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The Coincidence Theorists Guide to 9/11

That governments have permitted terrorist acts against their own people, and have even themselves been perpetrators in order to find strategic advantage is quite likely true, but this is the United States we're talking about.

That intelligence agencies, financiers, terrorists and narco-criminals have a long history together is well established, but the Nugan Hand Bank, BCCI, Banco Ambrosiano, the P2 Lodge, the CIA/Mafia anti-Castro/Kennedy alliance, Iran/Contra and the rest were a long time ago, so there's no need to rehash all that. That was then, this is now!

That Jonathan Bush's Riggs Bank has been found guilty of laundering terrorist funds and fined a US-record $25 million must embarrass his nephew George, but it's still no justification for leaping to paranoid conclusions.

That George Bush's brother Marvin sat on the board of the Kuwaiti-owned company which provided electronic security to the World Trade Centre, Dulles Airport and United Airlines means nothing more than you must admit those Bush boys have done alright for themselves.

That George Bush found success as a businessman only after the investment of Osama's brother Salem and reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mahfouz is just one of those things - one of those crazy things.

That Osama bin Laden is known to have been an asset of US foreign policy in no way implies he still is.

That al Qaeda was active in the Balkan conflict, fighting on the same side as the US as recently as 1999, while the US protected its cells, is merely one of history's little aberrations.

The claims of Michael Springman, State Department veteran of the Jeddah visa bureau, that the CIA ran the office and issued visas to al Qaeda members so they could receive training in the United States, sound like the sour grapes of someone who was fired for making such wild accusations.

That one of George Bush's first acts as President, in January 2001, was to end the two-year deployment of attack submarines which were positioned within striking distance of al Qaeda's Afghanistan camps, even as the group's guilt for the Cole bombing was established, proves that a transition from one administration to the next is never an easy task.

That so many influential figures in and close to the Bush White House had expressed, just a year before the attacks, the need for a "new Pearl Harbor" before their militarist ambitions could be fulfilled, demonstrates nothing more than the accidental virtue of being in the right place at the right time.

That the company PTECH, founded by a Saudi financier placed on America's Terrorist Watch List in October 2001, had access to the FAA's entire computer system for two years before the 9/11 attack, means he must not have been such a threat after all.

That whistleblower Indira Singh was told to keep her mouth shut and forget what she learned when she took her concerns about PTECH to her employers and federal authorities, suggests she lacked the big picture. And that the Chief Auditor for JP Morgan Chase told Singh repeatedly, as she answered questions about who supplied her with what information, that "that person should be killed," suggests he should take an anger management seminar.

That on May 8, 2001, Dick Cheney took upon himself the job of co-ordinating a response to domestic terror attacks even as he was crafting the administration's energy policy which bore implications for America's military, circumventing the established infrastructure and ignoring the recommendations of the Hart-Rudman report, merely shows the VP to be someone who finds it hard to delegate.

That the standing order which covered the shooting down of hijacked aircraft was altered on June 1, 2001, taking discretion away from field commanders and placing it solely in the hands of the Secretary of Defense, is simply poor planning and unfortunate timing. Fortunately the error has been corrected, as the order was rescinded shortly after 9/11.

That in the weeks before 9/11, FBI agent Colleen Rowley found her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui so perversely thwarted that her colleagues joked that bin Laden had a mole at the FBI, proves the stress-relieving virtue of humour in the workplace.

That Dave Frasca of the FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit received a promotion after quashing multiple, urgent requests for investigations into al Qaeda assets training at flight schools in the summer of 2001 does appear on the surface odd, but undoubtedly there's a good reason for it, quite possibly classified.

That FBI informant Randy Glass, working an undercover sting, was told by Pakistani intelligence operatives that the World Trade Center towers were coming down, and that his repeated warnings which continued until weeks before the attacks, including the mention of planes used as weapons, were ignored by federal authorities, is simply one of the many "What Ifs" of that tragic day.

That over the summer of 2001 Washington received many urgent, senior-level warnings from foreign intelligence agencies and governments - including those of Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Afghanistan and others - of impending terror attacks using hijacked aircraft and did nothing, demonstrates the pressing need for a new Intelligence Czar.

That John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft in July 2001 on account of security considerations had nothing to do with warnings regarding September 11, because he said so to the 9/11 Commission.

