Busy behind the scenes

Ansary family have been very good friends with Bush Family since the time they moved to United States and resided in Texas in year 1979. The friendship is so close that at this point, Mr. Ansary is CEO of Bush family trust fund while continuing to maintain very close relationship. Mr. Ansary has also had many generous contributions to presidential campaign for George Bush sr., George Bush jr. and other Republican Party candidates for the House and Senate. In most of these investments, we can see some familiar names of American famous politicians as Mr. Ansary's partners. Mr. Ansary has a daughter, Nina, and a son, Nader, who both have been given extensive amount of wealth and investment by their good father!>>>

اصالت عقل و تعقل

مشروطیت برای نخستین بار آگاهی ایرانیان نسبت به حقوق لاینفک انسانی، سیاسی و اجتماعی شان را به منصه ظهور حافظه ی ملی رساند و نهال آن را در ذهن و فکر اجتماعی ملت کاشت و زان پس دایماً در بستر تحولات زمانه آبیاری و تنومندش کرد. با استقرار و تداوم حکومت های مشروطه بین سال های ١٢٨٦ تا ١٢٩٩ و سپس جلوۀ درخشان آن در دوره حکومت دو سال و اندی دکتر مصدق، مردم ایران این گنجینۀ گرانبها را در حافظۀ تاریخی خود، یعنی در جایی امن و به دوراز دسترس عُمال و داروغه های شاهنشاهان و حزب اللهی ها و بسیجی های ملایان، گرامی داشته اند. اما چه کسانی پرچمدار ملازمت و توسعه بخشی این گنجینه تاریخی بوده اند؟ کدامین روشنفکران، متفکران و نویسندگان این گنجینه را از گزند حوادث و ویرانگری نظرات گذرا و متعصبانه حفظ کرده اند و همچنان در ذهن ما درخشنده اش داشته اند؟>>>

«حکومت اسلامی تصوری»

اکنون، پس از گذشت سه دهه از «خلافت» آقای خمينی (لفظی که خود ايشان در اين کتاب برای «فقيه ولی» يا «امام» بکار می برد)، ما همهء مراحل پيروزی «حکومت اسلامی» بر «حاکميت ملی» را گذرانده ايم و دستگاه مقننه، قضائيه و اجرائی حکومت اسلامی مستقر در ايران دقيقاً بر اساس الگوی مورد نظر آقای خمينی بخود شکل گرفته و دربست در اختيار ولی فقيه قرار دارند. در عين حال، وقتی به اين سه دهه می نگريم متوجه می شويم که تنها عدهء معدودی از مفسران سياسی متوجه اين تعارض شده اند و اکثريت ما، آنچه را که در ايران پديد آمده با عينک «دولت ملی بين» و «مدرن» که دارای «قوای منفک و مستقل از هم و خدمتگزار منافع ملی است» ديده ايم و، دقيقاً به واسطهء همين «سوء تفاهم»، وقت خود را از طريق سخن گفتن بر بنياد چنين برداشتی تلف کرده ايم.>>>

Worshiping stone

Last year I achieved one of my personal ambitions. I spent a week at the stone-carving workshop on the Island of Portland. Portland is a rock outcrop that stands out from the Dorset coast into the English Channel, linked to the mainland only by the great sweep of Chesil Bank. Portland was shaped by quarrymen. For centuries these men have carved the landscape and given it distinct contours. They also formed the local culture and even the superstition, for instance the word “Rabbit” is not used on the Island as running Rabbits were associated with falling Rocks and bad accidents. The course was at the Tout Quarry. I walked through a landscape part shaped by man part by nature. A series of gullies and wild plants and stacked up rocks>>>

desire lives in a cold grave

The spot where your hand lay still is warm.
Your words hang suspended in the air
where first they flew forth.
They resonate
but I cannot hear them.
Your wails of love and sorrow,
bittersweet intruders,
breathe forth >>>

اصلاحات پارلمانتاریستی؟

در حقیقت اصلاح طلبی پارلمانتاریستی باید یا آرزوی خود برای رسیدن به حکومت دمکراتیک توسعه گرا را به سطل زباله انداخته با اسم فریبنده اصلاح طلبی در پی بازی های سیاسی برآید یا این واقعیت را که قانون اساسی ما قدرت نهادهای انتصابی را بر نهادهای انتخاباتی افزون تر قرار داده است بپذیرد. تازه در این صورت نیز اصلاح طلبان امروز یک گروه بدون اعتبار سیاسی محسوب می شوند. در حقیقت سرمایه سیاسی این گروه امروز بسیار اندک است و این گروه هم اعبتار خود را در نزد رهبری از دست داده و عمال خودخواسته یا ناخواسته آمریکا تلقی می شوند.>>>

Teresa's Secret

Teresa baby sat my children for eight months until my project, which lasted till late in the evenings, ended. On leaving her job with me, Teresa baby sat for one of my neighbors whom I knew well. It was this neighbors who telephoned me one evening to let me know that Teresa had overdosed on sleeping pills and was taken to a nearby hospital. On hearing this news, I knew I had to go and visit her right away. When I entered the room I almost did not recognize her. She was lying on her back with oxygen tubes stuffed into her nose and she was connected to an IV bag. She looked pale and frail. She opened her eyes and gave me a quick glance. Sorrow and despair had replaced the smile on her face and the twinkles in her eyes>>>

Thinking outside the bubble

By now it should be clear to all but the craziest of optimists that we are in a recession, at least in US. What is not clear, however, is the severity of this recession and if this will turn into a depression. A technical recession is defined as the economic decline in two or more consecutive quarters. This means that the real economy instead of growing, contracts. This economic decline may involve a general decline in employment, investment and corporate profits. Recessions can be accompanies by inflation or deflation. Sometimes when people are uncertain about their economic security, they tend to save, or at least moderate their spending.>>>

Corporal Joe's Last Thoughts

Why am I here, I don't know
"We are here to protect them oil,
Kill bad guys, set the people free and then go."
Sergent Bill said this to all of us.
Ma ol' man says it is all about the oil though
Dick and Georgie who sent us here know it all
Mamma said take The Book with you and save them souls >>>

An evening to be proud of

On March 14, the Oakland East Bay Symphony across San Francisco held a very special classical performance dedicated to Iranian composers of the modern era. I don't know of any other symphony in the west that has done this, or at least in a long time. This program was called "Notes from Persia", and featured a wonderful Iranian piano soloist, Tara Kamangar; an extraordinary vocalist, Raeeka Shehabi-Yaghmai; and the work of two important Iranian composers: Aminollah Hossein and Loris Tjeknavorian. Michael Morgan, the extremely talented and innovative conductor of Oakland East Bay Symphony, got the idea for this concert from one of his staff members, who is Iranian>>>