Date
Goudarz Eghtedari
04-Sep-2007 (4 comments)
I have known BBC Persian program for more than 40 years, BBC was the only source of information that my father used to listen to since the days of the World War II. So I grew up listening to your radio program, with respect and reliance on impartiality and independence. >>>

IRAN-U.S.

Smart strategy

Haleh is free, now what happens to Hannah Esfandiari?

04-Sep-2007 (42 comments)
On a sunny day in Washington, DC, my imaginary American scholar, Hannah Esfandiari, was sittining in her Kalorama-located house, opening a letter she had just received from Tehran, Iran. It was a job offer from a prominent think-tank at the heart of the Islamic Republic's policy-making machine. Her main job was going to be establishing contacts with Americans dissidents, scholars and activists and inviting them to Tehran to speak for high-rank Iranian policy-makers, top officers of the Revolutionary Guards and the intelligence ministry. But she could not take the job offer. Not because she was afraid of being charged with assisting a 'state sponsor of terrorism' and perhaps being sent to Guantanamo Bay.>>>
Hope
04-Sep-2007
Wouldn't it be good if everyone was an eager student? Eager to learn new things, explore new topics, always open to the idea that there is more to learn. Here's to a beautiful year ahead. >>>

PRESCHOOL

Golestan kids

Golestan kids

Berkeley parents organize to educate children

by Jahanshah Javid
04-Sep-2007

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REVIEW

A surrogate tear

Inspiring story about formidable hardships Iranian women have endured over nearly a century

04-Sep-2007 (one comment)
A Mirror Garden is the memoir of an Iranian-American woman who has witnessed much of the events of the last century. Monir Shahroody, now a senior citizen living in New York, has seen it all and, with some help from her co-author Zara Houshmand, shares some of those memories with readers. As the world steps away from fantasy and dream, the fascination with true events has caused a profound shift to realism in literature, art, and entertainment. Gone are the days of classic literature where a writer had to fabricate a story. Today, fiction seems to have lost its appeal and the publishing market, responding to public demand, is leaning more toward memoirs and fact-based stories. >>>

VIEW

College of cardinals

Elections, challengers and the future

04-Sep-2007 (2 comments)
The Assembly of Experts (Majlese Khobregane Rahbari) is one of the more powerful political institutions in Iran. Its main job is to appoint Iran’s Supreme leader, supervise his performance, and if it deems suitable, to dismiss him. Some have compared its task to that of the College of Cardinals in the Vatican who has the responsibility of choosing the next pope. All of the assembly's 86 members are either Ayatollahs or Hojjatoleslam (one rank below). To be considered as a member, each cleric must show relative “ejtehad". This qualification permits an Islamic cleric with the religious authority to interpret Islamic law, a qualification which takes many years of study and experience.>>>

TRAVELERS

Neo-Roman

Neo-Roman

Photo essay: Manchester's Trafford Centre

by shahireh sharif
04-Sep-2007

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WAR & PEACE

یک پرسش

آیا جهان بدون جنگ ممکن است؟

04-Sep-2007 (2 comments)
گفت آرزو بر نو جوانان عیب نیست! البته جهان بدون جنگ استبعاد عقلی ندارد. علیرغم ادعا های زیادی هم که میشود کسی طبیعت انسان را زیر ذره بین نگذاشته که اثبات کنند انسان بذات جنگجوست. خدا را چه دیده اید؟ شاید هم ذات ما صلح طلب بوده و همه این تاریخ پر از جنگ بشر را باید به حساب استثنائات بگذاریم. بعضی ها هم اصلاً خیال همه را راحت کرده و میگویند ذات انسان هم جنگ طلب است و هم صلحخواه. مثلاً نیچه دوگانگی طبایع آپولونی (به پیروی آپولو خدای موسیقی و هنر یونانی) و دیانیزوسی ( به پیروی دیانوسیس برادر ناتنی آپولو و خدای شراب) را در "تبار شناسی اخلاق" و "مرگ تراژدی" خود مطرح کرده است>>>

LETTER

بهروز نرو !

