The Iranian Times

Tuesday, February 8, 2000 / Bahman 19, 1378, No. 912


Flower delivery in Iran

Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Flower delivery in Iran

Iranian books


    Baba Taher


* Send your Valentine's Day message here: Times@iranian.com. It will be published February 14.*

Wine

High spirits
Shiraz wine: from Persia to Australia

By Cyrus Kadivar
February 8, 2000
The Iranian

One ancient Persian legend says that Jamshid, a grape-loving king, stored ripe grapes in a cellar so he could enjoy grapes all year long.

One day he sent his slaves to fetch him some grapes. When they did not return he decided to go to the cellar himself only to find that they had been knocked out by the carbon dioxide gas emanating from some bruised fermenting grapes. One of the king's rejected, distraught mistresses decided to drink this poisoned potion, only to leave the cellar singing and dancing in high spirits >>> GO TO FEATURE

Novel

Conspiracy at Desert One
A novel

By Bernace Charles
The Iranian

Chapter One

1999
Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The voice through the telephone carried a guttural sound. "Meet with me, Walker. You need the story . . . the story needs you."

Wesley Walker, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a man carrying the disputable distinction of being a writer of fiction answered, "I'm not interested. No one is. A military blunder is exactly that. It's a poor history."

Again, the words sounded as coming through a long, dark tunnel. The shaft shaped them. "There was more to it, Mr. Walker . . . thirty minutes . . . it's all I need . . . it's all you need to hear the story. Men played a deadly game . . . the game caught them short. Meet me in the vista parking lot at the Keystone Dam.">>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

INTERVIEW
The Hard Line From Tehran

Newsweek International
February 14, 2000

It's clear that the Clinton administration would like to improve relations with Iran. Indeed, the administration has made some gestures to Tehran. But a rare interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi makes clear that Iran wants all give and no take. As for the Middle East peace process, it won't change Iran's antipathy to Israel. Kharrazi spoke recently with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth. Excerpts: >>> FULL TEXT


    Anyway

Bikhiyaal

An Aseman Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Tehran. You would think the ariline staff would feel sorry for the terrified passengers. But... >>> READ HERE

Thanks to Yazdaneh Amiryazdani


More Letters

* Old habits

Banafsheh Zand writes in reference to Amin Naraghi's letter:

Here's an article about the new politico, Joerg Haider, who seems to be charming the pants off of the ever 3rd Reich loving Austrians. Old habits unfortunately die hard.

* Oh, how heavy...!

Ben Bagheri writes in reference to NN's letter:

I agree with your comments about the piece on the politeness of Iranians ["Most polite people in the world"]. By Western standards, many Iranians would rate as quite impolite. For example, many do not show a lot of respect for other people's time and schedule. Punctuality and attention to timeliness is not one of our better characteristics.

Another example: The other day I ran into a Persian friend of mine from college days and the first two sentences she produced where "Oh, how heavy you've become!" and "How much did you pay for your new car?" The same woman asked me last year if I had divorced my American wife yet?

Now, by American standards, these types of questions are considered most uncalled for and very rude, but are common conversation pieces even in Iranian modern/urban societies! So, it may be that one should consider the frame of reference or the base set of values when judging a society for things like politeness and morality in general. My two cents.

* Another lonely guy

Ramin Maghsoud writes: I'm here in Austin Texas, another lonley guy from Tehran. Just wanted to say thank you for the nice site you have provided for all Iranians in every corner of this country or other lands .


Community: Changing gender role: Washington DC lecture

The Iranian American Cultural Association (IACA) proudly presents: "Now, All Must Be Shared: Changing Gender Roles within the Iranian Immigrant Family" -- A lecture by sociologist Dr. Ali Akbar Mahdi. * PLACE & ADDRESS: Georgetown University's Intercultural Center, Room 101. 37th & O Streets, NW in Washington, DC. * DATE & TIME: Saturday, 19 February 2000, 1:30-3:30 pm >>> FULL TEXT

Valentine: Say "I love you" all over again

Valentine's Day is just a few days days away. We have created a special page for your messages to your loved one. All you have to do is email the message to us and we will publish it on February 14. You will make her, or him, very happy. Email your message here: Times@iranian.com

SELL TICKETS ONLINE AT YOUR SITE


Books & Music from Iran

Book store

Selected works of Nima Yushij; interpretations of Hedayat & Sepehri; selected works of Samad Behrangi; memoirs of the wife of a former head of SAVAK; memoirs of Manouchehr Farmanfarmaian Farmanfarmaian... >>> GO HERE

Music store

Latest from music artists in Iran: Mohammad Nouri * Arshia. * Mohammad Reza Shajarian * Shahram Nazeri * Hessamedin Seraj * Nasser Cheshmazar * Moniroo Ravanipoor ... >>> GO HERE

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Music store


Video

NEW: Champions: Iranian national soccer team

Three hours of interviews, trainings, matches, Biographies, and fans of Iranian National Soccer Team, covering Iran's soccer history from 1978-2000. Premium quality. Produced by: Alireza AmirGhasemi & Behrouz Deravi.

