THE IRANIAN
TIMES
Monday, April 20, 1998
Farvardin 31, 1377
No. 460
Abu Saeed
Headlines
* Politics: Rafsanjani comes under attack
* Iran-U.S.: Most money claims resolved
* Sarkuhi: Passport returned
* Travel diary: Ramin's full report
* Dollar: Up a little more
* The Web: Iraqi "brothers"
* Music: More Googoosh
Index
| * THE
IRANIAN: Safarnaameh * Iran-U.S.: Money claims * Features: Rafsanjani attacked * News: Saudi ties * Human Rights: Sarkuhi passport * Economy: Housing crisis * Dollar: Up slightly * Sports:Loss to Hungary * Arts: Kiarostami * Academic: SIS |
THE WEB
* Iraq: Now that we're "brothers" again, take a look at one of the largest Iraqi web sites.
Any interesting web sites you would like to suggest?
Email us at Times@iranian.com
IRAN-U.S.
* Iran says most money claims against U.S. resolved, (Reuters) - Iran and the United States have agreed on the vast majority of cases under review by the International Court of Justice concerning Tehran's monetary claims against Washington, a senior Iranian official said. Goudarz Eftekhar Jahroumi, Iran's representative to the World Court at the Hague, said in remarks published in several newspapers on Sunday that 3,918 cases had been solved to Iran's satisfaction, with 34 still pending... full text
* U.S. continues to fault Iran on alleged terrorism, (Reuters) - The United States plans to fault Iran's record of alleged terrorism in a U.S. annual report on extremist activity despite hints of improved ties between the countries, the State Department said on Monday. But spokesman James Rubin went out of his way to make clear the report -- to be issued by the month's end -- essentially covers activities before moderate President Mohammad Khatami took office... full text
FEATURES
* Majles deputy blasts Rafsanjani on corruption during his administration, (AFP) - An Iranian MP severely criticized former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani in remarks published Monday for supporting the mayor of Tehran and threatened to release the names of corrupt municipal officials. Ahmad Rassoulinejad, a conservative MP from a district in northeast Tehran, said Rafsanjani was acting "beneath his dignity" by helping to win the release from prison last week of embattled Tehran mayor Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi... full text
* Karbaschi back to work, (AP) - The arrest of the mayor of Tehran earlier this month sparked the largest protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. His release just days ago led hundreds of thousands who lined the streets to shower him with flowers and praise. It was partly this emotional public outpouring -- more than 4,000 people demonstrated when Mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi was in jail -- that led to the Tehran mayor's liberation. Judicial officials had warned he could be held for months until his trial on municipal corruption charges... full text
* Democratic process , (Daily Star - Lebanon) - The overwhelming election victory last May of president Mohammad Khatami and his inauguration in August show that at very least there is now adherence to a democratic process in Iran. It is also important to remember that democracy is not the only colour of politics in the Islamic Republic... full text
* Iran loosening its stranglehold, (Daily Star) - In this latest round in IranÕs long contest between tradition and modernity, the Islamic Republic is either drawing to a convulsive close or changing its nature irrevocably. Though its end may not be as dramatic as the ShahÕs downfall, it will probably please all those mullahs who thought KhomeiniÕs Òclergy-in-politicsÓ an aberration that would bring discredit on themselves, and on Islam. None will be more pleased than ayatollah Korani. In his view politics, where Òpeople lie like drinking waterÓ, never should have been a business for true men of God... full text
NEWS
* Iran leader hails improving ties with Saudi Arabia, (Reuters) - Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran's ties with Saudi Arabia were improving and this year's haj pilgrimage to Mecca was a success. Khamenei's remarks, quoted by Iran's television, were his clearest backing yet for the more conciliatory approach to the haj which Iranian officials adopted this year, reflecting last year's election of moderate President Mohammad Khatami... full text
* Iraq and Iran hold meeting to discuss POWs issue, (Reuters) - Iraq and Iran held a meeting on Monday to discuss remaining prisoners from their 1980-88 war, an Iranian embassy source in Baghdad said. He said the meeting started at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) at a border point northeast of Baghdad... full text
HUMAN RIGHTS
* Sarkuhi given back passport , (AFP) - Dissident Iranian writer and journalist Faraj Sarkuhi has been given back his passport by the authorities, the moderate Jameh newspaper reported on Monday... full text
* The 1367 (1989) Tragedy: Report repeats earlier claims that hundreds of Mojahedin supporters were executed following the group's offensive immediately after the Iran-Iraq ceasefire agreement... full text in Persian
ECONOMY
* Crisis in Iran's construction industry worsening: report, (AFP) - The crisis gripping the construction and property industry in Tehran is worsening and beginning to spread to other Iranian cities, the Hamshahri newspaper reported Monday... full text
* Workers on strike at Iranian factory , (AFP) - Workers at a large smeltling works in central Iran are on strike in protest at the non-payment of their salaries, the government newspaper Iran reported Monday... full text
* Annual copper output up five pct to 105,000 tonnes, (Reuters) - Iran's production of copper rose to 105,000 tonnes in the Iranian year which ended on March 20, up five percent on the previous year, Mines and Metals Minister Eshaq Jahangiri said in remarks published on Monday. Jahangiri, quoted by the daily Kayhan, also said Iran would double its production by ``signing foreign contracts.'' He did not elaborate... full text
* More Iranian women gravitating toward industrial jobs, (AFP) - Iranian women are taking more industrial jobs rather than doing farm work, according to a National Statistics Center study reported Monday by the official IRNA news agency... full text
DOLLAR RATE
Up slightly
* To send money to Iran, the rate is 525-545 tomans per dollar, depending on how much you wish to send.
