The Iranian Times

Thursday August 24, 2000 / Shahrivar 3, 1379, No. 1050


ARCHIVE

Sprint Long Distance

Access & Arts

Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Flower delivery in Iran

Iranian books

Film

Not THAT good
Patronizing adoration for Iranian cinema

By Naghmeh Sohrabi
August 24, 2000
The Iranian

My uncle often likes to say with pride that in the old days, during the Shah's time, when Iranians would travel to Paris or London, everywhere they went, people kept asking them "how many oil wells do you own?" In educated, cosmopolitan American circles these days, no one would ask such a question. Instead, what I am often asked as an Iranian-American is "have you seen [enter here name of Iran's newest cinematic export]? What do you think about Iranian cinema? It's so great. It's so unlike Hollywood."

I find the uncritical attention given to Iranian cinema by the Western press patronizing and the adoration showered upon it by Iranians living outside of Iran uncritically patriotic >>> GO TO FEATURE

Responsibility

Over and over again
Never stopped to see where we went wrong

By Najmeh Fakhraie
August 24, 2000
The Iranian

How many times have I heard my mother talk about her days in Golestan School as if it was the best place on earth? How many times have I heard my grandmother talk about all the things they used to do then as if they could not be done anywhere else or any other time ever again? And how they would have given all that up for the promise of a better future is definitely unimaginable. "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't" goes the saying. So if they had heaven right in front of them how did they lose it so easily? What went wrong along the way? What big, unforgivable crime was committed? >>> GO TO FEATURE

Marriage

By dAyi Hamid
August 23, 2000
The Iranian >>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Iran think-tank seeks gas exporters' union

STAVANGER, Norway, Aug 24 (Reuters) - An Iranian think tank said on Thursday it had proposed to the country's energy ministry the formation of an international gas exporters' cartel as a forum to share experience and plan strategy.

"We have proposed to the ministry an idea to form a union of gas exporting states... We want to learn from each other," Seyed Abdoljabad Alavi, director of international affairs at the Institute for International Energy Studies, told a group at the Offshore Northern Seas conference >>> FULL TEXT

Serial Killings

BBC Persian Service

In all the committees that were established in order to investigate serial murders of Iranian intellectuals, the President played the most important role, said Mohammad Niazi head of the Judiciary office of the Armed forces. Sima Bahrami in an interview with Taqi Rahmani, Iranian journalist, asked him his views on Mr Niazi's comments >>> LISTEN HERE

Early days of cinema in Iran

Cinema

A wonderful recollection of the early days of cinema in Iran by Esmaeel Arham Sadr. He starts with the silent movies and how a band would play Iranian music during the screening and a man would walk up and down the isle explaining the story to the audience. "This man's name is Jimmy. The woman's name is Liza. They are lovers..." >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Take a wild guess

Sima Sarshar is: a) Radical fundamentalist or b) >>> SEE HERE



More Letters

* Taking over the Persian Gulf

Amani al-Omani writes: I'm a Kuwaiti citizen. That means we are very close to each other yet my root is very Arabic and I'm Sunni .

I'd like to know do you really think that you should take over the Gulf area and rule there ["Snake island"]? What is happening in my country is that a lot of Iranians cross the border as illegal immigrants and most of them smuggle drugs.

No offense, but don't you think since the revulotion pepole miss the freedom and the luxury? Anyhow these are my thoughts and I would like to hear your answer .

* Maybe, just maybe

Mohammad Yamini writes: In response to Sheri Zandi, "Behkhodaa we're Italian": I think you must have had Iranian ancestors since Zandi is a very prominent Persian last name. One of the dynasties that governed Iran about three hundred years ago was called the Zand dynasty and its founder was called Karim Khan Zand. So maybe, just maybe, you have an Iranian ancestor in your distant past.

You can investigate your genealogical tree. After all Persia and Rome where once powerful empires and neighbours and came quite often into contact with each other. Even your first name is very Persian. Sheri is the abbreviation for the Persian female name "Shirin". Shirin in Iranian literature has the same meaning as Juliet in English literature because of Romeo and Juliet.

Actually there are many Persian names which have found their way into Western hemisphere like Cyrus, Darius, Roxana, Shervin, Shaheen etc.


Art: Group exhibition in Los Angeles

The Society of Iranian Women in Los Angeles Presents: VEILING/UNVEILING
Group Art Exhibition

September 1 through September 30th. Reception: September 9th, 2000. Time: 5-9pm Location: Eagle Rock Community Center 2225 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock, CA 90041 323-226-1617. Featured artists are >>> DETAILS HERE


Books

.

,

Tehran
The Making of a Metropolis
By Ali Madanipour

.

Adab-e pahlevaani
By Mehdi Moazzen Jami

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Music store


    Poetry

Translation of today's poem by Zara Houshmand:

I said to myself, "I'll go away for a while;

My love might then have reason to be sorry."

