People in TwittIran

The heroes of my Twitter World are of course those that live and fight and suffer in Iran. They give their names quite openly, one can find many of them in a blog and follow them on Twitter.

Over a long day on Twitter-duty they sometimes share some personal things – an exam coming close, problems with computers, anger about some people they dislike. There is a revolution going on but nevertheless a day’s routine engrosses everybody. After a while you think that you know them personally.

Apart from theme there is a number of people standing by and watching, like me. It is a compassionate watch, especially with people like Omid Nouripor, a German with an Iranian background. He is member of our Parliament in Berlin, in a noisy party (Green) that I would normally not vote for. Nevertheless I like his heartfelt comments and re-tweets and the way he often adds a #prayforthem to it.

In Germany people with a “Migrationshintergrund” (migration background) are mainly welcomed by those parties tending to the left. Those to the right (which I normally vote for) rather keep them at a distance, which is a mistake and leaves me sometimes standing alone and freeze in conservative circles.

Every movement has at least one beauty to look at. In TwitterIran it is Lily Mazahery from Washington D.C. Her Twitter account had her picture taken from behind, showing her classic profile and her lovely shoulders. Unfortunately Twitter would overlay the shoulder part with text, so for a long time you only could guess how it looked. Only when the internet was slow the shoulders would appear for a second. That was the only time you would bless a slow internet.

Now she changed the size of the photo and you see shoulders and all immediately, but in a much smaller seize. To my fortunate readers here I proudly present the old, big shot.

Lily is in Wikipedia, she is reported about in the New York Times and sometimes she is on TV in the United States. She is a lawyer and a Human Rights Activist, as that profession is called. I am sure TwitterIran would make her the next Shabanu if she would only accept it (which I doubt, she doesn't sound too much monarchist).

Also on TV and active behind the political scene is my dear Joshua Trevino from California. In my imagination he is my closest ally and friend – a little older than the students, a conservative, a man in business, all like me. Nevertheless I disagree with his Conservativism in the same way I disagree with another American friend’s Liberalism.

Both stick to the crazy believe that every change of government in the USA invents the country completely new. The reality is that America is only gradually adjusted from time to time and in the meantime busy to keep all their trade partners on he losing side. I say that although I love almost no other country in the world more than the United States. If they only could give up borrowing money from the Chinese and changing it into foul derivative papers that make you bankrupt within weeks after you have faithfully bought it.

Honestly, this of course is exaggerated. I wish I could write half as good English as Joshua does. Sometimes he is so brilliant that I don’t even get his wit. Sorry for the small photo, his website with bigger photos is under attack right at the moment. He obviously has enemies. If it was the Iranian Secret Service it would surely make all of us proud.

I love you all!*


* After writing down this phrase I see that Michael Jackson used it, yes he passed away last night, and yes, it is almost forbidden in TwitterIran to let oneself be distracted by this event. Nevertheless also here every second tweet has MJ in it.