Pedram Moallemian: Random Opinions & Observations!

2003-04-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than ending on a high note! Yesterday was this site's busiest day since I installed a counter, partially due to the unfortunate arrest of Sima Motallebi. I promised a few days ago some major changes to my blog and here I am delivering on my promise: Consider this the last post on this blog.

I've Moved!

Starting today, you can read my blog here.

If you need to re-adjust your links (which are greatly appreciated), my new URL is www.eyeranian.net . Please stop by the new site and don't forget to leave me some feedback also. Thanks Blogger! You guys certainly made starting a blog extremely easy.

2003-04-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

With the suggestion and help of my friend Hossein Derakhshan, we set up a petition to protest the arrest of fellow Blogger, Sina Motallebi. The petition can be found here.

Please also add the following link to your sites and blogs everywhere. Only with an organized and co-ordinated international effort could we make a difference and support our common right to say what we want, where we want, particularly on the internet.

Free Sina Motallebi

<div style="direction:ltr; width:130; text-align:center; border:1px dotted #336699; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size: 13px; line-height: 130%; padding: 10 10 10 10; background-color:#FFFFCC"><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/sina/" title="Free Sina Motallebi, Iranian blogger and journalist" style="font-weight:bold; color:#336699; text-decoration:none">Free Sina Motallebi</a> <br /></div> <br />

Thanks for all your messages of support. Now let's spread the news.

2003-04-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed his blog listed on the side as webgard. Sina Motallebi, a blogger, writer and journalist was summoned by authorities yesterday in Tehran and is reportedly arrested, partially for the content of his Persian blog. This is the latest in a series of assaults against freedom of expression by the government of Iran. His wife Farnaz originally posted the news of his arrest but has since removed it from the blog. Sina himself had posted details of his summons the day before. I see this as an opportunity for all bloggers to unite and organize towards a worthy cause. We should all speak against limits set by certain governments and organizations and stand for our common fundamental right to free speech. Limiting Sina's rights in this fashion should be viewed as an attack on all of us. Let us come together and find ways to spread the news and coordinate our efforts in this endeavor. Leave your comments here or contact me by email if you are "in".

2003-04-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

An Afghan man gets a massage inside a public bath house in Kabul on April 1, 2003. Most of the people in Kabul do not have access to hot or cold running water in their homes. Closed down under Taliban rule, about half of the capital's 66 public baths have been rebuilt with funds from the European Union. REUTERS/Jayanta Shaw

I don't think you'd find too many people who were born in the corner of the world I was born in that would have no memories involving the public baths. There are stories, legends and anecdotes associated with what was at one point a social institution and yet another place for the community to come together and socialize. This of course is before my time and before television (and now the internet) replaced many "normal" human interactions. My memories mostly involve the worker or "dallak" that had 6 toes on one foot, the occasional glimpse into the women's change area as a passersby would make the drape covering the entrance move slightly away, an ice cold Coke after the washing part and before the getting dressed part, and my grandfather's stories of meeting weird beings or "ajenneh" who lived in the bathhouse and if you got there too early in the morning, you'd see them frolicking around.

I have no doubt that there are about a hundred other more sanitary and efficient ways to get cleaned, but none of them were as much fun, adventurous and interesting than the local public bath house.

Oh, I almost forgot my memories of the area used primarily for a sort of public hair removal meeting and my uncle's calls for the remover of choice: "vajebiiiiiiii!!!!...."

When do you know you are truly a Canadian at heart? When you use "back home" somewhere in your conversation and actually mean Toronto, not Tehran.

2003-04-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

I don't get it. When I first added my "comments" section to this blog, it was partially for those who hate me or what I say to get an opportunity and a public forum to post their points of view. I particularly wanted their "die" or "kill yourself" opinions here, so others can understand how savage and violent (dangerous?) their vision and philosophy is. However, for whatever reason, they still only choose to "hate" by e-mail and in private for most parts. Here is an example (and a rather mild one):

Fred Diamond (presumably from Canada) sent me this: "That's the funniest bit of Islamic propaganda I've read in a while. You should be ashamed of yourself, preaching such garbage. I'm neither a Christian, nor a Muslim so you can disclude any bias. I'm interested in both truth and reason, and your column has neither. May I suggest that you kill yourself in the name of Islam so that you may be a true martyr. sincerely, Fred Diamond". I don't know what particular column I have written he is referring to, as he fails to mention it. (By the way, is "disclude" an English word? Excuse my ignorance as this is not my first language)

There are lots more like him. Folks at WhiteHouse.org, a satirical site that posts articles such as "Bibles & Hand Grenades: Christian Love Packages Arrive in Iraq", got so much of it they started posting them on their site. The funniest part of their messages, are those who actually think the site is "official" and write to either compliant or applaud a certain section or particular government position. I often laugh out loud reading their posted e-mail.

I digressed, I don't mind hateful and even violent messages, heck I've gotten used to it over the past 7 years. But if you have such strong feelings about a topic, doesn't it make sense to share it with a larger audience? I mean, I'm sure there are others who could benefit from your exposure of my "Islamic propaganda", "commie garbage", "liberal bull-shit" and "socialist scum". That is unless you wish to "disclude" low-lives like those of us who'd read this blog, from your wisdom.

I followed Hoder's advise to sign up for a gathering of bloggers. Although I would have preferred Iranian blogging better than Persian blogging for a name (since there is no nationality called Persian, not all Iranian bloggers write in Persian and many Iranians are not of Persian heritage), but I will love to attend if enough people sign up. Click on the link below, sign up for your city and see who else is a blogger from your area. I'm very curious.

Noticed the cleaned up and more extensive "links" section on the left? Like it? Use it! Also, a BIG change is coming soon, I'm kind of excited. You may not care less. We'll see, soon!

2003-04-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Mojahedin - It's official, they are under attack. Iran's Mojahedin Khalq Organization bases in Iraq are a target of invading U.S. forces. I don't know what you may think of them. They may be a cult, corrupted, confused, even guilty of certain crimes. All I know is that every single one of those members/supporters went to Iraq because he/she loved Iran. Whether they were misled or just plain stupid shouldn't matter much. These are some good-hearted people willing to give up everything they ever own to fight for the betterment of their country and people. Even if they have chosen the wrong path. I don't believe that qualifies for them to be sacrificed this way. Particularly since their leaders are already tucked away safely. They have some strong supporters in U.S., including Attorney General John Ashcroft. Obviously that isn't enough. If you live in U.S., please contact your elected representative and ask them to have mercy on the rank and file members of MKO. The ones with possible ties crimes associated with them can be tried fairly and punished if convicted, but the rest aren't criminals. I know, because some are previous friends, classmates and associates. I wish them well.

Hey, somebody wrote me complaining about how dare I'd mention Alain Delon and leave out his friend and occasional co-star Jean-Paul Belmondo. Okay, there it is. Happy? PS - Alain was/is still the coolest!

"R" sent this and I must mention it: After all, how could I ignore a band named Persian Carpets that sings anti-war songs! In case you want more, here is more!

I keep wanting to write about the Kurds, but don't get enough time to write something worthwhile. I promise I will, soon!

2003-04-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Don't you find it fascinating that sometimes a small image, a certain sound, a unique scent or just the right touch can bring back so many emotions and memories? This happened to me recently:

I recently had the pleasure of some extended business interactions with Marina Dorell. She is one very attractive, compassionate, smart and interesting woman, with layers of depth and surprising elements at every turn. She was a prominent entertainer and singer from Argentina, that has stayed away from the stage while becoming a very successful psychologist. She has had a very interesting artistic history and was the first performer to record a bilingual version of "Don't cry for me Argentina", for example. More on her at some other time perhaps. What I do want to elaborate on was her latest album. She gave me an advance copy, a compilation of some of her favorite pieces. It came with a small booklet, containing some background on her, along with tons of pictures from various stages of her career. Pictures with everyone from Sammy Davis Jr., The Gypsy Kings and (legendary race car driver) Juan Manuel Fangio to various Presidents, Ministers and Ambassadors. There was one single picture though (and a poorly composed one) that had me drowning in memories. It's this one:

In case you didn't recognize the guy in the middle, it's French actor Alain Delon. When I was growing up, he was HUGE in Iran. It seemed as if he was always huge in Iran. You could put people like James Dean, Clint Eastwood and Roger Moore together and they wouldn't come close to the stature or prominence of Alain Delon. In any role, from gangster, thief, detective, Zorro or the hired assassin, with characters named Jean or Julien or something similar, Alain was the coolest! This is despite the fact that his characters often ended up dead. I even tried smoking for a while, I think mainly because he always seemed to have one in his mouth.

I remember being 12 or 13 and going to Tehran's Small Theatre (Koochak) after skipping school and spending half day distributing flyers, writing political graffiti or selling banned newspapers (and occasionally getting arrested as a result), to watch some cool movie, usually starring Alain Delon. Those were some of the most interesting, yet enjoyable time in my life and somehow part of those memories is forever grouped with image of Alain Delon. I'm sure I am not the only one with fond memories of him or those days, so if you also have similar ones, either e-mail me or post them in our "comments" section. Oh one last thing, in case you are wondering how Alain has aged and what he looks like now, click here.

2003-04-16T00:40:00.000-07:00

Blogging's coming of age - I'm sure this blogging business started quite innocently as a hubby or a way to keep daily information flow through the next day and/or the next individual. But this story must be marked as a sort of coming of age for any and all blogs.

Just wonderin'... Does anybody know if our beloved Vice President, Mr. Dick Cheney has ever explained what the heck he was doing in Tehran working out of an office across from Mellat Park only few months before his VP nomination, despite grave sanctions by the United States for companies doing business with Iran? Was Halliburton exempt from the embargo? Is he denying his frequent visits and long term stays? Should somebody dig up records of his examination and treatment for complaints of heart pains at Tehran's Day Hospital? I'm just wonderin'... let me know if you do.

2003-04-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

Congress just passed a budget that includes the largest deficit ever in U.S. history. Vital programs are facing substantial cuts and some badly needed projects are no longer on the agenda due to shortage of funds. The Iraqi invasion has so far cost the taxpayers $75 billion, if you believe the official figures and not count the additional funds spent out of secret and semi-secret budgets. Meanwhile, some of the largest U.S. corporations, including Dick Cheney's former company Halliburton, are using overseas tax shelters to avoid paying over $70 billion a year in taxes. Sounds preposterous? As I look at my income tax return forms (ready to be mailed tomorrow morning, the last minute, as usual!) I agree it does, but it's true and people behind The Bermuda Project are trying to bring attention to this issue. Take a look here and decide for yourself.

I've never been too big on Conspiracy Theories in general. Admittedly there are some very interesting ones out there, and I have no doubt that some are actually true. For example, I remember meeting somebody who supposedly had a very high position working inside Area 51 in Nevada and despite my serious attempts to control the urges, I had to ask him if there were any aliens or UFO's in there. His reply? He only said "there are things in there that would blow your mind" and changed the topic quickly. So, as a result of that conversation, I am now convinced something "interesting" is going on there and I don't mean the "aliens" cutting the grass and doing general maintenance for minimum wage.

I said all that to briefly touch on one of the new theories out there. It involves a secret deal for Saddam Hussein and his officials at the Ba'ath Party to hand over Iraq, presumably in exchange for a safe refuge for themselves and their families. Salon.com is the latest media source to publish a story based on this idea. Is it true? Who knows. I do however find it remarkable that the little town of Umm Qasr (not to mention Basra) was still unoccupied after close to a two week non-stop attack, but Baghdad was captured within hours. Perhaps this is one of those tidbits of the truth that will never be fully revealed or acknowledged. Until then, we can all have fun and relay the "theories" as facts. While we are at it, let's look for Saddam at a small village somewhere in Russia. I'm sure some Caribbean island will eventually give him refuge by the time he gets tired of the cold arctic winters.

2003-04-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand: It's Donald Rumsfeld sound bites and I have a collection of them for you! BBC's Broadcasting House held a competition for listener's favorite Rumsfeld remark and these were the finalists. Remember, this is the man in charge of the largest military ever assembled by human beings. Either get very concerned or just enjoy! Afterwards, maybe you'll get pleasure from an unfriendly game of Rumsfeld Invaders?

No Blood for Oil? - Hate to bring this up again. It almost feels like one of those "I told you so" comments everybody hates. But here I go again; I don't believe the primary goal of Iraqi invasion was/is oil. This of course goes against many other progressive viewpoints expressed by people I respect a lot. However, the most recent postures towards our future "enemy" Syria, as well as a new resurgence of articles and opinion pieces discussing this very topic, has rejuvenated my resolve to stick to what I wrote almost 7 months ago. That piece was intended for Espresso magazine and was also published on-line by my friend Jahanshah Javid of iranian.com. It was basically my view of how I see the Iraqi conflict go, in the immediate as well as long term future.

As I said then, I don't believe the invasion had much to do with "the war on terrorism", Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction and ignored UN resolutions. You can now ad "cheap oil" to my list. I do believe there would be easier ways to get to this last goal than to risk your international reputation, alienate allies, transfer almost half of your army across the globe and risk casualties. So, some may ask then why not South Korea instead of Iraq. In other words, if it wasn't for oil, wouldn't South Korea be the primary target of this administration's plans for complete world domination? Well maybe, except that South Korea hasn't developed missiles that could reach Israel yet. You heard me right, I believed then and still believe now that Israel and it's safety and survival is the primary aspiration for the White House' sudden interest in Iraq, Syria, Iran and soon Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan and Kuwait.

Michael Kinsley, the founding editor of the online publication Slate, recently identified this absence of Israel from dialogue about the war as "the proverbial elephant in the room: Everybody sees it, no one mentions it." Steve Zalusky of Daily Herald quoted Kinsley and then brilliantly represented both side's points of view.

The fundamentalists of Christian Right movement (or "Christian Zionists" as they often label themselves) is obsessed with protecting the State of Israel. Not to protect it's citizens or even the people of Jewish faith around the world (after all, they will all perish in their biblical vision of Armageddon, anyways), but Israel needs to survive for the prophecies for the return of Christ to come true. Others within the administration, like Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz who don't share this vision but are staunch supporters of Israel, are also using this notion to gain stability for the regime ruling the land "promised" to their people by god.

Do not get me wrong, this isn't meant to be an anti-Jewish (mistakenly called anti-Semitic sometimes) or even an anti-Israeli outlook. After all, I have in the past taken much abuse for supporting Jewish people when they are falsely accused, and even more abuse for acknowledging Israel's right to existence. However, I can't deny the current right-wing administration's fixation and sense of identifying with the extremists ruling the state of Israel's viewpoint in battling what they perceive as current or future enemies. Invasion of Iraq was just the first phase of this movement.

U.S. forces will be stationed in Iraq for many years to come. An all out effort to change governments and replace current foes as well as puppets whose expiry dates have already came and passed, will take place and at the end of it all, those who truly needed help and deserved some support will be ignored. After all, you can't export democracy if you still don't have democracy at home and your flag-bearer was not democratically elected.

2003-04-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

The bona fide head of the Iranian government, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, has done it again or at least is trying to. He is famous for maneuvering the regime through a slalom run, zigzagging between positions and concepts while conducting overnight makeovers, all with the eventual goal of retaining their grip on power. His own image has also transformed from young favorite revolutionary of Khomeini's, to strong statesman, to brutal autocrat, to (the original) "moderate president", to deranged mass-murderer, to older fatherly figure, and now the ultimate facilitator. The story, as reported reads: "In an interview with the Rahbord (Strategy) periodical, published by the Center for Strategic Studies, Iran's powerful former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the two decade-long freeze on relations between Iran and the United States could be resolved either through a popular vote or a decision by Iran's arbitration body, the Expediency Council."

He already knows what the result of any "popular votes" on such issues would be. He also runs and controls the "Expediency Council", so the decision there, is really only his. So, why make the phony gesture? It's in his nature. He has mastered the art of keeping a certain image, while conducting business in the most contradictory direction. However, even his benign gesture should be considered significant and taken seriously. Significant as it may be a window to the future actions and the new diversion he has in store for us. Let's be direct, he didn't wake up one morning and decided to offer a solution to the problems of "relations between Iran and the United States". He, himself was and is a large part of the mechanism that has caused "the problem". If he wanted to fix it, he could've done so years ago. So, why now and why in this fashion? I have a few scenarios and multiple reasons to answer those questions, however all I can say for certain and for a fact is that he is the most cunning, deceitful, ruthless swindler of our times and anything he says or does is only to benefit him and his clan. This is yet another game orchestrated by the grand deceiver and whichever way he plans to play it, there is no good caused by it for most Iranians. Having said that, let's keep an eye on this, as the "game" may be getting to some of it's very interesting parts. (Also see AP's version)

2003-04-12T00:06:00.000-07:00

Were Iraqis Celebrating? We've all seen the pictures. Iraqis rushing to topple a huge statue of Saddam Hussein, but having very little luck. A U.S. army heavy machinery is brought in, American soldier covers Saddam's head with the American flag that flew over Pentagon on 9/11 (can you believe they now say that was a "coincident"? I'd say that's the mother of all coincidents if true), which got a cold reception and was then removed and replaced by an Iraqi flag. Then a "noose" is put around statue's neck, pulling it down with Iraqis rushing to damage it as if it was Saddam's face in real life and they now wanted blood. All are jovial and celebrating their victory. Well, the incident happened (very conviniently) in front of Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, where most media people were staying. I guess what they didn't count on, was one of the photographer taking pictures, like the one above from his window. So, in a city of millions, how many Iraqis were actually there to topple the statue and have a good time? Well, if you take the troops and media people out of the "crowd" shown above, I think about 100 people are seen. One hundred people out of all of Baghdad's huge population. I'm not going to suggest that most Iraqis aren't happy that Saddam is gone, my point is more towards the media and its manipulation of the news they feed us. We are either VERY stupid, or they believe we are.

More on this story, here and here.

2003-04-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

Today's notes are just random quotes from the former governor of Texas, Mr. George W. Bush. You can read more (and laugh or cry) here. Enjoy:

"I'm the commander, I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation...."

"...as you know, I like to keep expectations low."

"I would like to express my deep condolences for the loss of the Senate."

"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption."

"Peace in parts of the world where people have said peace is impossible. I think it is. That's the vision I have."

"My most important job is to defend the homeland, to protect innocent Americans from the deaths of the killers."

"America is leading the world in a titanic struggle against terror."

"I live in a bubble."

"Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes."

"It's a huge honor to be the greatest -- to be the President of the greatest country in the world."

"And that's why yesterday the Secretary of Treasury and I both said that we need to have more stimulus available."

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."

"I understand people's willingness to protest, but they should not protest the decisions our coalition is making, because it is in the best interest of freedom and humankind."

"And there's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail. Failure is not a part of our vocabulary."

"My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the—in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen."

"If a person doesn't have the capacity that we all want that person to have, I suspect hope is in the far distant future, if at all."

"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it."

"Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis."

"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House —make no mistake about it."

"This administration is doing everything we can to end the stalemate in an efficient way. We're making the right decisions to bring the solution to an end."

"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."

"I do not believe . . . that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide."

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."

"They misunderestimated me."

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"

"This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses."

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

"More and more of our imports come from overseas."

2003-04-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Reuel Marc Gerecht, a certified "hawk".

Project for the New American Century, the think-tank behind the current U.S. administration is a collection of idiots. People like Dan Quayle, Jeb Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Zalmay Khalilzad. These guys don't have the slightest clue as to what is really going on in the world but are just obsessed with their own limited sense of righteousness and cruel fundamentalism. I'll give you an example to prove my point:

Last July, Reuel Marc Gerecht, one of their "brains" on the region and a former CIA Middle East specialist wrote a piece for the Weekly Standard to lay out their long term plans for the Persian Gulf neighborhood. The article titled "Regime Change in Iran?" is certainly an interesting read. Here is his estimation of what will happen when U.S. invades Iraq: "Popular discontent in Iran tends to heat up when U.S. soldiers get close to the Islamic Republic. An American invasion could possibly provoke riots in Iran--simultaneous uprisings in major cities that would simply be beyond the scope of regime-loyal specialized riot-control units. The army or the Revolutionary Guard Corps would have to be pulled into service in large numbers, and that's when things could get interesting. The clerical regime fears big street confrontations, afraid that it cannot rely on the loyalty of either the army or the Guard Corps. "

He then recommends the proper response to this impulsive unrest: "The Bush administration should, of course, quickly and loudly support any demonstrators who hit the streets in Iran. America's approval will not be the kiss of death for the brave dissidents who challenge the regime's armed defenders. On the contrary, such psychological support could prove critical to those trying to show to the people that the die is now decisively cast against the regime."

