Alireza Manzour

Memoirs of Kuala

2011-02-10T16:05:00.001-08:00

It would be too odd to reflect on something that happened almost four years ago, and even more bizarre to do diary-reflection on it, but I have to be honest and tell you that I remember it so well like it was yesterday...

It was the 10th of October in 2007 when I arrived at KLIA Airport on that hot, humid, and quite honestly... disgustingly damp rainy day. I'll be honest, I wasn't too impressed, and you couldn't blame me, having lived most of my life in white-capped snowy Montreal, being Mount Royal, up in Canada, coming down here was quite a turn.
Nonetheless, I did take a taxi and went to my cousin's place who was eagerly waiting for me to arrive so we could start a new business here. You'll be surprised that I simply had NO intention, whatsoever, to continue my studies and all that followed was purely either accidental or you could say.. well destiny.

Still, it took me a couple of days to wear off this jet lag that you always get when you travel far and I was anything but an exception. However, my cousin, on father side that is, was quite welcoming and comfortingly kind, to be fair, and did almost anything he could imagine to convince me Malaysia is the place to stay, and guess what? he did succeed... and I did stay, four years on. Anyways, it was quite interesting that in a matter of a couple of weeks, the knocked off me was back on his feet, not only being admitted for the PhD Program at UM but also we were cruising to launch our very own business here in Kuala Lumpur.

It was, I could say quite boldly and bravely, the most fruitful days of my life, and although I eventually left the business and my cousin carried on, I was able to do so much more and achieve so far, I could not have imagined a couple of months earlier when I was back home in Iran struggling with a million, and I mean a million issues that I would never.. ever... never want to talk about. It was a hand of heaven that got me in the final hours of my despair and it was a new beginning for me, a very bizarre, yet hopeful beginning.

Now that I look back, I realize I owe my cousin big time for being there when I needed him the most and although back home in Iran, we never got the chance to know each other well, being on the father side, I feel proud knowing I have had and still have a cousin, a friend who gave me a second chance at life, and in a far, far away country like Malaysia, I was able to find friendship.

Now, you can tell me about your first few days in Kuala Lumpur and how terrible or how exciting those days were for you??? You can post your reflections in the comment box below. Cheers!

The Always Persian Gulf

2010-12-17T07:35:00.003-08:00

Wikipedia states that:
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran (formerly called Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula.[1] Historically and internationally[2][3][4] known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the A-r-a-b-i-a-n G-u-l-f or simply T-h-e G-u-l-f by most Arab states,[5] although neither of the latter two terms is recognized internationally. The name Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf) is used by the International Hydrographic Organization.[6]

Furthermore, Wikipedia clarifies the fact that:
In the 5th century BC, Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty called the Persian Gulf "Draya; tya; haca; parsa: Aitiy", meaning, "The sea which goes from Persian"[10]. In this era, some of the Greek writers also called it "Persikonkaitas", meaning the Persian Gulf. Claudius Ptolemaues, the celebrated Greco-Egyptian mathematician/astronomer in the 2nd century called it "Persicus Sinus" or Persian Gulf[11]. In the 1st century AD, Quintus Curticus Rufus, the Roman historian, designated it "Aquarius Persico" – the Persian Sea[12]. Flavius Arrianus, another Greek historian, called it "Persiconkaitas" (Persian Gulf)[13].

Nevertheless, during the Sassanian dynasty and the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the four caliphs, the name invariably used was the "Persian Sea"[14]. This was continued by the Ummayyads and Abbassids[14], while during the time of the Ottoman empire, both "Persian Gulf" or "Persian Sea" were used, and quite interestingly,
Among historians, travellers and geographers of the Islamic era, many of them writing in Arabic from the 9th to the 17th century, Ibn Khordadbeh[15], Ibn al-Faqih[16], Ibn Rustah[17], Sohrab[18], Ramhormozi[19], Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Farisi al Istakhri[20], Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Mas'udi[21], Al-Mutahhar ibn Tahir al-Maqdisi(d. 966)[22], Ibn Hawqal[23], Al-Muqaddasi[24], Ibn Khaldun[25],Mohammad ibn Najub Bekiran[26], Abu Rayhan Biruni[27], Muhammad al-Idrisi[28], Yaqut al-Hamawi[29], Zakariya al-Qazwini[30], Abu'l-Fida[31], Al-Dimashqi[32], Hamdollah Mostowfi[33], Ibn al-Wardi[34], Al-Nuwayri[35], Ibn Batutta[36], Katip Çelebi and other sources[37] have used the terms "Bahr-i-Fars", "Daryaye-i-Fars", "Khalij-i Fars" (all of which translate into "Persian Gulf" or "Persian Sea").

Noticeably, even until the 1960s Arab countries used the term "Persian Gulf" as well[38][39] , however with the rise of Arab nationalism (Pan-Arabism) in the 1960s, mostly lead by Imperialistic ideology of the west, namely Great Britain and their Lawrence of Arabia, most Arab states started adopting the internationally unrecognized term "A-r-a-b-i-a-n G-u-l-f" to refer to the waterway.[5][40][41][42] However, this naming has not found much acceptance outside of the Arab world, and is not recognized by the United Nations[5][43][44][45] or any other international organization.[5][46]

The United Nations Secretariat on many occasions has requested that only "Persian Gulf" be used as the official and standard geographical designation for the body of water.[47] Historically, "Arabian Gulf" has been a term used to indicate the Red Sea.[1][48][49][50][51] At the same time, the historical veracity of the usage of "Persian Gulf" can be established from the works of many medieval historians.[1][52][53][54][55] and even at the Twenty-third session of the United Nations in March–April 2006, the name "Persian Gulf" was confirmed again as the legitimate and official term to be used by members of the United Nations.[56]

So why is it that suddenly the American Naval forces has decided to change the name Persian Gulf, and jeopardize all possible conventional treaties and standards? Is it possible to call the Pacific Ocean the American Ocean, just because Americans are now in power? Then why the Iranians never attempted to alter the name 'Oman Sea' although they ruled most of Asia and Africa for centuries, and change it to Persia Sea? Why is it and better yet, how in the world is it possible to alter a geographical location on the map of Earth so easily? and most importantly who would benefit from such aimless political adventures that only end in mindless disputes? Who?

I am a Muslim brother, and I believe our Arab brothers and sisters on the other side of the always Persian Gulf would never wish to follow such propaganda and know that unity and integrity is a basic pillar of our faith and religion. They know that such cleverly fueled disputes are only a benefit to those who wish to see us weak and divided. Let us keep the Oman Sea, the Oman Sea, and the Persian Gulf, the Persian Gulf, and do not allow ourselves to be easily mocked and fooled. I am open to discussion and would appreciate your kind comments.

