tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62216742024-03-02T09:28:51.407-08:00Brooding PersianGuarded ObservationsHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.comBlogger363125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-34567548844192075542013-02-25T05:34:00.003-08:002013-02-25T05:34:39.343-08:00About the Pope
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Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-73958797649718889402013-01-27T12:52:00.001-08:002013-01-27T12:52:34.058-08:00The AnniversaryFrom the Vault
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Imagining walking in others' shoes makes it hard to breath sometimes.
You think you know people. Well, at least you hope you know who
they are much in the same way they think they know themselves. .
You have a normal life; happy one moment, sad the next and always
trying. You have fond memories of the space you occupy and the Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-83978255307619150702012-09-29T10:28:00.002-07:002012-09-29T11:56:25.171-07:00About a Delisting
It has been a while. With the election approaching fast, and all the recent religious inspired silliness and the global turmoil, life seems to have gotten slightly more frenzied all around. My mind too has been in turmoil.
So it turns out that a particularly devious bugger of a sclerosis had found an abode in the right hemisphere of our puny brain, thus causing all manners of mischiefHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-8246653878208073672011-10-14T22:27:00.000-07:002011-10-16T08:29:23.126-07:00The Plot"Did an elite branch of Iran's military handpick a divorced, 56-year-old Iranian-American used-car salesman from Texas to hire a hitman from a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate the ambassador to Saudi Arabia by blowing up a bomb in a crowded restaurant in Washington?" This is how Reza Sayyah of CNN quite succinctly summarised the bombshell that the US Attorney General Eric Holder dropped in Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-30318153818453817782011-08-02T23:32:00.000-07:002011-08-02T23:40:04.909-07:00What of Lazarus?A few beers (Irish) and a number of conversations with much cherished, profoundly missed imaginary friends and I am filled with the yearning to offer in gratitude a redacted version of an old post: And "Nous sommes tous Americaines", no? ...But that is the saddest part about being Iranian you see. Our obscene expectations and our maximalist bubble only mask our minimalism and our tendency alwaysHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-40475902636957619382011-07-11T22:29:00.000-07:002011-07-12T00:15:10.986-07:00AdriftAn aspect of Bipolar Disorder I find slightly annoying these days is simple movement. Everything immediately points beyond itself thus making reflection, in the old fashioned sense of the word, a tad difficult. Granted, it has its virtues. As long as there is puzzle, it proves captivating. It helps with word play, languages, and pattern recognition—variations on themes, if you will. I guessHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-43332818909732815952011-06-06T07:19:00.000-07:002011-06-06T11:42:59.432-07:00Love of a lifetimeI had the unqualified blessing of living with Rachel Avnery for 58 years. Last Saturday I took leave of her body. She was as beautiful in death as she was in life. I could not take my eyes off her face.I am writing this to help myself accept the unacceptable. I beg your indulgence.If a human being can be summed up in one word, hers was: empathy.Uri Avnery's moving tribute to his companion of 58 Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-25212412326182559962011-05-18T05:11:00.000-07:002011-05-18T05:36:50.890-07:00Of Gods and RedeemersI have been seeing the car for a while now and took the pic. For what it's worth, some Iranian too have been waiting for the missing Messiah. For a long, long time. For your reading pleasure on this wonderful morning, an ancient Iranian Hymn: Hymn on the Second Coming of Jesus - Manichaean Hymn in Persian with Parthian words.Speak to me, Lord and Friend, and reveal to me, Son of the most Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-70729407640405974692011-05-15T23:02:00.000-07:002011-05-16T00:10:45.914-07:00Usama, Stories & Alasdair MacIntyreSo here is Ahmadinezhad peddling his own version of the events leading to the demise of Usama. And a short article dealing with assorted conspiracy theories centering on the execution of Usama by a team of Navy Seals.I hadn’t been too terribly pleased myself with the way we have been given tidbits of often contradictory accounts of the events surrounding Usama’s final moments. Then my sister Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-56069811552026431562011-05-01T23:47:00.001-07:002011-05-02T01:00:57.318-07:00Death of a ParasiteThank the photographer for this poignant image from Tora BoraPresident Bush once aptly described Usama as the "ultimate parasite who saw a weakness and exploited it." Usama's demise has been long overdue. It'll be a while before any of us could properly ascertain the ramifications of the disappearance of a man who has been responsible for so many deaths. And so much misery and torment from N.YHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-19114402932598944312011-04-21T07:54:00.000-07:002011-04-21T08:34:28.168-07:00There are a handful of images in memory that haunt, agitate, perturb like the image above. The photojournalist, Chris Hondros who captured the scene, was killed recently along with Tim Hetherington in Libya. An affectionate piece: A Photojournalist Remembered As for the child, Samar? Photojournalism, Ethics and the Afterlife of a PhotographHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-42449871840099907602011-04-19T20:01:00.000-07:002011-04-19T20:08:10.253-07:00On IranThis month's edition of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, featuring "Frenemies: Iran and America since 1900" by Douglas Little. Origins is a free, non-commercial publication from the Public History Initiative and eHistory in Ohio