From Persia with Love

GMail Got Blocked in the Islamic Republic of Iran!

2010-02-22T10:05:00.003+03:30

Yeah you heard it right. Gmail got blocked in Iran (do I really need to make it clear by whom and why?!) in an attempt to force Iranian users to register for a governmental mail instead of their secure Gmail one. And it's not that much easy to register for this governmental mail either as you MUST fill in a form with all your details including name, address, ID card(s) numbers and so on and so forth in a case if you sent a blabla email (which is obviously monitored by [...]), then you could be easily traced and arrested. Then only God can help you if he could after all :-(

digg.com

2009-06-25T18:22:00.003+04:30

is the other website getting blocked in Iran in recent weeks.

@#$%^&

Megaupload

2009-06-22T21:43:00.008+04:30

Today, 22 June 2009 / 1 Tir 1388, Megaupload.com got blocked in Iran too

So what's next???
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Google Adds Persian to its Translation Tool

2009-06-19T22:47:00.005+04:30

Although it is still in its alpha stage and is not perfect yet, it is indeed a Wowing news to see Google -forbidding Iranians to access some of its certain pages or downloading its products like Google Chrome and toolbar due to sanctions- is finally adding Persian to its translation tool too

more reading:
Google Translates Persian

One Sad Week

2009-06-19T21:23:00.005+04:30

Today is exactly one week from the Election Day when Iranians rushed to cast their votes in a hope of some changes and a better future but the outcome result was so shockingly surprising that resulted in some peaceful where-is-my-vote protest. But it was turned into a sad scene of violent bloodshed when savage hardliners attacked the defenseless protesters with knives, clubs, chains, pepper sprays and guns and started slaughtering people on the street, in the campus and even in their own houses.

Now after one week, the SMS system is still down and GPRS network has joined it too. Internet services were almost cut down too in the first 4-5 days after the election results came out. Lots and lots of news sites and social networks are blocked during the past few days including YouTube, twitter, facebook, friendfeed and flickr. Even it was impossible to access email services for the past 2 days (I still have problem accessing my GMail and sometimes just manage to load it in its basic mode only). Yahoo messenger is the all time favorite messenger in Iran (I'm not into instant messaging though and have no idea how it works!) and people using it have reported that it's also gone dead as its ports are blocked by the ICT.

OK, I've talked too much. Since the "Big Brother" is watching us restlessly, I hope that I survive long enough to at least see the next morning!

Stupidity Has No Boundaries

2009-06-03T12:05:00.005+04:30

and that's when the stone-minded authorities of Iran suddenly decide to have the whole blogger images BLOCKED just because of one pic not being favored by them!!!

and below is the very ugly page you see when you click on an uploaded-to-blogger image like this one:

@#$%^&*

Edit: it is finally solved.

Kayaker Being Trailed by a Great White Shark!

2009-04-19T15:58:00.006+04:30

This photo is rather old (2006) but still interesting to look at and no it is not fake :

This photograph by Thomas P. Peschak is genuine and was taken from a September 2005 Africa Geographic article titled "Shark Detectives," about researchers studying Great White sharks off the coast of South Africa. As the article described the circumstances under which this picture was snapped:

Sitting in a 3.8-metre sea kayak and watching a four-metre great white approach you is a fairly tense experience. Although we had extensively tested the sharks' reactions to an empty kayak and had observed no signs of aggression, this gave us little comfort as we eyed a great white heading straight for us, albeit slowly. Just a metre or so from the craft it veered off, circled and slowly approached from behind. It did this several times, occasionally lifting its head out of the water to get a better look. Then it lost interest, and as it continued on its way we were able to follow a short distance behind. Once we'd come to terms with having nothing between ourselves and a four-metre shark except a thin layer of plastic, our kayak made an ideal research platform for observing great white behaviour in shallow water. Its advantages are twofold: it is inconspicuous and appears not to cause the sharks to alter their behaviour for long, and it allows us to watch them in a natural situation, as it is not necessary to attract them to us with food.

found via vi.sualize.us
description from Snopes.com

Platanus Trees

2009-04-19T14:10:00.003+04:30

This is Vanak st, usually a crowded one in weekdays but quite peaceful in this lazy Friday afternoon (I took this photo using my mom's camera, a Sony DSC-W150.) ^-^

Stop Canada's Cruel Seal Hunt

2009-04-19T12:58:00.007+04:30

This is so sick to see some so-called humans can this easily and relaxingly slaughter hundreds of thousands of defendless cute baby harp seals the most cruel and savage ways just for their fur or skin >:-(

And what a shame that Canada is involved in this crime too.

Here are some of the actions suggested by the Humane Society International that you can take to hopefully stop this commercial savageness :

Sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood until the hunt is over. Then ask your friends and family to sign, too. The more you share the pledge, the stronger our message to Canada's commercial fishing industry that its bottom line will suffer as long as seals do.
Ask Clearwater, a major seafood company in the sealing provinces, to use its influence to end the hunt.
Show your love for seals on Facebook. Watch cute seal videos, play games, and share with your friends.

Quote of the Day

2009-04-15T16:13:00.003+04:30

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalled catastrophes.

Albert Einstein

Green Grass Sprouts and an Orange Flower

2009-04-15T11:57:00.007+04:30

My shots of our Norooz Grass Sprouts and an orange flower whose English name I've forgotten.

Poor Apricot Tree

2009-04-08T12:58:00.004+04:30

I took this photo last year of an apricot tree in our complex yard. It was really beautiful and eye catching with all those pink blossoms. But the people planting it seemingly didn't care for its beauty but only its fruit! It didn't bring any fruit at all and so was condemned to have all its branches cut off! This year it's standing there with only one extending-to-the right branch and no blossoms at all and I dare say it's no longer a beautiful tree but a sad one to look at, or at least I feel that way :(

White Cottons in a Blue Background ^_^

2009-04-08T12:54:00.002+04:30

Late Winter Blossoms

2009-04-08T12:24:00.004+04:30

Believe me or not, I really don't know what type of tree this is as I had planted some different fruit seeds including apple, peach, cherry, plum some years ago and have no faintest idea which on of them had germinated and grown to this little tree blossoming ^.^

And it was so hot in the late winter that all its buds bloomed once! and soon they all fell off and were replaced with new green leaves even before the Spring comes! And then Spring came and so did the cold weather and we suddenly had a snow storm and a dark cloudy sky ever after.

Happy Belated Nowruz!

2009-04-08T12:16:00.003+04:30

Wow! It's been quite a looooong time since my last post in here! Gosh, the time really hurries by!

And Happy Belated Norooz (meaning new day and is the Persian New Year starting from the very first day of the Spring) to all you people. Hope you had a great holiday and 13bedar too :))

I'm not sure when my next post would be but I am still alive and this blog isn't orphaned yet!!

Iran Creates World's Largest Sand Carpet on the Shores of Persian Gulf

2008-12-13T17:21:00.004+03:30

Iranian artists have created the world's largest sand carpet from the colorful sand found on the country's southern island of Hormuz.

Some 25 visual artists used 70 types of colorful sand to create the 'Persian Gulf' sand carpet, which is on display from Dec. 9 to 17, 2008.

The 12000-square-meter carpet which is unique in magnitude, pattern and color is named after the beautiful "Persian Gulf". The other World's large sand carpet was a 900-square-meter one created on the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Beautiful.

Images courtesy of Fars News Agency and ISNA.
News source: Payvad

Autumn Leaves

2008-12-02T08:17:00.003+03:30

from the trees

to the street

Happy 80th Birthday Mickey Mouse!

2008-11-19T10:06:00.005+03:30

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As he turned 80 on 18 Nov 2008 ^_^

80 years of Mickey Mouse Disney Dollars
دلارهای دیزنی‌لند به مناسبت ۸۰ سالگی میکی ماوس
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Ancient Trees Cut Down For Just Being Considered Sacred!!

2008-11-10T21:19:00.008+03:30

قطع درخت مقدس نما در گيلان!!!

پایگاه آگاهی رسانی محیط زیست ایران نوشت: با پیگیری اداره کل اوقاف و امور خیریه گیلان یک اصله درخت مقدس نما در رضوانشهر قطع شد.

