Uncertainty

Life!

2010-06-20T19:33:00.000-04:00

Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise
To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies;
One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.
Khayyam

Birth!

2010-02-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively outnumbers the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness that are here.

We didn't arrive by spaceship, we arrived by being born, and we didn't burst conscious into the world but accumulated awareness gradually through babyhood.
Richard Dawkins

Brother! Put down your gun!

2009-09-07T12:14:00.002-04:00

Black hole!

2009-05-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

Beauty of music and human emotions!

2009-04-04T18:11:00.001-04:00

I don't know!

2009-03-19T22:01:00.002-04:00

I heard her voice in Blower's daughter. When I saw her performance in "unplayed Piano" I had no doubt that she would be a rising star soon! There you go! she is a star now! I enjoyed her performance in Montreal last year!

Happy 200th Birthday of Darwin!

2009-02-12T18:36:00.004-05:00

Facsimile of a page from a note-book of 1837, by Charles Darwin.
Transcription (from source): "led to comprehend true affinities. My theory would give zest to recent & Fossil Comparative Anatomy : it would lead to study of instincts, heredity, & mind heredity, whole metaphysics, it would lead to closest examination of hybridity & generation, causes of change in order to know what we have come from & to what we tend, to what circumstances favour crossing & what prevents it, this & direct examination of direct passages of structure in species, might lead to laws of change, which would then be main object of study, to guide our speculations."

Reproduced in The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, edited by his son Francis Darwin, in Two Volumes: Vol. II. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887.

Not interested? do not worry it is natural!

2009-02-07T08:30:00.002-05:00

I am sure you have noticed that young children easily interact with other kids and learn a new language without any difficulty! but what will happen if we do not "send" them to school? You think how motivated they are to learn reading and writing? or why most people have some ability to read the social cues ( facial expressions) of other people? we do not need any education for this!
It seems that most people have motivation for ordinary activities which are social in nature! Have you noticed how many hours we spend on watching TV or talking about unimportant issues ( small talks)? you think how many people read to expand their reading abilities? What would you think if one tells you that " the motivation to read and to engage in other activities (e.g., video games, television) is probably driven by the content of the activities rather than by the process itself"! Have you ever thought why most best sellers are about romance and relationships? maybe reading this particular subject would "allow people to rehearse control-related behavioral strategies (e.g., reading about relationships allows one to refine social knowledge and strategies)"!

Both children and chimpanzees can point at objects and count them! It is just natural! We are born with it! but we need academic education to learn algebra!
Let me ask you a different question: how many people have "burning desire" to master mathematics or other complicated subjects? which one seems more natural; going to a party and "having fun" or spending hours doing experiments in the lab for the sake of scientific discovery? we know that very few people "generate a disproportionate number of scientific and technological advances". How many people do postgraduate training , masters or PhD, to increase their chance to find a job or increase their income? why most postgraduate students are complaining of hard life and try to finish their education as soon as they can to start a normal life!? because they are paid less and have to work long hours? or maybe they also have to learn and think and produce something? why is that? Why learning is hard?

I have found better explaining for these questions when I looked at them through the prism of evolution! I have recently read an interesting paper by Geary about " evolutionary educational psychology"!!. He describes our abilities as primary ( such as social skills that have evolved through million years) and secondary abilities such as academic competence required in modern world! Due to explosion of knowledge in the recent few hundred years, there is a big gap between these two! Since our primary abilities are not sufficient for social functioning, we need education and schooling to close this gap!

Here is the link to his paper Not interested? I do not blame you! :) Now I know the lack of curiosity to understand such relatively conceptual matter is normal and also natural Just kidding!! I am sure you will enjoy it even if you disagree with the author. I guess for those of you who have children, you will feel less guilty by forcing your kids to learn which is very painful and difficult!! all kids want to play! we do too, do not we? :)

More about evolution!

2009-02-04T20:45:00.005-05:00

These days, I am reading about two interesting subjects: evolutionary educational psychology and the concept of self-deception described by Robert Trivers! They are just fascinating! I will write about them as soon as I get a chance!

Why me?

2008-12-30T09:47:00.002-05:00

We are lucky!

2008-12-28T10:54:00.001-05:00

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively outnumbers the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.

