Narratives of Suffering

Update

2010-05-20T14:28:00.003+02:00

My blog is in desperate need of a make-over. Meanwhile, I have no idea what just happened to my blog links.

Demonstration in The Hague

2009-12-28T16:48:00.002+01:00

Following the violent crackdown of Ashura protests, which led to many deaths and arrests, we will show our defiance against the brutal coup regime, and our solidarity and support with our brave brothers and sisters, tomorrow between 1 and 3 pm before the coup embassy in The Hague. Unite for freedom....

در پی کشتار، ضرب و شتم، و دستگیری عزیزان قهرمان در روز عاشورا: تظاهرات سبز در مقابل سفارت کودتا در شهر لاهه، هلند

مزدوران کودتاچی بدانند که با در بند کشیدن و به شهادت رساندن فرزندان این جنبش، در هیچ جای دنیا در امان نخواهند بود. دوست عزیز ایرانی مقیم خارج، خواهران و برادران شما در ایران بیش از هر لحظه دیگر چشم به حمایت شما دارند

به دلیل کمبود وقت به اطلاع رسانی شما نیازمندیم

One day, not too far away

2009-11-16T22:22:00.001+01:00

Identity kidnapped nuclear scientist revealed

2009-10-01T16:48:00.014+02:00

(Persian follows English)

Following the Islamic Republic’s claim, concerning the kidnapping of four of its nuclear scientists in Saudi Arabia, the Interpol has announced the identity of one of these persons. According to preliminary reports, Dr. Fatemeh Behrangi (19), a senior nuclear researcher at Iran’s Nuclear Energy Department was kidnapped while traveling through Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Behrangi, a high school graduate, was enrolled in the country’s nuclear program, after her high school teachers discovered her remarkable talent and requested support from government officials. According to official reports, Miss Behrangi, then only 16 years old, had built a small scale nuclear facility in her parent’s basement, using ordinary tools, which she obtained with the help of her older brother from the local market. Later on, Miss Behrangi was awarded an Oxford doctorate degree in nuclear physics by the IR Ministry of Science, and had co-authored many scientific articles with Dr. kamran Daneshjou.

A spokesman of the IR Foreign Ministry announced that Miss Behrangi’s older brother is also missing since last Wednesday. He went on to stress that ‘enemies of our nation cannot bear the excellence of our nuclear scientists, the mean age of whom is below 25 years’. He concluded by urging ‘the Zionist kidnappers’ to release Miss Behrangi as soon as possible.

در پی ادعای ربوده شدن چهار تن از دانشمندان هسته ای جمهوری اسلامی در عربستان سعودی، امروز پلیس بین المللی هویت یکی از این دانشمندان را فاش کرد. بنا بر گزارشات اولیه، دکتر فاطمه بهرنگی (۱۹ ساله)، که یکی از محققین برجسته انرژی هسته ای در ایران می باشند، در هنگام سفر در عربستان سعودی ربوده شدند

دکتر بهرنگی، دیپلمه دبیرستان حضرت زهرا (س)، پس از آنکه معلم دبیرستان ایشان متوجه استعداد فارق العاده وی گردید، در مراکز مختلف تحقیقی سازمان انرژی هسته ای مشغول به کار شدند. بنا بر گزارشات رسمی، خانوم بهرنگی که در آن زمان ۱۶ سال بیشتر . نداشتند، با کمک برادر بزرگتر خود و با تهیه قطعاتی از بازار، اقدام به تولید انرژی هسته ای در زیرزمین خانه پدری خود کردند

پس از آن، در پی خدمات فراوان ایشان به پیشبرد انرژی هسته ای در کشور، وزارت علوم در اواخر سال ۱۳۸۷ یک مدرک دکترای افتخاری از آکسفورد به ایشان اهدا نمود. خانوم بهرنگی همچنین مقالات علمی متعددی را به همراه دکتر کامران دانشجو در سطح جهانی منتشر کرده اند

یک سخنگوی وزارت امور خارجه، با ذکر اینکه برادر بزرگتر خانوم بهرنگی نیز از روز چهارشنبه هفته گذشته گم شده اند، گفت: دشمنان انقلاب تحمل پیشرفت دانشمندان هسته ای ما، که میانگین سن آنها از ۲۵ سال هم کمتر است، را هم ندارند. وی در پایان سخنان .

خویش ، در خطاب به آدم ربایان صهیونیست، خواستار آزادی هر چه زودتر دکتر بهرنگی شد

Mir Hossein Mousavi at the Green Qods demonstration

2009-09-18T19:22:00.004+02:00

عکسی برای تاریخ: میر حسین موسوی وجمعیت آزادیخواه با گامهای مستحکم در برابر جمع مداحان و جیره خواران (روز قدس سبز). زنده باد ایران

Venice Film Festival goes Green

2009-09-09T22:31:00.003+02:00

Shirin Neshat, celebrated Iranian photographer and film director, is followed by her cast at the Venice International Film Festival.

Delusions of a madman: new comments by the coup president in Bandar Abbas توهمات یک دیوانه: اراجیف تازه از زبان رئیس جمهور کودتا در بندر عباس

2009-08-21T01:17:00.006+02:00

(Persian follows English)

Based on a report by Zamaneh

During a visit to the Harbor city of Bandar Abbas, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that some of the Western countries have "voiced their regrets [about interfering with Iran's interior affairs] and wish to make up for their mistakes". He also called Iran one of the seven greatest powers in the world, and added that "powerful countries acknowledge this fact in their own meetings". Responding to those who consider gasoline sanctions against Iran an effective tool to put pressure on its government, he stated: "We have reached such an industrial capacity that we are able to be self-sufficient in terms of gasoline production within one single week. Also, by operationalizing the Bandar Abbas Star Refinery, we will be a gasoline producing country in one or two years ourselves”. Ahmadinejad made these comments, while, at this very moment, 40% of Iran’s gasoline consumption depends on foreign import. In other part of his speech, Ahmadinejad commented on the widespread smuggling in the province of Hormozgan: “someone who transports products to make a living should never be described and accused as a ‘smuggler’; these activities have no effect on the country’s economy”

به نقل از زمانه

محمود احمدی‌نژاد امروز پنج‌شنبه در جریان بازدید از آزمایش دریانوردی دو کشتی ایرانی در بندرعباس گفت که برخی کشورهای غربی «پیام دادند ما اشتباه کردیم و می‌خواهیم جبران کنیم.» محمود

احمدی‌نژاد، هم‌چنین ایران را یکی از هفت قدرت بزرگ جهان نامید و افزود که «قدرت‌های بزرگ در جلسات خود به این مطلب اذعان کرده‌اند.» وی خطاب به کسانی که تحریم‌های جدید بنزین علیه ایران را مؤثر می‌دانند گفت: «ما اکنون در صنعت خود به آن چنان ظرفیتی رسیده‌ایم که در ظرف یک هفته با تغییر خط تولید می‌توانیم کل بنزین خود را تأمین کنیم و با بهره‌برداری از پالایشگاه ستاره بندرعباس ظرف یکی، دو سال آینده ما خود تولیدکننده بنزین خواهیم بود.» این در حالی است که ایران هم‌اینک ۴۰ درصد از بنزین مورد نیاز خود را از خارج وارد می‌کند. آقای احمدی‌نژاد در این بازدید در بخش دیگری از سخنانش در مورد قاچاق گسترده کالا در استان هرمزگان گفت: "کسی که برای اداره زندگی کالایی را جابه‌جا می‌کند هیچ‌گاه نباید با عبارات نادرست نظیر قاچاق او را متهم کرد و این قبیل

'.فعالیت‌ها خللی در اقتصاد کشور و مردم ایجاد نخواهد کرد

نسخه اعتماد ملی که امروز توقیف شد

2009-08-17T17:53:00.004+02:00

Link to today's issue of the reformist newspaper, Etemad Melli, which was banned yesterday.

Statement by the Iranian American Youth in the Washington Times بیانیه جوانان ایرانی در امریکا در واشنگتون تایمز

2009-08-11T23:00:00.005+02:00

Sohrab's funeral and his mother's emotional outburst

2009-07-13T23:48:00.006+02:00

The video of Sohrab Aerabi's funeral was released today. During the ceremony his mother stood up and shouted emotionally in protest to the death of her son. This video illustrates quite vividly our nation's suffering in the face of brutality. Please share this video, so the world may hear her repressed voice.

