I, also, have a dream!

I have a dream that IRI officials apologize to the Iranian people and surrender themselves to justice for the crimes against humanity they have been committing in Iran for the last 30 years. Apologizing for destroying Iran’s infrastructure, ruining its economy, isolating it, oppressing its people, imprisoning and murdering them, exiling them, taking their freedoms away, taking them hostage in order to promote their own brand of Islam, for making the entire world an enemy of our country, for destroying Iran’s image and reputation, for abolishing the values it once stood for, for taking Iran back to the 7th century, for applying barbaric laws and for leading the world in stupidity and savagery>>>

Just a t-shirt

Every Martin Luther King Day over the last few years, plus as many days as possible during February (Black History Month,) I have been wearing the shirt above and this year was no exception. Mine is actually black, in some ways more fitting, but I wish I had seen the version above in wine-red first. I bought it from the wonderful people at UrbanProfile.com, who also offer a wide range of other African-American themed t-shirts. This particular shirt gets some of the strangest looks, not to mention some interesting reactions. This morning while lying down on my chiropractor’s adjustment bed, I noticed him reading the back out loud. He later insisted on reading the front before discussing my ever ongoing need for additional treatment.>>>

خبری هست

همیشه در اوج بی خبری
خبری هست
خبر افتادن برگ
در گذر باد
خبر رقص یک موج
در دامن آب
خبر بغض زمین
در گلوی اتشفشان >>>

نسل در هم شکسته شصت خورشیدی

با یکی از کارمندان ارشد وزارت خارجه حرف میزدم .برای ماموریت جدیدی به تهران می رود .چمدان اش را دیشب با هم مرتب کردیم .چند دست لباس زنانه و وسایل روزمره و پنج روسری رنگی که یکی اش را خودم برایش خریده ام و خرت و پرت های دیگه. نقشه ی بزرگ تهران را جلویش گذاشتم و همه جاهایی را که با پوست و خون و قلبم دوست دارم نشانش دادم و بی اختیار اشک همه ی صورتم را پر کرد .بی آنکه نگاهم کند گذاشت با دستمال کاغذی پاکش کنم .از دربند و خیابان شریعتی و قلهک و نیاوران و میرداماد و میدان محسنی برایش گفتم .توپخانه را نشانش دادم و از هوای مسموم تهران برایش حرف زدم. آنقدر از تهران گفتم که بی اختیار گقت: می خواهی با مسئولیت خودم ببرمت تا این همه غم غربت از پا نیاندازد ترا هادی جان!>>>

خاطرات شاطر علی – 2

فکرش رفت تو خاطرات اروپا رفتن بچه محل ها زمان شاه. یادش اومد که برو بچه ها میرفتن آلمان بنز میاوردن!آخه بنده خدا نمیدونست که اولین قدم در راه حج پاک کردن مال و اموالشه! ملاهه بهش حکم کرد که اول باید همه قرض و قوله هاتو بدی. بعدش باید مالتو پاک کنی! یعنی مالیات شرعی ات رو به خدا بدی! ترجمه اش این بود که باید خمس و ذکاتت رو بدی به من (یعنی آقا پیش نماز محله)! خلاصه اینکه شاطر علی بخت برگشته اول رفت یه چرتکه خرید و شروع کرد به حساب و کتاب.سه، چهار هفته بعدش شاطر بلیط و پاسپورتش حاضر بود و روز شمار پرواز به جده بود. در نتیجه ملای محل چندین میلیون تومن ثروتمند تر شده بود!با نزدیک شدن سفر طولانی خارج از کشور، شاطر روز به روز فکرش مشوش تر و مشغول تر مشگل اصلی اش میشد!>>>

Dual communication

The new US Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Susan Rice, has vowed that the Obama administration intends to pursue “vigorous diplomacy” to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons. According to Obama himself, such diplomatic overtures will be complemented by a principled “carrots and sticks” approach conducted, presumably, in concert with the EU and -- potentially -- China and Russia, who have traditionally been less willing to really press Tehran to comply with its NPT obligations. Clearly then, the Obama administration needs to immediately to reach out to these powers, as well as the broader international community, to make the case that a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic is simply an unacceptable prospect>>>

