Thursday, October 09, 2008

ISAA Movie Night!

ISAA MOVIE NIGHT

WHAT: The Color of Paradise (1999)***(Rang-e Khoda)

Runtime: 90mins
“The Color of Paradise" is a fable of a child's innocence and a complex look at faith and humanity. Visually magnificent and wrenchingly moving, the film tells the story of a boy whose inability to see the world only enhances his ability to feel its powerful forces. Directed by Majid Majidi
-Winner of Best Movie and Best Director Award both in Iran and internationally in 1999/2000.

WHEN: Friday, October 10th, 6:00-8:00PM
WHERE: 20 Barrows

We will watch the movie together, and will follow it up with discussion and commentary!

Snacks and drinks are on us!

This event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible


See you all there!

Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)
UC Berkeley (Headquarter) / Georgetown University (Chapter)/ Monte Vista High School (Chapter)
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ISAA 2008-2009 Board of Directors:
President : Fren Khadivian (fkhadivian@gmail.com)
Finance Director: Adel Rahbari (adel_rahbari@berkeley.edu)
Publicity Director: Farshid Faraji (shid916@berkeley.edu)
Communications Director: Samira Ghassemi (samirag@berkeley.edu)
Resource Director : Amir Zahedi (mbc63amg@berkeley.edu)
Advisory Board: Linda Khamoushian (Linda.khamoushian@gmail.com)

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Challenging Cultural Barriers with Fereydoon Farokhzad

What :

“Berkeley Lecture Series” in partnership with “Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)" presents:

Poetry Reading, Lecture and a short film screening on "Challenging Cultural Barriers with
Fereydoon Farokhzad".

Who
:
A presentation by Mirza Agha Asgari Mani, Prominent Poet and Writer, Visiting from Germany

When
:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
4:00 P.M.

Where
:
University of California, Berkeley

p.s. For this event, please prepare yourself for a longer stay than usual.
Lecture in Persian
Suggested Donation: $10.00
No donation expected from students
ASUC Sponsored
Wheelchair Accessible

Media Opp: TV show looking for Iranian youth working on Climate Change

We are forwarding the following email on behalf of Sanaz Meshkinpour. Sanaz is a former ISAA Publicity Director and currently heads the Middle East program for Global Exchange. GE is a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world.

The following email is from one of GE's coalition partners, Energy Action.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Subject: [Challenge Group] Media Opp: TV show looking for Iranian youth working
on climate change

Hey all-

A producer with Element TV (element-tv.net
) which is a collaborative project with MTV European, Internews Europe, and a few others, has received funding to do a story on a young Iranians working on climate change (and translate 6 stories into Farsi- hooray!).

This young Iranian social entrepreneur-type does not ACTUALLY have to live in Iran...they could be anywhere at all. And talk about energy issues...

Please send contact info to me and I'll connect the producer.

Thanks in advance!

Best, Brianna
Brianna Cayo Cotter
Communications Director
Energy Action Coalition
(415) 575-5536 (o)
(415) 305-1943 (m)
brianna (at) energyaction.net
www.energyaction.net

www.climatechallenge.org


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you are interested in taking part in this project or know someone who might be interested please contact either Biranna Cayo Cotter at : brianna (at) energyaction.net or Sanaz Meshkinpour at : sanaz (at) globalexchange.org .

No war with Iran Protest in SF

STOP THE INSANITY ·

NO WAR WITH IRAN

Protest Congressional Resolution Supporting Naval Blockade of Iran!

A resolution before Congress, known as "H Con Res 362", is currently the central legislative priority of the pro-war lobby AIPAC. It is another step in the push for war. It is "demanding" a blockade of Iran, to be initiated by President Bush. Part of the specific language is the following: "Demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran,"
What does this mean? According to Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois "I do not see how this could be done without a blockade given its comprehensive and unequivocal language." A blockade is an act of war. This can lead to catastrophic consequences for all of us.
This Resolution now has 220 cosponsors (including more than 100 Democrats, several of whom are in leadership positions) in the House of Representatives, a majority of members.
It now seems likely to be taken up by the full House after the 4th of July recess. There is also a companion measure in the Senate. While this resolution is "non-binding", it will only add fuel to the fire, and make it easier for Bush/Cheney in their quest for war.

Take Action!

Go to
www.StopAIPAC.org and follow the link to find out more and send a note to your congressperson. Call your congressperson and tell them to speak out in opposition.
Tell your friends. Join in Protest. Together we can stop this, together we can hold our representatives accountable.

