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Associated Press
27-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Omar Khayyam's Tent: His Autobiography of 1000 Bittersweet Robaiyat Wine Sips Forthcominng on June 10, His True Birthday
The book reveals the unitary architecture of his Robaiyat's philosophical, religious, and scientific wisdom as an epic poem in search of true human happiness. 'For this reader encountering this series was like the astronauts who experienced seeing the Earth for the first time from outer space. It was nothing I could have imagined, from prior experience.'— Winston E. Langley, Professor Emeritus and Former Provost of UMass Boston GREATER BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, May 27, 2025 / / -- The original Robaiyat of Omar Khayyam (AD 1021-1123) as shared in the forthcoming OKCIR book is an epic, at once a personal, world-historical, and cosmic search for true human happiness. Khayyam composed it to be highly readable so that it can be read by all, continually, and today, before it is too late, like a prayer book or a rosary of pearls or ruby stones, since it was meant to be not only reflective but also generative of search for happiness. If you begin reading it, you must do so at least once to its end, so that in later readings any of its parts can be recalled amid the unitary architecture of its philosophical, religious, and scientific wisdom rendered as an astounding and most beautiful work of art. Khayyam was right; there is nothing on Earth like his Wine. His poetic 'book of life' was intended to be released posthumously, so its existence was not known to his contemporaries. Following his death, it was released but became scattered and its logical unity was shattered by natural and social disasters and scribal poetry alphabetizing styles, some quatrains wandering into other poets' works and others becoming misattributed to him. The Robaiyat as shared in the forthcoming book were logically re-sewn and newly translated in verse by the sociologist Mohammad H. Tamdgidi during his integrative study of all of Khayyam's works as reported in his unprecedented 12-book series 'Omar Khayyam's Secret: Hermeneutics of the Robaiyat in Quantum Sociological Imagination,' whose last book (12th) is also forthcoming simultaneously. Following a summary of his series' findings, Tamdgidi presents in the book nothing else but Khayyam's Robaiyat, including the Persian originals and his verse translations (his study of them having been shared in his series, especially its Books 8-11). The quatrains, comprising songs of doubt, hope, and joy, are logically organized to address three questions, based on the 3-phased method of inquiry Khayyam himself introduced in his other writings. Quatrains 1-338 of Part 1, Songs of Doubt, open by explaining his epic's secretiveness and address the question 'Does Happiness Exist?' Their order follows a logically inductive reasoning through which Khayyam delves from surface portraits of unhappiness to their deeper chain of causes. Quatrains 339-685 of Part 2, Songs of Hope, address the second question 'What Is Happiness?' Their order follows a logically deductive reasoning through which he moves from methodological to explanatory and practical quatrains. Quatrains 686-1000 of Part 3, Songs of Joy, address the third question 'Why Can Happiness Exist?' Still deductively ordered, they show how happiness can be made possible through his poetry's Wine itself, realizing that one can never become truly happy by bringing sadness to others since human self and society are always twin-born and universal. Hurting another is always a hurting of that self in you that represents that other. For Khayyam, happiness can be possible by way of joyful, creative, and constructive humanizing efforts by own example, like his Robaiyat, which must also start from our inner and interpersonal todays and spread globally. Khayyam's Robaiyat represented the tent of which he was a 'tentmaker,' his poetic pen name having been inspired by his true birth date horoscope chart as discovered by Tamdgidi and reported in his series for the first time. The metaphor also underlies the numerical geometry of its triangular unity, proportional to the dazzling Grand Tent (Triplicity) features of his birth chart, the same way he embedded his own triangular golden rule in the mysterious design of Isfahan's North Dome. A metaphor of the Robaiyat as Simorgh (or Phoenix) songs is also hidden in its deep structure. Khayyam's Robaiyat are his Simorgh's millennial rebirth songs served in his tented tavern as 1000 sips of his bittersweet poetic Wine of happiness. Winston E. Langley, Professor Emeritus and former Provost of UMass Boston, wrote in his Foreword to the last book of the series: 'Tamdgidi's offering in his Omar Khayyam's Secret series of a translated tri-partite and