He also has plans for military strikes against Iran: "The administration may have to tell the Russians, sooner rather than later, that their support of Iran's nuclear program is unacceptable. (If the Russians ignore us--and we should try to devise the most painful arm-twisting that we can for Moscow--then the administration ought to prepare for a military strike against the Bushehr reactor facility. Under no circumstances should the United States allow Bushehr to become operational.)"

There's even a direct suggestion to help some allies: "The administration and Congress should ensure by some means that the unfortunately bankrupt National Iranian Television satellite channel in Los Angeles keeps on broadcasting to Iran"

But perhaps what is most telling is his description of his favorite president. Someone he kindheartedly acknowledges as "the most sincerely religious commander in chief since World War II". When discussing Clinton administration's apology to Iran for the CIA's role in 1953 coup against the popular government of Dr. Mossadegh, he says: "It is impossible to imagine George W. Bush apologizing to Iran, or to any country with which the United States has played hardball politics. It genetically just couldn't happen. In that difference of personal chemistry--and for both Bush and Clinton it is certainly more a matter of sentiment than intellectualized strategy--lies the possibility for Bush of greatness in foreign affairs."

A president who will never apologize to "any country" for it's obvious previous wrong deeds? That's the kind of man we'd all like to see run the world, no?

Full text of his article can be seen or downloaded in PDF format here.

2003-04-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

Mohammed Aldouri, Iraqi Ambassador to UN (Click Here).

This guy has balls the size of basketballs. Only last week he was blasting the criminals invading his country, but today he has totally forgotten it and completely acts as if he is just a low level government clerk, doing his little job at the UN. I think giving him that position was a mistake by Saddam to begin with. He reminds me so much of Mr. Rajaei-Khorasani, his former counterpart from Iran. During the last years of Iran-Iraq war, it was torture for people like me to watch Rajaei-Khorasani appear on numerous TV shows and interviews. The war was heating up and it seemed at least every other day some station would have him on, usually alongside the Iraqi ambassador (whose name skips me) from a separate location, live via satellite. This was particularly of great consequence whenever there was a major operation, missile attacks on civilians or more reports of chemical weapons used. The Iraqi guy was always well dressed, articulate, expressive and clear in his thinking and speech. In contrast, Rajaei-Khorasani looked like he slept in his tie-less outfit, spoke English at the level of a third grader and often came across as argumentative, arrogant, idiotic and just not believable. You'd just wanted to reach into your TV screen, slap him around and tell him to shut up. Somebody once said to discredit a point of view, you don't need to argue well against it, just defend it poorly. Mr. Rajaei-Khorasani did that everyday, defending the Iranian position so poorly, he couldn't convince a single soul of his country and army's brutal treatment by Saddam's regime. Aldouri was also a similar creature. I never believed a word he said, not to mention him saying it so poorly it couldn't be less clear. It's apparent that when these appointments are handed out, nobody ever pays any attention to the PR aspect of who your messenger is going to be. It reminds me of the time when I was a co-chair of re-election campaign for former Toronto mayor, Barbara Hall. Renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood who was a friend and an endorser of Barbara usually didn't say much but one time during a meeting came up with this gem about her main opposition (and eventual election winner), Mel Lastman. She said of him (I'm paraphrasing): "As the voice of the city, who'd want him to be the mouth that speaks for Toronto, if he will constantly have his foot in there". We added that phrase to our usual stomp-speech and Mel proved her right by rarely taking that foot out over the last few years as the mayor. To the same account, people like Rajaei-Khorasani and Aldouri were born with the foot permanently lodged in their blow holes. In case you are wondering, Rajaei-Khorasani was eventually arrested for shoplifting a $500 coat at a New York department store and the idiot instead of trying to play it cool and avoid any possible leak of the incident to media, pulled out his UN card and announced to the world that he was a diplomat and immune from any charges. This was immediately picked up by every news organization around the world, causing one last embarrassment from our idiot ambassador. He later went back to Iran, was "elected" as a member of parliament, became the founder/chairman of the "Parliamentary Human Rights Commission of Iran" (an oxymoron in the Islamic Republic of Iran) and ran unsuccessfully for president. I doubt Aldouri will be granted such opportunities.

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2003-04-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, you've got to ignore this section! I'm only trying to fool blogger crawlers to see if the may be fooled to think my blog is about coffee! Ignore all this: Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe

In the mid-1980s the Reagan administration sent current
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to meet with
Saddam Hussein to improve relations between the U.S. and Iraq.

It looks like Saddam may be done! Even if he isn't yet, he doesn't enjoy some of the advantages of other out-of-work dictators and will surely live without much comfort or hope. I wish I could be happy with that and celebrate this. I could if I felt the world was a safer place now that he is gone. I could if I believed the carnage to get to him was necessary. I could if he was replaced by a grass-root Iraqi movement dedicated to independence, democracy and non-violence principals. I could but for now I'm just an observer, waiting for the next shoe to fall.

In the middle of a political discussion today, somebody said to me "if you feel so strongly about this, why don't you run for office?". After I told him my "story" of first time running for office, he felt kind of sorry for me. In a true democracy, any citizen would have the right as well as a realistic opportunity to run for political office and maybe even get elected. Unfortunately, we don't live in such a utopia. Money and relationships create politicians and election winners, not ideas and people. Until then, the best we can do is to keep the dream alive and pursue it to the best of our abilities.

In case you want to see the sad results of that election, click here. Then follow the link for "Toronto" and look for "Scarborough-Rouge River".

Okay, you've got to ignore this section! I'm only trying to fool blogger crawlers to see if the may be fooled to think my blog is about coffee! Ignore all this: Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Latte Mocha Cup Cafe

2003-04-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

Don't really have a lot to say today. Had a great day because of one man. Without getting into too much detail: he had promised me to do something and then decided to not to and did something else. Felt so bad that he had not followed his word, he went out and bought me a very nice gift certificate from a decent restaurant closeby. He really didn't have to. I mean most people wouldn't. Heck most people wouldn't even hesitate to rethink about what they had said or promised. Yet he went out of his way, got the certificate and then drove to my work to sort of apologize. It was really nice and it made my day. Thanks! Wish more people were so considerate. I mean, imagine how much nicer each of our lives would be if everyone went just one extra step to be courteous.

2003-04-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

With Afghanistan firmly under control (well, sort of) and prospect of an invaded Iraq within eyesight, it should not be a surprise that a certain lobby group has already started a campaign to make Iran the next target of Bush's war machine. Michael Ledeen in his National Review article for example shows tremendous concern for "the plight of the Iranian(s)" but at the same time believes "they are coming to kill us" and we should act quickly, because "Iran, at least, offers us the possibility of a memorable victory". There's even a report that Iran's nuclear facilities may be targeted during the Iraq campaign. I think we need to watch this situation more closely. I doubt Bush/Blair team is crazy enough to take military action against Iran, but I bet they already have other plans for their United States' 51st state's neighbor to the east, Iran.

BBC correspondent, Jim Muir has written a piece to describe Kaveh Golestan's last moments, before being killed by a mine explosion in Northern Iraq. [Links via Hoder]

2003-04-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Click on the image above to see more of Nikahang Kowsar's work.

Exporting Democracy - During the first few years of Ayatollah Khomeini's rule in Iran, his regime's favorite theory was exporting the Islamic revolution to countries near and far. They invested heavily in this venture, in both direct and indirect ways. Many Islamist movements around the globe were either created or pulled under their umbrella of financial and material support. Millions of books, pamphlets, posters and other material were printed in Iran in Arabic as well as many other languages. Medical and humanitarian teams were dispatched to some of the neediest corners of the forgotten world. Arms and ammunitions got distributed to an ssortment of "rebel" organizations world-wide. In Philippines, Indonesia, Lebanon, Emirates, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia even U.S.A. and Canada multiple factions started their sometimes civil and or violent campaigns to spread the message of this new pariah Islamic state. After all, the old fragile Ayatollah had just managed to lead his people in overthrowing one of the western powers' most influential, powerful and reliable allies and this had strengthen the resolve of all others battling their own foreign or domestic enemies. Some have even suggested this "exporting of revolution" was the primary provocation for Saddam Hussein's attempt to invade Iran and the ensuing disastrous 8 year Iran-Iraq war. It may also have acted as a motivation for the Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan. However the campaign, except for some limited examples, was a general failure and never produced another similar government anywhere in the world. It was clear that ideologies and forms of governments can not be "exported" and are created through a growth period of various experiences and ideas produced within each individual society. In other words, you can't inject an idea foreign to a people and culture into that society, unless the accumulation of that society's past practices, encounters and understandings has already led them to that direction. So is the case for "exporting democracy". Countries that have embraced and accepted the current western-style democracy as their form of government (some real others imaginary), have done so based on their history and past experiences. This does not necessary make that to be a virtuous and noble option for all nations on earth. I can't speak for Iraq or any other country, but as an Iranian, I believe this is certainly the case for Iran: we just are not at a position to implement, accept and cherish a full democracy now. Even our most progressive forces and individuals still believe in bullying their opponents and lead through a campaign of intimidation and terror. We still fail at some basic free and respectful discussions, even if we generally agree with each other's views (imagine what we may do to our opponents given the power). Every group and organization only believes in the righteousness of it's own ideas and cause and considers all others to be enemies. The concept of truth and right vs. wrong is absolute and there are no grey shades between black and white. This atmosphere is recipe for a larger disaster. This is the most fertile grounds for producing even larger dictators and dictatorships. This is where we need to start working now to get "there" at some point. In conclusion, Iran and Iranians may or may not choose and embrace democracy one day. That day may come very soon or be still very far ahead, but until then we all need to practice acceptance, tolerance, respect for varying points of views and constructive dialogue as a tool to gain a common wisdom. Maybe then we will be able to put our ideas and experiences together and choose the right path for us, not what is put in front of us by others.

2003-04-04T00:29:00.000-08:00

Why Iranians Support This War? Soon close to half of U.S. military force will be in the Persian Gulf region. That's half of the largest military machine ever assembled on earth. The first American convoy arrived at the doorsteps of Baghdad today and more are on their way. Civilian casualties are mounting and there are serious allegations of war crimes from an assortment of sources. Despite worldwide outrage and protest marches by millions, majority of Iranians are still in favor of this invasion. As to why this may be, there are a number of explanations. Undoubtedly some of it stems from the general dislike and bordering hatred many Iranians feel towards Saddam Hussein, his regime and yes, even his country. There's also a sense of dissatisfaction and revulsion they experience with their own government and the prospect of how this war could affect their lives is intriguing to say the least. Another major contributor could be a general conviction many Iranians hold dear as to the role of foreigners in their destiny. Perhaps best portrayed in Iraj Pezeshkzad's fictional masterpiece "My Uncle Napoleon", Dear Uncle always believed anything bad happening in his life was "the works of the British". More than a unique quirk, this syndrome is a social disease amongst many Iranians. Who could blame them too? This is a nation that orchestrated and succeeded at conducting not one but two progressive and astonishing revolutions within a single century, and then watched the fruits of both uprisings being taken away within a few short years and with the help of powers abroad. They also experienced a military coup conducted by the CIA, to crush a third revolution. This has contributed immensely to the notion that somehow we are powerless and no matter what we strive for, the final decisions are made by others, normally foreign powers. With that mindset, it is easy to see the current war as another episode of what the powers-to-be have in store for our region, and why go against the flow when it is hopeless and of no use?. In other words: "they" are going to decide our future anyways , why not go along with it and at least get rid of the current criminals running our country? Fueling such stance, most of the "opposition" media outside Iran (many of them sponsored, set up and funded by the West), reinforce a similar outlook. It is therefore more critical than ever, for the more progressive and intellectual community of Iran to battle such notions and present a clear and civilized alternative to both the atrocious actions of invaders, as well as the biased and suspicious position supported by the Iranian government. In that front, Association of Iranian Researchers as well as a group of prominent artists, writers and poets (in Farsi) have recently issued separate pronouncements to that effect. I'll write more on this topic in the near future.

2003-04-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, the Rumsfeld bit was so popular, it's back for another chuckle. This is him upon getting and using a Laser Pointer, apparently for the first time!. His quotes have become so outrageous, BBC's Broadcasting House has a weekly feature on the same topic. From their archives, here's his most famous one.

I don't know what is wrong with me. How could I have a sound bite from Rumsfeld and ignore his boss, George W.? Here is one from the big cheese I'm sure you'll all enjoy, unless you'll hold me Hostile!

Who said this? ; "I'm sorry to say that the chador was forced on women," she said over tea and cakes in her upscale apartment decorated in ornate furniture in northern Tehran. "Forced — in government buildings, in the school my daughter attends. This garment that was traditional Iranian dress was turned into a symbol of revolution. People have lost their respect for it. I only wear it because of my family status." This is a quote from Zahra Eshraghi, Ayatollah Khomeini's granddaughter and wife of Reza Khatami, a prominent "reformist" and brother of the current Iranian president. She was interviewed by The New York Times, in what is seen by many as a possible unofficial start of a presidential election campaign by her husband's team. Needless to say, much has changed in Iran to even talk of such taboo topics in a public forum.

Kaveh Golestan, prominent Iranian photo journalist (and Pulitzer-prize winner) was killed by stepping on a landmine in Northern Iraq. His work was central in documenting the Iranian Revolution, leaving many memorable and famous images. He later worked for AP and died while on assignment for the BBC. He covered the chemical attack on Halabja, the war in Afghanistan as well as most other large and small conflicts in the region. Some of his unpublished work may now be seen, as is the case for this selection of harsh and heartbreaking images, taken of mentally challenged children in custody of state, in Iran. My heart is with his surviving family.

2003-04-02T00:18:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, President Bush has many like-minded people helping him around the White House. A few of these folks are also very gifted in the art of verbal communication, just like the President himself. One such personality is Mr. Donald Rumsfeld. To give you an example, here is his reply to the question "Where is Bin Laden?"

I think this full text of Colin Powell's Speech to AIPAC is so very telling of where this administration's priorities are. [Thanks PA]

As the missiles started dropping on Iraq, Noam Chomsky wrote down his thoughts

Check out this site to see, enjoy and appreciate what a group of Iranian young Iranian artists are up to. [Thanks Vida]

An apology to America - Rick Mercer of CBC TV's "This hour has 22 minutes" described the way many Canadians feel about this war: "On behalf of Canadians everywhere I'd like to offer an apology to the United States of America. We haven't been getting along very well recently and for that, I am truly sorry I'm sorry we called George Bush a moron. He is a moron but it wasn't nice of us to point it out. If it's any consolation, the fact that he's a moron shouldn't reflect poorly on the people of America. After all it's not like you actually elected him. I'm sorry about our softwood lumber. Just because we have more trees than you doesn't give us the right to sell you lumber that's cheaper and better than your own. I'm sorry we beat you in Olympic hockey. In our defense I guess our excuse would be that our team was much, much, much, much better than yours. I'm sorry we burnt down your white house during the war of 1812. I notice you've rebuilt it. It's very nice. I'm sorry about your beer. I know we had nothing to do with your beer but we feel your pain. I'm sorry about our waffling on Iraq. I mean, when you're going up against a crazed dictator, you want to have your friends by your side. I realize it took more than two years before you guys pitched in against Hitler, but that was different. Everyone knew he had weapons. And finally on behalf of all Canadians, I'm sorry that we're constantly apologizing for things in a passive-aggressive way which is really a thinly veiled criticism. I sincerely hope that you're not upset over this. We've seen what you do to countries you get upset with. Thank you." Rick is also the man behind one of my favorite segments on the show, called "Talking to Americans", which was featured even on Nightline. [Thanks to 3 senders of his comments]

My sweet ol' memories - That last piece reminded me of something: It was only a month or so since I had moved to U.S. and was invited to a dinner party at a friend's home. There were about 20 guests, mostly middle-aged couples of European background, okay "white" people!. I was helping with clean up in the kitchen after dinner (I'm such a good boy, no?) when this sweet woman I had just met came over and started a conversation. We talked for a bit and she noticed my coffee had gone cold since I had been busy cleaning. She asked me where I had moved from, to which I replied "Toronto, Canada" and then she offered to "nuke" my coffee in the microwave oven. Then she went on to explain how the oven works and how wonderful it is and then asked if we had them in Canada!. I, of course, couldn't resist the opportunity to be a smart ass and offered detailed explanations of our baby seal hunting trips and how nice it would have been to owned such a magical machine for a good hot cup of coffee after we returned to our igloos by snowmobiles in cold Toronto winters. You know something? She bought the whole thing and later repeated the story to her husband!. We still have a good laugh at the whole thing whenever I talk to my friend, the host of that dinner party.

2003-04-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

Discovery Channel will re-broadcast David Frost's interview with the Shah of Iran on April 3rd. It will be interesting to watch it again, this time after such a long time and after so much has changed. A few years ago, I started my own personal journey of discovery to find out who Shah really was and tried to review all material directly linked to him as well as those by others about his private and public life. I must tell you, the journey came to a crashing halt upon reading his last and most famous book, Answer to History. My verdict? The man was an idiot, completely unqualified for the position he held. Having said that, I'll still make an effort to watch this interview, which by the way reminds me of two points: 1- How much I am looking forward to reading Abbas Milani's upcoming book on Shah, as I believe we have never really had an accurate picture of the man and 2- When I got on Shah's porch in Niavaran Palace, it looked too familiar. It took me a few minutes to realize this was the scene of his most famous interview by Barbara Walters, which I had watched a few times.

2003-04-01T00:10:00.000-08:00

Reza Pahlavi got the most trusted of his buddies together in DC not long ago. Nobody was counting on Iraqis fighting back they way they have so far. After all, their favorite deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz had predicted “An explosion of joy will greet our soldiers”. They made their plans of moving to the "freed Iraq", a 24 hour television program, full fledge plans of setting up yet another regime change, this time in Iran. There will be no bombs, no blood-shed. They were assured by expert "guests" speaking at the event. Well, plans are on hold. Suitcases are packed, with nowhere to go. C'mon "coalition", get the job done quickly. The next puppet is anxiously awaiting.

P. sent this: Perhaps we'll have more wars breaking out in enforcing U. N.'s Security Council resolutions..... The violators:

Country & The Issues

Israel                   Various violations over 3 decades: Geneva Convention, troops in Palestinian cities, etc.
Turkey                Multiple resolutions since 1974 calling for withdrawal of troops from Cyprus
Indonesia            Several resolutions since 1999 on treatment of refugees, U.N. personnel
India/ Pakistan   1998 resolution calls for ceasing development of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles
Russia                1994 resolution on respecting sovereignty of Republic of Georgia

This is just a short list, but we'll see how these wars will proceeds in the near (??) future.....

2003-03-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

Link of the day:

From: The New York Times

"We had a great day," Sergeant Schrumpf said. "We killed a lot of people."
....

We dropped a few civilians," Sergeant Schrumpf said, "but what do you do?"

To illustrate, the sergeant offered a pair of examples from earlier in the week.

"There was one Iraqi soldier, and 25 women and children," he said, "I didn't take the shot."

But more than once, Sergeant Schrumpf said, he faced a different choice: one Iraqi soldier standing among two or three civilians. He recalled one such incident, in which he and other men in his unit opened fire. He recalled watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said. "But the chick was in the way."

2003-03-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Quote of the day:

From The Guardian, March 25th, 2003

.... . . A few miles from the bridge to the south lie the ruins of the
ancient city of Ur, founded 8,000 years ago, the birth place of Abraham
and a flourishing metropolis at a time when the inhabitants of north-west
Europe were still walking round in animal skins.

