Manifestation

Simpsons

2005-11-13T23:38:00.000-05:00

Enjoy!

Thanks to Sima for the link.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Palestinian's organs go to Israel

2005-11-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

"The parents of a Palestinian boy killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank have donated his organs for use in Israel, in the hope of promoting peace"

Clinton Levels Sharp Criticism at the President's Relief Effort - New York Times

2005-09-20T18:42:00.000-04:00

Clinton Levels Sharp Criticism at the President's Relief Effort - New York Times: "Former President Bill Clinton, asked by President Bush to help raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, offered harsh criticism of the administration's disaster-relief effort on Sunday, saying 'you can't have an emergency plan that works if it only affects middle-class people up.'"

It took me about 6 months

2005-09-12T16:44:00.000-04:00

Remember I was talking to you that some times it is just too obvious that I am from Iran? I told you that I want to practice to be less shy about showering in the gym and weren't sure how long it would take me...Well, I finally took a shower in the gym today! I was so proud of myself after the shower as if I've set a new social movement or something. I am sure that I still can't do it with friends around but at least I was comfortable with other people around me.

P.S. Talking about nudity, an elephant sees a naked man and asks:

" Excuse me! Where did you get your nose job done?" :P

[I read the Farsi version here]

Sahara (2005)

2005-09-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

Never watch it!...absolute waste of time and money. A predictible cheesy action movie which at some points I thought is an isnsult to my intelligence...I mean you can lie in an action/adventure movie but even that lie should make some sense...

For every woman...There is man...

2005-09-05T23:42:00.000-04:00

" For each women
tired of being labeled as an "emotional female",

there is a man
who has been denied the right to cry
and be sensitive..."

Thanks to Mahshid for the clip.

Save the Precious Archeological Sites of Pasargad in Iran

2005-09-04T14:29:00.000-04:00

Please sign the petition and let others know about it as well. This is not only Iranians' problem. The history of Persia is part of man kind history. Help us save it.

"We, the undersigned, regretfully have to inform all the inhabitants of our planet earth that one of the greatest parts of the historical heritage of human race is on the verge of permanent extinction. The Islamic Republic of Iran has embarked on the finalizing stages of a dam construction in south of Iran that will ultimately drown the archeological sites of Pasargad and Persepolice, the ancient capital of the Archimedean Empire – a rich and complex site that, since its inception, has been considered by all writers of antiquity as one of the wonders of the ancient world and, thus, a part of the cultural heritage of the human race..."

You should watch it

2005-09-03T00:48:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching the sequence of Before the Sun Rise and Before the Sun Set. I am speechless. Am still in shock of the ending of the second one. Great one of course. You have to watch it. But just make sure that you have the time and the right mood. I saw 10 minutes of the first one while ago on TV while making dinner...Not a good idea. I thought it's the most boring film ever. Tonight I came home late after a long day...Kabeh is out of town...I knew I would be alone with the cats. Made myself a big cup of tea and thought...Well, I don't have anything to do and nothing to watch so I might as well give it a shot. The first movie was so great that I just kept watching...Watch it when you are calm and listen, really listen to the conversations. I enjoyed it a lot. I guess I have to thank Lalunadiosa joon for introducing the movie. Thanks!

Sean Penn in Iran, Day One

2005-08-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

Sean Penn in Iran, Day One

The Onion | Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

2005-08-22T00:25:00.000-04:00

The Onion Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory: "Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, 'God' if you will, is pushing them down,' "

self opinion: religious people scare me. Why do we have to bring "God" into everything?!

The British Museum: Coming soon

2005-08-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

The British Museum: Coming soon

I wish I could go and visit.

Write Like an Egyptian

2005-08-19T00:03:00.000-04:00

Write Like an Egyptian

Men overcompensate when masculinity threatened

2005-08-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

Men overcompensate when masculinity threatened: "'Masculine overcompensation is the idea that men who are insecure about their masculinity will behave in an extremely masculine way as compensation. I wanted to test this idea and also explore whether overcompensation could help explain some attitudes like support for war and animosity to homosexuals,' "

Reuters AlertNet - Iran taking steps to curb cholera, says WHO

2005-08-09T19:31:00.000-04:00

Reuters AlertNet - Iran taking steps to curb cholera, says WHO

2005-07-30T20:02:00.000-04:00

Well, This is a good illustration of me cooking rice and tuna+salad while Pishi(Kabeh's kitty) is shouting for food! I found the picture on the web and added a cat to it...Did my best to draw it like Pishi...With the pink nose and grey and white color combination.

I am spending my Saturday reading the software manual for the third time and still have no idea what I am reading...It's a loss estimation software developed by FEMA for natural hazards including earthquakes .The technical manual talks about how they have come up with the methods...The only earthquake course I took in undergrad was like 5 years ago and of course not in English. Have no idea what these technical terms mean.

