And it's one, two, three,

What are 'they' fighting for ?

The number of reports on slayings and killings of innocent Iraqi civilians by American troops is increasing. In a recent one we read:" The U.S. Army will investigate charges that five American soldiers were involved in the killings of four Iraqi relatives, including a woman who had been raped, military officials said Friday. It's the sixth current inquiry into the alleged slayings of Iraqi civilians by American troops. " It continues by saying "Some of the five soldiers also allegedly burned the body of the woman they are accused of assaulting in the March incident, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press". Thanks god, there is no claim of AlQaida links or terrorists or insurgents. The American source admits the victims have been people, ordinary people.

One can not believe the degradation of an army claiming to bring democracy and freedom for a nation this fast. But that's absolutely true; the major reason is the occupation itself which is a murderous action bringing up murder and crime.

Where are the protest songs today?

When the US-led war against Iraq broke up, there was a boom in the protest songs released those days against the outrageous Bushies' invading Iraq without global consensus. One of the amazing songs I heard those days, was of an American young singer songwriter Stephan Smith called 'The Bell' . Tonight just by chance, I got to know that he has Iraqi roots too. Read what he says about protest music today.

This is his webpage.

Traffic,...ah... traffic - II

Did I tell that taxi drivers are the worst? Ok, I correct it. First rank trophy goes to bikers.

Let me try to give you a picture:
Bikes are very cheap here. You can have one of them with a price of 20-30 USD. The parts are imported from endless companies in Taiwan or China and then they are assembled here even in small workshops. There are also more expensive brands produced by big companies here. But generally the price is not that big. It's the reason that bikes are loved by millions of people here and when moving or driving in our streets, you will meet a huge number of them. The funny point about them is that some of them pollute the air even more than cars. Most of the people from poor strata pick it as their only chance of having a vehicle. So, that's not strange when you see a whole family on a small bike. I always wonder how they keep their balance. Dad, as the biker, mom at the rear, two kids in between and a little new born in the bosom of mom's. So, you think with this dangerous composition, the dad moves cautiously? You are making a big mistake if you thought so. The speed is 100 km/h sometimes. They try to overtake your car even.
Beside the families which I pictured above, young ones die for bikes. Whatever told about group No 1, is repeated here, but in a different economic scale- they are not wealthy. Helmet? Well, just for winter time and if there is any police around which may confiscate the bike.
One of the reasons that bikes are much loved here, is the traffic congestion. When in rush hours, the cars stick to each other and can't move even a mere centimeter, bikes are great. And you think they drive in the streets? Of course not; the whole network of routes belongs to them. If it is sidewalk, that's ok too. Do they have to observe regulations? Of course not either. Lining? They will cross it. Red lights? It's the same. What's the reaction of police? It differs from time to time. Once, I took part in a meeting with traffic officials. They evidently stated that whatever decision made against bikers, would urge a huge reaction within the society because they are numberless mainly belonging to the poor. So, reacting toward them is a political decision to be made. So, what you would do if you were a top rank official in a system which is not open and democratic? You would do the same as our authorities do. Their decisions don't follow a strict framework. They fluctuate. Sometimes they are loose and sometimes they are tough. Every now and then, they stop and confiscate all the bikes which the driver lacks driving license. Sometimes, they stop those drivers who lack helmets and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they stop those bikes which have more than one person on….

Everybody loves them
Beside the ordinary people, bikes are much loved by pickpockets. There are lots of stories about them stealing the purses, bags and suitcases. When investigated, police finds out even the bike had been stolen.

Scientific conclusion, safety recommendation
Statistics reveal that Iran occupies the first rank in the human loss caused by car collisions. 1/3 of the whole goes for bikers. The main reason: damages to the skulls...

Looking at the whole picture, I wonder; are we ok? The studies show that our people risk their lives easier and more frequent than the past. I think to know the reasons, more researches are needed. Until then, beware of the dangers on the streets of our wonderland.

Traffic,...ah... traffic - I

What they say about Iran to be insecure for tourists is absolutely true, but NOT for the reason they claim. You see, the image they picture is totally false. Better to say, it is something else……sorry, confused? ……….Let me explain more:
Well, if you come to visit our country, you won't meet any Al Qaida members (the country having them, has a Q at the end. We live in IraN not Iraq!), no bomb blasts, no robberies, no unknown creatures hurting you (the number is not much more than other 'normal' countries), no beasts trying to eat you up,……. that's traffic which may kill you; either directly in a vehicle accident or because of a heart attack witnessing the crazy maneuvers our drivers do.