Sgt Sprague, from White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia, passed it on
his way north, but he never knew it was there.

"I've been all the way through this desert from Basra to here and I ain't
seen one shopping mall or fast food restaurant,"
he said. "These people got nothing. Even in a little town like ours of
twenty five hundred people you got a McDonald's at one end and a Hardee's
at the other...."

[Thanks R.B.]

2003-03-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

Iman & Farid's Blog : "Many westerners do not know anything about the Middle East, its history, ethnic groups and Islam as a major religion in this region.."

2003-03-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

I never figured in a million years, anyone could make Saddam Hussein look good. We are talking about a brutal dictator who has done it all; torture, mass murders, invasions, bombing civilians, rapes, chemical attacks, basically a poster child for crimes against humanity. Then he got lucky. A new circle of cohorts running world's only superpower had a new and peculiar agenda. They wanted to change the face of the world and one of their first targets was the country ran by Saddam. So, they lied and plotted to get the entire universe to join them in invading Iraq, but a few other countries saw their true intentions and started a campaign to stop it. The invasion did finally commence, but only two other siblings joined in.

This was Saddam's lucky day. The murderer suddenly became the hero to many, trying to stop a large invading army. He was David, facing Goliath. A third world country under him, trying to stop the largest military machine ever assembled. All of a sudden, he started to look good.

It would take a miracle for him to survive this aggression, but one of the most brutal dictators in the world, may leave it as an idol. This will be the biggest insult to all his victims, dead or alive. And we have the current U.S. administration to thank for this amazing and historical turnaround.

While the Social Democrats all over the globe were busy digesting Labour Party's new direction in following "the third way", Blair and company had obvious other sinister plans. A few short years later, a totally new image has emerged from the ashes of one of the world's more progressive political organizations. An image of brutality and aggression, of hate and oppression and of imperialism and superiority. Perhaps it is fitting then for one of the embassies of her majesty's empire to get attacked by tomatoes. This is how the world now sees a government shaped from evolved ideas of equality and shared values. I hope it isn't too late to change that. I hope the remaining part of the globe still fooled by PNAC and it's allies wakes up to the reality of their agenda. I hope there are still good days ahead for the Labour, and it's democratic allies.

An Iranian policeman stands in front of a British embassy sign in Tehran which was hit by a tomato during an anti-war protest March 28, 2003. Tens of thousands of people, chanting 'Death to America' and 'Death to Saddam' took part in the government-organized demo -- the first major anti-war protest in Iran since war started in its western neighbor. After the rally about 300 people converged on the British embassy in Tehran and broke several windows with stones thrown from the street. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

2003-03-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

New Bomb Capable Of
Creating 1,500 New Terrorists
In Single Blast

Over the last few days, this picture has been on my mind more often than not. I don't know what draws me back to it over and over again. The "wounded" girl looks dead to me. I don't know how much a leg wound like that would bleed before a small child passes away. She certainly looks pale enough to be dead. It also goes well with the other dead bodies in the background. No, I am not trying to be too blunt about the subject matter. After all, this is the reality of war and one of the reasons people like me could not possibly support the current aggression. Back to the picture. I think it depicts the back of a truck, probably one in charge of collecting and disposing of dead bodies. The man can not be her father. He is too matter-of-fact to be related. He is unemotional enough to be a pro. With the blue coverall and lack of much rage, he must be a civil servant, maybe a garbage collector, now with new duties. However for the sake of this piece we are going to pretend that he is the father of the small girl. After all, he could well be. I'm sure she has a father, one maybe very similar to this guy. So, why not him? Let's pretend, okay?

She woke up that morning, a girl of 5 or 6. Full of life, probably oblivious to the true nature of what is really going on around her. She played, maybe even sang, ate, teased a sibling, raised some havoc, laughed a lot. She was just going around being a child. Just like most children, all over the globe. It only took a few seconds. A whistle like sound, a big bang and then walls crumbling. Suddenly she is under tons of rubble. She is in pain, covered in blood. Soon she is dead.

He ran home after hearing the explosion. As he turned around the corner to see his neighborhood, his worst nightmare was confirmed, the rocket had hit his house. People were trying to help the wounded, but he couldn't see his daughter. Soon he found her lifeless body. His favorite daughter was dead....

I have learned to be a pacifist. This wasn't easy as I had been a witness to much violence growing up during the "last great revolution" in Iran. Nonetheless, I can't positively say how I'd react if I was the father in the picture. Would I be so full of rage I'd consider revenge? Would I seek to make those responsible pay? Would I do anything to cause the most damage? Maybe. I can't possibly say for sure, as I have never been subjected to such tragedy. The closest I can relate to this situation is how I feel about the interrogators/torturers in Iranian jails, and I do not hold such hatred even for them. However, it isn't a question of what I would do. It is more of what would SOME of these fathers, brothers, sons, daughters, sisters and wives may do. Would some be so overcome with grief, they turn it into anger and look for the right opportunity to strike? Probably.

This is where I can't be certain. Are we creating more hatred and raw emotion that could and probably will feed the warped minds of future terrorists? We possibly are. And why....???

2003-03-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

Although he looked calm and collected, you could tell he was engulfed in flames of rage inside. He spoke much faster than usual, mostly obscure passages and a sermon-like lecture filled with words like "savior", "salvation" and "scripture". Religion brings out some powerful emotions in humans and it doesn't matter which version one subscribes to. He spoke of Armageddon. The need for all to join the rapture, which by his description sounded more like a fun trip to the transporter deck of spaceship enterprise. The picture he pained of those of us "left behind" was not pretty. He told me over and over again of the evil ways of the enemy and how this all has been foretold and long expected by those in the know. He told me of how the end was oh so imminent.

I tolerated it all, 'till his speech turned more political and more current. He told me of how wrong these "mozlemian" were and didn't even crack a smile when I pointed out how close that sounded and looked to my last name. I put up with it all but couldn't resist anymore at one point. That's when he told me how we all "deserved" September 11th and how this war was so vital now because of the need to avenge the lost lives. I remember I couldn't stop myself from replying, exactly at the moment he said "September 11th was essentially a slap in the face of America...". To which I calmly and politely replied: "Maybe we should consider our savior lord's advise and turn the other cheek".

He left shortly after that. I know, I'm hopelessly past the point of being saved. You know many have tried, but so far nothing has worked.

So, to my Jesus loving co-worker, who entertained me today, I present from the New Testament, Matthew 5:38-45 in it's entirety:

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

2003-03-27T00:18:00.000-08:00

This morning I made a new resolution: post less links! It's partially due to life's other engagements, and partially my attempt to make this log more "personal". We'll see how it goes.

Why majority of Americans supprt this war - I have this friend who lives in Belgium now. She is a lovely woman with a very artistic and unique view on life. She is very smart and a successful businesswoman currently with a large European ISP. She is not very political however and passionately avoids any conversation or topic that may involve analytical or ideological dialogue. To her, all life is "feelings" and "senses" and anytime you bring logic, philosophy or rational thinking into discussions, you can bet she may be nodding, but she is thinking of the lily she just noticed in her driveway or the way waves hit the side of an observation boat every time a whale dives into the deeper waters or how you never get the right reflection, light and shadows to draw and paint toes very realistically.

She called me today to say hello and naturally the topic of war came up. She was sincerely dumbfounded as to why majority of Americans still support the Bush's invasion. I really didn't know how to answer her without getting too philosophical or even sound political. Suddenly I remembered the conversation I had only a few minutes earlier and re-told it to her in detail. I think she not only understood my point, but liked it too. So, I decided to post the same conversation here for you. I've changed names and obvious identifying details (to protect the innocent!), but I don't think that matters at all. None of it is made-up and this is an accurate (as much as I can exactly recall) description of the full conversation. This, I believe, is a typical conversation with a couple of typical Americans. Something very ordinary but to the keen eye very telling.

First the cast of characters: "Ralph" is a 70 something year old veteran of WWII, who has done well in business after the war and is currently in a state of semi-retirement, working only part-time to essentially keep busy. I respect Ralph a lot. Maybe it's my middle-eastern upbringing to automatically respect my elders, or it's just the graceful way he conducts himself as well as the tid bits of interesting stories he comes up with once in a while. "Michael" is a middle-age stout man, running a large department of a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 conglomerate as a V.P. (read middle-manger). Michael is the type that everyone goes to or listens to for answers. Maybe it's just his position of authority or his "radical" past as a 60's hippie. Or maybe it's just the way he pretends to know everything. The setting is a "customer lounge" area, outside Michael's office:

Pedram (Knowing Ralph's love for anything Republican, along with his obsession with "government spending", this is a hot button I can exploit and have some fun with him) : So, $75Billion for war, how much more you think will be needed?

Ralph (Uncomfortable already with my question): Whatever it is going to take...

Pedram: Yeah, I guess shooting so many multi-million dollar missiles gets expensive very fast.

Ralph: Hey, after all, they attacked our country first.

Pedram: They did? when?

Ralph: Well, the September 11th...

Pedram: Ralph, what does that have to do with Iraq? Wrong country my friend. Just because a few Muslims attacked us doesn't make all Muslim countries responsible...

Ralph mumbles something inaudible, he is really uncomfortable with this...

Pedram: That would be like invading China because Asians attacked Pearl Harbor...

Ralph: Well, you probably say this because you are from that part of the world....

Pedram: What does that have to do with anything? What? you are going to discount whatever I say because of my place of birth or shade of skin?

Ralph clearly wasn't expecting such a harsh answer, so he stays quite and stares towards Michael, as to say "help!"

Michael (looking at me): Where are you from anyway?

Pedram: I'm Iranian, which has nothing to do with Iraq. After all we fought one another for 8 years and were enemies of Saddam long before "W" started getting too drunk at frat parties.

Michael: Yeah, I read about that...

Pedram: What? about the war?

Michael: Yeah. I think we made a mistake by backing Saddam.

Pedram (pleasantly surprised by that statement): You better believe it, we not only didn't condemn his chemical attacks, we supplied him with the knowledge and material to conduct them.

Michael: Yeah, I think it was a mistake for America to back him against the Shah..

Pedram: The Shah?

Michael: Yeah, I think we should have supported the Shah in that war instead of Saddam..

Pedram: Mike, you've probably got your facts mixed up. The Iran-Iraq war didn't start until long after Shah had left the country and the Ayatollahs were in charge...

Michael: No, it was the Shah...

Pedram: I think I'd know this.. (I'm cut off)

Michael: No, I just watched this program on TV. It was a mistake for US to support Saddam, they should have stayed with their long-term ally, The Shah of Iran..

Ralph (rejuvenated by his friend's "vast knowledge" turns to me): You don't know what you are talking about...

Pedram gets up, starts to walk away shaking his head in disbelief. This is why we are supporting this war. Well, the majority of us are, so far.

2003-03-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Biased Media ? Two days ago, some very progressive news outlets, such as FOX News and Jerusalem Post (yes, I am indeed being sarcastic) reported about about a "Huge Iraqi Chemical Weapons Factory" found near Baghdad by the advancing U.S. forces. Well, it turns out that was a lie too, like all the other ones that have brought us this far into this predicament. Well, it must be somewhat of a humiliation that we came to inspect for WMD's and claim that Iraq isn't co-operating with our effort to find them, then invade their country, drop over 1,000 bombs on their capital, aledgedly kill their president or at least his son and yet, they don't use these weapons we accused them of having to defend themselves. It just doesn't add up. My only worry currently is if someone trying to legitimize the purpose behind this invasion, would use a small amount of some chemical agent on limited basis to have the "proof" needed to go back to the world community and declare "You see? we told you so! Imagine if we had not invaded them, what could've happened!". Meanwhile, more innocent lives are lost or put at great risk.

Hate Crimes - As incidents of violence and hostility towards people of middle eastern background sky-rocketed right after the horrible events of 9/11, I was exposed to a close call too. Now with the flames of war spreading, particularly after a few images of killed soldiers are plastered on TV and newspapers, and first POW's are acknowledged, there is a real concern for possible other occurrences of similar incidents. Alliance for Iranian Americans (AIA) has just issued an advisory statement with information as to an individual's rights and possible ways to deal with such events. Click on various "tabs" on their homepage to explore your options.

Hypocracy - DM sent this interesting comparison today: This morning General Meyer said: ".. Iraqis committing serious violations of the law of armed conflict and the Geneva Convention by dressing as civilians, by luring us into surrender situations and opening fire on our troops,". Then, there's this story: "In the Bethlehem battle, plainclothes Israeli forces were searching for militants from the Hamas movement when they came under fire near the center of town and shot back, killing two gunmen in a car, Israel radio reported". I guess some forces in some wars are okay to wear "plain" clothes and blend in the crowds, bu others aren't so lucky or previledged.

"Terrorist" and "Terrorist-type" threats? Correct me on this if I am wrong. I was listening to Rumsfeld today and this is how he described the Iraqi army that is fighting in and around Southern Iraqi cities: " I'm not going to call them troops because they're travelling in civilian clothes and they're essentially terrorists," Rumsfeld said. "They do not represent a serious threat to the success of this campaign. What they do represent is a terrorist-type threat." So, I looked up what "Terrorist" and "Terrorist-type" means in a dictionary. The Merriam-Webster gives references on both words to "Terror" and it describes terror as: "a state of intense fear. one that inspires fear. frightening aspect. a cause of anxiety. an appalling person or thing. violence (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands". Now, I'm the last person on earth to defend Iraq's army (or it's president or form of government or ...) but how is what they are doing defined as terrorism? Or conceivably this is just another game of word-association to link two completely unrelated issues, namely the terrorist attack on U.S. and Saddam Hussein in the listener's minds. Clever but shameful if you ask me.

U.S. Forms Own U.N.

John Mellancamp - I admit to my own prejudice and stereo-typing here. I never envisioned country, folksy rock and blue grass artists as a very progressive or liberal crowd. Dixie Chicks proved me wrong last week, and this week it's no other than John Mellancamp. You can download his latest single here. This is part of the lyrics:

So America voted on a president
No one kept count
On how the election went
From Florida to Washington
....
And he wants to fight with many
And he says it's not for oil
He sent out the National Guard
To police the world
From Baghdad to Washington

A Few Links:	Link Description:
Gamblers Place Wagers on Saddam's Demise	Hey let's make a bet on Saddam's life. War is so much fun!
Online NewsHour: The Iraq War	A good source of information on Iraq
Iraq News Today	Another new site dedicated to war news
What the Arab press say	Samples of Arabic news headlines, hear the other side!
Basra, Why aren't the cheering?	They were supposed to be cheering in the streets as the American and British tanks rolled in
Iraqi rebuilding contracts awarded!	The war hasn't really even begun and they are already spreading the profits. No wonder Cheney's company: Halliburton gets a share.
Cursor: Media Patrol	For a different type of media!
Marines losing the battle for hearts and minds	Hopes of a joyful liberation of a grateful Iraq by US and British armies are evaporating fast...
Our Troops Are Tired And Scared	Their families are waiting for them. Bring them home!
China readies for future U.S. fight	WWIII? - "...Beijing has also begun to fine-tune its domestic and security policies to counter the perceived threat of U.S. "neo-imperialism."
"Civilian" governor of occupied Iraq	He's linked to hardliners in Israel. Surprised?

[Thanks to: PM, BN, DM, PA]

2003-03-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Thumbs Up - Brad H. sent this: "The Army's 3rd Infantry Division was responsible for the deepest known penetration in force of the Iraqi interior, a two-day dash that brought it toward Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. Some Iraqis waved or gave a thumbs-up as the convoy passed, while others stood stoically." Then rightly asks: "There we go with that `thumbs up' thing again. Are Iraqi thumbs pointed up with the same intention as Irani thumbs?"

Okay, if you don't know what thumbs-up means in that corner of the world, let's just say it equates flipping another finger in the west.

I watched somebody verbally abuse a fellow American today for protesting the war. Isn't that just ridiculous? We are supposed to be free thinkers who can disagree with our president or government and yet feel safe in expressing that opinion. The abuser was outraged at how the other guy "disrespected our president". I thought only in dictatorships you are expected to not "disrespect" the leader and obey whatever he/she says and hide our displeasure when we disagree with him. Having said that, the second guy gave a great answer that made the angry dude crawl back under the rock he had emerged from. I'll make his line my spur-of-the-moment banner of the day below:

I Don't Have To Like Bush To Love America!

We can't have a banner of the day and not have a quote of the day, can we? Nah! So, here it is:

"What does it matter to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

-- Mahatma Gandhi --

Persian Blogs - Hossein Derakhshan writes: "I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Moore up there, not worrying about his professional career (which of course isn't too dependant on Hollywood) he shit all over Bush..."

A Few Links:
Why we are in Iraq, and who's next?
"We are about to startle and reorder the world." At least he admits to it, cause I'm totally "startled".
Another horrible picture from Iraq. Only look (and be startled) if you have a strong stomach.
Nader Calls Bush 'Dictator'
Amnesty International is already at work in Iraq and needs $
Iraqi Resistance - "...pilots were "somewhat dazed, somewhat stunned" by the level of Iraqi resistance they encountered."
Why I Resigned From the U.S. Foreign Service

[Thanks BN, DM, PA and RF for some of the links]

2003-03-23T23:39:00.000-08:00

My Day Today - I was in the area surrounding Camp Pendleton most of the day. This is a large Marine base in Southern California, where many of the US forces in Iraq live, are stationed regularly and were deployed from. There has been at least 5 Pendleton Marines killed so far in the first days of this war. The mood is somber. Some of the soldier's wives held an impromptu pro-war rally. There are more than average vacancies at some of the apartment complexes. Somebody explained that many of the families moved back to their parents' or other relative's cities when one spouse was deployed. Maybe it was just me, but the air felt heavier than normal. There were not many smiles. War is an ugly thing. I hope the rest of these soldiers come back to their families in safety and health. I hope no more innocent Iraqis are hurt or killed either. Wishful thinking, I know. War is an ugly thing. Very ugly thing.

Next target: Iran - "After the war in Iraq, Israel will try to convince the U.S. to direct its war on terror at Iran, Damascus and Beirut. Senior defense establishment officials say that initial contacts in this direction have already been made in recent months, and that there is a good chance that America will be swayed by the Israeli argument."

Michael Moore's speech in accepting his Oscar for one of my all-time favorite movies (documentary) Bowling for Columbine : "We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where we have fictitious election results, that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons," Moore said. "We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you! Shame on you!." Some booed, then the music started and the obligatory applause came from the audience masking Moore's last line: "Any time you’ve got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up!".

He has a valid argument: DM points out: "US has exported 100s of cruise missiles, thousands of tanks and humvees, etc to Iraq in last few days! all in violation of UN Sanctions!".

A Few Links : Cut them, do they not bleed? by Wendy McElroy - US General: "West is failing Afghans" - Pope: war threatens fate of humanity -

Persian Blogs - Shabgard ( Night Walker ) writes in a comment here: "The day my little sister died in my mother's belly from the horror of a missile landing at the end of our street, I learned that missiles are what kills babies in their mother's tummies. I hate missiles. I want my sister back."

Persian Blogs - Oshgool took some pictures at the anti-war rally in Toronto, here.

[Thanks to PA, RF and DM for sending some of today's links]

2003-03-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

Anti-war demonstration by Iranian Women in Tehran [Link Via Hoder]

2003-03-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

Not Human - Israel issued gas masks to it's citizens in anticipation of a possible chemical attack by Iraq. However, the gas masks were no offered to SOME of the people living under their occupation. I guess they are not human after all.

A Few Links - Oil Prices Drop Sharply, the war strategy is working already! - Pentagon says "500 Cruise Missiles Hit Iraq" so far, o' boy! - More on Richard Perle, "Prince of Drkness" .

