October-December 2005
Archive -- Latest

ADVICE
Quit for good

Shokooh's couch
Shokooh Miry

Smoking since 15, writes: Every year on New Year’s Eve, I promise myself that this will be the year I stop smoking. Despite my good intentions, by the first week in January, I am back to my two-pack a day habit. My wife is very supportive and doesn’t nag me, but I have two children who are very afraid for my health and get more vocal about it every year. What can I do to quit for good? I have been smoking for over thirty years and I am addicted. I would describe my addiction as very, very strong. Is there any chance I can succeed?

CHARACTER
21st century values

The Persian empire was not really anything to be proud of
Ben Madadi

As long as Iranians link their presence to a very distant huge and powerful empire, this connection bears some responsibilities as well. Mohammad Reza Shah, or the Shah as he is known in the West, was like his father, very keen in exploiting Iran's imperial past, trying to build a nation based on that lost glory. That can easily be the case for many other nations, such a Egypt, Greece, Iraq and so on. What the Shah, his father, and their then entourage actually missed (beyond the dodginess of the link between such a distant past and the modern realities of the Iranian society) was that the Persian empire was not really anything to be proud of.

STUDENTS
Setting a higher standard

UCLA’s Iranian student group
Pouya Alimagham

For many of us Iranian-Americans who grew up in an environment where learning about Iran and its history, languages, and culture was not available to us in schools, Iranian student organizations at the university level fill the void.  Unfortunately, many of these student groups pay more attention to social activities than to educational and cultural events.  UCLA’s Iranian Student Group (ISG), however, is different. ISG was first established at UCLA in 1983.  Although Iranian student groups existed years before, most of them were political and revolutionary and after 1979, virtually ceased to exist.  ISG is for a new generation, one not radical, but yearning for culture and knowledge about a homeland that seems so distant at times.

e-COMMERCE
Buyers beware!

I have many tales to tell about being ripped off but I am not paranoid and do not assume all Iranians are out to get me
Azam Nemati

Invention of Internet was God sent for someone like me. Let’ me explain why. In the old days I would use the Iranian adds from newspapers to call the stores for books, music tapes, etc. I can write a book about some of the comments I would get from the men who had no idea about what type of person I was and would want to tell me their life stories. The most memorable one was a call I placed to a storeowner in northern California. I had heard a song but did not know its name or the singer. I simply said the first few lines of the song. From the tone of the man’s voice I could tell he was an opium addict and probably had just had his fix.

WEDDING
Picking flowers

"The Persian Wedding": Rituals throughout history
Bijan Moridani

Nâmzad-bâzi (engagement flirtation): There is no married person who does not remember the exciting, wonderful memories of the period of time in which they were engaged. In a culture where any contact between a man and a woman is strictly limited, even after nâmzadi (engagement), this episode, which lasts from the night of the engagement to the actual wedding, is treasured. It usually starts with brief visits, most often in the presence of family members, an exchange of loving looks and occasionally, if they are brave and an opportunity presents itself, stealing a kiss, which is always associated with a feeling of anxiety and excitement...

SATIRE
Bekhaatere yek joft sibil

Shaving off Shah-era moustache
Mohammad Hossainzadeh

TRAVELERS
The logic of cab fares

Part 12: Smoldering in Tehran
Sima Nahan

One day I rode with a taxi driver of especially dignified bearing. He was about sixty years old, well spoken, with intelligent eyes. I never did find out what he did before or concurrently with driving a taxi. On our long drive from Toupkhaneh to Farmaniyyeh in stop-and-go traffic, it was I who did all the talking. I leaned my elbows on the seats in front and vented in his ear. He listened patiently. I ranted about how bad things are -- about the Islamic Republic, the U.S., war, poverty, the chaos of Tehran. I expressed my disgust at the last election, the whole lot of the presidential candidates, and the fact that election itself has become such fraud.

SHORTS
Monkeys and civilization
Mehran writes: You must have seen it in one of those documentaries on monkies when one gets agitated and screams, others follow and get agitated and scream violently. It never fails. Not in us humans too.

After living in the same house for 20 years and being the good neighbor to my neighbors for that long, my very pascifist looking, humble and shy neigbor wrote me a letter, showing his anger at making noise too much over his head, complaining my wife walking with her high heals he stated: "Enough is enough. From now on for every bang and hit on my ceiling by heavy footing, shoes or any other imaginable object, there shall be an equal or greater hit on your floor. If war is what you want, you'll have it. Chris."

My soon controlled reaction was to go down to his apartment and bang really hard on his door. I even imagined kicking him around. He is physically smaller, but then I thought what if he's working out and, you know, I'm totally out of shape... I consistantly had to stop the rush of violent thoughts in my head and just calm myself down. More than anything I was angry for  his using the word "war", a holy word in an unholy context.

I have been thinking maybe because we are in a war in Iraq, that the thought of using the three-letter word has become more of a norm than I had estimated. What else could be the reason until the other day I found myself screaming really hard at my wife to let me alone and to let me get my valuable sleep. We are not ourselves while these wars are going on. Unless every one of us are those war monkeys and civilization has to consider the bad effect of our genetic domino's effect  all the way to our hoods and bedrooms.

Just at the begining of the 21st century and the illusion of civility, modernity and efficiency in an internetized world, our humanity collapsed monkey style.

LIFE
Getting married

Part 3: Booking the ceremony room
Houman Jazaeri

We got out of the car and walked across the asphalt to the front door of the hall. Through the corner of my eye I could see Naz sizing the place up. We entered the hall and were amazed at the ceremony room. It was a large room and was decorated rather well but it had a slight smell that to this day I wonder about. The room was filled with tiny white lights and plastic flowers. As a man I thought it looked nice but the shocked look on Naz's face led me to think that she didn't like it. The coordinator kept on telling us to close our eyes and imagine that night but when I closed my eyes all I could see what Naz standing me up at the alter.

LIFE
The country I am living in

They all want Iran to be like this country. Why?
Reza T. Saberi

There are about 500 Iranian families in my city and most of them are professionals like doctors, lawyers, surgeons, dentist, computer scientist, engineers. Although they look like Iranians, most of them sound and think like the rest of people in this country. They all want Iran to be like this country. Why? Perhaps this is because this country is role model for the rest of the world. Perhaps because it is powerful, perhaps because it is beautiful, and perhaps quality of life is better than the rest of the world. Or perhaps because of other reasons I still do not know.

