Iran: US exit key to Iraq peace

US troops must leave Iraq if security is to be restored, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said during talks with the Iraqi president.

The instability of Iraq was detrimental to all countries in the region and the US had no hope of improving the situation, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

US army 'to suggest Iraq changes'

US military leaders are preparing to recommend changes in strategy on Iraq, America's top military officer says.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Peter Pace said commanders were having their own dialogue and would make the changes that were needed.

Why the hell to create a blog?

"Why the hell to create a blog?" was the question we posted in the Ovi Forum back in April 2005 after a number of our regular readers had encouraged us to start one. Most of the comments were negative, such as Bighairyfinn's "It gives you the 15 minutes of fame required to make the average egocentrist happy" and harryparry's end statement, "If there is something you want to write about or if you have opinions that you want to express, then start a blog. Otherwise, why bother?"

Well, 19 months later we have learnt for ourselves 'why the hell to create a blog' and we have gone one, no two, maybe three…many steps further by creating more than one Ovi blog and have even chosen 'Blogs' as the theme for the 17th PDF magazine released today. We understand 'why to bother' and we feel that we have something to say. Okay, we have a great deal to say about everything, but that is why you read Finland's opinionated daily magazine.

The Ovi team were reluctant to change our magazine into a blog because we believe that an online magazine has a different reputation to a blog. We don't consider magazines better than blogs, or vice-versa. Instead, we believe that when a reader arrives at a magazine they expect something different from the content and style, which wouldn't be found on the average blog.

We actually discovered the difference for ourselves in the form of a personal freedom. Maintaining our own personal blogs or the Ovi blogs allows us to write about events in an alternative style to the magazine articles. Why? We don't really know, but Ovi does encompass over 80 different writers and they all have their own opinions, so the Ovi team owe it to one another to maintain a professional style and approach. However, the blogs free us from these constraints and we can exercise our…cheekiness far more.

Today, Thanos launches another three personal blogs in addition to his existing god-knows-how-many. We have a suspicion here that when he has created his 52nd blog he will create the Thanos Blog Playing Card Series - each card has the front page of one of his blogs. Anyway, one of the blogs launched today is written in twisted Athenian slang and another features tales, such as fairytales and other children's stories, so check those out.

Blogger and WordPress may dominate the blogosphere, but Asa has been experimenting with MySpace and he gets a secret thrill with every 'So-and-so wants to be your friend' message, while many of our readers also maintain their own blogs. How do we know? Well, they actively support and promote Ovi magazine via their pages, add us to their Blogrolls and pester fellow bloggers to do the same. They have also gently guided us through the rocky blog landscape, pointing out the dangers and being supportive, which is the other reason for our decision to choose 'Blogs' as our PDF theme: We wanted to say, "Thank you!"

The new PDF has become a landmark issue for the Ovi team. The reason for such a long gap between our 'Copycats' PDF and issue #17 is due to the desire of implementing a number of fresh ideas into its pages. You will spot some of them immediately and the others will merely soak into your unconscious because Thanos has performed some minor miracles with the style and overall feel of the layout, but you should look for yourself because we are a little biased.

PDF Issue #17 is full of articles about blogs, bloggers and blogging, plus a couple about podcasts and other web-related content, plus cartoons, jokes and other Ovi nuances that you have come to love. The first-timers are the luckiest of all because you have no idea what to expect, which is something that we often envy.

In case you don't know, the Ovi PDF is free to download and read. There are no catches to downloading the PDF; you don't need to register, you don't need to sacrifice your firstborn, you don't even need to say, 'Please!' A computer, net connection and a PDF reader go without saying, but you can always ask a friend to do it for you.

In April 2005, we began a long journey of discovery and today we are confident that we could satisfactorily answer our own forum question: "Why the hell to create a blog?" Could you?