Norman Mailer : "... A war with Iraq will gratify our need to avenge September 11. It does not matter that Iraq is not the culprit. Bush needs only to ignore the evidence. Which he does with all the power of a man who has never been embarrassed by himself. Saddam, for all his crimes, did not have a hand in September 11, but President Bush is a philosopher. September 11 was evil, Saddam is evil, all evil is connected. Ergo, Iraq.... If I were George W. Bush's karmic defense attorney, I would argue that his best chance to avoid conviction as a purveyor of false morality would be to pray for a hung jury in the afterworld."[Thanks NBT]

Letter of the month - In April 1998, we were preparing for another round of raids on Iraq. U.S. and Britain had already committed and Canada was deciding whether to join in, which they eventually did. I had stayed quite on the subject, not wanting to let my dislike of Saddam taint my position on the issue. On the night the Canadian Parliament was voting on the topic, I could stay quite no more. I sent a hastily written message to all the MP's, then to several newsgroups and e-mail discussion lists. The letter was eventually published by at least two magazines as well. It is poorly worded and contains more than one or two errors. Quite honestly, I remember the state of mind I was in when I wrote it and I am surprised it doesn't include more. I found it on the net tonight and it brought back many emotions. I'll share it here with you:

From a former child hiding from war - Having been born and raised in Iran, especially after the bloodiest war of the recent decades between Iran and Iraq during the 80's, I have strong (and at times mixed) feelings about the subject [of renewed military action in Iraq]. I remember the Iraqi air raids over Tehran very clearly, the fear of children hiding in their basements, windows taped to prevent injuries while shattering, an entire city of 12 million in complete darkness and the thunder of anti-aircraft guns shaking the soul of every individual. (Living on a hill next to the state TV station, we had the "privilege" of having four of those surrounding our little dead-end street.)

A few years later, a new "hobby" of the residents was to watch for the long-range Iraqi missiles (oh yes, they can be easily seen while flying towards their target) and try to guess their destination, so they can go help out with removal of bodies from under the collapsed buildings. I also remember being arrested at 14 with a bunch of socialist (yes, proudly too) papers and being sentenced to death by the local court in absence. The next morning, they woke us up at 4 a.m., lined us up and read us an order from the "supreme leader" that if we volunteer to go fight the "evil Saddam Hussein" at the front line, our sentences will be delayed until the end of the war and then we may get amnesty. Of course the other option was to refuse and face a death squad.

Thirty-six of my young comrades accepted the offer. They were "blessed" in a special ceremony and given a plastic "key to heaven" (It said made in Hong Kong on it) and taken away. Later we learned they were used to clear out mine fields in front of advancing troops. Every single one (all under 15 years of age) was blown away that same day, when they were "encouraged" to run to the other side of the field without any warning.

Our sentence wasn't carried out that day and later I was fortunate enough to get out, but the war took away many friends, neighbors and classmates. I also remember seeing the war casualties coming back with severe chemical burns and then watching the TV footage of Kurd residents of Halabja, after the Iraqi chemical attack on their village.

Our elected representatives will be debating tonight on whether we should join the U.S. and England in taking military action against Iraq for refusing to obey the U.N. resolutions to control their weapons of mass destruction. Just like a few years earlier when we joined them in turfing out invading Iraqi troops' aggression towards Kuwait. Here are a few questions I hope they consider before deciding on it:

1. Will we make the same commitment to uphold other U.N. resolutions regarding important issues in the middle-east region that have also been disregarded by the governments involved? The last one I recall demands the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon.

2. Why, when 8 years earlier the same Iraqi government invaded south-west Iran, did no one come to turf them out? Are we selective in whom and when we help? Are there other reasons the Kuwaiti invasion required our intervention and the Irani invasion did not?

3. I had the pleasure of hearing Alexa McDonough's speech at a dinner in Ottawa, where she said that "between the U.S. troops and Saddam Hussein, there
are millions of innocent Iraqi men, women and children." The last conflict in the Persian Gulf caused huge death and destruction among the civilian Iraqi population without any real effects on the ruling regime. Will we continue to pursue such a goal again? What price are we willing to pay for enforcing the U.N. resolution?

4. Will we make the same commitment towards other countries in the region and elsewhere that may possess similar capabilities in chemical, nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction?

5. Will Canada sponsor a Global ban of such weapons and not simply select countries we wish not to have access to such weapons?

I was once one of those children hiding under a bed in our basement awaiting the thunder of Iraqi planes bombing our neighborhood. As I sleep tonight comfortably in my bed in Toronto, my thoughts will be with millions of Iraqi children hiding under their beds, waiting for the U.S. and British (perhaps Canadian) planes bombing theirs.

2003-03-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

I am having some difficulties with the java script on the Iraq Body Count link above. If you don't see a number and only "Upating..." flashing, click on the picture to be transferred to their site and be horrified with the updated number. Not a pleasant experience, but the truth often hurts.

The "little girl" from the last post has a name today. She is Doha Siel, a five year old in a Baghdad hospital with a piece of shrapnel embedded in her spine. Let us not forget Doha and others like her, as we go about doing our daily routines.

A Few Links : The Whole World Says No To War! - Richard Perle rejoices at "Death of the UN", in case you are wondering who that is, this story explains one of his many possible ethics issues - Did you know This is not "War"?, The White House calls it anything but - More on Washington's new found admiration for MKO - Robert Fisk's latest Report from Baghdad - Father of the first Marine casualty in Iraq has strong words for Bush -

Persian Blogs - Jim writes: "Because of this damn war, it doesn't feel like a Norooz or New Year celebration. Everything on TV is about the war. Tehran Network that is supposed to be an entertainment channel is showing a religious prayer, where people are crying even on New Year's eve. We don't have a gold fish or the greens (part of Norooz traditions) in this house. They say its Moharram (a holy Shiite month of mourning) so no celebration. I swear to god, these guys would be better off mourning the entire year instead of just a couple of months."

Persian Blogs - Habsheh writes: "...On the road to the "new world order", the images are selected and very controlled for our viewing. The show of technical prowess and modern weaponry, "weapons of mass destruction allowed for the mighty" and images of triumph and victory over the enemy's army. An army of famished, malnutritioned, bankrupt, drained and tired of all the deployments to the previous wars. They have made the war seem like a "show", maybe a car racing event or a soccer game, with up to the minute reports from the frontlines. What we forget, or they want us to forget, is the torment and people's anguish, horror and fear, not finding a shelter under the downpour of fire..."

2003-03-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

An Iraqi girl wounded in a recent air strike lies in a hospital bed in Baghdad,
March 20, 2003. U.S. bombs and cruise missiles hit Baghdad at dawn on
Thursday as the United States launched a war to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
{See also Here and Here.}

I truly wanted to start with a fun and interesting post today as it is Norooz, the first day of spring in the Northern hemisphere and start of the Iranian New Year. However, the picture of this girl has been on my mind all day. It's as if she is staring every single one of us in the eyes asking WHY? She wants to know what did she have to do with all this mess? Why is she the one paying the price tonight? Her piercing eyes will haunt me for a long time, I hope they do the same to you as if they don't, you need to figure out when/how/where you lost your humanity.

Little girl, I'm sorry. I truly honestly am sorry. I'm sorry our leaders can't get past their narrow agendas. I'm sorry they resort to violence in the name of justice and even peace. I'm sorry both our countries are led by idiots. I truly am sorry. Hope you get well soon. My mind, heart and best wishes are with you.

Feels Good??? - I guess it's obvious by now how I feel about "W". But even I was shocked at this story and still hope it is not true. The story claims this about Bush's television address on Wednesday: "Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. ``Feels good,'' he said." . Let's forget about who is right and who is wrong for a moment. You just ordered the start of a war. Not a small one either. A massive invasion force numbered in the hundreds of thousands trying to invade a huge country. There will no doubt be casualties. Both on the confronting armies as well as innocent lives lost in the midst. This should be a somber and serious, if not gloomy moment for you and us all. You pump your fist saying it "feels good"??? You got to be kidding me friend! What feels so good about it? Are you insane? Even if you are right and have the god-given authority to decide what and who is right and wrong on earth and then act upon it, how could you possibly enjoy making such decisions? I'm lost! Anyone can help me on this? I guess I just don't get it.

Biggest Recipient of U.S. Aid Wold wide - Meanwhile, the United States sees it fit to "help" Israel with $10 billion, "to bail it out of the worst economic crisis in its history." I wonder how my unemployed neighbor feels about this! One must wonder, are those supporting this system completely blind or is this not clear enough to see what is going on? I'm speechless. [Thanks RF]

Arrogance of Power - Democrat or Republican, I don't have a high opinion for most of elected politicians in the United States. But once in a while, you read something or hear a speech or watch a debate with one of them that makes you wonder if some actually ARE good people somewhere buried deep inside, waiting to shine when the time is right. This speech by Senator Robert Byrd is one of those rare instances where you can see and feel the humanity of a politician in a corrupt system shining through. Thank you Senator for keeping a flicker of light alive at this country's darkest hours. [Thanks PA]

A Few Links - Robert Fist is in Baghdad - Watch CBC's town hall debate on Counter Spin - Those who will benefit most from this war: For-Profit Marshall Plan - Pictures of the world wide protests against war - Supreme Court Justice says the government has room to scale back individual rights during wartime - Suspected war criminal escapes to join the US command council in Qatar - Canada's NDP says NO to war! - Links and information to various protest actions and movement planned - They don't count bodies but IraqBodyCount.net does: 16 civilians this far - 1,300 Protestors arrested in San Francisco.
[Thanks to all those who sent the links.]

On such a sad day of hatred and brutality, maybe this will bring a smile to your face.

May your Persian New Year be filled with laughter, peace and health.

2003-03-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

The War Is On - Tomahawk Missiles launched off the
USS Donald Cook head toward their targets in Iraq
( Photo by: Alan J. Baribeau/U.S. Navy via Reuters)

They Said It - "We live in the United States of Entertainment. Everything is a show, including a war with Iraq ... People are going to die, so they may cover it very seriously. But the promotion is where the show business comes in. It's the same as the promotion for a stupid reality show." -- Media critic and former CBS correspondent BERNARD GOLDBERG in The Dallas Morning News.

The Moron Majority - Ted Rall claims: "Now it's official: most Americans are idiots." He goes on to say "Decades of budget cuts in education are finally yielding results, a fact confirmed by CNN's poll of March 16, which shows that an astonishing 51 percent of the public believe that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. "

A Citizen's Declaration - "As a US-led invasion of Iraq begins, we, the undersigned citizens of many countries, reaffirm our commitment to addressing international conflicts through the rule of law and the United Nations. By joining together across countries and continents, we have emerged as a new force for peace. As we grieve for the victims of this war, we pledge to redouble our efforts to put an end to the Bush Administration's doctrine of pre-emptive attack and the reckless use of military power. " Want to sign this? MoveOn-org people plan to release it at a news conference on Friday. So you better hurry! [by: NBT]

Tasteless - If you find this cartoon tasteless and just wrong, you may wish to write to Jay Parsons, Managing Editor of The Diamondback, University of Maryland's newspaper. Use these addresses: parsons@dbk.umd.edu , opinion@dbk.umd.edu , managing-ed@dbk.umd.edu

A Baghdad Blogger - "There is still nothing happening in Baghdad we can only hear distant explosions and there still is no all clear siren. someone in the BBC said that the state radio has been overtaken by US broadcast, that didn't happen the 3 state broadcasters still operate."

U.S. Appraises Mojahedin - As the war begins, there's a sudden acceptance shown towards Iraq based People's Mojahedin of Iran (Mojahedin'e Khalgh) organization. With all of the gracious Iranian "opposition" already packed and ready to move to a "free" Iraq to mount their future moves, this is a bit suspicious if nothing else. It was only a few short weeks ago that the State Departmant renewed terrorist calls concerning the same organization. Then again, with the history of Mojahedin being full of 180 degree turns almost over night (hey, just ask them now about the Americans they used to claim very proudly they had assasinated during 70's) anything is possible. Even a Rajavi-Pahlavi common front.

A few links: Who will benefit from this war in War Inc. - What does Iraq actually have? Bush clings to dubious accusations - This Iraqi doesn't support the invasion: Dr. Salih Ibrahim - Latest war updates at The Agonist Blog - Complete transcript of Christian Amanpour's interview with France' Jacques Chirac.

2003-03-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

Light Vigil - People of MoveOn.org have a simple idea. To show your opposition to the invasion of Iraq, leave a light or candle in your window. People from all over the globe can do this simple act to express their opinion. If you'd like to join this effort, you can even register the location of your "light" at their site. I'm already searching my tiny apartment for a suitable light as well as a suitable window. Will keep you posted. [Thanks NBT]

The World Says No! - 161 UN member states refused to list themselves as US support in the war. State department has asked all countries to allow US uses their name publicly. Only 30 countries agreed to lend their name. 13 are former soviet republics or Eastern European, only Serbia has stayed out of the New Europe list. And I am not sure why Bulgaria is not listed. No Arab country is included even though some are effectively cooperating. Boucher said the 30 countries on the list are Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan. [Sent by Goudarz of "Voices of the Middle East"]

Michael Moore - 12 different people forwarded me "A Letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush on the Eve of War". It must have felt right and identifiable for all these folks to consider the letter worthy of sharing with others. I think that is the genius of Michael Moore. He has managed to speak/write/produce movies in a fashion that most people, from academics and intellectuals to even the most "ordinary" folks can associate with and appreciate. I think if the progressive movement had more people like him, or found and promoted more people like him amongst themselves, it would be way further ahead in gaining some serious yardage in the political battlegrounds of the future. [Thanks to all 12 of you!]

USAma's Capture - Okay, you are going to think I'm nuts (what else is new?). But call it a hunch, a "feeling" or a whatever, I have had this on my mind for days and I need to get it off my chest (isn't that what blogs are for?). Maybe it was this last paragraph in Michael Moore's letter to "Governor Bush" that made me think about it even more; Moore said to W: "....maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the election....". I've been thinking what if the U.S. did get to USAma, and what would happen if the politicians wanted to use it for political gain?. You see, W's daddy once started another war which he won (if there's a "win" in any war, that is), it made him very very popular but it was too early for that popularity to transfer to votes in the next election and "Bubba" from Arkansas came along and with one line of "it's about the economy, stupid" took that election away from Bush Sr. So, why would the son now want to start yet another war too early, when economy is again a huge question mark and his eventual "win" in this invasion alone will probably not translate to an election victory. After all, the primary function of any politician in our backwards system is to get re-elected, not to free oppressed people from tyrants. Does he have another ace up his sleeve he could play closer to the ballot time? What if he does have USAma? What if they got him last week? How would he use it? Well, for one thing, keeping the lid on the story would be hard. The Americans who will have custody of him in a remote island or similar facility are all professionals with high security clearances and heads to lose, so they may be safe with the secret for a while. How 'bout the Pakistani or Afghan authorities who without doubt hear about it or know for certain? It isn't unlikely that one of them may speak. Maybe it's to get his 15 minutes in the spotlight or a secret dislike for Americans or maybe he gets offered money to tell or who knows what? it is possible that he may speak and speak to a friendly reporter or news outlet. Then the administration will immediately deny the story and quickly cover it up with a bunch of other "news" to divert attention. Well, maybe this already happened then. Last week "Pakistani politician Agha Murtaza Pooya, deputy head of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, said he had told the Pashto language service of Iranian Radio that bin Laden was in custody" (Full Story Here). Pakistan and U.S. immediately denied the report and the story got buried in the midst of all the war related reports. Now, here's my 'hunch": this may actually have been true! And if true, expect the release of the news somewhere between the end of Iraq war and next year's presidential election (or maybe much earlier to coincide with the start of invasion? naah!). Alright there it is, off my chest and on to the web for the world to see. Phew!

Rachel Corrie - Many of the regular visitors have written and/or sent links on stories about Rachel Corrie. To be quite honest, I don't feel very comfortable making too big of a deal out of this. I don't want to take a single thing away from this brave and obviously amazing woman who left the comforts of her American college life to go do the unappreciated work of defending Palestinians and lost her life in doing so. However, on every single day at least 10 other Rachels lose their lives in Palestine and their lives is just as important and newsworthy, even if they don't hold an American passport. I certainly hope her brutal killing will bring some attention to what is going on in the "forgotten war". Here are a group of pictures taken in Palestine and sent by R. F., Thanks!;

Persian Blogs - Letters From London: Persian history is of men and their exploits; and in Persian literature situation is the same. But there is an inspirational contemporary Iranian and modernist poet, Forugh Farrokhzad (1935-1967), whose life and art could be interpreted as one woman's poetic struggle within a patriarchal and traditional society.

2003-03-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

IT IS ALL HIS FAULT!

It's all Mossadegh's fault! - This upcoming war, most of the turmoil of last 50 years in the Middle-East, OPEC, "Energy Crisis" and much more upheaval is all because of a man named Mohammad Mossadegh. You ask, how can a frail old man who happens to also have been dead for 35 years cause so much commotion? It all started with this idea of nationalized oil. You see, before his time, oil production was a private venture. Corporation X would approach the Kingdom of Z and say, "hey we think you have some oil under your feet. We are willing to come find it, then take it out and ship it abroad to sell and in exchange we'll give you a small percentage of it's value". Z government that had no expertise, no resources and a corrupt king's court (that normally got it's own "percentage") would agree to do this, usually at way under bargain prices. Then came along Mossadegh with an idea and to quote Tommy Douglass: "my friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea". He successfully campaigned for nationalization of country's natural resources and won Iran's way out of the previous questionable business dealings. The idea spread like wild-fire and essentially all oil in middle-east became the property of the countries and not foreign corporations. In the process the Shah was forced out of Iran before CIA orchestrated a coup d'etat that overthrew Mossadegh's government, forcing him into exile and brought Shah back.

So, how is he responsible for the upcoming war and invasion of Iraq? Just read what a current "ally" and one of the potential authorities in an after-invasion-Iraq has to say: "Fadhil Chalabi, former top official at Baghdad's oil ministry and OPEC told a London audience that a successful war against Iraq could usher in a "new era" for global oil production and a radical reduction in oil prices...."This situation will weaken enormously OPEC's ability to steer the world market and could, in effect, herald a new era of cheaper oil prices," said Chalabi.... Chalabi also asserted that the state run oil industry paradigm that is the norm in the Middle East today could come to an end. This would result in a windfall for private US and European firms who would step in to fill the void. He suggested that changes would be needed, he added, notably partial privatization. "I believe that the era and idea of oil nationalism is gone," he said. "We have to be more realistic."

Isn't it interesting how we will be starting yet another oil war as well as celebrate the anniversary of Mossadegh's victory in nationalizing his country's oil industry, all within the same week? Maybe there's a message there. Maybe we are planning to end a movement on the anniversary of it's beginning. Maybe it won't be that simple. Maybe. [Thanks D.M. for the last link]

The War of Misinformation Has Begun - By Robert Fisk [Thanks R. F.]

Is the war illegal? - It seems as if many around the world believe it may just be. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said there are no "legal grounds" for the war. A Pravda editorial piece said what the diplomatic minister could not clearly say. Our "ally" Saudi Arabia's largest newspaper agreed. Australian opposition also went along.Belgium went further announcing U.S. would not be allowed to transport any military material for this "Illegal War". Vatican called the war a "crime". There was even similar calls in our new best buddy in the region: Pakistan. "Legal Academics" in Britain came up with this: "On the basis of the information publicly available, there is no justification under international law for the use of military force against Iraq ". Meanwhile, Canada announced it will not join the war, without a clear UN mandate. Robin Cook, Tony Blair's influential cabinet member, received an "unprecedented standing ovation " after delivering his resignation speech. Other resignations are rumored also. [Thanks to all those who sent the link, some of them repeatedly. Thanks]

Dixie Chicks - I'm probably farthest from a country music fan as it comes. In fact, just three days ago I had this conversation about how Dixie Chicks would never be as popular if they looked like Madeline Albright (my friend insisted it was because of their music). But I still must say the current uproar to limit their right to free speech is just insane. And I don't say that because they said something to my liking. In case you don't know, it started when Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks told a Lodon audiance; "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." Now station after station is boycotting their music! All I can say is GROW UP people! It reminds me of the comment credited to John McCain. After his release from the POW camps, someone asked him if he knew about the anti-war protests "back home", to which he replied positively pointing out isn't that what we went to war for? their right to express their dissent? (No, I'm not pro McCain! No letters now!)

