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Parvin Etesami
Iran
Chai, shirini and the Internet
Loving two of Tehran's cafes for very different reasons
By Laleh Khalili
October 27, 1999
The Iranian
I have two favorite cafes in Tehran. They belong to different times,
different epochs even. Chineh cyber-cafe in the very upmarket and exclusive
Qeitarieh neighborhood is the first true Internet cafe in Iran. I like
Chineh because in its small, calm and quiet confines, there seems to be
an air of individuality, a polite recognition of a space within which one
can lose herself in solitude like nowhere else in an Iranian common space
Cafe Naderi is also my sanctuary, and I love it in a completely different
way. Here in Cafe Naderi, the composition of the crowd changes from day
to day and even from hour to hour, but it changes just a little. This is
my favorite place in Tehran for people-watching, and on several occasions,
I have actually arrived at the cafe at breakfast time (around 8:00 a.m.)
and chosen to stay on until mid-afternoon, devouring my daily dose of six
newspapers, endless cups of tea or Turkish coffee, and -- I am ashamed
to admit -- too many rich, light, sinful cream-puffs ordered specially
from Naderi Confectionery next door ... GO
TO FEATURE
Outlook
Iran Faces Turning Point
Gaining power, women are winning one change at a time
BY JOYCE M. DAVIS
San Jose Mercury News
Washington Bureau
QOM, Iran -- On the women's side of the prayer hall, under the giant
golden dome where the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is entombed beside his
son, Fatima pulls her chador over her head and searches for a sympathetic
face.
Fatima is a striking woman, even with her face and figure shrouded in
black. But in Iran, where there are few opportunities for mature women
to attract men, it takes more than good looks to get or keep a husband.
Thousands of divorced Iranian women are like Fatima: penniless and homeless,
forced to prowl shrines such as Khomeini's tomb to beg for charity ...
FULL TEXT
I want to learn Persian
Ali ishan Ozturk writes:
Salam,
Esme man Ali ihsan OZTURK. Man der Turkiye der daneshgah der rishteye
zebane ve edebiyati Farsi tahsil mi konem ve daneshju hastem. Man ahle
Turkiye hastem. Az shoma yek chezi mi khahem. Eger momkene mi tevani be
man komek be koni. Man zebane Farsi ra mi khahem yad begirem.
More Letters
* Raise the bar
Ali Shemirani
writes: Mr. Alikhani writes an admirable piece on one's perspectives
of how we impact our society.
It is worthy to mention that one has to be a good human being first
and foremost. So often we try to categorize ourselves by using so many
different issues. It doesn't matter if one's an Egyptian, an Icelander,
a Cruzan, or an Iranian. What matters most, when reflected upon, was how
this one individual impacted his/her society.
Mr. Alikhani's grandfather certainly did significant things to impact
his neighbors and friends. However, everyone, in one shape or another,
directly or indirectly has an impact on society. That is how U.S. has become
such a melting pot with a diverse--some may argue-- socio-economic background
... FULL
TEXT
* Distilling an identity
Ramin Abhari
writes: I keep checking out iranian.com because, every once in a while,
hidden among record promos and not-so-funny conversation bits, there is
an article that completely brings me to tears. These unprofessional articles,
often written in less than perfect English, move me more than any well-researched
study or master reporting from Iran. I guess, as they say in Persian, if
it comes from the heart it reaches the heart (ageh az del biyaad, beh del
mishineh).
And so it was with Mr. Alikhani's recent article "Stop
or go?". I think it moved me because it dealt with a subject that
I have wrestled with many times since leaving Iran -- the search for one's
identity when living away from the source of identification ... FULL TEXT
* Literature: * Exile & gender -
Berkeley
"Center for Dialogue" presents: "An Exiled's View of
Gender", A lecture by Maliheh Tirehgol, member of Association of Iranian
Writers in Exile and the author of "An Introduction to Persian Literature
in Exile". Date: Sunday November 7, 1999 -- Time: 6:00 PM -- Place:
2040 Valley Life Science Building, University of California, Berkeley.
Lecture in Persian.