Aishwarya Rai

2005-07-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

Aishwarya Rai

I got to know Aishwarya Rai in 1994 when she was crowned as Miss World 1994. After that I didn't hear from her but always remembered her beauty. Then I came to U.S. and a friend from Nepal was searching for her pictures...The other day even my uncle(who is about 40 living in CA) was talking about her. I read about her in Cannes film festival and read news that she's started working with western film industry...Last night I did an extensive google search about her...The more I read the more I got interested. She has an original beauty that is not affected by Hollywood's blond cliche and seems like a smart woman. She has been in 60 minute and Oprah shows and has turned down a role in Troy. I think we will hear more from her in the near future.

What Your Name Means (Numerology)

2005-07-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

What Your Name Means (Numerology)

check this out! I spelled my name Pantea but it didn't really match. Then I spelled it Panthea(This is the correct way which I didn't know when I was coming to the U.S.) I think it makes sense...After all, my parents gave me a Farsi name and I can try different English spellings. Right?:)

Try yours and others'. It's fun!

Past Life Analysis

2005-07-09T21:36:00.000-04:00

Past Life Analysis

This is what I got:

Your past life diagnosis:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.
You were born somewhere in the territory of modern West Australia around the year 1150.
Your profession was that of a teacher, mathematician or geologist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Inquisitive, inventive, you liked to get to the very bottom of things and to rummage in books. Talent for drama, natural born actor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
There is an invisible connection between the material and the spiritual world. Your lesson is to search, find and use this magical bridge.

Pizza Hut

2005-07-09T19:05:00.000-04:00

They say one has to see 50 people per day to fulfill one's socializing need. This includes the people you see in the street, when you buy coffee, at work etc.

Today is Saturday. I didn't work on Thursday or Friday so I woke up this morning telling myself:"Today is a working day!" . Moreover, the sister, the boyfriend and sister's boyfriend are all out of town which means I will see nobody unless I plan for it but I didn't plan anything cause I want to work....The only problem? I don't think seeing only 1.5 cats all day will fill the socializing gap...I ordered pizza just to add one more person to the inventory. There is still a long way to 50...Do blogs count as people?

Public Private

2005-07-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

Again, I am worried about my Farsi blog's privacy. I know that calling a blog private has some paradox in itself...But what I mean is that I really don't want my second cousin, my mom's staff, and some random family friends read this blog. I only gave my blog's address to two of my best friends....The thing is that my beloved sister's blog is known to the whole world! I understand that it is her choice. I respect that. But I haven't told anybody about it and I hate it when people whom I know talk to me about the things I write in my blog...(given that I haven't told them about it)

Two solutions came to my mind, well actually three:
1. Close the Farsi blog all together and open a new one anonymously.
2. Open a new Farsi blog but keep this one too.
3. Write most of the controversial parts in the English blog. I am sure most people don't bother to read the English blog.

There is always another solution too...Don't write controversial at all! But knowing myself that's not an option...I mean the culture is pretty conservative in certain subjects that almost anything that I say is controversial...

Human Rights Watch: Middle East and Northern Africa : Iran

2005-07-04T13:12:00.000-04:00

Human Rights Watch: Middle East and Northern Africa : Iran

Thought you might be interested. Most of these I already knew. You might want to look up to your own country's record.

The One Campaign

2005-07-03T00:51:00.000-04:00

The One Campaign

Once Upon a Time ...: Loneliness...

2005-06-30T23:58:00.000-04:00

Once Upon a Time ...: Loneliness...

I left three long comments on this post. The feeling of loneliness is very common among the immigrants that I know. Most of you who read here are immigrants like her. I thought you might also want to share your experience with her. For those of you who are not immigrants but hang out with us, your opinion is of great value. What do you think keeps us distant and hard to socialize with? What would help to make the whole process more pleasant for everyone?

P.S. If you want to read my comments. Start from the third one, then first and second. For some reason I can't edit my comment so I had to delete the first part and add it again!

2005-06-27T07:07:00.000-04:00

These days, the weather is so warm and humid that if I am not in my office with the air conditioner on, I can not do anything productive until the sun goes down...Well, if you don't count eating and sleeping as a productive task. Consequently, I didn't sleep last night to check about 86000 constraints in my code, almost one by one, to find where I have made the mistake...I give you one guess about where the main mistake was...Yup! The last constraint! Don't worry, I am happy. This bug was so on my nerves that I almost started singing about 6 in the morning when I finally found it after 3 weeks. Now I am doing the pleasant task of plotting illustrative graphs for my nice and sensible results to show to my advisor today...

BrUnO BoZzEttO - Freedom

2005-06-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

BrUnO BoZzEttO - Freedom

Thanks to Haleh for the link.

