Archive for January, 2007

Changing Times 2006

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

Fifth Changing Times Group Picture

Changing Times is a European conference for young professionals which has now firmly established itself as an annual event. For the last six days of December 2006, 250 people attended the fifth Changing Times event, held in the village of Hlúboka in the Czech Republic.Reports of the 2006 event, which had an impressive selection of presenters, can be read on the Changing Times site, where there are also many photos, and on the Baha’i World News Service, where there is a video about the conference.

Link: Changing Times

Feature Film of Mona’s Story in the Making

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

Jack Lenz is producing a feature film about the life of Mona Mahmudnizhad and her family. Mona was arrested at the age of sixteen for teaching children who had been expelled from school because of their religious beliefs. Mona and nine other Baha’i women were then executed after refusing to deny their religion and become Muslims.

Farkhundeh Mahmudnizhad

The latest news relating to the production can be found on the Mona’s Dream website. They are currently at the casting stage and Shohreh Aghdashloo, who starred in House of Sand and Fog and 24 (Day 4) has agreed to play Mona’s mother, Farkhundeh Mahmudnizhad.The web site includes short profiles of each of the ten women martyrs of Shiraz, including Mona and Shirin (my wife Ladan’s aunt) and includes several beautiful pieces of music written about their and Mona’s sacrifice. You can also view Doug Cameron’s video of “Mona and the Children” on the site.

Links:
Mona’s Dream
Hanged for Teaching “Sunday School”
A Dress for Mona
Persecution of the Baha’is in Iran

Sorry State of Affairs

Monday, January 8th, 2007

I’m sorry if this isn’t of interest to you but the BBC have an article about how the word sorry has lost much of its sincerity in Britain…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6241411.stm