Controversy over the Evolution theory

An Iranian highly-visited news website, Khabar Online, has published a translation of a story from sciencedaily.com that says human walking may have originated millions of years ago as an adaptation to carrying scarce and high-quality resources.

This story brought serious discussion on its comments, some users rejected the evolution theory as a 'Darwin's bullshit' and some others admitted the theory and wrote Muslims' holy book Qur'an 'does not reject the evolution theory'.

Iranian online reaction to Egyptian Aliaa's photos

Some Iranian users have supported Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, Egyptian feminist who published nude photos of herself to "express her freedom".

Mohammad Salemi, an Iranian blogger based in North America, published his nude photo in support of Aliaa.

He writes [Fa]:

By publishing my nude I am supporting this Egyptian girl and criticizing this beautiful young female blogger.

He quotes his female friend, Mina, on Friendfeed says [Fa]:

Aliaa fits to main-stream beauty standards and publishing nude photos of such a body is not so extra ordinary. If some aged women with non-mainstream beauty has done the same, that would be revolutionary; but nude artistic photos are not conflicting the market nor the patriarchy and sexism.

Mohammad's photo received reactions [Fa] in his Friendfeed page.

Some Iranian bloggers are supporting him as an "appropriate" reaction and support to Aliaa' photos, and some are criticizing his act as a "ridiculous" one.

Another male Iranian blogger, Arash Daklan, posted his own nude photo, suggesting that Aliaa doesn't need support.

This Paris-based blogger writes [En]:

Aliaa does not need to be defended. She has made her words. From now on this is the intellectual who should defend herself/himself. If Aliaa is executed or anything bad happens to her, this is the intellectual’s action whose action is ethically under question.

Mahshid Rasti, an Iranian women activist, shares Mina's idea about supporting Aliaa.

She writes in her blog Zananeha [Fa]:

Aliaa did a venture act... and she has done something extraordinary and unique.opposing Arab world fundamentalism.

But this Europe-based blogger asks:

If she was a woman in her 60s with 40kg overweight was she welcomed like this?

Mahshid believes:

Most of those who are sharing Aliaa's nude pictures are not actually supporting her act, but they have an approach toward her like an object.

This Iranian women activist writes:

As long as our society is interested in women bodies, not their ideas, we should oppose such a society and its values.

According to her Twitter biography, Aliaa identifies herself as “Secular, Liberal, Feminist, Vegetarian and Individualist Egyptian”. She also wrote on her Facebook page that she was “echoing screams against the society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy”.

Tehran is the new Battlefield

Two weeks after the release of Battlefield 3, Iranian users seem to be excited and thrilled about the video game which is happening in their own homeland, along the rumors on a possible real attack on Iran

The Battlefield 3 (commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter video game which takes place at various locations including Iran. The story happens in 2014 to stop a nuclear threat in Tehran.

The game is released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The international market which welcomed the game and reached a 10 million sell in first week of release due to its two successful previous versions.

Various Iranian online users has said the the game is “banned” in Iran.

Iranian market is not responsible about copy right concerns and although none of major game publishers have any official distribution in Iran, Iranian youth follow the famous video games just like their other fellow-youth in the world. They can buy the games on CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray, almost once they got released.

But it seems that they have problems in finding Battlefield 3 in its plot location.

At the same time Iranian young users have shown excitement, surprise and anxiety to this video game in various online reactions.


Amin says [Fa] on twitter:

I didn’t find Battlefield 3 anywhere. They have sealed a shop for selling it. No one here dare to sell it.

Another user from Tehran, AtalMatal tweeted [Fa] that playing Battlefield 3 “have a legal prosecution” in Iran.

Milad Abadani, an Iranian user on Friendfeed, says that this ban is “unofficial” and is because of the plot which takes place in Iran and Tehran.

There are some regulations for official distribution of video games in Iran but this is rare for them to be banned. This game is banned and there has been a few other games like it; but this is not officially announced so there is no list of this banned games in Iran.

However this video game has reached to its players in Iran with the benefit of broadband Internet access on online shops. Iranian users have downloaded it through torrent and direct download servers or have ordered it online to have it as soon as other world players.

Even some online users like Baha Firuzi believe [Fa] that this ban has encouraged Iranian youth to have the game and play it.

The coincidence of release of this game with rumors of an impending Israeli or American military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, made the game more significant to Iranian users. Iranian bloggers have reacted to this reports.

Ali Agha, a Toronto-based Iranian user on Friendfeed, shared a link to a demo video of the game and commented [Fa] this video game shows that “how they work on bean minds of Iranian teenagers. Be careful.”

