A fickle weather!

I have never seen such a fickle weather in my life. It gets hot and humid about couple of hours then gets cold and rainy like it is beginning of the fall or winter!
Right now, it is raining cats and dogs!
...
Sitting at home, having nothing to do, not much on TV to watch or someone to call or to be called! That is something I guess you can only experience in abroad! I am guessing this makes your character, though.
I have to admit there are things I can do but I am not in mood to do anything!!
...

Iranian President, Khatami, in final days of his Presidency term. A Genral evaluation!

Khatami’s term is coming to an end. Many are complaining that he did nothing and he was not up to the task. Or He was part of regime just to stretch regime’s life span and so on.
On the other hand, there are people who praise him for the jobs he did and think he was a hero for Iranians.
I, on the other hand, think that he was not a hero at all. Khatami’s, though, introduced couple of words into Iranian political lexicon.

1. Accountability and transparency of government hierarchy.
2. The small but decisive reform in ministry of intelligence.
3. Dialogue between different parts of society.
4. The word reform.
5. Tolerance towards each other.
6. Friendly representation of Iranians in world community. Raising hands towards world community.
and
7. The art of criticizing and not getting labeled for it.

The other part of Khatami was compromise and concession to radical and conservative part of the regime. He lost many friends under way and did not tried to rescue them appropriately.
I am sure he was aware of enormity of the other side of spectrum where they do not have anything to lose. Therefore, they will do the act of atrocity with no mercy towards people. I think he was avoiding two things. The civil war and trying to pay the least amount of cost for his reforms.
I think to summarize his term we can say that Khatami’s term was a valuable term in Iran’s history where many democratic and ethical words entered to Iranians lexicon. And since he has been president such Reports are being released!

The food quality in Switzerland!

For the past month being here and having consumed the local food (cheap ones from local chain supermarkets and at work), I have realized that the quality of food here is quite superior compare to North America.
At work I eat any kind of meat and none of them have been greasy, not to mention, contaminated with growth hormones, as a result I havenot put on any weight.
However, in North America after almost two weeks of eating chicken kababs I would gain about 4kg to 6kg. Usually, the lunch at work is served with a main course includes a small juice and some kinds of vegtables or salad which makes it quite healthy.
In North America the quality of food is quite low compare to the ordinary food we purchase from cheapest supermarkets. Although the food in general, in particular meat, is more expensive in Switzerland than in North America, I think it worth it.

Do we lose the ability to wonder about world as we grow up?

1. For the past 3 days I had this training for a certain software which was from around 8:00 am to almost 7:00 pm. So, it has made to work really hard and I am more active and busy these days (You thought I am going to write I am tired)!! But I felt I have to write the following observation and story.:-)

2. I read this story about a while ago, seems interesting to share.
One morning, Mom and Dad, and little Jimmy aged two, are having breakfast in the Kitchen. After a while Mom gets up and goes over to the Kitchen sink, and Dad flies up and floats around under the ceiling while Jimmy sits watching. What do you think Jimmy says? Perhaps he points up at his father and says: “Daddy is flying!” Jimmy will certainly be astonished, but then he very often is. Dad does so many strange things that this business of a little flight over the breakfast table makes no difference to him. Every day dad shaves with a funny machine, sometimes the climbs onto the roof and turns the TV aerial or else he sticks his head under the hood of car and comes up black in the face.
Now it’s Mom’s turn. She hears what Jimmy says and turns around abruptly. How do you think she reacts to the sight of Dad floating nonchalantly over the kitchen table?
She drops the jam jar on the floor and screams with fright. She may even need medical attention once Dad has returned respectively to his chair. Why Jimmy’s Mom has reacted totally differently?
It all has to do with habit. Mom has learned that people cannot fly. Jimmy, on the other hand, has not. He still isn’t certain what we can do and what we can not do in this world. But what about the world itself? Can world do what it does? The world is floating in space.
Sadly it is not only the force of gravity that we get used to as we grow up. The world itself becomes a habit in no time at all. It seems that in process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world.

what is a trackback

You can read the usfulness of the trackback in this article.

