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Out in the Chicago area we can count on snowstorms with > 2 - 4" of snow or more at…
I live in Canada and the bike paths are open year round here. The bike sharing system operates year round…
If you don't mind saying, Watcher, what city is that?
It rarely snows in Portland. When it does, the city shuts down. Even if it's only 2" worth. Most of…
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Category Archives: International issues
In Them Alone My Spirit Will Endure
Towards the end of his preface to Golestan, Sa’di—that’s a picture of me at his tomb in Shiraz–says: Long after we have crumbled into dust, and the grains of who we were are far-flung atoms, these words, well chosen and arranged, will live, … Continue reading
The Calligraphic Art of Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi – The Tehran Times
The Tehran Times has a beautiful gallery up of calligraphic art, which I know next to nothing about, except that I think it’s beautiful. Here are a couple: You should check out the rest for yourself.
Posted in Abortion & reproductive rights, Iran
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My Companion’s Scent Seeped into Me
This week’s “Sa’di Says” is a brief poem from one of the introductory sections of Golestan: I held in my bath a perfumed piece of clay that came to me from a beloved’s hand. I asked it, “Are you musk … Continue reading
Posted in Iran, Writing
7 Comments
I Have a Tumblr…
It’s called Sa’di Says and I will posting to it excerpts from my translations of Sa’di, the 13th century Persian poet, which were originally published by Global Scholarly Publications in two separate volumes, Selections from Saadi’s Gulistan andSelections from Saadi’s Bustan. Both books have been out … Continue reading
Javad Zarif’s Video Message: “There Is a Way Forward”
I met Mr. Zarif some years ago, when he was Iran’s representative to the United Nations, though I am sure he would not remember me. He gave a presentation with a former and well-respected American diplomat, whose name now escapes … Continue reading
Posted in Iran
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Thank You, Veterans
I wrote this on November 11, and then before I could get a thumbs-up from certain people to post it, life intervened. So, it’s a little late, but still worth saying. As GB Stern said, silent gratitude isn’t much use … Continue reading
Posted in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iran, Iraq, Korea
38 Comments
Conor Friedersdorf’s Argument Against Drones
Conor Friedersdorf’s entire argument against Drones is worth reading, but here’s a sample: In thought experiments, we may be able to separate the questions, “Should force be used?” and, “If so, what is the most ethical weapon available?” But the … Continue reading
Trying To Be an Ally: Thinking About Hejab, Muslim Invisibility, and the Casual Hatred that is Cultural Appropriation (1)
In 2008, when my family and I traveled to Iran for my brother-in-law’s wedding, the day after we left Tehran to visit my sister-in-law and her family in Isfahan, the Iranian morality police drove a paddy wagon into Tajrish, a … Continue reading
Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Gender and the Body, Iran
28 Comments
Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 6
Here’s another quote from The Conference of the Birds: But think of some new pilgrim, some young boy, Whose boldness comes from mere excess of joy; He has no certain knowledge of the Way, And what seems rudeness is but … Continue reading
Posted in Iran, Religion, Writing
2 Comments
One of My Favorite Poems by Saadi of Shiraz
I’ve been thinking about this poem a lot lately, because what it says could easily have been labeled heresy by the authorities of Saadi’s time, which was 13th century Iran, and an accusation of heresy could, conceivably, have gotten him … Continue reading
@RonF: Yep, same here. Snow clearance starts at 1AM for the next day.