Tracy Mumford

Authorities there spent the last five days shutting down the Internet and many phone lines to try and impose an information blackout.

But The Times has been able to reach people over satellite Internet connections who describe scenes of intense violence.

They said they've seen snipers on rooftops in downtown Tehran shooting into crowds and security forces opening fire with machine guns.

Hospital workers say protesters are coming in with skull fractures and gunshot wounds.

One ER had 19 shooting victims in an hour.

A businessman told The Times, I managed to get connected for a few minutes just to say it's a bloodbath here.

One Iranian government official said he'd seen an internal report referring to at least 3,000 dead, civilians and security forces.

My God, this is it!

Last night, undeterred by the crackdown, a large crowd gathered in Tehran once again.

Footage from the BBC captured people chanting, death to the dictator, with gunfire in the background.

Iranian officials have started claiming that the protests, which began late last month over economic woes, have been taken over by terrorists, and they are blaming the U.S.

and Israel for fueling the unrest.

In the U.S., a growing number of health and wellness companies are making a new pitch.

We can test your blood.

They're offering people a chance at lab tests without any kind of doctor visit or referral.

The promises vary.

Some say they can help catch cancer early.

Others say they can help identify the source of hard-to-pin-down conditions.

They're capitalizing, in some cases, on a growing skepticism of and frustration with the health care system.

One company's website even promises, "...ignored by most, tested by us."