Latest 2006
Archive

WINE

Godfather's grapes

Photo essay: Francis Ford Coppola's winery, Napa Valley, California
Jahanshah Javid

CELEBRATE
Light is born

Happy Yalda or Yuletide
Ali Mostofi

Iranian Cosmologists, Astronomers, Astrologers, were responsible for creating observatories, and following the change in the amount of light every day. They created a calendar that connected the change in daylight to the seasons. Astrologically they created what is called the Horoscope. In present day Iran the calendar is an Astrological calendar. It has withstood the test of time, and the people of Iran have four celebrations to commemorate the interplay of Light and Darkness. The Yin Yang of time, to make it clear to the Chinese folk who buy all that oil from Iran, is called the Ohrmazd-Ahriman dialectic. These are the Twin Forces that show up in all realms of Life >>>

CHRISTMAS
To tree or not to tree...
Shahriar Zahedi

Every year around this time a debate flares up among the Iranian Diaspora as to whether we should display Christmas trees in our houses. The issue is discussed ad-nauseam on talk-radio shows and at parties and gatherings. Everyone has their own opinion about this potentially touchy subject. Some favor doing "as Romans do" and advocate displaying the biggest tree befitting the confines of their domiciles. Others consider this an outright act of sacrilege and remind their Moslem brethren (and sistren) that we, as Moslems, should not honor these ridiculous rites of the infidels. I think the displaying of a Christmas tree should not have any bearing on whether one considers Jesus as one's lord and savior or even believes in the Holly Ghost and the Trinity. (What is the Trinity, anyway? Is monotheism in peril?) >>>

IRANIANS
Maybe we desrve it
Faramarz Fateh

Anyway, as usual after discussing the LA real estate market and how much money folani had made or lost, the inevitable political discussion got started. Someone said that we should ALL buy the new book by President Jimmy Carter because for the first time in history, someone famous in U.S. politics has dared to write the truth about the Jews and Israel. And maybe now the Israeli apartheid can be stopped and the Jews can be put in their place and may be now the Palestinians can have their rightful country. What?!! Stop the presses!!!! What is this guy talking about and why a few of these men I know and respect are all of a sudden praising Jimmy Carter?! Let me remind ya'll of a few facts: 1) Jimmy Carter was the cause for the demise of the Pahlavi regime and return of the pile of scum called Khomeini back to Iran. As much as I disliked the Shah, I won't trade a gram of crap from that era for the entire Islamic Republic of Iran >>>

AMERICA
Kaffash
Layla Khamoushian

There is something about them, all of them... the entire act of polishing and shining people's old shoes... all day long, day after day just amazes me. Then there is the whole key making situation. Who in the world came up with the idea that a shoe repair guy should also make keys? I mean, maybe they (not sure who) thought it was so demeaning to just make keys that you also had to shine shoes to feel better about yourself? Just want to know if anyone else has ever questioned the relationship between keys and shoes? The Kaffash on M Ave: the little old man who was missing a couple of front teeth and his shop was as small as my closet. His Persian radio so loud, you could hear it on the sidewalk. He was a character. All you could think of was "how in the world this guy got to America?" >>>

SNIP

Doing the world a favor

Photo essay: Decided on getting a vasectomy
Jahanshah Javid

CELEBRATE
Gift of Magi

How to celebrate Christmas with our Christian neighbors
Mahmoud Sadri

There is a portion of the Iranian Diaspora community that is not sure what to make of Christmas. So it haphazardly, half-heartedly, ignores or celebrates it. The nagging concern is how this holiday relates to all that is Iranian, Middle Eastern, or Islamic. Do Iranians lose a part of their identity and heritage by partaking of the festivities alien to their traditional or sacred calendar? In the meanwhile, neighbors, co workers, and – the toughest part – children continue to ask questions. Whether they take Christmas as a holy-day (a religious occasion) or a holiday (a social ritual), Iranians have reason enough to celebrate it and to add their own story, making it more festive for grownups and more fun for children. Here is the scoop: Iranians enter the Christmas picture four times: three times as Iranians and a fourth time as Muslims. I’ll explain but, first, a few words on the origin and nature of Christmas >>>

GIVING
It's Christmas
Hila Sharif

I worked last Christmas Eve. I was a server a pretty family oriented restaurant (with the best food and staff ever.) I had about five tables at once that night. When you are a lazy sh*t like me that is more than enough. One of those tables was made up of two married couples who looked like they were in their mid to late fourties. They weren't necessarily rude, but very unreceptive and quiet. The next table I got was a single dude by himself who looked like he was in his mid twenties. This guy ordered himself a salad, a nice big steak with potatoes and cheesecake to follow. I remember thinking that it was adorable watching him go all out for his Christmas Eve dinner all by himself. I also totally dug his leather jacket and dirty construction boots - he was a man's man >>>

CHRISTMAS

Glowing forest

Photo essay: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Ray Rafizadeh

DISGUSTED
We are indestructible
Jewish Irani

Ahmaghinejad and his hateful clan have opened a 2-day so-called conference on Holocaust denial, in Tehran. Of course, they are selling it as an academic conference to some 67 foreign researchers (read anti-Semites) from 30 countries. In the name of the six million who were perished Al Kidush Ha-shem; sanctifying the Almighty's name, I tell you Mr. Ahmaghinejad that there have been many others before you who tried to hurt the Jewish people, but they themselves were wiped off the map. Take your ancient countryman for example Mr. Haman who like you had such sinister dreams. What happened to him? He was hanged on the very same gallows that he built to kill Mordechai the Jew >>>

