پريروز كه از خواب بيدار شدم، به طرز عجيبى اولين فكرى كه به ذهنم رسيد اين بود كه آيا نسرين ستوده آلان زنده است يا نه؟ بعد رفتم در فيسبوك ديدم نوشته اند، نسرين ستوده وارد هفدهمين روز اعتصاب غذايش شده، و من نميدانستم كه مگر اصلا ميشود 17 روز بدون غذا زنده ماند؟ فردا بيست و يكمين روز اعتصاب غذاى نسرين ستوده است، مگر ميشود آدم ها انقدر قصى القلب باشند، و يا يك زن انقدر قوى. گناه آن بچه ها چيست؟ بعد فكر ها و سوالهاى ديگرى به ذهنم رسيد، كه شايد در اين شرايط سخت پرسيدنش درست نباشد....اميدوارم وقتى آزاد شد بنويسم و بپرسم. شايد وقتى بچه هايش بزرگ شدند از او بپرسند، كه البته اميدوارم اين روز برسد و و سالم باشد و بهشان بگويد. شايد در هر ملاقات شوهرش از او ميپرسد. نميدانم. شايد هم پاسخ' همان است كه خودش قبلا گفته:
http://1millionchange.info/spip.php?article7614
http://we-change.org/spip.php?article8781
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2012
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Keep looking!
He was working hard to convince her. He could not believe her. He needed reasoning, he needed logic. "I do not know why, I just know it does not feel right", she told him. She knew he was not the one. "How would you know someone is the one? Would he have a sign on his forehead saying I am the one?", he frustratedly asked. "I do not know, I would just know", somehow she believed in that, even though she had never met the one. Somehow that was the biggest reasoning that could not be refuted. Years passed. There were times she doubted her belief system, but she kept going. Till one day, she found the one. She just knew it, and she was not alone.
"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
Steve Jobs, 2005.
"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
Steve Jobs, 2005.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
If you do not stand for yourself, who will?
Yesterday as I was driving to work, I heard a historic and for many life-changing news on the radio. It was a historic day for the United States. It was the end of the "Do not Ask, Do not Tell" era, after 18 years. Now you can ask, and they can tell! For those of you who do not live in the U.S. or may not be familiar with the expression, Do Not Ask Do Not Tell refers to laws on restrictions of gays and lesbians openly serving in the U.S military. Basically, they could serve but they could not openly express their sexuality and if someone in military learned about their homosexuality, they would be banned from serving in the military and lose their jobs. While the law may sound harsh, it was actually a slight improvement to previous ones completely banning them from serving. Now they could serve, they just did not have to speak of their sexuality and no one was supposed to ask anyone about one's sexuality. As long as no one knew, they were fine.
This law put a lot of pressure on homosexuals who wished to build their careers in military. They had to always be careful of what they say, not have pictures of their loved ones and family, not have them in work-related events and ceremonies, not be completely honest. Some lost their jobs just because somebody did tell someone, even though no one asked! Unfortunately, the one who did tell on these people, were not fined even though they were also breaking the law, rather the homosexuals became the victims and paid the price.
The NPR news on this matter included two people's personal stories. One was a young female office, climbing the ladders and making her way up in the military, till one night a colleague saw her in a bar kissing another female. Even though it was outside work, her personal time, even though the colleague did not have to report it, that person was reported, and she got fired. She did not hold grudges and did not decide not to ever look back again, she did not say what the hell with the military, she did not think the person who caused her harm and reported the incident should pay back. She put all her energy advocating for the cause, trying to change the law, raising awareness, etc. so that she could serve openly and legally in the military. She claimed her right to serve and to do the job she loved. Yesterday, she filled an application for a position in military again even though she thinks now after eight years being older and not being physically in shape, she may not pass the physical exams. That would be okay, she said. She knows she did every thing she could to do what she wanted, and she certainly made a difference and proved her point.
The other story belonged to an officer who did not tell and no one told on him either. He could keep quiet and keep his job, but it was killing him. He wanted to do something, to change things. So he wrote his PhD dissertation on this topic and related policies and legislation. He knew writing that dissertation was basically some how looking for a way to break the silence, to tell, to set free. He knew he was risking his position by drawing attention and eventually people learning about his homosexuality. His work helped the cause as well, and now he does not have to carry that burden on his shoulder every single day.
The beautiful thing about these people is that they put their frustration and anger into making positive changes, instead of expecting others who already did no not respect their rights as humans to make those positive changes. Could they expect them to do so anyways? They did not hate the wrong doers nor did they boycott the military or anyone who had anything to do with discriminative laws from those who made the law, passed the law, to those who enforced the law, or even those who took advantage of the law and reported them. They simply recognized a broken system and did everything they could to change it. They claimed their right. They claimed themselves!
Whether you ask or not, whether you tell or not, it does not matter! As it should not!
