Headlines

* Iran-U.S.: Iranians invited to meet Shalala
* Rushdie: "Satanic Verses" in paperback
* L.A. Symposium: Summary
* Montazeri: Former MP arrested
* Interview: Khalkhali
* Spring: Season's poem
* Nostalgia: Donny Osmond?
* Photo: Segregated exercise

THE WEB

* Bijan Mofid: Tribute to the late great playright, creator of "Shahr-e Qesseh". Still not completed by Yari Ostovany, but well on its way.

* Cupertino Iranian Community Site: Dedicated to the commitment of introducing the Iranian culture to the community and passing our cultural treasures to the next generation... Fariba Nejat <Payvand95@aol.com>

Any interesting web sites you would like to suggest?
Email us at Times@iranian.com

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KARBASCHI

* Khamanei intervenes in mayor fight, (AP) - Iran's supreme leader has stepped in to quell a power struggle among clerical rulers over the arrest of Tehran's reform-minded mayor, the official news agency reported today. Khamenei, in a statement issued by his office and carried by the news agency, instructed the president and chief justice to ``coordinate fully'' on the matter and ``to fully observe laws of the nation and justice.'' He demanded the two sides report to him on developments relating to the case against the 44-year-old mayor... full text

* Leaders discuss crisis over mayor case, (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met top government and judicial officials over a crisis sparked by the detention of Tehran's mayor on graft charges, the official IRNA news agency said on Thursday. The heads of the executive, legislative and judicial branches met Khamenei on Wednesday night after he summoned them to ``exchange views on the issue of the mayor of Tehran, Gholamhossein Karbaschi,'' IRNA said... full text

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IRAN-U.S.

* Iranians invited to meet Clinton cabinet member, (AP) -- In another sign of improved U.S.-Iranian relations, a group of Iranian wrestlers got an invitation to meet with a member of President Clinton's Cabinet. Their travel schedule after the World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling in Stillwater, Okla., prevented the meeting with Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary, who served as a Peace Corps worker in Iran. But State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said Wednesday, ``They made clear they appreciated the gesture.''... full text

* Summary of last week's symposium on Iran in Los Angeles, (IIC) - In a rare opportunity for many Iranians and Americans, the World Affairs Council brought together a distinguished group of both Iranian and American citizens to discuss whether the time had come to resume the "Dialogue." The most distinguished guests of honors and main speakers were: Ambassador S.M. Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, Ambassador Roscoe Suddarth, Ambassador L. Bruce Laingen, and Ambassador Mohammad J. Mahalatti. The main purpose of the conference was to address the differences that divide the U.S. and Iran; identify areas for possible cooperation; consider the modalities - cultural, economic, diplomatic, for resuming people-to-people links, and showcase Iranians' contributions to America.... full text

* Malaysia digs in heels over U.S'. Iran sanctions, (Reuters) - Malaysia shrugged off the threat of U.S. sanctions on Thursday and said its state oil company and other firms would continue to invest in Iran and Libya. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement during a visit by a senior State Department official that Kuala Lumpur rejected a U.S. law that provides for possible sanctions against foreign firms that invest in Iran or Libya... full text

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FEATURES

* Interview with Khalkhali (KRSI) - Hossein Mohri of Radio Seday-e Iran in Los Angeles aired an interview with former Islamic revolutionary judge, Hojatoleslam Sadeq Khalkhali. More amusing than anything else. Click here and then click on "part one" of 04/08/98. The interview begins at about the middle of "part one." Forwarded by Saeid Salehi-Had <saeid.salehi-had@intel.com>

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NEWS

* 'Satanic Verses' in paperback, (AP) - Salman Rushdie's publisher is bringing out a paperback edition of ``The Satanic Verses,'' his supporters said today. Random House refused to comment today about any paperback plans. But a member of the Salman Rushdie Defense Committee, a London-based support group, confirmed to The Associated Press that a British paperback was in the works... full text