Two Iranian reformist newspapers banned - Yahoo! News

2005-06-20T11:21:00.000-04:00

Two Iranian reformist newspapers banned - Yahoo! News

Iran Elections on Yahoo! News Photos

2005-06-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

Iran Elections on Yahoo! News Photos

Iranians Vote After a Campaign of Violence and Moderation - New York Times

2005-06-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

Iranians Vote After a Campaign of Violence and Moderation - New York Times

Bruno Bozzetto - Female&Male

2005-06-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

Bruno Bozzetto - Female&Male

Thanks to koozeh for the link!

Hundreds of Women Protest Sex Discrimination in Iran - New York Times

2005-06-13T00:11:00.000-04:00

Hundreds of Women Protest Sex Discrimination in Iran - New York Times

Laleh Seddigh | ShotsDaily.com

2005-06-11T18:45:00.000-04:00

Laleh Seddigh | ShotsDaily.com

At a Soccer Match, Women Kick Iran's Ban to the Curb

2005-06-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

At a Soccer Match, Women Kick Iran's Ban to the Curb

This is a big deal. believe me. I almost felt tear in my eyes when I saw their pictures here and here. Winning the World Cup entery is great but I think the greatest victory is for these 30 women who bravely stood for their right and got it. These push the dogmatism in the society back and that is priceless. I so proud of them.

tsul trim

2005-06-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

Check this out!

2005-06-02T16:44:00.000-04:00

BOOORRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGG!!!! SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW....

am I ever gonna graduate?

Piled Higher and Deeper

2005-05-31T13:18:00.000-04:00

The story of my meetings...

2005-05-20T13:07:00.000-04:00

There is only one way that I can live for 10 days with only 60 dollars...Quit eating outside and stick to eating cauliflower and egg at home. So if I am not present at school until the next pay check you shouldn't be surprised.

2005-05-17T16:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I used to be in an office with 4 more girls. We had a lot of fun talking and spending time together. But then I decided that I would be more productive(research wise of course!) in an office with cubicles...So I changed my office to this new one which I share with 3 other guys. I have been more productive indeed but there has been one side effect to this relocation. Nobody pays any attention to my appearance what so ever! I mean 2 of them are Chinese guys and both married(could it get any worse?) and the third one is my sister's boyfriend. Before, if I had entered my office without wearing a lipstick everyone would have noticed and definitely asked about it, same for non matching clothes, bad hair day, etc....Now I think I have to be head less for them to notice...Sigh..I think nothing is perfect after all.

Cat Cheap Tree

2005-05-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

Cat Cheap Tree

Juge will be one year old on June 8th. What do you think of this tree as his first birthday present? I know it's pricy but I am sure he would love it. It would have been great if they sold some self-assemble trees but I could find non so far. If you found cheaper deals please please let me know.

Blue Shadow: My Turn

2005-05-01T01:12:00.000-04:00

Blue Shadow: My Turn

She is so right. It's just a tiny detail. But it takes a lot of effort, self analyze/understanding and courage. Everyday, every second of life could be a step to master this art only if you believe that it is indeed possible to *make* everything right...As hard as it some times seems. You just have to practice to have the right attitude.

Happy Dance Day!

2005-04-29T15:29:00.000-04:00

Today is the International Dance Day. I am celebrating it by watching the annual belly dancing performance at Cornell. I watched the performance the first year I was here and loved it. I think this a day to celebrate. As it says in this text:

"Dance is the original most ancient form of human expression. Through the body and physical language, dance has a powerful connection with the emotional and spiritual worlds. In traditional Aboriginal culture, dance is the core, like a kind of sacred medicine. Dance is grounded, connected to the spirit of Mother Earth."

so whether you are a professional dancer, or a regular person who enjoys dancing or somebody who just enjoys watching it as a form art, got out there and celebrate it today as people have been celebrating it through out the world this week, the international dance week, April 22-May1.

2005-04-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

Right click here and save the target and listen! I sort of stole it from Babak. But I think it's worth the reputation. I really like the song. Thanks Babak:)

Enjoy!

That Don't Impress Me Much!
From: Shania Twain

CNN.com - U.S. soldier sentenced to death - Apr 28, 2005

2005-04-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - U.S. soldier sentenced to death - Apr 28, 2005

washingtonpost.com: The Middle East - Making Space for Democracy

2005-04-28T23:08:00.000-04:00

washingtonpost.com: The Middle East - Making Space for Democracy

Mo's corner: Good news indeed!

2005-04-28T17:07:00.000-04:00

Mo's corner: Good news indeed!

2005-04-28T12:01:00.000-04:00

I have four fixed facilities and 22 sales regions. The problem is to assign these regions to one and only one facility in a way that minimizes total cost(cost of buiding those facilities+transport cost) You can make the facilities as big as you want...How can this optimization be infeasible or unbounded?! I just don't get it!

--------------------------------------------
3:28pm

Could you shoot me please?
I have been working all day getting an error "the problem is unbounded" just because I had written vector Y like Y[1..dcs] instead of Y[dcs](one Y per dcs)...I mean who designs these nonsense errors for God's sake?

