Kamran Ashtary Updates

My friend Kamran Ashtary has updated his site with his artful photography:

http://ashtaryonline.com/

I don't know much about art but I know they're pretty pictures.

Documentary about Mezrab

The production company Godmotherfilms is making a documentary about the Mezrab. The trailer is now done and used to impress people in the film/TV industry.

Have a look here:

http://www.godmotherfilms.com/work/Mezrab

Has the US already lost Iran?

An interesting question about the foreign policy of Obama in regards to Iran. This article appeared in the New York Times a few days ago:

http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/thatseemsfair/nyt005.html

Good reading.

EDward Said Speaks

Edward Said was a great thinker, writer and speaker. Elequent and a bit subversive. In the following 45 minute clip he speaks about Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilisations". Still very much relevant today:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqeoe_edward-said-the-myth-of-culture-cla

Neanderthals

So, as it turns out it's very possible the Neanderthals, an exceptional species, were exterminated because we ate them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/17/neanderthals-cannibalism-anthropological-sciences-journal

Super-Duper Birtrhday Music

It's my birthday! Yoohoo! And to celebrate here's my favorite song of the moment. Thank you Lenie for mailing me this:

More Musical Genius

Remember ThruYou, the Youtube mashup musical project? Now there's this site, with pieces sent in to create a song together:

http://www.inbflat.net/

Very nice.

Mezrab

By the way, if you want to be updated about all that Mezrab, our cultural space in Amsterdam, is up to in the future, you can follow Mezrab on Twitter, Hyves and Facebook!

(We're still working on the site)

Pope to Stop Converting Jews

Hmmm... according to this article, the Pope will stop trying to convert Jews. That's nice isn't it? Ofcourse, it does raise some theological questions.

Does this mean that you don't need to accept Jesus anymore as your personal lord and savior to get eternal life in heaven? Or does it mean that all people have to accept Jesus accept for Jews, who can continue believing what they want and will be let into heaven anyway? Or does it mean that the Catholic church now officially stopped caring about the immortal soul of Jewish people?

Tricky.

Russian Animations

The Azeri lullaby that I posted earlier this week is part of a Russian series of animations based on lullabies from all over the world. You should check them out, they are really good. Some, if not most, can be found on YouTube.

More info on the project can be found here:

http://www.lull.ru/eng/index.html

View From Iran

It seems the good people at http://viewfromiran.blogspot.com/ have started blogging again. This is a good thing, go check them out if you are interested in Iranian society and politics.

Azeri Lullaby

This is extremely cute! A beautifully animated Azeri lullaby...



Thanks to Danial for allerting me to this video.

Free filmmakers, journalists and bloggers

Some time ago I asked for your help in seeking the release of filmmaker Andrew Berend. Luckily he was released not long after. Here is the mail he sent out:

Wow, I’ve been home from Nigeria for half a year, and feel an update to you all is overdue. My translator Samuel George, my host Joe Bussio, and I are all OK.

Joe has actually left Nigeria, and returned to South Africa. Nigeria can be a stressful place. He’d been there a few years and felt it was time to go home. While not the only factor, I’m sure getting dragged into this mess with the SSS contributed to his decision to leave. I’ll always be grateful for Joe’s kindness and hospitality.

Samuel had to pay a couple more visits to the SSS, but the matter seems to have faded away. Some SSS agents did visit his home not to long ago. They asked him to come in once again, hoping he could provide information about the militants. Samuel has absolutely no connection with the militants, so he had nothing to offer them. Unfortunately, there was never any official resolution to the case. I hope and believe that Samuel won’t face any additional harassment, but there will always be a lingering uncertainty. I’ll always be grateful for Samuel’s integrity.

Meanwhile, I am making steady progress with the film, and will send further updates as I get closer to completion.I’d just like to thank you all again for your support and the actions you took to assist me last September.

---

There are many others who still are not free. Take for instance Kareem Amer, an Egyptian blogger in prison. A recent write up has appeared on the site dedicated to his release:

http://www.freekareem.org/2009/04/10/only-attention-will-keep-imprisoned-bloggers-alive/

Mezrab birthday

Hey Folks,

It's almost the birthday of our little cultural space in Amsterdam called the Mezrab. After 5 years its time to expand and move into a bigger space, to allow all the free flowing creativity to fully develop. All this goes hand in hand with creating a new site (which I'll post as soon as it's up). We also have a Hyves and Facebook page. Join to get all the news!

http://mezrab.hyves.nl/

Happy workers day!

Well, the economy is down the drain, but if it results in serious reforms in the world's economy than it could be worth it. We'll see what the future brings. In the mean time, happy worker's day!

Have some cool pictures in the latest installment of:

http://lifegoesonintehran.com/