Life

Constructing a Nation-State

Forced to build a nation-state in the territory they inherited from the chaos that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, the elite of the Azeri nationality set out to construct a national narrative for their new country. A self-respecting nation, in addition to a territory, needs its own heroes, legends, and glorious tales of military exploits and cultural feats>>>

The Changing Face of "We the People"

America once took pride in calling itself and being known as the great “Melting Pot.” This seems no longer to be the case. As a nation and a people we seem to have developed a severe case of historic and hereditary amnesia. Worse than that, we have developed another severe inflammation of color phobia stoked again by fear mongers driven by destructive stereotypes. What has brought us in this new time to this old challenge regarding our identity as a nation?>>>

Witch Hunt

Iranian documentary filmmaker Reza Allamehzadeh has exposed the plight of Bahá’ís in Iran with a new documentary called “Iranian Taboo.” Adherents of the faith have been persecuted by the Iranian Islamic Republic because they are considered un-Islamic. Banned from Iran himself (but not a Bahá’í) Allamehzadeh enlisted the help of friends in the country who recorded footage clandestinely and produced this film>>>

نوشتن به زبان افکار

ماه گذشته مشغول بازخوانی داستانهای صادق هدایت و نسل اول نویسندگان ایرانی در قرن بیستم بودم. برایم شگفت انگیز بود که جوانی که از کودکی با فرهنگ غرب آشنائی داشته و در نوجوانی به اروپا آمده، چگونه ممکن است «حاجی آقا» یا «علویه خانم» را بنویسد؟ آن زبان را از کجا می شناخت؟ آن عبارات را کجا شنیده بود؟ - و این ممکن نیست مگر با تحقیق و یادداشت برداری از زبان مردم >>>

Black Saffron

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Hasn’t the time finally come?

Culturally we Iranians have a big problem with accepting our errors and that is the main reason behind our failures over and over again. So instead of facing our responsibility, accepting our errors, learning from our mistakes and moving on, we resort to the game of heroes and villains. So depending on our political orientation we either make a saint and an unquestionable hero of Mosaddegh or the Shah by moving them beyond any criticism and then conveniently hide behind them>>>

Hearing Ross Mirkarimi

Never in the history of San Francisco has there ever been a well funded, daily, weekly, and monthly orchestrated prosecution of any elected official until now -- Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. There is an elaborate campaign to oust Ross Mirkarimi - one of the highest elected officials of Iranian descent in the nation. The November 2011 election witnessed three major races: Mayor Ed Lee, District Attorney George Gascon, and Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi>>>

Omid

A car accident left the scrappy young mutt paralyzed in the back legs, lying on a road’s edge outside of Tehran. Kind strangers loaded the gravely wounded dog into their car, fed him then transported him to the VAFA shelter, outside of Tehran. Shelter personnel say if Omid, whose Persian name means hope, hadn’t been rescued, he would have perished due to the extent of his injuries. The dog also had fleas and intestinal parasites, common among Iran’s street dogs>>>

ماجرای لهجه در تلویزیونِ من و تو

خانم «دنیل وودنات» یکی از مجریان تلویزیون "من و تو" است که از پدری ایرانی و مادری بریتانیائی متولد شده از مجریان پرطرفدار این تلویزیون است. او فارسی را با لهجه انگلیسی صحبت می کند. نه تنها لهجه او مانعی برای اجرای برنامه نیست، بلکه به نظر می رسد هیچ کوششی نیز برای برطرف کردن آن نمی شود>>>

«حاجی آقا» در جهنم

"فیلم شب نشنینی در جهنم" از فیلم های قدیمی ایرانی است که با تأثیر از "حاجی آقای" هدایت و نوکرش مراد، به صورت کمدی حاصل همکاری مشترک دو تن، داستان از مهدی میثاقیه و دیالوگ از حسین مدنی، به روال کمدی های مولیر نوشته شده است. >>>

ارزش جان انسان

جوانی دور از وطن خود آواز می خواند تا با هنر خود دلها را شاد کند. عده ای آن را خوش ندارند. عده ای که نه قاضی هستند و نه کاره ای در سیستم قضایی. عده ای که خود را مافوق قانون کشوری و هر نظام بین المللی می دانند حکم قتلش را از آن سر دنیا صادر میکنند. جانش را بگیرید تا دیگر زبانش در جهت نارضایی ما نچرخد. این فرد نه قتلی کرده و نه جنایت>>>

Pray or act?

In the Iranian community here in Toronto a debate has started. Many see this matter as a good development, a turning point against potential financial supporters of Iranian regime who for decades have invested in Canada without any interference. They complain about many real estate investments by Chinese, Russian and Iranian investors that creates big headaches for the residents. On the other hand many insist that the sanctions enforced by Canadian financial institutions under government pressure only affect ordinary hard-working Iranians >>>