...we didn't arrive by spaceship, we arrived by being born, and we didn't burst conscious into the world but accumulated awareness gradually through babyhood. The fact that we gradually apprehend our world, rather than sudddenly discovering it, should not subtract from its wonder."
Richard Dawkins

60th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

2008-12-10T21:22:00.004-05:00

Anything Good About Men?

2008-11-16T21:16:00.002-05:00

Some of you may know that recently I have been studying evolution theory more thoroughly! I think that our knowledge about mechanism of evolution gives us better understanding of our psychology and behaviors, biology and even social and cultural issues. Probably it is not a "must" for surgeons but it is the effect of my distracted mind!

While ago I had a conversation with a friend who told me that he read somewhere that there is greater proportion of men at both extremes of the IQ distribution! Some studies have shown that there is greater variance in the performance of men compared to that of women (i.e., men are more represented at the extremes of performance).

I know that this is a sensitive topic and if you remember former president of Harvard University and possible candidate for Obama's treasury secretary, Larry Summers had to resign after his comment( link) about difference between sexes in terms of intelligence! Apparently, his comments were politically incorrect!

The question is that what if there was a difference! I believe that we need to carefully interpret available evidence! I disagree with this idea that science should not have any word in construction of morality and social frameworks. I think that we have been able to make significant progress to resolve controversial issues such as abortion, stem cell research and end of life because of our secular approach founded in scientific knowledge!

I came across this speech by Roy F. Baumeister in American Psychological Association in 2007. He is professor of psychology at Florida state university. I enjoyed reading his speech.It was thought provoking! I thought you might enjoy it too. In his introduction he says that "I don't want to be on anybody's side. Gender warriors please go home."

It seems that most of us think that men are in charge of everything! Too obvious to be missed! But he says that there is a flaw in this conclusion! Because we look at the top! If you look at the bottom of the society, you will see mostly men are there too! criminals, prisoners! If there are big male winners, there are big losers too!

I let you read the whole paper but I would like to quote few parts that I found very interesting! They are about relationship and social roles!

"Women favor close, intimate relationships. These are if anything more important for the survival of the species. That's why human women evolved first. We need those close relationships to survive. The large networks of shallower relationships aren't as vital for survival — but they are good for something else, namely the development of larger social systems and ultimately for culture"

I hope this help my friends who are complaining about their partners! Why men are not committed! That's genetic!! If it is natural for women, men need to actively overcome their shallowness!

I think many of us will have trouble with the following statement. But it is worth thinking:

"the reason for the emergence of gender inequality may have little to do with men pushing women down in some dubious patriarchal conspiracy. Rather, it came from the fact that wealth, knowledge, and power were created in the men's sphere. This is what pushed the men's sphere ahead. Not oppression"

Hopefully after this email, you do not disassociate yourself from me! Please do not get me wrong! I believe that equal opportunity should be given to everyone! But to survive, men and women have evolved differently and obtained different abilities over the past million years!

Link to the article

Evolution theory or fact? is it controversial?

2008-10-15T23:36:00.003-04:00

It is not uncommon to hear that some people say evolution is controversial and it is still a theory! I have seen that even in educated people, probably not well-educated!
Evolution is like gravity or the fact that earth is round not flat!

"One thing all real scientists agree upon is the fact of evolution itself. It is a fact that we are cousins of gorillas, kangaroos, starfish, and bacteria. Evolution is as much a fact as the heat of the sun. It is not a theory, and for pity’s sake, let’s stop confusing the philosophically naive by calling it so. Evolution is a fact."

Richard Dawkins

International Peace Day

2008-09-21T10:27:00.004-04:00

"May peace prevail on earth"

Running, surgery and philosophy!

2008-09-14T21:52:00.006-04:00

I am reading an interesting book, "running and philosophy" by
Michael Austin which I came across while was looking for a book about philosophy of mind!. I can relate to it because there are many similarities between marathon running and surgical training! I recommend reading this book.
The author describes the seven Cs of success originally proposed by Thomas Morris in pursuit of excellence:

1. A clear Conception of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.
2. A strong Confidence that we can attain our goal.
3. A focused Concentration that we can attain our goal.
4. A stubborn Consistency in pursuing our vision.
5. An emotional Commitment to the importance of what we’re doing [passion]
6. A good Character to guide us and keep us on a proper course.
7. A Capacity to Enjoy the process along the way.

