Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!

Holiday Hot Dog Vendor by Sister72 (The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ )

by B Rosen (Boston on Dec 20, 2005)

I wish you all a wonderful and merry Christmas, and all the best in the upcoming year.

I've had this blog for a few months now and I hope I can continue posting nice pictures and useful information for you guys in future as well. :)

RMEh

Friendship

by ^riza^ (the capture reads: "If We Hold On Together nothing can tear us apart .. ")

This is such an innocent and simple picture of friendship, of togetherness as we face the world in awe and excitement. I wish you all strong and lasting friendships.

Chess

From 1985 to 1993, Garry Kasparov was the Undisputed world chess champion. Some say he was a champion till year 2000. He is perhaps the most famous chess champion of all time.

There are many well-known chess champions and role-models for young chess players. One can think of the amazing Cuban José Raúl Capablanca, and the fantastic attacking player Mikhail Tal ("The magician from Riga"), not to mention the incomparable Bobby Fischer who was world champion from 1972 to 1975.

by BigTallGuy
by Petteri Sulonen
by gadl
by striatic by conorwithonen

From 2006 to 2007, the world champion was the relatively unknown Russian Vladimir Kramnik. Since then the championship has gone to the Indian Viswanathan Anand.

A question (nothing more)

If you close your eyes and let go, who will catch you?

Parents, siblings, or relatives?

Friends, coworkers, or neighbors?

An angel or God?

Yourself?

Nobody?

In fact, do you ever let go? Let me know, if you feel comfortable sharing, that is.

Have a nice day,

R.Meh

Lifeless Life

credit: Ray (rayphua)

This is likely a sculpture near Cavenagh Bridge in Singapore.

credit: wili_hybrid (Neptune fountain, Vienna)

Click on the images to see full size.

I was inspired by these pictures and here's a short poem I just wrote (though it's not directly related to these photos):

live your life today
stone
said
because tomorrow you decay

BUT I MUST DISAGREE
I WILL LIVE FOREVER
SAID THE YOUNG CACTUS TREE
MY HEART IS AS BIG AS THE SEA
MY LOVE AS FAR AS EYE CAN SEE
AND ONE THING I GUARANTEE
THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS TO ME
MY SPIRIT WILL BE FREE

Hands and Foot (life is beautiful)

"daffodil" by F.S.M




LIFE IS B E A U T I F U L

Smoking Your Life Away

credit: Dawn Endico

"reparing a cigarette vending machine" by semihundido

Yes, I'm wearing my medical hat again, and this time I'm going to talk about smoking.

According to Mayo Clinic**, "more than half the people who keep smoking will die because of it."

"Tobacco smoke contains more than 60 known cancer-causing chemicals and more than 4,800 other harmful substances."

Specifically, smoking is responsible for "nine out 10 of lung cancer cases."

Smoking increases the likelihood of impotence in men, leads to premature aging, causes numerous cancers, makes diabetes and respiratory illnesses more likely, and increases chances of dying of cardiovascular disease.

credit: kalandrakas


According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report***, tobacco lead to 100 million deaths in the previous century, and could potentially kill over a billion people this century.

According to Canadian Lung Association****, "Tobacco kills about 45,000 Canadians a year. That's more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined."

It's also estimated that second-hand smoke kills "1100 - 7800 Canadians".


**Mayo Clinic: Nicotine dependence

***WHO on smoking

****Canadian Lung Association

Avicenna (Abu Sina)

I was browsing the internet a while ago and I came across an interesting site entitled "Estimated IQs of some of the Greatest Geniuses" **

I noted Avicenna's picture there. Avicenna or Abu Ali Sina was the famous Persian polymath. He was a scientist, mathematician, psychologist, physician, astronomer, philosopher....

According to University of California's Dr. Barbara J. Becker*** Abu Sina's famed Al-Qanun fi't al-Tibb (Canon on Medicine) was used "until 1650 in European universities." The book was completed in 1025! That gives you an idea of the book's astonishing power and influence.

To learn more about Abu Sina you can visit Britannica's website.****

There are many reasons to be proud of being an Iranian. Here's another.


**http://hem.bredband.net/b153434/Index.htm

***https://eee.uci.edu/clients/bjbecker/PlaguesandPeople/lecture5.html

****http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/45755/Avicenna

Water, Water, everywhere!

