A Slice Of The World Brought To You By Hanif.

The founder of hanifsworld will be in the Middle East from December 15th through the end of January. Pictures and commentary will follow throughout the trip and after.

MY VIDEOS FROM IRAN, just click and enjoy.

At the Imam Mosque in Esfahan with my family. Absolutely stunning piece of architecture. You can hear the call to prayer in the background as well. Correction in the video, the constitution on the wall is 4,000 years old, not  400.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWpbzXa3rmc

In a country with huge oil and gas reserves you sure have to wait a long line to fill up your gas tank in Tehran. The line almost goes around the block! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCKtXyesBQ

BLOGORAMA.... 

Jan 10th, 2008: Just a few more days left in my trip to Iran. The weather has somewhat calmed down. It has stopped snowing but it is so fricken cold outside. And I am a Seattle native! If the snow returns my flight will for sure be cancelled. Today's blog will be a quick summary of a few articles I have read in Iranian newspapers. The first concern's the president of Iran's trip to Columbia University a few months ago. The trip recieved so much hype that you would think that president Ahmadenejad fathered a baby with Britney Spears. Everyone knows what went down, he came, he spoke, and people protested from beginning to end. (By the way, the Hitler comments? Come on....Hitler! Hitler! That comparison is drawn way too much. Everyday in fact. Thats like saying Lebron James is like Mike Jordan. Ludacris!!!! Lebron is Lebron, and NOBODY will ever be like MJ. The same way that nobody will ever be like Hitler. People can come emulate a type of his actions such as a specific propaganda campaign aimed at convincing normal people that we (as a country) must go to war, or even the actions of the current government in Sudan and ethnic cleansing.)   Anyways, he was INVITED to an ACADEMIC INSTITUTION to speak. The "arch-nemisis" of the U.S. came to U.S. soil and put himself in front of a firing squad. What other sitting leader would "roll" to an enemy country for a "Q and A" session? Anyways, the president of the university, Lee Bolinger opened the session up by insulting him with the most narrow minded words you would never think could come out of an "academic president", but then again it was an IVY league school (no offense). To sum it up. The Theran Times has reported that a group of Deans and professors(some that don't even agree with Ahmadenejad's views) from Columbia will be traveling to Iran in the coming weeks to personally apologize to the president of Iran himself, and meet with students and faculty at Tehran University in order to clean up Bolinger's mess....in the name of academia. I spoke to my father today and he said he hasn't even heard this story in the U.S. media, then again we are 12 hours ahead.

The other story is the ongoing "boat incident". The Pentagon released their footage of the incident with seperate audio tracks. The government authorites here in Iran released their own as well contradicting the U.S. footage. Who knows who has the right evidence. All I know is that the last "faulty" evidence we bought in the U.S. led us into Iraq (The epitome of cluster-fuck). Of course all Iranian news sources claim it as the United States propaganda campaign, and are quick to point that "the U.S. have half of their Navy in the Persian Gulf including nuclear-armed aircraft carriers, guided-missle destroyers, frigates, cruisers nd submarines." But what struck me in this Iranian news article was the quick history lesson it gave their readers. " It is important to remember that the massive U.S. bombing of Vietnam and the Johnson administration's escalation of the war was preceded by reports of an attack on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam-which years later was admitted to be phoney by Johnson's own papers and later by former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara publicly in the film, "Fog of War". On Aug. 2nd and 4th, 1964, the Pentagon claimed that small Vietnamese boats had fired on the USS Maddox and another destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin. Lyndon Johnson used this "attack" as pretext for ramming a resolution through Congress giving him the power and funds to wage war on Vietnam"  DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?

"LETS SLIDE DOWN THE SURFACE OF THINGS."-Bret Easton Ellis (Author, quoted in his book Less Than Zero, 1964-Present)

BELOW: From left, Shahob (husband to my cousin Mona), Me, and Sana (cousin) Looks like Sana is enjoying me a little too much. They are all my bros.

BELOW: Mr. Ali and myself. This old man owns a small book shack on a busy street in Tehran. Its a little crammed in there but it is filled with knowledge and books from all over the world in many different types of languages. He just collects old books and sells em'. What a livlihood! I could have spent 4 days locked in there easily. I bought two books that I consider priceless, and both are out of print. I'm sure I could have found many more but I had to leave because my mother and sister were waiting for me. Ali, the very wise second-hand librarian of Tehran.