به گزارش مهر ، در پی دریافت گزارشهای متعدد درخصوص قائل شدن کرامت برای یک اصله درخت تناور و قدیمی در رضوانشهربه شکل دخیل بستن و نذور و نیاز خواستن، مدیرکل اوقاف و امور خیریه گیلان ضمن بازدید از محل درخت دستور قطع این درخت مقدس نما را صادر و چوب حاصل از آن جهت بهره برداری در امور خیریه استفاده شد.

در خصوص مبارزه با خرافه گرایی یک علم قدیمی 400 ساله موسوم به "سیاه علم" که در داخل ضریح بقعه پیر مراد تالش قرار داشت و برای آن نیز از سوی برخی اهالی کرامت قائل شده بودند به دستور مدیرکل اوقاف و امورخیریه استان گیلان جمع آوری شد.

زیستا : این برای اولین بار است که چنین اتفاق عجیبی رخ می دهد و درختی را به بهانه اینکه عده ای از آدمیان برای آن کرامت قائل شده اند قطع می کنند. گزارش ها حاکی از آنست که تا کنون 40 اصله درخت تنومند کهنسال مقدس نما در استان گیلان شناسایی شده اند که قرار است قطع شوند و از چوب آنها برای امور خیریه استفاده شود! (منبع)ء

Holy Sh*t! What a crime is done in the name of God >:-(

The news is that an old big tree in Northern Iran (Guilan) was simply cut down by the order of the Men of God (ayatollahs) for just being considered by some ordinary people as a holy one!!!! 40 more other old trees are also in the row of being cut down for the above mentioned stupid reason >:-(

Cutting down a tree in itself is just like doing a crime, a murder, let alone it being an ancient one. But who cares, when the only thing that doesn't matter in this Islamic country is the saving of anything ancient :-(

Update:

Los Angeles Times Blog has more of the story which you can also digg here. .

Petition:
امضا کنید : محکومیت قطع درختان کهنسال به بهانه ی مبارزه با خرافه پرستی
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"Love Against Kingship"

2008-11-09T13:45:00.013+03:30

Apart from being busy photographing, I was also busy watching some Chinese dramas (I really enjoy watching their ancient costume series though I don't understand the language!) one of which being a historical drama entitled Jang Shang Feng Yu Qing (Simplified Chinese: 江山风雨情) aka "Love Against Kingship".

I'm really into the Ming Dynasty and this drama depicts the reigning life story of the last Chinese Ming emperor Chongzhen. With the help of his loyal eunuch Wang Chen-en, he succeeds his deceased carpenter-emperor brother to the throne at a very young age.
He has the previous emperor wicked eunuch Wei Zhongxian eliminated and does his best to revive the fading dynasty, but to no avail as inside the palace the corrupt officials are busy plotting against each other and outside the people are revolting against the government. In the meantime, Huang Tai Ji of the Manchu Qing dynasty takes advantage of the situation and leads his army to the Ming frontiers only to be kept back by Yuan Chonghuan who is the most capable general of the Ming. Unfortunately he is framed up and executed the cruelest way. Succeeding him is the young Wu Sangui whose beautiful wife Chen Yuanyuan, a palace singer and performer is held hostage in the Forbidden City to make sure that general Wu won't betray them. But the popular army finally captures the capital, the officials abandon the desperate emperor and by his side only the Empress, their daughter, Chen yuanyuan, Wang Cheng-en and some other loyal eunuchs are left. The eunuchs go to fight the outnumbered rebels and soon are captured and beheaded. Emperor goes to kill his family with his sword though he pauses and rethinks his decision before thrusting his sword at his daughter. The Empress sees this and hurriedly pushes her daughter away to prevent her from being stabbed but instead she falls on the sword tip and her body is penetrated by it. The Emperor frightens and the desperate Empress hugs her daughter to have the sharp sword penetrate her body thus ending her life too. The sad emperor and Chen Yuanyuan escape to the nearby imperial garden where a sole Chinese Scholar tree draws the attention of the Chongzhen Emperor. He begs Yuanyuan to help him hang himself and thus he commits suicide. Chen Yuanyuan goes back to the city only to be claimed as one of the rebels wife! Wu Sangui hears of this and opens the gate to the Manchus army. They easily capture the country and establish their Qing dynasty over China. Yuanyuan, managing to at least to save the late emperor's little son and Sangui are united again. But Prince Dorgon of the Qing also learns abouth the little kid and sends his men to take the boy. Chen Yuanyuan persists his deliverance to the Manchus but one day when both of them are asleep, Wu Sangui brings the kid to the Manchus and then goes drinking. Yuanyuan becomes heartbroken and when she learns later it was her husband who invited the enemy to the country, she leaves him and goes away to become a nun.

This is one moving drama and highly recommended. True I don't understand Chinese but when you know who's playing whom, you can go check up the characters in Wikipedia and easily understand what's going on and why. Although it didn't follow the history very closely, it is still worth watching. All the actors did pretty a good job especially Li Qiang and Wang Gang who portrayed the Chongzhen emperor and the eunuch Wang Cheng-en in this drama.

It also has beautiful opening and ending theme songs sung by Han Lei and Liu Jin. If you were interested you can check this to get more info on this beautiful TV series ~_^

PS. I feel really ashamed as I have more knowledge on Chinese history than our own Persian one since our television only produce nonsense series good for the trash can (with the exception of some few ones produced once in a light year) and theirs produce rich historical ones which I joyfully watch and get more information on their culture and history than ours

I'm Back!

2008-11-09T08:36:00.006+03:30

Wow! I haven't updated this blog for such a loooooooooooooong time! The reason, I was busy test photographing with my new camera, a black Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 Super Zoomer (15x) given to me as a gift (for being such a good girl :p

What a great camera it is, so easy and smooth to use. I even didn't read its manual and learnt most of its functionalities just through trial and error. But sometime its zoom in/out buttons placed at the back of the camera body where you usually put your thumb to grip the device cause troubles for you during, especially, one hand photographing as there's a huge chance that you accidentally put your thumb on them pushing and boom, the subject goes out of focus and your photo is ruined :(

My other funny problem with the camera is its auto focus during zooming in, I mean when you have zoomed in a subject to a closer focal point (or whatever its name is!) which I can't understand why the camera cannot auto focus correctly and gives you a blurry result instead :( Maybe I am doing something wrong but cannot figure out what it is.

But, and it's a big but, the DSC-H50 is a great camera, it takes great photos with superb vivid colors and I, as an amateur, am quite satisfied with its results. Especially I like its 15x zoom, giving me the ability to take cool photos of my beloved moon finally (see below) ^.^

You will see more of my photos taken with this camera later on. Just hope that you would also enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them (^-^)

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Fuwa Animated Baozi Emoticons

2008-08-12T12:15:00.003+04:30

I had found these Beijing olympic mascot emoticons a looong time ago and can't remember from where! I had uploaded them to a forum which has been ridiculously blocked by my ISP for almost a year! So I re-uploaded them to share with smiley and emoticon loving people like me ^.^

These are the only ones I have so if you have more of them please share them with me kindly. Thanks a lot in advance ^_^
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What these Olympic Mascots Stand For?

2008-08-09T16:24:00.005+04:30

Fantastically enough, these mascots are named in way that will form a welcoming message as follows:

BeiBei - JingJing - HuanHuan - YingYing - NiNi

--->

Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni

北京欢迎你

--->

Beijing Welcomes You

--->

Welcome to Beijing!

I like that ^.^

Beijing 2008 Official Fuwa Wallpapers

2008-08-09T15:32:00.007+04:30

The following wallpapers are measured 1280 x 1024 each

For more official wallpapers please visit the Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games here
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3D Parse

2008-08-09T11:09:00.003+04:30

At the 3DParse you can find some beautiful images and movie clips of 3D reconstructed Persepolis done by Mr. Meysam Keshavarz. He's really done a magnificent job and deserves a thumb up or two ;-)

The Hadish Palace - image courtesy of 3dparse.com
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Ayatollah Calls the Flag Bearing by an Iranian Lady Anti Islamic!! o_O

2008-08-09T10:15:00.007+04:30

I don't comment on this so you can read it for yourself to see what's going on in this part of the world!!

