[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > "I now direct you to agree to a proposal which includes the following > terms and conditions," Wolfowitz instructed. "You should accept > immediately her offer to be detailed to an outside institution of her > choosing, while retaining bank salary and benefits." > > The Wolfowitz memo went on say that Riza should receive a promotion, > draw a salary of 180,000 dollars (£90,000) and get annual pay > increases of 8%. > > Before the job change, Riza was believed to be getting paid close to > 133,000 dollars (£67,000). After the transfer, she received 193,590 > dollars (£97,000), according to the Government Accountability Project, > a watchdog group. > > Riza remains on the World Bank's payroll though she left the State > Department job last year and now works for Foundation for the Future, > an international organisation that gets some money from the > department. > > On Apr 7, 9:33 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> http://counterpunch.org/rahni04072007.html >> >> Test Tube Zealots: The American Chemical Society Terminates the >> Membership of Chemists from Iran >> >> By DAVID N. RAHNI >> >> The American Chemical Society (ACS) has once again led the way, with >> its "zealot" interpretation of "embargo" by the Department of >> Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control, by terminating the >> membership of its long-standing members in Iran, many of whom are post >> Ph.D. Alumni of American Universities. Several years ago, the ACS >> undertook a similar unprecedented action, under the same law. Then, it >> unilaterally stopped accepting scholarly and research manuscripts from >> Iranian scientists for its three dozen periodicals in the publication >> division. However, later, under embarrassing pressure from the >> American scientific community and its membership, the ACS retracted >> its decision and agreed to take it up instead with the federal >> government. Paradoxically and notwithstanding rhetoric, such ill- >> conceived measures are against the current U.S. Administration policy >> of promoting people-to-people contact as enunciated by the Assistant >> Secretary of State Nicholas Burns at the March 29 hearing of the >> Senate Foreign Relations Committee. >> >> Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, in Science Magazine, reported that the ACS >> Assistant General Counsel, David Smorodin when "re-reading the embargo >> rules, made the recommendation to terminate Iranian membership(Science >> Magazine, Vol. 315, 30 March 2007). One can not help but speculate >> whether or not such decision is truly serving the interests of member- >> based ACS or enforcing the laws to the limit as he has served as a >> U.S. Assistant District Attorney before joining the ACS. Nonetheless, >> despite the abrupt termination of individual membership of Iranian >> chemical scientists with no due process, the ACS has stated that while >> they [Iranians] can continue to purchase journals and other "non- >> sensitive products at full-rate, the ACS might apply for a special >> license from the Treasury Department to reinstate their memberships. >> This has in the meantime deprived American chemists to learn about the >> scholarly contributions of their Iranian peers. >> >> It should be noted that as in the past, the American Physical Society >> (APS), in contrast, stated, "We have NO plan to do anything similar, >> and continue to serve our members in Iran." Judy Franz, a director at >> the APS further stated that, "We would resist having to obtain a >> license to the extent we can." >> >> When interviewed by Science Magazine, the official publication of the >> American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), David >> Rahni an Iranian-American chemistry professor in New York stated, "I, >> like most ACS members and peers in the scientific community, strongly >> question the ACS motive on this issue, and expect ACS,s leadership to >> refrain from allowing politics to taint the high stature the >> Organization has achieved." Rahni further stated that this has >> personally concerned him gravely since he has served the ACS with >> distinctions in the past thirty years, as typified by his positions as >> the chair of the ACS New York, the chair of the Middle Atlantic >> Regional Meeting, and the chair of Nichols Medal. 90% of the ACS >> projects, publications and activities are run by a huge cadre of >> volunteer professionals who, with no expectations, give their time, >> energy, money and intellects and talents to the advancement of the >> chemical sciences worldwide. It is painfully ironic to many, >> especially the ACS American members to witness the politicization of >> their disciplines through the ACS as they continue to register their >> grave concerns with the ACS lucratively remunerated executive >> directors. As a chemistry professor with having given fifty years of >> his life to the ACS and the profession so eloquently put it, "Never >> mind the Iranians as one may not give a darn about them and their >> plights, what, I am bewildered to speculate the ulterior motives of >> the ACS paid "professional leadership is to embarrass us as >> freethinking science. ACS is US and not its DC staff as they are >> required by our mandate to serve our interests and