Archive - 2008

Love over hate

By the US electing Obama President, the world that has been waiting patiently for a different America, is happy and elated to welcome the United States back into the community of nations. It has been a very sad and troubling eight years, not only for the rest of the world, but for the US itself: two wars launched, with neither over; ecology, environment and sustainability all undermined and devalued; the worst financial calamity in a century, nourished and nurtured by "casino capitalism"; international treaties and conventions torn up; torture rationalized; detainees whose guilt and crime have not been proven, disappearing beyond judicial reach; the rule of international law weakened; enemies emboldened, while allies were undermined>>>

Great Hafez Source

Enjoy Hafez! >>>

Cordoba to Kurdistan via flamenco

Hamed Nikpay speaks Farsi the way he plays his music: rapid staccato syllables held together by slow melodic interludes. Maybe this is why he favors the setar when he speaks his heart. The instrument comes to life at the flick of the index finger over the strings, followed by a trilled sustain detailing the life of the tone. Nikpay’s new CD album, All Is Calm (Asoudeh) seems to follow the emotional biography of a young artist sparked to life by a devastating early romance whose lament still haunts him in the sustain. In the first track, Deceit, (Fareeb), he sings “You bestowed kisses from my lover’s lips to the other man.” I ducked the temptation to ask Nikpay who she was and what happened. Instead we chatted a little about the man who penned those lyrics >>>

اولین روز دبستان

ای معلم نام و هم یادت به خیر
یاد درس آب و بابایت به خیر
>>>

It's in the pot!

I took part in a UK based TV cookery show (The name of which, I sadly cannot repeat until it airs next year) But the idea is based on a group of strangers who each take turn to host and cook dinner for the group, often to hilarious and bitchy consequences. Each cook is scored for their efforts, by the other guests and the winner gets a prize at the end. It has a somewhat cult-status here in the UK and I can tell you that the whole process was a bizarre experience, indeed. A week of intense filming, Monday through Friday from 6pm-3am sometimes, leaves you absolutely exhausted as you have your normal day job to do also and so you are getting only 3 hours sleep each night! I wasn’t planning on even writing about this, but someone made me promise I would mention it… Although I did agree that only in the instance that I won, would I write about… and by some miracle I did actually win! >>>

The Italian Girl

She was American really, but she became a little more Italian after each drink, not in terms of how she talked or acted, but in terms of how she wanted him to see her, and after their third round, he'd told her about how a lot of Iranians liked to think they looked like Italians, and he tried to tell her with the right combination of flirtatiousness and Western beauty standards critique. You don't have to lay your whole heart on the table in order to have a good time, he thought. Anyway there's no time when you lay your whole heart on the table, because that would suggest that you understand the whole thing. It was a very sound conclusion to reach after three gin-and-tonics. She was quiet for a moment and then she said, "I don't like the way they protest against Columbus when we have the Italian Day parade in North Beach.">>>

ATIQ RAHIMI WINS GONCOURT LITERARY PRIZE 2008

Afghan Author Atiq Rahimi wins France's Top Literary Prize for first Novel written in French. >>>

Clean up, please

Orange County Health Care Agency has reported major violations at Caspian and Darya restaurants in southern California.>>>

Marjane Satrapi's Support for Obama

‘Persepolis’ Vote Goes to Obama >>>

REZA's Photos for Reporters without Frontiers

Reza Deghati French Iranian Photo Jourlalist publishes 100 photos for Freedom of Press. Available Online >>>

سرخ پوست

سرخ پوست مغرور
نگاه انداخته به دور >>>

Voices for Peace Epilogue

In 1979, a group of students held hostage 52 Americans who worked in the embassy in Tehran. The event left a negative impression of Iran around the world and deeply wounded the American psyche. >>>