BELOW: One of the most random photos I have snapped to date. I will let the readers make up their own caption for this one.

BELOW: Earlier in the trip I snapped a picture of a Alpha-Tree (Carnivale Alert!) with me in front of it at the Imam Mosque in Esfahan. Here is an Omega-Tree on a giant mosaic mural in the streets of Tehran. Absolutely stunning. Obviously I am drawn by the power of a simple tree. A quote from my favorite television program of all time: "A dark heart dwells where branches meet......" Could this picture fit that quote any better?

 ABOVE: A scene from the season two finale of the HBO series Carnivale. My favorite program ever.

BELOW: My father and my sister at a bazaar. You cannot understand the massive amount of trinkets and commerce in a bazaar until you are actually in one. In ancient times, the bazaar was (and still is in most places) the foundation of commerce. Anything and everything can be traded here, from items that would be considered useless by some, to pure gold.

Jan. 7th, 2008: I have one more week remaining in Iran. This past week has been some what tough due to the restraints the wether has caused. The massive snow storm crippled the city of Tehran making movement very hard. Other less populated cities and roads have it even worse. 28 people have died so far as weather experts claim that this is Iran's heaviest snowfall in years. Authorities also claim that 40,000 people have been stranded in their cars. The tempeture has been recorded as low as -24 degrees celsius. Cabs and private drivers do not even dare to venture out, most do not even have chains and even the one's that do still will not go to work. I think their reasoning lies in the fact that the people who do venture out during the storm are crazy to begin with and the risk of car crash outweighs a few bucks for a ride. I actually got into a small accident when I was driving with my uncle, we were putting chains on and were rear ended by another motorist. He tried to claim that it was my uncles fault, and would not give his insurance. We had to wait for the police to resolve the dispute. The guy's wife even came out and tried to claim it was my uncles fault! But when the cops arrived they shut up and tried to claim that they were in the process of giving us their insurance info. The cop was having none of it and ended up "clowning" them saying, "You two waited an hour to hand this man your insurance? Nice try." It was sad to see that the man's wife was just as crooked as he was. Iranian Officials here also call the "boat incident" between the U.S. a few days ago as psychological warfare. The U.S. is calling it a provocation and hostile action, and Dick Cheany even emerged to voice his opinion. Let's all be honest, Dick only comes out of hiding when he has to "spin" something or use an issue to his advantage. This "incident" also coincides with Bush's trip to the Middle East, I'm not claiming it did not happen, but this issue has now been turned into propaganda. The U.S. will use whatever it can at this point. It might have been seen as a provacation, but lets not forget who is surrounded by hundreds and thousands of  military troops. The U.S. has marched a massive portion of its military on and around Iran's front door step, and Iran's navy makes a couple of "manuvers" and it becomes one radio call away from war.......c'mon man.

BELOW: My cousins and I in a cab-bus. From left, Melody, Asall (Honey), Me, and Mona.

ABOVE: Me working out at the park across the street from my grandma's place. Many young boys and girls come to this park to talk, hangout, etc. It is a big, goregeous park secluded from the "eyes" that look down on this type of "behavior".

BELOW: At the same park, a group of young school girls are on a field trip I presume. The park also is a type of zoo, with many different types of wildlife.  

BELOW: Three generations of Zarrabi-Kahani's in this pic. From left: My father, my uncle, myself, and my grandpa R.I.P (Pictured on the wall.) It was taken inside my grandfather's butcher shop in Tehran which is now ran by my uncle.

BELOW: Me in front of my granfather's butcher shop. My father worked here as a child, and my uncle (Mansoor) now runs the place. Our family Biz.
 

CONCLUSION OF JAN. 4TH'S BLOG ON INTERNAL ISSUES: I brought up these internal issues that Iran faces becuase I wanted to stress the topic of "reform". The government of Iran runs such a tight ship that reform within the country's government structure is a tough process. There are democratic elections in Iran, (Women are even trying to run for the Majlis (parliment) this year on March 14th) but the hierarchy of power casues it to be a grinding process. Whereas in the U.S. voters have the power of "reform" at their fingertips (or "chad") come election time. But we in the U.S. are either too lazy and choose not to vote, or are just duped by blatent propaganda (Threat level is RED!) "THE BOOKS THAT THE WORLD CALLS IMMORAL ARE BOOKS THAT SHOW THE WORLD IN ITS OWN SHAME"- Oscar Wilde (Irish Novelist, 1854-1900)

