Date

ELECTIONS

Supreme President Khamenei

Ahmadinejad's unpopularity does not necessarily weaken his chances of being re-elected

by Mehdi Khalaji
20-Mar-2009 (7 comments)
The decision of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami not to seek the presidency again has revealed how muddled Iranian presidential politics now is. In trying to sort out this muddle, the most important thing to keep in mind is not so much who will be elected, but what that choice will reveal about the intentions of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Unfortunately, the most likely outcome will be continuing transformation of the Islamic Republic from a civil government into a garrison state in which the military plays a major role in determining political and economic matters>>>

1979

Bahar Aborted

When all hell broke loose in Iran

by Arash Monzavi-Kia
20-Mar-2009 (6 comments)
Islamists tried to cancel the 1979 Nowruz celebrations, in order to maintain their unending cycle of mourning and fighting. The Hezbollah was determined to take over the entire government apparatus, expel the liberal technocrats from the ministries, crush the Kurdistan uprising, and reinvigorate the populace around their banner. However, their mindless repressive tactics (Chomaghdari) had alienated most political activists; and their lack-lustre fundamentalist slogans could not attract the vibrant young population. Since his arrival, ayatollah Khomeini had not helped their cause either, as his Qom lectures were normally tedious and erratic>>>

DEDICATION

Child of mine

In memory of Iranian blogger, Omidreza Mirsayafi, 1981-2009

by Nazy Kaviani
20-Mar-2009 (24 comments)
Aah, child of mine
The music lover
The poetry worshipper
Clever and bright
Handsome and fair
Passionate and kind
I had heard about Gitmo,
I had  heard about Abu Ghraib,
But I knew about Evin,
I knew >>>
بهاریه

نوروز تنها یک عوض شدن ساده سال نیست. نوروز برای ما یک حس است. یک عشق

by Payam G
20-Mar-2009 (7 comments)
۱- رفتیم عید دیدنی خانه یکی از اقوام .تلویزیون روشن است و برنامه نوروزی پخش میکند. هایده پیش درآمد سه گاه میخواند: نوروزززز آمددد . هرم دلپذیر بخاری نفتی ارج به صورتم میزند. یک ظرف پر شکلات کام جلویم است٬از این شکلاتهای چهارگوش با عکس فنجان و نعلبکی و کاغذ طلایی. یواشکی مشتم را پر شکلات میکنم و در جیبم میریزم! صاحبخانه میبیند و لبخندی میزند. خجالت میکشم. موقع بیرون آمدن دوتا ده تومانی عیدی میگیرم از آنهایی که عکس پدر وپسر رویشان است که دارند به دور دستها نگاه میکنند. >>>

POETRY

Sounds of Spring
by Setareh Sabety
20-Mar-2009 (6 comments)
The sounds of spring have no reason
To stop
Nature shows off her clout
Unable to anticipate
Her fate
She continues
Her nurturing ways >>>

NOROOZ

صد بهتر از دیروز ما

به مناسبت نوروز ۱۳۸۸

by bparhami
20-Mar-2009
سردی رود، سبزی رسد
همگام با نوروز ما

از جشن عید و فصل نو
خرم شود امروز ما

لبخند و شادی بر ملا
آزار و زاری بر فنا >>>

IRANIANS

The Quest for Authenticity

The desire for freedom protected from state interference is widespread amongst young Iranians

by sadegh
18-Mar-2009 (6 comments)
Today inside Iran an altogether more perplexing variant of the tradition of estebdad continues. Iranian dissidents have gone so far as to declare that a form of sultanism, albeit in theocratic garb, continues to stymie Iranians' hopes for a democratic future. Unlike the Shah's dictatorship in which absolute power was amassed by a single individual and then later consolidated with the formation of a one-party state in 1975, however, the situation in Iran today is more intricate and elusive. While undeniably the lion's share of power rests with the Rahbar (Supreme Leader) and the various governmental, military, and parastatal organs under his command, multiple sources of power work against the kind of sultanism typical of the Shah's regime>>>

IDEAS

Eastern Democracy vs Western Democracy?

Human Rights and freedom are all “universal”

by Farhad Kashani
18-Mar-2009 (33 comments)
One of the things that the Left does so well is re-defining terms. By re-defining, the Left has succeeded to take away the essence and spirit of many concepts important in achieving a better world. The most important terms that Left has re-defined are Human Rights, Liberalism and Democracy. It is to be said that the Left does that in hope to devalue the achievements made through enormous sacrifices in Western countries, most specifically U.S, England and France, in Human Rights and Democracy as means to discredit and demonize those countries. This trend started in the Soviet Union, Godfather of Leftism, and later on spread out throughout the world by Leftist thinkers and propaganda machines>>>

EIDI

Mr. Eskandari

He had a rather good smell for a plumber and his body had a mild odor of manly sweat

by Shana Yazdi
18-Mar-2009 (22 comments)
The man who came with Agha Karim. He was fooling around with some pipes in the back of the washing machine. I soon realized he was a plumber who is working on the leaking pipe. In a split second I wanted him. I don't know why but I could feel some mysterious juices flowing throughout my body. I went to my bedroom and tried to digest what I had witnessed. He was a man around forty, with thick beard and moustache and very hairy body. I could see that because in the heat of the bathroom he had taken off his shirt and was working on the pipes in a sleeveless undershirt. I walked up and down the room to dispel any sexy thought but after a few minutes I got out of the room and passed the bathroom again to see him there. He was quite well-built and had muscular arms and biceps >>>