* Pentagon: Iran has no Soviet nukes, (AP) -- The Pentagon has ``no evidence whatsoever'' that Iran acquired several nuclear warheads in the early 1990s from a former Soviet republic, a spokesman said Thursday. The report appeared in The Jerusalem Post, which said the warheads have been maintained by Russian experts. The Israeli newspaper said its information came from Iranian government documents relayed to Israel and authenticated by American experts... full text

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HUMAN RIGHTS

* Iran jails former MP for dissident links -paper, (Reuters) - A court in Iran has jailed a former parliamentarian for 30 months for ties with prominent dissident Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a newspaper said on Thursday. The daily Jameah said the court passed the sentence earlier this week against Gholamhossein Nadi, a Shi'ite Moslem clergyman, for unspecified activities linked to Montazeri... full text

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ECONOMY

* Malaysia digs in heels over U.S'. Iran sanctions, (Reuters) - Malaysia shrugged off the threat of U.S. sanctions on Thursday and said its state oil company and other firms would continue to invest in Iran and Libya. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement during a visit by a senior State Department official that Kuala Lumpur rejected a U.S. law that provides for possible sanctions against foreign firms that invest in Iran or Libya... full text

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DOLLAR RATE

Unchanged

* To send money to Iran, the rate is 510-520 tomans per dollar, depending on how much you wish to send.

* To send money out of Iran, the rate is 525 tomans per dollar.

Source: Sehaty Foreign Exchange, call in U.S.: 602-595-0777 or 500-288-8881. Preferntial rates for readers of The Iranian Times. Mention this code: BAJ 07

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ARTS

* The 41st San Francisco International Film Festival is scheduled from April 23 to May 7. There are two Iranian films; "Leila" by Dariush Mehrjui and "Season Five" a coproduction of Iran & France directed by Rafi Pitts. The full film guides is on line at: www.sfiff.org/fest98... For festival information, call 415-931-film.

* Iranian films in Washington DC: A festival of some recent Iranian films is planned in Washington, DC, during March/April 1998. The films are shown at the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium of the Freer Gallery. Tickets are free and can be obtained (up to two per person) on a first-come-first-served basis one hour prior to the program. Films being shown: March 8/13: Leila (Dariush Mehrjui), March 20/22: Det Means Girl (Abolfazl Jalili), March 27/29: Gabbeh (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), April 3: Beyond Fire (Kianoush Ayyari), April 5: A True Story (Jalili), April 17: The Abadanis (Kiarostami), April 26: Taste of Cherries (Kiarostami).

* "Taste of Cherry" U.S. screen schedules from the official Zeitgeist Film site... click here...Thanks to Payman Arabshahi <payman@fermi.jpl.nasa.gov>

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THE IRANIAN

Zagros mountain fables

In The Roses of Isfahan, author Lailee Bakhtiar van Dillen shares fictional stories and vignettes which weave through a world where an ancient culture once existed, where women read the old poets and where grandmothers and their families break the isolation of loneliness and face the time of death and passing to a spiritual world with their loved ones beside them ... full text

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NOSTALGIA

* Our (cuter) Donny Osmond

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SPORTS

* Iran may allow women's soccer - paper, (Reuters) - Iran may allow women to play soccer despite opposition from conservative Islamists. The daily Iran newspaper said on Thursday the first training course for women referees and coaches had been held by Iran's soccer federation... full text

* Wrestling on Aftab TV: A 30 minute report, including matches, interviews with Iranian wrestlers Taleqani, Khadem, Jamshidi, Dabir, Heydari, as well as Los Angeles Times reporter Robin Wright and Conoco Oil officials and many of the Iranians who had come to cheer the team will air on Aftab cable TV in the U.S. this weekend in southern California, New York, Long Island, and on the International Channel. It is narrated by veteran Iranian sports writer and wrestling historian, Hossein Hesari. Aftab will carry more reports on the wrestling in the coming weeks.

"Dream Team" IRAN -- World Cup tickets now available!

