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Syria Bans iPhone, Protest App
Hugh Pickens writes "BBC reports that with 4,000 people killed in Syria since March, the government has banned the iPhone and threatened confiscation and prosecution for anyone found with an iPhone as the government tries to control information getting out of the country. Most international media have been banned from Syria since the uprising began, so footage of the violent crackdown has primarily come from activists filming material themselves and posting it on the internet. A mobile app for the iPhone called Souria Wa Bas (which roughly translates as 'Syria and That's All') covers the actions of opposition groups, including the Local Coordination Committees which claim to have members across the country and includes links for news, videos, and a map of opposition hot spots. The app's creators say they produced Souria Wa Bas to counter regime accounts of the opposition's activities. 'Under the fast-moving events in Syria and the deliberate attempts to distort the facts by some. We have compiled the most important Syrian news sources available,' say creators of the app at the Apple store."
Ironically creator of iPhone had Syrian blood.
"..when do we send some freedom their way?"
When they find some incredibly large oil deposits.
Steve Jobs' biological father, Abdulfattah John Jandali, is a native of Syria. He recently expressed his support for the pro-democracy protesters
This is logical conclusion of any government - complete take over all powers and destruction of all liberties. Not that there were huge number of liberties in Syria to begin with, but it's the same trend with all governments.
You can't handle the truth.
Yeah, 'cause, you know, the only way you can send information out of a country is through a country-specific, iphone-only app?
It's not US business at all. Let other countries handle their own things and start handling your own problems.
Nice try Assad.
If France had taken that attitude in 1776 Americans would be speaking English now.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Syria_Oil_Map.gif
There.
And now lets go and help those poor people there.
When we discover a valuable mineral deposit we can't get from a less war-torn nation. Why don't we send some freedom to the FARC occupied territories of northern Columbia, ending the cocaine trade forever? Because it would cost $100 billion and 100,000 US Soldier lives.
Freedom is really damn expensive, as it turns out. Ask the British, WWII nearly bankrupted their country, and we still had to write off most of the debt we loaned them.
Freedom used to be a lot cheaper. You can grow a full replacement army of humans every 15-20 years, but Tanks, Jets, Bombers, Aircraft Carriers etc have to be purchased with Gold and Gold Equivalents. When they break you can't just send them to the hospital for a few weeks before going back to the front lines. Machines need a whole additional set of parts, logistics and mechanics that you have to pay for.
moox. for a new generation.
So cynical and yet so funny...
Just force their telecom companies to turn off the service..
( ya, i know wifi exists too, but in practical terms it would squelch them )
---- Booth was a patriot ----
And yet so true.
My, you guys are almost as good at history as you are at geography. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Britain_makes_final_World_War_II_debt_payments
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Maybe it's because Assad et al think that new talking app is a blatant ripoff and bad misspelling of "Syria".
Yeah, sure, try to ban something in the US that makes some big company a buttload of money. Just try.
Don't worry, your iPhones are safe. Apple sure is too big to fail.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
We wrote off the $31 billion (half a trillion dollars in today's money) we loaned to you during WW2, then loaned you some more money.
To clarify:
What we wrote off: The $31 Billion freebie
What you guys actually paid back:The $4.33 Billion Loan
moox. for a new generation.
I wonder what they will do next. Are they going to do what japan did and attempt to close themselves off from the rest of the world?
http://www.losepoundsoffatfast.com/ http://www.best3dsoftwareforanimation.com/
If non-moderates take over, how long until they ban the apps again?
Bark less. Wag more.
First it is Colombia with Os. And last time I checked there were only about 8k Farc left running around in the mountains, so the Colombian government with its 300,000 police and soldiers, not to mention the Billions of dollars in gear that was given to it in plan Colombia.. Plus much of the cokes these days comes from Bolivia and Peru. Colombia could end cocaine very easily on its own shores, but there is too much money in it at all levels. As a Colombian American who lives between both countries Colombia is hardly war torn these days, still dangerous in some bits, but you can travel by land now, loads of foreign investment, and a bit brighter future.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Actually, Syria does have large oil deposits, and is an exporter of oil to Europe. Granted, it doesn't seem that way when compared to giants like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Iran, et al, but that doesn't mean it's not there. Thanks to Syria's low population of 22 million, there's not much demand for that oil, so they can export it, just like other Arab countries.
