PAHLAVI

Yes, we can too!

“Do you think Reza Pahlavi will return to Iran?”

by Tina Ehrami
17-Nov-2008 (67 comments)
Roya tucks in her hair further under her head scarf as she moves to make room for the two new passengers on the back seat of the taxi. As they drive through the crowded streets of Vali Asr, the southern Tehrani taxi driver starts his speech of daily complaints. The passengers join in complaining about the traffic, the government, the price of food, the electricity fall-out, the ruthless ‘gashte ershad’(1) , everything. The taxi driver sighs, “we were stupid to start the revolution, things were so much better when the Shah (2) was still in power. Khoda rahmatesh kone!” (3) He hadn’t finished his words when one of the passengers yelled out “Eh!” She pointed to a poster taped on a street sign. It was a picture of the late Shah’s son, the Prince in exile, Reza Pahlavi. Roya couldn’t believe it. As they drove by her eyes followed the poster. All the passengers were suddenly mute.>>>

YUM

Angels and devils and spoonfuls, oh my!

Are you a saint or a sinner? Well, when it comes to food, it shouldn’t surprise you that I fall into the latter category

by Shabnam_Ghayour
17-Nov-2008 (5 comments)
Lately I have worked on a lot of events that have involved finger food or canapés and it has made me think about different ideas and combinations that are not only simple, but taste great… especially for the coming holiday season. Canapés are incredibly common in Europe, although I think when a food item is so tiny, it really is ridiculous if the preparation involved is time consuming and tedious. All that trouble for a single morsel of food? Forget it. Normal people like you and I, not only don’t have the time, but lack the patience required to produce something that will only get greedily chomped down without even the slightest thought given to the work involved in its creation! “Boooooo!” I say! Down with laborious, painstaking, fussy finger food and instead up with simple but delectable mini mouthfuls of pure heaven!>>>

FICTION

The Newlyweds (17)

I felt like I had bit into an apple, only to feel wiggling worms inside my mouth

by laleh haghighi
17-Nov-2008 (7 comments)
Dear Brother: I left you last with hope and happiness that I could go on with my life both making my wife and family happy and at the same time fulfilling the emotional emptiness that has plagued me through my friendship with Kati. Well, I have now woken up from that dream. It didn’t take much. Just some good old-fashioned jealousy. The gut-wrenching, night sweaty kind. We were out one night to some cheesy little nightclub in Richmond Hill with Nassim, her ubiquitous pal Mitra, Sam and his girlfriend Lissa, and Mitra’s date, none other than DOCTOR KEYVAN. You remember what a joke that guy is? Well, Mitra was hanging on to him like he was the most precious treasure. That girl is so desperate to get married, to someone, anyone, it is hilarious. I was getting ready for another night of boredom when to my shock, Kati showed up>>>

REFORM

اصلاحات، مصلحت، ضرورت

سيستمی که خود را جمهوری اسلامی می خواند بايد اصلاح شود تا آنچه که از مردم ايران دريغ داشته به مردم برگردانده شود

by Esmail Nooriala
17-Nov-2008 (3 comments)
مدت هاست که چون به عالم سياست ايران می نگرم می بينم اکثريت بزرگی از نيروهای متفکر سياسی ما خود را «اصلاح طلب» می دانند ـ به اين معنی که از «انقلاب» برای ايجاد تغييرات اجتماعی در ايران می پرهيزند و در جستجوی راه حل هائی هستند که «مدنی» (هم خانواده با «تمدن») خوانده می شوند. اما دقيق تر که می نگرم می بينم که شايد در جمع کثير اصلاح طلبان ايرانی اختلاف های ناظر بر ديدگاه و هدف بيش از آنی است که بتوان بی ذکر کردن نام گروه مورد نظر خود دربارهء اصلاح طلبی آن گروه سخنی گفت. در نتيجه اين پرسش سمج رهايم نمی کند که: «چگونه می توان طيف گستردۀ اصلاح طلبان را از لحاظ ديدگاه و هدف تقسيم بندی و اجزاء حاصل از آن را نام گذاری و تعريف کرد؟» يا، براستی، «اصلاح طلبان ايرانی چند گونه "هدف" را تعقيب نموده و می خواهند سيستم حاکم بر ايران را برای رسيدن به کدام مقصدی "اصلاح" کنند؟»>>>

