Diaspora

Summer in Beijing

Proving the universality of Sepehr’s artistry, his latest solo album “Summer in Beijing - One World, One Dream”, has been composed in celebration of the upcoming Summer 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. As he continues to tell stories through his instruments, in this album Sepehr uses just the right dose of traditional Asian sounds to create his stimulating musical conversations. >>>

سی و پنجمین سال

سی و پنج سال پیش دولت وقت ایران بعد از یکسری جلسات و صحبتهای اولیه به دکتر احسان یارشاطر استاد آنزمان دانشگاه ماموریت داد تا تدوین و گردآوری دانشنامه کامل و مدونی را در باره ایران شروع کند. کار در ایران شروع شد وتا چهار سال بعد و تا زمان وقوع انقلاب در ایران کار با بودجه دولت ایران ادامه یافت . پس از انقلاب و با قطع شدن بودجه مربوطه مشکلات بزرگی در سرراه تهیه این دانشنامه قرار گرفت . سرانجام کار به بخش ایرانشناسی دانشگاه کلمبیا منتقل شد و بدون کمکهای مالی دو دولت (دولت آمریکا و ایران) و تنها با کمکهای سازمانهای غیرانتفاعی – موسسات پژوهشی و افراد خیر کار تا به امروز ادامه یافت. کاری بزرگ و در عین حال طاقت فرسا که اگر استقامت و پایمردی پرفسور یارشاطر نبود هیچگاه به انجام نمی رسید >>>

My Disastrous Date Last Night

This is not going to happen again. I am not going to log on to any dating site as long as I live. After months of research, I finally met a seemingly nice person on line. I made sure to get to know all about her and her family. After over six months of day and night chatting, I knew what she liked and what she disliked. Which primary and secondary schools she attended and from which college she graduated. I knew what books she read and what movies she watched. I was sure I knew her like the back of my hand. So ten days ago I asked her if she would have dinner with me. Last night was our first date>>>

If it wasn’t for her

The person I admire most is my mum. She taught me to be independent and pushed me to reach my full potential and be the person that I am today. This can be good or bad – but to be fair she is responsible for all the positive I have managed to achieve in my life. She might not make the best president for Iran (please link to my article about my mad mum) but she has definitely proved to be an extraordinary teacher as she taught me to speak up for what is right and has showed me the path to success in life. She is no ordinary mum, she is a super mum>>>

A plus

Actor-Comedian Maz Jobarani finagled his complicated schedule so he could accept Iranian Scholarship Foundation’s invitation to speak at their fundraising gala. An alternate choice for the event had been graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi. But Jobrani was more stubbornly persuasive in beating back his schedulers. A stellar cluster of young Iranian scholars needed his support, and no other engagement seemed more important. Jobrani immediately challenged his audience with a hilariously multi-layered routine about how his mother wanted him to be a lawyer--when he really wanted to be an actor. >>>

(Delicious) Mixed nutz

Mixed Nutz is a television comedy about a group of kids who feel like they just don’t fit in. Much like our hero Babak, who is shy to tell people he is from Iran, Michael, the redhead feels he is boring and no one wants to be his friend. Two new immigrants include Sanjay, who just came from Mumbai and Adele, a half-American, half-Austrian girl who has traveled the world so much, she doesn’t even know how to make friends. Jae, Briana, Saman, Sousanne and the parents round out the fun cast of a show that is simple in style but has a strong message for people of all ages >>>

Ghost in the house

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Know thy challenger

For geopolitical as well as geostrategic reasons any Middle East policy which does not encompass a detailed long term policy vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic is a costly exercise in futility. This hypothesis can best be validated by a simple dissection of the events in Lebanon, Israel, including the territories, Afghanistan and Iraq. In every instance the clash of the Islamic Republic’s agenda with those of the West has bogged down any meaningful progress. So the germane question that comes to mind is why such a knowledge deficit about a country as important as Iran?>>>