Views and News

Germany remains Iran’s main trade partner

Kourosh Ziabari — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:31:16 +0000

TEHRAN, Jan. 3 (Mehr News Agency) – The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) released a report in which the UAE was cited as Iran’s major trade partner in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (began March 20, 2008).

Iran’s exports to the UAE in the nine-month period amounts to 25.10% of Iran’s total trade, and imports from this major trade partner in the Persian Gulf totals 12.82% of its trade, up 6.10% and 40.94% respectively from last year’s corresponding period.

The UAE exports’ volume exceeded 8 million tons valued at $10.7 million where as Iran’s exports to UAE amounts to over 3 million tons, valued at $1.8 million, the Mehr News Agency quoted from the report.

Germany’s imports to Iran with 9.76% of the total amount of imports ranks the second, but stands the 19th with 1.58% in terms of exports. According to the report, China is the third trade partner of Iran in the nine-month period.

Germany, Switzerland, Britain, France, and Italy are among the top ten states in terms of imports from Iran. But Belgium is the only European state among the first ten exporters to Iran.

Iran’s exports to South Korea, Taiwan, Netherlands, Ecuador, and Malaysia had a dramatic rise, where as exports to Japan, Italy, Syria, Germany, Pakistan, Spain, Kuwait, Oman, and Hong Kong had a decrease.

Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, Malaysia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Denmark decreased their exports to Iran in the said period.

Persepolis; The Magnificence of Asian History

Kourosh Ziabari — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:33:23 +0000

Daves Travel Corner - Kourosh Ziabari: There are currently nine world heritage sites registered to UNESCO from Iran: Persepolis is the first of them all.

Persepolis is the main symbol of Persian culture and civilization for Iranians around the globe and is reckoned a source of honor for young people in modern day Iran.

The architectural traits of this ceremonial palace make it a unique site in the country — and the world — and an attraction for thousands of tourists who travel to the country just to visit Persepolis.

The palace is known to modern Iranians as “Takht-e-Jamshid” or the throne of Jamshid. Jamshid is a mythological king of Persian Empire who has been described in great detail by Ferdowsi in “Shahnameh,” the most esteemed epic poem in Persian literature.

Many historians attribute this ceremonial capital to the Achaemenidan dynasty, which goes back to about 2,500 years.

According to Andre Godard, the French archaeologist who excavated Persepolis during the early 1930s, this site was constructed under Darius the Great, but Cyrus the Great chose it as the capital of his kingdom.

The Persepolis complex consists of various parts and halls, the most predominant of which are the gate of all nations, Apadana palace and the throne hall.

The Persepolis was attacked by the army forces of Alexander the Macedonian in the year 330 BC which caused irrecoverable damage to the buildings and destroyed the major sections and halls of it.

A fire at Xerex palace after the Alexander troops left Iran was yet another disaster for that former glorious site, which led to the destruction of more than 40 percent of Persepolis.

In any case, the invasion of Persia by Alexander and his awesome military was an unforgettable nightmare for the Sasanid dynasty.

Describing Persepolis in words is difficult. The remaining ruins mainly consist of a number of colossal buildings on the terrace made of dark-grey marble; there are 20 standing pillars and 40 escalated minarets.

These painful ruins — which remind us of 2,500 years of turbulent periods, monarchies and kings — are transfiguring by a sense of splendor and grief, something which you cannot really feel except by experiencing the site in person.

Persepolis, which was named a heritage site by UNESCO in 1979 — right after the Islamic revolution of Iran — hosts more than 500,000 visitors annually, most of them from Western Europe and the US.

Casillas and Nadal condemn Israel’s massacre

Kourosh Ziabari — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:29:16 +0000

Press TV: Spanish athletes Iker Casillas and Rafael Nadal have both condemned Israeli atrocities against civilian Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas announced Wednesday that he would not attend New Year ceremonies in the central square of Madrid to show his great sadness over Israel’s violent crimes.
“You will find it impossible to join people and laugh after you see what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” 28-year-old Casillas said in an interview with the Fars News Agency.
The heavy assault on Gaza was also denounced by the Spanish professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal, on the same day.

