Kiarostami's
Taste of Cherry
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Rumi
Arts
Kiarostami's nature
The film director's photo exhibit
Interview by Sadaf Abbassian
May 19, 1999
The Iranian
Abbas Kiarostami's nature photos were exhibited for a week at Tehran's
Gallery Golestan. Opening day was packed with fans, artists and women with
perfect noses hoping to star in Kiarostami's next film.
I fought my way through the crowd to have a little chat with the filmmaker
who was wearing his trademark shades ... GO
TO FEATURE
Outlook
The Caspian, inch by inch
Reza Deghati's feature in National Geographic magazine
By Jahanshah Javid
Produced by Mehdi Jami
 LONDON, May 18 (BBC Persian Service) - Reza
Deghati's photos of the Caspian Sea region are this month's main feature
in National Geographic magazine. Deghati spent more than three years on
this project -- the largest ever regarding the Caspian Sea -- including
six months of actual shooting in the Republics of Azerbaijan, Daghestan,
Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. A few of his photos are from Iran,
but these were taken some 20 years ago.
After a slide show at the National Geographic Society in Washington
DC last week, I interviewed the 46-year-old photographer who is also working
on three more projects for the National Geographic in Russia and China
... LISTEN HERE
Also see: Caspian
web site at the National Geographic
Mocking laughter unsettles ayatollahs
The Independent, London
By Geneive Abdo, in Tehran
SAYYED Ibrahim Nabavy insults everyone in Iran, from ayatollahs to religious
vigilantes to westernised liberals, and wins awards for his satirical columns.
"My aim is to shatter all the stereotypes the system has perpetuated
for 20 years," he says in urgent tones. Then his editor, Mashallah
Shamsalvaeizin, orders him back to work. "Please, he can talk for
ever," pleads Mr Shamsalvaeizin. "But we are on deadline, and
he is hours behind."
Mr Nabavy, who writes for the daily Neshat - meaning "joy"
in Farsi - has the courage to puncture holes in the Iranian identity, and
get away with it in a country where laughing and applauding in public are
frowned upon and sometimes banned. A liberal, he says, does not smell or
wear a tie - behaviour epitomising a Western imperialist. Iranians, he
writes, are all masochists, imprisoned by their self-concocted conspiracy
theories ... FULL
TEXT
Thanks to Laleh Khalili
More Letters
* Shameful
T.T. writes: Are you guys Iranian, because if you are, you ought to
be ashamed of yourselves ["I
must be a Jew"]. You are guilty of the very accussation you are
leveling at most Iranians. You are STEREOTYPING. Basically, you are dumb
asses who have had a chance to express your views on this desolate, wasteland
of virtual intellectuality...
There is no doubt that Jews control most of the media in this country.
There is no doubt that they have been responsible in lobbying to isolate
Iran, and to paint that beloved nation of ours as a "terrorist"
nation. But most Iranians do not wish that Hitler had finished off the
Jews ... FULL
TEXT
* Stick to news
Noghrey writes: Several recent
features in The Iranian have been about hate & hatred of other
nationalities and races ["I
must be a Jew"]. Why don't you stick to the business of reporting
the news?
* TV: "The White Balloon"
Homayoon Beigi writes: "The White Balloon" by Jafar Panahi
has been showing on the Independent Film Channel in the U.S. all of this
month. The last and final shows will be on May 26th at 7:45AM EST and
1:45PM EST ... DETAILS
HERE
Book of the Week
1001 Persian-English Proverbs
By Simin Habibian
A cultural gap is growing between Iranian adults and youth residing
outside of Iran. Young Iranians are strongly influenced by Western culture,
while the adults struggle with Western culture and try to maintain their
homeland's traditions. A bridge is needed to overcome the gap.
