Iranian new Year!

Finally, Iranian new year has almost arrived. Saturday is the first day of spring and the day that Iranian new year starts.
I would like to wish everyone including myself, healthy and prosperous new year. Hopefully next we witness freedom of Iran.
My favorite poem of Hafez during this time of year:
نفس بادصبا مشک فشان خواهد شد
عالم پیر دگر باره جوان خواهد شد
ارغوان جامه عقیقی به سمن خواهد داد
دل نرگس به شقایق نگران خواهد شد
This link also explains some of Iranian traditions about the Noruz

Environmental issues: plastic bags! My grandma the first environmentalist!

During my primary school years in Iran, I always wondered why my grandmother who I thought was not very educated, carry her own shopping basket (similar to the photo above, hers was blue though and I called it Zanbil in Persian) to purchase fruit and vegetables from Tajrish's shopping Bazaar. Those years I felt who carried such a bag was not fashion conscious and was considered in some extend a demode person!

At those age area (around 7 to 14), I kept wondering who might like to carry such a back in his/her hands while those shoppers would provide plastic bags for any purchase a person may have! So, in general I felt even disgusted to carry one!

Anyhow, those years are gone and I have to admit I never felt to ask my grandma why did she carry the plastic basket at all.
Or, may be I did, and her answer was, "it is easier to put items all together!" can't recall well. or perhaps if I asked and she answered I never become satisfied with her answer, therefore, I simply ignored it.

But today, we such a great knowledge of environmental protection conscious, we have realized that it takes more than 100 years to get ordinary plastic bags to be decomposed in the landfills and just imagine on average how many of these bags we throw away per day!
 
So, the suggestion is every time you go shopping please carry a reusable bag with you. If you do so, you can remember my grandma who at the age of 80s before anyone to be quite concern with environment was carrying reusable shopping basket to do grocery shopping. So, why not us, You and I! In memory of Her.

What Russell said refelects what is going on in Todays Iran!

The late British philosopher Bertrand Russell observed, “Most of the greatest evil that man has inflicted upon man comes through people feeling quite certain about something which, in fact, was false.

Paramilitia are certain that those who opposing the current status quo (Vellayete faghieh) are wrong and therefore certain restriction and oppression my me imposed on them!  So, they perform brutality for believing something technically is wrong!

So, not sure where I read that once, but I will never die for my opinion, as my opinion could be wrong anyway!!