“I keep telling myself it is against humanity if you don’t help children in the Gaza Strip,” Nadal, 23, said.
Israel has launched aerial attacks on Gaza starting from Saturday, killing at least 400 and wounding more than 1,925 people.
Meanwhile Israel has deployed tanks and troops along the border with the impoverished strip, raising speculation that a ground incursion into Gaza is on the way.

Worldwide movement condemns genocide in Gaza

Kourosh Ziabari — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:56:10 +0000

Bulletin: Next U.S. protests: Jan 3 in New York and Boston

Dec. 31—The genocidal U.S.-backed Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip has had at least one unintended consequence. It has mobilized the anti-imperialist movement and other anti-war forces around the world.

New York City, Dec. 28, WW photo: John Catalinotto

The Washington-Tel-Aviv axis might not yet see this as an obstacle to their war crimes. But it is a work in progress, coming as the workers’ movements are beginning to get in motion to fight the repercussions of the capitalist economic collapse. Now they are fighting to prevent the massacre associated with what appears to be a planned ground assault into Gaza.

In 2006, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon had other unintended consequences.

Even in parts of the world where winter holidays often drain the strength of a social movement, people reacted quickly, angrily and in some places massively to oppose the new Israeli assault.

Groups all over the world made strikingly similar calls for action. There was complete solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, a besieged and occupied population that has every right to resist. Most saw the Israeli state as the direct criminal, the local gendarme acting as an appendage of world imperialism—particularly U.S. imperialism but also that of the European Union.

The immediate demands were to stop the Israeli attacks; lift the blockade of Gaza; and for the government involved to break relations with or stop aiding the Zionist state. Protests in some mostly Arab countries—Egypt, for example—also targeted the country’s regime for collaborating with the U.S. and Israel. Disrupting the stability of the collaborating Arab regimes could be another unwanted consequence of the U.S.-Israeli assault.

People began to hit the streets and squares in protest the day of the first Israeli bombing, Dec. 27. Demonstrations spread through the world in the next few days. There are still some important gaps in our reports. We will list times and places for those protests that we know of that are planned for Jan. 1 or later so that people can use this information to attend.

Some protests defy geographic categories. A group of 16 crew and progressives, including some European doctors and former U.S. Congressperson and Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, attempted to deliver medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza on the yacht, Dignity, from the Free Gaza Movement. Israeli gunships not only stopped the delivery in seas off Gaza, but one deliberately rammed the Dignity in international waters, damaging it and nearly forcing its evacuation.

After the Dignity landed safely in South Lebanon, McKinney told the media that while the experience was harrowing, it “pales in comparison with what the people of Gaza are experiencing right now.” McKinney appealed to the U.S. Congress and to incoming President-elect Barack Obama to speak out against the Israeli attack.

North Africa and Asia

Tens of thousands of Lebanese, many supporters of Hezbollah, protested in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on Dec. 29 in the pouring rain. In Damascus,Syria, people held Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian flags aloft at an anti-Israeli rally. Protesters burned Israeli and U.S. flags in many Arab cities and demanded their governments react to Israeli aggression.

More than 50,000 demonstrated in Egyptian cities on Dec. 28 according to the AFP news agency. The biggest protest was in the southern city of Asyut, led by the Islamist opposition. Some 15,000 also attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Jordanian capital Amman, and there were rallies in many of Jordan’s refugee camps that house thousands of displaced Palestinians.

There were demonstrations throughout theWest Bank and in Haifa, Jaffa and other towns within the 1967 Israeli borders, and also a protest of 1,000 anti-war people in Tel Aviv. There were also anti-Israeli protests in Sudan and Yemen, where tens of thousands marched in Sanaa.

In Iraq, there were demonstrations in Baghdad, Mosul, Najaf and Kufa. In Tehran,Iran, thousands of Iranians rallied Dec. 29. There have been protests in Istanbul and other cities in Turkey. In India, there were demonstrations in Kolkata (Calcutta) and a number of other Indian cities. There was a protest of more than 1,000 people waving Palestinian and Indonesian flags in Jakarta,Indonesia, on Dec. 30, and in Tokyo,Japan, that same day at the Israeli Embassy.

In South Africa a protest of the Gaza massacre is set for Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Consulate in Killarney, Johannesburg.