Sohrab Aerabi died in prison

2009-07-12T11:41:00.005+02:00

Yesterday, it was announced on various blogs and news websites that Sohrab Aerabi had died in Evin prison. Sohrab was arrested on 20th of June during the protests against the massive election frauds in Iran. For days, his family did not know where Sohrab was, and whether he was still alive. Later, the family learned that he was jailed in the infamous and feared Evin prison.

Sohrab's mother had voiced her concern about his son's life. A few days later the family received a message that their son had died in prison and that they must come to claim his body.

Sohrab was 19 years old, and was preparing for the university entrance exams this summer.

Summing up the day: 9 July 2009 (18 Tir 88)

2009-07-10T01:17:00.006+02:00

1. The number of the protesters clearly overwhelmed the government forces.
2. Despite some set backs, the decentralized nature of the protests made the security forces feel frustrated, confused and powerless.
3. Protests at national level seem to work much better than planned demonstrations on specific locations in the capital; Tehran needs people in other cities to get involved.
4. BBC was quite disappointing in covering the protests. Were they affected by the nonsense of the IR?
5. Where are Mousavi and Karoubi? Their status as leaders of the movement is not clear anymore to a lot of people.
6. Tehran, Tabriz, Esfahan, and Shiraz are the heart of the protests.
7. Today, people sent a strong message to the government that their movement is still alive and kicking, despite the reign of terror in last few weeks.
8. We WON!

Aljazeera: independent news or the new Iranian state TV?

2009-07-03T23:19:00.010+02:00

I had always defended Aljazeera when my friends complained that its style was like the moslim version of the Fox News. A new, independent and critical media was a welcome change in the Middle East, a region where state news agencies had dominated the media for years.

However, I was disillusioned in the days following the controversial Iranian elections. It started with a video, which characterized the protesters as vandals "who had caused considerable damage to public properties". Next, the Aljazeera Youtube channel featured an interview with a former American security advisor, who articulated great doubt that the US government could do anything to influence the protests. Nonetheless, the video was entitled "US has intelligence agents working in Iran", which in fact echoes the propaganda that is announced almost daily by the Iranian state TV.

Overall, Aljazeera has done little to provide a balanced view of the events in Iran. In the last weeks the news agency has focused mostly on the political aspects of the events, which has been a good excuse not to mention the Basij's brutal attacks, the arrest of hundreds of reformers, students and journalists, as well as the false and absurd "confessions" of people on state TV who were supposedly possessed by foreign media, especially BBC and VOA. This has been the reason why Aljazeera is currently the only foreign news agency who can report all around Tehran. If you are not convinced, watch this ridiculous report to see it for yourself.

Is it the blind anti-Americanism of Aljazeera that explains its royalty to Ahmadinejad? Or is its love for Hamas and Hezbollah, which have been generously funded during the Ahmadinejad administration?

I will Boycott Aljazeera!

Iranians encouraged to spy on their families by the state TV

2009-06-25T18:31:00.002+02:00

Although this is an old video (posted last year on Youtube), I wouldn't be surprised to see more of these adds in the weeks and months to come.

.....

2009-06-25T01:13:00.001+02:00

DEATH TO THE DICTATOR!

Propaganda

2009-01-05T10:53:00.007+01:00

This year's Israeli annual attack features a massive and unprecedented pr campaign, which appears especially to target the western audience. The Israeli government has obviously learned its lessons from previous wars, and is planning to win the heart and mind of every single one of us.

While the list of its criminal actions in Gaza are growing by day, the Israeli military uploads fun little videos of its heroic and humane activities on Youtube. On its special page, you can watch how soldiers admit wounded children for health care, and how the brave pilots eliminate Hamas terrorists, and the terrorists only, using precision bombardments.

Also, the army's English website features a banner, showing female Israeli soldiers in nice and peaceful poses (check also this interesting story on Haaretz). Gabriel, one of the Jews sans frontieres, is quite correct to note that "Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the government uses feminine sexuality to market mass murder".

Gaza attacks

2009-01-03T17:52:00.001+01:00

If you don't want people to call you a terrorist, try wearing an army uniform.

The society, Iranian style

2008-06-18T16:28:00.003+02:00

Once upon a time, an American discovers that the Western media news coverage of Iran is not reliable. He decides to make a journey to Iran in order to get to know the country from Inside. In the U.S., he had heard a lot about the influence of Islam on Iranian lifestyle and politics. So decides to start his field trip by visiting a large mosque in Tehran.

Stepping inside the mosque, he is surprised to see that there is no sign of any ritual prayer. Instead, people are sitting all around the area, eating chicken and rice. Obviously, it’s a feast of some sort…. The American is very surprised and starts a conversation with a young man who is standing in a corner.

American: “Excuse me…. What’s going on in here? I thought a mosque was a place for people to pray, but everyone’s eating here!”

Young man: “That’s true. But you don’t see much praying in here. If you wanna see people pray, you should go to Tehran University. They have large prayers, especially on Fridays.”

The American is now even more confused:

“at the university?! Isn’t that supposed to be a place for students, academics and intellectuals?”

Young man: “Yes, normally. But the students and intellectuals are all in prison nowadays, so….”

The American can’t believe what he’s hearing:

“In prison?! That’s the place for thieves and criminals, so where do you keep your criminals?!”

The young man looks at the American and shakes his head in disbelief: “who the hell do you think is running the country then?!”

2008-06-13T19:30:00.002+02:00

Just a few days ago, senator Barack Obama did, in his quest for the US presidency, what every candidate is supposed to do: sucking up to the Israel lobby, AIPAC.

Here are some interesting statements that Obama made during his speech:

"Israel should preserve its identity as a Jewish"

"Jerusalem should remain undivided as the capital of Israel"

"Iran is the greatest threat to Israel, more than Iraq has even been"

"As an 11 year old, I understood the Zionist wish to live in own territories"

"I will ensure Israel’s military advantage in the region"

"I will always support the Israel right to defend itself in the UN"*

"I will isolate Hamas"

"The recent Israeli military action in Syria was justified"**

"We should never force Israel to negotiate with anyone"

"We will sanction Iran"

"I will keep the threat of military action against Iran on the table"

From a candidate who preaches change, these lines sound too absurd and too familiar

Yes, we can…. Go to hell!

____________

* Veto every resolution condemning Israel’s actions and policies against Palestinians.

** So how come that was justified and the war in Iraq wasn’t?

60 years

2008-05-18T23:45:00.004+02:00

Israel celebrates its 60th year of existence. Over the years, we have seen many celebrations of independence around the world, but a national birthday is quite a rare moment is history. Like many Israelis, I cherish this moment, although for different reasons.

I believe this moment can be used to draw attention to a number of historical events, prior to and following the establishment of Israel. A few years ago, I was amazed to find out how little some people knew about the history of Israel. In their view, Israel existed for thousands of years, and was not just created following a political process overnight. Should we blame them? Yes, and no. Indeed, the Israeli discourse claims historicity by taking the Israeli roots back to the ancient time, when Moses led the exodus of his people from Egypt. They were called Israelis too. But that is the only similarity. The truth is that those people, apart from a shared religion, have no cultural or racial similarity with the majority of individuals who call themselves Israelis today. So what do we mean, when we are talking about roots?

The establishment of Israel seems to be a forgotten event. It is not in any way represented in the Israeli and Euro-American political discourses, although it lies at the very basis of the Arab-Israeli conflict. “Israel has the right to exist”! That’s one phrase that is being recycled over and over in response to critiques of Israeli aggression. But how exactly has Israel acquired this right? The creation of Israel has been a result of a political consensus between a few powerful states directly following the Second World War. It was decided that Jewish people, being the primary victims of the holocaust, should be able to live freely in their own land*. But as they did not possess a land, the former Palestine, which was at the time under the British mandate, was chosen as the best geographical location for the new country. Almost the entire Western world approved a UN resolution, which sought to implement this plan. All Muslim states rejected it. No one asked the Palestinians whether they liked the idea of a Jewish state in the middle of their territories. In a few years time, a large part of the original residents of the Palestinian land was forced to flee their homes, following Israeli military aggression. Thousands of people lost their lives, others have lived under repression ever since. To date, Israel has persistently denied these refugees’ their legal right to return to their homes, in spite of numerous UN resolutions.

Today, as the 60th anniversary of Israel in being celebrated, I cannot stop thinking about the atrocities, and the human suffering this country has caused. I wish the Palestinian refugees a safe journey home, perhaps some day in my lifetime.

