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| May 30, 2002 To top * Negh negh ghoos In response to "Popular for the wrong reasons" It is such a shame that someone with an MD stuck in front of his name can write such an unthoughtful and stupid article and get it published too!! When judging programming quality, you should take into consideration the means and the budgets these stations have. If you consider that some of these stations exist thanks to only 3000 paid subscribers, then you should be amazed at the amount of good material you are able to get. Taking callers phone calls is one way for them to keep their subscribers. It also allows for a free expression of ideas, something which does not exist in the Islamic State. At the same time that you might hear an uninformed caller commenting on one of these stations, you are also able to watch little commentary segments by great journalists like "Homa Sarshar". The music videos are not produced by the TV stations, but by the record companies. These companies can only sell legal copies of CD's by artists like Andy and Shohreh to a small market of 2 million expatriot people that live in the western world. Compare that to the 900 million people (Europe and North America) to whome westerners can sell your beloved Santana CDs. Obviously the budget for an iranian music video has to be very limited. Personaly I'm amazed at the great quality of the iranian videos given the extremely small budgets and markets that they deal with. So you cannot compare iranian videos with MTV videos that have budgets of one million dollars each. Given the lack of iranian FM radio in the west, these low budget music videos are almost the only means left by which iranians can get introduced to new iranian music. Obviously they cant spend too much money on these videos if they only have a small market for their CD's. You cannot compare the small 2 million expatriot iranian market with the Western market of 900 million people (Europe and North America). While I'm at it, maybe with your little MD degree you could figure out that the paid subscriptions for these stations comes from people outside Iran and not people inside Iran. Therefore these stations are more likely to want to satisfy their western based viewers than the ones in Iran. Also last I heard, only one of these stations is viewable in Iran. All this reminds me of an iranian co-worker of mine. I would go to the local Iranian store to buy Lavaashak, Naan e nokhodchee, etc. She loved these things as well, but would never go because she claimed the service was bad. It is true, the service is "limited", but hey lady your local Iranian store is not "Albertsons" or "Safeway". These iranian stores have limited customers and therefore limited services, but I'm still thankful that there is a place were I can go and get iraniann products. So maybe this General Oveisi should have killed much more of these ever unsatisfied "Negh Negh Ghoos" like MR. MD. Sincerely. Dario To top * "Punishment" to those who did not vote Mr. Jahanshah Javid, [Tabreek o tasleeyat] In my opinion, there should be some rules in selecting someone who would fit the title "Iranian of the Year". Among them has to be a minimum number of votes, which is probably a function of the total population that it relates to. Someone with a mere 19 votes should obviously be disqualified based on the grounds of insufficient votes. I think it is better not to have anyone with that title than to lose confidence and respect for the whole act itself. I am a long time reader of Iranian.com, and I will continue to do so. This to me is more a "punishment" to those who did not vote than it is "election" of someone who had more votes than the others. In the hind site, if there was a compilation of all the candidates, and a short bio on each, I would have been more educated on who to vote for and hence more inclined to as well. Regards, Sasan Rostami To top * Wake up and smell the chai Whenever I read an article on this site written by an Iranian who has a bleeding heart for the Palestinians, a funny thing happens [Today, I am a Palestinian]. My heart rate goes sky-high, I get nauseous, and big beads of sweat start forming on my forehead. You make me ashamed of being an Iranian. I feel the same way whenever I come across the term "Islamic Republic of Iran" in the media. I feel the same way whenever I see that ridiculous picture of Khatami, with his turban and Islamic robes, standing in front of the murals of Persepolis. I feel the same way whenever an Iranian names his newborn Mohammad or Ali. Do you really believe for one second that if Saddam had invaded and occupied Iran, and perpetrated atrocities against our people, the Palestinians (or any other Arabs) would have said one word in our defense? If Iran is wiped off the face of the map tomorrow, there would be dancing in the streets of Gaza, Riyadh, Damascus, and Kuwait City. Where were the Palestinians when our soldiers were being gassed by the Iraqis? They were supporting Saddam. How do Palestinians feel about the active campaign to change the name of the Persian Gulf to the "Arabian" Gulf? Who was the first foreign dignitary to travel to Teheran and recognize the MullahÇs Republic? It was Arafat, my clueless friends. IÇll be damned if IÇm going to shed one single tear for the Palestinians. All of you so-called Iranians who write bleeding-heart articles about the plight of the poor Palestinians should get on the next plane and go back to your Islamic paradise of Iran. That is really the crux of the matter. ItÇs the old problem of the incompatibility of being a Muslim, and therefore allied with the sworn enemies of the Iranian people, and being an Iranian nationalist. Make no mistake about it; as a group, the Arab world is our historical enemy and Israel our natural ally. There has never been a more urgent need for the Iranian Diaspora to distance itself from Islam and the Arab world. Have you not been watching your televisions for the past 7 months? Instead, we continue to prove we are "more Arab than the Arabs" with our ridiculous breast-beating for the Palestinians and enmity toward Israel. Then we get offended when the world fails to see the distinction between an Iranian and an Arab. The Iranian people mock their heroes, shun their friends, and worship their enemies. As a nation, we deserve exactly what we have. Adrian Norbash To top * "First" Iranian-Americans Bruce jon, [Helen of Tus] I know Dr. Jamshid Bakhtiar from the time he used to live in Marin county in 1968, I saw his picture playing football in 1962 in Iran in Keyhan newspaper. Today his beautiful blonde daughter Mrs. Hemmat lives right here in San Mateo, married to an Iranian businessman Mr. Hemmat, her amazing Farsi will capture the admiration of any Persian speaking person here, (she was born here and grew up here her mother is American). Reza Moini To top * No one been s dirtied, hated The IRI has to dig in the most improbable lies to demolish the Shah 23 years after his death [News below this cartoon]. No one in Iranian history has been so much accused, dirtied , hated for the wrong reasons as was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. All the lies, scorns and bullshit spread by this anti-human regime is good to distract the people including exiled iranians from looking straight in the eyes of the monsterous IRI. When will this nation wake up, never I'm afraid. regards, Darius KADIVAR To top * We Americans Dear 60 Minutes, I was finally able to watch your mother's day broadcast, in which you aired stories about Chavez of Venezuela and the Kurds of Hallabjah. Here is my response: We Americans and our foreign policy are a real piece of work. Finally, our hearts are beginning to ache, but it was we who gave our not-yet-evil friend Saddam Hussein the chemical weapons with which he gassed the Kurds of Hallabjah and the Iranian troops, in the Iran-Iraq war, which we told him to start and helped him to fight. Today, we call President Chavez of Venezuela ?narcissistic.? Not long ago, we called Chile's Salvador Alende ?unstable? and Dr. Mossadegh of Iran ?histrionic.? Ah, nice guys were our dear friends, General Pinochet and the Shah of Iran! It was we who brought the Taliban to power and gave money to our not-yet-evil CIA operative Osama Bin Laden. We take our country out of the International Chemical Weapons Treaty, and the International War Crimes Tribunal, while we call Ariel Sharon of Israel a ?man of peace,? and our congress endorses the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Aren't we the country whose proud constitution calls for liberty and justice for all? Oh, mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most civilized of them all? Moji Agha Visiting Scholar Center for Middle Eastern Studies University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona To top * Defend and support the downtrodden On why should we support anyone or any people subjected to suppression, injustice, war crimes, oppression, violence, brutality, humiliation, subjugation, the beautiful verses of Sheikh Moslehuddin Saadi, as written on the entrance to the United Nations building in New York, shall suffice:  Kaveh Ahangar To top * Getting a ferry from an Iranian port I am planning an overland trip in September 2002 from UK to India. With current situation in Pakistan, I am looking at alternatives to get a ferry from an Iranian port (eg Bandar-e Abbas) to an Indian port (eg Mumbia). Would you have any information on such routes or any internet links that may help? Thanking you in advance. Michael Taylor To top * Our old curse The fact that Reza Pahlavi got the highest number of votes, tells us a lot when we look into it more closely [Tabreek o tasleeyat]. Reza Pahlavi became "the Iranian of the year", because 19 people voted for him. This shows us how Iranians are fed up with all public figures. It also reminds us how important it is to organize. 