of tri-consonantal roots representing a basic meaning. The bulk of Aramaic vocabulary evolved from *Proto-Semitic, the ancestor of all Semitic languages. In addition, different varieties of Aramaic have borrowed words from the surrounding languages, such as Arabic, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Persian and Turkish.




    Writing

    Top
    The Early Aramaic alphabet is an extremely ancient writing system derived from the Phoenician alphabet, a consonant-based writing system, during the 10th or 9th centuries BC. Eventually, Aramaic developed its distinctive ‘square’ style. The use of Aramaic as a lingua franca throughout the Middle East from the 8th century BC resulted in the adoption of the Aramaic alphabet for writing Hebrew. At the end of the 6th century BC, the Early Aramaic alphabet was replaced by the Hebrew Square Script. Today it is better known as the Hebrew alphabet. Latin, Hebrew and Cyrillic alphabets are all used to write Aramaic, though the Syriac alphabet is the most widely used script to write Aramaic.
    There are three forms of the Syriac alphabet. All are written from right to left in horizontal lines.


      • The oldest classical form is called ʾEsṭrangēlā. It is used in scholarly publications and inscriptions, but it is no longer the main script for writing Syriac.
      • Maḏnḥāyā ‘Eastern’ is used for writing East Syriac dialects. It is modelled on ‘Esṭrangēlā but it also uses dots to represent vowels.
      • Serṭā ‘Western’ is used for writing West Syriac dialects. It is also modelled on ‘Esṭrangēlā, but it uses miniscule Greek vowels to represent vowels. It has simpler, more cursive lines.


  8. #433
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    ^All of which has nothing to do with your posts,:

    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Nunavut hunters in 'disbelief' over government's attempt to cut narwhal harvest
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Populations in Cowpea Fields of Benin, West Africa

  9. #434
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    ^All of which has nothing to do with your posts,:
    As much as it has with yours

    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    numbers, singular and plural with vestiges
    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    geographically challenged.
    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    cultivation and harvest
    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Afghanistan-based
    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    double post
    You created the thread "Eurasia Topics" and the keep going on about China's trade deal with Aus and Brazil and the like.

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    ^All of which has nothing to do with your posts,:
    . . . and nothing to do with Eurasia

  10. #435
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    You created the thread "Eurasia Topics" and the keep going on about China's trade deal with Aus and Brazil and the like.
    He waffles a lot in case you didn't notice.

  11. #436
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    Iran surges in Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions

    Eurasia Topics-venezuela-768x432-jpg


    "Escorted by the Venezuelan navy and air force, an Iranian oil tanker named Fortune has entered that country’s waters on Sunday, amidst intense speculation whether the US would interfere with the delivery. The US has imposed oil sanctions against Venezuela and Iran and had said it is monitoring the Iranian tanker.

    "In fact, five Iranian tankers carrying about 1.5m barrels of fuel passed through the Suez Canal earlier this month, according to shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon, and were heading for Venezuela. The other four Iranian tankers — Forest, Petunia, Faxon and Clavel — are approaching the Caribbean en route to Venezuela.

    A flotilla of US Navy and Coast Guard vessels is patrolling the Caribbean Sea on a mission to counter illicit drug trafficking. But Pentagon has stated that there are no plans to stop the Iranian tankers.

    At the same time, a Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, while saying on Thursday he was not aware of any operations related to the Iranian cargoes, also added, “We have continued to say that Iran and Venezuela – both two outliers in the international order – [are] clearly violating international sanctions on both nations with this transaction.”

    The US sanctions on Venezuela are aimed at increasing pressure on President Maduro to step down. Thus, arguably, Iran is frontally challenging the Trump administration’s stated policy of ‘regime change’ in Venezuela. The Iranian move comes just three weeks after the abortive coup attempt masterminded by the White House on May 1 with the participation of two former US Green Berets aimed at capturing Maduro and transport him to the US in American helicopters to be put on trial on fake drug trafficking charges.

    The coup attempt showed the extent of desperation in Washington to overthrow the Maduro government before the US presidential election in November, which President Trump hopes would help him garner Hispanic votes. Iran has now offered a lifeline to Venezuela.

    In a historical context, this becomes a frontal assault by Iran on the Monroe Doctrine dating back to the 19th century, which in US foreign policy calculus regarded the Western Hemisphere as its sphere of influence. According to a Reuters report, the Trump administration said earlier this month it was “considering measures” it could take in response to the Iranian shipments, without providing specifics.

    No doubt, this is a deliberate sanctions-busting enterprise by Iran. Venezuela desperately needs fuel for up to 1,800 gasoline stations that have been partially closed for weeks due to insufficient supply from state-run refineries.

    Venezuela’s gasoline output is now limited to a single facility, the Amuay refinery, but most fuel produced is low octane as most of the country’s alkylation units are out of service. Imported alkylate could improve the quality of domestic gasoline. Venezuela’s refineries are in poor condition. Shipments of equipment in flights by Iran’s Mahan Air have arrived in Venezuela in recent weeks to start repair work.

    It will be interesting to see whether the US Navy would interdict any of the other four Iranian tankers before they enter Venezuelan waters. Tehran has sternly warned the US that it would retaliate if any such attempt is made. On Saturday, Tehran raised the ante with President Hassan Rouhani explicitly warning, “If our oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea or anywhere else in the world get into trouble caused by the Americans, they (US) will run into trouble reciprocally.”

    Washington is well aware of Iran’s capability to create big problems for the US Navy deployed in the Persian Gulf, especially the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, in a precautionary step, US Navy, via the Maritime Safety Office run by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, alerted all international maritime traffic to maintain a safe distance of at least 100 meters from US naval vessels in international waters and straits. Pentagon officials separately confirmed that the stay-away warning to marine traffic in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman was actually intended for Iran.

    In geopolitical terms, Iran’s strategic defiance of the US in the Western Hemisphere makes an interesting case study not only of the decline in American influence in its backyard to the south but the entire efficacy of the “sphere of influence” concept in contemporary world politics. This is one thing.

    More importantly, in the backdrop of the Iranian tanker reaching Venezuela, Caracas has described Iran as a “revolutionary partner” in the struggle against US imperialism. From the Iranian viewpoint, Venezuela becomes a part of the “axis of resistance” against the US. To be sure, the audacity of the two countries will irritate Washington to no end.

    How far the Iran-Venezuela axis will deepen and expand will bear watch. Importantly, the UN Security Council embargo against Iran exporting arms to other countries is expiring in October. The US move to extend the timeline of the embargo is unlikely to succeed, given the strong negative reaction by Russia and China. It is entirely conceivable that a matrix of military cooperation may commence in a near future involving Iran and Venezuela.

    Iran’s indigenously developed missile capability acts as a deterrent against US aggression. Iran has transferred missile technology to Hezbollah, which is estimated to have the capability today to inflict significant damage to Israel in the event of any aggression by the latter on Lebanon. Significantly, the deterrence is working and Israel no longer stages attacks on Lebanon.

    A similar shift in the strategic balance with Iran’s help can create more space for Venezuela to push back at the US. All in all, Iran appears to be working on a strategy to help Venezuela to maintain its strategic autonomy. There is enormous potential for cooperation and coordination between Iran and Venezuela. If Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world, Iran too has massive reserves of oil and gas.

    The despatch of oil to lubricate the beleaguered Venezuelan economy may prove to be the harbinger of an assertive Iranian power projection elsewhere in Latin America too. Surely, in the near term, it is a rebuff to the Trump administration’s maximum pressure strategy against Iran. In a longer-term perspective, a concerted regional strategy in Latin America by Russia, China and Iran can seriously erode the US influence in the continent."

    https://indianpunchline.com/iran-surges-in-venezuela-in-defiance-of-us-sanctions/


    One tanker has arrived and has the navies protection. Another four have been through the Suez Canal, the the straights of Gibraltar and are crossing the Atlantic

  12. #437
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    I await the next Venezuelan shipment of LNG to Iran.


  13. #438
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Iran surges in Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions
    How dare they? They have no discipline...

  14. #439
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    To Understand Iran’s 150-Year Fight, Follow the Trail of Blood and Oil

    "This past Sunday, April 17th, a dispute between Iran and the U.S. occurred over the U.S.’ decision to increase its military presence in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters, with the purported reason being a counter-narcotics campaign.

    Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this past Sunday, that the real purpose for this move by the U.S. is to “intervene and create disruption in the transfer of Iran’s fuel to Venezuela.” In the same letter, Zarif expressed concern over “the United States’ intention to consider dangerous, unlawful and provocative measures against Iranian oil tankers engaged in perfectly lawful international commerce with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

    The Iranian deployment consists of five tankers carrying around $45.5million of gasoline and related products, as part of a wider deal between Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on both nations’ oil exports.
    For the first time since 1962, Iran has requested IMF assistance due to severe shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Iran requesting an emergency loan of $5 billion. However, the request is currently being blocked by the U.S., which accounts for slightly more than 16.5% of IMF’s voting shares and has an effective veto over decisions.

    Iran is presently experiencing a critical shortage of medicines and equipment amid the pandemic, and yet is prohibited from purchasing medicines and supplies because of the banking sanctions.