Imagine!

2008-09-11T13:35:00.006-04:00

Today is a very important day! to remind us what self-righteous and religious delusion mean! to reminds us how ignorance could be devastating! Let's imagine a world with no religion!
When I am on call,I receive few calls from the nurses in the middle of the night regarding surgical patients who have spiked a fever or have pain. Sometimes we need to do some investigations like lab work or Xray and often I need to go and assess a patient. Why? because our patients are very important. They may seem trivial! these trivial but important things disturb our sleep! this is what we are supposed to do: to take care of each other! then how it is possible people kill each other for supposedly good reasons? what is more important than our life?

Richard Dawkins has a good point:

"The nineteen men of 9/11, having washed, perfumed themselves and shaved their whole bodies in preparation for the martyr's paradise, believed they were performing the highest religious duty. By the lights of their religion they were as good as it is possible to be. They were not poor, downtrodden, oppressed or psychotic; they were well educated, sane and well balanced, and, as they thought, supremely good. But they were religious, and that provided all the justification they needed to murder and destroy.

It is easy for religious faith, even if it is irrational in itself, to lead a sane and decent person, by rational, logical steps, to do terrible things. There is a logical path from religious faith to evil deeds. There is no logical path from atheism to evil deeds. Of course, many evil deeds are done by individuals who happen to be atheists"

I quote Steven Weinberg again

"With or without [religion] you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion."

Just imagine world with no religion!

Important things in life

2008-08-11T15:27:00.001-04:00

The main things which seem to me important on their own account, and not merely as means to other things, are knowledge, art, instinctive happiness, and relations of friendship or affection.
Bertrand Russell

Tragedy vs. Comedy!

2008-08-03T18:04:00.003-04:00

"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think."

Jean de La Bruyère

Life and music!

2008-07-31T23:35:00.003-04:00

Can you imagine our life without music?

Cancer’s a Funny Thing!

2008-07-27T18:37:00.002-04:00

J. B. S. Haldane (1892-1964)was a British-born evolutionary biologist and one of the founders (along with Ronald Fisher and Sewall Wright) of population genetics. He wrote comic poem before his death making fun of his incurable rectal cancer. I think that this illness is one the most horrifying surgical diseases which unfortunately is discovered late due to its location and lack of experience on physicians side! So, I think rectal examination is a "must" in any patient-doctor encounter when they are seen by their family doctors! Most of people are uncomfortable with this part! For them it is a private area but for doctors it is another natural orifice like mouth!! Once I asked one of my patients to get ready for the exam and he looked at me and said "you first to see how it feels!"

Cancer’s a Funny Thing

I wish I had the voice of Homer
To sing of rectal carcinoma,
Which kills a lot more chaps, in fact,
Than were bumped off when Troy was sacked.
Yet, thanks to modern surgeon’s skills,
It can be killed before it kills
Upon a scientific basis
In nineteen out of twenty cases.
I noticed I was passing blood
(Only a few drops, not a flood).
So pausing on my homeward way
From Tallahassee to Bombay
I asked a doctor, now my friend,
To peer into my hinder end,
To prove or to disprove the rumour
That I had a malignant tumour.
They pumped in BaS04.
Till I could really stand no more,
And, when sufficient had been pressed in,
They photographed my large intestine,
In order to decide the issue
They next scraped out some bits of tissue.
(Before they did so, some good pal
Had knocked me out with pentothal,
Whose action is extremely quick,
And does not leave me feeling sick.)
The microscope returned the answer
That I had certainly got cancer,
So I was wheeled into the theatre
Where holes were made to make me better.
One set is in my perineurn
Where I can feel, but can’t yet see ‘em.
Another made me like a kipper
Or female prey of Jack the Ripper,
Through this incision, I don’t doubt,
The neoplasm was taken out,
Along with colon, and lymph nodes
Where cancer cells might find abodes.
A third much smaller hole is meant
To function as a ventral vent:
So now I am like two-faced Janus
The only* god who sees his anus.
I’ll swear, without the risk of perjury,
It was a snappy bit of surgery.
My rectum is a serious loss to me,
But I’ve a very neat colostomy,
And hope, as soon as I am able,
To make it keep a fixed time-table.
So do not wait for aches and pains
To have a surgeon mend your drains;
If he says “cancer” you’re a dunce
Unless you have it out at once,
For if you wait it’s sure to swell,
And may have progeny as well.
My final word, before I’m done,
Is “Cancer can be rather fun”.
Thanks to the nurses and Nye Bevan
The NHS is quite like heaven
Provided one confronts the tumour
With a sufficient sense of humour.
I know that cancer often kills,
But so do cars and sleeping pills;
And it can hurt one till one sweats,
So can bad teeth and unpaid debts.
A spot of laughter, I am sure,
Often accelerates one’s cure;
So let us patients do our bit
To help the surgeons make us fit

