Hark the Herald Angel sings

Now here's an interesting photo.

The structure in the background photo is the Azadi (freedom) monument, built in 1971 by the Shah at God knows what cost to celebrate the 2,500 anniversary of the Persian empire. He originally called it Shahyad (Remembrance of the Shahs) Tower, but since the victors get the spoils.... It now houses a cultural museum

It's a popular destination for protests and demonstrations, which ever since they played a role in bringing down the Shah Iranians have become very good at. Not that there are many demonstrations allowed against the current regime. Some, though.

The photoluminous nature of the backdrop squares with other modern Iranian artwork I've seen, there's a whole Middle East/European love of that kind of hyper-realism/collage/kitschiness. It's something the Japanese also tap into with their anime; it's big in parts of the U.S.--especially California--but by and large we titter at it.

Not sure if there's any other significance to the crystal light or the doves, apart from their universally-accepted meaning of peace and righteousness.

I guess Washington's not the only city that can lay claim to being shining on a hill.

Photo of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad speaking at a ews briefing with Iranian and foreign reporters in Tehran that was broadcast live with simultaneous translation by Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images via the New York Times.