_____
* Apparently this plan had a historical context.

Food crisis

2008-04-30T11:33:00.004+02:00

Recently, CNN reported that the food shortage in Africa and Asia is not only a humanitarian crisis, but may also become a global security problem. It takes a trained eye, and a fair amount of cynicism to decode what this sentence really means. Let's break it down.

Vocabulary:

Food shortage: a situation in which a population does not have enough access to food supplies. We don't care about the reasons behind such conditions. Mainly, we believe it's their own fucking mistake.

Africa and Asia: Some warm places, far, far away. Basically, we don't know what happens out there most of the time.

Humanitarian crisis: conditions under which human life is endangered due to poverty, disease and war.

Humanitarian crisis in Africa and Asia: stuff we shouldn't be worried about.

Global: referring to parts of the world dominated by rich countries (see also "international community").

Security problem: threats to economical and political interests and institutions.

Wright is right

2008-03-20T13:56:00.005+01:00

Recently, the U.S. public conscience has been shaken up by Pastor Jeremiah Wright’s controversial statements regarding the U.S. approach towards foreign policy and racial issues. As a result of this controversy, Barack Obama has distanced himself from Wright, whom he once considered as his mentor.

Following this controversy made me once more realize how different my political views are from the mainstream American perspective. While I considered some of Wright’s statements as pure speculations, I couldn’t agree more with the rest, especially as some of these statements go beyond the ideology and represent factual events.

“We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye.”

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”

“The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian territories for over 40 years now. Divestment has now hit the table again as a strategy to wake the business community and wake up Americans concerning the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because of Zionism.”

In the past week, I kept asking myself: what’s the big deal? What is really going on? The American society is acting, like any other society, in a self-absorbed and narcissistic way. It should strongly repress and condemn any form of criticism, for it would otherwise lose its self-value.

At an epistemological level, controversy and radicalism do not necessary imply falseness. The norms of the majority cannot be used as criteria for the truth. The case of Nazi Germany shows us how inhuman and destructive the societal norms can be. An ideal society should be open to and stimulate all forms of self-criticism. We all have a long way to go.

Walking paradox

2008-03-10T16:58:00.005+01:00

Humans are multi-layered, complex, and paradoxical beings. They are perhaps the prime sites where cultural symbols manifest themselves; where the modern meets the traditional, and spirituality meets materialism. There are only a few images so strong in documenting this very particular human nature. This picture is taken at an Ashoura ceremony in Iran.

Protest against discrimination at the universities

2008-01-19T10:14:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

I would like to request your support for our protest against the structural exclusion of Iranian students and academics at two Dutch universities.

Universities used to be open, scientific forums where students and researchers were selected based on their academic qualities, not their nationality. University of Twente and Einhoven University of Technology have decided, in an unprecedented move, to reject all Iranian students and academics "as a results of the UN sanctions" against the Iranian government. This means that even students who are interested in subjects that have nothing to do with nuclear technology, such as social sciences and industrial design, are denied admission to the university.

Dear friends, this is the first time, since the Second World War, that a specific group of people is excluded from higher education. It is sad to observe that it should happen in a country that used to be praised for its liberal and progressive climate.

What needs to be done? We have already the support of a large number of academics at the Dutch universities. Also, we have lobbied so much that the Parliament will hold a session on this topic within the next few days. We can really stop this, by sending a strong message to the government and the universities that we do not accept discrimination against innocent students and researchers, just because that have "the wrong" nationality.

We need all the support that we can get. That is why I would like to ask you to read our petition here.

If you sign it, it would even be better! And please, spread this message in your network.

Many thanks

Empty selves at Starbucks

2007-10-03T23:35:00.000+02:00

"Walk into a participating Starbucks with your laptop, iPhone, or iPod touch and buy whatever’s playing — along with millions of songs on iTunes — while your latte cools."

Now you can listen and buy songs at the Starbucks from you own laptop... "while your latte cools". God, that's what I always needed! I can imagine Apple had thought: "what can we do now to make even more money?". And who can blame them? After all, it's the very notion of consumerism that is keeping the modern economies running. But at what price? Clearly, this latest move by apple doesn't meet a public need. As a matter of fact, it's the dumbest product I have seen in years.

I don't want to be moralistic in this. But perhaps, it is appropriate to quote Philip Cushman, introducing the notion of "empty self" as a characterizing feature of human beings in modern societies.

"The empty self is soothed and made
cohesive by becoming "filled up" with food, consumer
products, and celebrities.... The two professions most responsible
for healing the empty self, advertising and psychotherapy,
find themselves in a bind: They must treat a psychological
symptom without being able to address its historical
causes. Both circumvent the bind by employing the lifestyle
solution, a strategy that attempts to heal by covertly
filling the empty self with the accoutrements, values, and
mannerisms of idealized figures. This strategy solves an
old problem but creates new ones..." (Cushman, 1990, p. 600).

Read his entire artice here. (pdf)

Lie

2007-09-19T14:42:00.000+02:00

There is power in a lie.

Babylon

2007-09-02T12:17:00.000+02:00

The city, lightened by divine blessing, raises its middle finger as a symbol of gratitude.

_____
"Toronto seen from Ward's Island"
By Sam Javanrouh

Two Evils

2007-08-17T13:13:00.001+02:00

My life is disturbed by idiot Muslim fundamentalists, and their evil counterparts the Western enlightenment terrorists, the populist Muslim haters. Not a single day goes by without these evil demons screw up the human intellect with their non-sense pseudo-logics.

Let them attack each other till death prevails. I wouldn't actually mind it, if they wouldn't make the whole society go down with them.

An idiot once said that religion is the source of all evil. I think not only religion, but any ideology is potentially dangerous. Forget about ideologies, let's go back to our roots. Let's rediscover what we really are. Let's get back to our farms and cattle. Baaa baaa... They are calling us....

Message

2007-08-17T13:09:00.000+02:00

Let me know what you think of this. I haven't made up my mind yet.

Death

2007-06-19T23:04:00.000+02:00

A few months ago, one of my colleagues died, while mountain climbing in Scotland. They said he had an heart attack….

Disbelief is probably the first reaction people have, when they hear such news. Now, I can’t deny it: I’m fascinated by death. Isn’t it strange that the most important event of human life is, in fact, its very end? Or perhaps it’s not even that important. There are many other interesting things about death, like the fact that it’s obscure, mysterious… and inevitable.

Today, I was caught surprised by another sad news. A person who I used to work with had died a few weeks ago in Italy.

Why do people travel so much these days?

The strange thing about death is that people’s reaction to it is not all about empathy; it’s also existential fear… fear of your own death. For one moment, you’re off guard. You’re faced with the senselessness and unpredictability of you life. A moment of insight and vulnerability, just before your damn barriers of denial take over again.

It feels strange that I just booked a ticket to Scotland… and Italy is on the schedule for August.

Read one of my other posts on death here.

Bush goes against the Congress

2007-05-04T20:04:00.000+02:00

In a democracy: "one man, one vote".
In the U.S.: "one man, one veto".

$#_"$%

2007-02-11T01:27:00.000+01:00

Breathe in... breathe out....

Abuse of power by the U.S. police state

2006-11-18T00:51:00.001+01:00

‘UCLA Police officers shot an (Iranian-American) student several times with a Taser inside the Powell Library computer lab late Tuesday night before taking him into custody.

The student's name is "Mostafa Tabatabainejad". He was selected for a random student ID check by a student worker, but he failed to provide his ID card. He was heading towards the door with his stuff when the cops showed up and tried to escort him out. One cop put a hand on his arm to get him out and he yelled "get off me!" as a second cop walked up and the rest was taped.…’

Tabatabainejad was subjected to multiple shocks, despite the fact that he posed no resistance against his removal from the library. As a matter of fact he screamed “I’m not fighting…”, when oddly instructed not to resist.

He was forced to stand up after each shock, in spite the fact that the use of Taser guns can induce temporary muscle spasm and paralysis, making it impossible for the victim to move. Read an eyewitness account here.

Another disturbing fact is the refusal of the officers to provide their ID numbers, when students asked for it explicitly. These students were instructed not to intervene, or otherwise they would be shot by Taser as well.

Since the Police Department’s early announcement [pdf], which was released a day after the incidence, seems biased in favor of its employees, I kindly request every visitor of this site to do the following:

- Spread the word. Please send this text to as many people as you can.
- Call, fax, or mail the UCLA Police Department, and express your concern.