Bye Bye Cockroach!

n Monday, corporate America announced that they are laying off 50,000 people. As this gloomy day progressed, this number got even bigger... Although losing my job was hard, tough, emotionally as well as financially, I can't deny the big positive impact it had on me. It made me think about myself. What I've been doing?... Where do I stand?...Is this what I wanted? How far am I from where I want to be? And that was fabulous. To stop. To take a break from the life of a mechanical cockroach that I was. To observe this mechanical cockroach and wonder why it was programmed the way it was. >>>

Swimming with a Mollah

He got to the house, crossing the crunching graveled drive in front, and made his way up to the landing, after seeing the large wooden open doors. It looked as if the house was eager to invite a stranger in for a visit, once again. The house was empty. As he walked inside he noticed broken windows and stained chalky walls. Dirt dried after a rain once had flooded the inside, covering chipped tile and a rough marble floor. He made his way through the old house, and came into what was most likely the sitting room. The large square room had a balcony at the far end, and as he came closer to it, he could see more of this morning's mountains and scenery through the broken doors and windows. He stepped onto the balcony and noticed that the garden was surprisingly well kept and quite lovely.>>>

Noble one from Fenderesk

To all who were kind enough to take pleasure in my recent selection as a lawyer of the year in Massachusetts, at first, I thought to write each of the well-wishers individually and thank them for their kind words, encouragement and the reminder about some fruity object not falling far from the tree. I owe much to father and there is not a day that I do not think of him. I do not miss him in a sad way: I miss him as a player in my life’s situational comedies, who is no longer there to deliver the lines that only he would or could. I am working on my son, the wise ass, to take up where father left off. In time, I will report on the progress of that venture>>>

دوازده چمدان شاه

با همه مشکلاتی که با جمهوری اسلامی دارم اما یه حرفشونو باید با طلا نوشت و به همه در و دیوار های شهر ها و آبادی های ایران آویزون کرد. اونم منافق خوندن دار و دسته مسعود و مریم رجویه. چقدر لجم میگیره وقتی می بینم این زنک لچک بسر با اون کت و دامن های مسخره نارنجی و سبز و بنفش که از پارچه های رومبلی و پرده ای دوخته شده بتونه خودشو بعنوان دموکرات و آزاد منش جا بزنه و با قدم زدن روی خون هزاران هزار بچه های بیگناهی که فریب دادند و به جوخه های اعدام کشوندن تازه توسط اتحادیه اروپا هم به رسمیت شناخته بیشن. یه گاف بزرگ برای اتحادیه اروپا و یه بیلاخ بزرگ برای آزادی و دموکراسی به سبک غرب.>>>

روياي خنده

پيرمرد،
اَفسُرده و پِِنهاني،
ميانِ خاكستر و زنجير
بَر لَكههايِ خون
مينِگَرد،
ميگِريَد.
با ذهني خسته
نگاه ميكند ميانِ شِكافها >>>

Sasanian Chemical Warfare?

Regardless of whether there is any political meaning behind the news of the Persian use of chemical warfare and the current controversy regarding “weapons of mass destruction”, it is still interesting to see whether this new piece of research has any scientific value. For this, we turned to a colleague, Mr. Reza Yeganehshakib, who is a PhD student at the department of history, University of California, Irvine. Mr. Yeganehshakib comes to UCI with previous degrees in Chemical Engineering (BS) and Environmental Studies (MS). He has a strong understanding of the scientific processes that might have resulted in what has been reported in the news bit above. The following are his comments>>>

Collaborators of the worst kind

Israel is trying to portray herself as a nation that is defending itself, while the truth is that Israel is a cruel occupying power trying to force a people out of their land. And this is being done with the help of some Arab nations; the very same nations that constantly talk about Arab and Muslim solidarity. These nations are: Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The often asked question, when it comes to the Palestinians, is about the role of Arab countries in the Palestinian struggle for freedom. The people not familiar with the political landscape of the area often see the Middle East as two camps, Arab countries on one side and Israel on the other. The reality is totally different. Israel has seldom been alone>>>