True Love?

2009-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever fallen in love?

It's a question asked too many times by too many people who might have never tasted the sweetness, or the bitterness, of falling in love. It is falling on one hand and it is falling in love on the other hand. Master William Shakespeare believes that "the path of love never proved to be smooth" and the old saying that "it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved." and we have all heard that "Love is in the eyes of the beholder" and love is more a pumping spring of passion from one's heart than a mutual bond created between two individuals through trust.

It seems as if the former approach, being quite subjective in nature, believes that love can be a one way street from one's heart to someone whom s/he feels s/he is in love with no matter if the beloved loves back or even knows about the love or not. Nevertheless, the latter approach, being a very objective and at the same time realistic approach to the nature of love, believes that love is more of a two-way street where both parties share the same feelings towards one another and it is mostly built rather than discovered. It is a bond that is created through time and is built of trust and becomes stronger and stronger as time passes by and the two experience new sensations through this relationship of love and intimacy.

However, one can never be too naive nor ignorant to know that through the history of literature we have seen and read poets, playwrights and novelists display the figure of love in the most bizarre and unique essence of it being a mysterious feeling that creates much passion, and even anxiety that could lead one to even sacrifice oneself in the course of love for another. We have seen love and lust being illustrated quite interchangeably and we have seen love hurt people as much as save them from the solitude and the dark abyss of our loneliness. We have seen the metaphor of love in blazing flames, and snake eyes to cupids and even most recently chocolate bars... all that, brings us to one question...

How do you see love? Is it something genuinely good? or could it prove evil as well. depending on the context, and the situation? Could love be used wisely to create life and inspire hope in the hearts of men? or is it mostly abused by those who claim that their beauty can buy them love? Could love be bought? Have you ever bought love ;)? Have you ever fallen in love?

Please write your response in the comments box... and don't be such a baby... I know you know that I know that you know what we're taking about... so don't play smart... be honest, write from the heart.

I believe...

2009-10-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

I believe that life is not measured by the breath that we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Live life to the fullest, dream high, be daring, don't be afraid of making mistakes, learn from them, life is a classroom, be observant, interact, enjoy, cherish each moments, and don't forget to share your happiness with others. Fall in love, love your friends, be there for them, never leave others alone, everyone needs to be left alone at some point but no one wants to be lonely, help each other, there is more to life than meets the eye, find those magical moments and capture them as if they were to last a life time.

God bless you all.

Alireza Manzour

Missing You :(

2009-08-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

What do you miss the most about your English teacher?

I know, I know... how awkward it might sound? I bet most of you are saying... What? We don't miss him! Getting rid of him is a relief ;) No more torturous homework, no more screaming lungs out in class, no more stupid repetitions, and certainly no more fat faces early morning saying, "good morning! Is everybody having a llllllllllllovely day today."

Anyways, I just dropped by to say hi, and to tell you that although i've been around the country, cruising with my new car ;) I miss you guys in senior 5 aloooooooooooot. I miss Mi Chin being absent all the time, I miss Farhan immitating me so professionally ;) I miss Su Hao never paying attention in class, I miss Hui Shi's attitude, I miss Vicky being so cheeky all the time, I miss Joey's pessimism, I miss Karlock's rated remarks, I miss Suy Yee's giggles, I miss Alex's marijuana speech ;) and I miss Amanda, but not that speech on sex, that was just too over0rated ;) I miss Jules and I hope I can win the bet, I miss Azeera and I hope she's still alive ;) just kidding Azeera, I miss both Daniel's 'Happy faces', I miss Aun Chi's puzzled face, I miss Chiew Mei picking on me all the time, I miss Pei Ying saying 'whatever' and I miss Khaleel's big happy smile everyday, I miss Jayson, I miss Jia Yung, I miss Shirley, I miss Kai Leeng and I miss Wen Yi soooooooooooo much and she knows it. I miss Hon Leong, and I miss Agnes and Cindy, especially when I spell her name like this, and I miss Yi Mun, and Kafoon, and Yi Ting, and misspelling names is what they miss about me ;) yeah right! I miss Vince coming to our class all the time, and I miss Bilal, and Min Kun and especially Calvin, the brain! just kidding... I miss Wei kang, I miss Zen Lok, and I miss Yen Foo and who can forget that historic speech ;) I miss Cheah Sin and especially Pui Mun. I miss Eugene the most with his unique personality, and I miss Zhi Hun, and Yik Wai, and not to forget Mike, Wai How... I miss you buddy. I miss you too Celine, and Joey, you girls were and are always the best. I miss you too Ku Jun, and I hope you don't miss your girl friend so much... Anyways, I miss you guys allllllllllllllllllllll aloooooooooooooooot, but I know there was nothing about me that you miss, but if there is... ;) just drop me a line and tell me...

What is it that you miss the most, or hate the most, or liked the most, or disliked the most about your English classes. Love you. KISS HUGZ KISS KISS KISS HUGZ KISS KISS KISS!

See you soon.

Sports Day

2009-05-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

It's hard to begin talking about sports day and look fair and square since almost every single one of you have seen me in the champion, oops sorry, i mean the yellow house during the past weeks and in the stadium screaming my lungs out saying, as Lyn puts it on her web log, beautiful!

However, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the houses on their team spirit, ongoing and unstoppable stamina and exceptional effort in supporting their athletes during the past weeks, particularly on sports day at Tun Razak Stadium. I mean, from my perspective, Red house was just awesome and the way they had decorated their team as little devils with all the Native American spelling stuff and those bill board with mighty red stuff and the whole crazy feeling of winning saved from them the last place, you just got to give them the credit, having Alex in the forefront roaring "WHO ARE WE?" "RED HOUSE!"

Anyways, the blue house, with out a single doubt was the only house that gave me the shivering icy chills from the very first weeks when they began flooding the points like huge waves, especially in 80m run, and their ocean of athletes looked big and overwhelmingly strong. They were and simply are the most determined group having Pn Siti who can lead an army of soldiers and speaking of soldiers, they had the sonic daniel and the mighty Farhan and the Gigantic Gaul Bilal ;) at the end of the rope that I can't think how Mr.Ganesh+Mr.Darminda+me and half a dozen PE teachers could pull these guys even an inch, this was truly the Legion of Lions.

The Green house had s Elvinna and Pn Royliza and I think that was more than enough to pump up any team and they did began quite well, and we should ask Yen Foo and Pei Ying - I think i spelled her name correctly, i hope - well, we gotta ask these green lovers why they made such a big fuss over the "green grass" of the pitch and the whole controversy of wearing trainers and not wearing trainers and what i can say to them is what Ernest Hemingway once said that it is not "to be" or "not to be" but in fact, it is now "to have" or "not to have" and I guess you guys were not supposed "to have" those weird shoes on and so you had to stop bragging about it.

