The Iranian Times

Wednesday January 31, 2001 / Bahman 12, 1379, No. 1156


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Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Men

The blue pill
The one that turns a Paykan into a BMW

By Siamack Baniameri
January 31, 2001
The Iranian

My long lost uncle calls me from Iran after twenty years in the middle of my favorite show. He probably wants money.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.
"Send me the pill."
"Excuse me? The what?"
"The pill, you know -- the blue pill."
"Advil?"
"Not Advil you idiot. The pill. The one that makes the dead man rise from the coffin." >>> GO TO FEATURE

Reply

Pacific Islam
Pragmatic and human reasons for respecting religious values

By Majid Tehranian
January 31, 2001
The Iranian

This article is in reply to Sohrab Mahdavi's "Minority rule".

Islam happens to be the religion of over 90 percent of Iranians. In my open letter I have tried to appeal on the one hand to the highest values in our Islamic-Iranian traditions of civility, but on the other hand to give warnings on religious intolerance and monopoly of power by a religious faction >>> GO TO FEATURE

Suggestion

Test run
Reza Pahlavi should fly to Tehran

By Omid Ashraf
January 31, 2001
The Iranian

I read "Citizen Pahlavi" and must say I wholeheartedly agree. But I have some suggestions. Aqa Reza should approach this like starting a new business. The premise being: "Will the people of Iran buy my product, that is, do they want a government that revives their rich history and gloried past?" >>> GO TO FEATURE

History

22 years ago
Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile

January 31, 2001
The Iranian

Mehrdad writes: The attached is from a book authored by Shahram Javidpour entitled: "Shooresh 57 dar aayineyeh matboo'aat" >>> GO TO FEATURE

Book

His red-robed highness
Exposing Iran's dirty secrets

By Akbar Ganji
The Iranian

Chain murders, elections and threats >>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

War of factions and the role of Tajzadeh

BBC Persian Service

Mostafa Tajzadeh, head of election headquarters who has been charged by judiciary officials for irregularities in the last general election was in the parliament today to defend his record. Why has Mr. Tajzadeh come to be at the centre of the war of factions in Iran? A question Daryoush Homai puts to Ahmad Salamatian, former MP >>> LISTEN


    Anyway

Metric system

WASHINGTON, DC--Despite other academic shortcomings, inner-city youths possess a firmer grasp of the metric system than their peers in suburban and rural areas, according to a Department Of Education study released Monday >>> HERE



More Letters

* Dream on!

Bardia Saeedi writes: I can not believe all the talk about monarchy again ["What future"]... Come on! You can't wake up one day and decide that today I want to be king again. I guess I am wrong. You can >>> FULL TEXT

* Need a leader

Reza writes: The problem with all of us Iranians today is that we don't like to agree with one another. We know that we need a leader and that's really the only way to end the contagious perplexity that's spreading among our community. Yet, we can not get it together and forget about the bullshit criticisms ["Citizen Pahlavi"].

This is no time to evaluate a former prince who's father made a few political gurus unhappy >>> FULL TEXT

* Little democracy in any religion

Ramin Tabib writes: Much applause for Mr. Mahdavi for an argument that was well done and illuminating ["Minority rule"]. However:.. there is little democratic flavor in any of the world's unitarian religions, whether it is Islam (in all its varieties), Catholicism or Judaism. No unitarian religion can honestly allow for majority rule since unitarian religions by their nature are absolutis >>> FULL TEXT

* His story our story

Poopak Ta'ati writes: Not everyone has the gift of expressing their inner self and true feelings and certainly not everyone can observe and notice their surroundings...