then, integrated, version of this poem (this epic) is of utmost importance. … In Khayyam's work, especially his poetry, one finds the pathos of the tragedian, with the author of Gilgamesh, Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Goethe calling; one comes face to face with anxiety, doubt, and the absurd, and tastes Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Camus, and Kobo Abe; one confronts subtleties of the most refined kind and meets Buddha, Pushkin, and the practical genius of Da Vinci and Bacon; and one, confronted with the heart and matters of faith and reason, love and happiness, finds voices from Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Aquinas, to Zara Jacob, Jefferson, and Bonhoeffer. Happiness, for example, is not only a state of well-being, but a process of continuing liberation. … While Khayyam's life is a major story of fierce intellectual passion and a like devotion to ideals of philosophy, science, and poetry (and modes of living that combined those of the solitary and the celebrated, the private and the public), there is an area that is also part of his identity that cannot be overlooked without an injustice to scholarship, history, and human culture. It is the role of satire—that which humorously criticizes defects of reason, science, philosophy (including theology), politics, history, custom (however sacred), even in face of deep disappointments or lived catastrophes. Welcoming the comedy, as Aristophanes, Cervantes, Vico, Erasmus, Santayana, and Chekhov knew, is part of coming to know, of wisdom, of ensuring human flourishing. One may say that Khayyam could be regarded as the first true humanist. All that is human find unhidden expressions through him.' Jafar Aghayani Chavoshi, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, and a pioneer in Iran's scientific Omar Khayyam studies, has regarded the Omar Khayyam's Secret series as '… a masterpiece in Omar Khayyam studies.' ——————————————————————— Mohammad H. Tamdgidi, Ph.D., is the founder of OKCIR: Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research in Utopia, Mysticism, and Science (Utopystics) ( est. 2002). He is a former associate professor of sociology specializing in social theory at UMass Boston. Mohammad Tamdgidi OKCIR: Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Boston Globe
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Massachusetts launches statewide e-bike incentive program
'We want this to be the decision maker and truly enable access to a transportation option that would not otherwise be available,' said Rachel Ackerman, senior program director at MassCEC. As e-bikes, which average $2,000 to purchase, have soared in popularity, discounts as a strategy to cut back on road congestion and climate-warming emissions from cars. Advertisement Massachusetts is staggering its rollout of 3,000 vouchers over a six-month period. Two tiers of rebates are determined by income, and can reach up to $1,200 in discounts at participating brick-and-mortar retailers. 'We do think it will sell out,' said Elijah Sinclair, program manager at MassCEC. 'We already are seeing a ton of demand.' Initially, about 500 vouchers will be equally distributed Advertisement 'E-bikes are magic carpets. These things flatten hills. They shorten distances. They allow you to arrive at your destination without big exertion,' making them a functional choice for performing errands or traveling to work, said Scott Mullen, transportation demand management director at the Boston-based nonprofit A Better City. 'They help people make connections where transit is lacking.' State lawmakers first Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, Most trips that people take in the state, take up far less of the road with no tailpipe emissions. 'The gridlock isn't working,' Mullen said. 'There's tremendous value there because, as we know, we're On a smaller scale, e-bike pilot programs have already proven successful in the state. In the spring of 2022, Advertisement Around 1,000 e-bikes have been deployed, and participants have logged over 300,000 miles, which were tracked on individual bikes with monitors and reported weekly. Early findings from the Greater Boston program show about In Worcester, the e-bike pilot was led by MassBike, which did outreach to marginalized populations, including immigrants, people with disabilities, and seniors on fixed income, said Galen Mook, the group's executive director. In the first phase alone, more than 1,200 people applied. There were only 100 e-bikes to give out. Two-year-old Levi was parked beside a row of e-bikes checking them out outside of Radical Adventures. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff 'So I am super excited that the state is going to scale this up ... rural, suburban, ex-urban, really, there's the opportunity for e-bikes to fit into all sorts of lifestyles,' Mook said, adding that the program should yield quick results. 