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Film
Not THAT good
Patronizing adoration for Iranian cinema
By Naghmeh Sohrabi
August 24, 2000
The Iranian
My uncle often likes to say with pride that in the old days, during
the Shah's time, when Iranians would travel to Paris or London, everywhere
they went, people kept asking them "how many oil wells do you own?"
In educated, cosmopolitan American circles these days, no one would ask
such a question. Instead, what I am often asked as an Iranian-American
is "have you seen [enter here name of Iran's newest cinematic export]?
What do you think about Iranian cinema? It's so great. It's so unlike Hollywood."
I find the uncritical attention given to Iranian cinema by the Western
press patronizing and the adoration showered upon it by Iranians living
outside of Iran uncritically patriotic >>>
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Responsibility
Over and over again
Never stopped to see where we went wrong
By Najmeh Fakhraie
August 24, 2000
The Iranian
How many times have I heard my mother talk about her days in Golestan
School as if it was the best place on earth? How many times have I heard
my grandmother talk about all the things they used to do then as if they
could not be done anywhere else or any other time ever again? And how they
would have given all that up for the promise of a better future is definitely
unimaginable. "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't"
goes the saying. So if they had heaven right in front of them how did they
lose it so easily? What went wrong along the way? What big, unforgivable
crime was committed? >>>
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Marriage
By dAyi Hamid
August 23, 2000
The Iranian >>>
GO TO FEATURE
Outlook
Iran think-tank seeks gas exporters' union
STAVANGER, Norway, Aug 24 (Reuters) - An Iranian think tank said on
Thursday it had proposed to the country's energy ministry the formation
of an international gas exporters' cartel as a forum to share experience
and plan strategy.
"We have proposed to the ministry an idea to form a union of gas
exporting states... We want to learn from each other," Seyed Abdoljabad
Alavi, director of international affairs at the Institute for International
Energy Studies, told a group at the Offshore Northern Seas conference >>> FULL
TEXT
Serial Killings
BBC Persian Service
In all the committees that were established in order to investigate
serial murders of Iranian intellectuals, the President played the most
important role, said Mohammad Niazi head of the Judiciary office of the
Armed forces. Sima Bahrami in an interview with Taqi Rahmani, Iranian journalist,
asked him his views on Mr Niazi's comments >>>
LISTEN HERE
Early days of cinema in Iran
Cinema
A wonderful recollection of the early days of cinema in Iran by Esmaeel
Arham Sadr. He starts with the silent movies and how a band would play
Iranian music during the screening and a man would walk up and down the
isle explaining the story to the audience. "This man's name is Jimmy.
The woman's name is Liza. They are lovers..." >>>
FULL PERSIAN TEXT
Take a wild guess
Sima Sarshar is: a) Radical fundamentalist or b) >>>
SEE HERE
More Letters
* Taking over the Persian Gulf
Amani al-Omani writes:
I'm a Kuwaiti citizen. That means we are very close to each other yet
my root is very Arabic and I'm Sunni .
I'd like to know do you really think that you should take over the Gulf
area and rule there ["Snake
island"]? What is happening in my country is that a lot of Iranians
cross the border as illegal immigrants and most of them smuggle drugs.
No offense, but don't you think since the revulotion pepole miss the
freedom and the luxury? Anyhow these are my thoughts and I would like to
hear your answer .
* Maybe, just maybe
Mohammad Yamini writes:
In response to Sheri Zandi, "Behkhodaa
we're Italian": I think you must have had Iranian ancestors since
Zandi is a very prominent Persian last name. One of the dynasties that
governed Iran about three hundred years ago was called the Zand dynasty
and its founder was called Karim Khan Zand. So maybe, just maybe, you have
an Iranian ancestor in your distant past.
You can investigate your genealogical tree. After all Persia and Rome
where once powerful empires and neighbours and came quite often into contact
with each other. Even your first name is very Persian. Sheri is the abbreviation
for the Persian female name "Shirin". Shirin in Iranian literature
has the same meaning as Juliet in English literature because of Romeo and
Juliet.
Actually there are many Persian names which have found their way into
Western hemisphere like Cyrus, Darius, Roxana, Shervin, Shaheen etc.
Art: Group exhibition in Los Angeles
The Society of Iranian Women in Los Angeles Presents: VEILING/UNVEILING
Group Art Exhibition
September 1 through September 30th. Reception: September 9th, 2000.
Time: 5-9pm Location: Eagle Rock Community Center 2225 Colorado Blvd. Eagle
Rock, CA 90041 323-226-1617. Featured artists are >>>
DETAILS HERE
Books
THE IRANIAN
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Translation of today's poem by Zara
Houshmand:
I said to myself, "I'll go away for a while;
My love might then have reason to be sorry."
She had endless patience; I can't hide:
It didn't work, no matter how I tried.