FICTION

The Newlyweds (16)

Firoozeh slapped Shahab in the heat of the argument and he then called 911

by laleh haghighi
15-Nov-2008 (3 comments)
Dear Mrs. M., You may have heard about me from your niece Firoozeh. I am her dear old friend Maryam and I am faxing this letter to you after several attempts to contact you via telephone. I think perhaps you are out of town for a few days. Anyways, when you get this letter, I beg you, on behalf of Firoozeh, not to contact her father and share the following news with him, at least not yet. Firoozeh is afraid for his ill health and the shock that this turn of events may have on him. You, who have been her confidant for many months now, will perhaps take this news with more aplomb, as horrible as it may be. Firoozeh is currently in jail. She was arrested a few days ago and charged with domestic assault and battery. Of course, we both know she is innocent and it is her bastard of a husband, if you would please forgive my rudeness, who has set her up.>>>

KIOSK

More please

Clearly the investment in a quality studio and finally coming out of the basements and home recording studios has paid off

by bahmani
15-Nov-2008
The thing I love most about Kiosk, is their predictable unpredictability. Just when you think you have them pegged.To jump right in, the thing I love most about Kiosk, is their predictable unpredictability. Just when you think you have them pegged, that they are going to shift from what you know, they shift off into a different direction dragging you not so much as surprised, but gladly so behind them. You're like a late entry to a long conga line at a wedding and you only have enough time to ask the person in front of you, "Where the hell are we going?" Whether done on purpose, or merely a haphazard result of the free creative process, Kiosk's latest album, "Global Zoo" takes us on the wildest ride yet. Stretching our imagination over the span of rock, blues, tango, waltz, and dare I say country western, and urrrp the long thought dead Disco!>>>

POETRY

هراس
by akoohbor
15-Nov-2008 (one comment)
گاهی اوقات
قطره های شک
می بارند بر زمین باورم
و گیاهان امیدم آفت می زنند
فکر می کنم
چه فایده داشت
اینهمه وجین کردن دل؟ >>>

POETRY

دیوان پلید
by Hajminator
15-Nov-2008 (26 comments)

بشنو از من تو این سخنان تنگ               که شد تنگ بر ما این سرای دِرَنگ

بعد ازآن حملهء پُر نهیب عرب                  کُل ایران تهی شد از اهورا و شد پُر ز رَب

همی گشت بر ما سالیانی دراز             بشد از رنج و سختی جهان پُر نیاز  

>>>

POETRY

Taming my Animus
by Azadeh Azad
15-Nov-2008
Once upon a dream, a stream of senses surges in my bone
I feel a danger, a stranger chasing me in a forest unknown.
I waken and know it is you, my spirit, inner man
imprinted in my soul.
 
If possessed by you, your rigid voice of irrational lore
becomes the law of my world. Thus knowing you
and taming your bents is the key to my wholeness. >>>

ENERGY

Alternative to Russian gas

Why US-Iran talks are good for Israel

by Prof. Mark Katz
13-Nov-2008 (10 comments)
The recent Russian intervention in Georgia has made an American rapprochement with Iran highly desirable for the United States. Israel has long opposed such a rapprochement, but this would also serve its interests too. Here’s why. Europe has become increasingly dependent on Russia for natural gas supplies, and this dependence is only likely to increase. This would not be undesirable, except that Moscow has shown a proclivity for cutting back or halting gas shipments to states with which it has disagreements. To prevent Russia from acquiring leverage over Europe through greater control over its gas imports, the United States and many European governments have sought alternative gas supplies. >>>

