I'm alive!

This post is actually to let you know I'm still alive!
The millitary service is almost finished and I'm looking for a job.
I have an idea for founding a distance English learning institute. But it seems that there are lots of obstacles on my way, including getting a permit.
Lots of things happened during last 17 months and I believe I am a different person now.
My ideas about religion, love and money has changed and I expect even bigger changes in near future.

Passing the Red Line

When a specific page on a major English news website is fil.tered, it must be something interesting. English news websites are rarely fil.tered in Iran, probably because the regime knows a person who reads them can barely be brainwashed by its propaganda. Moreover, such a person usually can find a way to pass fil.tering. I believe the reason for fil.tering this page is mentioned in the article itself:

“His name is always hidden in all of this.”

Link: The Guardian

مایکل و این روزها

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody's gone mad

All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us

Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, Sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, Kike me
Don't you black or white me

All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us

Music: They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson

مترجم فارسی گوگل

مترجم گوگل بالاخره بخش ترجمه فارسی خودش رو (به صورت آزمایشی) به راه انداخت. البته من اصلا پیشنهاد نمی‌کنم از این مترجم استفاده کنید، چون با این کار دو مشکل به وجود میاد:
1. ترجمه بی کیفیت این مترجم (که هر چقدر هم که پیشرفت کنه باز هم یک مترجم ماشینی هست) باعث میشه سطح ترجمه زبان فارسی از این که هست هم پایینتر بره.
2. کار و کاسبی ما کساد میشه!

لینک: مترجم گوگل

The Second Part

I have always had this assumption that I’m going to live for 75 years. I guess the idea came to my mind when a long time ago I read an article about life expediency. The article was actually a comparison between Iranians’ life expediency and some other countries’. The life expediency for Iranian men was estimated something around 70 years. I thought this means that when I’m old the life expediency would be around 75 years (because life expediency naturally increases and also because I don’t do lots of things that may decrease it; such as smoking). Then I divided my life to 3 equal parts, each having 25 years. I named the first part Fun, the second Work, and the last Rest. Yesterday I got 25. The question is: was it Fun?

Teachers Day

When I was a little kid, I loved presents (actually I still do!). In 1992, when I was in the first grade in elementary school, I wanted to choose my future job! But I couldn’t make my mind. Then the Teachers Day came. I was sitting in the second bench next to the wall. The class was dim and was lit just by two florescent lamps, one over the students and the other over the teacher’s desk. The teacher was sitting behind her desk, on which there was lots of presents. There was a model bicycle, a little statue, a little table lamp (which was on the edge of the desk and I was worried it was going to fall) and lots of more gift wrapped boxes and books. Suddenly I knew it. I wanted to be a teacher!

