Archive - Article

Oldest oil painting?

Researchers have discovered what is believed to be the first use of oil painting at Bamyan in Afghanistan, (part of Persian Empire at the time of painting) predating European oil painting by some six centuries. After the destruction of the Buddhas, 50 caves were revealed. In 12 of the caves, wall paintings were discovered. In December 2004, Japanese researchers discovered that the wall paintings at Bamyan were actually painted between the fifth and the ninth centuries, rather than the sixth to eighth centuries as previously believed>>>

The Spider Killings (19)

Roxanne was smoking her fifth cigarette of the night, leaning against one of the side doors at the police station, which opened into a narrow side street. With Majid’s whereabouts unknown, she did not feel safe enough at her hotel and had asked Ramin to allow her to hang out with him. The memory of Majid holding her daughter’s photograph threateningly would not have allowed her to go to sleep anyway. Thank god she had been able to reach Manou to take the necessary precautions. He had taken Setareh with him to shomaal, to the popular seaside resort that lay to the north of Tehran, where nobody would know they were>>>

سی و پنجمین سال

سی و پنج سال پیش دولت وقت ایران بعد از یکسری جلسات و صحبتهای اولیه به دکتر احسان یارشاطر استاد آنزمان دانشگاه ماموریت داد تا تدوین و گردآوری دانشنامه کامل و مدونی را در باره ایران شروع کند. کار در ایران شروع شد وتا چهار سال بعد و تا زمان وقوع انقلاب در ایران کار با بودجه دولت ایران ادامه یافت . پس از انقلاب و با قطع شدن بودجه مربوطه مشکلات بزرگی در سرراه تهیه این دانشنامه قرار گرفت . سرانجام کار به بخش ایرانشناسی دانشگاه کلمبیا منتقل شد و بدون کمکهای مالی دو دولت (دولت آمریکا و ایران) و تنها با کمکهای سازمانهای غیرانتفاعی – موسسات پژوهشی و افراد خیر کار تا به امروز ادامه یافت. کاری بزرگ و در عین حال طاقت فرسا که اگر استقامت و پایمردی پرفسور یارشاطر نبود هیچگاه به انجام نمی رسید >>>

«پرسپوليس»، ساتراپی

اما تأثیر مخرب فیلم در نگاه ساتراپی به مردم «عادی» دور و برش نیست؛ بلکه در نگاه گزینشی و مطلق‌گرای او به هر کسی‌ست که «خودی» (یعنی دوست یا فامیل ساتراپی) نیست. مثلا تظاهرکنندگان ضد شاه در زمان انقلاب یا سربازان ایرانی در جنگ عراق، از دید بصری، سراپا سیاه و بی‌صورت‌اند، بدون کوچک‌ترین نقطه‌ی سفید. ولی از این بدتر تصویر کاملا اهریمنی و غیرانسانی‌ست که ساتراپی از هر کسی که به شکلی به حکومت «سیاه» جمهوری اسلامی ربط دارد می‌دهد: آدم‌هایی با حداقل ممکن فضای سفید در فیگورشان، زنانی چادری و اخمو با صور‌ت‌هایی عین همدیگر و مردانی ریشو و اخمو، همه با اسلحه و باز هم همه دقیقا شکل همدیگر. >>>

My Disastrous Date Last Night

This is not going to happen again. I am not going to log on to any dating site as long as I live. After months of research, I finally met a seemingly nice person on line. I made sure to get to know all about her and her family. After over six months of day and night chatting, I knew what she liked and what she disliked. Which primary and secondary schools she attended and from which college she graduated. I knew what books she read and what movies she watched. I was sure I knew her like the back of my hand. So ten days ago I asked her if she would have dinner with me. Last night was our first date>>>

The Theater of War

Fields of battle throughout history where men had fought and died had culminated in the beautiful sand dunes of the Presidio of San Francisco serving as the theater of war for a group of students from Presidio Hill School, and the young man who had brought them there thought that that must have often been the case - that even the sight of the bay in the distance added to the spirit of battle for its participants, rather than contrasted with it. Each group had probably believed that nature was on its side, and nature hadn't been able to tell anyone that it wasn't on either side, or at the least it was on both sides, but most of all it was on the side of those who had laid down their arms, or had never picked them up in the first place. They were the ones most in need of something on their side anyway>>>

دریای مهر

ای نوازشهای تو دریای مهر
ای سرای سینه ات ماوای مهر
داستانهای توبر بالین من
قصه های رستن و نجوای مهر
نغمه های نیمه شبهایت مرا
خوشترین آرامش و آوای مهر
نکته های نغز جاری بر لبت
پایه های عهد پا بر جای مهر
>>>

Why now?

