Atashbad

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Potholes

I’m glad I don’t live in the times of the Vandals and the Horde, but at least in those days people called a spade a spade. Though I doubt that the spaded ones—the pillaged and the raped—took much consolation in knowing what to call it. These days, in this democratic system of ours, the bosses have to get the victims to consent to being pillaged. Or at least not object too loudly, though lately they seem to care less who squawks or how much. How do they do it? Well for one thing, they don’t call things by their names. The war for hegemony, for instance, is called The War on Terror. Cutting school funding is called No Child Left Behind. The privatization of the national retirement system is called Social Security reform.>>>

Playing dumb?

What the Iranian president doesn't understand is that the West (those who are indeed ruling this world, and definitely the democratic world) are fearful of his regime, the fundamentalist Islamic regime of Iran. The fear is genuine and it is based on precedence. The Iranian regime has not stopped interfering in other countries' affairs to create instability, whether it is in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon, or more recently in Iraq. The Iranian regime is one of the world's relatively powerful countries openly challenging the democratic world, and desiring to obtain bomb-making nuclear technology. The West is fearful and it is legitimately so. While the same West is not fearful of a nuclear Israel. This is a fact that Iran must understand. >>>

Causes and effects

From Pulitzer Prize—winning journalist and bestselling author Ron Suskind comes a startling look at how America lost its way and at the nation's struggle, day by day, to reclaim the moral authority upon which its survival depends. From the White House to Downing Street, from the fault–line countries of South Asia to the sands of Guantánamo, Suskind offers an astonishing story that connects world leaders to the forces waging today's shadow wars and to the next generation of global citizens. Tracking down truth and hope within the Beltway and far beyond it, Suskind delivers historic disclosures with this emotionally stirring and strikingly original portrait of the post-9/11 world>>>

Palin or Biden

I dazzle the crowd with occasional
Teardrop,
Saying your tribe is lacking spirit
And I am a nameless messiah.
When wind blows from East
To West, I am a child at loss,
Neither Palin nor Biden
Reflects what is in my heart >>>

نه سيخ بسوزد، نه کباب

چگونه می توانيم تلاش نوانديشان مذهبی و اصلاح طلبان سياسی مسلمان را برای طرد و رد فکر سکولاريسم و مبارزه در برابر فکر جدائی مذهب از حکومت توجيه کنيم؟ يعنی، اگر تنها بر منطق صرف تکيه کنيم، بنظر بديهی می آيد که انتظار داشته باشيم مهمترين اصلاح طلبان و نوانديشان را ـ که خواستار آزادی عمل و فکر و تبليغ انديشه های خود هستند ـ در صفوف اول مبارزه برای استقرار سکولاريسم ببينيم. اما چرا چنين نيست؟ چرا آقای عبدالکريم سروش مقاله ها و سخنرانی های متعددش را به ضديت با سکولاريسم اختصاص می دهد؟ چرا وقتی می خواهد سقوط دينداران را به ورطهء دنيا پرستی خاطرنشان کند آنان را دچار سکولاريسم می بيند؟ چرا سکولاريسم را برای جوامع پلوراليستی تجويز می کند اما جامعهء خودمان را جامعه ای ـ در اکثريت عددی اش ـ تک ساحتی می بيند که نيازی به سکولاريسم ندارد؟>>>

Hero for humanity

Today, I am grieving at the loss of 83 year old legendary actor and social activist Paul Newman, who was also a great humanist and dedicated his life to helping the world's needy, especially the sick children. Although I had met him only once at a fund raiser for his ‘Hole in the Wall’ charity, I felt I knew him rather well, not simply because I am like countless millions of others a devout fan of his movies and always admired his tireless charitable activities, but also because Paul was a dear friend of my brother, Mohsen>>>

Give me Capitalism, or give me Death!

First, it was the foreign policy crash of 2001. Yes, that much-milked by Bush 9/11 which instead of serving as wake up call to review and remedy America’s deplorable policies towards the peoples of the Middle East, only provided the Bush administration with a presumed casus belli as well as a raison-d’ètre for both the neocon empire-building and the economic sacking of the nation by an unscrupulous elite. Now, we all know the cost and results of replacing a “call to reason” with a “call to arms.” And now, as if a foreign policy crash hadn’t been enough seven years ago, and as if trying to mend relations with much of the world weren’t a formidable task, here comes the nuclear detonation that precedes America’s economic crash>>>

The Key Ring

The key chain felt heavy
Though there were only two keys
I looked back
And said
I think I won’t miss this
But I think you will miss me >>>

تفسیر ملوکانه از "آزادی"

" "ان- در" دیدار سلطان صاحبقران از امپراطوری پروس: آمدیم پایین توی اطاق نشستیم. امپراطور هم بعد آمد پایین می نشستیم، بر می خاستیم، حرف می زدیم، صاحب منصب ها همه راه می رفتند، می نشستند، آزادی بود، یکی ایستاده بود کونش را به امپراطور کرده سیگار می کشید، یکی نشسته بود و کونش به امپراطور سیگار می کشید. یکی کونش را به ما کرده بود. هر کدام یک حالت آزادی داشتند..." (روزنامه ی خاطرات ناصرالدین شاه در سفر سوم فرنگ، ص 220) >>>

پیوک

آن سال ها چنین بود که می توانستی پس از اتمام سال چهارم پزشکی، دانشگاه را رها کنی و برای سه سال خدمت با عنوان پزشکیار بروی به دهات دور افتاده و اغلب بد آب و هوا و پس از آن مجددن برگردی دانشگاه و تحصیل را از سال پنجم ادامه بدهی. اگر تعهد چنین خدمتی را می دادی در عوض با گذراندن امتحانی خاص " و نه کنکور " به دانشگاه می رفتی و پس از بازگشت و اتمام بقیه دوره و گذراندن " تِز " و دریافت پایان نامه دکترا، دیگر نیازی به گذراندن چند سال خارج از مرکز نداشتی. "اصلان" با سپردن چنین تعهدی سه سال خدمت بهیاریش را در ده دور افتاده و سرتا پا محروم از همه چیز و در حقیقت فراموش شده " دارَک " از دهات بندر عباس گذراند. از بچگی رفیق بودیم من و او و " کاظم "، در حقیقت سه تفنگ داری بودیم که حتا یک فشنگ هم نداشتیم>>>