Nonetheless, the yellow house began the tournament in the worst possible way and you remember how we came last after the troubling refereeing at the boys shot put and the messy wet, muddy pitch for the long jump. I mean, we were not as "equipped" and "opportunist" as the blue house were to have such strategic team of policy makers who could think of bringing all those newspapers on the pitch, instead we ran in the mud and didn't get much points. However, our day of glory came on the third day, the 80m run, when the team had to listen to my irritatingly nagging-like speech about how disappointed I was and how this is the last chance they had of taking that magic step towards victory.

I guess that day turned out to be a very critical point in our journey to the championship since the girls shop put did marvellous and who could forget the day of the long jump when I had to drag Maxuine, Joshua's little sister, to the field having tearful eyes, reluctant to go and not knowing after her injury she would be awarded later that week and she was the one who brought us the bronze medal along with Kun and Mike who won the silver and gold medals, those eagles who flew over the sandbox landing on the other side with Ming kun breaking his own record with a distance of 6.05m making us all proud cheering.

The sports month and especially the sports day was full of memories that we can never forget; moments of glory and gloom, moment of glory when Ming Kun picked up the cup after receiving it from Ms Olive to moments of gloom when Min Yee fell with the thigh injury, and when Daniel Phoon landed on his ankle after the long jump. Undoubtedly, the whole competition was full of such moments, moments of dare and despair, when the boys showed a daring triumph on the ropes after losing the first round coming back with a double win to get the bronze medal. However, there were also moments of despair when Juliana refused to take the last steps properly and swiftly so that we would not lose the gold letting it slip out of our grasp.

All and all, sports day turned out to be a wonderful day of fun and joy with the Yellow house Mascott in front, waving yellow ribbons, Red house determined athletes supporting each other even on the tracks while the contestants were running to the green house at the tele match and who can forget the tearful eyes of champions, such as Ming Kun crying for joy when the boys win the 400m race and the eyes of Min Yee filled with tears in disppointment in why and how could she not take part in the race that she had worked so hard training for during lunch and after school. These were the priceless moments that you could see and feel in words and could see and cherish on my facebook albums.

However, what I want you to do is to post your comments on how you spent Sports day on Thursday after weeks of preparation. Finally, try to use compound and complex sentences and try to describe the experience of these weeks as vivid and tangible as you can... I will be waiting for the your reflections from the Sports Day.

God bless you all.

Research Methodology

2009-05-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Dear students of 5Grace and 5Hope,

If you have missed classes last week, it is vital for you to know that we have divided the class into groups of five or six where students are expected to do the following by Wednesday June 17th 2009 where the class will be held at Foyer C for the oral presentations.

1. Select a specific research topic that you feel passionate about and begin reading and reviewing related literature on the net or in the library regarding the issue.

2. Design a set of questionnaire to be administered to a group of participants so that the results could reveal whether your research question and the primary assumption you had about the issue was false or true.

3. Write up your report using the format available below the following instructions and have it typed up with pie charts, illustrations, well written and well organized to be handed in before your presentation on the 17th of June 2009.

4. Prepare an oral presentation in a form of a stage drama, a hot seat debate, a panel of TV round table discussion, sitcom comedy or soap opera role plays, or even a fancy, shiny, power point slide show seminar presentation.

5. Keep in mind that EVERYONE needs to participate and the oral assessment will be made based on what the speakers say during the presentation and the uneven distribution of roles would result in the failure of the participants who were not given enough time to present their speaking ability during the presentation.

The Outline

žTo: The Ministry of Education

žTitle: The Reasons Behind Students Taking Tuition Classes

žThe Introduction: is used to describe the setting of the research and why do you think the following research needs to be carried out and its significance for the community.

žThe Investigation: is the explicit presentation of the research question and what you are intending to compare to analyze. For example: The following research aims to see how many students at Seri Suria took tuition classes in Form 5 in English in 2008 and compare the results to their SPM results in 2009.

žThe Review of Literature: is the section where you need to provide your readers with what has taken place in other schools, cities or even other countries where students had taken tuition classes and use the results to compare them with your own results in your own community to see the significance difference. However, you must use direct quotation and citation when you extract words from the author using APA style.

For example: Johnson (2003) states that tuition classes in the United States have not been as effective as the students had expected and...

žThe Research Methodology: is the section where you describe your sampling techniques as well as information regarding the followings

1. Who were your participants? how many male? how many female? what percentage were of Chinese? Malay? or Indian origin? How many were married and how many were single? how many from Senior 2? how many from Senior 4? how many with families of high income? how many from families of low income?

2. What was your instrument? Was it in a form of questionnaire? How many sections? How many questions? Multiple choice? True False? Gap filling?

žThe Data Collection: is the section where you will show the results of your study in more details and there we can see if your research question was responded well enough or not. Did tuition classes help the students result in their SPM exam or not? If yes, in mostly male or female students? Chinese or Malay? Rich or Poor? Form 5Hope or Form 5 Charity?

žThe Implications: is the most important section of your research where you explain the significance of the results and how these results can help students in the future.

žThe Conclusion: is the final remarks and comments you have regarding your study.

žReported by: Hui Shi, Mei Chien, ZenLock, Shirley and Kah Jun 5Grace

žSignatures: Signed and sealed ;)

Good luck.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop a note. Furthermore, you should also brain storm your ideas regarding your topic by dropping off your wildest, most creative topics in the comments box and let others give you feedback on what you can, should or have to do in order to get the most out of your research. Take care. See you in class.

Teachers Day

2009-05-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

Happy Teachers again to all, Mr. Yap in particular, and thank you for your wonderful song "I can fly" R Kelly who was one of my favorites when I was in the last year of high school graduating like the students of Senior 5 who amazed us all with their wonderful performances. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all. Good job Calvin with that smart animation, I'm sure Mr. Yu didn't mind the whole shark thing ;) and what a vibrating dance by Ming Kun, Ellaine, Bilal and Caren and the rest of the gang bringing the teachers on the stage at the end to shake up the fun, it was just fantastic, and what a killer dance by Zen Lok, Wai Hao, Wenny, Su Hao, the shades made you guys all look soooooo baaaaaaad!