IRAN-USA

Open communication

Open Letter to President-elect Barack Hussein Obama

by Ardeshir Ommani
13-Nov-2008 (24 comments)
For the first time in three decades, Iranians have a renewed hope that a true friendship between the people of America and Iran can become a reality. We call on you to open a dialogue with no preconditions at the highest levels of government as you announced many times during the course of the electoral campaign. In 1979 the overwhelming majority of the people of Iran, just like in this stunning election victory, participated in a mass peoples’ movement that resulted in the abolition of the monarchy headed by the Shah of Iran and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the turn of events resulted in the complete severance of all relations between our two countries.>>>

FICTION

The Newlyweds (15)

We followed Shahab’s rented red Lexus not to an office building somewhere in Woodland Hills, where he claimed that he was working

by laleh haghighi
13-Nov-2008 (9 comments)
Dear Khaleh: I never thought in a million years that I would ever say this but you and my friend Maryam, or should I say Debbie the Persian Pop Princess, have one thing in common. You both think I should leave Shahab. Except that Maryam put it a little less politely than you did: “Dokhtar jan,” She exclaimed while puffing away on her Cartier cigarette, “Khosh-haal bash Green Card-etto gerefti, chon in martikeh toffam kaffe dasstet nemizaareh. Man agar jaye to boodam, mohkam mizadam dare kunesh, miraftam soraghe zendegim.” I admit it was tempting to imagine for one second that I too could be a carefree adventuress like Maryam, going along on my merry way, with no responsibilities other than to please myself.>>>

UNEMPLOYMENT

You're fired!

U.S. unemployment statistics reflect dismal economic condition

by varjavand
13-Nov-2008 (4 comments)
During the past 12 months, the number of people classified as unemployed has increased by 2.8 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by a whopping 1.7 percentage points according to BLS. To put the latest unemployment rate in perspective, a 6.5% unemployment rate means that 10,100,000 American workers are officially classified as unemployed at present time. This number alone, of course, does not show the true extent of joblessness in the United States. If you add the number of people who are jobless but are not officially counted as unemployed; this number will increase to at least 10.5 millions causing the actual unemployment rate to go up to almost 7%. As far as the causes of unemployment are concerned, the main culprit is economic recession. Hurt by resilient economic downturn in recent years, the US industries have been forced to downsize and lay off workers. >>>

TANZ

حساب "سرانگشتی"

دور از جان حجت الاسلام سبزواری، انگار خود شیطان هم یه چیزیش میشه ها!

by Ali Ohadi
13-Nov-2008 (5 comments)
با این حساب، از هر هفت نفر در دنیا، شش نفرشان جزو "هیات ابناء" و "جماعت فواحش" اند! یعنی چیزی حدود سه میلیارد ابنه ای و در همین حدود هم فاحشه روی زمین پلاس اند! چه گلستانی! تازه این به شرطی ست که تمامی یک میلیارد مسلمان روی زمین با بسم الله "دخول" کرده باشند! که این هم خودش اگر و مگر دارد ... خب، سوال است دیگر! مثلن خود بنده از کجا بدانم حضرت ابوی رحم الله علیه، با بسم الله "دخول" کرده؟ و در اولین قدم افتادن میان خشت، شیطان ولد الزنا انگشتی به حقیر نرسانده؟ کون که کنتر و کیلومتر شمار ندارد تا شماره بیاندازد، بله؟ اگرچه ما ناموسمان را دست نخورده و "آکبند" از آن جزیره بیرون کشیدیم و در غربت هم سال ها مثل شیر از بکارت خودمان دفاع کردیم. ولی همین چارسال پیارسالا دکترمان حدس زد که مشکل "پروستات" داریم و ما را فرستاد سراغ متخصص.>>>

KIDS

Toddlers & Vandals

Kourosh has a tamtrum; realisation sets in...

by Siamack
12-Nov-2008 (10 comments)
...>>>
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