Homa Hosseini
The Flag Bearer of the Iranian Olympic Caravan at Beijing 2008

Clerics say Female Flag-bearer at Olympics "Constitutes an Obstacle for the Appearance of Imam Mahdi and disgraces Islam"

Tehran, 8 August (AKI) - Iranian religious figures have criticised that Olympic female rower Homa Hosseini was chosen as the flag bearer of Iran, calling the move a 'heresy'.

"To make a woman march with the flag of the Islamic Republic in Beijing, is pure heresy and shows total disobedience of the laws mandated by our spiritual guides," said Seyyed Ahmad Elmalhoda, leader of Friday prayers in Iran's holy city of Mashhad.

Hosseini, 19, grew up in Iran's Kermanshah province in western Iran, she is one of three Iranian female competitors at the Olympic Games and Iran's first ever female rower. The other two female competitors are Najmeh Abtin (archery) and Sara Khoshjamal (Tae Kwon Do).

"To make this woman march means to openly declare war to our religious values. Whoever is responsible for this unforgivable act, he should know that this gesture constitutes an obstacle for the 'appearance' of Mahdi," said Elmalhoda.

He was referring to the mainly Shi'a Islam belief that Imam Mohammed al-Mahdi (aka Imam Zaman) will appear to fight a final apocalyptic battle over the forces of evil.

Followers believe he was born in the year 868 and has been in hiding ever since awaiting a decision from god to reappear.

sources: [1], [2], [3]

More Olympics Pics

2008-08-09T09:23:00.002+04:30

These photos are published by IRNA and their original size is 800 x ~600

on 08/08/08 @ 08:08:08 pm

2008-08-09T09:01:00.004+04:30

started the Beijing Summer Olympics. The opening ceremony was magnificent and beautiful (I watched it on a satellite channel as it was heavily censored on our Islamic TV >:-(

The following images are collected from different news sites or forums but their credits go to Getty Images and AP.

Man Beheaded Aboard Greyhound Bus - Canada

2008-08-07T19:17:00.004+04:30

I just read this story. Although it was occurred on 31 July, it was so horrifying and shaking that I decided to post it here too.

Man Decapitated ‘Beheaded’ Aboard Greyhound Bus - Canada
July 31, 2008

A man aboard a Canada Greyhound bus was decapitated after being repeatedly stabbed b y another passenger. Police said Thursday they didn’t know what prompted a passenger on a Greyhound bus heading to Winnipeg to viciously attack the man sitting next to him. Passengers said the man repeatedly stabbed his seat-mate before beheading him and carrying the victim’s head around the bus. Shocked passengers described the horrific attack as something incomprehensible (you can continue reading more here if you still have the heart to :(

Oh my dear God, where the hell this world is coming to???
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Super Sonic Internet of Iran!!!

2008-08-06T09:47:00.002+04:30

I have a DSL 256K subscription and should really thank God that I was an old subscriber and managed to save my broadband connection as an ordinary Home user! You ask why, I tell you. Following a ridiculous sort of law established in 2006, it became all of a sudden totally forbidden for the home users to have internet speedier than 128K!!!! But wait a minute, you may also laugh your heads out more when you learn it's recently announced that a 56K internet connection is more than enough for Iranian users needs and this is out of mere generosity that they are also provided with a 128K connection!!!

OK, now you may say it's not that much bad after all but it is when you exclude some factors such as high prices and awful connection speed quality. I, as a 256K user, am experiencing a speed equal to that of a dial up! Only very early in the mornings and pretty late at nights, when the network traffic is not at its peak I can have an acceptable speed.

Also it seems that the recent non-stop power failures occurring day and night due to the electricity shortage is worsening the situation even more by burning out the ISP's delicate electronic devices.

Poof, just check my ping for yahoo.com today and see for yourself what quality services are delivered and you can do nothing about it but signing petitions to which no authority pays a single attention (like this one: High Speed Internet Connection Is One Of Requirmenet Of Iranian People ) :

Pinging yahoo.com [68.180.206.184] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=347ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=342ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=352ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=356ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=338ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=356ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=341ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=342ms TTL=51
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Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=346ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=355ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=341ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=351ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=371ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=389ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=390ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=375ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=375ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
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Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=341ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=338ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=337ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=336ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=341ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=336ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=354ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=342ms TTL=51
Request timed out.
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=348ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=349ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=338ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=345ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=337ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=336ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=337ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=346ms TTL=51
Reply from 68.180.206.184: bytes=32 time=345ms TTL=51

Ping statistics for 68.180.206.184:
Packets: Sent = 55, Received = 41, Lost = 14 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 336ms, Maximum = 390ms, Average = 348ms

Sunrising Tehran

2008-08-05T09:15:00.007+04:30

I like clouds, I like rising (and setting) sun and I love rare-in-polluted-Tehran blue skies! So one early morning around 6.40, I captured all these using my mobile phone camera (a good old faithful and great companion Sony Ericsson K800i ;) Hope you'll enjoy viewing it as much i did ^_^

Sleeping Cutie ^.^

2008-08-05T08:21:00.002+04:30

What Is Your Symbol?

2008-07-27T18:53:00.008+04:30

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Go here, tick the answer best describing your characteristics and voila, get your symbol ^_^

Mine turned out to be a Red Rose ^^;;

Your symbol is a red rose. You are a very loving and compassionate person. You are very sweet and nice to everyone. You care for others and would always do your best to help lift their spirits. You are very friendly and kind. Everybody wants to be your friend. You are never mean for no reason and you always stick up for your friends. You can be fairly emotional at times but then again, who isn’t? But you know as long as there is tomorrow, there is another chance.

footnote:
Quizilla is ridiculously blocked in Iran >_< .

Exhaust Burger!

2008-07-22T13:24:00.005+04:30

An interesting invention from the food loving country of Iran!! Just attach this vacuumed metallic device to your car exhaust and have your burger cooked.

Bon Appetite ;-)

more info : designboom

Persian Gallery of the Oriental Institute Museum

2008-07-14T09:18:00.005+04:30

the Persian Bull head and Matthew Stolper
at the Persian Gallery of the Oriental Institute (of the University of Chicago) Museum

You can read more about this gallery and the museum itself here and watch more images of the Achaemenid Dynasty sculptures and reliefs or even help CIAS expanding their picture gallery here.

Arash-e Kamangir (Arash the Archer)

2008-07-11T11:10:00.013+04:30

Arash was a mythological and legendary Persian archer who put his soul into his arrow to save his country.

The legend is that at the time of King Manuchehr the Righteous, a bloody war occurred between Iranians and Turanians. Afrasiab of Turan managed to surround the Iranian army hence forcing them to resign. Soon both sides agree to make peace but Turanians offered a strange sort of peace treaty that whatever land falls within the range of a bow-shot shall be returned to the Iranians, and the rest should then fall to the Turanians. Since there was no choice for Manuchehr, he agreed to it.

Arash the Archer was the only person capable of fulfilling this heavy burden. An angle (Amesha Spenta / Ameretat) known as Sepandarmaz (Spandarmaz /Esfandaramad) gave an special bow and arrow to him and there he went. On 13th day of Tir, Arash climbed the Alborz Mountains, stood on its highest peak Damavand, put his soul into his arrow and fired it towards Turan with all his might, then collapsed and died. The arrow traveled from dawn till noon over an unimaginably great distance till finally landed somewhere near Amu Darya (Oxus River) and marked the border between Iran and Turan. That was a joyful moment for the Iranians as they even gained more lands than before ;-) The event which was coincided with the pouring of the rain is ever since celebrated as Jashn-e Tiragan or Tirgan.

Arash the Archer sacrificed his life for his country and became a legend whose name and memory's still alive.
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Cute Humidifiers ^_^

2008-07-10T19:31:00.009+04:30

Upon seeing a pretty cute Hello Kitty cool humidifier on amazon.com, decided to check for more cool looking humidifiers and below you can find some of the many such devices I found ~_^

Night Lights of the Cities around the World

2008-07-10T17:56:00.009+04:30

Brazil

Paris
Niagara Falls
Toronto
London
Singapore
Tehran
Oops sorry ... Power Failure!

we here in Tehran and other Iranian cities are experiencing
hours and hours of light outs every day and night due to the
electricity shortage

sure life is getting more pleasant every day in this part of the world
>_<

source:
received via email.