19 people out of 80 did make a difference. Reza Pahlavi became "The Iranian of the year", because 80% of all votes (that is 61 votes) went to 49 different people. This is another manifestation of our old curse: We can not agree on anything. If there are 11 players in a soccer team, there are 11 strategies! Can we ever agree on "the right method" to start the fire for Kabob on a picnic? No! That is why 61 people vote for 49 different choices. If the same question was asked 30 years ago, people would vote for many political opposition figures in thousands. Go back 60 years and you would have a decisive vote, probably in hundreds of thousands. Is this a reason for "Tabreek or tasleeat"? Maybe a little bit of both. Tabreek, because we are not really looking for any one individual to "save us" anymore. Tasleeat, because we didn't have anybody whose positive contribution, not only in politics but in any field, would make us think of him or her as an obvious choice. Regards, Shahriar Nayeri To top * The bigger picture This is in response to Mr. Jalili [Do not compare US, Iran] Dear Sir, Here are some points in response to your letter. * Yes elections are held here, but you have to look at the bigger picture. The politicians are bought by the people who have money. The wealthy people with large businesses are the ones who provide money and financial support to the campaign of the politicians. There is a lot of corruption right at this stage where everything begins. * Of course here and there you find people of Middle Eastern origin holding some political positions, however no one has a sensitive position such as secretary of state or defense secretary, or the Advisers of the President. I can assure you there will never be a Muslim person in those position. All are held by the Pro_Isreali Jews. * Regarding the freedom of press and media, there are some newspapers and magazines that publish Liberal views. You need to look at the COMMON and MOST COMMONLY READ papers . These are the things that are read by the majority of the people. And are used to brain wash the public. The same public that will VOTE for the politicians .As MRS. Sabety said in her article , one wonders what is the value of Democracy, if people do not have enough knowledge about the TRUTH? Yes, you can find a single radio station that is liberal. Again, the majority of American people DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE. * Although there is no EVIN prison in the US, what do you have to say about the hundreds of people who are held WITH NO STATUS in the Cuba? Lets' suppose they are terrorist, and the US can do anything they want with them. Isn't this SIMILAR to what the IRI is doing to its prisoners? They are also not innocent according to IRI. * Lastly, IRI is known to have bad Records in terms of all the above mentioned freedoms and Rights, while the US is known as the CIVILIZED WORLD and The Land of democracy !!! Mojgan To top * Not about how both sides are at fault I just have one word for you...TT... emm..wait....no...more than a handful actually. Screw the one word responses: [I have one word for you: LEAVE] 1) CIA is recruiting feverishly and they need people who can see things so black and white--as you have. Apply right away! I hear the pay is lousy, but they serve the best clam chowder at the Langley cantina! They will love your attitude about the "If you don't like it LEAVE part"...This has been a favorite bumper sticker here in Hicksville USA for decades now. It should make a come back! I can see it now: "LEAVE!!"....it will set many pants on fire... I am (boohoo) old enough to remember Mickey Mouse was on bumper stickers in 1979--flipping off Iranians--because of the Hostage Crisis. Of course it did not matter that we--Iranians here--had nothing to do with that mess. Thomas Jefferson however would shiver in his grave if he saw the ridiculous specter of an Iranian-American defending the status-quo of political propaganda at expense of freedom of speech and democratic debate. Simplicity is the mother of all ...eh...hmm...you get the picture! 2) In this world you have many types of misery. All are unfortunate, some are very unfortunate, and a handful are historically significant, unique and extremely of current and future importance to all humanity--more so that others. Kosovars, Afghans and Cambodians define and reflect examples of "ordinary" inhumanity we see and hear about everyday and then roll over and go to sleep enjoying our own personal limited share of peacefulness. Because, we are all guilty of thinking this is not very likely to happen to "ME".... Sufferings of our own people--Iranians--is historic, but not unique. We struggle with our own demons like so many other nations. Why the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is so capable of pissing off so many of us Iranians you say? The answer has little to do with religion. It is very primal and has to do with invasion of the very thing that gives a people their identity and existence. Iranians--when invaded--have always united in defence, and the Iran-Iraq war--despite the stupid fanaticism that inflamed it, was still a good example. If as Israeli's did over the past fifty years, a bunch of zealots--supported and armed to the teeth by foreign forces--would come to Iran, kick me out of my home, raze my farm, exile and deport me from my own city, call it their own home and make a three thousand year old claim on my home, killed my dearest children and called them "co-lateral damage, and renamed Qazvin and called it Retzion Ben-Bullbaba, then ... I want to see who would blame me for feeling sort of nuts about killing every single one of these rapists of my home and land--these thieves of memory and legacy? The problem with Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that we know if they can make this fraud stand in Palestine, with enough twists and turns, Qazvin can not be far behind in being called Tel-Tal-bin-Elizer!!! Only maybe I am wrong about the suedo-hebreic name!..bu...ehhh...you get the picture! 3) Of course we are faced with a nasty little thing called, "Reality on the ground"...Israel has been now shoved down the throat of history. The question is no longer whether Israel will survive. The question is this: Will the bastards who now live and work in Tel-Tal-bin-Elizer and claim are victims of self-defense--will allow the poor people of Qazvin to huddle in a crooked corner of the province and have some dignity they can hang on to? Get the mud out of your eyes. This is not an issue about how cruel terror is and how both sides are at fault. Those who make such excuses use it to allow the so called "two sides" slug it out with suicide bombers and F16s...however long this may take....and fail to mention this repeatedly: If the occupiers would get the fuck out of what is not their home to begin with...there would be no reason for the people of Qazvin to blow themselves up. I am personally for a free and happy Qazvin and think Tel-Tal-bin-Elizer is not an improvement. But then...that is just my opinion. You may think Qazvini's should LEAVE....hmmm...I wonder if Israel is accepting any immigrants from Qazvin? Farrash Bashi To top * No... IDIOT The name itself is an "oxy-moron" and the writer is simply a "moron." [Makes me want to fling dung] Yes, thank God we live in a democracy here, as least so far as we can call each other the names that we deserve. So, for all your name calling, here is your share Mr. Daneshmand YOU are an ignorant Moron...:-)...I throw in the capital letters for free! I do not have time beyond this to explain to you completely why you ARE such a major moron, and...I do not have to--that first amendment thing let's me call you Moron and move on. But, I will have mercy and here are a couple of samples of my response to your choice words of dung: 1) IDIOT, when Bush refers to Iran as part of the AXIS-of -EVIL, he is not going to mail you some noghl and nabaat and ONLY drop precision bombs on the -GOVERMENT-government of Iran...No...IDIOT...Governments are abstractions...people are not. When and if an administration, who is so eager to make war and sell arms and loot oil from Central Asia and Middle-East, gets around to engaging the AXIS-of-Your-Stupidity, they will have no issue with killing as many Iranians as it takes, who have no part in the GOVERNMENT-government!...So dream on and depend on the white house of King-George to grant you--IDIOT--your freedom from the AXIS-of-STUPIDITY! 2) We have a cause of humanity! IDIOT...if you are still stuck in the mud of Nationalism and cannot see how Globalization and International causes affect us all, you can crawl into a hole in the ground and wish that Monarchy will come back to Iran and fix evere-teng!!! Get a brain.... 