CNN.com - Last Syrian troops leave Lebanon - Apr 26, 2005

2005-04-26T12:14:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Last Syrian troops leave Lebanon - Apr 26, 2005

Constructive Creativity: A Little Boy Who Touched My Heart

2005-04-24T21:27:00.000-04:00

Constructive Creativity: A Little Boy Who Touched My Heart

2005-04-24T16:08:00.000-04:00

I justordered my iPod Shuffle, 1GB. Chose it over the rest mainly because of its size. I know that if it is even as heavy as iPod mini I will get tired of carrying it around and won't use it in the gym(which is the main purpose). Bad thing that it doesn't have FM tuner like other flash players. But knowing myself, I knew that I need something to hang on my neck (is this the correct way to say it?) and forget about it(I will loose it otherwise) and none of the other mp3 players out there had this feature. They all come with arm bands. I usually make a playlist in my computer and play it randomly so thought that not having an interface is not a big deal. It will serve the purpose I bought it for. will keep you posted about my evaluation once I get it.

Something to think about

2005-04-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

O.K. I wasn't successful in communicating my thoughts and it seemed that I am desperate to start a family no matter what! That is not true and in fact it was not the point. Sorry to confuse you.

Here is what I want you to see: In Iran, father is the legal guardian of children. By constitution, children can only get father's last name when they are born. There is this thing in Islam that says that if you kill some one and the owner of that blood forgives you then you can only pay the fine for that murder(which is different for men and women) and be free.(it is basically a way Islam has to reduce the death penalty cases). In Iran, the father is the legal owner of children's blood. So what happens if a child is murdered by his father? He can easily pay the money and forgive himself...Believe me, it is happening. If the father dies, his father would be the guardian and if he is already dead the mother's father. If parents get divorced, then mother can legally keep the children only up to her daughter's seven B-day and her son's 5th B-day unless she can prove in court that father has some serious problems like drug addiction. As I said, nationality in Iran is only through fathers so if any Iranian woman marries another country's citizen then their children can not be Iranian. As a consequence, when the woman dies, if she has any properties, her foreign husband can not get any thing of that. I am not sure about the children. In Iran, the mother can NOT open a checking account for her children. I think a single woman, no matter how successful, can not adopt a child...And the story goes on...

So, you see that a fatherless child, the one who is born through artificial insemination can change a lot of these equations. There is no father and on the other hand law doesn't seem to favor mothers as a legal guardian of children. Regardless the fact that I want to do this or not, the problem to think about is that a lot of these laws were created when there weren't so many woman immigrants and not many women had the economical independence inside Iran which is needed to raise a child by themselves. So as cruel as these laws are, they were written down with out creating a lot of objection from women's side. But now it is different.

The more women advance in the other parts of society, the less you can tell them that you are not capable of raising a child on your own. A child that is created by artificial insemination is not adopted, and is not another man's child. It might be the only way that a woman can legally keep her child. I wandered if they have banned some how or they have not thought of it yet simply because not so many women have thought of doing it...

The concept of legitimacy of the child is important in Iran. People talk. I don't know how they would react to a child born through artificial insemination but it might be better. I don't know.

My illegitimate child

2005-04-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I have only one reason to not have a baby out side an official marriage...I don't want the poor child to be called "illegitimate". I mean maybe he/she turns out to be religious(God forbidden) and actually cares about these B.S. like premarital sex. After all, it is his life not mine so I can not decide on his behalf ... Better be safe. But since it's Friday night and I decided to work because I will be partying tomorrow night I am having these thoughts about my future..Here is the dilemma:

If everything goes as it's planned, I will graduate and get a job either in Europe(preferably Spain) or some where in south America or maybe in Dubai. I will work, be an independent attractive woman, will date bunch of random guys, will get bored of them soon and will not be married soon...Now I want to have a baby. The question is, if I get the seed from, you know, these banks that they have, and plant it inside me would it still be considered "illegitimate"? I mean, all this crap was invented when the technology was not this advanced. It's some serious problem. You see...You haven't had sex so you haven't made a sin...But your child "doesn't know his father"...

There are some legal details too. In Iran, the nationality only goes through the father. That is, if I marry a non-Iranian guy my children can not be Iranians...So what would be the nationality of this baby? He can not be Iranian because they say he has to get his father's and well, I don't really know where the father was from. Right?

P.S. I feel stupid that I actually care or to be honest fear what people would say if I have a child with out getting married. But I am honest. I do care as stupid as it is. "what would people say"...

My phobia 2

2005-04-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I think I have to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments about my post regarding Iranian/Middle Eastern phobia.

I would like to clarify that I totally agree with those of you who mentioned that it is a cultural issue which involves both men and women of my society. I understand that the problem can not be blamed on either of the parties alone since the whole issue is about the interaction between these two and thus both must be responsible for its goods and bads. However, I didn't mean to blame anyone or say that all men actually *are* like the way I described. I mentioned that I have these assumptions about them in advance. I know they can't be true about all of them. But my fear from their behavior and way of thinking is based on what I have experienced/observed through out my adult life and if one is wise he or she will put one's past experience into account for the future incidents.