* To send money out of Iran, the rate is 550 tomans per dollar.
Source: Sehaty Foreign Exchange, call in U.S.: 602-595-0777 or 500-288-8881. Preferntial rates for readers of The Iranian Times. Mention this code: BAJ 07
SPORTS
* Soccer: Iran loses to Hungary, (AP) -- Iran, which plays the United States in the first round of this summer's World Cup, lost to Hungary 2-0 in an exhibition game Monday and was booed by some of the 60,000 fans in Azadi Stadium. In the other first-round game of this warmup tournament, Macedonia beat Jamaica 2-1... full text
SATIRE
Konkoor
* I'll pass the Konkoor one of these days... click here
Got something to make us smile?
Send it to Times@iranian.com
POETRY
* Fereydoun Moshiri on CD
Fereydoun Moshiri's poetry reading last October in Berkeley, California, is now available on CD. For more information and orders, contact Radio Havaye Tazeh at: 415-673-4726.
Listen to Moshiri's reading of "Kucheh"... here's the poem's text
ARTS
* Interview with Abbas Kiarostami, (NPR) -- Pat Dowell of the U.S. National Public radio reports on "Taste of Cherry", a film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. The movie shared the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. It's now opening in theaters around the country (April 7, 1998) ... click here (in RealAudio format)... forwarded by nima@artnet.net
* 'Gabbeh' weaves a mysterious tale (Dallas Morning News) - Here on the balding North Texas prairie, the soul cries out for color. So a breathtakingly beautiful film such as Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Gabbeh is a gratifying banquet for the eyes. Set on the remote steppes of southeastern Iran, this lyrical ode to a disappearing way of life from that country's most popular (and controversial) director shouts out "love is color" in sun-washed vibrant hues... The energetic Mr. Makhmalbaf, spellbound by the exotic landscape and fascinated by the stories woven into the gabbehs, turned it into a mysterious tale with a caravan of nonactors, donkeys, sheep and goats on a staged migration... full text
* Monday, Apr 20, 7:30 pm, UC Berkeley Lecture and films "Oak" and "The Flaming Poppy" Iranian professor Mohammad Farhad Atai presents two ethnographic films about Bakhitiari nomads--> 155 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley in Berkeley, CA (Accessible)[UC Center for Middle Eastern Studies (510) 642-8208].
* The 41st San Francisco International Film Festival is scheduled from April 23 to May 7. There are two Iranian films; "Leila" by Dariush Mehrjui and "Season Five" a coproduction of Iran & France directed by Rafi Pitts. The full film guides is on line at: www.sfiff.org/fest98... For festival information, call 415-931-film.
* "Taste of Cherry" U.S. screen schedules from the official Zeitgeist Film site... click here...Thanks to Payman Arabshahi <payman@fermi.jpl.nasa.gov>
THE IRANIAN
Safarnaameh-ye Ramin
An Iranian-American travels to Iran for the first time
We published Part One of this travel diary on Friday. Now we offer all four... go to feature
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Deezi cuisine
* "Deezi Cafe" in San Jose, California... full image
Got any interesting photos?
