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Rumi
Los Angeles
Interview in LA LA land
Akhy, the super nova of the Iranian music scene, speaks... unfortunately
By Hamid Taghavi
Recently, my friend Faramarz who has a nasty habit of producing TV programming
for the L.A. based Iranian TV stations asked me to sub for him and interview
an "artist" in his place because he had something very urgent
to take care of. Apparently, his younger brother Q-mars in Texas had gone
mad and had decided to get married. Faramarz was flying out there to talk
some sense into him and convince him to get off Satan's donkey.
I told him I didn't know how to interview artists, especially in front
of a camera, and he told me not to worry and just ask them how they feel,
since that's how they always interview people on L.A.'s Iranian TV stations.
In prepration for the interview, I called up the manager.
"May I speak to Mr Mooshy?" ... GO
TO FEATURE
Outlook
Tales from two cities
New York Times & Washington Post editorials on Iranian
elections:
The New York Times: "Iran's Impulse for Change": The
power of democracy is altering Iran. Unofficial results from municipal
elections show that Iranians overwhelmingly supported moderate politicians
associated with President Mohammad Khatami. The voting mirrored the presidential
election that swept Mr. Khatami to power two years ago. Though conservative
clerics remain the paramount rulers of Iran, Iranians are clearly impatient
to lift religious repression and transform their country ... FULL
TEXT
The Washington Post: "Iranian Morality Play": THE CANDIDATES
identified with reform in Iran seem to have prevailed in the first local
elections since the Islamic revolution in 1979. A 90 percent turnout gave
candidates supporting President Mohammed Khatemi a formidable 70 percent
of the vote for seats that were chartered in the Iranian constitution but
previously had not been filled. In a view that has gained broad support
in the West, the vote bespeaks popular confidence in a by-now proven moderate
who has put a popular foundation under his brave challenge of the hard-line
fundamentalists in Tehran. To some, this is the time to end diplomatic
hesitation and, by lifting the American embargo, to back Iran's reformers
in their effort to join the West ... FULL
TEXT
Anyway
Angylina? Meet Abbas
From Abbas Katami's web site:
Born in Virginia with a Persian and German background he followed his
cousin's footsteps as a youngster when he began wrestling in 8th grade.
He competed throughout high school - in an effort to become stronger, he
began weightlifting, and his muscles really responded - and by the time
he was a senior in 1992, he won the state championship. Abbas also participated
in weightlifting and bodybuilding during the off-season while he was not
wrestling.
Thanks to Mehran Azhar
More Letters
* Too long & descriptive
Simin Habibian writes: I first
learned about Tara Bahrampour, the author of "To see and see again",
from excerpts
in The Iranian magazine. Then a couple of weeks ago I heard her interview
on the U.S. National Public Radio. Finally I met her at Politics and Pros
bookstore where she read parts of her book.
My husband and I both read the book (I have not finished it yet) and
we both think that the book is lengthy and too descriptive. A lot of times
it feels like I am reading a detailed dictionary of Farsi words in English!
One can easily skip paragraphs even pages without missing the story ...
FULL
TEXT
* Politics: Readings from Mosadegh's
papers, Virginia
A Presentation from the Jebhe Melli Iran-Washington, with an introduction
by Mr. Nosratollah Amini. Date: Sunday 7 March 1999 ... MORE
DETAILS
* Noruz: Party at Stanford U.
The Persian Students Association of Stanford University and The Bay
Area Persian Center present: The AVAZ International Dance Theater performing
"The Silk Road" - a celebration of Noruz Sunday, April 4th, 1999
4 PM - 7 PM at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University. For more information
and tickets, please call (650) 497-9487 or visit: www.stanford.edu/group/psa
Book of the Week
A Taste of Persia
An Introduction to Persian Cooking
By Najmieh Batmanglij
A Taste of Persia is a collection of authentic recipes from one of the
world's oldest cuisines, chosen and adapted for today's lifestyle and kitchen.
Here are light appetizers and kababs, hearty stews and rich, golden-crusted
rices, among many other dishes, all fragrant with the distinctive herbs,
spices, or fruits of Iran. Each recipe offers clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step
instructions. Most take less than an hour to prepare; many require only
a few moments; many others can be made in advance. Besides its 100 recipes
and 60 photographs, the book includes a useful dictionary of Persian cooking
techniques and ingredients.
