July 2004
July 25...............................To
top
* Watch your language
If you still think "queer" has a negative connotation, I should
bring you up to date. These days, describing a homosexual as a
"queer" is almost like stating a neutral fact. Same thing with
"dyke". But I suspect it would not be appropriate to call a lesbian
a "dyke". However if she tells you she's a dyke, you're supposed
to accept that as OK. It's cool :o)
And Iranians should reconsider using kooni (asshole?)
to describe a gay person. I'm curious to know what gay Iranians
call
each other,
but in their official literature they describe themselves as hamjens-garaa, which
means attracted-to-the-same-sex, and NOT the age-old hamjens-baaz,
which means same-sex-pervert.
And a Jew is not a "joohood" (You would certainly
not use that term in their presence. So why would should it be
used among non-Jews?) A Jew is a "yahoodi" or "kalimi".
You disagree? Speak up!
What else? Oh, siyaah (Black) is OK to describe
African-Americans but siaahpoost (Black-skins)
is (or should be) on the way out of our journalistic vocabulary,
to say the least. Meanwhile, siaah sookhteh (charcoal-Black)
and siaah zangee (Black slave from Zanzibar)... are definitely
off the chart.
And ... come on! We MUST find something other than cheshm-baadoomee (almond-like-eyes)
to describe the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and...
And not anybody who speaks Spanish is MEXICAN!
Any other words need to be reconsidered?
-- Jahanshah Javid
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* Reedam
It was so embarrassing...
Saeid told me he comes to Berkeley on Saturdays to play soccer
with a bunch of Iranian guys. I asked him if I could come, even
though I don't play well. I just want to exercise and enjoy myself.
He said that wouldn't be a problem.
I put on my all-black shorts and t-shirt, my red-and-black
stripped long socks, and my football shoes, which have seen action
only twice in the past year. With my messy afro, three-day-old
beard and round glasses, I looked... ridiculous.
It would have been fine if I wasn't the absolute worst player
among a field of 18 anxious, hard-working, passionate football
players. But I was so so bad.
In an hour and a half of play as
a right-back, I touched the ball 10 times, and I kicked nine
of them in the direction of our own goal. (I heard a frustrated
teammate
tell another: "Cheraa eenjooree meekoneh?!" --
essentially, "What's his problem?")
My glasses kept falling from my sweaty face and once I got rammed
so hard that my glasses smashed against my eyes and left a scratch
on my nose. There was blood! :o)))
When I got on the field, our team was ahead 2-0. When it became
4-4, it was decided that the team that scores the next goal wins.
One of my teammates told me to defend the goal, which I was thankful
for. At least I would not have to run around and the goal looked
pretty small and easy to defend.
It was best for the team if I didn't handle the ball and from
that position, the only direction I could kick was forward.
I made some pretty good saves. Once I used my hands as the ball
was coming 200 miles an hour right at my chest. I was told that
I should not use my hands since the goal is very small. I did it
again (defensive reflex, again) and it cost us a corner. But we
survived.
Then I took a direct hit in the groin. People! It was painful,
very painful. But funny enough, I didn't get much sympathy. I think
my teammates thought I deserved it. It was undestandable. I probably
deserved worse.
This is how it all ended: Someone kicked a high ball,
I jumped to head it away. But instead, it bounced off my head and
dropped behind my back into the goal.
Sorry guys, reedam... cheh jooram.
-- Jahanshah
Javid
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* Where are you from?
A story from Saeid about his high school years in Turkish-controlled
Cyprus:
In 1983 the Iranian
government allowed people to travel for the first time since the
war with
Iraq had started
three
years
earlier.
At the time many teenage boys left the country to avoid the draft.
My parents sent me to a British high school in the Turkish part
of Cyprus. I had an Iranian classmate whose name was Mani. There
are many ancient ruins in Cyprus where Mani and I would play.
One day we went into a cave where we found mounds of cannon balls
used centuries ago by Portuguese colonizers. Mani and I thought
it would be fun to take them home.
We picked up a couple and started walking. On the way, a British
hiker stopped us and said we were not allowed to take ancient objects.
He had sensed that we were not locals. "Where are you from?" he
asked.
I knew he thought we were thieves, or had done something
very wrong. So before Mani could open his mouth I said, "We're
Iraqis!"
I didn't want to ruin my country's reputation :o)))
-- Jahanshah Javid
July 22...............................To
top
* Not my nonsense
Someone is using the email address jahanshah_javid@journalist.com
writing things in my name and sending them off to various people.
