Niloufar Parsi's blog

US media double standard

Niloufar Parsi — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:10:55 +0000

al jazeera's weekly programme 'listening post' has got to be one of the best media watchdog shows around. its range of issues and regions covered is outstanding. from the story of Maziar Bahari to how the media cover major global events such as haiti, the iraq war, the vatican and the china-google case. it's coverage of iran's media censorship is hard hitting.

patriot dog

Niloufar Parsi — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:16:57 +0000

Natasha Leggero and Duncan Trussell have kind of a racist dog. What do you do when your adorable canine friend
becomes a Teabagger? they try to figure out just what is wrong with their adorably right-wing dog.

the trouble with capitalism

Niloufar Parsi — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:12:24 +0000

once in a while the capitalist system requires a fire, a crisis, to shake it and get rid of the bad fruits, the reckless, and to reward the prudent. But when the crisis rewards the reckless bankers and punishes the rest of society, then a political crisis of legitimacy emanates, and there will be a face-off between economic and political elites, if such a distinction is indeed true.

How to start a movement

Niloufar Parsi — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:19:35 +0000

in less than 6 minutes!

the myth of ‘western rationality’

Niloufar Parsi — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:26:24 +0000

it is clear that there is a major ideological barrier to real dialogue between iran and the west. mistranslations are common, misunderstanding is encouraged, and it is easy to get the feeling that there is a strategy in place to ensure confusion and animosity instead of goodwill. i tend to see more of this mischief emanating from the west, but that is probably related to the fact that i live here, and it is easier to catch the lies on this side. iran is probably just as guilty.

slamming the holocaust card

Niloufar Parsi — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:09:43 +0000

Dr. Norman Finkelstein at the University of Waterloo takes the Holocaust card bull by the horn.

Thinking the unthinkable

Niloufar Parsi — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:37:11 +0000

Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishara has a real interesting take on the latest fiasco in Tel Aviv.

Poor Joe Biden. He's come to deliver the good news: The US is back in the Israeli fold and will continue to have boots on the ground in the Middle East. And what does he get in return? A shoe in the face.

A superb analogy.

This may be the moment for Iranian-US negotiations. There are no good options left for the US against Iran. More on this later.

Eskimos and Iranians

Niloufar Parsi — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:10:58 +0000

People make strange decisions. Imagine the first people way back in history, not sure when, migrating across continents to find an ideal place to settle down in. A group or more of these came across the areas around the north pole and decided to settle there. Why did the Eskimos’ ancestors do that?! I guess the grass seems greener on the other side. If there is grass on the other side, that is. These guys obviously didn’t care much for grass. And they had their reasons, and quite possibly were very happy with their area. I certainly don’t know.

God-awful choice-makers

Niloufar Parsi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:47:53 +0000

I was reading the latest garbage on the Economist on Iran’s nuclear programme. I say ‘garbage’ because it is the same Economist that fully and unequivocally supported Bush’s unprovoked attack on Iraq in 2003; the same Economist that only grudgingly criticized sanctions against Iraq for over a decade prior to that murderous attack; a sanctions regime that led to half a million deaths among Iraqi children - ‘justifiably’ so, according to Mad Albright.

America's obsession with Iran

Niloufar Parsi — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:44:57 +0000

Naom Chomsky's recent comment on the US approach to Iran in an interview with Jon Snow, 14 October 2009:

death to death calls

Niloufar Parsi — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:23:06 +0000

I am just going to say this because i just HAVE to. it worries me no end to see how these past few weeks have played out among our community here. it sends shivers up my spine to note how violent we can be. how can we still be shouting 'death to this or that' after 30 years of being embarrassed by a regime that chants 'death to...' on and on without hesitation about the meaning and the consequences?

Losing hope in change

Niloufar Parsi — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:10:21 +0000

Obama is increasingly looking like a major advertising scam. The ruling elite proving that they really 'can'. get away with murder.

Torture is exposed but goes unpunished. Yes we all knew it was/is going on. We saw the pictures. It was obviously systemic across all US military detention centres abroad, and the ICRC reports said so. So what is the point of releasing memos and doing nothing else? A puppet show? An illusion of something happening?

It just takes time.

Niloufar Parsi — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:42:23 +0000

I was (rather bravely) going to attempt to write a blog on the structural causes for the lack of democracy in Iran, but then I came across this letter from Ellie & Ardeshir in Shiraz, and read through a particularly acrimonious and at times quite humorous set of comments. Then I realised that I could not easily fit into any of the 2 opposing camps there.

Yes, Ellie & Ardeshir sound ecstatic about being back home. But then I know I wouldn’t go back just yet. And I know exactly why.

Boycotting Israel: Time for Action

Niloufar Parsi — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:56:58 +0000

Friends: there are literally billions of people in the world wishing they could help stop this ruthless masscre of Palestinian children. Few issues in the world have created as much collective outrage. The last time humanity was so ready to do something to stop a bloodthirsty apartheid regime like Israel was in the 80s when the global campaign to boycott South African Apartheid reached its peak.

Boycott Israel to stop the carnage!

Niloufar Parsi — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:52:10 +0000

many people do not know this, but african organisations involved in resisting South African racism and apartheid were labelled as 'terrorists' by the American administrations in the 80s. Reagan referred to people like Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko as terrorists. Western governments, corporations and financial institutions all supported and had a stake in Apartheid in South Africa. Yet they were all defeated. How? Simple: international boycott of South African products by ordinary citizens worldwide.

Love thy leader?

Niloufar Parsi — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:39:16 +0000

I would suggest that one of our problems as a race (humanity) and also as a nation is our tendency to look for leaders, saviours, messiahs, mahdis, prophets, stars, priests, imams, rabbis, marja-e taqlid, miracles and God.