Petraeus: Strike Iran as 'last resort'
Thu, 22 May 2008 20:33:16
Top US Commander in Iraq David Petraeus has advised Washington to retain the option of military action against Tehran as a last resort.

In a Thursday statement, the US army general called on the Bush administration to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the Islamic Republic to curb what he calls 'Iran's regional influence'.

"We should make every effort to engage by use of the whole of government, developing further leverage rather than simply targeting discrete threats," he urged.

"At the same time, we should retain, as a last resort, the possibility of a range of military actions to counter Iran's activities," added Petraeus, who is to oversee all US military operations in the Middle East.

His remarks met a storm of protests by demonstrators holding pictures of children and shouting, "Look at the children of Iran, Gen. Petraeus!… Please get us out of Iraq and don't attack Iran."

This comes as the Bush administration steps up its hawkish rhetoric against the Islamic Republic. Its recent military build-up in the Persian Gulf is reminiscent of preparations for other wars, including the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

from wwww.PRESSTV.IR

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THE KHORUSI

Iran’s religious police, the Basij, whose mission it is to make sure the people adhere to an Islamic code, have a long and proud history of harassing women for their Western-style dressing tendencies. But it’s only recently that Iranian men have become the target of similar ultraconservative, style-cramping campaigns. What the Basij are mostly concerned about right now are the increasingly “jazzy” hairstyles guys are sporting. They’re deadly serious about combating the worrying spread of this particular trend. The main style, which has become a favorite among the hip young kids of Tehran, and consequently the one that the fashion police are determined to flatten (so to speak), is the khorusi, aka the rooster. While in theory we agree that this hairstyle sucks balls, we don’t feel like anybody needs to have their hand chopped off over it. A simple stern talking to would do, no? [from Vice Magazine]

CHECK OUT THE MADNESS HERE

Here's a photo I took on my last visit to Tehran in Nov. 2007. It's taken in a huge public park (larger than Central Park in NYC). Featured in this photo are girls with what I would like to call a whole lot of 'class'...I'm sorry 'sass'.  I had to document their outrageous hair peaking out from their roosari.They were more than pissed off that I was taking their photo from 500 feet away. They said some pretty nasty things to me - calling me a 'olagh' which I think translates to 'donkey' or something of that sort. My dad told the schoolgirls they should be ashamed to speak that way. They told him to mind his own business. Not a good idea....

GIRLS IN KHORUSI

And here's some video of the pack of schoolgirls. My aunt and dad are speaking about how cute the girls are (of course this is prior to them opening their nasty little traps), but my cousin doesn't share the same sentiment. He says only two in the group are worthwhile. Boys.

MVI_3269

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Anthony_Bourdain_No_Reservations

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO I MADE FOR THE TRAVEL CHANNEL. YOU CAN SEE ME IN LIVE ACTION TELLING THE CAMERA WHY I WANT TONY TO BE MY GUEST IN IRAN. YUP, THAT'S RIGHT - IRAN. THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. I MUST BE NUTS. MAYBE I SHOULD'VE CHOSEN TO GO WITH HIM SOMEWHERE SLIGHTLY MORE SANE - LIKE LAS VEGAS!!!

AnthonyBourdainHelloKitty

CHECK OUT THE CONTEST HERE

CHECK OUT MY VIDEO HERE

AND WHILE YOU'RE THERE, YOU CAN LOGIN AND RATE THE VIDEO AND LEAVE A COMMENT. " ) 
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. THIS IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL TO ME. WE ALL KNOW HOW HIGHLY I REGARD TONY.

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Tonight I saw the film Persepolis.  If you don't already know what it's all about - it's basically the story of an Iranian girl that leaves her family behind in Iran for a chance at freedom in Europe - all on her own.

It made me really sad, to once again be struck in the face with the reality that I was the lucky one.

I was the child that happened to be born in America, simply because my parents wished to further their education with a master's degree.

I was the lucky one, that somehow, someway, was born at the right time - while the Shah of Iran battled cancer and sought treatment in NY, I was born.

I was the lucky one, with parents that decided to take a stab at a life of enormous uncertainty in a foreign country, all on their own, to give me the chance at freedom.

I was the lucky one, to have not endured the deep sorrow and pain that faces my family today, living in the shadows of a corrupt government, amidst a group of people that no longer can trust one another.

I am the lucky one. I am the girl that has a chance to do whatever she wishes to do in life.

I have the right to wear whatever I want [for some reason, I have just found it ironic that I choose to wear black and white stripes - the color of a prisoner's uniform].

I have the right to say what I want [it hasn't landed me in jail....yet].

I have the right to listen to the music I want...to dance in a club...to dance in public...to act like a blithering drunken idiot without fear of being clubbed in the head or whipped for my Western decadence.

I have the right to be educated. To be independent. To travel alone. To live alone and paint my toes in the late hours of the night.

I have the right to have relationships with men without the need to be married.

I have the right to paint my face [although I choose not to, even though my mom was a make-up artist].

I have the right to tell the world the way I live and the way I think and the way I speak.

But, as Marjana Satrapi so poignantly points out - Freedom Has a Price.

I, Sheima Hassanlou, have the right to live alone. Apart from the rest of my family, clear on the other side of the world. I have the right to not see my cousins grow up. I have the right to not share stories with my grandparents over tea. I have the right to not be a part of my family's lives...

Freedom Has a Price.

And I pay the price every single day of my life.

To my family all over this huge world, I am thinking of you. I may not show it. I may not know how to say it. But I think of you. All of you.

With soooo much love,
[sheima]

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Today I ate more food than my stretchy pants could handle. I also learned that wearing a Puma zip-up track suit underneath my Islamic approved garb was a bad idea while eating at a restaurant.

Today I also had some good discussions with my family re: Persian typography and design.  Good business ideas and creative endeavours to pursue in the very near future [if only my inspiration can turn into perspiration].

Tomorrow I visit with more family at ISCO [ which stands for something clever ] and hopefully get some writing samples from someone in my family with a knack for Persian penmanship.

Up on deck:

Plans to see an Iranian film at a theatre

Find Iranian design / typography books to buy

Drink a Pomegranate Slushy at a tiny corner window shop called Africa

Visit more family

Eat incredibly delicious food that will make me feel bloated all day

Dance [ while hopefully not bloated ]

Spend some time with my dad and grandmother

Drink Turkish coffee and hear my fortune from my grandmother or aunt [ and in the process learn a thing or two about telling fortunes ]

Take tons of photos and little video snippets

Show off my MacBook Pro to my family [ they really dig iCal and iPhoto so far, After Effects was not appealing as I wiped off all projects prior to coming here for some dumb reason ]

Scoping out the many 2007 BMW models hitting the streets of Tehran [ people pay DOUBLE the price for BMWs here in CASH.  This means a $90,000 7 Series retails here for $180,000.  And there is no such thing as leasing here. Or credit for that matter. Pay in full. Cash ]

Drink tea...

Watch satellite television while thinking of working for Dubai 1 network in, well, Dubai

SOME FOTOS FROM TEHRAN BAZAAR taken yesterday:

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