DANCE
Niosha's dual crusade

Bringing Persian dance to the masses
Behrouz Bahmani

With all the negativity surrounding Iranians and Iran these days, there is little that is obviously optimistic. Who we really are is often masked by those desperate to drag us into their bitter feuds and hostile intentions. So it is wonderful when a truly inspiring story comes along. Niosha Nafei is a Bay Area Iranian Community icon. But before I get to that let me tell you what she does. Niosha Dance Academy (NDA) has been teaching young and older students, various traditional classical, and modern Persian Dance since 1991 >>>

LIFE
Clearing my closets
Fereshteh Saheli

I was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month ago.  I was aware of my tumors a good year before that and did absolutely nothing about them.  I never went to a doctor, never sought help of any sort much to the dismay of childhood friends who found me out during one incredibly glorious vacation recently.  I tried to explain my thoughts ... I have packed so very much in my first thirty years of life than most people do in their whole.  Not even touching on the next 15, I tried my best to tell them I’ve had enough.  I could happily pass on now.  I really can!  Enough pain, enough joy, enough fun, enough bitter, enough sweet, enough laughter, enough sadness, enough any and all.  None would hear of it >>>

LIFE
Anar dreams

It’s very possible that I have held the biggest pomegranate arils known to man in the palm of my right hand, in my head
Maziar Shirazi

Did you ever have a powerfully real dream that was a 50/50 combination of the fantastic and the mundane? The following dream actually did happen, although I added a sentence at the end to tie it all together. I was sleeping around three or four in the afternoon today, and in my head, I went to the refrigerator to get something to eat. I had just opened the fridge door when, to my surprise, something in a plastic bag fell from a shelf to the floor with a heavy thud. I picked it up and saw the Wholesome Choice logo on the bag, recognizing it as the one pomegranate left from my last minute food pickup in Irvine, California, some two weeks ago. To my dismay, upon removing the pomegranate from the bag, I saw that it had flattened on one spot, I’m guessing from the fall. What's more, its skin was white or pink in many areas, and had large folds running obliquely around it, like the torso of an obese person... how strange >>>

CHRISTMAS
Deck the halls with Hengameh

With Las Vegas, it seems Iranians have really gone above and beyond the now commercial holiday spirit
Nazanin

Growing up in America, I held a deep affection for Christmas. Here was a holiday that meant vacation, presents and candy. People were cheerful and decorated their houses with tiny lights to welcome a jolly man bearing presents in the night. It was like Halloween on LSD! As I grew up, and attended catholic school, I understood what all the celebration was really about. Like most things, as time got on, it wasn't as cool anymore. When my grandmother came to visit us when I was in 7th grade, I made sure to show her the White House Christmas tree and buy her candy canes. And like most visitors from Iran, she was eager to see the usual hot spots like Tyson's Corner and Georgetown. The sales were wild and so were the Christmas shoppers >>>

GIFT
Azam's secrets

What to give a middle-aged woman for Christmas
Azam Nemati

I want to help out the brothers and make the task less stressful since many of you are so clueless and have no imagination when it comes to buying gifts for us for any occasion. I am the kindhearted big sister who wants you to shine and let’s remember this is not about me but having heard all the complaints, I want to make it simple despite the myth that women are complicated. First of all, there are two groups of women.  The first are those who truly value anything that shows thoughtfulness as corny as it sounds.  The second group belongs to the “rich housewife” club. That is someone with 9th grade education (or high school if she is younger) who is married to someone with money and her status among the rest of the housewives is determined by the handbag she carries, the make up she wears and the car she drives and of course all is paid from the pocket of bothers like you who like being the “agha” >>>

LIFE
Friends spread around the world

Maybe it is the distance that is making me feel this way
Hamid Bakhsheshi

The little clock on the corner of the computer says 12:16 AM. I'm fighting tears after saying good bye to two dear friends. But then again, having tears in my eyes is nothing new for me these days. I was on line, reading the news, watching the news on TV, at the same time, when Koroush comes on line saying, "Hamid, what are you doing?" Surprised that he's still awake, he told me he couldn't sleep. Moments later he tells me that Mori is on line too, can we conference? I set it up, since he said he is not up to speed with "these things". Mori comes on and the three of us start chatting >>>

STUDENTS
Forum for improvment

Defining an agenda on paper is far easier than implementing it in real life. To implement it in real life, friendships have to be formed and cliques must disappear
Nezam Rabonik

Promoting the mission statement listed above, is an extremely difficult task. Before progress can be made where members (and officers) of ISF stubbornly work towards promoting the Iranian culture, an over-haul of the organization must be made. I made the suggestion to Rana Rabei -- to create a new Iranian organization at UMD -- because I don't believe it's within ISF's power to promote the agenda as defined. HOWEVER, Nazanin's words have given me new hope and perhaps in the future, we as old officers and members of ISF can work with ISF's current officers and members to formulate a plan to create an organization that can promote the above agenda. Before we embark on this, however, we have to realize the social dynamics at ISF and the difficulties in bringing students of different walks to follow the same agenda >>>

COMIC

Intelligent punch

Video clips and photo essay: Peyvand Khorsandi stand up comedy in Sacramento
Jahanshah Javid

PEOPLE

Thanksgiving Polo

Photo essay: Thanksgiving at Berkeley's Persian Center
Talieh Shahrokhi

COLLEGE
Professor Pervert
Rana Rabei

Amongst my many campus jobs, I work in lab. My job description entails a lot of media making, autoclaving, and some downtime in between. One day last summer, I was waiting in the hallway outside the autoclave room, where I saw a blackboard and naturally proceeded to erase its content and do some figure sketching. I had no idea my drawing would become the center of an unsolved mystery case ... Last week, I was walking with a co-worker past the chalk board where my life-size drawing of two curvaceous women still stands, when I casually commented on how I thought it was peculiar that no one has erased the board yet. This put my colleague in a momentary state of shock then she bursted out in laughter. Once we had walked far enough from the crime scene, and she got the laughs out of her system, she told me the story >>>

