Archive - Jul 30, 2008 - Article

Something missing

Today and about three weeks after the conference, I am sitting here going through my notes and reading some reports of the conference, thinking something is missing. I see an empty space for a critical review of this lively and interactive conference, the 19th IWSF conference; a review which doesn’t lack the essence of critical thinking: a review that not only praises the strengths of this conference but also points out the ways to improve weaknesses for the future conferences. As a member of the audience, I was not drained of my previous education, studies and personal beliefs and biases >>>

In the comfort of New York strangers

The guy was Arnold Schwarzeneger look-alike, all muscles and towering over me, obviously a red neck who wasn’t used to dealing with a Spanish detective before. “Sit down, will you?” I ordered and he obeyed, casting a half-inquisitive, half-demeaning stare at me. I pulled a chair and sat across the table in the interrogation room staring back at him until he buckled. “So what’s your question?” ”Why did you have to kill him?” I asked. He laughed and said, “what the hell was I supposed to do, invite him to dinner, Mr. burglar?” >>>

Unspeakable

Flies and mosquitoes. An eagle flies above the trees, above the lake, above the sandy road, above the tent. I zip up the little window. The tent is hot and humid. My right hand is swollen. It’s 3 PM by Sucshahaungxuiamaulta lake. The wind is going to blow tonight. We have already burnt all the wood and all the marshmallows. But it doesn’t matter since tonight it’s going to be too hot for sitting around a fire.
“Too hot,” I say. “I’m dying.”
“Wait till the night,” Q says. >>>

استخاره

نوش آفرین بیحال روی تشک افتاده بود و ناله میکرد. رقیه سادات قابله کنارش روی زمین چمباتمه زده بود و هاج و واج به او خیره مانده بود. پیش پای نوش آفرین، روی تشک، یک نوزاد قنداق شده از ته حنجره فریاد می‌کشید. شو هر، برادر، و پدر نوش آفرین بیرون، پشت در اتاق گلی ایستاده بودند. نوش آفرین دو قلو حامله بود ولی‌ بچه دومی بیرون نیامده بود. فقط یک دست کوچک، از آرنج به پایین،دیده میشد. رقیه سادات میدانست که بچه به آین طریق خارج نخواهد شد و مانده بود چکار کند. بعد از گذشت مدتی صدای شوهر نوش آفرین، که دیگر طاقتش به سر رسیده بود، از پشت در آمد که "ننه علی‌، چی‌ شد، چه خبره؟" >>>

The Scream (2)

The second one gone was the Mona Lisa. It happened a couple of weeks after the Screaming Man incident. The Louvres museum in Paris now found itself in the same conundrum as its Norwegian counterpart. Again, this wasn’t a case of thieves stealing the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting. It was much much worse. At least, with thieves, you could start an investigation, track down the suspects, hope that one day the painting would show up at an auction house or private collection and get it back. But this? This was… incomprehensible. The painting itself still hung right there, encased in its protective glass shell, in the most visited wing of the Louvres>>>