Some of you mentioned that most of Iranian women are problematic too. I agree. But I am not any Iranian woman and what I said was about me. I don't want to be forced to act conservatively when I don't believe in it. I don't say that I am as liberal as I like to be but I have worked hard to be what I am and see no reason to put it away so that some random Iranian guy thinks that I am a *respectable* and *good* girl and have good reputation!(I am still not over that comment about Arab men and bad reputation)...Now, talking about others' thoughts we come to the third subject that you told me...Being myself:

To be honest I am raised in a culture that "what would people say?" is a big part of the culture. It motivates or prevents *a lot* of people's do's and dont's...So I am sure that despite all my efforts I still have plenty of these thoughts in me. Being yourself is much easier said than actually done...First you have to know what you want(which I believe is not easy) and then you have to stand for it. For me, I thought that I am over this-be yourself in the relationship-dilemma. But after I read your comments, I thought about it again and concluded that I am not. I found a lot of little examples that I have put people's thoughts prior to my values. They were not essentials so one might think that it's not important but I think in a way they are important because these are the details of everyday life. I will do my best to change it but I am sure it will take time and effort...

The last point, I know I am biased. I know it. I think my defensive position towards Iranian men is a valid one as their attitude generally moves along with my assumptions but as one of you said, it's not like men from other regions are not like that. I personally came to the conclusion while ago, that the only way to be unbiased is to see more men..You know, go out, hang out, date...So I have a bigger sample...Better data and then I can see the man not his nationality.

2005-04-14T17:50:00.000-04:00

LIFE!

Iranian/Middle Eastern Male phobia

2005-04-13T23:06:00.000-04:00

I am facing this phobia of mine for a while now. I have a very severe phobia about men who are raised in Middle East region including Iran of course. I just can't trust them. When I see a guy from that region, a series of assumption about them comes to my mind just like one of these pop up windows you see: that they are not comfortable with issues regarding sexuality, they don't, in their heart, believe in the equality of men and women, they might have sex with you but they are not open minded about it...In general they have learned how to pretend(even to the degree that will deceive themselves) that they are pro-women rights and open minded people but they are not and this can be easily be verified by a relatively smart person who is sort of familiar with the culture and last but not least they behave so territorial as if any female friend in their vicinity is part of the territory and is only allowed to hangout with the limited collection of the guys who are in the gang!

The result? I have developed this very subjective intelligence about them which rules out most of them at the first ten minutes of talk. For that small percentage that I am not sure about, I will be very very alert about what I do. If the guy is not interested in me, I will make sure to talk a lot about women issues and politics and that sort of stuff to see his reactions and in the mean time not to let him know of one single detail of my private life except the parts you can find in google. This later point is very important because if he is not open minded then he can be a very dangerous person to your reputation.
If he is interested, then I have to go through a series of traditional steps that I don't believe in, simply because I am afraid that I might find out later that he is not as open minded as I thought! You have to keep the distance, be relatively formal, and of course forget about sex for at least the first few months if you are thinking about a long term thing( I can't even imagine to have a short term thing with one of them!)...Not that I really believe in doing these but if I don't want to eliminate the option of dating Iranian guys I better be safe than sad. That's my policy. I know it's not the most aggressive one but works for me.

blogher

2005-04-13T19:24:00.000-04:00

blogher

BBC - Science & Nature - Leonardo - Thinker quiz results

2005-04-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

BBC - Science & Nature - Leonardo - Thinker quiz results

Based on this, I am an intrapersonal thinker which I think is correct.

2005-04-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

I have such a bad hangover today. We drank until 1am last night to celebrate a good friend Ph.D. defense starting from 6pm...I really didn't sleep last night cause I was having a headache all night...woke up at 7am, took a shower and came to school at 8:30am...But I just can't concentrate. To make everything even worse, I can't find my Cornell card(student ID card) again! I lost it for the third time last week and now I can't find the new one again! they charge me $25 every time.

BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Mind - What Am I Like?

2005-04-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Mind - What Am I Like?

CNN.com - Secret Service protects expectant duck - Apr 8, 2005

2005-04-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Secret Service protects expectant duck - Apr 8, 2005

BBC NEWS | Business | Profile: Mikhail Khodorkovsky

2005-04-11T22:47:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Business | Profile: Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Gay Rights Activist Protest in the Royal Wedding | ShotsDaily.com

2005-04-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

Gay Rights Activist Protest in the Royal Wedding | ShotsDaily.com

Well, I totally agree with gay marriage and all that stuff and I don't really care if Charles wants to marry a million times...But here is my question: Why on earth are gay guys so handsome?! I mean who stands for us, straight women? To whom should we complain?!

