برخورد با مخالفان

اگر مخالفان خود را به‌ پای چوبه‌ اعدام می کشانی ! بدان‌ صاحب عقلی هستی بسان طناب .

و اگر مخالفان خود را به‌ زندان می فرستی! بدان صاحب عقلی هستی بسان قفس .

و اگر با مخالفان خود به‌ جنگ درمی افتی! بدان صاحب عقلی هستی بسان چاقو .

و اما اگر با مخالفان خود به‌ بحث و گفتگو می پردازی و آنها را متقاعد می سازی و به‌ سخنان حق آنها قناعت می کنی! بدان صاحب عقلی هستی‌ بسان عقل

دکتر علی شریعتی -

در زمان خسرو پرویز

شنیدم در زمان خسرو پرویز گرفتند آدمی را توی تبریز

به جرم نقض قانون اساسی و بعض گفتمان های سیاسی

ولی آن مرد دور اندیش، از پیش قراری را نهاده با زن خویش

که از زندان اگر آمد زمانی به نام من پیامی یا نشانی

اگر خودکار آبی بود متنش بدان باشد درست و بی غل و غش

اگر با رنگ قرمز بود خودکار بدان باشد تمام از روی اجبار

تمامش از فشار بازجویی ست سراپایش دروغ و یاوه گویی ست

گذشت و روزی آمد نامه از مرد گرفت آن نامه را بانوی پر درد

گشود و دید با هال و مآبی نوشته شوهرش با خط آبی:

عزیزم، عشق من ، حالت چطور است؟ بگو بی بنده احوالت چطور است؟

اگر از ما بپرسی، خوب بشنو ملالی نیست غیر از دوری تو

من این جا راحتم، کیفور کیفور بساط عیش و عشرت جور وا جور

در این جا سینما و باشگاه است غذا، آجیل، میوه رو به راه است

کتک با چوب یا شلاق و باطوم تماما شایعاتی هست موهوم

هر آن کس گوید این جا چوب دار است بدان این هم دروغی شاخدار است

در این جا استرس جایی ندارد درفش و داغ معنایی ندارد

کجا تفتیش های اعتقادی ست؟ کجا سلول های انفرادی ست؟

همه این جا رفیق و دوست هستیم چو گردو داخل یک پوست هستیم

در این جا بازجو اصلن نداریم شکنجه ، اعتراف، عمرن نداریم

به جای آن اتاق فکر داریم روش های بدیع و بکر داریم

عزیزم، حال من خوب است این جا گذشت عمر، مطلوب است این جا

کسی را هیچ کاری با کسی نیست نشانی از غم و دلواپسی نیست

همه چیزش تمامن بیست این جا فقط خود کار قرمز نیست این جا

سبزی سرخ ما

خیلی وقته که چیزی ننوشتم. آخه چی بنویسم؟ این که انتخاباتی رو که اینهمه منتظرش شدیم ازمون گرفتن؟ این که کاری کردن که همه و همه بریزن تو خیابونا؟ یا اینکه چیزایی به روز مردمم آوردن که اگه توی یه فیلم وحشیانه می دیدم می گفتم این کارگردان چه شه؟

خیلی وقته دلم خیلی گرفته. یه خورده مریض شدم و گرفتار روزمرگی. ولی انگار عذاب وجدان از اینکه کاری از دستم برنمی آد از سرم نمی ره! با هر مقاله ای که می خونم همه تنم درد می گیره و صورتم خیس می شه. صورتم رو می شورم و سعی می کنم به روزمرگیم برگردم. ولی روحم انگار طوری شکنجه شده که دردش آروم نمی شه. به کسی هم که نمی شه چیزی گفت، هر کسی درد خودش رو داره.

به خودم هی می گم درستش می کنیم، اینها دردهای رشده. ولی می دونم که واسه همه شهیدها و زخمیها و زندانیها و خونواده هاشون و دوستاشون و یه جورایی همه ما این قیمت خیلی سنگین تری بود از آنچه می بایست بدیم. دلم ریش ریشه و دستم خالی

enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbye.

young and smart

The sign said something along the lines of:

Attention
to all young costumers:
If you are fed up with your parents,
move out and start earning your own money
and paying your own rent.
Do it fast, until you are young
and know everything.

time and time again

Time goes by so quickly that only an anniversary or a birthday or something that counts your years will remind you where you are in time. My old friends' visit last week took me back, wow I don't even want to admit, to 1998 when I first entered university. I had to count and count again on my fingers to believe that it's been 11 years!
And then we had the first 30th birthday last week to kick start the many 30th birthdays we will be celebrating this year. What reminded me of all this was that yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of this blog; so if you count دختر آفتاب I've had a personal blog for 4 years now. It's still all just numbers to me and I will need more time to absorb that 11, 30 and 4 are the number of years and not months associated with things in my life ...

you

Happiness keeps you sweet
Trials keep you strong
Sorrows keep you human
Life keeps you humble ...

understanding

I always thought technology moves too fast for us to deeply understand its consequences and implications. A good illustration is the new virtual tunnel with one end in London and the other in New York. The people on either side could connect with a random person on the other side with windows chat, gmail chat, skype or another of the hundreds of channels available. They have all probably seen it done more than once on a TV interview or news report. And yet it fascinates them when it's set up on the street ...

vulnerable

Einstein

meat munchers

The federal study of more than half a million men and women bolsters prior evidence of the health risks of diets laden with red meat like hamburger and processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts.

Calling the increased risk modest, lead author Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute said the findings support the advice of several health groups to limit red and processed meat intake to decrease cancer risk.

The amount that is too much:

Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a 125-gram (quarter-pound) hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 per cent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 per cent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 140 grams per week.

Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 per cent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 per cent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less.

But before you cut all meat out of your diet there are a few things you should be wary of. First of all the study was done on a group of 50 to 70-year-olds over a 10 year period and they relied on the person's memory of what they ate. Second, this conclusion can be drawn for people in that age group and not necessarily everyone. The recommendation is to replace some of the red meat in your diet with white meat such as chicken and fish - Happy Eating!

- source: abstract, full report

my angel

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make a sound

I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

- Halo, Beyonce

نوبهار آمد

weatherwise

I told you there was no global warming; now they're saying it's probably just on hold. Excuses, excuses!

up to par

I got an email pointing me to this abstract. The work will be presented as a poster in the Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory (session G17) in the transactions of the European Geosciences Union General Assembly which will be held in Vienna, Austria, this April. I didn't believe it at first so I checked it from the European Geosciences Union website to make sure it's not a hoax, it's NOT! Now if this is the standard of work for people who are making statements about global warming, I don't know where to go for reliable information?!

If ...

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

- Erma Bombeck

the 7 wonders

Dr Richard Dawkins lists his 7 wonders of the world:

• spider webs
• bat's ears
• pianist's finger
  
• DNA
• parabolic reflector
• embryos
• David Attenborough
  

suicide and genes

From the study of 12 suicide victims who had been abused as children, 12 suicide victims who had not been traumatized and 12 people who died of other causes, a group at McGill have reached an outstanding conclusion. In the brain cells of suicide victims who had suffered severe sexual or physical abuse or neglect, the Montreal researchers found epigenetic markings in a gene that affects how a person reacts to stress.

Aside from the "suicide study" of people who have been abused, this research has a broader ramification. It shows that other than chemical exposures which were known to affect one's genes, social trauma can also be an influence.

Dr. John Strauss, a child psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said the McGill study is important because it brings to "psychiatric disorders a way of explaining potential gene-environment interactions."

The italic parts have been taken from this report on the study. The full article is published in the Nature Neuroscience and you can find it here.

fine fine print

Every once in a while I read the fine print on credit cards and such. You expect the usual, we are not responsible for this and that and that we can change the terms of agreement when we want to and we just need to notify you before or after we have done so; but of the ones I have read, this one is an eyeopener! This is a clause in the Customer Agreement for RBC online banking and credit card:

In no event, even if we are negligent, will we be liable for any loss of data, or any indirect, consequential, special, aggravated, punitive or exemplary damages whatsoever, in whole or in part, (including any business interruption, loss of profits, data, information, opportunity, revenues, goodwill or any other commercial or economic loss), caused to you, regardless of the cause of action, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

It would be interesting to see if it would actually holds up in court.

me and D

Last winter I had a rather hard time getting up in the mornings. As I mentioned before, this year I decided to take a 400IU pill a day from October to April. And now that the days are getting longer and brighter, I am more than happy to say I had no sluggish mornings and no midday train wrecks. I think it has done my body much good! I have to add that I do drink my 2 glasses a day of milk which is of course vitamin A&D fortified. I also eat cheese and keep a good balance of fruit and vegetables in my diet; plus I exercise regularly. It was just that during the darker months of the year I was lacking the vitamin D produced with sunshine in my body ...

I looked up a few fact about Seasonal Affective Disorder; mine was not that severe, but I think the same solutions helped me get over my winter blues.

According to Mental Health America, women suffer from SAD three times more often then men, as do those in colder climates and people who work for extended periods without sunlight or work the night shift.

The suggestions for getting over SAD are:

• get as much sunlight as possible
• take vitamin D
• exercise
  
• watch the carbs. as much as your body craves them, you should opt for healthier carbs like vegetables, whole grains, and fruits which will help keep you energized.
• keep up social interaction
• be nice to yourself

belief

"for those who believe, no proof is necessary ... for those who don't believe, no proof is possible."

- Stuart Chase

!برابرتر

مقاله "هر کس مي خواند به پنج نفر خبر دهد" از شيرين عبادی رو بخونین و به حال و وضع کشورمون فکر کنین!؟

only the poor

"Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Gates said while opening a jar onstage at a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars. "I brought some. Here, I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected."

