نقش تبعیدیان در تحولات درون ایران

دو نام , ناصر زرافشان و اکبرگنجی , امروزه مطرح ترین و پر آوازه ترین نام های جنبش روشنفکری و روشنگری " سیاسی" ایران در داخل و خارج از ایران هستند. می دانم عزیزانی از جریان های فکری و سیاسی" چپ و راست و میانه "خوش ندارند این نظر را بشنوند و به عنوان واقعیت بپذیرند, اما کاری نمی شود کرد, خوش آمدن یا خوش نیامدن این و آن تغییری دراین واقعیت نخواهد داد!>>>

Hawks dive for cover

A major new development in the 2008 electoral campaign has been that the presidential candidates, aware of the public’s peace sentiment, have been breaking taboos that the neo-cons had erected, such as imposing pre-conditions for talks with Iran and the policy of regime change. For example, Senator Barak Obama is promising to sit down for diplomatic meetings with countries like Iran, Syria and North Korea and not to seek regime change. These positions are qualitatively different from "all options remain on the table.">>>

Mashhad

He fans the embers with a paper plate,
atop the balcony of his remote refuge,
many miles away from the Holy City,
and the surrounding hills are protective cloaks.
I stand in the outskirts of a city,
in a nation behind the scenes,
with a double scotch in one hand,
and a jujeh kabob in the other. >>>

ماه مشوش میشود

آه – چقدر
با فریب نشسته ایم
با فریب به رویا رفته ایم
با فریب نگاه کرده ایم
چقدر – ظلمت را
پاداش آسمانی دانستیم
>>>

One more today

And sometimes we sit
thinking as others shuffle in
order coffee
chat about the election
and shuffle out
and sometimes we sit
just to get out and feel
somewhat un-alone >>>

آيا بابک خرمدين مال من هم هست؟

من می گويم هرکس که «می خواهد» جزو «ملت ايران» باشد نمی تواند شهريار شاعر و کورش پادشاه را از «هويت ملی» خود بزدايد و يا، بر عکس، هر کس بخواهد اين ها را از هويت ملی خود طرد کند ديگر ايرانی نيست و بايد برای مليت خودش فکری بکند و، تا زمانی که نتوانسته است تکه ای از خاک ايران را برای خودش «مستقل» کند، برود و به يک جائی از اين عالم آويزان شود تا از دست «فارس های خونخوار!» در امان بماند. >>>

Dirty business

I was spending my third night at the front line. I had already received a Klashinkov rifle with a magazine that could hold thirty cartridges and a few blankets to sleep in as Neekvarz had promised. That night it was cold and foggy. A storm was blowing from northwest raising sand and dust; making the air dark. Apprehensive about my sentries, I had visited all of them twice earlier at night either in Karamee‚s company or on my own. All of them were awake and vigilant; everything seemed normal except the storm that was lashing across the plain and the hill.>>>

Good question

Recently, I visited one of my relatives who had returned from Iraq to Iran for good. I asked about a limited war like “surgical strike” by Israeli or American air force. He said, “That will not happen. Israelis know not to engage directly with Iran, since they know they will instigate the wrath of Iran. If Israeli’s attack Iran, the Iranians have quite good map of all the Israeli nuclear installation and they know where to hit it with great accuracy and minimum charge and cause great pain to them. They always can say you attacked our civilian nuclear program, we attacked your military nuclear program. Besides that, Israelis have the Americans in their hand and they can force the American to do what they want to do.>>>

روز های آفتابی

قاچاقچی های مسلح، که سیگار و مشروب حمل می کردند، برای رهائی از تعقیب قایق های حفاظت شرکت نفت، شروع به تیر اندازی می کنند، ولی به دلیل رسیدن نیروی کمکی کاری از پیش نمی برند و با محموله ی خود به دام می افتتند ....اما حاصل اندوهبار آن از کار افتادن قلبی بود که شور عشق در ترنم طپش های آن جاری بود وجز عطوفت و مهر ذخیره ای نداشت، و شوق انتظاری شیرین در آن موج می زد. >>>

Speaking of Angelina Jolie

One of the things we as Iranians have in common with the West (surprised?) is the appreciation and an almost religious worship of extreme beauty. So strong is this in Iranians, that many of us can feel outright physical pain when we are confronted with "heavy duty beauty". To Iranians, the attainment of beauty is looked at as a birthright that even God (or Allah) cannot take away. Historically the pursuit of beauty has been well documented. In books and literature, art and architecture, and even as we have seen recently, Tehran has become the plastic surgery capital of the world, as big nosed beauties, do anything to mend the seemingly singular defining (obvious at least) flaw between their flawless doe eyes.>>>

When CDOs kill CEOs

Up to now two CEOs of fortune 100 companies have fallen from grace because of the collapse in CDO markets and more shoes may have to drop before this crisis is over! So what is going on?! This is my take of the situation: CDO stands for the Collateral debt obligation. We don't need to get to the technical definition of it. So much to say that it is a financial derivative instrument. Now, since Black and Scholes published their paper in mid 70s people know how to price the derivatives. Here is finance 101. >>>

Life goes on in Tehran