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Baba Taher
Cover story
Eprime
In fond memory of Eprime Eshag; friend, economist (1918-1998)
By Ebrahim Golestan
The following was read at last month's cremation ceremony for Eprime
Eshag:
In a short while the body of Eprime will return to the purity of basic
elements. The memory of what he was will remain with some of us. Our memory
of him is the essence of his existence as reflected in the polished, or
tarnished, mirror of our mind.
The image that I have of him is of bold sincerity. He was nothing if
not sincere. The sincerity was always critical. He was nothing if not critical.
The alert analysis that he would make of problems and people, and his almost
immediate evaluation of events and situations was, most of the time, judged
as abrasive and authoritarian -- by a lethargic and convention-bound mundane
majority ... GO TO FEATURE
Outlook
Iranians celebrate Zoroastrian feast during Moslem
holy month
TEHRAN, Dec 21 (AFP) - Iranians celebrated Monday night the feast of
Yalda, a religious tradition older than Islam, even though this year it
fell during the Moslem fasting month of Ramadan.
While Ramadan is marked by abstinence from eating, drinking and smoking,
Yalda, which celebrates the longest night in the year, is an occasion for
gorging oneself on various snacks and fruits.
Yalda dates back several thousand years to when Zoroastrianism, a dualist
faith concerned with the battle between good and evil, was the official
religion of ancient Persia.
It is characterized by family reunions and feasting with grandparents
and friends, the telling of stories and the reading of poetry to the younger
generations.
It is also virtually obligatory to eat summer fruits like water melon
and local sweet melons, along with dried fruits and nuts, in the belief
that they will keep illness at bay until the spring ... FULL TEXT
Farah Pahlavi has got her very own email: fpahlavi@hotmail.com.
And her web site is here.
Forwarded by Farhad Sepahbody
More Letters
* Absolute genius
Farhad Jahromi writes: I first read this poem ["Iraj
Mirza: "Missing the point"] in 8th grade (eight years ago).
Government censorship and a teenager's curiosity had made it that much
more interesting to read. It was actually this poem, which I believe is
called "Aref NAmeh" and not "ChAdor", that introduced
me to Iraj Mirza's other works.
To me he is an absolute genious. His poems are simple yet so expressive
and clear, and the fact that he was a "Shahzadeh" gave him the
freedom and immunity to openly create poems, no one had attempted before
in Iran.
Iraj describes the ignorance and vulgar culture of Iran with uttermost
talent. The fact that his poems relate so closely to today's Iran shows
how backward we have been moving for the past twenty years.
Attached is one of my favorite Iraj poems. (Hope you like it too. Click
on poem to see full
text:)
* Literature: Storytelling and dialogue,
N. California
The Committee For Freedom Of Thought And Expression In Iran (Northern
California) presents: "Storytelling And Dialogue" with Akbar
Sardoozami, Iranian writer in exile.
Date: Sunday December 20, at 7:30
Place: Albany Senior Center846 Masonic Ave., Albany
(Take I80 East, exit Albany/Buchanan St., at 3rd stop light turn left on
Masonic, drive one block and cross Solano, Center is on your left.)
Information: (510)644-0403
Book of the Week
The Persian Boy
By Mary Renault
I have read many books in my 17 years, but few have captured me as The Persian Boy has. It is the story of a persian boy
sold into slavery and eventually becomes slave to King Darius III. As Persia
is lost to Alexander's army early in the story, the boy becomes first a
servant then a lover to Alexander. Perhaps the most interesting part of
the story is that Renault maintains an enormous level of accuracy both
about the historical events, and about the relationship between this boy
and Alexander, based on records from the time. -- A reader
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news
World press group award for Iran's Sarkuhi
PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The World Association
of Newspapers awarded its 1999 Golden Pen of Freedom award on Monday to
exiled Iranian writer Faraj Sarkuhi. The association said Sarkuhi, former
editor of the cultural journal Adineh freed from jail in January after serving
a 12-month sentence for ``propaganda'' offences, had consistently defended
press freedom in Iran ... FULL TEXT
Shadowy fundamentalist group claims murder
of Iranian writers
TEHRAN, Dec 21 (AFP) - A shadowy Islamic fundamentalist group has
claimed responsibility for a series of murders of writers and dissidents
in Iran in the past month, a newspaper reported Monday. "The revolutionary
executions are a warning to all those whose pens are in the service of foreigners
and want Iran's return to foreign domination," the Fedayeen (Devotees)
of Pure Islam said in a statement published in Khordad daily ... FULL TEXT
Struggle over upcoming local council elections
Tehran, (Hamshahri) - Arguments between conservatives and moderates
rage over who should and shouldn't be allowed to become a candidate for
local council elections, due to be help in February. There are several reports
in Monday's political section of Hamshahri ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Khatami pushes liberal reforms
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- It's an uphill battle, but President Mohammad
Khatami is doggedly pushing through liberal reforms over the opposition
of powerful conservative rivals. What's emerging, says Abbas Abdi, editor
of the moderate newspaper Salam, is that the country is being run by a special
kind of balance. The conservatives challenge Khatami at every turn, but
ousting him from office ``isn't doable,'' Abdi says. ``To a certain extent,
they stick to their boundaries and don't exceed their limits.'' ... FULL
TEXT
Total again defies US law on trade with
Iran
TEHRAN, Dec 21 (AFP) - French oil group Total is again openly defying
US threats to punish foreign companies doing business with Iran, negotiating
new projects with Tehran, one of which involves a vast onshore field. "With
10 percent of the planet's oil reserves and 15 percent of the gas reserves,
Iran is central to our development strategy. We reject sidelining this country
because of political reasons," Total's Middle East director, Christophe
de Margerie, told AFP ... FULL TEXT
Iranians begin Ramadan fasting a day late
TEHRAN, Dec 21 (AFP) - Iranians began fasting for the month of
Ramadan at dawn on Monday, a day late according to the Islamic lunar calendar
and after a number of Arab countries had already begun the dawn-to-dusk
fasting. Iranians were obliged to wait until Sunday afternoon to be told
by religious authorities that they had seen the new moon, which heralds
the fasting month ... FULL TEXT
Theater: Iran in the 1940s
Tehran, (Hamshahri) - Golab Adineh's paly "Shabi
dar Tehran" (A night in Tehran), takes us back to the 1940s ... FULL
TEXT IN PERSIAN
Iran ranks 7th in Asian games
December 21, 1998 (New agencies) - The final medals count of the
Bangkok Asian Games, including a breakdown of Iran's medals ... FULL TEXT
Iran, even with 10, win gold
BANGKOK, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Iran, even with a player sent off late
in the game, won the Asian Games soccer gold on Saturday, beating Kuwait
2-0 in a game played under extra security because of U.S.-led bombing raids
on Iraq. The outcome of the all-Middle East final, played on the first day
of the holy Moslem fasting month of Ramadan, was never in doubt as Iran,
with most of their World Cup squad on display, took control from the start
... FULL TEXT
$ Rate
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dollar now offered at up to 710-717 tomans
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777
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"While we appreciate the painting traditions of the
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Konya
This is the Turkish city where Rumi settled and thrived.
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Quote Unquote
Inspiration
At great personal risk to himself and his family, he has upheld the highest
mission of journalism -- the search for truth. He is an inspiration to publishers
and journalists everywhere.
The World Association of Newspapers
Statement on the 1999 Golden Pen of Freedom award for Faraj Sarkuhi
Reuters
December 21, 1998
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Bacheh-haa
motshakerim!
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Haydeh
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