Maybach - On a lighter note in this day of horrible images and awful news: Got a chance to test the all new Maybach 57 today. This is the super luxury new car from Mercedes-Benz. It has not been release to the public here yet, but this one was direct from Germany and it is in Southern California to go to the Academy Awards in LA on the weekend. The price tag on this one was just over $310,000 USD. Ouch! What do I think of it? I wish I had that kind of money to throw around on cars! But seriously, aside from all the luxury touches (DVD's, Refrigrator, Cordless Headphones, Outside Loud Speaker, Leather as soft as butter, Wood as pretty as... well, really pretty wood, etc) I was most amazed at the power under it's hood. This is a sports car, hidden in layers of luxury appointment. What will it be doing at the Oscars? Let's just say some of the celebrity clients who have their own on order will get a chance to have some fun with it.

Persian Blogs (This time in English) -Iranian Girl writes: " ...I'm a bit bored. I may have lots to do but I don't feel like doing any of the. It's raining & the sound of rain drops is combined with the loud voice of the mourning group that is going along our streets, these days streets are full of these groups that are most men & boys , the Marsh of mourning is played by a big drum & a special rhythm that makes a heavy atmosphere, but that's difficult to tolerate & sometimes the loud & not nice melody can makes you crazy. ... So, although I love rain's sound but because of that other voice I have to close my window.

Thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes. You know who you are!

2003-03-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

2003-03-16T00:37:00.000-08:00

Amongst Dervishes - From Samuel Wooten's amazing collection

Samuel Wooten - I feel privileged to call Sam a friend. He is a remarkable individual, as well as an incredible artist. When I was asked recently by a friend about what Iran actually looks like, I wanted to show a realistic representation. Not just the highways and tall buildings "Persians" outside Iran would be proud of, or the religious icons, or the ancient ruins or any of the other stereo-typical images available. I finally chose this small collection of 16 pictures Sam had taken on his many trips to the country. I think he certainly has the eye to capture people and their environment as it truly is. Thanks Sam for honoring my country of birth so wonderfully. I'm still saving to buy a few of your originals. More of Samuel Wooten's work here and here.

"MEHR" is Mad! - I must've really gotten under their skin. "Mission for Establishment of Human Rights in Iran" actually forgot to be a human rights organization and started to think of itself as a political entity. They (if there is actually more than one person behind the name) wrote me a nasty letter today. It's not signed, so I don't know who I am actually addressing. Perhaps the individual(s) are worried that criticizing the Iranian government under their full and real name (as somebody like myself does) may hamper their next tourist venture to the Islamic Republic. They actually admit their unbiased looking "choose your resolution" letter is anything but unbiased. They go even further stating resolution 59 is actually set to "appease" the Iranian regime. Then they get really nasty by suggesting tongue-in-cheek that my "very nice website" doesn't really "pay more attention to the war that Islamic Regime has staged against Iranian people in the last 24 years", maybe indicative of my lenience towards them. O boy! As soon as I start to forget as to what is actually wrong with the Iranian opposition outfits within Iran as well as abroad, they remind me again and again: You're with us or you're enemy, We never make mistakes and if you point out where we may be wrong you are with "them", We own the movement and all others are co-conspirators, Why hold back? We are right and all others are puppets, paid agents, spies, conspirators, murderers, bastards, who are probably pimping their mothers after they get their monthly stipends from "foreigners". There!

Porsche Cayenne - I was invited to the official launch of the all new Porsche Cayenne. A fancy event with valet parking, multi-colored search lights, red carpet, free champagne, hors d'oeuvre and food, celebrities and big hitters. Not exactly my scene, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Perhaps the best part was meeting one of my favorite actors/writers/directors, Quentin Tarantino. I never got a chance to talk to him one on one, then again I'm not sure what I'd say to him: "Hey did you enjoy making Pulp Fiction more than Reservoir Dogs? Pass the stuffed mushrooms please." There was also this very beautiful model whom I never got to find out the name of, but she was one of the most eloquent, classy, pretty women I've ever seen. As for the truck, it's nice but I'm not sure if for $70K you would be better with something else.

Today's Anti-War Links:Just the Beginning - Is Iraq the opening salvo in a war to remake the world? Thank you, President Bush - From the world's most popular novelist, Paulo Coelho, an open letter of praise for President Bush.[Thanks P.A.]

TechBargains.com - One of my current favorite sites for searching for a deal.

Persian Blogs -Montaghed (Critic) offers this joke: This guy turn on his TV, flips on Channel 1 and there's a Mullah talking, next channel has a couple of Mullahs debating, the next channel has the annual meeting of over 200 Tehran Mullahs, then he gets to channel four and it is showing a huge conference of 3,000 Mullahs. He shouts out to his wife; "honey quick, get me that can of Raid. I think I found their nest!"

2003-03-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

Lesson #1 - This week President Bush renewed sanctions against Iran and waived the sanctions on Pakistan. So, let's see what lesson we learn from this: You can be a military dictator over-throwing an elected government and enforcing your own rule but be rewarded because you are a "friend"... or, you can start a non-violent movement towards democracy by participating in elections, holding vigils and peaceful marches, attempt dialogue and try to establish civil basic rights but be punished because you don't necessary agree with the global superpower. This whole think doesn't have much to do with democracy, does it?

Only in Canada - I can't think of another country where this may be possible. Canadian Defence Ministry spokesman Shane Diaczuk has announced that although Canada may not join the U.S. invasion of Iraq, some Canadian soldiers may still fight alongside Americans. How's that possible? It turns out they are currently on an "exchange program" and as such are "part of the U.S. military machine"! Although the number of these troops is limited, it will be a shame for them to join this calamity wearing their proud Maple Leaf embossed uniforms.[Thanks R. F. for the link]

Hate the French! - This French bashing is getting more ridiculous by the moment. You live and fight and join each other for many years on various campaigns, issues and wars, then one of you disagree with your opinion of how to best help the Iraqi people and the world community at large, and all hell breaks loose!. They don't want to go with our invasion plans? Then we all hate the French (those bastard Germans too!). It goes so far that we'd spend money to change "French Fries". But we can't stop now. Let's spend more money and remove the bodies (or what remains of) our dead soldiers from the French and German soil! You'd think I'm kidding but Republican Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida is deadly serious about it! Sad, Sad, Sad!

State Dept. Report says this Bush fantasy of flowering democracies across the Middle-East through use of brutal force and war is exactly that, just a fantasy. "Political changes conducive to broader and enduring stability throughout the region will be difficult to achieve for a very long time," the report includes. Democracies must be wanted, practiced, learned, nurtured and established by people. Just as revolutions couldn't be "exported", neither can democracies. Besides, if democracy is our goal, maybe we should start by not supporting all the undemocratic regimes in the region. Doesn't that make sense?[Link forwarded by D. M.]

The Menacing Canadian Mennonites - From their news release: "Matthew Bailey-Dick, 30, from Waterloo ON, was denied entry into the USA early on March 7, 2003, after U.S. immigration officials at Port Huron MI found literature from Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in the trunk of his rental car." They have issued an "prayer alert" in response, as it is not the first time this happens. [Thanks P. A. for the news release]

MEHR - These guys started well, but are rapidly going sideways. Mission for Establishment of Human Rights in Iran, sent an action report yesterday, asking to review two current resolutions put before the congress on Iran and support either. Where they went wrong is their already biased description of each resolution. The one they (obviously) like is summarized as "US should support the struggle of Iranians for democracy" (Resolution 140). Bob Ney's Resolution 59 is summarized as "US should support the so-called reformists of the Islamic Regime of Iran". Reading the resolution, there is no mention of such alleged support. It does recognize the reform movement in it's text as a positive influence, but it makes no other mention of supporting the "so-called reformers". On their site, there is also a preferred placing, not to mention a Persian translation of their favorite, something not offered to the other. Guys, if you want to be unbiased and not take sides, this is not the way to do it. If you don't, then let's just drop the facade. Just my two cents.

Persian Blogs - Jish (Piss) writes: "Ten Rules for a Blissful Individual: 1- Love your bed the way you love yourself. 2- Rest during the day, so you can sleep well at night. 3- When you see a person seeking comfort, help them. 4- Postpone today's work to the day after tomorrow, this gives you a two day break. 5- When you find work to be hard, find someone else to do it for you. 6- Always remember: work destroys people but laziness brings them bliss. 7- When you have nothing to do, sit down and roll the dice. 8- Work makes people tired. 9- Indulgence in laziness has never killed anyone. 10- If drinking alcohol while working bothers you, stop working."

2003-03-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

One day when all this is over, your grandchild might ask you: "how did the awful war start Grandpa?". You will sigh and say: "Well son, it started when 50 sweet old ladies in Miami didn't understand this tricky business of the "butterfly" voting card and punched the wrong hole".

The continued diary of Kawther Salam - "Hell Made in Israel", describing the impossible daily life of a Palestinian, a Woman, a reporter under brutal Israeli occupation. "Why does the Israeli press not write about the soldiers stationed on my rooftop in Hebron, sexually harassing me and insulting me 24 hours a day? Why does the military commander of Hebron, Dror Weinberg, enjoy harassing me for political reasons? I am a journalist carrying an Israeli press card, and another two international cards from the United Kingdom and Belgium. I am also a
Palestinian."

Palestinian life under occupation - This site contains reports and letters, describing the life of Palestinians under occupation. They obviously reflect only the lives of the middle and upper class parts of the greater Palestinian society, those who have access to the Internet, speak and write some English, and have some ways of contacting the world.

Biased Media - AP is becoming even more biased everyday. I really am not sure what their true intentions are, but they are getting so low, now most reports are just straight inaccurate. Here is an example where the first paragraph reads: "Iran would agree to sign on to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, as Washington has urged, if Western countries drop sanctions against Tehran, the country's nuclear energy chief told a French newspaper." Hello? Iran is already a signatury to the NNT. A couple of days back, they also reported on how close Iran is to building nukes, which was not supported by any other report or evidence presented to this point. Do we believe this is all just innocent mistakes in reporting? [Thanks Brad H.]

Blood Money - A comprehensive article on Bush's agenda and the role of PNAC. B. N. who sent me this link says "this article removes any doubt about the motives for the war". A Must Read!

500,000 Dead Iraqis - Russian military analyst Vladimir Slipchenko estimates that scary number as the result of invasion.

FBI Probes Fake Evidence of Iraqi Nuclear Plans - "The FBI is looking into the forgery of a key piece of evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program, including the possibility that a foreign government is using a deception campaign to foster support for military action against Iraq."

George Soros is a millionaire and pilanthropist who has used his vast financial resources to fund some of the more progressive campaigns and causes over the last couple of decades. In this piece he talks about "The bubble of American supremacy".

author Gore Vidal speaks out - A video and transcript of his interview with SBS TV of Australia "against a war And what he calls the erosion of the American dream." [Thanks to P.A. for a few of the links in today's blog]

Persian Blogs - Mosafer (Traveler) writes: "As Maziar, our other traveler friend says, I want to write something that only myself would understand and there's no place for it on a blog. For as long as I can remember, whenever I heard "the only good indian is a dead indian" I'd get depressed. For all the indians... and for all the dead. I've become very depressed ever since I discovered my dead body is also good for nothing."

2003-03-13T00:28:00.000-08:00

Wanted Murderer - Flyers distributed by the U.S. army around Pakistani-Afghan border in attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omar. Pashtu language broadcast of Iranian radio announced today that Osama has been captured and the news is suppressed to coincide with the start of Iraq invasion.

7000 Years of Persian Art - Basel's Antiquities Museum in Switzerland has just started an amazing showing of some of the most fascinating artifacts from the collection of Iranian National Museum in Tehran. Unfortunately the museum site doesn't offer an English version.

Dirk Lambrechts Photography - This must be one of the coolest designed and
most innovative web sites I've seen in a long time. I'm truly impressed.

Boycott The Chihuahua - As soon as I find out their new Southwestern Steak Bowl is actually pretty good, I have to boycott Taco Bell. Life just isn't fair.

The Growing Martian Threat - Report to the UN Security Council by Tom Gorman. [Thanks P.A.]

Top 100 Web Sites - PC Magazine has just published their list of 100 top sites. I just had a brief look and found at least 2 or 3 that may just become a regular stop for me. Will let you know if I find anything really cool.

Richard Perle is Suing The New Yorker over an article I linked to, two days ago. Apparently he is upset about how Seymour Hersh suggested his recent close ties to Adnan Khashoggi may not be so innocent. Perle is one of the few behind-the-scene "hawks" of the Bush administration, currently behind the push to completely transfer the United States to a full fledge imperialistic superpower.

What Would Gandhi Do?

Persian Blogs - Saba interviewed some young people of Baneh in Iranian Kurdistan. Here are a few of their comments: "You think we like it when we are hunted down like animals, then beaten up and suffer?", "If I have committed any crimes, I should be arrested to face a judge, not get kicked in the mouth by a soldier" and "Unemployment is our permission to commit crimes".

Persian Blogs - Mani10 who owns two very popular hamburger stands in a resort area near Caspian Sea writes: "Ahmad Ebrahimi a member and the former president of our local city council is one of the primary enemies of my burger stands .... Just now a car stopped by and one of his lackeys brought a bunch of his election poster and said "Haji says Royan Burger should have these on their windows", I was very pissed, so I grabbed the posters and said "tell your Haji, Royan Burger puts up posters of people who know the difference between the local municipality and the local cow ranch" and tossed them in garbage while he watched. then I slammed the door".

Persian Blogs - Khaterate Yek Modir (Memoirs of a Manager) writes: "My younger daughter said during the municipal election days "Mom, If I get votes and be elected when I grow up, the first thing I do is to build a school right at the end of our street so my kids won't have to walk too far to go to school", She has already learned that during these times, you first take care of yourself and your kids"

2003-03-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from "The US and Iraq quiz":
- How much is spent on military budgets a year worldwide? $900 Billion +
- How much of this is spent by the US? 50%
- What percent of US military spending would ensure the essentials of life to everyone in the world, according to the UN? 10%
- Did the US government condemn the Iraqi use of gas warfare against Iran? No
- How many people did Saddam Hussein kill using gas in the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988? 5,000
- How many western countries condemned this action at the time? None
- What is the estimated number of civilian casualties in the Gulf War? 35,000
- How many retreating Iraqi soldiers were buried alive by US tanks with ploughs mounted on the front? 6,000
- How many civilian deaths has the Pentagon predicted in the event of an attack on Iraq in 2003? 10,000
- What percentage of these will be children? Over 50%

Half.com a subsidiary of ebay.com is closing down. They are/were a pretty good source for used books, CD's, etc. Try them while they are still around.

Ekbatan Village is a large condominium complex in North-West Tehran. They have always been considered a "cool" place to live, although the buildings are aging and the unique architecture has been copied many times over. The official web site for the complex certainly brings back the cool factor. Besides, where else can you get a listing of Tehran's movie theaters and what's showing now. Very cool, even without the flash intro. [ site mainly in Farsi, sorry ]

The war that came out of a think tank - An interesting article from Spiegel in Germany. "It was in no way a conspiracy. As far back as 1998, ultra right US think tanks had developed and published plans for an era of US world domination, sidelining the UN and attacking Iraq. These people were not taken seriously. But now they are calling the tune." Copy and paste the URL (http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,238643,00.html ) into this site and it will translate it to English and then to Portuguese, Norwegian or Dutch.

Note to Amir Taheri - If I knew Perle, I'm not sure if I'd admit it, not to mention bragging about it, not to mention tossing him some amazing softballs in a supposed "interview" so he could make his obsured arguments sound actually legitimate and sincere. Just my two cents brother.

Everybody Loves the Assassins - Set loose in the land that invented terrorism ten centuries ago, Tim Cahill finds crumbling castles, legends of hash-smoking hit men, and Iranians who won't stop being nice. You call this the axis of evil? [Thanks Goudarz E.]

Bush a Bigger Threat Than Saddam - "The British public sees President Bush as a greater threat to world peace than Iraq's Saddam Hussein, a poll published on Tuesday showed."

Even Dad is Unhappy With W. - In an article called "Bush Sr. warning over unilateral action" Ronald Watson of TIMES On-Line (UK) writes: "THE first President Bush has told his son that hopes of peace in the Middle East would be ruined if a war with Iraq were not backed by international unity. Drawing on his own experiences before and after the 1991 Gulf War, Mr Bush Sr said that the brief flowering of hope for Arab-Israeli relations a decade ago would never have happened if America had ignored the will of the United Nations." This may be significant. After all, we should all remember W. tried to justify his hostility towards Saddam Hussein by calling him 'the guy who tried to kill my dad'. Now if dad says to cool down, will he listen? doubt it. [You need to search for "Bush Sr" on the TIMES site to find the complete article.]

HUMEQ.com is a Danish site dedicated to issues of equity and human rights. It holds various polls and petitions, along with comments from visitors and activists.This page is dedicated to the rights denied to minorities in Denmark and how the normal media, as well as politicians avoid the topic all together. [Thanks S.K.]

Canadian Anti-War Petition - Jack Layton the newly elected leader of Canada's New Democratic Party is organizing a petition drive while participating in cross country demonstrations to be held this Saturday, March 15th.

Persian Blogs - RanginKaman (Rainbow): "Norooz is near. A few days ago the crew from state television was at the hair salon in our neighborhood. They wanted to have the stylist say a few words on camera. They told him "because of (holy Shiite month of) Moharram, don't congratulate the people for Norooz, just say I wish you a happy new year". But I want to send my congratulations to all for Norooz. Although I, myself am not in the mood to celebrate, I hope people will have a great Norooz and Charshanbeh-Soori celebration in the face of those who can't see people's happiness and only promote darkness (over light)." ...Also: "It was a few years ago and I had just learned of feminist ideology. I had many questions in my mind and was hearing a lot of new terminology.... It was during this time that I heard this famous quote from Gloria Steinem; "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle". It made me laugh and think too."

Persian Blogs -Shadi Shaerane (Poetic Happiness): "One political analyst declared the real reason for Tehran's 4.5 Richter earthquake is all the boys and girls who use the religious events of the holy month of Moharram to fool around with each other.... Another analyst said testing of newly discovered atomic bombs is the reason... The latest scenario was that perhaps God is waking up... and he is going to take care of all those who use his name to do wrong."

Is my blog getting longer by the day? Is that a bad thing?

2003-03-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

Our Man in Baghdad - Jon Spayde attempts to give us a more complete picture of Ahmed Chalabi, the man picked (and groomed) by the current administration to lead Iraq after the war in March-April issue of Utne. Chalabi is the leader of Iraqi National Congress (INC) with close ties to Donald Rumsfeld aide Richard Perle, deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz and ultra-right organizations like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Chalabi is introduced as a "debonair moneyman" who fled Jordan after the government seized his Petra Bank in 1989 and accused him of embezzlement and fraud. There are also some lingering questions about his handling of the money provided by the CIA to establish INC. "Former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Akins flatly calls him a "swindler"." So, why did we pick him to be our man in Baghdad? perhaps his comment to The Washington Post about his vision for a post war Iraq sums it all up: "American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil". Meanwhile, another questionable character, Adnan Kashoggi is also back in the picture.

Not Enough Votes - U.S. doesn't need to worry about a possible UN veto by France, China or Russia as it failed to secure enough Security Council votes. The veto power is granted exclusively to only five members: France, the United States, China, Russia and Britain. So, how often is this privilege used? AP reports that the last time France used it was 1976. U.S. on the other hand, used it as late as "three months ago, over a resolution condemning violence in the Middle East, specifically the killing of U.N. employees by Israeli soldiers and the destruction of a U.N. warehouse filled with food for needy Palestinians." In fact U.S. has used it's veto power 73 times, many of them favoring Israel. Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, no other country has used the veto more often. [With thanks to P.A.]