    It is clear that these manoeuvres against Iran are not on behalf of anyone’s “security” but rather an attempt to force Iran to finally bend the knee and be reduced to a state of complete dependence.

    Iran has fought a long fight to claim its independence from western powers.

    However, what if I were to tell you that once there was a time when Iran and the U.S. had good relations and that the U.S. was in fact the leading promoter and supporter of Iran’s sovereignty?

    Almost out of a Shakespearean play of tragedy and betrayal, the relationship was jeopardised by a third player. As identified by John Perkins, in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, the first ever U.S. coup against a foreign country was the overthrow of Iran’s nationalist Prime Minister Mosaddegh in 1953. However, what is often left out…is that it was a British authored and designed operation.

    In order for us to understand how and why the U.S. was dragged into such an affair, our story starts 150 years ago…

    Dieu et mon droit

    It all started in 1872, with Nasir al-Din Shah having granted to the British Baron Julius de Reuter, rights to Iran’s entire economic estate. Reuter not only controlled Iran’s industry, farming, and rail transportation, but also held the right to issue currency and to set up a national bank, called the Imperial Bank of Persia, which was under direct British control.

    In 1901, Muzzaffar al-Din Shah negotiated what became known as the D’Arcy Contract, granting William Knox D’Arcy, a millionaire London socialite, the special and exclusive privilege to basically own and manage the natural gas and petroleum of Iran for a term of 60 years.

    In May 26th 1908 D’Arcy struck pay-dirt in Iran, discovering a huge oil field in Masjed-Soleiman. Britain immediately set up APOC in 1908, purchasing the rights to the black gold from D’Arcy. Six years later, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill gave the order to purchase 51% of APOC, effectively nationalizing the company. This was to ensure the free flow of oil to the British navy. It was the first company to extract petroleum from Iran.
    Iran received only 16% of the royalties on the oil.

    Britain continued to pursue total control of Iran, not through colonial occupation, but rather through economic “agreements”. In the midst of carving up the empire’s new “jewels” of the Middle East from the Sykes-Picot fraud on the Arabian people and the illegal British occupation of Palestine, the notorious Anglo-Persian Agreement of Aug 19, 1919 was also signed, with London effectively turning Iran into a de facto protectorate run by British “advisors”. Britain had succeeded in becoming the masters of Iran’s natural resources through this agreement.

    Iran received almost nothing in return, not even oil from APOC for domestic consumption, but rather had to import it from the Soviet Union!

    On Nov 28th 1932 Reza Shah announced that he would be cancelling the British concession to APOC. The British Navy was heavily dependent on cheap Iranian oil and thus Britain refused to acquiesce. A compromise was reached in 1933 through bilateral negotiations and the British managed to extend their concession up until 1993! Iran had succeeded in getting the British to pay a higher price but it still did not control its own oil.

    The American Relationship

    Despite claiming a neutral stance for Iran during WWII, word had gotten out that Reza Shah was apparently sympathetic to the cause of Hitler. The argument was thus used that a pro-German Iran could become a launching pad for an attack against the Soviet Union, justifying British and Soviet entry into the country on Aug 25th 1941 for what would be a several years’ occupation. On Sept 16th Reza was forced by the British to abdicate and go into exile transferring power to his 22 year old son, Mohammad Reza Shah.

    Mohammad Reza Shah was not happy with the joint occupation and sought an American military presence as a mediator to British and Soviet interests. The Shah sent a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Aug 25th 1941 asking him to:

    “be good enough to interest yourself in this incident…I beg Your Excellency to take efficacious and urgent humanitarian steps to put an end to these acts of aggression.”
    In response to this plea, Roosevelt sent Gen. Patrick Hurley as his special representative to Iran to help prepare what was to become the Iran Declaration, finally adopted at the Tehran Conference where Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill would agree to guarantee the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iran.

    The Iran Declaration was used to finally end the foreign occupation of Iran after WWII, despite some resistance, and would play a crucial role in Iran’s future fight for sovereignty. The Iran Declaration thus proved itself to be more than just words, and this would certainly never have happened if not for FDR.

    As part of Hurley’s report to FDR, he wrote some biting words on the present system of British imperialism, “The imperialism of Germany, Japan, Italy, France… will, we hope, end or be radically revised by this war [WWII]. British imperialism seems to have acquired a new life. . . What appears to be a new life… is the result of the infusion, into its emaciated form, of the blood of productivity and liberty from a free nation [Iran] through Lend-Lease.”

    Roosevelt sent a copy of the Hurley report to Churchill with his thoughts on the matter: “The enclosed memorandum was sent to me… I rather like his general approach to the care and education of what used to be called ‘backward countries’…the point of all this is that I do not want the United States to acquire a ‘zone of influence,’ or any other nation for that matter [in Iran].”

    Churchill was less than enthusiastic on the Hurley-FDR vision. He was particularly irked by Hurley’s notion that British imperialism were in conflict with democracy.

    FDR died only a few months later, and with his interment, Hurley’s plans for American support for a sovereign and democratic Iran as a model for the rest of the Middle East were relegated to the dust bins of time and forgotten by much of the world.

    Following WWII, nationalistic sentiments were on the rise including in the Middle East, the most notable being Iran. However, following the death of FDR the British were free to disingenuously respond to Iran’s request for better economic conditions by offering what was called the “Supplemental Agreement”, in May 1949. This entailed a better payment in royalties but still denied Iran any oversight over accounts or any other form of control over Iranian oil.

    Enter Mosaddegh

    In the late 1940s, a new political force emerged in Iran called the National Front led by Mohammad Mosaddegh. Their campaign was centered on the demand to nationalize the AIOC and the people of Iran were in accord, electing Mosaddegh into the Majlis (parliament) in 1949.

    Mosaddegh lost no time, and quickly became the head of the Majlis Oil Committee which was tasked to study the British “Supplemental Agreement”. When it came time to put it to a vote on Nov 25th 1950, the committee delivered a resounding “no” to the British proposition.

    Less than four months later, the Majlis voted on March 15th 1951 for nationalization of the AIOC, and it was renamed as the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). Less than two months later, Mosaddegh became Prime Minister of Iran on April 28th 1951.

    The British were left empty handed.

    Twice the British tried to argue their case before the international community, once in May 1951 at The Hague and again in October at the UN Security Council. Both attempts were to lose to Mosaddegh’s defense. Mosaddegh had earned a Ph.D. in law from the Neuchatel Law School in Switzerland in 1914.

    This was anything but a formal victory. It was to set a precedent in the international community that a country’s right to national sovereignty would be favored over Britain’s imperial “claims”, which were exposed during these two very public trials as amounting to nothing more than the threats and bribes of pirates.

    At the UN Security Council, Mosaddegh responded to Britain’s imperial ambitions over Iran with these eloquent words:

    “My countrymen lack the bare necessities of existence…Our greatest natural asset is oil. This should be the source of work and food for the population of Iran. Its exploitation should properly be our national industry, and the revenue from it should go to improve our conditions of life. As now organized, however, the petroleum industry has contributed practically nothing to the well-being of the people or to the technical progress or industrial development of my country…if we are to tolerate a situation in which the Iranian plays the part of a mere manual worker in the oil fields…and if foreign exploiters continue to appropriate practically all of the income, then our people will remain forever in a state of poverty and misery. These are the reasons that have prompted the Iranian parliament… to vote unanimously in favor of nationalizing the oil industry.”

    A British coup

    The British were fuming over Mosaddegh’s high profile humiliation of the British Empire’s claim to Iran’s oil. Mosaddegh would have to be deposed, however, this could not look like a British retaliation.

    During Averell Harrimann’s visit to Tehran in July 1951, in an attempt to salvage the broken British-Iranian relationship, Mosaddegh is reported to have said,

    “You do not know how crafty they are. You do not know how evil they are. You do not know how they sully everything they touch.”

    As coup rumours circulated and reports were rife of British contact being sought with Iranian military officers, Mosaddegh severed diplomatic relations with the UK on Oct 16th 1952. The British were further humiliated and had to leave the country taking their agents with them.

    It was at this point that Churchill “invited” his lap dog, de facto president Truman, to participate in his vision for regime change in Iran. In November 1952, NSC 136 and 136/I were written into record, Truman had agreed to promote direct intervention in Iran through covert operations and even military force. A detailed plan was approved on Jan 8th 1953 which was 12 days before Eisenhower was inaugurated.

    The management of this covert operation was under the treasonous Dulles brothers, who would use the very same technique when JFK first entered office in setting him up with the Bay of Pigs fiasco, however, JFK managed to publicly expose Allan Dulles in this scheme and fired him. Dulles had been the Director of the CIA for 8 years up until that point, and was Deputy Director of the CIA for two years prior. Refer to my paper on this for further details.

    A preliminary meeting in Washington saw representatives of the Near East and Africa Division (NEA) with British Intelligence. The key personalities were Christopher Montague Woodhouse who had been station chief for British Intelligence in Tehran and on the American side Kermit Roosevelt (son of Teddy Roosevelt) acting as NEA Division Chief. It was the British who would propose a joint political action to remove Prime Minister Mosaddegh according to CIA documents, which were in part leaked by the New York Times on April 16th 2000. The final plan was codenamed TPAJAX
    .

