Saturday, October 13, 2012

Good Advice Of Kurt Vonnegut

They informed me that I should speech for my son’s school’s “graduation” ceremony to high school.What a world! In Whole education time, I just had one graduation ceremony, and that was graduation from University, which they forced the university to have it. But nowadays for moving to every new grade they have a ceremony.

They informed me when I only had an hour to get ready, my son’s grade has 128 students and I must've talked to this many students and of course their parents. I've learned to take hours for writing one minute of the speech’s transcript, but I couldn't use that and I had to improvise.  to get set for the speech, I thought of the speech’s of others in such ceremonies, for example: Steve jobs’ speech in Stanford university has been famous.

I remembered Kurt Vonnegut’s conference for” Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’1998”, which anyone will enjoy reading or listening to it. The time they’d translated it, it had been very famous and everyone thought it was real, but later I understood like George Washington’s axe, it was a beautiful but fictional story. 

After a lot of problems, I made up a speech and spoke in the ceremony, but Vonnegut's  conference was very interesting to me.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was an American novelist from a wealthy German family whom his books had been translated in my country.He was an educated man whom the Nazi force took him as a prisoner in the WWII (World War 2).the adventures while he was a prisoner, was the plot of most of stories. Books such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" or Cat's Cradle " or " A Man Without a countrt" 

with a little search, I found his conference's transcript. you'll enjoy reading it :

Ladies and gentlemen of the class  Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.  The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by science, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.   I will dispense this advice now.

- Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.  Oh, never mind.  You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.

- But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall, in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.  You are not as fat as you imagine.

- Don’t worry about the future. Worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. 

- The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never cross your worried mind — the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

- Do one thing every day that scares you.

- Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

- Don’t waste your time on jealousy.  Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

- Remember compliments you receive.  Forget the insults.  If you succeed in doing this, tell me  how.

- Keep your old love letters.  Throw away your old bank statements.

- Stretch.

- Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

- Get plenty of calcium.  Be kind to your knees.  You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

- Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.  Your choices are half chance.  So are everybody else’s.

- Enjoy your body.  Use it every way you can.  Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it.  It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

- Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

- Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

- Do not read beauty magazines.  They will only make you feel ugly.

- Get to know your parents.  You never know when they’ll be gone for good.

- Be nice to your siblings.  They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

- Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

- Travel.

- Accept certain inalienable truths:   Prices will rise.   Politicians will philander.  You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

- Don’t expect anyone else to support you.  Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse.   But you never know when either one might run out.

- Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.

- Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia.  Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

- But trust me on the sunscreen.

Kurt Vonnegut

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Beware of the leap year problem.

Beware of the leap year problem.
                                                                                                         فارسی

Iranian calendar and Gregorian calendar have a very important similarity. They work by circulation of the Sun in solar system. Each person which work by any kind of them understands what is a certain day of Iranian calendar in other. But leap year makes problem. A bad problem.

I’ll tell you the reason.

International Midwives Day - 5th of May- changes as a very important day in my life. My wife was graduated as a midwife -like other important date- I have to memory’s it. I knew 5th of May is similar 15th of Ordibehesht in Iranian calendar. In the year of 1379 (2000) ceremony starts at 16th of Ordibehesht. I thought hospital managers had mistaken and started International Midwives Day one day later. I have learnt these date do not change, it means all time 5th of May is 15th of Ordibehesht. But I find my knowledge is not complete.

Today in Iran we need Gregorian calendar more than before. Every application in Mobile, Facebook which remind us about the calendar work by Gregorian one. Have you ever say happy birthday wishes in a wrong date. If you want application remind you a very important date and you do not know about leap year problem, you do your work in a wrong time.
What is the leap year problem?

A year has 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minute and some second. In normal calendar we calculate 365 days for a year. After 4 years we add a day in calendar named leap day. This action is leap up.

