شخصیت صادق هدایت

به جرات می‌توان گفت که هیچ داستان نویسی در ایران به قدرت و شجاعت صادق هدایت نتوانست نقاط مثبت و منفی‌ فرهنگ ایرانیان را به قلم بیاورد. هدایت که برای رشته ریاضیات به بلژیک و دندان پزشکی‌ به فرانسه، همراه گروهی از ایرانیانی که دولت برای تحصیل به اروپا میفرستاد عازم این دو کشور شده بود، پس از آنکه درک کرد که علاقه او صرفا به ادبیات است، بدون هیچ گونه عذر و بهانه و نگرانی از فشار دولت و خانواده ترک تحصیل کرد و به نویسندگی پرداخت. او انسان آزاده‌ای بود که زیر بار هیچ فشاری نمیرفت و سخنان خود را شجاعانه بیان میکرد. این البته با فرهنگ سالوسی و همرنگ جماعت شدن اکثر ایرانیانِ دور و برش تفاوت داشت، و بدین جهت دوستان او کسانی‌ بودند که او را به درستی‌ میشناختند و برای افکارش احترام قائل بودند، حتی اگر مانند او نبودند. شخصی‌ حاضر جواب بود و طنزی برخورنده، و به مذاق عده‌ای زننده، داشت. گرچه بسیاری از دوستانش به دلیل این طنزش بدور او جمع شده بودند. پیش از آنکه به فرانسه برود این زبان را در دبیرستان فرا گرفته بود و نوشته‌های فرانسه را به فارسی ترجمه میکرد. قرآن و بسیاری از کتب مذهبی‌ را خوانده بود و بدین دلیل مذهب اسلام را بخوبی میشناخت. انتقاد او از اسلام، و مذهب بطور عموم، در هر نوشته‌اش مشخص است. از آنجائی که به فرهنگ ایران پیش از اسلام عشق میورزید سفری به هند کرد و زبان پهلوی را آموخت. نتیجه‌اش چند ترجمه از پهلوی به پارسیِ امروزه است. به دانش علمی‌، که به انگلیسی‌ به آن ساینس می‌گویند، علاقه داشت و گزارشات علمی‌ را دنبال میکرد. آنچنان به زندگی‌ دلبسته بود که به هر چه علاقمند میشد در فراگیری آن کوشش میکرد. در اواخر عمر، در پی یادگیری زبان روسی بود، که در نوشته‌های آخرین او منعکس است. ولی‌ شیفتگی‌ او به فرهنگِ پیش از اسلام بود، و این تنفرِ او را از اسلام و تظاهرات مذهبی‌ و آخوندبازی بیش از بیش میکرد. به قضا و قدر اعتقادی نداشت و حتی مرگ خود را با تصمیم‌گیری قبلی‌ و هوشیاری کامل انجام داد. اینکه او از زندگی‌ مایوس بود و یا از نظر مالی در مضیقه بود و به این دلیل خودکشی‌ کرد، با توجه به توان و شخصیت هدایت مورد قبول به نظر نمیاید، و مشخصاً زمانی‌ به مرگ خود دست زد که به این نتیجه رسیده بود که زندگی‌ پُربارش را به اتمام رسانده بود. به این دلیل، پیش از مرگ تمام یادداشتهایش را سوزاند، چرا که آنها را قابل خواندن توسط دیگران نمی‌دید، و ماموریتش را در جهان تمام شده می‌انگاشت.

عباس ميلانى، حسين مُهرى «خمينى، شاه، آمريکا، بريتانيا »، راديو صداى ايران؛

Before Venezuela, US had long involvement in Latin America

By The AP
January 25, 2019
Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50966.htm


Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup against him, and that allegation has resonance among many in a region where Washington has a long history of interventions — military and otherwise.
Ever since President James Monroe announced a sort of protectorate over the hemisphere in the early 19th century known as the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has involved itself in the daily affairs of nations across Latin America, often on behalf of North American commercial interests or to support right-leaning forces against leftist leaders.
That military involvement petered out after the end of the Cold War, although the U.S. has been accused of granting at least tacit backing to coups in Venezuela in 2002 and Honduras in 2009.
The Trump's administration leading role in recognizing Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela returns the U.S. to a more assertive role in Latin America than it has had for years.
Some of the most notable U.S. interventions in Latin America:

Venezuela - The U.S. Game Plan For 'Regime Change' And How To Respond To It

By Moon Of Alabama

January 25, 2019
Link: https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/01/venezuela-the-us-game-plan-and-how-to-respond-to-it.html

 Yesterday the U.S. recognized a right-wing 'leader of the opposition' in Venezuela Juan Guaido as the president of the country. A number of right-wing led countries in South America joined in that move. Cuba, Bolivia and Mexico rejected it. Russia, China, Iran and Turkey continue to support the the government of the elected President Nicolas Maduro and spoke out against the coup attempt. The European Union has no united opinion with the neo-liberal led France being pro-coup and Spain standing against it. Venezuela must prepare for a multi year conflict while doing everything to keep it as short as possible.