I live in this crazy city but still whenever I step out in the streets, I feel I'm a stranger, coming by a UFO from another planet. The thought in my head:" My God, yesterday they were not like this!" By 'they' I mean the drivers. With wide opened eyes I look at them and I just wonder how they can survive such stresses to zigzag between other vehicles and pass by the pedestrians with a distant of 2 centimeters.

Once I was thinking who drives carefully here and I concluded:
1- Young ones? They are terrible. To me, they are the Death himself with an appearance of a human just trying to hunt somebody to take her/his soul. To many of them, driving is a crazy fun. Those who belong to middle class or wealthier strata and having a good brand car, roam in the streets aimlessly, to 'hunt' a girl, or just to have fun. Having fun means pushing the accelerator as much as possible and going to left and right simultaneously, zigzagging between the lanes and other cars, imitating computer games and experiencing a mad excitement. They feel great when their heartbeats increase to 2000. This group of drivers used to consist of boys but in recent years the girls have joined them.
Just before seeing them, you will 'hear' them coming. How? That's a hip hop song or Britney Spears screaming or boom boom of a techno music deafening the ears around and working as an alarm:" Watch out; one of them is closing…"
2- Old people? They are terrible either but for an opposite reason. They are extremely cautious. When you are speeding up in the left lane, you will see one of them barring your way, sticking with two hands (they don't have more hands. I'm sure if they had, they would have added them too) to the steering wheel, focusing JUST on the road ahead, moving like a snail, forgetting the whole world around driving as if the entire expressway belongs to them or that's not an expressway but a country road.

3- Most of female drivers? Are like the group No 2. I always have wondered why? I think most of them lack self confidence. For seeking the reason, a profound sociologic, economic, cultural, sexual study is needed. For whatever reason, their style of driving is so much alike each other; I can recognize them from a long distance.

4- Taxi drivers? Are the most fearsome ones. I call them Speedy. In Iran, there are different systems of taxis. You can have a taxi for yourself or do as most people do- sharing a taxi. As gasoline is cheap here taxis are used a lot (don't feel jealousy when I say it's 0.1 USD per liter. Yes, we have oil, that’s the reason Bushies plan to invade us). Many of these taxis have a certain and fixed route. Well, you get on a taxi and the driver (apart from the age) begins to drive just like the drivers in group No 1. Regulations are there just to be broken and ignored. They zigzag, cheat police, move left and right without using the signals, brake and push the accelerator without any warning, stop just in the middle of the street, speed up from the right side of other vehicles. Just dare to object and then get yourself ready to hear a long lecture of how 'Life is tough and he has two sons studying in a private university when the prices are speeding up' always ending to ' ... and the damned regime just promises and never does anything in favor of the poor……" trying to explain why they need to reach the destination as soon as possible to pick another group of people and make more money. I usually warn myself:" Shut up and read your newspaper!"

- to be continued

Singing 'Hope'

Being so far from the cultural movement going on in the world, our whole share is the commercial and superficial part of it. Go to any music shop even in remote parts of the country and ask for commercial music. They will prepare it so instantly. But good music? Sorry, there is not any.
As we don't have credit cards, we can't do online shopping. Besides, receiving music through post is forbidden. So the only way left, is friends smuggling the music.
Just recently, I received a very beautiful music of an Arab Israeli singer- Amal Murkus. The CD's name is 'Amal' meaning 'Hope' in Arabic. I don't know much about her except for what I find in the net, but her music is really touching. If you are a world music lover, go search for her music; you won't feel regret – I promise.

I'm human!

Our women are not an exception when they fight for their rights; like their sisters all over the world they want to be looked upon as a human. This fight is not in the same level everywhere, but the important (and nice) reality is that the fight goes on. Coming to Iran, you would meet many women who are educated and play an important role in their environment (we are not just like what CNN pictures us; black-chadored-hidden creatures).
The mentality believing women to be good just in the kitchens and bringing up children still is strong. But well, we are not brought up on rose petals and know how to fight back. Of the arenas for fight here, has been challenging the sex-based-segregation in jobs. In many jobs, sill the percentage of women is extremely low and in management levels, the women are quite few. Some jobs never have had women in. But fortunately, even this is changing:" Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our girls as firewomen!...".

I'm aging!

I don't know why, but here, African Violets are best loved by middle aged women. I think I'm aging and joining them. This is a shot I took a couple of minutes ago of one of my violets.
The beauty of this flower is unbelievable. Try to have some. They will make your day when they blossom. Don't bother thinking about your age.

More bloodshed in Gaza

This would cease undoubtedly. The world is different from 48 when they butchered the villagers in Deir Yassin or 82 when they killed the people in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in hundreds. BUT the heartbreaking truth is that all who are slaughtered never are going to get back and their memory will always be there, leaving a void in the hearts and the minds of those who loved them.