Telephone: 310-825-2151
Fax: 310-206-6030
E-mail: chancellor@conet.ucla.edu

You may also send an e-mail anonymously by using this link. The recipient cannot discover your identity. Flood their goddamn mailbox, be my guest!

Please remember that this case is not only about an Iranian-American student. It is about the abuse of our civil rights in the name of security and "protection".

The use of Taser gun has been considered as torture by Amnesty International.

G.W. Bush

2006-10-12T19:52:00.000+02:00

Bush delivers his best speech ever.

Immorality

2006-10-03T21:18:00.000+02:00

Our world is governed by immoral leaders. Immorality!
Immorality has different faces, of which inappropriate e-mails are perhaps one of the least important….

_______

About the image: Najaf, Iraq, 31 March 2003. Iraqi man comforts his son at a holding center for prisoners of war. Photo by Jean-Marc Bouju, France, The Associated Press. World Press Photo of 2003.

The true space oddity

2006-09-18T23:26:00.000+02:00

Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist, says it was her childhood dream to be able to travel into the space one day. In realizing this dream, she hopes to show women and girls around the world that they, too, can reach their dreams, especially given the fact that she was born and raised in a country where not many opportunities were provided to her (I paraphrased part of her interview with the CNN).

Hydra has a dream too, and he truly hopes that it will be realized someday. He wishes that the “media one day flies” like Ansari would not make quasi-philosophical/sociological statements in the future, implying justice and morality in the human world.

There are millions of people on this planet who are more talented, harder working, and prettier than Ansari, but will never have 25 million dollars to afford this luxury trip out of town.

My friends, do not underestimate the chance factor. You could have easily been her, floating around at the space station with millions of dollars in your bank account. Or… you could have been that poor child in Arusha or Johannesburg, infected with the HIV, and destined to await your death in pain. The chances are equal. Make a choice. No, sorry… you can’t.

The choking cat

2006-09-18T22:41:00.000+02:00

I was starving, so made myself a hamburger
And one extra so I could eat it up later
Better weather than yesterday… yesterday it was too cold
I hate it when it’s cold. Especially when it’s not supposed to, like in August
I sat in front of my computer… thinking about… I don’t know… work, I guess
Noises…What the hell? Not him again….
I ran to the kitchen, the cat stole my hamburger
Goddamn idiot… I hope you're gonna choke!
I wanna get out of here… I wanna get outta this town, this country, this planet
Maybe I can be one of the future space tourists! Who knows…
Hell, yeah!
I can take protein en vitamin pills all day… cats hate pills…

Are we blind?

2006-09-10T23:04:00.000+02:00

A distinguished man once said that great crimes against humanity are not committed by the aggressor, but by those who stand by to observe, and fail to intervene.

Watch a short video.

Dream part II

2006-09-01T12:54:00.000+02:00

Perhaps, he deserves it more than any other U.S. president in recent history.

Read more.

Dream

2006-08-24T11:56:00.000+02:00

I had a dream last night. I dreamt that I had posted something on this blog. I came here this morning to see if there were any comments. Nothing!

I looked at the date and realized that I had forgotten his birthday. On 13 August 2005, I wrote the first entry of this blog about Ganji and the opposition. Since then I have had an interesting relation with this blog, nurturing, as well as neglecting it for long periods of time. I love it, because it provides me a channel to express my opinions, hopes and frustrations about a large number of things. The subjects of my entries were predominately focused on world news and politics. As these subjects often affect me more than my own personal frustrations, I hope to be able to continue this line of writing in the future.

In the past year, I have had the honor to get to know a number of other bloggers whose writings were genuine, inspiring and challenging to me. Some have left the blog world, but most are still active. I, hereby, want to thank them all for their input, comments and encouragements.

See how they treat our scientists

2006-08-11T17:26:00.000+02:00

Zharf weblog has posted a disturbing account of a Sharif University alumni who, together with other Sharif graduates, was jailed and deported upon arrival in the U.S.

Israeli PR Manual

2006-08-08T15:00:00.000+02:00

A new war has begun, and the Israeli public relation services are running 24/7. During the last weeks, a whole bunch of Israeli spokespersons have appeared on CNN and BBC, representing the army, as well as the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs. Of course, not everyone is qualified for such TV appearances. Candidates need to follow extensive training. Recently, a small part of a training manual, issued by the Joint Security Forces (Ministry of Defence and the Moussad), has leaked and circulated among a small group of journalists and anti-war activists.

A section of this manual contains the following instructions for Israeli spokespersons:

- Keep looking into the camera, and smile at the beginning and the end of the interview. Be very serious, and even upset during the interview, as our nation is under attack by fundamentalist militants.

- Do not forget that, under all circumstances, we are right. Never admit to cruelty, mistakes or miscalculations.

- Hezbollah is a TERRORIST organization. Never refer to it as a ‘resistance movement’.

- Emphasize that our struggle is solely against Hezbollah, and not Lebanon, or its people. Never mind the fact that almost everyone out there is supporting them, and that Hezbollah is part of a democratically elected government. Use terms, such as ‘state within a state’ and ‘hijacking Lebanon’ as much as possible.

- Our mission is to free Lebanon from Hezbollah fundamentalism, and to defend our innocent citizens. Do not mention anything about the two soldiers who were taken hostage by the Hezbollah (what were their names again?). We cannot afford to tell the world that we have been killing hundreds of people, and wiping off entire neighborhoods and villages, just for two Israeli soldiers.

- “We have the right to defend ourselves”. Use this phrase whenever you have nothing else to say.

- Make sure that everyone believes that Hezbollah actually started the war, and our struggle is completely reactive.

- When asked why Israel attacks public areas in Lebanon, emphasize our military objective to destroy Hezbollah ‘infrastructure’ (another term you may use very often). Our main argument is that, as Hezbollah militants may use all available infrastructure in Lebanon, such as roads, non-military buildings, hospitals, etc, we have therefore the right to destroy pretty much everything we want. However, try to formulate this argument in a more diplomatic fashion.

- It is important that Israeli people and politicians are viewed as innocent, civilized and enlightened folks, whereas Hezbollah and its people as hairy savages. Hence, it is essential that you are cleanly shaven, wear official cloths, and have a Euro-American appearance. The more people in the civilized world (North America and Europe) identify themselves with us, the higher the chances that they would accept our truth. If you are originally from the United States, or you can imitate the American accent well, that is even better.

- The world should see our little Jewish state as the frontier of freedom and democracy in the Middle East. Hezbollah, and it superiors (i.e., Iran and Syria) want to destroy us, because they cannot stand our freedom and modern democracy. This hatred has not been generated by the fact that we have killed Arabs and occupied their lands, as some may suggest.

- Whenever faced with critical questions regarding the ‘disproportionate’ acts of violence by Israeli forces, draw an analogy with the Second World War in which the allies destroyed entire cities. In most cases, this strategy would make them quiet.

- Never appear on Arab televisions. They may ask too many difficult questions.

Words

2006-08-01T17:33:00.000+02:00

- You've been very rude to them.
- It's as if you don't live here.
- You are a good researcher.
- When will you quit being a kid and get a life?
- I miss you.
- Yeah, I think it's a good idea too.... to break up.
- Sir, have you packed your bag yourself?
- I know, things are a bit hectic now. But it will get better.
- Focus on your work.
- How's it going?
- You MUST take a vacation.
- So you're from Ghana?
- I'm sorry.
- Why are you talking to me like that?
- You look like a fucking communist with your hair, glasses and army uniform....
-... Whatever "flight jacket".
- Did you finish the report?
- I love you!

I heard these words in the period between January and July this year. It's amazing how one's life can turn upside-down, and then arises once more from underneath the ruins of its existence.

George Bush's resume

2006-07-25T17:14:00.000+02:00

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

LAW ENFORCEMENT

I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine , in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

MILITARY

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam

COLLEGE

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas , in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas .

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union .

During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S . and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution.

More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip- offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S . "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S . history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families-in-wartime.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I am a member of the Republican Party.

_______________
Source unknown

Quiz

2006-07-13T13:39:00.000+02:00

A. Hundreds of people are dying of AIDS and starvation in Africa on a daily basis.
B. Globally, thousands of political activists are being tortured and/or murdered in prisons.
C. A French player headbutts an Italian football player in Berlin.

Question: which one of these options will make it to the headline news?