Send them to Times@iranian.com
PUBLICATION
The Literariness of Persian Texts
The world literature annual called 'Literature East & West' hereby announces that its volume 30, scheduled for publication at the end of 1999, will honor Heshmat Moayyad with articles on any subject dealing with 'The Literariness of Persian Texts.' Because 'Literature East & West' appears only in a soft cover format,it is negotiating with publishers for the similtaneous appearance of a hard cover edition.
LE&W welcomes papers of any length and on any religious, historical, political, literary or other text.
As the volume's compiler, I'll be happy to discuss questions and ideas with interested Persianists.
Michael Craig Hillmann
Persian Studies
Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
512-475-6785 (tel)
512-471-4197 (fax)
mhill@MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU
LETTERS
Iranian-Americans survey: Thank you
A few weeks ago you received a survey from me and a HUGE number of you chose to respond both via email and regular mail. I just wanted to write you and thank you for responding. I never anticipated the quantity of responses I received, and I was moved not only by your generosity in taking time out of your busy schedules to respond, but also by your "good luck" wishes and incredibly wonderful suggestions.
Originally, the paper was only going to be for a graduate school class, but the amazing poetry of your words and the sheer power of your thoughts and emotions have compelled me to actually write something that is worthy of your responses.
A number of you have requested the final paper. I will be sure to either send the paper to you personally, or perhaps ask the wonderful Mr. Javid to post it on the Iranian web page. Those of you who actually sent an envelope will certainly receive a personal copy as soon as the paper has been completed.
A great number of you also graciously made a number of suggestions for improvement of the survey. I agree with the majority of your suggestions, but would also like to let you know that the survey was never intended to be an "objective" statistical study of Iranians, as the sampling itself was fundamentally flawed; rather, I wanted to access what one of you termed "goals, dreams, etc." I wanted to hear your own words, your language, how you feel, think, and dream about your "homeland" and about the United States.
Additionally, some of you voiced your concern about the privacy of your responses. Please rest assured that your responses will ABSOLUTELY remain with me and will not be even given to my professor.
Finally, I am humbled by and grateful for all your kindness, your brilliance, your patience, and your generosity.
Thank you.
Laleh Khalili
LalehK@aol.com
BOOKSTORE
Book of the week
The
Hafez Poems of Gertrude Bell
With the Original Persian on the Facing Page
Gertrude Lowthian Bell
Iranbooks 1995
THE IRANIAN Bookstore
ACADEMIC
* The Society for Iranian Studies is hosting its Second Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies May 22-24 in Bethesda, Md. The Society is eager for a good attendance, and anyone who can make it is very welcome. Conference details at: http://www.iranian-studies.org/confProg.html ... forwarded by Mahvash Shahegh <mshahegh@skipjack.soc.lib.md.us>
* The Faculty of Oriental Studies at Cambridge wish to make an appointment to a temporary, unestablished fixed-term post which carries responsibility for Persian language teaching from elementary to advanced undergraduate level, and involves a contribution to the teaching of Persian literature, particularly poetry. The person appointed will also be expected to contribute to the graduate teaching and research programme in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Further particulars and an application form may be obtained from the Secretary of the Faculty of Oriental Studies (Mrs D.M. Bennett), Faculty of Oriental Studies, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, to whom applications (six copies, including a curriculum vitae, list of publications, and names and addresses of two referees) should be sent to arrive by 25 May 1998.
* Iran and the Region: Past, Present and Future Relations with Its Neighbors April 24-25, 1998 Portland, Oregon, USA The Center for Iranian Research and Analysis (CIRA) will hold its 16th annual conference in association with Portland State University's Middle East Center. For more information visit the CIRA website <http://www-adm.pdx.edu/user/mesc/cira/>.
NOSTALGIA
MUSIC
* Googoosh, "Bemoon taa bemoonam"
(Get RealAudio)
Greatest pop CDs ON SALE!
QUOTE UNQUOTE
Horrible news
oh, then on our way home i discovered some horrible horrible news(godfrey, this will hurt you the most as you told me you fell in love with them too). we stopped for me to get a shir-mose (if you remember a milk banana shake that i fell in love with in isfahan). they said they didnt have it but they had other shakes. i said "are there any up the road?" they said "no, you wont find it." "why?" i said. he told me "they have banned it!" "what?" i said, shocked. "i just had it 2 days ago in isfahan." "in isfahan yes, but in shiraz its been banned." i still cant believe it. shir-mose has been banned in shiraz. i dont know what to do
Ramin
British citizen born in Yugoslavia to an Iranian father
"Safarnaameh-ye
Ramin: An Iranian-American travels to Iran for the first time"
The Iranian
April 20, 1998
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