LIFE
Train station

This sucks.  Everything sucks.  I wish that this next train would take me from New Brunswick to New Delhi
Maziar Shirazi

Right now, as in 1:47 AM, I am waiting at the New Brunswick train station by myself for the 2:35 local from here to the Princeton Junction train station, a $20 cab ride, and then home, and I am wondering where all those random winter accessories that I perennially buy and lose are right now.  The cold numbing my right hand is making me twist the cloth of my ripped jacket pockets a little tighter around it.  Can’t feel either of them anymore.  I should really get these useless fucking pockets sown up.  The train is not going to arrive anytime soon, and there is no one, not even a bum or a junkie, hanging around this platform.  I am alone, all alone, and I’m cold, and I feel a little ill now.   November 7, 2005, marks this city’s first official ‘I’m in a World of Pain’ Night.

LIFE
The clouds

I'll always wonder how it looks when it's a man who was not born in America
Siamak Vossoughi

Sometimes out here where I live in San Francisco, a man can get so filled up with the clouds and the sky and the sun and the rows of houses going up and down over the hills to the ocean he knows is there, that he will see someone walking towards him, and he will think, I am going to say hello to this person. If nothing else, it is the person I am sharing this time and place with, and that counts for a lot. It counts for as much as the time and place itself. And I'll do it. I'll say hello with the fullness of the clouds and the sky and everything else inside me, and when they smile and say hello, their smile is a smile and their greeting is a greeting, and it'll even have some of the clouds in it too...

LIFE
Ties unbound

It’s pretty safe to say, I am not in any danger of being the Sohie family Matriarch
Parissa Sohie

By now, you’ve probably figured that I was a fairly imaginative child.  Frankly, comparing my childhood (as well as my adolescence, young adulthood and where I am now) with that of my friends, I think I was a bit “unique”.  I’m not saying that to brag, it’s just how I see it.  Notice, as tempted as I am, I don’t claim to have been gifted, insightful or funny -- just unique.  So, sometime between childhood and adolescence as I realized the responsibilities that come with being the oldest grandchild on both sides of the family, I suddenly had aspirations of greatness (another theme that comes up in my thinking).  I was not going to be any old cousin, I was going to be a grand matriarch of the family. 

LIFE
Jesus... where are your priorities?

I wish you the best holiday season for your holiday
Mahnaz Zardoust-Ahari

Is there really any difference? "Merry Christmas"' or "Happy Holidays"? It really doesn't make that much of a difference to me. It is the sentiment behind the comment. For people to make such a big deal out of a simple comment really makes you wonder where their priorities are. I mean really, it is amazing to think that almost the whole US of A has given such a response to this.

MUSIC
Wild world

No matter what his name is, Yusuf Islam, or Cat Stevens, his music still sounds good after 25 years
Sepehr Haddad

My wife decided to clean out the attic last week. I dread when this happens. This means all my unused or broken musical equipment (keyboards, guitars, samplers) and other music-related paraphernalia that I have stored in boxes up there for years, has to come down and a decision has to be made as to what will be donated and what can stay up there, for another cycle of several years before we go through the whole process again. This time, I decided to actually look through a few of the boxes of CDs, promo materials, etc., (instead of just pointing to which boxes we cannot get rid of--- my excuse always being that there is “important’ stuff that some accountant or lawyer may need God knows when), and to my surprise found a letter I had received in 1984 from none other than Yusuf Islam also know as Cat Stevens.

LIFE
Passion over approval

When do you go your own way and decide to do what you want regardless of your parent’s wishes? At the point where your passion exceeds the need for their approval, that’s when.
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

For as long as there have been parents, a generation gap has also existed in one form or another. Granted, there are exceptions, but those of us who have lived longer, will forever have a tendency to see matters in a different light. However, I for one have been in both positions and seen both sides. As a teenager, who achieved the highest marks in school, I had no vote when it came to choices of school and it took me decades to dare pursue my passion. A poet, not only was I deprived from support, my family forbade me to study literature. I became a successful dentist, but unfortunately my heart was never in it and I secretly continued to write. Sometimes people ask me if I still resent that. The answer is no, not really, because as I got older, I realized the loving reason behind what had seemed so cruel at the time.

POINT
The view from Farang

Iran news has become more amusing - perversely - in recent months
Alidad Vassigh

Mullahs - we may say this of them - have been consistent in their claims and pretensions. Efficient, technocratic government was never their primary concern, but it is disputable to say that Iran's main problem is too much religion. Its problems are those that affect all badly-run, dictatorial states: lack of accountability, corruption, injustice, press censorship, torture and abuse in state custody. I believe they have that all over Africa. Deceit being one of the deplorable vices of politics, some of the worst offenders in that regard have been that assortment of trash in Iran called the Left. They lie and cheat like the venomous snakes that they are, only to win power and proceed with their murderous intentions.

LIFE
Good bye, Amoo

He bought me my first bike
Hamid Bakhsheshi

The quite, sad voice of Azita, my sister, on the phone was quite the sad messenger. She didn't have to say much. I had known for nearly a week that my only Amoo (father's brother), had been in an accident and multiple fracture and internal injuries, has left him holding on to life. It was 11:30 pm and my wife and I were having dinner with some friends. She said a sad hello and told me that Amoo just passed away. I responded by simply saying "ok" a few times. I couldn't believe it nor could I accept the fact that a man of his stature and health could have perish so easily.  I guess six days is just not enough to get you prepared for a loved one's departure.

LIFE
Living artists

I guess my question here is: when do we stop stressing over our parents expectations of us and pursue the path that we see fit for ourselves?
Saeideh Mohajer

In the Iranian culture, doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers are admired and viewed with respect and admiration, which they so greatly deserve, based on the dedication that they have shown to their craft.  However, should our artists, not be shown the same amount of respect and admiration since they show the same dedication to their craft.  Let's take me for example: I was a very promising kid, with great marks and a curiosity required to pursue any of the much-admired careers mentioned above and in fact was accepted by all the top Universities based on my grades in math and science.  However, it so happened that my subject of desire was dramatic arts and theatre, which I knew I had the passion, talent and the drive to do matter.

TRAVELERS
Modified terror

Part 11: Smoldering in Tehran
Sima Nahan

Let’s say, over the years, the reign of terror in Iran has been modified. The main target of harassment in daily life is now young people. This made my trip much more pleasant than in previous years. Gone were the days when my friends and I would be stopped and dragged to komiteh for riding in a car with members of the opposite sex. Now I sailed through checkpoints no matter whom I rode with. The gray in the hair and the offspring in the backseat are now license for relative freedom. (“Time to party... !” as a friend said.)

