Current Events

Beginning of the end?

The news of a directive to all Iranian judiciary officials to commute the death sentences of juvenile offenders to life imprisonment, and then in a second stage to 15 years was happily but cautiously welcomed by Stop Child Executions and the human rights activists and organizations worldwide. The announcement by Iran’s Attorney General for Judicial Affairs was made on the eve of the UN General Assembly‘s annual debate on the Rights of the Child. The General Assembly was asked by Stop Child Executions and more than 300 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from 82 countries to fully implement the absolute ban on the juvenile death penalty, as required by customary law, the Convention on the Rights of the child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights>>>

از یادشان نمی کاهیم

در این مراسم که در سالن "اوکوهاوس" برگزار شد سخنرانانی از شهرهای مختلف آلمان و سوئد در آن به بازگویی تجربیات خویش پرداختند. در ساعت 6 عصرسالن مملو از جمعیتی بود که به دعوت "فعالین سیاسی چپ شهر فرانکفورت" پاسخ گفته و برای ابراز همبستگی با خانواده ی جانباختگان و اعلام ادعا نامه علیه رژیم جمهوری اسلامی در رابطه با این جنایات، در آنجا حضور به هم رسانده بودند. در محوطه ی ورودی سالن، نمایشگاه عکسی از جنایات رژیم جمهوری اسلامی توجه حاضرین را به ابعاد این فجایع جلب می کرد و در گوشه ای مقداری خاک که روی آن با گل و شمع تزئین شده بود و عکسهایی از خاوران در کنار آن به طور سمبلیک تصویر خاوران را در اذهان زنده می کرد و ستاره ی بزرگی از گل رزسرخ نشان از مقاومت و ادامه ی مبارزه داشت. در داخل سالن نیز توماری از اسامی جانباختگان که با گل و نور زیبایی تزئین شده بود ، حکایت از وسعت این کشتارها داشت. >>>

هویت اصلی داوود لشگری

نام اصلی این جنایتکار نه داوود لشگری که تقی عادلی است. متولد ۱۳۳۶-۳۷ و بچه‌ی امام زاده حسن، خیابان دکتر اقبال سابق (اقبال لاهوری) است. قدی نسبتاً بلند و هیکلی درشت داشت. صورتش تقریباً کوسه با ریشی کم پشت بود. او را از سال ۶۱ می‌شناختم. او پاسدار سالن یک آموزشگاه بود. در تاریخ ۲۴ مهرماه ۶۱ من جزو اولین سری زندانیانی بودم که از اوین به گوهردشت منتقل شدیم. زندان ظاهراً با ورود ما افتتاح شد و هنوز سیستم‌های خدماتی زندان راه اندازی نشده بودند. یادم هست اولین صبحانه‌ای را که در زندان گوهردشت خوردیم محمدی معاون زندان پخش کرد. معلوم بود نان آن را از نانوایی بیرون زندان تهیه کرده‌اند. داوود لشکری، عباس کولی وند، پاسداری که در سالن یک آموزشگاه اوین نام فلورانس نایتینگل را روی او گذاشته بودیم، مجتبی، رامین و ... پاسدارانی بودند که برای اداره زندان و نگهبانی از اوین با ما به گوهردشت منتقل شدند. >>>

What's the rush?

Amid the country's financial and economic crisis the U.S. military has sped up the deployment of a most powerful and therefore expensive long-range radar system in Israel, called AN/TPY-2 forward-based X-band, a year earlier than it was scheduled previously. Why? The X-band system, deployed to Israel on September 26th, was originally scheduled for delivery in 2009 for joint training exercises, according to the U.S. European Command mission (EUCOM). For reasons not explained by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, the ownership of Army/Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance remains with Washington and will be installed and operated permanently by 120 U.S. military personnel drawn from U.S. units stationed in Germany and across the rest of Europe.>>>