Arms sales and military training in the Middle East have been increasing since the end of the US invasion of Iraq. The United States has delivered more weapons to this region than any other country in the world. Bush administration announced in 2007, unprecedented weapons deals worth at least $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and five other oil-rich Persian Gulf states, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The arms deals, which include the sales of a variety of sophisticated weaponry, would be the largest negotiated by this administration. >>>

Iran's Nuclear Mistake

Is our nuclear program an attempt to show off to the world that we are no longer a backward country? But if that is the case then why are we spending all this money on outdated technology that is mostly acquired from non-Iranians? Are we defending our right to nuclear energy because we don’t want to be pushed around by other nations? But isn’t our nuclear program in actual fact creating a big excuse for other nations to push us around?>>>

سی و پنچ گلوله

شهریور شصت و شش از زندان آزاد شدم . سی و پنچ نفر تیرباران شدند . در کنار اسکله ی سنگی زیر باران قدم زدم . هوای تازه و نم نم باران مرا زنده کرد از هر چه میرایی . قدم زدم . صدای تیر خلاصی در ذهنم راه رفت .باران خیسم کرد .روی سنگ بزرگ ایستادم تا موج آب مرا با خود ببرد .مزه ی شور دریا ، شیرینی رها شدنم را حرام کرد . به سی و پنج تیر ، فکر کردم که فضای صبحگاه ، بارانی محوطه ی اعدام را پر کرد .هر گلوله قیمتی داشت . >>>

Not pan-Turkism

Comments calling me a pan-Turkist, or a secessionist, have been aplenty, even under articles which have had nothing to do with anything that might have been interpreted relevant to the accusations (subjects such as the war in Iraq, or the US presidential campaign). Some of the commentators may not be aware of the meaning of the term 'pan-Turkist' and some may just use words that are meant to slander or discredit some person. This is also part of freedom of expression, though in real life, where real identities can be checked and real accusations provided as proof, accusers may end up in court, in jail, or paying heavy compensations, for their defamatory accusations>>>

If it wasn’t for her

The person I admire most is my mum. She taught me to be independent and pushed me to reach my full potential and be the person that I am today. This can be good or bad – but to be fair she is responsible for all the positive I have managed to achieve in my life. She might not make the best president for Iran (please link to my article about my mad mum) but she has definitely proved to be an extraordinary teacher as she taught me to speak up for what is right and has showed me the path to success in life. She is no ordinary mum, she is a super mum>>>

Say you're sorry

Senator Clinton should apologize for using a genocidal term during her campaign. Her recent remark-- stating that if Iranians were to launch a nuclear attack against Israel, the United States would be able to obliterate Iran -- is out of the line, politically inappropriate, and reflects a hawkish approach toward foreign policy based on the Bush administration model. Even neoconservative warmongers who have been saber rattling with Iran over the past 8 years have never used such a term. If the media were not distracted by Rev. Wright's controversial remarks, this comment would cause a huge backlash against Clinton. >>>

A plus

Actor-Comedian Maz Jobarani finagled his complicated schedule so he could accept Iranian Scholarship Foundation’s invitation to speak at their fundraising gala. An alternate choice for the event had been graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi. But Jobrani was more stubbornly persuasive in beating back his schedulers. A stellar cluster of young Iranian scholars needed his support, and no other engagement seemed more important. Jobrani immediately challenged his audience with a hilariously multi-layered routine about how his mother wanted him to be a lawyer--when he really wanted to be an actor. >>>

Purim

Purim is one of the most Persian of Jewish festivals. The story is essentially about how Haman, the Amalekite vizier (not a Persian), tried to abuse his power to massacre all Jews and how this was thwarted by the courage of the Jewish Queen Esther, the wisdom of his uncle Mordechai and the decree of the King Achashverosh of Persia (usually identified with Xerxes) who commanded that Haman and his offsprings be executed on the same platform they had prepared for Mordechai>>>