Some Really Cool Phones

2008-07-08T20:31:00.008+04:30

Just check the pics below and see it for yourself ~_^

Goofy Phone

Mickey's Dixieland Band Phone

The Beatles Bus Phone

Marilyn Monroe Phone

and . . .

The King of Phones!

Elvis Presley Phone

\(^o^)/yeah

for more such cool phones check this Fun Phones page

Pucca Emoticons ^__^

2008-07-08T11:19:00.005+04:30

I like this Korean girl Pucca and all her gestures like the ones you can see in the following emoticons ;)

found in this pretty cute site ^_^

Did You Know...

2008-07-08T10:08:00.003+04:30

The first book published is thought to be the Epic of Gilgamesh, written at about 3000 BC in cuneiform, an alphabet based on symbols.
The first history book, the Great Universal History, was published by Rashid-Eddin of Persia in 1311
The word "novel" originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning "new."
Auguste Rodin died of frostbite in 1917 when the French government refused him financial aid for a flat, yet they kept his statues warmly housed in museums.
The shortest stage play is Samuel Beckett's "Breath" - 35 seconds of screams and heavy breathing.
Earth is not round; it is slightly pear-shaped. The North Pole radius is 44mm longer than the South Pole radius.
Summer on Uranus lasts for 21 years - but so does winter
Alfredo di Lelio lovingly invented a dish for his wife in his restaurant in 1914. The dish became famous as Fettuccine Alfredo.
A Duke is the highest rank you can achieve without being a king or a prince.
The British royal family changed their surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, the name of their castle, in 1917.

source: Did You Know?

Teddy Bear MP3 Player

2008-07-08T00:08:00.008+04:30

I didn't think this could be an MP3 player till I read its specifications. Girl, I don't know how good its function is but it's looking so cute and hugable that I wish I had one of them with me right now as I can't resist wanting all the cute things (^.^)/♥

Here are this cutie's details as mentioned in its exhibiting site here:

Built in mp3 player

Built in 3W Speaker

3 DualA 2A Battery inside, long time playing

USB mass storage

Gee, I just did a search and noticed how many variable teddy bear players are produced! I want them all

Pupa Puposka Dolls!

2008-07-07T21:42:00.003+04:30

These Pupa Milano Puposka dolls are inspired by the Russian Babushka ones which open up to reveal another Babushka and it on its turn opens up again to show another one and such process continues till the very last little Babushka reveals. The only difference here is that these Puposkas are housing some cosmetics such as eye shadows, mascara and lip glosses.

Well, I am not into cosmetics and do not wear makeup at all, but these Puposka dolls are really cute and therefore, wanting =p

Lavender Farm

2008-07-07T19:54:00.003+04:30

I received this image as a part of a forwarded email so I sadly neither know its photographer nor do I know the place where this photo is taken. But it is so beautiful, do't you think ;)

*sigh* wish people were as beautiful as mother nature too

IR655 and the 15th Environmental Art Festival at the Persian Gulf

2008-07-07T09:00:00.018+04:30

On 12 Tir 1367 (3 July 1988), Iran Air flight 655 (IR655) was shot down enroute to Dubai over the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf by the USS-Vincennes simply (as they reasoned) mistaking that Airbus A300B2-203 aircraft (reg# EP-IBU) as a hostile fighter, killing all 290 people onboard. This happened towards the end of Iran-Iraq war and sure these innocent people paid the price of that stupid 8 year war as it was finally ended on 27 Tir 1367 (18 July 1988), just 15 days after the shooting down of IR655.

an MSFS virtual A300 a/c repainted in the EP-IBU livery by Pantee Farhangi

20 years later on the 15th Environmental Art Festival held at the Persian Gulf and as a remembrance of the above mentioned tragic event, the Iranian environmental artists decided to both pay their tribute to the killed people and seek peace in the Persian Gulf region the artistic way. SO they chose a place on the southern coastline almost next to the spot where IR655 was shot down and crashed,

this coastline is near where the IR655 was shot down back in 1988

draw the outline of an aircraft on the sand, placed pebbles and stones on the drawn plane and created the flight number IR 655 next to it as well, poured good amount of the powdered red sands of Hormuz on it and then waited for the high tide.

after hours of tireless efforts, finally the aircraft is born

Soon as the high water occurred, the waves began to wash the cost and therefore vanish the drawn aircraft. So what was the artistic point or rather use of taking all the trouble of creating such huge aircraft on the sands to have it destroyed by the forcing waves? Well, the answer lies in the red sands poured on the the stones. Every time a wave crashed against the coast, not only was it returned to the gulf with the pebbles but also with the powdered red sands as well turning the blue water of Persian Gulf bloody red reminding one of the tragic death of the passengers of the shot down Iran Air aircraft.

red sands washed to the Persian Gulf turned it blood red

At the end, the only thing remained was IR 655 to indicated that its memory lasts forever.

IR655 was the only remaining part of the drawing

Then the artists put messages about the incident and a poem on peace written in both Persian and English in the bottles which were collected from around the beach and throw them into the Persian Gulf. The chance is somebody somewhere would collect it, read it and think about the peace and a world with out war.

bottled messages

Above photographs taken by Raheleh Zomorodinia, Mithra Soltani, Mohamad Saybani and Ahmad Nadalian are all courtesy of RiverArt.Net
Learn more on the 15th Environmental Art Festival at the Persian Gulf

Christmas Count Down Gadget!

2008-06-27T15:32:00.008+04:30

I know it's still too soon to count down to Christmas but this one's so cool I couldn't help posting it in this lazy hot Friday afternoon ;-)

The above gadget is found here.

EDIT: Err, either there is something wrong with my IE or the above gadget just works in Firefox and Opera browsers as it ridiculously doesn't appear in my Internet Explorer o_O
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Chupa Chupsie ^o^

2008-06-12T14:17:00.003+04:30

Although this is an old Chupa Chups ad seen by everybody, I still like it ^_^

That Annoying Auto Restart Message after Windows gets Updated @_@

2008-06-12T10:01:00.012+04:30

I am not sure about you but I DO hate it when I am in the middle of doing something with loads of windows and browser tabs open and I am cruelly required by the Windows Automatic Update to restart my computer to have it complete o_O So I searched the web and came across this, this and this. Some of their easier solutions read as follows:

Click Start, Run and enter the command net stop wuauserv
Click Start, Run and enter the command net stop "automatic updates"
Navigate to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. Right click the Automatic Updates service and stop it

I am going to try the first solution. I hope badly that it work or I have to bang my head hard against a wall!!

UPDATE:
The first method looked like a working one at first, but then appeared as a semi-successful one on my Windows XP Professional SP2! OK, I typed and ran it using the run box :

The MS-DOS window opened and the "The Automatic Service is Stopping" message showed up :

Well, I noticed the yellow security icon in my taskbar (next to windows clock) and the wau(something).exe both disappeared. 30 minutes passed and I was about to breath a sigh of relief and celebrate my finally overcoming the auto-restart problem that a dialogue box suddenly popped upout of of nowhere! Oh noooooooooo, that was the same annoying auto restart message by the windows update BUT this time, it wasn't counting down to restart the computer, it was just asking to wether restart or cancel the process till some later time (30 minutes later I guess!) :

Well, although I didn't get totally rid of the auto-reboot thingy, it is yet good to know it won't restart my computer after counting 1-2-3 and boom any more!! Hmm, I don't think the methods number 2 and 3 would do any better than this as they are somehow the same as the 1st one. Interesting enough it seems that these work fine for everybody running Windows XP except me :-(

Update 2: Now I am testing the 3rd method as this auto-restart message appearing every now and then is Really really annoying even if it doesn't count down >_<
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Hello Kitty ْGoldfish

2008-06-03T18:11:00.006+04:30

These Cuties are Sanrio Hello Kitty Japanese Crape Goldfish Drawstring Bag & Nestuke Cell Phone Strap presented here. Sooo lovely and kawaii ^.^

Yamato Red Drawstring Bag

Sakura Pink Cell Phone Strap

Yamato Red Cell Phone Strap

Chris de Burgh will play Gig in Iran!

