Tehran and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah warn of cataclysmic retaliation against an Israeli attack, threatening to make the country “a living hell.” The statements come amidst reports of that Israel is preparing a unilateral strike on Iran.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his party had already fixed targets in Israel and would be able to hit them with a small number of rockets if Tel Aviv decides to attack first.

“If we are forced to use them to protect our people and our country, we will not hesitate to do so… and that will turn the lives of hundreds of thousands of Zionists into a living hell,” Nasrallah warned in a speech on Quds Day, an annual event to show solidarity with Palestinians under occupation using the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

Nasrallah also predicted that an Israeli strike on Iran would bring an “enormous response” from the Islamic Republic, giving it “the opportunity it has been dreaming of” since 1979.

Israeli military leaders have been signaling that they may attack the Lebanese group’s militant factions in the near future if rocket strikes against Israeli targets continue.

“If we get to another war, Israel will hit Hezbollah decisively, quickly, as fast as we can in order to stop the fire from Lebanon,” Brig. General Herzi Halevi, the commander of the Israeli Defense Forces’ northern division, said last month, also warning that South Lebanese towns used by Hezbollah as launching pads would be “destroyed.”

The leader’s diatribe against Israel was not dissimilar to a speech given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday.

“The Zionist regime and the Zionists are a cancerous tumor,” he declared in remarks at Tehran University. “The nations of the region will soon finish off the usurper Zionists in the Palestinian land.”

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British threats to invade Ecuador’s embassy will be discussed at international-level talks between the foreign ministers of the Organization of American States. The proposal was adopted despite the US saying OAS has nothing to do with the issue.

Ecuador’s resolution to convene a meeting of the OAS member nations’ foreign ministers was adopted with 23 voting in favor, three against and five abstentions.

The US and Canada were among those who opposed the measure, stating that the dispute over Assange’s fate is a bilateral matter between Ecuador and the United Kingdom, and should not be dragged to the international table.

The US State Department stated earlier on Friday that the OAS has “no role” to play in a “bilateral issue between Ecuador and the United Kingdom.” Not party to the 1954 OAS Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, the United States “does not recognize the concept of diplomatic asylum as a matter of international law,” the statement read.

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The US State Department reacted to the Pussy Riot verdict by saying the sentences were “disproportionate.” The American stance on the issue is hypocritical, as Washington regularly casts a blind eye on controversial sentences, activist Don DeBar told RT.

Shortly after a Russian judge sentenced three Pussy Riot members to two years in prison for performing a “punk prayer” at Moscow’s most prominent cathedral, the State Department issued a statement, saying it was “concerned” about the negative impact the verdict could have on freedom of expression in Russia.

“We urge Russian authorities to review this case and ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

The British Foreign Office also reacted harshly to the ruling.

“I am deeply concerned by the sentencing of three members of the band Pussy Riot, which can only be considered a disproportionate response to an expression of political belief,” Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt stated, adding that he was also perturbed by reports of the conditions of detention and the conduct of the trial.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said she was “disappointed” with the verdict and also called the sentence “disproportionate.”

The Swedish Foreign Minister agreed via Twitter with Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Vladimir Lukin, who called the prison sentence unfair. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves likened the Pussy Riot trial to witch hunts in a tweet.

The dramatic conclusion to the case, which had been closely followed by activists around the globe, came as Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three years in prison for “inciting” anti-government protests in speeches and tweets. The latter case, however, was not as publicized as the former.

The court’s verdict also coincided with a dramatic deterioration of relations between Ecuador and Britain over Quito’s granting political asylum to Julian Assange, whom London wants to arrest and extradite to Sweden.

Don DeBar, a New York-based activist and journalist, believes America’s negative reaction to the Pussy Riot verdict, but a lack of attention towards the human rights situation in Bahrain is indicative of its double standards.

RT: Why did Washington react so strongly to the Pussy Riot verdict but keep silent over the sentencing of a prominent human rights activist in Bahrain?

