Iran’s Ahmadinejad asks for fair appeal for Roxana

In what some Iranians deem an unusual move, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the prosecutor in Tehran asking for a fair appeal for Roxana Saberi.

Below is an excerpt from Ahmadinejad's letter, as reported by Iranian government news agency, IRNA:

"Please take the necessary measures to ensure that the process of examining the charges against the aforementioned individuals are being carried out carefully and fairness, justice and regulations are observed...Please, personally observe the process to ensure that the defendants are allowed all legal rights and freedom in defending themselves and that their rights are not violated even by one iota."

However, President Ahmadinejad also told the news agency that Iran must protect its security and independence from outside threats. Perhaps, a reaction to U.S. officials calling the charges against Roxana Saberi "baseless."

Middle East regional expert, Mustafa Alani, told Bloomberg, “Iran is sending a clear message that Iranian security is a priority which will not be compromised." Alani also told Bloomberg that the Iranian government may have jailed Roxana Saberi as a show of strength. And, perhaps, as a magnanimous gesture officials will later reverse the decision.

In the meantime, despite letters, statements, interviews and outcries...Roxana remains in jail. In an interview with the BBC, Roxana's mother, Akito Saberi, said she is most concerned about her daughter's health.

Roxana has shown unbelievable courage in her quest to cover stories in Iran. She should be honored, as should all journalists who take risks to find the truth.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. CLICK ON THIS LINK AND WRITE A MESSAGE TO ROXANA SABERI.

Iran convicts American journalist of espionage

This is a sad day for Roxana Saberi and her family. Iran convicted the American reporter of spying on Iran for the United States and sentenced her to eight years. As one online reporter aptly stated, "Where is the outrage? Why aren’t Americans calling for immediate action by the Obama administration to free American journalist Roxana Saberi?"

And...I also ask...where is the outrage? But, then I think, will "outrage" help or hurt her? Will angry Americans only deepen Iran's resolve to imprison Roxana Saberi? Yet how can we remain silent, as one of our own journalists is wrongly convicted during a secret trial in Tehran?

This marks the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of spying.

Saberi's father told NPR that Iranian officials duped his daughter into making incriminating statements by promising to set her free.

President Obama is "deeply disappointed" by the news, according to a White House official. For the past 30 years, diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States have remained at a standstill (if not volatile). Most likely, the verdict will dampen the Obama Administration's efforts to open up communication with Iran and to improve relations.

But hope remains. Roxana's attorney plans to appeal. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will continue to monitor the situation closely and hopes to get Roxana home soon.

"Posturing," my Iranian friend tells me. He believes the Iranian government is trying to make a point to the international community. All the talk, all the press, all the efforts to free Roxana have backfired and only fueled the Iranian government to convict her. In the meantime, some Iranians may want to sabotage efforts to heal relations with the United States. Is Roxana a pawn...leverage in negotiations with the U.S. government?

Please light a candle or say a prayer for Roxana Saberi tonight. And visit the website: FREE ROXANA!

There must be a way to bring her home peacefully.

I can't make this stuff up!

Some woman claims she developed a surgery-free facelift. It's been featured in Elle, Marie Claire and Vogue, so it must be for women.

It's called Facercise (like I said, I can't make this stuff up), a twice-daily face exercise program that isolates face muscles and claims to firm them up.

There's a funny 1995 article from The New York Times about the program (I say it's funny because the writer accepts the notion that her aging face is a problem - more on that below).

Anyway, according to the Facercise web site, "results" can be seen "in just a few days." I should let you know that I was laughing while I typed that.

These are the results Facercisers (I think I just coined the term) can expect:

-Eyebrows are raised or lifted

-Eye sockets are enlarged, resulting in the eyes appearing more open and
vibrant

-Diminished puffiness under the eyes

-A shorter or narrower nose. The nose grows with age, creating an aged appearance

-Fuller lips and turned up, younger looking mouth corners

-Toned and defined chin, neck and jaw line

-Complexions change color and become more vibrant and youthful

So after reading the list I decided I wasn't going to exhaust myself by going over every point because the list is ridiculous enough on its own. But here's what jumped out at me.

Who would want to enlarge their eye sockets? Right. Let's move on.

"The nose grows with age, creating an aged appearance." OMG! There are so many things wrong with that statement that I think a college course can be built around it.

Bottom line is that this marketing campaign does not take into account two basic ideas (that seem like common sense to me):

1) People (even women people) age. Women and men people, if they remain on the planet long enough, will look older than 18 at some point;

2) Young does not equal attractive. Old does not equal unattractive. But what if they did?

Is Facercise the answer? Uh ... enlarged eye sockets? I think not. The answer lies within the person. Each person. You know what I mean?