    Appendix B, aka “London Draft of the TPAJAX Operational Plan” was black propaganda aimed at hammering out these themes 1) Mosaddegh favors the Tudeh Party and the USSR 2) Mosaddegh is an enemy of Islam since he associates with Tudeh.

    The aim of such tactics was to drive a wedge between Mosaddegh and his National Front on the one side and his clerical allies, especially Kashani on the other. Demonstrations against Mosaddegh in the streets were to provide the pretext for bought MPs to hold a vote against him, if he refused to step down the plan was to have Fazlollah Zahedi, leader of the opposition, to arrest him. Zahedi, as laid out in Appendix B was selected by the British to replace Mosaddegh as Prime Minister after the coup.

    Chief of Staff Gen. Taghi Riahi found out about the coup plans and alerted Mosaddegh in time. When the chief of the Imperial Guards, Col. Nasiri went to Mosaddegh’s house the evening before the planned coup day (Aug 16th) to arrest him, Nasiri himself was taken as prisoner by the pro- Mosaddegh military. Zahedi managed to flee.
    The coup attempt had failed and the word spread fast, crowds flooded the streets supporting Mosaddegh and denouncing the Shah. The Shah left the country quickly.

    The CIA informed of the fiasco alerted Kermit Roosevelt that he should leave Iran immediately. But Kermit believed the coup could still work and would make a second attempt three days later. British Intelligence and CIA orchestrated demonstrations set to the streets on Aug 19th. The royal decrees signed by the Shah for the deposal of Mosaddegh to be replaced by Zahedi were made public in the press that very day with the radio news announcing: that Zahedi was Prime Minister, that Mosaddegh had been ousted and that the Shah would return soon.

    Military units were dispatched to Mosaddegh’s home. As his house was being destroyed by gunfire and tanks, Mosaddegh managed to escape. It is said he later turned himself in to the authorities.

    After a ten-week period in a military prison, Mosaddegh was tried on charges of treason, because he had allegedly mobilized for a rebellion and had contradicted the Shah. In fact, the accused treason was a nationalistic response to a foreign led coup.

    Mosaddegh was promptly found guilty and sentenced to death, later lessened to three years in prison, followed by house arrest.

    Mosaddegh’s response to the kangaroo court proceedings was,

    “My only crime is that I nationalized the oil industry and removed from this land the network of colonialism and the political and economic influence of the greatest empire [the British Empire] on Earth.”

    Members of his government were also arrested, as were the leading military who remained loyal to him. Six hundred of the 6, 000 of these men were executed.

    Even after Mosaddegh had passed away, on March 5th, 1967, his enemies were fearful of his influence. Mosaddegh had requested that upon his death, he be buried in the public graveyard beside the victims of the political violence that occurred on the 21st July 1952 from British-backed Ahmad Qavam who ordered soldiers to shoot at Mosaddegh nationalists during a demonstration, resulting in a blood bath. Not wanting his grave to become the site of political manifestations, a public funeral for Mosaddegh was denied and his body was quietly buried underneath the floorboards of a room in his house.

    Part 2 will cover U.S.-Iran relations from the period of 1953 to present day."

    https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...blood-and-oil/

  15. #440
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    This post reports the questions answered by the Chinese Minister. As the questions are wide ranging I have put it here rather than in TD different threads.

    The full, official, answers are complete and too lengthy to post. The press conference itself lasted nearly 2 hours (100 minutes).

    Here is the introduction and the multiple topic's questions from local and international news organisations:


    State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Meets the Press


    2020/05/24

    Eurasia Topics-w020200525051713597058-jpg


    "On 24 May 2020, a press conference was held via video link on the margins of the Third Session of the 13th National People's Congress, during which State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi answered questions from Chinese and foreign media about China's foreign policy and external relations."

    "Wang Yi: Friends from the media, good afternoon. This year's press conference is held at a special time as countries around the world are battling COVID-19. I wish to take this opportunity to salute health workers worldwide who are doing their best to save lives and to mourn the lives tragically lost. I'd also like to say thank-you to all the governments and nations who have given understanding, care and assistance to China in its COVID-19 response. The virus cannot defeat humanity; we will eventually prevail. The darkest hour will pass. Looking ahead, we can see light and hope. With these words,

    I'm happy to open the floor for questions."

    People's Daily: What's the most important thing people can learn from COVID-19?

    China Global Television Network: COVID-19 and the upcoming US presidential election are straining China-US relations. How concerned are you that China's relations with the United States could further deteriorate?

    Xinhua News Agency: The world may never be the same again after COVID-19. How does China view the post-COVID-19 world and the future of globalization?

    RIA Novosti: How do you assess China-Russia relations in the context of COVID-19? Do you agree with some people's characterization that China and Russia may join force to challenge US predominance?

    China Daily: China is providing support and assistance to many countries to help them fight COVID-19. But there is some skepticism about this. What's your comment?

    Reuters: China's decision to press ahead with the national security legislation for Hong Kong may provoke threats of retaliation from the US. Is China concerned that Hong Kong's position as a global financial hub could be undermined?

    Phoenix Television: Would China agree to an independent international investigation into the source of the virus?

    Agencia EFE: There are two voices among the European countries when it comes to China, with some even thinking that China is Europe's systemic rival. What's your comment?

    Global Times: How will China respond to the lawsuits filed in the US that ask for compensation from China as a result of COVID-19?

    Kyodo News: How does China see the future relations between China, Japan and the ROK?

    China Central Television: How will China's diplomacy adapt to the new normal of COVID-19 response? Is there anything in particular to watch for on this year's diplomatic agenda?

    Middle East News Agency: How will China help African countries to fight against COVID-19?

    China National Radio: How can China's diplomatic service contribute to winning the battle against extreme poverty and achieving moderate prosperity?

    Cable News Network: We've seen an increasingly heated "war of words" between China and the US. Is "wolf warrior" diplomacy the new norm of China's diplomacy?

    China Radio International: How does China see the role of WHO? What's China's view of WHO reform?

    Kazinform: What steps will China take to revive cooperation with Belt and Road partner countries from the impact of COVID-19?

    Shenzhen Satellite TV: What are China's plans for growing its relations with ASEAN?

    Yonhap News Agency: In what direction does China think the situation on the Korean Peninsula and dialogue between the DPRK and the US should be going?

    The Paper: Is China concerned that Taiwan-related issues may add further strain to China-US relations?

    The Straits Times: Some say that China is taking advantage of COVID-19 to increase activities in the South China Sea? What's your view? Will this affect the talks on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC)?

    China News Service: Can you share more about how the Chinese Foreign Ministry and its missions abroad have helped overseas Chinese nationals who have encountered difficulties in their host countries?

    Associated Press of Pakistan: What do you view the current situation in Afghanistan?

    Hubei TV: The Foreign Ministry has done a lot to clear Wuhan's name and help the city beat the virus. What will the Foreign Ministry do to assist Hubei's development and opening-up?"

    The link to the original source, including the Ministers replies, is here:

    State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Meets the Press
    Last edited by OhOh; 25-05-2020 at 11:02 PM.

  16. #441
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    "This past Sunday, April 17th, a dispute between Iran and the U.S. occurred over the U.S.’ decision to increase its military presence in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters, with the purported reason being a counter-narcotics campaign.

    Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this past Sunday, that the real purpose for this move by the U.S. is to “intervene and create disruption in the transfer of Iran’s fuel to Venezuela.” In the same letter, Zarif expressed concern over “the United States’ intention to consider dangerous, unlawful and provocative measures against Iranian oil tankers engaged in perfectly lawful international commerce with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”
    As I said, I look forward to the first shipment of LNG to Iran.

    And increasing trade in sand to Saharan Africa, and ice to Antarctica.

    No-one gives a fuck you idiot. Including the Americans.

    The seppos must be ecstatic to see Iran, Cuba, the chinkies and Vlad all throwing money at Maduro, they might as well flush it down the gary glitter.


  17. #442
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    This post reports the questions unanswered by the Chinese Minister. As the questions are pretty fucking obvious, I have put it here.


    The world: Why did you hide the Wuhan virus from the rest of the world until you'd lost control of it, you stupid chinkies?

    The world: Why didn't you stop your people munching bats and pangolins after you started SARS you stupid chinkies?
    The Ministers reply is here:

    *crickets chirping*

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    You've got to give it to Vlad, he's got a fucking wicked sense of humour.



    The U.S. is trying to destabilize the situation in Russia by spreading misinformation about the situation with COVID-19 pandemic in Russia and Putin’s falling public support, stated the chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
    "The purpose of all these planned attacks is obvious - to destroy Russia. We must prevent this from happening," he said.
    Volodin noted that the purpose of the U.S. attacks is to discredit the Russian president, the main institutions of power and key politicians in order to undermine their credibility and weaken them.
    UAWire - Kremlin: U.S. is trying to destabilize Russia

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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    The U.S.
    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Russia
    So sweet to watch, how they have grown to look alike.

