neda - Jezebel

posts about #neda more →
Frontline: Neda's Killing Continues To Haunt Friends, Family, Country
Iran Denounces Scholarship For Iranian Students
Neda's Mother: Her Legacy Lives On
Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
Man Accused In Murder Of Neda Soltan • Dude With Woman's Cornea Now Likes Cleaning
Union Stationary
Neda's Mother Discusses Life While Protesters Commemorate Death
Iran Accuses CIA Of Killing Neda Soltan
Democracy Drive-By
Will Neda Agha-Soltan's Death Tip Iran Into "Revolution"?

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sybann
11/18/09

In reply to Frontline: Neda's Killing Continues To Haunt Friends, Family, Country
It occurred to me while watching this - and I no way mean to make light of the tragedy - that we never know how we will make a difference in the world.

May Neda be responsible for the end of this, and perhaps other, dictatorial and dangerous regimes.
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rd2uk
11/11/09

In reply to Iran Denounces Scholarship For Iranian Students
While i completely disagree with the claim that Nedas death was orchestrated by the opposition, and do not intend to discount her death in any way, I have to agree that naming a scholarship after her does, in fact, undermine Oxford credibility. I think, as an academic institution, Oxford should not be naming internal endowments after political figures (which, unfortunately, the circumstances of Neda's death have made her). It would be a different story if the fund was provided by external donors etc, but as this is an internal institutional scholarship, it should not betray such obvious political leanings. If for no other reason, then because it will make it that much harder for students from Iran to attend/return after attending this very prestigious university.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but I say this as an academic as the other 'big university' in England. I think most academics here agree that our goal is to welcome and educate students from throughout the ethnic/racial/economic/political etc spectrum..and taking a atrong political stance as an institution makes that difficult to do.
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Edited by rd2uk at 11/11/09 9:41 AM rd2uk was starred rd2uk was unstarred

DexterHaven
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I see your point, but I think it's also hard to overlook the ideological history of much of Oxbridge's financing/endowments etc. Look at the Rhodes scholarship for a good example. Or the Said business school. And according to the story the donations were from external donors for this purpose. #iran
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greatsheelephant
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I agree with you and the comments on the Times piece show why. While I very much support the opposition in Iran, the fact that I would feel outraged if a similar scholarship was set up to commemorate something I didn't support but others do makes me think that this type of politicisation is wrong.It might be different if Neda Soltan was a Oxford alumnus but I don't see any connection there. I'm also a little worried whether the recipient of the award will suffer if she returns to Iran. By the way, the article suggests that the fund is provided by external donors.
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rd2uk promoted this comment Edited by greatsheelephant at 11/11/09 10:14 AM greatsheelephant was starred greatsheelephant was unstarred

Alohamaid
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I'm an Oxie and I totally support the creation of the scholarship. Here's why I don't think Neda is a political figure that's problematic: IMO she's not partisan. She has become a symbol of oppression not necessarily any political group, like the infamous tank man. My only critique of the scholarship is that its a bit soon. #iran
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rd2uk
11/11/09

@DexterHaven: agree with you that we at oxbridge have a history of attaching ourselves to ideaologies that we 'like' but in the recent past (past 2 decades, really) theres been a concerted effort to remove the Uni itself from any political stance - which is why I think this is problematic. With reference to the donations being external, you are absolutely that the money comes from external sources, but it is awarded by the university and not by an external body, therefore aligning it to the Uni directly. It just seems like an unnecessary political statement that is just really divisive - which is the Uni (IMO) has no business being. #iran
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DexterHaven
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I suppose my view is that if the university had rejected this endowment that in itself would have constituted a political statement, given that it has been quite willing to take money from eg Said (pretty recently too, in 2001). #iran
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rd2uk
11/11/09

@DexterHaven: thats true, but I gott say, we get hundreds of proposals for small endowments (4000pounds over 2 yrs is a small amount for grad work for an intl student as tuition itself is about 10,000 a yr), that we dont agree to take on as internal grants but direct our students to as external grants. I mean, Im glad the someone gets extra help while in school, but dont like academia getting ties to politics so blatantly, its murky waters. #iran
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Valois
11/11/09

@rd2uk: This may be a small point to make, but this is not University funding. As far as I understand it, it's a scholarship through Queens College, with money put up by 2 anonymous donors (most likely, former students of the College). You also have to be a member of the College to qualify for the award - it's not available to the full spectrum of philosophy students across the Uni. Of course there are political overtones to this (and please don't think that I purposefully understate them) - but as far as Oxford credibility goes...well, from firsthand experience I can say that it is nigh on impossible for an international student to afford a graduate degree at Oxford. You pay your £11,000+ in fees alone - and that doesn't cover how you will make rent, feed yourself, cover research expenses, or get home to see your family. Oxford talks alot about 'access' - but the truth of the matter is that you'd better be rich if you're foreign (and especially if you're over the age of 25). As the Provost mentioned, Oxford is losing out on the best graduate candidates, in part, because the cost of attending is simply too much for most people. This certainly relates to the University's 'credibility', doesn't it? It also relates to being able to take in the students who deserve to be there. #iran
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Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred) promoted this comment Valois was starred Valois was unstarred

Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred)
11/11/09

@Valois: Oxbridge may be expensive for foreign students, but there are a lot of countries where it's a damn sight worse. I really wanted to study Palaentology originally, but it isn't offered at most UK unis, and the cost of American ones, especially Ivy Leage, negated that as an option for me.

