Let's not Forget Darfur Sudan

Let’s not forget Darfur Sudan.
Expert Call on U.S. Military Mission in Sudan. Read and listen to NPR.ORG’s All things Considered, February 27, 2007 report.

Here is a link that explains who’s who.

There are stories all over the web to inform you on everything you like to know about Darfur and Sudan.

Chocolate and Sex

If you haven’t tried sex or chocolate, you haven’t really lived. The order is irrelevant. You can actually mix the two if you wanted. I think chocolate is sexy, but not the other way around.

One word of advice: Neither is a substitute for the other. Moderation is a virtue, specially with chocolate!

Visit Belgium – for Chocolate Lovers and check out Bruges, Belgium Chocolate Festival (April 6-10, 2007)


In Belgium, chocolate is an art. No. really. At the Chocolate Festival (April 6 through 10), master chocolatiers whip up not only plenty of sweets but also chocolate sculptures and paintings. Connoisseurs can dip into history at the city’s Chocolate Museum. This is a quote from the Smithsonian magazine’s March issue this year. Body painted with chocolate:


Leondia Fresh Chocolates
Chocosphere 36
Rose City Chocolates

Is there a sex festival anywhere? I wonder what they serve? Let me know if you know of any. How about Mardi Gras? Perhaps I shouldn't confuse festival with a carnival.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) - new U.S. and other Countries

2007 U.S. Daylight Saving Time (DST)and other Countries

New U.S. Daylight Saving Time


Everything you ever wanted to know about DST and was afraid to ask!

Don’t for get this year, 2007, it’s Sunday, March 11, @2:00AM and then reversed back to what it was on Sunday, November 4, @2:00AM.

I wonder how much pain it’s going to be with all the preprogrammed equipments, this year (VCRs, Computers, & other smart gadgets.)

You can lookup other countries on When is Daylight Saving Time
Worldwide. I didn’t find Iran. Go figure!

Here I found an article on
Iran’s DST, that might explain why. I’m not sure how up-to-date it is and I hope this site, where you can just check Iran’s local time at any time, is always correct.

Helen Mirren Portraying Queen Elizabeth I & II

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Queen Elizabeth II (1926 to Present)

The great actress, Helen Mirren, is nominated for the movie Queen, where she portrayed Queen Elizabeth II, in a short period around the death of Princes Diana. Helen is a prominent British actress with a long list of great roles and credits behind her. Her birth name is Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov.


Helen recently also played in an HBO: Elizabeth I, miniseries (2 parts,) portraying the history of Queen Elizabeth I’s long reign in a troubled and tumultuous time (1533-1603.) She did a magnificent job, truly worthy of an Oscar’s performance, but this was not showed in the theaters. Helen won numerous accolades for her performance in Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I’s life and history is extremely interesting and exciting from how she became a Queen to her conquests and how she protected herself and defended England. She never married, so she did not have an heir. I’m in loss for words over this program or the part Helen played in this movie. Her role and performance, according to my opinion, was far more diverse and dynamic and more worthy of an academy award’s Oscar. I strongly recommend anyone interested to check out this movie.

Queen Elizabeth II's 80th. Birthday

More Links:
Elizabeth I (2005) HBO miniseries
HBO: Elizabeth I
The Queen, the movie, site
The Queen, the movie, UK Site
Helen Mirren Offers Intimate Portrait of "The Queen", on NPR

Queen Elizabeth Rose

Peter O'Toole in "Venus"

Venus, the movie, starting Peter O’Toole. I Soooooooo want him to win tomorrow night! Let’s see if I can pull some strings! … Okay, or I have to make them an offer they can’t refuse. … I wish!

Here is his interview with NPR, on January 16, 2007. Peter O'Toole and a Young "Venus" He’s great in it. He loves sonnets. You should listen to his favorite Shakespeare sonnets on this interview.
In short, as he put it, it's the story of a dirty old man and sultry young woman. I’ve hear that it’ll be such an irony for him to win an Oscar for playing himself. Good for him! I hope I grow up to be just like him. I mean, still have such a vigor and interest in life, food, wine, and of course the opposite sex.