*In India there are several more
With extra faces, up to four,
But both in Brahma and in Shiva
I own myself an unbeliever.

2008-07-19T16:45:00.003-04:00

If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.
Ray Bradbury (1920 - )

The tragedy of life!

2008-07-18T16:33:00.003-04:00

“The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy.”

Steven Weinberg

I think we will never know the essence of this world and the answers to many questions. Death is the most tragic event in our life. Every time, I see a dying patient, young or old, it reminds me the sadness of this misfortune!

Khayyam was questioning the same matter in his fascinating poetic way:

"We are the puppets and fate the puppeteer
This is not a metaphor, but a truth sincere
On this stage, fate for sometime our moves steer
Into the chest of non-existence, one by one disappear"

Music of yearing and longing

2008-07-13T19:40:00.006-04:00

I was introduce to Lhasa' music by a friend.I am mesmerized by her voice, smoky vocals, dream-like imagery and an ability to look life straight in the eyes, they call it.I have not been able to stop listening to her for the past 10 days!!

She also has had a fascinating life which has made her character and art, her nomadic childhood.

Silly things!

2008-06-05T06:46:00.000-04:00

If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein

Prayers, do they help?

2008-05-21T19:15:00.006-04:00

Have you ever seen prayers work for a patient? There is a common belief that if you pray for someone, somehow, it helps him/her to recover! Personally, I have never seen one. We hear a lot of stories that someone was told that s/he had a incurable disease and miraculously s/he got better! I think it actually shows we do not know much about diseases. Still we cannot predict the behavior of cancers. The number we usually quote for our patients are population based. For example, end stage breast cancer has a very poor prognosis and 5 year survival is less than 20%. One patient may die in 2 months and another lives more than 5 years! You can easily convince yourself that praying help patients to live longer!
What about storms or earthquakes or flood? Do they help?

Iran

2008-05-18T10:06:00.005-04:00

Brilliant shot from Saeed Abbasi

Childish superstition

2008-05-18T09:40:00.002-04:00

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
This quote from Einstein has been very popular and many people are convinced that he was a religious man! I recently saw a documentary on Canadian TV showing he was a member of faith. I think this letter helps to understand his position on belief. Dawkins thinks that Einstein used "God" as a metaphor rather than an independent entity who created the universe.

L'Anse Aux Meadows

2008-04-27T11:21:00.003-04:00

20080426_14, originally uploaded by Iman Ghaderi.

Yesterday, I visited L'Anse Aux Meadows. Originally, a french name "L'Anse aux Meduses," meaning "Jellyfish Bay."!
"L'Anse aux Meadows is the only known Norse site in North America outside of Greenland, represents the farthest known extent of European exploration and settlement of the New World before the voyages of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot almost 500 years later, and is the only genuine evidence of pre-Columbian contact between the New and Old Worlds."

I think that Norwegian can claim that they discovered "America". The question is if they knew that they were the first people! The site will be open in June, Tourist season. I heard that they serve you sea foods and they dress in viking custom! maybe some Pinnekjøtt :))

Newfie dialect

2008-04-22T16:31:00.006-04:00

Before coming to Newfoundland, I already knew that Newfoundlanders or Newfies are the subject of many jokes in Canada. Is their accent or dialect funny? I do not think so! They definitely have an accent. Sometimes I need to ask a question twice, because I have accent too, or ask them to repeat what they say! I think it is a universal thing that every nation makes fun of a minority and Canadians are not exception! Is it acceptable? of course not!

