Melody Zagami, Author at Toward Freedom

We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs

Melody Zagami February 9, 2006 Melody Zagami

"This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet." - Iranian Born Poet, Rumi

Nine centuries after Rumi penned these words, young Iranians post blogs to express themselves in a nation where drinking liquor and wearing lipstick warrants public flogging. The modern day "secret sky" is the world wide web, the veils have not fallen and though Rumi was speaking of love, it is, in today's Iran, interchangeable with freedom.

Battle Hymns for the Blue States

Melody Zagami December 14, 2005 Melody Zagami

The Putrid Minds Anthology: Battle Hymns for the Blue States byThe Sons of Emperor Norton, is the only album ever produced that features Elvis, Mark Twain, Stephen Hawking and the little known historical figure, Joshua "Emperor" Norton. This 23 song anthology is not for the faint of heart. When listening, you laugh and think, "that's clever." Then reality comes into focus and you feel powerless in the face of the monstrous Bush administration. The band's humor has more than a bit of truth between the lines.