Archive - Aug 29, 2010 - Article

Bomb First, Worry Later

Few of the major proponents of bombing Iran are arguing that it is necessary for US security -- let alone that a bloody blowback against Americans is a risk worth taking. No, at this point, the argument is all about Israel and the threat an Iranian nuclear weapon might pose to it. That is why virtually all the personalities and organizations agitating for war are strongly identified with the Israeli right. And that is ironic. Imagine the Republic of Georgia deciding that the best way to defend against Russia is by bombing Moscow and then seeing what happens next>>>

What would Cyrus do?

A Thai woman boarding a flight at Bangkok's airport is caught with a sedated tiger cub in her luggage. Stuffed in a bag with, er, cuddly tiger toys, this tiger was revealed by the X-ray machine to have a beating heart. The woman’s identity is not being revealed as police quiz her about her final destination which, of course, had to be Iran, the most bonkers country on earth. Why was a 31-year-old Thai woman smuggling a tiger into Iran?>>>

Sama’ (The Audition-1)

The desert Jinn were a nuisance. The big one I had just shooed was sulkily lumbering away over the horizon into the sun. Now a tiny inquisitive one scurried up the rocks to watch me tune my zehtar. Like a dog begging at the table, it waited attentively eager to gulp any discarded scraps of tone. Soon I felt two others sneak up to join it. Their polite stealth made no difference. Visible or not, their nosey presence distracted me from my daily practice>>>

در نشئه ی اینهمه غروب

می دیدم
چشمه سار، اقاقیای سرمست
کوچه های همهمه، شفاف، قرمز
بر روی پرهای بی شِکِوه
شُکوه شاخک ها
و تصویر زنی
بر برکه – آغشته به حس
>>>