The birth of a copycat

On Friday 13th October, Jone Nikula and Ari Halttunen published the first edition of their brand new free magazine that will be distributed across Finnish cities and we hope that it will bring them bad luck. The familiar name of this new magazine is 'Ovi'.

Yes, they have stolen our name, a name we have built a reputation upon for three years and has become intrinsically connected with everything we do here at www.ovimagazine.com as the Ovi team.

We categorically state that the copycat has nothing to do with us and we ask for your continuing support,

The Ovi Team

Below is a copy of the mail we sent to the staff of the copycat magazine:

The Ovi magazine and the Ovi team feels obliged to say that the name of your magazine is simply splendid – we bet you gave great thought to its selection, after dismissing names like the New York Times, Newsweek, The Economist, you decided to send your creativity sky high using our magazine’s three-year-old name. Your graphic designer also did a splendid job as well; we bet their portfolio features other names like Leevi's Jeans, Colpa Cabana, Roleks and others.

Just as we have done over the last four months, we promise to answer all the mails coming to Ovi magazine and Ovi lehti, both names that are registered to us, but we suppose you already know that.

Actually, in a telephone call a few months ago with Ari Halttunen, he gave the rather entertaining answer, "We didn’t know you existed; we checked the internet!" You definitely knew about us since then and you know that we are the only true Ovi magazine and are one of the very few daily magazines in the world.

We wish you luck in the harsh world of free Finland newspapers, although we are confident you will find a niche among City, Voima, SixDegrees, V, Metro, Uutis 100, Nöjesguiden, Sue and Spektr. We're sure we missed four or five – oddly, we are so organized that we have carried out research into the future of free magazines and it doesn't look good.

We are certain you will finish on top of the pile…just before they are sent away for recycling. We're joking, although you are printing your magazine on recycled paper, aren't you? It is only coming out ten times a year, so you could always pass the cost onto your advertisers - let's hope the Green Party use you to promote their candidates in the coming elections. Ahhh, irony!

Luckily, you have the web edition of your magazine to champion yourselves online at the catchy URL of www.ovi-lehti-fi. Nice. Don't most of your competitors just have their title and dot fi? Oh well, we are sure it will work out through the search engines and your readers will not stumble upon any original titled online magazines…hmm.

Seriously, we wish you the best and if a copy happens to blow down the street and strike a leg then we may scrape it off the ground and have a read.

The Ovi Team

P.S. Despite the warnings, even from Roman Schatz, that you act as a copycat and our warnings that you shouldn’t base your future on somebody else’s work, you ignored everything. It's natural that we are going to publish the truth, warn advertisers and readers at every single chance.

US to introduce new N Korea draft

US diplomats are circulating a new draft of a United Nations resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea in response to its claimed nuclear test.

US envoy John Bolton said he hoped the new draft, which the US will formally introduce on Thursday, would pass by the end of the week.

Iranian Bomb

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Thursday that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful and said he is "at a loss" about what more he can do to provide guarantees.

"The bottom line is we do not need a bomb," he said at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, iran, oviblog & theOviMagazine

Bin Laden '9/11 video' broadcast

Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera has broadcast what it says is unseen footage of Osama Bin Laden meeting some of the 9/11 hijackers.

The channel said it showed al-Qaeda leaders "preparing for the attacks and practising their execution".

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, theovimagazine, Bin Laden & 911

Gunman fires on Jordan tourists

A gunman has opened fire on a group of foreign tourists in the Jordanian capital Amman, killing a British man. The shooting happened at the Roman amphitheatre, a popular attraction.

Five other tourists were injured - two British women as well as tourists from New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia. The gunman was arrested.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, Amman, gunman & Jordan

Annan to see Lebanon destruction

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is to see first-hand the destruction wrought in south Lebanon during the four-week conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Mr Annan landed at the southern port of Naqoura, home to the UN peacekeeping force, after flying in from Beirut.

The force is to be significantly expanded under the UN-backed ceasefire, which ended the fighting. The UN chief will travel on to Israel, as he continues his regional tour to try to bolster the two-week old truce.

