Etemadi haya kon

hameh migim haya kon

music scene o Raha kon

the nation's foremost lyrics scholar speaks

va AMMA link 1 of 2

va AMMA link 2 of 2

va AMMA shoma banoo Atashin kami ensaniat beh kharj bedahid va hamdardi konid

va chetor shoma mesleh golbanoo Solati har rooz jeloyeh Federal Building nistid

begholeh golbanoo shoma mitoonid ba yek jomleh enghelab konid pas chera na

Fathers Day blog update was delayed one week due to the turmoil in the motherland.  This site condemns Iran's torture against its very own people.

April 19th 2009

San Francisco, California

image captured by my bro via his iPhone

April 19th 2009

San Francisco, California

58

my nephew holding the hands of my bro and my sis

mom and nicole at intersection

dad was 58 when he passed away four years ago on this very day

his cremated ashes are/were in this vicinity in the waters of SF Bay

bah bah doc safa avordi

Mattin joon with dayi Nader or as he says dayi iPhone

nephew with his parents

bro carries basketball and water for our nephew in the triple digit temps

April 19th 2008

Los Altos, California

all we are is dust in the wind

bro - dokhtar khaleh - dokhtar ameh

personalized TEXAS license plate says IRAN

dad sporting shades with some Persian bad boys

circa late sixties during dad's undergrad years

on the chilly eve of Fathers Day 2009

Los Altos, California

in memory of Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

anaplastic astrocytoma glioblastoma multiforme

departed Los Altos 04.19.05

age 58

scattered on San Francisco sea

05.05.05

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

♫

06.17

06.17.76

cousin joon Mitra joon

youngest of five

UC Berkeley Architecture graduate with Civil Engineering minor

Los Altos High School gold seal graduate

can u spot dokhtar ameh joon

can u spot dokhtar ameh joon

bro & i spent countless hours on that swing on many Friday afternoons @ ameh's house

can u spot two dokhtar amehs and the pesar amoo

saltanat abad

yours truly decked in brown with my siblings & my parents

06.17.82

pasdaran

WHERE

IS

MY

VOTE

facebook.com/shutterbugMG

PACI

Persian American Cancer Institute

in memory of dad Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

in memory of amoo Dr. Firooz Ghaffari

GOD

IS THE

GREATEST

a few hours before dad's birthday 06.06.09

ran into this angel @ MCD

her photogenic granddaughters gave me some good literature about Christ

God bless all of them

Mountain View, California

a couple of hours before 06.06.09

Los Altos, California

pic dedicated to the newlywed mahsa of dc and her bro mehran

( after this shot I headed to the airport to pick up the vacationing mom who had flown to Hawaii with a couple of dokhtar amehs )

06.06.09

San Mateo, California

@ home of dad's middle sis ~ 6 pm

she did a fateheh for dad and had me repeat after her

she said pasho cake o vardar berim pisheh sima joon

06.06.09

Foster City, California

@ home of dad's niece ~ 7 pm

from what I can decipher this says:  don't worry be happy on the freeway of life

Nader Jahanfard's mother with the ex-daughter of Iran, banoo Atashin

sports symbolism writer Nader Jahanfard and I with the owner of uPhotography.biz Majeed Iravani

Sunnyvale, California

06.03.09    ( wednesday )  @ halal Pakistani place

went to Santana Row afterwards in Majeed's SUV with golbanoo Forouhar CD by Majeed jan

06.06.09

dad's 63rd birthday

an especially interesting birthday as dad's age in reverse is my age

and of course six plus three equals the year nine

Woodland Hills, California

dad and all his bros

mid eighties

91364

clockwise starting @ 12 o'clock we have

amoo Mohsen, amoo Mansour, amoo Sirous, amoo Firooz, dad, amoo Mahmood, and amoo Mozafar

( uncle Manny wears his sunglasses @ night )

( i really dig uncle Mozi's tan here )

( uncle Moody hosts this gathering )

my fellow Americans won't you plz join me in commemorating Memorial Day

plz use the IE browser and majorly UP your volume

from sea to shining sea we will celebrate America

Memorial Weekend 2008

Stockton, California

the extended Ghaffari family

the extended Yeganeh family

and affiliated arjmand families

shutterbug cousin Siv is looking directly @ me

members of extended family can go to the direct link of this pic for high res version (right click & properties)

♫

La Dolce Vita

Wine Lounge

SPARKLING WINES

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava - Spain
Adriano Adami Prosecco - Veneto, Italy
Graham Beck Brut - South Africa
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne 375ml - Reims, France
J Vineyards Cuvee 20 - Russian River, CA
J Vineyards Brut Rose - Russian River, CA
Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne - France
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne 750ml - Reims, France
 

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Stephen Vincent - Lake County 2006
Amphora Winery TimberCrest Farms - Dry Creek Valley 2006
Brander - Santa Ynez Valley, CA 2006
Ceago Kathleen's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - Lake County 2006
Elizabeth Spencer - Mendocino 2006
Seresin Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand 2006
Cakebread Cellars - Napa Valley, CA 2006
Cloudy Bay - Marlborough New Zealand 2007
 

CHARDONNAY

Roshambo, Sonoma County 2004
Marie Johnston, Central Coast California 2005
Lincourt, Santa Barbara County 2005
Sonoma-Cutrer, Russian River Ranches 2005
Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Chablis - Burgundy, France 2005
38 La Tour Vineyards, Napa Valley 2004
Ferrari Carano "Tre Terre", Russian River Valley 2005
Lynmar, Russian River Valley 2005
Frank Family Vineyards, Napa Valley 2005
Patz & Hall, Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley 2005
Cakebread Cellars, Napa Valley 2005
Flowers, Sonoma Coast 2005
 

INTERNATIONAL/EXOTIC WHITES

Pebejae Viognier - Languedoc, France 2005
Domaine Skouras White Wine - Pelopenneses, Greece 2006
Anselmi Soave San Vincenzo - Veneto, Italy 2006
Banyan Gewurtztraminer - Monterey County 2007
A Mano Greco-Fiano - Puglia, Italy 2006
Banyan Viognier - Madeira, CA 2006
Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina - Campania, Italy 2005
Hope Vineyards Verdelho - Hunter Valley, Australia 2006
Banyan Dry Riesling - Santa Lucia Highlands 2006
Familie Bauer Gruner Veltliner - Donouland, Austria, 2006
Rudolf Müller Riesling Spatlese - Germany 2006
Chappellet Dry Chenin Blanc - Napa Valley 2004
Basa Blanco - Rueda, Spain 2006
Pierpaolo Pecorari Pinot Grigio - Venezia Giulia, Italy 2006
Seghesio Arneis - Russian River Valley 2006
Pieropan Soave Classico - Veneto, Italy 2005
J Pinot Gris - Russian River Valley 2006
Seghesio Fiano - Russian Rier Valley 2006
Domaine Bott-Geyl Gewurtztraminer - Alsace, France 2004
Hawley Viognier - Placer County, 2006
Isidoro Polencic Ribolla Gialla - Collio, Italy 2006
Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino - Campania, Italy 2005
Knebel Riesling Spatlese - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany 2004
Toni Jost Bachracher Hahn Riesling Kabinett - Rheingau, Germany 2006
Keller Riesling Trocken QBA - Mittlerhein, Germany 2006
 

ROSE

Chateau Saint-Florin - Bordeaux, France 2005
Château La Boutignane - Corbieres, France 2005
Alois Lageder Lagrein Rose - Alto Adige, Italy 2006
Zepaltas Pinot Noir Rose - California, 2007
Lucia Winery Lucy Pinot Noir Rose - Santa Lucia Highlands, 2007
Radio-Coteau County Line Pinot Noir Rose - Anderson Valley 2007
 

PINOT NOIR

Cono Sur - Chile 2007
Copain Cellars L'Automne Pinot Noir - Anderson Valley, CA 2006
Stephen Vincent Four Sisters Vineyard - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Maysara "Jamsheed" - Mcminnville, OR 2004
Siduri Willamette Valley - Willamette Valley, OR 2006
Hirsch Vineyards "Bohan Dillon" Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast, 2006
Ridgeway Two Pisces Vineyards - Sonoma Coast, CA 2005
Adobe Road Herrerias Vineyard - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Malm Cellars Reserve - Anderson Valley, CA 2006
Siduri - Santa Lucia Highlands, CA 2005
La Czar - Russian River Valley, CA 2006
Zepaltas Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Siduri Shaw Mountain Vineyards - Willamette Valley, OR 2005
Siduri Van Der Kamp Vineyard - Sonoma Mountain, CA 2005
John Tyler Bacigalupi Vineyards - Russian River Valley, CA 2003
Siduri Terra de Promissio Vineyards - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Siduri Hirsch Vineyards - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Radio-Coteau La Neblina Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast, CA 2006
Pisoni Estate - Santa Lucia Highlands,CA 2005
 

SYRAH/SHIRAZ

CL Wines Syrah Sonoma Coast 2005
Innocent Bystander Shiraz/Viognier - Australia 2005
Roshambo "Justice" Syrah - Sonoma County 2004
Culler Casaeda Syrah - Sonoma Coast 2005
d'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz - McLaren Vale, Australia 2004
Novy Sonoma County Syrah - Sonoma County, Ca 2005
Vin Nostro Obsidian Ridge Syrah - Red Hills, Lake County 2005
Armagh Syrah - Sonoma Coast 2003
Fetish "The Watcher" Shiraz - Barossa Valley, Australia 2004
Malm Cellars Dunnsden Vineyard Syrah - Russian River Valley 2005
Sky Saddle Syrah - Sonoma County 2005
Trecini Ladi Vineyard Syrah - Sonoma County 2005
Darioush Caravan Shiraz - Napa Valley 2005
Holus-Bolus Syrah - Santa Ynez Valley 2006
Calix Cellars Masked Man Vineyard Syrah - Napa Valley 2004
Clary Ranch "Shazzam!" Syrah - Sonoma Coast 2004
Graham Beck "The Joshua" Shiraz - South Africa 2003
Montemaggiore Paolo's Vineyard Syrah - Dry Creek Valley 2003
Roshambo Frank Johnson Vineyard Syrah - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Lost Canyon Stage Gulch Vineyards Syrah - Sonoma Coast 2005
Lucia Gary's Vineyards Syrah - Santa Lucia Highlands 2005
 

MERLOT

Stephen Vincent Merlot - California, 2005
Paul Hobbs Vina Cobos La Garto Merlot - Mendoza, Argentina 2006
Mann Cellars Merlot - Santa Clara Valley, CA 2003
Trecini Vicini Vineyard Merlot - Russian River Valley 2005
Mojon's Bench Merlot - Alexanfer Valley, 2004
Van Der Heyden Vineyards Merlot - Napa Valley, CA 2002
 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON/BORDEAUX BLENDS