Jan. 4th, 2008: In a previous blog entry I stated that many citizens of Iran that I have talked to are "hungry and fed-up". I must yet again retract from this statement. People are still hungry due to the economy's high inflation rate which is ESTIMATED at 25%. But "fed-up" took a more derogetory tone when I previously wrote it. Everyone seems to be VERY aware of the internal problems the country faces. While all attention is gathered on the nuclear issue in the mass media, all of Iran's internal problems seems to take a back seat..but not to Iranians themselves. Sanctions over the past 30 years have taken a huge toll on the country's infrastructure. Buildings all half completed literally on every block. I read a news article in the Tehran Times the other day that reported that in the past two decades, only 25% of buildings plannned for construction have been completed. International sanctions have lead to the dis-investment of Iran from foreign business, which is obvious when one takes a walk on the street here. ALSO, Iran has one of the WORST aviation records. Plane crashes/problems are not a surprise to Iranians. Once again sanctions come into play as Iran cannot buy spare Boeing or Airbus parts for the ageing pre-revolution fleet. 3rd party buyers are needed so maintenance becomes lax, leading to mishaps. Unemployment is rampant as I have said before. Many other issues are at stake here, so its Iranians absolute right to be upset that these internal issues are slowly dealt with. As well as to express them loudly to a Iranian-American such as myself. I believe I cannot say the same for my American counterparts. We in the U.S. have many issues at hand that seems to be ignored by the majority of the population. Subprime mortgages, the constant weakening of the U.S. dollar, un-authorized surveilance, and the cowardly newly sworn in 2007 Democratic Congress, the list keeps going. We here in America are more worried about text messages, who will gain custody of Britney Spears childeren, and shopping, WE LOVE SHOPPING. Karl Marx said religion is the opiate of the masses, which is true. But for Americans, consumerism is our opiate. To finish up the blog for today, I just wanted to report that everywhere I go, I see the most random english graffetti. For some reason young Iranians love to spray paint their favorite American music groups on walls. To name a few: Dr. Dre, Bon Jovi, Eminem, Linkin Park, Snoop Dogg, 2 Pac, they obviously love hip-hop here. By the way, I have yet to hear "DEATH TO AMERICA" by somebody in public. There are a few anti-American paintings on the sides of buildings but they obviously done following the Islamic Revolution. SORRY, but no pics to upload today. There will be some on the next blog. "HISTORY IS A VAST EARLY WARNING SYSTEM"- Norman Cousins (Journalist / Advocate, quoted in the Baton Rouge Newspaper, La)

Jan. 3rd, 2008: First blog of the new year my friends, and its officially white in Tehran. There is snow all over the place. Driving in Tehran has been one of the most ridiculous aspects of my trip, drivers here have no clue on what it means to stay in between the lines on the autoban never-the-less the street, no social discipline what-so-ever in regards to the rules of the road. With snow all over the ground I actually feared for my life when I was travelling in automobiles. The newspapers here have two common themes, the upcoming US presidential elections, and the the current Middle East region in flames. In regards to the election, there is constant updates on who is in the lead in the primaries. There was also large bio's on all the canidates the other day. The bio's were very detailed in which canidates voted for or against important legislation. The meticulous nature of the bio's represent the importance of the elections in regards to Iranian society. Obama and Hilary get the most attention by far, the republican canidates don't get much love at all. Obama fever seems to have hit Iran as well. By the way, Dennis Kucinich (and Ron Paul), bring up many  important issues in my opinion, Kucinich yesterday said that American's should back Obama if his bid fails (which it most likely will). So there you have......OBAMA!!!! Plus he is isn't white, he can't be another Colin Powell, can he? Back to the Middle East, a sucide bomber killed 36 people at a funeral yesterday in Bahgdad....sweet. Out of those 36, what are the odds that one of THEIR funerals will be crashed by a suicide bomber? Pakistan....Bhutto's death is more and more looking like a "Kennedy" type asassination. Mushariff's government looks more shady by the day, and elections have now been postponed for 6 weeks. Afghanistan....Taliban...nuff' said. Palestine...will it ever end? Lebennon has now delayed their presidential vote for a 12th time due to the fueding political/religous parties. All we need is a missile strike on Iran and were good to go! The region is in much dissary. "PROBLEMS CANNOT BE SOLVED BY THE SAME LEVEL OF THINKING THAT CREATED THEM."-Albert Einstein (German Physicist, 1879-1955)

BELOW: Winter wonderland at a park across the street from my grandmothers apartment.