    And they play so well together

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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    The world: Why did you hide the Wuhan virus from the rest of the world until you'd lost control of it, you stupid chinkies?

    The world: Why didn't you stop your people munching bats and pangolins after you started SARS you stupid chinkies?
    The Ministers reply is here:

    *crickets chirping*
    OhOh's response:

    From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces:
    Women’s Participation in Sport in Zimbabwe
    Molly Manyonganise
    Introduction
    This chapter focuses on gender inequalities in sport and argues that the majority
    of women are restrained from full participation in sporting activities due to the
    social construction of spaces earmarked for women and men. The focus on
    women emanates from the fact that
    in spite of achievements made by Zimba-
    bwe in affording equal access for both men and women in the areas of educa-
    tion, employment, health, business, etc, the reality is that strong cultural and
    traditional practices restrict the progress of women in sport. The assumption of
    this chapter is that women are disadvantaged by the space which they culturally
    occupy, hence the need to interrogate the existence of these spaces in order to
    establish how women are restrained in their participation in sporting activities
    both as spectators and as sportspersons. In this chapter, safe spaces will mainly
    refer to the private domain of the home though references will be made to other
    similar spaces which restrict the participation of women in public activities such
    as sports.
    In order to explore how the notion of spaces control women’s participation
    in sport, interviews and discussions were conducted, involving a convenient sam-
    ple of fifteen women, ten teenage girls and five men. The interviewer targeted
    both employed (generally those in the Central Business District of Harare) and
    unemployed women (house wives and single women) in Harare’s high density
    suburb of Mabvuku in order to ascertain their involvement in sport. These inter-
    views were conducted between September and December 2009. While inter-
    views provide insightful analysis, newspaper reports were also analyzed for in-
    formation ab
    out the treatment of women in sports and what women in
    Zimbabwe are doing in order to challenge the status quo. The research used a
    qualitative research design. Data was analysed using the discourse as well as con-
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5613






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    14
    tent analysis. Content analysis was chosen for its strength in allowing the researcher
    to gain an understanding of reality in a subjective but scientific way. It also em-
    phasizes an integrated examination of speech and texts and their specific con-
    texts. On the other hand, discourse analys
    is was chosen for its usefulness in the
    study of social identities since identity reproduces and sustains power relation-
    ships between social groups. In this case, it enabled the researcher to explore how
    language use and behaviour construct and replicate masculine and feminine spaces
    as far as sport is concerned. The following are some of the research questions
    that were asked research participants during data collection:
    1. What is the role of the family in gender socialization?
    2. What challenges do women face in their attempts to participate in sporting
    activities either as spectators or as sportspersons?
    3. What could be the source of the gender inequalities that seem to be mani-
    festing in the sporting arena in Zimbabwe?
    4. How do you view women who go to sports venues to watch sports?
    5. Do you think the sporting fields are safe places for women and girls in
    Zimbabwe and why do you think so?
    6. How does society react towards women who challenge the status quo in
    sporting matters?
    7. What could be the role of sport in women’s socio-economic develop-
    ment?

    The research is informed by African Womanism which uses gender theory as an
    intellectual tool for critically analyzing discriminatory social, religious and political
    organizational structures (Mwale 2002). However, it should be noted that while
    the research is intended to be representative of all women in Zimbabwe, it is
    limited in that it was conducted among the Shona which is the dominant ethnic
    group in the country. The researcher recognizes that Zimbabwe has a heteroge-
    neous population and that some of the findings may not be applicable to women
    in other ethnic groups. Fut
    ure research may need to sample other ethnic groups
    not covered in this study.
    Cultural Taboos, Gender, Sport and the Family
    The family plays a pivotal role in the socialization of any child. It is within the
    family that children learn about gender roles. Doob (1988) states that socialization
    is a process by which a person becomes a member of a social group or society,
    learning the necessary cultural content and modes of behaviour and as a conse-
    quence, internalizing the culture of the society to which the person belongs. Dur-
    ing primary socialization (that is, socialization that takes place in one’s childhood)
    the family is the principal agent, that is, the child is mostly influenced by his/her
    parents, siblings, guardians and relatives. It is within the family that a child learns
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 17/06/2010, 18:1914






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 15
    how to behave and to relate. Waters and Crook (1990) point out that within the
    family of orientation, parental role models, linguistic training, cultural participa-
    tion and experiences provide each member of society with cultural baggage
    which serves as tools for participation in later life. Hagedorn (1990) concurs with
    Waters and Crook when he posits that during primary socialization the child
    develops language and individual identity, learns cognitive skills and self-control,
    internalizes moral standards and appropr
    iate attitudes and motivations, and gains
    some understanding of societal roles. This, therefore, implies that what children
    learn through their primary socialization stays with them for life. The issue that
    quickly comes to mind is that of gender.
    Defene (2006) defines gender as ‘a social category that determines one’s life
    options, participation in the economy and the society’(United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
    aec/documents/yeshiareg%20Defene.pdf). Geeta Rao Gupta (quoted in Dube
    2003:86) depicts gender as ‘a culture-specific construct’ determining the different
    kinds of work which can be done by men and women. Dube (2003:86) de-
    scribes it as ‘a social construct of men and women.’ She contends that gender is
    not natural neither is it divine; it has to do with social relationships of women and
    men; gender can be reconstructed, and transformed by the society, for since it is
    culturally constructed, it can be
    socially deconstructed. Geeta Rao Gupta (quoted
    in Dube 2003:86) What we get from these definitions is that gender regulates
    how people relate and operate in their day-to-day lives. Consequently, it influ-
    ences one’s thinking, emotions, and mobility, among other things. Culture plays a
    central role in the construction as well as the maintenance of gender. Nock (1992)
    says family members give the child his/her first notion of roles in the larger
    society, for example, images of what it means to be male or female. Generally,
    society expects boys to emulate their fathers, while girls are to follow carefully in
    the footsteps of their mothers
    (Nock 1992). This is reinforced by the kinds of
    work assigned to boys and girls, the kinds of toys bought for them and also by
    the language used.
    In Zimbabwe, girls do most of the domestic chores while boys have little or
    nothing to do. As a result, boys have a lot more time for outdoor activities as
    compared to girls. From an early age, boys are given all the time to explore their
    interests and abilities as far as sport is concerned. As they play with their plastic
    balls, run along the roads, jump over gullies, climb trees, etc., boys are able to
    identify their sporting talents. Girls, on the other hand, are discouraged from
    taking part in sports like soccer and such activities which demand that they exert
    themselves. They then concentrate on w
    hat they see their mothers do, that is,
    cook, wash clothes and dishes, just to mention a few, thereby replicating skills that
    have kept their mothers and grandmothers subjugated for generations. Even in
    child plays, girls often concentrate on playing their mother’s roles. Socialization
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5615






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    16
    makes them believe that it is their duty to make sure that when the boys come
    back from their recreational activities they find food on the table, warm water
    for their bath, clean clothes to put on – the list is endless.
    From the types of toys that girls and boys are encouraged to play with, differ-
    ent sets of aptitudes and attitudes are developed. Girls have their aspirations
    affected through playing with dolls and other toys which reinforce the stereotype
    of women as carers as well as inculcate and reinforce the notion of female fragil-
    ity. On the other hand, boys are given challenging toys such as bicycles, small cars,
    pistols and soccer balls. With these toys the boy child is always on his feet because
    the toys demand activity while the girl’s toys confine her to the homestead and
    cool shades where they learn to associate themselves with ‘safe’ zones as opposed
    to the more daring and activity-stimu
    lating spaces which boys venture into. Be-
    cause of the confinement at home, the girls end up concentrating on the tradi-
    tional sporting activities such as nhodo, dunhu,1 which are not commercialised and
    therefore are not professions. As a result, boys learn to flex their muscles at an
    early stage in their lives as compared to their female counterparts. This helps them
    develop sporting skills, thus, putting them at a competitive edge over girls. This is
    reflected later in life especially in the professional sporting topography. Due to
    this early socialization, men find it easier to venture into professional sport, thus
    making a living out of it more than women do.
    Language also plays a critical role in expressing the relationship between boys
    and girls and later men and women in the family and society at large. Mhuru
    (1996) says ‘through language, the exploitative relations between girls and boys
    are most obviously expressed’. Among the Shona, statements like mukadzi anofanira
    kuva nemwoyo nemusha (a woman should have a passion for the home) or mukadzi
    akanaka ndeanogara pamba (a good woman is the one who stays at home) are often
    uttered. These statements construct the female child into an individual whose sole
    responsibility is the home. Yet, most sporting activities take place outside of the
    domestic sphere. This means that from an early age, the majority of girls are shut
    out of the sporting landscape due to societal expectations of the space they
    should occupy.
    The patriarchal nature of Zimbabwean society fosters gender-stereotyping.
    These patriarchal norms and values mostly affect and are mainly felt by women
    and girls in their families. However, th
    e family is just a microcosm of society at
    large. Patriarchy itself is and has always been associated with hierarchy where
    men are considered more important than their female counterparts. There is a
    general belief that men are better than women in terms of strength, competence,
    responsibility - the list is endless. Mhuru (1996) says women are socialized to
    dependency in male-dominated spheres as a result of this social construction
    Macfadden (cited in Mhuru 1996:8) As mentioned earlier, when young girls
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5616






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 17
    grow up, they are socialised by mothers and women guardians who have inter-
    nalized patriarchal ideals which look at women as subordinates. They are made to
    believe that sport is for the stronger and competent, thus making it a male enter-
    prise.
    Furthermore, in Zimbabwe like in most African cultural traditions, patriarchal
    notions of femininity stress that at marriage, a girl should be a virgin, a require-
    ment not enforced for the boy. There is a general belief that engagement in sport
    can cause a girl to lose her virginity. The loss
    of one’s virginity is a source of
    disgrace for the family, humiliation for the girl and can even lead to divorce.
    Despite the fact that this has not been proved scientifically, a lot of girls desist
    from participation in sport out of fear of the consequences later in life if it so
    happens that they lose their virginity.