Testing Theories of American Politics

Note: This is a copy of the online PDF version of the princeton printed copy of this article, which is not presented properly here. For reading original version of this interesting article, please refer to the following link:
https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf


Testing Theories of American Politics:
Elites, Interest Groups, and Average
Citizens
Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page Each of four theoretical traditions in the study of American politics—which can be characterized as theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy, Economic-Elite Domination, and two types of interest-group pluralism, Majoritarian Pluralism and Biased Pluralism—offers different predictions about which sets of actors have how much influence over public policy: average citizens;
economic elites; and organized interest groups, mass-based or business-oriented.
A great deal of empirical research speaks to the policy influence of one or another set of actors, but until recently it has not been possible to test these contrasting theoretical predictions against each other within a single statistical model. We report on an effort to do so, using a unique data set that includes measures of the key variables for 1,779 policy issues.

The United States is First in War, But Trailing in Crucial Aspects of Modern Civilization

By Lawrence S. WittnerJanuary 01, 2019

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50860.htm

Maybe those delirious crowds chanting “USA, USA” have got something. When it comes to military power, the United States reigns supreme. Newsweek reported in March 2018: “The United States has the strongest military in the world,” with more than two million military personnel and vast numbers of the most advanced nuclear missiles, military aircraft, warships, tanks, and other modern weapons of war. Furthermore, as the New York Times noted, “the United States also has a global presence unlike any other nation, with about 200,000 active duty troops deployed in more than 170 countries.” This presence includes some 800 overseas U.S. military bases.

In 2017 (the last year for which global figures are available), the U.S. government accounted for more than a third of the world’s military expenditures, more than the next seven highest-spending countries combined. Not satisfied, however, President Trump and Congress pushed through a mammoth increase in the annual U.S. military budget in August 2018, raising it to $717 billion. Maintaining the U.S. status as “No. 1” in war and war preparations comes at a very high price.

Has Trump Been Outmaneuvered on Syria Troop Withdrawal?

By Senator Dick Black
January 3, 2019

Link: https://consortiumnews.com/2019/01/03/has-trump-been-outmaneuvered-on-syria-troop-withdrawal/

Trump’s possible backtracking on withdrawal from Syria means he may have been once again outmaneuvered by the Deep State, says Virginia State Senator Dick Black.

Following the outcry after President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was pulling U.S. troops from Syria, it appears that Trump may be succumbing to political pressure. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) visited the White House on Dec. 30 and afterward told reporters:  “We talked about Syria. He told me some things I didn’t know that made me feel a lot better about where we’re headed in Syria,” Graham said.  Trump’s withdrawal plans are “slowing down in a smart way,” Graham said, according to NBC News.

The Washington Post added: ” ‘Graham described Trump’s decision as ‘a pause situation’ rather than a withdrawal, telling reporters, “I think the president’s taking this really seriously.”  Graham said: “He promised to destroy ISIS. He’s going to keep that promise. We’re not there yet. But as I said today, we’re inside the 10-yard line, and the president understands the need to finish the job.” 

Climate Change For Beginners

There have been many publications about climate change, each from a different point of view and for different audience. Some discuss it through an evolutionary process; and how the environment is different from what it would have been if it was not for the rapid effect of the global warming. Some others begin the discussion with the damage caused by fossil fuel and other forms of energy that increases CO2 level. And there are some who research and report changes on the earth as a result of mining. A small and short book that provides a basic knowledge about climate change and the roots of it bears the same title. It is in fact a disclosed document or an evidence for those who deny climate change and consider it a natural phenomenon that would not be affected by human’s negligence. The book is written for non-scientist readers, whether they acquire any knowledge of the subject or not, with simple an easy passages to understand and to follow the reasons for this phenomenon, as well as the future outcome. Each page contains some animations which emphasizes the point on that page, in addition to lightening up the serious subject matter. As it was mentioned, the book is called “Climate Change For Beginners” by Dean Goodwin, Ph.D. and illustrated by Joe Lee. It was first published in 2016.

