Archive - Nov 2008 - Article

Two Visions

No matter when and where
We are born or raised
Two visions hold our attention
These are fear and love
Those who promote fear
Urge us to put bigger locks on our doors
They want more cops on the streets
And more defense spending
They want to build better walls and borders
They are suspicious of others >>>

چندهمسری در ادبیات ایران

چندهمسری در ادبیات ایران، را به طور مثال در"خسرو و شیرین" نظامی داریم، توجه داشته باشید که چون در ایران آقایان همیشه مقدم اند، اسم خسرو خان قبل از نام شیرین خانم می آید، در داستان "خسرو و شیرین" زنهای دیگر همه در مه و غبار به سر می برند و فقط از مریم می شنویم و دسیسه هایش برای ملکه و یا سوگلی شاه باقی ماندن و سر به نیست کردن هووها. از آن طرف شیرین پس از آن که به همسری خسروپرویز در آمد، در قصری وسط بیابان (انها که قصرشیرین را دیده اند می فهمند چی می گویم) زن دوره ی شکار خسروخان شد. یعنی خسرو پرویز گه گاه برای شکار و یا به بهانه شکار به آن منطقه می آمد و جلوس می فرمود. شیرین در آن غربت و برهوت برای رفع تنهایی با جوان هنرمندی گرم گرفته بود تا این که فضول ها و فتنه ها به شاهنشاه خبر دادند که چه نشسته ای زنت با فرهاد گرم گرفته و شاهنشاه هم با حقه ای فرهاد را از سر راه خود برداشت. یعنی چند همسری وجود داشت ولی فقط برای آقایان و هر آقای ایرانی هم سلطان خانه ی خویش است دیگر! >>>

Hungry Traveler

Sa'di called death a wolf
Who snatches sheep at every moment
From the herd of the village.
But I saw you, on that white bed
Lying like a feather-plucked bird
With closed wings and browned skin,
And death like a hungry traveler
Sitting before a white tablecloth
With silver knife and fork in hand
And a red glass on the side >>>

Night of hope

Not much has happened to me as an Iranian, a foreigner in this country for the past thirty years. A few fights and angry exchanges here and there, but I have been left alone for the most part. I came to a very “blond, blue-eyes” region in America with black hair and dark skin, but managed to make way more friends than enemies right off the bat and was treated well. I kept thinking about that while I watched tears rolling down Jesse Jackson’s face tonight. He was born and raised here in this country. I kept thinking of what he may have gone through, what he heard, endured, how he managed to keep it together and how hopeful he was when JFK came onto the scene. I kept thinking how proud he must have been to walk with Martin Luther King and how he dedicated his life to equality>>>

Unprecedented challenges

The next U.S. president will be a wartime president. Developments in the Middle East almost ensure that either John McCain or Barack Obama will have to manage one or more wars involving the United States or its allies in the region. The challenges posed by the Middle East are legion: "fragile and reversible" security in Iraq; military fallout from a possible Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program; the destabilizing consequences of a nuclear breakout by the Islamic Republic; a new round of violence between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) -- this time in the West Bank; an Israeli military intervention in Gaza to halt renewed rocket attacks, preempt a Hamas military buildup, or crush the nascent Hamas government there; and the possibility of a second Hizballah-Israeli war>>>

Republican defeat is imminent

The '08 Presidential race has highlighted the crisis within the Republican party. From the surprisingly successful Ron Paul campaign to the stillborn McCain campaign, it's clear that the Republican party has reached a turning point. While populist demagoguery has been rampant in both parties since before I was born, it wasn't long before that when the Democrats had a foothold on working class ideals and the Republican party was dominated by such characters as Barry Goldwater. Ronald Reagan changed all that, starting a trend that reached its zenith in 2000 with the abortion that is the Bush presidency. While this, like any trend, was destined to reach an end, the religious right in this country and the Republican party were SO indulgent that they spent this cultural capital far too quickly for their own good>>>

Proud New American

Never mind that America’s readiness for Obama is largely due to the fact that George W. Bush was the most incompetent president in the history of this nation. Never mind that her readiness for an African-American comes from the fact that the economy is in the most difficult crises of the past century. Never mind that the Republican ticket is weak and lacks vision. Never mind that Obama has much more money than his opponent. The truth is that America is changing. It is changing both demographically and ideologically thanks to new Americans like me! New Americans, who think globally and reject the kind of patriotism that is blind to the welfare of the world. New Americans who refuse racial and gender prejudice not only because they find it unjust but simply because they find it passé, obsolete>>>

Redefining the game

Ever since Iran publicised its nuclear fuel cycle plans in 2003, western experts have tried to downplay its rate of progress in nuclear engineering. The Iranian scientific community is often viewed as technologically inept. Relatively minor obstacles have been portrayed as next to insurmountable. These arguments are now growing increasingly false – Tehran is adding centrifuges faster than the UN security council can step up the pressure. Time is not working in the favour of the west. Iran is making good progress in many key areas of nuclear engineering. Presently, it has some 4,000 operational centrifuges at its facility in Natanz. This means that it is learning about the intricate art of connecting a large number of centrifuges with a vast amount of pipework while maintaining everything under vacuum>>>