Each country which use sun system calendar know about leap up. Esfand in Iranian calendar is the last mount and in common years it has 29 days. February in Gregorian calendar has 28 days in common years. It is 2nd mount of year. Iranian calendar add leap day on the last day of the year. Esfand changes to 30 days but Gregorian add that day to February. Leap year makes February to 29 days. 

The end of Esfand is the end of year, new day after Esfand is the day of New Year. New day of Iranian New year comes 79 days after of Gregorian calendar. It means Gregorian calendar start leap year 385 days before Iranian. In these days two calendars has a day different. 

My daughter’s birthday is 19th of Mordad. In common year it is equal 10th of August but in leap year (385 days I wrote above) it is 9th of August. Mobile and Facebook and other software make me lazy to memorize something. I am dependent to my instrument. 

Now I know about leap problem and I wright Iranian date of everything in my calendar. These 385 days I try to control calendar carefully.

A. Ebrahimy

Monday, September 26, 2011

love of parents

 love of parents
                                                                               فارسی


Today I remember a Wise advice of my mom.God bless her, she told me “when you will be a father, can understand your parent»

Many years ago when I was a student, away from home and family, each of the call phone with Mom make me happy and I forgot homesick filling ,  I was happy to hear the sound of the merciful mother. And this was a way to inform all of my family that I am healthy.
It was too far from Isfahan to Rasht, it was impossible to go home every time you wanted. Only hearing of the voice of mom was a nice drug to help me

I can remember those days, we have call home by public telephone –those day nobody has cellphone- we have to find coin to call and stay in a line, waiting to your turn. If people in cabin stay long to speaking, others inform her/his to finish call. It was a bad chance if you find a soldier who was speaking his girlfriend. The apartment which we rented did not have phone so we have to go out. Thursday evening was the best time of calling; we went out to walking.
Sometime the school work makes me busy and I could not think anything; I do not have time to think of home and homesickness filling. I only think about lesson. That time I could not go out and call home. Sometimes 10 or 15 days pass and family did not know about me. Of course, I also had a record of 25 days missing.
Distance and to be away from home make kind mother worried about me, when she heard my voice by phone the first question was about any problem of mine, ask me about my health and the reason of no calling. When I told mom about my lesson and business she told me “so busy you could not call 2 min “ 
I told mom do not worry about me, and asked her about other. I just make funny speaking to make mom happy. I said about everything but mom told me “you cannot get my filing, you have to be mother, but unfortunately you cannot, but some day you will be father, I wish you understand me”
Many years have passed. So many times I heard my mom’s complaint about my calling. She only told me “you can get my filling if you will be father”. I got married, and my son was born. My son makes me a father but I do not filling of mom’s whishing, until a few days ago I fill my mom with my heart.
How many time you try to say other about of pain of burning. If other did not burn cannot understand of burn filing. It is a special pain it is not similar others, so, if you did not burn you don’t fill that pain. May be you fill pain of bone fracture but those have different filling. 
Navid- my son- went to camp by school pupil for 4 days. School of Navid has a nice roll of two times a year camping. Pupil cannot bring cellphone to call; it is another roll of school. He has a telephone Card to call home. In past camp he had called every day but this camp he did not call home all 4 days. School makes a SMS center to noticed parent about pupil. So SMS center told me when I have to be in train station. This was a chance Navid call me and told me the time of arrival, but he did not call me. I had phone No. of Navid’s camp, but I did not call him. May be I think about pride of teenager and I do not want to make a baby filling for my son.  Four days I did not hear a single voice of Navid. 
Every time my mobile rang I thought it is Navid. I ask Kimya and Nikta (wife and daughter) about calling of Navid. I remember my mom and her filling. Navid has a very nice and good time in camp. It can be a great experience for them, to learn more and more, but this camping was a great experience for me. I got a filling which I do not test it.
Very interesting accident was the city of camping, it was Isfahan.