BELOW: At a museum that used to be a palace for Reza Shah. You saw it here first, this is a painting by the late, GREAT, Andy Warhall of Mick Jagger. It is also signed by both icons. Western art in Iran? How could that be? There it is my friends.......

Dec. 31st, 2007: Its the last day of 2007 in Tehran and I have nobody asking me what party I am going to tonight. Its a great feeling. Iranians celebrate on this day as well but their our(their) real new year is on March 21st. The murder of Benazir Bhutto has been all over the news here. The Iranian government has swiftly condemned the murder. Our easterly neighbor is officially in chaos. Which poses an excellent question, what is more worrisome to the security of the globe; Iran or Pakistan? The "west" (You know who that applies to) has been doing everything they can to isolate Iran and its nuclear program. (F.Y.I. Iran's nuclear program was officially started by Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last king of Iran with the backing of the U.S. in the 70's.) Pakistan is known to have a huge nuclear arsenal is now literally in flames with everything from banks to cars being torched. President Bush's best friend in "the war on terror" (blatent propaganda slogan) is now even being exposed as his government has been caught in lies in the manner in which Ms. Bhutto was murdered. Pakistan is the epitome of Islamic militancy and safe-haven for Bin-Laden and associates. Iran throughout history has been mortal enemies with Bin-Laden's network as well as the Taliban. Who should we be worried about at the moment, Iran of the Paki's? As sad as it is, Mr. Mushariff and his well equipped military (thanks to the U.S.) seems to be our only hope in keeping Pakistan's nuclear arsenal from falling into the wrong hands. This link from the Los Angeles Times opinion section is a must read if one wants enlighten themselves on "history" and U.S./ Pakistan relations. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-bacevich30dec30,0,2372236.story?coll=la-home-commentary 

Back in Tehran, my father and I visited his neighborhood (Aryana) where he grew up as a child. His neighborhood has improved somewhat, but was still in poor condition. We went to his old house which was still standing buit was set to be demolished. The whole block has actually been tore down to make way for apartments I suppose but my grandfathers house was still standing. The school my father attended as a child had now been turned into a local mosque. We went inside and to my fathers surprise he ran into childhood friends as well as an elderly man who knew my grandfather well. The old man even told us stories about how my grandmother and grandfather helped late into the night a many times in preparing food for the needy. The mosque runs a local charity for the neighborhood. People with horrible living conditions apply for aid distributed by the mosque. Their applications are reviewed by a board of trustees and aid is granted accordingly. The old man showed us the whole process, and it was very efficient. Listening to these stories about my family so long ago was priceless. Before we left, we gave a "nice" donation in the name of my grandparents and will continue to do so. This experience, and seeing the look on my fathers face during the entire interaction is something that I will hold dear for the rest of my life......ROOTS. This type of charity is what my father has taught me all my life, but it means so much more when you know your ancestors had put their own sweat and tears into it.  BELOW: Random gate in Tehran, how could I not capture it? 

BELOW: A master in his element. These cloths differ from Persian rugs. They are thinner and are usually placed on a table as a table colth.

BELOW: A group of pre-teens are trying to get a afternoon soccer game going in Esfahan. The kids play with a small rubber ball, and it took them forever to decide on the teams, due to favoritism between the better players. But when the game got going it was a thing of beauty. "Futball" in its most simpelist form.

BELOW: Why do I always get dragged on the dance floor at dinner parties? What can I say?...I cut a mean rug, but yall already knew that.....

BELOW: If you thought I had lots of cousins before, the list just keeps growing. What can I say, the kids love me. From left to right: Me, Mobina, Effran, Elia, Mohammad, Parnaz, and Parhom.