That former lead counsel for the House David Schippers says he'd taken to John Ashcroft's office specific warnings he'd learned from FBI agents in New York of an impending attack - even naming the proposed dates, names of the hijackers and the targets - and that the investigations had been stymied and the agents threatened, proves nothing but David Schipper's pathetic need for attention.

That Garth Nicolson received two warnings from contacts in the intelligence community and one from a North African head of state, which included specific site, date and source of the attacks, and passed the information to the Defense Department and the National Security Council to evidently no effect, clearly amounts to nothing, since virtually nobody has ever heard of him.

That in the months prior to September 11, self-described US intelligence operative Delmart Vreeland sought, from a Toronto jail cell, to get US and Canadian authorities to heed his warning of his accidental discovery of impending catastrophic attacks is worthless, since Vreeland was a dubious character, notwithstanding the fact that many of his claims have since been proven true.

That FBI Special Investigator Robert Wright claims that agents assigned to intelligence operations actually protect terrorists from investigation and prosecution, that the FBI shut down his probe into terrorist training camps, and that he was removed from a money-laundering case that had a direct link to terrorism, sounds like yet more sour grapes from a disgruntled employee.

That George Bush had plans to invade Afghanistan on his desk before 9/11 demonstrates only the value of being prepared.

The suggestion that securing a pipeline across Afghanistan figured into the White House's calculations is as ludicrous as the assertion that oil played a part in determining war in Iraq.

That Afghanistan is once again the world's principal heroin producer is an unfortunate reality, but to claim the CIA is still actively involved in the narcotics trade is to presume bad faith on the part of the agency.

Mahmood Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's ISI, must not have authorized an al Qaeda payment of $100,000 to Mohammed Atta days before the attacks, and was not meeting with senior Washington officials over the week of 9/11, because I didn't read anything about him in the official report.

That Porter Goss met with Ahmed the morning of September 11 in his capacity as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has no bearing whatsoever upon his recent selection by the White House to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

That Goss's congressional seat encompasses the 9/11 hijackers' Florida base of operation, including their flight schools, is precisely the kind of meaningless factoid a conspiracy theorist would bring up.

It's true that George HW Bush and Dick Cheney spent the evening of September 10 alone in the Oval Office, but what's wrong with old colleagues catching up? And it's true that George HW Bush and Shafig bin Laden, Osama's brother, spent the morning of September 11 together at a board meeting of the Carlyle Group, but the bin Ladens are a big family.

That FEMA arrived in New York on Sept 10 to prepare for a scheduled biowarfare drill, and had a triage centre ready to go that was larger and better equipped than the one that was lost in the collapse of WTC 7, was a lucky twist of fate.

Newsweek's report that senior Pentagon officials cancelled flights on Sept 10 for the following day on account of security concerns is only newsworthy because of what happened the following morning.

That George Bush's telephone logs for September 11 do not exist should surprise no one, given the confusion of the day.

That Mohamed Atta attended the International Officer's School at Maxwell Air Force Base, that Abdulaziz Alomari attended Brooks Air Force Base Aerospace Medical School, that Saeed Alghamdi attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey merely shows it is a small world, after all.

That Lt Col Steve Butler, Vice Chancellor for student affairs of the Defense Language Institute during Alghamdi's terms, was disciplined, removed from his post and threatened with court martial when he wrote "Bush knew of the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. What is…contemptible is the President of the United States not telling the American people what he knows for political gain," is the least that should have happened for such disrespect shown his Commander in Chief.

That Mohammed Atta dressed like a Mafioso, had a stripper girlfriend, smuggled drugs, was already a licensed pilot when he entered the US, enjoyed pork chops, drank to excess and did cocaine, was closer to Europeans than Arabs in Florida, and included the names of defence contractors on his email list, proves how dangerous the radical fundamentalist Muslim can be.

That 43 lbs of heroin was found on board the Lear Jet owned by Wally Hilliard, the owner of Atta's flight school, just three weeks after Atta enrolled - the biggest seizure ever in Central Florida - was just bad luck. That Hilliard was not charged shows how specious the claims for conspiracy truly are.