چگونگی پیدایش قران

نوآوری‌های کیهانی

تحقیقات جدید نشان میدهند که جریان نامنظم مواد در درون خورشید میتوانند دلیل لکه‌های خوشه‌ای باشند که بطور تصادفی در سطح خورشید دیده میشوند. به منظور مطالعهٔ گسترده‌تر در مورد خورشید، سازمان ناسا در ۱۲ اوت سفینه "پارکر سولار پروب" را پرتاب کرد. این کشتی فضائی تا چهار میلیون مایلز به خورشید نزدیک خواهد شد، که البته این کوتاه‌ترین فاصله‌ای است که تا کنون انسان توانسته است به این ستارهٔ آتشبار نزدیک شود.

A Short History in Economy: By Professor Richard Wolfe

Economic Update: The Great American Purge

The Inequality Gap on a Planet Growing More Extreme

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50761.htm

By Nomi Prins

December 13, 2018

As we head into 2019, leaving the chaos of this year behind, a major question remains unanswered when it comes to the state of Main Street, not just here but across the planet. If the global economy really is booming, as many politicians claim, why are leaders and their parties around the world continuing to get booted out of office in such a sweeping fashion?

One obvious answer: the post-Great Recession economic “recovery” was largely reserved for the few who could participate in the rising financial markets of those years, not the majority who continued to work longer hours, sometimes at multiple jobs, to stay afloat. In other words, the good times have left out so many people, like those struggling to keep even a few hundred dollars in their bank accounts to cover an emergency or the 80% of American workers who live paycheck to paycheck.

Vladimir Pozner

This clip is about two hours long. If you do not want to view all of it, watch from minute 20 to 25, for 5 minutes.



Our Spring 2017 group met with Vladimir Pozner in Moscow. Pozner has been Russia’s #1 TV Icon for over four decades. He is an independent thinker who is not a supporter of Putin, but at the same time he appreciates the role Putin has played in stabilizing the country since assuming Russia’s presidency in the year 2000. Pozner observes the ways in which Russia’s media is controlled, as well as the ways America’s media is controlled. For a totally honest appraisal of the politics and media of both countries, take the time to watch this piece.

Wealth Inequality in America

هموطنِ مومن

تو که هیچوقت نماز و عبادت خود را ترک نکرده‌ای حتما به بهشت خواهی رفت. در ملاقات با خداوند، که طاعتش موجب قربت است و به شکر اندرش مزید نعمت،  لطفا از او بپرس که به چه منظور این جهان را آفریده است. جای من البته در قعر جهنم است و همنشین دوزخیان خواهم بود، و هیچگاه به دیدار پروردگار این جهان و جهان ابدی نازل نخواهم شد. خداوند که روی تخت عاجش در بهشت نشسته است، البته که امور جهنمیان را به نمایندگان خود وشکنجه‌گران دوزخ می‌سپرد و حتی سری هم به مردگان جهنمی نخواهد زد. هیچکس از رهبر یک سازمان سری انتظار ندارد که به شکنجه‌گاه‌های خود سر بزند.  بنابراین او را نخواهم دید که پرسشهای خود را با او در میان بگذارم، و من فقط کنجکاوم بدانم هدف او از به وجود آوردن این دنیا چه بوده است. در واقع پرسش بزرگتر آنکه قبل اینکه او این جهان را آرایش دهد و به آن نظم فعلی‌ را ببخشد، به چه کاری اشتغال میداشت. آیا پیش از این دنیائی که ما میشناسیم دنیای دیگری به عنوان آزمایش ساخته بود، و اگر پاسخش مثبت است، چه بر سر آن دنیا آمده است؟ البته از اشخاص نزدیک به خدا مثل ملایان و کشیشان و سایر مفتخوران این پرسش را کرده‌ام و آنها همواره این پاسخ تاریخی‌‌ را میدهند که "اسراری در کاینات است که ما از آن واقف نیستیم و خداوند رموزی دارد که بر بندگانش پوشیده است،" که این جمله طولانی‌ بجای "من نمیدانم" استفاده میشود. البته کسی‌ که این جملات را ردیف می‌کند، اعوان و انصار پیشینِ خودش داستان بهشت و جهنم و آدم و حوا و مار و غیره را سر هم کرده بودند. ولی‌ اینکه قبل از این داستانها خدا چه میکرد و چه کسی‌ او را آفرید پرسشی است که باید از خود او کرد. ما کاملا بر این واقف هستیم که این جهانِ هستی‌ پُر است از اسرار و شگفتیها، مانند شب و روز و طوفان و زلزله و بلایای آسمانی، که دانشمندان هر از گاهی‌ یکی‌ از رموز آنرا کشف و آشکار میسازند، و پس از افشا شدن البته دیگر رمزی در آن نیست. بشر همواره از این جهان در شگفتی بوده است و گروهی با استفاده از انگاشت و پندار خود داستانهائی بافته‌اند، ولی‌ پاره‌ای دیگر به تحقیق پرداخته و دلیل آن عجائب را کشف کرده‌اند. روزی از سایر شگفتیها پرده برداشته شده، دیگر مشکلاتی که پیش پای بشر قرار گرفته‌اند گشوده خواهند شد. ولی‌ خدائی که مکمل، بی‌عیب، و سرآمد و خالق همه موجودات است، به چه دلیل چنین دنیائی را که تا حدی به دست و با نبوغ انسانها صورت بهتری می‌گیرد، و مخلوقی که اگر دکترها و داروها به دادش نرسند یک شبه تب می‌کند و میمیرد، به وجود میاورد.