Latin America

In Argentina, a vigil of hundreds was held at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires after a march on Dec. 29, called by different Argentine-Arab organizations to show solidarity with Palestine. In Puerto Rico, the Socialist Front held a mobilization in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to reject and condemn the crimes of the Israeli state, gathering at the Federal building in San Juan.

Starting at 10 in the morning on Dec. 29, some 200 people protested in front of the Israeli Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, in the second day of protests there. The Communist Party of Venezuela and other social organizations were present. On Dec. 30 people protested before the Israeli Embassy in Mexico City, D.F. There was also a protest in Colón, Costa Rica, on Dec. 30 at the Israeli Embassy.

In addition to these popular actions, statements from the governments ofCuba, Venezuela and Bolivia condemned the Israeli killing of Palestinians.

Europe

In Belgium, there have been local protest rallies in Ghent, Louvain, Brussels and Antwerp in the days following the first attack, with a national protest rally on Dec. 31 from the Place de la Monnaie to the Place des Martyrs. It is a joint effort of solidarity committees, non-governmental organizations, the Workers Party of Belgium and Arab organizations.

In Greece, where there have been youth protests against a police killing since early December, more than 3,000 demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans marched on the Israeli Embassy in Athens. Greek left-wing parties and Arab groups participated. Another demonstration of 1,000 took place in Thessalonika.

In England, Scotland and Wales, as reported by the Stop the War Committee, 700 people scuffled with police in demonstrations Dec. 28 at the Israeli Embassy in London. Some protesters were seen attempting to climb the gate towards the embassy and throwing red liquid, to symbolize blood, towards the gate. Respect Member of Parliament George Galloway and former Labor Member of Parliament Tony Benn were among those who addressed the crowd. Afterwards Galloway said: “We should treat Israel as we treated South Africa during apartheid. They should be shunned.”

Daily demonstrations are continuing in London from 2 to 4 p.m. outside the Israeli Embassy, and on Jan. 2 will move to the Egyptian Embassy at 26 South Street, London, W1K 1DW, from 2 to 4 p.m. to call for Egypt to open the border immediately. On Jan. 3, protests will also be held in Bristol, opposite the Hippodrome, from 3 to 4 p.m.; in Portsmouth, at Guildhall Square, at 11 a.m.; and in Hull, at Queen Victoria Square, at 11 a.m.

Protests are set for Glasgow, Scotland, on Jan. 3 at 12 noon outside Lloyds TSB on St Vincent Street, with a demonstration at Blytheswood Square at 2 p.m. In Edinburgh, a protest will be held at the same time at Foot of the Mound on Princes Street.

There were actions in Cardiff, Wales, in Nottingham and Southampton.

In Lisbon, Portugal, various organizations concerned about the massacre in Gaza, including mass unions and women’s and anti-war organizations met Dec. 30 and decided to call a unified demonstration for Jan. 8, with the place and time to be announced later.

In the Spanish state on Dec. 28, 1,000 demonstrated before the Israeli Embassy in Madrid; also demonstrations were reported from Barcelona, Bilbao, Coruna and Seville. Further actions are planned in Madrid on Jan. 3 at 12 noon at the Foreign Affairs Ministry at Plaza de Sta. Cruz, and on Jan. 11 at 12 noon at Puerta del Sol. If there is an Israeli land invasion of Gaza, there will be a protest the next day at 8 p.m. at Puerta del Sol. A march is also planned between the squares of Cibeles and Sol on Jan. 17. In Madrid people have initiated a campaign of international solidarity with the Palestinian people by hanging Palestinian flags and scarves from windows and balconies.

In France, demonstrations were called by a broad coalition of forces Dec. 29 and 30 in Paris, where 1,300 marched, and in Angers, Annecy, Besançon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes, Quimper, Rennes, Roubaix, Rouen, St. Etienne, St. Girons, Thionville and Toulouse.

In Netherlands, a demonstration is planned for 1 p.m. on Jan. 3 in Amsterdam, at Museumplein.

In Italy, Red Link reports demonstrations at least in Rome and Pisa on Dec. 28 and in Naples and Bologna on Dec. 29. Soccorso Populare in Veneto reports a protest on Dec. 28 of 100 in Padua, on Dec. 31 in Venice Mestre, on Jan. 2 in Treviso and on Jan. 3 in Vicenza at 2 p.m. before the Central Train Station. There were also protests in Florence and Genoa and in Cagliari in Sardinia.