    In Zimbabwe, the majority of women do not have a formal voice in family
    affairs. They do not contribute to decisions made in the family. In fact, they are
    encouraged to learn in silence, making them receivers of information and not
    initiators. Men make themselves spokespersons for women (Nasimiyu-Wasike
    2006:111). In Zimbabwe, this absurd scenario has found its way into most sport
    organisations which apparently are led by men who make decisions on behalf of
    women. The implication is that women do not know what is good for them; that
    they are not able to chart the course which their lives should take in as far as sport
    is concerned and therefore men can do that on their behalf. In instances where
    women make it to the top of sport organizations, they are often stigmatized and
    the general belief is that they would have done it ‘riding’ on men’s backs or
    would have engaged in sexual activities with powerful men in society. A good
    example is that of Henrietta Rushwaya, the curren
    t Zimbabwe Football Association
    Chief Executive Officer. Both men and women in their office corridors discuss
    how unusual it is for a woman to lead an organisation which deals with men’s
    sport. The major point is she should have engaged herself in sexual activities with
    powerful men in sport administration and politics for her to be where she is.
    Nothing of this sort is said if it is a man who has a similar job. On Wednesday 7
    October, 2009, the Zimbabwe Herald reported that Abigail Munikwa who was
    working as a physiotherapist for Dynamos Football Club had been fired (p14).
    She was being blamed for the poor performance of the team because of her
    being a woman. The same report revealed that Henrietta Rushwaya was denied
    entry into the field of play at Rufaro Stadium when Dynamos was playing Zamalek
    of Egypt in 2008. For the male journ
    alists who wrote the story, this was just a
    question of superstition. The report did not pay particular attention to the ill-
    treatment and humiliation of Munikwa irrespective of the fact that she was told
    about the decision to fire her when she was about to check into a hotel for
    official duty for the club. When asked to comment, this is what Munikwa said:
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5617






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    18
    …what really hurt me was the way I was treated…being told just before I
    checked into the hotel that I had to go back home, that is very humilia-ting.
    Abigail Munikwa (in the Zimbabwe Herald, 7 October 2009, p14)
    Unfortunately, it is this humiliation, psychological and at times physical and sexual
    abuse, that women encounter in sporting arenas and sporting organisations that
    cause them to stay within the confines of the socially constructed spaces for
    women.
    ‘Safe’ Spaces, Public Spaces and Women Participation in Sport
    The concept of spaces is not new when one is dealing with African societies. It is
    incontestable that in African societies, women have their physical mobility controlled
    by men. The view of certain places as decadent and mortifying still persists,
    particularly in the Zimbabwean society. Hence, society continues to create moral
    spaces which are usually described as safe for women. Sport arenas, ‘regrettably’
    for women, fall within the category of those public places which are viewed as
    unsafe and immoral. These restrictions on mobility and a perceived lack of security
    for women signify that women and girls in Zimbabwe have fewer opportunities
    to learn, play, socialize or participate in sporting activities.
    Furthermore, in Zimbabwean Shona culture, it is a taboo for women to
    publicly show their excitement. An ideal woman is supposed to control her emo-
    tions. Women who show that they are excited in public places are ridiculed, re-
    sented and even isolated. In Shona society such women are often referred to as
    nzenza meaning loose women. The issue of excitement is what characterizes sport,
    whether one is a participant or a spectator. Sport participants become hilarious
    when they are successful in events while spectators become very excited if their
    favourite teams or sportspersons win. The imposition of these norms regarding
    women’s emotional expression makes women lose interest in sporting activities,
    either as participants or spectators.
    Sport in Zimbabwe is sometimes characterized by violence; violence which
    can be caused by animosity between fans of different teams as well as ethnic
    tension. Chitando (2008:10) notes that, ‘events like soccer matches between the
    Harare-based Dynamos and Bulawayo-based Highlanders are sometimes used
    to fan ethnic loyalties’ (Chitando 2008:10). Zimbabwe has witnessed deaths which
    are a result of the violence which erupts at sports venues and in most cases
    women become the victims. Cultural perceptions are that if anything goes wrong
    in the sporting arena, for example, if violence erupts and the woman gets hurt; or
    even in any way the woman is abused; the woman is to blame. Many questions
    are asked like: Why did you go there? Is that a place for a woman to go? Don’t
    you see you have yourself to blame because you had gone into men’s territory?
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5618






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 19
    Such intimidating and accusatory questions and statements discourage women
    from participating in sport.
    The reference to sports arenas as men’s domain terrifies women who resultantly
    coil and confine themselves to the socially constructed ‘women’s’ domains. It is
    therefore not surprising that even women who are economically empowered
    subscribe to the notion of safe spaces. These notions have been entrenched by
    socialization to the extent that older women monitor the movements of young
    girls and often discourage them from entering those places that are culturally
    designated as men’s territory. In this regard, the internalization of notions of
    femininity leads Zimbabwean women to perpetuate the oppression of their kind.
    After asking Marcia Madondo (15 years) the reasons why she had not gone to
    watch professional sport in her lifetime, she replied;
    Because I am a girl I am not released into those places easily. My mother
    always tells me that if I stay at home I am able to protect my girlhood rather
    than go out and expose myself to male predators (Interview with Marcia
    Madondo in Harare, 29 September 2009).
    Interestingly, Marcia’s father takes her brother with him to soccer matches. Olajubu
    (2003:10) says ‘the private domain, i.e. domesticity and motherhood, seems to be
    the space of women in most cultures’. There is some privacy that is associated
    with the home which women are expected to espouse. The centre of the home
    in Zimbabwean society is the epitome of respect and protection; it is conceived
    as the place where women are ‘safeguarded’. The home has always been and
    continues to be seen as the women’s domain. This is even expressed in some of
    the Shona sayings like ‘musha mukadzi’ (for a home to be called a home there
    should be a woman). The home, culturally, is synonymous with morality, dignity,
    respect, etc. These are also seen as the tenets of an ideal woman. Thus, the home
    and the woman become compatible. Most respondents in this research high-
    lighted that if women want to participate in sport they should be accompanied
    by men who are close to them for guaranteed protection; yet others suggested
    that the presence of men should be seen as a moral check and balance since
    women are ‘known’ to lose control when they are in public. In other words, once
    in public, women are regarded as being capable of behaving irresponsibly. It
    should, however be noted that the cultural portrayal of the home as safe for
    women is not always true. While it is acknowledged that women at times encoun-
    ter violence in public spaces, much of the violence against women in Zimbabwe
    takes place in the home which led Women’s Organisations to lobby for the enact-
    ment of the Domestic Violence Act which came into effect in October 2007.
    This, however, is beyond the scope of this research.
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5619






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    20
    Gender inequality is entrenched in socio-religious institutions. Religious institutions
    reinforce societal attitudes towards women by emphasizing issues of masculinity
    and femininity. These attitudes are blind to the fact that:
    Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for poverty
    elimination and sustainable development at personal, national and conti-
    nental level.
    The perpetuation of discriminatory cultural beliefs in Zimbabwe deters
    women and girls from participating in the socio-economic development
    of the country.
    Religious institutions tend to be insensitive, thus exacerbating the plight of women
    in as far as sport is concerned. Commenting on women and sport in (Islamic)
    Yemen, the Yemen Observer Staff in an article entitled: New Report Exposes
    Obstacles to Women’s Sport reports that ‘women’s involvement in sports has
    faced several obstacles ranging from social, physical, personal and religious hin-
    drances’ (http://www. yobserver.com/reports/10014527.html [webpage]). The
    participation of women in sport is thought to be against certain religious norms.
    For example, Christianity which commands a large following in Zimbabwe actu-
    ally reinforces African Indigenous Religion(s) expectations on women to stay at
    home. The Bible in Ephesians 5:22 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 reiterates that
    women should submit to their husbands and that they should not be involved in
    public discourses. Paul in 1 Corinthians actually underscores the home as the only
    place where women are supposed to ask questions pertaining to issues they do
    not understand even if these issues have to do with what is happening outside of
    the home (the public sphere). What is implied in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is
    that men have all the answers to that which women do not understand, thus
    ruling out any possibility of equality between men and women. Whenever rela-
    tions between men and women are discussed in churches, these scriptures are
    emphasized. For example, after an address by the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’
    Association on the need to treat women as equals with men, male members of
    the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect rejected these claims of equality. (The Zimba-
    bwean, 14 January 2010, p5) One of the male members put it thus, ‘As community
    and church leaders from the mapositori sect, we do not accept that at all. How can
    we (men) be equal with women? It is there in the Bible that women will always be
    under men’. (The Zimbabwean, 14 January 2010, p5) A professor from the Univer-
    sity of Zimbabwe said 95% of the men who are violent against women espe-
    cially in the home confess that they find justification in the Bible (Interview with a
    University of Zimbabwe Professor who preferred to remain anonymous, 9
    December 2009).
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5620






