Road to democracy

I am under the impression that some people are in search of a democratic Iran without the consideration of the geopolitical and/or sociopolitical situation. Some Iranians are stuck in a mindset that the religion of Islam is the cause of all evil in the Iranian struggle to advance and that Iranians were “defeated” because of the introduction of Islam into their society. For many, the IRI represents a government that promotes the same religion that corresponds to the downfall of the great Persian Empire and its advance society >>>

The enemy within

One would expect that if there is one country in the world in which women have become equal to men, that country is America. In fact, the number one question of twenty first century is, why does America remain the only industrial nation in which a woman has not been allowed to become president, or even vice president when even in many developing countries that has happened many times. Therefore, the anti-women factions mentioned above, with some of the big media at their service have managed to neutralize the women's struggle for more equality or place it on the back burner>>>

شبحی در خانه

کودک آزاری معقوله ای است که بحث در خصوص آن ، شنونده را منزجر می کند. کسانی که خود در طیف آزاردهندگان کودکان نیستند ، می اندیشند که چگونه ممکن است کسی بتواند نیاز جنسی خود را با کودک بر طرف سازد و از طرفی وحشت از همه گیر شدن و بر ملا شدن این موضوع باعث شده تا این مقوله در کشورهای نامترقی به تابو تبدیل شود. آنچه در این میان بسیار نفرت برانگیزتر است رشد و گسترش تجاوزهای خانگی است که بسیار کمتر از کمتر ، در مورد آن بحث و تحقیق می شود>>>

گرگ باران دیده

قطره ای از صخره های خاوران
در درون جان خود نوشید ه ام
خاک پای حافظی را بی دریغ
همره باران خود بوسیده ام
در خراسان در پی بز های خود
با دم کوبادها نالیده ام

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Common humanity

Bam 6.6, a documentary about the Bam earthquake of 2003 in Iran, is finally readied for release on DVD. Here's an interview with the producer/director, Jahangir Golestanparast. The production chronicles the ordeal of American tourists Tobb Dell'Oro and his Jewish fiancée, Adele Freedman, after they are buried under the rubble. It highlights how grief-stricken Iranians make a special effort to treat the couple's injuries and comfort Adele afterwards. Mr. Golestanparast is scheduled to show and discuss his film at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC at 7 pm on January 9 >>>

Love and the Revolution

Ezzat! January 7th is your anniversary. Fifteen years ago your heart stopped beating. I felt it in my heart and the earth stopped moving for me. It was late afternoon. Inside a booth I put some coins in the phone and heard your dad's voice, "She called us. First a man asked my name and then she talked." He did not remember what you had said. I took a deep breath full of trucks' exhaust in Darvazeh Qazvin Street and said, "I already know. She is gone forever. Her heart doesn't beat anymore." Where did I go? I don't know. 'Two days later, I met with your father in the park next to the railroad station. We walked together. The sidewalk was full of war refugees with their big bundles. He handed me your vasiet-nameh (will), and I cried. >>>

Two thousand five hundred years old

The last time I saw Dr. Khanlari was in 1987 when he told me that studying literature belonged to another time. “It is a different world now,” he said. At the time I was a graduate student in literature and his advice to me was to start on a different path while I was still young. Parviz Natel Khanlari was a great man—so great, in fact, that a mere listing of his accomplishments does him no justice. People still argue whether his most important contribution was his journal Sokhan (unparalleled to this day in the talent and rigor it fostered), his country-wide literacy projects (leading to a considerable hike in literacy rates), his role in standardizing and producing text books (the accessibility and quality of which we all took for granted)...>>>

Who cares?

“I AM ANGRY?” Is it even important how I feel? What I want? What I write about? Does my anger even matter when Britney Spears’ 16-year-old sister is pregnant? Could I possibly have something provoking to say when Paris Hilton just lost all of her inheritance to charity? Can I possibly have something more enraging to be angry about when so and so just got engaged and the other couple from last year's wedding filed for a divorce? I mean who cares what I have to say? Everyone has so much to worry about already. JC Penny's “16-hour post holiday sale” is ticking down and Macy's has that “two days only end of the year, new year special” going on right now so why would anyone in their right mind be reading this instead?>>>

لفط الله

مش جواد را دیدم با نان سنگک بلند بالای دو آتشه ای که نوکش را گرفته بود تا همسایه ها بهتر بتوانند آن را ببینند، جلو رفتم و برای اینکه قد و بالا و صورتش را خوب بررسی کنم سلام کنان، نان را از دستش گرفتم و به دنبالش راه افتادم، و تا توی اتاقشان رفتم. انصافن فس فسی در او ندیدم. فکر کردم که حتمن عصمت خانم انتظارهای دیگری از او دارد. دلم می خواست نه از او، اما از عصمت خانم بپرسم، مردی به این سر حالی چرا " فس فس " می کند. ضمن اینکه درست نمی دانستم منظور از فس فس چیست.>>>

Pahlavan Syndrome

Recent events in Pakestan have raised awareness of the all too commonly obvious pitfalls of putting too much hope in one person, rather than allowing a simple self regulating system to run a social order of a people. The cowardly assassination of Benazir Bhutto is the vilest example of man's continuing inhumanity to man. Regardless of now re-surfacing claims of the corruption of the Bhutto family and their political infamy, the bottom line is that, in 2007 with the existence of writ of habeas corpus, the right to accuse someone and their right to defend themselves against that accusation, no one deserves to die like this. It is simply uncivilized>>>

Unfinished story

Some time ago I saw an advertisement for a new album, of a new singer, on one of the Persian television channels in Los Angeles. Strangely, this time, there was neither any mention of 6/8 rhythms, nor was there a pick-up truck full of dancing girls behind the singer! As the singer sang calmly on the video, images of Persia and its people followed one another beautifully. The title of the album was "Neverending Story", better said "Unfinished Story" (Ghesse-ye Naatamaam), sung by Amir. This is his first album with cooperation of two significant figures in Persian pop music: Andranik and Shahyar Ghanbari. I became curious to hear the rest of the album but just as I had guessed, there was no sign of the CD in the Persian stores of Amsterdam.>>>

Hallucinations

- Like always you have forgotten to cook rice for dinner, no?
- Who cares? Don’t stress me out. I still have time.
It is nighttime. It is cold. All day I have wandered around the house. I counted all the pieces of furniture in the house: the brown coaches, our dining table, the Piano, our carpets, our phones, all those paintings and books, my desk, my bed, my parents’ bed, our lights…
- Are you crying?
- No, but I wish I could cry for hours. Have you ever been invaded by the flood of memories?>>>

نیاوران، فرمانیه و مادام ساعی

عاشق رانندگی در اتوبانهای شلوغ تهران بودم .ساعت یازده ی هر روز صبح دوباره به مادام ساعی زنگ می زدم تا از تو خبر بگیرم و تو همیشه به پای تلفن می آمدی و با صدای معصومت می گفتی هنوز ساعت دو نشده که تو بیایی ؟ این عقربه های ساعت هر روز دیر تکان می خورد و من در تب و تاب آمدن برای در آغوش کشیدنت پر و بال می زدم . >>>