As with most pictures here, I took this one from flickr.com, from photographer Daniel Greene's collection this time. The caption reads: "After our strenuous kayaking excursion, all Andy & I wanted was water, water, water. No wine or liquor on my birthday, just hydration!"

streets at night

credit: mugley

credit: wwarby (Pierre Vivant's sculpture, Traffic Light Tree in the Docklands, London)

There is something magical about streets at nights. The second picture is more complex, using warning lights as decoration. It makes you wonder what colors mean to you and why.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse

credit: photogirl7

We recently had a beautiful sunny day here, and I thought the picture of a lighthouse and the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean on a sunny day would lift up your spirits too. Enjoy!

Putting up a Wall against Alcohol

credit: Pingu1963
credit: Kessiye

Your drinking habit may be affected by genetics, environment, family, sociocultural factors (e.g. alcohol is part of many social events in Europe, where alcohol consumption is high), religious orientation (e.g. Muslims do not drink alcohol), economy, etc.

Drinking alcohol is harmful and dangerous.

According to World Health Organization:

"Alcohol consumption has health and social consequences via intoxication (drunkenness), dependence (habitual, compulsive and long-term drinking), and other biochemical effects."

"In addition to chronic diseases that may affect drinkers after many years of heavy use, alcohol contributes to traumatic outcomes that kill or disable at a relatively young age, resulting in the loss of many years of life to death or disability...Overall there is a causal relationship between alcohol consumption and more than 60 types of disease and injury."

"Alcohol is estimated to cause about 20-30% worldwide of oesophageal cancer, liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, homicide, epilepsy, and motor vehicle accidents."

"Worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)."

"Unintentional injuries alone account for about one third of the 1.8 million deaths, while neuro-psychiatric conditions account for close to 40% of the 58.3 million DALYs."

I obtained the above information from here: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/alcohol/en/index.html

Go here for much more: http://www.who.int/topics/alcohol_drinking/en/


Alcohol is a significant risk for breast cancer, even a single drink a day*.

credit: Dawn Endico

To give you a more local picture, let's consider alcohol-related death and injury, specifically in Canada.

In 2001, Rehm and colleagues** at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health attributed 4,010 of all deaths (those under age of 70) to alcohol. Keep in mind, they took into account, "the deaths prevented by moderate consumption of alcohol."

credit: shashiBellamkonda

According to their research, 144,143 years of life were lost prematurely only in 2001, due to alcohol. Main causes of death were unintentional injuries, malignant neoplasms (i.e. cancer), and digestive diseases.

*Hamajima N, Hirose K, Tajima K, et al; for the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer — collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58,515 women with breast cancer and 95,067 women without the disease. Br J Cancer 2002;87:1234-45.

**Rehm J, Patra J, Popova S. Alcohol-attributable mortality and potential years of life lost in Canada 2001: implications for prevention and policy. Addiction 2006;101:373-84.

credit: dubswede

Colors of Autumn

It's several days past the midpoint of the fall season, and I decided to post a picture of this beautiful tree, a Japanese Maple.



credit: Paul Keleher

NHL hockey in Canada

credit: spcbrass


Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks, all in the Northwest division;

Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs, all in the Northeast division.

These six teams are the pride of Canada, as hockey here is the national sport and brings such warmth and excitement even in the coldest climates in Canada. It is about speed, beautiful goals, even bone-crunching hits, and occasional fights, all part of this electrifying game.

Right now, the Montreal Canadiens (see picture above), a team has been improving over the last couple of years, is ahead of other Canadian teams--and many US teams--with 17 points and 8 wins in the last 10 games.

anthias fish

Credit: JennyHuang

Okay, so today's the 2008 United States presidential election, and I have decided to post a picture of anthias, beautiful coral reef fish.

They are all born females and only when the male of the group dies, a female will take its place and become male.

And this reminds me of elections. Why? Think about it.

Halloween

credit: Joe Shlabotnik

Pretty funny, eh?

The top right pumpkin is the funniest.

Prayer for the ill--for all of us

credit: mindfulness

I would like to pray for the ill, those in the hospitals, those at home, the ones who are alone, the people surrounded by others yet lonely, the souls with pain in their hearts and fear in their minds, the kids with no parents and the parents with no kids, the ones who can't find love and the ones too afraid to seek it. If you are ill, in any shape or form, I wish you a quick recovery and wish all the best for you in this life and the next. Sincerely. Please accept my love and know that at least this person here loves you and wants what is best for you.

I would also like you to pray for others and lend a helping hand in a way that you find possible. We're all in this together, and like this beautiful chick in this picture we will get through this and come out victorious.

My best,

R.MEh

Hope

Hope, British Columbia, Canada (credit: jeff_w_brooktree)

What is hope?