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 21
    Apart from the home; the church is another socially constructed ‘safe’ space
    for women in Zimbabwe. The church as an institution prescribes what women
    should wear. Sport clothing has been a constant area of controversy and resist-
    ance to women’s participation in sport.(The Zimbabwean, 14 January 2010, p5)
    More often, sports attire is criticised for exposing women’s bodies something
    that is deemed provocative to the sexual feelings of men. This is true of mainline
    churches and African initiated churches in Zimbabwe. This perception discour-
    ages potential and talented women and girls from getting into the sports field and
    participate. Tariro Mawoyo, one of the female interviewees for this research
    cited sports uniforms that make her look like a man as a major restriction to her
    participation in sport as a sportsperson because it is at variance with her church’s
    doctrine on women’s clothing (Interview with Tariro Mawoyo in Harare, 5 Oc-
    tober 2009). In most cases, when men are going to watch sport or participate as
    sportspersons on Saturdays and Sundays, women find themselves either at home
    or in church buildings.
    A lot of women who have dared challenge the status quo have been accused
    of prostitution or of negligence of their primary role as mothers and house-
    wives. After asking one of my interviewees how she viewed women who go and
    watch sports, she said, ‘I don’t think women who go and watch sports are mar-
    ried. My instincts just tell me that these are single women who are after other
    people’s husbands’ (Interview with a female interviewee in Harare, 7 October 2007).
    This view was supported by yet another male interviewee who retorted:
    I would never allow my wife to go to a stadium. Why would she desire to
    frequent men’s places if she doesn’t have ulterior motives? Anenge achida
    kuonekwanani? (Whose attention does she want to attract?). If we all go to
    watch sports, who is going to look after the children and make sure they are
    well fed? Interview with a male (Interview with a male interviewee in Harare,
    7 October 2009).
    These attitudes are reflective of how women who break out into public spaces
    such as sporting arenas are viewed. They are always thought to have clandestine
    intentions. For instance, they are thought to be seeking men’s attention. Most men
    give this as a justification for the verbal as well as the sexual abuses encountered
    by women at sport venues, whether they are participants or spectators. As a
    result, most married men feel that their wives and daughters are more protected
    from other men when they stay at home than being in public places, sporting
    arenas included. It should be noted however, that public spaces are not always
    dangerous to women. Public spaces such as stadia only become dangerous when
    some men use violence to impose and enforce women’s place, that is, both the
    physical space women inhabit and the psychological and social space by which
    women are culturally defined.
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5621






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    22
    It is therefore not surprising that there are some men and parents who have
    not positively encouraged the participation of women in sport. Men whose daugh-
    ters and wives attend sports events either as sportspersons or spectators have
    complained of being stigmatized in their various communities. They are often
    labeled as living under a ‘petticoat government’ implying that women are in total
    control of their households.
    Furthermore, a lot of negative attributes have been attached to sport. Sport is
    thought to have adverse effects on women’s reproductive health and it has been
    blamed for giving women masculine characteristics. One of my respondents put
    it thus; ‘Masports anondipa mhasuru dzinenge dzevarume. Zvinonetsa kana ndave kuda
    kuita mwana’ (Sport causes me to develop muscles like those of men. It will cause
    me problems when I want to have a child) (Interview with a female interviewee
    in Harare, 9 October 2009). Therefore, issues of the politics of the female body
    come into play. Staying away from sporting activities becomes very important
    for African women who may suffer from social exclusion if their bodies are
    viewed as masculine. However, while sport is viewed as a threat to women’s
    health, it does exactly the opposite to men - it builds their bodies. Men who go to
    watch sport get the opportunity to relax; for a moment they are able to forget the
    pressures of work and family commitments; a chance which women are not
    afforded.
    Women, Sport and Development
    In 2004, the third IOC World Conference on Women and Sport was held in
    Morrocco under the theme ‘Sport as a Vehicle for Social Change’. This was after
    the recognition that women’s participation in sport is a fundamental condition
    for achieving sustainable development. In November 2003, Resolution 58/5 of
    the United Nations challenged governments to make use of sport as a means to
    promote education, health, development and peace. (United Nations Report 2003)
    However, in Zimbabwe, processes of policy formulation and policy implemen-
    tation continue to hinder the full participation of women in sport. Most policies
    remain on paper, but they do not make any positive impression on the social
    realities on the ground. Lilian Mhuru (on-going research) notes that policies and
    actions that do not address gender disparities miss critical development opportu-
    nities (Mhuru 1996).She also highlights the fact that discriminatory practices and
    public attitudes towards the advancement of women and gender equality have
    not changed at the same pace as policy; legal and institutional frameworks ( ibid).
    The public space continues to be the preserve of men in Zimbabwe. As
    mentioned earlier, sport falls within the public space and it has presented a lot of
    opportunities for men. For example, Peter Ndhlovu (Soccer) was the first Zim-
    babwean to play in a British soccer club; Andy Flower (Cricket) was once voted
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5622






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 23
    the best batsmen in the world and currently the technical director of the British
    cricket team; Nick Price (Golf) was at one point the world number one golfer;
    Tendai Chimusasa (Marathon), etc. On the other hand, women who have made
    it in sport have been confined to marathon (Samukeliso Moyo and Faith
    Kamangila) and swimming (Kirsty Coventry). While a student at Kuwadzana 1
    High School in Harare, Faith represented Zimbabwe at a number of interna-
    tional athletics competitions. Currently, she is studying in the United States of
    America after receiving sponsorship due to her sporting talent. Women who
    have risen to the top in sport are very few in Zimbabwe compared to their male
    counterparts. A lot of Zimbabwean sportsmen are owners of beautiful proper-
    ties in affluent suburbs, have fleets of cars, among others. Because of the net-
    works established as they meet in the sports meetings, they easily establish their
    own businesses. Development for these men is taking place at a personal level.
    The nation benefits from this development because these men not only helped in
    flying high the national flag, but also create employment and business opportunities.
    The same cannot be said of the majority of
    women in Zimbabwe. They
    have continued to be spectators as men thrive in the sporting arena. The devel-
    opment of sport, in the country has not paid particular notice to women’s par-
    ticipation in sport, both as sportspersons and as spectators. Sport administrators
    appear not to be bothered by the fewer women who are actively involved in
    sport. In Zimbabwe, women constitute 52 per cent of the population against
    men’s 48 per cent (UNESCO Report 2000). This therefore means that there is a
    lot of untapped sporting talent among the female population in the country. As
    a result, the nation loses out on potential revenue which is important for devel-
    opment. An interview with a sports administrator revealed that if the sporting
    talents of women are carefully tapped, the nation is bound to develop in so
    many ways than ever imagined (Intrview with a sports administrator in Harare,
    12 October 2009).
    Zimbabwe as a nation currently faces a number of challenges, namely
    economic decline, political conflict, high levels of poverty, and HIV and AIDS.
    The impact that these challenges have on women is greater than they have on men
    because the former have limited access to the means of the economy as well as
    to decision-making bodies. Gupta (cited in Dube 2003) notes very well that women
    have restricted access to productive resources outside the home as well as decision-
    making power; and that women have less control over resources than men.
    Therefore, the participation of women in sport becomes paramount in that it
    opens those doors which society has traditionally shut on women. Women’s
    increased involvement in sport can promote positive development by providing
    alternative norms, values, attitudes, knowledge, capabilities and experiences (United
    Nations Report, op cit). Women as sportspersons can manage to generate their
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5623