That, of course, grabbed people's attention! I also like another remark he made in his speech:

"The market does not drive scientists, thinkers, or governments to do the right things. Only by paying attention and making people care can we make as much progress as we need to."

- source

directions

“It is a well-documented fact that guys will not ask for directions. This is a biological thing. This is why it takes several million sperm cells… to locate a female egg, despite the fact that the egg is, relative to them, the size of Wisconsin.”

- Dave Barry

check up

Dr Oz, Oprah's surgeon general, came up with a list of 10 things to do to keep your health in check. This is the list:

Step 1: Find a doctor and schedule a checkup

Step 2: Know the five ingredients to avoid

Step 3: The healthy foods to add to your diet

Step 4: Take a multivitamin every single day

Step 5: Know your numbers

Step 6: Find a health advocate

Step 7: Organize your medical records

Step 8: Get the medical tests you need

Step 9: Start exercising

Step 10: Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night

pop star president

After a day of excitement and a reception that brought out the "stars" of the entertainment world, the newly minted President of the United States went to work yesterday. And guess what he did on the first day on the job? He repeated the swearing in ceremony, which was of course the whole purpose of the inauguration!

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but while I was watching the ceremony I kept thinking they could have rehearsed this before. I'm just saying, seeing as there were millions of people watching someone could have put a little thought into what it's all for ... I hope this is not a sign of things to come!

The explanation was that since both he and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, tripped over their words, Mr Obama took the presidential oath for a second time “out of an abundance of caution”. This time around there was no Bible, but then the Bible is just for show and the oath has nothing to do with its presence.

It turns out that Obama isn't the first president to retake the oath. Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge also took the oath of office twice because of unusual circumstances. Arthur, was sworn in at his home in a private ceremony following the assassination of former president James Garfield. He was sworn in a second time two days later at the Capitol. Coolidge took the oath of office at his father's Vermont home following the death of former president Warren Harding. Coolidge's father was a justice of the peace and administered the oath. Concerns about the jurisdiction of Coolidge's father led to Coolidge taking a second oath later in Washington.

Now what do you think history will write down for Obama? His unusual circumstance was that too many people were watching and thus him and Justice Roberts were distracted! Or that he was just giggling to much! Maybe they'll say he was too young and thus too excited, who knows ...

- sources: The Economist, CBC, Getty Images

local ingredients

The get local website has a table that shows when fruit, vegetables, meat etc are in season in Vancouver. You can find it here.

plane crash

who knew?

Forbes released its list of unknown billionaires, you might want to have a look!

windfall

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. won a $224 million bet that Florida would escape major damage from hurricanes this year.

- source

I didn't even know that such bonds existed, but it only makes sense.

civility institute

I just think it's an interesting concept, here's the website.

recycling

After a long struggle it seems that Clorox, who owns Brita, has launched a program to recycle water filters in North America. An interesting point is that they had been recycling the filters in Europe for a while and it took so many petitions and such a long time to get it here. Anyhow, the press release on November 18th introduces two options for recycling the filters:

• Drop off: Through the Preserve Gimme 5 program, select Whole Foods Market stores will begin collecting No. 5 plastics and used Brita pitcher filters.
• Mail in: Consumers who wish to mail in used Brita pitcher filters are encouraged to package the filter in a small, used box and send it via ground shipping. The box will also be recycled by Preserve

The press release does not indicate whether or not recycling will be made available in Canada through Whole Food Market stores but I guess mailing the filters in is always an option. I will be keeping mine and collecting filters from whoever wants to hand them to me.

off the charts

This is Stephen Colbert's interview with Malcolm Gladwell the author of Outliers, the story of success, which I have yet to buy. He claims to have figures out the best year to be born in the 20th century if you want to become rich. Sorry, nothing we can do now!

to fight or not to fight

"When couples get together, one of their main jobs is reconciliation about conflict," Harburg said. "Usually nobody is trained to do this. If they have good parents, they can imitate, that's fine, but usually the couple is ignorant about the process of resolving conflict. The key matter is, when the conflict happens, how do you resolve it?"

The above is an exert from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor's news website, Newswise. Ernest Harburg is a professor emeritus with the School of Public Health and the Psychology Department at UoM and the lead author on the paper "Marital Pair Anger Coping Types May Act as an Entity to Affect Mortality: Preliminary Findings from a Prospective Study" which will appear in the Journal of Family Communications this month.

They report that in couples who do not fight, the likelihood of early death is twice as high! Now if that doesn't tell you that making your feelings known is a good thing, I don't see what does. You can find the article in Newswise here.

وقتی می آی

Albert Hall, London, 1987

Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness

"It's that time of year again!"

Lake Superior State University "maverick" word-watchers, fresh from the holiday "staycation" but without an economic "bailout" even after a "desperate search," have issued their 34th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. This year's list may be more "green" than any of the previous lists and includes words and phrases that people from "Wall Street to Main Street" say they love "not so much" and wish to have erased from their "carbon footprint."

- source

influences

We have always mocked how so much of our information about the world, animals and such comes from the programs we watched as children; but now that politicians are using their childhood learnings to discuss issues, it maybe time to reconsider our attitude!

I don't like forecasting, particularly if the future is involved.

- Yogi bear (quoted by Mitt Romney)

source of information

I went to see my podiatrist and this is, in concept, what it said on the cartoon picture on wall:

A few things you should know about your period:

1. it won't go away if you stand on your head
2. if you have 22 babies in 22 years you will avoid a lot of periods
3. if you go on vacation it will come with you
4. although PMS, GST and PST sound similar they are of very different nature

waterboarding

my two cents

It seems that a lot of people inside and outside the Liberal party agreed with me about the serious flaw in the leadership of the Liberal party. Yesterday, Dion finally did what he should have done after his defeat in the federal election and announced that he will step down once the Liberals have chosen a new leader.
But it's not that simple. New Brunswick MP, Dominic LeBlanc, has stepped down from the leadership race in support of Michael Ignatieff; but it seems that Bob Rae isn't being as kind or as thoughtful. He has been described as "bitter and angry" by other Liberal MPs. What surprises me is that Rae doesn't have much support either; personally I don't think he stands a chance. Ignatieff has been a favorite with both the MPs and party members for a while now. Whereas Rae, although well respected, has never had a strong endorsement from either group.
Anyway, I think it is in the interest of the Liberals, the coalition (which I am not sure will even make it until January) and maybe all Canadians to deal with this as soon as possible. Dragging it out can only give Harper the upper hand ...
This is Jon Stewart's take on the recent issues in Canada, eh!

state of mind

About 2pm on Sunday, unsuspectingly, we walked into a store on Davie. A woman about 50, thin, with light blue jeans and a not so stylish shirt and jacket, walked rapidly towards us and asked us in a very high pitched voice whether someone had referred us to the store and without pause followed that she has been in business since 1993. Silly me, I took it as a greeting and said: "no, we were just walking by."
As those words left my lips, her face grew tense and she started telling us how she dresses people and that people come from a long way away and that they make appointments ... and she didn't breathe! She talked faster and faster and grew more aggressive as she went on. We stood there with our eyes wide and our jaws hanging! I don't know how long that went on but it seemed an infinity.
As soon as she breathed to say that her store is not for looking around in, I turned to the door and reached to push it open. She yelled in her squeaky voice: "no, no, don't touch the door, I'll open it, you already jammed it!" Even if I had jammed it coming in, which I hadn't, she couldn't have known!
We walked out and away so shocked at what we had just witnessed that we couldn't even talk. We still haven't figured whether she was bipolar, high on drugs or just pure crazy and we couldn't even tell if she wanted us gone, wanted us to come back with an appointment or was looking for a specific reaction.
After getting something to eat we walked back to find the name of the shop. Believe me, she was walking out to slap me as I was looking for the name of the store on the window. And yes, I ran away before she got to the door!
It was reassuring to learn later that we weren't the only people who had encountered the crazy lady (apparently she's called Linda). I wonder how she is still in business! Oh, and the name of the store, State of Mind, how fitting!

a dose of sunshine

I have decided to start taking vitamin D. The general recommendation is for people in the lower mainland to take vitamin D supplements from October to April. In addition, ethnicity studies suggest that people with darker skin tones should take vitamin D supplements. So despite my resistance I am finally convinced! It hasn't been that long yet but I do feel a little more awake when I get up in the morning. Now whether that is psychological or it's really the effect of the pills I can't tell :)

Two related articles you may want to take a look at: sunshine vitamin, pregnant and lactating women and infants. The suggested intake for vitamin D is about 1000 IU per day. The table below gives some information about the sources of the sunshine vitamin.

Source: B.C. Ministry of Health
Food	Serving	Vitamin D
Milk	1 cup	100 IU
Fortified rice or soy beverage	1 cup	100 IU
Fortified margarine	2 tsp	53 IU
Salmon canned, pink	3 oz	530 IU
Tuna canned, light	3 0z	200 IU

حس آشنا

درست قبل از امتحان بود که یکی از بچه های ایرانی رو دیدم. گفتم می شه یه سوال بپرسم؟ با لبخند و خیلی مودب گفت: شما از من؟ و یه چیزی توی این مایه ها که آخه تو که خیلی خرخونی! اون موقع حواسم پرت بود و عجله داشتم، ولی بعدش که بهش فکر کردم نفهمیدم چرا اینقدر حرف به این سادگی حس آشنایی در من برانگیخته بود! چند ساعتی گذشته بود که دو هزاریم افتاد. این از اون حرفهایی بود که بچه ها توی مدرسه می زدن و سالها بود که کسی این حرف رو به من نزده بود! احساس دوران بچگی بود که اینقدر آشنا بود و حس برگشتن به اون موقع بود که من رو خوشحال کرده بود

torn

Yesterday, prime minister Harper asked the Governor General of Canada to prorogue parliament, despite the bad image it gives him. As he said, he was willing to take any legal measure to keep the government going. But on the other hand, in my opinion, the opposition coalition tried to stir things up a little too soon. I mean at the least the economic situation is tight and we just spent millions on an election!