عملکرد اشرف کیایی در دانشگاه آزاد شهرقدس

وبلاگ سترون در جدیدترین پست خود مطلبی انتقادی در مورد خانم اشرف کیایی (مدیر گروه مترجمی زبان انگلیسی دانشگاه آزاد شهرقدس) نوشته است. این مطلب اگر چه به بهانهٔ چاپ مقاله‌ای از خانم کیایی در روزنامهٔ خورشید نوشته شده اما انعکاس دهندهٔ عقاید اکثر دانشجویان رشته مترجمی زبان انگلیسی این دانشگاه در مورد دانشگاه آزاد، گروه مترجمی زبان انگلیسی و مخصوصاً شخص خانم کیایی است. من هم در راستای جملهٔ "به کسی که از او علم می‌آموزید احترام بگذارید" و همچنین در راستای این عقیدهٔ رایج در میان دانشجویان هم دوره‌ای که اینجانب را "تیچرز پتِ" خانم کیایی می‌دانستند تصمیم گرفتم جوابیه‌ای برای پست اخیر سترون بنویسم!
به نظر من دلایل ضعف دانشجویان ایرانی در درس زبان انگلیسی را باید به دو بخش تقسیم کرد.
اول، ضعف دانشجویانی که رشتهٔ تحصیلی آنها مستقیماً به زبان انگلیسی مربوط نمی‌شود. در این مورد، مسئله اصلاً به دانشگاه (چه آزاد، چه سراسری) مربوط نمی‌شود. مشکل از نحوهٔ نادرست آموزش زبان انگلیسی در مدارس ایران است. اینکه چرا دانش‌آموزان بعد از 7 سال آموزش زبان انگلیسی در مدارس همچنان در سطح مبتدی قرار دارند، اینکه چگونه میتوان کیفیت آموزش زبان انگلیسی در مدارس را افزایش داد و اینکه آیا اصلاً جمهوری اسلامی تمایلی به بالا بردن کیفیت آموزش زبان انگلیسی در مدارس دارد یا نه، هر کدام می‌توانند جداگانه مورد بحث قرار گیرند. به هر حال همین شیوهٔ غلط آموزشی در مدارس باعث می‌شود که پذیرفته شدگان دانشگاه از سطح زبانی بسیار پایینی برخوردار باشند. نکتهٔ مسلم این است که این اشکال را نمی‌توان در طول 4 سال در دانشگاه برطرف کرد.
دوم، ضعف دانشجویانی است که رشتهٔ تحصیلی آنها مستقیماً به زبان انگلیسی مربوط می‌شود. در حال حاضر تنها سه رشتهٔ آموزش زبان انگلیسی، ادبیات انگلیسی و مترجمی زبان انگلیسی هستند که به طور مستقیم با زبان انگلیسی سروکار دارند. حتی در بسیاری موارد دانشجویان این رشته‌ها اشتباهاً "دانشجوی زبان انگلیسی" نامیده می‌شوند. هر چند که این دانشجویان هم از ضعف کلی آموزش زبان انگلیسی در ایران رنج می‌برند اما نکتهٔ مورد توجه دیگر در مورد آنها شیوهٔ نادرست گزینش است. بسیاری از دانشجویانی که در یکی از این سه رشته قبول می‌شوند در امتحان کنکور درصد پایینی از سوالات زبان انگلیسی را جواب داده‌اند و تنها با توسل به سوالات ادبیات فارسی، معارف اسلامی و یا زبان عربی موفق به قبولی می‌شوند. طبیعی است که این دانشجویان علاقه‌ٔ چندانی به زبان انگلیسی ندارند و در بسیاری موارد استعداد زبان آموزی آنها هم پایین است. همین موضوع باعث می‌شود که از طرفی سطح کلی دانش زبانی دانشجویان افت کند و از طرف دیگر ناهمگونی دانش زبانی دانشجویان مسئولین آموزشی را در طراحی برنامه آموزشی دچار سردرگمی کند. از طرف دیگر کاهش مداوم انگیزه در طول سال‌های تحصیل مانع می‌شود که دانشجویان شخصاً اقدام به بهبود دانش زبانی خود کنند. این کاهش انگیزه می‌تواند دلایل مختلفی داشته باشد. پایین بودن سطح علمی اساتید، کمبود امکانات آموزشی و از همه مهمتر مبهم بودن آیندهٔ شغلی از جمله این دلایل است.
توجه به این مسائل به ما کمک می‌کند که درک بهتری از عملکرد مسئولان آموزشی داشته باشیم. خانم کیایی در طول سال‌های مدیریت خود حداقل با این مشکلات مواجه بوده است:

- سطح علمی پایین پذیرفته‌شدگان
- ناهمگونی سطح علمی پذیرفته‌شدگان
- نبود انگیزه برای تحصیل در مورد بسیاری از دانشجویان
- عدم همکاری ریاست دانشگاه با گروه مترجمی زبان انگلیسی (برای مثال در مورد تجهیز لابراتوار زبان)
- ساختمان نامناسب دانشگاه
- عدم تمایل اساتید خوب برای تدریس در دانشگاهی با شرایط دانشگاه شهر قدس