Stephen Vincent Cabernet Sauvignon - California 2005
Vinum Africa Cabernet Sauvignon - South Africa 2005
Graham Beck "Gamekeeper's Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon - South Africa 2005
Hobo Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley 2006
Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2005
Mantra Cabernet Sauvignon - Sonoma County 2005
Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2004
Hess Collection Mountain Cuvee - Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley 2004
Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2004
Mi Sueno "El Llano" Cabernet/Syrah Blend - Napa Valley 2004
Holloway Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - Lake County 2004
Frazier Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2003
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley 2003
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2005
 

ZINFANDEL

Bacchanalia Zinfandel Blend - Paso Robles 2004
Hobo Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2006
Amphora Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Rosenblum Cellars Paso Robles Zinfandel - Paso Robles 2005
Titus Zinfandel - Napa Valley 2005
Elyse "Couzins" Zinfandel - Napa Valley 2005
Hobo Rockpile Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Starry Night Old Vine Zinfandel Tom Feeney Ranch - Russian River Vally 2005
Adobe Road Sorpresa Vineyard Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2003
Vin Nostro Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Crauford Family "Kilt Lifter" Brown Estate Zinfandel - Napa Valley 2005
John Tyler Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel - Russan River Valley 2003
Carol Shelton "Rocky Reserve" Rockpile Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Seghesio Rockpile Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Starlite Vineyards Zinfandel - Alexander Valley 2005
 

CALIFORNIA BLENDS/ UNIQUE VARIETALS

Stephen Vincent Crimson Syrah/Cab Sauv Blend - California 2006
Starry Night Adara Rhone Blend - California 2004
Fife "Redhead Red" Blend - Mendocino 2004
Kylix Petite Sirah - Sonoma County 2005
Malm Cellars Crossblend Syrah/Cab Sauv Blend - 2005
Sonoma County Pellegrini Family Carignan - Redwood Valley 2005
Starry Night Petite Sirah - Lodi 2006
Lapis Luna Olagary Vineyards Petite Sirah - Lodi 2005
Kunin Wines "Pape*Star" Rhone Blend - Central Coast 2006
Long Meadow Ranch Winery "Ranch House Red" Sangiovese/Cab Sauv - Napa Valley 2005
Rosenblum Cellars Petite Sirah - San Francisco Bay 2006
Unti Winery Segromino - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Lapis Luna Petit Verdot - San Luis Obispo, CA 2004
Seghesio Sangiovese - Alexander Valley 2005
Hobo Wines Rockpile Petite Sirah - Dry Creek Valley 2005
Cline Small Berry Mouvedre - Contra Costa County 2005
Adobe Road Petite Sirah - Knights Valley 2004
Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Franc - Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2005
Adobe Road Cabernet Franc - Russian River Valley 2003
Viader DARE Cabernet Franc - Napa Valley 2005
 

ITALIAN RED WINES

Drepanum Nero d'Avola - Sicily, Italy 2005
Michele Chiarlo "Le Orme" Barbera d'Asti - Piedmont, Italy 2005
Filippo Gallino Barbera d'Alba - Piedmont, Italy 2005
Zenato Valpolicella - Veneto, Italy 2004
Donna Fugata "Sedara" Nero d'Avola - Sicily, Italy 2005
Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico - Campania, Italy 2004
Poggio Argentiera Morellino di Scansano - Tuscany, Italy 2006
Casa Emma Chianti Classico - Tuscany, Italy 2004
Damilano Barbera d'Alba - Piedmont, Italy 2005
Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Rosso - Umbria, Italy 2003
Crociani Rosso di Montelpuciano - Tuscany, Italy 2003
Le Fonti Chianti Classico - Tuscany, Italy 2004
Tasca d'Almerita "Lamuri" Nero d'Avola - Sicily, Italy 2004
Fattoria Del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - Tuscany, Italy 2004
Capanna Rosso di Montalcino - Tuscany, Italy 2004
La Spinetta "Ca' di Pian" Barbera d'Asti - Piedmont, Italy 2005
Damilano Barolo - Piedmont, Italy 2002
Cascina Bruciata Barberesco "Rio Sordo" - Piedmont, Italy 2003
Fattoria Le Terrazze "Chaos" Montepulciano Blend - Marche, Italy 2004
San Felice "Campogiovanni" Brunello di Montalcino - Tuscany, Italy 2001
 

INTERNATIONAL RED WINES

Domaine Grand Nicolet Cote du Rhone - France 2004
Gascón Malbec - Mendoza, Argentia 2006
Coto de Hayas Crianza Campo de Borja - Spain 2003
Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica Old Vine Garnacha/Syrah - Montsant, Spain 2005
Domaine de la Damase Chote du Rhone - France 2006
Domaine Lignères La Baronne Rouge - Corbieres, France 2003
Telmo Rodríguez Al Muvedre - Alicante, Spain 2006
Alamos Malbec - Mendoza, Argentina 2006
Atteca Old Vine Garnacha - Calatayud, Spain 2006
Pago De Los Capellanes Joven - Ribera del Duero, Spain 2005
Graham Beck, "The William" Cabernet Sauvignon Blend - South Africa 2003
Juan Rojo Tempranillo - Toro, Spain 2003
Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles - Barossa Valley, Australia 2006
Chateau Paveil de Luze Bordeaux - Margaux, France 2004
Domaine de la Charbonniere - Vacqueyras, France 2004
Domaine de Cassan - Gigondas, France 2003

wine list © Sahar Gharai

with bro @ amoo's pow wow

i'm sporting dad's silk shirt

image © javad jan

05.16.09

our thoughts with mister eyeranian @ this family gathering

☼

fotomoto

☼

LosAltosSUNSHINE.com

stay tuned for up

☼

LA

sarkar jenabeh aghayeh Raha Etemadi modir e mohtaram e site e bi sar o pa shoma ziad khodetoono tou zahmat nandazid keh site o dobareh uppesh konid chon man digeh beh oon site e shoma nemiam......shoma barha va barha payghamhayi keh midoonid az man nist o ba esmeh man bar rooyeh site chap kardid va een kar e besiar badi bood keh herfeyi nist va nist dar level e kasi keh mikhad poet o lyricist o songwriter besheh.......shoma vaghean zendegi e khoobi dashteh bashid va hamoonja dar Soed tashif dashteh bashid.......agar ham khaili desperate shodid mikhahid hanooz lyricist beshid shoma akhlaghetoon ba banoo Atashin khaili joor hast mitoonid az baam ta sham barayeh ishoon sher benevisid.......have a nice life

PLEASE

SLOW

FOR

THE

CONE

ZONE

ßßßßßßß

SLOW

DOWN

apm

Alpha Pi Mu

boycott googoosh

she is NOT arjmand

she is NOT mohtaram

she is NOT gerami

she is NOT asil

she is NOT genuine

my paternal grandparents in the middle

surrounded by their ten children

clockwise we have

amoo jan Siroos

dad jan Mehdi

amoo jan Mozafar

ameh jan Talieh

ameh jan Taleh

ameh jan Tayebeh

amoo jan Mansour

amoo jan Mahmood

amoo jan Firooz

amoo jan Mohsen

meticulously made by dad's youngest sis talehjoon

artwork hand crafted by my paternal grandmother khanjoon

khanjoon had a duck named sona khanoom which had many ducklings in 1983

Mothers Day 2009

with my bro Nader

Los Altos, California

image captured by mom on this sunny Sunday

@ 3:00 pm we visited our maternal grandparents then

@ 4:45 pm bro got pizza from downtown Los Altos

we had to empty sis's place & doc's place & nephew's place

and of course dad's place

(bro left me a voice message to not wear my usual black)

(but it was too late)

♫

remix bee gees beats via IE browser

early May 2009

with chef

sneha

RUG CENTER

پس از مرگ بلبل، که از بهرت ای‌گل کند نغمه خوانی

 دریغا ندانی دریغا ندانی

پس از مرگ بلبل، گلستان زشادی ندارد نشانی

  دریغا ندانی دریغا ندانی

beloved Bijan Taraghi

استاد بیژن ترقی

world-renowned Persian poet / lyricist

the pulse of millions of poetry-savvy hamvatans

بیژن ترقی : دلم می‌خواهد کاری را که ما کرده‌ایم جوان‌ها ادامه بدهند و از یاد نبرند. کار ما را پخش کنید که جوان‌ها ببینند چه بوده و بدانند چرا به این وضعیت ‌افتاده است

grandfather of Mattin Sarhaddi's paternal cousins

father-in-law of Mattin Sarhaddi's paternal aunt

COE

CAL

image captured on April 19th 2009 @ SF penthouse

left:  the younger son of the late beloved Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari   (4/19/05)

right:  the younger son of the late beloved Dr. Firooz Ghaffari   (4/29/06)

image shot while pesar amoo Farshad was out jogging along the bay

pesar amoo sent a text message to the 3 of us re: dad's 4th death anniversary

dad was 58 when he departed

stay tuned for a symbolic analysis of the number 58

IEOR

HAAS

EECS

yours truly

1999

Los Altos

0417

April

17th

04.17

mom & dad

the makers of April 17th

the bakers of April 17th

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

circa early seventies @ UNC

early hours of 04.12.09

San Francisco, Cali

you

can

have

your

misspelled

cake

and eat it too

☻

photogenic birthday girl Sarvenaz aka Sarvy with our pesar amoo & pesar khaleh

my bro & sis and of course in the middle dearest of all dears nicole joon

dedicate this pic to dad

bah bah brother-in-law jigool kardeh aghayeh doctor

dedicate this pic to my nephew

don't worry be happy

bro deep in thought AMMA chera

dedicate this pic to Meher Baba Irani

booming billion dollar industry

FREE cup of coffee & doughnuts for the UNEMPLOYED

FREE SOUP for supper

a chance to network with others in the same boat

shutterbug cousin Siv with his D80

TURKEY vacation from UTAH

@ onset of Spring 2009

pesar amoo Siavash jan

@ the home of his dayi's dayi my nephew isolated himself in another wing worrying about his "ouchy"

" dayi ouchymo bebin "

after telling him it's no big deal he was back to his happy hyper self and joined his cousins to play all night long

March 21st 2009

Los Altos Hills

norooz

amoo jan Siroos jan

current patriarch of the Ghaffari clan

@ the onset of Spring 2009

may panj tan grant amoo jan a very long life

dad's amoo jan Ismail agha jan & zan amoo joon Hoori khanoom joon

Dr. Ali Kakavand with his parents

gorgeous Ghazvin

God Bless America

one nation under God

no matter how bad the economy gets

we will always have our freedom

from sea to shining sea

dear Amer jan & dear Maya jan

☻

Don't Worry Be Happy

-Meher Baba Irani

♫

norooz 1980 gholhak

yours truly sitting with my aidies on the chair next to me

bro Nader smack dab in the middle with his aidies in his hands

sis Marjan in the arms of amoo Mansour aka uncle Manny

mom in the middle looking straight @ dad

paternal grandparents khanjoon & aghajoon

last but not least on the wall is Khomeini in case the komiteh dropped by

grandma really digged the gnarly rad color of green even for the roomizi

here uncle Manny recently graduated from UC Berkeley and came back home

then aghajoon bought amoo a brand new Toyota Corona

if memory serves me correct it was green

hundreds of people would drop by for aid didani @ grandparents' estate

those were the days

a bygone era indeed

UP your VOL for ♫ via IE browser

dad @ far left next to Solmaz's dad & Shadi's dad

Vasona Park

Los Gatos, California

13bedar 1994

norooz background beats via internet explorer

13bedar @ Vasona Park this weekend

SPF 45 is a must as is wearing a wide hat or roosari to protect ears

the two IEOR sons of the late Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