Don DeBar: It’s a double standard. The United States has other double standards that bear on this case too. At numerous times since the beginning of the Iraq War, people have tried to go to churches around the United States to speak to the congregations to say, ‘look, the religious beliefs are so and so, what’s happening violates them, please join us.’ They’ve been threatened with arrest, arrested and worse. So the United States does exactly this. And finally, in New York State alone, and this is true in all 50 states and federally, there is a hate crime statute that this action fits exactly into the parameters of. And what it calls for is sentence enhancement, so that, for example, if you were charged with criminal mischief for interrupting a church service or some other related violation, the penalties get stepped up as if you had committed a more serious crime. Three years is not out of line with the New York State statute, so they are hypocritical across the board.

RT: Why did the State Department say it hopes Russia will revise the verdict?

DDB: That is the official foreign government’s position. There are geopolitical considerations such as Syria and others that I think are deeply involved. But there are also the unofficial spokespeople for the State Department, particularly Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, one of which is now actually run by Hillary Clinton’s former chief of staff. I received four separate e-mails from Amnesty International about the Pussy Riot case. I didn’t receive anything about the threat of the UK to invade the embassy of Ecuador in London. So what’s happening is that the United States, for some reason that will become apparent later, is stirring this up to make Russia look as if it were a repressive, lawless state while the United States, which has more incarcerated people than the next three countries on the planet, and that’s only in absolute terms; in relative terms – more than any other country on the planet. The United States has all these people in jail and is going to lecture countries about how their legal process should work. I think it has no credibility around the world, and I think it’s shameful.

RT: Does Washington have a right to assess the case and say that it is “disproportionate?”

DDB: First of all, I’d be curious to see if they had actually studied the case. I think that geopolitical considerations are driving the statements to come out instead. Certainly it’s not any concern for democracy or democratic rights because they would then be screaming about the situation in Bahrain, which instead they are probably engineering because Bahrain, of course, is the home to their fleet in that area.

RT:What kind of reaction from Russia is the US aiming to provoke?

DDB: No reaction, so that they could continue to turn up the heat in a public relations fashion against Russia. Because I have concerns that as they move from Cote d’Ivoire to Libya to Syria and eventually Iran, that they may well have Russia in their target, that is the US senior policymakers. And they may well be softening the ground right now to try to show that the Russian government is hostile to its own people, that it lacks legitimacy, all of the things that they accused each other country of as they moved their military forces in. That may be one thing. Another is that it presents a crisis for the Russian government in terms of being an unsolvable problem, if you consider it a problem. Either they continue to do what they do, and they continue to have this public relations campaign conducted against them, or they cave in, ceding part of their sovereignty, obviously, in front of the world, and demonstrating by example that ‘if you play this game us, you’ll win.’

Theatre 29, the Morongo Basin’s premiere live theater venue, will join forces with all four Morongo Basin Chambers of Commerce to unveil their 2013 performance season in a unique “Season Announcement Gala” event.

The special Four-Chamber event, hosted by the Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, and Morongo valley Chambers of Commerce, will feature the announcement of the much anticipated 2013 Theatre 29 season of live theatrical productions. The season announcement Gala will take place at the spectacular “Friendship Hall” of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center (formerly Mentalphysics) in Joshua Tree from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Wednesday, September 12, 2012.

Business people and individuals from the Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, and Morongo Valley communities of the Morongo Basin will have a very rare chance to network, get together and discuss business growth and mutual cooperation. Each of the chambers will give a brief presentation on their economic development activities as well as give a snapshot of their upcoming events and benefits of membership. The Four-Chamber event offers a unique opportunity to forge valuable business relationships amongst the Morongo Basin family of communities.

There is no charge for the season Announcement Gala event. The Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce will be serving beverages, including beer and wine as well as soft drinks as a fund-raiser. A large selection of complimentary deli delights will also be served to those in attendance by Theatre 29 Board members and volunteers.

Theatre 29 Board President Brian Tabeling will host the event, welcoming those in attendance and starting the presentation and announcement of the three Musicals, Classic Murder Mystery, a Special children’s production, and Classic Holiday presentation as well as the updated “Halloween Haunt” planned for 2013.