SNOW

Shades of white

Photo essay
Azadeh Azad

COMIC

Peyvand Times

Photo essay: 48 hours with Peyvand Khorsandi
Jahanshah Javid

STUDENTS
Don't blow off a challenge

Iranian Students Foundation parties are at the expense of the culture it was founded to promote
Nazanin

A few years earlier, I had to type the ISF constitution for the University of Maryland, as an officer. I remember typing a very clear sentence concerning the goal of ISF: to promote the Iranian culture within and without the Iranian community. To me, that means as officers of ISF, you are responsible for promoting Iranian culture - not to be concerned with large-scale parties. It's easy to gather a large group of people and that isn't necessarily commendable. Besides repeatedly offering dinner and dancing and even sometimes a singer at your events, how is all your hard work remembered? By consistently seeing the attendance of 200-300 Iranians at your events, you have so-far proven that there are lots of Iranians in Maryland. Don't be afraid of a challenge or criticism, or worse, a "boring" culturally oriented event >>>

STUDENTS
Have a problem with our agenda?

Run for office or start your own group
Nezam Rabonik

One cannot overlook the many friendships and cultural exchanges that are created because of the Iranian Students' Foundation (ISF) of the University of Maryland. In addition, as far as I have seen, very few entities have been able to fortify the Iranian community in the DC area as ISF does. For Chahar Shanbeh Souri last year, we were able to bring over 5000 Iranians together!!!! In fact, all events sponsored by ISF are typically sold out, with attendance in the 200-500 range for each event. This is no small feat. And I agree, while the group does not sponsor enough cultural, political, and weighty Iran-related events, it still fulfills a niche that the community needs -- bringing people together. For this reason, this group is successful and a huge plus for our community >>>

TRAVELERS

Home away from home

Photo essay: Phase one of the expedition in appreciation of Manchetser
Shahireh S

BAGGAGE
The renewed virgin
Rana Rabei

If I were to ask a Persian man to paint me a picture of their ideal girl, I have a feeling it would be something like this: Young, good looking, hard working, smart, and inexperienced. If it seems like I'm drawing stereotypes at this point, you're probably right, I am. But after being the subject of interest of a number of Persian men looking to train me into their running mate in the race that is marriage, it's hard to rule out the repeating pattern of educated and accomplished Iranian men looking for a wife 10 years younger than them. The burning question remains, what has led to this hypocrisy? Other than the fact that most of us are gifted with the vestigial biases of our parents' generation, I would like to point out a particular social phenomenon that has led to the mass development of the stereotypical Persian man. To illustrate my case, I would like to call 'the renewed virgin' to the stand >>>

NIETZSCHE
The Hypothetical
Shahriar Zahedi

Some nights, just before falling asleep, my mind begins to wonder and I find myself in a realm I call "the Domain of the Hypothetical". Questions starting with 'What if' flood my semi-conscious brain and I incessantly look for answers to them. This cerebral give-and-take frequently yields thought-products that, in all fairness, could only be categorized as utter nonsense. There are rare times, however, that the randomness of the process, coupled with the sheer number of the ideas floating around in my head, produce a thing or two that a generous disposition may consider mildly humorous. The other day, I was reading Nietzsche during my lunch break >>>

SEASONS

Virginia fall

Photo essay: Autumn in Alexandria, Huntley Meadow Park, Virginia
Morteza Loghmani

SEASONS

After the rain

Photo essay: Canada's west coast
Sophie Saviour

HILLBILLIES
Keep your cool

We need to stop expecting or assuming that education, wealth or family rank rules people's behavior
Azam Nemati

A while back we went on a cruise (we had the name of all who we had agreed to be with us) and somehow a group of Iranians (3 people) we had never seen or met were on that cruise (evening cruise) so while in the area which we had reserved for dancing, I politely told one of the men in a white expensive Italian suit to please put out his cigarette since this was indoors and this was a non-smoking area. I went on the dance floor and a little over an hour later came back to take napkin out of my white jacket. You guessed it! The beautiful and expensive jacket was drenched in orange color soda! I did not have to be a rocket scientist to know the rat had done it but I could not prove it so I let it be. I had no regrets for having spoken my mind even though it cost me >>>

WOMEN
Modern maiden

Stop blaming premarital sex for your broken homes
Hiedeh Farmani

I am a married woman living in conservative Iran, where women are expected to keep their hymens intact for wedlock and many among more traditional families still have to get their virginity verified by a doctor before tying the knot -- to guarantee the future groom has not been sold damaged goods. Yet, marriages fail and divorce rates are ramping up. Many of those wandering about in family courts were good old blushing virgins when they married. So what went wrong? Men's drug addiction and unemployment are said to be the main reasons but there are studies and statistics showing adultery as well as sexual incompatibility and dissatisfaction are also -- if not equally -- playing important roles. Reluctant to lift our heads out of the sand, we still perpetuate and promote "values" of honor and chastity, chanting into young women's ears to keep away from sex, putting a halo over an orifice >>>

COLLEGE
Support WHAT exactly!?
Rana Rabei

Let me cut to the point: What other school organization do you know of that gets a $500 check from a trendy lounge in the US capital to funnel in a young crowd of alcoholics to their venue on a Thursday night, in the last 2 weeks of the school semester? Other than the Iranian Student Organization, I have no idea. A friend of mine who's an officer in this organization confronted me the other day, “You haven't supported us once this semester!” And I thought to myself, support WHAT exactly!? To me it seems like this “cultural” organization continues to exist because it provides students with a legitimate family-friendly excuse for wasting time >>>

OBSERVER
Oonee keh beh maa nareedeh bood...