ELECTIONS

اغتشاش در فعالیت‌های انتخاباتی

رأی‌گیری خردادماه آینده به دلایل مختلفی به یكی از مهمترین رأی‌گیری‌های جمهوری اسلامی تبدیل شده است

by Hossein Bagher Zadeh
18-Mar-2009 (one comment)
رأی‌گیری خردادماه آینده به دلایل مختلفی به یكی از مهمترین رأی‌گیری‌های جمهوری اسلامی تبدیل شده است. تجربه دوره چهارساله ریاست جمهوری احمدی‌نژاد گرچه برای حامی ‌اصلی ‌او در ساختار قدرت یعنی آقای ‌خامنه‌ای رضایت‌بخش بوده، ولی در ورای آن موفقیت چندانی نداشته است. توخالی درآمدن شعارهای عوامفریبانه او در بردن نفت بر سر سفره‌های مردم كه در پیروزی‌اش در سال ۱۳۸۴ نقش داشت به ریزش شدید حمایت قشرهای آسیب‌پذیر اقتصادی از او منجر شده است. گرایش‌های مختلف جناح اصلاح‌طلب در هدف «احمدی‌نژاد، نه» به یك اتحاد استراتژیك رسیده‌اند. و از همه مهمتر، این كه بخش عمده‌ای از هم‌پیمانان او در جناح اصولگرا نیز حمایت خود را از او پس گرفته‌اند و در برابر او به صف‌آرایی پرداخته‌اند. >>>

POETRY

پنج و پنجاه بار
by R Rakhshani
18-Mar-2009 (2 comments)
پنج و پنجاه بار
گِردِ خورشید گشته ام.
نمی دانم
ماه چند بار
گِردِ من گشته است،
اما می دانم
نیآموختم
اعجازِ آفتاب را، >>>

RIGHTS

We take a stand

Prominent academics call for end to Bahai persecutions

by Public Statement
16-Mar-2009 (17 comments)
We, the undersigned scholars and academic specialists in the fields of Middle Eastern and Iranian studies, call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to put an end to human rights abuses against Bahais in Iran, which have been greatly escalating in recent months, and grant them full civil rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Social and Economic Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. We note with great concern evidence of an ongoing campaign to deprive the Bahais of Iran of their fundamental human rights>>>

IDEAS

Neo-con agenda is dead? Really?

The Obama admininstration is still using the doctrine of preventive war-making

by Reza Fiyouzat
16-Mar-2009 (13 comments)
In an article titled, "Blueprints for a Police State", Marjorie Cohn, sets out clearly the role of two key figures in the drafting of a set of memoranda that overturned the most basic protections American citizens had against arbitrary state harassment and violence, effectively turning the U.S. into a police state. Cohn has consistently recorded former administration of George W. Bush's violations of some of the most fundamental laws protecting civil liberties. So, we must ask: What is law? And is the U.S. a country based on laws? Clearly, 'law' has many aspects, and there are different kinds of laws. There is contract law, property law, trust law, tort law, and criminal law>>>

HERITAGE

History for youth

"Ancient Iran" on its way into public libraries in North America

by Massoume Price
16-Mar-2009 (one comment)
When the idea of producing high quality books for young readers about Iranian history and culture was conceived, one of the first and most important goals was to get these books into public and school libraries in North America. For many reasons beyond the scope of discussion here and despite the importance of Iran in the world stage for centuries, Iranian history does not have its rightful place amongst the history of civilizations. When the book was first published, my daughter sent a copy of “Ancient Iran” to her Professor of Ancient Near Eastern studies at our local University. The response was “Great, I did not know Iran was this fascinating, maybe I should include some topics from Iran in my course”.>>>

ELECTIONS

مستضعفان! دوباره با شما کار دارند

ميرحسين موسوی خود را آماده می کند تا در خرداد ماه آينده، با بوسيدن دست رهبر و ولی فقيه، ناخدای کشتی در گل فرو رفتهء حکومت اسلامی شود

by Esmail Nooriala
16-Mar-2009 (17 comments)
کاملاً معلوم است که اوضاع کشور، بخاطر بی لياقتی ها، فساد فراگير و ماجراجوئی های ابلهانهء کابينهء محمود احمدی نژاد، رفته رفته شکل اوضاع دوران جنگ را بخود گرفته و فقر و بینوائی به سرعت جامعه را در خود می کشد، بی آنکه از آن درآمد باد آوردهء دوران خاتمی و بخصوص احمدی نژاد چيزی باقی مانده باشد. ميرحسين موسوی، بعنوان متخصص ادارهء دوران عسرت، خود را آماده می کند تا در خرداد ماه آينده، با بوسيدن دست رهبر و ولی فقيه، ناخدای کشتی در گل فرو رفتهء حکومت اسلامی شود. در اين ميان، و بعنوان «دشت اول»، نکتهء جالب آن است که او، در همين اعلاميهء اعلام نامزدی خود، می کوشد تا به مضامين اوليهء آنچه «انقلاب اسلامی» ناميده می شود برگردد و خود را ناجی مستضعفانی نشان دهد که تعدادشان اکنون ده ها برابر بيش از دوران رژيم سابق شده و هر لحظه نيز بر شمارشان افزوده تر می شود. >>>
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