Nevertheless, my favorites were those exceptional moments of seeing Ka Jun singing so feminingly sweet;) and Kai Leeng in that dress ;) dancing so Asianingly cute, I didn't know she could dance! and let's not forget Shaun, and his silver flair team flaring up the stage in blazing flames and of course Khaleel rocking the house with his heavy metal-electronic mix step dance, i have no idea what I could call it anyways, and Vicky "trying" to tango... tangling and dangling up ;) and last but certainly not least Farhan, sorry I mean Ali Junior, that's what the teachers are saying Farhan, in case I'm fired you can easily take over the class ;) I love you buddy... doing what he does best... and you know what I'm talking about, the whole "page25topage60" thing just cracked us all up and Agnes with the whole Pn. Meymoona "sorry" slogan thing that had Pn. Siti and the rest of the teachers bursting into laughter.

The moments were priceless from the very first hour after the oath down in Block B ready for the Dragon Dance ;) when I realized I had left the battery of my camera at home in the charger!!! no pictures for me :( and leading group six like a sport freak maniac up and down the slopes trying to shoot hoops with Mr. Erol and guessing English Idioms with Ms. Olive, running cars out of garage and having Hui Shi with that weird phrase... trying to memorize who is cute, and who is handsome and who is a macho... was it Macho? like Macho man Randy Savage the American wrestler. Anyways, coming third and winning the prize made the whole hustling worth while even though Mr. Paneer's team came first knowing that they were punished "so painfully" by Pai Ying and Ka Jun's Killer Hammer that had Mr. Amin jumping on bars and Mr. Karim taking their names for who knows what punishment awaits them in class on Monday.

Finally, what can be concluded is that we all had a great day and we have the Senior 5 to thank for their six seven weeks of hard work and preparation. I would like to thank you all from Szin Dee to Cheah Sin on the stage, and Alex to Adam down the stage, and to Min Chien to Aun Chi and Daniel to Shirley, Ku Joon to Pui Man and Yap Min to Eugene for your wonderful performances and your warm-hearted effort in making sure everything goes "glamorous" and we appreciate everything that you did... all... from the candles at the beginning to the the bunny in the middle and the hugs at the end... thank you Senior 5.

However, I would also like to know what you loved best and what were your sweet and maybe not so sweet memories from Friday, and you can add in pictures, since I've got none ;) and anything else you like to the comments box... make it extra special the way you like it to be and to look and to be remembered by... I love you guys, and again, thank you for a wonderful Teachers Day. May 2009

Public Speaking

2009-04-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

The Public Speaking Competition

Hi students, as you've already been informed we will be having public speaking competitions during the month of May. The students will be asked to give a five minute speech on a topic of interest where the main objective would be to have students speak freely without feeling hostile or nervous. Nevertheless, the academic objective is closely coordinated with the evaluation criteria which consist of content, composure and delivery which then subdivides into voice, gesture, impression, intonation, illustration, body language and ultimately impact. The passage below and the videos on the side are there to give you an idea as well as some tips regarding the procedure and the presentation. The IGCSE students of Form 1 and Form 2 have already been informed and form 5 Grace and Hope will be briefed on these issues this week and hopefully we will begin from next week which is the first week of May and try to finish before Friday the 16th when representatives of each class will compete for the prize which is the triple A Award for the best public speaker of 2009.

The Procedure

Step one - First of all, you need to choose a subject that you feel passionately about and have something to say about it that is not so cliche and to some extent quite controversial, such as; drug addiction, generation gap, premarital sex, global recession, the environment and etc...

Step two - Then, you have to break down your topic into a specific topic statement with three key words that are discreet, precise and interdependent. The following example can illustrate the point.

Subject = premarital sex

Topic Statement = The effects of premarital sex on teenagers

Step three - Next, you must research on your topic online or at the local library to check out some reference and see what others have to say regarding your topic. It is quite important to collect sufficient data and stats as far as the review of literature is concerned so that you would have enough evidence to back up your claims.

Step four - After that, you should summarize the information that you have collected from different sources and paraphrase the paragraphs and quote the people whom you are taking their exact words to avoid any trace of plagiarism.

Step five - Finally, you must reflect on the findings and add-in you own personal ideas so that we would get a clear understanding of your perspective and certainly your stance on the issue. For example, if you are talking about the causes of divorce in United States...

FACT = According to a recent study, divorce rate has increased 20% since 1992...

CLAIM = And I personally find that quite disastrous and very much disappointing...

Step six - At the end, you need to prepare flash cards and illustrations such as power point slides and write up your very first draft that is composed of a brief introduction, two huge bodies that discuss the findings as well as your personal perspective and finish the speech with a very brief but effective conclusion that would have an impact on the audience.

Topic D - Attitude or Aptitude

2009-04-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in attitude or aptitude? Do you think people are genuinely successful because of their inherited genes and their natural aptitude for doing things or they become successful through hard work and determination which is directly fed by their attitude towards life? Do you think we are born intelligent or we develop intelligence through our effort and experiences?

For the past century and still today many perceive intelligence as an innate attribute that some are simply born genius and describe that so-called intelligence as one's ability to process mostly mathematical problems and sometimes spatially-oriented image test as quickly as possibly. I sometimes wonder a man-made computer would be able to process a zillion times faster than us, so could we ever perceive these mere machines as more intelligent than us? or can they even be regarded in any way 'as being intelligent?' or is it our definition of the notion of intelligence which needs a second thought?

Howard Gardner (1983) was in many ways a pioneer who questioned the well-consolidated Stanford-Binet test of Intelligence quotient known as the IQ Test that 'calculates' intelligence solely on the basis of a numerical value marginalizing our great intelligence to a couple of dozen tests that simply differentiates participants in terms of their ability to process a bunch of words, pictures and numbers. Gardner, based on neurological tests, was able to hypothesize a theory of multiple intelligences that included all individuals in their potentially God given gifts of being intelligent and looked at intelligence at a much wider perspective. The theory of MI believes that we are all intelligent whether it is musical allowing us to appreciate harmony, or spatial that allows us to reshape space and create artistic designs, or kinethetic that allows us to coordinate physical movements, or mathematical that allows us to solve problems numerically, or interpersonal that allows us to educate, socialize, convince and persuade others, or intrapersonal that allows us to understand ourselves and develop a retrospective insight into our ego,or linguistics that allows us to compose poetry and write letters and novels, or finally naturalistic intelligence which allows us to appreciate and fully understand mother Earth and feel as one with our homosapiens origin, we are intelligent and through motivation, and reinforcing those hidden yet equally capable abilities we could actually tap into our most unknown potentials and prove that every single of us is truly a genius.

PRO - I believe in the innateness of intelligence and the aptitude which is needed to be successful in life. I strongly believe that we are born intelligent and not everyone has the capacity to reach such heights and that the IQ tests is a suitable means of evaluating intelligence, and believe it or not, those who do score high are genuinely more intelligent and more capable individuals and for more than a century this test has proven to be a valid and reliable means of measuring intelligence...