3) Form of the government is only important so far as it can facilitate rule of law and the citizens. I could not give a rat's ass about the Pahlavis and still admire and respect what Koroush Kabir--in context of historical relevancy--did for the world 2500 years ago. So....kick it up another notch on Democracy and spit your poison of Monarchy in another cup....hmmm spit in a British cup for all I care....seems you reek with their imperial faded apology for why QEII should still collect a paycheck and attract tourists! The IRANIAN revolution may have yielded nothing, but do not take away from it the fact that we DID kick monarchy's BUTT all the way to Panama and then some! Won't happen dude!! Get a new life! Besides...don't take my word for it. Show up at any intersection in Qazvin and declare your support for Monarchy to come back. Khorsandi will have little trouble writing about what a fifteen year old in the streets of Qavin--or ok...Tehran--would do to your ideology. So, duck, IDIOT, because DUNG can fly really well in any direction! Farrash Bashi To top * DIGNITY OF THE WHOLE NATION In response to your stupid article [I wanna be your king]: If you donít have the power to do anything for you contry, AT LEAST DON'T PLAY WITH THE DIGNITY OF THE WHOLE NATION. Yes Ö we Iranian are this and that Ö but what do we do to make it better? We are really impressed with your unfunny satire. Or letís call it "trying hard to get attention". Farzad Khosrow-khavar To top * Have 2 or 3 cucumbers Dear Jahanshah, [Kopol vs. Topol] Congratulations! Well done! I'm following the challange between you and your friend, a good motivation to lose weight .Eat fruit as much as you can in the morning . Have 2 or 3 cucumbers a day and see the result . Wish u luck, I'm on your side ,you are Abadani afterall !! Noushin Talebi To top * He married a girl there and told me... (seghe) I have a question please and would be very grateful if you could help me with it. I live in Canada and I am married to an Italian, who was living for some years in Tehran, Iran. He married a girl there and told me, it was only for one year, called a "contract" or a temporary marriage. Is this true or does this not exist anymore? This was in 1983. The girl came from a well educated family, and I don't believe it could be done. Please, I would be grateful for a reply. Thank you, Serenity To top * Second Coming of shameless treaties Here is my take on this article : [Better than war] 1) This sort of talk is, too little too late, if not treasonous at best, when one considers the result: Over night Iran's right in the Caspian has been reduced from 50 percent to 20 percent to 13 percent, if not less! To me it all Sounds like the Second Coming of shameless treaties of Golestan and Torkamanchai (History reopeats it self). As if this fact by it self is not sad enough, the fact that literally all the proposed oil pipelines are not going to pass through Iran, which would deprive Iran from obtaining large source of revenue it deserves, is disheartening. Caspian game is over and we lost it. we lost severly, pure and simple. All this talk now is nothing but a bull. The next thing will end up loosing, will be our Islands in the Persian gulf, and our oil fields in there. This happens when you send a mullah with no expertise what so ever in the international affair, to negotiate a delicate matter such as this. I guess in the end our neighbors really didn't give a rats ass about "dialogue of civilization" or "civil society" or what ever junk this guy has been preaching for so long. If there is a one shining spot in this whole affair, it is the sad fact that Caspian is dying from heavy pollution. soon it will become the biggest sewer on the face of the earth. May be then no one will reclaim it, and all of it will be ours again! It is utterly sad that once in our country we had top-notch politicians in a caliber of Ghavam and Mossadegh. People who at the darkest hour of our country, protected our rights, presented our case to international courts and tribunials and managed to secure our rights. Where are these honorable men when you need them now.... 2) How can number of Azaris in Iran be 40 million, if entire population is 65 million! As far as I know Azerbaijan consists only of two provinces among so many other provinces in Iran. So exactly how did Mr. Marvi come up with this number? Since I don't recall any sensuous taken in Iran by ethnicity if not by DNA, assuming such a way is possible, for a people who has been mixing and inter marrying with one another for over three thousand years now! Mr. Irani To top * Ahhh! Agha man be che zabooni be shoma begam ke be man dige email Iranian times nazanid? Ahhh. Sahand To top * Manou's basic do's and don'ts Dear Jahanshah/Sia: [Kopol vs. Topol]  Glad to see you are doing the 'get fit thing'. I have been involved in
fitness for over 25 years. I wanted to extend some basic advice. I was quite lucky,
I was born with a decent physique to start with and am quite physical. And I dont
have a sweet tooth. In my teens, I excelled in team and individual sports. But I
did my 'real' training when I came to the US after years in equipment-starved UK
schools. At good ol' American U in Washington DC. The gym culture in US universities is intense, and by 1985, lifting weights with frat boys and American football players had me at 220 pounds of more or less muscle. I was benching 300 pounds and pushing myself in every manner. I am 40 now, and have more aches and pains than most people because of the strain I have put my body through after years and years of intense training. However, after all these years, I now have a good handle on the 'battle of the bulge' and methodology. Here are some hints that may be helpful, and trust me on these hints, I still do the gym 4-5 a week (and as recent of last summer in Ibiza, I still feel inclined to strip at any given opportunity when the sun is shinning or when I have downed a few Tequilas - photo attached for you to have a good laugh) and for my age, look OK. Here are Manou's basic do's and don'ts: Do: -- Stretch prior and post any physical workout. -- Learn how to stretch properly or you will pull something. -- Start your routine with light cardio (bikes, steps). -- After a 20 minute cardio - lift weights (contrary to popular belief, you lose weight if you lift weights!). When lifting weights note these rules: -- Do between 10-12 reps of a weight that makes you strain on the 8th or 9th rep. -- Do 3 sets of each excersise. -- Start with bigger muscle groups (legs, chest, back and go on to arms, shoulders), and alternate between 'push' (when you push through a motion, ie bench pressing, military press, triceps, squating) muscles and 'pull' muscles (when you pull through a motion, ie lat pulls-downs, bicep curls, using cables for chest flys). -- Combine the right muscle groups (push vs pull) when you excersise with weights (ie, chest, tricep vs back, bicep vs shoulders, deltiods, trapeziod)). -- Keep you motions slow and fluid. -- Breath out when you exert - slowly. -- Free weights (because of control and balance) are far more effective than machines - no matter what the gym instructor tells you trust me on this - however machines are good for back routines). If you have not used free weights before, have someone show you how to use them properly or you may get hurt. -- Alternate you routine from time to time (ie use dumbells one week for chest, and the bench with straight bar the next, etc). -- After you weight lifting session, end with a 10 minute cardio at a slow pace, and do you sit ups. Flex at any opportunity. If you are sitting in the office, flex you muscles, hold them for 10 seconds, and slowy relax. Flexing in between gym sessions can be very useful in helping you muscles to grow. -- Eat the right stuff: 4 meals a day, low fat, high protien, small meals, lots of yogurt, fish, cottage cheese, chicken (for protien), rice, pasta (for carbs) etc. -- Do as much sports as you can, especially yoga and martial arts, swimming, rowing and of any form of organised cardio training. -- Drink plenty of water all day. Sleep at least 8 hours if you are serious about making your body a temple. -- Steam rooms and saunas are good. -- Amino acid and whey protien supplements are OK. Don't: -- Do not do heavy weights when you are not used to it, you wont impress anyone, and for your information, having a fit body doesnt automatically make you into a lean mean fighting machine. If you are going to use free weights - get trained properly and always have a 'spotter'. -- Do not use jerky motions and get the full motion of the exersice. -- Do not 'cheat' in the exercise you are doing (ie arching your back on the bench, rolling on your heals when doing bicep curls, etc). -- Do not strain, if you are in pain...stop. The motto 'No Pain No Gain' is nonsense. -- Avoid carbo drinks - a bit of OJ prior to a workout will be suffice). -- Avoid the usual foods that are not good for you, especially fried foods and sweets. You are what you eat. -- Dont eat heavy meals and do not go to sleep if you have done so, so no more Ghormeh Sabzi at 11.00 pm and fast asleep by 11.30 pm routines! -- Don't drink mounds of booze and certainly avoid smoking. -- Do not use gimmicky supplements - its a waste of time, especially creatine, unless of course, you are a pro athlete and need the extra juice. Doesn't do your liver any good. Forget Joe Weider muscle gain supplements etc. Just eat good food. Well thats it lads, may the best man win, and I wish you the best of luck...its hard work. If you want