The Iranian Times

Monday December 27, 1999 / Dey 6, 1378, No. 876


Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Flower delivery in Iran

Iranian books


    Khayyam


Cover story

Remember?
That was me, that was you, that was us

December 27, 1999
The Iranian

When I saw these pictures at a friend's house last week, I thought of all the incredible things that have happened to us, our families and our people in the 20th century. The oldest photo here might be 60-70 years old. But they all seem like ancient history. Where were we then and where are we now? I guess what matters most is where we are heading. But that doesn't make these pictures any less fascinating >>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Millennium party
Are the Americans overdoing it?

By Jahanshah Javid
BBC Persian Service
December 26, 1999

The Americans are planning huge millennium parties, especially in New York and Washington. The Iranian community is getting into the mood as well. Is it all too much? >>> LISTEN HERE


    Anyway

Greatest goal in life

Andy de Champlain writes to The Iranian:

Hello, my name is Andy, and one of my greatest goals in life, is to go to Iran, and learn Farsi. I am a canadian, and if there is someone out there who can help me accomplish this goal, any small amount of help or advise, (aside from, "Don't bother"), I would appreciate it.

I am a second-year linguistics student, and I am planning a career in teaching English as a second language in countries all over the world. I understand that it is difficult to get into the country, and so I seek contacts that could be of help.

My email is: acrystalball@hotmail.com

Thank you very much, motoshakeram.


More Letters

* Christmas in Tehran

A friend in Iran writes: Just wanted to wish you a wonderful holiday season! I can honestly say that I wish I were in the U.S. to celebrate the holidays with you. The sheer absence of Christmas in Iran, is enough to make me desperately homesick. Though today, I took to the streets and visited an Armenian neighborhood, where I lit some candles in an Orthodox church, listened to a beautiful choir and later bought some Christmas lights and decorations -- just like the ones we had when I was young and lived in Iran :-).

Later today, I will buy a Christmas tree and tonight, I will think of each and everyone of you, as I decorate it. Besides missing my family and friends and feeling occasionally homesick, I am having a nice time in Iran. As many of you know, I am enjoying my work here quite a bit. Again, I have been extremely lucky. I have met some of the most remarkable people here and am enjoying some beautiful and meaningful friendships with them.

This indeed is a gift, for which I feel eternally grateful. In some ways, everyday here has been a Christmas of sorts. A time of reflection, a time of discovery, a time of understanding all that I have left behind and discovering the endless possibilities that await. It has been bittersweet. I know now, more than ever before, that I am two people, with two homes, two families, two sets of friends, two realities. Two halves of one heart, torn eternally apart.

But still, there is a peace in knowing this, that cannot be explained with words alone, for which I have no words.

* Our problem

Reza Saba writes: As I was surfing the Net somehow I lost my way into you site. I am not even sure if what I am writing will be seen by anyone, but here it goes: The problem with Iranians is partly due to our upbringing in Iran.

Between 1978 and 1988, the country went through a revolution and war and the impact of Khomeini was worse than a nuclear bomb. I have always had a problem with that.


* Music: New millennium concert, Berkeley

X DOT 25 proudly presents: Dawn Of The New Millennium, A Night of Spiritual Music, Poetry & Dance. DATE & TIME: 8:00 PM Saturday, January 22th, 2000. PLACE: First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley at One Lawson Road, Kensington, CA. TEL: (510) 525 0302. TICKETS: $18.00 adv, $20.00 at the door>>> ARTISTS & MORE DETAILS HERE

SELL TICKETS ONLINE AT YOUR SITE


Books of the Week

* Saaniyeh-yeh aakhar (1999)
Y2K issues in Iran
By Dr. Ali Parandeh

* Barandeh-haa ham baazandeh-and (1999)
A memoir by a former mayor of Tehran, with photos
By Ahmad Nafisi

* Jazireh sargardaani (2nd edition, 1998)
Novel
By Simin Daneshvar

* Mumia va assal (1996)
Novel
By Shahriar Mandanipour

* Mehr-e giaah (1998)
Novel
ByAmir Hassan Cheheltan

See more Iranian books for sale

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore


Video of the Week

Through the olive trees

This is Abbas Kiarostami's most romantic film (English subtitles). It is the third part of a trilogy set in northern Iran. For other Kiarostami videos, click here.

THE IRANIAN
Video Store



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More news

Moderate Iranian party claims it was bugged by reformist newspaper

TEHRAN, Dec 27 (AFP) - A moderate Iranian political party is claiming to have been bugged by a reformist newspaper which quoted controversial remarks by one of its leading members, press reports said Monday. The Kargozaran-e- Sazandeghi (Executives of Construction) party close to former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani pointed the finger at Said Hajarian, head of the Sobh-e Emruz daily, the reports said >>> FULL TEXT

Iran paper says two more students condemned to die over July riots

TEHRAN, Dec 25 (AFP) - Two more Iranian students have been sentenced to death over July's bloody unrest, one of them because he showed international media the blood-soaked shirt of a beaten colleague, a newspaper said Saturday. The moderate Fath paper cited a student group saying Akbar Mohammadi had been condemned to death for throwing petrol bombs during the riots >>> FULL TEXT

Iran conservatives launch platform for February elections

TEHRAN, Dec 25 (AFP) - Conservatives in Iran announced Saturday that they had launched a joint electoral platform in the run up to key parliamentary elections in February. "Our aim is to coordinate the positions of the revolutionary political forces in order to defend constitutional rights but mainly to try to solve the country's many economic problems," conservative MP Mohammad-Reza Bahonar said >>> FULL TEXT

Oil minister defends deal with Shell

TEHRAN, Dec 27 (AFP) - Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh defended Monday his country's 800 million dollar contract with Royal Dutch Shell against criticism from Islamic radicals that the Anglo-Dutch oil giant was "Zionist." "The Zionists have no shareholding in the Shell group," Zanganeh said in a statement carried by state radio >>> FULL TEXT

Iran minister plays down gas dispute with Turkey

TEHRAN, Dec 27 (AFP) - The normal operation of Iran's power stations has been threatened for the last two weeks by a shortage of natural gas, which is their main feedstock, Deputy Energy Minister Akbar Nematollahi said Monday. "Given the winter cold and growing (power) demand, the power stations must be supplied with gas and oil products," he said, adding that the situation risked becoming critical, the official IRNA news agency reported >>> FULL TEXT

No politics

Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - Kiarostami says artists should not get into politics because it may cause problems for the reform movement >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Story in a story

Tehran (Hamshahri) - Iranian film makers have become well known for making films within films. Now we have a writer who has a story within a story. Mohammad Baharlou's novel "Eshq koshi" (Murder of love) moves in out of Sadeq Hedayat's work >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Painted walls

Tehran (Hamshahri) - More interesting discoveries at the 9000-year old archaeological site near Savjebalagh: Walls painted in two colors >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Too young

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Seven players, mostly the younger, inexperienced ones, have been eliminated from the national soccer team's preliminary list >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Baqeri dropped

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Karim Baqeri will not be going to America with the rest of his national team pals. Why? He was late for training camp >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Nakisa in Italy?

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) - Former national goalie Nima Nakisa has been signed a "preliminary" contract to play with an Italian first division club, Torino >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN


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Strangers

I do desire we be better strangers.

-- William Shakespeare


Photo of the Day

Second Iranian-American couple


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Maryam Heydarzadeh

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