I really like the extensive information I get on wikipedia these days. Here is more on Peter O’Tool on Wiki, although I HATE the picture. Who’s idea was that? "You’re Fired!” Scroll down and check out his Lawrence of Arabia picture.

Our Beautiful Planet: The Real Macaw

I saw this wonderful program a few weeks ago and enjoyed it very much and was really moved by it. I’m so impressionable! I felt awful not sending in my donations yet this year. I should do it soon. I like to support PBS.ORG (KCET Channel 28 for me.) This reminded me to also send some money to NPR.ORG (radio program, the best.) I truly enjoy their programs and often. I see or hear many great foundations that usually support these stations. So, I feel small and ask myself how could my few dollars compare with the support they get from the big guys? I realize that I shouldn’t concern myself with them and must just do my part and be happy about it. There are so many good valuable programming on these media, but I can’t talk about all of them. I’ll just mention this one for now: The Real Macaw a Nature program.

It wouldn’t be right if I tried to explain or review it, because I would just be repeating their words and I’m sure they have done a much better job than I ever could. The reporters have done a great job, so I’ll just point you to the site links and you can read, listen, look at pictures or watch the video. I was very moved by this program. It’s nice to know that with all the chaos going on around the world, there are extraordinary solicitous and dedicated people who care about these magnificent birds and make it their lives’ mission to help preserve and promote the conservation and protection of these magnificent wonderful birds. With all the mayhem and obstacles that are laid in their paths I really hope they prevail in defending and protecting these birds from extinction and poachers and the lost of their habitats. Here is a starting point: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You really should take a look at this story here: The Real Macaw
Of course, these are not the only species in danger of extension. There are many more similar instances. All the species that depend on Amazon Rainforest are also in danger of extension as a result deforestation of their habitat. The over fishing of the oceans, polluting the rivers, disturbance and assault on the corral reefs, are among the many I can name.
I don’t want to sound like an animal rights activist, or give the impression of an over zealous conservationist, so I’ll stop here. All I’m trying to say is that this is the only planet we know of so far, that is so magnificent and one of a kind in sustaining life. We should really me mindful and careful of our planet. We have been given this gift, let’s take global warming seriously and participate and become more active in promoting the health of our planet and its species, in every little way we can. Let’s be kind to our planet.
Here are several links amongst many interesting ones:

The Earth Voice, Protecting the Animals.

The Coral Reef Alliance

Save China’s Tigers

Saves the Cheetahs

Iran Seeks to Save Rare Cheethas

Save the Elephants

US Government – Environmental Protection Agency

About Coral Reefs | Initiatives and Activities | Related Links

A note on U.S. EPA: Many times, you see a lot of contradictions here between their mission and the real policy they follow! I think we should understand and give them the benefit of the doubt that they might have their hands tight behind them but the administration in power.

An anecdotal note on Real Macaw: The ones observed and covered in the Nature program in South America all visit a hill side wall and chew and consume the minerals contained in the dirt to help with their digestion. They all do this on a regular basis, so I wondered to myself whether the ones living far away must have indigestions most days:

HRH Prince of Wales, Prince Harry

I think as soon as Prince of Wales,
Prince Harry decided to deploy to Iraq, Tony Blair announced withdrawals of the British forces from Iraq. That's apparently a good thing. It also saves the prince from getting hurt or something.

Prince Harry, Royalty
• Born: 15 September 1984
• Birthplace: London, England
• Best Known As: Second son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Name at birth: Henry Charles Albert David Windsor
I was going to post this yesterday, when the news of the troop withdrawals was first announced, but didn’t get around doing it. Apparently I was wrong. The Prince has insisted on going to Iraq and that has made many people concerned. Read more about it here. Apparently he turned out to be a very nice fellow now.

Hawa Nagila Hava Nagila... & Circumsision

Doctoreh Doolboreh Doolchini a good title (a nice Italian sounding rhythmic rhyme) for a specialist whose practice is male circumcision, to be specific (in light of new reports on female circumcision/mutilation, Khatneh, in Farsi.)