not create problems >> for us. >> >> The consensus among the nearly one million Americans of Iranian >> ancestry is to reaffirm their yearning commitment to the attainment of >> justice, security, stability, equity, transparency and human rights >> through "home-grown", indigenous and democratic reforms in Iran, but >> not at the expense of isolating the scientific community in their >> motherland from their peers worldwide. They further deplore any >> possible unilateral military action against Iran, as they firmly >> believe this is counter-productive to the organic, slow, but steady >> evolution of Iran through educational benchmark, cultural reforms and >> communication with the rest of the world. They further consider >> military action and/or isolation counter-productive to the credibility >> of their American homeland which would inevitably lead, once again, to >> the priceless loss of human life and loss of credibility for our >> nation in the international scene. >> >> Iran's chemist/chemical engineering professionals/scholars numbers >> tens of thousands. They are, by and large, members of the Iranian >> Chemical Society. However, many of them hold at least one overseas >> membership, mostly in the Royal Societies in the UK. There are >> currently 36 Iranian members in the American Chemical Society. The >> strong position of chemistry/chemical engineering in Iran is due to >> the oil and gas explorations by the petrochemical industry during the >> past 100 years, and due to some of Iran,s renowned past and >> contemporary chemists, scientists, and philosophers. The contributions >> of Americans of Iranian background to the chemistry and sciences, >> engineering and medicine, is unparalleled by other recent immigrant >> communities. There indeed exists an <http://www.ica-acs.org/ >> news.htm>Iranian Chemists' Association of the ACS that since its >> inception in the 80, has reached out to over a thousand chemists of >> Iranian ancestry in the U.S. alone. It is well substantiated that as >> long as the diplomatic relations between the two nations remain at a >> hostile stalemate, a political cloud hovers over the personal and >> professional aspirations of Iranian-Americans. Specifically, senior >> and executive level professional opportunities for Iranian-Americans, >> particularly in government, higher education and the corporate world, >> remain chronically undermined. >> >> Iran, a multiethnic country of 70 million, traces its heritage to a >> long and illustrious history, 10,000 years in the making, with 2500 >> years of a continuous form of government. There are two million >> students in her higher education system, 60% of whom, especially in >> the sciences, engineering and medicine, are women. Its literacy rate >> is 90%, unprecedented in that part of the world. Iran or Persia as it >> was formerly known by the outside world until 1935, has indeed >> contributed immensely toward the advancement of science, technology >> and society for millennia. Rhazes, Avicenna, Algorithm, Omer Khayam, >> Farabi, Biruni, Hayyan, and many others are some of the epics that >> come to a western scholar,s mind. >> >> Despite the tremendous burden imposed on the Iranian students and >> scholars as they struggle to obtain a US visa (mostly denied) for >> doctoral studies, some of the brightest graduate students in Ivy >> League Universities (e.g., Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT) are >> Iranians. Increasingly, however, they opt to pursue their doctoral >> studies in Australia, Canada and Europe. Iranian high school students >> have continuously ranked among the top few of the nations in the >> International Chemistry and other Science Olympiads, and Robotics and >> Computing Competitions. >> >> Isn't it ironic that when the ACS claims to be an international >> professional society, 130 years old, with a membership of 160,000, 10% >> of whom are from overseas, and an additional 20%, are naturalized >> Americans or permanent residents, that it forces the nationals of Iran >> out, deprives them from maintaining scientific communications with >> peers worldwide, and does not let them contribute toward the >> advancement of science worldwide? >> >> Notwithstanding the rhetoric and provocations leading to a possible >> disastrous confrontation by governments, a true scientist, or a >> credible organization of scientists such as the ACS, which does not >> recognize the boundaries of the world, should be capable to transcend >> all political barriers for the advancement of science. >> >> David N. Rahni, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry at Pace University, >> in Pleasantville, New York and Adjunct Professor of Dermatology, New >> York Medical College. He is also an Adj. Prof. Envirnonmental Law at >> Pace U. He can be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >
If you would read C&EN News you would be aware that the response of the membership is hardly majority in favor of such actions. Had they polled the membership I doubt that the action would have been approved. The action of a state is not necessarily the will of even a majority of its citizens. Consider if you will the present popularity polls in regard to the President of the United States of America. FK -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
