Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 30 of May , 2008 at 12:49 pm
Tehran, May 25, IRNA - American filmmaker and author, Michael Moore held talks with the representative of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Cinema Development Center at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival in southern France on Sunday.
In the meeting, Moore voiced his willingness to take part in the Second Iran International Documentary Film Festival slated for October 14-19 in Tehran.
Moore, a vocal critic who denounced Bush and the war in Iraq, further expressed regret for not participating in Iran’s first documentary film festival.
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 21 of March , 2008 at 3:10 pm
A traditional Haft Sin table celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is seen set Wednesday, March 19, 2008, in the State Dining Room of the White House. Nowruz is, in Persian and some other cultures, including Kurdish culture, a family-oriented holiday celebrating the New Year and the coming of spring. The Haft Sin table has seven items symbolizing new life, joy, love, beauty and health, sunrise, patience and garlic to ward off evil. White House photo by Chris Greenberg
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 21 of March , 2008 at 3:03 pm
Eid eh Shoma Mobarak. It is my distinct honor to bring you greetings on the occasion of Nowruz, Persian New Year. As Speaker of the House, and the Representative from California’s 8th Congressional District in San Francisco, I am proud to have a diverse constituency, including a vibrant Iranian-American community that represents the beauty and strength of our country.
Nowruz, meaning new day, is a celebration of the first day of spring. This day is celebrated by millions worldwide and symbolizes renewal, life and new beginnings. The 110th Congress is also about new beginnings and a steadfast commitment to a new direction. Just as Iranian-Americans set Haft Seen tables which symbolize health, happiness and prosperity this Congress has worked hard to pass legislation that espouses these very same values. We have passed legislation to reduce global warming and create energy security, increased the minimum wage and have passed an Innovation Agenda promoting 21st century jobs for a global economy. Over the course of our second session of congress we will continue to write a budget that highlights funding our priorities for a new direction and continue to question the administration’s stance on torture and the war in Iraq.
There is a unique bond that grows out of the fundamental values we share. Our nation’s growing Iranian-American population has not only contributed to our cultural diversity but has also strengthened our economy. Iranian-Americans continue to contribute to all aspects of our society from business to government to nonprofit and cultural organizations. That bond forms the foundation of our efforts for peace, democracy and human freedom.
Please accept my best wishes for good health and happiness together, surrounded by your friends and family, for many years to come. To contact me and learn about all of my positions on current issues, please visit my website, http://www.speaker.gov
Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 12 of February , 2008 at 12:26 am
Greg Von Doersten for The New York Times
By JAMES VLAHOS
Published: February 10, 2008
“MADRASA kojast?” Where is the religious school?
Leaving my hotel on the tree-shaded boulevard of Chahar Bagh Abbasi in Esfahan, Iran, I had ducked down a small lane just south of Takhti Junction, made a couple of turns, and gotten lost. I was trying to follow a seven-mile walking route recorded in my Lonely Planet guidebook — and nowhere else, it seemed, not on signs or on any local map — and wandered into a maze of alleys flanked by tawny walls.
A man repairing a motorcycle in a small garage smiled and gave me directions. “Madrasa,” he said, pointing to the right.
If you’re going to get lost, Esfahan (also spelled Isfahan), a city of 1.3 million about 200 miles south of Tehran in central Iran, is an extraordinary place to do it. There’s a centuries-old saying that Esfahan is “half the world,” meaning it contains fully half of the earth’s wonders.
Jean Chardin, a 17th-century French traveler, wrote that Esfahan “was expressly made for the delights of love”; in the 1930s, the British travel writer Robert Byron rated it “among those rarer places, like Athens or Rome, which are the common refreshment of humanity.” Read more…
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 7 of December , 2007 at 12:19 am
I always wondered if there has been a live performance of Pink’s “Dear Mr. President” song. Apparently the Code Pink folks are on top of everything. The following video is of a Code Pink member singing it at the Moms For Peace rally earlier this year (March ‘07) in front of the White House. The second video is the live performance of the song by Pink.
Writing by Rezareza on Friday, 30 of November , 2007 at 7:05 pm
You know what’s wrong with us Iranians? We easily judge everyone based on the way they look. If someone has a beard they are Hezbollahi. If someone wears tight jeans and jell in his hair he is “soosool.” Don’t get me started on what we label individuals based on just a few comments we have heard them make. If one makes a comment slightly resonating a social thought we label him/her as a communist. “Agha taraf comonisteh!” Everyone is either a communist, a royalist, a Hezbollahi, a mojahid…and the list goes on.
About 3 weeks a go I decided to grow a beard. Not because of any specific reasons. I honestly though it might be fun. After a week or two my beard was getting pretty full. But as my look was changing the attitude of my co-workers around me was changing too. All of a sudden I felt like everyone is more reserved and uncomfortable around me. I didn’t know what the reason was until one of my co-workers approached me and said, “Hey man…sooo…you decided to grow a beard?” I responded “yes!” His response really surprised me. “So when are you gunna shave it, because you kind of remind me of a Hezbollahi” I didn’t know what to say. What do you say? All of a sudden I felt like I have to explain myself and present my co-workers with facts and reasons about why I am not a Hezbollahi and how my political beliefs haven’t changed.
