Just another dent in the damage…

Last time I got hooked on Monitter was during the Mumbai attacks last November when my need for real time information got so intense that it became difficult to deattach my eyes from the computer screen. This time it’s the Iran elections (#iranelections) that have really got me. Sat here feeling so overwhelmed and helpless I really have found the evidence needed to prove the usefulness of Twitter.

Twitter has in fact been so useful to Iranians tweeting the ‘revolution’ that scheduled maintenance was put back a day to keep communication open. My only criticism over the last couple of days is the difficulty to sieve through the millions of uninformative re-tweets and misinformation to actually get to the heart of what I want to know – what is happening right now!

Below are some links I’ve found useful over the last couple of days:

• For some great Twitter feeds see: persiankiwi/StopAhmadi/mousavi1388 and Change for Iran;
• For good Twitter round-up tools see: Twazzup and PicFog for images;
• For a round up of the larger context of the Iranian elections see: Revolutionary Flowerpot;
• For a collection of some amazing photographs see: Mousavi1388/TheStyx/Boston’s Big Picture and The Guardian;
• For some general Fisking see: Iran Erupts/Ahamdinejad whips crowd/Iran’s day of destiny and Fear has gone;
• For a bit about elections and democracy see: Christopher Hitchens;
• For some rally footage the best place was always going to be YouTube: BBC Persian/a brave female Iranian kicks police and 15th June crowds;
• For some Guardian Analysis see: election statistics and shots fired;
• For some live tweeting I kept up with Andrew Sullivan’s commentary at: The Daily Dish;
• For some expert analysis from Gary Sick and Karim Sadjadpour see: PBS;
• As always Channel 4 News have been right on! See: Lindsey Hilsum’s blog (she is the international editor for Channel 4 News and is currently reporting from Iran) esp. ‘A day in Iran.‘;
• Good blogs include: For a democratic secular Iran (he was also on Channel 4 News and the BBC)/The Huffington Post and The Lede blog;
• And also see the Channel 4 news broadcasts including nation in turmoil and violence at protest.

Sorry I’m a little late getting it up… I’ve been too busy doing NOTHING all week!

p.s. Hope y’all had a very Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!

Channel 4 has opted to end the year on a controversial note by inviting the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to give the broadcaster’s alternative Christmas message tomorrow (The Guardian).

Crazy or what!! Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offering Channel 4’s traditional alternative Christmas message!! It won’t be clashing with good old Queenie though… that’d just be way too controversial. Good on Channel 4. It’s airing at 7:15 pm tomorrow (Christmas Day) but I’ll try and get a clip up asap for those who miss out.

This is my round-up of interesting posts about the Iranian President’s visit to the US and some of the responses to his absurd comments that there are ‘no homosexuals in Iran’.

• View from Iran – Why are the questions for President Ahmandinejad so simplistic?
• Rotton Gods – Ahmadinejad on the Holocaust and Ahmadinejad in Columbia University.
• Mr Behi - Ahmadinejad in NY.
• The Spirit of Man – Ridiculous and No Freedom in USA.
• Mideast Youth – Iranian Gays, There are no Homosexuals in Iran, Evolution of Iran-America Relations and Ahmadinejad at Columbia: The wisdom of dishonouring one’s enemy.