خاكِ پدران است كه دستِ دگران است

May God

save us from MF, WB, WTO, and the rest of these scams. Their only purpose it to feed the Multi Nationals. I settle for the nation state any day over these. Wherever the god they bring misery and poverty. No thanks.

Funny

It seems with mollas it always end up in an end. It is part of the lithergy.

I think they'll come to an agreement for now. Not yet time. But this sets up 'sacrifices' that were unacceptable before.

Oktaby

False!

"biggotry (with islam and christianity at the root) were the drivers there too." 1000% Flase! 

Bigotry & Not Biggotry. Correct your spellings first, you self impressed Engineer! This is a world known Veterinarian speaking! For real!

Bigot (Per its Dictionary Defn.): One who regards or treats the members of a group (e.g. Arabs, Muslims, etc.) with hatred & intolerance! Sounds familiar!

Now return to your 'on high w/Ganjas' BS tradings with Mashti Gha-sam, Daee Oftabe! But remember you always need a shovel to dig for the truth!

Octopod 

...

Get ready for another September 15, 2008: cause it's coming. We might see a new definition of 'credit-crunch.' no matter how the negotiations in the White House goes US credit has been weakened, tis plus the sovereign debt mess, creates a volatile circumstances, all it needs is one default, a down grading of  US bond,...

The monstrosity in Iran known as Islamic Republic, is a behemoth never seen in world civilization: a military, rentier state, with Pasdaran at the center. It gives Praetorian guards a new definition. 

P.S. What did you think of my interpretation of the sitting molla?

True

The problem is their role is mostly a buffer to maintain calm while the reverse osmosis of money and power continues. There were more millionaires and billionaires created in last 2 years than ever before. That was my point about nation states having lost their purpose. The current deficit battle after the financial crisis is just another indicator. The real discussion is not about investing in jobs, schools, training, renewables, carbon control and all many other non-welfare programs that help the country but about how to preseve status quo. In Iran for example, what is the role of government but to protect the few? and a slew of other places have simlar stories. This, however, is not sustainable without war and mayhem to follow.

Oktaby

...

In the long run nation-states might prove to be more resilient than we think. Your point about their declining role is absolutely correct. With all these multi-natioal corporations dominating the world economy, with IMF, WB, WTO, and a host of other international regulating bodies, nation-states look very fragile, yet they play a utilitarian role in all these recent bailouts, and austerity programs imposed. This  juxtaposition, as contradictory as it looks, might be worth pursuing in detail.

Don't bother with pests, they eventually go away.

P.S. You all got it wrong on the picture: He's a new mollah to Ghazvin, on his first day, pondering about his start, and his end.

will u promise to go away

If I ignore you? pretty please dear clueless.

when 2 engineers are speaking you need not jump in with your shovel.

Oktaby

my point

was that empires come and go not that we expect ours to come back. Balkanization has different roots. Globalization has fundamentally shifted the calculus of nationhood and alliances that was based on common interest of people in localized terms and us against them. Now us has a very differentcontext. We o not have balkanization in Iran (yet), but we have as much or more attrocities than former Yugoslavia.

biggotry (with islam and christianity at the root) were the drivers there too.

Oktaby

The True Speaking Shining Stars

VPK: "I say *** glory; just settle for peace and a decent standard of living!" 

Wish upon the stars for all that is good! Thanks, VPK.

PS: If "Most People" remarks by the 'Glorious Blogger' is not of the more BS, of the real 'Maghlates'. of the more self deceivings/servings, and of tending 'the deads in graves', then what is it?

Enough is Enough of the Octa-Bees!

Glorious

We do not need to be number 1. I would however like to see us have a decent standard of living and our culture back. The concept of nationalhood has not outlived its usefulness at all. In fact large unified nations bring peace and prosperity. It is balkanization that is the problem. When little groups all divide under the guise of "self determination" we have problems. Just see what happened in Yugoslavia and former Soviet Union. 