On eight

This morning, in my daily ritual of visiting Iranian.com, the random advertisement box which for some time now has replaced the heading of this site took my attention. I have trained myself to ignore the large advertisements in the heading of Iranian.com and have come to accept that the large advertisement which overpowers the site is a reflection of the times in which we live. The economic man in consumer capitalism has no choice but to buy the idea of choice through advertisement, market himself in an economy where everything is measured by cost and profit, and become a self-responsible individual in a market that needs political intervention to insure profit. But this morning, a day before the elections, what caught my eyes was an election advertisement which presents the election consumer with an uncanny union of the smiling Republican and Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates>>>

Please don’t undo my “I do”

On June 17, 2008 I married my partner of 12 years Elizabeth Kristen. Before the signature on our marriage license was dry, the religious right had put Proposition 8 on this year’s ballot. Our closest friends, coworkers and family members bore witness when we announced that we would be together for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part -- not till the voters do us part. It is the job of the California Supreme Court to interpret the California Constitution, which they did in their May 17, 2008 ruling. Seven California Supreme Court Justices, (six Republican Justices and one Democratic appointed Justice) ruled that all Californians, regardless of their sexual orientation were protected by the state’s constitution>>>

The Newlyweds (12)

Payam jan, Against your best judgment, I went ahead and saw Kati by myself.At the time, I reasoned that I did not have any unethical motive.That it would just prove once and for all that I did not, could not, have any feelings for her, at least not beyond those that a brother-in-law should have. But in reality, I was just making an excuse to see her. Ever since her party for her friend Geraldine, I felt so low.I stopped going to work, pretending that I was sick.I lost my appetite.It was really weird.I would get these frightening hunger pangs and run to the refrigerator, serve myself a huge platter of food and then, when I sat down to devour it, looking at the food before me, inhaling its odors of burning meat and sour legumes, I would be overwhelmed with the desire to vomit.I lost ten pounds since I last wrote to you>>>

Friend of the People

Mr. Obama; Friend of the people! Sir!
They may already be after you, beware!
No use thinking you’re loved by all,
And so they won’t dare.
For they surely do. And, so,
Of your beloved self
Do please take care!
Be another J.F.K. >>>

Greater Middle East Initiative

The “Greater Middle East Initiative,” originating in the United States and subsequently embraced, and renamed as “Partnership for Progress,” by the G8 nations in June 2004 in Sea Island, Georgia, aims to address the sources of socio-political and economic backwardness in the region, loosely identified as encompassing the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, Israel, and possible Afghanistan and Pakistan. Focusing on economic reform, good governance, women and minority rights, civil society institutions, and democracy, the project contains all the essential elements of the so- called Modernization paradigm, whereby the political and economic facets of modernization processes are linked together in a comprehensive approach that is thoroughly faithful in the paradigm’s quest for globalizing its main ethos of universal democracy, rile of civility, and economic liberalization>>>

Testing democracy

The Economist has created a very interesting section where, as I understood, subscribers have so far voted for either of the US presidential candidates. In Iran's case it is obvious that native Iranians (as there are very few foreigners in Iran) have largely voted for Obama and this is quite a clear sign that educated and liberal Iranians are Obama supporters, just like the Americans, and they are definitely not concerned about a possible protection of the Iranian population by the Americans, which may be the case for small countries like Georgia. It is also quite interesting that Israelis have largely voted for Obama rather than McCain, though national security is the greatest concern of the Israeli public. This may be a sign that no matter how much the Republicans try to show their tolerant and pluralistic face, they are still viewed as the white Christian party>>>

دوئیت تهرانی/شهرستانی

رز آرا در مجموعه اشعارش نامی از تهران نمی برد بلکه برای اشاره به تهران از واژه یا دال پایتخت استفاده می کند. واژه پایتخت در شش شعرکتابش هنوز مرا نیافریده اند (1382) که شامل شصت ونه قطعه است آمده است. تفاوت دال پایتخت با دال تهران در این است که "پایتخت" مثل "تهران" تنها نامی خنثی نیست بلکه مفهمومی مولد است. دیگر اینکه "پایتخت" مثل "تهران" واژه ای معصوم نیست، بلکه به ستمی تاریخی اشاره دارد. زیرا تاریخمندی خاصی را در ارتباط با گفتمان قدرت برملا می کند و نشان می دهد که تهران مرکزی است که مفهوم شهرستانی در تقابل با آن ساخته می شود. دال "پایتخت" تهران را نه تنها به عنوان یک شهر بلکه به عنوان مرکزیتی که بر مبنای تخت و تاج ساخته شده معرفی می کند."پایتخت" تاریخ آقا محمد خان قاجار را به یاد می آورد و اینکه مرکزیت تهران بر اساس خشونت قومی-ناسیونالیستی قدرت استوار شده. چهره ی آقا محمد خان—عقیم بودن و خشونتش—لایه ها، خشونت، و ارزشهای نهفته فرهنگ مردسالاری و قبیله ای را که در خشونت، جنگ طلبی، کشتار و انتقام جویی، و هجوم ریشه دارد هویدا می کند.>>>