BOOK

Shock & awe(ful)

Chilling study of modern torture

by Darius Rejali
26-Feb-2008 (4 comments)
This book does more than describe complex patterns of torture techniques and offer explanations for their distribution. Torture and Democracy is also designed as an accessible and reliable sourcebook for citizens. No one these days is particularly surprised that torture has its supporters even in democracies. Since September 11, 2001, American officials have acknowledged using well-known coercive techniques on prisoners, and some influential Americans have justified torture in certain cases. And since Abu Ghraib, the world has become familiar with iconic images of American torture. Most people, though, don't know about the painful but clean tortures that now characterize so much policing around the world >>>

OVERCROWDING

Room for millions

Iran is not overpopulated

by varjavand
25-Feb-2008 (4 comments)
When I argued about the benefits of having more children, I made it clear that having more children does not automatically benefit the society. It does so as long as the children do not grow up to become criminals and/or free riders. Generally speaking, I may add, more children may make society worse off because parents need to spend more time taking care of their kids and less time on other matters that can help elevate their standard of living. Society does benefit, though, with one caveat: the family must be able to provide for all children adequately>>>

EXPRESSIONS

کاسه داغ تر از آش

ضرب المثل هفتم و هشتم

by Troneg
25-Feb-2008 (15 comments)
خواهی نشوی رسوا همرنگ جماعت شو: ما ایرانیان اولین کسانی بودیم که این ضرب المثل را عمل کردیم. این داستان را یک هندی برایم تعریف کرد: بعد از حمله اعراب اولین مهاجران ایرانی به هند رفتند. اول استقبال خوبی دریافت نکردند. یک گروه برای مذاکره پیش هندیان رفتند. گفتند ما با صلح و دوستی آمدهیم. هندیها گفتند تعداد زیاد و تفاوت فرهنگی شما جامعه ما را متزلزل خواهد کرد. رهبر ایرانیان یک قند را در چائی انداخت و گفت ما مثل این قند در جامعه شما حل میشویم. >>>

STORY

The Spider Killings (4)

Just then, she heard the door of the interrogation room open.

by laleh haghighi
25-Feb-2008
-- "Akh ! Ajab heyvoun-haayee hasstan, what animals they are!" Azadeh murmured as she looked at her bloody lower lip in the small mirror hanging on the wall of the interrogation room. Why did they have to slap her on the mouth like that? For what? That old pervert who had tripped her on purpose so she would fall on her ass? He deserved to be told off, even if he was the bloody chief of police. Oh, how he had ogled her body: Like a hungry dog before a juicy cut of meat! She smiled as she remembered his shocked look when she had asked him if he wanted to take her picture.
>>>

POETRY

غیاب
by Shahrokh Setoudeh
25-Feb-2008


آخ!
بوی خون و اعتراف/ در ایوان خانه
ویرانی تحویل سال
تنگ مرگ قرمز ماهی سفید
...
آری
تو نیستی>>>

CANDIDATE

Neither the best, nor the brightest

A McCain presidency would be no different from a Bush’s third term

by Ben Tanosborn
24-Feb-2008 (7 comments)
It must have been Harry S. Truman, the plainest amongst our plain presidents, who scared us all into having idiots running our government by saying: “Whenever you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.” Of course, he failed to acknowledge the possibility that we could have the worst of both worlds: inefficient government and dictatorship. And at this moment, we seem to be marching in step to get there soon. Are our nation’s best and brightest so repulsed by the bureaucracy in the public sector that decidedly prefer to take up arms running the predatory wing of the private sector?>>>

INDEPENDENCE

Breaking away

What is to be learnt from Kosovo's jubilation and Serbia's humiliation?

by Ben Madadi
24-Feb-2008 (12 comments)

Did anybody write on Iranian.com anything about Kosovo declaring its independence? It probably seemed of little significance. The country that will most probably be internationally accepted soon is indeed of very little relevance, with extremely little chances of appearing in the news any time soon, unless there would be some really serious humanitarian or catastrophic issues. And these things are quite rare for such small countries in Europe. However one thing that IS quite important is the fact that Kosovo created quite a unique precedence. I don't remember the last time when some portion of a country (Serbia in this case) unilaterally declared independence and was taken seriously by the US, the UK, Germany, France, Turkey and some other countries, immediately

>>>

STORY

قصه 24 ساعت خواب و بیداری

قصدم اين است كه بچه هاي هموطن خود را بهتر بشناسي و فكر كني كه چاره ي درد آنها چيست؟

by Samad Behrangi
24-Feb-2008 (16 comments)
چند ماهي بود كه پدرم بيكار بود. عاقبت مادرم و خواهرم و برادرهايم را در شهر خودمان گذاشت و دست من را گرفت و آمديم به تهران. چند نفر از آشنايان و همشهري ها قبلا به تهران‌آمده بودند و توانسته بودند كار پيدا كنند. ما هم به هواي آنها آمديم. مثلا يكي از آشنايان دكه ي يخفروشي داشت. يكي ديگر رخت و لباس كهنه خريد و فروش مي كرد. يكي ديگر پرتقال فروش بود. پدر من هم يك چرخ دستي گير آورد و دستفروش شد. پياز و سيب زميني و خيار و اين جور چيزها دوره مي گرداند. يك لقمه نان خودمان مي خورديم و يك لقمه هم مي فرستاديم پيش مادرم. من هم گاهي همراه پدرم دوره مي گشتم و گاهي تنها توي خيابان ها پرسه مي زدم و فقط شب ها پيش پدرم بر مي گشتم. گاهي هم آدامس بسته يك قران يا فال حافظ و اين ها مي فروختم.>>>

OUT OF THE BOX

انديشيدن، بيرون از جعبه!