While they were united people of different religions and races lived peacefully. Together and worked together. Then came along "self rule" and "separatism" followed by wars. Armenia against Azerbaijan. Russia against Georgia. Serbia against Bosnia. The list is endless. China was smart enough to crush this before it got steam. Yes they were brutal but managed to save their nation from far worse fate. If they had allowed "democracy" movement to proceed it would be hell now. At least they have managed to keep some amount of order and sanity. 

I say *** glory; just settle for peace and a decent standard of living! 

Most people

in this world are proud of their heritage no matter what it is. Few have as much problem accepting that it is not as pure and wholesome as they would like it to be. We had a maginificent empire but like every other one (includingU.S. now) it went down. It is the nature of the beast. There is always a problem with being #1. You can't go any higher and sooner or later you go lower. We also had a magnificent culture that we have long since lost under the hooves of invading armies long before and after Islam. It is interesting that the rapist republic without even realizing it, has made us more aware of the glorious, human and successful part of that history that'll sooner or later contribute to its demise. However, I do not see a glorious Persia coming back just as no glorious Roman empire will return. It is Chinese' turn and theirs will be surprisingly short as well. Nation states, one and all, are coming to end soon. The concept of nationhood has long since outlived its usefulness or purpose for existence.

Vote yes when asked in a near future referendum 'should california separate from these United States'?

Anyone eat chicken feet?

Oktaby

Divaneh Jan

You are right. In the Sassanid period we had a great deal of power in Mobeds. In fact a total collapse was about the only way to derail them. However we did not prosper. Rather replaced an Iranian set of superstitions with an Arab one. Then we mixed them and generated the Shia Islam which is an amalgam. Neither true Islam nor real Zoroastrian. But it lacks the joys of Zoroastrianism and Islam. All we do is beat ourselves for Ashura and so on.

I have met Arab Muslims and seen them get real joy out of Islam. We instead just get misery and pain. Including and specially the religious Iranians. Beating ourselves and crying for a long gone Imam. Shame on us for doing this to ourselves. Arabs at least get something out of Islam. We get nothing. We might as well go secular and save the pain! The one thing we may have learned is that. 

It's all home made

Thanks Oktaby for a great blog. I was raised with Arabs and have to repeat myself once more that in Khuzestan we do not see Iranian arabs as any different from the rest of the society. This is especially true about those who have adopted the city life style. Therefore it is perhaps not the localization as Jamh believed but the pure ignorance. The need to blame someone else for our problems so we could stay blameless.

Most of the shit (Sorry Maryam) that we suffer today and for which many blame Arabs, have Iranian roots. Iranians are deeply religious people and that trait has been used by wily clergy way before arrival of Islam. Islam only made it worse and the combination of corrupt Iranian clergy and barbarity of the Islam has brought us here.

There is however another factor in play and a good part of it may be resistance to the attacks on Iranian culture and replacement of its Persian traditions with Islamic (hence Arabic) traditions. This bigotry in no small way is a reaction to being belittled by Molas in Arabic costumes.

BTW I have eaten fried trainers and it didn't taste good, I have however eaten bbq crocodile and it tasted lovely. Something between fish and chicken.

Entertain yourself

on an ongoing islamic blog. No need to insist on maghlateh here. And easy with the trigger finger. posting twice does not make it any less of a maghlateh. I realize old habits maybe hard to break.

Oktaby

The Blogger Desperate Moves

Continues:

You must be a molla zadeh. your comment stinks of maghlateh.

The ambience is particulary appealing and a perfect setting for 'holiness'

One would imagine that some kind of unwritten code (kinds like honor among thieves) prevents at least the 'males' from eating each others' testicles at least. But nooo, we consider it a delicacy and in case of humans we cut others' off in dominance.

I also know that mohammad and co f$#@% most of the people in Arabia before they exporting their sickness.

And yes it is Ghazvin. Where else? Showing the back side? You Iranians lover!

