Archive - Nov 4, 2009

Death to No One

Today, marks the 30th year since the 444 day Iran Hostage Crisis began in 1979. On this day the media traditionally offers us images of burning American flags and effigies of Uncle Sam. We are reminded of the great chasm of mistrust and misunderstanding that has marked the last three decades of US-Iranian relations. But in the past year both Americans and Iranians have asked for something new. We have elected a president that promises to pursue diplomacy and Iranians have given birth to a popular democratic movement. So, we should not use this 30th anniversary of the hostage crisis to simply re-live tragedy and tension>>>

Academic isolation

Over the past 4 years, Iran’s universities have grown increasingly unhappy with the rigid academic as well as social restrictions established by the fundamentalists who run the government. Iran’s university movement remains largely frustrated due to lack of leadership, and lack of support from the universities themselves (most senior officials of which are appointed by the government). Iranian student and academic movements have been pessimistic as to the support they might hope for from Western colleagues>>>

The compelicated life of Laleh

Thousands of Laleh and her sisters are destroying every year, and the newspaper write about them, but with the time the news will be cold and the people look at these type of news indifferently>>>

Private Parts

The first half of the 20th century minus the Reza Shah period is unique in the whole history of Persian literature in the amount of satire, lampoons and invectives which were published largely though not entirely through the press, and usually with a political motive. It was characteristic of Iranian history that the fall of an arbitrary state, often even the death of a ruler, led to division and chaos. The first quarter of the twentieth century was a period of revolution, chaos and coup>>>

SIMIN ROCKS: Simin Behbahani mtvU’s Poet Laureate for 2009.

From a Nobel Prize nomination to inspiring lyrics in rock songs, the 82-year old Simin Behbahani’s work has made a significant impact on the world’s cultural landscape. Now she’s mtvU’s Poet Laureate for 2009. >>>