Iranians talk about change. We talk about how democracy is the way that the country should be headed and how Iranians are finally ready for a true democracy, if only “they” (oonha) would let us. Now you probably ask who is “they”? Well it’s different for everyone. “They” could be the current ruling clerics in Iran, the Americans, the British… and this list goes on too. We never mention, for a true democracy to take place our thoughts have to change. Our viewpoints have to change. We can not judge people based on what they look like or what they wear or if they have a beard or not.
Afshin Molavi in his book “Persian Pilgrimages” which I strongly recommend to everyone, has a chapter entitled “Politics of Personal Appearance”. In this chapter he explains how one can easily be judged based on his appearance in Iran. He talks about a boy who because of acne problems decides to grow a beard, but he eventually gets shunned by all his friends who thought he became very conservative. So he decides to shave his bread and live with his bad skin rather than to put up with his friend’s judgments. Molavi explains this phenomenon very well. “in an authoritarian government that interferes in the personal lives of its citizens, as does the Islamic Republic, clothes become an important symbol of politics.” But we can not continue to think that way. We cannot judge a book by its cover. If the Islamic Republic forces our women to wear Hejab, we can not force our men to shave the beards or adapt a western type of clothing to make a political statement. Ones politics should be judged by his actions, not by the length of his beard.
Sohrab Sepehri has a very famous poem that I believe sums up my point;
من نمي دانم
كه چرا مي گويند: اسب حيوان نجيبي است ، كبوتر زيباست
و چرا در قفس هيچكسي كركس نيست
گل شبدر چه كم از لاله قرمز دارد چشم ها را بايد شست، جور ديگر بايد ديد
I don’t know
why some say that the horse is a noble animal, the pigeon is beautiful
and why no vulture dwells in any person’s cage
I wonder why the clover is inferior to a red tulip
Eyes have to be washed, things have to be looked at differently.
Writing by parastoo_karimi on Monday, 19 of November , 2007 at 6:33 pm
Sallam’s to all! Firstly I would just like to welcome you all to my first post! =)! Well the title of my first post is what’s it like to be an Iranian/Persian? Firstly, the question should be asked can we still call ourselves Persian. After all the country doesn’t exist anymore! But then again as man has said Persian sounds friendlier and they prefer it! The question is what do you Iranians/Persians think? I would also just like to add this post has been inspired by this article: CHECK IT OUT! Why do you identity with this whole Persian thing? Is it because its fashionable? For example now a day’s you see lots of people wearing the Farahvar! But do you actually know what it means? Or is it worn because once again its a ‘fashion’ statement? Personally I used to wear my farahvar because of what it meant ‘good words, good thoughts, good deeds’ but all of a sudden SO many people started wearing it and had no idea what it meant so to me it lost the prestige because no longer did it have that beautiful meaning…. The whole Persian thing has become a fad, is that because its seen as ‘friendlier; because its associated with an empire and an Aryan race! But then again I know some of you will know this but do others known that Iran actually stands for ‘
Land of Aryans. You see while this generation associated with being Persian during the time of the Shah he preferred to be called an Iranian because to him being Persian associated with the past conquerers.. In a sense I’m playing the role of devils advocate! But I do have another question, what does it mean to be an Iranian now a days? Is it the whole cliche blond hair and excessive make up? Or is it the beautiful culture and traditions?! But then again adding to that do the traditions still remain or are they lost to past generations?! This will be addressed in another post. I’m supposed to keep the posts short and sweet and I’m not too sure whether this is too long or to short! Hopefully it was an okay first post and please answer the questions asked! Hopefully an interesting debate will arise and also I’m genuinely interested in your answers which will be addressed in another post! Thank you very much for reading my very first post! Dastet’toon dard nakone!
Writing by Rezareza on Saturday, 20 of October , 2007 at 6:57 pm
Iranian veteran actor Ezzatollah Entezami recited the Message of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the 20th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty during a ceremony at the Honar Cultural Center.
Entezami, who has previously raised funds for Afghan children during the USA invasion, alluded to a sentence in the message reading ‘let us all stand up’ and asked people to give a hand to fight poverty. He mentioned that he himself had at times been the victim of poverty.
In the Millennium Summit in 2000, when world leaders, including representatives from Iran, agreed to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), this was a turning point in the fight against extreme poverty, the summit set the deadline of 2015 to achieve its goal. In 2007 we have reached the midpoint towards improving the situation, Entezami mentioned.
At the end of the ceremony Dariush Merjuii’s acclaimed film “The Cow” was screened. This is a film which depicts poverty and in which Entezami starred.
He has been known as the “Master Actor” of Iranian cinema since journalist and film critic Hushang Golmakani wrote the memoirs of Entezami in a book with this same title. In September 28, 2007, UNESCO honored Entezami with a lifetime achievement award in a ceremony at its headquarters in Paris.
Knut Ostby, organizer of the United Nations Development Program, also participated in the meeting. He mentioned that a large proportion of poverty in societies is caused by discrimination in various social fields.
Iranian actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mahtab Keramati also attended the ceremony.
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Tehran, May 25, IRNA - American filmmaker and author, Michael Moore held talks with the representative of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Cinema Development Center at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival in southern France on Sunday.
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