Simin Habibian compiled "1001 Persian-English Proverbs" with
this in mind ... GO TO BOOK
Recent
featured books
THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
New! Bestsellers
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May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
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More
news
Khatami seen strengthening Saudi ties
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 19 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami wrapped up his historic, confidence-building visit to former regional
rival Saudi Arabia on Wednesday before heading to Qatar on the last leg
of his Arab tour. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saudi al-Faisal said in
comments carried by the Saudi Press Agency that talks had built confidence
between the two countries and would help them ``perform an important role
in ending differences in the region.'' ... FULL TEXT
Khatami visits Qatar on final leg of Arab
tour
DOHA,
May 19 (AFP) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami flew into Qatar on Wednesday
on the third and final leg of a week-long tour of Arab countries, officials
said ... FULL TEXT
Iran leader opposes easing ban on satellite
TV
TEHRAN, May 19 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has opposed easing a ban on satellite television which clerical
leaders blame for spreading ``corrupt'' Western culture, newspapers reported
on Wednesday ... FULL TEXT
Opposition leader's driver not abducted
- paper
Tehran,
(Neshat) -- The personal driver of Ebrahim Yazdi, leader of the opposition
Freedom Movement of Iran, has not been abducted, as reported earlier. He
was called to appear in court ... FULL IMAGE TEXT IN PERSIAN
Iran denies Cypriot parliamentary speaker
attacked in Tehran
TEHRAN,
May 18 (AFP) - Iran on Tuesday denied newspaper reports that Cypriot parliament
speaker Sypros Kyprianou had been the target of a bomb attack in Tehran.
"Based on (our) investigations, such reports are totally unfounded,"
the official news agency IRNA quoted an unidentified Iranian foreign ministry
official as saying ... FULL TEXT
Firm oil, political optimism boost Iran
stocks
TEHRAN, May 19 (Reuters) - A rise in oil prices and optimism about
Iran's political and economic situation have fuelled a rise of more than
nine percent in Iranian stocks since March, brokers said on Wednesday. The
Tehran Stock Exchange's all-share index, which closed its trading week to
Wednesday at 1,665.77 points, has made up the 6.2 percent it lost in 1998
and now stands 2.1 percent higher than at the end of 1997 ... FULL TEXT
Aid groups seek more help for refugees
in Iran
TEHRAN, May 19 (Reuters) - International humanitarian organisations
are to meet in Iran later this month to appeal for more assistance to the
two million refugees in the country, a coordinating group said on Wednesday
... FULL TEXT
Iran plans to step up trade in oil derivatives
LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - Iran is hatching plans to use risk management
tools for far more of its crude oil sales after a successful coup during
this year's rapid price rally, Iranian sources said on Wednesday ... FULL
TEXT
Alcohol and pornographic films seized in
Iran
TEHRAN,
May 17 (AFP) - Iranian police have seized 2,500 liters (650 gallons) of
alcohol produced in a Tehran workshop, as well a considerable number of
pornographic CD-Roms and videotapes, Kayhan paper reported Monday ... FULL
TEXT
Pour-Hedari in trouble?
Tehran,
(Neshat) -- National soccer team head coach Mansour Pour-Heydari has told
his superiors that he will not accompany the team to Canada. Apparently
he's not happy with the "lack of cooperation" from the soccer
federation. Also he is more concerned with about his coaching responsibilities
at Fajr Siasi, the soccer team from Shiraz. The national team is due in
Canada in a few weeks to play in an international tournament ... FULL IMAGE
TEXT IN PERSIAN
$ Rate
Updated May 19
The
dollar now offered at 808-824 tomans in the U.S. and 833 tomans in Iran
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777
Business
news
The Web
Iran
Darvag
Iranian theater group in San Francisco's Bay Area.
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art.com
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makes buying art accessible, personal and fun by offering all the information
consumers need to learn about and purchase art."
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Quote Unquote
Master of satire
My aim is to shatter all the stereotypes the system has perpetuated for
20 years.
Ebrahim Nabavi
"Mocking
laughter unsettles ayatollahs"
The Independent
May 16, 1999
Photo of the Day
Khatami
performing hajj
Music
Musician of the Week
Fereydoun
Moshiri
* Koocheh * Shokoohe roshanaaee * Doost bedaareed * Roo
dar rooye siyaahi * Nasimi az diyaare aashti * Aah baaraan
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