The Iranian Times

Monday December 20, 1999 / Azar 29, 1378, No. 871


Ketab Farsi bilingual books

Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Flower delivery in Iran

Iranian books


    Khayyam


Cover story

Sipping lattes in diaspora
Poem

By Shafagh Moeel
December 20, 1999
The Iranian

At my third birthday party
I must've felt so sure of my life
Of my place in the world
The apple of my parents' eyes
Family everywhere I turned
Friends over every night for dinner
And children like me
Like me
All around.
Then we turned four and five years old
And our world imploded
Off trampolines we jumped
And ended up in Germany, in Italy
In Sweden, in Holland, in France,
In Canada, and the U.S.A. >>> GO TO FEATURE

    Audio

    Maryam Heydarzadeh

    The Iranian
    December 20, 1999

    A couple of years ago Maryam Heydarzadeh, a blind teenager, recorded "Mesl-e heechkas" (Like no other), a collection of her own poetry, and immediately captured a nation's heart. The poems alone are incredibly tender and sad and lovely. Her childish voice only intensifies the emotional experience. Have lots of Kleenex handy >>> LISTEN HERE


Outlook

Nouri defiant

December 20, 1999, (Azad) -- Abdollah Nouri, who is appealing a five-year prison sentence, has written a letter to the Special Clerical Court reitering his defense against accusations of undermining the Islamic Republic. Must read (PDF file) >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Thanks to Payman Arabshahi


    Anyway

Zulu

Michael Taylor writes to The Iranian:

We are manufacturers of a wide range of traditional and contemporary bead work with special emphasis on traditional Zulu culture.

Our designs and colour combinations are stunning and are all hand made by rural crafts people. The product is quality controlled in our factory before being shipped.

We are particularly able to deal with large production and long runs of a product. We would like to contact any person who could purchase from us ...

If you wish to purchase our products ... click on our web site www.kwazulubeads.co.za where you will be able to view a full range of our products.


More Letters

* Kish contradictions

Reza Mousoli writes: I have just got back from Kish island in the Persian gulf. It had been many years since I last visited and I was keen to see the changes. I went there for a few days with 14 other colleagues from various nationalities. We stayed in the Shyan Hotel that was built in mid 70's. The decoration, carpets, curtains and everything else apart from few small items were all in the 70's style. But they have not been maintained. I was told that the hotel was closed for 10 years during the war. You could see that the building has many sad stories to tell.

The whole island looks like one big building site. There is a huge development by a private investor by the name of Sabet who is constructing a theme park. I was allowed to see it; he has good ideas. Like all Iran there are few foreign tourists that are prepared to wear the scarf and tolorate other difficulties and travel to Iran. Kish was no exception. But most Iranians go there to buy duty free goods. In the hotel most were carrying goods: TVs, computers, radios, cosmetics, etc. In a beautiful island with a crystal clear sea and corol reef; there's hardly anyone on the beach. It almost look deserted; no swimmers in site, not even with the Islamic dress! >>> FULL TEXT

* Arabic names

Adanzan writes: I don't have any problem with "pure" Iranian names and I mostly agree with your article ["No plain Jane"].

BUT what about those Arabic names that got into our history and culture forcefully? Why do we have ABDOLHAMID or AHMAD? Even your last name is MOHAMMADZADEH. Does it not sound strange? Do you find it acceptable? Why is anything that sounds Western so strange to you?

I named my son Cameron but I was criticized by my friends and even relatives. They said why not Kamran!? I think it's just prejudice. Remember: Persian is Indo-European and NOT Semitic like Arabic!


* Petition: Against fingerprinting

Petition against the fingerprinting and photographing of Iranian nationals by U.S. immigration >>> GO HERE

* Petition: Against Lufthansa

Petition against Lufthansa for its discriminatory practice of searching Iranian passengers >>> GO HERE

SELL TICKETS ONLINE AT YOUR SITE


Books of the Week

* Saaniyeh-yeh aakhar (1999)
Y2K issues in Iran
By Dr. Ali Parandeh

* Barandeh-haa ham baazandeh-and (1999)
A memoir by a former mayor of Tehran, with photos
By Ahmad Nafisi

* Jazireh sargardaani (2nd edition, 1998)
Novel
By Simin Daneshvar

* Mumia va assal (1996)
Novel
By Shahriar Mandanipour

* Mehr-e giaah (1998)
Novel
ByAmir Hassan Cheheltan

See more Iranian books for sale

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Video of the Week

Through the olive trees

This is Abbas Kiarostami's most romantic film (English subtitles). It is the third part of a trilogy set in northern Iran. For other Kiarostami videos, click here.

