IDEAS
Organized religion is rife with lies and superstitious
It is argued that masses are ignorant, they follow the clerics. Some fundamentalists believe they are doing God’s work in forcing weak believers to practice their religion. In order for evil to triumph it is for people to stand by and do or say nothing. Salvation is found by seeking the truth, not with superstitious dogma. People should be free to choose any path in conformance with their belief system. Even non-believers have made a choice regarding religion. No choice should be ridiculed because it is different from another
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STORY
"با پرداخت فقط چند دلار در ماه شما را بيمه عمر خواهيم کرد."
با نگاهى حيرت زده داشت بيرون را نگاه ميکرد. همه چيز اين کشور با جايى که بزرگ شده بود متفاوت بود. خيابان پر از جمعيت بود. هزاران پسر و دختر همسن و سال خودش در دايره هاى کوچک دور هم جمع شده و با شور و هيجان باهم بحث ميکردند. بعضى ها پلاکارد دست گرفته بودند و در هوا تکان ميدادند. سرها بالا پايين ميرفت و دستها مثل خنجر هوا را ميشکافت. در عمرش اين همه آدم عصبانى يکجا نديده بود. فکر کرد،"چه چيزى ميتونه مردم را تا اين حد ناراحت کنه؟" فارسى را با لهجه آمريکايى حرف ميزد ولى خواندن فارسى را بلد نبود هرچند حروف را تشخيص ميداد.
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POETRY
O’ Shoppers
Words are cheap.
If everything else is expensive,
Words are cheap.
I know it out of experience.
I am assigned to write an essay
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TRAVELER
Photo essay: Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico
by SA
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VIEW
Who's really running the Green Movement
Nearly six months after the demonstrations that followed June's disputed presidential election, Iran's pro-democracy "green movement" is as strong as ever. Rallies took place in downtown Tehran today, having been in the works for months through Twitter, blogs, and word of mouth. Iran, it seems, is on the verge of having a new, unified opposition party. But the solidarity on the streets hides wide -- and growing -- splits within. The ostensible leaders of the movement, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Khatami, and Mehdi Karroubi, are former high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic who would likely keep much about the Islamic Revolution in place
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BIRTHDAY
آقاي رئيس جمهور، شما داريد همان مسيري را مي رويد كه شاه طي كرد
اين نامه را به مناسبت پنجاه و سومين سالروز تولد برايت مي نويسم. راه درازي را از سال 1956 بهمراه خانواده ات از زادگاهت روستاي ارادان به شهر تهران طي كرده اي: آنروزها تنها يك سال داشتي و خانواده ات مانند بسياري ديگر به اميد و با آرزوي موفقيت فرزندانشان از آن روستاي كوچك و بستگان خود بريده و به پايتخت مهاجرت كردند. آنها خود را از خانواده و نعمت نزديك بودن به آنها را محروم كردند و به شهر جديد و غريبي مهاجرت كردند تا شايد فرزندانشان فرصتهاي بهتري برايشان فراهم شود
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IRAN
وقتی به مخالفین دولت رنگ سبز مالیدند درواقع کلاه بزرگی سرمان رفت
در این گذر اگر از اندک اشکالاتی که در پایین تشریح میگردد چشم پوشی کنیم، بقیه خاطرات سفرخوب بودند و بعدا درمیان خواهیم گذاشت. فقظ خواستم فردا دوستان نیایند گله کنند و بگویند "تو که میدونستی چرا واسه ما نگفتی." در طول سالها زندگی درامریکا من فقط یکبار به ایران رفتم که آنهم سی و دو سال پیش بود و سرانجام امسال با تشویق دوستان و فامیل مصمم شدم دیداری از وطن تازه کنم. لذا چند ماه قبل چمدان را بستم و با شوق فراوان و پس از انجام امور تجدید گذرنامه و سایر کارهای مربوطه عازم ایران شدم.
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STORY
Define respectable! Define honor! Define it in the city of Tehran.
He is heavy; God - he is heavy. Panting and thrusting; he finally reaches his climax. The ripples pulsate all over him just as the sweat drips off his jowls, landing, one drop at a time, on my left shoulder. He lets out a sigh. Then almost instantly, he regains his composure and gives me a shy look. I reach below and snake my hand in between us until I arrive at the base of his penis. I hold on to the edge of the condom and gently ease him out. He rolls over and away from me, and drops into a slumber almost immediately. I look at the clock on the bedside table; that was a 20-minute straight screw
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POETRY
دختری با مانتوی کوتاه
چابک از نردهها بالا میرود...
...و به ناگاه بر گردهٔ جهان میایستد
یک سر و گردنی بلند تر از همه
چونان بلند که باد در اوج، روسریاش را با خود میبرد
و ابر و باران و مه در موهایش میپیچد
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13 ABAN
Photo essay: Thousands in Tehran defy ban on protest demonstrations
by AmirPix
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POINT
Iran has become the world's poster child for the deficit of democracy that plagues many nations
Today, marks the 30th year since the 444 day Iran Hostage Crisis began in 1979. On this day the media traditionally offers us images of burning American flags and effigies of Uncle Sam. We are reminded of the great chasm of mistrust and misunderstanding that has marked the last three decades of US-Iranian relations. But in the past year both Americans and Iranians have asked for something new. We have elected a president that promises to pursue diplomacy and Iranians have given birth to a popular democratic movement. So, we should not use this 30th anniversary of the hostage crisis to simply re-live tragedy and tension
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PROFESSOR
Defending freedom in Iran's universities
Over the past 4 years, Iran’s universities have grown increasingly unhappy with the rigid academic as well as social restrictions established by the fundamentalists who run the government. Iran’s university movement remains largely frustrated due to lack of leadership, and lack of support from the universities themselves (most senior officials of which are appointed by the government). Iranian student and academic movements have been pessimistic as to the support they might hope for from Western colleagues
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SATIRE
Public discourses in modern Iran
The first half of the 20th century minus the Reza Shah period is unique in the whole history of Persian literature in the amount of satire, lampoons and invectives which were published largely though not entirely through the press, and usually with a political motive. It was characteristic of Iranian history that the fall of an arbitrary state, often even the death of a ruler, led to division and chaos. The first quarter of the twentieth century was a period of revolution, chaos and coup
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POETRY
پاییز برگ های مرا در کوچه های سرد صبح پهن می کند
تو نگاه می کنی
و انتظار می کشی
اما روزی
شعر هایم
دیوارهای شهر/ موسیقی خانه تو را فتح می کنند
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DRESSED-UP
Photo essay: Halloween in San Francisco
by
Sid Sarshar >>>