The First Iranian Jazz Singer that I know of

1. I was listening to this lady whose name is Sara. She has started to sing Jazz in Persian tone.
Read the rest here.
If you have real player listen to her voice.

Fanous is a Spanish tone of her.
1.1. another song
1.2. I like this one more.

you can download the free real player.

2. A link of my favorite poet.

This guy just took the essay out of my mouth!

Once again Mr. Siamack Baniamiri wrote an essay which I wanted to write! I totally agree with him on these parts:
...
A democracy is made for those who are willing and ready to embrace it and not for people who are out to screw each other at any chance they get, who hate law and order, who are dictators by culture and custom, who lie and cheat with ease, who have no respect for others' space or opinion, who settle a traffic accident with a good fistfight and who are corrupt and easily bought. We have serious problems here folks and lack of democracy is not one of them.

or

Ganji doesn't know that Iran's youth, supposedly the vanguard of progress towards democracy, are more interested in sex, drugs and rock and roll and everything Western than a meaningful change of government.

The most internet savvy twenty-something in the Middle East, according to the TIME magazine, spend almost all of their online hours searching for Britney Spear's pictures, illegal downloads of DVDs and music and indulging the marvel of internet: porn sites. There is nothing wrong with that. That's what a healthy youth of any society should do.
...
So, read the rest
here.

Renovation and new look of Alireza_ab weblog!

I finally decided to transfer my writings to a new template. I believe this new template is more comfortable and easier to follow. There are couple of features here. Like the letter at the bottom of the each post. Now, if anyone wishes to send each post of mine to an e-mail of his/her choice. Now, I have track back link for links which are interrelated.
And of course, the heading of each post is posted to the left column so, you can choose to read what. Now each post has its own dynamic link, too.
So, Alireza has got new hairdresser!!

Arash the Iranian phenomenon

Arash is all over the European music charts and TV.
who is Arash?
Full name: Arash Labaf
Age: 27
Born: Tehran, Iran
Lives: Malmö, Sweden
Family: Mom, Dad and 2 Brothers
Profession: Singer, Producer & Songwriter
Hobbies: Diving, Basketball, Skating,
Collecting Hats and Caps.

why am I fascinated with him. becasue many clothing stores and even Swiss national TV plus MTV show and play his hits in Particular, Boro Boro.

Motivational speech

"Those who best manage change are in the best position for success."

"In the middle of difficulties, lies opportunities."Albert Einstein

Following terrorist act of suicide bombing this is a funny article...

Mr. Siamack Baniamiri is hilarious dude!
He has written a new article which I found quite funny! Before anything I have to say that I condemned any terrorist act.

...That's only fair. I also expect an apology from the bomber for the inconvenience and for sending me to heaven without asking. You never know... I may have plans to go to hell...

read the rest.

Interesting and short

1. First of all have a look at this part of an old Eteleaat news paper.
interesting that people can say things like this...

2. Download one of my favorite song.
it is a song by .Michael Buble.

3. In Zurich currently they are showing Turtles can fly by Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi.

Festival of Ball-room dancing and The Origin of Teddy’s Bear

1. I was yesterday in Zurich. I usually take a train to the main station that is called Hauptbahnhof. When I arrived I noticed there was a stage for musical group plus huge wooden area for people to dance has been erected. I looked around and understood that there is going to be a Ball room dancing (Tango, Swing, Salsa, etc). The occasion: just to celebrate 30 years of long tall Ernie Rock’n’Roll dance club. Actually, I think the whole thing was just an excuse to have fun or as I put it “A group enjoyment and entertainment”.

The program started around 7:30 pm and was supposed to be finished around 2:30 am. I could not stay for the entire program, of course because I was quite tired and second was not fun to be there alone.
It was interesting to see how nice these people gather and dance without boundaries of any kind. Old and young side by side from different colors and races were there and dancing. I received quite lots of pleasure from that. This is what in my opinion promotes culture of tolerance and living in harmony in a community this is in my opinion we are lacking in today Iran. This is what I believe how women and men, in general, learn to interact with one another and have fun, simultaneously.
On the other hand, what do we teach to Iranian children today? I think we teach them issues like: whose girls uniform are shorter or longer than others?! Our president will employ restrict rules on women’s uniform or mingling of the young crowd! Whose girl has talked to this guy who has not! How 1450 centuries ago people were crying and beating themselves because someone holy was murdered!