any advice, feel free to contact me at manou@bibliotech.net. Hey, I wont even charge you ;-) To top * Staying in evin has many advantages If reza pahlavi is serious about reclaiming his throne he should go back to iran right now. I know this sounds crazy to many of us but lets face the facts. Being an economist i like to make a simple weighting of costs and benefits to show you it is actually not a crazy idea at all. Lets start with the benefits. He would get the publicity that can not be generated even in his wildest dreams. He will be the headline news on CNN and every other TV network, newspaper and magazine around the world for many many days or weeks. Just imagine those headlines and articles! more importantly he would show everyone that our prince, ehhemm...citizen, is not talking about his daydreams and actually means business. The fact is many people specially in iran dont believe the boy. Such a move can convince a sizeable proportion of the population particularly the younger, more adventurous ones that this guy is not doing what he is doing out of boredom (god forbids) or money. (Wealthy people usually are less willing to risk their lives for more money!). His return to iran will contradict many of the things that has been said about Pahlavis since the revolution i.e. being cowards, how they can sell the country to foreigners for their own benefit (of course we never believe that!) etc. Basically returning to iran will give him what he lacks most: credibility. Now lets see what are the potential dangers. Yes you guessed it... he might actually be killed as he sets his foot in iran or maybe as his plane enters irans air space ! But i give this only a 10% chance. why? Mr Pahlavi can ask the advisors to his father why was not Ayatollah Khomeini killed 25 years before the revolution when they knew he is trouble and they could get rid of him. The answer is simple, killing a famous long shot might actually turn him into a hero and give his cause prominence. Someone else might pick up the flag and be become a more serious challenge to the establishment. the Advisors were not quite right that khomeini was a long shot : ) The ayatollahs know this very well. They are way smarter, certainly compared to advisors of the shah. Nothing makes a leader more serious about his cause than showig he is willing to risk his own life ( not others) for his cause. This is not asking too much. Afterall he should not forget that his father escaped numerous assasination attempts, or even see how the bullet that is still logged in Rafsanjani`s butt dont let him sit properly, or how khamenei has one hand left. Those people were serious about what they were saying. Danger number two is that there is a 90% chance that out prince have to spend some time in a crib build by his grand dad called Evin prison. So what ? does he seriously expects to get a cab and go straight to saad abad ? i am trying to remember something that they say to kids about having to try hard if they want something ahh... NA BORDE RANJ KANG MOYASAR NEMISHAVAD ! Staying in evin has many advantages. First and foremost, iranians love underdogs. Just look at khatami as a recent example. Abondoning his royalty lifestyle in Suburbs of Virginia and ging to prison for the people will increase his popularity as the clock ticks. He will become the most famous politiacal prisoners in Iran if not the world. Second, it is nice to see the other part of the contributions of his Dynasty to iran which for some reason is less talked about by the royals ?? Getting to know how a political prisoner feels like the tens of thousands who were jailed under his father will be a good lesson for him if he is to become the type of king that he says he wants to be. Seeing the son of shah suffer will certainly wash some of the scars which is on his family name in the eyes of Iranians. Also prison conditions are not as bad as they used to be during his fathers rule and its unlikely that he will be given a cellmate from that certain city in Iran. Now, does this sound crazy ? Bahador from London To top * Good question Dorod bar shoma , Bebakhshid , Agar paygahe shoma baraye iranian hastesh, chera hich bakhshe PARSI (Farsi) i nadare? Payande vo sar boland bashid, Ali Niknejad To top * Lezzat bordam Man vaghaan az ein neveshte lezzat bordam [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad]. Man ro kheili yad e hal va havahai e eftettahie hai e Gallery hai e Iran endakht! Thanks! Katayoon To top * More should be done After reading the articles about Iranians who beat and physically assault their wives [I'm not his slave], I was very sadened and emotionally over taken by grief. Why do our men go back home and bring an inicent girl and treat her like an animal? They do not treat other girls from other countries like that. I have known many families where an Iranian man has married with another race. They stay with the woman and respect her and treat her special. But with their own, they have no respect , love or kindness. Because they know that the girl has no family here. I think that more should be done to make this fact known in Iran to keep our young, sweet and gentle girls safe from our men who have left the country . My advise is never get married with an Iranian man who has left his country and settled in another country, especially if he wants to take your daughter away from you to a strange country where she can not speak the language in case of any trouble. Money and status is not everything and many of these men lie about that any way. Once the girl has left the safety of her country and family it is too late. Its not worth it. Nasrin Kamranfar To top * Guilt for the less fortunate I read your piece [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad]. It was melancholicly Persian! You obviously write well, but I particularly didn't like the old concept of guilt for the less fortunate so present in Persian literature. Best wishes, Elham To top * Go J.... Go J.... Dear J...., [Kopol vs. Topol] I have no doubt, with your stamina and perseverance Siamak has no chance in this race. To encourage you more, keep in mind that you're doing this for more right reasons than he does. He may be thinking of a healthier, more attractive, and a wife pleaser Siamak when he sweats those pints of calories in the gym. But for you there's more at stake. There is the magazine you have to think of too. The magazine and thousands of faces of enthusiastic surfers who are counting on it being there on the screen when they so eagerly click on the new message button. So, more power to you. I hope you win. If there's anything I can do to contribute to you busting, any, fat asses and raising money for a good cause, please do not hesitate .....! And, of course, I pledge a whole $5 for every one pound you loose! Go J.... Go J.... Don't forget to post your pictures after the race is over so we can see what you look after. Better yet why don't you guys give a cat walk show and sell plates for $100 or whatever! I'll go. Only to partake the magazine, of course!! Naheed Kalhor To top * Don't give up Dear Setareh, [Today, I am a Palestinian] I feel very much like how you feel. A feminist and an Iranian-American ashamed of U.S. foreign policies. Ashamed that my hard earned money goes to pay for the salaries of bunch of idiots in the Senate and the Congress who support the monsters in the Israeli government. I am ashamed of what my adopted country has down to the Nicaraguans or is doing to the Colombians. I hate that my adopted country now is the only superpower left in the world, and instead of putting this into a good use, it is bullying all other nations, weak or strong. I am ashamed of many things that the U.S. government represents and supports, but at the same time I love the fact that I can still say what I think in this country and my hands are open if I want do something, to educate others about the realities even if I touch only a few people at the time. I still have more rights and opportunities in this country than in any other country. It is not a perfect country, it is not even a good country, it even makes us painfully ashamed of itself, but don't give up. Don't leave this half good country to the wolves so they are take it all apart. Never give up, the best way to fight the bad and make this a better place is by educating the mass. Every little bit counts, so voice your opinion in constructive ways, tell the truth and teach the truth and you'll see that justice will prevail. Sincerely, Naheed Kalhor To top * Different taste As always, it was very very nice and sweet [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad]. Though, I can sense a small change in your literature. At least a change from the past few pieces. They have a different taste if you compare them with the pieces you wrote in the US and early after your return to Iran. Merciiii, Ali To top * Collecting money for Yahya Sadaf jaan, [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad] Wonderful as usual! Can we do some fund-raising for YAHYAA and his family? I can collect some money and ask my mom who will come to Tehran on July 8th to pass it to YAHYAA through you... I know YAHYAA is not the only one and unfortunatley there are many people in iran in similar or even worse conditions... I am on my way to set my fruit tray and flower vase. In this gray-sky but heavenly city (Vancouver) some happy colors help to cheer