A broad national demonstration has been called for Rome on Jan. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at Piazza della Repubblica, marching to Piazza Barberini.

In Germany, on Dec. 28 some 50 people gathered downtown spontaneously near the big cathedral in Cologne to demand an immediate end to the massacre. The next day there were actions in Berlin and Dusseldorf.

In Austria there were vigils and protests in Vienna on Dec. 30, when 2,000 people marched through the downtown area. On Jan. 3 at 3 p.m., there will be a demonstration, “Stop the Massacre in Gaza!” at the Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna. The Gaza Must Live group called further protests for Jan. 2 at 2:30 p.m. at Karlsplatz and on Jan. 9.

In Switzerland there were protests in Basel and Geneva.

In Denmark, there were solidarity demonstrations in Copenhagen and Aarhus on Dec. 28, with 1,500 people in Copenhagen at the Israeli Embassy; in Odense on Dec. 29; and again in Copenhagen and other cities on Dec. 30.

In Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the group Tadamon (Solidarity in Arabic) plans a protest for Jan. 4 at 12:30 p.m. at the corner of St. Catherine and Atwater (metro Atwater). Other protests have been held across Canada.

United States

From inside the U.S., International Action Center activists and others have continued to send detailed reports. In general, most demonstrators at first have come from the Palestinian and Arab/Muslim community. The IAC has helped with organizational and logistical support and outreach to other North Americans in the labor, anti-war and anti-racist movements.

The largest demonstrations reported so far have been in Dearborn, Mich.; New York; San Francisco; and Anaheim, Calif.; all numbering in the thousands.

In Dearborn, near Detroit, on Dec. 30, some 5,000 people formed a human chain stretching for blocks in this city that probably is home to the largest Arab community in the U.S. Some of the many youth stood on snow banks and waved Palestinian flags, of which there were hundreds of all sizes, and chanted, “1,2,3,4—stop the killing, stop the war; 5,6,7,8: Israel is a terrorist state.” Passersby in cars—some also draped with Palestinian flags—honked loudly and repeatedly for the hour-plus-long action in cold windy weather.

A follow-up action, a candlelight vigil, will be held Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. at the City Hall in Dearborn.

In New York, some 5,000 people gathered in front of Rockefeller Center on 5th Avenue on a very busy shopping day Dec. 28. The demonstration was largely Palestinian, young and very militant, chanting, “From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free.” It marched a mile to the Israeli Consulate. Mosques in New Jersey towns sent five busloads of people on 24-hours’ notice. There were other protests on Dec. 29 and 30. A major unified demonstration is planned for Jan. 3to start at Times Square at 2 p.m.

More than 1,500 people participated on Dec. 29 in Anaheim, just south of Los Angeles. A coalition made up of Al Awda, Muslim student organizations and many others, including the IAC, called the action. The next event was on Dec. 30 in front of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles.

On Dec. 30, several thousand Palestinians and supporters held a loud and militant march through downtown San Francisco.

In Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30, ANSWER held a demonstration at the State Department.

In San Diego, on Dec. 30, about 500 people, including large numbers of Arab youth, gathered at the downtown Federal Building. All four corners of the intersection were occupied by spirited protesters, with youth chanting nonstop and frequently leading charges from one corner to another. Further protests were announced for the afternoon of Jan. 1 in Balboa Park and the afternoon of Jan. 2 at the Federal Building. Some 100 demonstrators gathered in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 30.

In Boston, there was a march of 120 people on Dec. 28 from Park Street to Copley Square with strong Palestinian participation, rush hour distributions on Dec. 29 and a demonstration Dec. 30 at the Israeli Consulate. The next action in solidarity with Palestine will be on Jan. 3 at 12 noon at Copley Square, and will march through downtown Boston past the Israeli Consulate in Park Square, Downtown Crossing, the military recruiters on Tremont Street and back to Copley Square for a concluding rally. It is being organized by a broad ad hoc coalition.