With sell-out audiences clamoring for seats at Theatre 29, the season announcement event will give only those in attendance the opportunity to secure season tickets first. Season tickets offer theatre-goers a reserved seat to all six of the 2013 stage productions as well as a special Halloween Haunt event in October.

At the Announcement, each of the seven directors selected for the Theatre 29 2013 season will give a sneak peek of their individual shows with featured performances and descriptions. The new 2013 season will not be revealed until the night of the Gala event.

Theatre 29 has been producing a full season of Quality, family-friendly local live theater entertainment since 1999. They are an all-volunteer 501(c)3 tax-deductible non-profit organization. Theatre 29 is located at 73637 Sullivan Road in the City of Twentynine Palms.

For more information on the season announcement event, or Theatre 29, call Board President Brian Tabeling 760-367-9338.

When Alfred Molina is on a stage or in a movie, it’s hard for one to take one’s eyes off of him, and when an actor has that strong a presence, a quality that Noel Coward used to call “star quality”, it must be tough on his cast members. In the case of “Red”, written by John Logan, and deftly directed by the formidable and talented Michael Grandage, the “other cast members” in question, is just Jonathan Groff. “Red”, is a two-hander and fortunately for him Molina is a most generous and giving co-star. Together, they become a formidable acting force in bringing the inner-turmoil of the creative process of the late painter Mark Rothko, to the current audiences of The Mark Taper Forum.

“Red” was a break-out hit in London’s 2009 season before moving to New York, with the original cast of Molina and Eddie Redmayne, winning the 2010 Tony for Best Play, for playwright Logan, as well as Tony’s for Best Lead actor Molina, and Best Featured actor Redmayne.

The rationale driving Logan’s story is the need to explore and understand the “creative process” which takes place in his play “Red”. That’s a very tough assignment due to many gray areas within the creative moment. These moments, by their nature, are difficult to define or isolate. Many storytellers have tried to illuminate the linkage between the artist and society. Not many have succeeded. It’s why biopics about the great artists of history fail to fully engage. The struggle is a very personal experience – one that only artists themselves hear and feel. And each artist must march to the drumbeat that each hears.

The first lines uttered by Molina, portraying the late abstract/impressionist painter Mark Rothko, to Jonathan Groff, who plays his new assistant Ken, are “What do you see”? Ken hesitates… Rothko this time gruffly and demandingly barks again, “What do you see?” The question is that of a teacher asking the student a basic question artist to artist.

What we the audience see is an artist’s studio, with various canvases, in various stages of completion, along with the tools of the trade of the painter as artist. The stage is now set for Molina and Groff to engage the audience. For the next ninety minutes we have the opportunity to see not only Rothko’s inner demons, but his artistic philosophy, as well. Ken’s patient acquiescence to Rothko’s outbursts, allows us to watch two consummate actors, Alfred Molina and Jonathan Groff, shape their personal “acting canvases” concerning their creative processes. It’s something all actors do and personally experience every time they step onto a stage.

During the course of the play Molina says to Groff, “There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend … one day the black will swallow the red”. There is a lot of social and political philosophy of that sort that discussed in “Red”. There are also many thought provoking moments raised concerning the role of the artist in society. At one point Ken brashly questions Rothko’s theories of art and his acceding to work on such a commercial project as Rothko’s now famous murals, which he painted for the expensive and exclusive Four Seasons restaurant in New York City.

The play generated mixed reviews in London and New York, as far as the story went, but everyone was in total agreement as to the power and intensity of the two performers, and rightly so.

Fortunately, for all, the creative team is led by director Michael Grandage (he was the director of both the London and Broadway productions) who brings not only continuity to this Taper production, but adds to the richness of the performances. The scenic and costume designs by Christopher Oram, plus a mood-inducing low key lighting plot by Neil Austin, complement Grandage’s vision of this wonderful west coast production of “Red”. Don’t miss it!

“Red” runs at The Mark Taper Forum, in Los Angeles from August 1 through September 9, 2012. Call 213-628-2772 for reservations and ticket information.