Fishing point, St Anthony

2008-04-20T20:01:00.004-04:00

20080419_99_1, originally uploaded by Iman Ghaderi.

Yesterday I met a local man at the fishing point. Every day, many people drive to this point to watch the ocean and floating icebergs with their binoculars. Here people are very open and friendly. They easily approach you to chat. We nodded to each other. He was looking through his binocular and told me to take a look. There was a huge iceberg in horizon. He talked about the behaviors of icebergs and the time one may see them. Then we talked about St Anthony and its nature. We both agreed that it is fascinating. He went on talking about life and the value of moments and how most people are in rush and do not enjoy their lives. I found him very articulate and wise. I asked him about his profession and education. He introduced himself as an average guy who wished to have a wise mentor when he was young to avoid mistakes he made in his life. I enjoyed talking to this local man. It has been a long time that I did not have such a thought provoking conversation with a person I did not know. I feel that I know these people for a long time!

St Anthony, NL - 1

2008-04-20T11:18:00.008-04:00

It is about 10 days that I came to St Anthony. I found it very interesting place. I think its nature, people and the surgical experience I will get from my stay make it unique. Weather is nice and snow is melting. I drove around the coast yesterday. It was a sunny day. I went to see the Viking historical site but unfortunately, it won't be opened until June, tourists season! I took many pictures. Every scenes is spectacular. People are very friendly and they say hello or wave their hands when they see you!
There are a lot of things that I would like to write about. I am hoping to get my Internet connection in my room to be able to write every night!

St Anthony, NL

2008-04-10T13:40:00.003-04:00

I am wrting this post at St John's Airport. Thanks to free internet!I can write while waiting for my flight to St Anthony. I have been looking forward to my rural surgery rotation in St Anthony since last year. I am planning to take many pictures from beautiful nature in my spare time. I am not sure if I will have any!

Spring breeze

2008-03-15T02:36:00.004-04:00

These days you probably have noticed that I am writing about religion and life. Couple of days ago, I was in Starbucks at Chapters with a friend. We were sipping on our cafe latte, my favorite, and chatting about religion and its effect on life. We were talking about our experience, say a journey from religious kids to secular adults. He had a good point. He was saying that believing in god or religion is not in our nature. If we do not impose it to children, they won't become religious. I agree with him. I noticed most of religious parents are quite concerned about their kids not losing their faith! They have to reinforce it all the time. Preachers threat people that they will burn in hellfire if they do not stick to it They target human beings' fear and weakness due to vulnerability and uncertainty! Life without imposed fear is quite an experience. It is like spring breeze!

Tiny existence in the vast universe!

2008-03-07T16:34:00.006-05:00

The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.

Charles Darwin

I think this is the best way to describe the world. Then, you do not need to look for the mystery behind any disaster. There is no testing or supernatural act nor punishment! People do not get cancer or die in flood because of their sins!It is because of our tiny existence in this vast universe!
By the way what is sin?

Were they all stoned?

2008-03-05T18:54:00.006-05:00

I am wondering if other people who claimed to be prophets were high on drug like Moses according to Benny Shanon at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This part is interesting, He says "As far as Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either. Or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics."

There is a phenomenon that some theologians talk about: religious experience . I became familiar with this concept few years ago when I was interested in mysticism!The problem is that our brain is very powerful and can drive us anywhere we like or wish! you just need to believe it. Moses was on Mount Sinai when God spoke to him, Mohammad was in a cave for meditation where, according to muslims, he received his first revelation from God!and the last claimed prophet , Bahá'u'lláh, had mystical experiences while he was in a dark prison, Síyáh-Chál. He claimed that he received a vision of a Maiden from God!
Do you see any pattern here? depends on your beliefs or not having beliefs, you will have different interpretation.
By the way, you think what would have been the reaction of muslims if someone had publish similar theory about Mohammad!

Read this and this too.

2008-02-12T01:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Darwin day!