Some 80 mostly young people attended an emergency demonstration in Baltimore on Dec. 30 at the War Memorial Plaza. More than 100 people came out for a protest outside the Israeli consulate inPhiladelphia Dec. 28, called with less than 24-hours’ notice. In Buffalo, N.Y., some 200 mostly Palestinian, Yemeni and other Arab youth demonstrated on Dec. 30.

The Palestinian community in Houston had a huge demonstration Dec. 28 on all four corners of the busiest intersection in town, maybe 750 people. From infants to elders, Palestinians came out with their families, lots of students, and a number of elderly women in traditional Palestinian clothing. In typical Texas style, pickup trucks filled with Palestinian youth waving giant Palestinian flags drove up and down the streets honking and yelling. There were other protests during the week, with the next action on Jan. 2 at the Israeli consulate.

In Atlanta, Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine and Athens for Justice in Palestine, with help from the IAC, pulled together an action in less than 18 hours for Dec. 28. More than 100 people came; mostly Palestinian, many college and high school age youth as well as children brought by their parents, with good representation of the anti-war movement. Another 350 people protested and took over some intersections on Dec. 30. The next action is on Jan. 3 at CNN at 2 p.m.

With help from Hana al-Bayaty for the Middle East; Paola Manduca for Europe; Berta Joubert-Ceci for Latin America; and with reports from Angeles Maestro, Klaus Riis, Bert de Belder, Fausto Schiavetto,Willi Langthaler, Guido Mandari and Wil van der Klift in Europe; Manik Mukherjee in India and Keiku Yasahara in Japan; also Joe Piette, Paul Teitelbaum, Bob McCubbin, John Parker, Dianne Mathiowetz, Ellie Dorritie, Frank Neisser, Sara Flounders, Joan Marquardt and Steve Ceci in the U.S.

Adopted from: WorldWide Movement

Saba Valadkhan: Seeking for a prospective Nobel Prize!

Kourosh Ziabari — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:03:35 +0000

Kourosh Ziabari and Ahmadreza Tavassoli: Dr. Saba Valadkhan is a world-renowned biomedical scientist and the Assistant Professor of Case Western Reserve University of USA.

After graduating from the Tehran University of Medial Sciences, Saba Valadkhan moved to New York where she could continue her further studies at the Columbia University upon the fellowship which she had been granted from RNA Research Society.

This young Iranian scientist has won several international awards for her effective, determinant contribution to the field of Molecular Biology such as Peter Sajovic Memorial Award, Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award and James Howard McGregor Prize.

In 2005, she was awarded the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) award of Young Scientist of the Year for her breakthrough in understanding the mechanism of spliceosomes which was something unprecedented and innovative until that time.

By developing a new strategy to prevent the occurrence of some disastrous cancer types, she identified and determined a slight and insignificant deficiency in the functionality of DNA strands and found an effective way of solving it.

Following is the text of exclusive interview with Dr. Saba Valadkhan in which a stack of interesting subjects around the details of her latest discovery, scientific community of Iran and the prospect of research in Iran and has been discussed.

Continues here

Read the Interview from “The People’s Voice“, Middle East Youth, Payvand, MediaLeft

Cyrus The Great’s tomb extricated from scaffoldings

Kourosh Ziabari — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:24:40 +0000

The restoration of the tomb of the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, has been completed and its metal scaffolding removed.
After three stages of restoration, the structure stands strong and will not sustain any further damage. The work on the historical site has gained UNESCO approval.

According to manager of the restoration work, Hasan Rahsaz, the restoration and documentation of the process has been carried out with great precision by 8 archeological experts and modern-day equipment.

The first stage of restoration began in 2000 when metal scaffolding was put around the tomb to allow experts to access every inch of the stone exterior to find, document and restore the damage to its 180 bricks and the 11 slabs of stone that make up its roof.
Broken pieces were also gathered and used to rebuild and protect the sections exposed to snow and rain.

In the second stage of the project, cement used for restoration in 1930 was removed and the process of anastylosis of broken and fallen parts began.
The stone parts were then reattached in the Achaemenid style with the help of dovetail joints; laser scanners were used to determine their exact positions.

In the last stage of restoration, the northern and western sides of the tomb were completely cleaned of limestone.

