Diary of the Mad Pigeon

Okay, now lemme get THIS straight...

Controversial DNA pioneer's talk halted

LONDON - London's Science Museum canceled a Friday talk by Nobel Prize-winning geneticist James Watson after the co-discoverer of DNA's structure told a newspaper that Africans and Europeans had different levels of intelligence.

James Watson provoked widespread outrage with his comments to The Sunday Times, which quoted the 79-year-old American as saying he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really."

He told the paper he hoped that everyone was equal, but added: "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true."

The comments drew condemnation from British lawmakers, scientists, and civil rights campaigners. On Wednesday The Independent newspaper put Watson on its front page, against the words: "Africans are less intelligent than Westerners, says DNA pioneer."

Watson, who serves as chancellor of the renowned Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., was to deliver a sold-out lecture at the Science Museum, but on Wednesday night the institution said Watson's comments had gone too far and the event had been canceled......

Sooooooo....cancelling the appearance of someone who has made public and extremely questionable claims in a country all onboard (supposedly) with free speech, democracy, etc is okay in this instance,

BUT, somehow cancelling the appearance of Whackjob No 2 (and I rank him as number 2 because we still have The Chonger), a guy who's called for the destruction of an entire people (Israel, for those just tuning in), claims the Holocaust never happened, claims he has no homosexuals in his own country, and gets applauded by the useful idiots, somehow preventing this asshat from speaking would have been a great affront to free speech and our "ideals?"

People will go to the mat to defend your buddy Mahmoud's "right to free speech", but this Watson cat, oh no, we'll ban him...

Pigeontrack: SNL Amedinejad Skit

Even more Mahmoud Amedinejad goodness over at Stop the ACLU!

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Ahmedinejad gets Owned

Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, set the combative tone in his introduction of Ahmadinejad: "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

The rest of the article is self explanatory: Ahmadinejad questions 9/11, Holocaust

Unfortunately, the Iranian press didn't report the juicier details:  check out Bollinger Sure Enlightened The Iranians over at Captain's Quarters.

I'm not done with Columbia U just yet...

And neither is Protein Wisdom, especially when it comes to military recruiters on campus, discrimination against a certain protected class, and hypocrisy

Like a bad joke

Hi, remember me?  I'm MOGS and this is what I think about Columbia University.

This says it all

Columbia won't cancel Ahmadinejad speech

If we DON'T let him speak then we're not living up to our own Constitutional principles. 

Besides, it'll given him a chance to put his foot in his mouth, and maybe even get a good ol' fashioned heckling:

Columbia won't cancel Ahmadinejad speech

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Ahmedinejad in the News (Again)

Yes, you can thank me for not dragging the ghost of OJ Simpson across The Diary!  (Hasn't he already cashed in his 15 minutes of scandal fame?)

With that, here's the latest Iranian dope:

Iran: Retaliation for any Israeli attack:  Iran has drawn up plans to bomb Israel if the Jewish state should attack, the deputy air force commander said Wednesday, adding to tensions already heated up by an Israeli airstrike on Syria and Western calls for more U.N. sanctions against Tehran.

Other Iranian officials also underlined their country's readiness to fight if the U.S. or Israel attacks, a reflection of concerns in Tehran that demands by the U.S. and its allies for Iran to curtail its nuclear program could escalate into military action.

The Mad Pigeon: Iran threatening to attack Israel?  Man, they've been singing this song and dance routine since 1979.  Ironically, Iran should be more worried about France. 

I like this Sarkozy fellow--he's got cojones (or whatever the equivalent word in French is).

Iran leader denied on WTC wreath request:  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site when he comes to New York City next week, but the request was denied, a police official said Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad, who is arriving Sunday to address the United Nations' General Assembly, had asked this month for permission to visit the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

The request to enter the fenced-in site was rejected because of ongoing construction there, Browne said. "Requests for the Iranian president to visit the immediate area would also be opposed by the NYPD on security grounds," Browne said.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters Wednesday that the United States would not support Iran's attempt to use the site for a "photo op."

The Mad Pigeon:  And speaking of cojones, nice shady PR move on uncle Mahmoud's part.

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing Ahmedinejad laying a wreath at the site--after he stopped shaking his tweed-jacketed fists across the Mideast and hashed things out with Pres. Bush over a few beers and a mess of Texas Barbecue.

Iran Holocaust show sympathetic to Jews:  It is Iran's version of "Schindler's List," a miniseries that tells the tale of an Iranian diplomat in Paris who helps Jews escape the Holocaust — and viewers across the country are riveted.

That's surprising enough in a country where hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has questioned whether the Holocaust even took place. What's more surprising is that government media produced the series, and is airing it on state-run television.

The Mad Pigeon:  Of course, this could undo all the theocratic regime's anti-Israeli efforts without any move on our part.  I'm actually curious what convinced the Iranian powers that be to sanction the movie?

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad: Domesticated Male

First I noticed this on the wires:

Iran ready to fill any vacuum in Iraq  EXCERPT:  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad boldly declared Tuesday that U.S. political influence in Iraq is "collapsing rapidly" and said his government is ready to help fill any power vacuum.  The hard-line leader also defended Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite Muslim who has been harshly criticized by American politicians for his unsuccessful efforts to reconcile Iraq's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

"The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly," Ahmedinejad said at a news conference, referring to U.S. troops in Iraq. "Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap, with the help of neighbors and regional friends like Saudi Arabia, and with the help of the Iraqi nation."