Paz Vega

2005-04-09T14:02:00.000-04:00

Paz Vega

I watched Lucía y el sexo (Lucia and sex)last night. she is so pretty. The movie was O.K. but she is very charming. I will see Spanglish soon.

2005-04-08T16:13:00.000-04:00

I am in Carriage House again. Juge wakes me up 6 in the morning…it’s barely day at that time. I think the only animals that are awake are crows whom I can hear very loudly…so what happens is that I get frustrated and end up being in bed even more…I am perfectly O.K. with waking up at 7am since I have started sleeping by midnight but 6 is really early! Sigh…any suggestions?

I was reading a book that was talking about positive thinking and came across the definition of self confidence. It was saying that self confidence is nothing but unconditional self respect. When one doesn’t trust and respect oneself s/he would blame and degrade her/himself. But if you can respect yourself despite your mistakes then you have self confidence. I found it the best definition of self confidence I’ve heard. What do you think?

Yahoo! News - Israeli President Shook Hands with Assad, Khatami

2005-04-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! News - Israeli President Shook Hands with Assad, Khatami

Human Rights Watch: Africa : Crisis in Darfur

2005-04-05T19:06:00.000-04:00

Human Rights Watch: Africa : Crisis in Darfur

2005-04-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

It's always good to find new places to hang out. Today I am in a new coffee shop. It's called Carriage House Cafe. It's got several interesting features: There is a big piano right in the middle of the room. The decoration is a mix of wood and stone combined with cute little antique looking stuff here and there.Big windows, friendly staff, good Latte (served with a little cookie) , free internet access, and a nice, low music so you can actually concentrate on work...Plus a totally different crowd comes here so I get to see new people. Moreover, they have live international music every week (They actually have a little stage for that)...if you are in Ithaca you should check it out!

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

2005-04-03T18:29:00.000-04:00

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

I just saw it...strongly recommend it. I had no idea that Jim Carry can actually act this good instead of just making random "funny" faces. Very pleasant surprise I shall say...and Kate Winslet, she was good too! very good in fact.

2005-03-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

I am confessing...I am defeated. Juge won. I adopted his schedule. For the longest time there was a battle in my place every single morning from around 6:30am to 9:30am. I wanted to sleep until 8am...Juge wakes up with sun rise...The more I resist, the more Juge persists by LOUDLY meowing right by my bed and pushing her wet nose against my face...The result was that every morning I ended up being in bed more than planned hours because I was not satisfied with my sleep...Well, I passed out last night at 9:30pm on the sofa and could finally wake up the first time Juge called me without feeling like I want to pin him on the wall for waking up so early...Sigh...This was the last battle for Juge to train his human perfectly as he wants.

G A P M I N D E R: VIEW WORLD INCOME DISTRIBUTION 2003

2005-03-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

G A P M I N D E R: VIEW WORLD INCOME DISTRIBUTION 2003

2005-03-25T17:59:00.000-05:00

I am getting crazy. My younger sister(21) is visiting from Iran. She has her TOEFL exam tomorrow so I really didn't want to disturb her regular routine the past week while she was studying...Now my house looks like Hiroshima after the nuclear bomb and she listens to music 24/7. I escaped from home to my office to have some silent time...My Chinese office mate is talking to her wife in Chinese while listening to music. I have nothing against any of these individually but I just need a moment for myself...In silence!

2005-03-23T11:37:00.000-05:00

Some times it's just too obvious that I'm from Iran. The other day I went to gym. After an hour of cardio I came to locker room to change. There were a few middle age ladies who seemed to be Cornell's staff and co-workers. They seemed to have a nice conversation about event that was going to happen and were talking about how cold the weather was last year and stuff like that...It was all fine with me except one small detail...Almost all of them were totally naked. I mean it was completely sensible because they just took shower after workout and were changing for work. I didn't have any problem with the idea but I couldn't imagine being naked in front of my colleagues and being the serious co-worker the next hour.
I am raised in a very serious culture. At work, people call each other only by last name. Even if they have been working for years you never call your colleague's first name at the work environment. It's not polite. Being shy, especially for girls, is a relatively good characteristic and people are by no means comfortable changing clothes in front of each other let alone taking shower and being totally naked. I used to live in dorm for four years and the most me and my close friends did in front of each other was to change our jeans to pajamas. It's just a totally different culture.
Anyway, I think it's good to be comfortable with one's body and not being so preoccupied with minor details such as being shy about showing your naked body in the gym shower. I want to practice to be more comfortable but I am not sure how long it will take me to be really comfortable.

Judge Refuses to Intervene in Schiavo Case (washingtonpost.com)

2005-03-22T13:18:00.000-05:00

Judge Refuses to Intervene in Schiavo Case (washingtonpost.com)

I thought about this case for a while and couldn't decide. It is not the first time I've encountered this argument and can't still think which way is better...Let the patient die or hook her to life with every possible way hoping that a medical miracle will happen soon. In her special case I thought that 15 years of vegetable life is enough. And I honestly don't blame her husband for moving on with his life and loving another person.