Think of it, there's the Bloc Quebecois who basically supports mayhem and Harper just calls them the separatist although they have somewhat softened that tone. I can't say I disagree with him on that.
Then there is the NDP, who until yesterday were friends of the Conservatives and gave Harper the confidence of a majority government. I really don't understand Layton's move in getting with the coalition because he was a lot closer to Harper before and after the recent election and then he woke up on Wednesday and was buddies with Dion!
But the biggest and baddest of them all are the Liberals. I admired Paul Martin both as a minister and as the prime minister. When he stepped down there was no one to step into his position, the Liberals had no leader. On the other hand Steven Harper, despite the fact that I don't trust him, emerged as a strong leader. I think the quality of the televised messages from Harper and Dion (without even listening to the content) showed how much more organized and able the Conservatives are at this point in time.
The recent election showed the lowest level of Liberal support and of course everyone knew who was to blame. Now don't go blaming it on the accent, didn't everyone love Chrétien? It's his lack of leadership and his poor communication skills that repel people, even the Liberals themselves have admitted it time and time again. Dion is the type of guy you would put in charge of a museum, not a government.
So as far as the coalition goes, I don't support it at all. Two parties who have different objectives along with the separatist and no leader to pull them together isn't going to do Canada much good. Especially with the difficult financial situation we are facing. They might have had a chance if Dion was wise enough to let Layton lead. It goes without saying that I have never and will never approve of Harper and his politics, but right now he is the lesser of two evil.
All of this being said, suspending parliament seemed like a very extreme measure to me. My initial reaction was that Michaëlle Jean will not approve of it. After thinking about it a little more though it just seems very unconventional but most likely the correct move ... all of the controversy goes to show that even old Canada can stir things up a little. Now all we have to do is wait until the end of January to see what will become of Harper's government ...

diabetes cure?

Dr Mehran Anvari, McMaster University, is offering new hope to type 2 diabetes patients, especially those suffering from obesity. According to the article in Spec, a local Waterloo news website, 10% of people in Ontario suffer from diabetes. This is the posting for the study of Laparoscopic Bariatric surgery to treat type 2 diabetes in obese patients. The major concern is that the study is in its early stages and not all the side effects are known.

ballet

Today, Ballet British Columbia announced that they are laying off all the staff and dancers! What a shame! They are calling it a reorganization. The truth is that the dancers will either have to move away from Vancouver or find something temporary and hang around in hopes that it won't take them too long to get back into business. I think that's a big risk though and my guess is that the dancers who really care about their careers will move away ... if you live in Vancouver and haven't seen Nutcracker, I suggest you do it this year. Who knows if there will be a ballet any time soon in the city.

state of shock

Now I know I messed up bad
You were the best I ever had
I let you down in the worst way
It hurts me every single day
I'm dying to let you know

Now I'm here to say I'm sorry
And ask for a second chance
Cause when it all comes down to the end
I could sure use a friend

P.S. I know you will both be strong and make it through :)

right now

justice

I have always admired the great civilization of Egypt. I guess they owe their abundance, at least partially, to their long history. My envy is that as a society us Iranians come from a rich background too, but we have failed to hold ourselves to the same standards. I can't blame it on governments or systems because the Egyptians have had their fair share of corrupt leaders. I think it has more to do with our personal sense of belonging to the society and our willingness to fight for our human rights. I don't want to downplay the great men and women who have done so much for our country, but I'd like to draw attention to the moral values we may have given up on.
This is what triggered these thoughts in my mind again:

The student concluded that the government could do whatever it wanted - oppress, detain, torture, whatever - but if the judiciary was independent, then freedom had a chance in Egypt. Without these independent judges, there was no hope of protecting human rights.

- Amin Ashmawy (interview with Robin Wright)

This is a testament for truth's sake. If I did not record it, I would be accountable before God on the Day of Judgment. by what I write here, I do not intend to support or defame any party. It is merely a question of telling the truth, to which I have devoted my life, and to honor the justice that I have vowed to uphold.

- Noha al Zeiny, Al-Masri al-Youm newspaper, 2005 (Dreams and Shadows)

geeky humor

optimist: the glass is half full
pessimist: the glass is half empty
engineer: the glass needs to be redesigned

- Carl Selinger

me and her

It had been raining all night and now a little sunshine was coming through the clouds. I walked by a large window swiftly and took a quick glance at myself in the glass ... and ... I slowed down as I approached the next window ... and ... I WAS her ... I stood and looked at myself in the glass ... I looked like the person I had dreamed of being as a little girl. In the glass, I saw the image of a woman I had wanted to be ever since I was a child, and, now I AM her, I'M HER! By this time there was a big grin on my face ... me and my future image of me are one now ... I need a new vision ...

W, always a disappointment

We went to see the movie W. The only believable characters in the movie were Bush senior and junior. The rest of the movie was a mess; even the travels in time were a disaster. It had insignificant details highlighted and important events skimmed. I don't know what Stone was thinking but didn't it ever occur to him that the Bushs wouldn't be watching election reports on their home TV? All in all I would give it a mere 4 out of 10; just like W himself, a dissappointment!

professional profiling

According to a 2007 Oxford University publication by Gambetta and Hertog 78% of Jihadists are engineers ... I think it may be that the engineers are the dumb ones who get caught!

guess who?

If you guessed Sarah Palin then you're right! It's her Miss Wasilla 1984 head shot and one of the pictures for the Palin Calendar. The cover page is below and you can find all the pages here.

اوضاع و احوال

گفتم تفعلی بزنم؛

رایت سلطان گل پیدا شد از طرف چمن
مقدمش یارب مبارک باد بر سرو و سمن
...
مشورت با عقل کردم گفت حافظ باده نوش
ساقیا می ده بقول مستشار موتمن

و شاهدش

تو نازک طبعی و طاقت نداری
گرانیهای مشتی دلق پوشان
درین صوفی وشان دَردی ندیدم
که صافی باد عیش دُردنوشان

salaries

... with the current situation it seems 2008 will be the highest peak at least for some time ...

* source: IEEE Spectrum August 2008 and they got it from the US Department of Labor

greener clean

I've been trying out "greener" choices for cleaning supplies in the past few months. I've tested both brand name and drugstore labels. In my opinion the best dish washing liquids are [drum roll] Method by Method and Green Works by Clorox. Both claim to be naturally derived and biodegradable.
As for glass, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, once I got to the Green Works line of products I stopped checking because I was very please with what I had found and, well, I'm not a consumer product reviewer!
You might find the Greenzer website helpful if you're looking for a particular product, but keep your eyes open for the frauds ... maybe I should come up with a green-meter of some sort ...

اسلام و ایرانیان

اين مکر و ريا گشت به گوش همه ياران
اين حيله بشد باور يک ملت نادان

ای وای از اين قوم وازاين ملت بيمار
لعنت به سر گور امام زاده مکار

ايرانی که بود تاج سر دانش دنيا
اينک قمه بر سر زدنش خنده دنيا

زنجير به سرو سينه زدن در غم تازی
از شب به سحر در غم ودر گريه وزاری

شد سنت ايرانی پس از عمری شهامت
ای وای از آن قومی که شد خام ديانت
...
ايرانی بشد چاکر درگاه امامان
آن شيرزن خاک گهر پوش دلارا

شد زينب و زهرا و خديجه و سهيلا
از کوروش واز ايرج و کاوه و بابک

قربانعلی و غلامحسين آمده اينک
لعنت به من و ما که بيگانه ستائيم

پيشانی به سنگ در هر تازی بماليم
لعنت به من و ما که فرزند يلانيم

بيرونی بيگانه از اين خانه ندانيم
نفرين به چونين تيع که تيزش نتوانيم

لعنت به چونين دست که مشتش نتوانيم
اهريمن از اين خانه برون ما نتوانيم

اين ديو ستمکار از اين سفره نرانيم
لعنت به من و ما که خاموش نشستيم
که خاموش نشستيم

سیمین بهبهانی -

the Hamas point of view

Do you not find something very wrong with this sentence?

"We might forgive the Israeli's for murdering our innocent civilians but we will never forgive them for forcing us to kill their civilians."

- Sheikh Nayef (from Dreams and Shadows)

The later leaders were of course a lot more lenient.

Our message to the Israelis is this: we do not fight you because you belong to a certain faith or culture. Jews have lived in the Muslim world for 13 centuries in peace and harmony; they are in our religion "the people of the book" who have a covenant from God and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be respected and protected. Our conflict with you is not religious but political. We have no problem with Jews who have not attacked us - our problem is with those who came to our land, impose themselves on us by force, destroyed our society and banish our people.
We shall never recognize the right of any power to rob us of our land and deny us our national rights. We shall never recognize the legitimacy of a Zionist state created on our soil in order to atone for somebody else's problem. But if you are willing to accept the principle of a long-term truce, we are prepared to negotiate the terms. Hamas is extending a hand of peace to those who are truly interested in a peace based on justice.

- Khalid Mashal, 2006 (from Dreams and Shadows)

path to liberty

We are not expected to be transported from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.

- Thomas Jefferson

Judge Alex

As I was eating lunch today, the TV was showing one of the many reality court shows. I never really warmed up to Judge Judy, who is apparently the highest paid TV personality, but some other ones I can take ... but I digress ... The case was about a lady whose car had been stolen and totaled by the next door neighbor's son, well actually they had a teenage boy visiting from out of town who had apparently driven the scenario. The conversation was something like:

• Judge: well how did they break into the car?
• lady: the door was not locked. where we live we don't even have keys to our front doors, all the doors are open.
  