Los Altos, California

right after this photo shoot we headed over to dayi Mehdi's for a pow-wow with our maternal fam

maternal grandparents babajoon & mamanjoon graced us with aidies

may their shadows never be lowered from atop the family

wooden bookcase that houses dad's books via the scholarly son of renowned Persian lyricist Ostad Bijan Taraghi

color of wall is SHIRAZ by Kelly Moore Paints which everyone praises

the Iranian first family @ their east coast estate

Norooz 2009

viva Pahlavi dynasty

we long for the good old days

03.21.09

San Mateo, California

@ dokhtar ameh's

amoo Mahmood & Dokhi joon visit the fam from Woodland Hills

amoo Mozafar visits us from New Jersey

khanoom Forooghi visits the clan from Woodland Hills

image shot by pesar amoo Farshad jan who is also pesar khaleh

dast pokhteh mom

image captured by shoharcousin Dr. Ali Kakavand

here we have our most casual kick back laid back east coast amoo

yours truly with two out-of-town amoos

uncle Mozi looks just like dad here

uncle Moody looks ultra young because he never worries

the late Dr. Firooz Ghaffari celebrated his birthday

khanjoon named amoo based on the happy happy haji Firooz

☻

سر تا سر كاليفرنيا

كامينگ سامتايم سون بيگتايم سر تا سر كاليفرنيا

يو آر آل لاولى تو مى آل آف يو ايچ آف يو

☼

californialegacydiggers.com

calilegacydiggers.com

91364

coming soon

MEHRBABA

dot com

با تشكر فراوان از نادر عزيز و مرجان گل , ما ٢ تا برادر همراه ١ خواهر

in memory of Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

Negeen Restaurant

Campbell, Cali

03.16.09

thanks to my bro who mehmooned us @ one of Bay Area's finest Persian restaurants

don't quite know why but i don't really jive with the above 7sin

bro and mom

we're waiting for sis and the doc

we empty dad's place

here here we have some noon o panir o sabzi as we wait for Marji

nephew joon really digs saffron

nephew's older dokhtar ameh has the same name as this restaurant

cool nephew with dayi Mehrdad

image shot by dayi Nader via my digi cam

nephew looks timid here but he was running all over & climbing up the walls the entire night

Soheyla Asadi

YOU need to grab your D70 and UP your site again

sabram ziadeh AMMA omri namoondeh BAGHI

you'll be happy to know that I can't stand googoosh

you were right

she sucks

big time

dedicated to the late Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

dedicated to the late Dr. Firooz Ghaffari

dedicated to dad & amoo's amoo the late haj amoo jan haj Yousef agha jan who passed away in the same time frame

NOROOZ 2008

dad & amoo's middle sister aka ameh joon Tayebeh

San Mateo, California

above 7sin © eldest dokhtar ameh

JAI BUDDHA

03.15.09

taghdim beh mom keh farda tavalodesh hast

BABA GHANOUJ

Cafe 220

Palo Alto, Cali

taghdim beh dad keh farda jashn e tavalodo miss mikoneh

oursourhour.us

COMING SOON ENOUGH

homelessness dar amrica

poolha raft beh jang

mardom homeless o badbakht shodan

rahi e joobhayeh shahr shodan

03.13.09

Cafe 220

Palo Alto, Cali

with the nephew of the owner

03.13.09

with the nephew of the owner

03.13.09

Los Altos, California

Norooz 2004

♫

♫

Los Altos Hills, California

Norooz 2008 @ dayi Mehdi's

03.11.09

bah bah halal

Palo Alto

Cafe 220

dokhtar ameh jan

PASHO

PASHO

vaghtesheh

sonbol

bekarim

Los Altos, California

Norooz 1999

with my siblings & my parents

Sunday March 8th 2009

healthy halal lunch

Palo Alto

Cafe 220

Tuesday March 10th 2009

Palo Alto

" beyti "

eat halal & go to heaven

Cafe 220

thank you Hamid Shabkhiz

thank you Mandana Shabkhiz

dedicate the Rezayeh red wine & white wine to my bro

1975

La Dolce Vita

Wine Lounge

Petaluma, California

Sahar Gharai

hich koja ghadimitar az Petaluma nabood

jai baba

dad's amoo jan Ismail agha jan

dedicated to dad's zan amoo joon Hoori khanoom joon

Vancouver, British Columbia

03.06.09

Cafe 220

Palo Alto, California

brown bowl = Turkish version of shir berenj

03.06.09

yours truly

cheshmeh man beh OONJA bood

poshteh OON kooheh boland

AMMA ...

viva panj tan

up your volume

use internet explorer browser

♫

lets hear it for dokhtar ameh joon

dedicated to the late Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

esteemed Professor of Physics @ San Jose State University for 20+ years

dad was a top physicist and indeed a pioneer in his field

03.03.09

yours truly

downtown Palo Alto

03.03.09

healthy halal

220

03.03.09

evening meditation

Palo Alto, California

Memorial Weekend 2008

Stockton, California

dedicated to the late Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

dedicated to the late Dr. Firooz Ghaffari

clockwise we have:

amoo jan Mozafar

amoo jan Mohsen

ameh jan Tayebeh

amoo jan Siroos

amoo jan Mahmood

amoo jan Mansour

ameh Taleh & ameh Talieh were in Tehran

2 + 6 + 2 = 10

Jai Baba

halal Cafe 220

downtown Palo Alto

next to Wolf Camera

pics via my 1.3 MP cell cam

February 25th 1894

Meher Baba Irani

مهربابا

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Dad & Baba

circa early seventies

LISTEN

HUMANITY

eyeranian

accept no substitute

there will never be a substitute

the very tan eyeranian with his mom, dad, and sis

Santa Monica, Cali

dokhtar ameh joon UC Berkeley grad Mitra joon

shoharcousin jan eyeranian Pedram jan

Haleh's concert @ BUDDHA lounge

♫

BEBIN dot TV

aslan worrysho nakonid bezoodi up misheh

hich koja sardtar az Woodland Hills nabood

kafshayeh khasteh dameh dar

Ladan o Mel o Tiam o Raha o Mani o Masoud hard @ workan 4 satellite

there is no rhyme or reason to what dayi jan Farhang allegedly said

you can't have your cake and eat it too

downtown Palo Alto

hamisheh hundred % halal

#30   $11.85 includes tax

TURKISH halal NAHAR & SHAM

until 12 midnight

viva 5 tan

1.3 MP pix via my cell

Cafe 220

 O Parvardigar! The Preserver and Protector of All,

You are without beginning and without end.

Non-dual, beyond comparison,

and none can measure You.

You are without color, without expression,

without form and without attributes.

You are unlimited and unfathomable;

beyond imagination and conception;
eternal and imperishable.

You are indivisible;

and none can see you but with eyes divine.

You always were, You always are,

and You always will be.

You are everywhere, You are in everything, and

You are also beyond everywhere and beyond everything.

You are in the firmament and in the depths,

You are manifest and unmanifest;
on all planes and beyond all planes.

You are in the three worlds,

and also beyond the three worlds.

You are imperceptible and independent.
You are the Creator, the Lord of Lords,

the Knower of all minds and hearts.

You are Omnipotent and Omnipresent.
You are Knowledge Infinite, Power Infinite and Bliss Infinite.
You are the Ocean of Knowledge,

All-knowing, Infinitely-knowing;
the Knower of the past, the present and the future;
and You are Knowledge itself.

You are all-merciful and eternally benevolent.
You are the Soul of souls, the One with infinite attributes.
You are the Trinity of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss;
You are the Source of Truth, the Ocean of Love.
You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the High.
You are Prabhu and Parameshwar;
You are the Beyond God and the Beyond-Beyond God also;
You are Parabrahma; Paramatma; Allah; Elahi; Yezdan;

Ahuramazda, God Almighty, and God the Beloved.

You are named Ezad, the Only One Worthy of Worship.

GG

♫

BANOO HUMAN BEING

dorooghato ba khodet bebar dubai dubai

♫

Woodland Hills, California

hich koja garmtar az Woodland Hills nabood

dad & Javad jan

circa mid nineties

feelin the muggy valley heat

manzeleh dokhtar ameh

this is Javad jan's handwriting

America's caring Kennedy must beat brain cancer

America's caring Kennedy must beat brain cancer

America's caring Kennedy must beat brain cancer

cousin jan pesar ameh Erfan Iranpour

(with jeans)

امروز اولین روز بقیه عمر توست

I think the trend on the internet has moved from collectivism to individualism. Thus, from discussion boards to weblogs (and social networking with you as the middle point). So now you tend to be more connected with people who agree with you or resemble you, instead of being engaged with all sorts of people with different backgrounds and views who are members of your online community. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I really do miss the old days, when people took the time to share their thoughts with each other here. Sometimes the confrontations were a bit rough, but it was an enrichment nevertheless.

© arjmand and asil Asadi

banoo human being

with the help of her dayi Farhang we have confirmation that she was indeed born in the spring

banoo human being

banoo human being

banoo human being

Although Baba's body never showed any sign of deterioration, the mandali decided that on the seventh day the crypt should be closed. The atmosphere of grief had become so suffocating that we could no longer postpone the inevitable moment of Baba's interment. It was 7th February, the date of Baba's birthday that year according to the Zoroastrian calendar.

As His precious body was covered, it seemed as if the very essence which had sustained our lives was being ripped away from us. We cried silently, knowing Baba wanted us to accept what had happened. Beloved Baba was our heart and soul, our only light, and we all felt lost but, like machines, we continued with whatever tasks needed to be done. Even though He had dropped His physical body, Baba was still asking for our complete resignation, expecting us to surrender to His wish, even at this time of helplessness and hopelessness. We were orphans now, yet in all our anguish Baba's gentle, loving hands were ever on us.

Later we heard stories from Baba lovers around the world of unusual events occurring at the time Baba dropped His body, but the most amazing was the account we read in the papers of the heavy rainfall in Mecca, ordinarily a desert. Muslims on pilgrimage were unable to approach the flooded Kaaba for seven days, 1st February until 7th February, the exact time that Beloved Baba's body was lying in state.

In His compassion Baba arranged everything in a way that helped us to carry on, however slowly. After He dropped His body, telegrammes and phone calls kept coming in from the groups that Baba had contacted, everyone wanting to know whether the plans that He had made for the darshan in Poona would be carried out. We began to remember and discuss the various comments Baba had made prior to 31st January.