In the pre-revolutionary Iran that I grew up, Farsi speaking people referred to it as Doodool and at times Doodool Tala (Golden Pee Pee, if it was their own kid they were talking about ) and for girls a similar slang, calling it Mammas Tala (Golden Wee Wee.) Of course guys enjoyed a little more prestige and enthusiasm when mom and dad also put it on a higher pedestal and called it the Family Jewels too. So you can see that historically Persians placed a very high value on both sexes’ sexual organs. I just hope that the post revolutionary young Persian Pee Pees and Wee Wees enjoy the same clout and respect as did their older brothers and sisters.

As far as I know that practice was never carried out for girls in Iran and for boys, I guess, how should it put this, may be it was because it made it look more holy and respectable, as if it was wearing a turban (excuse my French, pun intended!)

Too much info. on wikipedia, and I don’t recommend it for the faint of heart.

Although I make light of this subject, but this is my way of dealing with it and bringing attention to this very serious subject especially when it comes to women circumcision and gentile mutilation in some backward societies (and not-so-much-backward-cultures around the globe, even nowadays.)

Equal time on Vagina Monologues

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

I found a blog link to some guy (must be Iranian) that proudly advertises and displays his manhood secrets on his car’s license plate.
Dol Tala or Doodool Tala refers to the same thing (Penis in Farsi & Tala is Gold.) Here is an opposing point of view to those women who think a male private part is very ugly. We are very proud of our family jewels and we don’t think it’s ugly at all and I think I’m talking on behalf of all the guys who are not impotent. Fatabarak Allah Ahsanool Khalegheen (My praise on the finest creation,) isn’t that how the Profit referred to women? Most of us guys appreciate our better halves.
But seriously, what about violence against boys and men? You think little boys (and even girls) don’t get abused or even violated or raped? I’m not picking on Catholicism, but I just want to point out an example where these things can go on, right under our noses, of all places, inside some churches? Haven’t many kids been molested by well respected priests? How about child abuse and child labor? Isn’t that a form of violation? What about living under an autocratic government that regularly stumps on your basic human rights and freedom? Who's to claim justice for them? You can't put any value on a life time of oppression and living under different version of apartheid. They are jamming their version of religion down our throats. What kind of abuse do you call that?

Well, enough about serious subjects, let’s just watch something quite funny. Must listen. Hawa Nagila, by the talented Piano Brothers:

Rulers and Leaders

You go first! No, you go first. Okay, I'll go first! Chicken!

One picture is worth thousand words, more pictures, well even more!

How about him? Was he a good leader? You don’t have to answer. Braveheart, 5 time Academy Award winning historical drama, released in 1995. produced and directed by Mel Gibson.

But, seriously here is a good resource to look up some rulers and leaders if you care: Rulers

A few interesting but forgotten rulers (well, maybe not quiet!) Just to give you an idea.

12 Byzantine rulers
Egyptian Rulers (Kings & Pharaohs)
Women in World History
List of Kings of Persia


Changed my mind, you can comment if you like. Actually, please do.

Science of Love

Drinking from the fountain of love
The Science of Love
Neuroscientists may be closing in on the physiology of love. At a recent UC Berkeley conference scheduled for just before Valentine's Day, scientists pored over reams of neurophysiological data about love.
Reporters:
• Lonny Shavelson
Sat. 2/10/07 around 6:25PM
California Report on KVCR 91.9 FM Radio (Southern Cal.)
California Report

Please note: I've come across new information after posting this blog. The next two paragraphs do not apply anymore, so please skip to the updated paragraph added below, if you wish.

I listened to the above report on KVCR FM 91.9 (Southern California) regarding a UC Berkeley conference on the Science of Love. It reported that the conference is held just a few days before Valentine’s Day. I really don’t want to take the next drastic step of either getting hold of the reporter or trying my luck with calling someone at UC Berkeley. I've tried my darnedest to find the report but I haven’t had any success. Actually, UC Berkeley has an elaborate event schedule on line and I’ve gone through it, but I haven’t been able to find the event I’m looking for.

