Q&A with Andy: Our Community, Our Youth and his Voice
By Saina Bailey
Aug. 11, 2010, Los Angeles, CA — Andy, declared best Iranian
Singer of the 90s by Universal Studios, is a long time friend of
PAAIA; he collaborated with the 2010 Census Coalition and attended
PAAIA’s Passing the Torch of Success in New York last April.
We like him a lot, and in a moment of inspiration, took the
opportunity to chat with him. He talked to us about music and
more. Here it is.
Q: Give us an inside scoop of what you are doing these days?
Right now my single release “Madaram”, is number
one on Radio Javan and I hear that the volume of downloads is
causing technical strains on their website! I’ll be
singing this song at my upcoming concert at the Bren Event
Center in Irvine, August 21st. You can download
“Madaram” for free from my website.
Click here to read more.
Shahram Hadian Endorsed for State Representative by Seattle Times
By PAAIA Government Affairs Office
Aug. 10, 2010, Seattle, WA — With less than a week to go
before the primary election, Shahram Hadian’s candidacy for
the Washington State House of Representative continues to gain momentum
with a new endorsement from the Seattle Times, the largest daily
newspaper in the state of Washington. Last week, the Seattle Times
Editorial Board endorsed Shahram Hadian as the top choice for
Washington State House of Representative (District 44, Position 1). The
Board deemed that it is time for a change in the 44th Legislative
District. “Veteran state Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is
intelligent and hardworking but he is also emblematic of the excessive
spending that has characterized Olympia in recent years. We have
endorsed him in each re-election campaign since 2000, but this year we
cannot,” said the Seattle Times. “Our
recommendation is for Shahram Hadian, a pastor at a Lynnwood church and
a community activist who pushed successfully for Snohomish County's ban
on near-naked baristas.”
Click here to read more.
Haleh Zandi: Towards More Just and Sustainable Solutions, ONE GARDEN AT
A TIME!
By Sanam Zahir
Aug. 12, 2010, San Francisco, CA — Haleh Zandi and Gavin
Raders, co-founders of Planting Justice, dedicate their time to
community organizing, urban food production, and shifting local and
international policies towards more just and sustainable solutions for
all. They organize free community work-parties and low-cost educational
workshops at schools, transform yards into edible gardens and create
jobs through training the community to create sustainable, replicable
gardens with complete nutritional diet in the city. PAAIA sat down with
Haleh to learn more about her work as the co-founder of Planting
Justice, a non-profit organization whose slogan is “Grow
Food, Grow Jobs, Grow Community” and is founded on three
guiding principles “Food Justice, Economic Justice,
Environmental Justice”.
Haleh, it’s a pleasure sitting with you and talking about
your accomplishments as a young member of the community. I first
learned about Planting Justice through my conversations with you and
Gavin. After reading more about your organization on your website and
articles such as the one featured on Food First, I felt it imperative
to share your work with the community.
Let’s start by introducing Planting Justice to our readers!
Q: Where did the idea behind Planting Justice come from and how did it form?
Planting Justice grew out of an edible landscaping and ecological
design company Gavin Raders and I started in June 2008 called the
Backyard Food Project. Whereas the benefits of edible landscaping and
permaculture have thus far been restricted to those who can pay a
premium for it, we were determined to make healthy food, edible
landscaping, and ecological education affordable and accessible to
low-income urban residents.
Click here to read more.
Webcast: L.A.'s young Iranian Jews benefit from JVS’s scholarships
Webcast posted by Karmel Melamed
Aug. 8, 2010, Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles based
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) since 1930 has been providing programs
and services to various individuals who have been financially
struggling. These services include efforts to help countless folks
become self-sufficient and even offered scholarships to college
students in need who show potential. Last month I attended the
JVS’s Scholarship awards night and was surprised to find that
a majority of the 100+ scholarship recipients this year were local
young Iranian Jews.
Click here for the full article and webcast.
I've Discovered Nahid Rachlin
By Susan Abraham
Aug. 7, 2010, New York, NY – "... Last night, unable to
sleep once more and thanks to the final remnants of a fading jet lag, I
settled down to read The Heart's Desire, a riveting paperback,
published by an older, stylish Iranian-American novelist, an Associate
Fellow at Yale and currently a New York resident, Nahid Rachlin. I had
picked up the novel at the famously-eclectic Kinokuniya Bookstore in
Kuala Lumpur, the day before. I recognised the rare intimate study of
family portraits, as a 1995 edition and simply had to have it. In a
nutshell, Jennifer an American working in a hospital and playacting the
loving mother and wife, marries Karim, an Iranian Professor, who lives
and works in Columbus, USA. They have a small son, Darius. As soon as
the Iran-Iraq war is over, the small family reluctantly returns for two
months to Tehran."
Click here for the full article.
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U.S. comedian faces tough crowd on Middle East tour
Shohreh Aghdashloo speaks out against stoning in Iran
Reflections from theWhite House
Surgery planned to help rebuild Iranian boy's face
IAAB kicks off Camp Ayandeh 2010 in Belmont, California
Karen Ostad Elected as the First Female President of IABA
Iranian-American Summer Camp Builds Lasting Ties
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