Bush's Ulterior Motive - "How has an attack on the United States by a terrorist group based in Afghanistan led us to war against Iraq? Why are nuclear weapons in Iraq worth a war but not nuclear weapons in North Korea? For most skeptics about Gulf War II (including me), the Bush administration's failure to answer these two questions sincerely or even plausibly, let alone convincingly, is central to our doubts."

U.S. voted against this statement - During the eighties, the UN was concerned with Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons. On 3/21/1986, the Security Council President, "speaking on behalf of the Security Council," stated that the Council members were "profoundly concerned by the unanimous conclusion of the specialists that chemical weapons on many occasions have been used by Iraqi forces against Iranian troops...[and] the members of the Council strongly condemn this continued use of chemical weapons in clear violation of the Geneva Protocol of 1925 which prohibits the use in war of chemical weapons" (S/17911 and Add. 1, 21 March 1986). The United States voted AGAINST the issuance of this statement.

2003 Web Log awards "Bloggies" are announced. [Link via Hoder]

Persian Blogs - You may already know how popular (and critical) blogs have become for many Iranians, particularly the youth. Hey, if it was your only way to express yourself freely, you would probably write a blog too and consider it very important. However, the problem is that almost all of them are in Farsi/Persian. So, if you wanted to get a glimpse of what a frustrated teenager, a woman trapped in a love-less marriage, a politically active university student or a well-known columnist bound by his editor's restriction in Iran feels, you are out of luck. It is with that in mind that I am going to attempt to translate some random postings and have them on my blog. I will pick a diverse group, some interesting and deep, others just useless ramblings of an irritated blog writer. Hope you enjoy them:

Cassandra : "Some words in our language become really twisted. On Jomhouri (Avenue) everyone calls a Microwave a Microway, or the really classy ones say Macroway."

Khar-Magas : "I was in a subway car today, going somewhere. The air inside was too heavy and none of the fans worked. Some guy standing way over there said to me "would you press that red button there and ask the conductor to turn the fans on?" I said "leave me out of it, I don't want to be thrown out" to which he replied "don't worry, go for it. I take full responsibility". So, I got stupid and pressed the button. Suddenly I hear "Yes Please?", I was surprised. "could you turn the fans on?" I said. "Yes, of course " was the reply. Shortly after all the fans started. Everyone onboard was shocked and couldn't believe it. They asked me what I had said to the conductor, at least a hundred times. they were also saying how they couldn't believe this is a subway train in Iran!!! In short, we have come a long way. In other parts of the world, people complain when they are disrespected. Here, we are surprised when we get some respect!!!"

2003-03-10T00:02:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Nafise Gallery (Nafise is amazing I think!)

Pagan Celebration? - Over a hundred youth are arrested in Iran for jumping over a bonfire. (aren't they early?) Full Text

Aabiyete

The Irony - From President Bush's news conference: "Scientists are required by Iraqi intelligence to wear concealed recording devices during interviews, and hotels where interviews take place are bugged by the regime. These are not the actions of a regime that is disarming. These are the actions of a regime engaged in a willful charade. These are the actions of a regime that systematically and deliberately is defying the world". .......And today:........ UN launches inquiry into American spying - The United Nations has begun a top-level investigation into the bugging of its delegations by the United States, first revealed in The Observer last week. Sources in the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed last night that the spying operation had already been discussed at the UN's counter-terrorism committee and will be further investigated. [Thanks D. M.]

Blog from Baghdad - "Other normal stuff we did this week: - Finished taping all the windows in the house, actually a very relaxing exercise if you forget why you are doing it in the first place. - installed a manual pump on the well we have dug because up till now we had an electrical pump on it. - bought 60 liters of gasoline to run the small electricity generator we have, bought two nifty kerosene cookers and stocked loads of kerosene and dug holes in the garden to bury the stuff so that the house doesn’t turn into a bomb. - prepared one room for emergency nasty attacks and bought “particle masks” - that’s what it says on the box – for use if they light those oil trenches, the masks just might stop our lungs from becoming tar pits. They are very hot items since the word on the trenches spread, you can buy one for 250 Dinars and they are selling faster than the hot cakes of bab-al-agha. - got two rooms in our house ready to welcome our first IDPs - internally displaced persons – my youngest aunt who is a single mom with three kids because she lives farthest away from the rest of us and another aunt from Karbala in the south. Hotel Pax is officially open for the season, no need to make reservations but you might need to bring a mattress if you come too
late." [Thanks P. A. ]

Iranian refugee runs for parliament - "Jamal Darwand escaped from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War in 1991. Twelve years later, on the eve of another Gulf war, Darwand is standing as a member of the Socialist Alliance ticket for the Legislative Council in the March 22 NSW election." As another Iranian who once ran for parliament, I wish Jamal all the best.

Kurds write to the Canadian government to express their concern in how they will come out of a possible Iraq invasion. I have little doubt that the Kurds will once again be used by both sides of the conflict without any real benefit to the Kurds themselves. This has been the usual plight of the Kurdish people in this region and unless a true democracy committed to protecting the rights of all various ethnic, cultural and religious people of the region is in place, not much will be changed. Self governance for the Kurds, Democracy for their homeland in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

Straight Goods - A few years ago, a friend of mine moved away from the hustle and bustle of big Toronto and started an on-line news magazine in small town Ontario. Ish Theilheimer has a history of working on various progressive campaigns and organizations in Canada, although he is originally an American. I have watched the growth of his magazine with some interest over the years and enjoy how it has flourished in the age of big business and multi-national corporate owned media. There's always something interesting on the pages of Straight Goods, so bookmark it and stop by often!

Yusuf Islam releases 2 anti-war songs. For those who aren't sure, yes that is the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.

Cover the uninsured week - As a Canadian living in the U.S., it has been interesting to see the state of health-care in this country. I am not referring to the type of care the well-to-do receive, they get the best of the best based on their ability to pay. But as far as the middle to lower classes are concerned, this is a national (if not global) disaster. Millions have no coverage whatsoever. Most others are covered under HMO type plans, leaving their coverage limited to what the insurer sees proper to cover. A close friend just had to go through an experience when his spouse got very ill. Due to the
nature of the illness and the type of surgery she ultimately needed, the HMO covered only part of the costs, leaving the family with a $45,000 bill they'll be working hard to pay off. Of course some of my American friends try very hard to tell me how horrible the Canadian universal health-care system is and I'd be the first to admit the system is not perfect. However, considering the alternatives, it is the best there is. I hope my fellow Canadians continue to cherish this great accomplishment by defending and extending their system. This is the site for an endeavor co-chaired by former presidents Ford and Carter to offer health-care coverage to some of the uninsured in U.S.A.

Ghormeh Sabzi - I made some, late last night and it turned out pretty well. There is nothing more delicious on a bed of fluffy Basmati rice. You just have to, HAVE TO try some marvelous Ghormeh Sabzi, if you haven't yet. You'll thank me for it.

2003-03-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

Just War - or a Just War? - Jimmy Carter is often regarded as one of the best human beings ever to occupy the White House by people in various political camps (not including the writer). Perhaps his work since leaving the presidency speaks loudest of his true intentions. Today he condemned the unilateral U.S. war on Iraq as an "unjust war". The Nobel Peace Prize winner knows how the current course of action is contrary to all the democratic principals the United States was built upon. He argues directly and plainly as to what would be required to justify any war and why none of such principals apply to the upcoming invasion of Iraq. If you are registered with NY Times (or want to register now), the full text of his op-ed piece is available here.

Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting - "MSNBC's claim to be championing free speech by hiring hate-talk radio host Michael Savage is disingenuous in the extreme." [Thanks S. M.]

Colin Powell - A reader wrote me asking what I thought of Colin Powell. It was one of those good cop-bad cop kind of arguments, suggesting how good Powel is and it is him that is keeping the White House "honest". My answer? I don't have much to say, to be quite frank. However I can remind you what Harry Belafonte thinks of Colin Powell: "There's an old saying, in the days of slavery, there were those slaves who lived on the plantation and were those slaves that lived in the house," Belafonte said. "You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master ... exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him. Colin Powell's committed to come into the house of the master," the performer continued. "When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture." You may agree with Belafonte or not. It's great to live in a democracy, so you can have your opinion and the right to dissent is a vital component of your free society. Don't you agree?

WhiteHouse.org - This site is always good for a chuckle or two.

Iran's Nuclear Threat - In another worrying development for the Bush administration, Iran moves closer to operation of a facility to enrich uranium.[From Time Magazine, with thanks to P. A.]

Future Postponed - Remember all the great stuff we were supposed to get by the year 2000? Flying cars. Robot helpers. Cities in the sky? In the 1950s, A.C. Radebaugh created stunning illustrations depicting the wonders that awaited us in the future. Here, Lost Highways presents a virtual exhibit — The Future We Were Promised — featuring dozens of Radebaugh's as-yet-unrealized visions.

Shareware Download - Antiy Ghostbusters is an advanced anti-hacker utility that finds and disinfects backdoors, Trojans and worms, and includes many security tools. It can scan your hard disk, find known and unknown ghosts, and clean them out.

Edward Said is known for his great body of work. His books and articles are some of the classics amongst the progressive intellectuals. Few books on the Middle East have aroused more controversy than his 1978 landmark, Orientalism. This is his latest piece on a "tiny group of men" and the state of democracy under their rule; Who's in Charge? [Thanks to P. A.]

White History Year Resumes - "With Black History Month over, U.S. citizens are putting aside thoughts of Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver to resume the traditional observation of White History Year. White History Year, which runs annually from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, with a 28-day break for Black History Month in February, is dedicated to the recognition of European-Americans' contributions to American politics and culture." [From the crazy guys at The Onion]

Iran Gift Shop, My Only "Ad"!

2003-03-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

2003-03-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Tony Soprano sues HBO - James Gandolfini wants out of the best show on TV, The Sopranos and he is suing HBO to get there. I don't know if the show will be the same without him, but David Chase (producer, writer, creator) obviously has a very creative imagination and may well be able to pull it off. If it happens, I'll miss his character. Then again, there's always all the episodes now on VHS and DVD to watch.

Why attack Iraq? Well, let's hear it from the mouth of the horse. Excerpt from the Q&A period with the President of United States, George W. Bush, talking about costs and benefits of attacking Iraq: "You know, the benefits of such a, of such a effort if in fact we go forward and are successful are also immeasurable. How do you measure the benefit of freedom in Iraq? I guess if you're an Iraqi citizen you can measure it by being able to express your mind. And how do you measure the consequence of taking a dictator out of power who has tried to invade Kuwait? Or somebody who may someday decide to lob a weapon of mass destruction on Israel? How would you weigh the cost of that? Those are immeasurable costs. And I weigh those very seriously. In terms of the dollar amount we'll let you know here pretty soon. . . . " Got it now? [Full text here]

Iraq War on Ebay - Here's a couple of war related items for sale on Ebay: Give this guy $10 to help "Liberate Iraq", A copy of the peace shirt that got a guy arrested and how we feel about our long time allyFrance, because we don't agree on their point of view.

Center for Iranian Research and Analysis - CIRA 2003 will be held at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in Northridge, California on March 28 to March 30. I must admit that I was not as impressed with the list of forums and speakers as I would normally be with a CIRA event. Particularly with a couple of presenters that I know personally. Has much changed at CIRA? The "Executive Board" page looks rather pathetic. Is it a private venture between a few friends (Mahmood, Charles and Valentine) now? I don't really know as I have been out of the loop, sort of speak. Those in the know, inform me!

Exchange - This is an interesting exchange from the letters to editor section of Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily: David M. Sherman protested a list of recent terrorist attacks (probably a version of the original list published by AP), Ramin Farsangi replied back.

Air Miles - Do you collect Air Miles? It seems like there are hundreds of different options for collection and use of these miles, from credit card companies to hotel chains, car rentals and more. This site allows you to consolidate your points from various accounts, without being tied down to one particular carrier to use them afterwards. It's worth looking into. [Thanks P. M. for the link]

DVD Easter Eggs - You may already be familiar with DVD Easter Eggs. These are additional content "hidden" in each DVD by the producers. They could be extra footage, blooper parts, games, funny commentary, etc. Up to now, it was a hit and miss in finding them. Normally you need to locate hidden links on various menus of each DVD to reach them. But this site now lists them all in one place. Close to 1000 "Eggs", and all of it way ahead of Easter!

2003-03-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

Yonghe Fried Chicken - Just as I wrote about fake Colonel Sanders restaurants in Iran, a reader forwarded me information on the Chinese version of the same idea. Look at this close-up, with the bow tie and all, he looks like a cross between Sanders and Chairman Mao. They both must be turning in their graves!

UFO's over Iran - Family and friends always tell me that they are amazed at my extensive (long term) memory. I remember being VERY young and many events happening in my early and late childhood, all in incredible detail. So it was always a mystery to me as to why/how I had this memory of strange flying object over Tehran, when there is no other account of the event and not much is documented. It turns out I was wrong. There are plenty of recorded information about that episode, including Dept. of Defense reports on Iranian F-4's encounter with unexplained objects hovering over the city. Now I am not suggesting little green men came to Tehran before the little turbaned ones took it over. After all, there were plenty of "strange" flying crafts at the time being developed by both the Americans and Iran's neighbor to the north, the USSR. I guess we will never know. This site has all the details and the annoying X-Files theme song will stop after a short time.

The Thirty Year Itch - "Three decades ago, in the throes of the energy crisis, Washington's hawks conceived of a strategy for US control of the Persian Gulf's oil. Now, with the same strategists firmly in control of the White House, the Bush administration is playing out their script for global dominance." [ From Mother Jones, along with this humorous cartoon ]

The Unseen Gulf War - First time we fought Saddam Hussein, the whole experience looked serene, sterilized, immaculate and almost hygienic. That's because most of us watched the war through the "authorized" conduits of U.S. government. Peter Turnley meanwhile was busy capturing some of the true and horrible images of what the real war actually looked like. In case you have not decided on where you stand on the upcoming "Persian Gulf War II", maybe a reminder is timely and necessary.

Shock and Yawn - "Plan could kill millions in 48 hours -- why don't Americans care?"

President's news conference - It was sad! Handlers of "W" took him back to the way he won many of his votes a few years back; he was simplistic, used flawed logic and tried hard to not put his foot in his mouth, but he came across folksy, sincere and even in-command. He abused emotional hot buttons such as frequent mentioning (and comparing it to current situation) of 9/11 catastrophe (I counted at least 5: "The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, showed what the enemies of America did with four airplanes.", "the cost of the attacks on American on Sept. 11 were enormous", "Sept. 11 changed the strategic thinking", "I know they remember the tragedy of Sept. 11, but I hope they understand the lesson of Sept. 11") , avoided some direct questions and looked perplexed. I am sure to some he was convincing and intelligent, to me he was just a politician trying really hard to sell his nation and the world on a logic that lacks basic common sense.

Hoder gave me a permanent link on his English blog. I feel honored and privileged indeed. Now if I could learn how to do that with these pre-set Blogger templates, I could return the favor. Email me if you can help!

My Persian New Year Resolution (after Norooz): Change the focus of my blog and get back to more personal stuff. (Hey, if you kept your resolution to lose weight and get in shape, I will be keeping mine too!)

2003-03-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

AI's Action Page On Women's Human Rights - A dear friend sent this message; "You may or may not be involved with Amnesty International work. Nevertheless, I am sending you one of AI's action alert notes in case that you want to make a difference. Believe me: it works. I have seen it many times. It is very easy, if you feel this is something for you, read through, register and take action. It is a good thing, give it a try!". Thanks A. S. and I think we will!

The Wages of Media Monopoly - Ralph Nader writes about how MSNBC sabotaged and eventually got rid of Phil Donahue. [Thanks to Goudarz Eghtedari, host of the "Voices of the Middle East" on KBOO 90.7 fm in Portland, OR every second Thursday from 6-7 pm. Program webcasts on www.kboo.fm . For previous interviews go here.]

2003-03-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

[Thanks to Payman A. for today's cartoon and the first link below]

THE (Not So) SECRET PHILOSOPHY OF WAR IN IRAQ - "The USA has no intention of leaving. After the Iraqi occupation, permanent military bases will be established there. They will be the outposts of the "democratization" of the Middle East, starting with Syria and Iran and then sweeping the entire Arab and Islamic world." Don't tell me I didn't told you so.

The Forgotten War - "In past days alone, more Palestinians killed per capita than on 9/11 in New York. That the U.S. not only does nothing to stop this orgy of killing by a huge army against a nearly defenseless occupied population is outrageous. But that the U.S. is so complicitous (complying? - Ed) in this, in fact making it possible, is scandalous." [Both stories from Information Clearing House]

Hossein Derakhshan's picture of Victoria's Secret in Tehran (don't get too excited, it's only a hair salon) reminded me of Colonel Harland Sanders' trip to Iran in the mid 70's. Colonel Sanders, the famous founder of KFC restaurants was on a world-wide tour to personally visit all of his franchises in the four corners of the globe. He had arrived in Khuzestan Province of Iran, seeing his one outlet in Abadan and then flew to Tehran. He had been told there are two other restaurants in Tehran. However in the ride from airport to his hotel, he had counted 18 other "Kentucky Fried Chickens", one at every corner!. He was very disappointed as to how even his own image was altered and used by the fake KFC's. I even remember debates as to whether the pretenders had a better "secret recipe" as their chicken was even more "finger lickin' good". Years later, Iran still does not recognize the international copyright laws and you are more than welcomed to open your own IBM, General Motors, Boeing or Microsoft there! While you are at it, you can also copy any movie, piece of music, painting, book, article or other items of intellectual property as well! Anything goes in the Islamic Republic! (Late Update: You'd want to read tomorrow's post on this!)

2003-03-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

Today's topic is Norooz (other spellings; Nowrouz, Noruz, Nowrooz, etc. also acceptable!) Let the early celebrations begin!

Norooz is an ancient celebration of life, marked on earth's vernal equinox and the first day of spring for the Northern hemisphere. Norooz is celebrated by many nations and cultures of Middle-East and Central Asia and is also the start of the calendar year for some of these countries. Norooz is celebrated on March 20th &21st and the exact day and time will depend on your geographical location. So, why am I bringing you an early Norooz greeting and all this detail? Well, to make it short; I'm hoping you would join in the celebration! Why not? This is the festival of a re-birth in nature, a new life, a new beginnings, a new day (actual translation of No-Rooz) and we can all celebrate that. With that notion, I wish you a happy and triumphant Norooz., or Norooz Pirooz.

Earth Day - First day of Spring is also recognized as the true Earth Day and an opportunity to recognize the serene nature of Earth and reflecting upon it's balance to celebrate peace.

Media III - This is how the same event is reported by two different media outlets: First CNN: "In his opening address at Wednesday's meeting, Izzat Ibrahim, the deputy chairman of Iraq's ruling Revolutionary Council, accused the United States of trying to overtake his country with its aggressive acts. Ibrahim also blamed Kuwait for his country's suffering, calling the neighboring Gulf state "traitors" for cooperating with the United States and Israel. That comment prompted the Kuwaiti representative to stand up and protest, to which Ibrahim countered, "Shut up, sit down you small agent [of the U.S.], you monkey!"'. Now BBC: "The row began when the Kuwaiti official interrupted a speech by Izzat Ibrahim, the second-in-command of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council, with the words "shut up you dog". Mr. Ibrahim, who had been delivering a speech critical of Kuwait and the US, responded by calling the Kuwaiti representative a "monkey" and a "traitor". "Shut up you minion, you [US] agent, you monkey. You are addressing Iraq," said Izzat Ibrahim, the second-in-command of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council." Which do you believe? [ Thanks to Payman A. ]

Turkey Said No (Did They Mean It?) - By now you have heard that Turkish Parliament voted against allowing U.S. to use the country in it's planned invasion of Iraq. However, this is certainly not the end of the story. Turkey has an unusual constitution, empowering it's armed forces to intervene on most political and international issues. In the past, they have even managed to change governments when they felt the one in power is not the right one!. So, this time too the Parliament said no, but the Army said yes!. They have now put pressure on the Parliament to re-consider it's decision!. While we are busy "establishing" democracies in that region, perhaps we should look at the sad state of democracy in some of our "allied" countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Emirates, Jordan and yes, Israel. Here is an interesting report on the Turkish vote and some background as it relates to the Kurdish issue. Listen Here. [Thanks D. M. for the last link]

Emergency appeal to the U.N. - This is a petition site, gathering names to be submitted on a letter to the members of U.N.'s Security Council. [Thanks Claudia F.]

Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt - Hey, I may be next for having a peace dove on my site! This is ridiculous! [Thanks Arastoo]

2003-03-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras - Although Fat Tuesday is essentially known for these, there is more to the Mardi Gras celebration than partying, flashing and drinking (*). The children of Mrs. Corcoran's and Mrs. Walters' first0grade classes at St. Pius X Elementary School in New Orleans offer explanations of the history and traditions linked to the festival for which their city is famous.

ZeD - If you ever needed proof that Canadians are the coolest people on earth, this site would be it. Thousands of pages of various forms of artistic impression, thanks to CBC's ability to house them all in their fiber optic castle in Toronto. The interface may be somewhat unfamiliar as you begin, but keep looking and you'll find many pearls at every level you uncover. Just enjoy!

Iran's peace proposal for Iraq - I am not sure if Kamal Kharrazi, Iran's foreign minister is aware of this, but their proposal to transfer the power structure peacefully in Iraq may make just as much sense if applied to his own country. It starts with a U.N. supervised referendum to decide the form of government and elect people's true representatives. Then a gradual period of making peace between various opposition groups and the current government and essentially a democratic new regime. In a free and open election, if Saddam gets the vote, he could even remain president (fat chance of that). Many experts would very much recommend the same scenario for Iran. Particularly now, after Iranians in large numbers stayed away from the recent municipal election to show their frustration with the system that has promised them reforms through a peaceful electoral process and then failed to deliver over the past 7 years.

Fingerprinting Athletes - You hold an international sports competition and invite the top contenders from around the globe to attend. Then you inform one of the competing teams that all their members will be fingerprinted and photographed to enter your country, because there has been others from that country that have committed crimes. Sounds very much like stereo-typing and/or racial profiling, not to mention being a poor host. One day we'll be apologizing for these types of behavior that have unfortunately become the norm since 9/11, the same way we had to apologize to people of Japanese background for the way we treated them before.

2003-03-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

I think I want to try being a clown. Not as a jokester "funny guy" kind of a clown. I am talking about a real clown with the big red nose, painted face and funky head gear. Maybe it's because of the privacy it grants. Imagine this, a clown can be all by himself/herself in the midst of the largest crowds. You are who you want to be and nobody really knows who you actually are. Create your own persona and character. Nobody can stop you and you don't need to answer to no one. Make funny faces if you want. Walk with a limp or a hop if it feels right. Surprise a total stranger with a close encounter. Create a smile on a child's face. All in total anonymity. Nobody will ever question the authenticity of a clown. No one will ever ask a clown what he drives, whether he is eating healthy, if he watched the Lakers game, how much money he makes or look for designer labels on his clothes. A clown doesn't pretend he is somebody else, he doesn't need to. He is a clown, pure and simple..... Yes! I want to try being a clown. Maybe I'll buy some over-sized clothes in a second hand store, find a funky hat or a wig and be a clown. Even if it's only for a day. If I actually do it, I'll post some pictures for you. Promise.

George W. Bush - Regardless of your political leanings and whether you like the man or not, I don't think there's any questions that George W. is one of the most attractive heads of states ever and anywhere. If you have any doubts, see for yourself.

Bush's war is not about democracy - I have had my own reservations about some of the previous articles by Eric Margolis. But I find it hard to argue with his logic here. Furthermore, when a far right paper like Toronto Sun takes positions like this, I begin to wonder if the peace movement has actually had some success. I hope that is the case. [Thanks D. M.] And thanks to A. S. here's more pictures of the Feb. 15th demonstrations around the globe.

Iranian Brigades Deploy in Kurdish Iraq - All I can say is scary, this thing is getting scarier by the minute. How many more cans of worm will we open if the planned war actually happens.

If life serves you lemons, make lemonade - What do you do to stay fashionable when you have little choice as to what you can wear. The answer for some Iranian women obviously is to cover yourself as much as possible, use as many colors as you can and try to accessorize your subtly decorated long covers/dresses.This is my favorite I think (the outfit I mean).

Paper Currency - Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by money. I don't mean the value or elusive power it brings to man, but the actual metal and paper it was made of. My brother had a small collection of various currency from various countries. My uncle had a much bigger one. After all, he had traveled to most corners of the globe. And every time my dad would travel abroad, I looked forward to the weird and interesting "money" he'd bring back. This is a great site if you also enjoy looking at various paper currency from all over the globe.

2003-03-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

Blog Publishers Stealing Web Limelight - An interesting article about the way "blogs" are changing the whole internet experience. There's also a reference to one of my favorite blogs by Hoder.

'Iron Lady' Gets Prison for War Crimes - War crimes court gives ex-Bosnian Serb leader 11 years in prison. Perhaps a lesson for all those in power who abuse it.

The Harry Potter Lexicon - I am just going to assume that you have already seen both Harry Potter movies. You may have even been fortunate enough to marvel at the amazing imagination of J. K. Rowling and read one of the first four books. But as the fifth book "Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix" is due out on June 21, you may need a refresher course. This site is the "most complete and amazing reference to the wonderful world of Harry Potter". It includes a time line, several atlases and encyclopedias to help you get reacquainted.

Dave Barry is certainly one of my favorite writers. His witty and satirical column has always managed to make me chuckle like a silly adolescence. This is his official blog, full of such imaginative and amusing articles.

Stuck in the 70's - Do you listen to the Bee Gees, still own a leisure suit, think "x-ray specs" really work and remember AMC Pacers? Then this is the site for you.

Iraq War Related Links: 1-Asking the Pope to stop an invasion. [Thanks P.A.] 2- U.S. dirty tricks to win votes on Iraq war. [Thanks R. F.] 3- US plan to bug Security Council 4-Saudi-Libya confrontation [Thanks D.A.] 5- Deepak, Pope and Dalai Lama as human shields? 6- Richard Butler joins the peace movement [Thanks S. M.] 7- When Saddam was our ally.

2003-03-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

Terra Fly - How would you like to virtually "fly" over any point in the United States? This site allows you to do just that. Feel like a bird! but hey, no droppings when you fly over my area, okay?

California Integrated Seismic Network - This site, the work of a consortium of government agencies and universities, can generate color-coded maps within 10 minutes of a quake that show the distribution of shaking intensity. The maps will help emergency agencies respond to the worst0hit areas more quickly. [Thanks to SDUT]

Bush Already Knew! - A top defector had already confirmed to the U.S. officials that Iraq had destroyed it's weapons of mass destruction program as early as 1995. No wonder the UN team can't find them! Gen. Hussein Kamel told officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. inspections team known as UNSCOM that after the Persian Gulf war, Iraq "destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them". CIA spokesperson Bill Harlow responded to the report by saying "It is incorrect, bogus, wrong, untrue," but a full copy of the internal UNSCOM/IAEA briefing transcript was published to prove what Bush and company already knew. My two cents: This thing is getting more messy by the day, no? Maybe the bombs will start dropping soon to stop any further embarrassments. [Thanks to P.A.]

Gen. Eric Shineski - So we "liberate" Iraq and "establish" democracy for these poor Iraqis. Since we have indicated that we intend to "to rule postwar Iraq through an American military governor" (Mark Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, testifying to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), how many troops will we need to enforce our occupation? Army's chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shineski told a senate committee on Tuesday that "several hundred thousand U.S. troops" would be needed in a postwar Iraq. White House' chief war monger Paul Wolfowitz did not like the General's straightforward estimate and decide to hide behind his usual shenanigans and avoid an honest answer. He then dismissed several reports asserting that Pentagon budget specialists put the cost of war and reconstruction at $60 billion to $95 billion in this fiscal year. He managed to hide behind a "$10 billion to $100 billion" wide gap and told a House committee "there will be an appropriate moment" when the Pentagon would provide Congress with cost ranges. Another words, you don't need to know, we'll let you know when we think you do.

2003-02-28T00:27:00.000-08:00

I was a bit down, particularly for two separated but related reasons. First, had a discussion with a few Iranian-Americans and couldn't believe how their dislike (hatred?) of Saddam Hussein has blinded them to the point of promoting the upcoming war and prescribing the same remedy for their homeland. Secondly, it was an unusually busy day when it comes to hate-mail. I usually get my fair share, but suddenly there was a flood. I suspect a single source and have my own ideas as to where it is all originated, but so much hatred is still such a negative thing to see. O' well.

Noam Chomsky - Leave it to Noam Chomsky to articulate the case against the U.S. policy on Iraq so well. A must read.

Peace Links - This is the most comprehensive collection of links to various sites, displaying some amazing artwork, posters, bumper stickers, cartoons, etc. all with an anti-war theme. I spent hours admiring (okay, there are a few not-so-good ones too) most of the talent spent on this worthy cause. Love it!

Iraqis Did Not Fight for US Invasion - An article from Al-Sharq Ol-Osat / Arab News.

Palestinians a Low Priority - Have they ever been a "High Priority"?

Good Old Days - It wasn't long ago when Saddam was an ally and the United States was in an all out effort to help and protect the "Butcher of Baghdad". Unlike our support for the Taliban (read the Mullah Omar and USAma Bin Laden gang) that went on for most parts behind closed doors, the Hussein fiasco is well documented and obvious. There are even reports of providing him with coordinates for attacking the Iranian soldiers. I sincerely hope these reports are not true, since we all know that such attacks usually involved chemical weapons.

John Pilger's documentary on Iraq is becoming a hot commodity in a hurry. You can watch parts of it here.

State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher Briefing - I am deeply concerned with what may be in store for the rank and file members of Mojahedin Khalq (or People's Mojahedin) Organization. This is an Iranian opposition group deeply connected with Saddam with a few thousand fighters scattered in several bases within Iraq. Their leadership I am certain will make a last minute deal and survive the upcoming war, but what will become of their low level members? For most parts, these are good-hearted, smart although idealistic and naive people trapped in a cult-like organization and soon to be served as sacrificial lamb. Richard Boucher outlines the official U.S. stand on the group during this briefing. [Thanks to Brad H.]

2003-02-27T00:11:00.000-08:00

You can be patriotic and oppose the war too. Click on the image above to buy a cool Peace Pin.

Go Argentina! - A judge in Argentina has spent the last few years following leads as to who was behind explosions at two Jewish centers in Buenos Aires in 1994. The judge has just issued warrants for 20 high-ranking members of the Iranian government, including the one time President, Minister of Intelligence and Ambassador to Argentina. One Argentinean newspaper even included the name of "Supreme Leader" Khamenei as those with a new arrest warrant. There is another case currently in Belgium that could result in similar charges being laid. Iranian officials are not happy, to put it mildly. Interesting.

Only in Britain II - A Gucci advertisement featuring a woman with her pubic hair cropped in the shape of a letter "G" got the go-ahead from Britain's tough advertising watchdog on Wednesday.

10 Downing St. - The glass is half full or half empty. It all depends on your point of view.

Stop Esso - A Green Peace campaign in Britain (mainly) to boycott gasoline sold by Esso/Exxon. This page is both funny and clever.

Chiropractic Care - I think I'm ready to try this. Now must find a "doctor" that does not subscribe to the point of view that I will be needing regular "adjustments" for a loooooong period of time. I think I can give it a 3-4 visit window to see any results. Will keep you posted.

Joke - Even war has a funny side! No?

2003-02-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Click on the image above to buy a cool bumper sticker or an even cooler t-shirt.

Duct Tape Part II - It turns out there is more to the duct tape connection than was reported. Now it is revealed that a major shareholder in Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting manufacturing, in non other than our beloved Vice President Dick Cheney. I knew leaving the country in the hands of a Dick and a Bush is not a smart thing.

On-Line Newspapers - If you are like me, you spend a large portion of your day reading newspapers. I do admit to being a newspaper junkie. For example; whenever I am in a new city, I crave reading their local paper cover to cover, even if it is some small town in the middle of nowhere. To me there is no better way of getting a good read on the area you are seeing or an easier way of finding out what the locals are like. Now with thousands of these small and large newspapers available on-line, I'm in heaven! I can read them all in my living room wearing pajamas! Gotta love it. This site is the absolute best source of finding these papers. My other choices are (1) (2) (3) (4). Try them all!

Phil Donahue was dumped by the very right leaning MSNBC, partially to enable the network to expand it's war mongering in form of Countdown to Iraq.

Idiot Drivers Beware - This site is Canadian, but you can nominate any idiot driver in U.S. or Canada to compete for recognition.

Soccer - Watched Manchester United embarrass Juventus at home, 3-0 in UEFA Champions League. Having a day off is one of life's most precious small pleasures, even if you like your work.

2003-02-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wolfowitz meets the Iraqi-Americans - Looks like an episode of the cheap Reality TV shows. In the Joe-the-Millionaire version, Joe the poor construction worker, pretended to be a millionaire and contestants were drooling over him for a chance to marry him. In this episode, Paul the "hawk" pretends to be the "liberator" and gets a "thundering applause" in exchange for promise of jobs, and fast track citizenship to "Arabs".

This was an emotional show as is evident by the reaction from the contestants:

         ...He then asked audience, "Is Iraq capable of democracy?"

          "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" they exclaimed, raising their fists in the air.

Paul or Joe, who is a better actor?    [ Thanks to Daryoush M.]

Ariel Sharon has already met American congressmen to set targets for the next countries to be attacked by the U.S.; Iran, Libya & Syria. The goal, as this writer puts it, is to "create an unbroken chain of puppet regimes stretching from the Mediterranean to China". On the same token, the CIA has intensified it's efforts over the last few months to create such a "puppet" for Iran in the person of Reza Pahlavi, former Shah's son and heir to his throne. The "little pahlavi", as he is un-affectionately known to many Iranians is using a tactic used by his father's foe Khomeini, in providing little details of his own vision of Iran's future or a critique of it's most recent history, trying to hide behind slogans of togetherness (today only unity) and the need for cooperation above all else. In other words, let's get rid of this regime, then decide what we want. After all, "anything" is better than this. This strategy worked wonderfully for Khomeini, established him as the leader and gave him enough control to eventually get rid of all others who shared their opposition to the Shah. Wish I could confidently say it will never happen again, but I don't have the budget or expertise of those who specialize in making it work, again.

The Work Nickname Generator - Ever wonder what your co-workers call you behind your back? Now you do. [ Thanks to Parisa ]

Serenity Now - Saw the most beautiful yacht yesterday. It was called "Serenity Now". Any Seinfeld fan like myself will surely appreciate that.

Stewart Enterprises Inc., America's No. 3 funeral home and cemetery operator, cut its earnings estimate for the year, partly because, to put it bluntly, not enough people are dying. [Full Story]

Back.com - If you have a bad back or neck like I do, the information on this site is very helpful. I even found all the Acupuncture specialists near my home and may try it one of these days. For now, I think I'm ready to try a Chiropractor, despite my reservations about the profession and the science behind it.

2003-02-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

Bought Your Duct Tape Yet? - Seems like a large portion of the United States is terribly convinced that Duct Tape will somehow save them from the next terrorist attack and as such have managed to clean out the shelves of their local Home Depot. This of course started by the ridiculous suggestion by Tom Ridge's Homeland Security Dept. (despite their later attempt to soften/change it) to purchase and store the tape, along with other materials for such emergencies. Now The Washington Post reports that 46 percent of all duct tape sold in the U.S. is made by one company in Ohio, which happens to be a huge donor to the Republican Party. You think they may be able to make a larger donation when all this nonsense is over?

Weapon Suppliers To Iraq - Ever asked yourself who supplied these "weapons of mass destruction" to Iraq in the first place? The answer may be closer to home than you'd expect and include some of the larger American corporations, such as Honeywell, Unisys and Hewlett-Packard along with other international entities like NEC, Phillips Petroleum, Zayer and Saab-Scania. Here is the full list, country by country.

Canucks Shortchanged Part II

William Blum offers this quiz: Here's a list of the countries that the U.S. has bombed since the end of World War II: China 1945-46, Korea 1950-53, China 1950-53, Guatemala 1954, Indonesia 1958, Cuba 1959-60, Guatemala 1960, Congo 1964, Peru 1965, Laos 1964-73, Vietnam 1961-73, Cambodia 1969-70, Guatemala 1967-69, Grenada 1983, Libya 1986, El Salvador 1980s, Nicaragua 1980s, Panama 1989, Iraq 1991-99, Sudan 1998, Afghanistan 1998, Yugoslavia 1999 ...... In how many of these instances did a democratic government, respectful of human rights, occur as a direct result? Choose one of the following:

         (a) 0

         (b) zero

         (c) none

         (d) not a one

         (e) a whole number between -1 and +1

Still want to go "establish" democracy in Iraq? The quiz is compliments of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Ben Chitty USN 65-9 VN 66-7 68 NY/VVAW,
peaceCENTER P.O. Box 36, San Antonio, Texas 78291 (210) 224-HOPE or 224-4673   FAX (210) 222-1097

Send Gifts to Iran - For my Iranian readers: This is the most professional service I have seen so far for sending flowers, candies, cakes and other gifts to your family and friends in Iran. Highly recommended and very professional. Try them by clicking on the button below:

2003-02-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

Mercede-Benz News! - The Herald Sun brings the news of a $1M Mercedes-Benz. They are actually talking about the $250K+ USD Maybach, and the currency is Australian Dollar. On the more accurate news side of things, diesels are officially back for the manufacturer in the North American (read USA and Canada, but not Mexico!) market. A lawsuit for price-fixing is back on in some states. The all new E55 AMG and the not-so new E500 are both getting great reviews from the automotive press. And finally, the parent company DaimlerChrysler, is doing really well. (Some of my regular readers are going "Huh? Mercedes-Benz News????". Hey, I'm trying to stay away from Iraq war debate.)

Canucks Shortchanged - Not that I particularly care about these "awards", but it's a bit too much when more than 20 Canadians are nominated for a Grammy and only one (Diana Krall) wins one.

Song Lyrics - Since we are on the topic of music, ever had that one pop song you wished you knew the full and complete lyrics to? This is the place to get it!

Blogger - I'm sure you know this site (like many other "blogs") is hosted by Blogger. You may even know that Google recently bought Pyra Labs, the parent company behind Blogger. Here's an article on "Why Did Google Want Blogger?". BBC obviously didn't like the move. The New York Times had their own review. This is The Globe & Mail's piece on the purchase.

Wow! A whole day's worth of postings and no politics?!!!

2003-02-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Palestinian reform - By Arafat taking a less visible role, will the Palestinian cause suffer or gain strength? Send me your opinion. [above picture courtesy of: Virtual Museum of Political Art]

Charter 2003 - I have added my signature to this charter, designed to create a blueprint and vision for future of a democratic Iran.

The Alties - The Alternative Movie Awards, including "the doobie". Who needs the Oscars? (Vote for Bowling for Columbine often!)

Subway II - They have already changed their Chicken Pizziola sandwich!!! Gone are the tomatoes, replaced by tomato sauce! Contact them here or by phone ( 1-800-888-4848 ) to complain. C'mon Guys We Want Real Tomatoes Back!!!!

Iran is suing the U.S. for it's support of Saddam Hussein in the 80's, including providing him with chemical weapons. This story has received extensive coverage all over the globe, starting with Germany and England, and as far away asPakistan and Malaysia. Good luck finding much about it in your local networks or CNN though.

Naomi Klein has written a piece called "Victim to Victimizer" about Israel. I couldn't find the actual article on-line, but this Q&A with Naomi gives much detail. Also, The Economist recently had an unflattering feature about her, and here is her response.

BuzzFlash.com - Despite it's obvious Democratic Party leanings, these guys feature some interesting stories.