Is it provocative?  Yes.  But is there anything in Uncle Mahmoud's remarks we haven't seen before?  Not really.  And I can't think of anything pithy or pigeonable to add that I haven't said before.

But then... then I came across this gem:

Iran's Ahmedinejad defiant... over his culinary skills EXCERPT:  Better known for his defiance on Iran's nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday revealed he was a handy cook who prepares "delicious" food and regrets not spending more time at home.

In a television interview aimed at showing his personal side, Ahmedinejad made no mention of Iran's disputes with the West and instead portrayed himself as a hardworking husband who only leaves his job in the small hours.  "Before (I became president) I used to do the grocery shopping. Now sometimes I help in the kitchen and I know how to make all the Iranian food," Ahmedinejad said.

Pressed by the interviewer for more details, Ahmedinejad continued in typically defiant fashion. "Of course what I make is delicious -- ask everyone who has eaten it! I can make all the different kinds of soups and Iranian stews," said the president.

There you have it:  Iran's answer to Clinton stroking the saxophone (among other things).

To be honest, I think Iranian food is fan-friggin'-tastic.  He's right about the soups and stews, poured over a bed of long grain rice and lightly seasoned.  Persian foos also includes overcooking a layer of rice on the bottom of a shallow pan and break it off into chips to poke their food like we'd use a roll or corn chip.  This burnt rice does have a... well. burnt taste, but it's quite good.

I also like the cooked lemon on the side of some dishes.  You let it cool and squeeze juice to taste on the rice.  And, of course, there are the kabobs, breads (naan), deserts (rose water ice cream, anyone?), and dishes adopted from the mediterranean (Tabbouleh, Dolmathes, Baklava... or the Med cultures took 'em from the Persians back in the day.  I'm not brushed up on my food history).

The only Persian food I don't like is doog, which is basically a fermented yogurt drink.  Think buttermilk left out in the sun too long, and the lightly carbonated. Maybe I had a bad batch.

Anyways, it's good to see Ahmedinejad wearing an apron!  Just imagine the diplomatic coup he and Bush could score if they put everything aside long enough to make a joint meal:  Texas barbecue and Persian cuisine on the same table (I recommend passing on the doog, though). 

I've always felt like all the world's problems could be solved by hashing 'em out over a good meal and/or a beer.

Want to try cooking up some Persian dishes?  Check this out.

DIGG

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A Chat with Iran and Syria

Check this [PIGEONED] out (and I mean it in a good way)...

Iran calls Baghdad talks constructive

Iran said Sunday an international conference in Baghdad where it held direct talks with the United States for the first time in years was a constructive "first step" toward restoring stability to the neighboring country.  Mohammad Ali Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, also said his country hoped a proposed follow-up meeting on Iraq would be successful.  "If such a conference to be held at the foreign minister level happens in the near future in Baghdad, then it is possible to expect success," Hosseini said. He did not say if the Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, would attend. CONTINUED

U.S. official holds talks in Syria on Iraqi refugees

A senior U.S. diplomat held talks on Monday with a Syrian official on how Damascus was coping with a flood of Iraqi refugees, the first such talks in the Syrian capital for more than two years.  Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbreymet is the first U.S. official to visit Damascus since January 2005. Washington has led a campaign to isolate Syria since but signs have emerged recently that an end to its diplomatic isolation is near.  CONTINUED

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I think it's friggin' fantastic we're talking to Iran and Syria.

I know saying such blasphemy in some circles is considered high treason, but in my line of work even Realists need to talk to achieve objectives.

As I've said on NUMEROUS occasions (to include last week) good foreign policy requires using all the instruments of national power to pursue vital national interests (diplomatic, information, military, and economic, or DIME).  You can't always depend on military might; at the same time, you can't depend on diplomacy without military power or economic incentives to back it up.  In fact, depending too much on military power decreases the effectiveness of diplomatic power--who wants to talk to the neighborhood bully?

What we were experiencing with Syria and Iran is called the Security Dilemma:  neither side trusts one another, nor are they willing to talk.  Without trust or communication, each side prepares for a conflict they don't want, but at the same time refuse to blink (think an international game of chicken and you get the idea).  Without a means to to diffuse the brinkmanship (talks and whiskey usually help) conflict is all but assured.

Call me a traitor, tell me I'm no patriot, but I'll stand by words:  unless we really, really want another Middle East shooting conflict we need to talk.   

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Ahmedinejad Pwned!

Iran's biggest reformist party said on Monday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had suffered a "decisive defeat" in nationwide elections last week due to his government's "authoritarian and inefficient methods."  The government's spokesman countered that by saying the government had no favored candidates in Friday's twin votes for local councils and a powerful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts and was happy to work with the winners. 

Political analysts said the elections, the first since Ahmadinejad's stunning 2005 presidential win, would have no immediate impact on policy in the Islamic state where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the last word on all matters.  But a poor showing for allies of the anti-Western president could give a stronger voice to more moderate voices in decision-making in future.  CONTINUED

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Remember all the nose-thumbing from Uncle Mahmoud against our own US election?  Apparently Ahmedinejad got drubbed like Dubya for some of the same reasons, notably Iranian perception Mahmoud was focusing to much energy at mooning the West while neglecting the kind of things most voters want:  jobs. 

The Ayatollah's ultimate authority aside, we're seeing Democracy in action--in the Middle East, no less.  I agree with the analysts the effects of this election won't be immediate, but I'm curious to see how Ahmedinejad reacts to the shifting mandate.

(Anyways, sorry for the short post, but I finally finished grading all the final exams today; and frankly, I feel like a used rubber band.  Time to sit in front of a hot fire with a cold beer!)