LIFE
Desperate husbands

Lively conversations during afternoon tea
Farrokh A. Ashtiani

While we were chatting about a clever trick by the Brits, my friend’s wife brought up the issue of human rights violations in Iran and the lack of any respect for gays and lesbians rights in Iran as has been discussed by the BBC -the voice box of the British government. A bit puzzled I asked her why is it that BBC wants to promote the gay rights in Iran, and how come nobody is advocating the heterosexual rights in Iran? Are Iranians guaranteed civil rights so much so that we can now shift our focus to gays and lesbians? This did not go well with my friend’s wife and she said that heterosexuals are the majority so they don’t need protection.

CULTURE
Yalda

The longest night of the year
Fereidoun Farahandouz

CHARACTER
The Ahmadinejad in us

I am not sure what exactly is it about Mr. Ahmadinejad’s recent anti-Jewish pronouncements that grate on me. Is it his courage that speaks truth to power and all those who have turned the cause of Zionism and Jewish imperialism into a sacred cow? Or is it that he has managed to tear the curtains of hypocrisy and show to the world an elemental aspect of the psyche of majority of Iranians that is decidedly anti-Jew, if not vocal and in public, then in the quiet and private? Or is that his statements make a mockery of each of the three reasons that most Iranians of my generation always offered as evidence that Iranians are not Jew-haters.

ARTS
Godiva's luxurious looks

Godiva’s North American President’s Award goes to an Iranian-American designer Massoud Mansouri
Compiled by Hengameh Fouladvand

October 27, 2005 was the Campbell Soup Company’s Extraordinary Performance Award ceremony, and a day for bringing together employees from each supporting company. Godiva Chocolatier took advantage of the opportunity to gather over 100 employees from locations around the North East for a luncheon in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Gene Dunkin, President Godiva North America seized the opportunity to present the North American President’s Award at the luncheon. This year, the award went to just one person for his unbelievable contributions to Godiva’s contemporization on almost every product and packaging front.

LIFE
Wish me luck

I am going to do what I always wanted to do (give me ideas)
Parissa Sohie

For some time now -- since my 32nd birthday -- I’ve been thinking of this theory I’ve had for as long as I can remember.  So, I’ve always thought I wouldn’t live past 32.  You can understand why I didn’t exactly jump for joy when my birthday rolled around this year.  Actually, I initially forgot it was my 32 birthday.  I was commiserating with a friend, whose birthday is close to mine and was turning 30 this year.  She was saying how she couldn’t believe that she’s putting her 20s behind her and she wanted to do something really big.  I responded that I couldn’t believe I was turning 30 either, how it seems like just yesterday that I was 25, how scary it seemed to me, how I was running out of time and I had to do something.

CHRISTMAS
That was so nice

Video: Family getting ready for Christmas in London
Siamack Salari

LIFE
Zia

A “White Christmas” life
A.S. Mostafanejad

Zia loved and encouraged me to explore the possibilities of the piano and the radio.  He would allow me to range back and forth across the keys or the dial.  He would exclaim “that’s a doh” or “la” or “that’s Berlin Radio” or “that is Tchaikovsky” or “Scheherazade”or “Golpayegani.”  Where as my own music lessons on the dulcimer were regimented and stressful, Zia encouraged exploration and cultivated a love and joy of music as an entertainment art. During winter visits we would sit around a Korsee (quilt covered low table with hot coals underneath) and eat pomegranate sprinkled with marjoram, drink hot sweet tea and listen to the radio announce “Inja Tehran, Radio Iran” (Here is Tehran, Radio Iran).  During the summer visits we would listen to music in the room upstairs and look down on the quiet shady street. 

LIFE
Iranian with an American accent

Not "authentic" enough?
Arezou Raeisghasem

The semester plan didn't quite pan out the way I had hoped. Toward the middle of the fall term I went to my first little Iranian gathering and experienced what I have experienced many times before: the feeling of not really fitting in anywhere. So, I walked into this gathering and started chatting with some people. Of course as soon as I open up my mouth someone makes a comment about my accent. I don't know why that makes me feel like I have to defend my "Iranian-ness" but I begin to explain that I have an accent because I grew up in the U.S. but I was born in Iran, and I have been back to Iran many times.

PHOTOGRAPHY
One moment at a time

Sam Javanrouh's "Daily Dose of Imagery"
Canada's best photoblog of the year

These are recent images posted on Sam Javanrouh's captivating photoblog, Daily Dose of Imagery, winner of the Best Photo Blog in the Canadian 2005 Blog Awards. He writes: "Daily Dose of Imagery is a simple view of my day to day visual experience, or my personal photoblog. I post one photo a day on this web site. It could be untouched or altered. I started this experimental project as a visual practice."

MARRIAGE
Darse ebrat

Marrying off young Iranian girls to men living abroad
Mina Azadparast

IMMIGRATION
First the bad news

New U.S. law targets Iranians and other Immigrants -- if passed
Raha Jorjani

There is a new law before Congress that will have a devastating impact on Iranian immigrants.  In 1996, there was a wave of new legislation that expanded the kinds of crimes that would make non-citizens deportable and made detention mandatory for many.  The effects of the anti-immigrant 1996 laws are still being deeply felt by immigrant communities. But just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse... they did.  Today, there is a new bill, HR 4437, that immigrant rights advocates are calling the most dangerous piece of legislation that they have seen since 1996.  

TRAVELERS
The American's visit

Part 10: Smoldering in Iran
Sima Nahan

While the American husband waited in Istanbul, Roya applied for his visa in person in Tehran. I accompanied her on a couple of her many visits to the Foreign Ministry. In all fairness, getting a visa for an American to visit Iran was much more transparent and less humiliating -- and costly -- than getting a visa for an Iranian to visit the U.S. (This is noteworthy, since it is the president of United States who makes threats against Iran and not vice versa.) Roya’s frequent visits to the Foreign Ministry warmed the officials to her and expedited things. Calls from family members to the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul helped with last minute logistics. It is still sometimes possible to humanize bureaucratic processes in the Iranian system.

CHRISTMAS
In light of lights

The child of Muslim parents, I plan to do my share of spreading joy and hope to add one more drop to the vast ocean of peace
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

Living in California, where a white Christmas only exists in Hollywood, I now understand my own fascination with Christmas lights. It has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ, or the festivities. To me this is a journey back to my childhood and all the “cheraghoonis” of decades ago. I recall vividly how Akbar, our driver, would pile up all of us into the Land Rover and drive extra slowly through the commercial district. We marveled at the beaming lights and the decorations. Although I don’t remember the exact reason for the festivity, I’m sure that, too, was a religious celebration. I loved how our town changed overnight as thousands of colorful lights suddenly turned those ordinary streets into a magical fairyland.