Ovi magazine, Ovi lehti, Lebanon, Hezbollah & Kofi Annan

Annan to see Lebanon destruction

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is to see first-hand the destruction wrought in south Lebanon during the four-week conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Mr Annan landed at the southern port of Naqoura, home to the UN peacekeeping force, after flying in from Beirut.

The force is to be significantly expanded under the UN-backed ceasefire, which ended the fighting. The UN chief will travel on to Israel, as he continues his regional tour to try to bolster the two-week old truce.

Ovi magazine, Ovi lehti, Lebanon, Hezbollah & Kofi Annan

Beirut fury at 'ceasefire breach'

Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora has accused Israel of a "naked violation" of the five-day-old ceasefire, after a raid by Israeli commandos deep inside Lebanon. The raid, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, left one Israeli dead and two injured.

Israel said it was trying to disrupt the movement of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah, and insisted the ceasefire was still intact.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, Israel, Lebanon & Hezbollah

US echoes Iraq civil war warning

The top US commander in the Middle East, Gen John Abizaid, has said Iraq could move toward civil war if the sectarian violence is not stopped.

"The sectarian violence is probably as bad as I have seen it, Gen Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, Iraq, Middle East , John Abizaid & USA

The new Ovi magazine

The new
Ovi magazine
is now on line.
check it out!!!








Ovi magazine, Ovi lehti, Ovi & Original Ovi

Israel 'presses US on bomb sale'

Reports from the US suggest Washington has been asked to speed up a shipment of precision bombs sold as part of a deal with Israel last year.

According to a report in the New York Times, Israel made the request after it began its air assault on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon 12 days ago. The weapons, including five-tone laser-guided bombs, are part of a sale signed last year. Unnamed US officials say the request to speed up delivery is unusual. From the news.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, US, Israel, Lebanon & bombs

Israel vows no let-up on Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the attacks on Lebanon will be kept up until two captured soldiers are freed.

He also insisted Hezbollah guerrillas had to be disarmed and the Lebanese army had to control southern Lebanon.

"We are not looking for war or direct conflict, but if necessary we will not be frightened by it," he said.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, cartoon, comic, Israel, Lebanon & Palestine

Scores dead in Mumbai train bombs

More than 160 people have been killed and 460 injured by seven bombs on the train network in the Indian financial capital Mumbai (Bombay), police say.

The first of the near-simultaneous blasts went off at about 1830 local time (1300 GMT), during the rush hour in the suburbs on the Western Railway. Correspondents spoke of scenes of pandemonium, with people jumping from trains and bodies flung onto tracks. From the news.

ovi magazine, ovi lehti, cartoon, india, Mumbai, news, terrorism

George W. Bush: “Hard to read North Korea’s motives.

President Bush said Thursday it is hard to read North Korea's motives in firing a missile with the potential to hit the United States or Canada, but said the U.S. cannot afford to misjudge the situation.

"I think we've got to plan for the worst and hope for the best," Bush said.

Bush stressed that the United States is seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff with North Korea. He cautioned that diplomacy will take time.

Ovi magazine, Ovi lehti, George w. Bush, north korea, Saddam, cartoon

Israel to 'intensify' Gaza action

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ordered the military to intensify its actions in Gaza to secure the release of a captured Israeli soldier.
Mr. Olmert said he had instructed Israel's forces "to do everything" to free 19-year-old Cpl Gilad Shalit.


bush ovi ovi magazine ovi lehti israel palestine

Supreme Court Blocks Bush’s Guantanamo

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and Geneva conventions.

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Guantanamo
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Cartoons
cartoon
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G8 calls for Iran nuclear answer

The G8 countries have called on Iran to give an answer in seven days to the international offer of incentives to halt its disputed nuclear programme.

G8 foreign ministers meeting in Moscow said they were disappointed Iran had yet to respond to the offer.