In their 1991 article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Snyder and his colleagues defined hope as “a cognitive set that is based on a reciprocally–derived sense of successful agency (goal–directed determination) and pathways (planning to meet goals)”.

What?!

Pathways have to do with the plans that we believe we can make to reach our goal. Agency has to do with the person's belief regarding their ability to begin and continue moving towards their goal as planned.

So this is how I see it: I know and I can!

You do not have to agree that psychologists--or these particular psychologists--have "hope" all figured out. However, let us assume that their view is close to truth and apply it to a common situation:

I want to help the poor. Can I be hopeful about it?

plan: I can think of specific organizations that help the poor. I know the poor areas of the town and I know that giving money to the poor people there helps.

agency: I am able and willing to walk to the poor areas and make some donations, and I am capable of making enough money to continue making donations. I also feel confident that I can get involved with the organizations and be an effective member there.

Result: I am hopeful about being able to help the poor.

Iran

credit: Thomas Roche

Iran has an area at 1,648,195 km². According to Population Reference Bureau's mid-2007 estimate, Iran's population is 71,200,000, though some organizations give lower estimates.

Iran is a beautiful country of many different people and wonderfully ancient cultures, picturesque four seasons, scenic views, delicious cuisine, breathtaking architecture, and much much more. I will have more to say about Iran in future posts....

Azadi Tower, Tehran, Iran (credit: saital)

Khaju Bridge, Isfahan, Iran (credit: Hamed Saber)

A snowy day in Tehran, Iran (credit: Hamed Masoumi)

Iranian girl, Iran-Angola game, Fifa 2006 (credit: geisagholian)

Signifying...

I sometimes think that a lot of things these days are like this sign.

I mean they are supposed to guide us and make our life easier but akin to bureaucracy they seem to exist for their own sake, even take a life of its own.

More recently it reminds me of the US elections and how it has become a phenomenon in itself with all the stories surrounding Obama, Palin, etc, and all the money wasted on campaigns and advertising.

That's what elections are: an expensive elaborate sign, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (a la Shakespeare's Macbeth)

picture credit: Me-Liss-A

bird of paradise flower

credit: Georgie Sharp
This is called the bird of paradise flower.

beautiful praying room in a mosque in Shiraz

credit: dynamosquito
Nasr ol Molk mosque at Shiraz, Iran, April 2008

Missing: Have you seen them?

credit: CarbonNYC

In times of fear, I am looking for courage.
I do not need intelligence nor knowledge but wisdom.
When I am tempted, seduced by worldly urges, I look for self-control.
In face of violence and war, I long for humanity.
When I see people treated so unfairly, I say where is the justice in this world.

I do not think I am the only one looking for them. If you, too, are looking, and if you find them, let me know.

Missing: courage, wisdom, self-control, humanity, and justice. If found, please return to human beings.

What is beautiful?

Maybe it's a combination of colors, or it's a particular shape. Some say it's subjective, yet many would agree that the picture of these flower is beautiful.
Perhaps it's what makes us happy, feels us with joy, makes our senses come alive.
credit: Pixel Addict

Reaching deep down in political debate

credit: bobster1985

Okay, so I'm guessing that we're getting pretty close to election time in US and time to dig deep, very deep, not into their hearts but further down into the colon and start smearing each other. Yes, Obama and McCain, continuing the beautiful tradition of other presidential hopefuls--and politicians in general--are here to win not to be truthful. Hence, what we're watching now are two egos going head-to-head, and American people--and really the international community--left behind.

Somebody once said "The first casualty of war is truth." Well, political debate is no different.

Do we all wear Masks?

picture by francescopozzi


Masks: some of them might remind you of the movie "Eyes Wide Shut".

We sometimes wear masks to hide our fears, angers, jealousy, and other emotions from others--and from ourselves as well. We can call these masks "defense mechanisms" when, for instance, we hide our sadistic impulses behind our mask of "dutiful police officer"*** as we bark orders to the frightened driver.

There is also "impression management", our attempt to come across as, say, an enthusiastic employee who just loves to lay bricks as opposed to our true conflicted feelings of hating construction work but needing the money desperately.

Maybe this is not a black-and-white issue, and that we sometimes need masks to maintain our mental health--depending on how you define it. We sometimes need masks to function in society.

And Tom Cruise needed to wear the mask--literally--to play a role in "Eyes Wide Shut", and a mask called "public relations" to present himself to the public, just like other actors in Hollywood.

In the episode "Frasier's Edge" of the sitcom Frasier, Frasier senses an emptiness upon hearing that he would be presented with a lifetime achievement award. He is unmasked by his mentor Dr. Tewkesbury. Of course the issue is quite more complex but this episode presents a simplified version of how it feels to remove the mask, to come face to face with the truth (assuming his mentor is correct--and that's a big assumption).