Also, I don't know about Oxford, but at Cambridge there is a policy that once someone has been offered a place at the university, they should not have to drop out for financial reasons. Especially at the larger colleges, the numbers of grants etc available are staggering. #iran
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Valois
11/11/09

@Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred): I knew I should have gone to Cambridge! :) I don't want to get too off-topic, but I will say that I don't think Oxford will kick you out if you can't pay. But they WILL charge you penal interest. And they WILL let you starve in the meantime - especially now that hardship is centralised. #iran
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Aesop's Foibles. YES.
11/05/09

In reply to Neda's Mother: Her Legacy Lives On
You want to know something strange? Or not so strange, depending on your own reaction to her death. Anyway, one night a few weeks after she was killed, I was making dinner in my kitchen. Specifically I was mincing some garlic for a sauce. All of a sudden, I thought, Neda has done this before: stood in a kitchen making dinner, and smiling to herself about something she was thinking of. I stopped what I was doing and thought of the enormity of this realization. It seems like a fairly simple process: you see someone get hurt, you see them die, you know that they are dead. But it suddenly seemed like that moment, the one in my kitchen, was when I really knew what had happened and that it wasn't not real. It was really strange, feeling a kinship with a dead woman I'd never met before. Maybe because this had never happened to me before, maybe because she died so brutally and so publicly, maybe because she was wearing jeans and sneakers, maybe all or none of the above, but she didn't and doesn't feel like a stranger to me. Her name won't be erased from my mind, that's for sure. #nedaaghasoltan
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lavenderstain
11/05/09

In reply to Neda's Mother: Her Legacy Lives On
after the first revolution (the one the Islamists stole away) alot of streets were renamed after the "islamic martyrs" who had supposedly given their life for the revolution.

I believe that soon streets will be named, and monuments will be built in honor of Neda and all those who gave their life for the right to say "Yes" and "No" on their OWN accord. #nedaaghasoltan
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The Count of Monte Fisto
11/05/09

In reply to Neda's Mother: Her Legacy Lives On
The fact that they think they can erase her legacy by erasing the writing on her grave speaks volumes about why the regime is slowly dying. #nedaaghasoltan
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notwhoyouthoughtiwas
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
Whenever my mother hears about women with long fingernails, she only has one question. When they go to the bathroom, how do they wipe?
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

@notwhoyouthoughtiwas: Better question--do they use tampons?
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dj_chick
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
Am I the only one who really and truly wants a break from bickering about ridiculous things like health care and gay marriage? And I say ridiculous because it really doesn't matter what anyone says, I don't understand why someone would be against either. Why, why, why? I feel like I'm at wits end as far as arguing/having a conversation about it. I'm ready to say to people who are anti-health care reform, "You're selfish. End of story." And to people who are anti-gay marriage, "Get over yourself." Seriously, I'm past the point of eloquence. :(
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Laulau
09/03/09

@dj_chick: I just cut people out of my life who are against either. No joke. This, unfortunately, is not making any changes in policy.
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dj_chick
09/03/09

@Laulau: I'm sure it cuts down on stress though! I've tried to do the same... but you can only avoid your siblings so much. :)

I'm just mentally exhausted from it. A week of vacation from work AND the internet might be just the thing I need. The weekend can't get here soon enough!
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Crackers In Bed
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
ok, so the Australian study regarding HPV and breast cancer really upsets me. the past 3 generations of woman on my mother's side have had breast cancer, and she just tested positive for the "breast cancer gene" BRAC. which means I am more than likely to test positive. AND i've had HPV since college. guess i'll go ahead and plan for a masectomy. not sure who I direct this to but, MOTHERFUCKERS!
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Edited by Crackers In Bed at 09/03/09 5:58 PM Crackers In Bed was starred Crackers In Bed was unstarred

Dodgergirl
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
I can barely keep my nails long enough to open things wrapped in plastic... they always get brittle at some point and/or I get frustrated with them and chop them all off. I cannot imagine 30 years and nearly 3 feet.
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
That’s it. *I* want to start gathering signatures to put to a vote something that in no way affects me but could make other people miserable.

