PBS Independent Lens "Wild Hogs and Saffron"

The website of the United States's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) allows you to watch the short documentary film Wild Hogs and Saffron. This is the film's page at the website of the director and one of the subjects of the film, Andy Sarjahani. You can read an interview with the director about the film (archive.org).

Can person-to-person interaction promote world peace and reduce ethno-nationalist chauvanism? Can it be done "at scale" in order to prevent humanity from destroying itself? If we answer "no" to these questions, what is the alternative?

Trailer on YouTube

Author Olivia Abtahi Discusses Her YA Novel "Perfectly Parvin"

Author Olivia Abtahi discussed her Young Adult novel Perfectly Parvin, Thursday, May 27, 2021,  with Professor Neda Maghbouleh 

Short Film: "Refuge" by Mohammad Gorjestani and starring Nikohl Boosheri

“A brewing war with Iran, xenophobic sentiments towards immigrants, an exploitative tech industry—these things seemed farfetched in 2014, but time has made this thoughtful sci-fi short film seem prophetic. We revisit REFUGE on https://t.co/YlCPZggs8h today.” pic.twitter.com/Sa5gBvztQ8

— Kadena Source 💔 (@KadenaSource) May 15, 2019

The movie Refuge, directed by Mohammad Gorjestani (Twitter & IMDB) and starring Nikohl Boosheri, was the featured short film on May 14, 2019 at shortfilmoftheweek.com.

Re-Opening of Penn Museum's Middle East Galleries

The November/December 2018 issue of Islamic Horizons has an article by Kenneth Wahrenberger describing some of the contents of the newly reopened Penn Museum's Middle East Galleries. (click to enlarge)

The Penn Museum is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Plan your visit!

Film: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Now roaming the streets of BFI Player, the "first Iranian vampire western" http://t.co/BzOYQAntNu pic.twitter.com/g2TQZA1HRu

— BFI (@BFI) July 27, 2015

I have not seen the movie.

Everyday Iran on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Women dishing up a family gathering lunch. #Qazvin, #Iran. Photo by Mehdi Bidel @mehdibidel #everydayqazvin #everydayiran #everydayeverywhere خانم‌ها در حال کشیدن غذای یک مهمانیِ خانوادگی. #قزوین، #ایران. عکاس: مهدی بیدل

A photo posted by Everyday Iran (@everydayiran) on Apr 1, 2015 at 12:08pm PDT

As elements of the United States government continue to press for war with Iran, perhaps the most effective action for peace is to remind people everywhere that the victims of war will overwhelmingly be everyday Iranians, not the stereotyped, cartoonish villains whom warmongers portray with their rhetoric. For this purpose, I ask people to follow and share the pictures of Everyday Iran on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Tweets by @everydayiran

"Gaza Writes Back" & Iran "Manufactured Crisis" Tours, USA, Mar-Apr 2014

Gaza writers & G. Porter tour US-wide soon! M. Peled in S. Africa. Other authors speaking... - http://t.co/CG0aZeUJM1
— Just World Books (@Justworldbooks) March 15, 2014

In a previous blog entry, I referred to peace activist David Swanson's review of the book. I'd also encouraged people to support Gareth Porter's book Manufactured Crisis.

Open Access Academic Books from University of California Press

h/t Mark Lynch, who retweeted

This is pretty great: UC Press makes 194 e-books from its history catalog (and 700+ books total) open access http://t.co/zzw4LYZisG
— Ian Mosby (@Ian_Mosby) December 30, 2013

Here are some books which may interest readers of this blog:

Support Gareth Porter & Just World Books Refute Fearmongering About Iran

Just World Books is asking people to pledge money to support a book project concerning the so-called threat posed by Iran's "nuclear program." It has asked historian and investigative journalist Dr. Gareth Porter to write the book.



Please pledge money so that this important project can see the light of day!

P.S. I just added Just World Books's RSS Feed to its podcasts to my iTunes.

Review: Tales from the Land of the Sufis by Mojdeh Bayat and Mohammad Ali Jamnia

Tales from the Land of the Sufis by Mojdeh Bayat and Mohammad Ali Jamnia. Boston, Massachusetts, Shambhala Publications; 1994. 179 pp, paperback.

Fantasy Academy in Iran

Fantasy Academy is an Iranian science fiction and fantasy club devoted to promoting SF/F.  Read more at The World SF blog.

Review: Samarkand by Amin Maalouf

Maalouf, Amin. Samarkand. New York: Interlink Books; 1996. ISBN: 1566561949. Paperback. 301 pp.

This is the first historical fiction novel I've reviewed for this blog. Typically, I'm not thrilled with historical fiction because I had at one time entertained the idea of becoming a professional historian and the historical fiction I had read seemed heavy on the fiction side of the equation.

From Idaho to Iran-Idaho Public Television Video

Marcia Franklin produced the hour-long Idaho Public TV documentary From Idaho to Iran, which first aired in 2005. 

Problems with Stereotypes in "LA Woman", Episode 10 of TNT's "The Closer"

TNT's The Closer: L.A. Woman, Episode 10-Plot Problems Based on Stereotypes of Iranians

The episode perpetuates a lot of stereotypes and promotes an anti-civil liberties atmosphere.

Review: Shirin Ebadi's Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope

Shirin Ebadi's Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope is a very easy, compelling read. Of course I heard about Khanum-e Ebadi, but I had never actually heard her speak or read any of her writings.

My big fear whenever I read a memoir is the possibility that it is pure propaganda and promotion.