"Tears of a mother cannot save her child, but your blood can.” So my bit was to donate blood"

When I turned to my friend Nilu after we finished watching "Mother of the Earth" at Docunight LA a couple of weeks ago, her short comment said it all: "I feel embarrassed compared to the lady" in the documentary. However, I am of the belief that every little bit of civic participation counts. We shouldn't stop doing OUR BIT just because it is small in comparison to another. "Tears of a mother cannot save her child, but your blood can.” So my bit was to donate blood. You do YOUR part.

SIMPLE CHALLENGE: Put Away One Item Per Day To Donate At X-Mas Time

My "American Sister, Mary" had a post on her Facebook page, suggesting a very simple, daily, gathering of food items, in anticipation of donating it at Christmas time.

I was so moved by this simple, yet practical, idea that I immediately adopted it and now I am participating in Mary's CHALLENGE: Putting aside ONE ITEM PER DAY to make X-Mas gift packages for my numerous local homeless people.

You can join us in this drive for any cause you wish; A local food bank, women's shelters, homeless shelters, a low-income family/person you may know, etc. It is just so easy to do and will be a daily subtle reminder to think of others and spread the love.

Much love, Nahzi Nikki 😊🌷❤

دوران دانش آموزی ما....

با وجودیکه مدرسه مختلط میرفتیم و نمایندگان شیطان بزرگ مثل خواننده ها و هنرپیشگان طاغوتی نمونه های بد و زشت و منحرفی برایمان بودند و حجاب نداشتیم و ماه محرمهایی که یکماه بطول می انجامید نداشتیم و دختر و پسرهامون دلشون به یک شماره تلفن دادن و گرفتن خوش بود یا گاهی خوردن یک شیرینی یا ساندویچ با طرف و و و و و ولی با این وجود چقدر از نسل امروز دل پاکتر، چشم پاک تر، درست تر، بی شیله پیله تر، سر براه تر، قابل اعتمادتر، و رویهمرفته محترم تر بودیم.
😢💙
کلیک ==>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUGttie1GI&feature=share

Going Down The Memory Lane With Ziba Shirazi

How aptly she had chosen the name of her program; "Songs of My Life"! ​ ​Listening to Ziba Shirazi reviewing her childhood and teenagehood memories was like going through my own diary. She was masterfully and effortlessly using songs of our youth in transporting us back in time. She told us of performing at family gatherings, or ​i​n a children's program ​on radio, or on stage at school​ functions​, experiences all too familiar to me.

She shared with us the crush she had on a boy at ​elementary ​school and instantaneously took me to my first day of going to first grade, when the teacher asked Ali to scoot over so I can take the seat next to his; a seemingly inconsequential request that started a ripple effect that has stayed with me to this day.

Sometimes she tied each memory to another,​ ​and other times ​tied a ​decade or a historically significant event​ to another​, by ​singing​ a famous song of the same ​era​.
All and all, it was an evening that most members of the audience could reminisce about where he/she was when Vigen, Googoosh, Dariush or Faramarz Aslani sang the song Ziba was performing.​

​Last night​, I got the chance to experience time travel. That is what Ziba Shirazi accomplished. What else would you call the experience of traveling to another continent, century, and era, for the price of one ticket to visit Morgan Wixon Playhouse, if not "time travel"?

Click here for a short video from last night

یادی از رضا شاه

اینروزها که بمناسبت پیدا شدن جسد مومیایی رضا شاه ، نام و عکس و اخبارشان دنیای مجازی را فراگرفته، منهم بیاد خاطراتی از تاج الملوک خانم (ملکه مادر) افتادم که دراینجا یکی ازآنها را با شما در میان میگذارم. خاطره ای که بقول تاج الملوک خانم، رضا شاه مدتها به آن اشاره میکرده و باعث خنده خود و اطرافیان میشده است.

چراغعلی خان امیراکرم (از قوم و خویشهای رضا شاه) بعدازاینکه کاخ سعدآباد تکمیل شد و رضا شاه همراه با خانواده اش ساکن آن شدند، ازمسئولین طرازاول وزارت دربار شد که تشکیلاتش در ساختمان جلوی کاخ سعدآباد مستقر شده بود.

گویا چراغعلی خان درنامه ای که به پل سفید نزد اقوامش فرستاده بود آدرس خود را "وزارت جلیله دربار شاهنشاهی ، سعدآباد ، روبروی مغازه کفاشی مش حسین دربندری" ذکر میکند!

بقول ملکه مادر، روزی رضا شاه تصادفا پاکتی که برای چراغعلی به آدرس مزبور رسیده بود را دید و در بازگوکردنش به همسرش و یادآوریش در نشستهای دیگر همواره اضافه میکرده که ، "خوب شد ما کاخ و وزارت دربار را روبروی آن کفاشی ساختیم وگرنه مامورین پست چگونه میتوانستند نامه ها را به کاخ و دربار برسانند؟!"
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بیادش.... رضا شاه ، روحت شاد

Coffee With Cream, Sugar And A Pinch Of Lust!

There were five other individuals sitting quietly in the courtyard of a cafe on Westwood Boulevard (in Tehrangeles). Not a peep out of any of us, as we each were busy reading or writing something, except a group of seven middle-aged Iranian men who were sitting or standing around the two that were playing backgammon.