Climbing-Jacob's-Ladder

An American lady is in Iran representing as she pictures a "new non-profit called CultureKicks focused on raising cultural awareness for American kids." Their organization is trying to find penpals all over the world to communicate with American children.
A noble mission in this world of lunies..........

Games

Millions' eyes are fixed on TVs watching and following the games of World Football Championship when Israel is butchering Palestinians savagely and mercilessly.
I think the latest killings in Palestine are part of the souvenir Mr Olmert has brought for Palestinian people from his latest trip to Washington DC….What would be the rest of it?
Shelling the people recreating on a beach in Gaza from a gunboat has killed several people. Among the murdered, it has been the family (both parents, five siblings) of a 11 year old girl which a footage showing her instant reactions broadcasted in our part of the world has raised hairs and I wonder how much hatred in the hearts. The bloodbath Israelis have committed (still going on!) is nothing beside continuation the gradual massacre they have been occupied with for more than 60 years –three subsequent generations.
Well, the killers couldn't claim that they thought there were militants among the people playing and having fun over there- as they usually do.

The most disgusting irony: Israel has called the attack a mistake BUT doesn't take the responsibility. What's that really? Does it make any sense?

Feeling that it has not been supressive enough, Israelis went on with sonic booms.

AND look how western media covers the news: They all are parroting the same about attacks of Hamas (the bloodthristy bearded monsters) against Israel!!!

Roof of Iran

To us, Damavand (5671 m) the highest mount of the country, is one the most beautiful icons of the homeland. Located in the north east of Tehran, it is called Iranian roof. For Iranians, this inactive volcano is a symbol for national pride. In literature, the beauty, the glory and most of all, the resistance, steadfastness, durability and power, is resembled to this huge mount standing so high.

A satellite image of Damavand



When in rare occasions, the air pollution is not barring the sights, we can see it in Tehran looking at us, snow picked and amazing.

In May, the whole skirt of it is covered with red big poppies. The scene is unbelievably beautiful.

For mountains climbers, Damavand is a huge challenge. For being able to conquer the summit (as they themselves say), they have to go under strict physical training. It is said that the most challenging thing about it ( beside lack of oxygen and the poisonous gases), it's the name of it which makes everybody feel defeated even before trying. For climbing Damavand, you should prepare your soul before your body.

Damavand is standing there, and has been looking at us since thousands and thousands years ago. It has witnessed many different events in this country, watching dynasties taking power and vanishing, looking at the people, all groups of them. To me Damavand is the symbol of my people; huge, decent, beautiful, stable and strong, having deep roots in history. It's symbol of our heors fighting the most fierce battles, standing high above with raised heads, encouraging those who follow them.

Sexy babes on Iranian streets- II

Nose job
Just walk for a few minutes in our streets (the wealthier the place, the more the number) you would see women and girls with adhesive stripes on their noses. Those who lack it, have a sharp-tip nose (which is not an Iranian type of nose) revealing that they have had the operation before.
You may call them ugly or phoney, but you see, they are 'fashionable'. They are following the latest fashion. They watch satellite channels, pick the models and imitate them. That's why when you walk in our streets, you can't believe this country was supposed to be 'the central spot of Islamic world' as the previous leaders dreamed of.

Why the whole fuss?
Well, I believe it's some kind of resistance our women do against the 'should's and the 'must's. To me, it's quite different from what goes on in other parts of the world. Here, the women love to be beautiful and look sexy basically because the system wants them hidden under chadors, ugly and sluttish. The women dislike to hide themselves, just because men may feel horny. It's the only reason? Of course not! It's a simple truth: human being hates to be looked down and be patronized.
We remember just 8-10 years ago, at the beginning of hot seasons, when we had troubles with religious police and vigilances, arresting, beating and insulting the women in the streets just because physiologically, they couldn't bear the dark thick long mantueaus in a 40 centigerade hot weather and dared to wear something brighter and cooler.

What's going on right now, is exactly a reaction against the pressures we have been through for about three decades. Call it an extreme reaction, but whatsoever it is, the streets are less gloomy these days.

Sexy babes on Iranian streets- I

Face is the only place which Iranian women are allowed to show. So, that's the place which most of attempts for self-beautifications are focused on. Right after the Revolution, when Islamic government regulated clothing codes, the thing that women were permitted to wear was long black loose mantueaus, with big headscarves on heads. Any kind of make up was strictly forbidden. The reason: beautiful women make men feel horny. So, according the Sharia' (the kind of Sharia that Iranian Islamic mentality believes in), it is strictly recommended that women cover themselves as much as possible. It was repeated over and over again that the best 'hijab' for an Iranian woman is chador. We could see banners around to call chador as a 'superior' hijab. There was even some messages from the martyrs:" The blackness of your chador is stronger that the redness of my blood!"