She had endless patience; I can't hide:

It didn't work, no matter how I tried.
-- Rumi
Previous translations



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More news

Khatami meets Iran's Jewish leaders

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mohammad Khatami met Iranian-Jewish community leaders Thursday in a bid to ease the anxieties of the Jewish minority in Iran, where 10 Jews were convicted last month of spying for Israel. Khatami met with a group of 40 Jews, including the wife of one of the convicted men. He promised to defend their rights, said Iranian Jewish lawmaker Morris Motamed >>> FULL TEXT

Iran ends state monopoly on caviar exports

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran has ended its state monopoly on the export of caviar in a bid to revive the sluggish industry, the director of the national fisheries industry said in Thursday's newspapers. Khodakaram Jalali said "interested firms" would be supplied with sturgeon in a bid to encourage the private sector, as the price of caviar has skyrocketed some 70 percent in the past year >>> FULL TEXT

Norway's Saga wins drilling contract in Iran's western provinces

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (AFP) - Norway's Saga Petroleum has won the exploration and drilling contract for oil-rich areas near Iran's western city of Dehloran, the official IRNA news agency reported Thursday. It cited provincial officials saying that Saga had signed the contract with Iranian oil authorities and would begin seismographic research and drilling soon >>> FULL TEXT

Iran Air says capacity hit by costs, U.S. sanctions

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Iran 's national airline cannot increase capacity in line with growing demand because of U.S.-imposed sanctions and budget limitations, the airline's managing director said. "Because of financial limitations and the issue of sanctions, plans to add to our airliners were scrapped," Ahmad Reza Kazemi was quoted by Kar Va Kargar newspaper as saying on Thursday >>> FULL TEXT

Tax revenues up in smoke as two out of three cigarettes contraband

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran is losing out on tax revenue from tobacco because two out of three cigarettes smoked nationwide are smuggled into the country, the official IRNA news agency said Thursday. "Currently 45 billion cigarettes are smoked annually in Iran, 30 billion of which are smuggled into the country without earning any tax revenue for the government," free-trade zone official Hossein Nasiri said, cited by IRNA >>> FULL TEXT

Iran finds wreckage of helicopter but fate of pilots still unknown

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (AFP) - Iran has located the wreckage of a helicopter that went down in the Persian Gulf earlier this month but the fate of the two Iranian pilots is still unknown, press reports said Thursday. The government-run Iran newspaper, citing an unnamed naval official, said the wreck is 85 metres (280 feet) underwater and 200 metres (220 yards) from the Saga 2 platform in the Persian Gulf's giant South Pars gas field >>> FULL TEXT

Earlys days of cinema in Iran

Tehran (Cinema) -- A wonderful recollection of the early days of cinema in Iran by Esmaeel Arham Sadr. He starts with the silent movies and how a band would play Iranian music during the screening and a man would walk up and down the isle explaining the story to the audience. "This man's name is Jimmy. The woman's name is Liza. They are lovers >>> FULL TEXT

Boy actor remembers making of masterpiece

Tehran (Cinema) -- Mohammad Zamani was a young boy when he played a role in Sohrab Shahid Sales' masterpiece "Tabeeat-e beejaan". Zamani remembers >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Eshq-e film

Tehran (Cinema) -- "Eshq-e film", a film about people obsessive movie fans, has received a production permit. It will be made by Ebrahim Vahidzadeh >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Minavand knocked out as team qualifies for Champions League

ROTTERDAM, Aug 23 (Reuters)(DS) - Feyenoord fans felled a Sturm Graz player and threw objects onto the pitch as their team failed to reach the Champions League after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Austrians on Wednesday. As well as being eliminated from the competition, Feyenoord could face the wrath of UEFA after Sturm's Iranian midfielder Mehrdad Minavand was felled by an object thrown from the crowd at the end of the first half >>> FULL TEXT

Waterpolo, soccer "too violent" for women

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Waterpolo and soccer are too violent for women, says Fereshteh Adl, the head of the women's swimming association >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Women: Best indoor soccer player

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Sima Sarshar is one of the best young women futsal players. She has been playing since she was seven and has gotten excellent grades in college entrance exams as well >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT


BBC

Iran Opens to Foreign Investment

In a closed door session, the Iranian parliament voted in favour of a new bill aimed at attracting and protecting direct foreign investment in the country's ailing economy. But what can be the foreign investors reactions? Saeed Yekta seeks Mehrdad Vali-Beigee & Sir Jeremy Hanley's views>>> LISTEN HERE

BBC Persian Service


Exchange rate

Updated August 24

Buying: 813 to 816 tomans per dollar

Selling: 822 to 828 tomans per dollar

CALL TOLL FREE: 877-SEHHATY (877-734-4289)
or 800-995-0264

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Business news


The Web

Iran

Iran memorabilia

This could eventually turn into an Iranian e.bay... lots of interesting stuff on sale. Prices aren't bad.

Beyond Iran

Martha Stewart

The woman has taste. What can you say?

More web sites


Quote Unquote

Patronizing

For Americans... Iranian cinema is great only if viewed within a patronizing framework (not necessarily on purpose) or one that in its desire to be un-Hollywood, is willing to check its critical tools at the door and call everything and anything that comes out of Iran great.

-- Naghmeh Sohrabi
"Not THAT good"
The Iranian
August 24, 2000


Photo of the Day

Jewish leaders meet Khatami


Music

Nikbakht & Martone

Music artists index


Art

Masoud R. Zargahi
Untitled