Dec. 30th, 2007: Officially two weeks in the trip but it feels like a month. I'm not sure why. Could it be the fact that the pace of life here moves a little (a lot) slower than the US, or that I have gone to dinner parties every night since I have been here excluding Esfahan and Shiraz? Probobly both. I officially title this blog entry "THE CLASH OF CULTURES". In my previous entry, I claimed people were fed up and hungry. They still are, but not as literally as previously stated. You have the supporters of the current regime on one hand, and anti-regime on the other. Then there is a big group of people in the middle who just don't care, similar to the many US citizens who don't vote in important elections. Anyways, these groups are all either fighting or being influenced by western culture. The west has its trademarks all over this country unofficially. I was at a wedding in the heart of Tehran the other night, and it was a blast. Lots of people, great food and music, typical wedding but with a few exceptions. The booze was downstairs and hidden in water bottles so it would not offend anyone, although many seemed to be drinking. The kicker was when the Persian/Turkish/Arabic dance music stopped for supper time. As we all got our food and sat down, the DJ put on some dinner music he deemed appropriate. What music did he play? THE EAGLES!!!!!! As American as apple pie my friends. Iran has only been an Independent country for 31 years, look it up. It is scientifically impossible for any type of drastic or plausible change in that amount of time, in any society. The regime wants to curb western influence whenever it can and has been taking it task daily. BUT CAN THIS BE SUSTAINABLE? The clash seems to be coming my friends. 60-70%  of Iran's population is under 30 years of age due to the Iran/Iraq war. These young minds at some point will either join the institution as many others have, become silent in their dissent, or revolt in a type of soft manner, becuase a massive one is absolutely out of the question. Every cellphone ringtone I hear on the street is 50 Cent, Rianna, or Linkin Park. The fashion and personal style of the Iranian youth screams for attention, (which is why I easily standout). The clash is coming, five, ten, fifteen years max. This clash I speak of will not be televised, it will be a slow drawn out standoff in which one party will have to loosen its ground in some type of manner. At my family home in Seattle, WA, we have a satelitte dish that broadcasts Iranian channels stationed in Iran. Many of the homes I have visited here all have the same dishes but instead they beam American and Europeon channals into their Persian living rooms. Who knows, maybe the status quo will prevail, but as a historian I doubt that. WILL SOMEBODY IN A POSITION OF POWER PLEASE JUST READ A BOOK? (You know who this applies to.)  I have two weeks left and I am looking for a slice of Iranian culture that represents the best of what my father has taught me about my culture. I know its out there. BELOW: This was a "day" office used by the first Shah of iran, Reza Shah, AKA: Reza Kahn. It is in the Green Palace located on his summer compound. The deco is eye-candy for the visual mind. Lots of taxpayer money in these types of rooms.

BELOW: Standing in front of the White Palace on the summer compound of the first Shah. His statue was cut in half after the revolution leaving only his military commander-like boots. Looks like Sadaam's statue in Bahgdad suffered worst.

Dec. 27th, 2007: Back in Tehran. We went to the Shah's summer home(s) yesterday. Its actually a property that has 18 mansions on it. All the mansions were built for his family members. Originally built by Reza Shah, then remodeled by his son, Mohammad Reza Shah. All the current mansions are used as mueseums now. Its was ok, but I was dissapointed becuase the lack of originality. The place was ransacked after the revolution, so to me it was just a bunch of empty shells. There were a few rooms that still had the essence of one of the most extravagant, rich, wastefull kings in history. Being back in the capital, I have spoken to many cab drivers since this is my only means of transportation. This is my conclusion: EVERYBODY HERE IS FED UP AND HUNGRY. My father told me that in the days of the Shah, nobody would speak about the regime in fear of retaliation. today, every common man complains of the ills of the current society. People are hungry due to massive inflation, and unemployment is rampant. Young people with diplomas and graduate degrees end up being cab drivers due to the lack of jobs. One must remember that these common folk exageratte when speking to the traveling folk, but there must be some truth behind it. GASOLINE, is a whole other story. Lines to fill up swirl around the block at all times of the day. 700 liters of gasoline is allocated to each driver for over a 4 month period. If you use it up, then well tough luck. Gas is cheap, but Iran imports much of its barrells due to the lack of refineries, somewhat like the U.S. You can draw your own conclusions about the need for nuclear energy.

BELOW: Inside one of the biggest enclosed squares in the world in Esfahan. In the 16th Century this city was one of the biggest in the world. The Imam Mosque in the background.

ABOVE: My sister Maryam and I at a Chai(tea) house in Esfahan.

ABOVE: Still at the biggest square in the world, on the other side. The entrance to one of Iran's biggest bazaar's in the distance. Women in Iran either are modern in their dress such as my sister above, or the extremely conservative, such as the group of women above.