2008-06-02T09:10:00.009+04:30

Wow! I still can't believe that Chris de Burgh was in Iran, let alone attending a news conference and planning for having a concert in my everything-is-forbidden country! He is a magnificent artist and human :) You can read its report here and watch its pictorial news here and here.
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Khark Achaemenid Inscription Finally Vandalized >:-(

2008-06-02T07:31:00.006+04:30

TEHRAN, June 1 (MNA) -- The Achaemenid stone inscription of Khark Island was seriously damaged by vandals on Thursday night.

“Unknown people climbed the fence surrounding the cuneiform inscription and destroyed it with a sharp object, such that about 70 percent of the inscription has been seriously damaged,” Khark Deputy Governor Ali Jazebi told the Persian service of CHN on Saturday.

“The nature of the damage indicates that it has been done deliberately,” he added.

In late February, experts warned officials of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization about the threats posed by the forces of nature and vandals.

Unfortunately, no appropriate security system was established to safeguard the cuneiform inscription, which has been etched on a piece of uneven rock encrusted with coral.

The valuable relic was discovered during a road construction project on the island in the Persian Gulf in mid-November 2007. The rock, measuring 85x116cm, has become detached from its original terrain.

The project was halted for a time because the rock prevented the project managers from continuing their work and finally they were forced to change the route.

Shortly after its discovery, the inscription was deciphered by Rasul Bashshash, an expert at the Archaeological Research Center of Iran (ARCI). He made the following translation: “(This) land was a dry area with no water; (I) brought happiness and welfare, Bahana… water wells.”

Experts had previously said that the inscription was important since it was another piece of evidence that confirms the word Persian for the Persian Gulf.

The discovery of the inscription sparked a media frenzy in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, where efforts were made to cast doubt on its authenticity.

The Bushehr Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department (BCHTHD) announced on Saturday that they have filed a lawsuit against the suspected vandals.

“There are several people suspected of (being responsible for) the damage to the inscription. We have sued them so the judicial investigation will begin as soon as possible,” BCHTHD Director Ahmad Dashti told CHN.

But he refused to name the suspects.

Dashti said that 10 to 15 percent of the inscription has been damaged, which is considerably different than the Khark deputy governor’s assessment.

He rejected rumors that there was a connection between the vandalism and the disputes over the name of the Persian Gulf (Ah, so you mean this very Achaemenid inscription was chosen just randomly and out of mere luck by the so-called vandals and they took the trouble to destroy it only for fun and nothing else?!!!!! Go FOOL yourself ).

Some people believe that the BCHTHD is responsible for the problem, but Dashti rejected that view, saying, “The police are responsible for safeguarding the site, and they did their best.”

“However, lack of an appropriate area to establish a guardhouse is one of our main problems here. The island is owned by the National Iranian Oil Company and they don’t provide even a span of earth to us to set up the base,” he explained.

MMS/HG

END

MNA

News Source : Mehr News Agency

Image Source : Tabnak

Love is in the Air ♥

2008-05-25T14:28:00.002+04:30

Online Chinese Seals Generator

2008-05-25T13:36:00.010+04:30

If you are interested to sign your works using a Chinese seal, you can go here, enter your desired Chinese text （which should be less than 6 characters）and have your seal generated. Below you can see the seal I generated for myself :

我爱伊朗 --> wo ai yi lang = I Love Iran

Did You Know...

2008-05-25T12:09:00.005+04:30

The first declaration of human rights was written by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire?
The first rocket was invented by the Chinese in the 13th century?
The first "Suez" Canal was completed some 2300 years ago by Darius I of Persia, who conquered Egypt?
A day on Mars is about half an hour longer than a day on Earth?
Nerve cells can travel as fast as 120 meters per second?
The word pound is abbreviated "lb" after the constellation "Libra" because it means pound in Latin?
The dollar symbol ($) is a U combined with an S?
The expression "Tying the Knot" comes from an old Roman custom where the brides clothes were tied up all in knots and the groom was supposed to untie the knots?
Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables?
The way to distinguish between an ape and a monkey is that apes do not have tails?
The reason why golf balls have "dimples" on them is because it helps in the ball to move a farther distance by reducing drag?

It's a Sheep's World!

2008-05-25T00:40:00.004+04:30

Here's a very cute site named Sheep World where you can send some pretty cute sheepy ecards (here) along with downloading sheepie wallpapers, playing sheepy games, shopping for cute sheepy items (if you know German though), etc. etc. Anyway, it's a nice site with lots of nice drawings of the cute sheep ^.^

More Emoticons ^o^

2008-05-25T00:22:00.003+04:30

The below emoticons are taken from this Chinese site, it has a huge collection of interesting smileys and emoticons to keep you busy during your summer holiday ~_^

Mimobots

2008-05-24T23:30:00.003+04:30

I was searching for some cool USB flash memories that came across this site. These Mimobots are sooo cool ^.^

Babytree Cell Phone Strap

2008-05-23T14:49:00.003+04:30

Wow! This Mobile Gardening is really cool ^^ Here's another Natural cell phone strap (seen here) where a living plant is kept in a capsule again BUT unlike the previously mentioned, this one does need some sort of caring such as watering (once or twice a month) and replanting it by the time your plant grows too big to fit in its tiny capsule anymore ~_^

each Babytree symbolizes a value such as Love, Happiness or Strength
(the above plants from L-R stand for friendship, creativity and originality

water your plant by soaking its capsule bottom in water for 1-2 minutes once or twice a month

اين هم با ز يک آويز موبايل گياهى ديگه است با اين تفاوت که گياهچه ى داخل شيشه ى اون به کمى مراقبت و توجه شما نياز داره تا زنده بمونه و رشد کنه و اون اينه که بايد يکى دو بار در ماه، انتهاى کپسول حاوى اون رو داخل ظرف آبى به مدت يکى دو دقيقه قرار بديد تا رطبت مورد نيازشو جذب کنه و بعدتر‌ها هم که گياهتون انقدر بزرگ شد که ديگه تو اين شيشه ى کوچک جا نميشد مى تونيد تو يه گلدون بکارينش و از ديدن کوچولوى بزرگ شده‌تون لذت ببريد ^.^ء

Super Bio-Tech Mobile Plant Cell Phone Strap

2008-05-23T11:06:00.005+04:30

Wow! this is interesting to have a living plant strapped to your cellphone though I guess one should be super careful not to break its glass capsule, somehow. Another interesting fact is that it doesn't even need your care to survive and takes care of itself; sooo lovely and cool (I found this natural mobile phone strap here) ^.^

اين يک آويز موبايل زنده است! يک بطرى شيشه اى‌کوچک که داخلش را با يک نوع کود بيو‌تکنولوژيکى رنگى پرکرده اند و يک گياه کوچک زنده را که خودش از خودش مراقبت ميکنه و نيازى به توجه شما رو هم نداره کاشته اند. حتى نياز به آبيارى هم نداره و فقط دوست داره در کنار شما باشه و در مواقع خسته کننده يا استرس‌زا بهتون آرامش بده و احساس خوبى را در وجودتون برانگيزه ^_^ء

More Snapshots from a Reconstructed Persepolis

2008-05-23T10:38:00.005+04:30

and later destroyed :-(

Persepolis Recreated

2008-05-20T23:21:00.006+04:30

"Persepolis Recreated" or "شکوه تخت جمشيد" in Persian is a great documentary where the ashes and ruins of Persepolis come to life once more with the help of computer technology as one of the magnificent and glorious cities and capitals of the ancient civilizations. Built by the order of Darius the great and completed by Xerxes the Great (not the strange looking guy you see in the ridiculous movie 300), Persepolis , the richest city under the sun, was very regretfully burnt to the ground in the rages of a Macedonian known to the world as Alexander.

See Persepolis as it was 2500 years ago

Starting with the work of the German scholar Friedrich Krefter, who spend decades creating a model for a reconstructed Persepolis, film maker Farzin Rezaian and his team have produced Persepolis Recreated, a documentary that presents a virtual reconstruction of parts of the Persepolis palace complex. The film that includes commentaries by many of the leading authorities on Achaemenid architecture and history, brings to life and reveals the splendour of the Persepolitan palace complex before its destruction by Alexander. [1]

This is a Must See documentary for everybody interested in the ancient civilizations and their history (funnily or rather stupidly enough you cannot find a lot of info easily on the first important civilization of the world as if it is ignored for some unknown (?!!) reasons !!! ) , the reconstructions are done in such a great magnificent manner that you go wowing! Highly recommended.