One of the standing ones, in a voice that could probably be heard in the neighboring stores, was sharing something he had heard somewhere, "There are 60,000 MALE prostitutes in Qom alone, not counting the women whores." (Qom, mind you, with a population of 1,202,000 is considered a HOLY place by the Shia Islam and one of the significant destinations of pilgrimage! The irony was not lost on me, with my calculating mind running on auto-pilot; One male prostitute per every 20 men, women and children living in the "holy" Qom!)

The men started laughing and joking about the number, its accuracy or state of exaggeration and what it means for any city of any size to have 60,000 prostitutes, let alone male ones at that! From then on, the conversation was shifted to the ever-so-growing-nationwide prostitution and "SEEGHEH" (which is some kind of a short-term marriage, or better put, an Islamic version of legalized prostitution), and comparing the current status of sexual behavior in today's Iran to the pre-revolution time. In response, another man added how there are men who travel to Iran just to have sex with very young women, inexpensively, and he even named loudly for all to hear, Mr. so and so as a frame of reference!!!

From a few feet away, their loud laughter, with their mouths wide open, and louder conversation in Farsi, completely laced with sexual innuendos, could have been a scene from a Fellini's movie.

Yeah, today I watched a real movie at the cafe called, "Coffee With Cream, Sugar And A Pinch of Lust!"

A Firecracker; Danny Bonyadi

The story behind this picture goes back to when I was a little girl! In those days, the American Television Channel in Tehran used to broadcast American TV Shows including the Dean Martin Show, Lawrence Welk Show, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In TV Show (which I loved to watch). Ok, that was the background...

On the other hand, there were a couple of somewhat similar shows on the Iranian TV channel, including The Parviz Gharibafshar's Variety Show. I remember distinctly the evening that an Iranian guest, who was living in the United States at the time, was the guest. The guest was none other than Danny Bonyadi. He was like NO OTHER GUEST! He was extremely energetic and full of fun and laughter. That evening, he, DANNY BONYADI, made such an indelible impression on me that when I saw him amongst the guests last night, I could not help it but to walk to him, tell him my little story, and thank him for having entertained me in such a way that after DECADES, seeing him on TV (or in person like last night) brings a GENUINE smile to my face. Thank you Danny Bonyadi. <3 I have also included here a link to a skid belonging to 43 years ago!!! Hope you enjoy it. >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlsssZzPc8

Desperation Can Be A Destructive Force

Numb; that is how I felt moments after I finished watching the movie: Rag-e Khaab. رگ خواب

Leila hatami's award winning performance just transported me to where her character was dealing with her shitty life, to the point that I could not wait to get out of it so I can catch my breath!

Kudos to you, Leila... kudos to you.... دست مریزاد ای لیلای حاتمی

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Click on this link to hear the score: Ahaay Khabardar
Performed by Homayoun Shajarian

Click on this link to watch the movie online; "Rag-e Khaab"

After Decades, Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" Still Stirs Me Up

One of today's headlines read, "Neil Diamond announces retirement from concert touring after diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease." It saddened me, not because I knew him personally, or because he was my favorite singer or anything like that but because it was his voice and his song, "Coming to America", that for several years, was the opening number to my radio program, "America, The Land We Live In".

Although I heard that song at least twice a week for years still every single time that I heard it (or still hear it for that matter) touched and reminded me of how I felt (and feel) about having the opportunity to live in America, where I call HOME.

Link to "Coming to America"

The Intoxicating "The Greatest Showman"

INTOXICATING...... At some points, I felt being a part of the magic.... I clicked on "PLAY" expecting to see a musical and ended clicking on "stop" being covered by goosebumps and not knowing quite what hit me!!!
P.T. Barnum once said, "The noblest art is that of making others happy." And what I just watched is one "FEEL GOOD" movie. The kind that has moments that will take your breath away. "The Greatest Showman" is a film full of heartwarming scenes that will fill your heart with joy and will elevate you, and will bring tears to your eyes, tears of joy. At first glance, it may seem to be a movie about the formation of a circus but as the story develops we are faced with layers after layers of trials and tribulations, dreams, injustices, friendships, camaraderies, trust, dreams, and love and love and love.....

Click here to Watch a short video... This is JUST A practice session... You hear me? Just a casual run! Watch and tell me if it didn't move you.

By clicking on these links, you will get to see just a few moments of the magic of this movie <3
The Video of the same song, "THIS IS ME" from the movie, Performed by Keala Settle and the cast (with lyrics)

Another powerful performance was when the song "Never Enough" was performed.
(Singer: Loren Allred)

Lyrics of "Never Enough"
I'm trying to hold my breath
Let it stay this way
Can't let this moment end
You set off a dream with me
Getting louder now
Can you hear it echoing?
Take my hand
Will you share this with me?
'Cause darling without you
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it'll
Never be enough
Never be enough
For me
Never, never
Never, never
Never, for me
For me
Never enough
Never enough
Never enough
For me
For me
For me
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it'll
Never be enough
Never be enough
For me
Never, never
Never, never
Never, for me
For me
Never enough
Never, never
Never enough
Never, never
Never enough
For me
For me
For me

For me