References:
[1] http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140605121/with-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-an-era-ends
[2] http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/20/140624199/dont-ask-dont-tell-fades-away-media-say
[3] http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140644519/dont-ask-dont-tell-ends
This law put a lot of pressure on homosexuals who wished to build their careers in military. They had to always be careful of what they say, not have pictures of their loved ones and family, not have them in work-related events and ceremonies, not be completely honest. Some lost their jobs just because somebody did tell someone, even though no one asked! Unfortunately, the one who did tell on these people, were not fined even though they were also breaking the law, rather the homosexuals became the victims and paid the price.
The NPR news on this matter included two people's personal stories. One was a young female office, climbing the ladders and making her way up in the military, till one night a colleague saw her in a bar kissing another female. Even though it was outside work, her personal time, even though the colleague did not have to report it, that person was reported, and she got fired. She did not hold grudges and did not decide not to ever look back again, she did not say what the hell with the military, she did not think the person who caused her harm and reported the incident should pay back. She put all her energy advocating for the cause, trying to change the law, raising awareness, etc. so that she could serve openly and legally in the military. She claimed her right to serve and to do the job she loved. Yesterday, she filled an application for a position in military again even though she thinks now after eight years being older and not being physically in shape, she may not pass the physical exams. That would be okay, she said. She knows she did every thing she could to do what she wanted, and she certainly made a difference and proved her point.
The other story belonged to an officer who did not tell and no one told on him either. He could keep quiet and keep his job, but it was killing him. He wanted to do something, to change things. So he wrote his PhD dissertation on this topic and related policies and legislation. He knew writing that dissertation was basically some how looking for a way to break the silence, to tell, to set free. He knew he was risking his position by drawing attention and eventually people learning about his homosexuality. His work helped the cause as well, and now he does not have to carry that burden on his shoulder every single day.
The beautiful thing about these people is that they put their frustration and anger into making positive changes, instead of expecting others who already did no not respect their rights as humans to make those positive changes. Could they expect them to do so anyways? They did not hate the wrong doers nor did they boycott the military or anyone who had anything to do with discriminative laws from those who made the law, passed the law, to those who enforced the law, or even those who took advantage of the law and reported them. They simply recognized a broken system and did everything they could to change it. They claimed their right. They claimed themselves!
Whether you ask or not, whether you tell or not, it does not matter! As it should not!
References:
[1] http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140605121/with-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-an-era-ends
[2] http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/20/140624199/dont-ask-dont-tell-fades-away-media-say
[3] http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140644519/dont-ask-dont-tell-ends
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The couple to watch tomorrow!
The world is awaiting the royal wedding tomorrow. Media is full of all sorts of news: which officials got invited, what cake they will have, what dress the bride will wear, she is doing her own make up? Why?
In the world of wars in Libya, Afghanistan,..., radiations in Japan, unrest in Syria, tornado in Alabama,...the world wishes to escape it all, crawl into a fairy tale story of a prince marrying a regular girl, the girl becoming a princess, and feeding girls the princess stories. Fashion, music, festivities, and all the glamor coming with it are fun and nice to watch. I love celebrations, creation of beauty, demonstrating and performing arts, I will probably watch parts of it myself. However, I do not think the royal young couple are the couple the world should set their eyes on tomorrow.
I beg to differ. Tomorrow, the world should be watching a different couple, learning from them, admire and cheer for them, celebrate them, and make them their kids' role models, not princes and princesses who are born royalty or become royalty by association. Rather those who reach for the stars despite all barriers and odds, who stand next to each other till death sets them apart. I am talking about the all American couple Senator Gabriell Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly.
It was less than four months ago, on January 8, 2011, that Senator Gabriell Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head while having a town hall meeting with her constituents on a weekend. Captain Kelly, her husband, was supposed to fly on STS-133 but the incident made him leave training and preparations at Huston to be next to his wife in Arizona, where he was told she might have 4-6 months to live. He did not fly with that mission. Every day he was next to her silent body, that eventually opened her eyes one day, communicated with her husband by rubbing his wedding band, telling him she knows him, loves him, she kept the tradition of defying odds, and encouraging her husband to continue making dreams reality.
Tomorrow, he will be the Captain of STS-134, the last flight of Endeavor, and his wife, miraculously and constantly improving, flew to Florida to be there at KSC and send him away, along with president Obama and 40,000 or more people at KSC, and the nation and hopefully the world watching them. I will be watching the launch from our auditorium with our own Senator Mikulski. I encourage you to watch history on Friday 3:47 pm EST on NASA TV too. The couple to watch tomorrow is not the royal couple, it is Mark Kelly and Gabriell Gifford, dedicated to their goals and ideals next to each other, moving forward!
Related:
Obama's moving speech at a nice ceremony for Arizona victims few days after the event (although I could not get the audience cheering at the beginning when people were killed and shot and mourning):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztbJmXQDIGA
In the world of wars in Libya, Afghanistan,..., radiations in Japan, unrest in Syria, tornado in Alabama,...the world wishes to escape it all, crawl into a fairy tale story of a prince marrying a regular girl, the girl becoming a princess, and feeding girls the princess stories. Fashion, music, festivities, and all the glamor coming with it are fun and nice to watch. I love celebrations, creation of beauty, demonstrating and performing arts, I will probably watch parts of it myself. However, I do not think the royal young couple are the couple the world should set their eyes on tomorrow.
