Jahanshah Javid

Dear my two cents,

your formulation is bizarre. The first change in iranian.com happened several months ago when it opened up for blogging.  I didn't blog at first but when I started to  I walked right into a huge controversy going on about the moderation process. The forum was unmoderated and the threads were like a sewer system.  The controversy went on for a couple of weeks and then the forum became moderated and that was the second big change.

I also find it odd that you endow my presence here with such formidable powers while at the same time you don't even know that I'm not Iranian and all the regular readers know I'm not, and that information is contained in the very first sentence of my current article which has been on the home page for several days.  Suggest you read it and/or click on my name in blue and track me if you want to know more about who I am.

As for the moderation process I have said quite a bit about it on this thread and I also refered Q to two long posts I wrote about it under Jahanshah Rashidian's last article on Justice.  If you want to know any more about moderation ask JJ.  You know, that guy up there...the innocent-looking one with the eyeglasses.

Finally I can't for the life of me imagine why you think I would want your comment deleted. Your comment is, as I said, bizarre but it is not offensive in a way that warrants deletion.  Kinda irritating though, I gotta tell ya.

Robin

TO Rosie T

Rosie T,

who are you? Are you an American? who made you the moderator? I am a long-time Iranian.com reader and I have noticed a definite change in direction ever since you came on the scene. If you are not Iranian, I like to know your background and how much you think you know about our culture.. I would appreciate if you do not delete my comment- BTW, sorry I guess I am boring and not into much flirting !!!

Also Joe I'll just add...

I don't know if you've seen my article "Mozdoor" but there's a major amount of flirting goingon, a lot of it TOWARD me, along with SERIOUS political, ethical, and spiritual discussions. And you know Joe, I'm 48 years old and everybody knows it and Iranian men in general (not always but in general) are biased toward preferring younger women.  And I personally find it very rewarding that these men openly acknowledge me as a desirable sexual being.  I think their response to me has VERY progressive POLITICAL ramifications for the status of women and the aging and aged in society and for gender relations in general.  I think it's a  GOOD thing.  And a POLITICAL thing.  As the women's movement of the '70's always reminded us: The personal IS the political.

You can't always judge a book by its cover...there are ramifications to subtexts of discussions which are more than they appear at first blush...

 as for what I meant by trees have branches, THIS is what I meant.  THIS is a discussion that branched off from the main purpose of the blog, but I really think it's a good one....

Curios Joe........Rosie T.......I think this would be part

 I think this is part of the double standard that exists in almost every culture.

The woman always having to be the proper lady at all times. Let me tell you that it is exhausting. Some times you just want to relax a little. Why must one always be so repressed and oppressed?

I do agree some blogs are not the place to flirt. However, how does one answer questions asked by men on a serious blog which could be construed as flirting? I also have no intentions of having a lot of men emailing me or vice versa. Contrary to some people's beliefs, I happen to have  traditional values. Rosie T. can testify to it.

solh :o)

To Q... PS to jj

the posts whcih were deleted were a very serious discussion involving my observation that a person wishing to PROTECT the website from unfair attackers was resorting to their same tactics by making assertions about their identity that were highly speculative and that this was setting a very bad example for the alleged attackers. The discussion got deleted but the post which triggered my initial response actually remained. So I summarized the discussion very briefly to tell JJ about it and reposted it and it got deleted again.

It had NOTHING to do with flirting, btw, as the one below does...it was a VERY serious issue...

If you go to Rashidian's article on Justice I have a couple of long posts I wrote on MODERATION there and they talk about the process...ithe longer one is in response to our friend Jamshid :D

You know how much potential he has, Q, that's why you dialogued with him assiduously for weeks and weeks on end...please don't lose sight of all that potential....he has a very fine mind.  I know...I know...but still...

PS To JJ:  Is Nice nice?  How ticklish are you?  When you curse, do you do so under your breath?

Oh Joe that's so silly

Let's be clear here. If I'm not mistaken the menage a trois reference comes from a time when Sasha and I both happened to be kidding around with Mazloom under his SATIRE in which he had written about copulating with a CHICKEN!  WE weren't talking about having a menage a trois but YOU came along and accused us of flirting like high school children and told us to take it offline.  Where...to the chicken coop?..to the poultry section in the supermarket?  And menage a trois came up in RESPONSE to your being just plain...silly...it was do you think this is a menage a trois Joe, or something like that.  But you gave us a wonderful idea and we three friends decided that from now on we would intentionally practice public flirting when appropriate... just...because...And appropriate meant not on serious political blogs and so forth...and I swear to you Joe, I did not flirt with ONE SINGLE person on any blog about Ali Mahin Torabi.