• Judge [with a smile]: in Florida the only reason you would leave your doors unlocked is that you want to shoot the thief inside the car! well how did they start the car then?
• lady: they turned the keys and started the car.
• Judge: so you had left the keys in the ignition?
• lady: yes, everyone does that. even the police officer who took my statement said he leaves his keys in the ignition when his car is in the driveway.

The judge looked amazed and so did I. But she was telling the truth; the defendant confirmed what she said. He admitted that he had asked his son where his cell phone was and the son had told him what they had done with the car and said that he'd left the phone in the car. A little into the trial she starts crying and when the judge asks why she replies: "well if car theft is their first crime what is their second crime going to be? break into someone's house and put a gun to their head?"
What they described and how they reacted to everything was like a fairytale. So far from reality in my mind! I grew up being told not to forget to lock the second lock on the door. I had heard stories of how my grandparents never had to lock the door but that was by far my closest encounter. Just think how much more tolerable our lives would be if we could just go back and live as peacefully ... I hope these people and their little towns don't go extinct any time soon. Maybe we should preserve them as treasures ...

politics

Politics is about getting outside of yourself and your own problems for a little while and fully immersing yourself in the lies and deceit of others.

- Stephen Elliot

Zoroastrians

I have started reading the book Dreams and Shadows by Robin Wright and I am going to share parts of it with you in the next little while:

"I once visited a fire temple of the Zoroastrians, who worship light as the symbol of good and omnipotent God. Iran is the world center for the faith founded six centuries before Christianity. As the symbol of light, fires at the altars of their temples have burned continuously for centuries. Zoroastrians ideas about the devil, hell, a future savior, the struggle between good and evil ending with a day of judgment, the resurrection of the dead, and an afterlife had great impact on all monotheistic faiths, and even Buddhism.
The largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel is also in Iran, ...."

giving

We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.

-Winston Churchill

for the boys who never became men

so you can grieve and move on with life ... i am sorry that i can't be beside you in your pain ...

well in case you failed to notice
in case you failed to see
this is my heart bleeding before you
this is me down on my knees
these foolish games are tearing me apart
your thoughtless words are breaking my heart
you're breaking my heart

- Jewel, foolish games

فال شب مهتابی

کنار آب و پای بید و طبع شعر و یاری خوش
معاشر دلبری شیرین و ساقی گلعذاری خوش
الا ای دولتی طالع که قدر وقت می‌دانی
گوارا بادت این عشرت که داری روزگاری خوش
هر آن کس را که در خاطر ز عشق دلبری باریست
سپندی گو بر آتش نه که دارد کار و باری خوش
عروس طبع را زیور ز فکر بکر می‌بندم
بود کز دست ایامم به دست افتد نگاری خوش
شب صحبت غنیمت دان و داد خوشدلی بستان
که مهتابی دل افروز است و طرف لاله زاری خوش
چو می در کله جامست وساقی در نیامیزد
که مستی می‌کند با عقل و می‌بخشد خماری خوش
به غفلت عمر شد حافظ بیا با ما به میخانه
که شنگولان خوش باشت بیاموزند کاری خوش

harder times

I haven't been writing for a while and the reason, unfortunately, is mostly sad events rather than happy ones. I've been distracted, preoccupied and stressed. All of this being said, I should mention that the "situations", for the lack of a better word, I have been dealing with were mostly related to my loved ones rather than me. I don't mean to downplay their dealings with all of this but for my side, I guess, it just all came at the same time and took me by surprise.

I'd like to take a step back to the happy event before I think about the sad ones. We, as Sharif graduates, had our fifth international reunion in Vancouver. I was on the organizing committee and we hosted over 300 people. It all ran very smoothly. I learnt about the origin of the Sharif University of Technology Association (SUTA) and met a few of the people who had actually started the whole thing. We even had a surprise birthday on the last day ...

But the problems! Since it's people's personal matters it would probably be a better idea for me not to delve into them too deep. I'll just point to a few things.

I, for one, have never been that big a fan of marriage. It never quite made sense to me for someone to commit him/herself to someone for the rest of their life when they didn't know what the rest of their life would bring. You may say that it has worked for so many generations in the past, but that is exactly my point. That was in the past. In my opinion our parents were probably the last generation that could, as a society, live up to the old definitions of marriage. In today's world man and woman change so fast and independent from one another that they can easily evolve into very different beings with little commonality.

Now, my opinion is not meant as an invasion on the institution of family but more of a cry for the need to move around the boundaries and find something that would fit the mold of modern society. Just think of it this way, an average successful marriage in North America is estimated at around 5 years and we are promising our partners until death do us part! I would understand something along the lines of I promise to love and cherish you until the day we are happy and I will fight for being happy with you ...

Despite my pessimistic views towards traditional marriages, I was shocked to hear of so many of my friends having issues. I guess theorizing about matters and understanding them logically is far from accepting them emotionally. Some relationships have run their course, others are hanging by a thread and some are slowly working their way to getting stronger. At this point there is no saying where we will all be standing once the tide is gone, all I can hope for is that one day when they look back at this they can say I am pleased about the decisions I made ....

for the past

and I'm so sick of love songs
so tired of tears
so done with wishing you were still here
said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
so why can't I turn off the radio?

- so sick, Ne-Yo

life

Give me books, fruit, french wine, fine weather, and a little music ...

- John Keats

fall for you

The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting
Could it be that we have been this way before
I know you don't think that I am trying
I know you're wearing thin down to the core

But hold your breath
Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you
Over again
Don't make me change my mind
Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you is impossible to find
Your impossible to find

This is not what I intended
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart
You always thought that I was stronger
I may have failed
But I have loved you from the start

- Secondhand Serenade

there

Beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there's a field. I'll meet you there.

- Jalal al-Din Rumi, 13thC

taste

When you are exposed to a new flavor of food it is said that you can acquire a taste for it in an average of 10 tries. Now I am not that kind of a person to force myself into liking something, but throughout life my appetite has changed. I used to hate even the smell of olives and now I would kill for them; there are other examples when it comes to food too ...

And then there is another side to taste. I first started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude when I was about 15. I don't usually leave a book half read but this one just didn't give me enough incentive to go past page 50. A few months back I read Love in the Time of Cholera, which is also written by Gabriel García Márquez, and I loved it. This prompted me to think that I may have grown into his work and "developed a taste" for it.

So, I order One Hundred Years of Solitude with a bunch of other books. When they're shipped it's the second book of the pile I start reading ... and ... it was still the same. Nothing had changed for me. It was still as distasteful as it had been 13 years ago! It makes me think, maybe there are some virtues of your appetite that you can't sway ...

phenomenon

I realized the other day that instead of calling friends I have started to leave them messages on facebook. When I thought about it a little more, I realized that I haven't been paying as much attention to my weblog either. My friends have the mobile facebook application installed so that they get messages on their iphones or cell phones and what not. We contact each other because the status on someone's profile looks worrying. And instead of having my friends over and showing them photos of my trip I post odd ones on facebook and ... it feels more than just a social network, maybe like some sort of new technology that crept into our lives over night ...

my new favorite artist

quickly i'm learning, to love again
all i know is, i'm gonna be okay

thought i couldn't live without you
it's going to hurt when it heals too
it'll all get better in time
even though i really love you
i'm gonna smile because i deserve to
it'll all get better in time

since there's no more you and me
it's time i let you go so i can be free
and live my life how it should be
no matter how hard it is, i will be fine without you

- better in time, Leona Lewis

late laundry

There were clothes in the drier, I was late and I knew that I would get back home around midnight. My landlord locks all the doors including the laundry room every night and opens them 6am next morning. Options were, stay home until the drier is done or leave and hope for the best. I decided to leave her a message and run. I got back and found the clothes folded in the basket I had left on top of the drier. She had also left the door unlocked so I could get in and take the clothes. It just made me warm and fuzzy inside ...

food

The food was on display outside the restaurants especially for places that were designed as lunch places. Lunch breaks were about 30 min so things had too move fast :)

There was also a hierarchy in the restaurants, I was told that I couldn't just walk into any restaurant; it felt like something from the movies. The picture on the right is one of the places I wasn't welcome!

garbage and gaming

Since the streets were so narrow and there were not that many back alleys, this is how they disposed of garbage in the business area. In most places there were even green nets to pull over the garbage. Interestingly they had somehow convinced the cats and birds to stay away.

There seemed to be this wild obsession with gaming, this is a quick shot I took inside on of these gaming shops.

cars and streets

There weren't many personal cars on the streets in Tokyo, most of what I saw were taxis. The streets were very narrow, and they even had narrower cars! The cars were mostly Japanese cars as you'd expect, but there was the occasional BMW or Benz.



By the way, they drove on the left side of the road and stood on the right side on the escalator.




Another interesting thing was the fuel pumps, I guess when you don't have enough land you hang things from the ceiling!

forgotten

"I can feel from the bottom of my heart that you came to Urumqi many many times and spent days and night for the hope to see me, visit me. I am grateful, I am thankful for the hardship you have experienced in cold and hot, snow and rain. I know you are doing it. I know the thin heart of my mother and my children and all of my relatives."

The Globe and Mail published an article on the recently released letter from Huseyin Celil, the Canadian citizen who was arrested (I think) in Ozbakestan and extradited to China 2 years ago. In China, he was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to life in prison.

"Dear mother, Please forgive me if I have done any thing wrong to you in my life. Please forgive me if I even have spoken loudly in front of you."

You can find the full article here and the letter translation here.