That Hilliard's plane had made 30-round trips to Venezuela with the same passengers who always paid cash, that the plane had been supplied by a pair of drug smugglers who had also outfitted CIA drug runner Barry Seal, and that 9/11 commissioner Richard ben-Veniste had been Seal's attorney before Seal's murder, shows nothing but the lengths to which conspiracists will go to draw sinister conclusions.

Reports of insider trading on 9/11 are false, because the SEC investigated and found only respectable investors who will remain nameless involved, and no terrorists, so the windfall profit-taking was merely, as ever, coincidental.

That heightened security for the World Trade Centre was lifted immediately prior to the attacks illustrates that it always happens when you least expect it.

That Hani Hanjour, the pilot of Flight 77, was so incompetent he could not fly a Cessna in August, but in September managed to fly a 767 at excessive speed into a spiraling, 270-degree descent and a level impact of the first floor of the Pentagon, on the only side that was virtually empty and had been hardened to withstand a terrorist attack, merely demonstrates that people can do almost anything once they set their minds to it.

That none of the flight data recorders were said to be recoverable even though they were located in the tail sections, and that until 9/11, no solid-state recorder in a catastrophic crash had been unrecoverable, shows how there's a first time for everything.

That Mohammed Atta left a uniform, a will, a Koran, his driver's license and a "how to fly planes" video in his rental car at the airport means he had other things on his mind.

The mention of Israelis with links to military-intelligence having been arrested on Sept 11 videotaping and celebrating the attacks, of an Israeli espionage ring surveiling DEA and defense installations and trailing the hijackers, and of a warning of impending attacks delivered to the Israeli company Odigo two hours before the first plane hit, does not deserve a response. That the stories also appeared in publications such as Ha'aretz and Forward is a sad display of self-hatred among certain elements of the Israeli media.

That multiple military wargames and simulations were underway the morning of 9/11 - one simulating the crash of a plane into a building; another, a live-fly simulation of multiple hijackings - and took many interceptors away from the eastern seaboard and confused field commanders as to which was a real hijacked aircraft and which was a hoax, was a bizarre coincidence, but no less a coincidence.

That the National Military Command Center ops director asked a rookie substitute to stand his watch at 8:30 am on Sept. 11 is nothing more than bad timing.

That a recording made Sept 11 of air traffic controllers' describing what they had witnessed, was destroyed by an FAA official who crushed it in his hand, cut the tape into little pieces and dropped them in different trash cans around the building, is something no doubt that overzealous official wishes he could undo.

That the FBI knew precisely which Florida flight schools to descend upon hours after the attacks should make every American feel safer knowing their federal agents are on the ball.

That a former flight school executive believes the hijackers were "double agents," and says about Atta and associates, "Early on I gleaned that these guys had government protection. They were let into this country for a specific purpose," and was visited by the FBI just four hours after the attacks to intimidate him into silence, proves he's an unreliable witness, for the simple reason there is no conspiracy.

That Jeb Bush was on board an aircraft that removed flight school records to Washington in the middle of the night on Sept 12th demonstrates how seriously the governor takes the issue of national security.

To insinuate evil motive from the mercy flights of bin Laden family members and Saudi royals after 9/11 shows the sickness of the conspiratorial mindset.

Le Figaro's report in October 2001, known to have originated with French intelligence, that the CIA met Osama bin Laden in a Dubai hospital in July 2001, proves again the perfidy of the French.

That the tape in which bin Laden claims responsibility for the attacks was released by the State Department after having been found providentially by US forces in Afghanistan, and depicts a fattened Osama with a broader face and a flatter nose, proves Osama, and Osama alone, masterminded 9/11.

That at the battle of Tora Bora, where bin Laden was surrounded on three sides, Special Forces received no order to advance and capture him and were forced to stand and watch as two Russian-made helicopters flew into the area where bin Laden was believed hiding, loaded up passengers and returned to Pakistan, demonstrates how confusing the modern battlefield can be.

That upon returning to Fort Bragg from Tora Bora, the same Special Operations troops who had been stood down from capturing bin Laden, suffered a unusual spree of murder/suicides, is nothing more than a series of senseless tragedies.

Reports that bin Laden is currently receiving periodic dialysis treatment in a Pakistani medical hospital are simply too incredible to be true.

That the White House went on Cipro September 11 shows the foresightedness of America's emergency response.

That the anthrax was mailed to perceived liberal media and the Democratic leadership demonstrates only the perversity of the terrorist psyche.

