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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. >>>

Oldest oil painting?

Researchers have discovered what is believed to be the first use of oil painting at Bamyan in Afghanistan, (part of Persian Empire at the time of painting) predating European oil painting by some six centuries. After the destruction of the Buddhas, 50 caves were revealed. In 12 of the caves, wall paintings were discovered. In December 2004, Japanese researchers discovered that the wall paintings at Bamyan were actually painted between the fifth and the ninth centuries, rather than the sixth to eighth centuries as previously believed>>>

Whisper of a lover

Seven Valleys of Love, compiled and translated by Sheema Kalbasi, is written with a piercing clarity and a profound intensity of emotion. Her ability to preserve the integrity and poetical sensibility of the work is evident in her mastery of language, editing, and translation. Seven Valleys of Love is a vibrant celebration of extraordinary women’s voices. The colorful and lively verses in this dazzling collection emerge as small, quiet explosions out of the shadows of hopelessness and seek to inspire and restore peace, hope, and harmony in its people >>>

(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 >>>

Flowing with Forugh

Although a number of English translations of Forugh Farrokhzad's work have been published, many fail to capture the nuances of the Persian language, the incisive and edgy aspects of her mind, and her unique and powerful experience as a woman living through the turbulence of Iran’s 20th century modern history. I had the opportunity to interview Iranian-American poet-translator, Sholeh Wolpe and asked her about her role as the translator of the most recent collection of Forugh’s poetry, Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad and the way Forugh’s life and legacy has personally touched her. >>>

Busy behind the scenes

Ansary family have been very good friends with Bush Family since the time they moved to United States and resided in Texas in year 1979. The friendship is so close that at this point, Mr. Ansary is CEO of Bush family trust fund while continuing to maintain very close relationship. Mr. Ansary has also had many generous contributions to presidential campaign for George Bush sr., George Bush jr. and other Republican Party candidates for the House and Senate. In most of these investments, we can see some familiar names of American famous politicians as Mr. Ansary's partners. Mr. Ansary has a daughter, Nina, and a son, Nader, who both have been given extensive amount of wealth and investment by their good father!>>>

V for Voice

My unselfish and greater wish is to represent the voice of our repressed Iranian people, of the women of Iran who endure human rights abuses that should not even be occuring in this day and age... I would love to use our current production of "The Vagina Monologues" as a springboard for both a show in solidarity with women's and children's rights from you, my community, and as a compassionate vehicle of greater involvement of our Iranian community within the American community at large. This is a fabulous video where Jane Fonda and Eve Ensler, the playwright and women's rights activist extraordinaire, passionately and so eloquently explain our cause >>>

فرهنگ شخصی : ت

توت : میوه سفید خوشمزه و شیرین وضریف که تحمل مسافرت به خارج از ایران را ندارد

تفاهم : همدیگر را فهمیدن در اروپا و امریکا معمول است ولی تحمل مسافرت به ایران را ندارد

تفنگ : نوعی سلاح آتشی که امریکای ها آزادند با آن جان همدیگر را بگیرن >>>

Touran Khanom

In the vicinity of Baharestan, the old Parliament, there used to be an elementary school that was a little gem of an establishment. Dabestan-e Farhad opened in 1958 in the building and grounds that had been home to Mirhadi family. Touran Mirhadi—or, as she is universally known, Touran Khanom—was the youngest daughter of the family and the principal of the school. Her old students, some now well into their fifties, still refer to themselves as Farhadi, and are perpetually in quest of establishing contact with each other and their old teachers. For those us living outside Iran, no trip to Tehran is complete without touching base with Touran Khanom>>>

جای خالی احزاب غير ايدئولوژيک

به نظر من، بن بست کنونی اپوزيسيون حکومت ايدئولوژيک اسلامی، دقيقاً نتيجهء عدم دوری اپوزيسيون از «ايدئولوژی کاری» و آلوده شدن به «ايدئولوژی زدگی» است ـ وضعيتی که نمی تواند آلترناتيوی امروزی و دموکراتيک را در برابر حکومت اسلامی بنشاند. >>>

Watch out, here they come! (part 3)

We write the songs on guitar, and when you use a standard blues line up for the recording and the sound and everything, you become a bit bluesy! And our influences; people who we grew up (and grew old!) listening to were either blues players (like Stevie Ray Vaughan or B.B King or …) or influenced by blues players (like E.C, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin and of course Dire Straits!), so the blues element is there, but comparing to Adam e Mamooli, I must say we are less of a blues band. Actually, we are aiming to have no label and sound like KIOSK, that’s what I am talking about when I say we are not mature enough and we still don’t have our own genuine sound, but this album was a big step for us towards that goal.>>>

Maddening world

I’d swear this world has gone mad. This morning at work during our daily morning-coffee-Chitchat. I mentioned the racism killing in Antwerp to my colleague that’s an odd thing to mention at a morning-coffee session isn’t it? about 2 weeks ago I had read a short article about the proceeding of this psychopath, that has been stuck in my mind and I had mentioned this to my colleague, so today’s sentencing was something we couldn’t let pass by . This man had killed a black pregnant lady and had injured a Turkish lady if that’s not heinous enough.>>>