Virtual Existence Time Machine

Greetings to all… So much time has passed, and I did not write. I take notes, I keep track of my root-home in Wyoming, my second home in Belize, my friends in California (a very old home), New York, Hawaii, and Canada (more homes of different decades!) With all of that time and experience in the background, I come to another point of view (cinematically speaking). I left the United States in 2004 and now see our world far beyond the "American Illusion." This is my second year living in Tehran, Iran; after several years in Belize, Central America photographing and painting about the Mayans; and half a year in Europe (especially Paris). Remember I lived in the Americanized version of Iran under the Shah some thirty years ago; and have returned to live in the Islamic Republic of Iran (and its ancient history) for a while. It is a question of overlaying memories, the past with the present. First of all, the Old America, the Good Old USA, where I grew up in small-town ...

Why do they( MSM & politicians & experts) call the disasterous event in the Gulf of Mexico a "spill?" The unimaginable amounts of oil and related materials are not "spilling" from an oil tanker or a ruptured storage tank. Would it make sense to call the volcano in Iceland that is upsetting airline flights an ash "spill?" No.  What we have here is an eruption or a gusher, under very high pressure, from deep in the Earth. These materials were never in the hands of man before they burst out. The non-surfaced, underwater oil they have just discovered is termed a "plume." That word belongs to an " eruption ." When an oil rig explodes with force it is called a "gusher." Old Faithful is a gusher. Does it make it appear to be less significant to call it a "spill?" There are multiple plumes at varying depths moving in unknown directions.  Like the ash in the atmosphere above the Atlantic and sometimes Europe it mov...

The world is confused. Between ashes and oil, defaults,floods, scams, threats and terror, real and imagined; there is no balance, no harmony or understanding. All is drowned in a sea of words and barely functioning systems. I will try to write often and make some sense of my tiny part of the world. G

How to win hearts and minds..   According to the legislation, the US government will spend $30 million to expand activities of Radio Free Europe's Persian-language radio broadcasts into Iran. Washington will also take measures to counter Tehran's "efforts to block, censor, or monitor the Internet in Iran" with another $20 million, the ratification said. The Senate also urged President Barack Obama to prepare a report on non-Iranian companies that have helped "Internet censorship efforts" in Iran. The legislation also called on the US State Department to "make public information about human rights in Iran" with the use of $5 million allocated by the Act.   I think certain hawkish US Senators have an agenda that might be related to their campaign contributions and weapon-connected investments. Why else would they So deliberately interfere with another nation.   Create an illusion, create a belief...   As part of this illusion ...

So what happened inside the Iranian election? There was only one poll carried out by a western news organization. It was jointly commissioned by the BBC and ABC News, and conducted by an independent entity called the Center for Public Opinion (CPO) of the New America Foundation. The CPO has a reputation of conducting accurate opinion polls, not only in Iran, but across the Muslim world since 2005. The poll, conducted a few weeks before the elections , predicted an 89 percent turnout rate. Further, it showed that Ahmadinejad had a nationwide advantage of two to one over Mousavi.   “It is over!” Ali proclaims at 8am as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s lead is near 65%. He is declared winner by all media by 10am. There is a major challenge from Mousavi and that will not quiet down any time soon. There were about 300 representatives from the International press in Tehran for the election.   According to official results, there were 46.2 million registered voters in Iran. The turnout was mas...

Back in 1978 when things were getting dicey in Tehran, I remember every time President Carter made a   public statement about Iran, tensions increased. The Iranian public gets all the news; much more than the American public, and they are very sensitive to the words of the American president and top government officials.   Now, in 2009, when President Obama makes comments like, " We also say we're not going to just wait indefinitely and allow for the development of a nuclear weapon, the breach of international treaties, and wake up one day and find ourselves in a much worse situation and unable to act, " And the Washington Post writes , " He said that he and others had sought only the strong condemnation that the G8 delivered and not for the summit to embrace new sanctions against Iran, despite news reports to the contrary.  But it remained unclear what further pressure could be exerted on Tehran, which has rejected international demands to suspend a nuclear pro...

I first   worked in Iran back in 1974 on a movie project, later teaching in the National Theatre. I didn't leave until the revolution was well under way in November of 1978. I had a unique point of view being one of the very few Americans who worked inside the Shah's government. And during those years I never knew or communicated with any of my countrymen as they were inside their gated, Americanized communities. My friends and co-workers were from all parts of the city, both upper class, diplomats, artists, actors, and ordinary workers and craftsmen, plus all their families. The hospitality of all these Iranians was enormous and heartfelt.   There is so much concern and conflict about the current situation of 2009 that I am compelled to write about what I have seen. This is my own personal experience and memory. I hope my friends will not worry about me as much.     I remember, there was a line across the city; an east-west street named Shah-Reza (now named Enghelab) ...