That the anthrax attacks appeared to silence opponents of the Patriot Act shows only that appearances can be deceiving.

That the Ames-strain anthrax was found to have originated at Fort Detrick, and was beyond the capability of all but a few labs to refine, underscores the importance of allowing the investigation to continue without the distraction of absurd conspiracy theories.

That Republican guru Grover Norquist has been found to have aided financiers and supporters of Islamic terror to gain access to the Bush White House, and is a founder of the Islamic Institute, which the Treasury Department believes to be a source of funding for al Qaeda, suggests Norquist is at worst, naive, and at best, needs a wider circle of friends.

That the Department of Justice consistently chooses to see accused 9/11 plotters go free rather than permit the courtroom testimony of al Qaeda leaders in American custody looks bad, but only because we don't have all the facts.

That the White House balked at any inquiry into the events of 9/11, then starved it of funds and stonewalled it, was unfortunate, but since the commission didn't find for conspiracy it's all a non issue anyway.

That the 9/11 commission's executive director and "gatekeeper," Philip Zelikow, was so closely involved in the events under investigation that he testified before the the commission as part of the inquiry, shows only an apparent conflict of interest.

That commission chair Thomas Kean is, like George Bush, a Texas oil executive who had business dealings with reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mafouz, suggests Texas is smaller than they say it is.

That co-chair Lee Hamilton has a history as a Bush family "fixer," including clearing Bush Sr of the claims arising from the 1980 "October Surprise", is of no concern, since only conspiracists believe there was such a thing as an October Surprise.

That FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds accuses the agency of intentionally fudging specific pre-9/11 warnings and harboring a foreign espionage ring in its translation department, and claims she witnessed evidence of the semi-official infrastructure of money-laundering and narcotics trade behind the attacks, is of no account, since John Ashcroft has gagged her with the rare invocation of "State Secrets Privilege," and retroactively classified her public testimony. For the sake of national security, let us speak no more of her.

That, when commenting on Edmond's case, Daniel Ellsberg remarked that Ashcroft could go to prison for his part in a cover-up, suggests Ellsberg is giving comfort to the terrorists, and could, if he doesn't wise up, find himself declared an enemy combatant.

I could go on. And on and on. But I trust you get the point. Which is simply this: there are no secrets, an American government would never accept civilian casualties for geostrategic gain, and conspiracies are for the weak-minded and gullible.
go to
http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/08/coincidence-theorists-guide-to-911.html
for links for every statement made here.

http://truthmove.org

It exposes the limitations of human capacity to analyze and distinguish. Things appearing similar in terms of time is coincidence, but please remember two axiomatic truth that the same drop of water does not flow twice and the arrow of time is unidirectional.

Some people may like this.You're not gonna find this information anywhere else.I'm uncovering the secrets!
Special thanks to my American friend who helped me proofread my writing.
I believe that if you spend 5-10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime's worth of Major Media news. I've just turned 19 and I'm a university student studying English who just cannot sit back and let the lies fly unchallenged.
This article has two parts:
1. Cultural and general info
2. Political info.
Note: I've explained all the things that you always talk about, so read it all plz! (Anytime you like!) Specially the political part! Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.
****
Hi. I'm an Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.
The first thing America, and the West in general, accuses our government of is that we don't allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don't like as much as anyone. But come on, there are only a few restrictions.It's cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don't even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa. That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws because some of them are based on our culture. You look at our country from "your own point of view"! In Iran every single house has a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style (I'm talking about public places, in our privacy there's no difference). A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Almost women wear half their their hair out, and make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.(I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!) Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmetics. You would be surprised to see the difference between what you imagine and what Iran really is!
In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, inflation and air pollution. They're common problems around the world today! Also, you can't compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran's population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we've transformed everything.

Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. But that's not a bad thing. They're very respectful, and they've been the winners in so many cases: They get into the best universities because they're very smart. And they get the best jobs because they can do so many of them better than men. They've got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here. I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you.

Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? Are they balck and white or colourful? But in one case (related to many years ago) the thing that had happened was incest not adultery.We think being punished for corruption is good, as it deters people from doing that and the society will be far healthier than the countries in which commiting such things is considered to be normal! For your information, most of those footages are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban). What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they were/are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too. There's no perfect country!
Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are ——— SEPERATE COUNTRIES! ——— Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The point is, there's nothing mysterious about us! The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: "IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!" "IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!" Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.
There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the Media talk about them? Please don't summarize our nation and culture with the single word "nuclear". Although we're proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran

A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!
Some interesting facts:
Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian. The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad.jpg ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they're among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians. Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine. Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans! For example you can buy windows vista for 1 Dollar here instead of 700 Dollars!!! or 3 supper pizzas for 10 Dollars!!!wow!) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in 'developed' countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! (Some people think it never snows here! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol) The list is endless.

News: "Iranian scientists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna introduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It's fully in English. In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx… Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!

Some charactristics of Iranians would be:
Negative: We are proud, greedy, hard-working (for ourselves), not punctual, impatient, and lazy at doing our duty well, crazy about luxuries and thus extravagant! Highly competitive and ambitious.
Positive: intelligent, a bit idealistic, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly, hospitable.

Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California, New Mexico, Utah, Arkansas, and Alabama a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Tehran-2-1600.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran

If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: (It's like a free tour!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills_south_west_of_Sanandaj_near_the_village_of_Kilaneh.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=all
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=2
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=3
http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=4
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=3
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=13
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. Did you know that Iranian music was chosen as the best pop in France in 2005? All Iranian songs are current pop / DJ music. I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard.
Here's a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.I guess you'll fall for it! The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArJe6s_u1UbLFRAAiKDGBZLsy6IX?qid=20070514105433AAysEsQ

1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Neorin%20-%20To%20Ino%20Miduni.mp3
2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/09_%20Dastamo%20Begir.mp3
3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Ehsan%20Gheibi%20-%20Khisie%20Cheshmat.mp3
4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Mansour/Crazy/Delam%20Faghat%20Toro%20Mikhaad(www.Bia2Music.com).MP3
5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2005%20Baroon%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma
6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/03_%20Panjereh.mp3
7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/07_%20Yaade%20Man%20Baash.mp3
8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2001%20Farangis%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma
9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/03_%20Faseleh.mp3
10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/04_%20Tolou.mp3
11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Reza%20Sadeghi%20-%20Vaysa%20Donya/01_%20Vaysa%20Donya.mp3
12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/06_%20Nemitooni.mp3
13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/01_%20Boosaye%20Baad.mp3
14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mohammad%20Esfahani/04_%20Talab.mp3
15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Navid%20&%20Omid%20-%20Faryad/01_%20Chi%20Mishod.mp3

And so on and on!

It's now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns!
Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life? The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it against Iran. For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that. No sane person would take such nonsense at face value.

First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone. If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad, is it? (Although what we want from them is to shut up and not get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans. I love Americans, otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! SECRET: Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story!I've got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't. Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians. No difference. And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Muslim knocking at your door asking you to do so?
Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us. In Iran, religion is one of the least important factors. Where you come from and what your religion is are not important to us at all.
I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It's "nuclear energy". Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That's what nuclear agency says. Only Iran's opponents are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit. It's just based on political conflicts. What we're doing is legal. What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.
Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! (I wish he could just shut up!)But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all? You know that it's a passive sentence. He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel at all. He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace. They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally. Iran has always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country.

Some say he's said: "The Holocaust is a myth!" Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that's terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that's not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran's population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima & Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a myth. Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin!

Obviously, some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on. And what country is better than Iran to be a scapegoat? The whole world believes that Iran isn't a peaceful country.
This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America":
1. 'America' to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?!
2. The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn't it?
3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake. right?)
4. The U.S gov't helped Saddam attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians.
5. America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason.
6. America places sanctions on Iran, promotes a false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away, and harms our economy, development and credit. To what purpose?