LIFE
Religious -- or not

I know He does exist. I just cannot believe in religion.
Mahnaz Zardoust-Ahari

Every day it seems, though not literally, I am inundated with the idea that if you do not have a religion then you are not normal. Well, I guess I'm not normal. Growing up the way I did, I had a viewpoint from both sides. My mother is an American woman and my father is Iranian. I learned about both Christianity from my mother and Islam from my father, but to be honest I never saw the difference between the two. I have asked people of both faiths to explain to me the differences and I have yet to find one person to give me a clear-cut difference. Now maybe I asked the wrong people or maybe I didn't ask the right questions. The one thing I did find on my endless quest, was that every religious person is the same. I'm not saying this as a bad thing; I'm saying it as a fact. They all are strong in their convictions and they are always determined to explain to you how you are wrong in what you believe.

DISCOVERY
Fish & things

Video clips and photos: A visit to Steinhart Aquarium, San Francisco
Jahanshah Javid

Recent visit to San Francisco's Steinhart Aquarium with friends Kayvan and Maryam, and their delightful little daughter Saman.

IDEAS
Helping hand

Giving women inside Iran a fair chance to gain their rights
Golbarg Bashi

Seeing those bruised women that day in Shiraz (my mother’s hometown), who looked at me with a glimmer of hope, shattered my solid none-conformist secular dogma, it broke my heart, thinking of it even 2 years on makes me sob uncontrollably and crushes my soul. It was in the tears of those innocent women, in their heart-rending pleas in my own mother’s Shirazi accent that I re-realised that comforting, bandaging and saving these women, women who cannot immigrate to Canada or Sweden, even if I have to do it by operating in a gender-apartheid is worth it all. Of course we can do more, and we are doing more, in almost every field and outside the realm of religion too. How wonderful would it not be if we could unite in solidarity and strengthen our joint-efforts to help our fellow sisters?

PIONEER
Flying high

Photo essay: Funeral for a pioneer female aviator Sadighe Dowlatshahi
Farah Ravon

SHORTS
Hearing hello

Iran travel diary
Shadi Bahar

I have become all too familiar with the sounds of the night and the early morning thanks to my insomnia. Just before dawn, a small bird comes to visit. I have never seen her. I only hear her say hello. But once she has finished singing her song, my eyes gladly give up the pointless struggle and we head outside in search of the morning.

LIFE
Khodkoshi dar Los Angeles

Suicide in L.A.
Cyrous Moradi

LIFE
Is Iran my home?

I'm going back home... or am I?
Sahari Dastmalchi

Once upon a time there was a little girl with curly hair that had a home.... now she is going back to that home... only her home is not hers... not anymore... I spent most of my childhood in Bandar Abbas, each summer the heat would drive us out of town. The heat also gave us a month of extra summer vacation.  Each summer we would pack up our suitcases and prepare for our summer migration.  The excitement would start after Sizdah Bedar. It never took us longer than a week after sizdah bedar to start bugging my mom with the ultimate question "Mom, when are we going to Tehran?"

MEDIA
God I love this station

Rang-a-rang TV is a true paragon of quality, commitment and conscience in media
Pullniro

It's been almost 6 years since Los Angeles-based radios and TVs are broadcasting for Iran. All these years we have been witnessing things that no other nation in this world has ever experienced. We have seen hosts from one station fighting with their competitors using four-letter-words, TV owners begging for money to FREE us from the current regime, artists being lashed out because they had given the advertisement of their upcoming concerts to rival stations, singers, lyricists and composers attack each others over business-related issues and so on. Sometimes these conflicts take place inside a single TV station and one host attacks the other and accuses him of selling his country down the river. Among all these stations, however, there is a brand-new phenomenal TV...

LIFE
Born again in the USA

Photo essay: Mahdiyeh Javid
Jahanshah Javid

LANGUAGE
Bowlful of fruity meaning

Part I: Etymology of Anar
Guive Mirfendereski

This is the time of the year when the fruit bowl that sits atop the eating counter in my kitchen begins to reflect the autumnal colors outdoors. In this still life the color orange is represented by the seedless narengi (tangerine), the mellowing bananas provide the browning yellow. But dominating it all in color and presence is the anar (pomegranate). I love pomegranate. Unlike any other fruit, perhaps with the exception of coconut or pineapple, it requires labor and precision in bringing its marvelous rewards to the lips. And, boy, is it ever worth it!

FAN
Googoosh groupie

Following the diva to almost any destination. But why?
Mehrnaz Tadjbakhsh

I mean why do we have to leave our jobs and take leaves just to go to another city to see her and watch her and smell the air of Googoosh? What brings all these thousands of dedicated fans who keep going to her concerts over and over again? What does this woman have to offer to us which is so novel yet so old that has kept generations loyal to her for half a century? Witnessing the huge number of Iranian-American of all ages that attended these last few concerts made me even more confused and bewildered? Who is this woman and why an entire nation love her so much? The story of my own love-affair with Googoosh goes back to over 35 years ago. I would like to share it all with you.

SHORTS
The seventh day

I break a rose bud and slip it in my pocket while trying to justify "everything happens for a reason" in my mind
Shadi Bahar

"Salam azizam." She is all smiles and her frail body wraps itself around mine, as we try to restrain the tears that don't know their time or place. She whispers to me, calmly and rationally, trying to pace my sadness and her own. When tragedy strikes, amidst the shock and delirium that follows, someone must keep the troops standing and strong. Someone must push the broken soldiers onward. I recognize the signs of the leader of the wounded in her eyes.

TRAVELERS
Reaching India

Photo essay: India is not a country. India is an idea
Reza Zia-Ebrahimi

COMEDY
Bittersweet

I laughed and laughed until I reached a point where all I wanted to do was cry
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

Last Saturday, a good friend invited us to attend the performance of Hadi Khorsandi. Those who had seen his other programs said he was at his best and I laughed as hard as anyone in that packed auditorium. However, for the first time, I left a comedy with a deep melancholy. How ironic that, of all the Iranian programs, I would choose this one simply for the fact that it promised an amusing, happy evening. Having enjoyed Khorsandi’s humor in the past, the sad feeling his words left me with surprised even me.