Bernard Lewis Project revisited

2006-06-06T14:03:00.000+02:00

‘If the order were to be given for an attack, the American combat troops now operating in Iran would be in position to mark the critical targets with laser beams, to insure bombing accuracy and to minimize civilian casualties. As of early winter, I was told by the government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon, the units were also working with minority groups in Iran, including the Azeri’s, in the north, the Baluchi's, in the southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast. The troops “are studying the terrain, and giving away walking-around money to ethnic tribes, and recruiting scouts from local tribes and shepherds,” the consultant said. One goal is to get “eyes on the ground”—quoting a line from “Othello,” he said, “Give me the ocular proof.” The broader aim, the consultant said, is to “encourage ethnic tensions” and undermine the regime.’

This is a segment of an article in the New Yorker by Seymour Hersh, a widely respected American journalist. Based on anonymous sources in the Pentagon, Hersh discusses the Bush administration’s plans to launch major air attacks on Iran and its covert operations within Iran’s borders to destabilize the country.

The US “encouragement of ethnic tensions” has been recently addressed by critics, including the Islamic Republic itself. Prior to the latest presidential elections in Iran, the province of Khuzestan was shocked by multiple bombings, which led to considerable civilian casualties. Many blamed the Arab separatists who are becoming growingly active in this region. One influential theory says that these separatist groups receive support from the US and Great Britain.

More recently, the Azerbaijan province has been the stage of public protests, and clashes with government forces. The background of the unrest was the publication of a cartoon in a national newspaper, which was considered as disrespectful towards the Azeri minority. It is by no mean surprising that people of Azerbaijan take action to protect and emphasis their (ethnic) identity. The interesting fact is, however, the timing and scale of the reactions, which may suggest that there is, in fact, more at stake that only a shattered ethnic pride. Could it be possible that a cartoon, picturing a cockroach speaking Azeri, would create massive protests a few years ago, prior to the Iran-US crisis on nuclear technology?

The stimulation of ethnic unrest is (unfortunately) not a new idea. Specifically in case of Iran, the current US plans seem to resemble a much older agenda, which is known as the “Bernard Lewis Project” . Bernard Lewis is one of the most influential scholars in the study of Islam and Middle East, whose views and expertise has been widely represented in public and political domain(1). From a scientific perspective, his views on Islam and Middle East, and their relation with the West can be considered as extremely orientalistic.

The Bernard Lewis Project was first presented in 1979. The core proposal of this project is to divide countries in the Middle East along ethnic and regional lines into smaller, rival states in order to weaken the power of existing governments. According to Lewis the West should provoke rebellion for national autonomy by certain minority groups that will, eventually, lead to the fragmentation of powerful states. In case of Iran, he formally proposed to target the Arabs of Khuzestan (the Al-Ahvaz Project), the Azeri’s (the Greater Azerbaijan Project), the Kurds (the Greater Kurdistan Project) and the Baluchi’s (the Pakhtunistan Project).

Now more than 25 years later, Iran is still too big for the region. This is especially problematic, as the country is perceived as a hostile state by the US. Undoubtably, Iran is a true (potential) threat to the US interests in the Middle East. Given the neoconservative agenda of the current US administration, it is not surprising that parts of Lewis’s proposition have been reconsidered in the context of recent developments, and already initiated in practice.

Moreover, the current situation in neighboring Iraq, where the country balances on the edge of a civil war, can facilitate further ethnic tensions in Iran, especially when an independent, self-governing Kurdistan emerges in Iraq. However, America’s first objective would be to target the oil producing Khuzestan region, as its separation will automatically paralyze the entire country, including the central government.

Apparently, the US aggressive policy towards Iran seems to be a component of the much broader “Project for the New American Century”, an old agenda that has also been revived by the neocons to ensure the American dominance as the world’s only superpower in the region.

------
(1) Dick Cheney remraked “I had the pleasure of first meeting Bernard [Lewis] more than 15 years ago, during my time as Secretary of Defense. It was not long after the dictator of Iraq had invaded Kuwait, and we brought in a large number of outside experts to speak about the history and the way forward in the Middle East. As you might imagine, I got a wide range of advice -- some of it very good and some of it terrible. No one offered sounder analysis or better insight than Bernard Lewis. He was an absolute standout, and I decided that day that this was a man I wanted to keep in touch with, and whose work I should follow carefully in the years ahead..... In this new century, his wisdom is sought daily by policymakers, diplomats, fellow academics, and the news media.” (1 may 2006). Read the entire speech here.

!

2006-03-27T16:25:00.000+02:00

It was a nice day
I drank my last cup of sorrow
I'll miss its sweet taste....

Don't let Iran follow Iraq's destiny

2006-03-17T20:32:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR BEFORE IT STARTS!

Millions of people in Iran are anxious and troubled, as Bush threatens to start a new war. The U.S. and her allies are following a path of escalation that notably resembles their preparations prior to the invasion of Iraq. "Weapons of mass destruction" are, however, replaced with "nuclear weapons". The true motives of this aggressive politics are neither concerns regarding "nuclear weapons" nor "democratization", but have to do with the greed for oil and hegemony in the region. Any threat of a military attack will give the Iranian regime the excuse to oppress the struggle for democracy. We support the struggle of Iranian people for freedom: change by the people for the people.

We oppose any form of military intervention against Iran.

* A military attack - also in the form of a “precision bombardment” – will result in thousands of civilian casualties. In Iraq, since the start of the war on March the 20th 2003, more than 100,000 people have been killed.

* Following the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, a new attack on Iran will further destabilize the already unstable situation in the Middle East.

* Foreign interference and applying a divide and rule policy will lead to ethnic unrest. It results in a vicious circle of violence, insecurity, and ultimately a civil war.

Please take a minute to read (and sign) our petition. Thanks for your support.

Back in business

2006-02-20T22:39:00.000+01:00

Ending a relationship is one of the most difficult things one may do in his or her life. This is especially true, when the relationship exceeds a certain length of time, and there has been a fair degree of investment going on from both sides. It’s fascinating how diverse emotions merge with one another to create a complex and intensive experience of the situation. Recently, I had the honor to experience that personally. And what now remains is the fabulous outlook upon the future.

Update

2006-01-18T21:09:00.000+01:00

Folks,

I'm having a rough time in my personal life. At the moment, I don't feel inspired to update the blog with new posts. I'll try to be back soon.

Thanks for visiting,

Hydra

Is this 'development'?

2006-01-03T21:08:00.001+01:00

"My name is Roy Sesana; I am a Gana Bushman from the Kalahari in what is now called Botswana. In my language, my name is Tobee and our land is 'T//amm'. We have been there longer than any people has been anywhere.

When I was young, I went to work in a mine. I put off my skins and wore clothes. But I went home after a while. Does that make me less Bushman? I don't think so.

I am a leader. When I was a boy we did not need leaders and we lived well. Now we need them because our land is being stolen and we must struggle to survive. It doesn't mean I tell people what to do, it's the other way around: they tell me what I have to do to help them.

I cannot read. You wanted me to write this speech, so my friends helped, but I cannot read words -- I'm sorry! But I do know how to read the land and the animals. All our children could. If they didn't, they would have all died long ago.

I know many who can read words and many, like me, who can only read the land. Both are important. We are not backward or less intelligent: we live in exactly the same up-to-date year as you. I was going to say we all live under the same stars, but no, they're different, and there are many more in the Kalahari. The sun and moon are the same.

I grew up a hunter. All our boys and men were hunters. Hunting is going and talking to the animals. You don't steal. You go and ask. You set a trap or go with bow or spear. It can take days. You track the antelope. He knows you are there, he knows he has to give you his strength. But he runs and you have to run. As you run, you become like him. It can last hours and exhaust you both. You talk to him and look into his eyes. And then he knows he must give you his strength so your children can live.

When I first hunted, I was not allowed to eat. Pieces of the steenbok were burnt with some roots and spread on my body. This is how I learned. It's not the same way you learn, but it works well.

The farmer says he is more advanced than the backward hunter, but I don't believe him. His herds give no more food than ours. The antelope are not our slaves, they do not wear bells on their necks and they can run faster than the lazy cow or the herder. We run through life together.

When I wear the antelope horns, it helps me talk to my ancestors and they help me. The ancestors are so important: we would not be alive without them. Everyone knows this in their heart, but some have forgotten. Would any of us be here without our ancestors? I don't think so.

I was trained as a healer. You have to read the plants and the sand. You have to dig the roots and become fit. You put some of the root back for tomorrow, so one day your grandchildren can find it and eat. You learn what the land tells you.