2. Swiss people think that there are three “great” mysteries: Love, beauty and time. They call it great because it is what makes life meaningful. I think these guys have mastered the tool that uses the last one: watches. Trying to master the other remaining one, I think!

3. Moving on, from these occasions:
As I said Zurich is in Teddy fever this summer. It is quite interesting the way these guys get everyone to work. According to the booklet I found. Following lions, cows and benches in the past years, this summer is teddy summer. I visited Zurich when they had cow all over the town about two years ago.
What I meant by creating job and getting people to participate in their city well-being. According to this booklet, they have invited all the artists around the Zurich municipality to design and make these teddies. Who will pay for it? The businesses that are sponsoring the program and promote their stores or banks by having the artists make one bear out of many at least expressing something about the sponsoring businesses. So, this way many artists and people who are involved with them get to work. Of course, these have incentive for many who take part directly or indirectly.

4. Ok, that was how to create jobs, moving from that topic. This handout, explains how teddy has become the teddy that we know today.
The story explains like that:

More than 100 years ago, on the 14th of November 1902, the 26th President of the U.S.A., Teodore (Teddy) Roosevelt was in the south to settle a border dispute between Louisiana and Mississippi. As he was a passionate huntsman, a bear hunt was organized in his honor but the hunt was unsuccessful as no bears were to be found. The beater managed at last to find a young, injured bear and used line to bind him to a tree, so that the president could shoot him. The president refused to bag his prize in such unsporting manner. A caricaturist named Clifford K. Berryman captured the hunting scene on the paper and provided it with a caption making reference to the territory dispute reading: “Drawing the line in Mississippi”. This caricature appeared in the November 16, 1902 edition of the Washington post. The caricaturist continued to include the little bear in all of his later caricatures of the President, thus making it a symbol for Mr. Roosevelt. Rose and Morris Michtom were among the readers of the newspaper and owned a little shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. inspired by the drawing, they created a little toy bear and placed him in the shop window along with the caricature. At the same time, they wrote to President Roosvelt to request his permission to name the bear “Teddy’s bear” after the President own nickname. The bear was a success and so well marketed that in no time all the small shop grew into the first American Teddy bear factory. The ideal Novelty and Toy Company. Also in 1902 in Germany, Richard Steiff, the nephew of the famous Margarete Steiff developed the first jointed bear. In the following years to bear was mass-produced and before long was also available in Switzerland. That was the beginning of the teddy’s campaign to win the world!
Two pictures of the event:

There is always a good reason!

Last night, I watched another DVD called Capitan Corelli’s Mandoline. This is a move about a orchestra music player (played by Nicolas Cage) who has taken his duty for the war time (second world war) and destiny puts him in small village in Greece. It is a romantic simultaneously tragic movie which has interesting scenes.
The opposite character is played by Penelope Curz. She is daughter of the local medical doctor in the small village who has the beauty and class.
It is interesting that at the beginning of the movie she falls in love with a local boy who does not appreciates her values and acts like not a grown up person. Right at the beginning they promise to get married in later time after war is finsihed. While her father insists that he is not good for her, because she has to get married to a dentist from Denmark!! or a foreigner from up North country. Later The father says that he thinks that his daughter deserves a man who is knowledgeable, appreciates arts and music as well as her that is what he meant!

There is part that the father tries to write a letter to Capitan Corelli’s Mandoline. He writes the following which I found a good part for the screen writer or the original author of the book. I would credit both.
… I am not a religious man but I believe this:
If there is a wound we must to heal it.
If there is some one who is in pain we can cure, we must search till we find them.
If the gods have chosen that we survived, it will be for a reason…

Overall, a good movie to watch and entertainmenting.




More teddies from Zurich.

Soon I will have internet connection

I complained so much that these guys going to connect ADSL access for where I stay!!
So, starting next week Thursday I should have internet access, which makes my like easier!
ok, for the time being these two pictures from Switzerland.


This summer Zurich is known as Teddy city. all over the city in different looks there are of these teddies.


Zurich from above!