Sorry mom.

Of all the points in this blog and many good comments, this is all that you noticed? Point one, Octa-grandpa!

The Blogger Desperate Moves

Continues:

You must be a molla zadeh. your comment stinks of maghlateh.

The ambience is particulary appealing and a perfect setting for 'holiness'

One would imagine that some kind of unwritten code (kinds like honor among thieves) prevents at least the 'males' from eating each others' testicles at least. But nooo, we consider it a delicacy and in case of humans we cut others' off in dominance.

I also know that mohammad and co f$#@% most of the people in Arabia before they exporting their sickness.

And yes it is Ghazvin. Where else? Showing the back side? You Iranians lover!

Sorry mom.

Of all the points in this blog and many good comments, this is all that you noticed? Point one, Octa-grandpa!

Maryayam

Sorry mom.

I'll put some pepper on my proverbial tongue (keyboard) and slap myself in repentence and then stand in the corner on 1 leg with hands up for 30 minutes.

A writing style and use of disguised explitives is not exactly breaking any hearts. Of all the points in this blog and many good comments, this is all that you noticed?

Oktaby

Oktatby,

You need to write in Goftar e nik the way you prescribed it to us (Iranians).

Bush

Senior met my father and knew him by first name! He hung out with him at some Republican find raiser. At the time Bush was seriously thinking of promoting RP. Too bad RP did not show what it takes to do it.

Also in some ways Bush did Iran or at least IRI a great favor. He remove its two main opponents. Saddam and Taliban. Then by democratic elections handed Iraq over to Iran. Maybe in some strange way he was showing his love for Iran!

jamh

Well put.

biggotry is a different issue than historic scars and memory that is a reflex to protect cultural continuity. Europe is a great example of this over the last few centuries. They beat the crap out of each other before expanding too. Rapist republic will do the same given the opportunity. I do not believe in collective guilt even thogh that is not an absolute rule. I know what Islam has done to us (as well as many others) and am not about to forget it even after decades of separation because that is in my dinosaur genes. However, I also know that mohammad and co f$#@% most of the people in Arabia before they exporting their sickness.In that sense, therapist republic is correct in claiming mohammad's tradition more so than any Arab.

Oktaby

testicles

of sheep (acquired taste) and other mammals is a great example VPK. One would imagine that some kind of unwritten code (kinds like honor among thieves) prevents at least the 'males' from eating each others' testicles at least. But nooo, we consider it a delicacy and in case of humans we cut others' off in dominance. Just to put icing on the cake I recall in some villages the poor sheep's testicles were extracted live for extra taste and freshness.

AH, Iran 2050, MM, CoP, vilde Cheers

CoP, most Americans cannot locate Saigon or Hochi Min City on their maps. They still think Reagan was agreat president and....  My point is there is little you can do if oneis ignorant. Which incidentally, I bet are the same crowd. Americans have their share like everyone else. We must educate and promote best we can but 80/20 rule holds here too. The Bush family who has screwed Iran and middle east royally, are apparently quite fond of and affectionate to Persians. Go figure. For those ever ignorant who choose to mix me with an Arab I will confuse theirs. For example a 5th generation American becomes a mut Irish or an Australian prisoner offspring. Ignorance is too easy to duplicate.

And yes it is Ghazvin. Where else?

Oktaby

Well said.  Of course, in

Well said.  Of course, in reality, this is in our genetic makeup. Our allegiances to family, village, lord (or equivalent), king (or equivalent), country (or equivalent) are built-in and reinforced by hundreds of thousands of years of strife. If you say today's world is different, I might snicker.

As people in exile (generally), we are on the other side of the argument, so we nod and applaud.

If on the other hand, you were deeply rooted to your location, and looking back, would see the toils of the generations that came before you, your fathers' fathers work, if you will, scattered all around you, and if you went through the defeats that they went through, and are still going through, this bigotry, as you call it, might be harder to shake. Underneath the thin veneer of civilization, we are all beasts.