تمام این مسائل را باید در کنار این نکته در نظر داشت که دانشگاه آزاد عملاً بیشتر از آنکه یک موسسه آموزشی باشد یک بنگاه اقتصادی است! بنابراین مسئولان این دانشگاه (که همان روسای خانم کیایی هستند) بیشتر از آنکه به افزایش سطح کیفی دانشگاه فکر کنند به توسعهٔ فیزیکی و افزایش درآمد آن می‌پردازند. به همین دلیل است که به گفتهٔ سترون " هيچ کس واحدي نمي افتد چه قوي باشد و چه ضعيف". از طرف دیگر پذیرفته‌شدگان این دانشگاه (مخصوصاً در شعبهٔ شهر قدس که نسبتاً تازه تاسیس هم هست) نباید انتظار همان کیفیت آموزشی را داشته باشند که برای مثال در دانشگاه تهران دیده می‌شود.
با توجه به این مسائل به نظر من پست سترون تا حدودی غیرمنصفانه نوشته شده است. او در جایی خانم کیایی و دیگر اساتید را "بي عرضه، بيسواد و دودره باز" می‌نامد. این عبارات بدون شک در مورد اکثر اساتید درست نیستند. هر چند در سالهای اول تاسیس گروه مترجمی زبان انگلیسی تعدادی از اساتید واقعاً بی‌سواد بودند اما با آمدن خانم کیایی و بهبود امکانات آموزشی دانشگاه تعداد این اساتید به تدریج کم شد، به صورتی که در حال حاضر در میان اساتید گروه شاید تنها دو نفر را بتوان فاقد سطح علمی لازم نامید که البته حضورشان در میان نام‌های اساتیدی چون پرویز مصلانژاد، غلامرضا حاجي پورنژاد، مهرناز قوامي رودسري، بهرام مدرسي و حتی اشرف کیایی چندان به چشم نمی‌آید.
در نتیجه با آنکه من هم موافقم که خانم کیایی در بسیاری موارد کم‌ کاری کرده و می‌کنند اما به اعتقاد من میزان فعالیت‌های ایشان کمتر از سطح دانشگاه و اکثر دانشجویان نبوده است.

The Problem with the World

Why there is no blog having both Love and Politics labels?!

The Color of My Love - 2

... In one more night, the princess would have been his. But she also could not possibly have kept her promise. And it would have been terrible. He would have died. This way, however, at least for 99 days, he was living under the illusion that she was there, waiting for him.

From the movie Cinema Paradiso

The Color of My Love - 1

Once upon a time, a king gave a feast. And there came the most beautiful princesses of the realm. Now, a soldier, who was standing guard, saw the king's daughter go by. She was the most beautiful one, and he immediately fell in love with her. But what could a poor soldier do when it came to the daughter of the king? Well, finally, one day, he managed to meet her, and he told her that he could no longer live without her. The princess was so impressed by his strong feelings that she said to the soldier: "If you can wait 100 days and 100 nights under my balcony, then at the end of it, I shall be yours." Damn! The soldier immediately went there and waited one day. And two days. And ten. And then twenty. And every evening, the princess looked out of her window, but he never moved. During rain, during wind, during snow, he was always there. The bird shat on his head, and the bees stung him, but he didn't budge. After ninety nights, he had become all dried up, all white, and the tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn't hold them back. He no longer had the strength to sleep. All that time, the princess watched him. And on the 99th night, the soldier stood up, took his chair, and went away.

From the movie Cinema Paradiso

Music is Available!

I have long wanted to put a link in some of my posts so that you can listen to a related music after reading it. Yesterday Palas introduced a good website which makes you able to upload your music files and gives you a direct link. I was so exited that I put the music link for my three old posts! (and I also put a better link for another one.) These are the posts:

Leaving Las Vegas
Both Sides Now
A Little Bluer Than That
I Will Always Love You

It's also a week that I've put a poll in my sidebar. But it seems that nobody sees it. :(
It's about the three little frames in my sidebar. The frames are really interesting in my idea. Have a look at them and vote for the poll please!