up... Hamisheh sabz baashi, love, Sahar To top * Sacrificing your desire for others Dear Sadaf, [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad] What a wonderful writing, I read it few times. You have great sense of control with your meaningful writing, which express humanity and Love. Your new short story teaches how you could sacrifice your desire for others with love. At the end having the cut flower and fruit made it much meaningful beauty in your short story....with beautify of nature... Mohammad To top * One of the best short stories This is one of the strongest and one of the best short stories that I have read in the recent years from new Iranian writers. [Sarhangaane tareeghat] I do not know Mr. Payam Rafighi, but one thing I know that if he keeps writing short stories he will become one of the best contemporary Iranian writers. I will send copies of this story to some of my friends that are working in Los Angeles Iranian media to promote this magnificent writer. Houshang Ahmadi, Los Angeles To top * He is genuine Ms. Aryamehr, I don't know you and neither your age or background [Can't be fooled again]. However, I find your position and observation regarding Reza Pahlavi very narrow-minded and unjust. Mr. Reza Bayegan has written an opinion which is printed on the same date as yours on the Iranian.com site [Out of the trash bin ]. He contradicts much of what you state, without malice towards anyone except the present plunderers and unpatriotic leaders of the past 23 years. You cannot compare the past to the present. You cannot equate the late Shah's reign to the mullahs. Iran was advancing, now it is backward. Iran had dignity and respect, now we have neither. You write that the Palestinians were better of after the end of the late Shah's reign. Do you really believe that? Ever since the Islamic revolution in our country, that whole region has been in constant turmoil and life has become miserable for the people. You think that Reza Pahlavi is greedy and aims for the monarchy. You are very wrong. He is genuine in his quest for democracy for the nation of Iran. You are wrong about the so-called monarchists. The young generation has studied well and is working and making great money. They don't need to go back to ìplunderî the country. Just like before the revolution, thousands of Iranians worked hard for their country and were not corrupt, but instead advanced and helped their nation and people to a better life .Whoever does go back to Iran will be for true patriotism and not personal gain. Is it not better to live and work and make money in your own country, and have dreams and plans where your roots are ? Is it not better to use your talent for your own country ? Reza Pahlavi is trying to unify, not divide. You, however, seem to be blinded by personal animosity towards him and others who believe in a better future for the Iranian nation. Shahla Samii To top * Ghalam shoma mara be vajd miavarad Ba salm va sepas az khandan akharin neveshteh shoma khaili lezat bordam [Panjshanbeh, dovom khordad]. ghalam shoma mara be vajd miavarad va dar zemn deltang mikonad. ancheh keh dar labelai har kalam hast ta aaomgh e aajibi dar rouh va fekr e man forou miravard. koutah ,aamigh va ba ehsas e besiar latifi bayan mikkonid. ba arezoui salamati va sa adat. iradj sooudi To top * Tiring to have just one sided views Your article "Can't be fooled again" is a piece of crap as much as it was on "the Queen Bum" which resumes the usual political rhetoric used by the IRI to justify all its crimes and lies in the face of history. Who are you to claim to having the monopoly of the truth? Insulting the Pahlavi's for there name and using a ridiculous pseudonym as "Aryamehr". I suppose you are payed by the IRI to write this piece of crap or you were so vehemently pro-revolutionary that you relish in the idea of attacking monarchists and Reza Pahlavi to forgive your own mistake 23 years ago in supporting the henchmen of Khomeiny and his likes. Then you go and accuse monarchists of being a bunch of corrupt, rich people who have stolen the Iranian nation. Don't tell me you don't like this regime? People like you brought this regime to power. Kooftet besheh. I don't need to justify my pro-monarchist or more precisely pro Reza Pahlavi sentiments to people like you who relish in insulting us. Who are you to think that we do not belong to the Iranian nation, that we did not suffer, or that monarchists did not also pay with their lives? Below are two lists on the victims of the Islamic terrorism which you seem to forget: //www.iran-e-azad.org/english/terrorlist.html //impact.users.netlink.co.uk/namir/martyrs.htm While you attack the monarchists who for the most are promoting first and foremost the promotion of a Free and UN supervised referandum for a secular and democratic state be it Constitutional monarchy or Democratic republic, the current regime is inhumanely condemning iranian journalists and intellectuals like Mr. Pourzand to solitary confinement, imprisonment and torture. When we or Reza Pahlavi talks about national reconciliation you talk about corruption under the previous regime. When we talk about promoting Democracy and secularism, you talk about the 1953 coup, and Mossadeg. When we acknowlege the Shahs mistakes and Crown Prince Reza has the courage of going as far as talking about the crimes commited during his fathers reign (Which I still believe personally that they were exagerated by the western press and revolutionaries ) you talk about the billions stolen by his father to live a quiet life abroad. People like you look for excuses to avoid looking at the crimes commited and still being commited by this regime. Whatever the monarchists or Reza Pahlavi accept in self critisism you indulge in self adoration and praise of your so-called revolutionary ideals. You go as far as claiming "The one sure thing about the Iranian revolution and the war that followed it was that Iranians said loud and clear that they do not want a monarchy." , what does the War which costs the lives of One million Iranians and Irakians including kids under the age of 9 who were sent to the war front to be killed with a plastic key to paradise so that your beloved mullahs could pave their way in the mine fields have to do with not wanting monarchy? These people died in a useless war provoked by Sadam Hussein and prolonged by Khomeiny who considered the peace treaty with Irak as a drinking poison. While you indulge in the fact of supporting your Palestinian friends for whose plight I sympathise but don't necessarily share all ideals such as martyrdom and suicide attacks, well let me remind you that it was Yasser Arafat who kissed Khomeiny on the cheeks and helped the Iranian students to take over the US Embassy. As for the Shah you so easily set aside as a traitor, he did not get a share of the Noble Prize for having helped promote peace between Egypt and Israel in 1976. Iran had good relations with both countries unlike most Arab Neighbours. The Shahs foreign policy was quite coherent and served the interests of the Iranian nation. Being an ally of the United States during the Cold War was the only logical thing to do otherwise Iran would certainly have become a Russian satellite nation or would have become another Afganistan. In addition it allowed Iran to benefit from the best educational ressources and technologies refused to many other nations. If building thousand of Universities, research centers which were to allow Iranians to have access to higher education and thus better jobs is being treason, then the Shah was a traitor. If creating the Army of Knowledge to bring education to villages and allowing youngsters not to waste their time in the Army just learning how to use Guns is treason then the Shah was indeed a traitor. If Buying Arms from the West and building a strong Army feared by its neighbours and which in addition helped Iran to defend itself when Sadam Hussein Attacked Iran, then indeed the Shah was a traitor. If promoting the role of Woman in a moslem country is treason then the Shah was indeed a traitor. Contrary to popular beliefe the Shah refused to crown himself before making sure that the country had reached a level of economic progress by 1967. Years after his accession to the thrown. He did not want to be the king of a poor country in his own words. I could very well rhetorc to your accusations on the Shahs regime by listing everything that the Current Regime did to destroy national pride, Woman emancipation, education, promotion of hate and terrorism which set the example for people like Ben Laden on Sept 11th, the interference of religion in all aspects of society as expressed in Khomeinys "Mein Kampf" or famous "Green Book". Its fine to claim you respect those who died. Its so easy to talk in their name when they are dead and cannot talk for themselves. Your rhetoric of the Shah being a bloodthirsty and corrupt dictator is just another repetition of the slogans of the 1979 revolution. Claims that have long been put into question by historians worldwide. The Islamic revolution had its justifications but revolutionaries do not have a moral superiority over monarchists. I won't get into personal attacks on you Ms " Aryamehr" . There is no point to it. My purpous is not to rewrite History but make our fellow compatriots to look back at it objectively and without the usual revolutionary slogans which consist of not