راه دور و درازی در پیش داریم

راستش وقتی فکرش را می کنم بین ایرانیان، کسانی که حتی توان نوشتن یک صفحه بدون غلط را ندارند با چه تحقیری از نویسندگان پرفروش و محبوب مردم، نویسندگانی مانند محمد حجازی یا ر. اعتمادی و فتانه سید جوادی و فهیمه رحیمی حرف می زنند در حالی که خودشان از فرط تنبلی، حتی عرضه پاکنویس کردن یک کتاب این نویسندگان را ندارند، وقتی می بینم کسی که از همان جمله ی اولش غلط املایی و دستوری دارد و بلد نیست قلم به دست بگیرد تا لاف های غربت خود را به روی کاغذ بیاورد و برای هر کاری با انواع شگردها و حقه ها مدام از این و آن کمک می خواهد با چه حس نفرت و تحقیری نسبت به انواع ادبیات و تولیدات نویسندگان و هنرمندان محبوب دوران خود که حافظه ی جامعه را تشکیل می دهند حرف می زند، از کوته فکری ایرانیان چه در خارج از کشور و چه در داخل کشور شرمنده می شوم >>>

Tehran's Coming Disaster

"Baba jan, look, there is so much they could be doing, that is basic, simple, established read it and do it type protocols for this sort of thing, that they could have rescued far more people than they did. It is absolutely un-necessay for this many to have died." he replied. Later that week, in the shiny offices of his San Jose consultation firm Enviro Safetech, I spoke with Jamali about exactly what the government of Iran could have done better to rescue more people than were saved in Bam. Jamali outlined a basic plan that now seems all but elemental, and not only sounds obvious, but happens to be backed by the emergency response policy here in the US.>>>

Blinding lights

The heart of rabbit is pounding hard as she cruises along the bushes to get home. With every single step, she knows that any moment she can be trapped. This forest is full of wolves. Hungry, angry, devastated wolves waiting for her tender flesh. Wolves already salivating at the thought of jumping at her and seeing the extreme of fright in her eyes. But despite all this, all this fear and paralyzing ansgt, she has to go on. Simply because life goes on...and she has to live right here in forest. The story is a simple metaphor for police cars cruising the streets of Los Angeles nowadays. I am not sure if it is the state deficit or the global recession that has put the pressure on them. Turning them into non-human predators scanning every single movement>>>

NIAC beats AIPAC

It was David versus Goliath: the classic underdog matchup. In the battle over a Congressional resolution calling for war with Iran, the lines were drawn between the smaller grassroots Iranian-American movement (NIAC) on one side and the hawkish American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) mega-lobby on the other. No one expected the Iranian Americans and their coalition partners to be able to stand up to the belligerent giant intent on amplifying hostility with Iran. But with the Congressional session expiring this week, our proverbial David in Washington has delivered the knock-out blow to the pro-war forces' Goliath. The Iran war resolution is down for the count. Yes, you read that right - NIAC beat AIPAC >>>

Iran Deposes Another King

Once again, the cowardice and ignorance of modern American journalism allowed the wrong idea to seem like a fantastic solution. Well, all I can say is, that I'm just glad I ate before I sat down to watch last week's CNN Larry King interview with Iran's pseudo President Ahmadinejad, or as I now call him A@*H&%$#. Hours before the interview, the "submit your questions" page of CNN that was sent around the internet for Iranians to fill in, was most surely filled in, with great submissions that King could have chosen any one of to really put the non-leader of Iran on the spot with, and grind the logic-failure of Iran's great Islamic proposition with. Instead though, King showed why he is the epitome of the lackluster, ignorant, lazy, and "feed the beast your children", of American journalism>>>

[Re]defining Iranian comedy

Part of being an immigrant in the US, is understanding that there is a period of time that one has to go through, as the rest of America begins to accept you and your culture into it's fold. Before you can truly melt into the pot. The concept of melting, depending on your culture and it's character might be a bit daunting to some, more easily accepted to others. For example, it certainly appears that Indians have been more willing to blend into American culture as they immigrate. They seem to have arrived recently, or certainly after we did, and they look far more comfortable with the process of Amercanizing their culture, than we seem to be>>>