Looking at the KVCR site, I was able to narrow down to the hour of the podcast and listened to the report again, but it’s all combined in the report for the whole program segment, which this report is at the end of it. Here is the link to it and the Science of Love, which comes right after the story of Leo McCarthy and another report on Bio-diesel fuel.

Here is also a link to KVCR Programming Page.

One of the principals on this report is Dr. Emiliano Simon-thomas, but I’m not sure of the correct spelling, as I have not been able to reach any reports googling that name. There are other doctors who speak briefly too. The study is trying to show that using MRI and neuroscientist have been able to distinguish brain activities and patterns of people in love and others with emotional connections to someone else. I was able to search and find the following web page on one of the other doctor's featured on this report,
Dr. Donatella Marazziti is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the laboratory of Psychopharmacology at the "Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie", University of Pisa. Listening to the podcast, you can here her explaning her findings on the subject.
So, I’m a little disappointed not being able to post the complete report or the podcast segment of it here. So, if anyone is interested and can lend a hand and find the report or figure how to load the edited part of the podcast, I really appreciate it, because I don’t know how to do that.

Here is an UPDATE added a after posting this and comming accross new information:

Update: Science of Love
Hey! What an honor! Thanks to reporter,
Lonny Shavelson (photo, print, and radio journalist) who did the story and visited this site and was nice enough to leave a comment, I now have a link to the radio broadcast of the story, The Neurobiology of Love (aired on The California Report) . Thanks again Lonny. I should perhaps update the blog and add this to the body of the post as nice surprise.

The Science of Love: Apparently this is a very popular subject (dahh!) and just about everyone has done a story on this topic. Here is some links to Science of Love:
BBC on Science of Love

Forbes on Science of Love
First Love – BBC Science & Nature
KVCR – PBS – Pringboard: The Science of Love – Origin of this post.
Source: Economist (I get a kick out of you) (Oxytocin, chemical addiction and the science of love)
ABC News – Good Morning America

Forget romance, the real reason we fall head over heels with someone is down to chemical reactions in our brains
What is love? According to Shakespeare, it’s a “smoke made with the fumes of sighs,” “a madness most discreet”, “a spirit all compact of fire”. Four centuries later, Erich Segal, author of Love Story, defined it as never having to say you’re sorry.

Here is another report on PBS, a study on a similar subject.
Science of Love on PBS.

Love Really Is “All In Your Head,” Though Intense Romantic Love Looks More Like The Brass Ring Than A Bouquet Of Roses. Another related report from The American Physiology Society

Hate Valentine's Day?

Hate Valentine’s Day? You are not alone

It’s Valentine's Day. The holiday of love when sweeties across America celebrate with crimson roses, chocolate hearts, cuddly stuffed animals and candlelit dinners for two.
Nauseating, isn't it?
Things apparently haven’t changed much sine last year. Read the rest here on Fox News report.

For me, I don’t have to worry about it this year. I just sent a few Valentine’s Day ecards and I’m off the hook.

Lust

Lust or Crush?
Lust:
noun
Definition:
1. sexual desire: the strong physical desire to have sex with somebody, usually without associated feelings of love or affection
2. eagerness: great eagerness or enthusiasm for something
a lust for power
Cursh:
noun
Definition:
...
4. short-lived love: a temporary romantic attraction, especially in teenagers and young people ( informal )
5. object of somebody's temporary romantic attraction: the person who is the object of somebody's temporary romantic infatuation ( informal )

I guess if I was younger you could call it just a crush, but it must be lust now. The object of my desires change from on year to another. Well, it actually grows and accumulates new members. It’s like my own (fantasy) Harem! "Welcome to the hotel california, such a lovely place, ..., But you can never leave."


Last year’s favorite (so-goolie) was Charleze Theron, but this year it seems to be Scarlet Johansson for now. Problem is I that I'm probably old enough to be her dad. Besides, ever since Charleze won her academy award, I don’t think she’ll be answering any of my calls anytime soon. See Scarlet Johansson, in
The Black Dahlia (2006) or
The Black Dahlia Movie Site (w/sound effect.) You can also check her in
Islland (2005) the movie or Island's Official Site.