When, because of His health, the mandali had wanted Baba to cancel the darshan, He had said, "The darshan programme must take place. It should not be cancelled." He then asked, "Is it all right if I give darshan lying down?" He had also said, "In March we will march to Poona." Putting all these statements together was like doing a puzzle, all of us having different parts which fit together to make a whole picture. By the end of February it was clear to us that the darshan Baba had scheduled for April to June, 1969, should be held despite His physical absence.

During this time I had a dream from which I awoke overcome with emotion. In the dream I was standing in a doorway watching Baba and Mehera. She was coming down a staircase, walking toward Baba, who entered through another door. He extended His hands, saying, "Come, Mehera, and we will do the prayers."

Because Baba was no longer in the body, Mehera hesitated, as if wondering how she could touch Him. Baba extended His hands toward hers until their fingertips were touching, and her whole countenance suddenly changed. I could see Baba pouring a transparent liquid from His hands into Mehera's. From the expression on her face it was clear that her whole being was undergoing a transformation, that something mystical was taking place.

GIFT OF GOD, pp. 195-196

1996 © Meherazad Trust for Avatar Meher Baba

یه روزی منزل داییم مهمان بودیم ، داشت داستان به دنیا اومدن منو تعریف میکرد
می‌ گفت: یادمه بعد از ظهر گرمی‌ بود داشتیم تو کوچه فوتبال بازی میکردیم صدام کردن و گفتن : فرهنگ بدو برو قابله رو خبر کن! نسرین داره بچه اش به دنیا می‌‌یاد بدو

گفتم: دایی فرهنگ یادتون هست چه تاریخی بود؟

گفت: آره دایی! نیمه ی اردیبهشت بود یادمه من که خیلی خوشحال بودم یادم نمیره اون روز رو

 از همون روز شدی چشم و چراغ همه ما

anything-but-gol banoo Atashin has fallen head over heels for powerless-pullniro and his lame love-lacking group

مهر بابا

downtown

Palo Alto

02.02.2009

sofreyeh NAHAR por az NAN e halal

Cafe 220

02.02.2009

images captured via my cell phone 1.3 megapixel digi cam

dedicated to my nephew Mattin who often calls my bro dayi iPhone

art work by Mattin Sarhaddi on Friday January 30th 2009

nephew did over ten art works and handed them out to family members

I dedicate the above to Mattin's late grandpa beloved Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

departed @ age 58 due to malignant brain tumor

never got to see Mattin joon

Nikon D90

kick off 2009 with a D90

Ritz Camera

Wolf Camera

18 free photo classes

sel.fish

shah.mahi

Dr. Elham Elahi please come to the rescue before she gets demoted to a

mer.maid

yes we can

baleh ma miconim

oo ba ma

he with us

Tue Jan 27th 09

exactly one week into the new administration and i'm lovin it

if this is just a dream then let me sleep forever

up your volume & join me in the grand celebration with a gnarly yes we can remix mp3 running in the background so long as you open the site with the IE browser

downtown

Palo Alto

Cafe220

#30  $11.85 includes tax

healthy halal Turkish meal

viva panj tan

bring it on

downtown Palo Alto

WOLF CAMERA

your digital headquarters

pic via my cell phone digi cam

God Bless Barack Obama's optimal America

God Bless Barack Obama's optimal America

God Bless Barack Obama's optimal America

God Bless mainstream America

one nation under God

use IE browser and up your volume

Barack Obama raised his hand (twice!!)

America lifted up

wayyyy wayyyyyyyyyyyy UP

and the sky is the limit

CHANGE

yes we can

yes we can

yes we can

GOD BLESS

AMERICA

plz use IE browser & up Volume

♫ yes we can ♫

☻☻☻

OBAMA is #1

OBAMA MANIA

obama = optimality

obama = opportunity

obama = ocean of love

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS DC

YES

WE

CAN

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

yes we can

yes we can

yes we can

change

change

change

obama obama obama

obama obama obama

obama obama obama

one nation under God

one nation under God

one nation under God

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

yes we can

yes we can

yes we can

change.gov

written by my bro Nader Ghaffari

Last night I listened in on a panel and was reminded again of the super use of Internet and social network technologies by the Obama team.

The New York Times reported that Obama met with Marc Andreesen at the San Francisco airport in February of 2007 to discuss how the Internet and social networks can be leveraged to communicate his message. It was the beginning of a well orchestrated campaign that leveraged these tools to not only communicate a message, but to build a brand, and to empower people to be part of the change they wanted to see. There was not a day that I did not refresh my Facebook feeds without seeing friends joining Obama groups or attending Obama events or communicating Obama messages in their status updates. It allowed us all to be part of the experience versus just voters. We felt a connection with the brand and we took a sense of ownership during the campaign. We adopted the message and not only became supporters but became evangelists by enlisting our friends to join in on Obama groups or to distribute/attend events or to communicate messages to their friends via their status updates. The result is now obvious and nearly two years after Obama's meeting with Andreesen, we are set to swear in a movement that we hope will indeed finally demonstrate a government of the people and for the people.

If the trends of the campaign continue, there is no doubt that the Obama administration will continue to leverage the power of the Internet to allow all residents to be a part of government on a daily basis. The launch of Change.gov, in addition to the current presence across social networks gives the administration a two-way communication with the American people (make that the world). If you visit Change.gov, you will notice something called the Citizen's Briefing Book. This is where people can stop in and share ideas with the Obama team and then it is opened up to the masses to vote the idea up or down (+1 or -1), very much like Digg. The ideas receiving the most votes will bubble up to the top and come to the attention of the administration. Interestingly, I just visited Change.gov and noticed that the idea with the most votes is Ending the Marijuana Prohibition with 72,310 votes. Hem, I wonder how the administration will respond to that one. While the discussion of ending marijuana prohibition might be political suicide in most cases, if truly over time the wisdom of the crowds points towards this as an issue that is important to a majority of Americans, the administration will have to have an answer in some capacity.

We are moving into an era where all our voices can be heard in government, and on January 20th when Obama is sworn into office, it is all of us who joined in on Obama groups, advertised Obama events, or wrote about Obama on our status updates that are also getting sworn in. For it is us through the power of the Internet that made this happen, and it will be us through the power of the Internet that will continue to participate in the administration. I Hope.

More on Change.gov - Startup America

written by Nader Ghaffari

Over the weekend, my good friend Marc and I brainstormed an idea for the Obama team, and Marc submitted it to the Citizen's Briefing Book. Perhaps it will get some attention, and Marc will be called into action to lead it :)

Details:
Startup America: Bringing Innovation Back to America (A Government VC Fund)

I have been watching the government bailout with intrigue for several months, wondering why America is investing billions in industries mired in uncertainty, merely prolonging the inevitable. Therefore, I propose Startup America, an initiative for the government to invest $1B in venture capital financing to startup companies in a variety of different industries, with up to $1M per company. The fund would work in much the same way a typical seed stage investment company works, whereby there would be a board to review each idea on a variety of metrics, and upon submitting a term sheet, the government would receive equity for their investment. This would allow the government to recoup their investment and potentially more while providing a great financial resource for our citizens.

Startup America would ensure that innovatiion remains America's strongest asset. It would create jobs and industries for thousands, if not millions of people. It would certainly jumpstart the economy. It would create tremendous value for depressed areas all across the nation, providing people with resources to turn their dreams into reality. It could be the first step in solving our energy crisis, curing cancer, improving education, eradicating homelessness and malnutrition, improving foreign policy, increasing security, and vastly improving current technologies . The possibilities are endless. Our minds are our only limitation.

Letter to The Honorable Barack Obama

Reza Pahlavi (site here)

Friday, November 14th, 2008
Letter to The Honorable Barack Obama
President-Elect of the United States of America
Washington, DC

November 5th, 2008
Dear Mr. President-elect,

It is with a great pleasure that I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on your historic election victory.

This is indeed a proud moment not just for America, but for millions of others around the globe who have come to believe in and aspire for the kind of values that have become universally acknowledged as the hallmarks of American society. Your success is a remarkable reminder of the potential for promoting major change through the ballot box in a free and fair electoral process.

Mr. President-Elect,

The prospect for change as promised by you has already aroused a great deal of expectation from people everywhere who are hopeful of emulating your example by constructing societies based on peace, freedom, justice and opportunity.

No where is the desire for such change greater than in my homeland, Iran.

The people of Iran are perhaps amongst the most eager aspirants for the kind of values that have become synonymous with your success in the recent months. Iranians believe ‘that if allowed the opportunity, yes they will’.

It is their hope that with your moral and vocal support, they too can pursue their struggle for the realization of their individual liberties and fundamental freedoms along with the restoration of their pride and dignity as human beings.

Wishing you ever increasing success in all your future endeavors,

Yours sincerely,

Reza Pahlavi

OBAMA

TORO chi SEDA konim

TOH

behtari

OBAMA

Obama jan sayeh e shoma hich vaght az sar e Amrica kam nasheh

shoma lotfan Reza Pahlavi ra befrest beh Tehran

thirty

friggin

years

of

unrest

chaos

and

corruption

01.16.1979

01.16.2009

January 16, 1979

Islamic Revolution of Iran

 
Introduction; Rule of the Shah and Rise of Khomeini; The Revolution; Institutionalizing the Revolution

I
Introduction
 
Islamic Revolution of Iran, widespread uprising in 1978 and 1979 in which Islamic fundamentalists and their supporters overthrew Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran. The revolutionaries, led by an exiled religious leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, dismantled the shah’s secular (nonreligious) monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. The new republic rejected Western influences and was guided by Shia Islamic teachings (see Shia Islam).