Protest: Tuesday, July 8th, 3pm

San Francisco Federal Building

450 Golden Gate Ave (near Civic Center BART)

For more info see http://www.stopaipac.org/iranresolution.htm

Say No to Res 362. Say No to a Lobby for war.

For Map please visit here.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley


What
:
"The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"

ISAA is proud to be a co-sponsor of The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley.

Despite a myriad of social and legal setbacks in the last thirty years wherein Iranian women lost many of the rights they had attained in the past 100 years, they have continuously strived to improve their social and political status.


Consequently they have established their presence in different spheres of life, particularly that of civil society.


This conference will examine the socio-political needs of the Iranian woman in regards to ethnicity, gender, religion, class background, sexuality, and sexual orientation.



Where : Wheeler Auditorium, University of California, Berkeley


When : July 4 - 6 ( for complete hour by hour program please see http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/program.html )


Paid registration is required for this event. For information on how to register and for different registration packages please visit http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/registration.html



ASUC sponsored

Wheelchair accessible.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran, IWSF Conference and ISAA election results

At a glance :

TODAY : “Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran”
"The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"
2008-2009 ISAA's Board of Directors Election Results
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What : “Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran”

“Berkeley Lecture Series” in partnership with “Iranian Student Alliance in America – ISAA” presents :

A Talk by Mansour Koushan
Topic: Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran

MANSOUR KOUSHAN author, playwright, journalist, and director of films and plays is the artistic manager of the Sulberg Theatre in Stavanger, Norway. He has published poetry, short stories, several novels, hundreds of analytical essays and more than thirty plays.

Born in Isfahan, Iran, Mansour started his literary activities in 1968 by publishing a collection of his poetry and directing his play at Isfahan University. As a member of the Iranian Writers Association general assembly, he was on the organizing committee for the famous “134 Iranian writers declaration 1994”.

Mansour Koushan has been the editor in chief of four independent literary publications including "Takapoo" and “Adineh” between 1987 and 1997. He currently lives in Norway.

When: Sunday, June 8, 2008, 3:00 P.M.
Where: 110 Barrows Hall University of California, Berkeley

Lecture in Persian
Suggested Donation: $10.00
No donation expected from students
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible.

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What: "The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"

ISAA is proud to be a co-sponsor of The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley.


Despite a myriad of social and legal setbacks in the last thirty years wherein Iranian women lost many of the rights they had attained in the past 100 years, they have continuously strived to improve their social and political status.

Consequently they have established their presence in different spheres of life, particularly that of civil society.

This conference will examine the socio-political needs of the Iranian woman in regards to ethnicity, gender, religion, class background, sexuality, and sexual orientation.

Where : Wheeler Auditorium, University of California, Berkeley

When : July 4 - 6 ( for complete hour by hour program please see http://www.iwsf. org/bk19/ program.html )

Paid registration is required for this event. For information on how to register and for different registration packages please visit http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/registration.html

ASUC sponsored
Wheelchair accessible.


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2008-2009 ISAA's Board of Directors Election Results and End of the year Thank you's

The votes have been tallied and the results are in! Farshid Faraji, Samira Ghasemi, and Linda Khamoushian will be joining the ISAA's Board of Directors on August 21st for the start of their term. Fren Khadivian has been re-elected to the board for another term. A hearty congratulations to each of them!

Before getting to detailed election result, we would like to recognize the outgoing Board of Directors and give them a special thanks for the outstanding job they did. We appreciate all the hard work and dedication they exhibited during their time as officers.

This year as the graduation season approaches, we will say goodbye to ISAA directors Navid R. Khadem, Golnaz Nouri and Shahrzad Rahbar.

End of this summer marks the 4th year that Shahrzad has been involved with ISAA. She had Molecular and Environmental Biology as her major and served for 2 years as the Finance Director/Officer , a year as the Publicity Director and also another year as a Board Member. She has spent countless hours of her time for ISAA over the past years and she will be missed.

Golnaz, a Molecular and Cell Biology major, joined the ISAA leadership team as the Resources Director last year. Her contributions to ISAA helped the organization a lot and she will be missed .

Navid, a Computer Science major and an Applied Math minor, became involved with ISAA as a Board Member 3 years ago during his first semester, and got assigned as the Communications Director/Officer the following semester. He has been serving as the president of ISAA during his last two years at UC Berkeley. We wish all our graduating officers all the best for their futures and want them to know that their generous contributions and hard work will always be remembered.

Running ISAA wouldn't have been possible without Jazzi Junge who served as last year's Finance Officer. Jazzi was our Resources Director the year before and we wish her the best and a great senior year at Berkeley.