بيرون جعبه قرار گرفتن نوعی بهم زدن بازی و نپذيرفتن دستورالعمل های هزار بار تکرار شده است

by Esmail Nooriala
24-Feb-2008 (7 comments)
کسانی که در داخل جعبه فکر می کنند در کشتن ايده های نو مهارت خاصی دارند و ورد زبانشان آن است که «اين ايده تحقق ناپذير است» و يا «اقدام برای تحقق اش مخاطرات زيادی را در بر دارد و به امتحانش نمی ارزد». به عبارت ديگر، آنها در کشتن اشتياق و شور برآمده از نوآوری و بديع و نو انديشيدن تخصص دارند. آنگاه، برناکی، بر زمينهء اين نگاه، به معنای «بيرون جعبه فکر کردن» پرداخته و شرايط انجام آن را چنين ديده بود: آمادگی برای پذيرش نگاه های نو در زندگی روزمره، ذهن باز داشتن نسبت به آنچه متفاوت است، آماده بودن برای انجام کارهای روزمره بصورتی نو، اهميت دادن به ارزش يافتن راه های نو برای حل مسائل، گوش دادن به سخن ديگران بدون پيشداوری، ميدان دادن به ديگران تا نظراتی متفاوت را عرضه کنند و بالاخره آماده بودن برای آزمودن پيشنهادها و ايده های نو>>>

STAR

Kosher meets Halal

Interview with Iranian American actress Shiva Rose

by Lalé Shahparaki Welsh
22-Feb-2008 (19 comments)
Shiva Rose Gharibafshar, daughter of Iran’s beloved talk show host, Parviz Gharibafshar with first wife Rose, is a fascinating Iranian American actress once married to Dylan McDermott. Shiva has prevailed as a devoted Mom, a fashion magnate, a die hard political activist (who’s even been arrested twice for anti war protests --once with her baby!) maintains a regular blog on the Huffington Post, and managed to squeeze out a movie recently in only 23 days! The movie, David and Layla, which opened in New York LAST WEEK (Feb. 15th) has already won 6 awards at various film festivals>>>

HUMANITY

One and the same

Do arts and skills belong exclusively to Persians?

by Dara Shadru
22-Feb-2008 (15 comments)
Humanity is one race. As Sa'adi said in his famous poem, people are parts of one body. When one body part is in pain, the other body parts are in agony. The hardworking people in every grouping in our world have the same human needs, aspirations and hopes as others. The Arab people have the same pains and sufferings and hardships as the Iranians, the Jewish people, the Germans, the Turks, the Slavs or the Latins. They all want food, shelter, clothing, peace and prosperity for themselves, their families, their neighbors and their peers>>>

POLITICS

29 Years of Cantankerism

It is clear that Revolutionary forces, must now give in to Evolutionary forces

by bahmani
22-Feb-2008 (32 comments)
You'd think that Iranians who thrive on disagreeing, arguing, and disbelieving anyone trying to make the slightest point (as you will no doubt see in the comments after this piece), would have perfected some sort of logical process to distill it by now. Given the conditions these past 29 years, which have been riper than a honeydew (kharbozeh?) melon in the late-summer Esfahan sun, you'd think that by now, some sort of conclusive voice of the opposition, would have been heard, over all the praying and braying. But even after 29 years it's still eerily silent>>>

POETRY

Friendship
by Farah Afshari
22-Feb-2008 (7 comments)
I look through the misty windows of distance
and I know
you will talk of your loneliness to no one but me
I listen
to the solid walls of time and place falling to pieces
in the air of joint feelings and thoughts >>>

BABA

Religion, God & Spider Man

Is my son Koorosh too young for all this mumbo jumbo?

by Siamack
21-Feb-2008 (29 comments)
Video>>>

IRAN

Islamic Democracy, indeed

Well, what do you expect from an ISLAMIC republic?

by Ben Madadi
21-Feb-2008 (54 comments)
This is not a regime for all Iranians. It doesn't even pretend to be one. But we need to acknowledge its merits too. It is a ystem that works so well. Don't be surprised to find the same old regime in power for decades to come! I won't be surprised. Especially knowing the FACT how irrational, emotional, disunited and weak the opposition is. We all know that the economy is doing poorly, because it is quite simple, the Islamists seem not to be good economists! They also know that having a good economy implies completely opening the doors to American and other democratic powers' investments inside Iran and this might create more sympathy among Iranians for the West, and its DEMOCRATIC values. Human rights record is horrible>>>
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