Questions from the Old Mighty

You believe in God and you may worship him in order to arrive in heaven after you die, and if you do, when in heaven please ask him why he created this world. Since I don’t believe in God, I will go to hell and will be in the company of Lucifer. However, God will be sitting on his throne in the heaven and would never check to see what is happening in hell, as he loves those who worship him, and sends the rest to the lower department managed by Satan. In fact, no one expects the head of a secret service to walk into its torture chamber. But the question that has been perplexing me is why God would create this world, and what purpose he originally had behind it. As a matter of curiosity, the more thought-provoking question is what he was doing before he created the world. Of course the usual answer to such questions has been “God works in mysterious ways and no one can and should try to delve into his mysteries.” However, whoever came up with such notion, also came up with Genesis and several such stories describing how it was at the beginning and how God created man. None of these stories go further back to disclose what was before the beginning, and how God kept himself busy, since there was no man on earth, and heaven and hell had no purpose to be built, and there was nothing. What were God doing then, and who and how He Himself, was created? We know there are wonders in the world, with the vast and almost unlimited universe and black holes and other mysteries our scientists have discovered. But these are mysteries as long as we have not solved them. Human beings have been puzzled by what we take for granted, such as day and night and flood and tornado and other natural elements. Some who were curious about all of these and other mysteries of the world used their imagination and created fairytales. But some investigated and found answers to many of these puzzles. More mysteries will be discovered as well, and the weaknesses of the society will be alleviated someday. However, if God is perfect, why did He make such a creation full of holes!

حشرات‌الارض

از آنجائی که ما همیشه در جنگ با حشرات هستیم، شناسایی بسیاری از حشرات برای ما حاصل نشده است. امروزه این جنگ از طریق داروهای شیمیائی انجام میشود. البته طرفین این جنگ نیروهای همگون و مساوی ندارند. در واقع یک طرف این جنگ از طرف دیگر کاملا ضعیف‌تر است. شاید باعث شگفتی باشد، ولی‌ انسانها همواره در این جنگ مغلوب هستند. دلیلش آن چیزی است که داروین آنرا “تکامل از طریق انتخاب طبیعی” لقب داد. هر داروی شیمیائی که ما برای کشتن این موجودات بکار می‌بریم، باعث میشود که حشرهٔ مورد حمله از طریق انتخاب طبیعی تکامل یافته، از آن ماده شیمیائی مصون بماند. هر چه آن ماده شیمیائی با شدت بیشتری اِعمال شود، امکان تکامل یافتن حشره تشدید میابد. آنها با چنان شدتی‌ تکامل میابند که ما زمان آنرا نداریم که  به سیستم آن پی ببریم، تا بتوانیم با آن مبارزه کنیم. سوسک آلمانی‌ یکی‌ از نمونه‌های آن است (ژرمنیک کاکرُچ‌ یا بلاتِلا جرمانیکا).