Iidabashi - Shinjuku

The first night I arrived in Tokyo, my friends picked me up and we went walking through the Iidabashi - Shinjuku area. This is an older neighbourhood, where apparently no foreigner ever sets foot - they could not believe I did not speak Japanese! It was a good thing that one of my friends was a translator. The area was full of small shops and cafes, just what you would expect of Japan ...

We went into a shop that was owned by a 83 year-old lady, she had started up the business with her husband 60!!! years ago. He had passed since.


I bought many pieces from her shop. Whenever I chose something, she would take a glance at it, go into the back and get another one that was still in its box. She'd show it to me so that I would be sure that it's the same and I had to nod to show my approval. Then she would ask permission to gift wrap it. She did it as if it were a ritual. The gift-wrapping itself was an amazing procedure. The neatness and delicacy with which she worked was amazing. When we were leaving I asked if I could have my picture taken with her. She replied: "but my hair is not made up and I am not dressed!" She was by far the cutest old lady I met on this trip.

earthquake

The first night I arrived in Tokyo there was an earthquake, about 6.3 on the Richter scale at the source. It shook the hotel pretty hard, enough to wake me up in the middle of the night, and those who know me know that that is a big deal! Anyhow, I got up the next morning, called everyone in Canada and Iran and made sure they know I am fine ... fast forward a few days, and the earthquakes in China. The horrible pictures, the devastation and the pain you can see in people's faces. The gut wrenching fact is that most of those killed are children who were at school, 7000 schools fell down when the surrounding buildings almost survived. And now about 5,000,000 people are homeless. It's been about a week, what has been done for them? I can't stop thinking, it was so close, it could have been me!

my journey

Narita airport, Japan

I had a conference in Singapore and I decided to stay in Tokyo for a few days since I was transiting through Narita anyway. There are a few experiences in life that make an impression that will stay with you for ever, this was definitely one of them. I learnt as much about the world and other people as I did about myself. Since the personal experiences are not as easy to bring to words and maybe not even as interesting, in the next little while I want to give you a peak into some of what I learnt about Tokyo and the Japanese and maybe even a little about Singapore.

One thing that I have to establish first is that what made this trip exceptional are the people I met on the way. I will talk about some of them along the way ...

Narita, areal view, Japan

Narita is rather far from Tokyo, about 40 min with train. In between the airport and Tokyo lie many rice farms as you can see in the photo.

Narita rice cultivation

away ...

... i am leaving for a little while, i'll be back with photos :)

transportation in China

You won't believe your eyes!

electricity

This is a link I found very useful. It gives electrical power levels and outlet shapes in most countries; so next time you can know what to expect :))

stupid/intelligent

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

- Bertrand Russell

insensitive

How do you numb your skin, after the warmest touch
How do you slow your blood, after the body rush
How do you free your soul, after you've found a friend
How do you teach your heart it's time, to fall in love again

Oh you probably won't remember me, it's probably ancient history
I'm one of the chosen few, who went ahead and fell for you
I'm out of vogue, I'm out of touch, I fell too fast, I feel too much
I thought that you might have some advice to give, on how to be, insensitive

- Jann Arden

math and music

Very smart people have always fascinated me, and I have always wondered what they would be like in person. Alia Sabur, a Persian - American is now the youngest university professor according to the Guinness book of records. You can find more information about her on her website.






source: Alia Sabur's website

no revolution

Something inside of me has waited far too long, it's past the turmoil, past the suspense, now there is a cold silence. There was a rush, i could hear my heartbeat over the music in my ears. Piano sooths me you know, i can see the gentle strokes on the keys as i hear the music. But then i was a ghost, i couldn't really see the familiar places i was walking through. i am amazed at how numb i feel towards everything today, this cold calm silence needs to break ... it's just the wrong state of affairs ...

P.S. it's broken, this was a wish granted so soon ...

women's health

two websites you might want to take a look at:

• safer make up
• ovary removal and heightened risk of Parkinson's
  

i'll be back with more information on women's health in a few weeks!

contacts?

Take a look at this!

source: University of Washington Office of News and Information

the risks

"You shouldn't have asked," I said. "Love doesn't ask many questions, because if we stop to think we become fearful. It's an inexplicable fear; it's difficult to even describe it. Maybe it's the fear of being scorned, of not being accepted, or of breaking the spell. It's ridiculous, but that's the way it is. That's why you don't ask - you act. As you've said many times, you have to take risks."

- By the river Piedra i sat down and wept

now

I should cry, what happened to all my tears?

Happy Earth Day!

the living camera

I remember watching him as a child ...

سالگرد

تولد دو سالگی این وبلاگ هم شد. باورم نمی شه دو ساله که اینجا مطلب می نویسم

in fairy tales

In fairy tales, the princesses kiss the frogs, and the frogs become princes. In real life, the princesses kiss princes, and the princes turn into frogs.

- By the river Piedra i sat down and wept

خانه بامداد

یادش شاد

see you again

i got my sight set on you, and i'm ready to aim
i have a heart that, will never be tame
i knew you were something special, when you spoke my name
now i can't wait, to see you again

i've got a way of knowing, when something is right
i feel like i must have known you, in another life
cause i felt this deep connection, when you looked in my eyes
now i can't wait, to see you again

i got this crazy feeling, deep inside
when you called and asked to see me, tomorrow night
i'm not a mind reader, but i can read the signs
that you can't wait, to see me again

- Miley Cyrus

hopeless

"... and that's why they invented families, so hopeless didn't get the last word"

- Ramona Calvert, Hope Floats (1998)

did you know?

Some of it is really surprising ...

good day, bad day

I had a bad day a few days ago, anything and everything went wrong. I curled up in bed at the end of the day and told myself a bedtime story to go to sleep. It took me a few days to get over the emotionally tramma. I know, none of it was a big deal but combined, it just drained me ... and then today, I got a few pieces of good news, actually more than a few and some of it was exceptionally good news. I just had to write it down to remind myself that my life always has a positive balance ... thankfully ...

دعای باران

!خشکسالي به علت کفران نعمت

change

"Don't forget!" she shouted as she walked away. "Love perseveres. It's men who change."

- By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

health card

A new report says the overall health of B.C. students is improving, but too many young people are getting fat and many are passing around infections through sex. While fewer young teens report having sex, there's an increased incidence of sexually-transmitted infections.

The report also says there are too many overweight or obese students, more students are suffering from anxiety disorders and it warns about a rise in cyber-bullying. The report released by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says fewer students are smoking and alcohol and pot use have dropped since 1998.

- The Canadian Press

going, going, gone!

As I walked by the buildings it passes through my mind I want to work among lawyers and high ranking managers ... I wasn't even thinking in English before that, my mind must have really wanted to say this!

stars

It says: " They admire each other’s skills and position in life."

where?!

If I had seen this photo anywhere else I would have no doubt that it's a fraud; but when the source is the White House website there is nothing left to say! They even had a dinner party!

The traditional Haft Sin at the White House by Chris Greenberg

anxious

Wait. This was the first lesson I had heard about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways - and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.

- By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept

ties

... if there is one thing i have learnt, it's that i am the only person who sets limits on what i can achieve ...

frozen grand central

عیدتان مبارک

راز بی اخلاقی مسلمانان

و "خواجه نصیر الدین " دانشمند یگانه ی روزگار در بغداد مرا درسی آموخت که همه ی درس بزرگان در همه ی زندگانیم برابر آن حقیر می نماید و آن این است :
در بغداد هرروز بسیار خبرها می رسید از دزدی , قتل و تجاوز به زنان در بلاد مسلمانان که همه از جانب مسلمانان بود . روزی خواجه نصیر الدین مرا گفت می دانی از بهر چیست که جماعت مسلمان از هر جماعت دیگر بیشتر گنه می کنند با آنکه دین خود را بسیار اخلاقی و بزرگمنش می دانند ؟

من بدو گفتم : بزرگوارا همانا من شاگرد توام و بسیار شادمان خواهم شد اگر ندانسته ای را بدانم .

خواجه نصیر الدین فرمود :
ای شیخ تو کوششها در دین مبین کرده ای و اصول اخلاق محمد که سلام خدا بر او باد را می دانی . و همانا محمد و جانشینانش بسیار از اخلاق گفته اند و از بامداد که مومن از خواب بر می خیزد تا هنگامی که شبانگاه با بانویش همبستر می شود , راه بر او شناسانده شده است . اما چه سری است که هیچ کدام از ایشان ذره ای بر اخلاق نیستند و بی اخلاق ترین مردمانند وآنکه اخلاق دارد نه از مسلمانی اش که از وجدان بیدار او است.
من بسیار سفرها کرده ام و از شرق تا غرب عالم و دینها و آیینها دیده ام . از "غوتمه ( بودا ) "در خاورزمین تا "مانی ایرانی" در باختر زمین که همانا پیروانشان چه نیکو می زیند و هرگز بر دشمنی و عداوت نیستند .
آنها هرگز چون مسلمانان در اخلاقشان فرع و اصل نیست و تنها بنیان اخلاق را خودشناسی می دانند و معتقدند آنکه خود بشناسد وجدان خود را بیدار کرده و نیازی به جزئیات اخلاقی همچون مسلمانان ندارد .