New year

2005-03-19T23:37:00.000-05:00

For those of us who are from Iran, Sunday morning at 7:30am ET(in couple of hours in fact!) is the beginning of the New Year. For the rest of us, it is the official start of spring (assuming you are in the north hemisphere!). I thought I would write a huge wish list for the New Year but then I thought I want all these to be happy, so here is my mega wish...I want a happy year. That's what I really want. I want a year that when in 365 days I look back I would say to myself:" I was happy, I actually enjoyed this year of life" Happy new year and happy spring to everyone, specially those of us living in places like Ithaca I have a good news: you survived one more winter!:)

Getty Images Editorial - Image Results

2005-03-14T01:02:00.000-05:00

Shermine Shahrivar

She was born in Iran and left the country with his famiy to Germany when she was 1 year old. She baceme miss Germany last year and Miss Europe this year in France. I look at her and feel proud of the good gene pool that has made such beauty possible!

Pierre Omidyar

2005-03-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

Pierre Omidyar

2005-03-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream
not only plan, but also believe...

It's not a joke!

2005-03-09T18:44:00.000-05:00

Women...

What does 8th of March mean in Iran?

2005-03-08T00:24:00.000-05:00

What does 8th of March mean in Iran?

Well, I don't totally agree with his point of view especially when he talks about "a strong international effort in the defense of women's rights " in a sense that I think this was the least of the reasons for these wars. Moreover, I don't necessarily agree that the fact that feminism is not popular among Iranians is totally because of their lack of understanding of this movement but partially because of how some feminists choose to communicate their message which in fact is a very anti-men language.
mentioning above, I think it is worth reading. enjoy!

Saudis Call for Syria Withdrawal From Lebanon (washingtonpost.com)

2005-03-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

Saudis Call for Syria Withdrawal From Lebanon (washingtonpost.com): "Assad, in interviews with international media, has given varying estimates for the timing of a withdrawal, from less than two months to at least a year or not until Mideast peace is achieved. "

Well, if we are talking about peace in Middle East it seems that's the best way not to reach it. Israel and U.S. blame everything on Syria and Syria waits for them to achieve peace...talking about waste of time.

Int'l Women's Day | History

2005-03-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Int'l Women's Day History

Thanks to Asemoon for the link.

2005-02-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

Is it just me who finds this recent intensive focus on Syria odd? I even read in news that Israel attributed a suicide bombing to Syria couple of days ago...oh and by the way, what happened to Bin laden and Saddam?Maybe it's time for Bin laden to start getting nominated for some director/actor award thing. Even Bush won something. When is Saddam's trial? How is it gonna be held? Where is he now?

Do I need to mention that I am worried that United States might attack Iran? I mean a couple of months before attacking Iraq everyone believed that it is just not possible. I am just afraid.

I have found a new hobby. I go to Aljazeera news press Arabic section and try to understand the news. Its fun. Keeps me motivated.

How are Iranians and Greeks portrayed in the Alexander movie?

2005-02-27T21:56:00.000-05:00

How are Iranians and Greeks portrayed in the Alexander movie?

Iranian Studies Group at MIT_Survey

2005-02-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

New Page 1: "Please fill out this survey if you consider yourself of Iranian ancestry, are 18 or older and you consider the U.S. your primary residence. The target of this survey are those individuals who consider the United States their primary home at this time, including U.S. citizens, permanent residents and those living in the United States in the process of potentially becoming immigrants (students and skilled workers)."

explanation: This is not a political group. If you are in their target group please take time to participate and help them to have a good sample by spreading the word. Thanks!

Free Iranian journalist and blogger Arash Sigarchi Petition

2005-02-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

Free Iranian journalist and blogger Arash Sigarchi Petition

2005-02-23T20:04:00.000-05:00

No matter how disastrous the whole world goes I would care the most about my own little problems. I think that's the nature of human being and one of the many secrets of our survival among all those gigantic cool creatures.
But one specification that I think will help us extinct some time soon is that we rarely appreciate what we've already achieved. I mean competition is good but if you constantly think of what you have to do and not look at the road that you have walked so far...well, first you won't enjoy life and also there is high probability of getting a heart attack. You will get old before you know it and you have never enjoyed your moments. That is not good and you will certainly regret it.
Anyway, I am telling all this to myself because I started to stress out. I am setting up my resume and trying to get to know people in the World Bank to get a summer internship there, do my research, loose weight, do some volunteer jobs, learn Arabic and keep my sanity by minimum socializing needed to remind me that I am alive not a robot!