I beg to differ. Tomorrow, the world should be watching a different couple, learning from them, admire and cheer for them, celebrate them, and make them their kids' role models, not princes and princesses who are born royalty or become royalty by association. Rather those who reach for the stars despite all barriers and odds, who stand next to each other till death sets them apart. I am talking about the all American couple Senator Gabriell Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly.
It was less than four months ago, on January 8, 2011, that Senator Gabriell Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head while having a town hall meeting with her constituents on a weekend. Captain Kelly, her husband, was supposed to fly on STS-133 but the incident made him leave training and preparations at Huston to be next to his wife in Arizona, where he was told she might have 4-6 months to live. He did not fly with that mission. Every day he was next to her silent body, that eventually opened her eyes one day, communicated with her husband by rubbing his wedding band, telling him she knows him, loves him, she kept the tradition of defying odds, and encouraging her husband to continue making dreams reality.
Tomorrow, he will be the Captain of STS-134, the last flight of Endeavor, and his wife, miraculously and constantly improving, flew to Florida to be there at KSC and send him away, along with president Obama and 40,000 or more people at KSC, and the nation and hopefully the world watching them. I will be watching the launch from our auditorium with our own Senator Mikulski. I encourage you to watch history on Friday 3:47 pm EST on NASA TV too. The couple to watch tomorrow is not the royal couple, it is Mark Kelly and Gabriell Gifford, dedicated to their goals and ideals next to each other, moving forward!
Related:
Obama's moving speech at a nice ceremony for Arizona victims few days after the event (although I could not get the audience cheering at the beginning when people were killed and shot and mourning):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztbJmXQDIGA
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Reality and dreams!
"The world of a filmmaker is marked by the interplay between reality and dreams. The filmmaker uses reality as his inspiration, paints it with the color of his imagination, and creates a film that is a projection of his hopes and dreams.
The reality is I have been kept from making films for the past five years and am now officially sentenced to be deprived of this right for another twenty years. But I know I will keep on turning my dreams into films in my imagination. I admit as a socially conscious filmmaker that I won’t be able to portray the daily problems and concerns of my people, but I won’t deny myself dreaming that after twenty years all the problems will be gone and I’ll be making films about the peace and prosperity in my country when I get a chance to do so again.
The reality is they have deprived me of thinking and writing for twenty years, but they can not keep me from dreaming that in twenty years inquisition and intimidation will be replaced by freedom and free thinking.
They have deprived me of seeing the world for twenty years. I hope that when I am free, I will be able to travel in a world without any geographic, ethnic, and ideological barriers, where people live together freely and peacefully regardless of their beliefs and convictions.
They have condemned me to twenty years of silence. Yet in my dreams, I scream for a time when we can tolerate each other, respect each other’s opinions, and live for each other.
Ultimately, the reality of my verdict is that I must spend six years in jail. I’ll live for the next six years hoping that my dreams will become reality. I wish my fellow filmmakers in every corner of the world would create such great films that by the time I leave the prison I will be inspired to continue to live in the world they have dreamed of in their films.
So from now on, and for the next twenty years, I’m forced to be silent. I’m forced not to be able to see, I’m forced not to be able to think, I’m forced not to be able to make films.
I submit to the reality of the captivity and the captors. I will look for the manifestation of my dreams in your films, hoping to find in them what I have been deprived of."
Open letter from Jafar Panahi - On the occasion of the Opening of the 61st Berlinale
The reality is I have been kept from making films for the past five years and am now officially sentenced to be deprived of this right for another twenty years. But I know I will keep on turning my dreams into films in my imagination. I admit as a socially conscious filmmaker that I won’t be able to portray the daily problems and concerns of my people, but I won’t deny myself dreaming that after twenty years all the problems will be gone and I’ll be making films about the peace and prosperity in my country when I get a chance to do so again.
The reality is they have deprived me of thinking and writing for twenty years, but they can not keep me from dreaming that in twenty years inquisition and intimidation will be replaced by freedom and free thinking.
They have deprived me of seeing the world for twenty years. I hope that when I am free, I will be able to travel in a world without any geographic, ethnic, and ideological barriers, where people live together freely and peacefully regardless of their beliefs and convictions.
They have condemned me to twenty years of silence. Yet in my dreams, I scream for a time when we can tolerate each other, respect each other’s opinions, and live for each other.
Ultimately, the reality of my verdict is that I must spend six years in jail. I’ll live for the next six years hoping that my dreams will become reality. I wish my fellow filmmakers in every corner of the world would create such great films that by the time I leave the prison I will be inspired to continue to live in the world they have dreamed of in their films.
So from now on, and for the next twenty years, I’m forced to be silent. I’m forced not to be able to see, I’m forced not to be able to think, I’m forced not to be able to make films.
I submit to the reality of the captivity and the captors. I will look for the manifestation of my dreams in your films, hoping to find in them what I have been deprived of."
Open letter from Jafar Panahi - On the occasion of the Opening of the 61st Berlinale
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