LIFE
Ey doost

What hope is there, with this tired heart of mine, without you?
Hamid Bakhsheshi

It's another one of those late nights. Nostalgia has taken over my entire being, it seems. I am listening to a heavenly voice, a gem of a singer. I'm talking about Mohammad Esfahani, one of the most wonderful new voices coming from Iran in perhaps decades. His song, "Maro ey doost", (Don't go, friend), hits so many cords within my friend-loving personality that I cannot help but listen to it over and over again. I write these words and send it to Bahram, my cousin in Iran. We were born a month apart and spent most of our childhood like brothers. His eyes begged me not to go when I was leaving Iran, but he knew it had to be done.

ADVICE
Please see your doctor!

Shokooh's couch
Shokooh Miry

Maryamn writes: I am a 32-year old woman.  I have never had any psychological problems until this past month. All of the sudden, I am feeling very anxious. I never had anxiety before but I am now overwhelmed with it. It happened overnight, without any warning. Nothing bad has happened to me and my life is otherwise very good. I am truly a happy person except for this sudden anxiety. I don’t have any reason to be anxious! But I have all the symptoms: upset stomach, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and “del shooreh.” Can someone develop an anxiety disorder for no reason, out of the blue this way?  I am very frustrated and scared.

LIFE
The street

It wouldn't be good to have walked down the street for years and then finally see that it was a place itself
Siamak Vossoughi

For some the street is a way to get to a place and for some it is a place. But it is a place. All it takes for a place is for a man to stop. The question is, who stops on a street. Where I lived it was beggars and writers. They were both stopping to ask for something, and what they were asking for was similar. Sometimes a beggar would ask a writer, and the writer would look at him because he was interested in a fellow asker. Sometimes a writer would ask a beggar, only with less directness. Or more directness, depending. It didn't seem like there could be anything more direct than an empty stomach, but sometimes it could seem like there was. Nothing was as good as food for an empty stomach, but that wasn't always the only emptiness.

POKER
High stakes

Poker as could only be imagined or seen in a movie
M & M

Last Friday I recieved a call from a friend who invited me to a high stakes poker "home game" in Encino, southern California. We both drove to an office building on West Wilshire and stood in front waiting for our "limo" ride. After a few minutes, a 2004 long wheel based Maybach (the $350,000 Benz) stopped and a very attractive young woman invited us to get in. We got in the car and very shortly she asked us to put on blind folds!! I started getting a bit worried. My heart rate was definitely over 100.

ONLINE
A game of backgammon

Or clash of cultures?
Saeed Tavakkol

A few nights ago, I was in the mood for playing a relaxing game of backgammon on the Internet, the game I learned from masters in my childhood. There are a few advantages in playing backgammon on the Internet. Cheating is impossible and Korkory (bragging) is optional. As soon as I opened a table, a player beeped and the game started.  Right at the very beginning, my opponent raised the stakes and challenged me to do so.  I doubled only when I was ahead. What you are about to read is based on actual comments communicated between us.

LEFT
Chapiye saabegh

Observations of a former leftist
Rama Fayaz

ARTS
Persian invasion

Photo essay: Persian Family Day arts & crafts at the British Museum
Parima Shahin Moghadam

LITERATURE
Feminist ink

The “boom” in prose writing by Iranian women authors in the 1990s within the context of the situation of women in contemporary Iran
Golbarg Bashi

In this essay a history of Iranian women’s social and literary developments as well as their struggle for emancipation will be discussed. This is done firstly, in order to give an evident picture of their restrictions and progresses, which are matters that go hand in hand with discovering the reasons behind women’s flourishment in prose writing in post-Khomeini Iran. Secondly, a presentation of the historical background is necessary to consider, for a better understanding of the present developments in women’s literature. Thus, I believe it is useful to take a deeper look at Iran’s historical background where these literary developments are in-rooted.

EULOGY
Zinat Khanoom

Taa meetooni benevis
Setareh Sabety

It was Ordibehesht in Shiraz. The most beautiful time of the year to visit the place. We stayed in the home that belonged to her and her husband on Khoocheh Bagh Safa. It was a beautiful house surrounded by a walled garden that looked like it had seen better days. You could smell the honeysuckle by day and listen to the nightingales by night.

TRAVELERS
Scuba salvation

Confessions (and photo essay) of a scuba fundamentalist
Ahmad Sadri

NOTES
Where credit is due

From Ahmadinejad to breast cancer
Hamid Boroumand

You have got to give it to the man (credit that is), Ahmadinejad's campaign against corruption is creating screams of pain (much to my delight) from corners in Iran who long considered themselves immune from both investigation and prosecution for ill-gotten loot and thievery. I would not be surprised if some of the more powerful/influential elements within these gang of theives made an attempt on Ahmadinejad's life to relieve the immense pressure and scrutiny focused on them. And in the same spirit: yes, my offer to safeguard/invest Iran's oil-windfall (to pre-empt having a handful of crooks and thieves do the same) remains on the table.

DIASPORA
27 years ago

... on November 25, 1978, my family left Iran
Saman Ahmadi

1978 was the year Iran made it to the World Cup in Argentina.  We had just gotten a color TV and I remember watching some of the games.  A lot has happened in the world...  I've lost several family members, gained a few and watched the remainder scatter across the world with some still in Iran. I miss eating chelo kabob on Friday noons - we used get a take-out order from Chelo Kababiyeh Melli on the former Pahlavi Boulevard.  My sister and I used to fight over who'd get the last loghmeh of rice from the bottom of the pot wrapped in fresh sangak. 

OBSERVATIONS
Subtle differences

... between Iranians and Ameircans
Nahid Rachlin

DIASPORA
Beheshte Los Angeles

Photo essay: Zinat Javid's burial in the outskirts of Los Angeles
Jahanshah Javid

THANKSGIVING
Shokr

I desperately need to find me a reason to be thankful before Thanksgiving arrives
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

My grandmother, Nanjoon, an aging diabetic with bad joints and high blood pressure, used to constantly say prayers under her breath to thank God for her good health. “Dear God, ‘shokr’ for the bounties you have bestowed on me, for my good children, grandchildren, and above all, for my good health and the ability to do for myself.” She lived to be ninety-five, but as a child, I considered her gratitude ludicrous. Each time I visited that lonely widow in her humble home, especially when it took her forever to climb the stairs, I felt sorry she didn’t have much else to be thankful for. Now approaching the flock of “senior citizens” myself, I begin to appreciate the immeasurable resources Nanjoon spoke of.