II
Rule of the Shah and Rise of Khomeini

 
In 1963 the shah began a series of social, economic, and political reforms known as the White Revolution. The revolution gave more freedom to women and increased secular education at the expense of religious education. These and other changes questioned the dominant role of Iran’s religious leaders, most of whom feared losing power and moral authority under the White Revolution. Throughout the 1970s the shah continued to anger traditional Shia Muslims, who formed a large proportion of the population. For example, the shah held festivals in 1971 to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the pre-Islamic Persian Empire; this was perceived as a direct rebuke to the millions of Iranians who viewed the coming of Islam in the 7th century as the founding date of modern Iran.
Other sectors of the population were also becoming disenchanted with the shah. Students and intellectuals were frustrated by his autocratic rule and by the corruption of the royal family, who had become wealthy from their five decades in power. Many of these dissidents favored some form of democracy as well as a more equitable distribution of the country’s income. Members of the traditional middle class, or bazaaris, were angry as well, because they had received little benefit from either the White Revolution’s development schemes or from the country’s rapid, oil-fed growth in the 1970s. Most of the earnings had instead gone to larger companies, especially to ones with international ties or connections to the shah’s family. Both bazaaris and fundamentalist Muslims disapproved of Iran’s growing ties with the West.
All of these factors contributed to the rise of Ruhollah Khomeini, who in the early 1960s was a relatively unknown Islamic ayatollah, or holy man. Khomeini had several assets that other leaders lacked. First, he was seemingly fearless: In 1963 he was the only cleric to openly attack the shah’s White Revolution. Second, he spoke the language of the people, condemning the shah’s “injustices” in the name of the “downtrodden” masses. Third, and most importantly, Khomeini was able to transform Shia Islam into a mass ideology that appealed to many groups. In the past, Shia leaders had argued that although Shia Muslims were a righteous minority who suffered under cruel leaders, it was not their role to overthrow the ruling regime and create an Islamic state. Instead, Shia clerics should defend the religion and await the return of the 12th imam, the messianic figure of Shiism whose presence was needed for the establishment of an Islamic state. Khomeini, however, rejected this passive approach. He argued that by overthrowing the shah, Iranians would hasten the return of the 12th imam. Indeed, Khomeini did not discourage Iranians from thinking of him as the messianic imam. Khomeini spread his alluring mixture of revolutionary ideology and messianic revivalism by mobilizing a vast network of loyal disciples. He was also able to galvanize the support of the bazaari middle class, which had close links to the ulema, Iran’s religious leaders.
 
 
In 1964 the shah exiled Khomeini from Iran. Khomeini eventually settled in the Iraqi holy city of An Najaf, from which he broadcast his messages to his Iranian followers. In 1978 the Iraqi government, fearful that the ayatollah’s powerful message would create similar disturbances in Iraq, expelled Khomeini. He then went to France, from which he sent audio tapes of his revolutionary message to Iran.
 

III
The Revolution

 
In 1978 opponents of the shah had several bloody encounters with his security troops. The most notorious of these clashes was on September 8, when soldiers fired on 20,000 demonstrators in Tehrān. Several hundred people were killed and thousands more were wounded in what became known as Black Friday. Two months later, young people took to the streets of Tehrān, burning shops, banks, liquor stores, and other symbols of Western “corruption.” Tensions escalated in December with the coming of Muharram, the sacred month marking the martyrdom of Husayn, an early Shia leader. Emboldened by the strength of the opposition, Khomeini called on Iranians to “begin the month of epic heroism ... the month in which the leader of the Muslims taught us to struggle against all tyrants.” On December 10 and 11, the two holiest days of the Shia calendar, a group of soldiers rebelled and attacked the officer’s mess of the shah’s Imperial Guard. With that, his regime collapsed, and the shah fled Iran in January 1979. He died two years later in Cairo, Egypt.
Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1, 1979, and began to establish control over the government. He forced the shah’s prime minister out of office and appointed a new prime minister, Mehdi Bazargan. Bazargan was known as a liberal who favored democracy, so many observers believed the new government would represent a wide range of opinion. In a late March referendum Iranians voted on a new form of government, and in April, with overwhelming public approval, Khomeini declared the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In November 1979, after the shah had been allowed entry to the United States for medical care, hundreds of Iranians overran the U.S. embassy in Tehrān and took the staff hostage. Khomeini refused to release them until the United States apologized for its support of the shah and met other demands. (The hostages were eventually released in January 1981 after Ronald Reagan replaced Jimmy Carter as president). Khomeini used the fervor of the hostage taking to mobilize radical Islamic students against Bazargan. After Bazargan resigned, Khomeini held a December referendum in which more than 99 percent of voters supported a new constitution. Khomeini became faqih, or ultimate leader, and used his unlimited powers to eliminate opponents. First he attacked liberals and leftists, including President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, who fled Iran in February 1981; later, he repressed his clerical opponents. By 1981 some 1600 people had been executed under Khomeini.
Khomeini filled key positions in the government with his closest clerical allies. He also conducted a purge of all “un-Islamic” elements from universities, newspapers, and other cultural institutions. In time, many Iranians—particularly less religious Iranians—found themselves living under a politically and culturally repressive regime. However, the creation of a clerical regime also led to vexing problems and ideological conflicts that embarrassed Khomeini and his allies. Conservative clerics in the Council of Guardians—the group created to ensure adherence to Islamic code and the constitution—vetoed reform legislation proposed by the less conservative Majlis (parliament). The reformers wanted to nationalize some industries and to change the way land was distributed; the conservative clerics, who controlled much of the land, were opposed to such reforms. The clerics also wanted to pursue a stricter religious policy than did their opponents. The result of this stalemate was that domestic policy was largely paralyzed.
In September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran. The ensuing conflict temporarily distracted attention from Iran’s internal strife. The invasion, caused in part by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s desire to end the propaganda directed at his secular regime, touched off a vicious eight-year border war (see Iran-Iraq War). Using waves of child “martyrs” who crossed the battle line, Iran turned the tide of the war against Iraq in the spring of 1982. Emboldened, Khomeini proclaimed his determination to spread his revolution throughout the region. But Arab governments were equally resolved to contain Iran, and with the support of the United States they backed Iraq’s efforts to stop Iran.

IV
Institutionalizing the Revolution
 
As the human and financial costs of the war mounted, pressure grew in Iran to break the enduring and paralyzing standoff between conservatives and reformers over domestic policy. Initially Khomeini tried to avoid intervening in the conflict—even when it prevented the passage of vital social legislation—but he eventually intervened on behalf of the reformers in the Majlis. He did so in part because he wanted to give the Majlis and other institutions more authority. He was also encouraged to intervene by the speaker of the Majlis, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who wanted to end the war with Iraq and begin economic reconstruction. Pressed by Rafsanjani and his allies, Khomeini created an extra-constitutional body called the Expediency Council, which was given the power to override vetoes by the Council of Guardians. Khomeini then supported the drafting of a new constitution, which was passed after his death in June 1989.
Many Iranians hoped the new constitution would give them greater social freedoms. Rafsanjani, who was elected president in 1989, encouraged these hopes. But while the constitution partly diminished the religious authority of the wali faqih and placed clerics on an equal footing with politicians, it reinforced the government’s powers to impose its decisions on society. Thus the revolution had become institutionalized, but at the cost of much of its popular support.

(above credit:  encarta dot msn dot com)
 

On January 16, 1979, the Shah and the Empress left Iran for an exile which was thought to be only temporary. At a strike-ridden and empty airport, in presence of only a restricted group of loyalists and Prime Minister Bakhtiar, the sovereigns left by plane for Assouan in Egypt. The Shah could hardly keep his tears. The Queen had taken tranquilizers to hide her deep sadness. President Sadat and his family welcomed them with profound friendship. It was the beginning a painful and long wandering which would take them in succession to Morocco, the Bahamas, Mexico, the United States, then Panama and finally Cairo.

On February 11, 1979, Khomeyni took power and a death warrant against the Shah and his entourage was iussued. It was a condemnation which extended to all those who would give them hospitality or help them. The Shah and the Shahbanou were obliged to leave the country without a definite destination for no land of haven had been suggested. Upon the intervention of the United States, the Bahamas Islands accepted to grant them asylum for only three months, on the condition that the Shah would refrain from taking any action or make any declaration. They went later on to Mexico, where the health of the Shah who had cancer, rapidly deteriorated. An operation becoming necessary, the United States, for humanitarian reasons accepted under the condition that the surgical intervention would take place in New York. This action provoked the wrath of the Iranian authorities. They requested the prompt extradition of the sovereign and enforced they demand by taking hostage the personnel of the American embassy in Tehran. Despite urgent medical needs, the Shah and the Shahbanou were forced to leave New York for Texas, until a new country of asylum could be found.

That country was Panama, where again the Iranian government exerted considerable pressure to obtain an extradition. The Shah was in dire need of a new surgical operation, but after having accepted American surgeons to operate the Shah on its territory, Panama recanted. The United States administration dispatched two envoys to let the Shah know that should he wanted to be operated in the United States, he would have to abdicate. At that time, President Sadat asked the Shah to hurry and come to Egypt. The sovereigns departed for Cairo on March 23rd 1980. At an Azores Islands stopover, some U.S. officials held the plane under the pretext of refueling. All the while, they were negotiating with the Islamic government procedures to return the aircraft to Panama. At long last, the Shah and the Shahbanou landed on Egyptian soil where President Sadat greeted them with utmost warmth, friendship and fraternity. In Cairo, they were able to see their children who had been studying in the United States and from whom they had been separated.

The Shah passed away in Cairo's Maadi hospital on July 27, 1980. President Sadat organized official if not national funerals. The Shah's coffin, covered with the Iranian flag, was transported on a canon barrel with full military honors. In conformity to the Constitution, the Empress assumed the charge of the regency until the majority of her elder son. On October 31, 1980, the Crown Prince reaching legal majority, (20 years) swore under the holy Quran, to assume the responsibilities that the Iranian Constitution demanded from him, and thus by right became, Reza Shah II of Iran.

shah mahi please simmer down and take a chill pill

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS TAJIKESTAN

GOD BLESS ISRAEL

GOD BLESS PALESTINE

حالم به هم می خوره از فرشته های الکی

info inja

episode mag inja

NAHAR

&

SHAM

downtown Palo Alto

halal

cafe220

SHAHMAHY

above a Karaj and Shiraz partnership

Y vs I

Marjan vs Mehrdad

Marjan has Y

Mehrdad has I

googoosh YOU asked for it

are you happy now?

your recent behavior is appalling

 you seriously need to grow up

u r 60 not 6 so plz act your age

stop your immature games for crying out loud

SHAHMAHI.com

up for grabs or headed in garbage bin

just wanna get rid of it once and for all

send me your offer ... no offer is too low

not really sure if it's worth anything anymore

i'll be choosy as to who i sell it to

we're done with shahmahi and her childish shenanigans

Dr. Elham Elahi PLEASE diagnose and treat SHAHMAHI

(this'll be the toughest case you've ever had)

in my mindset shahmahi is gone

goodbye to everything implicitly or explicitly related to shahmahi

use IE browser and plz join me in partying

♫

YASHASIN

azarbaijan

♫ up your vol ♫

REZAYEH

Dabirestaneh Nezam

can you spot dad's amoo jan Ismail agha!!!

make that beautiful British Columbia

wma e yashasin azarbaijan az tarigheh Marjan joon

baram havaleh shod

ishoon hast membereh googooshart

hundred % halal

hich koja halaltar az Palo Alto nabood

cafe220

downtown Palo Alto

SLOW

ZONE

NEW YEAR EVE 2009

arrive alive

don't drink and drive

drink water and thrive

MADD

Mehrdad Against Drunk Driving

BUCKLE

UP

AMERICA

safety

first

GOLBANOO

Benazir Bhutto

December 27th 2007

ß

December 27th 2008

1

year

anniversary

condolences from Shahbanoo Farah Pahlavi

from the east coast Pahlavi presidential office

Los Altos, California

dear Bhutto with my paternal uncle & maternal aunt

khabar oomad khabareh man o toh oomad

khabareh khodam o khodet oomad

the news of us has @ last arrived

ezdevajehminimizedmozahem

dot us

stay tuned barayeh uppesh enshalah beh hagh e panj tan bezoodi

hich koja mozahemat kamtar az Los Altos nabood

hich koja mohtaramtar az Los Altos nabood

een rooz e besiar mohem 19th e December ra beh nephewm khaili khaili tabrik migam

lotfan joinam konid barayeh raghs o paykoobi e hesabi va asasi

tarof ra bezarid kenar az een harfa nadarim

tavalod e nephewm hast o hameh bayad dast bezanid o pa bekoobid o sholooghesh konid

ba browser e IE shadtarin ahangeh irani ba sedayeh shahmahi dar hal e run shodaneh

speakerharo maxesh konid va beparid vasateh dance floor

Mattin joon tavalodet mobarak

az tarafeh dayi Mehrdad dar een sevomin tavalodet

19th December 2008 = 3 yrs

hich rooz mohemtar az 19th nabood

nephew's happy maternal grandmother (center) early December 2005

Los Altos, California @ home of pesar amoo

@ this family function cousins were guessing on when Mattin would arrive

a bunch of us thought that Mattin would arrive that very night

he was late though...very late!!!

in fact, nephew had to be enduced!!!

