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That's what this Prius driver is. From Randy: A couple of bumper stickers for you, spotted near Charlotte, NC. ...

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Many Iranians enjoyed unhindered open access to social media sites on Monday, but it turns out that access was short lived. In a country that usually blocks direct access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and numerous other sites it deems immoral, users were surprised to be logging onto social media without having to use a virtual private network (VPN) or special software to circumvent a firewall. iran-internet-access1 The NY Times reported on Monday that users expressed their excitement, after some assumed that the newly elected Rouhani administration was responsible for the lifted access.
The country’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, has promised several times to reduce Internet censorship, and several of his cabinet ministers, including the foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, have set up Facebook pages and opened Twitter accounts, some of them quite active.

Iranian Internet users reacted to the apparent unblocking on Monday as if a digital Berlin Wall had just crumbled on their computer screens.

“Hurray, I came to Facebook without using VPN,” a user called Bita posted on her wall. “Thank you Rouhani!!!,” Nima wrote.

Another user named Mehdi posted on his Facebook page, "Dear friends in America, do you believe miracles?! Well one has just apparently happened in Iran and the government in Tehran has lifted its filtering on Facebook!!!" and also tweeted, "Twitter and Facebook has been freed! Rowhani thank you!" (source AFP).

The NY Times noted at the end of Monday's article that "[Iran's] government has sometimes let the firewall blocking Facebook and Twitter slip open briefly by mistake."

In the end, that's precisely what the Iranian government is giving as the reason for the temporary unblock.  Iranians awoke Tuesday only to find that their internet freedom was temporary.

iran-internet-access2

An Iranian official described the temporary access as a "technical glitch," according to AFP.

It happens in just about every mass shooting or terrorist event.  The initial media reports are inaccurate, yet those hurried inaccuracies feed a political narrative that is hard to break even after the facts are "corrected." In the Newtown shooting, the wrong person was identified as...

“Our collective failure to prevent atrocity crimes in Syria over the past two and a half years will remain a heavy burden on the standing of the United Nations and its member states.” Ban Ki-Moon Secretary General of the United Nations, September 10, 2013 "The United States...

Today is the 2nd Anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Our first post was a couple of weeks later, Declaration of the Occupation of Perpetual Grievance. Remember, the next, ahem, leading Democratic contender for President of the United States was the intellectual founder of Occupy Wall Street. Our Occupy Wall Street tag now has over 100 posts.  Go ahead and take a stroll down memory lane. It's really hard to find a single favorite post.  Here are the Awards for Best Occupy Wall Street Moments (plus a Special Award at the end):

5. #OccupyWallStreet Photo of the Day

Occupy Wall Street - Mark Lyon - 10-1-2011

4. Worst. #OccupyWallStreet. Advice. Ever.

Twitter - @allisonburtch - Give a shit

3. Best #OccupyWallStreet Tweet Ever

Twitter - @Cnn - bongo

Obamacare’s start date, October 1st,  is rapidly approaching. As the impending Tuesday draws nearer and nearer, new headlines are drawing attention to unsettling aspects of the system. Troubling enough was the NSA surveillance scandal this summer. Now, add sensitive medical information to the mix.  Concerned citizens...

Joyce Maynard has made a kind of cottage industry out of her long-ago relationship with J.D. Salinger, who seduced her when she was a wunderkind of 18 and he a famous writer of 53 and then abruptly threw her out, leaving her to lick her...

The FBI identified the deceased gunman in today’s Washington Navy Yard shooting as Aaron Alexis.  The agency released photos of him and is asking for the public's assistance in providing any information concerning Alexis. The reporting on today’s incident is still very fluid – in fact,...

Terrorists prefer Gmail as their email provider of choice, according to the former director of the NSA and CIA. From the Washington Post: Former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden stood on the pulpit of a church across from the White House on Sunday and declared Gmail...

A lot of attention is focused on Jihadist elements fighting in Syria, and the more "secular" Assad regime. The most underreported aspect of the civil war is that it's not just a civil war, it's a grand power-play by Iran to keep control of Syria as...

Mideast Media Sampler 09/16/2013: Never really intended, Putin gave him a way out....

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