taking a closer look at the events of 1979 and after. For the rest I truly have nothing to say except that your articles only purpose is to refuse to look at the facts and the true intentions of Reza Pahlavi. What I do regret is how much the intentions of Reza Pahlavi and his supporters are deformed by your likes. It is particularily tiring to have just one sided views that above all refuse to look objectively at History. You not only attack Reza Pahlavi, his father but also His Grandfather Reza Shah the Great who everyone recognizes as the Father of Modern Iran. You cannot wipe a Century of History in the name of Allah and Islam. Iran cannot continue to reject to look at its Past, only through the deformed spectrum of the Revolution. It is ironic that a Site like Persepolis which is considered as a UN heritage is being neglected due to pollution and carelessness of the authorities who for more than 23 years have seen this magnificent site as a Symbol of the Previous regime. Persepolis is once again being ravaged, a site which is a tribute to the capacity of Iranians to live side by side and hand in hand as on its beautiful facades. In short in national reconciliation which used to be an example to the Ancient Civilized World. What are we today instead, a nation who refuses its past, a nation caught in its own contradictions between recognizing its non Arab heritage and a Islamic Identity which has clouded everything else. In that it is not only not serving the undeniable contribution of Islam in the fields of Art and Litterature and philosophy it is also denying its roots as a nation created by "Cyrus The Great" 2500 years ago. As much as the celebrations of this particular event were critisized with some justification, it had at least the credit of letting the World know that Iran is the land of the Persians even if some of us refuse to acknowledge this fact. To understand where we stand and where we go to we have to face the harsh realities of the past as well as the Accomplishments ( And they were enormous unlike what you seem to suggest ). In anycase the current regimes report card is far from being satisfactory except for people like you Ms. So called Aryamehr. No regards, Darius KADIVAR To top * You can start by changing your name to Arabmehr For starters: Why the insults towards HRH Reza Pahlavi? [Can't be fooled again] Not to mention the insults you have previously thrown at other royals. Envy is a pathetic emotion, my friend! It brings to light your inferiority complex that runs rampant through your veins! You are the typical Iranian whom does not wish good upon anyone; in laymen's terms "you rain on everyone's parade". It is overly simplistic to focus on one's shortcomings when looking back, yet you have to dig deeper to see the greater good the Pahlavi's did for Iran. By the way: what Iranian sincerely cares about the Palestinians?? You obviously forgot they were the people whom manned the firing squads during the revolution!! I suggest you do more research on Iran and our rich history before you utter mere nonsense for the sake making yourself feel important! By the way, you can start by changing your name to Arabmehr, as you are not fooling anyone with your current last name. Regards, Babak Kalhor To top * What rich people? This letter is in response to the article "Can't be fooled again". There you go again with another positively immature article. Your articles truly sound quite juvenile as they are based on name calling and empty statements. First of all, please stop calling yourself 'aryamehr', as its a bit hypocritical. Second of all, when are you going to get rid of the chips on your shoulders, get over the past, and allow yourself to objectively look at the facts as they stand now. Your opinion is very prejudiced and void of research, not unlike your "Queen Bum" article. I advise you again to go read some books. Everyone has a right to their opinion and the right to voice that opinion, but you are not adequately supporting your opinion with facts, nor are you providing us with any alternatives. People who refuse to listen to Reza Pahlavi simply turn the other way, begin listing his father's sins, and label everyone who is willing to listen to him a 'Monarchist'. You claim that Reza Pahlavi is uneducated. Did you come upon that conclusion after hours of conversations with him on various subjects or is that something that you are forcing yourself to believe because his last name is Pahlavi? Oh and that reminds me, you say that Pahlavi is not their real name. Throughout the history of Iran, many families changed their names and gave themselves more Iranian names, or simply chose to have a different name. It was something that was done and was acceptable. For example, in the 1930s, many families who came to Iran from Baku (Azerbaijan) changed their Russian names to Iranian names. Others simply did it, because they did not want to be associated with their brothers and wanted to "make a name for themselves." You say that the supporters of Reza Pahlavi are all the rich people. What rich people? People of the previous regime have all either been killed or are barely making it through in exile. Are the students in Iran who pass around his pictures the rich people? They just see him as a symbol of freedom and democracy. No? Then give us an alternative. I, for one, would love to hear from someone else. As for your Palestinian friend telling you about Shah sympathizing with Israel. Shah did what was best for his country. Shah would not give millions of dollars to refugees of other countries if women in his own country had to resort to prostitution just to feed their families. Did your Palestinian friend also tell you that Yasser Arafat was Khomeini's first official foreign guest? Again, that's all in the past. We have to look at the present and objectively judge the choices presented to us. Focusing on the past and the prejudices that is carried with it will make us lose the opportunities of today. If we learn one thing about the past, it is that if we allow our personal envious feelings or prejudices guide us in a political setting then they will surely lead us to disaster. I say to you, don't let your prejudices fool you again. TT To top * 500 people heard RP in NY Agha Javid, Baba Zeki. We are tired and bored. Please. We need new blood. [Can't be fooled again] Give us more intelligent ennemies of Reza Pahlavi. First it was Sabeti aka "Fatemeh Areh", then the nutty professor " I went to Harvard" Sohrabi and last Dr. Eslami-Mengole, "Iran needed cleansing". and now this loser "Sana", "Shir", "Palang", "Gorbeh" whatever. They all repeat the same b.s which has been thourougly refuted and proved wrong ten times. Baba come up with something better or you will lose your job. 500 people lined up last week to hear RP in NY. Aint this a red flag? You mean there is not a soul in Savama, Hefazat, Basij who can at least make an intelligent argument. Fine, remember I told you, keep it up and your bosses will soon fire you. Zat Ziad Kerman Zero 1 To top * I doubt any othe site would have printed this garbage I feel sorry for you, I truly I am! [Can't be fooled again] The person that is full of hatred, stock in the past, not recognizing the critical juncture the country is at, has nothing to contribute or say, and yet has taken all his energy to say negative things about Reza phalavi and his family, with out any evidence, mind you. It is TEKRAR MOKARART! Pure and simple. As a person who cares more about his country than Monarchism or Republicanism or the form of government, Here is my response: Pro-monarchists are so militant in defense of their precious royal. But the truth is, they're fighting for their elitism: their wealth, their ability to bribe public officials, 1) What makes you think every monarchist is rich, corrupt and likes to bribe the public? Sadly, Corruption is a universal! You want to the most corrupt place in the world, a good old republic called U.S.A, where you can LEGALY bye and sale influence, position you name it. I suspect there are million of monarchists who are not rich, not even middle class and they may not even have a pot to piss on! Their resources for getting their stupid children into foreign universities. because they can't pass the concourse in Iran. 2) I bet you went to school out side of Iran! Sometimes when I bother to listen to Reza Pahlavi (who, by the way, has a made-up name designed to demonstrate superiority and patriotism. We all know that Pahlavi was an ancient language, not a family name. 3) If you bothered to read history, you realize there was no such a thing as a "Family" name until Reza Shah ascendant to the throne and started the foundation of modern Iran. It's the same with the so-called Windsor's of England: theirs is a fake name to cover the fact that their real family name is German 4) And how does that relate to Pahlavi family or Iran? And so what? European monarchies have been marrying one another for hundreds of years now. so it's not unusual to find various monarchies having different sur names and origins and so forth?? I'm not talking about that scared, uneducated (unless you count how his "high connections" got him into one of the best universities in the United States) 5) Really? How do you know that? May be it was a merit base. Did you see his transcripts? How do you know he was not qualified to go to that school? look of fear when he actually has to speak in public. 