 Now Joe, you are right now on a blog entitled "I'm sorta high"...and on this thread, as I construed it, zanincanadai FLIRTED with JJ and I FLIRTED with her flirting...so what?  I didn't DO that on JJ's blog about solidarity with human rights activists in Iran...but on THIS blog...about hash in Amsterdam...don't you find your complaints about flirting a little...odd?

And  further down, there YOU are defending JJ's right to answer questions from website members while he's high as a kite in response to Azarin's, but HERE you are going on and on...about the evils of....flirting...under blogs about....sex with chickens. Joe, you are a maze...of contradictions..

And I speak for the flirters of cyberspace when I say, we do it...because...it's fun... Lighten up, honey bunny...you gorgeous hunk of cyber-manhood you.. Just kidding  :D

Signed,
Curious Jew

Oh and PS don't forget what you announced publicly what you thought had happened with your Immigration article before it got published...so yes...you are a bit...judgemental (your word, not mine)....

Q I do realize that.........:o)

 I do realize that you are not one of the moderators. I just thought you should know that it was said, so that you can clarify it for others.

You know as well as I do that rumors get spread like wild fire around the website and it is best to clarify things as soon as possible to nip this rumors in the bud.

 solh

Response to Rosie

You wrote:

"Joe, I've asked you before and I'll ask you again...what on earth is wrong with a little flirting? (Or for that matter with discussions which diverge from the main point of a blog...trees have branches, too...)"

Answer:  Here is what this participant considers “crude” or “uncivilized” in a forum where nothing is sacred.    There are certain actions that people generally do not partake publicly.  Examples are engaging in a BJ or doing what you do in the privacy of your bathroom.  Maybe I am a bit timid, judgmental, old-fashioned or "Etiquettely-biased", but if you have an urge to merge, or want to flirt, you may consider doing it in the privacy of mutual personal E-mails between yourself (the flirter) and the flirtee, possibly leading to actions beyond words.  I am aware of certain people’s fantasy to engage in ménage-a-trois, but why do they have this perversion to display and conduct their verbal flirtation, out of a thread’s context,  in the presence of 6 billion people who may be clicking on Iranian.com?

Yes, Virginia, trees have branches, but they don’t have a brain. (No insult intended).

Curious Joe

I'm a moderator???

Where have you heard this story?

Well, JJ could solve this problem by exposing the list. I'm not one, and if I was, there would a lot more complaining! as I would actually erase many more comments but I think for legitimate purposes.

Anonymous-she .........my advice

 I think I know who sent you the email but I will not mention his name or the reasons that I think it is him. I can assure you he is not a moderator on this website.

However, If I may give some advice. The website has a way of blocking  unwanted emails to your account. You will need to access the account tab which will lead you to your Bio page. From there select Edit which leads you to Account settings then you will scroll down to the contact settings box. You need to deselect the option to allow others to email you.

I hope that my advice helps.

 solh

Integrity of the Moderator

Dear Jahanshah Javid,  

About 7/8 days ago I registered to your site. The same day one of your moderators had sent me following email to my private email account that I used for registration.(I have checked my email last night after a week).I don’t bring his name here to make any embarrassment. I will answer him publicly, following is the content of the email:

 ""I am wondering if there is an Anonymous-he in your life. I got divorced recently and I am looking for at least four permanent female friends (in reference to four permanent wives allowed to Muslim men, not that I am  a Muslim man). Nothing serious. Just friendship.""

I truly believe you are a decent journalist that is providing this opportunity for us Iranians to voice our opinion and discuss different matters. We really appreciate that. But, now with this incident questions are raising in my mind: 

How do you evaluate the integrity of moderator?

Who really they are?

Do you really know their real names, and their real work email address?

Are you giving them access to private info just because they are contributing articles/ drawings ?

Everybody could create yahoo or gmail account with the fake name... How do you know if they aren't from IRI, CIA :), or... to go after your commenter? 

I appreciate if you can just give us some explanation. Thank you. 