Sportestan Publishing (USA)
ish@sportestan.com
Tel: 650-473-9792

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SATIRE

Best scary economy

* A business magazine says the economy is great. Gol Aqa says... click here

Got something to make us smile?
Send it to Times@iranian.com

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POETRY

* Parastoohaa-ye bahaari... a poem by Haydeh Razaghi

* Fereydoun Moshiri on CD

Fereydoun Moshiri's poetry reading last October in Berkeley, California, is now available on CD. For more information and orders, contact Radio Havaye Tazeh at: 415-673-4726.

Listen to Moshiri's reading of "Kucheh"... here's the poem's text

* Contest

Omar Khayyam Poetry Society invites you to enter our poetry contest. Prizes: First place $100, Second $75, Third $50. Winners will be announced and printed in THE IRANIAN in June 1998.

Subject: Longing places, memories, love

Format: Poems must be in English and emailed to <matteof@msn.com>. Include your name, address and phone number.

Deadline: May 10, 1998

Entry fee: $5 for up to three poems. You may send cash or check payable to R. Macroberts. Send to 1045 Walnut Grove, Rochester Hills, MI 48306, USA.

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NEED A BIOCHEMIST?

Seeking biotechnology or biostatistics position

I am a recent graduate with a master's degree in statistics. I have extensive knowledge of programming in SAS, SPSS, and MINITAB softwares in Unix, Windows, and mainframe environments. My undergraduate background is in biology and mathematics, which is why I am looking for a job in the biotechnology or biostatistics field as an entry-level employee. If there's anyone on this mailing list who is involved in the aforementioned fields or has some experience dealing with pharmaceutical companies, please email me at mazhar@students.uwf.edu. Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,

Mehran Azhar

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LETTERS

How not what

I just wanted to thank you for running articles and pictures about Noruz, Charshanbe suri and Sizdah Bedar. I have found a lot of stuff on the Web about these holidays, but your articles were the best for showing how people celebrate as opposed to what. Maureen S. O'Brien <mobrien@dnaco.net>

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BOOKSTORE

Book of the week

Khaterat-e Amirteymur Kalali
Edited by Habib Ladjevardi
1997, Iranian Oral History Project
Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Available from Iranbooks

Memoirs of Mohammad Ebrahim Amirteymour Kalali -- also known as Sardar Nosratwas a tribal leader, Majles deputy, and cabinet minister during Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Shah's reign.
See feature in THE IRANIAN. Click here

THE IRANIAN Bookstore

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ACADEMIC

* Iran and the Region: Past, Present and Future Relations with Its Neighbors April 24-25, 1998 Portland, Oregon, USA The Center for Iranian Research and Analysis (CIRA) will hold its 16th annual conference in association with Portland State UniversityÕs Middle East Center. In addition to proposals related to the conference theme, paper abstracts and panel proposals on all social, political, historical, economic, literary and artistic issues related to Iran, the Middle East and Central Asia are welcome. Please submit an abstract (300-400 words), paper title, name and complete address (including e-mail address, if available) no later than January 12, 1998. Send abstracts and requests for additional information to: Dr. Nader Entessar, CIRA Executive Director, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL 36608, USA; phone (1-334)380-3051; fax (1-334)460-2184; e-mail <entessar@azalea.shc.edu>; website <http://www-adm.pdx.edu/user/mesc/cira/>.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Exercise in the park

* Exercising in a Tehran park... men here... women there ... full image

Got any interesting photos?
Send them to Times@iranian.com

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MUSIC

* Pooran, "Asheqi bad dardi-yeh"

(Get RealAudio)

Greatest pop CDs ON SALE!

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QUOTE UNQUOTE

Opportunity

Petronas and other Malaysian companies will continue to invest abroad wherever economic opportunities exist, including in Iran and Libya.

Malaysian Foreign Ministry Statement
"Malaysia digs in heels over U.S. sanctions"
Reuters
April 9, 1998

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