Recent
featured books
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Copyright © 1997 Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights
Reserved. May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
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More
news
Writers meet under police protection following
killings
March 4, 1999, (BBC) - The Iranian Writers' Association
has met for the first time since two prominent members of the group were
killed in December by members of the security forces. The killings prompted
nationwide condemnation and today's meeting in Teheran -- attended by about
seventy members -- was held under the protection of the police. It was the
first officially approved gathering of the Writers' Association since the
early years of the Islamic Republic.
Religious court bans mention of Montazeri
TEHRAN,
March 4 (AFP) - Iran's Islamic hardliners launched a fresh crackdown on
a prominent liberal dissident as pressure mounted Thursday for the release
of one of his jailed associates. A special religious court barred Iran's
newspapers from citing Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, a leading dissident
who has regularly denounced the conservatives' stranglehold over the Iranian
regime, press reports said. The court, in an offical ruling submitted to
the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, warned that any paper which
even mentions Montazeri will be prosecuted ... FULL TEXT
Iranians want release of scholar
March
3, 1999, TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian journalists and students urged President
Mohammad Khatami to press for the release of a reformist religious scholar,
saying Wednesday that his detention was a blow to freedom of expression.
The Association of Islamic Students demanded that Khatami abolish the Special
Clerical Court that detained Mohsen Kadivar on Saturday for questioning.
The court, a conservative-led body that reports only to supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, operates independently from Iran's judicial system ... FULL
TEXT
Gulf Arabs condemn Iran war games, back
UAE
ABU DHABI, March 4 (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states on Thursday condemned
Iranian war games in the strategic waterway as ``provocative'' and backed
the United Arab Emirates in a dispute with Iran over three contested islands.
``The ministerial council condemns these provocative Iranian military manoeuvres,
being held by Iran on the three occupied UAE islands...and in (the UAE's)
territorial waters,'' the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states said in
a statement issued after a one-day emergency meeting in the UAE capital
Abu Dhabi ... FULL TEXT
Oil companies poised for deals in Iran
PARIS,
March 4 (UPI) -- In what are seen as new, emerging blows to U. S. government
efforts to block large-scale oil investments in Iran, Western European,
British and Canadian oil companies are on the verge of signing multi-billion
dollar oil and gas deals in Tehran. Industry and diplomatic sources say
if deals now in the final stages of negotiation go through, U.S. oil companies
seeking business in Iran will be left handicapped and on the sidelines,
possibly for several more years ... FULL TEXT
Iran/Iraq oil investment risks abound,
analysts warn
NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters) - International oil firms weighing
lucrative oil and gas investments in Iran or Iraq need to note the political
and security risks involved, analysts said here this week. And that's in
addition to economic and legal risks and other challenges involved, they
pointed out at an Iran/Iraq energy conference in New York ... FULL TEXT
POOYAA-NAMAA-EE = Animation
Tehran,
March 4, (Hamshahri) - A report on Iran's first animated (POOYAA-NAMAA-EE)
film festival ... FULL PERSIAN IMAGE TEXT
New supervisor for national teams
Tehran,
March 4, (Iran daily) - Nasrollah Sajjadi has been appointed as the general
manager of all three Iranian national soccer teams. He spoke about his plans
... FULL PERSIAN IMAGE TEXT
Funeral in Paris
Abbas Fazilat-Kalam (Pedar Fazilat-Kalam) President of the Association
for the Defense of Iranian Political and Ideological Prisoners, died last
Friday in Paris. He was 74 years old and was one the famous opposants of
the Shah and the Islamic Republic. He lost three of his chidren under the
Shah's regime and was in exile since 1981. His funeral will be on Saturday
6th March in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
S.RASSOULI
$ Rate
Updated March 3
The
dollar now offered at up to 827-837 tomans
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777
Business
news
The Web
Iran
Fekr-e
Now
New pro-Khatami magazine online from Iran. (In Persian)
Beyond Iran
Soul Fare
Soulflare ties into that melodramatic
blood rush you get when you combine the exultation of your first Junior
Mint with the brutality of a word barrage from a used car salesperson.
More
web sites
Quote Unquote
Democracy
The power of democracy is altering Iran.
The New York Times editorial
"Iran's
Impulse for Change"
March 4, 1999
Photo of the Day
Esteqlal
More
photos
Music
Musician of the Week
Sohrab
Sepehri
Poetry recited by Khosro Shakibaie
Music
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