UCLA police, Patrick Swaze and me
Cameron Milani

After a few failed attempts to raise my earnings to a dollar or two above the U.S. minimum wage, and pulling all kinds of strings through my powerful friends, Hassan the Aashpaz, Reza the Panchargeer, and Fazee Rashtee's older brother Hamdollah (who preferred to be called, Jonothan) , the "Night Manager" at a local nightclub, I was finally offered the big one, the job that would set me aside from all those minimum-wage earning losers: Bouncer at a local night club. As good as it sounded, I had my reservations. "I don't want to be a doorman like Hamdollah haa," I told Fazee Rashtee. "Ehh, I told you baabaa, besh nagoo 'doorman', shaakee meesheh!". Then he cracked and said, "and you need to call him 'Jonathan' there." Well. He was nice enough to put a good word for me. Those positions were hard to come by. Lights, sound, disco, wild women (plenty of action, I assumed), cool guys, and the best part, $8.25, every hour, in my pocket. I started thinking: "Bah bah,... Haajeet deegeh raft daakheleh aadamhesaabee haa!" American dream is finally coming true for your 'pilgram'! >>>

AMERICA
Iranian Hillbillies

Nobody can teach these guys anything
Sean Amour

The scene is the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, Arizona, one of the most classy and upscale hotels in Scottsdale where adults and romantic couples dress up to go there on weekend nights. On Friday and Saturday nights after 9:00 p.m, a fantastic band (called Mosaico) plays Flamenco music accompanied by very professional Flamenco dancers. This is definitely a sophisticated place for people who are well dressed and over 21. Suddenly, this group of Iranian families show up, comprising 4 couples, each having 3 or 4 kids aged between 4 to 7 -- all dressed in expensive kids outfits. First of all, these ten kids start running around inside and outside the bar, screaming and chasing each other. The Iranian parents are busy ordering drinks at the bar (not any Vodka, but Grey Goose, and bottles of French Champaign) -- totally oblivious to their kids' behavior. The Iranian guys are wearing shorts and sneakers (albeit the expensive brands), while everyone else in the bar is wearing evening attire and shoes >>>

VIEW
I have boycotted Iran

... and all those who travel to Iran are traitors
Amir Nasiri

Almost 30 years have past and Iran is still ruled by a theocratic and fascist government. And nothing has changed since the revolution, or maybe I should say that things have gotten worse: Overcrowded prisons (mainly political prisoners, not drug dealers or rapists), over-population, pollution, inflation, unemployment and poverty are all facets of the Islamic revolution. I was asked by a friend why don't you visit Iran my reply to him was I have boycotted Iran and all those who travel to Iran are traitors. Yes I have not visited Iran for almost 22 years. My grandfathers had passed away and my grandmother just recently passed away and although I would love to go to visit their graves and say my prayer, I refuse to go. I will not buy products made by the Islamic Republic of Iran and I refuse to own an Iranian satellite dish that carried the Islamic Republic's TV programs >>>

MEOW
Iranian Beauty, the book
Nader Farzan

We have started a book project for charity. Iranian Beauty will be a coffee table book featuring our photography of beautiful Iranian-American females and all the proceeds will be donated to a charity in Iran benefiting children (we are still doing our research to find the best, legitimate charity.) We've been accepting applications for the last week now and the response has been very positive! You can learn more at our website, iranianbeauty.com. We would greatly appreciate it if you could support us any way possible. Please check out our website and let us know what you think.

LITERATURE

The meaning of night

Photo essay: International Festival in Celebration of Freedom of Expression
Mandana Zandian

VIEW
Iranica bitaraf?

Encyclopaedia Iranica and politics
Massoud Noghrekar

APPLY TODAY
UC Abu Ghraib
Eski Sepehr

UC Abu Ghraib in Los Angeles like its sister facility in Iraq is home to Middle Easterners of different shades some of whom resemble Mostafa Tabatabainejad, but there are of course notable differences in management policies at the two facilities. Eventhough at UC Abu Ghraib the men and women in uniform still prefer applying high voltage electric shock as the principle tool of their security work, the torture dungeons have been done away with altogether. This new openness has advanced the cause of Democracy to no end and will no doubt be emulated in future Democracy projects. Another notable difference is that at UC Abu Ghraib the work of the highly professional security personnel is carried out in plain sight of anyone who can watch a torture and humiliation session without getting dizzy >>>

UCLA
Iranian guilt
Ari Siletz

The Iranian community's outrage at the mistreatment of Mostafa Tabatabainejad by UCLA police has led us into doing a bit of soul-searching. Would we have felt just as indignant if the victim of this assault had been Chinese or African American? The honest answer for some of us is "no." We are humbler than to assume we are saintly beings whose empathy embraces all of humanity with equal zeal. Yet this is no reason for moral despair. The fact that our reach of compassion strengthens with emotional nearness is actually very useful in promoting justice in the world. As long as everyone defends what is within his or her natural emotional reach, all of humanity is covered. In this "zone defense" scenario, if we do not look after other Iranians, we are not doing our job protecting the little patch of justice with which we have been entrusted >>>

