The Agrinautica

   Sitting in the little eatery where we just had dinner, there was a TV mounted on the wall where I could see it but I couldn't hear it. It was on a news channel. First they interviewed a dozen Iranians who were opposed to sanctions on Iran and in support of Iran's nuclear program. Then it showed Kofi Annan meeting with President Ahmadinejad, then they showed people getting tear gassed with the headline "REVOLUTION IN BAHRAIN," and then there was a lengthy bit titled "UNITED (POLICE) STATES," which appeared to be about the Dept of Homeland Security ordering hollow-point bullets, and alternated between pictures of watermelons exploding from being by such bullets and pictures of occupy protestors being tear gassed. This included intreviews with about four persons who were all either wearing tie-dye occupy movement t-shirts or listed as the editor of some anti-government sounding magazine. Then footage returned to Annan and Ahmadinejad.
   These stories seemed to be... a bit less than unbiased reporting. I think there may have been another story as well that seemed similarly themed. I thought the Bahrain story was particularly amusing since a story about a "revolution" usually shows people joyously waving flags, not being teargassed by government troups. Sure enough a google news search of Bahrain right now and the fifth result down is mob violence in Bahrain. Someone's a bit overeager to make it sound like there's been a revolution there.

   And also, sure enough, looking up "PressTV," the name of the program, I see it is run by the Iranian state media agency. And apparently people watch it over dinner here in some places. At least they didn't burn me in effigy. Though apparently homeland security DID put in a large order for hollow-point ammunition...