6) So what again. Not every person is a great public speaker, just take a look at Busch! I'm talking about that look that says "Yes, yes YES!! If I manage to ascend to my glory as ruler of people I don't care about, I can be rich, happy AND powerful again." His eyes water with greed 7) What a bunch of nonsense! You can see greed by just looking into his eyes? None of these monarchists care tha rich little Reza's father stole millions of dollars from the Iranian public 8) Ok, well how much did he steal? Where did he put the money, under his pillow? Or in some financial institution? If it is the lather, tell us the name of the institution(s), the amount(s). Basically put your word where your mouth is. So that he could live in luxury in the United States (and in his various other properties around the world). 9) Along with Million other Iranian who live in the U.S, including your self! And I suspect million more like to, if they only could get the visa! Not one of the monarchists questions the fact that in all his years outside of Iran since the revolution, Reza hasn't done anything for the Iranian people. 10) What did you do, all these years? beside boozing, and night clubing? I suspect not much! Funny it seems to me, the only person that has raised awareness about Iran and the monstrous regime in Iran ,especially during the past couples of years, has been Reza Pahlavi! He hasn't set up a cultural center or any kind of fund or anything to at least fake that he cares 11) "Anything to at least fake that he cares"? What does this mean? He doesn't even care about his own money, probably because it's limitless, otherwise he would have set up one of these centers to benefit from the huge tax write-offs that come from charity-type organizations. 12) Why are you so concern about his Tax status? If the guy likes to pay taxes so be it! Why don't you set up a fake cultural or charity organization, rip of your countryman and deduct it from your taxes! Despite his wealth and his undeniable access to the US government, he's done nothing to support democracy in Iran. His only platform, his only goal for Iran is to regain the throne. 13) Unless you need to take Persian 101 or English 101 (I suspect you do) The man has said TIME AFTER TIME that he does NOT CARE about the form of Government in Iran, be it republic or monarchist, so long as it is democratic, protects human rights, and there is a clear separation between church and state. He has continued to fight tooth and nail for his "birthright" (he is constantly reminding us of this supposed right he has to rule millions of people for whom he cares pittance) to be king. 14) Not so, once again you need to take Persian 101! And it is certain that once he achieves his only goal, he'll continue the tradition of his father and grandfather: gradual ascension to dictatorship, followed by endless robbery of the Iranian public and culminated with executions and long-term imprisonment's for anyone who cares to disagree with such vagabond, anti-democratic policies (wow, the monarchy really does sound like the Islamic Republic, doesn't it?). 15) Are you Nosterdamous? Can you tell about the future? How do you know what he is going to do? And he is only one person? If millions do end up following him, and he does all those things, whose fault is that? him or all the Morons following him! I believe the last time someone said they would bring "democracy" to Iran, they ended up forming the Islamic Republic of Oppression. 16) He never said "he was going to bring democracy to Iran" I doubt if could even spell it! if people like you, who followed him like a maniac, used LOGIC, instead of HOT EMOTIONS, you could have clearly seen through him! Does he really believe he's got a chance? 17) I don't know, ask him! I'm not a supporter of the present regime and I cringe when I see what has happened to Iran, but I accept reality. 18) What reality? Be a man and say that you are a supporter of this regime you get more respect from me! Millions of Iranians fought and sacrificed and gave their lives to be rid of the dictatorial, corrupt Shah who cared more for foreigners than for his own people. 19) Millions of people gave their life? If you exclude the people who became French fries as result of torching of Rex cinema in Abadan, by your Islamic pals, I doubt the number of death during the revolution is even acceeded 500! As I recall the Army had an order of not shooting any one, unless life of a soldier was in jeopardy. even then they were suppose to shoot below the knee! So how did Millions die, it's beyond me!!!! That is worth a lot. The one sure thing about the Iranian revolution and the war that followed it was that Iranians said loud and clear that they do not want a monarchy. I respect that. 11) Ya I over heard the soldiers fighting in the war with Iraq. In the middle of battle to keep their sprit it up they were yelling "death to shah and death to Monrachi"! Today, monarchists go on and on about how great life was during the Shah's time. Yes, compared to now, there were some things that were better under the shah 12) You just killed your argument! Besides, these monarchists couldn't possibly comprehend the suffering of so many Iranians who lost family members to political executions, who lived in poverty and who were constantly being treated worse in their own country than foreigners were. 13) How do you know they don't comprehend that? How do you know that they don't realize mistakes were done? Who are "these" monarchists that are so cruel and uncompassionate? Give us some names, so we find out who they are? Who can forget the most blatant example of this discrimination: the Shah's elaborately expensive display of his greatness during his ridiculous 2500-year anniversary celebration of corruption. 14) I bet people like you would have been happier, had he celebrated, the day Arabs invaded Iran, Bolshevik revolution day, or if he spent billions celebrating Ashura, Taso, Ghameh Zani ?. He wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on his tents and French cuisine (apparently Iranian food wasn't good enough to celebrate Iranian history) and his European fabrics and furniture. And he didn't invite Iranians. 14) Well since you and most of fellow Iranians reside in U.S and are U. S citizen, when was a last time any of you were invited to a presidential ball, Or any major ceremony involving high level politicians in this country? I suspect not even once! By the way I was not invited to 2500 anniversary celebration and I have no hang ups about it. what is with you guys? You guys have to be invited in to every party and social gathering to feel good about yourself and your place in a society. He invited numerous "dignitaries" 15) I guess it would have been better inviting Albanian Janitors, British Bus drivers, and Italian Bricklayers, etc... they would have brought more prestige to the event.. Sadly, the omnipotent power of monarchies is that their damaging influence reaches far beyond the borders of the lands they rule with their mighty gold. 16) It is called Gaining influence, which is critical for every country! Lack of influence, equals to getting fucked! And we just did, we lost our rights in Caspian Sea over night! I would have been happier if all these leaders of so called former soviet union, would have been dined and wined in Iran even if the cost would have been in millions, if it meant we won't loose our shares and rights in the Caspian.!!!! A Palestinian friend of mine told me last week that when the Shah was kicked out of Iran, it made such a huge difference for Palestinians because he was such a huge backer of Israel. I was shocked. I didn't know how much the Shah had negatively impacted the Palestinian people. And look who Reza has become such good friends with: the Bush Administration, a government that will go down in history as the most destructive to Middle East peace and the greatest Zionist sympathizer since Lord Rothschild himself. 18) There is no end to dumb statement that you make! First of all Iran helped the Arab word enormously, and I am not just talking about creation of OPEC that put zillions of petrol dollars in the hand of Arabs in the first place. I am talking about direct and logistical help, especially to Egypt during 1973 war with Israel. Second of all it is called "NATIONAL INTEREST". The word so ALIEN to many Iranians, particularly to people like you! Why on earth you think Turkey a country that is 98% Muslim has aligned it self with U.S and Israel? Are they dumb! Did they forget to hire you as a political advisor? No it's called NATIONAL INTEREST! Go look it up! Nothing good comes out of creating enemies. Now why the fuck we have to consider Israel as an enemy? A country that does not share borders with us, have always respected us and has no territorial claims against us, go figure! Some day, Iran will be a true democracy. 19) Let's hope so, it ain't going to happen with pashm and rish! Finally I have to thank of Iranian.com for publishing this rubish! I doubt any othe site would have printed this garbage. Make sure you send a copy to Reza Pahlavi!!!! Mr. Irani To top * Cannot deny Alidad's humor Truly enjoyed Alidad's article [Do people play football?]