Masoud Saedi, Iranian tweeted [Fa]:

I watched the demo of Battlefield 3. I’m thrilled. This is the soft-war which they say. We are the terrorists.

“Afsoon”, A Persian blog which writes about IT, softwares and geek things, in a brief introduction on the video game describes [Fa] it as a “childish dream of America for an easy invade of Iran”.

Golsaw, an Iranian citizen who seems to be based in UK, tweeted [Fa]:

I’m frightened to shake when I see the ads of Battlefield on buses: war in Iran.

At the same time Ali is excited about having major highways of Tehran in the game route in his tweet [Fa], and Matin tweeted [Fa]

That makes you lough when they swear in Persian in Battlefield.

Nima says [Fa] on twitter:

Battlefield is great. In all the aspects. There is a moment in it that you fly with a F18 from Persian Gulf to the Mehrabad airport for a raid. This is the maximum of excitement.

Ali Nazifpour, an Iranian blogger who is a professionally writes about video games in his blog Gaming Symmetry, believes [Fa]:

Battlefield 3 portraits a very inaccurate, ridiculous picture of Iran. [The developers] haven’t discarded the incorrect stereotypes which is repeated a lot.

He writes from Tehran:

This game has come out in a very sensitive time. Iran has never been so stormy. Iranians feel the threat of war, and this game has come out at the wrong time, to say the least.

And this blogger says he’s “worried sick” after hearing about Battlefield 3.

Arash Kamangir, a prominent Persian blogger, reminds this is not the first video game which happens in Iran. There was even some games in an opposite scenario, he says.

This blogger believes [Fa]:

There is no doubt this is not coincidental that this video game takes place in Iran, but US defense ministry is not the owner or the share-holder in EA (the developer of this game) and making some teenagers got involved to this game, is not "preparing the public opinion" about a war.

This Toronto-based Iranian blogger believes that assuming Battlefield 3 as a "PR for war" is simplifying the relations in a complex world".

Asad Zamini, another Iranian blogger, in reaction to Kamangir, writes that he is "passive to a war position against his country".

ّAsad, who has been supporting protests in Iran, writes:

Video games should grant a license to be published. Military industries influence such kill-kill games. US army deploy such games to recruit people.

In another reaction to Battlefield 3 and Kamangir post on it, Amir Masoud in his Persian blog Lemonasion says:

Yes, Kamangir is true. There is no evidence that proves US defence ministry has any share in the company which publishes this game. But it doesn't mean that this video game is an aimless or casual project.

This Isfahan-based blogger argues:

Yes, may be there is no conspiracy behind this game, but as an Iranian we should always oppose such a scenario in which our country is occupied or our fellow-citizens are killed. And we should object it.

ّAn state-run Iranian youth magazine has lunched an online petition to object Battlefield 3 for putting a “false” image of Iran.

Hamshahri Javan, which is published by Tehran municipality, put an statement on its website [Fa] and on ipetitions.com [En] which reads:

We fully comprehended that this game is created for fun purposes only and is just a game... [But] the US is manipulating the media throughout the world and is influencing the public perception of Iran. Battlefield 3 paints a negative, brutal and unrealistic picture of what our country truly is.

This Iranian youth magazine urges EA the developer of this video game for:

a written apology to acknowledge our displeasure… as well as a formal statement to the gaming industry audience, stating that this game is not in any shape or form a representative of our civilised and modern culture and has been made purely for entertainment purposes.

This petition received hundreds of signatures in first hours.

The talks about this game in Persian cyberspace has been so much that once the reports about the possible attack on Iran got published, some Iranian users compared it to Battlefield 3.

Landehour on Friendfeed compares Iranians’ discussions in this social website the game: Is this Friendfeed or the Battlefield?

Milad Abadani believes that such a game is a preparation for a real war on Iran.

And in a unique and different approach Mehri, an Iranian mother, asks on twitter:

Is Battlefield good to learn defying against America?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_3
(commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter video game which takes place at various locations including Iran. The story happens in 2014 to stop a nuclear threat in Tehran.
The game is released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The international market which welcomed the game and reached a 10 million sell
http://bf3blog.com/2011/10/battlefield-3-ships-10-million-copies/
in first week of release due to its two successful previous versions. At the same time Iranian young users have shown excitement, surprise and anxiety to this video game in various online reactions.
Various Iranian online users has said the the game is “banned” in Iran.
Iranian market is not responsible about copy right concerns and although none of major game publishers have any official distribution in Iran, Iranian youth follow the famous video games just like their other fellow-youth in the world.
They can buy the games on CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray, almost once they got released.
But it seems that they have problems in finding Battlefield 3 in its plot location..
AminBZ says on twitter:
https://twitter.com/aminbz/status/133136169679593472
I didn’t find Battlefield 3 anywhere. They have sealed a shop for selling it. No one here dare to sell it.
Another user from Tehran, AtalMatal says on twitter that
https://twitter.com/AtalMatal/status/134730364412379136
playing Battlefield 3 “have a legal prosecution” in Iran.
Milad Abadani, an Iranian user on Friendfeed, says:
http://friendfeed.com/rafighebikalak/d1988098
that this ban is “unofficial” and is because of the plot which takes place in Iran and Tehran.
But this video game has reached to its players in Iran with the benefit of broadband Internet access on online shops. Iranian users have downloaded it through torrent and direct download servers or have ordered it online to have it as soon as other world players.
Even some online users like Baha Firuzi believe
https://twitter.com/Bahaaa1989/status/134326499301007360
that this ban has encouraged Iranian youth to have the game and play it.
The coincidence of release of this game with rumors of an impending Israeli or American military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, made the game more significant to Iranian users.
Iranian bloggers have reacted
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/11/08/iranbloggers-react-to-military-strikes-rumors
to this reports, but users who have been playing Battlefield 3 have shown interest in this aspect of this game.
Ali Agha, a Toronto-based Iranian user on Friendfeed, linking to a demo video of the game, believes
http://friendfeed.com/aliagha5/b7f93a9f
this video game shows that “how they work on bean minds of Iranian teenagers. Be careful.”
Masoud Saedi, Iranian tweeted:
https://twitter.com/masud_saedi/status/132187758956527616
I watched the demo of Battlefield 3. I’m thrilled. This is the soft-war which they say. We are the terrorists.
“Afsoon”, A Persian blog which writes about IT, softwares and geek things, in a brief introduction on the video game, describes it as a “childish dream of America for an easy invade of Iran”.
http://www.afson01.com/archives/4158
Golsaw, an Iranian citizen who seems to be based in UK, tweeted:
https://twitter.com/Golsaw/status/133945953987198977
I’m frightened to shake when I see the ads of Battlefield on buses: war in Iran.
At the same time Ali is more excited about having major highways of Tehran in the game route in his tweet,
https://twitter.com/abbasinasab/status/131855059205099521
and Matin tweeted
https://twitter.com/alsen2120/status/134285005663903745
“that makes you lough when they swear in Persian in Battlefield".
Nima says on twitter
https://twitter.com/NimBold/status/132227123380359169
Battlefield is great. In all the aspects. There is a moment in it that you fly with a F18 from Persian Gulf to the Mehrabad airport for a raid. This is the maximum of excitement.
The talks about this game in Persian cyberspace has been so much that once the reports about the possible attack on Iran got published, some Iranian users compared it to Battlefield 3.
Landehour says on Friendfeed compares
http://friendfeed.com/landehour/4ecdcfa9
Iranians’ discussions in this social website the game: Is this Friendfeed or the Battlefield?
Milad Abadani believes
http://friendfeed.com/rafighebikalak/355ef691/feature-player_embedded-3
that such a game is a preparation for a real war on Iran.
And in a different approach Mehri, an Iranian mother, asks:
https://twitter.com/#!/Mehribanooo/status/134244806976208896
Is Battlefield good to learn defying against America

Iranians disappointed with ‘Gooder’ changes

New changes in Google Reader made many Iranian users surprised.

On the last day of October 2011, Google changed its services on Reader and integrated it with Google+, which had announced 10 days ago in advance.

Iranian users of Google Reader (who call it Gooder in abbreviation) has been objecting and protesting the Google‘s decision to reduce some social features from Reader and integrate it with Google+.

There has been the same objection from other users as well but it seems that Iranians has been more motivated to put their objection.

They put tens of comments on a post by Google’s Alan Green declaring the impending changes.

Iranians has been suffering a harder crackdown on media and cyberspace especially after the 2009 protests. The government has closed down some papers and made the internet censorship tighter. The filtering which doesn’t allow Iranian users to open Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed, and any opposition news websites.

Even Google Reader has been blocked in Iran for many times, mostly during 2009 protest days, but this map shows Gooder has been the most popular website in Iran, although lots of users who surf the net with VPN or proxies and Iranians abroad are not counted.

Amirhm.com, Iranian blogger, says

Google Reader matters for Iranians” and integrating it with Google+ “will make it like any already available and banned website like facebook.