Love and God

* Both were discovered/invented (Select the word you prefer) by the people to deny their loneliness.

* Both put the people in two groups: Believers and unbelievers. Believers get their belief from their heart, unbelievers from their brain.

* Both have a wide range of definitions. As many as the number of people are the ways you can define them.

* Both are getting weaker as time goes by.

Both Sides Now

I'd love to write, but sometimes poems talk better:

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferries wheels
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's loves illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends, they're acting strange
They shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

Both Sides Now
Joni Mitchell

Music: Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell - Love Actually soundtrack (mixed - 676 KB)

A little bluer than that

Well tonight if you turn your radio on
You might hear a sad, sad song
About someone who lost everything they had
It may sound like me
But I'm a little bluer than that

When you look out in the morning you might see
Clouds rolling by like memories
A big old sky above you lookin' back
You may think of me
But I'm a little bluer than that

Where did we go wrong
I wish I knew
It haunts me all the time
Now wherever I go and
whatever I do
You're always on my mind

I can picture you just alone tonight
But as for me it don't feel right
To let us fade like some old photograph
It may work for you
But I'm a little bluer than that …

A little bluer than that

Alan Jackson

(with a little change)

Music: A Little Bluer Than That - Alan Jackson (mixed - 260 KB)

I will always love you

If I should stay,
I would only be in your way.
So I'll go, but I know
I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way.

Bittersweet memories
that is all I'm taking with me.
So, goodbye.
Please, don't cry.
We both know
I'm not what you, you need.

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of.
And I wish to you, joy and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you love.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you...

I will always love you
Whitney Houston

Music: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (1 MB)

Interesting Quotations

Here are some interesting quotations I have gathered from different sources:

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot.

Buy land - they've stopped making it.

If you freeze to death and end up in hell... wouldn't you be really comfortable some point along the way?

If you live like there's no God... you'd better be right.

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

I don't want to believe, I want to know.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

After heat killed bad germs, where do they go? Obviously not in heaven, since they've been bad. Surely then can't go to hell, for the heat would kill them again!

Crime doesn't pay... does that mean my job is a crime?

A new study shows that licking the sweat off a frog can cure depression. The down side is, the minute you stop licking, the frog gets depressed again.

5 out of 4 people don't understand fractions.

A Windows user spends 1/3 of his life sleeping, 1/3 working, 1/3 waiting.

Customer: I'm running Windows '98 Tech: Yes. Customer: My computer isn't working now. Tech: Yes, you said that.

The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it's true.

It's too bad that ignorance isn't painful.

America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote.

A man generally has two reasons for doing a thing. One that sounds good, and a real one.

A man who correctly guesses a woman's age may be smart but he's not very bright.

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs, a woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't.

A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.

A group of psychologists say they have discovered twenty-three different body language indicators that show whether or not a person is lying. If you would like to see all twenty-three at the same time, they recommend taking a guided tour of the White House.

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.

I don't read books, but I have friends who do. George W. Bush

I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada. Britney Spears

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

Late one night at the insane asylum one inmate shouted: I am Napoleon! Another one said: How do you know? The first inmate said: God told me! A voice from another room shouted: I did NOT!

The surprising thing about young fools is how many survive to become old fools.

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.

My parents only had one argument in forty-five years. It lasted forty-three years.

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.

Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.

Answer to an Email

One of my friends, who prefers to remain anonymous, sent me an Email and questioned my last article which was about our university. I really appreciate her sending this Email since I know it was hard for her to do so. However I don’t think my answers to her questions convince her, because she really believes I am a self-centered egomaniac! Therefore I think she won’t even really think about them.

She wrote:
“I think the university is not just a place for studying and learning our courses. We call it Islamic university, so it should promote religious believes as well as other things. Maybe there is extravagance in some aspects, but we cannot controvert this fact.
What is the problem with these boards?
If you don’t like them, don’t look at them. It's your personal right. But the university is for all students, and not just for you, me and some other students.”

