I’ll Take Iranian Oranges over Yellow Cake Any day
Oct 22nd, 2009 by pedestrian
Naj has an excellent post about how the pro-Ahmadinejad media has been covering (or rather, NOT covering) the nuclear negotiations.
I’ve been watching IRIB for the past two days, trying to figure out the mood of that medium.
The most popular news program which airs on IRIB2, Bist o Si (8:30) started its news segment on imported oranges. The first five minutes of the half hour news program were dedicated to interviews done with local store owners about European and South American oranges which have recently hit the Iranian market. (You should note, that just last month, IRNA reported that fruit imports had increased by 63% in the past six months.)
The program then went on a full scale DEFENFSE of Madame Hillary Clinton and actually aired footage of Fox News criticizing her and then the Iranian presenter fired long and hard at Fox News in defense of Clinton.
The third segment of the night was a brief interview with Soltanieyh, who outlined that the negotiations were “to the full benefit” of Iran. Less than two minutes.
They then quoted the “Zionist” newspaper, Haaretz about the meeting between Iran and Israel, and declared that IAEA officials had denied these rumors. The bist o si host, a pesky, 20 something year old female mocking added: “once again, the Zionists are left alone.”
The bist o si special segment, which has in the past been dedicated to harassing Mousavi and Karoubi and the reports of prisoner abuse, had a special on the “awful environmental conditions in and around medical schools” and how that is unacceptable since medical practitioners criticize “the rest of society for not meeting environmental standards.”
The most interesting part of the program came before the special segment, when the pesky host spoke to Morteza Heydari. Morteza Heydari is IRIB’s best host. He sounds calm and peaceful, he doesn’t make ludicrous, outlandish comments.
He was the one who interviewed Atriyanfar and Hajjariyan a month ago.
He has been missing from TV ever since and people were wondering where he was.
Tonight, he announced that “he had gone overseas to get his phd and rumors of his falling out with IRIB are false.” Here’s a picture of his telephone interview:
I’m glad to say that with Heydari’s departure, there is no one left on IRIB who can look into the camera and act remotely decent.
IRIB1, which airs the next news program at 9, has started with a long, brutal attack on the U.K. for not loaning the Cyrus cylinder to Iran. IRIB’s rep in London is going on at lengths about Britaians “theft.”
Baghayi, the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Institute is invited and he’s giving a long interview.
The sad thing is that I agree with most of what they’re saying. But I remember IRIB’s coverage of the nuclear negotiations during the Khatami era and the absolute ludicrous, violent coverage of his nuclear negotiations which were aired on IRIB 24/7. I remember the night when news of the temporary Iranian halting of enrichment was reported and I remember the way bist o si and the nine o’clock news began by showing big images of Rowhani’s head (Iran’s nuclear negotiator at the time) and mocking the proceedings.
Now oranges and the Heritage institute seem to be more worthy of headline news?
Finally after the first ten minutes, the news anchor is talking about the rumored meeting with Israel again and the “Zionist plot” to discredit Iran.
This is preposterous.
Thanks Ped for this harrowing experience you put yourself through to bring us this. Courage to you my friend.
so did they actually speak to Haydari? I suppose if he has left on good terms, he is going to get educated to launce “media war” as AN had promised!
As for loaing the cylinder: I am GRATEFUL to Britain for not doing so.
Did you hear that Iran’s Palace-Museums are up for privatization? (from what I heard this will bring them out of miras-farhangi umbrella; giving the owner the right to modify and demolish or turn to amusement park)
Have you visited the sorry state the palace museums are run? HAve you seen how DISGRACEFULLY the carpet “Mashaheer” is kept?
Why would Iran, with a poor tourism industry, inappropriate security, uneducated creatures running t he cultural affairs be allowed to keep a piece that belongs to HUMAN history! Can we, Iranians READ the cylinder?
What of Cyrus the great has IRI preserved that we now would trust them with this piece? I know that at least, in Britain it is kept safe; and that we can see it whenever we want!
naj, I have IRIB on most of the time when I’m working so I’m used to it … I swear, sometimes you hear things which are SO out of this world that it’s worth it
Naj, I didn’t know the museum is up for a bid! WTF?! Yes, I have seen the the disgraceful way in which our museums are kept.
But I have lots of friends in Iran who are excited about getting to see it. They can’t go anywhere else! I accept everything you say (except the part about being able to read it. I mean, how many brits can read it? Their are however, specialists in both countries who can. And my grandfather can read it too! So there must be folks like him who’ve spent time on this stuff for their own interest.)
Iran is a much poorer country than the U.K., so if the Iranian had a half-decent, half-legitimate government, I would be angry with the Brits. But I’m glad that in this current chaos, this precious relic will stay safe and out of harm’s way.
Ped, this wasn’t enough distraction … they have now arrested tens of people from jebhe mosharekat; in komeil prayer … in Shahab Tabatabayee’s home …
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Yes I have not seen our zigorat …
Dear Pedestrian,
I. “to get his phd” – The repetitive and usual Iranian custom of resorting to/falling back on the PhD as a means to communicate WHAT? – indeed deserves the “defense” of a respective PhD-thesis awaiting a potential author (PhD-candidate) [might be perhaps YOU] !
