Exclusive Video Interview with Former Iranian Gov't Insider

A chilling insider's account of how the Iranian government works behind the scenes. In Part One of my interview with a woman we'll call Za-Za, because she fears retribution against her family still living in Tehran if her true identity were revealed, you'll hear what goes on behind the scenes in an ayatollah's realm.

The video is at OurLA.org, (<click) the new destination for deep-reporting in Los Angeles, founded by former Daily News editor Ron Kaye--not to be confused with Ron's blog RonKayeLA.com. This new site is a journalism-driven, multimedia website with all the bells and whistles. It promises to bring depth and weight to local online reporting. Thom Senzee and Repulbic Of L.A. are proud to be a small part of Ron's newest venture.

L.A. City Council Adopts Resolution to End Torture of Gays in Iraq: Republic of L.A. Interviews Rosendahl

In an impassioned presentation, which included the testimony of Hossein Alizadeh, from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, L.A. City Council Member Bill Rosendahl (pictured to the right), introduced a measure to urge President Barak Obama to demand action from the Iraqi government to do more to stop the systematic torture and murder of gay men in that country.
“I was extremely gratified with the vote, which was unanimous with 12 members present,” Rosendahl told Republic Of L.A. “And I want to give special recognition those members who spoke with great passion: Council members [Wendy ] Greuel, [Herb] Wesson, [Tom] LaBonge, [Tony] Cardenas, and [Richard] Alarçon.”
Rosendahl said the entire council chambers was moved by the information presented by Alizadeh, who is Persian (from Iran).
Iran’s torture, mutilation and murder of gays is institutionalized by court sentences of execution as punishment for homosexuality. There, executions are carried out en masse in soccer (football, for the rest of the world) stadiums filled with jeering spectators.
One assumes the same would be happening in Iraq without American funding and the presence of U.S. media. For now, it’s all unofficial—carried out by civilians, or police in plain clothes.
“The IGLHRC has more than 600 documented cases of murder of gays,” Rosendahl said before the vote, which created an official Resolution issued by the City of Los Angeles condemning the Iraqi situation, and demanding action to protects gays in the Muslim nation.
“Some folks misinterpret the Koran,” said Rosendahl, who insists his research shows no condemnation of gays by the prophet Muhammad. “They believe they have to kill their own child if they are suspected of being gay.”
Rosendahl’s measure went beyond the condemnation of some Iraqis’ behavior.
“I went further on this and amended my motion, saying we need to get our president up to snuff, by saying our president needs to make a statement condemning the inaction by the Iraqi government to stop the torture and murder of gay men.”
According to Rosendahl, tough-looking labor union leaders present in the gallery of the council’s stately chambers we’re seen to be clearly moved, some with tears in their eyes as practices, such as the stitching up of the anuses of gay Iraqi men, who are then filled with liquids and solids until their internal organs literally explode.
“I asked for a show of hands from the audience, and everyone showed their support for the resolution,” said Rosendahl.
Asked why a local resolution matters, Rosendahl said this:
“We are the second largest city in the United States of America. We unite and speak up for something, believe me, Washington listens—and so does the rest of the world.”
Past City of Los Angeles resolutions include support for the recognition by Turkey and the world community of Armenian genocide, and opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

"Our Seats Suck" .................................................................................. - IMAX Staff Introducing Star Trek

(Photo courtesy innersource.com)

So, my friend Josh and I came out of the closet to each other in the line to see Star Trek at the IMAX at Universal Studios last weekend. Yes, we admitted to each other that we were both, indeed, closet Trekkies.

We spent a solid 45 minutes in line discussing the aesthetics of the 1960s Star Trek series, vs. the 1970s animated series, vs. the decidedly Clinton-era sensibilities and aesthetics of the 1990s Next Generation, all the while nursing our anticipation of getting reacquainted with NCC-1701 (that is, the USS Enterprise for non-Trekkies) face-to-face on a megalopolis-sized IMAX screen (hopefully one that would wrap around the periphery of the theater, as we both believe we have experienced and some--but not all--IMAX venues in our lifetimes.

Now, however, I'm not sure I have actually seen an IMAX theater with a wrap-around IMAX screen (feel free to comment and educate me if you know the answer). Josh says he definitely has in Boston, in seats that recline. But, I'm wondering if it was actually a planeterium showing a film in IMAX that he actually saw. But I digress...

Once inside the theater, we were a little disappointed that the screen was indeed not at all curved. Instead it seemed almost bluntly flat, and somehow only sort of gigantic. The fact that the bottom sixth or so of the screen was obscured by the heads of the people in the rows ahead of us made the "sort-of" qualifier worse. We knew that either the film itself would be marginally obscured by those heads, or that the only sort-of gigantic screen would not be utilized by the projector anyway. The latter turned out to be the case.

The worst came, however, when a staff member announced that the sold-out crowd should leave toute suite to accomodate the midnight showing, followed by an acknowledgment that the theater's seating was uncomfortable. It went something like this:

"...as you leave, please take your trash with you; ushers will greet you at the exits with plastic trash bags. Also, we have been hearing that our seats are not as comfortable as we would like. The good news is we just got approval for a funding request to buy new seats, so be sure to come back again later this summer when we will have comfortable seating. Now, enjoy Star Trek!"

I guess the bad news didn't need mentioning. But I'll mention it anyway: The only thing missing from the seating "devices" at Universal's IMAX Theater, for now anyway, is the buckets of water, the rags for stuffing down moviegoers throats, and Dick Cheney to oversee the torture of sitting still in a hard-surfaced, straight-back plastic chair for two and a half hours.

Still, the movie was so good, in this humble out-of-the-closet trekkie's opinion, that it was worth it in the end.