Hell is hot like hell

2008-01-03T23:24:00.000-05:00

Hell is hot like hell! As far as I remember, I have been told that if I "do" this or "do not" do that I would end up in hell! Have you ever thought about the psychological effect of such threat especially when you are very young?
I like this Khayyam's Rubaii ( Khayyam 1048–1131, an Iranian atheist poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer)

Oh, threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!
One thing at least is certain--This Life flies;
One thing is certain and the rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

To a friend

2007-11-20T19:53:00.001-05:00

I do not think there is any first or last race or competition if you live on a daily basis. We never know what comes next so why bother. Things are important if we wish to! Life is not a game to win or lose. Loser or winner, life goes on and we forget. The train of life does not stop. We could be like the driver and just look at horizon and be excited about what is going to be next or to be a passenger who enjoys watching the scenes, even in the desert or like a person at the end of the train who looks at the past!
If one day, you decide to try a different life in this part of the world, do not forget you have a friend who enjoys watching the scenes on the train of life!

Peace
Iman

Dictators!

2007-10-08T12:03:00.000-04:00

I think dictators are like cancer. Sometime they stay in power for a long time. Too long that they weaken their people and country.People get use to them. If you remove the dictator(s), you destroy the country too! see Iraq and Afghanistan! Yes, dictatorship is an unresectable malignant disease in a weakened host! Host should be strengthened to get rid of this disease on its own! p

Burma, is there any end?

2007-09-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

I have been following news from Burma. It was 2 years ago that I heard the song " unplayed piano". Damine Rice dedicated this piece to Burma,its people and Aung San Suu Kyi. She won the Nobel peace prize in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. In 1990, despite detention of Suu Kyi,National League for Democracy party,NLD, won election with 82% of parliamentary seats. The dictator regime refused to recognise results.
Monks have been protesting against the tyrant government and now people are getting killed. It is sad to see there are many countries in the world are run by dictators who do not care about anything but their power!

Check these out, US campaign for Burma , Burma compaign UK.

Life

2007-09-20T23:33:00.000-04:00

I am getting by,
Life goes on,
Time flies,
I do not count the days anymore!
Some days when I go to work very early, it is chilly out there,
It reminds me those old days,15 years ago
You said that "life is a dream". Maybe it is. For many people it becomes a nightmare when they wake up!

Going to a town

2007-09-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered Rufus Wainwright. He is very talented and has a beautiful voice. I just got new album, "release the stars" . His low key masterpiece, Going to a town is gorgeous.It is political in nature. He shows his disappointment about intolerance, prejudice and,... in America.

I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm going to a place that has already been disgraced
I'm gonna see some folks who have already been let down
I'm so tired of America
I'm gonna make it up for all of the Sunday times
I'm gonna make it up for all of the nursery rhymes
They never really seem to want to tell the truth
I'm so tired of you, America
Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead, America
I got a life to lead
Tell me,Do you really think you go to hell for having love?
Tell me, And laugh at thinking everything that you've done is good?
I really need to know
After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood
I'm so tired of America
I really need to know I may just never see you again Or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm so tired of you, America
Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead, America
I got a life to lead
I got a soul to feed
I got a dream to need
And that's all I need
Making my own way home Ain't gonna be alone
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down

Reason, desire and religion

2007-09-03T00:24:00.000-04:00

"What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." Bertrand Russell

Realistic photography!

2007-08-29T23:40:00.000-04:00

I got bored with "realistic" photography! standard! do we have the same perception about reality! why do majority of people see things in a same way? is there only one reality or several? maybe it depends on the angle we see things! or we are watching the world from the same spot! I think you can see a scene from different angles!

Like a rolling stone

2007-08-29T23:35:00.000-04:00

I do not have any sense of nostalgia! no good memory either! I easily forget the past! I live in present and have no idea about future. I don't think about it which makes my life easier! no long term plan, only day to day life. I don't mind changing my mind about what people call it "principles". There is no absolute right or wrong!! I love breaking habits and not having e sense of belonging! like a rolling stone!

Daily life!

2007-08-29T23:16:00.000-04:00

I love reading, thinking and listening to other people's stories and silence! I read random articles from surgery to political sciences and philosophy. Daily excitement of general surgery keeps me amused!. I like to write about everything I see or learn but I am lazy! maybe I am too concerned about my lousy writing! who cares?I am writing in my public journal which has one reader! At least it is a good place to regurgitate my thoughts and throw them away!