A. Ebrahimy

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Rudkhan Castle in Gilan , Iran

Rudkhan Castle in Gilan , Iran
                                                                                                   فارسی

In The top of the mountain after all effort for difficult climbing you find a huge and beautiful Castle which remind you about some people who fought for their homeland, the people who believed and for their creed, they fought and died.

We’ve heard about Ismailiyyah and the story of Hassan-e Sabah and their castles all over Iran - ALAMOUT in Qazvin is the most famous of them- you can find history of their power in all cities of Iran. They made castles and live in it. Rudkhan Castle is one of them. It was a military complex which had been constructed during Seljuk Dynasty by followers of Ismailiyyah sect.

The castle located on one of the heights of Alborz mountain range in the midst of dense forest. It is Located 25 km southwest of Foman city north of Iran in Gilan province, with an area of 2.6 hectare, about 1500 meter wall and 65 meter of the tower and rampart. The Castle has been constructed at 665-715 meter above sea level.
Maybe it was built in Sassanid Empire, it was repaired renewal at Seljuk Dynasty, also in the same period it was the shelter of Fellowship Hassan-e Sabah.

Many years ago when I was young and tried to go hiking and mountain climbing I stayed one night in this castle, I stayed a night in glory of silence, without any artificial noise. I heard sing of Nightingale, birds, watch huge trees, wall stone, and tower. I was surprised to stay in a place which my brothers fight with enemy and defeat them.
In the morning I found big trees which used to be a nice curtain to hide castle for protecting it from evil enemies. But now a day the Trees are the enemy. They tried to kill castle. Rote of tree and humidity of climate made wall as ruin.
But these years, as if the magic hands have been busy rebuilding the Castle's ability. Part of the castle is rebuilt. It is nice to protect our asset for futures to show them who brave people have lived in this country regardless of their opinion. May be we did not accept their religion but we have to admire their Endurance and resistance to fight enemy.

A beautiful Castle on the top of the mountain is stay to climb on the slippery wet step, was a place of archers and soldiers who defense castle of enemy. Now a day you can go up and go in the castle through the open gate without any fear of archers. The gate is open for lots of people who are eager to know about their past and try to learn about it.

Seeing Rudkhan Castle again after many years was surprisingly joyful and full of happiness for me. My children walk on top of the mountain and tried to be in the right time of castle, the time of splendor, glory and magnificent

I was happy to show my son and daughter about my homeland.

A. Ebrahimy

Navid & Nikta are breathing after 1.5 Km climbing


it is look like great wall of china


a family in the castle







Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lester and his magic wishes

 Lester and his magic wishes
فارسی



Lester was given a magic wish
By the goblin who lives in the banyan tree,
And with his wish he wished for two more wishes–
So now instead of just one wish, he cleverly had three.
And with each one of these
He simply wished for three more wishes,
Which gave him three old wishes, plus nine new.
And with each of these twelve
He slyly wished for three more wishes,
Which added up to forty-six–or is it fifty-two?
Well anyway, he used each wish
To wish for wishes ’til he had
Five billion, seven million, eighteen thousand thirty-four.
And then he spread them on the ground
And clapped his hands and danced around
And skipped and sang, and then sat down
And wished for more.
And more…and more…they multiplied
While other people smiled and cried
And loved and reached and touched and felt.
Lester sat amid his wealth
Stacked mountain-high like stacks of gold,
Sat and counted–and grew old.
And then one Thursday night they found him
Dead–with his wishes piled around him.
And they counted the lot and found that not
A single one was missing.
All shiny and new–here, take a few
And think of Lester as you do.
In a world of apples and kisses and shoes
He wasted his wishes on wishing.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Birth in virtual world

    Birth in virtual world
                                                                                      فارسی

Today, something was born. Today I was born in the virtual world. Although in Real world I am 43 , but I entered here,to  learn like a newborn ,gradually becoming familiar with get around

Does this birth would be useful to someone ? can it help somebody. I do not know, but i try my best?  Maybe
However, I came.
Abolghasem Ebrahimy saighali