CON - I do not believe in the innateness of intelligence and I believe success comes only with an attitude and the effort and experince that serves as the back bone of successful individuals. I tsrongly believe that we are all born the same and it is not the quality of our genes that would determine our capacity to succeed but in fact the hard working effort that we put into our work that ensures our success. Therefore, I simply cannot believe that the IQ test could prove valid as a reliable means of measuring intelligence simply because intelligence is not a measurable attribute but an endless ability and possibility to succeed...

Video one - An interview with Howard Gardner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEFpaY3GI-I

Video one - IQ and the MI theory?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II9Y1mOKDhY

Please write at least a paragraph supporting your statement and leaving it in the comments box. Thank you

Topic C - Capital Punishment

2009-03-29T02:36:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in capital punishment? Do you think those who commit murder deserve to die? Do you think the state should punish them in the same way and wouldn't that make us as the representatives of the state the same? Do you think that death is the worst form of punishment or in fact life imprisonment could be worse? Is life worth living even if it is in a blocked cell? In the short story of "The Bet" by Anton Chechov, a banker and a young man make a bet on capital punishment and whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. An ironic twist responds to this exploration of the value of a human life with an unexpected result. The terms of the wager state that if the lawyer can live in solitary confinement for 15 years, he will be given 2 million rubles, which was almost half of the banker's wealth. The story develops as the lawyer spends all his time in confinement reading books. In the meantime, the banker's fortune declines and he realizes that he will be unable to pay off the bet. Desperate and hopeless, the banker resolves the day before the bet is to be up to kill the lawyer so as to not owe him the money. However, the banker finds when he comes to the man a note written by the man. The note declares that in his time in confinement the lawyer has learned to despise material goods for the fleeting things they are. Therefore, to demonstrate his contempt, he intends to leave confinement a few minutes prior to when the bet would be up, thus losing the bet and unwittingly saving his own life. The story has touched thousands and thousands of those who had considered life less worthless than it really is and should be; of course the movie "Saw I" is a more contemporary instance of the point; either way... Is life worth living???

PRO - I believe in capital punishment simply because those who commit murder deserve the ultimate punishment which is the death penalty and life imprisonment could never replace the burden of the family of the victims, also I believe that...

CON - I do not believe in capital punishment because those who commit murder have commited a crime and all criminals deserve a second chance and by taking their lives we have offered nothing but the very same wrong that they have offered us and therefore, it makes us as wrong doers as they are...

Please write at least a paragraph supporting your statement and leaving it in the comments box. Thank you.

Topic B - Love or Lust?

2009-03-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in love or lust? Do you think it is love or lust that attracts us to one another? Is it love or lust that drives our motivation into being attracted to the opposite sex and making us do things we could not imagine we could ever do if we were not 'in love'?

Thank you Alex for the prompt but I want to take this to the next level and ask the ultimate question... What is love? and what is lust? if lust is purely physical, then why it has lead so many men and women to despair and depression which are purely mental disorders? If love is purely sprititual, then why everything we fall in love with is genuinely physical and our love is best defined by its physical attributes; whether it is the adorable face of child, or the beautiful eyes of a lady or the strong hands of a hubby?

Is love truly in the eyes of the beholder and the beloved has nothing to do with it? If yes, then where does this love come from and if not, they why is this lust not temporarly? then why the feeling tastes so sweet and so real? and why does love always look eternal but turns out regretfully short-lived? Why is it that in my 28 years of life and having seen and heard the story of so many, again and agian, love breaks hearts and no one, no one can truly claim that they have fallen in love and reached heights? and why did all that romance eventually faded away like a sweet but bitter memory?

PRO - I believe in love, and the eternal and highly spritual nature of love. I believe it is love that attracts us to one another, because...

CON - I believe in lust, and the earthly and increasingly physical nature of lust. I believe it is lust that attracts us to one another, whether it is the lust for fame (same gender) or for sex (opposite gender) simply because...

Please write at least a paragraph supporting your statement and leaving it in the comments box.

Thank you.

Topic A - Abortion

2009-03-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that abortion is wrong? do you believe that killing a child before birth is considered murder? Do you believe in the statement that "mother is for the child" or "child is for the mother" where the former means or at least indicates that the mother's primary responsibility is to give birth and then nourish and take care of the child since she is an instrument of God or mother nature that ensures the human race survival and saves it from extinction. Whereas, the latter indicates that the child is the creation of the mother, and therefore she must choose to have or not to have the child; as best stated by Ernest Hemingway in the play of Seven White Elephants when the man wanted to force the girl to destroy their unborn child while the girl insisted that she wanted to have the child delivered safe and sound.

PRO - I believe abortion is the right of the mother and she should be able to decide whether she wants the child or not, because...

CON - I believe abortion is wrong and the mother has no right to hurt the child or worse take its life since the child is the creation of God or a supernatural power that has placed the mother as a mere instrument because...

Please write at least a paragraph supporting your statement and leaving it in the comments box. Thank you.

Debate Session (Class 5Hope and 5Grace)

2009-03-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Instructions

Hi Alex, Julie, Celine, Danial, Winnie, Farhan, Zhen Lock, Pei Yin, Soo hee, Kaleel, Kai Leeng, Amanda, Joey my dear and everybody else in 5 Grace and 5 Hope... Listen up!

As you recall the other day we went through some basics as far as debates are concerned and next week when you get back from the holidays, we're gonna move more in depth and details on debates and discuss controversial topics such as Abortion, Addiction, Generation Gap, The Advent of the Internet, and even more sensitive topics can be discussed such as Racial Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Teenage Pregnancy, Economical Recession and much more...

Nevertheless, first and foremost, we will begin our online discussion with a series of questions regarding these issues and I want you to express your opinion no matter how bizarre or extreme it might sound to the general public. Now, first you need to state whether you are PRO or CON and then you need not to restate but to support your claim with the following...

A. Analogy - using irony, metaphor and figurative speech.

B. Evidence - using cause and effect as well as problem and solution

C. Experience - using personal experiences in a form of short recalling narrations

D. Hypotheses - using a major and minor premise to draw rationale and logical assumptions

Anger by Buddha

2009-02-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a burning coal in one's hand with the intention of throwing it at someone else." Buddha
(Thank you Mr. Young for the quote)
If you throw it at someone, it will burn them; If you keep it, it will burn you from within. So, what can we do when we are angry? How can we control such rage? How do you define anger management? and how do you manage your anger when you feel furious and enraged?
Please send me your response in the comments box below. By the way, I've changed the settings and now anyone can send their comments simply by just clicking on the comment box below each entry. Thank you for your time.