STORY
The put-put boat

No moving parts but lots of smoke, noise and angry neighbors
A.S. Mostafanejd

The black Austin taxi coursed its way through the downtown Tehran traffic. Inside with the smell of the old leather and gasoline I sat next to my mother with anticipation. In 1958 most daily shopping was done in the neighborhood stores or at the door from various vendors on donkeys, bicycles and wagons, but the trip to the Bazaar was always for special items such as cloth, rugs, jewelry, house wares, etc. I knew there would also be special treats of candy, food, drinks and perhaps even a toy.

CHILDREN
Khane-ye Kudak-e Nasser Khosrow

The hours that I have spent in this school were some of the sweetest I have experienced since I left the country many years ago >>> Photos
Samineh Baghcheban

For many years now I have regretted the fact that you can't see Mount Damavand from the city any more. Pollution is unrelenting. But on this trip I did not waste my time searching for the old Damavand view. I looked for what was there. And I was happy to visit Khane-ye Kudak-e Nasser Khosrow, which was one of the highlights of my trip. Khane-ye Kudak-e Nasser Khosrow is a center run by Society for the Protection of Children's Rights. It provides education and other services for Afghan and Indian immigrant children, and for undocumented Iranian children. The latter group are called bacheha-ye khiyabani who do not have birth certificates (shenasnameh) and cannot enroll in regular schools.

AMERICA
Missing by a foot

Thanksgiving: my anniversary of coming to America
Shahrokh Nikfar

Once I took off my brand new shirt and pants which were all muddied, and gave them to grandma to throw in the washer, Daryl, one of my new found cousins brought me a set of overalls to wear and motioned me to follow him into the woods. Of course I didn't think anything of this as being strange or the fact that he was carrying a rifle with him. Ten minutes or so later, we arrived at a hill site where a bunch of people were shooting their rifles at coke cans and bottles that were set on a hill for target practice. I was so excited! This was just the way I had imagined America to be like, minus the horses. Once Daryl introduced me, everyone there seemed very pleased to meet me. I guess not having any fear of these good ol boys and having a constant smile on my face made me less of a stranger to them. Or maybe it was the overalls!

ADVICE
The other Iraqi war veterans

Shokooh's couch
Shokooh Miry

Anonymous writes: I am one of those “other” Iraqi War veterans. I was drafted into the Iranian Army during our 8 year war with Iraq. I was only in the Iranian military for a few short months before becoming injured and returning home. In the years after my service, I got married, moved to the United States, and finished my education. I haven’t really thought much about the war until recently. I have suddenly found myself having intense nightmares about my experiences in the war. I can’t watch the news for fear of catching scenes that will remind me of my experiences.

HERITAGE
Persia reinstated

Scholastic Inc. reverses decision to exclude Persia from Ancient Civilization section of "The New Book of Knowledge"
David N. Rahni

In response to concerns expressed by the academic, scholarly and Iranian communities worldwide, the majority of which were from the U.S., Scholastic, Inc. has revised the article Ancient Civilizations in its 2006 twenty volume, The New Book of Knowledge so as to ensure that the Ancient Persia (Iran) is included both in its text, its chronological pictorial Timeline and map, in addition to the existing coverage under Persia in Volume P. This outcome is the result of a dialogue between a few community leaders, and Scholastic, Inc. representatives.

LIFE
My two mothers

My aunt and I continued to think of each other as mother and child
Nahid Rachlin

Once a year, my real mother came to Tehran to visit her relatives there. But she paid me no particular attention. I called my aunt Mother and my own mother Aunt Mohtaram or nothing at all. I had met my father only once. I was afraid of him, of his rights to claim me, a fear I caught from my aunt. I lived with a sense of foreboding as you do if you know you have a lot to lose. I stayed close to my aunt, came home right after school, invited my friends to our house rather than going to theirs. One day, when I was nine, I was playing with friends in the yard of our elementary school when I saw a man approach.

SHORTS
Good morning Iran

Day 3
Shadi Bahar

SHORTS
Good morning Iran

Day 2
Shadi Bahar

NEW YORK
Times Square

Photo essay: New York's Times Square, 11pm last Thursday
Jahanshah Javid

NEW YORK
Statue of Liberty

Photo essay: A few hours with Lady Liberty
Jahanshah Javid

DIASPORA
United we might not fall

Stand up for yourself because no one will for your culture, for your traditions and for your ancestors
Farzaneh Fouladi Bearman

My generation is torn compared to those who came to the United States as teenagers and those who were born and raised in the States. We do not know if we offend our cultural heritage by acting fully American or do we simply ignore our ancestry as a whole. A part of me felt awful that I almost disowned my faith and patriarchal patriotism toward Iran by marrying an American. But I have come to the realization that I do not lose myself unless I want too. I can stop celebrating Nor Roz and "13-bedar" events. I can stop speaking Persian and only listen to Americanized music. I can choose not to expose my future child to the wonderful culture that Iranians have built for centuries. Yet, I know children who come from two Iranian parents and couldn't tell you where Iran is located on the map.

NEW YORK
Central Park

Video clips & photo essay: New York on a glorious day
Jahanshah Javid

RECOGNITION
Etaaye neshaane melli faraanseh beh Deghati

Reza Deghati receives French national medal for artistic excellence
Vida Samai

VOLUNTEER
Helping hand

An Iranian perspective on Hurricane Katrina
Behrouz Bahmani

Fardad Jamali is my best friend. He is also a Safety Engineer. Actually he is one of the top safety experts in the US. And that’s not just a best friend bragging. When Katrina hit the gulf coast, Fardad was pacing back and forth in his office like a caged tiger, for days. Finally when he couldn’t stand it any longer, he made the calls to his contacts at the American Red Cross and put his name and credentials onto the volunteer list. After a couple of days and the prerequisite training class (which he could have taught), he was notified that he was to report to Mississippi, where the eye of the storm came ashore, the scene of some of the worst destruction.

PARTY
White mask

Photo essay: Three women throw a Halloween party
Jahanshah Javid

TRAVELERS
We can, we will

I want to move to Italy; need to convince the wife
Siamack Salari

Norway was beautiful (this was our second trip) and we spent four wonderful days in excellent company. The boys and I ate Reign deer, Elk and Whale meat. The best was the Reign Deer by far.cReturning home was an anti-climax.cTwo days later V and I had a row. It was one of those, are you with me or without me kind of rows. I needed her unequivocal agreement that we could and we would move to Italy by Christmas. She was all for it right up to the moment when she realised it was really going to happen (I put the house up for rent). Then doubts began to set in.