اما عیب اخلاق مسلمانی چیست ای شیخ ؟

در اخلاق مسلمانی هر گاه به تو فرمانی می دهند , آن فرمان " اما " و " اگر " دارد .
در اسلام تو را می گویند :
دروغ نگو ... اما دروغ به دشمنان اسلام را باکی نیست .
غیبت مکن ... اما غیبت انسان بدکار را باکی نیست
قتل مکن ... اما قتل نامسلمان را باکی نیست .
تجاوز مکن ... اما تجاوز به نامسلمان را باکی نیست .
و این " اماها " مسلمانان را گمراه کرده و هر مسلمانی به گمان خود دیگری را نابکار و نامسلمان می داند و اجازه هر پستی را به خود می دهد و خدا را نیز از خود راضی و شادمان می بیند .
و راز نابخردی و پستی مسلمانان در همین است ای شیخ کسلان

از اسرار اللطیفه و الکسیله

pocket full of sunshine

i got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine
i got a love, and i know that it's all mine
oh

do what you want, but you're never gonna break me
sticks and stones are never gonna shake me
no!

take me away, a secret place
a sweet escape, take me away
take me away, to better days
take me away, a higher place

- Natasha Bedingfield

holly bush

I'm not really a holly bush; that's just a game I play ...

happy international women's day!

being a couple

If you have to give up who you are as an individual
to be half of a couple,
the price is just too high.

- Dr Phil

lonely no more

Since all the kids left home, every year, my parents travel to be with my grandfather for the new year; I never figured if I should be happy or sad about it. This year I am just worried about my grandfather's health ... when I first came over he said he would come to Canada and visit me. He renewed his passport but one thing after another happened ... and now he's probably to fragile to travel ... love you grandpa, I wish I could be there for the new year ...

lyrics

I don't know if it's a coincidence or not but I am noticing the 70's songs making a come back in the commercials; for example, JCPenny is using Let's dance and Mini wheat is using a modified version of Leap up and down and wave your nickers in the air ...

time goes by ...

March 1st, 2008 hah! I wonder what happened to last Spring?!

love and hate

I just finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera; some parts of it I felt as if it were me going through the emotions:

"Ever since her rejection of him at the age of eighteen, she had been convinced the she had left behind a seed of hatred that could only grow larger with time. She had always counted on that hatred, she had felt it in the air when the phantom was near, and the mere sight of him had upset and frightened her so that she never found a natural way to behave with him. On the night when he reiterated his love for her, while the flowers for her dead husband were still perfuming the house, she could not believe that his insolence was not the first step in God knows what sinister plan for revenge."

this time

Now I'm just confused, is life trying to tell me to stick to familiar territory?

Don't go chasing waterfalls
just stick to the rivers and lakes that
you're used to
I know that you're gonna have it your way
or nothing at all
but I think you're moving too fast
- Waterfalls, TLC

new history

In Russia, Putin's government is having the history books re-written to reflect the untrue idea that Stalin's era was a wonderful time for the Soviet Union, familiar?!

disclosure

I don't know what I should do; I don't even know what the right thing is any more. I knew I'd have to face this decision one time or another and avoiding it hasn't made anything easier ...

happy valentine's

creativity and concept

I don't know if you watch Celebrity Apprentice or not, but if you do I think you'll agree with me that it is getting tiring to watch the same pattern over and over. Trace Adkins, the brilliant mind he is, comes up with the concept and presentation and that is about all he says throughout the challenge. Then the rest of the team put it together and win.


He is by far the most creative person in the race and without him their team had no chance in hell of winning any of the challenges presented so far because they are mostly clueless as to what should happen. If you think about it, the praise they always get is, great slogan, wonderful concept, exactly what we wanted to hear. The only time the other team won was when they played the design card very strongly. And yet Trace's team got the great slogan praise again, so in fact Trace did do his part and it was their shortfall in execution that cost them that challenge.

I should say, I totally agree that creativity and getting the concept right is a fundamental part of winning in any business so it doesn't surprise me that Trace's team have been able to win only relying on his ingenious thoughts ... It's going to be interesting to see what will happen this week as Donald reorganizes the teams. Take that Piers! I hope you sink :))

Nikita

I know Elton John's gay but still, it's like Cher singing "Does he love me"

Oh Nikita you will never know anything about my home
I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita I need you so
Oh Nikita is the other side of any given line in time
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita you'll never know

Do you ever dream of me?
Do you ever see the letters that I write?
When you look up through the wire,
Nikita do you count the stars at night

- Elton John

the air we breathe

The day came much sooner than we anticipated. The lower mainland (almost greater Vancouver) has received a failing grade in air quality from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The worst part is that, according to a survey, most people are oblivious to it! Maybe we should change the slogan from "save the planet" to "save your heart", then people might take it more seriously.

i did not die

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

- Mary Elizabeth Frye (1904-2004)

wildlife, really?!

I watched a documentary a few nights ago about the treatment of show business animals and the filming of wildlife. Two highlights, or should I say "low-lights" from the documentary were,

1. the chimps we see on TV or in the movies are orphans. They are separated at birth and kicked and beaten so they are afraid to misbehave. As soon as they are a few years older they become too big and strong for the trainer to handle so they are sent to research labs, where they are kept in isolation, concentration camps or roadside zoos where they are not typically cared for. The even sadder fact is that they live the life of an average human, so for the few years we enjoy them on the screen, they will suffer 40 - 60 years.


2. the so-called wildlife documentaries of animals which we see on TV are well scripted movies played by tamed animals. Remember the cool Animal Planet movies from Walt Disney? Apparently they were all scams! And not only that, they presented a lot of mis-information about the animals featured!
   This is the place where most of these animals are trained these days and it is also the place where much of the filming is done. Take a look at their list of contributions; there are names like the BBC and National Geographic in there. And they don't deny it. The explanation being that it is too difficult to film real wild animals! Is there anything you can believe in these days??
   

bad day

I wasn't having a good day today; actually, I was having a pretty crappy day. I tried to drown my sorrows by eating a few pieces of dark chocolate with my tea, but it just wasn't working. And then the phone rang. I got another call in the middle of the first one, and a couple of other ones followed.

Before I knew it I had cheered up. Nothing had changed about the problem, it was just that I felt so warm and fuzzy knowing so many of my friends cared enough to take time out of their busy day to call and ask how I'm doing. And believe you me, it wasn't that big of a deal; I was upset that I wasn't given a fair chance to get what I (and others) felt I deserved.

It took a good workout at the gym to shake the rest of the sorrow off. All that I am left with now is knowing there is a bunch of great people out there supporting me when I need them, and that just feels AMAZING!

knowledge

Knowledge will earn you respect but not a husband.

- Jane Austin

Hmm, it's not always true, but times a many you may seen that guys just don't like smarter girls.

old, rich me

I have no faith in fortunetelling and all, but it just caught my eye: "You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth". Ha! so even the stars know that I am going to be rich! :))

days

ironic

As I was walking with my coffee in my hand, it suddenly hit me. I take public transport to get here to save the emissions from my car, but by the time I get here I am so cold and tired that I must have a coffee and usually something to eat. Both the coffee and the food come in non-environmentally-friendly containers and so, I am probably not doing any good this way! I am going to try to take a coffee mug with me and then pack a sandwich from home .... we'll see how that goes ...

GO SFU!

SFU became the first post-secondary institution in North America to achieve Go Green certification from the international Building and Owner Managers Association.

cherries

I was already feeling guilty about the divergence from my regime and buying the cherries from Chile when I heard the conversation:

- Mum, buy some of these, please!
- [whispering as she held a bag of potatoes] I don't have the money, I can't.

There was a long pause, as if time was still; and then the guy behind pushed his basket forward indicating to me that I should hurry. I paid for the groceries and walked out ... now I can't eat the cherries, I keep remembering their faces and their conversation ...

investing

People say you should have your money working for you. I have decided to do the working and let the money rest, because when your money is out there it can get fired. And you say where is my money? It was right here! And they say: "Yeah, I know your money, coming in late, taking extra vacations ..."

- Jerry Seinfeld

documentary

Welcome to Tehran is airing on Thursday January 10th at 10:00pm; if you haven't seen it I suggest you do.

P.S. sorry about that; the knowledge network is airing it.

today,

I feel taller ...

2008

one less human

I was very sad to hear about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto; maybe she shouldn't have gone back ...

Since very early this morning the news channels are showing the same scenes over and over and saying that there is disruption in Pakistan. I don't know if I am sure that Parviz Mosharaf had a direct hand in it; nevertheless, they were opponents in the upcoming elections which didn't look too good for Mosharaf and ...

She did many great things for her country, may she rest in peace ...

taking chances

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

Don’t know much about your life
And I don’t know much about your world.

recycle

Starting January 1st some new items have been banned from the garbage bin:

• Vehicle tires


• Oil, oil filters and empty containers


• Yard trimmings and green waste


• Blue box recyclables


• Beverage containers (all except milk cartons)


• Medications/ pharmaceuticals

to you all

donate prepared food

Since it was a question to many friends where I take the left over food from the party, I am listing a few places with phone numbers and addresses below. Hope it helps.

• Food Runners, 1150 Raymer Avenue, (604) 834 7457


• Dugout, 59 Powell Street, (604) 685 5239


• Living Room, 528 Powell Street, (604) 255 7026


• Bridge Women's Emergency Shelter, (604) 681 8480 ext 221

Of course all these places are in Vancouver and they usually require you to drop off the food.

Merry Christmas

A Sikh art teacher in Burnaby had his students make a very long Christmas card to display in city hall this year; and yes, it said Merry Christmas on it all along. A Santa with an Indian accent even stopped by!

I really like the attitude; I've kept my parents' tradition of putting up a Christmas tree ever year. And especially since Christmas no longer has a great religious weight, I think it's important for us all to share in the happy times ...

so proud

We had over 140 people; I recycled all the water and beverage containers, and the cutlery. I am also taking out the left over food for donation tomorrow. I am very happy that we did our part in having a green party.

i just learnt

• Vancouver has the most fit population (fewest overweight) and we have the lowest density in fast food stores; however, they still haven't figured out if it's the people who attract the stores or the stores that make people fat!
• Hummingbirds bread in the lower mainland in January and February. Hummingbirds are my favorite bird, so yepee!
  