    Gender, Sport and Development in Africa
    24
    own incomes which means they cease to continue being economically dependent
    on men. Consequently, sport for women becomes a vehicle for poverty
    eradication.
    In addition, sport can bring women the physical, psychological, and social well-
    being that they have lacked for generations(http://www.sportdevelopment.org/
    docs/uploads/gender%20Equity%20in20sport%20lessons%20learned.pd f
    [webpage]). As audiences and sportspersons, sport creates for women in Zimbabwe
    platforms for social networking (United Nations Report, op cit).Women are af-
    forded the opportunity to discuss issues that directly affect them; issues that have
    to do with domestic violence and HIV and AIDS. This was the view of one of
    my interviewees who said, ‘I think if I am allowed to go and watch sport I will
    be able to find friends who will then help me solve my life’s problems’ (Interview
    with Zvikomborero Mwaruta in Harare, 9 October 2009). The Zimbabwe De-
    mographic and Health Survey reveal that women constitute 54 per cent of peo-
    ple living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe and HIV prevalence is higher among
    females aged 15-49 years at 21.1 per cent as compared to the 14.5 per cent of
    males. The BBC once carried a report on 16 women’s teams in Harare that were
    taking part in competitions for players who had declared that they were HIV
    positive. (Vickers, 2009 (no exact date was given on this web article). One of the
    teams, ARV Swallows’ goalkeeper, Thandiwe Richard told the BBC reporter that
    she wanted the whole world to know about her HIV status so that others could
    be helped (op cit). In terms of how she had benefited from being involved in
    sport, she said, ‘…football has helped my fitness, I can’t say I’m ill now, but I
    wasn’t well when I joined’(op cit). Sport in this case is seen as opening the chan-
    nels of communication with other women outside of one’s household thereby
    learning from their experiences. Women can discuss how they are affected by
    HIV and AIDS and give each other ideas on how they can best protect them-
    selves. Sport in this instance becomes a tool for spreading the much needed
    awareness on HIV and AIDS issues. Women cannot receive this information if
    they continue to be confined to the home.
    By offering sports activities to girls and women, they get a chance to develop
    and increase their self-confidence (http://www.sportdevelopment.org/docs/
    uploads/gender%20Equity%20in20sport%20lessons%20learned.pd f [webpage]).
    Most female respondents expressed their desire to become sport celebrities
    and have their sporting talents celebrated across the globe. From their perspec-
    tive, this would greatly boost their social standing as women and greatly reduce
    incidences of sexual as well as physical abuse against women and girls. Self-con-
    fidence would encourage them to stand up and defend themselves against physi-
    cal assault and sexual harassment in the home as well as in public spaces. Sport in
    this case can be used to challenge gender-based violence.
    Chap 2, Molly.pmd 15/06/2010, 16:5624






    Manyonganise: From ‘Safety’ Zones to Public Spaces 25
    The post-election violence that occurred in Zimbabwe during the period
    from March to June 2008 saw members of the same community turn against
    one another. Quite a number of women and girls were raped and some even
    died due to politically motivated causes. Some women perpetrated this violence
    against their female counter-parts. If sport can be introduced to women in these
    communities and women fully participate, both as players and spectators, sport
    can then contribute its part in the process of national healing and ‘can help bridge the
    divide and promote the core values necessary for lasting peace’ (8/9 http://
    www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/news/newsid=94202.html
    [webpage]). As they play in the sports field, political agendas are suspended and this
    can create a safe environment that enables women and girls to express their feel-
    ings and where traumatized women learn to integrate their experience of pain
    and fear (op cit). Where sport can teach people in affected communities that
    though they belong to different teams (political parties) they are not necessarily
    enemies but simply competitors. People would learn to accept defeat with dig-
    nity. Thus, sport becomes an important tool in the fulfillment of the national
    peace agenda.
    Conclusion
    This chapter has demonstrated that the notion of safe spaces continues to ob-
    struct women participation in sport in Zimbabwe. It also shows that other fac-
    tors such as gender roles, sports attire, and notions of femininity impacts negatively
    on women’s active participation in sport either as sportspersons or spectators.
    Majority of women who participated in this study felt that despite socio-cultural
    hindrances to their participation in sport, sport has the potential of uplifting them
    socio-economically. Sport can create platforms for women to make friends and
    share information on topical issues such as HIV and AIDS as well as domestic
    violence. The physical benefits from sports equip women and girls with skills to
    defend themselves against physical and sexual violence which will contribute to-
    wards the reduction of the spread of HIV and AIDS infections. Sport can also
    be a very important component in the national healing process currently under
    way in Zimbabwe. Thus, there is need to demystify the domestic space as a
    woman’s sphere of influence. Such demystification would help women who
    break out of their socially constructed ‘safe spaces’ into the public sphere deal
    without feelings of guilt and shame or fear of stigmatization. There is also a need
    for paradigm shift in the way families socialize their children. Children need to be
    accorded equal sporting opportunities, regardless of their sex.

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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Your posts make no sense in this thread, not that that is surprising
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Good Lord, now we'll have arsehole 56 and arsehole 69 ravaging the thread with off topic examples
    FIFY.

    The mods seem to be ignoring the off topic TD rule, once again.

    1.
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Nunavut hunters in 'disbelief' over government's attempt to cut narwhal harvest
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    Adult Movement and Dynamics of Clavigralla tomentosicollis (Heteroptera: Coreidae)
    Populations in Cowpea Fields of Benin, West Africa
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    Women’s Participation in Sport in Zimbabwe
    Last edited by OhOh; 26-05-2020 at 09:28 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    FIFY.
    No, you didn't. You changed it. Don't flatter yourself into thinking any addition or alteration you make is a 'fix'.

    There’s a new Alaska state record for giant pumpkins


    Dale Marshall of Anchorage broke his previous state record by nearly 600 pounds when the pumpkin he entered this year tipped the scale at 2,051 pounds during the Alaska State Fair weigh-off Tuesday.

    “It was mind blowing," Marshall said.

    "I wasn’t even thinking 2,000 pounds. I thought it would weigh between 1,700 and 1,900 pounds using the tape measure method. In pumpkin growing land around the world that is an elite club to grow 2,000. Nobody has grown a pumpkin this size this far north in the world.”

    Marshall said he thought weather was a big factor this year. “With all the sunny days I got plenty of heat in the greenhouse. The pumpkin is 89 days old. Nothing happens the first days. In 79 days, it grew to 2,051 pounds. That’s an average of 25 pounds per day. It grew 50 pounds a day in parts of July. Marshall said growing the pumpkin required at least 75 gallons of water a day, and as much as a couple hundred gallons a day.

    “I still can’t believe it,” Marshall added.




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    ^
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    So nothing to add to the actual topic (which isn't me incidentally)?
    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    The purpose of the board is dialogue, something you dont really seem comfortable with
    Eurasia Topics-animals-head_in_the_sand-sand_bucket-firebuckets-fire_buckets-fire

    .....
    Last edited by OhOh; 26-05-2020 at 09:44 AM.

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    The Persian rug weaver strikes in the US’s backyard through Venezuela

    Eurasia Topics-eyvayqmwsaarytk-jpeg



    "Iranian tankers were 2200 km from the US coast when the Iranian-flagged “Fortune”, followed by “Forest”, entered Venezuelan waters, challenging the US embargo and the US’s threats. The Islamic Republic was broadcasting loud and clear a strong message.

    The first message was dispatched to the US administration after Gulf and Arab Leaders conveyed a direct message to the Iranian leaders: “Washington is determined to stop the Iranian tankers sailing to Venezuela”. Iran responded to all messages received that “its five tankers will sail to Venezuela and if any of these tankers is intercepted, Iran will respond in the Straits of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman or anywhere else it sees fit.”

    “These five tankers – the Clavel, Fortune, Petunia, Forest and Faxul- are only the beginning of the supply to Venezuela. Iran has the right to send any of its tankers anywhere in the world and any US interception will be considered an act of piracy and will trigger a direct response,” said an Iranian decision-maker who revealed the Iranian response to the US administration via message-carriers.

    “Iran had decided to avoid the horn of Africa because the plan was for the first tanker to reach the Venezuelan waters on the first day of Eid el-Fitr. The aim was to share an important day of the Islamic Republic’s defiance to the US in its backyard and to break the sanctions imposed on one of Iran’s main allies. It is a message for the “Axis of the Resistance” that Iran will not abandon its friends and allies anywhere in the world whatever the challenges. It is directly confronting the US by imposing a new rule of engagement”, said the source.





    Iran shut its ears to all threatening messages from the US menace and instructed its five tankers to go not round the horn of Africa but through the Gulf of Aden via Bab al-Mandab strait, the Suez Canal and Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean- where the US has a strong presence and influence. This shortens the distance and it tested the intentions of the American Navy. Simultaneously, Iran informed its allies of its readiness to confront the US if ever an escalation should loom on the horizon so that these allies within the “Axis of the Resistance” are ready for a wider confrontation if needed.

    The first Iranian tanker, “Fortune”, reached the Caribbean Sea on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, on Sunday 24th of May, with US Navy ships in the vicinity. The tankers are carrying over 10 million barrels of oil but also Alkylate and spare parts to start repairing any of the eight “out of order” refineries, to enable oil-rich Venezuela to be self-sufficient in the future. The US sanctions on Venezuela had paralysed Venezuelan refineries and caused gasoline shortages, with the aim of overthrowing the legitimately elected President, Nicolas Maduro.

    Iran is challenging the US administration and considers it a victory that its first tanker went through without being intercepted. Tehran considers this challenge to US authority much more significant than the downing of the US’s most sophisticated drone or the bombing of the US’s largest military base in Ayn al-Assad, Iraq.




    “Our allies used to wonder why Iran was not confronting the US dominance face-to-face. In fact, we were preparing for this day, and what helps us the most is the US sanctions that force this country to be autonomous on many levels. Today, Iran and its allies are all equipped with strong ideology and motivation to face down US hegemony, with sufficiently advanced military and financial support to stand up to the US and its allies, both in the Middle East and outside the Middle East. Since World War II the US has not faced a challenge to its hegemony similar to the one Iran is representing, particularly when the main enemy, the US, believes that 40 years of sanctions and maximum pressure have crippled Iran’s capabilities. Imam Khamenei informed all our allies that the military and financial support to all of them will increase and will meet all their needs in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The Axis of the Resistance is now ready and united as one front”, said the source.