When the old die, we bury them and they become ancestors. When there is sickness, we dance and we talk to them; they speak through my blood. I touch the sick person and can find the illness and heal it.

We are the ancestors of our grandchildren's children. We look after them, just as our ancestors look after us. We aren't here for ourselves. We are here for each other and for the children of our grandchildren.

Why am I here? Because my people love their land, and without it we are dying. Many years ago, the president of Botswana said we could live on our ancestral land forever. We never needed anyone to tell us that. Of course we can live where God created us! But the next president said we must move and began forcing us away.

They said we had to go because of diamonds. Then they said we were killing too many animals: but that's not true. They say many things which aren't true. They said we had to move so the government could develop us. The president says unless we change we will perish like the dodo. I didn't know what a dodo was. But I found out: it was a bird which was wiped out by settlers. The president was right. They are killing us by forcing us off our land. We have been tortured and shot at. They arrested me and beat me.

Thank you for the Right Livelihood Award. It is global recognition of our struggle and will raise our voice throughout the world. When I heard I had won I had just been let out of prison. They say I am a criminal, as I stand here today.

I say what kind of development is it when the people live shorter lives than before? They catch HIV/AIDS. Our children are beaten in school and won't go there. Some become prostitutes. They are not allowed to hunt. They fight because they are bored and get drunk. They are starting to commit suicide. We never saw that before. It hurts to say this. Is this ‘development'?

We are not primitive. We live differently to you, but we do not live exactly like our grandparents did, nor do you. Were your ancestors ‘primitive'? I don't think so. We respect our ancestors. We love our children. This is the same for all people.

We now have to stop the government stealing our land: without it we will die.

If anyone has read a lot of books and thinks I am primitive because I have not read even one, then he should throw away those books and get one which says we are all brothers and sisters under God and we too have a right to live.

That is all. Thank you."

Roy Sesana
First People of the Kalahari, Botswana

On 9 December 2005, Roy Sesana has been granted the Right Livelihood Award, a.k.a. ‘the Alternative Nobel Prize’, “... for resolute resistance against eviction from their ancestral lands, and for upholding the right to their traditional way of life.” Click here for more information on the Gana struggle to survive.

The illusion of reality and the reality of illusions

2005-12-20T23:22:00.000+01:00

Why is it so easy to hate and so hard to love? Is it because my world has been giving me nothing but hatred? Is it because I don't see anything but harm, aggression and abuse in this world, acted and experienced by others?

Are people, who deny what I just wrote, ignorant? Are they delusional? Do they want to live in illusions?

Am I crazy? Can’t I just see that human beings are generally loving and compassionate beings? Am I?

Is there any truth to say about all these questions? Does anyone know the answers?

I’m running out of question marks, not out of questions.

What’s been happening recently?

2005-12-10T16:44:00.000+01:00

Well, for starters, Dr. Rice has assured the world community that the U.S. does not torture political detainees. It’s not really clear to me what she meant by “political detainees”. I thought “political detainees” only existed in countries where the human rights and freedom of speech are systematically violated. But the U.S.? Come one! Was the “home of the free” not the oldest democracy in the world? If Rice was talking about the Guantanamo prisoners, that’s even worse. First of all, it has been well-documented by independent observers that indeed torture methods are being applied in Guantanamo and similar places. Second, the Guantanamo detainees are not not officially political prisoners, nor are they classified by the U.S. government as “prisoners of war”. We all know why. The recognition of those people as “prisoners”, according to an existing legal definition, would automatically give them certain rights that prevent the U.S. to treat them they way it is doing now.

Another news: participating countries at the world conference on climate change agreed to negotiate a new treaty regarding the global warming. Of course, the U.S., being the asshole as usual, apposed the negotiations in advance.

I was watching MTV, and I learned that some celebrities buy diamond necklaces worth of 50,000 dollars……. for their dogs. When I was living in Tanzania, I could manage to live with two or three dollars a day, something the majority of Tanzanians cannot.

Ahmadinejad has, once again, created a commotion by his latest remarks about Israel. He has said that if Europe is so supportive of the state of Israel, why don’t Germany or Austria donate a few provinces to Israel so the Jewish state can “move” to Europe, instead of occupying Palestinian land. Although I found Ahmadinejad’s point extremely amusing, I seriously started to doubt whether this guy is not a total moron. Regardless of the truth about Israel, I don’t think a head of state should say things like this, without considering their consequences. He’s damaging his country and his statements do no good for the Iranian people.

I'm having a serious relationship problem. I don't know what to do, and feel like shit....

The fall of Narcissus

2005-11-30T11:20:00.000+01:00

My wings are tired of flying so damn high....

The Airport

2005-11-22T21:34:00.000+01:00

I like Airports. I think they are sociologically interesting spaces; places where diverse human emotions and interpersonal attitudes come into expression. Some people gaze at the terminal gate in hopeful anticipation, scanning every face that passes by. Some even have flowers in their hands. Others spend the last moments with their friends and family, knowing the days of separation will start soon.

On Sunday, I accompanied a friend of mine to the Airport. She came to visit me on Friday and was then on her way to South Africa. We were standing in the check-in line, having a conversation about my work. I heard someone speaking Farsi behind me. I took a quick look at him, and carried on with the conversation. He was a normal looking man and wore a mustache. In my quick scan, I couldn’t see who he was talking to.

A few minutes later, I turned around to check out the surrounding, when I suddenly saw him. I recognized him instantly. I looked away. Thoughts came into my mind. I knew him since I was a young boy. In a way, he represented my forgotten past, a period I had lost contact with a long time ago. I’ve always had a great amount of respect for him, and for years, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to go and see him… it never happened.

I turned around, looked into his eyes, and smiled, “Mr. Shajarian?” I heard myself saying.

French riots

2005-11-17T22:05:00.000+01:00

I find the French riots very disturbing, not because I live in a city with a similar ethnic composition as Paris, but because of the way the developments have been presented through the media. They’ve twisted the reality in such a way that a lot of people don’t even know why the youth in French towns are burning cars or throwing stones at the police. Of course, I’m not talking about the critical media. But hey, who looks for anything else than CNN and other crappy channels, except for a small group?

I don’t support violence against innocent citizens. But I do like the idea behind this uprising. It’s the outrage of the underclass, the oppressed, and the dominated. It’s the classic Marx’s theory put in practice. Of course, a segment of the unrest may have been caused by people who have nothing better to do, but let’s not delegitimize the protests entirely.

The way the riots have been presented in the media is, however, is a completely different story. First of all, the media have transformed the problem from an issue related to social-economical class to a multi-cultural drama. In doing this, they have placed the riots at the heart of the current public discourse in Europe about the multi-cultural society. Indeed, in the beginning, the riots were caused by “youth in underdeveloped neighborhoods”, then they suddenly changed it to “immigrant youth”, and a few days later the media were talking about “Muslim youth”. It was only then that the media could “really” blame the protesters. Within a few days time, people were already talking about the multi-cultural catastrophe in Paris, wondering why the hell these Muslims can’t integrate in their oh so great society and fearing an expansion of the riots to other European cities. The public opinion didn’t need much evidence. The fear of Muslims is intuitive, always there and easily activated. There was no mention of the fact that African French people were also taking part in the riots, no mention of the fact that those people who were screaming on streets, have been treated as second rank citizens all their lives, no mention of the fact that they have been left to perish in nasty neighborhoods with no prospect on a job or a decent life. What goes around comes around, folks!

Cyberia

2005-11-12T09:57:00.001+01:00

vampire666: hey there
blue_phantom: hi
vampire666: how r u doing?
la_confidential2004: is there a nice lady who wants to pm?
blue_phantom: alright. yourself?
psycho_ag left the room
vampire666: doin great. asl pls
blue_phantom: what?
lonely_gurl enters the room
vampire666: asl, age sex location
blue_phantom: 25 male fl. You?
vampire666: m too
vampire666: hey, lonely. How r u doing?

Author unknown

2005-11-06T18:53:00.001+01:00

Never hold your farts in... they travel up your spine, into your brain...and that's where shitty ideas come from!!

Against the wind

2005-10-31T21:44:00.000+01:00

I recognized my pain, but I did not indulge in it. For years, I marched against the wind. The harder it blew, the faster I walked. I saluted the cold rain when others took refuge. I saluted my breathlessness, brokenness, and sorrow. Those were the moments I felt most alive, most dedicated, and most determined. And now… There is simply no pain to inspire. Only the anguish of purposelessness and indulgence. This is my story; welcome to my narrative of suffering.