نامه ای سرگشاده به بهروز وثوقی

04-Sep-2007
نوشتم "آقای وثوقی" چون شما را هیچ نمی شناسم و نوشتم "بهروز عزیز" چون از وقتی یادم می آید ترا می شناسم. درست یک وجب بودم و رفته بودم سینما و تو بزرگترین و قوی ترین آدم دنیا بودی. تمام عرض و طول پرده را فتح کرده بودی و گسترده بودی خود را بر پهنه ی بیکران سینما. همه ی عضلات سر و صورت و دست و شانه هایت را می شناسم. نگاهت را می شناسم پرش ریز زیر چشمهایت را می شناسم. دستهایت! نحوه ی کبریت کشیدنت! صدایت؟ صدا؟ صدا صدای خودت بود و در ذهنم حک شده است. چشم بسته ترا از صدایت هم می شناسم. ترا بهتر از پدرم و بیشتر از هر مردی در زندگیم، از همان اول می شناسم و بارها و بارها دیده ام.>>>
ExoticSarah
03-Sep-2007

I have been asked about this quite a few times. "What are your thoughts about the Iranian American student at UCLA being tasered for not having his I.D. on November of 2006?" Someone recently brought this issue back to my attention and asked me to address my individual thoughts on the situation. I watched the video a few times, as well to kind of understand the incident and in case I missed something relevant; I, then, realized the horrible distinction and example it gave. I always praised cops and still do, but now I know that "dirty" cops do exist and the UCLA police are some fine examples of what "dirty" are portrayed to be. I think the cops are incompetent and truly an insult to the uniform.

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Abbas Zeineddin
03-Sep-2007 (2 comments)
The highlight of Saturday was the Atlanta Braves game with my family. They lost to the NY Mets and worse of all the stadium was full of their obnoxious fans. Have some respect. You're guests here so don't be too rude to the Atlantans. The only good NY "thing" at the game was the big and tasty NY-style hotdog that I ate while watching the game. Of course, it was followed by eating about a pound of boiled peanuts that I had especially prepared for the game using my own secret recipe of spices. You could say that I have developed a liking for peanuts after living in GA for a long time. I didn't have dinner!>>>

AIRBORNE

Free and weightless

The take off was so smooth that I did not even realize we were already in the air

03-Sep-2007
Sunday afternoon, an aviation guru friend of mine and I took a drive to Bealeton, VA, located 60 miles South West of Washington, DC to check out a 1930s air show called The Flying Circus and what a delightful circus it was! Melodies of the 20s blasting in the background, a re-enacted 20s radio personality reporting the latest and the greatest in the style of the time, old retired air force pilots relaxing under their straw hats, reminiscing about the old war years, and kids with balloons in one hand, melting ice cream in the other, fully mesmerized by the site of the planes, helped recapturing the sights and sounds of bygone days.>>>

AIRBORNE

Free and weightless

Free and weightless

Photo essay: The take off was so smooth

by Jasjoon
03-Sep-2007

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FREE SPEECH

آزادی بیان متعلق به گروه خاصی نیست

آزادی بیان حق همه است حتی آنانی که به نظر ما اشتباه ترین حرفها را به زبان میاورند

03-Sep-2007 (9 comments)
صحبت درخشان و خلجی یا هر شخص دیگر در میان نیست. بحث اینکه آیا من موافق خط فکری این یک یا خط مشی سیاسی آن یک هستم نیز نیست. مسئله بسیار اساسی تر از این حرفهاست که در بین نظرات شخصی ما نسبت به این یا آن گم شده است. اکثر ما ایرانیها - و خیلیهای دیگر - خط قرمزها و حد نصابهایی برای آزادی قائل هستیم. این حتی شامل حال به اصطلاح لیبرالهایمان نیز میشود. تا اینجای قضیه هرچند جای بحث دارد اما حرفی نیست. مشکل از آنجایی شروع میشود که حد نصاب آزادی افراد را مطابق با افکار بسته و زنگ زده خود محک میزنیم

 

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Orang Gholikhani
03-Sep-2007 (2 comments)
ظهر بود خیابان بود تابستان بود

 

میخکی بود زخمی

 

در دست یک شرقی غمگین

 

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