VIEW

3D Iranians

The Iranian fork-road: Stagnation, reconstruction or deconstruction?

by Nima Tamaddon
23-Jul-2007
Imagine this. While President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad practically calls for Israel's destruction and relentlessly campaigns against the United States, ordinary young Iranians are fascinated by American music, love Hollywood films. Moreover compared to Persian characters (kings, poets, social activists, politicians ... ) Barbie dolls, Spiderman, Batman, All-Star shoes, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Bill Gates and many other American characters, signs and icons are more familiar with them. [Although many western journalists and commentators have pointed to these facts especially since the advent of Iran's 1997 reform movement, it is still worthwhile to underline them to set the stage for any original analysis].>>>

FOOTBALL

Team Melli? Tokhme chapam.

On Iran's elimination from Asia Cup

by Yahya Saheli
23-Jul-2007 (one comment)
First and foremost I will apologise for the language I am going to use as for the past few days I could not come up with anything more suitable that would convey my true feelings for this bunch of shit that we have had the misfortune of having imposed upon us. The poor poor excuse of humanity called Olaghnoi the head coach and his camp followers and brown nosed hezbullahi yes-men. This mardikeh olagh and his pastfetrat supporters have done exactly what they set out to do and that is to destroy the Iranian spirit even further. Akhe mardikeh olag, how do you put that retard midget Khatibi as a forward to deal with tall Korean defenders.>>>

CINEMA

2 films, 2 views

I recently saw two Iranian films and jotted down my impressions on both

by Ana Bayat
23-Jul-2007
Ever since I saw FIREWORKS WEDNESDAY I have found myself increasingly discovering various layers of subtexts finding their way into my curious and analytical mind. Never before had the Iranian screen seen such fine performances as that of Hamid Farokh Nejad. If there was no improvisation involved whatsoever, then I have never seen such organic responses on screen or stage by a male actor. A psychological thriller? Hitchcokesc? Innovative? A social commentary? A non-judgmental account of life stories running parallel to each other?>>>

DEBATE

War and Peace!

How can any intelligent person see any parallels between Ahmadinejhad's agenda and the interests of Iranians as a nation?

by G Rahmanian
23-Jul-2007
Catastrophes brought upon Iranians as direct results of the regime's unjustifiable policies since its inception, are too numerous to mention and are beyond the scope of this article, so I limit myself to just a few. Had the regime's uranium enrichment activities been legitimate and peaceful to begin with, there would have been no reason for secrecy for a period of eighteen years until they were exposed by the MEK, the group with which Sepahpour and other supporters of the regime seem to be intensely obsessed. This issue has nothing to do with the "treasonous" MEK members anymore, the world does not seem to trust the Iranian regime and there are good reasons for their distrust.>>>

IRAN-U.S.

The devil's genius

Once again, ignoring a policy of diplomacy which would lead to peace, we are being led to war

by Soraya SepahpourUlrich
23-Jul-2007
With censorship abound, we must dodge the bullet of stupor and learn to recognize that Dick Cheney, this Yale drop-out who wore the color of cowardice during the Vietnam War, was chosen to be the devil’s instrument in order to influence George Bush on his destructive path. While the electronic highways are jammed with petitions to impeach Bush and Cheney, we must not fail to hold to account those who have held our highest office hostage and ax the root of evil. The destructive forces have already made their way into our future and the sparks alone are more threatening that the blaze we are currently engulfed in>>>

IDEAS

First step toward direct democracy

Direct representation for taxation

by Reza Fiyouzat
23-Jul-2007
A majority of the U.S. citizens get zero political representation for the taxes they pay. Of the 49 percent of the population that does vote in the general elections (with the advisory that as low as 20-25 percent may vote in mid-term elections, and less in local elections), another significant majority only remotely, and in highly mediated form, may see a hint of representation. Time permitting, of course; the Senators’ and Representatives’ time is exceptionally precious and by necessity only a small minority of it shall be spent on lesser voters. Only a small minority of the total population has any real political representation, and of that minority a tiny segment, as we all know, owns the politicians.>>>

CONFESSIONS

Unintended good

“In the name of Democracy” leaves the viewer a desire to achieve what the IRI wants you to abstain from

by Shahriar Zangeneh
21-Jul-2007
The second installment of the greatly anticipated two part miniseries “In the name of Democracy”, a production of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), has come and gone. Although it was billed as tell all about the sinister plots that are hatched to overthrow the “first government of Allah on earth”, the docudrama/ confessional series did not deliver on its billing. In fact, the program came across more as a how to manual for achieving good, in this case democracy, than how to avoid the bad, subjugation. To put it simply, if the intent was to paint the main actors, the hapless prisoners, as the instruments of the evil-intentioned powers to be, it failed. The show portrays the prisoners and their supposed masters as crusaders of Johnny Appleseed kind of good>>>

IRAQ

Blood money

No one is looking, so they’re taking!