Please beware of this and any similar nonsense written in my name
-- except nonsense I write
in
iranian.com.
-- Jahanshah Javid
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* Weapon of Mass Destruction
I picked up my wife from English class today. She said
her Israeli classmate asked her whether it's true that Iranian
women
remove facial hair with regular thread? My wife said yes it's true,
and proceeded to teach her and a couple of (fascinated) Brazilian
classmates how it's done.
-- Jahanshah Javid
July 17...............................To
top
* Roo keh neest
I just got an email from SM with this
photo attached. It shows a public wall in Tehran. I looked
at it and I thought, "How sick... what nerve!"
Islamic Republic, the defender of human rights? Qorboonam beree!
-- Jahanshah Javid
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July 16...............................To
top
* Journalism fellowship at NYT
The Social Science Research Council, in partnership with The New
York Times Company Foundation and The Western Knight Center for
Specialized Journalism at the University of California Berkeley
Graduate School of Journalism, presents a week-long institute,
to be held September 27 - October 1, 2004 in New York City, that
will explore in-depth the practice of Islam and the Muslim experience
in America.
Fellowships are available to 15 practicing professional journalists
to attend the institute in New York City, which will feature a
broad range of experts leading discussions key to understanding
the complexities of Islam. The program will focus on Islam's practices
and its communities with an emphasis on distinguishing between
articles of faith and political ideology. The goal is to provide
journalists with context and understanding of issues essential
to framing news stories on American Muslim life with greater depth.
The program will address issues including:
-The social, cultural, and political diversity of Muslims in
American society -Reporting on the cultural, linguistic and transnational
aspects of the religion
-The role of Muslim women in political, business and community life
-The institutional, ethnic, and religious ties of American Muslims with Muslims
abroad
-Coping with post-9/11: fear, civil liberties, foreign policy, terrorism and
war
Fellows will also probe the challenges of reporting and writing
about Muslim communities, and learn where to find source experts,
community contacts, websites, literature and other resources.
WHO SHOULD APPLY: Reporters and editors from print, broadcast
and online news organizations who specialize in issues related
to religion, diversity, immigration, globalization, social services,
legal affairs and foreign policy. Fellowships cover lodging, meals,
field trip expenses, reference materials and one-half of travel
expenses up to a maximum of $300.
HOW: Applications are available on the WKC website, www.WKConline.org.
Applications must include
-completed application forms;
-personal statement;
-letter of recommendation;
-samples of professional work.
Applications must be sent to :
Vikki Porter
Director Western
Knight Center for Specialized Journalism
USC Annenberg School for Communication
3502 Watt Way Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281
For further information or questions: Email: islaminamerica.org
Phone: (212) 377-2700 ext. 604
Webpage
Deadlines: The deadline is July 22, 2004. Email or faxed submissions
will be accepted, but a hard original copy of the application must
be received within five days of the deadline date.
Email applications to: vporter@usc.edu
Fax: (213) 743-4985.
-- Sent by Masoud
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* Trash-talking ads
LOS ANGELES (July 15, 2004) - The Academy Awards
have some new rules, including a ban on ads by studios trashing
the competition.
In a decree released Thursday,
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences formally banned
studios from referencing rivals in
ads aimed
at voters. The new rule "prohibits specific and disparaging references
to other pictures or individuals competing in a given category in ads,
mailings, Web sites or other forms of campaign communication," according
to the Academy.
It's an apparent response to DreamWorks' trade-newspaper
ad last season that
promoted best supporting actress contender Shoreh Aghdashloo from "House
of Sand and Fog" in a way that was perceived as a slap at fellow nominee
Renee Zellweger from "Cold Mountain.
The ad included clips from
newspaper and TV critics saying that Aghdashloo deserved to win the Oscar,
but that Zellweger
was more likely to get it. The Motion Picture Academy denounced it as
an "attack
ad." DreamWorks apologized and later bought a special ad congratulating
Zellweger on her victory.
To top
* Run Lola Run
I highly recommend you guys to see this exciting film by a young
German director called Run
Lola Run. One of the actors
is Malik Shah in Kayvan Mashayekh's film The
Keeper.
This is an excellent thriller with an intelligent plot. In short,
how
would you save
a friend from sheer death knowing that to save him you need to
collect 100,000 German Marks in exactly twenty minutes? JUST
ORDER IT AND SEE IT.
-- Darius Kadivar
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Shorts: July 1-14
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