Dr. Tewkesbury: My point is that at the age of eight - at eight - you began to use psychiatry as a way to deal with a world that scared you to death. And this lifetime achievement award has made you realize that your career is finite and once it's gone, all you'll have left is that frightened eight-year-old boy.

***this is merely an example and is not meant to imply that police officers are generally sadistic.

God Bless America!

Okay, so let's be honest. Do you really wanna spend the next 4 to 8 years staring at McCain's ugly old face, awkward attempts at forcing some emotion into his plastic face? Do you want to watch Obama's halting speech and tense upright posture?

Or do you want to watch a hot sexy president? Let's face it, US has some pretty tough times ahead and if we are to hear some terrible news on a daily basis, is it not better to come out of a beautiful mouth?

So vote for McCain 'cause he's old and he's gonna die and then we'll get Sarah Palin. Oh yeah! God bless America!!!

picture by: Tricia Ward

random poetry

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And of thy meager store

Two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

Sheikh Muslih-uddin Saadi Shirazi, The Gulistan of Saadi, 1270

population of Iranian Canadians

Banff, Alberta, Canada


According to Statistics Canada, amongst people who provided only one ethnic origin, Iranians number just about 100,000. However, if you add the multiple ethnic origin responses (those who are Iranian AND X) to the previous number, you get about 121,000. That's 121,000 Iranians out of 31,000,000 million total population in Canada.

Also known as Iranian Canadians or Persian Canadians, they represent 0.4% of the whole population. In other words, out of a random sample of just over 200 people in the street, one is likely to be Iranian.

This figure is according to 2006 Census, and the information can be found here:

Stats Canada

Introduction

"One hour's meditation on the work of the Creator is better than seventy years of prayer”

Prophet Muhammad



...Concise, well-chosen facts are de rigueur.
Landscapes are replaced by addresses,
shaky memories give way to unshakable dates.

Of all your loves, mention only the marriage;
of all your children, only those who were born.

...Pass over in silence your dogs, cats, birds,
dusty keepsakes, friends, and dreams.

Price, not worth,
and title, not what's inside.
His shoe size, not where he's off to,
that one you pass off as yourself.
In addition, a photograph with one ear showing.
What matters is its shape, not what it hears.
What is there to hear, anyway?
The clatter of paper shredders.

Wisława Szymborska, Writing a Resume, View with a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems



....You, my dear child.
The child of nine or ten years of age,
That you were nothing, you were dust, you turned into food,
Next eighty or ninety years, you will change into an old child,
You will turn into nothing, you will turn into dust,
You will circulate,
Like a circle,
Without aim, without meaning, hollow:
Once again, from the bottom, you will arrive to the initial point,
Like zero,
When you live for yourself,
When you wish to be only for your "own self",
To be alone,
When you wish to be only with zeros,
Your life, like a curve line, will cycle on yourself,
Like zero,
Again, from the bottom you will arrive, to the initial point,
You will remain, you will stink,
Like a pool,
You will be confined, like a circle,
Like "zero".
But if you sit before "1",..............?
If you wish to be only for "1",
and release yourself from futility and loneliness,
and be a companion of "1",..........?
You must live for others...

...There is "1".
There is no "1", Except God,
There is nothing,
There is nobody,
One, In front of It, Till Eternity, Zeros.

"One", in front of it, "Zeros" til Eternity!
Dr. Ali Shariati translated by Dr.Ghassemy




If there were water
And no rock
If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock
If there were the sound of water only
Not the cicada
And dry grass singing
But sound of water over a rock
Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees
Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
But there is no water

T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land


"...and both wives were lifted, kicking, into the night."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby


Hello, hello;

and Welcome to my little blog}

--you would think that with all the blogs on the *WWW* there would be no need for another, but you'd be wrong;;; im not sure if I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart (I am perhaps selfish and like to say things and be heard).

***so here i am a persian canadian with a degree from a canadian college and conflicted feelings, thoughts, and visions, as sampled by bit of poetry and quotes posted above.

+ + = More than anything I like to create an opp for Iranians to connect far from home to not feel lonely to feel they belong and to share their joy and sorrow and anger and fears and I would like for them to feel right at home and say what's on their mind and really open up and together we can make the best of our time on this planet because time is short and god's love has no limit and if I can in some small way make god happy and his people happy and give them calm and comfort and joy and share with them and be worthy of receiving god's compassion and people's love and friendship I would appreciate that opp with all my heart.

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