Security forces in Iran have arrested 183 women in two provinces for failing to adhere to the Mullahs' strict dress code. In one province, Semnan, 69 of the 132 detained face trial. The news report also says 1,250 women have recived verbal warnings for showing too much hair, or skin, in public.
After years of a failed struggle by (relative) moderates, the extremists are attempting to tighten up again.
This is the kind of medieval regime we'd rather not see with nukes. In fact, just having the extremist mullahs in power is a tragedy for the people of Iran.
Professor receives slap on the wrist for false child murder accusation
Britain's Professor David Southall was strongly rebuked by the General Medical Council for giving "expert" advice that sent an innocent father to prison, but he'll be allowed to continue on his job.
Here is how the "expert" performed his analysis:
Prof Southall accused Stephen Clark, a solicitor, of smothering his two babies on the basis of a 50-minute Channel 4 Dispatches documentary on the case. At the time Mr Clark was campaigning for the release of his wife Sally, who had been wrongly convicted of the murders.
The paediatrician said Mr Clark was a double murderer "beyond reasonable doubt", although he had not read any of the papers in the case, spoken to the parents or seen post mortem reports. His involvement led to social workers meeting to discuss removing Mr Clark's surviving child from his care.
Prof Southall refused to apologise and repeated the allegation during the disciplinary hearing.
The professor is not out of the woods yet, as other parents accused of child abuse and murder are now lining up.
Who knows how many other "experts" out there who don't realise that what makes a professional opinion an expert opinion is actually doing a serious, scientific investigation of all the facts before opening their mouths.
The latest Iraqi "beheading video" that was a top story around the world after it appeared in an Islamist website, has proven to be a hoax made many months ago by Benjamin Vanderford of San Francisco.
He now admits it was an old attempt to draw attention to himself in running for city supervisor. Well, now you got the attention, Ben. You think people would vote for you?
It was somewhat amusing this morning to see that on Google News, the top two stories was about the beheading, and the fact that the first story was a hoax.
If something good comes from this, it must be that the media will be a bit more careful about giving attention to these terrorist stunts. Remember terrorism is more than anything else a media strategy.
Two members of Yasser Arafat's cabinet has handed in their resignations amids growing chaos in the Palestinian areas. Planning Minister Nabil Qassis has resigned to accept a post as president of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, while Justice Minister Nahed Arreyes makes no secret of the fact that his resignation is in protest against the growing turmoil and Arafat's opposition to meaningful reform.
"I have reached a point where I can do nothing amid all this ongoing chaos and unrest. Unfortunately, the situation is deteriorating by the day," Justice Minister Nahed Arreyes said, adding that he had tendered his resignation Wednesday and was awaiting confirmation from Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
The justice minister was apparently frustrated by Arafat's attempts to block judicial reform. Several months ago, Arafat appointed a so-called Judicial Council, headed by a loyalist, that has taken over key ministry functions.
In a brief interview in his Gaza City home, Arreyes said that he no longer had authority over state prosecutors.
"The prosecution should be under the control of the Justice Ministry, according to the law," he said, declining to elaborate. "My resignation comes as a protest against the incorrect position of the prosecution."
Arafat is facing strong pressure from within and without to reform the government and in particular the security services, but everytime he makes a shuffle it just unifies more power in his own corrupt hands. Arafat is unwilling to allow any subordinates to even attempt reforms within the PA. It would not surprise me if Arafat refuses to accept these resignations, but the ministers hold their positions in name only anyway.
Sociology professor Duncan Watts argues that the intelligence czar proposed by the 9/11 commission and embraced whole-heartedly by Kerry and not-so-whole-heartedly by Bush is a very bad idea.
When organizations fail, our first reaction is typically to fall into "control mode": One person, or at most a small, coherent group of people, should decide what the current goals of the organization are, and everyone else should then efficiently and effectively execute those goals. Intuitively, control mode sounds like nothing so much as common sense. It fits perfectly with our deeply rooted notions of cause and effect ("I order, you deliver"), so it feels good philosophically. It also satisfies our desire to have someone made accountable for everything that happens, so it feels good morally as well.
But when a failure is one of imagination, creativity, or coordination—all major shortcomings of the various intelligence branches in recent years—introducing additional control, whether by tightening protocols or adding new layers of oversight, can serve only to make the problem worse.
Check out the article. He offers Toyota as an example of successful decentralisation. It certainly agrees with everything I know about organizational theory and practice. Then again, experience says that both centralisation and decentalisation can improve an organisation if done correctly. And both can fail miserably.