'It's going to be a lot harder to retrofit all of our aging housing, but it's going to be an almost instantaneous return if we get people to think about biking instead of driving.' Emily Galante, an elementary school teacher in Worcester, received her e-bike for free in exchange for participating in the program. Having it has been 'absolutely transformative,' she said. These days, Galante, 39, regularly cycles through the hilly city to work — a 15 or so minute commute by car that now takes her maybe five minutes longer. 'I love showing up and the kids asking me about it,' she said. Advertisement In Boston, the city has been running its 'We really see distribution across all of the neighborhoods,' said Kim Foltz, program manager of Boston Bikes, noting that 510 people redeemed their vouchers during the first cycle. Bike stores that took part in Boston's program also reported an increase in sales. As of January, nearly $785,000 in e-bikes and equipment had been sold to voucher holders, according to the city. The same rang true for the state's pilot initiatives. 'All these sales were sales that they otherwise would not have made ... truly this is an additional stream of income,' Ackerman said. For the new statewide program, the agency has reached out to over 150 retailers, and many have already signed up to accept the vouchers, said Sinclair. That includes Faneuil Hall. A flier posted on the entrance advertises its participation in the city's incentive program. Inside the shop, both floors are lined with shiny, high tech-looking e-bikes. Radical Adventures co-owner Charlie Stark posed for a portrait inside the e-bike store he owns with his father. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Steve Stark, 59, who runs the business with his son, Charlie Stark, 21, said they have been able to serve a new demographic of customers — no longer just the older crowd and typical 'weekend warrior' — and are excited about expanding that reach to residents across Massachusetts. Advertisement 'We think it's fantastic,' he said. 'It gets people outside and moving. It's a great transportation alternative.' In Colorado, the early leader on e-bike rebates, the state has committed to a long-term, 'For a relatively modest expenditure of funds ... we're really able to give people new choices about how they get around,' said Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, who encouraged similar models. But that's far away from becoming reality in Massachusetts. At least for now. Before that next step, Ackerman said they need more data — and more money. 'We want to make sure that every voucher ... truly is making a difference in somebody's life,' she said. Shannon Larson can be reached at
Boston Globe
26-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
GBH relaunches ‘Basic Black' as ‘GBH News Rooted,' plans to bring back version of ‘Greater Boston' later this year
'GBH News Rooted' will run as a 30 minute show on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2, with repeats on Friday at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 44 beginning April 8. A radio version of the broadcast will air on 89.7 and CAI later in the year. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It is my distinct joy and pleasure to serve as host of GBH News Rooted, following in the footsteps of luminary journalists like Callie Crossley, Kim McLarin, Darren Duarte, and the late, legendary Sarah-Ann Shaw,' Alston said. 'All of these exemplars advanced conversations on issues critical to Black and other communities of color during their tenures, and this moment is ripe for me to carry the torch.' Advertisement It was not immediately clear what platforms would carry the new version of 'Greater Boston.' GBH had At the time, chief executive Susan Goldberg said the shows 'no longer draw enough viewers to justify the cost of making them for television' and added that they would revamped as 'digital-first programming.' In a statement Wednesday, she said the return of the two programs reflects a positive trend for the organization, which is the largest producer of PBS programming and one of two NPR news stations in Boston. Advertisement 'GBH News is growing on many fronts — from our reporting and programs, to the number of people we're reaching, to the support our community is giving us,' Goldberg said. The relaunch of 'Basic Black' as 'GBH News Rooted' and 'Greater Boston' also come just weeks after The organization made a slew of other programming announcements Wednesday, including that interim ''Morning Edition' host Mark Herz is now the show's permanent anchor, and that its popular dayside show 'Boston Public Radio' has added a weekly media analysis segment during its Friday show held at Boston Public Library. Aidan Ryan can be reached at