ABOVE: This is the inside of a bridge in Esfahan. Its name is Si-o-se Pol, other wise known as 33 Pol. Commissioned in 1602 by Shah Abbas, it consists of two layers of 33 arches. Many young people flock here to hang out and recite poetry, draw, talk, etc.

Dec. 23rd, 2007: We are leaving Esfahan in a few hours. This place is so soothing. Tehran has three weeks to top Esfahan. Lets hope it will step up to the challange...it prob will. I have basically been in Iran for a week, and I honestly can say that although it feels like the motherland, i'm not sure i could live here forever. The daily cultural restrictions somewhat get to you after you have been spoiled by living in the US all of your life. Spending a month here every year seems about right, but then again I have three more weeks left....who knows, i might find my wife......NAH!!!!!! We spent all day in the bazaar today. The dollar goes extremely far here, it kinda makes you wish you were Europeon. One Euro is $1.60! Met a Italian guy in our hotel today who is an engineer in Italy. He spent a year in Everett Washington when he was in high school for a foreign exchange program for engineering. His host family had worked for Boeing as well. My dad gave him his Boeing shirt that he brought on the trip and he became so happy, hopefully that can build some bridges when he returns to Italy. There a a lot of foreign tourists here, when we talk to them we ask if they had any hesitations in coming to Iran they're answer is no, but they're friends I guess were worried.  Lots of people from China....Iran and China is a pretty strong alliance.  All i do is stare at girls here, its virtually impossible to roll up to a girl and speak to them in public, so eye contact is where it all starts, and the girls know it as well, its a fun game. I have been dropping my cards that have my website on them left and right.

BELOW: Me and THE CARNIVALE tree at the Imam Mosque. The actual amazing mosque is to the left out of the picture, I just had to have this tree.

ABOVE: Who knew Christians and Muslims would be living side by side in Iran? You should'nt believe everything you hear in the media.

ABOVE: Thanks to the loose Afgan border and 90% of the world's opium oringinating from there, the guy on the left is a constant reminder not to do drugs.

Dec. 22nd, 2007: We have spent the past four days in Shiraz and Esfahan. Both cities are amazing and are a nice break from crazy Tehran. (Givien that Tehran is one of the biggest cities in the world) Talking to girls here requires a manual and starts with eye contact. You can't just roll up to a girl and say, "hows it going?" But I am getting the hang of it. Just ask the girls at the internet cafe in our hotel in Shiraz.. I gave them my card, and 2 hours later some of their girlfriends showed up just to "make eye contact with me" and smile, its a trip. Today in Esfahan I also talked to some Iranian girls at the local bazaar. They were from LA, it was nice to speak English to some Americans, they are actually staying at my hotel as well. The historic places I have seen in Shiraz and Esfahan blow away what I have seen in Europe...in my  bias opinion of course. Esfahan is by far my favorite. Its also sad to note that the Esfahan nuclear plant is 20 miles out of the city, and any nuclear attack on the city would most likely directly physically effect one of the the most beautiful cities I have ever laid eyes on. Today in Esfahan we visited the oldest Christian church in Iran, it was amazing, and yes there are plenty of Christian Armenians and Iranian Jews here, don't get it twisted. Christmas trees are evrywhere as well. We have been staying at the Shah Abbas hotel as well, google it and you will know why I love this place. By the way, its official, IRANIAN GIRLS ARE THE BEST LOOKING GIRLS AROUND. We go back to Tehran tomorrow night. We are most likely going to Kashan later this week, the city where my father and grandparents are from..its all about the ROOTS baby. ALSO, a few days ago I was asked by a few soilders if I was American. At first I was like, "oh shit", but they were some of the kindest people yet. We chatted about America, basketball, and girls for about 15 minutes, ya can't beat that. By the way, me and my sis are constantly stared at. Everybody can sense that we are from America, its a trip. See you in Tehran, PEACE.

Me giving King Darious my offering at the palace of Persepolis.

Dec.19th, 2007: I have been in Iran for not even a week and the place is nothing like what you would expect if you believe the US media. Lies, lies, lies. It is a complete misconception that this country is the most dangerous country in the world. This is a frigging third-world country! How could this place be a threat for the entire globe! You mean to tell me that super-powered countries fear for their well-being!! What a joke.