COP Jan

I try to correct the Westerners when possible but it is hard. Many Americans honestly don't know Canada is not a part of USA. The smart ones may know who Abraham Lincoln was. 

There was one Senator who kept talking about "Ten Commandments" until I think it was Colbert who asked him what they were. He got stuck pretty early on. So you are dealing with some real dumb ***. 

It is a waste of time putting our effort into this. I would put my energy into something more worthwhile like washing my car :-) There is just no point in it; Reagan after year still could not say Iran and insisted on I-Ran!

فرامرز جان: کفش کتانی من رو هم اگه deep fry کنی‌، خوشمزه خواهد ب

Seriously though, food to a great degree is a matter of building the taste for it and partially in our head

Examples - Beer, Doogh, Kaleh Pacheh or Sushi. If you don't build the taste for it, it will be awful

The weirdest thing I have had probably was fried spider in China. But then again, fry any thing and it will be eatable.

'Vahdat' is the main key to victory 

Mehrdad

Good blog, as usual Oktaby

I have travelled in the middle east for the better part of this year and have mingled more than my fair share with Arabs. The arab vs persian debate has been going on for longer than I remember, even during secular times. However, as you point out, the recent occupation of our ancestral land is by none other than Iranians themselevs, so I too would say that let's clean our own house before blaming the neighbors.

The question I have, though, is how many of us DO NOT correct the westerners when they insist that Iran is just another Arab country?

BTW, you probably know, but the photo is of the Ghazvin emam Jomeh......LOL

____________

IRAN FIRST

____________

Iranian Arabs

Should be treated as valued citizens who are as good as the rest. We are a multicultural nation. It is only the separatists who benefit from discrimination as it gives them the fuel they require. I have written on the contributions of Iranians of Arab origin:

//iranian.com/main/blog/veiled-prophet-kh...

Many Iranians have Arab genes. My family has some very nationalist Iranians who are part Arab. They are no less Iranian than anyone. So let us drop the crap and focus on unity. Arabic is a required subject in Iran! One blogger on a different site complained it was not the Ahvazi dialect. Well we can not teach every version of Arabic; there are just too many of them so we teach the "official" Koranic Arabic. There are a lot of people trying to sow dissent we must resist them. One Iran; one nation; many races.

Dear MM and Faramarz jan, thanks for suggestions

but I am quite conservative in my choice of food. I doubt that I can eat lizard, even if it tastes like chicken.

oktaby jaan, Great

oktaby jaan,

Great article and right on the point.

I just hope more and more Iranians wake up and get hate, racism and bigotry out of their culture and out of their system.

We cannot build a future democratic Iran with this inexcuseable and unjustifyable and false hate and racism within us.

Arabs are equal to us because all humans are equal. All have good and bad aspects in their culture. No culture is better than the other. No race is better than the other. All civilizations had and have ups and downs. there are good and bad people and good and bad aspects in every single culture in every corner of the world.

Thanks again.

Great blog by Oktaby.

I commented on eating Soosmar but more importantly, what a great blog by Oktaby. People should not confuse Arabs with Islam. Thanks Oktaby.

I ate frog

Once I was with some American friends who took me to a high class restaurant. It specialized in frog legs. It honestly tasted like chicken :-) But for some reason I got sick later and threw it all up. I have friends in Texas who proudly hunt and eat rattle snakes. They feel no shame in it at all. I have an Arab friend who told me an Arabic phrase: "eating raw eggplant is like eating the head of a snake". I have not had snake head but I agree with my Arab friend. I will not eat raw eggplant. I guess the Texans would beg to differ!

Don't you even mention donbalan or the Scottish haggis.  

It boils down to people eat many different things. So what; lobsters; snails are delicacies. People are good or bad due to their actions. Not their tastes in food in general. There is one exception: I oppose eating people I mean humans; that is out!