Words of Wisdom

2009-02-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

"You live once, you die once... So think twice" by Alireza Manzour
"Appearance is empty; and emptiness is appearance." by the Great Buddha
"Time is like Gold, it washes everything in its path; except for the very golden truth" by Master William Shakespeare
"Never, Never, and Never give up." by Winston Churchill
"The man who makes no mistakes, makes nothing." by George Washington
"With every experience comes great insight that should breakdown the rigid and frozen concepts of the past and reshape one's perspective to the world." by Malcolm X
"When angered and enraged; Never Act nor react and Never Judge nor be judged." by Imam Amir-al-Momenin
"It is not what your country can do for you, but what you have done for your country." John F. Kennedy

F2: Lesson 06 - Advantages vs Disadvantages

2009-02-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

How Should Students spend their free time?

In this article, I am going to discuss why students should spend their free time playing sports with friends out of home rather than watching TV and playing video games at home. In fact, I will be covering just a few of the many advantages and disadvantages with respect to their mental and physical benefits as well as damages.

First of all, it is quite evident that there are many disadvantages in staying at home all the time. In fact, watching too much TV and playing video games can have different forms of mental as well as physical damages. For instance, according to most health experts watching too much TV can have different kinds of physical damages such as weakening the eye sight. Recent studies have revealed that children who watch TV more than three hours a day can seriously suffer from sight loss that leads to wearing glasses or contact lenses when they get older. Moreover, according to most fitness experts children need an hour of physical activity daily and neglecting it could seriously lead to physical problems as they get older. They become increasingly and unnaturally fat and look unwantedly overweight. Nevertheless, watching too much TV and playing video games can also lead to mental damages, especially on our children. In fact, most psychologists believe that children who play such video games are most likely to develop violent and aggressive behaviour when they get older. Actually, the exposure to such brutal and bloody scenes can have a massive negative impact on the child character as it is shaping during adolescence and lead to an aggressive adult in the future. Furthermore, many psychological studies confirm that depriving children from the real world and conveniently imprisoning them at home to watch TV and play video games all the time can make them intolerant and indifferent individuals in the years to come. In fact, many psychologists argue that the main reason that individuals nowadays feel so isolated from one another and have little care, compassion or even tolerance for each other is that they have been raised in families were communication was limited and children never developed social and mutual understanding. Therefore, it is far more than evident that watching too much TV, playing video games and staying at home all the time should never be considered as a suitable free time activity for our children.

On the other hand, it is quite obvious that there are many advantages in playing sports and spending time with friends outside. In fact, playing sports can have a lot of mental as well as physical benefits. According to most medical specialists children who do sports regularly have a higher chance of staying fit and healthy when they grow older. In fact, playing sports at such a young age helps these children develop the necessary stamina and physical fitness that is needed in later years when they reach adolescence and then adulthood. Moreover, spending time out of home doing sports can really help children stay healthy as they get fresh air and good exercise daily. Nevertheless, playing sports out of home and spending time with freinds in particular can have many mental benefits as well. As a matter of fact, many psychologists argue that spending time with friends help children socialize better with tehir peers. In fact, they learn how to be initiative and take important decisions when dealing with their peers. They learn how to be constructive citizens in the future and prove useful for their family first and their then their society. They learn about community values and become tolerant individuals who have respect for their fellowmen. They avoid prejudice and discrimination since at a very young age they have learnt to settle their differences with their peers and look beyond the racial and religious labels that might separate them from one another. They learn to take responsibility for their actions instead of running away from their real world responsibilities. In short, playing sports, particularly team sports and spending time with friends out of the domain of one's house outside in the real world can bring about such remarkeable benefits. As a result, it seems quite clear that playing sports and spending time with friends at home can have many physical as well as mental benefits for our dear children.

Finally, it can now be concluded that watching too much TV, playing video games and staying at home all the time should not be considered as a suitable leisure time activity. Instead, playing sports and spending time with friends out of home can be regarded as a better alternative since it encourages children to take active participation and be involved and well engaged in real life activities. Having said that, it seems quite evident that promoting such activities and allowing children to freely exercise their God given potentials in being involved in the real life could have much more benefits from them in the future and the years to come.

F2: Lesson 05 - Argument

2009-02-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Outline

I. Intro - How should students spend their leisure time
Pro: They should spend their leisure time watching TV, playing video games at home
Con: They should spend their leisure time with family and Friends, playing sports outside.

II. Body one - The disadvantages of watching too much TV and playing video games at home
1. Minor one : Physical Damages
A. Harming eye sight
B. Becoming over weight
2. Minor two : Mental Damages
A. Acting more violent and aggressive
B. Behaving more intolerant and indifferent

III. Body two - The advantages of playing sports with Friends outside
1. Minor one : Physical Benefits
A. Being fit
B. Staying healthy
2. Minot two : Mental Benefits
A. Acting more sociable
B. Becoming more tolerant

IV. Conclusion - Adverb + Gerund + PFS + Minor support one and Minor support two + Adverb + PFS + The argument presented

F2: Lesson 03 - The Outline

2009-02-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

Composition Model

The Outline:
What are the environmental problems of the 21st century?

I. Intro – Starter + PFS + Topic Statement + Adverb + PFS + Major Support 1 + , + Major Support 2 + as well as + Major Support 3

II. Body one – Air pollution
Minor Support (a): Gas emissions from factories
Minor support (b): Exhaust Fumes from vehicles

III. Body two – Water pollution
Minor Support (a): Dumping toxic waste into the sea
Minor support (b): Dumping domestic waste into the river

IV. Body three – Sound pollution
Minor Support (a): Overcrowding especially in big metropolitan cities
Minor support (b): Traffic congestion particularly in busy narrow neighborhoods

V. Conclusion – Adverb + PFS + Gerund + Major Support 3 + , + Major Support 2 + as well as + Major Support 1 + PFS + Topic Statement + PFS (Argumentative Tendency)

F1: Lesson 01- Leisure Time

2009-02-01T23:34:00.001-08:00

Speaking Model

The question: What do you like doing in your free time?
Formula = S + (Adverbs) Primary Verb + Secondary Verb + ING + Main ideas + (Adjectives) + Subcategories

