'unveil hidden beauty... longing for redemption'

Great images in Calendar 2010 and slide show by nurandra - Lukus Augustine

"I desire to capture moments of truth that unveil hidden beauty, dreams, questions, suffering and longing for redemption"

Friday night in Iran

Have  alook at this simple but very moving video - a prayer from the heart from  a woman in Tehran. It is reminiscent of thrity years ago when the voices of people were heard on the rooftops just prior to the revolution that brought down the Shah. 

Friday night in Tehran 

Know hope:  TRACKBACK URL FOR THIS ENTRY:  http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451c45669e2011571313a1f970b  'Friday Night In Iran'

I picked it via Soujourners who had linked to Brian Maclarens blog  'Two kinds of religion' 

Iranian Phone videos - Let the People decide

News is becoming more and more grounded. No longer is it simply professional broadcasting from the expert voice, people like John Simpson the BBC world affairs correspondent who is in Tehran at present.  There will always be room for such impartial, investigative reporting.  

But the post-election protests are also being covered by bloggers and mobile phone broadcasters.   I suspect that it is more the latter that has caused the country's supreme Religious Authority to demand a recount of the votes.  What will the outcome be? 

'Mousavi' or 'Ahmadinejad'  Let the People of Iran decide.

Nao Roz Mubarrak 21st March

Happy Noroz. (First day of Spring)  21st March 

We are celebrating Persian New Year  by having a family meal of spicey Persian Lamb.  Yummi

Nowrūz ( نوروز /noʊruz/ ↔ [noʊɾuːz]; with various local pronunciations and spellings, meaning'New Day') is the traditional Iranian new year holiday. It is well known around the Persian speaking world, including Tajikistan  Azerbaijan, Kurdistan. 

It is  celebrated in Afghanistan by familes going on picnics (weather and war permitting) eating Kabuli Pilau and drinking 'Aft Mewa',   a drink made from seven fruits. (sometimes it is prepared so long in advance that it ferments!) 

Afghans love to sing and dance and celebrate (especially if there is food involved)

I am reminded of a story of Mullana Nasruddin when he was a guest at a banquet 

One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the food was served, Nasruddin took some soup with spoon and pushed it to the his fur coat and said, - Eat my fur coat, eat! It's obvious that you're the real guest of honor today, not me!

     More Nasruddin storiesare available on Afghan  story lovers website