I was brought from Khorasan

Rumi was born and lived his childhood in Balkh, a center of Khorasan, Iran, but at the age of 12 his father took his family on a long trip, just before the Mongols were advancing toward Balkh. At the age of 20 Rumi arrived in Anatolia, at Konya that had been for many centuries a Roman or Greek province; now in Turkey. Rumi did all his writings, lectures, teachings, sermons, and poetry in the Persian language. Even the letters that he wrote to leaders, governors, and friends were in the Persian language. Despite all the years that he lived and did his work in Konya, Rumi always considered himself a native of Balkh and Khorasan, Iran,>>>

Hospitality kicks in first

From all the heavenly images you get to see in Iranian functions such as their cars, houses, food, female companions and so on you hardly can picture them wondering around Wal-Mart store in their jeans. This can sometimes come as a shock. As soon as I saw him, I tried quickly to turn my shopping cart around and escape the situation by pretending that I’ve seen nothing. But when I was just ready to yank my cart to the left I saw his wife looking right into my eyes with a big smile on her face. >>>

We know your kind

After reading JJ's pictorial essay on his unrealized trip to Israel, I was reminded about a confrontation/incident I had with Israel (El Al) security forces of all places in Newark International Airport (EWR). Before telling you about the incident, let me say that I am glad JJ didn't make the trip. I am saying it not because Israel has become a pariah country in the Middle-East or because it is an apartheid nation, their close cooperation with South Africa during their apartheid regime not withstanding, Arab citizens of Israel are treated as second class citizens. >>>

کره زمین خیلی بزرگ، اینقدر به من نچسب !

برای همه سرخورده ها پیش می آید که در بار با کسی درباره مشکلشان حرف بزنند و آن شخص برایشان منشا مشکل را پیدا کند. مردها. آمریکا. مسلمانان. دولت. گی ها. مهاجرین برای هر مشکلی دلیلی است . ( قانون علت و معلول) دلیل مشکل مرد هم مهاجرین است. کمی هم دولت حاکمه. مرد عضو این گروه زیر زمینی شد که شعارشان هست. " کره زمین خیلی بزرگ است . چرا به من چسبیدی" شعار مد روزی نیست. ولی وقتی گروهک زیر زمینی شعارشان را که صورت آهنگ می خوانند خوبتر به نظر می آی>>>

La Séduction

Cette nuit sans fin et mes mots en vain, Silence.

Le rythme de nuit ne fait plus de bruit, Circonstance.

Mes pensées à Lui, cet Homme sans soucis, Malchance!

Précieuse mine en main, seul enfin, j’écris, Pénitence. >>>

Cowboy pathology

It is not normal for a society to ignore the wrongs it does to humans or animals. Yet, we clearly see a mass pathology that is griping the US of A. It starts at a very basic level. Society is defined by its culture and that includes every day language. A couple of decades ago, it would have been rare occurrence to hear or see explicit or graphic sexual language in general public or on mass media level. Nowadays, it is very common and the exposure starts from elementary school level. >>>

دو راهه ی گزينش

* فايل صوتی

و ما مردمان کشوری به نام ايران اين خوشبختی را داريم که يک چنين شخصيتی از سرزمين ما و از قلب فرهنگ ايرانی ما برخاسته است. می گويم از قلب فرهنگ ما چون باور دارم که کوروش بزرگ پيش از آن که امپراتور ايران باستانی ما باشد، پيش از آن که مبتکر اولين امپراتوری جهان باشد، پيش از آن که رهبری سياسی و موفق دوره ای از سرزمين ما باشد، يکی از رهبران فرهنگی ما است.

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Upside down

On April 18, 1980, Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, in his Friday Prayer sermon, ordered a holy war (jihad) against the students. He accused the students of turning the campuses into “war rooms” against the Islamic state. After the prayers, armed gangs attacked three campuses. Within the next few days, the gangs wounded hundreds of students and killed at least 24. Students were driven off the campuses, and the government took over all the premises.>>>

اولیس همچنان دربند

پای حرفهای مردی بافرهنگ و ادیب نشسته ایم، منوچهر بدیعی مترجم اولیسس جویس با دانشی از ادبیات شرق و غرب و اندیشه ای عمیق حرفهایی دارد که بسیار واقعی و در عین حال دردناک است: "ما اينجا با يك مسأله اداري وزارت ارشاد يا يك مسأله حكومتي يا يك مسأله اين جوري روبه‌رو نيستيم. ما با يك مسأله اجتماعي خيلي جدي كه از درون جامعه آمده بيرون روبه‌رو هستيم >>>

شعر گمشده

بدنبال تو هستم

میان پرواز پرستو

بین دو حرف و یک کلام

دنبل شعر نا تمام

قصه پریا

راه بی ریا

بدنبال تو هستم

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Of diety and diarrhea!

Have you noticed that Jesus is the only one (to hedge against a history full of igonorance and bunch of creepy historians I'd say at least the most celebrated one) in the history that has a suspicious birth and death both?! Now, that's what I call unnecessary divine complications! I have a hunch that all this hoopla came about because those who came a couple of centuries after him and tried to mold Christianity in to a religion and convenience the gullible that Jesus was god himself had problem explaining even to the credulous how god can be born or die like rest of us mortals? >>>