State University's History Department. http://ehistory.osu.edu/originsHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-77455732783781185132011-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:002011-04-13T22:16:06.304-07:00Left and LibyaAnd by left, I don't mean simply anyone who fails to reproduce the exact high decibel quack of the Bachmann wing of the Republican Party. An interesting exchange some of you might find interesting. “What the Arab peoples signify to us” by the renowned French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy (in the original French) A disappointed response: An open letter from Alain Badiou to Jean-Luc Nancy And Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-12746668123691822092011-03-20T15:58:00.000-07:002011-03-20T16:06:32.634-07:00Happy NowruzFrom The Brooding Persian to one and allOn this March equinox, the first day of spring and of the Iranian New Year.Here is to Ruth, Disobedience, Rebelliousness, Perseverance, Patience,Curiosity and Wonder.And in the absence of peace on this earth as always, to another fleeting year, minimal torments, swift wars and rapid deaths.For the multilingual among you, from a friend, the only bearable Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-31145418881596945402011-03-19T23:11:00.000-07:002011-03-20T08:44:44.358-07:00War in LibyaA few short pieces on the latest intervention in North Africa as International forces bombard targets in Libya Roger Cohen on the pros and cons of intervention: Be Ruthless or Stay OutInteresting Guardian piece, Endgame in Libya: how the world called time on Gaddafi One issue throughout, insiders admitted, was the role of America. The UK and France, both smarting from criticisms over their Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-56876053763695689592011-03-14T06:47:00.000-07:002011-03-14T07:41:29.946-07:00JapanSome astonishing pictures here.Japan tsunami: Here's how you can helpFrom the Union of Concerned Scientists, Update on Japan's Nuclear Power Crisis.NYT exchange: Japan's Nuclear Crisis: Lessons for the U.SJapan tsunami: Here how you can helpHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-3098031736572184662011-02-27T07:23:00.000-08:002011-02-27T18:36:52.831-08:00Organized ChaosOnly in Iran, I suppose, could you have the Speaker of the Parliament giving a speech using such a podium! Mr. Larijani thinks Iranian protests are being orchestrated from abroad and everyone else's is self-organized. Go figure.More protests planned for March 1st.Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-7361179347840851812011-02-24T21:20:00.000-08:002011-02-24T22:10:00.506-08:00LibyaBetween work and commute, however limited time that’s left, I have been obsessing, much like the rest of you I suppose, with the events in Libya. So here are a few random thoughts for what they’re worth. Both Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chavez have now definitely climbed up my manure list.As heart wrenching as the scenes coming out of Libya have been, it seems to me that the Libyan insurgency is Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-71651176794785959542011-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:002011-02-20T18:40:06.549-08:00More unrestReports of more protests in various cities. Tehran under lockdown.United For Iran, "non-partisan global network of Iranian and non-Iranian individuals and human rights activists working to promote fundamental human and civil rights in Iran" offers diverse reads about the country and many resources for those who yearn for greater involvement.And for those interested in thoughtful, informative Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-83123060521267394902011-02-17T21:29:00.000-08:002011-02-17T21:44:29.319-08:00The RepressionAbout 1500 arrests confirmed. More protests planned for the 20th in Iran. Several deaths in Libya. And protests in Benghazi: And the crackdown in Bahrain:Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-89905741444179221702011-02-13T12:55:00.000-08:002011-02-13T14:25:48.864-08:00حماقت حاكممفسد فی الارض؛ یعنی کسی که به گسترش فساد در روی زمین بکوشد و به توسعه آن کمک کند. فساد هم یعنی چیزی که موجب انحطاط و نابودی و انحراف جامعه از اصل تبیعی آن باشد.افرادی که ...، در گسترش فساد و فحشا و رواج هرویین و تریاک و بی بندوباری و لامذهبی و آدم کشی و خیانت و چاپلوسی و خلاصه، همه اوصاف رذیله کوشیدند. گرفتاری آن ها از آن زمان بیشتر شد که با دیدن انقلاب ملّت، هیچ توبه نکردند. آیت الله خلخالیHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-76520528116588479022011-02-12T04:30:00.001-08:002011-02-12T04:44:58.546-08:00Two Cheers for Human DignityPride and elation! Self expression, self defense and dignified self assertion. Pure artistry.For the Tunisian and the Egyptian in all of us!Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-23406760343072949682009-08-08T09:24:00.000-07:002009-08-08T10:01:34.634-07:00Defiant eyesThe Reigning Imbecility in Iran has been up to its old despicable tricks again, and is conducting show trails and broadcasting taped forced confessions on TV. Their track record in this is long and tedious; only this time some of officials of this very regime--including Mr. Hajarian, one of the founders and a leading figure of the infamous Intelligence Ministry--are at the receiving end. TheHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-60937728089121410702009-07-28T20:44:00.000-07:002009-07-28T20:45:24.366-07:00Bella ciaoNice one thanks to Mr. R.Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6221674.post-55280421920060266782009-06-18T23:35:00.000-07:002009-06-18T23:50:25.212-07:00why are the iranians dreaming again?*Via IT @ LI[The following is a guest post from Ali Alizadeh, Researcher at the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy, Middlesex University]This piece is copyright-free. Please distribute widely.Iran is currently in the grip of a new and strong political movement. While this movement proves that Ahmadinejad’s populist techniques of deception no longer work inside Iran, it seems they Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602039849569304134noreply@blogger.com13