Archive - Aug 2009

This shall not stand

From “independence and freedom” to  Islamic Republic

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Final show down

The world patiently waited for the Iranian election in hopes to see a change of sort towards moderation and semblance of sanity. Only to see their votes adulterated, their hopes vanished; frustration and anger renewed. As the events unfolded before us, we witnessed the extent and severity of the pain inflicted on Iranian people. We share that pain and feel obliged to stand by our Countrymen however we can. This Article is dedicated to those who had the courage to walk the streets with a green sign of defiance. At this stage , we find Iran in the state of a multi-dimensional cubical that could land on any side, and perhaps on the side that bears the center of gravity. At the top of this cubical is the ruling clerics>>>

قلع وقمع

با تنفیذ و تحلیف محمود احمدی‌نژاد به عنوان رییس جمهور جدید اسلامی ایران، و نمایش «دادگاه» سران اصلاح‌طلب، کشمکش بین دو جناح حاکم در این نظام به مرحله آشتی‌ناپذیری رسیده است. جناح ولی فقیه عزم خود را بر نفی کامل جناح مخالف به نمایش گذاشت و راه را بر روی هرگونه سازش و راه حل مرضی الطرفین (که خوش‌بینانی انتظار می‌کشیدند) بست. به راه انداختن نمایش «اعترافات» سران نیروهای اصلاح طلب در آستانه اعلام رسمی ریاست جمهوری احمدی‌نژاد به روشنی به منظور ضربه زدن به حیثیت و اعتبار این جناح در جامعه صورت گرفت. علاوه بر آن، حاکمیت، رهبران این جناح را نیز بلافاصله هدف قرار داد. روزنامه کیهان به عنوان خط دهنده سیاست حاکم در تیتر صفحه اول خود از «خیانت» آقایان خاتمی و موسوی سخن گفت، و آقای خامنه‌ای از این افراد (و احیانا دیگرانی مانند کروبی و رفسنجانی) به عنوان «خواص مردود» یاد کرد>>>

Iran, hope: one crack at a time

write in solidarity >>>

Man and Animal

“Stray Dog” is one of Hedayat’s best psycho-fictions and one of the most moving pieces he ever wrote. It is tempting to say that it is a fictionalised version of his youthful essay, “Man and Animal”. Its text and outer layer certainly represent an authentic and unmistakable fiction by the author of that essay and its sequel, The Benefits of Vegetarianism.² It is true that Hedayat never ceased to condemn cruelty and injustice to animals in every possible way: both by word of mouth and by the pen.³ In his fictional works, these sentiments find strong expression especially in “Stray Dog” and in “Alaviyeh Khanom”, here in the scene when the coach horses fall down>>>

The Con

Long before your death,
not far from your birth,
you possess the borrowed gift of one breath.

From that moment forth,
you become the target of celestial deceit
in the hands of a sanctimonious fleet. >>>