Friendship

2007-08-29T23:12:00.000-04:00

"a deep friend, in the real sense of friendship. Someone who really cared about- or did not care. I am not quite sure which it is or deeply did not care about who I was . Therefore, who I was began to wither. and the less I was of who I was the better I felt! ", Leonard Cohen about his friendship with Roshi

Buchart gardens, Victoria, BC

2007-08-19T23:33:00.001-04:00

IMG_3045, originally uploaded by Iman Ghaderi.

Can you break this habit?

2007-08-10T18:29:00.001-04:00

I think religion is like "cloth". There are different colors and shapes. When you are very young, your parents choose your cloths. When you grow up, you may wear the same kind of cloths or choose different style. Many people do not tolerate nudity! They say that it is disrespecting other people. Cloths are only customs. I mean you can change your cloths, modify them or even take them off. To me, religion has a similar value! People follow different religions and almost always they think it is the best way! and the rest of people are wrong at least in their spiritual lives. For example, people who believe in monotheistic religions or Abrahamic religions think that nonbelievers will go to hell.
I think that religion is like customs. People get use to it like habit. Yes, it is just a habit! you can break it. Do you think a lot when you want to change your cloths! so why it is so difficult for people to change their religion or even give it up? maybe it is hard to break this habit!
Many people identify themselves with their customs and cloths. Moreover, I think that the social pressure has a crucial role and religious belief is one of the ways that people relate to other people, their tribe, sect or community. No one wants to be a social outcast! going to hell in the next life is another scary thing!

"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright

2007-08-06T01:58:00.000-04:00

Vancouver

2007-08-05T23:17:00.001-04:00

Last week I went to Vancouver for the first time. I found it very beautiful and was lucky enough to see Vancouver sunny days. I visited its downtown, Stanley park, Lion gates bridge. I had a chance to see Victoria ( on ferry) and Butchart gardens and Whistler ( winter Olympic in 2010 will take place in this tiny city).Vancouver has its own identity that distinguishes it from other cities I have visited in Canada. It is located besides the pacific ocean, lots of green area, ..... The highlight of my trip was Bungee Jumping. I jumped from a bridge ( height of 160 ft). I have been wondering how people who commit suicide would feel when they jump. I think it is very difficult to understand their thought process. I am sure that it is not the easiest way.I will write about suicide later. Anyways,it was quite exciting!
I guess I took more than 300 photos!

2007-07-16T20:53:00.000-04:00

I started my second year of residency about 2 weeks ago. I have realized that time flies and I do not keep track of time! It really does not matter as long as you love what you do. I have exciting rotations this year, vascular surgery, intensive care,gastroentrology and 3 months of rural surgery in Newfoundland! I look forward to the last one, surgery and beautiful nature in Labrador! ( photo: courtesy from a friend's friend)

I'm your man!

2007-02-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

I knew Leonard Cohen before coming to the North America. I guess one of my friends gave me a CD including some of his masterpieces, hallelujah and suzanne and I’m your man. Last week, I saw a documentary about him. It was not as good as the one that Scorsese made for Bob Dylan but it worth watching. I was expecting to see his performance but most of the clips were by other singers. I found him very humble and likable, a poet rather than a singer in personality! I am sure you will enjoy watching this documentary especially the last few minutes with Bono.

A woman in a conservative religious community!

2007-02-06T19:09:00.000-05:00

"Avanim, stones in Hebrew, is about a woman named Michale who is in her mid-30’s, married with a young son and working in her father’s Tel Aviv accounting firm serving ultra-orthodox religious institutions. She divides her time between her child, her husband, her work and the man with whom she is having an affair. When Michale learns of the sudden death of her lover, her life is shattered."

It is very interesting movie. It pictures the life of a woman in a conservative religious society in Israel. I think her issues are universal and many women in the world who live in conservative, orthodox religious environments are dealing with them. Self-righteousness is a common phenomenon in a way one believes that right or wrong should be defined according to his/her principles and beliefs!

Great movies!

2007-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

Over the new year holidays, I watched three great movies." La Petite Jérusalem 2005" Trois couleurs: Bleu 1993" and "Hiroshima mon amour 1959". I will write about them soon.

The animals were gone!