II. “The sad thing is that I agree with most of what they’re saying. But I remember IRIB’s coverage of the nuclear negotiations during the Khatami era and the absolute ludicrous, violent coverage of his nuclear negotiations which were aired on IRIB 24/7 […] mocking the proceedings” – thus interior politics in Iran, as described and assessed by You.
Stealing the ideas of the opposition unashamedly and at the same time exuding unjustified, hateful, cheap propaganda against these producers of their ideas, i.e. the opposition, down to oppressing and banning them :
That’s the way, politics functions, obviously everwhere and at all times. Example and evidence:
„Ages ago“, i.e. in the 19th century, the German GOVERNMENT (Bismarck as head of government, the German Emperor as head of state) acted in A TWO-PRONGED STRATEGY AGAINST THE OPPOSITION (in this case the labour movement) rapidly gaining in strength:
a) to curb the growing strength of the Social Democratic Party the Anti-Socialist Laws were passed in October 1878 by the German Parliament, banning this party de facto until 1890
b) in November 1881 the German government (actors see above) started social legislation, i.e. Health Insurancel & Accident Insurance & Old Age and Disability Insurance
Wikipedia correctly: “The program of the Social Democrats included all of the programs that Bismarck eventually implemented, but also included programs designed to preempt the [Socialist] programs championed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.”
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck#Bismarck.27s_social_legislation]
Nothing else seems to happen in Iran, covering other fields of legislation and politics, of course.
One (slight, but painful and distressing) difference:
a(ny) disagreement with the Iranian government’s views seems to help opposing individuals to a premature stay in the beyond and hereafter – at least under unfavourable circumstances.
All the best
German
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Certain elements of both the Iranian media and the Israeli media are way out of bounds on this nuclear proposal- the Iranians claiming victory and the Israelis claiming a Western defeat. And I have to say, most of the American and British coverage isn’t far behind, in the misinformation/disinformation campaign it has the audacity to put forward as “respectable journalism”. Just amazing.
It’ll be interesting to see if Iran accepts the proposal. BTW, I haven’t yet heard that the US and France have “officially” signed on, either.
And yes, that cylinder definitely belongs back in Iran.
Polprav, go ahead … if you’re not spam that is! I have so much spam from Russia, I can never tell the difference
Pirouz, I haven’t been following any press except Iran’s – too busy with school. Thanks for the update.
I would say so too – but not in the current circumstances!
Pedestrian jan (rather blatantly trying to make use of my limited charms!), do you take requests? I’d love to read more about what you might have learned from the Iranian media/family/friends on imported fruits and vegetables in Iran. Obviously cooking and eating at home is still a big part of people’s lives in Iran. A much bigger part of middle class urban Iranian life than anything you find in the US or Canada. Of course, no self-respecting middle class family receives guests without a giant bowl of fruit. Heck, in my family members’ homes, there’s always a bowl of fruit on the table, company or no company. My sense is, though, that more and more fruits and vegetables sold in Iranian markets are imported. Living in a country where the taste of produce doesn’t matter–only symmetry and longevity–nobody cares if fruit or veg is imported. But in Iran, I would imagine that taste along with cost are major considerations for consumers. Imports may be cheap but they can’t taste as good as homegrown just because of the transportation factor. Just from some of the things I’ve read and heard, I get the idea that certain agricultural sectors are fast dying in Iran, that imports especially from Pakistan are becoming more commonplace. Now that might not be the case for some things, like pomegranates. I don’t think any of our neighbors eat pomegranates in the quantities we do and so probably don’t plant too many. But for most fruits and veg, I believe it’s a different story.
supp, on IRIB, different “baghals” were complaining that they could no loner find Iranian fruits in the market. That was the extent of their covereage. They were showing where their oranges came from: Pakistan, Brazil, … some other places I forget!
supp, have you spoken to friends and family in Iran? It’s funny that that’s one of the things they always bring up (I always assumed that they spoke about fruit b/c they couldn’t speak about anything else over the phone) but especially after watching the IRIB coverage last night, I think it goes beyond it. People are generally upset that they can’t find Iranian fruits in the market, because, as they say, the imported ones taste like “kaah” (straw). I have been unsuccessfully trying to find who could be behind the recent surge in fruit imports. I mean, a 63% in increase in just six months seems like a big number to me, although I don’t claim to be an expert in this.
I’m from the south where we have some great citrus fruits, and basically it’s a diss if you tell people to buy anything but their own. They tell me that they have no idea where this “foreign” stuff is coming from, even though it’s a small town.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Dear Pedestrian,
Ref: nuclear issue / Iran / Israel
As I doubt very much if there can be any reasonable answer to the following question and its [logical] conclusion, it’s very likely just a rhetorical question and a nonsensical superfluous dream:
“Why doesn’t the international community, i.e. in particular the USA + the European Union, [simply] demand that Israel
• allow international inspection of its nuclear programme,
• dismantle its nuclear bombs, and
• agree to a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East ?
[offering, of course, a guarantee of the preservation of the status quo of Israel as a state within the borders of 1967/UN resolution 242]
As long as the international community does not demand this, it is only a matter of time before some other country in the region wants to produce nuclear material in the form of nuclear bombs, too.”
German
I would love for the Iranians to be able to visit the Cyrus cylinder on their own territory, but I just don’t trust the current government not to treat it with respect that it deserves.