    Venezuela had asked President Vladimir Putin for help. Russia said clearly it was not willing to send ships close to the US coast because that might support President Trump by triggering a false threat which could lead to unifying the national feeling behind him. This is why Putin had to refuse Venezuela’s request. Iran came forward at the first demand and was grateful for the opportunity to challenge the US and to pay back the support Venezuela offered in the year 2008 when Iran was in need and under heavy US sanctions that forbid technology transfer to build or repair its own refineries. Since then, Iran has built 11 refineries (and 3 more in Pars, Anahita and Bahman Geno which are still under construction) and is considered the third most important country in the world to have developed Gas to Liquid technology (GTL).




    Since the US assassinated Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad’s airport, Iran has imposed new rules of engagement on the US. Its message consists in the inevitability of a response against its enemies if they hit Iran, and the threat that no attack will go unanswered. It seems Iran is no longer ready to turn the other cheek and has decided to take special measures to respond to any attack against its troops or interests, including in Syria (more details will be provided in another article). Also, Iran and its allies have raised the level of readiness to maximum in case the US administration decides to attack any aspect of Iran’s interests, particularly the flotilla heading to Venezuela.

    Iran is not facing the US directly, and is not asking its allies to do the job on its behalf. The “Persian rug weaver” waited through 40 years of sanctions for this day, until its capability and preparations were completed. This means that now Iran will be tougher and harder, and that is manifest in the election of the new parliament and the new government. President Trump has abused and exhausted all the avenues used by President Hassan Rouhani. Therefore, any new negotiation between Iran and the US will be very difficult: there is a total lack of trust in any document signed by the US.

    Whether a Republican or a Democrat reaches the White House at the end of 2020, they will be waiting by the phone for many long years if they imagine that Iran will take the initiative and call the US for a meeting. It will now be up to the US to prove to Iran that it is worth holding any negotiations at all.

    Iran has planted robust roots in Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is now spreading towards Venezuela and will support President Maduro, a strategic rather than ideological ally, to stand against US hegemony and sanctions. More tankers are expected to follow in the very near future. Iran is eager to confront President Trump and tempt him into a confrontation only months before the elections. The Coronavirus mismanagement, the US’s rebuttal of its deals with Russia, Trump’s aggressive position towards China and the World Health Organisation, and his rejection of the Iranian nuclear deal (JCPOA): all these are striking possibilities for a challenge to his re-election. This is why Iran is preparing more surprises for Trump- to show that his Middle Eastern policy is jeopardising the safety and security of the US and its allies both in Europe and the Middle East, and indeed global world security."


    The Persian rug weaver strikes in the US’s backyard through Venezuela – Elijah J. Magnier
    Last edited by OhOh; 26-05-2020 at 09:53 AM.

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    "eurasia-topics"

    A Eurasian Shrew . . . making this post more relevant than OhOh's last fifteen


    The shrew is a tiny and seemingly-inoffensive creature of the meadow. So how did it end up becoming a byword for an implacable, nagging woman? Ian Morton explains.The Oxford English Dictionary gives two definitions for ‘shrew’.
    ‘1. A small insectivorous mammal resembling a mouse with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes;
    ‘2. A bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.’
    The two are difficult to equate, so what are the origins of the vilification of a small mammal so timorous that the shock of being picked up – or even a clap of thunder – may kill it?
    Shakespeare has established for posterity the shrew as a woman of difficult disposition, but he was only reiterating a long-established tradition that condemned the animal as venomous and equated it with a tempestuous female.
    Audiences of the day were wholly familiar with the symbolism. Across many cultures, university professor and folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand (expert on the concept of ‘urban legend’) traced more than 400 versions of the shrewish woman tamed, its popularity seemingly assured in male-dominated societies in which insubordinate females needed to be compelled or cajoled into compliance.
    “The shrew was so despised that it was one of the nicknames for the Devil himself”

    The denigration of the shrew itself as a nasty little creature dates from early recorded history. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle recorded that the animal was considered venomous. First-century Roman writer Pliny offered no fewer than 18 cures for its bite, the most dramatic being to tear the shrew open and hold its carcass on the wound. In the 2nd century, Roman scribe Aelian noted the belief that mere contact with a shrew would render horses and cattle lame and that ‘every beast of burden dreads the shrew-mouse’.
    Conversely, the Ancient Egyptians revered the shrew and accorded it a ritual burial. The animal’s name, of Germanic origin, was established in Old English in the 8th century.

    In a superstitious era, when animals were widely believed to exert a mystical influence on humans, the shrew’s supposedly poisonous attribute became, at some point, transposed onto a person inclined to be evil or quarrelsome.
    It was applied to either sex and the mid-13th-century Bodleian Bestiary classified human shrews as ‘greedy men who seek earthly goods and make the goods of others their prey’. In fact, the shrew was so despised that it was one of the nicknames for the Devil himself and a favourite medieval imprecation to invoke harm was ‘I beshrew thee’.
    “Shakespeare was serving the traditional male fantasy of achieving mastery over an awesome female to the admiration of his fellows”

    Chaucer repeated the male allusion in The Pardoner’s Tale, equating the shrew with riotous greed and bracketing it with rats and polecats, but he also made the first written references to women as shrews – in the prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale, in which ‘chydying wyves maken men to flee Out of hir hous… wel may that be a proverbe of a shrew!’, and in The Merchant’s Tale epilogue, with ‘But of hir tongue a labbyng shrewe is she’.
    By Shakespeare’s time, the tempestuous woman had assumed possession and although The Taming of the Shrew, written in 1590–92, was his showpiece, he employed the female reference elsewhere on some 70 occasions. By doing so, he was serving the traditional male fantasy of achieving mastery over an awesome female to the admiration of his fellows, but he was also preserving for posterity what was probably the best example of savage, ill-founded folklore.

    Just how entrenched the shrew’s bad reputation was emerged in 1658, with Edward Topsell’s Historie of Foure-Footed Beasts and Serpents, a bestiary largely taken from work by Swiss scholar Konrad Gesner and an amalgam of legend, lore, fantasy and little fact. Topsell totally shredded the shrew. It was ‘a ravening beast, feyning itself to be gentle and tame, but being touched it biteth deep and poisoneth deadly. It beareth a cruel mind, desiring to hurt anything, neither is there any creature it loveth or it loveth him, because it is feared of all’.
    He repeated the Roman warning that ‘if horses or any labouring creature do feed in a pasture or grass in which a shrew shall put forth her venom or poison in, they will presently die’.
    Attributing double rows of teeth to the shrew, he threatened dire consequences of a bite, especially by a pregnant female, with ‘a certain vehement pain and grief, also a prickling over the whole body… with an inflammation or burning heat… and a fiery redness therein in which a black push or like swelling with a watery matter and filthy corruption doth arise, and all parts of the body… seem black and blewe with the marvellous great pain, anguish and grief’.
    Mercifully, he was equally forthcoming on cures: a powder of burnt shrew mixed with goose grease, shrew ash mingled with fennel juice, dried barley and mustard seed taken in wine, crushed garlic with fig leaves and cummin, ground ram’s hoof in honey, hare’s genitals drunk in vinegar, lamb or kid genitals with herbs, various compounds of thistle root, rocket, gentian and young laurel leaves, and even dog dung applied to a bite. It seems that no one needed to suffer marvellous great pain, anguish and grief, after all. Farm animals were similarly treatable and a live shrew imprisoned in an ash tree offered relief as the creature expired.
    Zoology vindicates the shrew. Worldwide, there are 385 varieties, but we have three (there are two others on the Scillies and Channel Islands) and only one has a toxic bite, the water shrew, which paralyses small aquatic prey with poison that runs through grooves in its teeth. The others, the pygmy shrew and common or Eurasian shrew, offer no such threat.
    One of the most abundant small mammals, with up to 20 per acre of meadow, the common shrew isn’t a rodent, but most closely related to moles and hedgehogs. It has tiny spiked teeth rather than incisors, lives at a frantic pace, with up to 1,200 heartbeats and as many as 800 breaths a minute, has a high metabolic rate and must eat at least its own weight per day of insects and woodlice, foraging many times day and night and taking two-hour naps between forays.

    It has poor vision, yet smells and hears well and uses echolocation by means of ultrasonic squeaks to find its way round its territory. The male hunts constantly for females, which may have as many as 10 litters a year with up to 10 young. If disturbed, she may lead the brood to safety, one of the litter attaching itself to her rear and the rest clinging to each other in turn like circus elephants. The shrew stores no body fat and doesn’t hibernate, so its constant food quests continue through the year, making it regular prey for owls and hawks.

    Topsell’s ‘ravening beast’ surely stands exonerated after centuries of shameful injustice and language moves on. Shakespeare’s play is treasured literature, but archaic entertainment rather than male propaganda. Strong-minded women are successful and respected in most walks of life and to liken one to a shrew would be rude, sexist and probably legally dangerous – and to be described as shrewd, once a slur, is actually rather pleasing.

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