Out & About with #RandomThoughts

 

It has been quite a week.  I decided to headline my brief thoughts with this I own in my Personal Artifacts Collection: An original Signature of His Majesty the late Shah of Iran and his Second Wife, Queen Soraya--it was her birthday this week: 

While out & about on Social Media, I paid homage to the two young reporters who died.  I could not believe my eyes at the arrogance of Iran's Environment Organization head.    I also was horrified when I saw reporting about five soldiers losing their lives.     As I write this, Iranian Laborers have begun a nationwide strike with the simple slogan of 20-10 (20 days on-10 days off).   People are leaving Iran in droves (some 150,000 left last year).   I am listening to a program about the true realities in Iran --I broke down when one of the analysts talked about how, in the UAE, there is a ministry called the Ministry of Success & Happiness--and how the unemployment stipend Kuwaitis received is higher that Surgeons in Iran.     It was also just sickening when the Deputy Health Minister called those who criticized the untested Vaccine, Morons.      The last comment was even more sickening:  how 5 million kids have mental issues: 

I remain hopeful that light will shine again on Iran in spite of all the horrors the people have to deal with as I hope that the unity as a result of the boycott of the Elections will be sustained.    

On this #FathersDay2021: Rememebering an Iran Legend/In Memoriam | PARVIZ KARDAN | 1937 - 2021

Today is Fathers' Day in the United States.   I extend Fathers' Day wishes to all my brother Fathers' who do all that they can to make a difference.   As I was reflecting on this day and the continued calamity that has befallen Iran today--especially in the aftermath of the election, I decided to release this tribute courtesy the great folks at Farhang Foundation as they paid tribute to a great Iranian, Parviz Kardan who passed away recently.   May his soul rest in peace and grant solace to his wife and daughter--as he will live on in the immense body of work he produced and the almost 60 years he was with Iranians:

 

 

Mr. Kardan was born in Shiraz on October 20, 1937, and started his artistic career in 1959 by acting on stage and on television. He studied at the Tehran School of Dramatic Arts and later continued his studies in Directing in London, where he developed the idea of Iranian television sitcoms through what he had witnessed on popular British television. 

He was one of the leading trailblazers of Iranian television and he starred in and directed several shows including "Jabeye Ashrafi” (director), “Amir Arsalan” (director), “Sarkar Ostovar” (co-directed by Mansour Pourmand and Parviz Sayyad), "Octopus" (co-directed with Parviz Sayyad), “Khaneh Bedoosh” (director and star), “Adam Kaghazi” (director and star), “Marde Aval” (director) and “Tabestan, Tabestan” (director).

 

Mr. Kardan started his career in Cinema in 1971 by directing and starring in "Amoo Yadegar." A year later, he starred in "Shir-Too-Shir." His last film was "Morad Barghi Va Haft Dokhtaroon" in 1974.

After the 1979 Iranian revolution, Mr. Kardan was forced to emigrate to London and later to Los Angeles where he continued his theatrical and television work on such productions as “Mohakemeye Iraj Mirza,” "Tehran Oh Tehran," “Haft Rang,” “Salam Va Khodahafez Shazdeh Khanoom,” and in several plays including "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett. In addition to the stage, he hosted his own television shows on Farda T.V., VOA Persian, and many other networks.

Out & About with Some #RandomThoughts on Iran (Updated)

 

For this special edition of Notations, I decided to focus on Iran as tomorrow is the so-called "Election" In Iran.

I decided to begin by remembering how Iran was as I captured this image of my own School in Iran on how things were.

As I write this, every credible poll in Iran reflects a very low turnout--may be up to 20 percent of the estimated 65 Million People.   I am seeing reports about how the Sunni Minority is courted as well based on reporting by the Kalameh Network.  The reality is different, though, based on the simple depiction of what the true fact is: 

As I was surveying the scene, I caught this from Iran's Trevor Noah, Sina Valliollah who basically tore into the so-called "candidates"--2 of which withdrew in favor of the preferred candidate, Ebrahim Raissi: 

 What was the ultimate legacy of the Islamic Republic was noted below as the Leader spoke for the third time in a few weeks to basically beg the people to vote as everything is pretty much set:    

Cc @Smvahedi…”.. . This extraordinary country, rich in human talent, culture, history and resources, is woefully misgoverned. ..” what you & your masters have done : https://t.co/8GIZ8qgiFg

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) June 13, 2021

As I was thinking about the tragedy that is Iran, I called up a classic talk by Professor Mohsen Kadivar of Duke University.  This sermon, delivered at a remembrance for the victims of the 2009 Green Movement Protests, went through an indictment of the Islamic Republic that resonates even today: 

(Update ((6/18/2021:  Here are updated comments on the state of elections in Iran--This is from the leading opposition analyst Mojtaba Vahedi)): 

 

..and as I wrote this update, the Kalameh Network provided live coverage of how streets in Iran  were empty on this election today--it is indeed a good day as Iranians are truly boycotting the polls:

Remaining Hopeful..... 

While Out & About This Week: Wishing a 246th Happy Birthday to the U.S. Army

یغما گلرویی - شعر رهایی/ همایون شجریان و سهراب پورناظری - تصنیف While Out & About With some brief midweek #RandomThoughts :

I have been working away on commitments at the Daily Outsider This Week--and been assessing what has been the latest out of Iran. I decided to call up two classics sung by two of the great contemporaries of Iranian Music and I'll have more thoughts on it soon.

Out & About with Brief #RandomThoughts For the Week

 

It has been a working weekend of reflection, engagement, and gearing up for a new week as I continued assessing the latest out of Iran with the so-called "elections".   I reminded myself how truly "Freedom is Not Free" as I am reminded of it daily with this tribute to the 40th Infantry Division that hangs in my office.   I also worked on creating a Visual Essay for a Project for the 40th Infantry Division where I serve as an NCO for the Military Support Unit:

Onward to a new week