Public answer to moderator who sent email to my private account -- I am happily married to Iranian gentleman who is source of pride for myself and his family; beside from all qualifications that he has, I am mostly proud of his mentality.  Although born as a Muslim but he believes in equality of all humanity regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity and background...Be wise my friend!

Azarin / Joe

you know how much JJ helped us with Ali.  During the last crucial days the site was just flooded with blogs and articles not only about Ali but also about the justice system in the IRi.  I understand your concerns, I've voiced related ones myself, but this is a process and...jj is the website "owner" you see...and he's been thrust into the hub of this...this....planetary cybermind...and really it's only been four months since this website has opened up to a communications technology as revolutionary as the printing press...and we all need time to develop and grow within this revolutionary new framework...and we will...and we do...and we ARE....

and he's on vacation..in AMSTERSDAM...and that's what people DO in Amsterdam...they eat hash cookies...they're LEGAL...and our fearless leader is first and foremost a civil libertarian...see?

And you know, one time I wrote him, "Only a space cadet like you could give us enough space to have the discussions which go on here.  There's a method to your madness, there's a method to your madness."  Think about it. As I know you will....  :D

Joe, thank you for your words of wisdom but I've asked you before and I'll ask you again...what on earth is wrong with a little flirting? (Or for that matter with discussions which diverge from the main point of a blog...trees have branches, too...)

Response to Azarin

I’d hate to hijack this JJ’s  thread into a “chat room” conversation between Azarin and I (as many participants in this web log tend to do so, trying to get a date?). But there is an issue here about the fact that JJ in Netherlands is enjoying his “Freedom” to go to a café and buy his Marijuana and take it to his hotel room and smoke it without the fear of getting arrested, versus a boy and a girl in Iran who cannot walk together hand-in-hand without being married.

Come on Azarin, this post is about JJ and his experience in Netherlands. As far as I’m concerned, we do not need a Bible that hides behind “thou vs you”. Nor we need a Qoran or Torah that leaves us to interpret “what does it mean?”.  If you have something to say, spell it out pure and simple, in as few words as possible, with no implications as to what you “really meant”, or how I can interpret it.  In short: “Cut the BS” and get to the point.  And the point is: Do you have a problem with JJ’s way? And if you do: what is your issue (in 20 words or less – without going to Celal in  Turkey).

To Curious Joe:

Hi,

I think you've missed something...If you look at my comment, you would see that I only quoted a few lines of The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk -- the Turkish writer who won the Noble Prize in 2006 (my favorite book these days). These lines are written by Celal, a journalist/columnist. And I was interested to have JJ's feedback about it. These lines are about the underneath contrast between what that journalist dreamed to be and to do(writing immortal tales) and what he actually became and did (writing his column in a daily newspaper). And the “God” as mentioned here, has a total sarcastic tone.

I asked JJ about his own expectations from himself and how has he learned to live with his own readers (because as the readers of this site. we haven't still learned to tolerate each other and to live together as a civilized community) .  I was hoping to get a full answer from JJ, but as we all know the effect of the smoke was already gone ...

Azarin 

Response to Azarin

OOps...  You brought the name of "God",  That is an assumption on your part -- which makes all of your argument irreverent. Did you assume that JJ believed in God?  Where did you get that assumption in a web log where NOTHING is sacred?

Smoke

Hi Azarin,

Sorry to disappoint you :o)

Have a I learned to live with my readers? I guess so. Yes. I mean I have no choice. It's mutual. They have to learn to live with me, too.

FRANCE.... HERE I COME

bye bye for now

Thanks

I have to get ready to go to the Amsterdam train station in a couple of hours to catch the train to France. Will be traveling for almost a whole day. Behave while I'm gone :o)

Somehow I am disappointed

Dear JJ,

Yes...I am pretty disappointed. You are the editor of the most successful Iranian site in Diaspora and an accomplished journalist, so you should know -- damn well -- how to listen/or to respond to our endless nagging and accusatory questions... still (I’m so surprised!) you use and you need something so meaningless as a cloud of smokes – joint/drugs or something like this -- to be able to feel brave enough to answer to all the questions of your own readers. 

Smoking in a hotel room, getting high, typing on a laptop, hoping the world to watch you and to ask you the questions that you are not even sure if you really want to answer, almost like a truth or dare game with yourself (and doing it during your Europe vacation!),... it is just so lonely.