December 19th 2005

December 19th 2005

April 19th 2005 + 8 months = December 19th 2005

sadness Þ happiness

God Bless Woodland Hills

God Bless Los Altos Hills

God Bless Beverly Hills

God Bless Morgan Hill

God Bless Chapel Hill

GOD BLESS FAEGHEH ATASHIN

hich koja aziztar az tehran nabood

hich koja aziztar az tehran nabood

hich koja aziztar az tehran nabood

another blast from the past

Tehran @ airport

one of dad's dokhtar amoos is off to London

fourth from left is dad's amoo jan Ismail agha

others include some of dad's cousins

side note: the tall dude looks like an FBI agent!!!

could that be amoo Siroos?   (will a relative plz fill me in)

image courtesy of dad's Seattle pesar amoo

Los Altos, California

Mattin Sarhaddi during his younger days!!!

calizperzianz

LAUNCHING SOON ENOUGH

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

05.05.05

San Francisco, California

bro @ his penthouse condo with dokhtar khaleh Shahla jan

image courtesy of shutterbug dokhtar khaleh Sheila jan

reliving revive the vibe with brunch

why should hamvatans be scared of the shadows at night

obama has put the sun directly into the palm of our hands

world PEACE begins when the hungry are fed

boro halesho bebar

yes YOU

areh toro migam

GOD BLESS SOED

there was no place more positive than sweden

+

just say NO to negativity

-

Sat Dec 6th 2008

San Carlos, California

yours truly with dokhtar ameh joon Shiva joon

pics © Marjan joon

GOD BLESS GOOGLE

GOD BLESS GOOGLERS

GOD BLESS AD$EN$E

Pagosha Party for pesar amoo

Bay Area, California

upper peninsula

11.29.08

sofreh is dast pokht of ameh Tayebeh (dad's middle sister)

sofreyeh SHAM por az NAN e ghazal

yours truly with amoo joon, ameh joon, zan amoo joon, and dokhtar amoo joon

uncle Manny and his lovely wife Mahyar joon insisted that I add this photo to my website!!!

gotta listen to Manny!!!

uncle Manny also gave me a stern lecture that I have a couple of years to get hitched or he's sending me to Iran where his matchmaker sister will set me up with a girl I don't even know!!!  he said you better choose one of these girls you already know or you're getting shipped to Iran for a set up!!!

gotta listen to Manny!!!

the happy happy pagosha couple exchange laughs with Dr. Orchid Ghaffari

(what I find remarkable is that the colors of the pagosha couple exactly match the colors of the painting)

JAYEH dad KHALI

KASH boodi o MIDIDI

Dr. Armand Ghaffari in between the hands of his dokhtar ameh Mahnaz jan

the place of dokhtar amoo Sanaz joon was empty

Dr. Armand Ghaffari dancing with his dokhtar ameh and his pesar amoo Farshad jan

Bro and I have half our childhood memories in Woodland Hills with our cousin Armand.

There was no place more dear than Woodland Hills.

The city of Woodland Hills was the city of sleeplessness.

The parties of Taft were the parties of recklessness.

Ventura Boulevard was the boulevard of madness and nothingness.

91364

Pasadena = Pizza Pizza

since 1985

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Morgan Hill, California

who's that kid hiding behind the turkey?

Mattin joon is up to something and doesn't want his ameh joon to see him!!!

Mattin joon your shutterbug dayi captured all the evidence!!!

yours truly with bro and mom

this pic goes out to dad

image © Dr. Kourosh Sarhaddi

mom chats it up with her parents on this thanksgiving late evening

being typical Persians we had dinner at around 11pm after dancing in the kitchen

after dinner I drank 64 ounces of water mainly b/c i was wearing rooham rooham

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

GOD BLESS AMERICA FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

shah mahi surfs the web via her apple

panj tan bless mah banoo

panj tan less googoosh underscore love

♫ UP YOUR VOLUME TO MAX ♫

bring it on

blast from the past

down memory lane

a bygone era ... a distant memory

an era vanished yet not forgotten

Thanksgiving 2004

a casual Wednesday late afternoon gathering to jump-start Thanksgiving weekend 2004

home of maternal grandparents

Los Altos, California

in memory of beloved Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

in memory of beloved Dr. Firooz Ghaffari

dad kicking back with his older bro and his younger son

less than five months after this pic dad was gone

here dad is recovering from radiation & chemo & endless meds

dad deep in thought

by various estimates dad's brain is 50+% cancer at this stage

is dad worried?  not at all

don't worry be happy

☻

happiness fills up and takes over grandma's kitchen

dad with my pesar dayi Milad jan

cousin jan Sheila jan with the Doc and their firstborn

let the good times roll

namaste

dokhtar khaleh jan Shahla jan

pesar khaleh jan Farshad jan

dayi jan Mehdi jan and his lovely wife

mom and her parents in background

dokhtar dayi jan Samira jan hidden in front of mom

matriarch & patriarch

maternal grandparents

mamanjoon & babajoon

may their shadows never be lowered from atop the family

it's hard to believe that Mattin was not here nor was their any news of him

four-plus months after this gathering my sis announced her pregnancy

may every family gathering have kids climbing up the wall and adding energy!!!

(all images above courtesy of dokhtar khaleh jan Sheila jan)

(thanks cuz)

DON'T WORRY

BE HAPPY

25 mph

keep kids alive

drive twenty five

☻

gigglinggoogler

dot com

$5,000,000

inquire within

dubai dubai

circa 1982 / 1983 tehran

uncle manny with two of his nephews: nader (front) & mehrdad (behind)

uncle manny had recently come back from uc berkeley and bro & i spent lots of time with amoo

bro & i would go to some of amoo's wild raging parties with the bee gees blasting at max volume

as the hands of destiny would have it bro & i followed in amoo's footsteps and went to uc berkeley

the campus of berkeley was the campus of sleeplessness

One month and two days shy of his third birthday, on the seventeenth of November 2008 Mattin joon attended his first day of pre-school.  The night before Mattin agha was to join his two dayis for dinner but he came down with a nasty cold and was unable to join my bro and I.  Here we see agha Mattin still with a bit of a cold ready to head out to the real world.  Be careful dear nephew ... as they say it's a jungle out there!  Make us proud Mattin.  Your dayis are here for you.

(image captured by my sis)

image brought to you by shutterbug mattin

afarin nephew joon this is awesome

made by mattin's ameh the day mattin started walking

image captured by mattin's older dayi

PANJ TAN BLESS MAH BANOO OF IRAN

PANJ TAN BLESS MAH BANOO OF IRAN

PANJ TAN BLESS MAH BANOO OF IRAN

telezang

dot com

STAY TUNED...LAUNCHING VERY SOON

seamlessly connect with ghom o kheesh va doostan

the no-nonsense way to stay in touch with the extended fam

catch up on the latest gossip from the cousins back home

call your aunts and ask them to hook you up with a hot wife

call gholhak call darroos call saltanat abad call ghazvin call rezayeh

a new chapter in the way hamvatans connect from abroad

lotfan joinam konid barayeh up shodaneh site enshalah bezoodi

ba tashakor az madar e nicole joon va tabrik beh ishoon

zemneh arzeh tashakor az gorooheh abba keh hast soedi

hich koja samimitar az telezang nabood

hich koja nazdiktar az telezang nabood

site e telezang site e bikhabi bood

GOD BLESS RADIO SHACK

GOD BLESS RADIO SHACK

GOD BLESS RADIO SHACK

googoosh should NOT perform alongside darius

he'll be a negative influence on her during these trying times

YES WE CAN

from the fine folks dancing on the backyard porches in Chapel Hill to the happy hamvatans dancing on the poolside decks in sunny Morgan Hill we could not be any happier ... OBAMA OBAMA yes we can ... from Woodland Hills to Los Altos Hills the extended family gives a warm welcome to the OBAMA clan ... for the first time since the happy Kennedy days we will once again hear the laughter of children in the White House ... may God bless America and may God bless each and every one of you who voted for OBAMA ... let us come together and move America to the prosperous war-free days of not-long-ago ... together we can do it ... YES WE CAN ... dear Mr. President-elect won't you please take the hands of America's next lovely First Lady and please join us on the dance floor ... let us all do the dance of joy because we are going to create a much happier America ... yes we can ... everyone please join us on the dance floor and let us all get down ... financial prosperity here we come ... world peace here we come ... homeland safety and security here we come ... put all your worries aside and everyone join us on the dance floor ... God bless all of you ... and may God bless OBAMA and the happy OBAMA AMERICA we will ALL create ... YES WE CAN

Los Altos Dermatology

Nasrin Ghaffari

Meher Baba Irani

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS BEBIN DOT TV

GOD BLESS WOODLAND HILLS

GOD BLESS 91364

GOD BLESS BERKELEY

GOD BLESS CHAPEL HILL

♫ 10/28 ♫

tou Chicago e por sar o seda

sedayeh ASHENA miyad

sedayeh garmeh del khoshi

sedayeh por safa miyad

MADD

Mehrdad Against Drunk Driving

halloween 2008

arrive alive

don't drink and drive

be sober and thrive

9 1 1

(or you might as well go buy your coffin)

a public message brought to you by MADD and affiliates

there is no need to thank me

ALSO

SLOW FOR THE CONE ZONE

no rubbernecking please

you will get rear ended

GOD BLESS GOOGLE

GOD BLESS YAHOO

GOD BLESS INTEL

GOD BLESS DELL

happy groom Dr. Armand Ghaffari with his pesar amoo Nader (my bro)