I completely agree with the idea that university is not just a place for learning some courses, but I think this is its main goal. How would you feel if you enter a mosque and see that all the walls and boards are covered with definitions of translation and its theories! Although gaining knowledge is strongly recommended in religion it would be an inappropriate situation since a mosque is a place for praying and if there are some scientific activities being done there, they should not be the main focus of the people.

The boards with politic themes are obviously government’s propagandas and I don’t see any reason to explain why they shouldn’t exist in the university. I also don’t want to discuss about the authorities’ right to promote their religious ideas in a public place, even if “they” call it Islamic University. Actually I don’t consider a university which has students wearing such a T-shirt an Islamic one. (I took this photo in the campus last week.)

Have you ever thought where the budgets for all these things come from? Every semester approximately 6000 Tomans of every student’s tuition is added to the budget of Culture Office. Supposing that there are almost 5000 students in the university, the whole budget for this office is 30,000,000 Tomans each semester! Have you ever thought that if some of the students are paying this money unwillingly (who obviously are) not only making these boards but even the ceremonies which are held by this office for praying would not be acceptable from Islamic point of view? The problem about these boards is that they are made with illegal money.

Losing freedom is bad enough; let’s not make it worse by forgetting it.

A Mosque or a Garrison?

As soon as you walk through the gate you see a big billboard which is trying to teach you that praying will save you from sins.

Then, there is another one preaching about the benefits of veil।

There is also a smaller one on your left on the lawn displaying Big Brother’s picture with the words which he used to name the year: National Unity, Islamic Solidarity।

If you want to enter the building you will notice two desks surrounded by “little brothers” and some posters which are reminding you that today is “Resistance Day” and that you should be proud of the matter that Khorramshahr became recaptured during the Iran-Iraq war in such a day।

Then, you enter the building; on your left you can see the biggest board inside the building which is owned by the “Islamic Culture Office”. Since this board is the biggest one and also it is located in one of the most viewed places of the university, it must contain very important notes. Let’s read some of them.

· There is a gathering for praying everyday at one p.m.
· Memorial ceremony for “Resistance Day” (time and place is written)
· “Encouraging corruption, and also sexual and material lives are the elements which if broadcasted by satellite television channels can have an determinant effect on changing Iranian regime” said Former Israeli Prime Minister addressing U.S. Congress.
· “People are constantly putting pressure (on the government) for more freedom. Kinds of music which previously were greatly objected are popular today. Women don’t pay much attention to veil and their coats and skirts are becoming shorter and shorter.” delightedly reported James Laden, the American National Radio’s reporter.
· Those who have gained fifty percent of Koran Competition please go to Islamic Culture Office and specify to score of which course they would prefer the office add their additional 2 marks. (These 2 marks will be added to the score of any general course they would like, even courses like Family Planning which have no relation to students’ knowledge about Koran.)
· O Fatima!

Because the work of Islamic Culture Office has great importance there is also another board belonging to it in front of you।



Just look at your right and you will see another board which is for Basij force।

As you are wondering whether you are in a mosque or a garrison you may notice a group of people gathering in one corner of the corridor। Understanding the reason you can’t believe your eyes; it is a veil exhibition!

There are different (!) kinds of veils, each one with an information board explaining the new techniques in their designing। One of them has a very interesting feature;

A tape which shines at night – So you can be seen at night.

There are also some interesting notes around this show. One is read:
“There is no benefit in killing Muslims in the war against Islam. Only by tainting them you can be successful in this matter. So instead of bombs we should attack them with short skirts,” says an anti-Islam French author.

Another one is about a competition managed by Islamic Culture Office which is going to reward the best SMS about veil।

As you can see there is no surprise when none of the students of English Translation Department in their junior years could answer the professor’s question “What is translation?” We don’t think about these trivial subjects in our university!