When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he's said, what do you call Bush for his actions? I mean it's a good idea to consider what Bush is doing to the world with his wrong decisions and lies. Bush is powerful and influencial, but Ahmadinejad is nothing.He's even failed to control the inflation.
To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:
1. Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history, and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy. Aren't they?
2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd probably be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Some answerers still confuse Iraq and Iran after reading all this! You are in Iraq not in Iran! They're separate countries!
Isn't it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. (We hate them both!) They don't care about hurting people's feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. You know something? All govt's are hateful. I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about the taking of the 444 hostages while I keep silence. Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace. It'd be marvelous! They've started to have diplomatic talks! That's great!
A lovely American told me: "Having had the wonderful opportunity to visit your country enabled me to see for myself how wonderful the Iranian people are and to learn about your history, your culture, your cuisine, music, films, dance, sacred sites, your medical accomplishments…all your beauty. I am so sorry my country's government seems to delight in trying to bully Iran. Worst of all are the lies told. I know enough about your country to be able to discern when the propaganda machine here is operating. I just wish more Americans traveled and could see for themselves what I have seen. By the way, I traveled to Iran under the auspices of The Friendship Force, an organization started by Pres. Carter to promote peace through one-on-one friendship, a mission I take seriously. Thank you for your wonderful essay on Iran."
BTW, make sure you visit the links I've put up for you.They're all from trusted websites. There are some really nice stuff there!
Thanks for your time
God! I found Proof finally! H.I.V medicine discovered by Iran: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032.html and I fixed the link for the news website.IT didn't work because I had mistakenly put some dots in front of the address.This one works: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032.html
Also, I checked all the music links and I could download them.They all work properly.
sorry I repeated the links.The links to the news website is this one: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx

The links still suck and you still fail to document any source for the facts you show. I want to say that it is very informative and people should read the whole thing. Keep posting the question. I think people should have the facts. The company that has the cure for AIDS should be mentioned. Show plans for the power plants give the specifics to support the essay. It is more like a manifesto at this point.

All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God - the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again and again, because it says in Qur'an Majeed that when man is brought to account, he will say, {O Lord, send us back and give us another chance} The Lord will say, {If I send you back you will do the same}

MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all.

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

POP STAR

Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God.

I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.)

So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).

IN HOSPITAL

After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital.

One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go.

Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new termino- logy I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path.

I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society.

I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity prevailed.

THE QUR'AN

When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'an, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also.

And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me - who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim.

I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other.

Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.

When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'an also speaks on different l I began to understand it on anothlevel, where the Qur'an says, {Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers} Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.

CONVERSION

Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur'an.

Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jumma' I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the Kalima) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of purification.

Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any

Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Ameen!

Borther I m a born muslim and I m so moved by what you have wrote … today I came online feeling sad and miserable … Reading what you wrote makes me realize How lucky I m to be a Muslim … Regardless of what people say abotu muslims … WE have turned ignorrant towards our own religion … and taking this for granted … Allah has already blessed HIm … Allhumdulilah … may he give us hidayat too

"This year has been amazing. Difficult and beautiful.We have learned and grown so much.I hope that this year has been everything you've dreamed. But now the time has come for us to go home to our own countries and to our lives, and we must say goodbye.We are from different parts of the world, but I feel like I have known you forever.This is miraculous.I have seen you change so much over these months, and I am in awe of the transformations that we have all made. I am proud of all of us, and I hope that you can be proud of yourself, and see the insightful , intelligent, beautiful person that I see.You are my friend, and the distance between our countries will never change this.I cant imagine my life in Gela without you.Thankyou for your advice, your humor, and most of all your friendship. I am lucky to have met you, and I will miss you more than I could ever say (especially in Spanish)Wherever life takes you, Dani, remember that you will always have a friend who loves you waiting in NY."
By the way , this letter is to a friend who Iìve been living with in Italy for a year. She is from South America , and I am from the States. We are both going home in a few weeks, and I want to tell her these things in a language she can understand perfectly. I would appreciate any help! No online translators please, they are not accurate for long translations like this.

Este año ha sido genial. Difícil y bonito. Hemos aprendido y madurado tanto. Espero que este año se haya convertido en todo lo que has soñado. Pero ahora ha llegado el momento de irnos cada una a casa, a nuestros respectivos países y vidas, y debemos decirnos adios. Somos de partes diferentes del mundo, pero siento que te he conocido durante toda mi vida. Esto es un milagro. Te he visto cambiar tanto durante estos meses, y estoy impresionada de los cambios que todos hemos hecho. Estoy orgullosa de todos, y espero que puedas estar orgullosa de ti misma, y ver la persona intuitiva, inteligente y estupenda que yo veo. Eres mi amiga, y la distancia entre nuestros países nunca lo cambiará. No puedo imaginar mi vida en Gela sin ti. Gracias por tus consejos, tu humor y sobretodo tu amistad. Me siento afortunada de haberte conocido, y te echare de menos, más de lo que puedo expresar en palabras (especialmente en español). Te lleve donde te lleve la vida, Dani, recuerda que siempre tendrás una amiga que te quiere esperándote en Nueva York.