Memorial Weekend 2008

Stockton, California

country road take me home

North Carolina

faghat o faghat for

Obamayeh aziz o arjmand o asil

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS HILLARY

by my bro obama & startups

obama fever sweeps cali

obama fever sweeps texas

obama fever sweeps NC

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

GOD BLESS OBAMA

check out the license plate

dad (with shades) in TEXAS leans against an American classic with an IRAN license plate

circa late sixties

dad would finish his undergraduate work in Texas and head to NC

dad's next-older bro continued in Texas for his doctorate degree

dad's next-younger bro arrived in Texas a little later for his undergrad degree

GOD BLESS TEXAS

every single car in the parking lot is an American beauty

Mehrbaba Irani BLESS Iran

Mehrbaba Irani BLESS Iran

Mehrbaba Irani BLESS Iran

amrica amrica

Tuesday October 14th 2008

in memory of dad on this very random day

shot by my bro via his apple iphone and e-mailed to the fam

dad's cremated ashes were scattered very close to here on 05.05.05

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

viva panj tan

trip down memory lane

going gaga for google

going agush over google

GOOGLE 01/01/01

follow above link then google

be sure to click on

View old version on the Internet Archive

RED WHITE AND BLUE

COLORS THAT NEVER RUN

GOD BLESS AMERICA

and God Bless ALL of you

GOD BLESS GOOGLE

GOD BLESS ADSENSE

GOD BLESS MOUNTAIN VIEW

with my nephew and my sis

agha Mattin looks up to dayi Mehrdad

Morgan Hill, California

Sunday September 28th 2008

Dad & I

MEHER BABA on WALL

September 30th 1990

the Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada's capital city of Ottawa

thank you dear Dalai Lama

NAMASTE

eyeranians y'all gather around now

episode mag

die hard Mahasti fans really dig lounging at La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge in Petaluma as they know they are only a few miles away from Santa Rosa where Mahasti passed away @ her daughter Sahar's home

hich koja spiritualtar az Petaluma nabood

hich koja spiritualtar az Santa Rosa nabood

گوگولى   بدجور   خرابتم

harfi bezan

chizi begoo

az festivaleh PAIZI begoo

hey there Soheyla

i know times are getting hard

but just believe me girl

we'll have it good

we'll have the life we knew we would

my word is good

arjmand va gerami va mohtaram va asil va besiar bahal

volume o hesabi uppeh uppesh konid

fyi wma ba IE run misheh amma ba FF run nemisheh

COUNTRY ROADS take me HOME

to the place i BELONG

North Carolina ... mountain MEHRBABA

take me home country roads

☻

dayi Mehrdad decked out in black

NAMASTE

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

It seems like yesterday but that yesterday was exactly five years ago.  We went from 09.20.03 to 09.20.08 in a blink of an eye.  And interestingly this time around it fell on a Saturday just like the original day.  It was five years ago today in the heart of San Francisco when we celebrated on a grand scale the union of two big families.  It was by far the happiest day of our lives and the timing could not have been any better.  About ten weeks after the wedding celebration on a very cold early-December evening Dad was rushed to the ER due to a massive seizure which was diagnosed as terminal brain cancer.  Had the wedding been planned just a few months later it would have taken on a much different mood.  So indeed we have a lot to be thankful for on this fifth anniversary.  I dedicate the following images to my nephew Mattin joon and also to ever-present Dad.  The sofreh aghd is the master piece of the daughter-in-law of renowned Persian poet ostad Taraghi.  Here Here!!

Serjik (directly behind dad) singing pedareh aroos manam

in memory of beloved Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

east coast Sofreh Aghd

MESLEH MAH

↓

Sofreh Atelier

On Sunday the 7th of September 2008 we gathered in the mid peninsula during the morning hours to send off our cousin Ranna joon to UC Santa Cruz.  Cousin Sima joon invited everyone to her home for brunch and we all took turns dancing with a hat.  As the hands of destiny would have it at the same time my sister, bro-in-law, and nephew were at a weekend getaway in sunny Santa Cruz and could not join us.  Also countless noteworthy cousins were not able to join us but we had enough cousins present to send off Ranna with style.  We will be visiting Santa Cruz regularly to make sure our cousin does not get herself in mischief and to also re-live our own carefree college years. This also marked the two year anniversary of Nicole joon joining our extended family.  Nicole and I starred in a Bollywood music video after the family gathering and we had a blast taking pics. 

Namaste and Jai Baba and Cheers

☼

tavajoh tavajoh

hesabi tavajoh

SLOW FOR THE CONE ZONE

☻☻☻

GOD BLESS TEHRAN

GOD BLESS TEHRAN

GOD BLESS TEHRAN

MERMAID OF IRAN

SHAHMAHI OF IRAN

SHADMAHI OF IRAN

KING OF PERSIAN POP SHAHRAM SHABPAREH

EBI

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

Jai Baba

mom and dad (first couple from right) with loving BABA lovers

Tehran, Iran

circa early eighties / late seventies

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

ziarateh Emam Reza hamisheh kareh man bood

Reza Pahlavi and Farah Pahlavi visit Emam Reza

yours truly with mom & dad

circa 1977 vatan

ziarateh Emam Reza hamisheh kareh man bood

although i must admit that this is probably elsewhere

i'm guessing my bro was too young to attend this vacation

my sis would arrive one year later

namaste

shahmahi of iran

daughter of iran

mother of iran

mermaid of iran

thank you Marziyeh

may the soul of your mom's pesar dayi rest in peace with this spiritual artwork

thank you Emam Reza

thank you 5 tan for your support

thank you golbanoo Solati

Shameful Ghanbari

the shahmahi e-community is disgusted at ghanbari's ghetto behavior

you may follow the above link to read more about this scumbucket

as we say is Persian he has fallen from everyones eyes

$hahyar you have no class whatsoever

how will you answer God

you're a $lime ball

your career is

OVER

.

↑

beparbebin.tv

hatmanbebin.tv

bebinbebin.tv

LAUNCHING @ OPTIMAL t

hatman stay tuned barayeh uppeshoon

IN GOD WE TRUST

from sea to shining sea

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD BLESS AMERICA

شهیار قنبری

نام شهیار قنبری را برای همیشه پاک خواهم کرد

نام شهیار قنبری را برای همیشه پاک خواهم کرد

شهروز رفیعی : نام شهیار قنبری را برای همیشه پاک خواهم کرد

Shahyar Ghanbari ERASED

PERIOD

☻

cut cut puppet caught red handed

Shameful Ghanbari

decades of stealing poetry and recycling it for resale with his name stamped on the seemingly-original-yet-second-hand lyrics has finally caught up with our scandalous scam artist

shahmahi fans are downright outraged and appalled at the corrupt poem-reseller and urge shahmahi to publicly and vehemently denounce the ruthless shahyar on the shabkhiz international network as it's by far the most viewed by hamvatans worldwide

soon an e-book will be published which will detail his countless poetry theft & robberies

shame on you shahyar

you are NOT a human being

you tried to ruin shahmahi but your ruined yourself you backstabbing lowlife scumbag

$hahyar Ghanbari

EXPO$ED

goosh kon shahyar goosh kon shahyar

dozd e bozorg goosh kon goosh kon

career e shaer boodan e shoma shadidan endesheh

shaer e shahmahi boodan e shoma shadidan endesheh

shahmahi halesh az shoma shadidan beham khord

fanhayeh shahmahi haleshoon az shoma beham khord

digeh chizi az shahmahi va fanhayeh shahmahi shoma nakhahid keh nemigirid

amma ta deletoon bekhad baratoon hendevaneh miarim

digeh aberooyi barayeh shoma namoondeh

sher-foroosh shoma sher az maryam midozdi va beh shahmahi mifrooshi va mozd migiri

sher-foroosh shoma az italia sher midozdi va beh shahmahi mifrooshi va mozd migiri

sher-foroosh shoma az faranceh sher midozdi va beh shahmahi mifrooshi va mozd migiri

sher-foroosh shoma az namehayeh maryam sher midozdi va beh shahmahi mifrooshi va mozd migiri

mageh shoma reseller e poems hastid....oon ham eentor mesleh moosh

fanhayeh shahmahi az shenidaneh esmeh shoma haleshoon beham mikhoreh

pasfarda javabeh court hayeh amrika ra chetor mikhahi bedi dozd e bozorg

sher-foroosh e bi sar o pa shoma shahmahi ra dasteh kam gereftid

een hameh sher beh shahmahi forookhtid hamash dozdi bood

aya shoma fekr mikardid keh shahmahi nemifahmeh

aya shoma fekr mikardid keh asemani nemifahmeh

aya shoma fekr mikardid keh fanha nemifahman

career o esm o hamechi e shoma flush shod down the toilet

roozhayeh roshan e shoma shadidan endesheh

hich koja aziztar az Los Angeles nabood

hich cousin athletictar az pesar amoo nabood

shahreh Los Angeles shahreh BIKHABI bood

OLYMPICS 1984

Los Angeles

California

the Ghaffari clan headed to the 1984 Olympic games

there was no place more dear than Los Angeles

from right to left

amoo jan Mahmood jan

dear Javad jan

dokhtar ameh jan Mahnaz jan

yours truly in red with a blue vest (YIKES)

behind me dear shohar ameh jan

in front of me pesar amoo jan Saman jan (with ball)

behind cousin Sam we have pesar amoo Farshad jan (in red)

behind cousin Farshad we have dokhtar ameh joon Sima joon

behind cousin Sima we have the tallest of the bunch pesar amoo Faramarz jan

in bright blue with cool shades and a smile we have Dad

in front of Dad we have my bro Nader with a basketball

next to my bro we have the break-dancing pesar amoo Armand jan

next to cousin Armand we have itsy bitsy dokhtar amoo joon Sanaz joon

next to cousin Sanaz we have my sis Marjan joon with the sun bothering her eyes

next to Dad we have amoo jan Mohsen jan

in front of uncle Mo we have zan amoo joon Dokhi joon

next in mustard-colored shirt we have dokhtar amoo joon Shoaleh joon

in the LA heat wearing complete black we have none other than Mom

in complete white we have zan amoo joon Giti joon

my one and only bro Nader jan shooting some hoops

amoo jan Firooz jan sitting with a smile behind bro

why are all the relatives wearing layers of clothes in the LA heat???

that Olympic evening in Santa Monica

casual dinner @ Santa Monica condo

dokhtar ameh joon, zan amoo joon, zan amoo joon, dokhtar amoo joon, mom

#1 #3 #5 looking in one direction

#2 #4 looking at my 110 camera

as a child this photograph always fascinated me

hich koja artistictar az Santa Monica nabood

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

back to school in the fall

i'm dead center with the light blue shirt that reads

1984

USA OLYMPICS

WRESTLING TEAM

OLYMPICS 2008

Beijing comes to Morgan Hill, California

Sunday August 10th 2008

agha Mattin enjoys the Olympics with his two dayis

photo shot by Mattin's dokhtar ameh Negin Taraghi

bro is still recovering from his PUERTO VALLARTA tan

a second after this shot nephew suddenly jumped up and ran away!!!