GIFT
1,764,000 dollar Virgin
Bruce Bahmani

You've wished upon a star, tried to find the man in the moon, and secretly still want to be an astronaut (remember when you were 8 years old?). Now, for the first time, the heavens are truly within reach, when you charter Virgin Galactic for the journey into space. It may sound like science fiction, but it's very real indeed. The Burton Rutan-designed SpaceShipOne has already completed three space missions and won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for the first private space flight. Now, funded by Virgin, Rutan is building a larger, commercial version of SpaceShipOne exclusively for Virgin Galactic. Like Sir Richard Branson's previous adventures, this one is being planned, designed, tested, and executed down to the last detail to ensure its safety and success >>>

VICTIMS

Thinking of you

Photo essay: For children killed in Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Aidin Fathalizadeh

DIASPORA
Our touchstone
Most of us were neither born in Iran, nor have we ever lived there
Lance Raheem

There are innumerable English proverbs, adages and idiomatic expressions which revolve around the concept of home. A few of these include: "a man's home is his castle", "charity begins at home", "men make houses-women make homes", "there is no place like home", "the chickens have come home to roost", and "till the cows come home." Perhaps, the proverb that best applies for many of the Iranian-Americans who left Iran prior to the revolution is "home is where the heart is." For those of us who are the second-generation children and third-generation grandchildren of those early immigrant/refugees to North America, Europe and other parts of the world this proverb simply doesn't apply >>>

PROTEST

Bruised Bruins
Photo essay & Video clips (1) (2): UCLA protest against tasing
Maral Farsi

BRAINY
Happy anniversary, Dr. Ghajar
Fathali Ghahremani

As you may know the Brain Trauma Foundation-BTF (braintrauma.org) was established to educate doctors and emergency personnel in the proper protocols for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Dr. Jamshid Ghajar founded the organization twenty years ago and through his personal diligence and sacrifices it has become a success, helping the medical community develop the correct protocols for treating brain injury (see attachment). I think it is appropriate for all of us to support his dedication. It would be great, if at this time, through our support of BTF, we would show our appreciation of the work that Jamshid is doing every single day to save lives and, even more important, preserving the quality of life of patients. A contribution (tax deductible in the United States) to BTF will show that we are aware of his efforts to make the world a better place for all of us. His work let's each an everyone of us feel proud and stand a bit taller >>>

CHOICE
The "basher" and the "immortal"
On Anousheh Ansari's space travel and her critics
Mahsa Meshki

I like to say, that in exercising her passion, Ansari has exercised godliness and perhaps attained it. One only needs to read her blog to sense the childish enthusiasm that imbues her words as she shares her space travel experience. I like to say, if Ansari could have explored space without paying a hefty sum of money, she would have done so; that unfortunately, the price tag of following our dreams is often hefty. I like to say, she is non-partisan, just a curious soul following her dreams. I like to say, the contribution she is making to furthering humanity's vision beyond the boundaries of our earth will have a profound shift in our consciousness beyond what our limited vision allows us to see at this time. I like to say, we each have a song and surmounting the world's hunger problems should be left to someone other than Ansari. Finally, I like to ask, why we burden Ansari with solving the world's hunger problems when she never acceded to such responsibility? >>>

SEX
Screw the Sexual Revolution
It deeply saddens me that many in second-generation of Iranian women in the West have adopted such a "ce la vie" attitude about sexual relationships outside the bounds of marriage
Jim S.

Few men in the world would desire a wife who has been intimate with another man. Unfortunately, Western men have no choice but to ignore women's past sexual indiscretions if they hope to marry and have families. If you think that Western men are just more tolerant and accepting of female premarital intimacies, let me assure you that we are not. Western men are no different from Iranian men in wanting a wife who has not been deflowered by another. Western men want their wives to come to their marriage bed as innocent and pure as the day they were born, but this is not a realistic option or ambition any longer for Western men while it still is for many Iranian men. Whether you like it or not, this is the way it is, the way it always has been and the way it always will be >>>

GAME

Poker night
Photo essay: Playing poker in Albany, California
Jahanshah Javid

KIDS
Wee wee training
My first time trying to get my boys to pee into urinals
Siamack Salari

It was Varinder's (she's my wife) idea to leave me at Nando's - a chicken restaurant - with the twins while she zipped around the shops in Bluewater shopping centre (Kent in the UK). The idea was that in the time my three-year-old sons and I would take to tuck into corn on the cob, roast chicken, fries and rice, Varinder would have found the leather boots she was looking for. And that's how I came to realise that I was still incapable of looking after them single headedly - unlike my wife. Lunch was painless, they ate all of the corn and some of the chicken. They drew pictures on the colouring sets they had been given when we were shown to our table and they made conversation about their school (Madam), grand parents (maman jan) and doing a wee-wee >>>

PROBLEM
Persians & Trojans
I applaud those women and men who take precaution and practice safe sex
Sanaz Raji

Let's face it, people have sex. The problem isn't sex, it is how people handle it and of course, being Iranian, whether living in Iran or in the diaspora, it is our culture and the fact that we have a real problem with being open about our sexuality. I have no problem with virginity; I applaud those who decide to wait until marriage. However, not everyone decides to wait -- many have sexual relations before marriage and this is also another reality. Instead of instructing women and men to not have sex or chastising those women and men who are open about their sexuality, I'd rather see Iranian men and women better educated about safe sex and are healthy about their sexuality >>>

LIFE
Learning to love L.A.
Could this be the secret that attracted Iranians to this city?
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

Most Iranians who live outside of California, view LA as a whole different planet, one that they'd rather stay away from. Even some Californians consider the city a last choice for residence. With its overwhelming number of Iranian emigrants, a visitor can expect a few encounters with them and they are not always pleasant. After all, we tend to take our good as well as our bad wherever we go, and it's too bad that pleasant memories are easily forgotten while a bad experience tends to linger for some time. Before becoming a California resident, my experience of LA was that of any tourist's. It began with a trip to Disney Land and a tour of the Universal Studios, perhaps a walk in front of the Chinese Theater, and finally window-shopping on the magnificent Rodeo Drive while dreaming of winning the lotto to actually shop in some of those stores. To me, LA meant limited human contact and few acquaintances. Ironically, most of our friends who happened to live in and around LA shared some of our negative sentiments >>>