Tour the tomb of Iranian Poet Mevlana

Kourosh Ziabari — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:40:37 +0000

MaulanaNews: The Iranian Poet Mevlana Museum in the central Anatolian city of Konya has been included in the “Virtual Tour of Museums” application initiated by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Virtual museum tours can be undertaken on the ministry’s official Web site: www.kultur.gov.tr. The Web site offers a 360 degree panoramic view of some museums and tourists visiting the site can obtain detailed information about the museums they wish to visit.

Thanks to the newly added panoramic tour of the Mevlana Museum, visitors are able to see all the details of the museum, including the ceiling, walls and historical artifacts. They can also learn which part of the museum they are visiting by clicking the screen as a guide accompanies them.

When compared to the same term last year, the number of visitors to the Mevlana Museum increased by 49.6 percent and reached 205,000 during the period of January to March of this year. Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Mustafa Ç?pan said they received positive reactions to the virtual tour application and added, “In this way we have opened the doors of the Mevlana Museum to people all over the world. We expect the number of visitors to be on the rise thanks to this application.”

The other museums that can be visited virtually on the Web site are the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the Side Museum and Virtual Music Museum, the Aphrodisias Museum, Hagia Sophia, the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the Museum of Burdur Archaeology, the Çorum Museum, the Denizli Hierapolis Archaeology Museum, the Divan Literature Museum, the Ephesus Museum, the Gaziantep Museum, the Ertu?rul Gazi Museum, the Göreme Open Air Museum and the Mardin Museum.

Why Israel would not dare attack Iran?

Kourosh Ziabari — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:35:51 +0000

Kourosh Ziabari- Nowadays, Iran and its people are being threatened widely for a near, possible attack by the Israeli forces if Tehran continue pursuing its nuclear program. Additionally, the amount of media pressure against the country is increasing simultaneous to the rhetoric of Israeli officials, backed by US statesmen.

Some western governments acclaim that they would support Israel for a possible bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities because of the threatening nature of these installations.

White House people and the major EU members state frequently that they are looking for ways to help the process of global peace, stability and promote the international security by emptying the world from nuclear threats.

In the meantime, they refuse to pursue the lawsuit brought by the Iranian government against Israel for depositing 170 nuclear warheads. This figure is approved by the former US president, Ronald Reagan too.

According to an unwritten law, none of the global mainstream media are allowed or willing to investigate about the mass destruction weapons of Israel and its exact figures which have been issued by the Federation of American Scientists (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke) and republished by many other independent sources.

However, while the Israeli regime itself is under the international pressure about the details of its nuclear armories and the occupation of Palestinian lands on the other hand, it is lobbying actively to make some troubles for Iran.

It is not significantly clear that what are the roles and position of Israel in the nuclear case of Iran. Israel is neither the member of UNSC nor it signed the NPT and is reckoned as the world 3 countries that didn’t join the treaty…

Continues here

Sand carpet settled in Persian Gulf

Kourosh Ziabari — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:26:33 +0000

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 will be displayed on the island from Dec. 9 to 17, 2008.
The 12000-square-meter carpet is unique in magnitude, pattern and color and its title which shares the name of the forever Persian Gulf.
The previous sand carpet record belonged to 900-square-meter one created on the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Known for its beautiful red soil, Hormuz Island has witnessed numerous artistic events, including Iran’s 15th Environmental Art Festival.

More photos and details here

Anousheh Ansari; proud of being an Iranian Muslim

Kourosh Ziabari — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:15:57 +0000

Kourosh Ziabari and Ahmadreza Tavassoli: The second anniversary of Anousheh Ansari’s adventurous travel to the spatial station as the first Iranian space explorer passed over with the reticence of global media who have been busy analyzing the very earliest “side effects” of President-elect Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 US Presidential Elections.

In the heat of Ansari’s space voyage, American media broached bunches of controversial issues such as the reluctance of half-blooded astronaut to introduce herself as Iranian or Muslim, but she never found the opportunity to clarify this.Furthermore, most of the newspapers or websites dedicated their conversations to professional and technical matters when interviewing Anousheh Ansari which caused many stories to remain untold.

Following is the text of exclusive interview with the first female private space explorer Anousheh Ansari, the Iranian businesswomen who has perpetuated the name of Iran in the 2007 edition of Guinness World Records Book with her everlasting record.

Continues here

You can also read the whole interview here