Persian lyricist ostad Bijan Taraghi

yours truly & Omid Taraghi (son of ostad Bijan Taraghi)

Morgan Hill, California

August 10th 2008

Shahyar Ghanbari EXPOSED

shahmahi dismisses shahyar

shahmahi to blossom into shadmahi

a new chapter of shahmahi and shabpareh

in collaboration with asemani and aslani

these are the vibes i'm getting from panjtan

LDVwine

With all due respect to Federico Fellini, what was playing above the bar at La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge when we walked in was the final scene of "Casablanca." Owner Sahar Gharai occasionally screens Fellini's 1960 classic, but - given its racier material - usually later in the evening, once the ratio of toddlers to spaghetti straps has shifted.

Movies are frequently front and center at this newish effort in Petaluma's theater district. The Boulevard Cinemas across the street make it a useful choice for a pre-film drink. Gharai, a Petaluma native who learned about wine in Florence, opened Dolce Vita in September, and the enoteca concept dominates, with a rack of wine bottles for retail sale dominating one long wall. If you're not in a rush to see a movie, don't hesitate to ask for a backgammon board, settle in with your preferred bottle and, as per Claude Rains, round up the usual suspects.

The vibe: Stylishly suburban, with an airy, high-ceiling look that transports it beyond its home in the Theatre Square mall. Other projections behind the bar include Pink Panther films and Blake Edwards' "The Party," adding a go-go '60s tinge.

The crowd: In true wine-bar fashion, it's ground zero for posses of twentysomething women - are you listening, boys? - including the ones who were handing out cupcakes when we stopped in. But it's more mellow and inclusive than boisterous.

Best seat: The high dark wood tables in front of the wall-mounted wine rack are perfect for a foursome. Or, if you're a Peter Sellers fan, settle in at the bar.

Killer apps: Gharai's mother, Sarideh, runs the kitchen. Despite the Persian cookbook on the counter, Italy is in play. Try the mushroom crostini ($9), a generous arugula salad ($9) or a well-edited cheese selection (three for $10).

The list: Five three-taste flights ($13-$17) are on offer, part of 37 wines by the glass. A quirky mix of California wines is the high point, especially the inclusion of several local Petaluma Gap wines, such as the 2005 Ridgeway Two Pisces Vineyard Pinot Noir ($7/taste; $14/glass). Stick with those over a less-inspired selection of imports. If you have the option to get a bottle, the picks on the wall include an impressive set of names for local Pinot and Syrah, including Pinot from Hirsch Vineyards and Radio-Coteau and Syrah from Chasseur's Cazar label. Retail prices are a touch high, but the markup to drink a bottle there is just $10.

Also on tap: Several beers by the bottle, plus four Champagne cocktails ($8 each) and bottled Sake2Me sake-based drinks ($6 each).

Bonus: Happy hour, 5-7 p.m., comes Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plus, on Thursdays, local wineries pour their bottlings.

Vitals: 151 Petaluma Blvd. S., suite 117, Petaluma. (707) 763-6363. Noon-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., until midnight Fri.-Sat., until 9 p.m. Sun.

- Jon Bonné, jbonne@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page G - 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Thursday, July 31, 2008

tehrangeles eyeranian talks without tarof

ba tashakor az dear shoharcousin jan dear Pedram jan

va hamchenin dear dokhtar ameh jan dear Mitra jan

cheshmeh man beh OONJA bood

poshteh OON kooheh boland

Sunday August 3rd 2008

mom enjoys the upbeat live band

dad's place is empty under this palm tree

with bro and sis and of course the always-happy nicole joon

cheshmeh sis beh OONJA bood

son of the late Dr. Mehdi Aliabadi

sons of the late Dr. Mehdi Ghaffari

we went to Egan, Los Altos High School, and UC Berkeley together

all 3 of us studied Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

may his hands not ache, image captured by Dr. Kourosh Sarhaddi

bro chats it up with our college buddy

this scene reminded me of the days we would kick it on Bancroft outside of Cafe Milano or Strada

Mattin with Dad eyeing his Dayi

اپیسد

PASADENA

PERSIAN PATOGH

dasteh man vaghteh neveshtan shekleh esmeh toro dareh

yours truly with chef of restaurant

lazy Sunday afternoon 07.27.08

image © nader

JAYEH dad KHALI

KASH boodi o MIDIDI

sofreyeh SHAM por az NAN e ghazal

with mom & bro

image © nicole

ta shabeh khastegiyeh taj mahal

namaste

aideh man aideh toh aideh hameh mobarak

aideh seda mobarak dobareha mobarak

khabar oomad

khabareh man o toh oomad

khabareh khodam o khodet oomad

the news of us has arrived

khabareh ezdevajehminimizedmozahem.us oomad

hanooz site o uppesh nakardam

een hast 25th domain keh kharidam

man o toh☻

AMMA delamoon khaili dooreh

don't worry be happy

Thursday July 24th 2008

web cam tries to locate the vacationing n & n in mexico

images captured throughout the day as i went about my day

Dad's youngest sister ameh Taleh joon with each of her scholarly sons at the posh summer 2008 Tehran wedding of the son of one of dad's dokhtar khalehs. Taleh joon came to Los Altos on March 12th 2005 and spent every waking minute next to dad's death bed sining Hayedeh and reading Hafez poetry to dad. She went back to Tehran on April 1st after three sleepless weeks. Dad departed 18 days later on the 19th. Thank you ameh Taleh for your help. May your shadow never be lowered from atop Erfan and Eiman. May Erfan and Eiman never forget the lessons dayi Mehdi taught them. May Erfan and Eiman continue to shoot pictures like the ones directly above. May pesar amehs Erfan and Eiman do nothing except take pictures. May a camera always be in the hands of either Erfan or Eiman. May Erfan and Eiman continue to send their American cousins pics from the motherland.

man o toh BAYAD beh farda BERESIM

cheshmeh koochikeh baramoon

MA bayad BERIM beh darya BERESIM

La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge

Petaluma, Cali

Bay Area's premier wine lounge

SHAD o SHAD o SHAD

shab shabeh sher o shooreh

shab shabeh sher o sharabeh

volume o uppeh uppesh konid

dast bezanid o pa bekoobid

Villa Premiere Hotel

Sunday July 20th 2008

 PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEXICO

nader o nicole RAHI e PUERTO VALLARTA shodan

hich koja aziztar az PUERTO VALLARTA nabood

hich koja garmtar az PUERTO VALLARTA nabood

hich koja bahaltar az PUERTO VALLARTA nabood

can you spot n & n in any of the above ten pics??

all ten pics captured on July 20th 2008 via web cam

blog e bro beh hamin ellat up nashod een weekend

enshalah safari safe and sound barayeh n & n

AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI

☻☼☻

new issue debuts every saturday

elevate your farsi via episode

amiri and associates

اپیسد

salam salam hamegi salam

17 JULY 1939

hich rooz aziztar az sizdahomeh july e sefr hasht nabood

hich koja aziztar az san francisco nabood

hich baradar aziztar az nader nabood

hich fereshteh aziztar az nicole nabood

☻☺

ageh hatta bayneh ma faseleh 1 nafaseh

Los Altos

art + wine

2008 Arts and Wine Festival

July 10th

On July 10th 1925 Meher Baba began observing silence.  He remained 100% completely silent for the remaining 44 years of his life.  Initially Baba dictated his discourses and messages through an alphabet board, but eventually he developed a unique set of hand gestures that the mandali translated for Baba.  A few years back dad was telling me that when people are very mad they loudly yell at each other ... when people are a little mad they yell but not as loudly ... when there is love people whisper ... but when love is infinite and endless there is no longer a need for words.  Dad always remained completely silent every July 10th for the entire day.  If July 10th fell on a weekday he would even go to university and lecture physics without saying a single word.  If we wanted to ask dad a question on a July 10th we'd have to make sure it was a yes or no question.  Now that I reflect back to the sad days dad was motionless on his hospice bed I wonder if dad chose not to speak or whether it was the ruthless brain cancer which silenced dad.  On this July 10th I'd like to wish the millions of Baba lovers a very happy silence day.  I know for a fact that the majority of you are observing complete silence on this very spiritual and uplifting day.

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai 

sokootet goftaneh tamameh harfast  

pol is currently running in the background

incidentally this was the opening song for my sister's reception -- a couple of months after which dad was diagnosed

in pol shahmahi very eloquently underscores the fact that

silence is equivalent to the sum of all words (and indeed it is)

July 10th 2008

MG - Los Altos, California

100+ degrees F

industrial size GE fan on high blowing on my face

in dad's memory

sokootet goftaneh tamameh harfast  

toh khorshid o beh dasteh man sepordi

☻jai baba☻

in memory dr mehdi ghaffari age 58 glioblastoma multiforme

NAMASTE

harf

leaf

sand

Menlo Park

sand

Meher Baba

sand

dad in center with aghajoon next to him

3 of dad's bros:  amoo Mahmood & amoo Mansour & amoo Mohsen

and dad's nephew from his oldest sister ameh Talieh

mp3 e harf currently dar hal e run shodaneh

ba tashakor az shaer e vatan ostad Ghanbari

site e sand ra beh bro tabrik migam

enshalah beh salamati e bro

hich koja aziztar az Menlo Park nabood

Jai Baba

launch of blog and publication during the opening hours of summer o eight

blog from the happy heart of silicon valley

publication from the helpless heart of silent vatan

blog updated every sunday enshalah

publication updated every saturday enshalah

blog in casual english

publication in formal farsi

blog

( younger son of dr mehdi ghaffari )

pro publication

( editor is a die hard shahmahi fan and heads her talented team of writers )

As Kasra Mehrabi celebrated his first birthday in the green pastures of heaven we learned of yet another ShahMahi fan dear Negin who was also sent to the garden above as a result of another horrific auto accident on the dangerous roads of vatan.  A couple of very young ShahMahi fans have departed many decades ahead of schedule.  God grant both of them eternal rest.

one way ticket

to the

MOON

khabar oomad

behtarin khabar oomad

shadtarin khabar oomad

marriageIEOR

LosAltosSUNSHINE

een 3 khabar az tarigheh dot com oomad

AMMA hanooz UPPESHOON nakardam

bizahmat hatman stay tuned

hatmanbebin.tv

bebinbebin.tv

hatman bizahmat stay tuned

felan 22 ta domain kharidam

AMMA uppeshoon nakardam

sedayeh 100 ta parandeh

forsat hamin emroozeh barayeh up kardan

digeh DIREH vaseh goftan

☼

dast bezanid o pa bekoobid

sholooghesh konid o hyperesh konid

forsat hamin emroozeh barayeh patriotic boodan

hich koja aziztar az amrica nabood

GOD BLESS AMERICA

IN GOD WE TRUST

UNITED STATES UNITED PEOPLE

land of the free from sea to shining sea

from Chapel Hill to Los Altos Hills

God Bless our Glorious America

One Nation under God