Archive - Nov 9, 2007 - Article

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. >>>