Does 488 days , means something to you ?

September 11 2011 will be on a Sunday. For reasons that we all understand, I am obsessed with this day, it will be the ten anniversary of the attack on New -York by Al-Qaeda. Every ten years, the terrorist organization has successfully striked on New York at the same place. Every attack has been exponential in its effectiveness. It also been ten years that the world most powerful army has been engulfed in a tragic war against terror that to this day brought very little result.

For ten years, the US has been searching feverishly for the main culprits namely Osama Ben Laden and his lieutenants. It is absolutely incredible that till this day , Al-Qaeda heads were not brought to justice or killed. One trillion dollars and thousands of American soldiers dead and injured,  and still very little to show.

Taken all these facts in consideration and being a New Yorker, I am counting 488 days to Sunday 11 of September 2011, hoping that we will not be the target again of a devastating attack that will brutalize my city again. I am imagining  with anguish the wildest scenarios possible and to my stupor, I am stoically facing the future with the same confidence of the morning of Sept 12 2001. Tough I don't even know why?

In retrospect, the past ten years, have witnessed an amplification of dangers rarely seen in modern times. Today we are facing the hostility of North Korea, and Iran that are wooing to obtain ballistic means to deliver their soon to be nuclear warheads. As well as a multitude of small time terrorists capable of inflicting lethal and massive devastation to cities like NYC or Los Angeles.

Our presence in Afghanistan and Irak, will certainly not prevent Al-Qaeda to strike us anywhere they wish to strike, that has been proven right in London, Madrid, India just to name a few.  Even with a huge Homeland security organization , the stealth terror organizations of the world are striking with impunity wherever ,  they choose.

So yes 488 days till the ten anniversary of Sept 11 2011, is to be taken very seriously both by our Government and both by our security services. Hopefully, Congress can start to anticipate the unthinkable before it happens this time and convey all our experts on terror to placate what could be an unthinkable action against NYC or any other big American city. America must be prepared this time knowing what our enemies intentions have been in the past. And God knows , they have been lethal.

The Empress and I.

We can all remember special moments that have marked our lives in some mercurial manner. In July 1977, my father and I visited Iran as guestof her Majesty, the Empress of Iran, the lovely Farah Dibba. During this month we had the privilege of visiting this beautiful country in a very thorough and detailed fashion. Her majesty was an incredible host, and her office made sure that we would see and visit all the importanthistorical sites. Needless to say that as an adolescent, it was just an amazing experience.

Her majesty was a major collector of my father art and a profound admirer. She was an ardent protector of the arts in general and also fought hardily to modernize Iran. The rest, unfortunately, we are all familiar with. A “stupid” American President abandoned the Shah and today we are all paying for this terrible mistake, of epic proportion.

Living in Manhattan provides many interesting opportunities; today wasreally one of them. I was meeting a friend of mine for coffee and walking the fame establishment, I recognized, her majesty sitting with a group of friend for coffee. I fixed her in the eyes and proceeded to talk with her. At first, she was surprised but quickly I saw a smile inher face when I mentioned that Agam was my father, and that she had invited me. She remembered all the details of our visit and was

extremely courteous and warm. One particular detail attracted her attention, I was a student in the same school, she attended before theShah married her, it was an architectural school in Paris , ESA, that was our common special connection. She inquired about me and what I had

become, I told her that my time is devoted to my art and that she is welcomed to visit me and see some of my creations. Hopefully, she will come and visit. I will not repeat the full content of our conversation .I must say that after so many years of not seeing her, I was very touched and in bliss , I had relived a very very special moment in fast motion thirty and some odd years ago, this afternoon. A few minutes after, another good friend, Nicolas Berggruen from school years appeared with his girlfriend, that I have not seen in a long time. I was very pleased to see him and invited him to visit my studio on his next trip to New York. Decidedly, it was an afternoon of good memories and good history, is it not what life is about: “collecting wonderful

friends and wonderful memories.”