But hey...who am I to judge you? It is late at night here and I am typing on my laptop on the first day of my vacation and I am not even smoking or drunk or high ...:-)

BTW, have you read Orhan Pamuk's "The black book"? You might be interested in these lines:

"...these are the immortal tales I've always longed to tell, but all God gave me was this column, which calls for another kind of story altogether. And he gave me you, dear readers. Over the years, we've learned how to live together."

I was wondering what do you think about it? Is it true? Have you learned to live with your "readers"?

Azarin 

President

Hi Kimia,

I'd probably pick Iran.

Straight Answer to Kimia

First of all, JJ is not "up there", anywhere. He is merely running a web site that 1.4 billion Chinese, nor 1.1 Billion Indians , nor over 2 billion other people on this planet are watching or reading. It is amazing how egocentric Iranians are. Remember, the population of earth is over 6 billion. Somehow, this mere 70 million Persians seem to think they know better than the other 6 billion. What an impertinence and utter egomania -- like the Shah and the Ayatollah -- and YOU.

Canadai

Hi N.zanin,

You asked:

1) I would like all my crappy non sense k** shers to disappear. There are a couple of blogs which I cannot delete. Chera laj kardi? :) Delete them for me.

I WON"T DELETE THEM. HOSSELEH NADAARAM :O)

2) After your smoke, did you get the munchies?

SOMETIMES.

3) I think you left the window open in your bathroom. Again, not to pass on my OCD but I saw it in your pictures.

IT'S ALWAYS SLIGHTLY OPEN. I'M IN A SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD.

4) Are you ghelghelaki? You seem to be.

YES.

5) If you get angry, do you yell? swear (which language)?

I ALMOST NEVER YELL. BUT I DO SWEAR OFTEN.

Thinking very HIGH!!

kimia yar

Now that you are up up there; If they offered you to be the president of Iran and US which one would you  like to be!!!

I do want a straight answer!!

Q Did you know? :o)

 Some actually had this conspiracy theory that you are one of the moderators. :o)

 solh

Rosie: What did you write that was erased?

I'm curious too. And who are the editors with that ability?

Enjoy Netherlands

JJ. Having lived (not just visited) in eight countries during my life, I am often asked which is my favorite country.  And my answer is …. Netherlands.  Unfortunately,  I do not live there because they have such a shitty weather (compared to California).

If Holland had a weather like California, there is no question that it would be the ideal place to live – that is if you want to live among the most civilized and broad-minded people in the world.

Why is it that such civilized and wonderful countries like Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have such an awful weather and populations less than 20 million each – making it impossible for countries with over 70 million population such as Iran and the US to emulate.

Enjoy Les Pays Bas.  Wonderful place – especially during the Tulip season…

Canadai...

What is this about k*** shehrs, you naughty thing, you?

 And WHAT is this about deleting them!  That's even naughtier.

JJ, don't do it!  At least let her sleep on it, will you?

(No pun intended...)

:D

You ain't kidding !

Wow! You HAVE been answering questions!Valee laabod (as luck would have it), beh maa keh reseed, munchie-khoreet shoroo shod!! :-)
Can you arrange to have this , say, once a week? Once a week, get on line, and answer your readers' questions. I think it would be a great idea.

1) I would like all my

1) I would like all my crappy non sense k** shers to disappear. There are a couple of blogs which I cannot delete. Chera laj kardi? :) Delete them for me.

2) After your smoke, did you get the munchies?

3) I think you left the window open in your bathroom. Again, not to pass on my OCD but I saw it in your pictures.

4) Are you ghelghelaki? You seem to be.

5) If you get angry, do you yell? swear (which language)?

6) ...Hmmm I'll save this one for later, I don't want to push you over the edge :) kissy

Car

Hi Saeed,

My old car broke down and the police eventually towed it from our street. I have a 2nd hand tomato red Chevy Aveo
//www.airport.gdansk.pl/siteimages1/aveo.jpg

Anonymous 8, there ARE some real problems..

I thought as you do until some REALLY serious deletions happened to me for REALLY no reason repeatedly..one of the moderators obviously just didn't like me...you're right, the system is GOOD but it needs to be BETTER...and it will be...and it probably already is...
Best,

Robin