Some people may like this.
Special thanks to my American friend who helped me proofread my writing.It's taken me almost a year to find some pieces of this information.
I believe that if you spend 5-10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime's worth of Major Media news. Please don't assume that I'm a very old person. I'm just 18, and a university student studying English who just cannot sit back and let the lies fly unchallenged.
This article has two parts:
1. Cultural and general info
2. Political info.
If you wanna know the rest of of the story, read it from top to bottom.
Note: I've explained all the things that you ALWAYS talk about, so read it all plz! (Anytime you like!) Specially the political part! Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.
****
Hi. I'm an Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.
The first thing America, and the West in general, accuses our government of is that we don't allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don't like as much as anyone. But come on, there are only a few restrictions.It's so cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don't even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa. That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws because some of them are based on our culture. You look at our country from "your own point of view"! In Iran every single house has a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style (I'm talking about public places, in our privacy there's no difference). A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Almost women wear half their their hair out, and make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.(I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!) Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmetics. You would be surprised to see the difference between what you imagine and what Iran really is!
In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, inflation and air pollution. But I guess these are common problems around the world today, aren't they? Also, you can't compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past!Nearly 65-70% of Iran's population is a new generation without the biases of the past (The youth), and we've transformed everything.

Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. But that's not a bad thing. They're very respectful, and they've been the winners in so many cases: They get into the best universities because they're very smart. And they get the best jobs because they can do so many of them better than men. (That's why men can hardly find any good jobs because most jobs are already occupied by women!) They've got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so they (men) will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here. I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you.

Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? Are they balck and white or colourful? But in one case (related to many years ago) something terrible had happened which was just beyond the borders of adultery.We think being punished for corruption is good, as it deters people from doing that and the society will be far healthier than the countries in which commiting such things is considered to be normal! Iranians expect their gov't not to be soft on criminals.And for your information, most of those footages are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban). What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they were/are treated in Saudi Arabi? I'm sorry I didn't know "over a billion Moslems" lived there!When you think of such things, try to think of the racism in your country too. There's no perfect country!
I find it difficult to make you understand that Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are ——— SEPERATE COUNTRIES! ——— Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! I find it even more difficult to make you understand that Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The point is, there's nothing mysterious about us! The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: "IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!" "IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!" Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.
There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. You don't hear about their discoveries and inventions on TV. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions and there are many kids like that. Every year a special scientific compition (Kharazmi) is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the Media talk about them? Please don't summarize our nation and culture with the single word "nuclear". Although we're proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran

A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine and it was signing treaties with other countries to export it. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it. What did I find instead? "President Bush CLAIMS that bomb parts are imported from Iran into Iraq!" (The same old story!) The Media are unjust. They put CLAIMS on the headlines, but they never talk about facts!
Some interesting facts:
Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian. The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad.jpg ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they're among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians. Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine. Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans! For example you can buy windows vista for 1 Dollar here instead of 700 Dollars!!! or 3 supper pizzas for 10 Dollars!!!wow!) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in 'developed' countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! (Some people think it never snows here! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol) The list is endless.(I still feel foolish for talkng about ordinary things!)

News: "Iranian scientists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna introduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It's fully in English. You'll find what they're hiding from you! In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx… Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!

Some charactristics of Iranians would be:
Negative: We are proud, greedy, hard-working (for ourselves), not punctual, impatient, and lazy at doing our duty well, crazy about luxuries and thus extravagant! Highly competitive!
Positive: intelligent, ambitious, a bit idealistic, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly, hospitable.

Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California, New Mexico, Utah, Arkansas, and Alabama a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Tehran-2-1600.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran

If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: (It's like a free tour!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills_south_west_of_Sanandaj_near_the_village_of_Kilaneh.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=all
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=2
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=3
http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=4
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=3
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=13
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. Did you know that Iranian music was chosen as the best pop in France in 2005? It could even defeat Euro-pop! All Iranian songs are current pop / DJ music. I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard. What makes Iranian music killer, is a lot of Trance drums, catchy tune, uprising melody and incredible lyrics!