The years passed. The codes and regulations loosened. The mantueaus shortened and shortened which these days hardly can be called mantueaus at all. The headscarves got smaller and smaller. Now they more look like wide ribbons on heads and –of course- the make ups got stronger and stronger.

Last night I was in a queue in a traditional bakery. A young woman was standing before me. When she looked back to ask something, I could see her heavy make up as if she was on a party not in a bakery queue. That's something you can see here so repeatedly. In shopping centers, on taxis and on buses, you can't believe the women aren't heading a masquerade; the eyes are hidden under heavy eye shadows and mascara, lipoinjected lips are covered by a flashy lipstick and the blushers have left strong traces on the cheeks.

Just go to a beauty saloon. Imagine it just like a hive with honey bees whizzing around; crowded and noisy. Some are dyeing their hair with strange stuff, some are manicuring and pedicuring, some are tattooing the eyebrows, the lip lines, I don't know where else…The hands go into the purses, they come out with a thick bunch of banknotes. The employees take them, the money vanishes into the slides…..You can't believe that these women under the professional hands of the hairdressers, are ordinary women with a pretty low income. The fever for being beautiful is so high, drowning everybody in.

The efforts for making the women beautiful are not concentrated just in beauty saloons. The cosmetic surgeons are the ones who make the biggest money out of it. Speaking to a cosmetic surgeon in Tehran, I got to know that he does approximately 30 operations a week. Just considering that in Iran, beside the cosmetic surgeons, general surgeons and ENTs are allowed to make the cosmetic operation, you can calculate roughly how many women go under the knives of surgeons per week. The operations are numerous and diverse; nose job (occupying the first rank), lipoinjection, liposuction, breast planting, etc. according the location of the office, the price can be different. A very 'normal' price is about 1200 USD. Considering the average income of people to be 300-400 USD per month, you can get a picture of what's going on.

We are back in the news!

We were omitted from the list of Yahoo news for a couple of days. Now, we are back.

This is the latest:
Following the plans on Iran-US negotiations on Iraq (just Iraq; don't think of it as a cover up for other issues!) which never happened (although many loved it to happen), Iran and the US are getting ready to sit on a table and speak. The reason: both sides are picking the harshest tone these days, when later (or at the same time) others behave nice.
Yesterday, Khamenei the supreme leader threatened the US that the energy flow to the West would be cut off, if they touch us. For a reason that analysts (and I as well) don't know, he didn’t mention that if they invade us, they would experience bad headaches in Iraq (with a Shiaa population of more than 65% out of the whole), in Lebanon (which Hizbollah favors a vast support among the people), in Palestine probably (which recently has received 50 millions USD from Iran) and (who knows?) in Afghanistan (which seems these days getting back to repeat the stories of 20 years ago).

In rhetoric between Iran and the US, some people play the role of carrot (Motakki, the FM) when some others are the sticks (the Leader, the President).
In the meantime, a big part of Iranian nation has gone to a 5 day holidays these days. Well, it's the anniversary of Khomeini's death and many have used the chance to flee from the cities. They are too busy to follow the news.

Son of mother Earth who joined his mother

Yesterday, Mahmud E'temad-zade (nicknamed, Beh-Azin), Iranian prominent translator, researcher and untiring peace and justice activist passed away at the age of 93.
A while ago he stopped taking food and medicine; he wanted to die.

During all his long years of life, he never stopped fighting for Freedom. An uncompromising activist, he was a beacon for my generation. We got to know about Romaine Rolland and Mikhael Sholokhov through his translations. You hardly find any home library in this country without Beh-azin's translations.
An active member and one of the founders of our Writers Union, he was arrested several times by Shah's regime. But the last detention during Islamic Republic was the one that broke his backbone. Having a reputation for being a long time leftist, the interrogators forced him to take part in a TV show denying his whole life and his political beliefs and identity, claiming before millions of people (with their whole attention on their TV sets those days) that he has been a spy of the Soviet Union. The show which later was disclosed to be a falsified act as a result of terrible physical and mental tortures, darkened rest of his life. When after eight years of imprisonment he was released in 1991 (in his late 70s), this man who had always a loud cry for Liberty, kept quiet and just published a few autobiographies.
Beh-Azin was a typical figure of thousands of people all over the world who always remain 'clean'. Their decent life and their commitment to their goals are unbelievable. This kind of people never bow their heads before the hardships of life, always remain uncompromising and devotee to their human objectives and are ready to pay any price for it.
He asked his family to have no ceremony for him after his death. He even wrote about his death in a few words which was read today for the few of people, family and friends who went to the cemetery to bury him. He wrote: "..Death is a part of life. Mahmood E'temad-zade was a son of mother Earth who joined his mother."