An Evening for Mahak

Fundraising has never been my strong point. Having experienced some level of humiliation at previous attempts, I have a hard enough time asking for sponsorship, let alone organizing a fundraising event, no matter how worthy the cause may be. But last week, when I was asked to read my poem at such an event, I could not say no to a cause that involved ailing children. Until recently, the name Mahak had meant little to me. Yes, I knew the definition of the word in Persian, but so far had only referred to its poetic application in testing purity>>>

باظرگ

- سر راه وانایستی کتاب بخری ها. زود بیا. باظرگ!
- جون بابابزرگ.
یواش دهنش را چسباند به گوشی و آرام و بره بره گفت آرش رو هم وردار بیار.
- چی بابا جان؟
- بابا بچه همسایه رو می گم. که توپش قرمزه. می گم ورش دار بیار. به مامانم نگی من گفتم ها.
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The Last President

Ahmadinejad isn’t eligible to run for president again when his term expires in June 2013, as Iran’s Constitution is clear a president can run for only two consecutive terms. To ensure his legacy, then, Ahmadinejad seems to be backing his right hand man Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as a presidential candidate. Ahmadinejad likely hopes that with Mashaei as president, he will be able to retain a powerful cabinet position – think an Iranian twist on what Vladimir Putin has done in Dmitry Medvedev’s government. This concerns Khamenei, and rightly so>>>

What is actually wrong?

President Ahmadinejad double speak in the CNN interview gives me a hideous sensation of a onset of new-fangled impetus to the confrontation that is so evidently unsettling for the presentSupreme Leader. Mr Ahmadinejad on CNN is refining a restrained image to make his final assault to wrest control on the nucleus and hub of the Iranian present orthodox regime. For months there is increasing bad blood between the ruling theocracy that has been piling pressure on Ahmadinejad>>>

بازنگری، خونسردی

دوست داریم فکر کنیم کشوری با یک صدم جمعیت جهان و اقتصادی کوچک‌تر از این مقدار می‌تواند بین قدرتهای بزرگ شکاف بیندازد چون چاه نفت دارد و حق با اوست، و باقی همه باطل‌اند. نتیجهٔ رقت‌انگیز چنین اوهامی را می‌توان در داستان نیروگاه اتمی بوشهر دید که حتی از اعلام دوساعتهٔ نتیجهٔ انتخابات هم بدتر است>>>

دیشب خلیفه طا صبح

دیشب خلیفه طا صبح
دسته مى‌شمرد
طهران بود یا طرابلس‌؟
دیشب آهسته
پابپاىِ ساعت قدم مى‌زد خلیفه >>>

Bad excuse, worst outcome

Since news of an alleged Iranian assassination plot in Washington rocked the international scene, public details remain scant. The Obama administration - including the president himself - has spoken with unequivocal certitude regarding the Iranian government’s intentions and involvement. But until he uses the same level of candour to publicly disclose detailed evidence, we will not know anything beyond allegations. Pundits will continue speculating with whodunnit analysis that constructs an incomplete puzzle, but engaging in hypotheticals does not paint a clearer picture>>>

Tilted scales or skewed vision?

Reactions to several events last week got me thinking about our perception of what is fair and balanced and what isn’t. The web was filled with comments, none of them particularly friendly, about the fact that for Hamas to return Gilad Shalit, the Israelis agreed to liberate a contingent of 1027 Palestinian prisoners. Vox populi – populi in this case myriad analysts and commentators – was raised, there were howls about the insulting imbalance in the swap. What, they said, one Israeli equals more than a thousand Palestinians? Is that what we’re hearing?>>>

The Gaze of the Gazelle

‘Who is this Ayatollah Khomeini?’ I asked Madar, my paternal grandmother. I had heard his name over and over without knowing who he really was. Every night people went to the rooftops to see his face in the full moon and I really wanted to know what he was doing there. ‘He is the vicar of the hidden Imam,’ Madar explained, trying to fit her cigarette into the cigarette holder. ‘While the Hidden Imam is in occultation, the vicar is in charge of the Muslims’ faith,’ she continued, finishing her remark before lighting her cigarette. ‘He is our saviour.’>>>

مادر و دختر

با پاهای کپل و سفید، کنار هم خوابیده بودند ... یکی‌ درشت تر و دیگری ظریف تر. در آن بعد از ظهر گرم تابستان، زانوان هر دو به بالا خم شده بود، و دامن نازکشان تا زیر شکم ها تا خورده. منظره دو جفت ساق و ران و میان پای گوشتالود، که به شورت های سفید و گلمگلی ختم میشد؛ چشم را خیره می‌‌ساخت>>>

Operation Evergreen

An Iranian hacker recently broke into Evin security files and accessed their accounting data. These documents reveal names of all current and former employees of Evin prison including their contact information starting with each individual’s job title, salary, cell phone number(s) and home address. “Operation Evergreen” is the code name for this list which is currently in circulation via email. The document exposes all individuals working at Evin>>>