Ahmadinejad and Israel

2005-10-27T00:54:00.000+02:00

The president of the Islamic Republic (of Iran) (a few years ago I wouldn’t have to mention Iran, but now thanks to the recent invasions, we have the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Republic of Iraq may be on its way to become Islamic as well) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has spoken some unfriendly words about Israel at a conference in Tehran entitled “The World without Zionism”. Apparently, he has stated that the Jewish state should be “wiped off the map”. I can’t imagine that the Iranian readers of this blog would be surprised by Ahmadinejad’s opinion. That’s what we’ve been hearing from the Islamic regime for the last 20 something years anyway. I have yet to see the first Iranian politician at the government or legislative level to openly recognize the state of Israel. It’s the regime’s official policy. It transcends presidents and political parties. And that’s something the world is very well aware of. For years, Iran has been supporting anti-Israel movements with material and people. That’s a fact; everyone knows it. But surprisingly, Ahmadinejad’s speech has provoked many “hot” reactions across the western world as if the western politics has been sleeping for the last 27 years. For instance, white House spokesman, Scott McClellan, has said that Ahmadinejad’s speech "… underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear operations." Some European countries, and of course Israel itself, have come up with similar statements.

Take one more look at the quote above. See how the same old story of Iran’s problem with the state of Israel is now directly linked to its nuclear operation. I think that the ever-present Iranian policy towards Israel is being used to further pressure Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Above all, the U.S. wouldn’t mind if the situation escalates through all this commotion about a single speech. Maybe then is a referral to the Security Counsel more feasible.

Saddam Trial

2005-10-20T13:59:00.000+02:00

I have an issue with the Saddam trial. But, first, let me tell you this: I hate Saddam Hossein for his oppression of the Iraqi people, execution of the opposition and killing a huge number of Iranians and Iraqi-Kurds during the war. But there is something seriously wrong here.

First of all, Saddam is still the president of Iraq, and should, at least according to its law, enjoy immunity. Why is he still the president? Because there hasn’t been an election to lawfully transfer his power to a new head of state. The reason for the regime change was not a referendum, but a foreign invasion that was not even supported by a UN resolution. As Kofi said, the invasion was “illegal”. I conclude from this sentence that the whole regime change was illegal. Hence, the tribunal is illegal as well. What does that mean for the trial itself?

Second, I have a problem with the media coverage. The whole trial is being broadcasted with an approximate delay of 20 to 30 minutes. Why? Officially, they don’t want to allow Saddam to use the trial as a mean to spread his propaganda. That’s the story we see in the majority of the Western newspapers. But I think there is another reason for the censorship. Maybe some people don’t want Saddam to go into some details they don’t wanna hear about, like the fact that the chemical weapons, which he used to kill his own people, were actually made and sold to him by the U.S. and the UK. Or maybe they don’t want him to tell the world that Donald Rumsfeld had a girly handshake….

Find the difference

2005-10-13T21:21:00.000+02:00

Black people "loot", whites "find".

Clueless

2005-09-13T23:28:00.000+02:00

Apparently, the Bush family has been so involved with the rescue efforts following Katrina, that poor Laura actually forgot the hurricane’s name. The world is impressed by such compassion! But seriously, I'm shattered... I actually thought that George was the only Neanderthal in the family....

Happy Birthday Mencken

2005-09-12T22:11:00.000+02:00

"Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority… All human progress, even in morals, has been the work of men who have doubted the current moral values, not of men who have whooped them up and tried to enforce them. The truly civilized man is always skeptical and tolerant…."

Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956)
Minority Report, 1956

Rich white folks

2005-09-06T00:06:00.000+02:00

Would the Bush administration have reacted quicker, if Katrina had hit Uptown Manhattan?

The "implicit world" of human mind

2005-09-01T22:25:00.000+02:00

I've been out of town for a few days. Nothing fancy... just been spending long days inside a cold conference hall, listening to long presentations. The conference was about "implicit cognition". For now, let's say it means unconscious thoughts and attitudes. It seems that I can't focus my attention to anything else than "implicit cognitions", so I first thought of writing something short about the subject. Later I reconsidered, cause I'm not really in the mood for that. But here is a very interesting link to "Project Implicit", set up by Harvard University. On their website, you can find a demonstration of an association test that can give an estimate of your "unconscious" attitudes towards different stuff.

British interpretation of human rights

2005-08-26T22:55:00.000+02:00

According to The Guardian, the UK home secretary, Charles Clarke, had said earlier this month that he would deport foreign nationals whose presence was "not conducive to the public good", despite concerns that they might be tortured overseas. I guess he means people whose presence in the UK could promote terrorist acts.

Very well… but what happened to the human rights, if they ever existed? I thought “criminals” too should be protected by human rights regulations. It has been provided by the European Convention on Human Rights (article 3) that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. The applicability of this article to cases of extradition and deportation has been repeatedly manifested in decisions of the European Court on Human Rights (see for example the case of Soering vs. the United Kingdom). The prohibition provided by this article is absolute. It permits no justification or limitation and cannot be derogated under Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights even in times of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation.

Beside the European Convention on Human Rights, there are other international treaties (i.e., The Geneva Convention and the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) which expressly and specifically address the question of sending individuals to a country where they will be exposed to the risk of prohibited treatment.

I guess human rights are important only when they justify invading another country. What was it called? Iraqi freedom….

P.s. Some info discussed above is adapted from a paper by Nuala Mole.

Sean Penn in Iran

2005-08-25T21:02:00.000+02:00

Prior to the presidential elections in June, Sean Penn has been in Tehran for a few days, doing a series of reports for San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle will publish this five-day series in sequence. The reports of the first two days of Penn’s visit is now available online.

I read his first report. Although Penn gives a rather shallow and at times one-dimensional description of Iran’s political and social circumstances, it can be an interesting account, especially for non-Iranians or Iranians who have lost track of all the social changes during the last 15 years. Note that Penn, in his main observations, might have been led by a top-down process, meaning that he wanted to have a certain story and he has sought places and circumstances that could validate his original account. I will comment on his other reports later.

Day one: discovering a culture in conflict
Day two: meeting with the son of a former president

Keep them happy

2005-08-24T22:12:00.000+02:00

This is what Fox News, a.k.a. RPN (Republican Propaganda Network) had to say about Bush's speech before members of the National Guard today.

“Bush also thanked the families of American service men and women in times of heavy sacrifice…. The families are standing for America and America appreciates the service and the sacrifice of the military families," he said. "There are few things more difficult than seeing a loved one go to war."

I guess we’re all used to this sort of nonsense by political leaders in times of great problems. Every person with an ounce of gray material in his head knows that the real purpose behind this speech is not to “thank” the military families. The real objective is to keep people calm, to let them believe that the death of their sons and daughters really does contribute to their own freedom and democracy (I still can’t figure out how Bush and co. came up with this equation…). Surely, the current administration doesn’t want to have another Vietnam. Therefore, the government desperately tries to convince its people of the political, moral and security aspect of its operation in Iraq. We have already witnessed how the administration has navigated through different “reasons” for war, from self-protection to freeing Iraqi people and back again. But apparently this type of deception is not enough; the American people should not see and hear certain information either. For instance, it is not allowed to film coffins, containing dead bodies of American soldiers, when arriving in the U.S. Also, current American casualties in Afghanistan are being systematically concealed. Although the country has had a quasi-election, just prior to the US’s, the situation in Afghanistan has not changed significantly. The security is almost non-existent in large parts of the country. Even in Kabul, the “allies” have not succeeded in creating an acceptable level of security. As a matter of fact the situation in Afghanistan is so terrible, that Doctors without Borders announced to pull out its personnel from the country due to security problems. Note that the organization had been active in Afghanistan for a long time even during the reign of the Taliban and war with the Northern opposition.

These families deserve the truth, not some lame words of “gratitude”.