LIFE
Getting married

Part 2: Getting ready for the wedding
Houman Jazaeri

I thought -- rather naively -- that my part in the wedding had been done. I did the major task of asking the girl and she had said yes. I would go around bragging about my accomplishment and did not listen to my coworkers who mentioned that my real troubles were about to begin. I knew that I no longer fell into the category of being "SINGLE". No longer was I going to be the third wheel when I went out with friends. I was no longer a "me", I was now officially a "we" or an "us" better yet I was part of a "unit" and the ring sealed the deal FOREVER.

LIFE
Every morning Sarah

The other week, late at night, two boys standing on a porch threw a stone that hit the back of my skull. I wonder if that stone ended up any the wiser.
Peyvand Khorsandi

Every morning Sarah, the Nigerian woman who lives downstairs with her little boy shouts at him and wakes me up. When my washing machine leaked the other week (the man who installed it was busy asking about my contacts in the Iranian copper industry), she was perfectly polite. For three days she tolerated drips through her ceiling and all I got was a note through my door. In the next few days her shouting seemed to intensify. The previous occupant of my apartment had invited Sarah around for tea. She said the boy – whose name one rarely hears – was barely allowed to speak. Sarah is bringing her son up the ‘strong’ way. But her method is flawed. At the very least he may go deaf.

AMERICA
Bob my brother

He and his wonderful family are the perfect picture of kindness from the American mid-West
Hamid Bakhsheshi

The first Easter vacation, when Bob asked me to go with him to his family farm and spend the holidays with his family. It was absolutely amazing. Everyone was genuinely nice, giving, and kind. They were so interested in who I was and where I was from. I was surrounded by questions about Iran and our customs, holidays, language, food, and just about everything. I wouldn't shut up. I loved talking about all I knew of Iran. Truly, it was the first time I felt I belonged and didn't miss my family so much.

INVESTMENT
Home remedy

Why do Iranians have to leave the country to get treatment for cancer?
Maria Afsharian

Why do Iranians have to travel around the world for cancer treatment? Because the medicine isn't available and there are no up to date facilities or machines to treat them. Leaving their families. Don't we have an abundance of medical professionals or entrepreneurs around the world who were born in Shiraz who might want to give back. These people don't have a choice on whether or not they get cancer. And most aren't able to travel much less afford to go to other countries to get treatment. Isn't there valuable data that medical professionals can collect from the Pars region if only there were a structured system of collecting data were in place. Don't these people deserve better treatment? Dr. Abbas Ghaderi of the Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, a two room facility, has put together a plan.

IDENTITY
Blonde Iranians

Inferiority complex
Pouya Alimagham

Here’s some food for thought: Imagine an America and a Europe where most of the continents’ inhabitants had black or dark brown hair and had large hooked noses and this standard was glorified in its influential media and displayed to the rest of the world to consume as the Western standard.  If this hypothetical scenario were true, do you think many Iranian men and women would be getting nose jobs and coloring their hair blonde?  If the world’s only super power championed such an image, who would reject it? There’s no real way of knowing, but one can speculate.  I believe that instead of admiring the American work ethic, we, as in us men and women, admire their stereotypical looks.

NAMES
Esm gozaaraan

What not to name your children
Shahriar Zahedi

EDUCATION
Reaching out of the box

We need to open our minds and our hearts to have a better understanding of the world so we can better connect with people
Roya Ansari

One of the most exciting aspects of life in the U.S. is the cultural mosaic that has brought people from all around the world to this country, and having grown up in Iran, Europe and the U.S., I believe we are very lucky to have diversity in our classrooms and our communities.  We live in a global society; there are many different faces from around the world in our neighborhoods, classrooms and place of work.   Therefore, we need to open our minds and our hearts to have a better understanding of the world so we can better connect with people.

LIFE
Born again virgin

I wanted to tell her that not unlike the chicken pox, the good thing about virginity is that you only get it once -- at least I think so.
Baharak Sedigh

But as I looked up from my frapuccino, the look in her eyes surprised me, as if pleading with me to just go along with it. As if the thought of facing another of life's delusions was simply too much to bear. Suddenly she smiled, shook her head from side to side slowly as she shrugged her shoulders and I realized that she was happier than before, at least more peaceful, which counts for something I guess. I shook my head and laughed. I let my eyes tell her all the loving-but-teasing comments that were pushing against my lips, and I let my heart--not my head lead the rest of the way. On this day, she just needed a friend.

INSULTS
Gholonbeh

Iranian gift–wrapped insults
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

Serious thoughts must have gone into the selection of a Persian word that has enough power to unload a ton of weight on one’s heart. Gholonbeh in itself means an indescribable lump or a bulge of something, for example, if you stuff your pockets it will form a gholonbeh. However, in dialogue, the same word signifies a load of insult which is delivered in a roundabout way via metaphors and hints. You won’t find a definition for this word anywhere and, should there be a dictionary bold enough to include it, you’ll be sure to find the translation inadequate if not incorrect.

LIFE
For his big heart

Names, locations and events are true. The story is not.
Sara Z.

There are a few regrets you carry your entire life. Letting a loved one go, one of them. On our last date, 18 years ago, I broke up with Amir. Not a nasty breakup but a quick and on-the-surface easy one. He was devastated and clueless but did not argue much. He took it as he took everything, with grace and patience.  Prior to our breakup, everything was going more or less fine. We were young and hopeful romantics. . I was 21 he was 22 both studying electronic engineering.  He was a proud fellow and never insisted on convincing me to stay after the breakup. He asked why and I explained that I was tired and needed time off. We talked for a couple of hours trying to figure out alternatives. We did not. With sorrow in his eyes he left. He did not finish his coffee and faded away.

LIFE
Barg rizaan

Autumn in a Swedish suburb
Mohammad Hossainzadeh

DREAM
Multicultural dream

I am standing on the escalator going down under the Pyramide de Louvre
Goli Farrell

This is the extent of madness in a multi cultural, multidiciplinary (or lack thereof) dream. I have only transcribed it partially. Of last night's dream, here are some excerpts. There are large gaps and consider this as a draft (cherk nevees), some passages will be added later. But I promise not to send you any further "paak nevis".You guys are constantly in my dreams and Tehran University houses the most beautifully written chapters of my soul. In fact most nights I see myself sitting next to Ferdowsi's bronze, seated statue (with 2 bolsters/motakkas)in front of Daneshkadeye Adabiyyaat and looking at life from there. I conduct many "class reunions" plus many musicals and operas from that vantage point.

IDENTITY
Persian, Iranian or other?

