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Vahshi Bafqi
Economy
Pretend we have no oil
An economy based on taxes instead of oil
By Guive Mirfendereski
There is nothing national or self-reliant about an economy whose national
budget has to look to receipts from international sale of a precious and
nonrenewable resource at cut-throat international prices in order to finance,
year after year, a huge governmental bureaucracy and its affiliated enterprises.
In the long term, the continued dependence by the government on oil revenues
does harm to the future economic and political health of the country for
two reasons. First, the international price of oil will remain for the
foreseeable future out of control of oil exporting countries. So, Iran's
national budgetary priorities will remain hostage to outside factors. Second,
what will the government and the economy rely on when the oil runs out
or production costs exceed the price of oil on the international market?
... GO TO FEATURE
Outlook
U.S. Weighs Whether Purchase Might Serve to Improve
Ties
By Thomas W. Lippman and David B. Ottaway
The Washington Pos
Tuesday, January 19, 1999
Just as the Clinton administration was reluctantly concluding late last
year that its effort to rebuild ties to Iran was going nowhere, Iran surprised
Washington with a request to buy more than $500 million in U.S. grain and
sugar, a move described by Iran's U.S. purchasing agent as an effort to
reach out to the United States.
The proposed transaction requires a Treasury Department license, and
the administration is debating whether approval would appear to reward
Iran undeservedly or whether denial would cut off a promising line of contact.
The debate is complicated by uncertainty about Iran's motives in placing
the order ...
The application for a Treasury license was filed by Niki Trading Co.,
which was formed last June by Richard W. Bliss, a veteran Washington lobbyist,
and Yahya Fiuzi, an Iranian American who has lived in the area for the
past 20 years. "Niki" means "doing good" or "goodwill"
in Farsi, according to Pani Farkhan, Fiuzi's daughter, who also works for
the company ... FULL TEXT
Anyway
Better believe it
Top 10 reasons Cindy Crawford is Iranian
By Bruce Bahmani
10. There is no way she would go out with you.
09. You know she is always waiting for someone better.
08. Her eyebrows.
07. Her khaal.
06. She looks good in a roo-sari.
05. Take a good look again at her khaal.
04. She studied engineering.
03. You know she's nasty but you can't get any proof.
02. For some strange reason you can very easily imagine her eating chelo-kabaabwith
piaaz.
01. Her real first name is Sakineh.
History
Revolution: 1979-1999
More Letters
* Stupid, disgusting
Hamid Tadjvar writes: Tell Hamid Taghavi that his "The
Sub Man" was by far the stupidest, most wasteful, useless, and
disgusting piece of writing (if you can call it that) I've ever read. The
attempt to stereotype the school kids, asking foolish questions and making
useless (unfunny) remarks..... Really!! You ought to have better writers
than that.
* JAG star speaks Farsi?
Mehrdad Modjtahedi writes: I just read Armin Alaemani's article entitled,
"JAGged,"
and I am not very sure if Catherine Bell can really speak Farsi. My father
first pointed out that "the pretty woman on that JAG show was actually
speaking Farsi last night!"
I finally got to see a rerun of the show. However, I noticed that everytime
Ms. Bell spoke Farsi, her voice sounded completely different - as if someone
was dubbing her lines and she was lip synching. I hope this was just my
imagination, because I think it would be awesome to have a few role models
on TV with Iranian backgrounds - especially one who is as beautiful as
Ms. Bell ;-)
* Lecture: Murderers of dissidents on
trial, Berkeley
The Ad hoc Committee for Defense of Freedom and Democracy in Iran in
protest to the killings of dissidents in Iran will hold a public trial
for those responsible for the killings.
Speakers (in Persian):
* Dr. Bagher Parham
Topic: Association of Iranian Writers and Its Role in the Transformations
in Contemporary Iran
* Dr. Abbas Milani
Topic: Civil Society and Political Crisis in Iran
With the video of a memorial service for Parvaneh & Dariush Forouhar,
Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Pouyandeh in Iran.
Time: Saturday January 23, at 7:30
Place: First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way at Dana, Berkeley
Book of the Week
The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam
From the Persian National Epic, the Shahname of Ferdowsi
By Jerome W. Clinton (Translator)
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news
TV chief banned from cabinet meetings
January 19, 1999, TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The head of Iran's state
television has been banned from attending Cabinet sessions for airing a
broadcast that blamed supporters of the country's moderate president for
a string of recent slayings, newspapers reported Tuesday. Ataollah Mohajerani,
minister of culture and the government's spokesman, demanded a public apology
from Ali Larijani, who heads the country's radio and TV network ... FULL
TEXT
Khatami seen winning row with state TV
TEHRAN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran's state-run
television came under fire on Tuesday over an interview with a conservative
cleric who had accused backers of President Mohammad Khatami of being behind
a series of murders of moderate intellectuals. A top state committee condemned
the television station for the interview and demanded that those responsible
for the programme be punished. Iranian analysts saw the decision as a victory
for the moderate president over the conservative-run state media and another
step forward for his liberal political and cultural reforms ... FULL TEXT
Montazeri supporters arrested
LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran produced more oil in recent years
than outside experts believed and even more than its own officials disclosed,
Dresdner Kleinwort Benson (DKBR) said. The bank said in a World Oil Report
that Iran could pump sustainably at 3.9 million barrels per day (bpd). ``Broadly
speaking, our own data agrees with the Iranian view that secondary market
sources have substantially under-estimated Iran's sustainable production
capacity in 1998,'' said the report by Mehdi Varzi, a director of research
at the bank ... FULL TEXT
Iran oil capacity exceeds estimates-Dresdner
Bank
TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - Iran's parliament
Sunday defeated a bill that would have removed a virtual ban on car imports
into the country. In a session broadcast on Tehran radio, deputies voted
against a budget item that would have allowed car imports subject to heavy
customs duties. Under Iran's protective laws, car imports are allowed only
in few cases, including when the payment for the vehicles is made in hard
currency obtained from exports ... FULL TEXT
U.S. says considering sale of farms goods
to Iran
WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The United
States is considering the sale of U.S. farm goods to Iran but no decision
has been made, the State Department said on Tuesday. ``An application for
a license to broker a sale of U.S. agricultural products to Iran has been
filed with the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and is under consideration,''
spokesman James Rubin said. ``I don't think any decision has been made on
this,'' he said ... FULL TEXT
German chosen for under 21 coach
Tehran (Iran) - A German has been chosen to coach the under 21
Olympic team. Another German is an assistant on the Iranian national soccer
team ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Derakhshan: We must learn form foreign
coaches
Tehran (Iran) - "we must learn new things from foreign coaches,"
said Hamid Derakhshan in an interview with Iran newspaper. Amir Qalehnoii
also comments on the pros and cons of hiring a foreign coach for the national
team ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
$ Rate
Updated Jan 18
The
dollar now offered at up to 714-718 tomans
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777
Business
news
The Web
Iran
Iran-Toronto.com
Homepage of Iranians in Toronto, Canada.
Beyond Iran
Festivals.com
Searchable collection of events and parties around the world.
Don't miss I'M B1FF, the International MPEG Bizarre 1st Film Festival.
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web sites
Quote Unquote
Cut-throat
There is nothing national or self-reliant about an economy whose national
budget has to look to receipts from international sale of a precious and
nonrenewable resource at cut-throat international prices in order to finance,
year after year, a huge governmental bureaucracy and its affiliated enterprises.
Guive Mirfendereski
"Just
pretend we have no oil"
The Iranian
January 19, 1999
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Gas station, 1931
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* Windmills of Your Mind * Yesterday When I Was Young
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