Also, the reason there is no Western intervention in Syria like there was in Libya was that Russia & China have openly opposed it, and made it clear that they're not going to stand for it. Neither of them were happy about the way the Libyan civil war ended - with an enhanced influence for NATO, so they sent the signals early that they won't tolerate Western intervention here. As it is, Syria is currently a proxy battleground between Saudi Arabia, Turkey & Qatar on the rebel side, and Iran, Iraq & Hizbullah on the Assad regime's side.
In any case, sending freedom their way is a bad idea, as it has been in Egypt, Libya & Tunisia. It's not going to result in democratic pluralism, but just a way for Islamic parties to take over in an election, just like they have won in Egypt, Tunisia & Morocco, and become Islamic theocracies, almost like Iran, except that they'd be Sunnite instead of Shiite as in Iran or Lebanon.
Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco have not 'become Islamic theocracies'. Egypt RIGHT NOW is having mass demonstrations where the MILITARY is beating the shit out of protestors and killing people. OUR ALLY IN THE WAR ON TERROR EGYPTIAN MILITARY.
besides, what the fuck do you think democracy is? its voting. if they want to vote in a bunch of theocratic illiterates, why shouldn't they be able to? thats what we in the US did in 2000 and 2004.
If france had withdrawn from it's colonies, we wouldn't have had the French-Indochina war, the battle at Dien Ben Phu, and the Vietnam War.
there also would have been no Algerian-French war.
also there would have been no Napoleon, and his mass invasion of Russia.
there might have been no mass cadres of Communists from all over the world coming to France to study, and then spreading their bullshit over the earth like in Cambodia.
all in all, if France had taken care of it's own business in 1776 instead of trying to dominate the planet with colonialism, there would be tens of millions of people living out normal lives instead of dying in stupid wars.
then again, this demonstrates the utter stupidity of trying to say 'there would have been xyz' in history.
Dissident makes iPhone app about pro-democracy news, Syrian dictator responds by banning all iPhones. Also because it has cameras that can be used to post videos to the site.
The Justice and Development party is not pushing for a theocracy, they're less extreme than the Republican party in the US. Yes, they'd like their new democracies to reflect Islamic values, just as most Americans want the US to reflect Christian values. Heck, Tunisia's new electoral winners, the Ennahda party, won't even ban alcohol. You're falling for the FUD.
I was quite confused for a moment.
Cue Android port in 3...2...1...
[SHOW SOME LENIENCY TOWARDS
We wrote off the $31 billion (half a trillion dollars in today's money) we loaned to you during WW2, then loaned you some more money.
This is not entirely correct. The "money written off" was actually supplies and war material from USA and Canada sent to Britain. Britain paid in kind by effectively handing over export rights to the commonwealth, reverse lend-lease transfers, giving away basing rights and let's not forget Roosevelts initial plan - carrying the battle against the Nazis so you wouldn't have to.
is that it is such an easy target for the government to take advantage of. If the iPhone and iPad keep gaining traction with the masses as they have, then it just becomes that much easier for the government to, say, implement an "internet kill switch". Variety is a good thing.
Britan paid Canada back at the same time they paid the US back for their 50 year loan; their loan amount to Canada was much smaller (~$20 million a year). The US got some concessions but the $31 billion was aid much like we gave Israel, Iran or Iraq in the second half of the last century, we didn't expect to get it back, but we were able to twist your arm a little for some lunch money on a few things in return ;)
moox. for a new generation.
given that big companies have so much influence over US (and indeed western) politics, i wonder how long until Apple brings this to the courts - perhaps the powers that be in Syria have links to other phone manufacturers?
i'd laugh if Apple sued Syria('s government) into nonexistence over banning the iPhone... money talks louder than protesters.
You've referred twice to the writing off of loans. This was a grant, not a loan, therefore it's complete nonsense to refer to writing it off.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."