SELL
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Books of the Week
* Moraba-ye
shirin (1998)
Novel
By Houshang Moradi Kermani
92 pages.
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Iranian books for sale
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Beh
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tapes are by far the best we have ever had. We are certain you and your
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More
news
Khatami in Paris, police swoop on dissidents
PARIS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami began
a three-day trip to France on Wednesday amid noisy protests and police raids
to round up opponents of the first visit by an Iranian head of state since
the 1979 Islamic revolution ... FULL TEXT
Chirac raises plight of arrested Jews with
Iranian president
PARIS,
Oct 27 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac raised the plight of 13 Iranian
Jews facing a possible death sentence over charges of spying for Israel,
during talks with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami here Wednesday ...
FULL TEXT
Paris police operation against Iranian
opposition
PARIS,
Oct 27 (AFP) - French police arrested some 30 people in dawn raids against
Iranian opposition circles around Paris Wednesday shortly before Iranian
President Mohammad Khatami was due to arrive for an historic visit, Iranian
opposition sources said ... FULL TEXT
Washington salutes Iranian efforts to rejoin
the international community
WASHINGTON,
Oct 27 (AFP) - Washington welcomed Iran's efforts to return to the international
community as President Mohammad Khatami made an official visit to France
... FULL TEXT
U.S. Spokesman Offers Iran Unconditional
Talks
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official was quoted by an Iranian
newspaper Wednesday offering face-to-face, unconditional negotiations between
Washington and Tehran to forge ``more normal'' relations after two decades
of hostilities ... FULL TEXT
Nuclear Lab Computers Limit Access
WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists from sensitive countries such as China
or Iran are to be barred from connecting with Energy Department computers
that contain even unclassified information beneficial to a nuclear weapons
programs, says a department official ... FULL TEXT
Scientists call for release of students
About Iran... has received the following letter from the Committee
of Concerned Scientists in defense of detained Iranian students and other
pro-democracy students which is addressed to Secretary General Kofi Annan
and High Commissioner Mary Robinson ... FULL TEXT
US man pleads guilty to faking visas for
Iranians
LOS
ANGELES, Oct 26 (AFP) - A man from suburban Los Angeles pleaded guilty to
participating in an immigration fraud ring that faked documents for Iranians
to obtain US visas or political asylum, federal prosecutors here said Tuesday
... FULL TEXT
Alstom announces Iran contract as President
Khatami visits France
PARIS,
Oct 27 (AFP) - French engineering group Alstom announced on Wednesday it
had won a contract of 192 million euros (203 million dollars) from the Iran
state railway company to provide 100 diesel-electric locomotive engines
... FULL TEXT
War films
Tehran
(Hamshahri) - Those who want to make loans about the Iran-Iraq War will
be given government loans up to 12 million tomans ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Preserving Tut Tower
Tehran
(Asr-e Azadegan) - The Tut Tower, a Qajar-era watch tower, has been listed
by the Cultural Heritage Foundation for preservation ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Wrestling exchange
Tehran (Iran daily) - Iran will attend the World Wrestling championships
in Washington DC and the U.S. team will take part in international matches
in Tehran ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Mianvand wants out
Tehran (Iran daily) - Mehrdad Minavand wants to leave the Austrian
soccer league at the end of his contract, which ends soon. His coach isn't
happy ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
BBC
Persian Service
For the latest news,
interviews and features on Iranian current affairs ... LISTEN HERE
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Quote Unquote
Plea
Khatami, describing his three-day trip amid heavy security as ''a historic
step,'' told reporters he had a fruitful meeting in which he pleaded for
a ``pluralist world, one without domination and where all countries lived
in peaceful co-existence.''
-- Reuters report from Paris
October
27, 1999
Photo of the Day
Khatami
in Paris
(Six photos)
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