13 myths about the case for war with Iraq. Now I'll shut up!

2003-02-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

Only in Britain

Only Done to Canadians!

Just Shut Up!

Firmly in control - A few months ago I wrote a piece that was picked up by a couple of papers and was also published on-line by iranian.com, predicting a full invasion of Iraq by the U.S. followed a long term establishment of their military presence there for many many years to come. At the time, I had some colleagues argue that U.S. will only be involved in a short battle to "liberate" Iraqis and "establish" a democracy, then get out. So far all signs point to myself being right on this. We'll see.

Ready.Gov - These [ (1) and (2) ] looked so real, I too was fooled at first! I think this line in particular is important to remember: "Don't get so preoccupied with biological weapons that you forget to put on deodorant." Roger that! Also loved the kid's face on top with "Don't say we didn't warn you".

AOL - As if you needed more reasons to leave AOL and get a real internet connection, here comes this. I personally think the annoying format of forwarding mail as bunch of attachments is reason enough, but I still have to open 20 attachments each day to see the jokes some friends forward to me.

2003-02-21T00:16:00.000-08:00

Naked for Peace - Hope this is a new trend that will catch on. Less clothes is always better than more clothes. Especially if it is for a good cause, like peace!

Flowering of Democracy - What are these guys out of their mind? Or maybe it's me!

George W. & Tony Blair - Seems like these two want to go at it alone.

Javad Zarif - Hard to believe I am applauding an Iranian government's representative, but I must admit, Javad Zarif, Iranian ambassador to UN was very impressive while appearing on The Charlie Rose Show last week. I waited a few days to see if I can find a transcript of the show, but no success. Quite honesty, paying $20 to buy the VHS version is also not that appealing, since I may only watch it one more time. But here are some reactions to the interview.

No Comments!

MBFGW- Finally saw it! Laughed too!
Andrea Martin: poor casting!

Wedgie?

2003-02-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Only in Canada! .......

Only in Canada! Part Deux

Subway - Had the new Chicken Pizziola sandwich at Subway for lunch. It's good!

Disc Herniations - "The discs that act as shock absorbers between the vertebral bodies of the cervical spine can be damaged during an accident. When this happens, the material in the center of the disc can be pushed out from where it normally is, a process called disc herniation." I think they are talking about my neck!

2003-02-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Protests Worked? - Quote from USA Today: "The overwhelming opposition to the Bush administration's policies on Iraq — voiced in the Security Council and in the streets of world capitals over the weekend — set back plans for the introduction of a new resolution Wednesday, U.S. and British diplomats said."

MoveOn.org - These guys have organized a "Virtual March on Washington" to take place on February 26th.

More Tragedy - I remember the first time (after 12 years of being kept away) I went back to Tehran. Amidst all the anxiety of arriving after a long flight and not knowing what the reception of government official at the airport would be, I was pre-occupied with a different thought. As the passenger bus moved us from the KLM airplane towards the terminal, we passed by several rows of older Russian-made planes bought or leased from the former soviet states and now carrying names of small Iranian carrier companies like Mahan Air, Kish Airlines and Air Aseman (Translates to Air Air? or Air Sky?). With the U.S. embargo against Iran, American industry giants like Boeing company, the largest provider of planes to Iran were unable to sell planes or even parts there and these cheaper, older planes were the only economical way of serving some of the less congested air routes inside the country. They all looked aged and unfit to fly. Some obviously had severe bodywork done and others had many hatches and boxes open with wiring hanging all over the place. I wondered at that moment, how many lives will be lost flying this junk. Years later, it has become an almost routine event to hear of yet another tragic loss of a plane, somewhere in smaller Iranian cities. Yet another unnecessary loss of life, brought about by politics of hatred, bullying and violence. [Added later: Even if it is members of the hated "Revolutionary Guards"]

A Brief History of America - In case you haven't seen Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine yet (which makes me wonder why you are still reading this and not go watch it, NOW!), there is a short animated "Brief History" part in it that is a must see.

Media (Part II) - Nobody has ever accused CNN of being unbiased in it's reporting of world events. Some would even argue that the small network Ted Turner created years ago, has managed to direct public opinion in a certain direction world-wide. However, the latest example is just a bit too blatant to be dismissed. I am referring to what CNN published as a "transcript" of Hans Blix's February 14 presentation for the UN Security Council. As you can see here, it is missing substantial parts, some of which deal with Iraqi governments cooperation and the access granted to the inspectors. [Source: Mohsen Derakhshan's Blog]

2003-02-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

Crazy War Indeed - Picture from Feb. 15th demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel.

2003-02-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

BBC - The folks at the British Broadcasting Corporation aired this report last December. It was described by many to be the first real portrayal of what living in the Islamic Republic of Iran is like today. However, the larger international audience of the BBC never got a chance to see it, other for the web version. This has caused some debate too. Tell me what you think.

Reactions - One of my blog readers wrote this about the Robert Fisk article I posted on Powell's UN speech: "Very interesting article........ I listened to most of the speech... It seemed like a combination of fact and fantasy, where you really don't know which side or how much o believe... Meanwhile, it's unfortunate to acts hastily when it would go against convention, precedence and everything we should stand for to commit to UN sanctions/inspections and not let it run its due course...."

Feeling Betrayed - As the United States announces some details of how it is planning to attack Iraq, utilize it's allies, handle other groups inside Iraq and eventually take control of the country, some of the parties involved are concerned about the released details.

2003-02-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

Media - By the time the day began in the most eastern shores of the American continent yesterday, it was clear what had already taken place everywhere else in the world. Starting with Australia and Far East, moving along to the rest of Asia, the storm of millions marching in the streets to protest war had picked up speed and by the time it hit Italy, Spain and England, many of these countries were witnessing the largest crowds they had ever seen gather for a single cause. The storm did not die down there either and soon took on New York, Washington DC, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and San Diego, with many other cities in between. So, at 8:07 PM EST, Associated Press puts out a report on these events. By their own numbers listed in the same article, millions have participated already. You wouldn't know it by the title of their report though, it simply read "Thousands Worldwide Protest War in Iraq". Not Millions or even Hundreds of Thousands. It was the worst title ever chosen for a legitimate reported story and surely deserving of an award for the most visible case of biased journalism. It was so blatant and vulgar, they changed it less than half hour later, but it had already made me chuckle for a while. In case you are wondering, here are the real numbers.

Make Love not War - For Valentine's day and from iranian.com

Hubble Telescope - Can't explain why, but I find this Media Guide fascinating!

Radical Past - This is certainly not the last time you hear of Joschka Fischer, arguably Germany's most popular politician from the Green Party. I really don't know how credible this Ion Mihai Pacepa person is. After all, his main claim to fame this far was his rubbish on Yasser Arafat. However, I doubt his recent "revelations" will hurt Fischer's (or Green's) popularity one bit.

2003-02-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

Protest - Don't forget! Today is the day for an international coordinated anti-war protest held globally, including in a city near you.

Full of Crap! - I’m sorry for being so blunt, but this guy is the intellectual giant equivalent of mini-me. Let’s examine various aspects of the opinion piece: We’ll start by looking at him, personally. Credibility: He was the "former director of Iraq's nuclear-weapons program". In other words, he was at the heart of Saddam Hussein’s most inner-circles while he was stockpiling his weapons array, torture and kill anyone brave enough to question his government, attack two neighbors and use the most inhumane methods to murder Iranian soldiers and destroy Kurdish villages and people. He then confirms that he is a master liar, having spent 20 years in a "training course in methods of deception" Just an all around very credible and "nice guy". Motive: He is a pro U.S. Iraqi dissident. So, if U.S. attacks and removes Saddam he may have something to gain here, wouldn’t you say? Let’s move to his Facts: None of his "facts" are accurate or current. When he mentions "growth media", he forgets to mention we supplied Saddam with it. He does mention the British supplied equipment, which does not explain why Britain would be pro-war according to his logic. Next he uses his old master's techniques of deception by misquoting Saddam about having had anthrax by stating "he now admits to having". No, he does not. Then he uses suppositions and projections that go back to the 1970's. He never mentions that for the past decade (and more) none of such activities have taken place, as Iraq has been under a UN embargo. So, since the first Persian Gulf war France hasn’t built nuclear plants in Iraq, Germany hasn’t supplied any weaponry and Russia hasn’t sold them Kalashnikovs. In fact, if he wants to consider all transactions and financial dealings over the last 30 years, the United States, by far has benefited the most by dealings with Iraq. Not England, France, Germany or Russia. He is right about one thing, this war is indeed about money and oil-money in specific. However, his reasoning leaves behind the true players and their motivations in pursuing this objective.

Palestine - While the world has focused almost entirely first on Al-Qaeda and now Iraq, it's easy to forget Palestine. Perhaps the most critical international issue of the past 50 years is given very little attention during a very significant time. However, more and more people are realizing that where you stand on this question, is not a religious, racial or ethnic issue, it's just a matter of right and wrong. A growing Israeli and Jewish movement on this subject matter, plus a series of credible voices questioning the issues is a welcome development needed to correct a tragic situation. It will not happen over night, but the change will come.

2003-02-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Canada's Healthcare System - I lived in Canada most of my life and never realized what a huge problem our healthcare system was until my American friends told me that is what I am supposed to believe. To me, the imperfect system pioneered by Tommy Douglas and now enjoyed by ALL Canadians, was the best way to ensure the quality of care patients receive is not based on their financial capacity to pay. This was the system that operated on my aging father, gave birth to my friend's children, treated an ex after an accident and had me seeing a kidney specialist within 48 hours of my doctor's recommendation. However, the privatize system of U.S. health conglomerates does an amazing job of portraying the system as a big failure. Is the system perfect? Of course not. Particularly with all the recent cuts and attempts by right-wing governments to privatize it, establish a two tier system or promote extra billing. However, compared with millions of uninsured people, the HMO messes and the sub-par quality of care many Americans must deal with (unless they have the financial resources to buy premium service), the system is amazing! It reminds me of Winston Churchill's famous quote, "Democracy is the worst form of government in the entire world...except for all the rest." and for this Canadian "Canada's healthcare system is a disaster... except for all the other alternatives". Maybe one day my American friends will get to experience it first-hand, maybe.

Mouseland - While I remembered Tommy Douglas, let me share this famous story (originally told by Clare Gillis, a friend of Douglas) often used by him. If you prefer, here's a video version of the same story, presented by Tommy Douglas' grandson, Kiefer Sutherland. Yes, the famous one from Young Guns, The Lost Boys, A Few Good Men and most recently 24.

Rooting Out Evil - Believe it! An international team of weapons inspectors is coming to the United States "to inspect the chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons produced and concealed by the Bush regime".

2003-02-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

O' Canada, eh? - One of the worst consequences of the tragic events of 9/11, was the paranoia and resulting bigotry aimed at many immigrant individuals and communities in United States. I had front row seats to this catastrophe. Xenophobia reached it's peak then and with the ever-present threat of further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, continues to be the single largest potential violation of basic human rights in the west.

One of the evident signposts of such bigotry is the way U.S. has treated Canadians born in certain countries. This clear prejudice is partially based on a biased view most Americans hold towards what themselves call "Naturalized Americans". You see, unlike Canada, United States does indeed hold two separate classes for it's citizens. The separation is based on genealogy and geography. Although both categories hold similar obligations, are subject to the same laws and pay the same taxes, they do not enjoy the same privileges. Take for example, the right to hold public office. In a democracy, it is essential for ALL citizens to have the right and the opportunity to run for and hold offices that govern their lives. A "Naturalized American" however, can never hold the highest office of his home country. Article II.1.5 of the U.S. Constitution prohibits them from becoming the President, just ask poor old Henry Kissinger.

This however is not the case for Canada. A Canadian, once he/she accepts the rights and obligations of Canadian Citizenship, be it by birth or choice, is a full fledge Canadian. No ifs or buts and no holding back of certain rights. There's only one class of Canadian citizens, period. They can be and hold even the highest office in the land, or enjoy any other privileges enjoyed by other Canadians. Did this stop U.S. from treating Canadians differently based on the geography of their birth place? Nope. United States has continued to treat Canadians born in mostly Middle-Eastern Muslim countries like criminals who need to be photographed and finger-printed. All of it with little or no solid opposition from Canadian officials.

So, in the absence of the Canadian Government taking any serious steps to stop this injustice, here's one suggestion for a grass-root movement that may help. In the early 90's, facing yet another referendum put forward by the separatist government of Quebec, many Canadians started a protest movement under the banner "My Canada Includes Quebec". It was a simple message, clear and to the point, basically stating their desire to keep the Province within the Canadian Federation. Thousands of bumper stickers, t-shirts, baseball caps and flags bearing that simple slogan was used by Canadians to show their stand. I am not certain how successful the movement was, but it clearly played a part in the eventual victory by the federalists.

I recommend a similar movement this time. Let's call it "My Canada Includes ALL Canadians" (or "My Canada Includes Canadians born abroad"?). Let every car and passenger entering U.S. carry the message with them. Let's get the point across that they would not tolerate mistreatment of their citizens, regardless of their place of birth. Let's show ALL Canadians are equal, one nation, one citizenship, one people...coming from many backgrounds. Write me if you are interested, let's go!. Meanwhile, let's support this movement too.

2003-02-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Hallmark celeberation - Add this to your "interesting" file: Tehran Police has started a crackdown on anything relating to Valentine's Day celebrations. Over the past few years, this greatest of Hallmark manufactured events has been used by Iranian youth as a form of protest against the ultra conservative government. Cards, candy and flowers are exchanged between people of opposite sexes, despite a restrict code of conduct demanded by the ruling clergy. I have never been a fan of this compulsary day to show your affections, but if it's used in a small way to bring a nation back into the 21st century, who could argue with it's merits? Here's the story.

2003-02-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Free Money? - Would you spend 2 minutes to get a check in the mail for $20? That's how long it took me to file a "claim" resulting from a class-action lawsuit settlement against the music industry. Anyone who has bought recorded music between 1995 and 2000 is eligible and no proof of purchase is required. You can call 1-877-347-4782 and get a paper form or click here to file on-line. The only private piece of information they want is last 4 digits of your social security number. Sorry, the offer is open only to residents of USA.

2003-02-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Photography - I often wish I was as good as some of these people at taking wonderful pictures.

2003-02-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Winnie the Pooh - As if you needed proof: underneath all the rhetoric and stereotypical nonsense from both sides, we are all human beings who pursue similar goals, rejoice in similar pleasures, value similar treasures, love similar people and turn to Winnie on a special occasion.... Be it Christmas or Eid.

2003-02-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

My favorite sites - I'll admit it; I'm addicted to www.iranian.com . I must stop by at least a couple of times a day, just in case something new has been posted that I may be interested in. Although it is certainly more appealing to me because of my own ethnic heritage, I also find it uniquely different (and better) than most of what else is on the net. In that sense, I am sure even the non-Irani visitors will find something interesting going through site's vast archives. I stopped writing regularly long ago, but even today, if I think of writing something, I often first think of writing it for iranian.com. Since I don't get to do it any other way, I just wanted to use this opportunity to say thanks to my friend Jahanshah Javid for creating, developing and keeping alive one of my daily breaks over the last few years.

2003-02-10T22:32:00.001-08:00

W - Listen to the alternative version of the State of the Union address by President Bush. This is Funny! ..... On a different note; this is kinda sad, but funny? Yeah, I suppose.

2003-02-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Osama Bin Laden wants us to invade Iraq. Do you?

2003-02-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

Games - If you haven't already, you MUST check out Gulf War 2.

2003-02-10T04:44:00.000-08:00

Rob Sobhani - First, let me assure you that “Rob” Sobhani does not speak for Iranians (A friend suggested maybe he will when he might start using his Iranian name Sohrab instead of Rob, but that’s another topic for another day). “Rob” is so submerged in his ultra-right Republican views, he’ll say anything to appease his honchos. After all, he has been groomed by the party elite to one day represent the community, unfortunately the community he represents is an inconsequential minority within the greater Iranian as well as Iranian-American community.

He was a Republican candidate for Senate from Maryland in 2000, when his claim to fame was that he had “opened the Caspian sea resources to the American corporations”. Anyone familiar with the politics of energy in that region knows what he meant. Some of his recent “achievements” include his hostility and intolerance towards immigrant communities. In a July 2002 article he goes so far as to say “...multiculturalism is eroding America's sovereignty and the national identity of its citizens” (note to Rob; take a trip up to Canada to see how multi-culturalism has made ALL communities flourish), he goes on to decide that “English must become the official language of America” (I hope by “America” he means the USA, since the name includes two very diverse continents). Then he shows his true bias when he attacks the entire current system of immigration, based on family reunification principals as “an enormous burden on our nation’s resources” (goddamn immigrants come to this country and take our jobs away... or is it that they all collect welfare? not sure).

So, is it a surprise that to him George W. Bush is another Abraham Lincoln? Perhaps not. However, if by that definition he draws parallels between oppressed Iranians and Americans under slavery, then perhaps he is right in that a true emancipator like Martin Luther King Jr. (and not Honest Abe) is most welcomed and needed.

2003-02-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

The Bubble Boy - One day I'd like to live in a bubble too! Especially if it's a "media bubble".

2003-02-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

Surgeons Joke - Three Texas surgeons were having lunch together
and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7
fingers in an I reattached them and 8 months later he performed a private
concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said. "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and
legs in a terrible accident, I reattached them and 2 years later he won 2
gold medals in field events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a guy who
was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head on into train traveling 80
miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy
hat. He's now President of the Unites States."

Got home very late and tired but this made me laugh. Thanks to the sender.

2003-02-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

Labour Party UK - There was a time when the Labour Party was seen as a progressive and dynamic entity, not only in the British political scene but also globally. Then came Margaret Thatcher and all of that changed. Somewhere during the long reign of Thatcher (and her successor Major), the party fell in love with being in power. Perhaps you can’t blame them as they were faced directly with one of the most annihilating conservative forces ever. However, getting to and remaining in power seems to have become an obsession with the flag-bearers of the “third way” under Tony Blair.

This obsession may be partially the reason Blair’s government is trying so hard to please Bush’s team in pursuit of a new war. So hard, they have even learned from the masters how to make up stuff. It’s sad, but read this .

2003-02-07T00:37:00.000-08:00

Heroes - For as long as I can remember, "hero" had a different meaning for me. To me, that was a special title reserved for some extraordinary people. People who give up everything they have for a higher goal and with no personal gain. Mandela is a hero. The firefighters who kept climbing the World Trade Center towers despite the thickening smoke and obvious worsening conditions were heroes. The 16 year old who was raped, tortured and finally executed without even revealing her full real name was a hero. Gandhi, Mossadegh and Martin Luther King JR. were all heroes.

On the other hand, many other who died, even if it was in the process of serving their fellow men, did not necessary qualify for such huge praise. The scientist who died from the virus she caught while working on a possible vaccine, the pilot that was killed in the plane crash after it was hijacked, the policeman that was hit by a drunk driver while writing a ticket for another motorist, the garbage-man that accidentally got crushed by his equipment and many others, although suffered sad and unfortunate fates, the committed no heroic acts. They lost their lives, in the line of duty, doing their jobs or as a result of. The knew the risks involved with their chosen profession, even if it was forced upon them and wasn’t a choice, even if the job is more dangerous than most. Otherwise, the world would have been full of hero cab drivers and grocery store clerks (hmmm, maybe it IS).

I sympathize with the families of lost astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia. Their loss is tragic and unfortunate. However, as it comes to heroes, I will look for other more inspiring ones.

2003-02-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

Collin Powell's Speech at UN, presenting "proof" of Iraq's sinister deeds - I couldn't watch the UN speech live, busy with other things generally being referred to as a "living". However, I read both pro and con reviews of the event and found this the most interesting.

2003-02-06T00:41:00.000-08:00

After contemplating it for a while, finally decided to do it. New to the "blog world" but I guess like everyone else with a blog, felt that I had something to say and why not say it publicly this way.... We'll see how it goes...