by Tinoush Moulaie
21-Jul-2007
I should give a little background information. The US government basically wrote a draft law for Iraq’s government to pass setting up the rules and regulations for awarding contracts on Iraq’s oil and gas resources and industry. This law basically opens up Iraq for the taking. It puts in legal framework for rape of Iraq. The passage of this law has been included as one of the benchmarks for Iraq government to achieve in order to show progress in Iraq. This subcommittee was reviewing progress on passing this law. One could say this law is the Holy Grail of the Iraq invasion for Bush administration and the very symbol of the War for Oil>>>

TRAVELERS

Seeing the “real” Iran

As a naïve kid, I assumed that Persia was a tiny island paradise that rarely made it to maps like my birthplace

by YukiJennifer Kurumi
19-Jul-2007 (one comment)
A country’s history is much like wine. Considering Shiraz is the birthplace of the seductive grape to which it gave its name, I believe my thought is reasonable. With age, a culture grows more attractive, increases its depth and notes, and heightens in value. Hence, I have concluded that Persia, with its three thousand years of flavor is one of the finest in the world. Having spent majority of my twenty-one years in Australia, I could not avoid becoming a jolly wine follower. We proud Aussies swear by our top quality Shiraz, but will always be haunted by the fact that it originally ain’t really our grape. Bugger.>>>

PERSONAL

You get the picture

What sort of sub human entity would write letters like this?

by Faramarz Fateh
19-Jul-2007 (2 comments)
TEHRANGELES -- I was browsing iranian.com when I saw a link to a picture showing a women without hejab riding on the back of a guy on a street racer bike. I was thinking to myself how badbakht have we Iranians become when a picture of woman without a head scarf, in the year 2007, finds its way to the home page of a site with a lot of readers. A few moments later, I started reading the letters page. As usual, many well written letters with great content. While basking in the thoughts of how well some of my countrymen and women write in English, I came across a letter by the "individual" with the internet pen name of Issa Hajizadeh>>>

CITIZENSHIP

A chance to meet

Citizenship Workshop with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco

by Elahe Ensani
19-Jul-2007
With the recent defeat of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill in the Senate, a major opportunity was missed to strengthen and improve our broken immigration laws. Although the proposed Bill was not perfect, there were areas that affected the Iranian American Community such as the H1B visas and sponsoring family members for green card. The Bill is dead for now, but the debate is not and there is a good chance that another Bill will surface in the next Congress. We, as Iranian Americans, must pay close attention to the new Bill and lend our voice to the debate as our community is for most part an Immigrant Community, meaning majority of us was born outside the United States>>>

IRANIANS

Hitler's legacy

Iran's and Iranians' identity is indeed largely based on what they see as Iranians being Aryans

by Ben Madadi
19-Jul-2007
There are indeed many who identify themselves as proud Iranians who would get angry for calling Iran a backward country, or even to associate Iran with the neighbourhood. They would argue that Iran is unique, great, and notably different from not just its peers but also from the rest of the world. And to prove this, the so-called Persian/Iranian nationalists (not calling them racists is just being nice) would proudly identify and associate themselves with Aryans, with no reserves at all, openly and arrogantly. Clear sign of backwardness! No further proof is needed. No further comment is needed. And in case, one, like me, would dare to question the legitimacy and diplomacy (is it okay in today's world to bring words about such a dodgy identity that has been buried by Westerners more than half a century ago?!) of such a popular stance, these proud Aryans would not hesitate to attack>>>

VISUAL

A Kiarostami day

Joining friends to see Abbas Kiarostami's photo exhibition and films in Berkeley

by Ari Siletz
19-Jul-2007
At the Berkeley Art Museum a fan blew at one Kiarostami photograph. The rest of his works remained still--like the audience in a theater-- while this projected video of branches and leaves apparently swayed in the turbulence created by the fan. The famed film director had broadened me forever with awareness of the very air between the projector and the screen. Beware, those who would walk blithely into Abbas Kiarostami‚s mind, the door you entered through will be too small to let you back out.>>>

IRAQ

Unpleasant truth?

No evidence of Iran’s role in violence and instability in Iraq – confirms British Foreign Minister

by Mehrnaz Shahabi
18-Jul-2007 (one comment)
Contextually, this important admission by the British Foreign Minister of absence of any evidence linking Iran to the violence and instability in Iraq was preceded by the discussion about Iran’s nuclear programme and Britain’s readiness to impose another set of punishing sanctions on Iranian people, for Iran’s non-compliance with the security council’s resolutions which have no basis in international law, imposed on supposed suspicions for which again THERE IS NO EVIDENCE>>>

CONFESSIONS

Must-see TV

IRIB's to broadcast confessional show

by Shahriar Zangeneh
18-Jul-2007
The very first time that I saw a confessional show on IRIB, I was captivated. True, in the beginning it was crude, the interviewer was always out of camera range barking out the “questions” and the subject’s physical pose was unnaturally rigid for someone who was unburdening himself... Our beloved IRIB has just announced the two episode long confessional show to be broadcast on its channel one on this coming tonight and tomorrow night (Wednesday and Thursday) at 21:45. The stars are to be one Haleh Esfandiari, a sixty something grandmother and Kian Tajbakhsh, a father of a spanking new baby>>>
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