The Response: Well…
I like reading novels/tragedies/short stories
I love watching movies/thrillers/science fiction
I enjoy listening to classical/country/rock/pop music
I prefer going out with my kids/family/friends/alone
I really like eating out at restaurants/snack bars/ fast food
I really don’t like working out at the gym/health club/sports center
I don’t really like going surfing/swimming/hiking/horse riding
I’m quite fond of doing aerobics/gymnastics/martial arts/judo
I’m very keen on playing tennis/rugby/chess/badminton/football
I’m very interested in cooking stews/pasta/pizza/Persian pastry
I’m not very interested in dancing ballet/tango/samba/salsa/bandari
I’m not that crazy about chatting on the Internet/on the phone
I’m really crazy about clubbing on Friday nights/ at the weekend
I can’t stand studying Math/Physics/English/History/Biology
I detest writing poetry/diaries/home work
I hate being alone/in crowds

DAVOS 2009 - Erdogan stands up for the Umma

2009-02-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Mashallah! Bravo to the brave Turkish leader Erdogan who showed much greater courage than those coward Arab Leaders in standing up to Israel for their brutal massacre of innocent women and children in Gaza. May God bless him and bless the Turkish people who made the Islamic Umma proud again of their great heritage and the Ottoman Empire. Regretfully, the so-called Arab independence brought by the British Lawrence of Arabia - as confusing as that might sound - brought nothing but despair and disgrace for the past hundred ago for the people of this region. We can now look back at history and realize how easily we are deceived by current affairs. It is intriguing how easily people can be convinced that the Israeli Army, having been supported for so many years by superpowers such as the US is bombarding houses, destroying a mere city that has been in a blockade for more than three years killing so many defenseless women and children simply because it is defending its population against half a dozen rockets coming from Gaza that have not even been able to hit any where or cause any sort of serious casualty. How could this be a war? It is more like genocide than anything else. I mean why can't the Israeli pick on somebody their own size? Why do they always have to go after Hamas and Hezbollah who are merely a handful bunch of people who seem to be the only ones who are standing up for their cause in impossible odds with in despair defending their homeland with the least possible support from anywhere? How could the international community consider itself civilized when it allows such senseless killings and massacre take place... to be a mere witness of history marking its darkest days.

Alireza Manzour

1st February 2009

The Causes of Divorce, IELTS Class Iran 02.06.2005

2009-02-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

In this article, I will be discussing the main causes of divorce in our country Iran. In fact, I will be covering just a few of the many causes such as personal, cultural as well as financial problems.

First of all, it is quite evident that there are many personal problems that can lead to divorce. For instance, there is always lack of awareness that can contribute to a sudden collapse in a marriage. Unfortunately, many young couples decide to get married too soon without getting to know each other well enough for making such prolonged promises. Moreover, there is also the issue of the lack of compatibility. Many young couples who do get to know each other also end up in divorce simply because they come from different social and economical background. For instance, the girl is too educated for the guy or vice verse. As a result, these personal problems would make the marriage quite difficult and lead to divorce.

Nonetheless, it very unfortunate that there are also cultural problems that contribute heavily to the main cause of divorce; particularly in my country, Iran. There are over a dozen different tribes and racial ethnicities in Iran whom share their own rituals and religious values and standards that constraint their youth to follow, specifically in marriage. Evidently, the families who are the very pioneer of such rigid rituals would see to it that their offspring would marry someone with closely similar traits. Consequently, when there is a misunderstanding they interfere and consider their interference a vital aid in saving the marriage, whereas on the contrary, they are doing more harm than good. As a result, struggling with such cultural constraints the young couples decide to take the more conservative initiative and move out of their newly built marriage back to their old family life which proves conveniently much safer.

Last but not least, according to the figures and the the public, financial problems are the number one cause of divorce in our country Iran. In fact, this is mostly due to the fact that the rate of unemployment has passed the one digit margin and it is increasingly rising everyday. Many young couples have difficulties affording the usual family expenses and not having jobs to pay off the bills has made a successful marriage life anything but possible. Nevertheless, even those who do have jobs are still struggling simply because 76% of the population is below the poverty line which is around $400 a month of earnings for a family of three. This is quite outrageous imaging a young man who supposedly wants to get married, but needs to keep in mind that in Iran, he is legally held accountable for financially supporting his children and his wife. Regretfully being one of the seven out of ten, if he is unable to support he could face charges of irresponsibility and could end up behind bars for the rest of his life. As a result, the only and the only possible solution beside staying single is simply divorce.

In conclusion, it could easily be inferred that having so many financial, economical as well as personal problems it is quite difficult to imagine a bright future for any married couple in our country Iran. In fact, I strongly believe that we need to reconsider our concept of marriage and try to make fundamental changes in our perspective towards a successful marriage so that our future generations could have better families and a brighter tomorrow.

"Mahe Mahan" by Alireza Manzour June 2002

2009-01-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

"Eyes" Poetry- Valentine's Day 2000

2009-01-25T06:01:00.000-08:00

Eyes

Opened my eyes,

Glancing through your eyes

Linking all those torn tearful ties

Opened my eyes,

Seeing curves as the vines

Running Kitty cat with nine lives

Opened my eyes,

Looking for the love that hides

Searching ‘till the day when it shines

Opened my eyes,

Watching the fearless falcon flies

Taking my heart that just glides

Opened my eyes,

Gazing through you eyes

Knowing, this love, never dies

Opened my eyes

There is something I want to say

Frankly, don’t know in what way

The moment I laid my eyes on you

Believed what I see is nothing but true

Love is true

My love is true

I do, I do, I do I really love you

My love is true

Love is true,

Everlasting love that is true

I madly deeply truly love you

I want to have and hold you in my arms

Live a life with you and promise no harms

Ever and forever

Whenever and Wherever

Ever and forever

For richer or poorer

In health and sickness

In sorrow and happiness

Ever and forever

To be in my heart

‘till death do us part

Alireza Manzour

Valentine's Day, Feb. 2000

2009-01-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

The Signs

Opened my eyes

The Darkness dies

Nothing but lies

Drew my sword

Tore all the ties

The Darkness dies

Opened my eyes

There I saw the sunshine There I saw the signs

Gotta love the sunshine Sunshine has the signs

Walkin’ in the sunshine Look into the signs

Singin’ in the sunshine Can you see the signs?

Dancin’ in the sunshine Look into the signs

Gotta love the sunshine Sunshine has the signs

There I saw the sunshine There I saw the signs

The signs of love

Up on the vines

With in the wines

Between the lines

With in the mines

There are no fines

For seeing the signs

Oh Lord

There is a fee

To get this key

The key to life

But not the knife

(((((((Crossing the road)))))))

The noxious knife

The death of life

The knife that cuts

Cuts the hearts

Oh Lord

All this pollution

Bunch of elusion

Only deception

This is not Salvation

Only separation

From the population

I don’t want that

I want to love I want to see

I need my love I need to see

Please let me love Please let me see

My world, my love My world, I see

Please let me love Please let me see

I need my love I need to see

I want to love I want to see

I want to be

Sailing the sea

Not A, B, C,

There is no word

Not X, Y, Z,

Sailing the sea

I want to be

Alireza Manzour

Chuka Resort, Iran. June 2001

Hope

2009-01-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

Alireza Manzour

The lecture titled, "Hope"

Public Speaking Competition

Trois-Rivieres High school

May 1996

2009-01-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

Our Community

An earthquake has just destroyed a city nearby. The devastation has resulted is the death of millions of people. Nevertheless, only a few weeks later, the city and its people are recovered and lives are back to normal. How? How can a city recover so quickly from such a disaster? What could be so powerful to lift these people up and help them rebuild their hometown again?