Who has ideas? What should we ruin for someone? What group should we target? The possibilities are endless…
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: I want to ban all live broadcasts of baseball games!
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Edited by Zombie Ms. Skittles at 09/03/09 5:49 PM

Zombie Ms. Skittles
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: I want to ban all live broadcasts of baseball games!
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I was thinking maybe the eating of lobster. I do not care for lobster, so why should anyone eat it?
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Dodgergirl
09/03/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: HOW COULD YOU!
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BrutallyHonestBabes (aka Mrs. Sarah.of.a.Lesser.Hobbit)
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: My petition is called "Send Carrie Prejean Somewhere Else. And also, Fox and Friends."
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Maritsa
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: I don't like purple underpants, so no one should be able to wear them. I'm sorry, that's just what my religion teaches me, and I have no agency or ability to questions its teachings.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
09/03/09

@Dodgergirl: Well I am sorry but if it is that important to you then just shell out the money to see the games yourself! You're taking away the meaning for those who DID pay to go see the game as it happens! Your TV is stealing the meaning from millions of Americans. And you call yourself a Dodgers' fan...
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

@Maritsa: It's Adam and EVE not Adam and PURPLE UNDERWEAR! And John the Baptist wore animal fur underwear. And King David didn't even WEAR underwear as he pranced drunkenly through the streets of Jerusalem before the Ark of the Covenant. So, clearly, the Bible shows us that purple underwear is NOT okay by God.
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Dodgergirl
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: I don't like mustard. When people around me eat mustard, I am FORCED to taste mustard, too, and it ruins the sanctity of my hot dog. BAN MUSTARD!
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: An excellent point. Televised games destroy the sanctity of baseball. Baseball is between a man and his overpriced Yankees ticket.

@Dodgergirl: Good point. Besides, everyone knows yellow is the Devil's color.
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missteenwordpower
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: I think mushrooms are pretty unacceptable. Let's not only ban them, but pretend they don't exist.
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LaComtesse promoted this comment missteenwordpower was starred

LaComtesse
09/03/09

@missteenwordpower: They could be Godly celery stalks if they prayed hard enough...
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Maritsa
09/03/09

@LaComtesse: When other people wear purple underwear it makes MY underwear less important!
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Maritsa
09/03/09

@missteenwordpower: Let's consign them to the fiery pits of hell.
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CurtCole
09/03/09

@BrutallyHonestBabes (aka Mrs. Sarah.of.a.Lesser.Hobbit): If that includes Megan Fox, then I am in!
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wtfox?!
09/03/09

@CurtCole: I am sensing a lot of fox hate here. NOT ALL FOXES ARE LIKE THEM!!

:(
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LaComtesse
09/03/09

@BrutallyHonestBabes (aka Mrs. Sarah.of.a.Lesser.Hobbit): see, I don't know if that's the kind of legislation that I'm talking about... that law would just make everyone's lives better, even the aforementioned Fox and Friends/Prejean/Megan Fox, etc. Their lives would be improved if they just... went away... somewhere.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
09/03/09

In reply to Maine Will Vote On Gay Marriage • Miss Universe Pageant Adds "Condom Olympics"
Blowing up a condom until it bursts sounds like a really good way to pass out.
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sybann
08/20/09

In reply to Man Accused In Murder Of Neda Soltan • Dude With Woman's Cornea Now Likes Cleaning
OH GOD! JUST WHAT WE NEED - you know the whackadoos are going to blame SOCIALIZED medicine for the Canadian women's lack of follow up care!
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morninggloria
08/20/09

@sybann: To those accusations, just respond that the proposed health care overhaul is actually closer to the Swiss system than Canadian.
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WaltzingMatilda
08/20/09

In reply to Man Accused In Murder Of Neda Soltan • Dude With Woman's Cornea Now Likes Cleaning
Not only is that pants, but it is freakin' mom pants - the worst pants of all.
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GirlFailer
08/20/09

@WaltzingMatilda: Acid washed, tapered leg mom pants even.
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Edited by GirlFailer at 08/20/09 6:20 PM GirlFailer was starred GirlFailer was unstarred

Sarah Dove
08/20/09

@GirlFailer: With pleats in the front, to make your lower stomach look really balloony.
I hope the people at her new school are a damn sight nicer to her and she's able to recover from a truly crappy experience.
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GirlFailer promoted this comment Sarah Dove was starred Sarah Dove was unstarred

Casquivana
08/20/09

In reply to Man Accused In Murder Of Neda Soltan • Dude With Woman's Cornea Now Likes Cleaning
"Because of my new eyesight I now notice every speck of dust and dirt and immediately want to clean it up... There is a reason why men don't clean normally and I think it's because we just don't see the dirt. But since the transplant I now see it wherever I go."To be fair, that happened to me once, after I got new contact lenses. I suddenly saw all this dirt in my apartment and so I went into a cleaning rampage. Then I scrubbed my face to take off a few dirt stains I saw on my forehead, until my ex asked why the hell was I trying to get rid of my freckles that way. Then I laughed. Then I drank some wine. Then I took off the contacts. Now I only put them on occasionally.
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broad promoted this comment Edited by Casquivana at 08/20/09 6:07 PM Casquivana was starred Casquivana was unstarred

kookla
08/20/09

In reply to Man Accused In Murder Of Neda Soltan • Dude With Woman's Cornea Now Likes Cleaning
If it helps Mr Kookla find his lost socks, keys and the ketchup in the fridge, then I'm 100% for transgender cornea transplants.
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Edited by kookla at 08/20/09 5:50 PM kookla was starred kookla was unstarred

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