Google Reader with its removed social features has been something more than a Feed Reader and users could collaborate in reading with sharing options; which is not the same as other social services like Facebook or Friendfeed.

Even a pro-government newspaper in Iran, Haft-e Sobh did a full story on this changes in Gooder; with a title which reads [Fa]: A requiem for Gooder.

Amirhm.com writes:

In a country which all social websites and video or image sharing services and all international Persian news and all other non-governmental news website are banned, Google Reader acts like a social websites in lack of any independent news source and like a news spreading website.

The other upset users also suggest that after disputed June 2009 presidential election in Iran, developed an strong community for spreading the news.

In Iran, Google Reader has been acting more like an undercover media outlet and even there has been some services for Iranians based on Gooder; namely Likekhor which was counting the most shared and the most liked items on Gooder.

Due to this stats service, VahidOnline is one of the most popular Gooder user among Iranian users with almost 7700 followers.

He used to act like a hub for spreading and sharing the news from different sources like many other popular users.

While Iranian blog services ought to apply Iranian regime rules for their content censorship, “foreign” Blog services like Blogger.com and Wordpress.com are blocked in Iran, and that’s why many Persian blogs depend on Google Reader to be read and many user put notes in Gooder, like a blog.

Arman Amiri, Iranian blogger on Divanehsara, in a note in Google Reader implies with humor that [Fa]:

Google is shaking hands with censorship chiefs in Iran.

Another Gooder user and blogger, Kathy says [Fa]: It is like being after bombing attack warning alarm [during Iran-Iraq war]; everybody is waiting to see when then destroy here…

There were also some Iranian users who are welcoming these changes in Google Reader and this integration in Google+.

Amin Sabeti, an Iranian blogger on 'Neda-ye Emrooz', says [Fa] in Friendfeed:

I’m satisfied with changes in Google Reader. Google is stepping in a true way ahead and that was a good job to remove social features from this service.

Before the changes, Parham, an Iranian blogger and web developer, wrote in his blog [Fa] about the business aspect of this changes. He believes:

Google have been unsatisfied with the costs of keeping millions of posts and hundreds of millions of comments and likes.

He believes that Iranian users have been using social features in Gooder in a wrong way; posting in it like a blog for example.

Parham reminds that users have not been paying for this service and suggests that the profits of companies like Google and Facebook is more important than the users prefer and “the user can easily get used to new service and new designs”.

There was some endeavors to save the social features in Google Reader; including signing a petition suggested by Brett Keller which gained over 11500 signatures and a page on Facebook with more than 38800 members but none of them made any change in the Google decision and it made the changes in Google Reader and Google+ today.

Due to upcoming reactions, it seems that Iranian users are disappointed with their Google+ and they seem to have problems in finding previous features of Gooder in this service.

Here in a post on Friendfeed, These users who are not welcoming the changes say [Fa] they are not satisfied with the new manner in sharing items with friends, They are not able to read their friends shared items any more, and they are confused in finding those who used to follow in Gooder now in Google+.

In the comments of this post some users suggest that Google should have allowed the users to move their followers and those who they follow to the new platform in Google+.

Alireza Majidi, a famous well-read blogger, wrote [Fa] about this new changes:

I doubt that new changes in Google Reader would be affective to make Google+ more interesting.

He also urges that there is no alternative tool for Iranian users and others who are so attached to the late social features of Gooder and now they should get used to Goolge+.

The Google blog in Persian says Google+ is in its first steps ahead and we are working on improving it.

This post by Alan Green, Google software engineer also recommend for those are not interested in Google+ to back up their data here; which is not described that how this exports could be used in other services.

At the same time some prominent Iranian users of Google Reader are looking for some semi-alternative social features.

Nima Akbarpour, an Iranian blogger and presenter or Persian Click TV program on IT and gadgets, suggests a user style for Firefox and Google Chrome which "rolls back Gooder" for Iranian users; giving them a very few social features of Google Reader.

Inauguration in Washington DC; Live from IRIB

In Tehran, for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian state-run TV broadcasted a U.S. presidential inauguration and interviewed Iranians after the Obama speech.

A middle-aged man wearing a simple jacket said he was not surprised that Mr. Obama had not specifically mentioned the Israeli offensive against Gaza.

But another younger Tehrani said,"at least he is not aggressive in his talk as Bush used to be."

The two countries have had no diplomatic relations for three decades and some Iranians hope that their government will have a harder time demonizing an Obama administration than the Bush team.

Full Coverage on how World reacts to the new U.S. president