Here's a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.I guess you'll fall for it! The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArJe6s_u1UbLFRAAiKDGBZLsy6IX?qid=20070514105433AAysEsQ

1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Neorin%20-%20To%20Ino%20Miduni.mp3
2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/09_%20Dastamo%20Begir.mp3
3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Ehsan%20Gheibi%20-%20Khisie%20Cheshmat.mp3
4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Mansour/Crazy/Delam%20Faghat%20Toro%20Mikhaad(www.Bia2Music.com).MP3
5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2005%20Baroon%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma
6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/03_%20Panjereh.mp3
7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/07_%20Yaade%20Man%20Baash.mp3
8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2001%20Farangis%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma
9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/03_%20Faseleh.mp3
10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/04_%20Tolou.mp3
11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Reza%20Sadeghi%20-%20Vaysa%20Donya/01_%20Vaysa%20Donya.mp3
12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/06_%20Nemitooni.mp3
13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/01_%20Boosaye%20Baad.mp3
14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mohammad%20Esfahani/04_%20Talab.mp3
15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Navid%20&%20Omid%20-%20Faryad/01_%20Chi%20Mishod.mp3

And so on and on!

It's now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns! See how the media are fooling people?
Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans I chatted with said in the U.S it's said that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. It's easy to show a video or an image of our president or leader on the TV screen or on the internet and say he says this, he says that…..I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life? The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it against Iran. For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that. No sane person would take such nonsense at face value.

First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone. If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad, is it? (Although what we want from them is to shut up and not get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans. I love Americans, otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! I've got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't. Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians. No difference. And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Muslim knocking at your door asking you to do so? It's so funny the way you imagine things and make yourselves believe in your own immaginations!
Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us. I wonder why the media like putting words in our mouth and raising hatred. In Iran, religion is one of the least important factors. Where you come from and what your religion is are not important to us at all. On the contrary, meeting different people would be very interesting for us!

I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! News headlines: "We won't allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons"!!! Correction! It's "nuclear energy". Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That's what nuclear agency says. Only Iran's opponents are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit. It's just based on political conflicts. What we're doing is legal. What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them. It can set an example to some countries that just follow their interests (oil!). Interesting! the countries accusing Iran of different things have been, and are still accused of the same things!!! How logical!

Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all? You know that it's a passive sentence. He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel. He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace. They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally. Iran has always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country.

Some say he's said: "The Holocaust is a myth!" Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that's terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that's not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran's population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima & Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a myth. Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin!

Obviously, some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on. And what country is better than Iran to be a scapegoat? The whole world believes that Iran isn't a peaceful country. I know Americans don't like this either, but what can they do? They're not responsible for controlling what the Media says. This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America":
1. 'America' to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?!
2. The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn't it?
3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake. right?)
5. The U.S gov't helped Saddam attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians.
6. America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason.
7. America places sanctions on Iran, promotes a false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away, and harms our economy, development and credit. To what purpose?

When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he's said, what do you call Bush for his actions? I mean it's a good idea to consider what Bush is doing to the world with his wrong decisions and lies. Bush is powerful and influencial, but Ahmadinejad is nothing.
To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:
1. Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history, and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy. Aren't they?
2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd probably be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Some answerers still confuse Iraq and Iran after reading all this! You are in Iraq not in Iran! They're separate countries!

Isn't it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. They don't care about hurting people's feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. You know something? All govt's are hateful. I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about the taking of the 444 hostages while I keep silence. I hope you agree on this one! Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace. It'd be marvelous! They've started to have diplomatic talks! (Naughty children!) That's great!
Thanks for your time

I'm an American who works for an airline…and so I fly free everywhere I go…(and I love friendly, warm-hearted people of all walks of life)
And when it comes to learning and visiting other societies and cultures, out motto is…

Dignity & Diversity…? Definitely…!

The world would be a boring place without different societies and cultures…(but never forget… we're all Earthlings…)
May your life's travels be as fulfilling and fun as mine…! Travel in peace…

Hi,

Has anyone done or is in the process of studying for the distance learning MA Translations course at UWE? Can anyone give me some feedback on how good the course is and on much help you receive during the course?

Contact the university and ask thema bout the amount of support you recieve. They will be happy to answer any questions you have!