Terrible Sandstorms Close Most Parts of Iran

Most of Iran is suffering from terrible sandstorms that are blanketing the cities. In Tehran, authorities have ordered state offices, schools and businesses to be closed for two days while the storms pass. Medical authorities have warned parents to keep children inside and have told the elderly and sick not to go outside. Emergency services have been put on alert during this time period that is being called a “two-day holiday”.

The sky over Tehran and over many towns in the eastern half of the country have been filled with sand, blown in from neighboring Arab countries, particularly Iraq. The heavy pollution has blacked out the sun. These sandstorms are left over from last weeks’ paralyzing sandstorms in Iraq which have been named the worst in their history.

I have experienced sandstorms and it is very hard to breathe or go outside. If you drive, the sand is pouring down your windows like rain. Have you talked with your family in Iran? How are they coping with the sandstorms?
Tell us about it.

Iranian American Philanthropist Saves a Piece of History

In the midst of sadness and tragedy in Iran, there was a life time achievement that happened on the corner of 7th and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles on a sunny day in late June. No it wasn’t anything to do with the late Michael Jackson or a political rally for Iran. But a larger group of people came to dedicate the intersection to Ezart Delijani who is a recognized philanthropist who just wanted to give back a piece of history to his community. A street sign was placed in honor of the event – Ezart Delijani Square.

It all started in 1982, when Mayor Tom Bradley asked Delijani to purchase and save one of the elaborate movie palaces on Broadway, the Los Angeles Theater, to ensure that it would not be demolished. It was built in 1931 in the French baroque style of Louis XIV, it was a virtual Hollywood cathedral. Famous for its huge crystal fountain in the lobby, the Los Angeles Theater was considered one of the four or five finest movie palaces in the world. Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein attended the theater’s opening night in 1931, when it hosted the premiere screening of Chaplin’s “City Lights.”

The moment that Delijani stepped in to the theater in 1982, he was mesmerized by the theater’s lavish interior, six-story lobby and historic presents. Since then, Delijani has saved three additional theaters on Broadway – the Palace, State and Tower theaters. Delijani and other local property owners are currently working with City Council members on a 10-year campaign to revitalize the Broadway corridor which is home to the largest remaining collections of historic movie palaces in the world. Without Delijani, this would not have been possible.

Ezat Delijani immigrated to Los Angeles from Iran in the 1970s. He was already a well-established local real estate investor when he purchased the 1931 Los Angeles Theatre at 615 S. Broadway in 1987, at the request of then-Mayor Tom Bradley. His son Michael Delijani went on to purchase the three other Broadway theaters, as well the Pacific Stock Exchange building at 233 S. Beaudry Ave. The Delijani family philanthropists are focused on historic preservation efforts and dedication to community improvement in Downtown Los Angeles.