[1] [more info] : Iran Heritage

Hello Kitty Cell Phone Straps

2008-05-20T22:13:00.003+04:30

I love Hello Kitty themed stuff and these cellphone straps are really cute ^.^ You can find more of them in this cutie mobile phone shop ^^

Have Your Name Engraved on a Bar of Soap!

2008-05-20T12:35:00.005+04:30

Go to this site and have either your name or whatever message you like engraved on a bar of soap =)

2008-05-20T12:03:00.000+04:30

Technorati Profile

Free Rice

2008-05-19T13:02:00.006+04:30

Free Rice is a charity website where you can play a vocabulary game to help fight the world hunger. According to their site, for each correct word you chose during the vocabulary play, they donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end the hunger.

Although I'm not for the UN as I'm not satisfied with their actions, I like this helping via playing while educating idea of "Free Rice" (besides they have a beautiful site design :-) , so I too took part and managed to donate 1220 grains of rice! Ironically I am playing to help the so-called hungry people while my own country has suddenly gone out of its rice supplies due to the dryness resulting from the lack of rain!!

Pause for Thought

2008-05-19T10:55:00.007+04:30

Only when the last tree has died
.........and the last river been poisoned
................and the last fish been caught
.......................will we realise we cannot eat money

Cree Indian Proverb

Japanese Bento Art

2008-05-18T13:20:00.011+04:30

Bentō (弁当 or べんとう) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cookedvegetables as a side dish though it can be very elaborately arranged. Contests are often held where homemakers can compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements. The food is often decorated to look like people, animals, or characters and items such as flowers and plants. This style of elaborate bento is called Kyaraben. [wikipedia].

I wonder how can one eat these masterpieces as they are not mere food, but real works of art :-o

sources : [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Did You Know?

2008-05-18T12:34:00.004+04:30

The most expensive spice in the world is Saffron
The trunk of an elephant can hold up to two gallons of water
Birds do not sweat as they do not have sweat glands
The dot that appears above the letter "i" is called a tittle
One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollution from the air each year
A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it is been decapitated
Early Romans used to use porcupine quills as toothpicks
According to Scandinavian traditions, if a boy and a girl eat from the same loaf of bread, they are bound to fall in love
Owls swallow their prey whole as they have no teeth. After approximately 12 hours they cough up the feathers, bones and furs in a shape of a football pellet.
Canada is the only country not to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympic Games while hosting the event

USB Ducky Fan

2008-05-18T11:42:00.005+04:30

This cute little gadget is a Cooling Fan which is both battery and USB operated. According to its specifications [here] it is 26cm tall and weighs about 160gr. I've asked a relative living in the US to order this along with a piggy fan for me and can't wait to get my hands on them (due to the imposed sanctions, we neither can have international credit cards nor are we able to shop from most of the online shops as they do not post to Iran, add to these the local restrictions too x_x)

اين يه فن نازه که هم با اتصال به پورت يو اس بى کار مى‌کنه و هم با باترى قلمى. آيا از اينا تو ايران هم ميشه پيدا کرد؟‌

I'm My Own Grandpa!!

2008-05-18T02:00:00.004+04:30

This is really a cool song written by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe in 1947 and is performed by Lonzo and Oscar the very same year. This novelty song is about a man who, through an unlikely combination of marriages, becomes stepfather to his own stepmother and becomes his own grandpa!!!

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was twenty-three
I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be.
This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red.
My father fell in love with her and soon they, too, were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law and changed my very life
For my daughter was my mother, 'cause she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy
I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad
And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad
For if he was my uncle, then that also made him brother
To the widow's grown-up daughter, who, of course, was my step-mother.

My father's wife then had a son who kept them on the run
And he became my grand-child, 'cause he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother, and it makes me blue
Because, although she is my wife, she's my grandmother too.

If my wife is my grandmother, then I am her grandchild
And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw
(This has got to be the strangest thing I ever saw)
As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa.

Chorus
I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
but it really is so
Oh, I'm my own grandpa.

Khayyam Commemoration Day

2008-05-17T10:49:00.011+04:30

Today, May 17 (28 Ordibehesht) is Khayyam Commemoration Day in Iran.

Who is Hakim Omar-e-Khayyam

Ghiyās od-Dīn Abol-Fath Omār ibn Ebrāhīm Khayyām Neyshābūri (Persian: غیاث الدین ابو الفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابوری) or Hakim Omar Khayyám (Neyshābūr, Persia, May 18, 1048 – December 4, 1131) was a Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer who lived in Persia.

He is best known for his poetry, and outside Iran, for the quatrains (Rubaiyats) in Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, popularized through Edward Fitzgerald's re-created translation. His substantial mathematical contributions include his Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra, which gives a geometric method for solving cubic equations by intersecting a hyperbola with a circle.

Persian Calendar

Like most mathematicians of the period, Omar Khayyám was also famous as an astronomer. In 1073, the Seljuk dynasty Sultan, Sultan Jalal al-Din Malekshah Saljuqi (Malik-Shah I, 1072-92), invited Khayyám to build an observatory, along with various other distinguished scientists. Eventually, Khayyám and his colleagues measured the length of the solar year as 365.24219858156 days and introduced several reforms to the Persian calendar, largely based on ideas from the Hindu calendar.

On March 15, 1079, Sultan Malik Shah Saljuqi accepted this corrected calendar as the official Persian calendar. This calendar was known as Jalali calendar after the Sultan, and was in force across Greater Iran from the 11th to the 20th centuries. It is the basis of the Iranian calendar which is followed today in Iran and Afghanistan. While the Jalali calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian, it is based on actual solar transit, and requires an Ephemeris for calculating dates. The lengths of the months can vary between 29 and 32 days depending on the moment when the sun crossed into a new zodiacal area . This meant however, that seasonal errors were lower than in the Gregorian calendar (This calendric measurement has only an 1 hour error every 5,500 years, whereas the Gregorian Calendar, adopted in Europe four centuries later, has a 1 day error in every 3,330 years, but is easier to calculate).

The modern day Iranian calendar standardizes the month lengths based on a reform on March 31, 1925, under the early Pahlavi dynasty. The law said that the first day of the year should be the first day of spring in "the true solar year", "as it has been" and fixed the number of days in each month thus the first six months (Farvardin–Shahrivar) have 31 days, the next five (Mehr–Bahman) have 30 days, and the last month (Esfand) has 29 days or 30 days in leap years.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyám's poetic work has eclipsed his fame as a mathematician and scientist. He is believed to have written about a thousand four-line verses or quatrains (rubaai's). In the English-speaking world, he was introduced through the The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám translated into English by Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883).

Interesting to Know

A lunar crater Omar Khayyam was named after him in 1970.
A planetoid Omarkhayyam discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravlyova in 1980 is named after him.
Omar's life is dramatized in the 1957 film Omar Khayyam starring Cornel Wilde, Debra Paget, Raymond Massey, Michael Rennie, and John Derek.
Khayyám is quoted in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, Why I oppose the war in Vietnam. "It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to come back home. Come home America. Omar Khayyám is right 'The moving finger writes and having writ, moves on.'"
There are several references to Khayyam and his Rubaiyat in works of famous Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges
A sparkling wine made in India, sometimes referred to as Indian Champagne is called Omar Khayyam.
In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry refers to Omar Khayyam as the king of hedonism.

[source] : Wikipedia on Omar Khayyam
[poetry] : Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

USBCell

2008-05-16T22:07:00.004+04:30

Oh My! I didn't know such an interesting gadget exist!! USBCell is a revolutionary sort of rechargeable battery which charges itself using the USB port. Wow :-O

[More Info] : USBCell

arabic in danger of vanishing

2008-05-16T19:47:00.008+04:30

The Media Line (08/05/2008) - Arabic is being used less frequently in the Persian Gulf, because of the increasing population of foreigners in these countries, and is in danger of vanishing, a sociology expert says.

In most Persian Gulf countries today the majority of the population is made up of foreigners who have come there to seek employment and they do not speak Arabic.

