Canada travel warning.

However, she said Canadians are being cautioned to put their travel plans to Iran on hold because of the death in uncertain circumstances of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.

Margaret Wente writes about ZK and the illusion of reform in Iran; Iranian Girl writes about Mr Mortazavi's shoe.

"I don't think it's very bad. If they filter porno sites I don't think it's going to kill anyone."

But it might, you know, if men can't masturbate to porno sites, they could get cancer!! (see below) I think I need to start a petition about this, a la the other mind-bogglingly stupid Petition about another CNN story.

It's been stinking stinking hot lately. It took an hour for me to get from Vanak to Tajrish by taxi because the police had closed part of Vali-Asr St, there must have been too many people in Park Mellat. Even at 11pm everyone is still having picnics on any piece of grass available. The taxi went by Jam-e-Jam Food Court trying to get back to Vali-Asr St. These days girls' manteaus are like the corsets of Victorian England, if they were any tighter, they would choke or get deformed bones. And balancing your hijab on the topknot of your head is de rigeur around there. The taxi driver was playing a song called "I Like Girls" which was stupid, but it wasn't as stupid as some Tehrangelian "rapper"'s ripoff of "I Will Survive".

Mr Abu "Hot Potato" Ghaith who was issuing threats to the US a few days ago is in Iranian ``custody''...

Kharrazi says: "Journalist may have fallen." Just like all those students who tripped and fell out of second-floor windows on 18 Tir! Next thing you know, they'll be saying she killed herself by throwing herself down the stairs!!

With the authorities telling so many lies, life in Iran would become impossible without jokes, or satirists like Ebrahim Nabavi. An example translation of Nabavi's work, also concerning a mysterious death.

I like it when I can say good things about Iran. In the International Mathematics Olympiad, Iran didn't do as well as in the past (3rd in 1997, 1st in 1998) but at least the Iranian news is the first place on the web any kind of result for this year is reported.

Masturbation may prevent cancer!

Government admits death from beating. Let's see where the buck stops.

You know why they call the university security "harasat"? It is because they harass people. I have discovered how they are selected for their jobs. They are working somewhere and their boss says "My goodness you are stupid. I have just the right job for you - you can stand at the gate of Sharif University and every day harass our society's best and brightest."

What is the definition of a male chauvinist? Someone who thinks "harass" is two words!

Someone emailed me and said that she hoped "brain strokes" were not so common in Iran (the context was about the death of Zahra Kazemi.) Unfortunately, you see the entry on July 10? The guy who owned the Kawasaki ZZR 400 (the one which cost 4,000,000 tomans, or about $US5000) died of a stroke the very morning I wrote that! He was 23. I had only met him once, at the end of May. So when I read about the son of ZK saying "To die of a stroke at her age [54] is so funny," I know it can happen at any age. Of course I don't mean to defend this government!!

The Dialogue Project presents an account of a trip to Iran by two women three years ago... with some twists! Eventually they found themselves censoring themselves and limiting their actions :-( If you're interested in the subject of gender in IRI you should read it.

Iranian TV explained.

Put body of evidence in ground, sweep all under carpet; find new oil.

Mamad jan! Ebrahim Nabavi writes a very funny letter to Khatami. Someone MUST translate that to English.

First he says Khatami says he will resign if the people don't like him. He asks how are people supposed to tell Khatami to resign? Protests, hunger strike? The government said only 300 people attended the protests and then they arrested 4000 and released 500! There are three groups in Iran who want Khatami to resign, and he parodies Khatami's wife saying to him, you have to resign otherwise I won't let you come home!!

Cover-up underway in Canadian journalist's death.

"As I told them, 'Cut the bullshit — don't send condolences when your government killed my mother, tortured her, and still doesn't respond to my demands.'"

End of road for EU talks (the carrot approach never works because the IRI government is dogmatic, not logical). "There won't be any trade agreement."

BBC Monitoring quotes from four Tehran newspapers about 18 Tir. Only, three of them (Kehyan, Resalat, Jomhouri Islami) are psycho newspapers no-one I know reads. These are the only newspapers allowed to express their point of view on 18 Tir, so the spectrum of expression was really limited.