Q&A with Andy: Our Community, Our Youth and his Voice By Saina Bailey
Aug. 11, 2010, Los Angeles, CA — Andy, declared best Iranian Singer of the 90s by Universal Studios, is a long time friend of PAAIA; he collaborated with the 2010 Census Coalition and attended PAAIA’s Passing the Torch of Success in New York last April. We like him a lot, and in a moment of inspiration, took the opportunity to chat with him. He talked to us about music and more. Here it is. Q: Give us an inside scoop of what you are doing these days? Right now my single release “Madaram”, is number one on Radio Javan and I hear that the volume of downloads is causing technical strains on their website! I’ll be singing this song at my upcoming concert at the Bren Event Center in Irvine, August 21st. You can download “Madaram” for free from my website. Click here to read more. Shahram Hadian Endorsed for State Representative by Seattle Times By PAAIA Government Affairs Office Aug. 10, 2010, Seattle, WA — With less than a week to go before the primary election, Shahram Hadian’s candidacy for the Washington State House of Representative continues to gain momentum with a new endorsement from the Seattle Times, the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. Last week, the Seattle Times Editorial Board endorsed Shahram Hadian as the top choice for Washington State House of Representative (District 44, Position 1). The Board deemed that it is time for a change in the 44th Legislative District. “Veteran state Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is intelligent and hardworking but he is also emblematic of the excessive spending that has characterized Olympia in recent years. We have endorsed him in each re-election campaign since 2000, but this year we cannot,” said the Seattle Times. “Our recommendation is for Shahram Hadian, a pastor at a Lynnwood church and a community activist who pushed successfully for Snohomish County's ban on near-naked baristas.” Click here to read more. Haleh Zandi: Towards More Just and Sustainable Solutions, ONE GARDEN AT A TIME! By Sanam Zahir Aug. 12, 2010, San Francisco, CA — Haleh Zandi and Gavin Raders, co-founders of Planting Justice, dedicate their time to community organizing, urban food production, and shifting local and international policies towards more just and sustainable solutions for all. They organize free community work-parties and low-cost educational workshops at schools, transform yards into edible gardens and create jobs through training the community to create sustainable, replicable gardens with complete nutritional diet in the city. PAAIA sat down with Haleh to learn more about her work as the co-founder of Planting Justice, a non-profit organization whose slogan is “Grow Food, Grow Jobs, Grow Community” and is founded on three guiding principles “Food Justice, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice”. Haleh, it’s a pleasure sitting with you and talking about your accomplishments as a young member of the community. I first learned about Planting Justice through my conversations with you and Gavin. After reading more about your organization on your website and articles such as the one featured on Food First, I felt it imperative to share your work with the community. Let’s start by introducing Planting Justice to our readers! Q: Where did the idea behind Planting Justice come from and how did it form? Planting Justice grew out of an edible landscaping and ecological design company Gavin Raders and I started in June 2008 called the Backyard Food Project. Whereas the benefits of edible landscaping and permaculture have thus far been restricted to those who can pay a premium for it, we were determined to make healthy food, edible landscaping, and ecological education affordable and accessible to low-income urban residents. Click here to read more. Webcast: L.A.'s young Iranian Jews benefit from JVS’s scholarships Webcast posted by Karmel Melamed Aug. 8, 2010, Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles based Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) since 1930 has been providing programs and services to various individuals who have been financially struggling. These services include efforts to help countless folks become self-sufficient and even offered scholarships to college students in need who show potential. Last month I attended the JVS’s Scholarship awards night and was surprised to find that a majority of the 100+ scholarship recipients this year were local young Iranian Jews. Click here for the full article and webcast. I've Discovered Nahid Rachlin By Susan Abraham Aug. 7, 2010, New York, NY – "... Last night, unable to sleep once more and thanks to the final remnants of a fading jet lag, I settled down to read The Heart's Desire, a riveting paperback, published by an older, stylish Iranian-American novelist, an Associate Fellow at Yale and currently a New York resident, Nahid Rachlin. I had picked up the novel at the famously-eclectic Kinokuniya Bookstore in Kuala Lumpur, the day before. I recognised the rare intimate study of family portraits, as a 1995 edition and simply had to have it. In a nutshell, Jennifer an American working in a hospital and playacting the loving mother and wife, marries Karim, an Iranian Professor, who lives and works in Columbus, USA. They have a small son, Darius. As soon as the Iran-Iraq war is over, the small family reluctantly returns for two months to Tehran." Click here for the full article. Join PAAIA Today! Sign up for the PAAIA eNewsletter! Donate to PAAIA and make a difference! Urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act! Help deserving students earn a path to legal residency. Take action today! Register to Vote, make your voice heard! Click here to read PAAIA's Congressional Scorecard, and see how your member of Congress voted on important issues. U.S. comedian faces tough crowd on Middle East tour Shohreh Aghdashloo speaks out against stoning in Iran Reflections from theWhite House Surgery planned to help rebuild Iranian boy's face IAAB kicks off Camp Ayandeh 2010 in Belmont, California Karen Ostad Elected as the First Female President of IABA Iranian-American Summer Camp Builds Lasting Ties --- If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please visit http://capwiz.com/paaia/lmx/u/?jobid=154873320&queueid=5647334891. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
