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Naughty Saudis

The dangers to Iran posed by the Israeli lobby have come to light on this web site and in the blogger community. Juxtaposed to this lobby, is another dangerous force to Iranians, It is subtle, religiously driven and indirect. It is important to be aware of, considering the increase in tension and possibility of military action. It is mainly religiously driven. DC is home to a diverse neighborhood of “think-tanks”. The scholarly names and titles for these provide neat covers for the ugly work they are often responsible for>>>

دو نيمه خوشبختی

آنشب مسعود آمد. بوسه ای روی لبانم نشاند و گفت كه خسته است. می خواستم او را بر سر شوق بياورم. آهنگی شاد و ايرانی گذاشتم و شروع كردم به رقصيدن. حركات من او را هم به جنبش در آورد و مرا بوسيد و در گوشم زمزمه كرد: "دوستت دارم". لحظه دادن اين خبر خوش فرا رسيده بود. در حالی كه گردنش را می بوسيدم آرام گفتم: "مسعودم من و تو بچه دار میشيم. خدا كنه شبيه تو بشه".>>>

Accidental emigrants?

We are, for the most part, law abiding, tax-paying citizens who are assets to our communities, but we tend to shy away from American politics, be apathetic to political developments, and disinterested in local elections. Why is that? Is it because over the past three decades each of us has been catapulted into this new land initially as a “temporary measure,” which turned into a serious, unplanned, and permanent reality? Is it because we see ourselves as “accidental emigrants,” not sure what to do now that we have stayed and have gone on to have children, businesses, and careers here?>>>

Blown out of proportion

A few days ago, I was home minding my own business, eating my yogurt (as they say in Farsi/Persian) when a friend told me over the phone that Ahmadinejad had made a fool out of himself by saying that there are no gays in Iran. Because I don’t have cable television, I could not listen to Ahmadinejad’s talk at Columbia, live on TV. I had to trust that the president “gand zadeh” as my friend put it. She was upset not only because of Ahmadinejad’s alleged statement about the lack of homosexuals in Iran, but also because of Bollinger’s disrespectful and rude introductory remarks. >>>

Inferior news for inferior people

The history of propaganda in the US is as old as the country itself. After all, what else can justify eradication of millions of Native Americans on the grounds that they’re savages or enslavement of millions of others because their color is a sign of their inferiority? However, for the moment, we can look at post-WWII history and all the relevant US laws. VOA is controlled by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which also runs Radio and TV Mari (targeting Cuba), Radio Sawa and AlHurra TV (in Arabic), Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe (targeting eastern Europe), and Radio Free Asia.>>>

ماههای آخر

فکر نمی کنم بتوانم تاب بیاورم. دردهای جسمی ندارم، یعنی جسمی که درد می کرد، دیگر نیست. پنج ماه و دوازده روز پیش از من جدا یش کردند. آن را ا ز من گرفتند." چپم " را همان روزهای اولی که به جبهه رفتم، هنوزعرق ام خشک نشده بود، که از دست دادم....دومی را؟ خیلی باها ش کنار آمدم، اما حالا آن را هم ندارم. درد جسمی هم ندارم. دیگر نیستند که به مجرد کم شدن اثر مُسَکن، درد را روانه کنند.اگر هم بودند، دیگر کاری ازشان ساخته نبود. اما درد فکری چرا، خیلی هم دارم. گاه مدتها سرم را روی دست هایم می گذارم و درمانده، جان می کنم.>>>

Thus, the dialogue began...

In the small set of San Francisco's Tick House, four theatre artists sit around a table and talk. What is different about this theatrical discussion is who these people are and what has brought them together. Who could imagine that the Israeli playwright Motti Lerner, the Iranian director Mahmood Karimi-Hakak, the American dramaturge Roberta Levitow and Golden Thread Theatre Company's Iranian-Armenian artistic director Torange Yeghiazarian would get together to make a play -- Benedisctus -- about the relationship between Iran, US and Israel?>>>

The last of the Aryans

It is with a great sadness that I have to announce the passing away of the last Aryan living in Iran. Professor Zoobin Atash-band passed away in his house of natural causes. He was 103 years old. Never married and with no living relatives the late Professor Atash-band was known to be the last Aryan living in Iran. I had the rare privilege to meet with him at a coffee shop near his residence about three weeks ago discussing a variety of subjects. Professor Atash-band was a scientist in fields of nuclear physics and applied mathematics. Below are some of the questions I asked and his responses:>>>

Gold mines in America

I had gone to all-boys kindergarten, grade school,
high school and college.
It was time to do some thing about it. Being a short
Iranian male is a serious handy cap in America and
a reason for rejection by all the non-fat Amercan females.
That was when I discovered the overweight American
females. >>>

Astrology II

Step out of everyday
and into the starry sky
for without science
you have no aim. >>>

شعرهايی که ديگر بوی گيلاس نمی‌دهند

عکس‌اش را که کناراش می‌گذاری
از خجالت آب می‌شود
انگار که خاک مرده ریخته باشند
سکوت به هزار زبان داد می‌زند
>>>

سر به سرم می گذارد این باد

باد میان موهایت ایستاده بود
و من دیگر نه راه پیش و
نه راه پس از خطوط رنگ پریده ی انگشتان تو
>>>

مجال

کاکلی‌ها
لای میله‌های نگاه مضطربت
تا آخر
شادمانه پَرپَر زدند...ا

>>>

آخر

آخر شب قصه به دام افتاد
آخر خواب پری ناز بدست گرگ افتاد
آخر راز باد قدر به آس پیک افتاد
>>>

Watch out, here they come! (part 2)

Arash Sobhani: ... it took us 3 or more years to write and record "Adam e Mamooli". Everytime I listened to it I could hear how I had changed during that period of time, and it gave me an idea how I was evolving (if you can call it that), but right after the album was out, I moved to the States, and I had to adjust myself to the new environment, so I was very busy "adjusting" myself to the new speed of life here, although I was surprised about how "Adam e Mamooli" had become popular and we felt very happy! But I had lost hope of doing a new album, first because I was outside Iran and thought that I have no right to talk about Iran anymore, and second because of the recording costs.>>>