I know, I’m not that loyal, that’s true. Well, I’m single and I don’t have any commitments and it doesn’t cost me any to fantasize. Any man or a woman, who says they only think of YOU and no one else, well they’re lying. And if they’re convincing you, find out if Poker is their favorite card game. It’s like this famous saying. All men know how to swim; it’s just that some never see the ocean.

Just one more tidbit about my imaginary Harem, Heidi Klum has been a VIP member for many years now.


Actually, poor Anna Nicole Smith was a member of this exclusive club too, a few years ago. The year she posed for Play Boy and became the playmate of the year, I remember a friend and I were talking about her, and he said something really genuine. “She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen”, that’s how he put it. He had even gone and even bought the last movie she had been in, Naked Gone 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994.)


I’m gonna let you in on another secret too. What’s amazing is that this close friend of mine always carried himself as an intellectual. He was well educated and was into TM, Yoga and an avid Deepak Chopra fan.


He didn’t want to share his secret lust for Anna Nicole with anyone but me. Once he’d seen the movie, he just wanted to get rid of the tape by giving it to me as a token gift. I didn’t want it either! As I was writing this tonight and went and look for the VHS tape, apparently I didn’t keep it either. He also had the hots for Pamela Anderson too. He had gone to all her movies (I’m not sure how many movie she was in) and I’m pretty sure he became a fan ever since she started on Baywatch. To tell you the truth I didn’t like her that much. She was too slutty for my taste. WE HAVE OUR STANDARDS TOO (Gorbehe dastesh be goosht nemi-reseed va me-goft poof poof boyeh peeyaz mideh!)



Just because she is so beautiful, she disserves another look :)

Tell me, does anyone look any better in jeans?

Missing in Action

Where is the KID in me? Why have I grown up? I used to do great imitations of Mohandes Billy and Samad (two characters in two older Persian sitcomes!)

I had a great imagination. I used to create plays for kids my own age and make up the Cowboy and Indian stories and narrate the made up stories on the fly. My friends loved to gather around and listen to my stories.


I used to sing when I was in high school. I enjoyed many Persian songs. I even thought I had a good voice although I was too shy to sing in front of anyone. I was a one man show. Well, not all Persian songs. Let it be (such an irony), on of my favorite songs (Beatles), Nights in White Satin (Moody Blues) or Jom-eeha (Fridays, by Fereydon Foroghi), or couple of Dariyoush’s songs. How sad, I can't even remember which Dariyoush songs!

What’s become of me? Have I become that serious and boring that I hardly laugh at many jokes and I find most TV sitcoms boring and stupid?



I don't have any answers, but I just wanted to write these down for now.

Nights In White Satin

Studio Recording - Best Sound!

Let It Be

Beatles

What a Talented Guy!

Sometimes I’m just too full of myself, especially when I think I’m being funny. Actually, I used to be a good actor when I was little. I could bark just as good as vicious dog and do one other thing that I’m not too proud to admit. I could do a donkey’s bray really well (ar ar, we call it in Farsi.) Many years later, I saw it done in one of the God Father movies, It was when Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) was sent to Sicily to lay low for a while. This is when he meets that Sicilian girl and marries her, but shortly after she is killed in a car bomb. In the movie, one of the Sicilian guards does a great imitation of a donkey’s bray as well too.

But two imitations and acting that I was really proud of was doing Mohandes Billy and Sammad in Sarkar Ostovar (Parvize Sayad). Mohandes Billy’s famous expression, “Yes dear – Areh Joonnam, Areh Azizam,” while he brushed side of his chin with his index finger.

In summer vacations we used to go to Shomal (Caspian Sea beach cities.) My parents always made plans with others friends and relative with kids our age. We used to have a great time at beach and most nights we ate in. Right before the dinner was served, I would put together a funny show with all original monologues. As I recall, I was very funny and creative and everyone really enjoyed it. At any other time, I was so shy that I could never see my self performing or sing in front of strangers. Go figure! It’s all a fond memory. Even up to this day, I still tease my mom and call her “Naneh Agha!”

Samad & Bruce Lee:

Samad, Boorooz Ali va Naneh Agha dar Sarkar Ostovar