Don't wanna find a title for this one

2005-08-23T21:47:00.000+02:00

“A warrior takes his lot, whatever it may be, and accepts it in ultimate humbleness. He accepts in humbleness what he is, not as grounds for regret but as a living challenge.
“It takes time for everyone of us to understand that point and fully live it. I, for instance, hated the mere mention of the word ‘humbleness’. I’m an Indian and we Indians have always been humble and have done nothing else but lower our heads. I thought humbleness was not in the warrior’s way. I was wrong! I know now that the humbleness of a warrior is not the humbleness of a beggar. The warrior lowers his head to no one, but at the same time, he doesn't permit anyone to lower his head to him. The beggar, on the other hand, falls to his knees at the drop of a hat and scrapes the floor for anyone he deems to be higher, but at the same time, he demands that someone lower than him scrape the floor for him. “

- Don Juan Matus in Carlos Castaneda’s Tales of Power (1974, p. 19)

Till death do us part

2005-08-22T23:28:00.000+02:00

Today, I watched someone die on the street! Maybe, that’s not really accurate; I was looking at a few ambulance workers and police officers trying to reanimate someone. His colleagues were standing near the scene. I heard the guy was 38 years old. Not in a top physical condition probably, cause I saw his rather big belly shake quite visibly, whenever his chest was pressed down. It was at some level a surreal image. Probably, I chose to dehumanize him, by focusing on his body fat. Seeing an object shake is less painful than seeing a dying man struggling to make his last stand. So what happened to him? Apparently, he had a heart attack…just like that, on some regular sunny Monday morning.

In my life, I have experienced a lot of death around me. But I had never seen the drama of life and death as concrete as this. I’m deeply impressed by this experience. I am not sorry for that guy; I only hope that he’d had a good life. Why? Death is the only certain fact of life. Perhaps, death is one element that helps us define life. Would we have the same or any conception of life, if it would not to be ended by death? Sometimes we can only understand things, when we are familiar with their opposite. So why would I dislike death?

Our death watches us constantly. It’s always somewhere around the corner. It can happen anywhere and any time. We all know it. But we don’t really want to think about it, do we? Maybe we want to avoid anxiety, maybe we believe it wouldn’t really matter if we think about it or not. But the truth is, we have no time left. We are running out of time, every minute we lose ourselves in laziness, rationalizations, justifications and ignorance. I don’t know what the ultimate goal of life is: buying oneself a ticket to the heaven, reaching the nirvana, making a lot of money, indulging our senses, becoming a better human being or simply reproduction…. Whatever you think you should be after, pursuit it now, cause the guy who died today thought it would be just another day… exactly like what you and I think tomorrow would be.

Success

2005-08-18T23:47:00.000+02:00

"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."

- Gore Vidal

The evil must resign

2005-08-17T21:42:00.000+02:00

Dutch agriculture minister Cees Veerman is facing accusations of a conflict of interest over his ownership of a large farm in the Dordogne, as pressure grows in the Netherlands for reform of the lavish Common Agricultural Policy.

Campaigners estimate that the 300 hectares in southern France, which produce peas and sweetcorn, could be worth more than £100,000 a year in agricultural subsidies. In a recent television interview, Veerman called the farms 'my pension'. He threatened to resign if the prime minister and finance minister forced through plans to back Britain's calls for subsidy cuts.

Source: The Observer (read the entire article here).

Hydra:
As if one Silvio Berlusconi was not enough for Europe, we’re so lucky we just got two of them. But this guy is just a genius; he even dares to threaten with resignation if the government follows Britain’s proposal to cut agricultural subsidies. “No Sir, please do not resign and enjoy your yearly 180,000 dollars subsidies for a few more years. It’s not like millions of European tax payers, who practically provide you those subsides, care about your bank statements or your ‘pension’.”

Finally Europe cares to take a constructive step, by cutting agricultural subsidies, and then greedy idiots like Veerman try to block this decision. Why is it constructive? Because these subsidies are one the main reasons that agricultural products from developing countries cannot compete with western (subsidized) products on a fair basis. People like Veerman are responsible for poverty and suffering among many nations, for hunger and death in Africa, and for the continuing western domination in the world. Not only is Mr. Veerman a corrupt politician, but he also represents a far greater evil.

Gaza withdrawal

2005-08-16T14:13:00.000+02:00

Ariel Sharon began his promised pullout from Gaza on Monday and threatened Palestinians with Israel's harshest response ever should they attack once settlers have been evacuated.

In a televised address coinciding with the start of the withdrawal, the Israeli leader told Gaza's 8,500 Jewish settlers he shared their pain but also understood the plight of the 1.4 million Palestinians in the coastal strip.

"We cannot hold onto Gaza forever. More than a million Palestinians live there and double their number with each generation. They live in uniquely crowded conditions in refugee camps, in poverty and despair, in hotbeds of rising hatred with no hope on the horizon," he said in the five-minute address.

"The world is waiting for the Palestinian response -- a hand stretched out to peace or the fire of terror. To an outstretched hand we shall respond with an olive branch, but we shall fight fire with the harshest fire ever".

Source: Reuters
___________________

Hydra speaks:
Some people wonder why a hardline politician like Sharon would initiate the Gaza withdrawal, wiping out settlements he once helped building up. A while ago when Sharon announced his plans, everyone thought that it was the best thing that could happen to the peace process. In reality, the unilateral policy of Sharon has taken away any chance of progress in the peace process. A couple of reasons are:

1. By pulling out of Gaza without a mutual agreement in the context of peace negotiations, Sharon has created his state an opportunity to deny any further territorial compromises in the future. The world could hear a pre-announcement of this policy during the Bush-Sharon press conference directly after the planned withdrawal was announced. Bush stated in this conference that, in deciding the future borders between Israel en Palestine, one needed to consider the “existing reality on the ground”. Subtitle: “…forget about the 1967 borders, after this withdrawal, much of Palestinian land will remain under Israeli occupation, because there are simply to many Jewish settlements in areas once belonged to Palestinians…”.
2. As Sharon himself said, future Palestinian aggression will be severely punished. Of course, the Palestinian aggression will not end after this, simply because Sharon’s withdrawal plan does not satisfy Palestinians’ needs. Sharon is justifying future aggression towards the Palestinians in advance. And what exactly is “Israel's harshest response ever”? Can it get worse than the Sabra and Shatila massacre?

Ganji and the opposition

2005-08-13T23:00:00.000+02:00

First news:
Akbar Ganji, political prisoner in Iran since 2000, began a second hunger strike on June 11, 2005, protesting his continued detention for peaceful investigative journalism and public expression of views. In addition to Ganji’s unwarranted imprisonment and his periodic mistreatment in prison, he suffers severe respiratory problems. On July 17, Ganji was transferred to a hospital, where he has been placed under quarantine and prevented from regular access to his family and legal representatives.

On 3rd of August 2005, a number of Iranian political activists in the Netherlands gathered in front of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting department's pressure on the Iranian government so it would release Ganji or at least provide more information regarding his condition. The activists made also an absurd suggestion that the Dutch ambassador to Tehran would meet with Mr. Ganji in the hospital.

Second news:
Meanwhile, a group of five Iranian asylum seekers in the Netherlands has been on a similar hunger strike for approximately 44 days. The asylum seekers who have been transferred to a deportation center argue that the Immigration Service does not apply clear criteria in preparing and conducting the deportation of asylum seekers. They all demanded access to their official files at the Immigration Service. As soon as the story received some marginal attention from the media, the government decided to separate the hunger strikers and place them in normal houses, arguing that people in need of immediate medical care cannot be kept in a prison setting.

These developments took place in a context of national and international criticism on the Dutch Immigration policy. The Human Rights Watch condemned the treatment of asylum seekers in the Netherlands in a previous report. Earlier, the Inspectie voor de Volksgezondheid had criticized the non-humanitarian conditions in deportation centers.

Hydra speaks:
Let me just start with the so-called Iranian opposition gathering in front of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have been thinking about it a lot. But it is still not clear to me why these folks even bothered going to the Ministry building. First, no foreign country has ever been successful in correcting the Islamic Republic's treatment of its own people, although western powers certainly do like to interfere. Why these people think that the Dutch government could actually do something this time? Second, history teaches us that western governments simply do not really care if some journalist is dying in a prison in some exotic country. Third, what is the point of requesting a visit between the Dutch ambassador to Iran and Mr. Ganji? Is Mr. Ambassador a medical doctor, capable of conducting a medical examination and assessing Ganji's physical condition? Fourth, if the opposition groups want to protest, why don't they gather in front of the Iranian embassy in The Hague? They are the representatives of the wrong doers, anyway? And what is the meaning of this whole action? That the Iranian opposition in exile is not capable of changing things itself, so we need the foreign countries to assist us? I guess so... the Islamic Republic has absolutely nothing to fear. This opposition looks more like a cheap Saturday night TV act than a real political actor. Finally, Just what do you people think to achieve by requesting help from a government, which systematically violates human rights, and even create circumstances under which innocent asylum seekers decide to starve themselves to make a statement. Do we get their message? Do we?