2007-01-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

Damien Rice is one of the artists that I like because of his originality and his artistic attitude!

woke up and for the first time the animals were gone
it's left this house empty now, not sure if I belong
yesterday you asked me to write you a pleasant song
I’ll do my best now but you've been gone for so long
the window's open now and the winter settles in
we'll call it christmas when the adverts begin
I love your depression and I love your double chin
I love most everything you bring to this offering
I know that I’ve left you
in places of despair
I know that I love you
so please throw down your hair
at night I trip without you
and hope I don't wake up
'cause waking up without you
is like drinking from an empty cup

woke up and for the first time the animals were gone
our clocks are ticking now so before our time is gone
we could get a house and some boxers and on the lawn
we could make babies and accidental songs
I know I’ve been a liar and I know I’ve been a fool
I hope we didn't break it but I’m glad we broke the rules
my cave is deep now yet your light is shining through
I cover my eyes still all I see is you
I know that I’ve left you
in places of despair
I know that I love you
so please throw down your hair
at night I trip without you
and hope I don't wake up
'cause waking up without you
is like drinking from an empty cup

Saddam's death!

2006-12-31T09:48:00.001-05:00

Today, the hottest news was the execution of Saddam. It is very important even in the world. Saddam was one of the Middle Easterner tyrants. He killed or caused death of hundreds of thousands of people! When he attacked Iran, I was 6 years old. I clearly remember those days. How can you forget the harsh memory of losing your home! September 1980!
All these years, I have been following the news about him. I did not have any emotional feeling toward him though. So am I happy or not? I am not sure. Three yeas ago, when he was captured by Americans, I was happy to see the fall of a dictator in the Middle East. But I don’t believe in death penalty. I do not think that violence solves any problem. It just magnifies the hatred and violence!
Indeed, he committed many other crimes but was executed for one of them! The other interesting aspect of this even is to look at the different reactions in the world! Many people are sad and condemned it! How come in 21 century, information era, many people consider him a hero or martyr?! It cannot be due to unawareness! It seems to his supporters, those lives were not important. They were Iranians, Iraqi shiat and Kurds or traitors!!! This is sad!
I wish a world where people sharing all the world

Imagine there's no countries,

It isn't hard to do,

Nothing to kill or die for,

No religion too,

Imagine all the peopleliving life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,

I wonder if you can,

No need for greed or hunger,

A brotherhood of man,

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

Norway!

2006-12-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

IMG_0726
Originally uploaded by Iman Ghaderi.

I am going to visit Norway in Jan! It will be dark and cold though!

After thoracic surgery rotation!

2006-12-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

Over the past six months, I have been trying to write something! but too busy especially on my thoracic surgery rotation! Most of the days, I was either on-call or post-call. On this rotation, I worked about 350 hours/ mo in average! I know! it is crazy! According to Pairo, we should not work more than 240/ mo or 80 hours/ wk. However, there are a lot exciting stuff to do! and I think it is worth it!
As junior, we are able to do some basic, but important stuff such as chest tube insertion, percunatenous tracheostomy and thoracotomy and pre and post Op management of thoracic patients. Sometimes, they are really sick, cardiac arrhythmia, pulmonary edema, myocardial infarction and many other critical issues!

Anyways, I am going to do my emergency rotation. It should be relatively light rotation and I will do 8 hour shifts!

Why blogging!

2006-08-20T14:56:00.000-04:00

I think I need to tell you a little bit more about myself. First of all, I am real and I currently live in London, Canada. I just started my general surgery residency. Surgery has been my passion for a while and I took me few years to get to this point. I have moved thousands kms to visit my dream!

It is interesting that I never got frustrated through my long and challenging journey. I lived with this dream days and nights. I never thought about tomorrow! Never afraid of failure! I live in my dreams in present!

Anyways, I started blogging April 2003 with my friend Farid. Now, I feel that I need to start a new weblog and write my observations as surgical resident and ordinary person in my social life.

3rd year!

2006-04-23T22:57:00.000-04:00

I am going to start this weblog on the anniversary of my arrival in Canada! I came to Canada 3 years ago and I think that I have changed a lot. I have learned many things and know myself much more better!
Here is my previous weblog with my friend Farid!