MODERATES

No future for nokhodis

The regime in Iran allows the nokhodi moderate to play in an inconsequential role

17-Mar-2008 (18 comments)
The Iranian parliamentary pseudo- quasi-elections are finally over and, surprise, the “moderates” did not do well. The spring is a few days away and Norouz is around the corner. Here are a few sayings that I find very seasonally a propos regarding the recent non-electoral experience in Iran and the moderates' aspirations One saying is bozak namir bahar miyad, konbozeh ba khiyar miyad. It is a promise to a goat that with spring will arrive the watermelon and cucumber that he desires. The poor “moderates” keep hoping that one day their turn will come at the goodies of power, only to be reminded of another saying. This one is a bit more elaborate: shotor dar khab binad panpeh daneh, gahi lolof khorad, gahi daneh daneh >>>

NOWRUZ

Joy of cooking

Adventures in Nowruz baking, with or without youngsters in tow

17-Mar-2008 (2 comments)
This year, by sheer luck, I came across something wonderful, an item that could make a great Nowruz present for young parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and anybody who is in touch with young Iranians. It is Najmieh Batmanglij’s new book, Happy Nowruz: Cooking With Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year. In the tradition of Batmanglij cookbooks, this book offers excellent presentations of beautiful pictures, historical background, nostalgic memories, and of course pretty robust and fool-proof recipes. It is filled with decorating and cooking ideas we can share and do with children, celebrating our traditions and creating new memories. I should say that though I enjoy cooking very much, I have never warmed up to the idea of baking, feeling like a miserable failure every time I have tried it! >>>

PARODY

اين خران خرما نمى‏رينند خاطر جمع دار

در هجو محمدحسين شهريار (سرايندۀ ”آمدى جانم به قربانت ولى حالا چرا“)

17-Mar-2008 (14 comments)
شهريارا اين مديحت‏خوانى ِِ بيجا چرا
هتك حرمت‏كردن از خود اين چنين رسوا چرا
تو كه عمرى شعرهاى نغز و شيرين گفته‏اى‏
حاليا اين گفته‏هاى پوچ و بى‏معنىٰ‏ چرا
خودفروشى در جوانى باز هم حرفى وليك‏
تو كه يك پايت لب گور آمده حالا چرا
آبرو بردى ز شعر و شاعرى با ياوه‏هات‏
آبروريزى چنين بى‏درد و بى‏پروا چرا
>>>

GOODNESS

Man of dialogue

In Memory of Hossein Alikhani

17-Mar-2008 (7 comments)
In addition to our shared interest in world peace and global dialogue, Alikhani and I shared something else in common: we had both suffered grievous injustice in America, and we had both brought civil rights law suit against the perpetrators of human rights abuse against us, in his case the US federal agents who abducted him and chained him to a bed for weeks, and in my case the rights abusers at Harvard University who framed me with a fictitious crime story in order to silence me. "We are comrades in suffering," I told Hossein one day and he chuckled, and I always felt he was one of the few people who knew the depth of my emotional pain caused by the blindness of American justice to my cry for justice>>>

STORY

The Spider Killings (9)

They just were not men enough to do anything about prostitution, not like Sharif

17-Mar-2008
A crowd of civilians had gathered around the crime scene, vociferating their complaints to the police officers. Ramin could hear various angry and bitter voices. He did not have the strength to turn around to look at them for now. Leaning against the side of his Jeep, it was taking every ounce of his will not to double over and vomit. His officers thought he had just become queasy at the sight of the dead woman. Little did they know Ramin was still going through the symptoms of opium withdrawal. Even in the awful state he was, Ramin could not help but pay attention to the voices of the men. He was outraged at their cavalier attitude>>>