I let down my guard, threw away my defenses and just said it: I am Iranian. Period.
Maryam Khosharay

Having recently returned to the United States, namely the county’s capital, the obsession with ethnicity has unmasked itself yet again. Rather than asking about my origins as a means of opening the door to an enlightened conversation, I am yet again in the witness box, being sized. Despite this, I keep my head up high.  I  look into the eyes of those who wonder what the far away land holds, not understanding how I can be so American, and yet simultaneously so Iranian.   I look at them knowing that the values I have from both cultures make  me who I am. The blend of east and west, berenj and burgers, coca cola and dogh-they intermingle to form  he Iranian-American. Another character in the world play.

GIVING
Not enough

Is it really sufficient to give what we could spare?
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

I try not to think of God’s power and how easy it would be for Him to heal the survivors and provide them with comfort. It isn’t my place to question disasters and why a Muslim nation, in a town called Islamabad and during the month of Ramadan had to endure such a tragedy. Besides, each time I’ve asked such questions in the past, I heard the same old answer, “It’s a test!” Nonreligious as I may be, I have too much respect to say anything that could be misconstrued as “Kofr.” I tell myself there has to be a better place beyond this life, that’s why God takes the good, the poor and needy so fast and in such astronomical numbers. Then again, maybe this is a test. Maybe God wants to see how far we would go to help our own kind.

LIFE
Too late

I brushed my cynicism aside to listen more closely to my father's conversation. He was talking about haftehs, chellehs. Shit, someone has died.
Nazy Madani

It was a Saturday night and I was getting ready for dinner with Sean, a famous plastic surgeon's son whom I had met on the beach a few weeks ago. I was trying to decide what dress to wear when I heard my dad's voice rising from downstairs. He was on the phone with his sister, my Ameh Shoku, who is constantly asking my dad for money, valuable American dollars that inevitably go up in smoke thanks to her tariyaki husband.

IDENTITY
Opening a closed society

A forced Islamic identity creates a profound confusion to distinguish the real Iranian identity from the forged one
Jahanshah Rashidian

A great number of young Iranians in Iran, despite all restrictions, thanks to the Internet, satellite and other possibilities, develop their self-identity and evolve intact and non-stereotyped elements of the Iranian culture in accordance with a world of diversity and with a more satisfying understanding of the dynamism of their self. The Iranian immigrant communities and their second generation growing up in two complementary cultures, having the advantage of tow sides and the pride and consciousness of their Iranian descent, can interact by giving their young compatriots input  to redefine a new Iranian identity.

LANGUAGE
Latin Persian

Writing Persian using Latin alphabet
Bijan Bakhshi

For the majority it is still easier and more practical to use Latin as the medium to write Persian computer messages. For the purpose of consistency and better communication between fellow Persian speakers, I suggest the following convention for writing Persian using the Latin alphabet. This document is probably not the first of its kind; it is also not yet comprehensive. It does not attempt to teach the Persian or English grammar and simply refers to some of the rules. The examples given are biased towards the Persian which is spoken in Iran. It is however applicable to Persian spoken in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and elsewhere.

LIFE
Azam's Fatwa

Viagra is not the solution
Azam Nemati

It does not take Einstein to figure that these younger women (while waiting to get their green cards, have breast implants, nose jobs and perhaps learn English) would be really happy just to be married to Mr. Engineer who has a nice car and a house and go to grocery stores to buy ton of food and not worry about the cost and get to wear the nice clothes (which he chooses and buys for her) to show off to other mail order brides. I can always tell when I meet them for the first time because they look with such curiosity when they are introduced to me and I catch their eyes scanning me from   head to toe because they find independent women fascinating and unreal at the same time. They usually ask about my clothes, jewelry and make up and when I mention my son their eyes roll because I guess I do not look like a mom.

LIFE
Scent of a name

Who could imagine a granddaughter whose name would mean nothing? Then again, the name now means light, joy and hope all at once
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani

It took some time to adjust to the name, Bill. Beell? What kind of parents would name their son 'Shovel?'  But she no longer makes that association. To her, Bill is now a pair of blue eyes that greets her in the morning, the tall figure that carries her only grandchild on his shoulders and a soft voice with a funny accent, calling her “Madar-joon.” She likes this more than Haj-Khanoom, a title she had earned after her holy pilgrimage. No one here seems to care about a pilgrimage to Mecca. Sometimes she feels guilty as she doubts if even she cares herself! It feels as if she is living a borrowed life and none of her old values matter.

LIFE
Then his little body went limp

A week has now passed since our little boy's hernia operation and I am happy to say that it is as if none of us had experienced this ordeal
Siamack Salari

“Kouroshee what are you doing Baba jan?” I asked Kourosh (one of my two year old twins) was running, not walking, around the children’s ward trying to collect as many discarded toys as possible. He was wearing a nappy and an open backed operating theatre gown. His bare, downy haired, back looked so kissable every time he bent to pick something up. What had surprised everyone about Kourosh was that only 40 minutes before he had been under a surgeon’s knife. A 25 minute hernia operation which resulted in 2.5cm incision.

DIASPORA
Messages on Mehregan

50 more pictures from Mehregan celebration in Orange County
Sourena Mohammadi

LIFE
The drink

The Iranian in me kicks in at the pub
Peyvand Khorsandi

Will asks for a pint. (I only offered out of politeness -- colleague from another floor; but fine -- he wants one, I’ll buy.) He thanks me and places the cold bottle of Holsten Pils under his jacket on the panel in front of which he stands, and I notice he’s already holding one, and it ain’t empty. We make polite chitchat. Sonia, his editor, arrives. “Like a drink?” he says. “Love one,” she replies. Will reaches behind himself and offers her the drink I have just bought him. Now, Will is a nice guy, like me, of sub-editor stock -- sub-editors tend to like each other. He impressed me some years back by knowing that many of Public Enemy’s lyrics were penned by Hank Shocklee and not Chuck D. But I never knew he’d have the power to shock me.

LIFE
The soccer player

Paying the debt owed to me
Guive Mirfendereski

The summer's warm embrace will be no more. I have picked the last of the blooming baby cucumbers off the yellowing vine, to pickle. The cold damp air soon will turn the foliage into the color of fire. The falling leaves will cover the lawn and the night will fall ever so earlier than the evening before. I have been to this place and time many a time -- and in different worlds, too -- but this autumn in my town it will be like no other.

COMMUNITY
Doing the right thing

Photo essay: Iranians in San Francisco Bay Area raise funds for Katrina victims
Talieh Shahrokhi

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