Life

Memories of Home

I went to Spain for a holiday. Nothing fancy, just a group of old friends sharing rooms, splitting the cost, reminiscing. It surprised me to find Spain so advanced. Their public transportation must be among Europe’s best. The museums and public places run most efficiently and their subway runs better than other European countries I’ve seen. Barcelona in particular impressed me with its cleanliness. The last thing I expected in such a modern place was to see Iran of decades ago>>>

All the Shah's Men (part 4)

The story of CIA coup against Prime Minister Mosadegh, other than imaginative skills of Kermit Roosevelt and Don Wilber, apparently had some roots in realities of some events that probably were organized by these characters to take advantage of them in future and possibly making some fortune from the oil companies that would benefit from the change of direction regarding oil in Iranian government policies. Kermit Roosevelt's background in OSS (Office of Strategic Services) where he worked as an officer in Middle East during WW II had provided him with an opportunity to become familiar with the history and politics of the region>>>

Let her come home

Shiva Nazar-Ahari’s family is gravely concerned about the fact that her court date has not yet been scheduled despite the fact that she has been in temporary detention for nearly a year. Shiva is a journalist, human rights defender and women’s rights activist. A court hearing had been scheduled in June but was postponed for unknown reasons. Shiva is currently being held in the women’s ward at Evin prison. This member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters has spent over 100 days in solitary confinement>>>

Small entrepreneurs, big future

To understand India you have to see its villages! This dictum is often repeated to signify the hold of tradition on Indian society. Surprisingly, I found signs of entrepreneurship in the few villages of central India I visited which seemed to promise the future. These were all the more impressive as the past was still stubbornly strong in the mix of religion and history that was the mainstay of the folklore of these villages. This was the scene of the struggle between individual vitality and the inertia of group comfort >>>

بزرگ‌ترین جلاد جهان

موج اعدام باز در ایران بالا گرفته است. در چند سال اخیر آمار اعدام‌ها مرتبا رو به افزایش بوده و موارد متعددی از اعدام‌های گروهی گزارش شده است. اکنون خبر می‌رسد که خصوصیت «مخفیانه» نیز به این اعدام‌ها اضافه شده است. تعداد کسانی که در زندان‌های جمهوری اسلامی در خطر مرگ به سر می‌برند عددی چند هزار نفره را تشکیل می‌دهد. جمهوری اسلامی ظاهرا عطش سیری‌ناپذیری برای کشتن دارد و در برابر اعتراضات جامعه جهانی راه‌های تازه-ای برای ادامه کشتار خود پیدا کرده است: قتل مخفی و گروهی>>>

A Few Good Men

Matin-Daftari has recently published a book on his father, titled Papers and Documents from the Nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry to the International Court of Justice, 1951-1952. I had a chance to speak with him in Paris, on the eve of the anniversary of the 1953 coup. Dr. Matin-Daftari speaks about his grandfather and recollects the time he spent with him in Ahmad Abad where the Prime Minister was exiled by the Shah until his death.>>>

Assimilation Days

We were talking about all the dreams we had back when we thought we were white. It was sad to think of them, but it was funny to talk about them together. "It was the grunge movement for me," my sister said. "And the way you were supposed to dislike anybody who called it the grunge movement." I laughed. It was true. I had been in it but she had really been in it. It had been great though. It had given us something to feel good about our city, Seattle, about >>>

Sasanian Seals

This article brings to light some ten Spāhbed bullae which are housed at the Barakat Gallery in London. Their provenance is unknown, but they are dominantly (seven) from the kust ī nēmrōz “Southeastern Quarter” of the Sasanian Empire. There is also a bulla from kust ī xwarōfrān “Southwestern Quarter,” another from the kust ī xwarāsān “Northeastern Quarter,” and a unique, mostly illegible and unpublished bulla among the collection as well>>>

«مصدق» در گیومه!

شما درست روز 14 اسفند ماه 1345 از این دنیا رفتید. خیلی برایتان متاسفم. مخصوصا بعد از آن همه بیماریها و تنهاییها. بابا هم متاسف بود. برای همین هم کلی نوشته و بریده ی روزنامه برایم به ارث گذاشت که شاید اگر آنها را نداشتم، لزومی نمیدیدم این نامه ی بلند بالا را برایتان بنویسم. ولی خب، بعد از کلی کشمکش، دست آخر تصمیم گرفتم حرفهای دلم را صاف و پوست کنده برایتان بنویسم. مثلا نامه ای بنویسم و آن را در یک بطری شیشه ای بگذارم و به دریا بیاندازم>>>

All The Shah's Men (3)

In June 2009, President Barack Obama of the United States, in a speech that was directed at Islamic world and delivered in a visit to Cairo of Egypt, stated that: "In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government". Vague statements like this by American officials at different occasions along with a document which has been produced by some fishy characters with claims to link it with Central Intelligence Agency of United States, are the roots of all stories that some people continue to make a business of them while adding fuel to the burning fire of political differences among Iranians>>>

Breaking the Ice

In 2009, Tiana joined the cast of the Walt Disney Company princesses, a franchise that has generated over $3 billion in global retail sales since 1999 alone (mind you, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in 1937). Not only is The Princess and the Frog the first film to be traditionally (2D) animated in a cool minute, it is also the studios’ first film to feature a “black princess.” Even before the films debut, Disney on Ice produced “Let’s Celebrate,” a show that includes Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in the Disney family>>>