Life

The hell with Valentine's Day

I believe in all seriousness that Valentine’s Day is a complete and utter sham masquerading as the alpha and omega of lovers' days. Rather than a day of heart-fluttering and butterflies, for many it is one of gut wrenching disappointment and the utmost dejection. Those not strong enough to resist the ineluctable desire for conformity and anonymity become pariahs even by their own evaluation. And if that wasn't bad enough the Übermenschen and Überfrauen amongst us who choose to rebel against the wave of mediocrity poised to engulf and eviscerate us at any moment, are pretty much assured marginalization and to be ostracised by society’s sheep as heartless, selfish misogynists and misanthropes respectively>>>

عمو سیروس

عمو سیروس همکلاسی دایی ها بود ولی درسش که تموم شده بود با یکی از همکلاسی هاش عروسی کرده بود و رفته بود شمال یک باغچه خریده بود تو یک مدرسه درس می داد سبزی می کاشت و مرغ و خروس و بوقلمون نگه می داشت
بابا می گفت چه آدم لطیفی
دایی جون بزرگه می گفت عجب خری
دایی جون کوچیکه هیچی نمی گفت
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Here's your chance

Barack Obama, this improbable son of immigrant has done something that it was thought impossible. To bring people from both side of isles, ardent republicans the likes of the Susan Eisenhower who recently pledged in a Washington Post op-ed to step outside of her party, "this lifelong Republican will work to get him elected". To pass gender issues and have 100 of the top feminist leaders in the country to support him over Clinton. He has the ability to united people of all creeds>>>

The gentle giant

I still can't believe he's gone, forever. Ahmad Bourghani Farahani died in Tehran on Saturday at the age of 48, from a heart attack. He is best known as a former liberal member of parliament from Tehran and one of the most open-minded deputy culture ministers in charge of media affairs during Mohammad Khatami's first presidential term. I met Ahmad years before his brief political career. He was a senior editor at the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) when I joined the English section in March 1980. I still remember his friendly, playful, welcoming smile the first time we met... >>>

Fear and Hope

The occasion for this reflection is, of course, the Barak Obama phenomenon -the novelty of which, incidentally, is demonstrated by the fact that my word processing program does not recognize either name. To be more precise, it is the conundrum that the phenomenon poses for the American electorate in the 2008 Presidential campaign. The audacity of Obama’s hope has become contagious. The Democratic Party establishment’s iconic Ted Kennedy has endorsed him, and more than 70% of Move-On respondents have chosen him over Hillary Clinton.>>>

Simply Irresistible

The singletons amongst us are cruelly reminded that, once again, despite our best efforts, there will be no romance on this cruellest-of-cruel days… the dreaded Valentine’s Day. Yes folks, Valentine’s Day is just over a week away and there is no escaping it! My personal belief has always been that this special day was a well thought out scam created by the greeting card companies and florists of this world, to cash in on our hard earned monies…. Jerks. But single or not, Valentine’s Day is a strange affair at the best of times. Happy couples seem to appear from nowhere and the City is suddenly awash with red roses, shop windows are crammed with chocolate, perfume and lingerie>>>

غیاب انسانیت

فرضأ کمک های مالیی که از جانب ایران به فلسطین می شود بیشتر از پولهای مالیاتی که از جیب ایرانی ها به جیب دولتهای کشورهای غربی می رود٬ صرف ساخت سلاحهایی می شود که برای تهدید جان خانواده های خودشان در ایران به کار می رود. ولی حق طلبی و آزادیخواهی ما چه می شود؟! موضع گیری قاطع ما در برابر ظلم و ضعیف کشی کدام است؟ آیا میزان پایبندی ما به آرمانهای انسانی مشروط به روابط تاریخیمان با ملت های مختلف است (آن هم در چارچوب ساختارهای موجود روابط بین الملل)؟ و یا آنکه همدردی و همدلی میان انسانها و مبارزه با بی عدالتی و زورگویی فرا تر از این مسائل است؟ >>>

When taboos must be broken

Muhammad was before the prophecy a reliable businessman (Muhammad-al- amin), working for his wealthy wife, Khadijah. As a prophet in Mecca, he was a sage thinker, a quick speaker, who could invite people to believe in the only God “Allah”. He was decent, humble and generous to the poor, with whom he shared his meal. After 10 years of prophecy, he had to leave Mecca and his migration--“Hijrat”-- to Medina in 622 marks his new career. In Medina, as a powerful prophet with personal ambitions, Muhammad did not only used and abused the existing traditional norms of society; he s also violated ethical rules of his own religion to achieve his goals>>>

The quiet side of Pop

I discovered Barzin a few months ago when I was browsing the Internet. Barzin was supposed to open for Kiosk in Toronto and yet, I had never heard of him. I quickly Googled his name and found his web site. Lucky me, I found a few full-length mp3 files from his music there to listern to. I think the first few notes did it for me. I was rather surprised at the fact that an Iranian act would create music in the same style as bands such as Wilco, Mazzy Star, or even Radiohead. The next thing that surprised me was his smooth Canadian/American/English accent, to the point that I first had doubts about him being Iranian>>>

احیا کنندهء شرمساری بشر

این چند روز گذشته اخبار فاجعهء بزرگی که دارد در غزه رخ می دهد زخمهای کهنه ای را بر پیکر بشر باز گشوده است و دردهای زیادی را زنده کرده است. از یک طرف تصاویر مردمی که به رویشان امکانات حیاتی را قطع کرده اند و در تشنگی و گرسنگی و تاریکی در میان آب های آلوده و مسموم فاضلابی که در خیابانهای شهر نشر کرده است٬ برای ادامه زندگی دست و پا می زنند٬ احیا کنندهء درد و رنج تمام انسانهایست که در طول تاریخ٬ جریان حیات را به رویشان قطع کردند تا که در انزوا به تدریج بخشکند: گولاگ استالین٬ کربلای یزبد٬ اردوگاهای هیتلر...>>>

Red lines

Currently, over 65% of students entering university in Iran are women and slowly, these women will become a strong force that will make their dissatisfaction with the inequalities in law, society and the family known. Iranian women have not achieved this success easily and this representation is not secure. The current government has planned to reduce the number of women entering universities and has set up obstacles making it more difficult for women to achieve this goal. After the revolution, women who played an important role in the Revolution with the aim of reversing discriminatory laws against women were shocked to find that these laws not only remained intact, but that the human rights that women had achieved before the revolution were also eroded>>>

دریچه ای سوی ایران معاصر

وبلاگنویسی نمای فراخی است از ایران معاصر؛ ایرانی که به تصویر هرگز ندیده ایم،از کوچه و خیابانهایش نمی توان شناخت، ایرانی که در پس انگاره های مذهبی و سیاسی نهفته است. وبلاگنویسی روز به روز در ایران مورد استقبال بیشتری قرار می گیرد. با توجه به محدودیت ها و قوانین حاکم بر صنعت نشر و رسانه های عمومی، هیچ جای تعجبی نیست که اینترنت پیوندی است به دنیایی بازتر برای باورها و گرایش های گوناگون.>>>

Slimming with Siamack (2)

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