THE IRANIAN
Video Store



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More news

Parties gear up for parliamentary elections

TEHRAN, Feb 8 (AFP) - Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami Tuesday called on his key constituency of young people and women to turn out in force to vote in this month's parliamentary elections, as all parties geared up for the start of the official campaign in two days' time. "The elections are the most decisive sign of the people's participation in their own destiny and in democracy, and that is why women and young people will play a determining role in the important poll lying ahead of us," he told a gathering of women, reported by state radio >>> FULL TEXT

'Dismal science' in back seat at Iran poll

TEHRAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The rough-and-tumble politics of Iran's factional struggle has pushed key economic issues off the agenda of next week's parliamentary polls. As a result, many of the most crucial questions that will face the 290 deputies during their four-year terms are getting short shrift from the more than 6,500 candidates as they campaign for the February 18 contest >>> FULL TEXT

576 candidates disqualified

TEHRAN, Iran ­­ A hard-line council charged with screening candidates for the Feb. 18 legislative elections said Tuesday that it has disqualified 576 applicants, Iranian radio reported. The affiliations of the disqualified candidates were not immediately known. Iranian moderates have expressed fears that the Guardian Council would eliminate those who do not fully endorse the policies of hard-liners among the ruling clergy >>> FULL TEXT

MKO seen bent on violence, reject reform

DUBAI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Iran's exiled Mujahideen Khalq rebels seem bent on keeping up guerrilla attacks but Iranian analysts say they appear increasingly out of step with the mood in Iran for gradual political reform. The Iraq-based rebels claimed responsibility for Saturday's mortar attack near the presidential palace in Tehran which killed one man and injured six >>> FULL TEXT

Khatami embraces recently-released Karbaschi

TEHRAN, Feb 7 (AFP) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami embraced former reformist mayor of Tehran Gholamhossein Karbaschi, who was freed from jail on a pardon in January, at the inauguration of a Tehran cultural centre Monday. Karbaschi, who was pardoned by the Islamic republic's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was taking part in the inauguration of an Iranian artists' club within a former military barracks in the centre of Tehran >>> FULL TEXT

Oil slips as OPEC output speculation grows

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices eased a little on Tuesday as speculation grew that producers may increase output when their pact to limit supplies expires at the end of March. Benchmark Brent crude was 17 cents down at $26.71 a barrel by 1730 GMT, still within 40 cents of nine-year highs hit last month >>> FULL TEXT

Nominees

Tehran (Hamshahri) - Fajr film fest nominees have been announced. In the best film category, the nominees are "Bolough" by Masoud Jafari Jozani,"Bouy-r kafour, atr-e yaas" by Bahman Farmanara, "Mehr" by Ahmadreza Darvish, "Mard-e baaraani" by Abolhassan Davoudi and "Eteraaz" by Masoud Kimiaie >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Good news, bad news

Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - The bad news is that Nikahang Kosar is in prison for drawing a political cartoon lampooning Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. The good news is that collected cartoons may become a bestseller >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Missing masters

Tehran (Hamshahri) - The Fajr music festival has one main problem: it does not include such masters as Meshkatian, Alizadeh and Shajarian >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Beethoven

Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - One of the performances on the first day of the Fajr music festival is a piece by Beethoven >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Chance shamnce

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Esteqlal had chance to steal first place from Persepolis by winning against Chooka. But >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Meanwhile in Riyadh...

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Analyzing the game between Persepolis and Iraq Police... Persepolis kept lobbing balls in Iraq's court, without clear attack plan >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Parvin worried

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Persepolis head coach Ali Parvin is very upset with the team's poor performance against Iraq -- so upset that he didn't show up for lunch >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN


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Persian Service

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Quote Unquote

No reason

There is no reason we should not normalize relations with the Americans provided they pave the way for this.

-- Kamal Kharrazi
Newsweek
February 14, 2000


Photo of the Day

Rasti & Son cigarettes


Music

Mohammad Nouri

Music artists index


Art

Mahmoud Farshchian:
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