OBSERVER
Sharing vs. tearing
Confessions of an Iranian narcissist
Shirin Saeidi

Aside from flabbergasting Iranian neo-conservatives aligned with the Bush administration and their sympathizers and apologists, Dr. Hamid Dabashi's recent article on Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran published in Al-Ahram Weekly fueled dialogue among Iranians in the Diaspora regarding their role and responsibilities as Iranian nationals living abroad. Through our action or inaction, and despite our religious, political, cultural, and social views, Dr. Dabashi reminded us, we have become a significantly influential factor in Iranian politics. And although he was not present at a discussion on "Iranian-American Identity" at George Mason University in Fairfax Virginia a few weeks ago, Dr. Dabashi's premise in the Al-Ahram article was at the forefront of my thought >>>

DEMOCRACY
Nazri and Neocons
Azam Nemati

I had been looking forward to this day for 6 years. You should have seen the Republicans in my state lined up in a parking lot on both side to try and intimidate the voters. I stopped and shouted, "Don't you even go there. I am Iranian and will never vote Republican as long as I live here." They said "have a good day!" I even did the Persian Nazr and promised God if he intervenes and the Neocons get ousted, I will begin to exercise and lose weight >>>

DEMOCRACY
Today is a good day
Bruce Bahmani

Like the first rat leaving the sinking ship, Donald Rumsfeld, the Robert McNamara of his time, resigned in total and utter shame today. He even looks like McNamara these days. I say shame, because I refuse to let him leave with even one scrap of the honor we are being sold by President Bush. And before he gest one, let me be the first to curse the medal he is about to receive for his "service". Of course, at the very moment when it is precisely too late to admit you were wrong, too late to admit you were warned by everyoen that you were wrong, the natural cowards way out of all this, is to quit and simply and try to quietly slink away from the very problems he hath wrought! Talk about cutting and running! >>>

ELECTIONS
Thanks to American Muslims
The importance of the immigrant Muslim vote in Virginia
Stetson Al Rigal

It was like being a kid again, I was waiting for the bending of time and space so Tuesday would come instantly. All day at work I kept looking at the clock waiting and waiting for the seconds to become minutes and the minutes to become hours, all in anticipation of Tuesday's election results. I did not care if the Republicans lost the House. I did not care if the Republicans lost the Senate. My only concern, desire and hope was for God to intervene in the course of history and produce a victory for James Webb and a defeat for George "I made up the word Maccaca" Allen. More on the historic Webb win later... Webb's narrow victory is historic not only in sending a message that Virginia is no longer the lackey of the Conservative Right, it is historic in that it signifies the importance of the Muslim vote in Virginia -- by Muslim I am referring to immigrant Muslim, indigenous Muslims and second/third Generation Muslims. For those of you that are repelled by the word Muslim, it also includes Iranians (secular or not) >>>

INTEGRITY
Unwavering fairness
Reza Bayegan

Unfortunately I never got to meet Shahla Samii. My contact with her was through e-mail and in connection with a political campaign waged by a few individuals who were hoping against hope and were using whatever last resources at their disposal to speak up against tyranny and injustice in their homeland. Shahla Samii was outstanding within this group for her sharp intelligence and her unwavering fairness of judgment. She never took a stance for the sake of pleasing this or that source of power or without first carefully and meticulously evaluating the merits and demerits of the case at hand. I remember her advising her friends 'Always speak with conviction, never sway from your principles' >>>

PERCEPTION
15 minutes of dignity: Priceless!
Omid Parsi

NEW YORK -- Lately, as anyone deeply familar with the Iranian spirit could have predicted, there has been an outburst of passion from assorted commentators - literate ones too, amazingly - condemning Ms. Ansari's space travel and her ensuing "15 minutes of fame" as vane and extravagant. Indeed how could anyone spend twenty million or so "beezaboon" US$$ to fulfill a childish whim of spending a night in a cold space capsule?! What is more troubling to me however is the fact that it never ocurred to our big-hearted but small-minded Ansari-bashers that maybe the recognition she has received might somehow uplift all Iranians. After all, in case some of us have not realized, lately the world's general perception of Iranians is not something we could be all too proud of >>>

OBSERVER

How things have always been
Photo essay: After being outside of Iran for quite some time, upon returning I found some things to be completely new and at times shocking and others quite old and familiar
G. Ali

What a strange people. They're still the same bastards. It's incredible. Lots of things in Iran have improved, but not people. They still have no regard for each others' rights. They're so porroo (does anyone have an English equivalent for this?) they put the Qazvini pumice stone to shame. They still rob you blind if they find the chance. They still stab you in the back just for the hell of it. They still lie like there's no tomorrow. And at the same time the same people can be their own exact opposite. They can give you favorite nation status without expecting anything in return >>>

DEMOCRACY

It's that easy
Photo essay: Voting in U.S. elections
Jahanshah Javid

PASARGAD
Prevent this disaster
International Committee to Save Pasargad

It is almost two years that thousands of people interested in the historical and cultural heritages of human kind have pleaded for your help to save a large part of archeologically unique sites of Iran, recognized as a part of human heritage, from complete destruction by the flooding of a Dam called Sivand. These threatened areas are comprised of Bolaghi Gorge, Pasargad Plains and the Mausoleum of Cyrus the Great, the author of the first Human rights charter. According to reports prepared by excavators, geologists, environmentalists, archeologists and historians, all published inside Iran, flooding the Sivand Dam will not only destroy all the historical treasures of this area but it will also jeopardize the environment and agriculture of a vast region in Iran's Fars province >>>