BBC NEWS | Technology | The price paid for blogging Iran

2005-02-23T12:47:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS Technology The price paid for blogging Iran

Arash was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He is 26 now. Same age as me.

washingtonpost.com: Faces of the Fallen

2005-02-23T00:35:00.000-05:00

washingtonpost.com: Faces of the Fallen

President Bush Speaks with E.U. Leaders ,Video and Audio from washingtonpost.com

2005-02-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

President Bush Speaks with E.U. Leaders ,Video and Audio from washingtonpost.com

Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Iran (washingtonpost.com)

2005-02-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Iran (washingtonpost.com)

BBC NEWS | Technology | Global blogger action day called

2005-02-21T23:40:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Global blogger action day called

washingtonpost.com - Camera Works news photo galleries and video with daily photos

2005-02-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

washingtonpost.com - Camera Works news photo galleries and video with daily photos

2005-02-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

Sigh...As cliche as it might sound, I am sick of being over weight. It makes me ugly and it makes life hard. I hate it. I want to loose weight and I will. This is a promise. In what method? Well I really can't stand hunger so that's out. I like going to gym and being physically active so that would be the main tool+ cutting on chocolate, cake and sweets. Oh, and try to have good nutritious food for all meals so that I won't end up eating junk food. I am serious this time. I have lost 8 pounds so far(since the first time I decided it's just too much, I think it was summer) and I want to loose the rest too. I was 146 then. I want to be 116. I have already done like 25 percent of the job.

Thanks Billy!

2005-02-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

Has anyone tried to code in ILOG OPL Studio before? I have just started and I am stuck at the point that I want to introduce a piecewise linear cost function to my optimization problem. It is has the really cool option that you just give the slopes and the breakpoints of the function directly to your problem rather than going through the hassle of transferring it to an LP or MIP yourself. It is really cool, believe me...We had to read a paper to figure out what to do and now it does it all(given that I can find the error in my code of course!)

And I absolutely looove this remote access connection option in Windows. I have the OPL Studio at my office and now I can work at home as long as I want without worrying about getting hungry or uncomfortable dress or cold office. That I call convenience!

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iran and Syria confront US with defence pact

2005-02-17T00:37:00.000-05:00

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iran and Syria confront US with defence pact

Hariri Funeral Becomes Anti-Syrian Rally ,Video and Audio from washingtonpost.com

2005-02-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

Hariri Funeral Becomes Anti-Syrian Rally ,Video and Audio from washingtonpost.com

CNN.com - Blast reported in southern Iran - Feb 16, 2005

2005-02-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - Blast reported in southern Iran - Feb 16, 2005

Howstuffworks "How Love Works"

2005-02-15T23:52:00.000-05:00

Howstuffworks "How Love Works"

Thanks to Babak for the link.

Some times I feel ashamed of being from Iran

2005-02-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

Baghdad Burning: "�Please dress appropriately next time you come here.� The man said to me. I looked down at what I was wearing- black pants, a beige high-necked sweater and a knee-length black coat. Huh? I blushed furiously. He meant my head should be covered and I should be wearing a skirt. I don�t like being told what to wear and what not to wear by strange men. �I don�t work here- I don�t have to follow a dress code.� I answered coldly"

I feel like I have to apologize to all Iraqi women who are experiencing such requests. River Bend, believe me...We have done a lot to fight these ideas. I am sorry we were not fast enough so we could get rid of them before the American occupation. You know that Iranian women are the majority in universities right now. They are having feminist movements and they are trying to push the limits and red lines that are now part of the culture and are strongly approved by religion. We are doing all we can. I am sorry that my regime owes its existence to making trouble for its neighbors. The generation who did the revolution believed in good causes but it twisted in the wrong direction mostly because people really believed in religion...I think all Muslim nations have to go through this phase so that we can be truly secular nations and don't be afraid of criticizing religion. Once I talked to a guy from Egypt and he thought that having an Islamic regime is the best thing that can happen to them. Now you know what an stupid idea it is. I am sorry because you will probably go through the same experience that Iranian women started 25 years ago. I hope yours lasts shorter.

I should congratulate Mr. Bush for this mess. Instead of a liberal country now we are having our copy paste of Islamic Republic of Iran. I hate not being able to do anything about them creating another Islamic regime in Iraq. That region is racing backwards to dark ages. Thanks to oil, thanks to arrogance, thanks to us not being heard by American public. The media is too loud in here. Today in a bus an old lady, after me telling that I am from Iran, told me that she is very glad to see someone from Iran who is actually a lovely human being..."You know with what we all hear about Iran"...I have never felt so helpless.

Happy Valentine!

2005-02-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

I know it's late but Happy Valentine my friends:)

Iraq Winners Allied With Iran Are the Opposite of U.S. Vision (washingtonpost.com)

2005-02-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

Iraq Winners Allied With Iran Are the Opposite of U.S. Vision (washingtonpost.com)

Sony Pictures - Hitch

2005-02-13T13:35:00.000-05:00

Sony Pictures - Hitch

It was hilarious! You should watch it. It is way funnier than Meet the fockers. I laughed all the time. Very good movie for a weekend.