In the UAE, for example, fewer than 20 percent of the four-million-strong population are Emiratis, while the rest hail from other countries, with more than 1.5 million from India alone.

“There is a big concern in this country about the death of Arabic as a language and the death of Arabic culture,” says Muhammad Aboelenein , chairman of the sociology department at the UAE University .

Some argue that Arabic will never die because it is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and Muslims are very keen to preserve their Islamic traditions, he adds.

“However, others are concerned about the diversity of languages and cultures in the UAE, to the extent that Arabic might fade away and will be replaced by English, as the international language in which almost everybody can communicate,” he told The Media Line.

“There is real concern among politicians and educators about what will happen with the language over the next few years if the situation continues, with more people coming here speaking different languages.”

News reports suggest that restaurants in Dubai have been warned they must provide menus in Arabic as well as in English.

Thousands of foreigners, mostly from Asian countries, have flocked to the UAE in recent years seeking employment and profiting from the oil and construction boom in the Persian Gulf.

But the diversity of languages has created a language barrier. English is being partially used as a solution, but locals have also created a hybrid language from Arabic and Asian languages, which is used for communication with the foreigners, Aboelenein says.

“People are getting to know more English than before. There’s a large focus on it in education, and the university where I work has started to use English as a teaching language,” he says.

LOL, UAE arabs were so busy bribing everybody to rename the Persian Gulf and claiming others' properties (islands) that forgot about their own language! LOL >:-))

هاها، خوبه ...! اين همه اين اماراتى ها زور زدند تا خليج فارس ما رو اسمشو عوض کنند، زبون خودشون به باد فنا رفت!! بله ديگه، خلاصه ى مطلب بالا اينه که انقدر جماعت خارجى با زبان ها و فرهنگ هاى مختلف تو اما ر ات اومده که زبون و بقيه ى چيزاى عر بى رو تحت الشعاع قرار داده و ممکنه باعث انقراض زبون عر بى شده و انگليسى جايگزينش بشه و الى آخر.ء‌

Cuneiform / خط میخی

2008-05-16T09:13:00.005+04:30

Early in the history of the Achaemenid dynasty, a syllabic script to write the Old Persian language was developed in the Persian Empire. Although the physical appearance of Old Persian signs are cuneiform, or in the shape of wedges, the actual shape of the signs do not correspond to signs in Sumerian and Akkadian systems with similar phonetic values, hence is not considered a descendant of those older systems . Old Persian only kept the cuneiform appearance of its characters simply out of tradition, and the actual shape of the signs were completely original. The Old Persian "syllabary" is somewhat of a misnomer, in that it also contains some logograms. However, since the majority of signs are syllabograms, Old Persian is classified as a syllabic script[1].

Numbers in Old Persian

"I, Cyrus the King, an Achaemenid"

Sources:
[1] AncientScripts.com
[2] Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS)

Albert Einstein Quotes

2008-05-15T18:35:00.004+04:30

از خوندن اين دو خبر آخر حسابى داغ کردم و براى اينکه تعادلم رو به دست بيارم دست به دامن جناب انشتين شدم!! درسته، يک ويجت انشتينى که سخنان آلبرت جان رو براتون بازگو ميکند .ء

Vandals Smash Achaemenid Column Bases of Susa's Apadana Palace

2008-05-15T17:58:00.012+04:30

LONDON, (CAIS) -- Column bases of the Achaemenid Apadana Palace of ancient Susa in Khuzestan Province have recently been demolished by vandals.

The palace’s remaining column bases have been broken into two pieces and the Old-Persian cuneiform inscriptions on the base have been obliterated, the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage Lovers Society (Tariana) spokesman Mojtaba Gahestuni told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday.

The stone inscriptions have been severed and scattered around the ancient archaeological site, he added.

“The reason for the destruction of the artefacts is not clear,” Gahestuni remarked, adding, “The incident probably results from the vandals’ ignorance of the historical significance of the relics.”

He went on to say that many problems are caused by the lack of protection and appropriate fencing around the site which covers about 360 hectares.

“The Khuzestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department (KCHTHD) undertook the installation of rods around the zone, but the measure was inadequate and has not prevented unauthorized people from entering the precinct,” Gahestuni explained.
According to Gahestuni, the use of concrete and iron rods for demarcation purposes has even led to some damage to the area.

The Apadana Palace is also being threatened by the construction of a preparatory school on its perimeter.

In early December, Tariana sent letters to the Islamic regime’s president Mahmud Ahmadinejad, asking him put a stop to the project – but the letter not so surprisingly was ignored.

The school building, which is to be four stories tall, will spoil the horizontal view from the palace ruins.

In addition, the historical metropolis of Susa, which has been inhabited for over 7000 years, is being spoilt by regime’s Municipality’s construction of a passenger bus terminal in the Shush city’s southern section.

Experts have previously given warning of the chaotic situation at the site, pointing out that such disorder has facilitated the illegal activities of smugglers who have managed to carry out excavations in search of antiquities.

“Although some have claimed who try to be politically correct, that the vandalism was done out of ignorance, but everyone knows that it was done on purpose – the evidence is the razing of the Old-Persian cuneiform inscription from the base”, said an archaeologists with KCHTHD who wished to remain anonymous for his safety.

Same archaeologist added: “this crime against our national heritage either was done by the regime's elements, who are against anything Iranian in particular pre-Islamic, or the Arab settlers of the province, who are anti-Iranians and have always acted as a fifth column in our country, esp during the Iran-Iraq war – which the Islamic regime has increased their numbers since 1980s”.

Historical background:

Susa is one of the oldest-known settlements in the world, which possibly was founded about 4200 BCE, although the first traces of an inhabited village have been dated to ca. 7000 BCE.
In historic times, Susa was the primary capital of the Elamite Empire, and was known as Šušan and Šušun. The city appears in the Sumerian records of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, and it is described as one of the places obedient to Inanna, patron deity of Uruk.
Cyrus the Great incorporated Susa to the Achaemnid Persian Empire in 538 BCE, and later under his son Cambyses II, the capital of the dynastic Empire was moved from Pasargadae to Susa. The city lost some of its importance when Alexander of Macedon sacked and looted the city in 331 BCE. After Alexander, Susa fell to his successors, the Seleucids. The city was finally liberated by the third Iranian dynasty, the Parthians who made Susa as one of their capitals alongside Ctesiphon.
Susa was destroyed at least four times in its’ history. The first was in 647 BCE, by the Assyrian king, Assurbanipal; the second destruction took place in 331BCE by Alexander; the third destruction was done in 338 CE, by the Moslem’s invading armies. Finally, in 1218, the city was completely destroyed by invading Mongols. The ancient city was gradually abandoned in the years that followed - and now its' remains witnesses the last blow to its existence by the Islamic regime and Arab settlers of the province.

يكى از پايه‌ ستون‌هاى كاخ آپادانا در شوش تخريب شد

يكى از پايه‌ ستون‌هاى كاخ آپادانا در محوطه شوش توسط افرادى ناشناس (!!!!؟؟؟!!!!) تخريب شد. اين پايه ستون تنها اثر كتيبه دار باقى مانده بود كه در اثر اين تخريب، ازبين رفت . ء

شوش _ خبرگزارى ميراث فرهنگى _ گروه ميراث فرهنگى _ انجمن دوستداران ميراث فرهنگى، صنايع دستى و گردشگرى شوش از تخريب پايه ستون هاى كاخ آپادانى شوش درچند روز گذشته خبر داد.

"محمدرضا معتمدى"، كارشناس فرهنگ و زبان‌شناسى و مسئول انجمن دوستداران ميراث فرهنگى شوش در گفتگو با ميراث خبر از تخريب يكى از پايه ستون هاى كاخ آپادانا و پاك كردن كتيبه روى آن خبر داد.

به گفته وى كارشناسان ميراث فرهنگى در سال 79 براي جلوگيرى از تخريب بيشتر اين اثر آن را در دل خاك مدفون كردند اما دور بودن آن از ساير آثار و وسعت 400 هكتارى محوطه و محصور نبودن اين محوطه، امكان محافظت اصولى از آن را گرفته بود.

به گفته معتمدى تخريب‌هاى جدى از سال 85 به اين اثر وارد شده بود.

