The Persecution of the Baha'is in Iran, the House speaks saying "Crime of the Century"

This is something that lays heavy on my heart, as it does for so many...

As many of you already know, the Baha'i's in Iran have been persecuted and executed for all its history. We, as Baha'i's (and others, as you will see in these videos) have been advocating for peace and equal treatment of the Baha'i's in Iran. I wanted to show you two video clips of House representatives speaking out against this persecution; it is pretty moving that they have taken action and care about the outcome. If you only have time to watch one of these, PLEASE watch PART 2. wow:
Part 2 is especially articulate and informed:

This is a very personal issue for me, as it is for so many Baha'i's, Iranian or not...my Grandfather, Kamran Samimi was arrested and murdered on December 27, 1981 by the Iranian Government; They told him either he recants (gives up his religion) or they will murder him; I never had the bounty of meeting him, my mother lost her father. He was a member of the National governing body of the Baha'i Faith in Iran (the National Spiritual Assembly). Here is a photo of my grandparents, my grandfather is the tall gentleman in the tie, my grandmother in the white dress:

this is a photograph of my mother and her father in Iran during her graduation from high school:♥

for more on the latest information:

http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html

just to laugh

yeah, i know i have been putting up alot of youtubes lately but i have to show you these two...maybe its just me and i need a break from work, or maybe it really is as hilarious as my laugh says it is:

well, i am an Alaskan & this is pretty insane...

okay, i am sure most or alot of you have seen either of these or even both. if you have, just leave my blog right now, go away, dont turn back. BUT if you havent--tell me which one is real and which one isn't, because they are REALLY close in comedic value and/or terribly awkward!! i almost literally died out of how uncomfortable the interview with Palin is...i almost felt bad for her. oh my goodness:

namo, you asked for it! (you gotta love uhmerica)

so i went to the theatre last week to see "burn after reading" (not that good, pretty lame, kinda funny, but only kinda--only go to see john malkovitch & brad pitt) and this was on the previews at the movie theatre. i know i am living in middle america-nowhere when this is what they show us (i will warn you, it kinda makes my skin crawl, in gross redneck creepy way. listen to the amazingly patriotic lyrics; i myself couldn't/can't get over that this video is REAL. it should be illegal for them to make us (those that want to watch a Coen bros. movie and enjoy it in peace) watch this garbage...and the whole 2.5 min of it as well...wow..:

p.s. i cant believe people dig this song, or this dude. it is beyond gross. right? 

how did this video make you feel??

gotta love america:

this post is dedicated to pickle. i love you.

oh man, and i thought www.marriedtothesea.com was rad. 

introducing: www.superpoop.com:

this is why i'm in south dakota.

"In South Dakota, the majority of the Native American population lives in extreme poverty, with unemployment at 88%, only 47% of the population having graduated from high school, and alcoholism directly affecting 80 - 85% of the people. Surveys show 27% of Native American high schoolers smoke marijuana, three out of five students drank alcohol in that past 30 days and 14% of high school students attempt suicide.  According to the US Census Bureau, Pine Ridge Reservation (Shannon County) and Rosebud Reservation (Todd County) are, respectively, the second and fifth poorest counties per capita in the nation, with a correspondingly high rate of serious social problems; suicide, drug-and-alcohol abuse, family violence, family breakup, and teenage sexual activity." 

-Lakota Circles of Hope, and Elementary School Prevention Curriculum

girls will be girls...and i'm a girl.

psst! ladies! i am always on the hunt for new & improved mascara. this stuff is amazing. you wont even believe how awesome it. It's COVER GIRL's LASH BLAST. and it amazing, the brush is plastic, er, or rubber, but whatever. it doesn't clump! yeah! do i really need to tell you that you can get it a Target or any drugstore? nope.

and when you're finished applying it, you'll look like this! RAD! TOTALLY HOTT!! LOL! OMG! TGIF!! (this is a photo i took of myself after i put on LASHBLAST):

okay, okay, okay, so here are some photographs of SoDak.

wow. this is such a huge blogpost for me - so much anticipation. so much pressure from you dear readers & friends to show you what it looks like here. wow. i am so stressed out. and this is all i have wanted to do since i moved to Rapid City, show you photos that i have taken, of course. seeing that it was a super long work week, i was able to go out shooting today. and maybe tomorrow. but i do have to say that i run out of photoshoot steam alot faster when the i am the only one out doing this...so, needless to say, there is ALOT of photos of just ME. surprised you ask? well, i know Na'im isnt. 