Hossein Samiei's story of the night of leaving Iran is his story and ours ["The mirror and the book"]. The details are a bit different, but the setting and the feelings are so recognizable >>> FULL TEXT


Fundraising: Milani on Hoveyda, Stanford

Stanford Bookstore Presents: A Booksigning with Abbas Milani, Chair of the Department of History and Political Science at the college of Notre Dame and Author of The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution. >>> DETAILS


Books

 

 

All in the Family
Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies
By Michael Herb

 

 

Boof-e koor
By Sadeq Hedayat

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
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    Poem

    Translation of today's poem by Zara Houshmand:

    Saqi, I asked you for a simple wine;

    Make it live; serve it to men who are free.

    You said, 'A wind is stirring in the sky.'

    Until it comes, my love, pour wine for me.

    * Also see more Rumi translations

    Rumi book

Rumi: The Life Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi
By Frankin D. Lewis



Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. May not be duplicated or distributed in any form

More news

Jailed Iranian journalist starts hunger strike

TEHRAN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - An outspoken Iranian journalist held in prison on a "temporary" detention order for more than five months, has gone on hunger strike, newspapers said on Wednesday. Hamshahri newspaper quoted the spouse of the reformist Ahmad Zeydabadi as saying he had gone on hunger strike to protest against prison conditions. Other newspapers carried similar reports >>> FULL TEXT

MPs in closed-door session over unrest charges against deputy minister

TEHRAN, Jan 31 (AFP) - The reform-majority parliament held a special closed-door session Wednesday to examine the unrest which marred a pro-reform student conference last year, state television said. The session was called following charges reportedly laid against Deputy Interior Minister Mostafa Tajzadeh, a target of conservatives, for inciting the unrest. Reformists are backing Tajzadeh >>> FULL TEXT

Foreign minister expected in Berlin soon

BERLIN, Jan 31 (AFP) - Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi is expected in Berlin soon to meet his German counterpart Joschka Fischer for talks likely to focus on a controversial trial that has strained relations between the two countries. Kharazi could also hold talks with Hans-Ulrich Klose, the representative for the foreign affairs commission in Germany's lower house of parliament, sources close to the government here said. No date has been set for the visit yet >>> FULL TEXT

Zhirinovsky says Tehran-Moscow need to strengthen Caspian Sea cooperation

TEHRAN, Jan 31 (AFP) - Visiting Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky on Wednesday called for strengthened Tehran-Moscow cooperation over the oil-rich Caspian Sea's legal status. "Irano-Russian cooperation plays an important role in defining the Caspian Sea's legal regime," Zhirinovsky said during talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani, the state IRNA newsagency reported >>> FULL TEXT

Iran discovers 26-billion-barrel oil deposit in Persian Gulf: radio

TEHRAN, Jan 31 (AFP) - Iran has discovered a major oil deposit containing around 26 billion barrels in Persian Gulf waters off Abadan, a senior oil industry official was quoted by state radio as saying Wednesday. Mehdi Mir-Moezi, deputy managing director of the Iranian National Oil Company, said the oil was found in shallow Iranian-held waters in the Dashteh Abadan zone >>> FULL TEXT

Kiev, Tehran planning gas pipeline project

KIEV, Jan 31 (AFP) - Kiev and Tehran are examining ways of transporting natural gas to central and western Europe through Ukraine, Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko announced Wednesday during an official visit by his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi. "It's the first time we have broached the subject. We'll be entering negotiations soon with the European Union," Zlenko said at a joint press conference >>> FULL TEXT


Exchange rate

Updated January 19

Buying: 790 to 794 tomans per dollar

Selling: 808 to 810 tomans per dollar

CALL TOLL FREE: 877-SEHHATY (877-734-4289)
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The Web

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Lot's of news & views about Iran and various resources concerning Iranians abroad.

Beyond Iran

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Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, zerotv.com is "an internet TV station, entertainment website offering original dramatic and comedy content, as well as interactive music, comic and game show programming."

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Quote Unquote

Power

Since power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, the Islamic regime has managed to do within 20 years what the Pahlavi regime did in 50. They have de-mythologized Islam almost as effectively as the Pahlavis de-mythologized monarchy.

-- Majid Tehranian
"Pacific Islam"
The Iranian
January 31, 2001


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