-- Rumi
Previous
translations
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
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More
news
Khatami meets Iran's Jewish leaders
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mohammad Khatami met Iranian-Jewish
community leaders Thursday in a bid to ease the anxieties of the Jewish
minority in Iran, where 10 Jews were convicted last month of spying for
Israel. Khatami met with a group of 40 Jews, including the wife of one of
the convicted men. He promised to defend their rights, said Iranian Jewish
lawmaker Morris Motamed >>> FULL TEXT
Iran ends state monopoly on caviar exports
TEHRAN,
Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran has ended its state monopoly on the export of caviar
in a bid to revive the sluggish industry, the director of the national fisheries
industry said in Thursday's newspapers. Khodakaram Jalali said "interested
firms" would be supplied with sturgeon in a bid to encourage the private
sector, as the price of caviar has skyrocketed some 70 percent in the past
year >>> FULL TEXT
Norway's Saga wins drilling contract in
Iran's western provinces
TEHRAN,
Aug 24 (AFP) - Norway's Saga Petroleum has won the exploration and drilling
contract for oil-rich areas near Iran's western city of Dehloran, the official
IRNA news agency reported Thursday. It cited provincial officials saying
that Saga had signed the contract with Iranian oil authorities and would
begin seismographic research and drilling soon >>> FULL TEXT
Iran Air says capacity hit by costs, U.S.
sanctions
TEHRAN, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Iran 's national airline cannot increase
capacity in line with growing demand because of U.S.-imposed sanctions and
budget limitations, the airline's managing director said. "Because
of financial limitations and the issue of sanctions, plans to add to our
airliners were scrapped," Ahmad Reza Kazemi was quoted by Kar Va Kargar
newspaper as saying on Thursday >>> FULL TEXT
Tax revenues up in smoke as two out of
three cigarettes contraband
TEHRAN,
Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran is losing out on tax revenue from tobacco because two
out of three cigarettes smoked nationwide are smuggled into the country,
the official IRNA news agency said Thursday. "Currently 45 billion
cigarettes are smoked annually in Iran, 30 billion of which are smuggled
into the country without earning any tax revenue for the government,"
free-trade zone official Hossein Nasiri said, cited by IRNA >>>
FULL TEXT
Iran finds wreckage of helicopter but fate
of pilots still unknown
TEHRAN,
Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran has located the wreckage of a helicopter that went down
in the Persian Gulf earlier this month but the fate of the two Iranian pilots
is still unknown, press reports said Thursday. The government-run Iran newspaper,
citing an unnamed naval official, said the wreck is 85 metres (280 feet)
underwater and 200 metres (220 yards) from the Saga 2 platform in the Persian
Gulf's giant South Pars gas field >>> FULL TEXT
Earlys days of cinema in Iran
Tehran
(Cinema) -- A wonderful recollection of the early days of cinema in Iran
by Esmaeel Arham Sadr. He starts with the silent movies and how a band would
play Iranian music during the screening and a man would walk up and down
the isle explaining the story to the audience. "This man's name is
Jimmy. The woman's name is Liza. They are lovers >>> FULL TEXT
Boy actor remembers making of masterpiece
Tehran
(Cinema) -- Mohammad Zamani was a young boy when he played a role in Sohrab
Shahid Sales' masterpiece "Tabeeat-e beejaan". Zamani remembers
>>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT
Eshq-e film
Tehran
(Cinema) -- "Eshq-e film", a film about people obsessive movie
fans, has received a production permit. It will be made by Ebrahim Vahidzadeh
>>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT
Minavand knocked out as team qualifies
for Champions League
ROTTERDAM, Aug 23 (Reuters)(DS) - Feyenoord fans felled a Sturm
Graz player and threw objects onto the pitch as their team failed to reach
the Champions League after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Austrians on
Wednesday. As well as being eliminated from the competition, Feyenoord could
face the wrath of UEFA after Sturm's Iranian midfielder Mehrdad Minavand
was felled by an object thrown from the crowd at the end of the first half
>>> FULL TEXT
Waterpolo, soccer "too violent"
for women
Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Waterpolo and soccer are too violent
for women, says Fereshteh Adl, the head of the women's swimming association
>>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT
Women: Best indoor soccer player
Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Sima Sarshar is one of the best young
women futsal players. She has been playing since she was seven and has gotten
excellent grades in college entrance exams as well >>> FULL PERSIAN
TEXT
BBC
Iran Opens to Foreign Investment
In a closed door session, the Iranian parliament
voted in favour of a new bill aimed at attracting and protecting direct
foreign investment in the country's ailing economy. But what can be the
foreign investors reactions? Saeed Yekta seeks Mehrdad Vali-Beigee &
Sir Jeremy Hanley's views>>>
LISTEN HERE
BBC Persian
Service
Exchange rate
Updated August 24
Buying: 813 to 816 tomans per dollar
Selling: 822 to 828 tomans per dollar
CALL TOLL FREE: 877-SEHHATY (877-734-4289)
or 800-995-0264
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This could eventually turn into an Iranian
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Beyond Iran
Martha
Stewart
The woman has taste. What can you say?
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Quote Unquote
Patronizing
For Americans... Iranian cinema is great only if viewed
within a patronizing framework (not necessarily on purpose) or one that
in its desire to be un-Hollywood, is willing to check its critical tools
at the door and call everything and anything that comes out of Iran great.
-- Naghmeh Sohrabi
"Not
THAT good"
The Iranian
August 24, 2000
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