So i will totally be posting pics after photos after pics after photos while i am here for six months. but i have to tell you two readers something: you MUST come out here to visit so we can go shooting together. no casey, not guns, not animals, but one another...YAAAYYY! I'M GAY!!! (that's english for happy, fyi).

gosh, i dont know what photos to put up...but i know i have to do it fast, as the music in this cafe is driving me nuts; its made for 14 year old christian chilluns...ugh oo.

this one is for baki, because i miss him:

that cornflower blue sky, those marshmallow clouds, that golden horizon, this is why i love south dakota:

this is my town, Rapid City:

this is for all of the old, white men who killed and stole from the Native Americans. (this was actually at a rest stop as artwork) :

this for all the white, old dudes that have dominated and colonized the world:

this is my office "building", its so so RAD:

this one is for my father, Douglas Patrick & Amanda:

this one is for my grandfather, who's name is actually Bob Moore (OMG!! what a coinkeedink!!)

this one is for all you old

 dudes, cos i'm sure there is atleast fifty samimi-extremie blog readers who drive RV's:

this one is for Na'im (both Moore + Peef):

this one is for kylie, my photoshooting comrade.:

this one is for my mother, as that is her scarf:

more soon, good buddies. i have so many more! i know i am not giving you the best idea of what the city itself looks like, but to be honest, i spend more time in the middle of nowhere. but i will, soon. 

i miss you guys.

xoxo.

for shirin (booboo), jorma, baktash & cindy

This comic/blog called A Softer World, was introduced to me by my sister. it is really awesome, maybe even totally tubular.(thanks booboo for sharing your totally tubular-ness with the world) but this comic is the best part:

p.s. what colours should i use for my blog entry font?? In other words: which ones would hurt your eyes the least??

Rapid City, South Dakotee

well folks. i made it. here to beautiful south dakota. who knew. that i'd be living in south dakota. may i just say that it is REALLY under-rated. this place is awesome. there is so much to do. so much to see, so much to experience here. 

for those of you that don't know, i moved here for six months to fulfill my internship/practicum for graduate school. I am getting my masters in Conflict Transformation. and I've had a strong desire to serve the Native American population of the US. as Americans, we forget that there is SO much work and service that needs to be done on our own soil. we think we need to go abroad, somewhere exotic...we don't. not that its bad to do that, but come on people. there is SO much work that needs to happen here in the US. so much change needs to happen!

I am working for SANI-T (the Society for the Advancement of Native Interests - Today) and the Restorative Justice org. here in Rapid. I am really really stoked about this opportunity. I will be facilitating dialogues between the Native pop. and the Rapid City comm., doing reconciliation and mediation work as well as all around using my Masters degree to best help serve this community. 

this work is going to be fruitful, but also extremely challenging; the racism here is extremely overt. and very painful to see...

Rapid City is amazing. well, south dakota is. i have slowly been taking pics. but until then, allow me to highlight some of the best highlights of my trip so far (without images, i know, i'm sorry, for those of you that love photos, as i do too):

1. a man in the mall with long thinning hair wearing a suede leather fringe jacket.  the fringe went ALL the way around his jacket. and he walked with his shoulders REALLY swinging. so you can only image how amazing the fringe looked; bouncing all over the place, swinging almost parallel to the ground he was strutting on. CLASSIC. Credence clearwater revival was blasting in the mall hallways. but the BEST part is that he was talking on a razor phone that had a BEDAZZLED phone jacket. so it was all pretty and sparkly. the BEST EVER.

2.  a van  with mickey mouse spraypainted on the side of it. (it was really bad)

3. a billboard that says, "Manage your wildlife: wear fur!" (wow. seriously?)

4.  my "landlord" talking on his phone (a truly amazing, wonderful, elderly Baha'i man) saying, "i like to think tears are like angels, expressing what words cannot."

5.  how lame mount rushmore is.

that's it for now, i will most def. take more pics so that i can do a whole blog post on the area that i'll be living in...

i cant help but think i can really see myself living here for a while...i hope baktash likes it. ;) 

SONGS I'VE LISTENING TO OVER + OVER :

1. "CAPE CANAVERAL" - CONOR OBERST

2. "BRAINY" - THE NATIONAL

3. "HOW DEEP IS THAT RIVER" - MASON JENNINGS

XOXO.

if you don't know, now you know...

hip-hop-hooray! for agavay!!

 i must say, agave is my most favorite little treasure treat in the whole world. its way better than sugar and way sweeter and way better for you! the reason i am posting a whole blog entry on agave nectar is because, well, basically it is the best alternative to sugar out there. it tastes like brown sugar. and it was on sale today at the co-op so i stocked up for my move to S. Dakotee which happens on thursday...who knows if they have agave out there. and i cant live without it. so i bought four bottles. hee hee! i bring a bottle with me in my purse, for my coffee and teas...yummy.

 

p.s. this will be the last of my geeky blog posts. lord knows i aint no geek. this is just all something i thought you should become acquainted with. no apologies. 

p.s.s. and as for the underlining, don't ask me, i am not techie genius.