U.S. and World News

Thousands at National Mall for Immigration Reform

EricaAmerica — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:45:41 GMT

Sunday, March 21. Thousands of illegal and undocumented immigrants boldly gather at the National Mall to advocate for immigration reform.

Iran’s supreme leader rejects US engagement call

TVEUROPA — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:38:55 GMT

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei On Sunday rejected a U.S. call for engagement and full diplomatic relations saying Washington’s actions were opposite to its call for dialogue.

“The new administration and president claimed interest in just and fair relations, they wrote letters and sent messages ... saying they are willing to normalize relations with the Islamic republic but in practice they did the opposite," he said in an address in the holy city of Mashhad on the occasion of the Iranian new year. It was carried by state television.

Khamenei added that the “enemies” of the Islamic republic had plans to start “civil war” after last June’s elections.

Blaming the United States and Israel for much of the unrest after the presidential election, Khamenei said: "The enemies wanted to divide the people... and to create a civil war, but the nation was alert.

"If they were able to do it, the U.S. and Zionist regime would have sent troops to Tehran's streets, but they knew it would hurt them. Thus they spread propaganda and supported the rioters."

Report: Taliban commanders are trained in Iran

TVEUROPA — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:35:26 GMT

Hundreds of insurgents have been trained in Iran to kill NATO forces in Afghanistan; two Taliban commanders told a British Sunday newspaper.

The unnamed commanders told The Sunday Times that Iranian officials paid them to attend three-month courses in desert training camps in southeast Iran.

They were taught how to carry out complex ambushes and lay improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the roadside bombs which have been responsible for many of the deaths of British troops in Afghanistan.

One of the commanders told the newspaper that the military's crackdown in Pakistan was forcing Taliban leaders to turn to Iran for assistance and training.

"The military is pressuring the Taliban in Pakistan. It is certainly harder to reach places that were once easy to get into. I think more of my fighters will travel to Iran for training this year," he said.

A commander from Wardak in central Afghanistan said: "I found some elements of the training in Iran very useful, especially the escape and evasion techniques I was taught."

Both men said Iran also supplied them with weapons, often paying nomads to smuggle ammunition, mines and guns across the desert and mountain passes between Iran and western Afghanistan.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly backed his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and the pair held talks in Kabul this month.

Before the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban-Iran relations were very strained and deteriorated to a lowest level when members of the Taliban murdered 10 representatives of the Iranian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

After having repeatedly denied any knowledge of Iranian diplomats’ whereabouts, the Taliban admitted on Sept. 10, 1998 that its military forces had killed them.

Health Care Supporter at US Capitol

cnjacobi — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:31:40 GMT

A pharmacist shows her support for Health Care Reform at the US Capitol Sunday afternoon as the House debates. She was standing quietly at the edge of a Tea Party protest on the House side of the US Capitol Building.

US Congressman walks through health care protesters at US Capitol

cnjacobi — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:20:41 GMT

At the US Capitol this afternoon a US Congressman walks thru a gauntlet of Tea Party activists protesting Health Care Reform. The protesters alternate cheering and booing depending on the Members stance on Health Care Reform. This Congressman was cheered.

Health Care Protesters at US Capitol

cnjacobi — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:08:55 GMT

Tea Party activists protesting Health Care Reform at US Capitol. On Sunday afternoon as the final debate occurs on the House floor, a noisy crowd of about 1,000 protesters alternately greets passing Members of Congress with cheers or boos.

A sad state of affairs

MrGreen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:03:30 GMT

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Staffing Manager at Speed Dating for Jobs in FL

carlosgil — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:30:41 GMT

Special Guest Hostess Kelly Blanco interviews Walter Sabrin of Triumph Staffing on who he is hoping to meet at Speed Dating for Jobs in Hollywood, FL

عکس / مراسم تحویل سال نو جمعی از خانواده های زندانیان سیاسی

0LVE — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:03:26 GMT

Pictures: Celebration of New Year of families, of political prisoners, outside notorious Evin Prison

عکس / مراسم تحویل سال نو جمعی از خانواده های زندانیان سیاسی

کلمه : ساعت 9 شب هنگام سال تحویل 1389 خانواده ها و حامیان این زندانیان جنبش سبز فریاد الله اکبر سر دادند و یک صدا سرود “ای ایران” و” یار دبستانی” را خواندند اما چند دقیقه بعد نیروی انتظامی و نیز یگان ویژه از بالای خیابان سرازیر شده و مراسم آنها را در یکی از خیابان های اطراف زندان اوین به هم زدند. آنها با موتور وباتوم به دست به میان این افراد آمده و با خشونت این جمع را پراکنده کردند.

"Death to dictator"21March مرگ بر دیکتاتور تهران بعد از سال تحویل

0LVE — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:57:56 GMT

"Death to dictator"21March مرگ بر دیکتاتور تهران بعد از سال تحویل

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0CeSLZ6DZY

Small business administration NOT helping???

tomamtz — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:44:26 GMT

It's a sad day to me when I listen to the story of a small business owner in Montana as he says that he has worked diligently with his lenders to keep his business afloat and his employees employed only to find that the banks agree to help and it's infact the SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION that has told him he must shut down and liquidate by April 15th because they will not work with him!!

He has been in business for 13 years and has done well. He was doing so well he expanded his business 3 years ago using bank support and the SBA. Now the economy has tanked and he's struggling. He worked out an agreement with the bankers but the SBA won't work with him?? Why would the SBA rather shut him down and lose the jobs of all the people he employs instead of working on an arrangement so that they get their money and we keep all these jobs? And the white house blames the "big banks" for all our problems?

The small business owner is Greg Metzger and I am writing this in hopes that he will get the attention he deserves and hopefully show people the problem isn't just the bankers, not this time anyway.

The evidence of calmness in a single shot during the huge Redshirt anti government demonstration

pivatana — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:28:25 GMT

So calm so quiet was the anti government demo in Bangkok Thailand with tens of thousends spreading all over Bangkok's streets the entire day!!!!!!