تولد

دقت کردین چقدر تولد هست این روزها؟ 9 ماه بعد از عید است!؟ به هر حال، تولد همشون مبارک

intro to the holidays

Who am I kidding! I don't want to work and I really feel like going out. What the heck, I haven't done much in the last few days anyways!

somewhere under the rainbow

I have always been one to believe in fairytales. I sing and dance whenever I want and I know that true love is something we can all find. I went to see Enchanted tonight; amazing is the only word to describe it. And it wasn't just me, everyone was so happy walking out of the theater; it was the grown up version of all the princess tales we knew when we were kids ... you just have to go and see it! Take a look at some of the trivia.

I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss
And a prince I'm hoping comes with this
That's what brings ever-aftering so happy
And that's the reason we need lips so much
Four lips are the only things that touch
So to spend a life of endless bliss
Just find who you love through true love's kiss

common?!

"Common sense is not common enough anymore." - Dr Phil

like Xmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go;
Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Toys in every store,
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.

- James Pierpont (1857)

don't drink

In the past week a series of reports came out confirming that water bottles and such plastic products are not as safe as we would like them to be. Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical in the mix, is thought to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen in cells and in more than 100 independent studies has been linked to increased incidence of cancer, obesity, and early onset of puberty in humans and developmental, neural, behavioral and reproductive harm in animals

... many people reuse disposable PETE plastic bottles, a study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in November 2002 confirms reused water bottles also make good breeding grounds for bacteria since thorough cleaning is difficult. Also, in one Italian study, the amount of DEHP, an endocrine-disrupting phthalate and a probable human carcinogen, in bottled spring water was found to increase after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle. However, it is unclear whether the levels detected could harm people drinking the water.

I have seen reports like this before, take a look at this part: In 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that tap water is often better regulated than bottled water and has to meet more stringent standards at both the federal and local levels. In any case, among the thousand bottles tested by the NRDC, about one-fifth contained chemicals such as toluene, xylene, or styrene, known or possible carcinogens and neurotoxins ... One of the more surprising findings from the study is that a city's tap water cannot have any E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria, while bottled water is allowed a certain amount of these bacteria.

I've never been a big fan of bottled water but I do carry my water in a plastic bottle. I am going to go down to Mountain Co-op to see what they are suggesting to replace the plastic bottles now that they are pulling those off the shelves. I guess stainless steel would be the best solution ...

- source 1, source 2

back to culture

I just bought myself a couple of books online, and I'll get them before Christmas. They are part of my New Year's resolution: get fit, physically and culturally!

Which reminds me ... a few weeks back I got really fed up with my weight gain and decided to do something serious about it. The reason I gained weight was that I have moved to a new apartment which is on a hill and it's too dangerous to go jogging on wet days. And no thanks to the weather, most of what we have had in the past year has been wet days and so ...

I hate working out in a gym and my dance classes weren't frequent enough to get me into shape; all of which ultimately lead me to the really cool workout place I go to now. But that's not what I was getting at. While I was looking around for a solution, I would talk to people and tell them that I have gained weight and I need more exercise. The answer would usually be, really? you don't look different though! Very bad answer people, very bad! At that time it sounded to me as but you've always been like this! See my point?

my gingerbread

It took me about 2 minutes standing up in the middle of a bunch of kids!

a thought

I have no idea if it's ignorance or a hostile approach to a simple problem; but honestly, who cares ...

the singer

I never would have guessed!

آن دلبر من

گفتم چه شود، گر لطف کنی، آهسته روی ای سرور من

آن دلبر من، آمد بر من، زنده شد از او باغ و بر من

not me

There is a reason I don't have pets; I just get too attached. Although I had a great workout today, I have an extremely tense neck because of the stress from loosing the little cute fish. I have found a dozen different reasons to blame myself for it ...

good morning sunshine

Believe it or not, those are two towers; the rest of the city was in the fog this morning. You can click on the image to see it full size.

paparazzi

I knew that walking around after celebrities had become a growing occupation but I had no idea about the money they made; many of them of course belong to an agency but none the less. Take a look at these numbers:

• the highest-known selling price was the famous Diana and Al-Fayed photo which sold for $7,000,000
• after that there is a vague photo of Anna Nicole Smith in a bed stretch that sold for $1,000,000
• a simple video footage of Britney Spears dipping into the water sold for $50,000
• of every $5 that is spent on magazines in the US $3 is spent on a celebrity gossip magazine

Amazing, we make them rich, and then get excited that they are so rich! I love the speech George Clooney gave in Diana's memory about how they killed the people's princess; nobody sees the line any more ... on the right, the statues that Mohammad Al-Fayed dedicated to Diana and Dodi.

money

I know that it's not good for our economy, the farmers and the people who own small businesses and trade with the States; but I have to admit I am sure liking the par dollar!

getting rich the simple way?

After chasing round and round we have come to the point where simple ideas win; here's the proof.

رقص و سماع

تا به حال سماع ندیده بودم؛ خیلی هیجان انگیز بود ... کلا از ایده های رقص و شادی درویشها خیلی خوشم میاد. درست برعکس ایده همیشه غمناک بودن آخوندهاست.

عکس: داوود آزاد

first snow

strength

Never underestimate your power to determine the situation ...

my share

I have always been an avid recycler. I don't buy non-reusable plates and cutlery. I go shopping with my own bags and I reuse all the plastic bags I can from food wraps. For health reasons also I don't buy much of the ready made foods and ... you get the feeling.

A little while back I decided that I would start buying more in season fruits and vegetables and I would try to buy locally. My resolution is BC-grown as the first priority and then if I am really stuck for something California-grown. Nothing from Florida, Mexico or anywhere farther than California. Surprisingly it hasn't been that difficult, although there is still room for improvement. Lucky for me British Columbia grows a wide variety of fruits and veggies ...

a test

Theory of mind is an awkward name for the human ability to perceive oneself and others as thinking but separate individuals. It is not an ability evident from birth, but rather develops around age four.

A classic way to test whether a child has developed theory of mind is also a good way to demonstrate its meaning. In the test, a researcher empties candies out of a box of, say, Smarties, and replaces them with a pencil, then hands the box to a child who hasn't observed the switch.

The child opens the box expecting to find sweets and finds the writing implement instead.

The child is then asked to give the box to another unsuspecting youngster. A child who can exercise theory of mind would probably giggle, understanding that the other child is in for a surprise. But younger children would expect another toddler to think that the candy box would contain a pencil - because they aren't yet able to understand other individuals haven't shared their experiences.

- source

disgrace

It seems like there are no boundaries with these people, they will sell anything for money!

decision

I flipped the page and totally unrelated to anything else on the page it read: The heart is wiser than the intellect. I was just not going to argue; it was the answer, I went ahead and did it ...

he's a genius

I asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say
Oh
The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that
It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

The taste of her breath, I'll never get over
The noises that she made kept me awake
Oh
The weight of things that remain unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

- Won't go home without you, Maroon 5

guilty pleasure

I have to confess something. Last week I bought myself a pair of taupe high heels and I haven't had the opportunity to wear them since. So every afternoon, just like a kid, I run to my shoes and put them on; I walk around the house for a while with them and admire how nice it feels. I put them back in the box neatly and then into the closet they go ... and I giggle ... I haven't been so excited about anything for so long! The feeling is like Christmas morning when we were kids ...

diskette

... think of it, we will have to explain to our kids why the save sign on so many applications is a floppy disk because they would probably never have seen one. It'll be even more ancient as the 8" was to us!

location, location, location

I had a friend with whom I would sit and chat about work. We would come up with good ideas and then I'd go off and find the solutions that fit. Many times it would be a leap in completing whatever I was working on; and although we didn't talk very frequently, he was exactly the brainstorming I needed to get me out of a rut. Now he's graduated and although I am sure he'd be happy to answer an email, it'll never be the same in bringing out those great ideas. So here I am, stuck in a rut, thinking and thinking the hours away ...

wake UP call

I didn't get to go to the Maroon 5 concert because I had already made a commitment. That night didn't go as smoothly as planned either ... and I have sort of regretted not going since, they are one of the few singers around I really like!

I didn’t hear what you were saying
I live on raw emotion baby
I answer questions never maybe
And I’m not kind if you betray me
So who the hell are you to say we
Never would have made it babe

If you needed love
Well then ask for love
Could have given love
Now I’m taking love
And it’s not my fault
Cause you both deserve
What is coming now
So don’t say a word

- Maroon Five

serving size

I had noticed the thiner bread slices in breads that claim to have fewer calories per slice but I hadn't thought of serving size reduction, to below a threshold that can be claimed zero, as a general "cheat method" in advertising. Look at this: Coffee creamers, for example, may contain 30% or 40% fat, but by defining the serving size as one teaspoon, the manufacturer may claim that one serving has zero fat, even though one teaspoon may not be a sufficient amount to whiten a cup of coffee.

new expression

a life

Today I talked a lot about the man who died of a taser in Vancouver International Airport; it was the day the video tape was released to the public. It's an extremely sad incident, one which in the eyes of many could have been prevented ... what have we become? why is violence the only language we speak? ... Whoopi said it well today when she was talking about security checks in the airport, we should first identify what we are looking for ...

the sound of music

The von Trapp family was known in Europe for their exceptional singing talents. Now the real grandchildren of Capitan von Trapp (not the kids in the movie) are touring North America. Hmm, maybe this is what I need to set the mood for Christmas ...

where would you live?

... yes, you guessed it; it's a house in the shape of a toilet. The building is named Haewoojae, or a place to solve one's worries, an expression I am sure many would agree with. You can find more details here.

