Social media is providing the ability to report and take in unfiltered
news in a more direct way than ever before possible and we’re doing it
on a mass scale. It’s no longer just a toy for early adopters and
Internet nerds; it’s taking its place as an influencer far beyond
technology. There is, however, a downside: there’s very little way to
know what is true and what is rumor. As fellow ZDNet-er Michael Krigsman said to me the night, “we’re trading off potential accuracy for immediacy.

by Mr. Fish in TruthDig

In many cases, Twitter updated developments faster than many TV
networks or newspaper websites. The site’s contributors also questioned
the veracity of some news reports, pointing out contradictions and
errors. When Indian reporters announced that the siege at the Taj hotel
was over, for example, Twitter contended that gunfights were
continuing. “Locals say gunfire still happening at TAJ,” said one feed,
hours after fighting was said to have finished. “Twitter comes of age -
Mumbai coverage way ahead of traditional media,” added another
contributor.

Obama is a weapon of mass attraction. That attractiveness isn’t just physical, but is a matter of style.

Foreign policy has also increasingly been conducted by the Pentagon, particularly in the Rumsfeld era. Its regional combatant commands are taking on intergovernmental coordinating functions that previously have been housed in the State Department and the embassies. In terms of public diplomacy strategy and outreach, the Pentagon has moved aggressively and strategically to occupy the turf left open by State in recent times.

Public diplomacy is not a matter of launching messages at targeted audiences, like so many artillery shells. International communication takes place in a large, interconnected and complex system. Such systems can be hard to understand and predict, but they can also become locked into patterns that interpret messages in standard and negative ways, no matter how carefully they are formulated and targeted.

Such is the case with U.S. public diplomacy today.

It is not hard to imagine a push to block sites that supposedly “support” terrorism. Take Hamas, the democratically elected party in Palestine and yet regarded as a terrorist group by much of the West. For many individuals around the world, myself included, Hamas is not a terrorist entity and should be engaged. But will over-zealous politicians make it illegal to view the organisation’s websites?

The militant Shia political group Hizbollah may find similar problems in years to come, as could Islamist organizations that challenge American foreign policy. These are political freedoms extinguished under the guise of protecting society from terrorism.

1. I hate it when people ask about me in “numbers”, so let me just do it myself:
   I am 187cm tall and my weight is 105kg (yes overweight). I have green eyes and dark blond hair and white skin and deep voice.
2. I work in Schlumberger, the largest oil service company in the world. I have seen and felt and experienced “a lot” in this business.
3. I’d love to visit all countries of the world, however more specifically I’d like to see the United States (for its amazing cultural mix+liberalism), Israel&Palestine (I care about this humanitarian catastrophe so much which I love to see it with my eyes) and Japan (the dream land I have always admired its cinema, poetry and culture).
4. I fell in love for the first time in my life, when I was 11 years old.
5. I lost my mother about 12 years ago, and I always feel her absence in my life (always, even now at this very moment).
6. I have studied in Alborz highschool in Tehran, four years full of vivid memories I shall never forget.

And … I tag these blogs:

1. For Ever Under Construction
2. Critical Montages
3. From Tehran with Love
4. The Poya

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English Blog
Farsi Blog

“Bamdadi” means “related to the dawn or morning” in Farsi. “Aurora” was selected for this reason, kind of translation of my Farsi blog title into English.

I try to keep this blog more focused on my IRAN-Related concerns, however I may occasionally write about other topics such as culture and life in general.

As a non-native English speaker, my English knowledge is not bad, however I am not much expert in writing. So wish me good luck, and please tolerate my uneven English.