SADDAM
We want an apology
Firoozeh Derakhshani

1- Why is it absolutely necessary to get a word of apology from Saddam in the name of humanity? 2- Why do we Iranians demand Saddam confess to the injustice he committed when he deployed chemical weapons against the people of Iran? 3- Why is it necessary for Saddam to tell the court of justice who exactly armed him with chemical weapons and actualized such acts of cruelty against humanity? As an Iranian woman writer I have demanded the replies to the same issues since 1983 in Geneva at the United Nations Commission & Sub commission on Human Rights. The western diplomats turned a sour face when I distributed pictures or pamphlets with the chemical weapon victims brought to the Swiss hospitals >>>

TRIBUTE
A class apart
Fereydoun Hoveyda belonged to a generation of Iranian Intellectuals and art lovers who were to pave the road for some of today's brilliant Iranian artists
Darius Kadivar

Much will be said and written about the Hoveyda brothers in History books as well as on their moral and political legacy that was nurtured by brotherhood love that transcended the tragic death of elder Amir Abbas in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution of 1979... I had the honor of corresponding with him several times to talk about art and his experience in films. I have to say that I came across a man who despite the great ups and downs of life came across as not only brilliant but also a man of taste with a great sense of humor. Of all his articles and books he wrote I should say that I was mostly intrigued by those that were related to films >>>

FEMI-NAZIS
Striking a chord
For decades men in America, including Iranian-American men, have been suffering in silence
Lance Raheem

There was a time when the virtue of masculinity was celebrated in society. There was a time when men weren't ashamed to look like men, to talk like men, to act like men... .to be men. Now, in today's Emasculate Conception culture, what do you find? If a man wants to be accepted by women today, he has to be feminized, intellectually, emotionally, psychologically and to some extent, even, physically. Ten years ago no one on planet earth had ever heard of a metrosexual. Now you find them everywhere. While they aren't gay, there is still something that is very unsettling about how effeminate they behave. Am I the only one who thinks it's unnatural that straight men woul want to have a facial and a pedicure, or would want to wear male eyeliner? These poor souls are not only more interested in shopping at pretty-boy boutiques than sitting down to watch a good fight on TV, they are more interested in a good sale at the mall than their sisters, mothers or wives are. North America has turned into a continent of sissies and it's turning Iranian-American men into a bunch of sissies, too >>>

TRAVELERS

Miss you
Photo essay: London's Neal Street
Parima Shahin Moghaddam

HOVEYDA
International man
A. Jayranpour

Fereydoun Hoveyda, the former Ambassador and permanent representative of Iran to the United Nations died at his home in Virginia on November 3, 2006 at the age of 82. As a young Iranian diplomat, he was involved in the preparatory work for the San Francisco Conference that adopted the Charter of the U.N. (1945) In 1947 and 1948 he participated in the drafting and voting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was the last living signer of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights... As an artist Hoveyda, in his many shows in the U.S., developed a new technique of "papiers collÈs," leaving a very narrow white space between papers. In the words of Andy Warhol, "Hoveyda combines his literary sensitivity, his cinematic instinct, and his international experience, to create images that are beautiful, perceptive, and funny." >>>

ELECTIONS
Vote out the Petropublics
Cyrus Mossaddegh

It is absolutely critical that normally Republican voting Iranian-Americans change their voting habit on Tuesday and play a part in keeping in check the power of the Petropublics. Why? Because your vote has a direct bearing on Iran's future. What has happened to Iraq can easily happen to Iran. If you think regime change through military force is the correct path, then you are a stooge of the Petropublics, and are betraying fellow Iranians, especially those that support non-violent paths. What are my reasons for stating the above? My reasons are based on a great deal of supporting documents that Republicans almost never read as they are too busy listening to Rush Limbaugh and fellow cretins like him. If you are prepared to get informed then there is a very good chance you will arrive at the conclusion that military force is not the right solution, and based on this conclusion it is necessary that you not vote for Republicans on Tuesday, or at least sit this election out >>>

FAME
Money doesn't buy you brains
Let little Anousheh have her purchased 15 minutes of fame until she can buy her way to another venture
Azam Nemati

It is amazing that some Iranian housewives who are uneducated and being supported by the husband think the rest of us are jealous of Ansari. I have no idea why we would be jealous because she is not prettier or smarter or even more attractive than most of us. As for her money, we are not jealous because we know she comes from a family with money. We want all our fellow Iranians to be well off but we also hope that they have hearts to use their excess money to make a difference in the world. I have a bet with my friends (and I am right 99% of the time) that Ansari was very unattractive and boring as a teen-ager she still seems quite boring and lacks wit and charm >>>

PEOPLE
Competing with skunks
Skunk spray is not only incredibly stinky, it's also notoriously difficult to get rid of
Sophie Saviour

I live in the heart of downtown but still pretty close to wildlife. That's what I like best about the city I live in: wild animals freely walking down the street and feeling safe without anyone trapping, hurting or eating them. At least not yet! Being close to the wild has its own wild sides though. Last week I noticed a very foul and persistent smell which kept me awake for quite a while. The next night, the same smell filled my place around mid-night. It was really difficult to sleep and I was unable to find the source of it. A couple of nights later, while walking home around mid-night, I noticed a beautiful creature with a white stripe on its back >>>