Tokyo Motor Show

Introducing the Nissan Pivo 2.
The wheels turn 90 degrees and the cab can turn 360, COOOL!

more me

Have you ever met someone and thought you were meeting yourself? It's not as pleasant as one would imagine. It creeps me out sometimes so I keep a safe distance. Wouldn't want to get too close to the me who can wear whatever it desires and go wherever it wants.

passions

My flamenco teacher told me that I dance much better while I am talking. I would attribute that to many things, but most of all the fact that my body is smarter than my brain!
I can dance two full sevillanas (verses) and I am hoping to pick up at least one more before the year end. It has been one of the best experiences I have had and with only 3 of us in the class it's practically private lessons!

yang

pampered

I don't know why, but in the past 10 days I have been making myself pancakes for breakfast and buying myself treats. Can it be some stress relief hype? What is it will the pancake fiesta thought?

next

... and in a couple of months, another lady president ...

rentals

So after the successful launch and operation of the public rental bikes in Paris the word has finally reached North America! I think it's a great idea, especially for climates that experience a lighter winter and will probably be able to use the bicycles year round. Maybe it'll help the weight-gain problem too.

aftermath, after that

I was listening to Maroon 5's Makes Me Wonder and thinking, more often than not the reason a relationship breaks up is that after something goes wrong you can't turn to your partner and say But I still love you. The pull that's missing, the indifference, makes the relation fade. And then there are those once in a blue moon relationships that just don't survive for other reasons, and even as you break up you know that you will never have that piece of your heart back ...

offline

My dad has the most interesting way of leaving messages. I think he assumes he's in a conversation with you and then puts down his part. He probably expects your answers to fill in the blanks for the conversation! It's an offline chat like no other!

energizer

... my skin had forgotten what sun feels like ... I needed the solar power to recharge my batteries ...

tounge tied

I need a little more luck than a little bit
Cuz every time I get stuck the words won't fit
And every time that I try I get tongue tied
I'll need a little good luck to get me by

I need a little more help than a little bit
Like the perfect one word no one's heard yet
Cuz every time that I try I get tongue tied
I need a little good luck to get me by this time

- Faber drive

would you like a hand?

A hand designed with delicacy close to the human touch! Touch Bionic's website and the National Geographic's report.

the cat, the lesson

I went over to feed the cat. I could see it in her eyes that she needed affection; I thought about it as I filled her water bowl and opened the can. And then I found myself buying coffee. I had forgotten to groom her, just because I had so much on my mind with these deadlines and all ... wow, but what if it was a human who had needed my affection? Would I have been so drowned in my thoughts as to walk away? For one thing, until I am sure I have changed I have to make sure that no human being depends solely on me; I mean, honestly, NOT reliable!

A380

There's been talk of it for a while but Airbus finally launched the A380 double decker; it can seat up to 853 people, now that's something!

P.S. click the photo to see the complete layout.

let's fall in love

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we, fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance
Why be afraid of it
Let's fall in love

I won't tell you which commercial it is, just that the Youtube link I left isn't exactly the rythm in the commercial. I can't help dancing and singing along with it :)

lay off

The suggestion is, if you're letting people go do it in one cut and as fast as possible, uncertainty is the worst position to be in ...

boarder

I think I've lost the balance, the thin line between being naive and waiting things out ...

finding way

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

- Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Mrs. Potts

I have had a really nasty cold for the past few days ... it was so bad that I had to cancel all my plans and stay home to rest. This snapshot, which a friend took on Saturday, is one which I have been well acquainted with recently ... my warm little teapot. My mum bought it for me and it reminds me of the teapot in Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast; I wouldn't be surprised if started talking to me :)

martyr

If I've learned anything it's that we can never let the chaos and injustice makes us so blind with hate that we become part of the problem. Understanding, compassion, kindness and love are the only true revolutionary ideas; when we compromise those we become what we despise and we loose our humanity.

- Bones series, soccer mom episode

ordeal

I love how complicated we are as a society, the diversity and the ways we find around pot holes. Our TV broadcasts a pro-jew series and our president denies the Holocaust and suggests we expel the Jews. This all in a setting where Iran has the highest number of Jews in the Middle East after Israel. I guess we have our own definition of democracy!

nazi

It's only in Canada that you can name a street after your enemy.

- Langsdorff Drive

letting go

I was 26 when I first realized that mum can no longer make everything right in my life, and it scared me. Then I learnt to use my own strength to get through ... Now I am experiencing the same thing with my supervisor. There used to be a time when I thought he knew the answer to everything, but recently I have had to go against his advice and do what I thought was right. I guess this doesn't scare me as much but it is somewhat of a similar experience in the sense that you understand that you are a grown up now ...

words of wisdom

- Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.

- Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.

Randy Pausch (last lecture speech CMU)
Short Report, Full lecture

some friends

You have different social needs so you have different friends. You dance with some, talk to some, call some in the middle of the night and chat away the hours with others. You remember some when you're happy, some when you're sad. That's just what we all do as people; but whether it's conscious or not I can't say ...

divorce and cancer

"It seems to be worse for your marriage to get cancer early," said Astri Syse, an epidemiologist at the Norwegian Cancer Registry who led the study. But Syse said that it was only cervical and testicular cancer that produced a spike in divorces. Other types of cancer did not result in more divorces.

Age also helped.

At age 20, women were 69 per cent more likely to get divorced if they had cervical cancer. But by age 60, that risk dropped to 19 per cent. The same trend was seen in men with testicular cancer. At 20, men with testicular cancer had an increased divorce risk of 34 per cent. That fell to 16 per cent for men aged 60.

- source

these days!

We have a saying in Farsi, you can hear the truth from children, so listen to this carefully. He makes so much sense with such simple logic! But then, Ahmadinejad never seizes to surprise me in one way or the other; the translator actually makes him sound good!

goodbye

They say writing is therapeutic; after a few months my parents are leaving today. I was so busy during the summer I didn't get to see them much ...

کار فرهنگی

میگن صدتا پسر امام حسین یه شوهر شمر نمی شه. من تازه یاد گرفتم که این حرف در تحسین و تمجید شوهر است!؟

romance in sand

let's dance

I am taking Belly dancing for the fun and Flamenco for the challenge ...

failed gene therapy

Now this is what I was worried about! I should agree though that there's a difficult choice between waiting for all the answers and using trial medication.

smart move

Talk about a career change, Al Gore just won an Emmy for Current TV!

tonight

I will go to bed early, keep my fingers crossed and try as hard as I can; there are no bounds but there are limits to human power.

careful people, careful!

"Certainly within five, and absolutely within 10 years, it will become relatively common for people to have their genome sequenced as part of their entire health profile," predicted Venter who has just published his genome map on the web. It's exciting, but I think we should be wary of the power that comes with this knowledge!

understanding

There are things you understand right away, things you understand after a while, and things you never understand. Then there are people who know they understood, those who know they will understand one day and those who will never understand. The troublesome part is that the last group usually don't get that it's their issue, and that there is a line between understanding and agreeing with something.

goals

I can't remember where I read this, goals may be:

• positive or negative (I want this to happen or I don't want this to happen)
  
• general or specific
  
• clear or unclear
• simple or multiple
• implicit or explicit

But I now realize that it is very important to know what kind of a goal you are looking at so you know how to deal with it!

no bad day

I should say grace more often, for everything, including the wonderful people around me. With them there is no such thing as a bad day in my life. There's always someone to smile and hug you, someone to tell you how good you look, and someone to listen ... just another ordinary miracle today ...

It's not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today ...

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own ...

When you wake up everyday
Please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

It seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today

- Sara McLachlan

ties

If you define yourself as an opponent to something or someone, all meaning is lost once that is gone; so sever yourself from the hate for your own good.

mechanical heart

Talk about giving your heart a break, literally!

fling

Today a friend pointed out Forbes' ranking of the overpriced real estate markets of the world; no surprise that Vancouver is 6th on the list after Monaco, Rome, Paris, Madrid and Los Angeles.

obscure

The moon was so big and beautiful last night. And then, there was a full lunar eclipse about 2:30am - 4:30am. It was all cleared up by 5:30am. Good thing I didn't stay up to watch it though, it was cloudy and I wouldn't have been able to see anything!

career path

He called and asked if I was able to go over and give an opinion on the house and how they should renovate. I didn't think I would have much to say, but it turned out that I had, well, a lot. And most importantly I really enjoyed it; maybe it was a good idea for me to go into "flipping" homes!

superman

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd; but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed; but won't you conceed
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

- Five For Fighting

miracles

The Fifth Estate did a documentary on crusades, specifically on Benny Hinn. He runs a religious ministry which unlike many ministries does not disclose its finances; and since he is the leader, the ministry pays for all his expenses including his house and bills. And apparently he likes the high life; nice car, a home on the beach, presidential suites in hotels, and bodyguards.

From what he has disclosed, the ministry's revenue has been estimated around $250-million a year. The financial forensic accountant who was presented with confidential financial documents descried the expenditures as "well above what is reasonable". The most outrageous part of the documentary for me was that a former guard described that after signing 30 Bibles he put his pen down and said, I just made $30,000! Above and beyond all of this, all the so called "cured" patients the Fifth Estate contacted show no sign of improvement, so he's getting all this money and he's just a charade! Now this is Mass-Seduction!

insight

I learnt a while back that you don't measure your happiness by what you can't control and that satisfaction should come from what you achieve irrespective of what or whom you compare it with. Still, for the first time I am having trouble explaining it to myself ... and on such a lucid subject!

فریادرس

دیشب مونده بودیم

من مست و تو دیوانه، ما را که برد خانه؟

ولی یکی پیدا شد نجاتمون داد

میگه

اگربا ما نبودش هیچ میلی
چرا جام مرا بشکست لیلی؟