Saudis Close to Crown Prince Discussed Killing Other Enemies a Year Before Khashoggi’s Death

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/11/world/middleeast/saudi-iran-assassinations-mohammed-bin-salman.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fmark-mazzetti&action=click&contentCollection=undefined&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection

By Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and David D. Kirkpatrick

Nov. 11, 2018

WASHINGTON — Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a small group of businessmen last year about using private companies to assassinate Iranian enemies of the kingdom, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

The Saudis inquired at a time when Prince Mohammed, then the deputy crown prince and defense minister, was consolidating power and directing his advisers to escalate military and intelligence operations outside the kingdom. Their discussions, more than a year before the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s ascent.

Saudi officials have portrayed Mr. Khashoggi’s death as a rogue killing ordered by an official who has since been fired. But that official, Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, was present for a meeting in March 2017 in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, where the businessmen pitched a $2 billion plan to use private intelligence operatives to try to sabotage the Iranian economy.

During the discussion, part of a series of meetings where the men tried to win Saudi funding for their plan, General Assiri’s top aides inquired about killing Qassim Suleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and a man considered a determined enemy of Saudi Arabia.

Fear of Democracy

As all our noble presidents such as Donald Trump and Barak Obama and George W. Bush have reminded us, there are many dictatorial and collective governments which are not only jealous of our democracy, but fear it as well. They fear that Western democracy may expand in their land and spark a popular uprising. Almost every citizen of the Western world has accepted to be the inhabitant of a great nation that enjoys democracy to the fullest. There have been many referendums initiated to prove that people in democratic countries of the west acknowledge their freedom and cherish it, and will fight to keep such God given, State provided freedom of choice from any hostile attack. Of course, it stems partially from the capitalist system in the West that gives everyone choices in abundance. This democracy is spread out all over Western countries, which can be narrowed down to the freedom one can experience in the United States. For instance, we elect our own government representatives through elections, with the last one completed just a few days ago. National elections in the US are from seven o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock at night on the first Tuesday of November of every other year. You may ask why it is in November when it is cold in many of the states because of rain and snow, which makes it hard to stand in lines for hours to vote. The logical answer is to examine how much one values his or her democracy and would sacrifice for his country, just one day every other year to exercise his or her choice granted by forefathers of this great nation. It is in fact a test to see how much one can withstand blizzard in order to elect his or her representatives. You may also ask why on a Tuesday, a day that everyone is at work, and considering the present economy, some have to have two jobs and therefore will never get a chance to vote in elections. There is a simple response to this question as well, which we call auto-selection, meaning that right persons to vote are automatically selected this way. It is not surprising to say that not all people are intelligent enough to know how to elect a candidate, and intelligent people are occupied in an occupation that allows them to spare one day every other year to exercise their rights to vote. As a result of this auto-selection, wrong candidates are automatically prevented from winning the election. Some people speak of what they call “voter suppression”, claiming that some tactics are used to prevent people of certain races or economic classes to vote. In a democracy, any innovative way to win the election is in fact a sign of democracy. Those who are intelligent enough to find inventive and groundbreaking ideas to win an election, deserve fruits of their accomplishments. Finally, there are those who believe that money should not be involved in politics. Ronald Reagan brought about a new economic system that he called “trickle down economy”. It meant for a society to be economically fair, rich people needed to become so rich that when they held their wealth in currency and in the palm of both hands, money would trickle down from their hands, and the rest of the society could pick those extra wealth up. That is why every president since then, Democrat or Republican, has eased taxing the rich. For the same reason, money in politics is favored by every president who has been backed by industry which is the backbone of a capitalist economy, and even our judiciary branch of the government considered corporations as people, who could contribute to candidates of their choice any amount they could afford. This is the true meaning of democracy.

Why Iran Needs a War Economy

November 6, 2018
Link: https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/11/06/why-iran-needs-a-war-economy/
by Ismael Hossein-Zadeh

Faced with the relentless U.S. economic war, Iran needs a war economy. Indeed, the plan of a war economy should not be very difficult for Iran to implement since it has a relatively successful experience of carrying out such a plan: during the 8-year war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Iran embarked on an extensive state-guided economic management that effectively provided for both its military and civilian needs. Because of the revolutionary atmosphere of the time, and because of the corresponding spirit of generosity, selflessness, social cohesion, and national unity the country was able to effectively withstand both the military and economic wars launched against its territory and its people. Despite the extremely costly war, both in terms of blood and treasure, and despite the fact that Iran’s total output, or national income, at the time was only a fraction of what it is today, its people did not experience nearly as much economic hardship as they do today. Why? Mainly because its national resources were at the time distributed relatively equitably—unlike today where those resources are monopolized and plundered by a clique of financial oligarchs and economic mafias.