PEOPLE

Born again
Photo essay: Halloween in Toronto, Canada
Sadaf Kiani

CONCERT

Turning up the volume
Photo essay: Intergalactic Iranian Music Festival, Zaandam, Holland
Farzaneh

MOTHER
Eternity has past
She had the respect of everyone because she respected everyone
FG2

An eternity has past, time stopped, started and became irrelevant. Suddenly things are not the same anymore, a dyke has broken, a bridge has failed, an unsinkable ship has slipped beneath the waves; what was terra firma is now a swamp. Wednesday morning nine o'clock the phone rings. I'm on my way out of the apartment to my office, thinking a line of poetry that I can't quite get right. I know who to ask, it is my mom, she know the rest of the line so why should a I worry. She always knows the poetry, in fact we have had long discussions about poets and what is attributed to one is accurate or not. Kind of esoteric stuff that goes on in literature classes but with less intensity. That's the word, intensity, discussions with mom are always intense, she has her world view and she stands by it >>>

OUTRAGE
Boil
So I ask you; Where is the outrage? Where is the dissent? This is U.S. of A! Isn't it!!?
Farzam

This is a story about a fictional character. Fictional only because I don't know his name. Fictional because although I am sure of his existence, as I am sure we can not be the only living presence in the universe, I do not know of his precise whereabouts or the exact details of his life. But I can tell you that he exists and like the rest of us lived a normal life, based on whatever standards that is considered normal wherever you happen to be. There are billions of people around the world with each having their own personal story. Stories that mostly go untold; just or unjust. This is his story. I can tell it >>>

TRAVELERS

From Shiraz to Belgrade
Photo essay: Impressions from my recent trips to Iran, Switzerland and Serbia
Shirin Vazin

NEIGHBORS
Spiritual friction
Manouchehr

Several months ago, one of our neighbours invited us to join them for an informal class or series of classes on spirituality and virtues along with socialization, breaking bread etc. My neighbours are Iranian Bahais, very nice but generally boring people, so I thought. Because I was busy with playing poker most nights, my wife and kids started going to these classes without me. I noticed that every Tuesday night, all of them make sure they are home on time so they can go to these classes called 'Ruhi Institute" on time. My boys are 13 and 16. So, being the normal Iranian dad, I thought they are going to these classes because a) there were cute girls there or b) the food was good. But why was my wife also so crazy about these classes?! I was hoping she is not going because of good looking men >>>

RICH
Beh jorme sangdeli
Excitement over Anousheh Ansari's space travel has overshadowed the fact that 20 million dollars could have saved many people on earth
Fariba Moghadam

HOLLAND

That's what I love about Europe

Photo essay: Prince's Day royal parade in the Netherlands
Fariba Mobargheie

FUTURE
Hanooz delam faraar mikhaahad

The Middle East has all the ingredients to be just as progressive as Europe. So what's the problem?
Nahid Husseini

SEASONS

That time of the year

Photo essay: Autumn in Canada's west coast
Sophie Saviour

GOOD JOB
Short visit, long impact
Majid Saeedi

The Knowledge Diffusion Network is a non-for-profit organization which aims to promote collaboration of Iranian academics living abroad with the scientific community in Iran. Currently, we organize scientific seminars for those Iranian academics who go to Iran for a short visit. So far we have organized more than 65 talks in Iran. You can find more about us in our website, KnowDiff.net. Most of our quality speakers are going to Iran during Christmas vacation and we would like to spread the word >>>

URBAN

Just rubbish

Photo essay: In the streets of London
Parima Shahin Moghaddam

NOSTALGIA
The 70's are back

From bell bottoms to war and a crook in the White House
Hamid Bakhsheshi

I wasn’t in a good mood tonight.  Besides the fact that the wife and I had some “words”, if you would, I just wasn’t chipper.  I felt that the news for these past few days have been rather disturbing.  So, when Reza got the wind of it and asked to go to the hookah place, I didn’t hesitate much and agreed. We were both deeply disappointed in what is going on in the Middle East.  We both agreed that once the oil dries up in the region, everything will settle down and there will be peace. I realized then that the 1970’s have really made a come back.  I mean it isn’t just in the bell bottom pants and long hair and beards any more, the whole decade is back.  I did thank “W” for the war he created in Iraq to make this decade feel a bit more like the 70’s.  You know, Vietnam War?  >>>

ZAN
Going Dutch

My ideal Iranian man is not
Charlotte Najafi

Iranian men were not able to appreciate me or even accept the fact that I did know more and better and had more experience on travelling and being a so called "donya dideh". Or, they forced me to accept their point of view's of how life is or they just ignored me or the worse, they wanted me just because I am 1.80cm, slender and pretty and in many ways not like an average Iranian woman! (I mean just the flesh and blood was important to them but not the whole package!), I am sure you understand what I mean. Anyways, I gave up and began to live my own life, without a man and rejecting their helping hands or even the family and friends well-meant suggestions or what ever! Till I met a Dutch! A younger Dutch man, good looking, educated and self-disciplined with a good back-ground. (Not able to speak more than 2 languages but with a good job and still in process of becoming a successful and professional man) >>>

ART

American portrait

Iranian-American artist Sara Rahbar
Neda Sarmast

FELINE
What's new pussycat?
Gorgahoo

What makes the world go 'round? Class struggle, battle between light and darkness, God and Satan, power of love, or according to my redneck neighbor, the desire to get and consume another six-pack of beer? One can believe that any one of these forces or motives is what makes humans tick. I, on the other hand, after in-depth examining of human condition, have come to the conclusion that the thing that moves, shakes, and makes human destiny and history is the cat. Yes, cat, that is scientifically known as "Pussituos Felinuos." >>>