وي مهمترين راهكار براي جلوگيرى از اين تخريب ها را محصور كردن محوطه 400 هكتارى شوش توسط مسئولان سازمان ميراث فرهنگى استان و كشور دانست.

همچنين به گفته معمتدي بخشى از اين پايه ستون كنده و در محدوده‌اى دور از ستون افتاده بود كه توسط يکى از محافظان محوطه به كنار ستون برگردانده شد.

وى همچنين افزود:« وضعيت اين پايه ستون پيش از اين در سمينار "شوش و ميراث جهانى آن؛ چالشهاى کنونى و چشم انداز آينده" گزارش داده شده بود .»

وى همچنين تخريب گور اشكانى در محوطه شوش را در اثر سيلاب (!!!!!) تكذيب كرد و گفت:« زمانى كه خوزستان به دليل نبود بارندگي و خشكسالى تهديد مى شود چطور مى‌توان علت تخريب اين گور را باران و سيلاب دانست ؟؟؟؟؟!!!!!! »

اگرچه سازمان ميراث فرهنگى و گردشگرى استان خوزستان براى نگهدارى اين محوطه تمام تلاش خود را به كاربسته است اما، وسعت400 هكتاري شوش نياز به امكانات و تجهيزات بيشترى دارد.

زهرا کشورى ...............
خبرگزارى ميراث فرهنگى

خبر مرتبط : پايه ستون هاي كاخ آپادانا شكسته شد ء

Persian Gulf (Environmental Art Festival)

2008-05-15T14:44:00.015+04:30

Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf Environmental Art Festival
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Hava Nagila

2008-05-15T14:02:00.004+04:30

I am a Persian (Iranian) and unlike what's being propagandized regarding the whole Iranian nation, have NO problems at all with Israelis nor Jewish people and Hava Nagila is a favorite Hebrew song of mine. So Let's Rejoice and dance :-)

Transliteration	Hebrew Text	English Translation
Hava nagila	הבה נגילה	Let's rejoice
Hava nagila	הבה נגילה	Let's rejoice
Hava nagila venis'mecha	הבה נגילה ונשמחה	Let's rejoice and be happy
	(repeat stanza once)
Hava neranenah	הבה נרננה	Let's sing
Hava neranenah	הבה נרננה	Let's sing
Hava neranenah venis'mecha	הבה נרננה ונשמחה	Let's sing and be happy
	(repeat stanza once)
Uru, uru achim!	!עורו, עורו אחים	Awake, awake, brothers!
Uru achim b'lev sameach	עורו אחים בלב שמח	Awake brothers with a happy heart
	(repeat line three times)
Uru achim, uru achim!	!עורו אחים, עורו אחים	Awake, brothers, awake, brothers!
B'lev sameach	בלב שמח	With a happy heart

Quote of the Day

2008-05-15T12:57:00.002+04:30

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

Voltaire

Confucius Says!

2008-05-14T13:39:00.007+04:30

No offense as I like Confucius ^_^

Ferdowsi Commemoration Day

2008-05-14T08:10:00.011+04:30

Today, May 14 (25 Ordibehesht) is Ferdowsi Commemoration Day in Iran.

Who is Ferdowsi?

Hakīm Abol-Qāsem Ferdowsī Tūsī (Persian: حکیم ابوالقاسم فردوسی توسی) or simply known as Ferdowsi, (935–1020) was a highly revered Persian poet who authored Shāhnāmeh (The Book of Kings) , a masterpiece and the national epic of Persian-speaking world as well as the entire Iranian realm.

Shahnameh

The Shāhnāmeh tells the mythical and historical past of Iran, beginning with the creation of the world and the introduction of the arts of civilization (fire, cooking, metallurgy, law) to the Aryans and ends with the sad Arab conquest of Persia. Also reflected in Shahnameh are Iran's cultural values, its ancient religions (Zoroastrianism) and its profound sense of nationhood no wonder this voluminous work is regarded by Persian speakers as a literary masterpiece.
Aside from its literary importance the Shâhnameh, written in almost pure Persian, has been pivotal for reviving the Persian language subsequent to the influence of arabic.

Ferdowsi started his composition of the Shahnameh in the Samanid era in 977 A.D and completed it around 1010 A.D. during the Ghaznavid era. then Ferdowsi went to Ghazni, the Ghaznavid capital, to present it to the king. There are various stories in medieval texts describing the lack of interest shown by the new king, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, in Ferdowsi and his lifework. According to historians, Mahmud had promised Ferdowsi a dinar for every distich written in the Shahnameh (60,000 dinars), but later retracted and presented him with dirhams (20,000 dirhams), which were at that time much less valuable than dinars (every 100 dirhams worth 1 dinar). Some think it was the jealousy of other poets working at the king’s court that led to this treachery; the incident encouraged Ferdowsi's enemies in the court. Ferdowsi rejected the money and, by some accounts, he gave it to a poor man who sold wine. Wandering for a time in Sistan and Mazandaran, he eventually returned to Tus, heartbroken and enraged.

Ferdowsi is said to have died around 1020 in poverty at the age of 90, embittered by royal neglect, though fully confident of his work’s ultimate success and fame.

"Buildings of the city suffer deterioration
From the raindrop and the ray of sunlight."

"I founded a great palace of verse [The Shahnameh]
That is impervious to the wind and the rain"

"I shall not die, these seeds [of discourse] I've sown will save
My name and reputation from the grave,"

"And men of sense and wisdom will proclaim,
When I have gone, my praises and my fame."

One tradition claims Mahmud re-sent the amount promised to Ferdowsi’s village, but when the messengers reached his house, he had died a few hours earlier. The gift was then given to his daughter, since his son had died before his father at the age of 37. However, his daughter refused to receive the sum, thus making Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh immortal.

Ferdowsi was buried at the yard of his own home, where his mausoleum now lies. It was not until Reza Shah Pahlavi's rule, in 1925, that a mausoleum was built for the great poet.

for more information please refer to Ferdowsi and Shahnameh articles on Wikipedia.

Texas Declaration of Independence (excerpt)

2008-05-13T19:47:00.010+04:30

"When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people, from whom it's legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted, and, so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression. . ."

an excerpt from
Texas Declaration of Independence ... March 2, 1836

( Wikisource )

Blue Riding Hood Emoticons!

2008-05-13T13:30:00.007+04:30

It's a Korean one and since the girl looks like Little Red Riding Hood in blue, I call it the Blue Riding Hood instead ^o^

خوب ديدم اسم اين ست رو چى بگذارم، ديدم خيلى شبيه شنل قرمزيه براى همين منم از خودم ايده در وکردم و اسمشو گذاشتم شنل آبى، چطوره؟ ^0^ء

Happy US Mother's Day ^^

2008-05-13T13:04:00.005+04:30

Mother's Day in the United States falls on the second Sunday of each May. It is the result of a campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis (1864–1948), who, following the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an international, holiday (Wikipedia).

More Cute Emoticons (^.^)

2008-05-12T22:37:00.003+04:30

link

Cute Sheepy Emoticons!

2008-05-10T22:54:00.007+04:30

I really enjoy using and collecting emoticons and smileys and although have a rather huge collection of them, I still dig the net almost every day to yet find more. So here are my latest findings. some oriental flavored sheepy emoticons which are really cute (yeah, I do love those Chinese, Japanese and Korean created ones ^_^)

You can get all of them from this link .

Birdie's Secret Garden

2008-05-10T21:53:00.006+04:30

I was still looking for a template to satisfy me, something cute that found this Birdie site with some really cute templates ^_^ You can see it for yourself from the following link:

Birdie's Secret Garden

A Classy template

2008-05-08T17:03:00.009+04:30

I was looking for a cooler template to replace this existing one that came across this Persepolis themed XML formatted template:

This is soooo classy and sacred looking that one should use it with respect I really loved it ♥ You can check it out and get its code from the following link:

Persepolis template

Finally I got me a blog!! Now What Is It About?

2008-05-08T12:28:00.001+04:30

Yeah! finally I got me a blog after all these years of reading others blogs! Unbelievable!!!

Now here I write about whatever I find interesting which may vary from a simple quote or a picture to cute emoticons and gadgets or even a historical event!
.