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More news

Defiant Iran cleric challenges leader from jail

TEHRAN, Dec 20 (Reuters)- Jailed Iranian reformist cleric Abdollah Nouri issued a new challenge to Iran's supreme clerical leader in an open letter written in his prison cell and published by newspapers on Monday. ``What I have published...said in court and what I have written here are only a small part of the righteous demands of the people,'' Nouri, jailed on dissent charges by a hardline court, said in the letter addressed to the prosecutor >>> FULL TEXT

6,800 register to run in Iran parliament elections

TEHRAN, Dec 18 (Reuters) - About 6,800 Iranians have signed up to run in crucial parliamentary polls in February, which will pit reformists close to President Mohammad Khatami against conservative opponents, election officials said on Saturday. It is the largest number of entrants in an election in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but the actual number contending for the parliament's 290 seats in the February 18 vote could be much smaller after a two-stage screening >>> FULL TEXT

Parliament gives judiciary more power in reformist setback

TEHRAN, Dec 20 (AFP) - Iran's conservative-led parliament on Monday handed the chief justice sweeping new powers and administrative and financial freedoms, sources said, in the latest setback to the reform agenda of President Mohammad Khatami. They said parliament on Sunday and Monday passed a series of measures giving Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi licence to annul verdicts or request new trials if he found court decisions went against sharia or Islamic law >>> FULL TEXT

Pollution keeps old, sick and very young at home in Tehran

TEHRAN, Dec 20 (AFP) - Old people and children, and people with heart conditions, were advised Monday not to venture out into Tehran's smog-filled streets as pollution levels rose, the official IRAN news agency reported. The municipal authorities repeated their request to residents to avoid using their cars if possible >>> FULL TEXT

Iran plans for 11.8 billion dollars in oil revenues next year

TEHRAN, Dec 19 (AFP) - Iran is planning on almost 12 billion dollars in oil revenues for the next Iranian year which begins in March, Vice President Mohammad-Ami Najafi said in Sunday's press. Najafi, who is also head of the state budget and planning organisation, said oil revenues were expected to reach 11.8 billion dollars under the plan, which covers the Iranian year from March 2000 to March 2001 >>> FULL TEXT

Iran to set up Y2K crisis centre

TEHRAN, Dec 19 (AFP) - Iran has decided to set up a Y2K crisis centre to open from December 25 to January 6 to deal with possible problems caused by the millennium bug in essential computer systems, the press reported Sunday. The crisis centre will be managed by the interior ministry and will be made up of representatives from the energy, telec- ommunications, industry, mines, transport health, defence and foreign ministries as well as radio and IRNA personnel >>> FULL TEXT

Iran invites foreign banks to open in free-trade zones

TEHRAN, Dec 19 (AFP) - Iran's central bank on Sunday formally invited foreign banks to set up operations in the Islamic republic's free-trade zones in the Persian Gulf, officials said. "We are ready to accept requests from private and foreign banks for the free zones," deputy central bank governor Nasser Yussefi-Kia said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency >>> FULL TEXT

Siavash to Party

Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - Mahmoud Kalari is one of Iran's best cinematographers. His earlier work with director Saman Moqaddam produced one of this season's bigggest hits ("Siavash"). Now the two are about to collaborate a new film called "Party" >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Busy

Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - Amir Aqaie is one busy artist. He has published novels, poetry and plays. What is he all about. An interview: >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Russians no

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - The Russians have annouced that they will not take part in the Takhti international wrestling matches in Tehran because the date is too close to the world championships in February. Iran is considering postponing the Takhti event >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Americans yes

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - But the Americans are still committed to the Takhti games and will send a wrestling team to Tehran >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Best

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan and Nasrollah Abdollahi select their best soccer players of the last two decades >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Chichinavardi?

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - One of the main goals of the women's mountain climbing association is to start a rock climbing league (sangnavardi) >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN


BBC

Persian Service

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The Web

Iran

Azary music

Huge selection of Turkish songs from a wide range of artists. Chokh mamnoon is in order.

Beyond Iran

Gallery of Obscure Patents

Highlighting the bizarre and the unusual, from IBM's Intellectual Property Network.

More web sites


Quote Unquote

Illegal

The (supreme leader), like any other citizen, is subject to the laws of the country and cannot tread outside the law. The activity of the Special Court for Clergy...is a clear example of stepping outside the realm of law.

-- Abdollah Nouri
Reuters
December 20, 1999


Photo of the Day

Old man & the donkey


Music

Musician of the Week

Maryam Heydarzadeh

Music artists index