Communities, it is what we built within our society that helps us in more than just disasters. It is not an internal force that is built to bind individuals together; A bind that is indestructible, a bind that lives through minds and acts within hearts. It gives individuals a sense of hope and love to rise and become the best of what they could be and give the best of what they have to offer as if they are one and today is a gift best cherished as if tomorrow never dies. As if we are to change; to change ourselves and what is around us. Community gives us that sense, and it is with that sense that we arise from the graves to built what has been destroyed.

Love, care and equality are the three magic words that provide the essence and constitute the notion known as community in its manifestation from truth to reality. A community is more than a group of people who share the same race, color, culture or nationality. A community is a group of people who love and care for another and treat each other as equal human beings. Love is like a thread that binds us together, to make us feel as one rather than many. We feel lonely whenever we feel different from each other. Yet, when we love we no longer feel lonely nor scared, and feel as if we are a part of a bigger family. We no longer feel rejected, but wanted and respected in our community.

Nevertheless, as much as we love one another, we should also care about each other. Caring can make a difference; it makes a difference in us. It gives us a sense of responsibility towards each other. It gives us a purpose in helping one another. It is the idea of caring that develops our hearts and souls in understanding ourselves. To be able to comprehend with the idea that we care about what happens to others no matter in what kind of a condition or situation we will be willing to help one another so that no one will be left alone.

Having such great values such as love and care a community is already built within a society, but in the process of its realization a different yet similar value is created; which is the value of equality. You see, when people in a community love and care about each other, they start to feel as family members. Family members that feel as equal brothers and sisters. No one would feel superior, or inferior anymore. The reason is because everyone is treated equally and there will be no reason for anyone to feel different because of their race, color or nationality.

Needless to say, With a such community that love flows in its souls; where its members care about each other rather than only themselves. A community that is free of racism and prejudice in all its forms and functions. This kind of community will have a greater thread holding it than love binding its individuals together and that is trust. Trust would finally be the essential value that will bind these individuals together. Trust which was, is and will always be created through love, care and equality. Trusting one another will be the greatest value that the individuals in a society will have for each other. A value that helps them in any case of disaster. A value that is worth more; it is the value of trust.

Earth quakes, Famine and Floods, the heaviest of storms, not only these natural disasters are unable to break but they also strengthen the bind of love and trust in a community between its individuals. Since such catastrophic crises can teach us invaluable lessons of life. It is only with such grey gloomy clouds covering the sky that we would long to the silver lining of the sun shining again. True yet bitter, the crisis holds the key to a community waiting to be composed, compiled and constructed again.

We, being regretfully ignorant, need again and again to be reminded that the only valuable thread that can bind us together is not of the race or the color or the nationality that we have and hold but the trust that we have in each other. The trust that can only be made through mutual yet unconditional love, along with the true sense of care and compassion, and most importantly equality that guarantees every single individuals to be treated with respect and dignity. These values help to make our community and make it stronger than ever for not only ourselves but our children and future generations.

Alireza Manzour

Westmount Highschool

Montreal, Canada (Nov. 1997)

2009-01-25T02:07:00.000-08:00

Ferdowsi

Hakim AbolGhasem Mansour-Ibn Hasan Ferdowsi, indisputably, was one of the wisest and greatest Persian poets of all time, and will certainly forever remain as a symbol of Persian pride and honor in the heritage and history of Iran. Fordowsi, much like the stories in his masterpiece known as Shahnameh, has a biography unknown or misknown to most Iranians. His life story has been retold and narrated by many, yet, like a mythical fairy tale, the true story has always remained as a mystery.

Regretfully, most of the tales related to him are anything but true. In fact, they have been previously told by narrators and passed on generations to generations. However, what the following passage will try to achieve is to point out some of the very few facts about his life that have actually been historically proven by different sources. Fact that are supported by many references and also try to give readers a better, as well as an accurate perspective to who was exactly the man, known as… Ferdowsi.

Hakim AbolGhasem Ferdowsi was born in the late years of the tenth century, to be precise, in 949 AD in the region known as Baaj, an area in the suburbs of Tous (Well known city in the northeastern part of Persia, present Iran). It is the city where now his tomb lies, built over by a magnificent shrine, and visited by thousands of people every year. Ferdowsi was born into a wealthy family, formerly called the Dehghans. The Dehghans were part of an aristocratic class in the Persian society. They were the rich families who owned most of the lands and fields in the state and were responsible of taking taxes from the peasants and handing them over to the authorities.

In ancient Persia, they were the ones who dealt between the farmers and the royal family in the Sassanid dynasty. This relationship continued thorough the Islamic era, following the Abbassid dynasty, until the Mongolian attack to Iran, which lead to massive massacre and manslaughter of many people. However, during the time before the attack they were always viewed with great honor and respect, mostly, due to their pride and nobility and, for most part, symbolized what was known as a true-blooded Aryan.

Ferdowsi, himself, was a noble proud Dehghan. He loved and praised his country and homeland and lived for her every drop of blood, and every grain of wheat that was grown in its strong pure, all Persian, soil. He, as an honorable descendant of such race and family, felt that the heritage is in risk of lost and destruction. He was worried that after the Arab attack on Iran and their control over the land, the history and heritage would accordingly be lost and forgotten, this time forever.

Therefore, he intended to rejuvenate and to resurrect the two thousand-year-old history of ancient Iran, and strongly believed that he will be able to build such structure, or as he calls it monument, that will forever stand and never be destroyed nor forgotten. He used all of his skills and abilities in speech and poetic writing and was so determined that he spent more than thirty years on the masterpiece and stopped at nothing, not even the sudden death of his dear only son. He was truly able to compose such a masterpiece, which until today has remained as one of the best references for ancient Iran. It is an artistic and poetic piece of work that revived the language and blessed Iran and the great Persian Empire with an immortal to live throughout history; this time forever. Thank you Ferdowsi, may you rest in peace.

Alireza Manzour 12.08.2004

2009-01-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese Newyear