We would like to also thank Amir Abadi and Keyan Keihani who have co-thought ISAA's popular Decal Course on Iran during last academic year. They have contributed greatly by raising awareness of Iran among the Iranians and the general Cal community.

We would like to thank ISAA's continuing board members ,directors, committees' chairs and advisors and recognize their support, extraordinary efforts and dedicated service for upholding the standards and ideals of the Iranian Student Alliance in America.

We would also like to thank all the wonderful people who generously contribute their personal funds, their time, services, and products to ISAA. Since ISAA's birth, your generous support has helped ISAA be one of the most respected and most successful organizations on Berkeley campus and among the Iranian community in the U.S.

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge all our members, new and old, and thank them for continuing to support our organization. We appreciate your comments and encourage your participation in keeping ISAA's events lively and informative.

By the end of this summer we will have held 25 events this year to further the goals stated in ISAA's mission statement. The new ISAA Website which will be lunched in late July will have an events page that will let you to see all the past events we have held during the past few years. All of these events wouldn't have been possible without your support.
So a big THANK YOU to you!

And finally here is the results for the ISAA election of 2008-2009. Congratulations to the new Board of Directors!


Fren Khadivian Co-President
Linda Khamoushian Co-President
Samira Ghasemi Communications Director
Farsheed Faraji Publicity Director
VACANT Finance Director
VACANT Resources Director

*The vacant officer positions will be filled as soon as possible through a democratic process open to ISAA's active members.
*The new Board of Directors will choose a maximum of 15 active members to be on the 2008-2009 ISAA’s board.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

ISAA Game Night

What : ISAA Game Night

Come to our Game Night to mingle, have fun, play your favorite games, eat and drink and learn about ISAA.

It is a sad realization that many are leaving our community, but a tinge of sweetness enters one's senses when thinking of when we will see them next, and the great things our amazing seniors will accomplish once they are out in the world.

This will be the last time for many of us to see our graduating seniors. For one last time we can share stories, laughs, and tears.

So join us to celebrate with our seniors and relax or take a break before finals kick in.

Backgammon boards, playing cards , video games, Snacks and Drinks will be available in addition to live DJ and more surprises.

If you have a favorite board, card or video game, please feel free to bring them to share with the group.


This event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
When: Saturday, May 3rd @ 6PM
Where: Persian Center at 2029 Durant Ave, Berkeley Map
If you have any questions regarding this event, please email
isaa at isaa.berkeley.edu

ISAA Movie Night

What : ISAA Movie Night
Mehman-e Maman (Persian: مهمان مامان, English: Mother's Guest)
Mehman-e Maman is an Iranian family comedy film directed by Dariush Mehrjui.
It is based on a book of the same name by Iranian author, Houshang Moradi Kermani. It was commissioned by Sima Film. It did very well at the Iranian box office and won a number of prizes at the 22nd Fajr Film Festival.
Plot :
The movie begins when Mrs. Effat (Golab Adineh), a mother of two, receives word that her nephew and his wife are going to be visiting. Despite not being wealthy, Mr. Effat tries to prepare a respectable dinner party with the help of her cinema loving husband, Mr. Effat (Hassan Pourshirazi) and her two children. Amir and Bahareh. Meanwhile the Effat's drug addict neighbor, Yusuf (Parsa Pirouzfar) is desperate for some drugs after his wife has flushed his stash down the toilet. The eccentric old lady (Farideh Sepah-Mansour) who takes care of her chickens is also not making things much easier...

When: Thursday, May 1st @ 8PM
Where: 185 Barrows, UC Berkeley Campus
This event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.

Friday, February 29, 2008

How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam : Towards a New Conception of Secularism

What : How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam : Towards a New Conception of Secularism

Religion, Politics and Globalization Program (RPGP) along with the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) and the Institute of International Studies proudly present a lecture on How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam.

Who
:
Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi is an Assistant Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who specializes in transnational and global histories in the Middle Eastern postcolonial context. He studies social movements and intellectual articulations of Islamic conceptions of modernity.
His forthcoming book, entitled Islam and Dissent in Post revolutionary Iran: Abdolkarim Soroush and the Religious Foundations of Political Reform, is due to be released by I. B. Tauris in Fall 2008.
When : Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 5 p.m.

Where : 223 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley Campus

No admission charge and open to the public

ASUC sponsored and wheelchair accessible

Sponsored by the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program (RPGP)

Co-sponsored by the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) and the Institute of International Studies