. A football fan myself (by default as the only girl amoung five boy cousins who were/are die hard fans), I cannot deny Alidad's humor. As for the comparison of Dynasty and Pedar-Salar, damet garm, quite true. I started out watching pedar salar by force really and, before I knew it, was hooked, just as I was hooked on dynasty throughout my pre-teen and teenager years. Keep them coming. Pia To top * Not worth a dime Dear Sana Khanom, [Can't be fooled again] I would say that you in particular, should not worry to become a fool for the second time, you are already a big one as such. How can any body fool the permanent inhabitants of the lunatic asylums? That is, as we say in Persian ( TAHSSILE HASSEL )! OK. be franc & let us know how much the Editor of Keyhan of Tehran, that well known criminal, Shariatmadari, pays you to write such stupid sentences one after another to feel up the page? If J.J. publishes your foolish out burst, for whatever reason, do not take it to your heart that you & the like of you, are really worth a dime. Keep writing idiotic articles, we need clowns every know & then just to relax! I fell off my chair of laughter reading your privies article, Queen Bum! Have a good time & suck your thumb. H. Hakimi To top * Honored by your invitation Kaboutar Ba Kaboutar, Baz ba Baz, Konad Hamjens ba Hamjens Parvaz, Khanome Sabeti, [Need a baby sitter?] The office of Prince Reza Pahlavi is honored by your invitation to your function. It is truly comendable that Iranians such as yourself and Mr. Javid do organize events for the benefit of the propagation of Iranian culture. PRP regularly attends such events such as last week in NY where he was invited to speak for 500 young professional educated Iranians or the week before in Seattle where he addressed over 700 students at the University of Washington. As PRP's campaign is about the hopes and aspirations of young Iranians living under the brutal tyrranny of the Mullahs in Iran, he is always accompanied by students who have fled Iran for fear of their lives by the regime. Men who were tortured by Hezbollahi thugs for their belief in a new Iran. We have therefore consulted with some of these young men and they asked us to forward you and your brother in law Mr. Javid the following questions that we would like to be answered before we recommend PRP and the students to attend: 1- Mr. Javid, what is your current realtionship with Mr. Sadeq Kharazi, the founder of Aftab TV, nephew of Kamal Kharazi and related by marriage to Ali Khamenei. 2- Mr. Javid, while working as a translator for Kayhan Newspaper in 1990-1991 , was your immediate boss a gentleman by the name of Abbas Nassiri Namin? Did you accomapny him to the interrogation of a lady by the name of Farahnaz Annami accused of being an MKO member who was in fact an Iranian American who barely spoke Farsi and who has disappeared since 1993. 3-Mr. Javid, we are told that the guest of honor at your netzine's function is Mrs. Sabeti-Javid. Was she voted as the guest of honor? If so when and by whom? 4- Mrs. Sabeti-Javid, PRP appreciates your offer of providing a baby sitter. Given your own and your family's self admitted past experiences with the help. Can you give us any assurances that the children will be protected while you are being honored. Sincerely, Kerman Zero 1 To top * Very busy freeing the Iranian people Dear Ms. Sabety, His Majesty would like to extend his appreciation for your invitation "Need a baby sitter?" Although he is glad the Iranian people have finally realized the important work His Majesty is doing for them by voting His Majesty their Iranian of the Year, but due to the fact that he is very busy freeing the Iranian people, he will not be able to attend this program. You may still go ahead with your plans in honoring his hard work. Thank You The Office of His Majesty PS. Someone will be at the door to take the tickets for his friends. Mehdi Amini To top * CD based on catastrophe of 1979 Greetings, In order to illustrate an upcoming audio CD based on the historical catastrophe of 1979, we are looking for high-resolution photographs likely to be used for this purpose. If possible, we need photographs that the owners are willing to contribute freely, meaning we cannot give monetary compensation, but we will give credit if the person wishes so. Get in touch if you believe you can help. Thank you for your time, TC To top * Devoid of value Evidently, the opinion piece titled "Can't be fooled again", dated 28 May 2002, has been written with a childish intention of teasing the monarchists! Well, let me assure you that it is a Talaash-e mazboohane. Its writer's dogmatic mind appears to have remained frozen since the early days of the revolt of 1979, as the entire contents of the writing are the same rhetorics of those days concocted by the revolutionary fools in order to justify their "revolution" to the masses. As Mr. Kadivar has rightfully said, such rhetorics have now been refuted in the course of the last 23 years and, therefore, any Iranian (with an objective view and a sincere heart) knows the distinction between such tiresome rhetorics and reality. Besides, what alternative is the writer proposing for the current problems of Iran and Iranians? To illustrate how devoid of value and substance the piece is, I will quote some extracts from it: "I believe the last time someone said they would bring democracy to Iran, they ended up forming the Islamic Republic of Oppression". The question is, who made such a promise, and who were fooled by it? The fact is that Khomeini never promised "democracy" for Iran, and only pseudo-intellectuals and so-called revolutionaries who had not read Khomeinis books ("Hokoomat-e-Islami" and "Kashf-ol-asraar"), or perhaps had read but not understood them, were fooled by him. But now, I invite and urge my misguided compatriot to read Prince Reza Pahlavi's book "Winds of Change". "the omnipotent power of monarchies is that their damaging (?!) influence reaches far beyond the borders of the lands they rule". "I did not know how much the Shah negatively (?!) impacted the palestinian people". "Shah cared more for foreigners than for his own people". Now, the unconvoluted facts: During the Shah's regime, Iran had a successful foreign policy (based on mutual respect and interest) and very good relations with almost all other nations in the world and, as a result, Iranians had the respect and dignity among the nations of the world that they deserved. Just compare that with the "Evil" IRI and the reputation of Iranians in the world, today. Despite his imperfections, the Shah's love for Iran and Iranian people is beyond dispute. As for your Palestinian friend and the state of Patestine before and after 1979, unless that Palestinian friend of yours is a member of Hezbollah or Hamas, who obviously have vested interests in supporting (or appearing to support) the IRI, S/he (and all Palestinians) should know better. Just look at the state of Palestinians today. I firmly believe that had it not been for the revolt of 1979 and its consequential "Evil" of IRI, the peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel would have led to peace between Israel and Palestinians. Finally, I hope that after having read PRP's "Winds of Change", our compatriot will be able to judge (objectively and without prejudice) whether PRP's campaign is for a secular democracy for Iran, or else. Please remember, the people of Iran, especially the young generation, will not allow any other autocratic regime to take root in Iran. And the proponents of constitutional monarchy will be in the forefront of opposing any non-democratic form of governance in the Iran of tomarrow. Rasid Sardar "National Referandum under International Observation" To top * For Iraj Miraza's "Chador"   To top * Fantastic piece The invitation of RP to the event was a fantastic piece of writing. I truly enjoyed reading it [Need a baby sitter?]. See you soon at the event, Mahvash Shahegh To top * Iranian in U.S. Marine Corps?! your picture of this so-called iranian woman DISGUSTED me [Afshar, Sarah: US Marine]. fucking disgrace. i would spit in her face if i could. she's not even half iranian. she is 100% full iranian, and yet she chooses to serve in the "Marine Corps" under the flag of the united states. i hope to god they send her whorish ass to afghanistan or the middle east one day and an iranian soldier has the pleasure of putting a bullet in her sorry head. she would take up arms against her own countrymen (meaning IRANIANS) if she had to to fight her master's so-called "war on terrorism". fucking disgrace. :-) To top * I guess you have nothing else to do This is pathetic and disrespectful and no one takes you seriously [Need a baby sitter?]. All you do is sit around and cri This is pathetic and disrespectful and no one takes you seriously. All you do is sit around and criticizie and never, not once have you ever come up with one positive idea!!!! I guess you have nothing else to do. Tim Haskin To top * VERY DAHATEE SETAREH WANTS ATTENTION AGAIN by slamming Reza Pahlavi [Need a baby sitter?]. If it were not for him... WHAT ELSE WOULD SHE TALK ABOUT? AND your invite was VERY DAHATEE (LOW CLASS) Dalia To top * I can beat you both How pathetic of me, but I'm intrigued by this weight loss marathon and want to join in [Kopol vs. Topol]. I'm sure I can beat you both because of my dedicated personal trainer, my two year old son!! Let's see, if I beat you Javid Jan, will I get the $900.00????? Linda Shetabi Editor's reply: No... it's all mine. To top |
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