Absolute Random Nonsense

Federal immigration agents have detained a University of Alabama doctoral student who is a citizen of Iran, according to the school and ICE records. Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering, is currently being held in a county jail, awaiting transfer to an immigration facility, his attorney, David Rozas, confirmed to ABC News. A spokesperson for the Pickens County Jail in Alabama confirmed to ABC News that an Alireza Doroudi has been in their custody since Tuesday and is being held at the behest of ICE. Doroudi was taken into custody by ICE at 3 a.m. Thursday at his home, his attorney said. The Department of Homeland Security said Doroudi’s student visa was revoked and he was subsequently arrested because he "posed significant national security concerns." No federal charges have been filed against Doroudi, according to a search of federal court records. Rozas also told ABC News that the student has "not been arrested for an...

After all, he didn’t want to look like a wimp.   Not taking his eyes of Janina’s, he slowly moved his head forward and noticed the exact same response from her.   So the barrier had been broken and he just needed to go with the flow, he comforted himself.   His eyes began to close and he put his full faith in his sense of feel.   Sure enough it didn’t fail him as before long he felt Janina’s wet lips pressing against his.   He tried to remember when he was last so close to a girl, but concentration at this point seemed impossible.   He was absolutely positive though that it hadn’t been during his stay in Germany.   For a split second fear overcame him, the fear of not doing it right, not by the customized German standards that Janina was accustomed to.   Perhaps his celibacy during this past semester had taken its toll on him and now he was setting a bad example for all Americans.   But then again he didn’t hear Janina complaining, so it was ...

Rumeysa Ozturk, who is in the United States on a non-immigrant F-1 visa for international students, was meeting with friends to break her Ramadan fast when she was detained near her home in Somerville, attorney Mahsa Khanbabai said in a statement to The Independent. “We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her,” she said. Ozturk’s attorney has filed a petition of habeas corpus challenging her arrest and detention. Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani is giving federal officials until Friday to respond to the complaint, and Ozturk cannot be moved outside the state without at least 48 hours of advance notice to the court, according to Talwani’s order.

If you told a joke that was super funny and someone laughed so hard that they died could you be charged with manslaughter? 

James Franco and longtime girlfriend Isabel Pakzad have stepped out for a glitzy date night while celebrating Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special. Franco, 46, and Pakzad, an actress and director, hit the red carpet at New York’s Rockefeller Center on Sunday, February 16, smiling for the cameras as they stood arm-in-arm. The Pineapple Express actor looked sharp in a black tuxedo while Pakzad, 29, opted for a grey tailored two-piece embellished with intricate florals. The couple, who reportedly began dating in November 2017, are rarely spotted on the red carpet, however, did attend the 2024 Cannes Film Festival together in May last year to celebrate the premiere of Kinds of Kindness starring Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn and Jesse Plemons.  

We finally had everything packed and were about to make the final move. That night after the moving vans transported our furniture to our new house, we came back for one final cleanup. As we stood at our doorway, Alireza came to us to bid us farewell. “On one hand we’re very happy for you to finally be done with these chaotic past few weeks,” he started. “But on the other hand we’re sad to be losing a good neighbor like you.” Before my mom could respond he added, “But also we’re happy for you to have finally been saved from horrible neighbors like us.” Alireza always had a way with his words.  

Every time I go to lift weights I think about mitochondria, the power house of the cell, and I get my new personal best. Shakespeare totally gave me the vocabulary I need to understand all the mid century poems I see in the daily news. Whenever my car breaks down and I need a repair I just remember how oxidation equations help me solve internal combustion chemistry and voila, AAA isn’t needed. Pythagorean's theorem and quadratic formulas are useful in preparing taxes and developing a tax strategy. Don’t even get me started on what mitosis has done for my sex life. 

Iranian sculptor Mohammad Moslem has embarked on his first ever journey to Northeastern China since December 22, where his passion for art meets an exciting new challenge: ice sculpture. While known for his skills in wood and stone carving, Moslem has recently expanded his craft to the icy medium. His visit to China is part of a broader effort to foster cross-cultural dialogue, and one of the highlights of his trip is participating in an ice sculpture competition in Changchun, which is not far from China's famous winter city of Harbin. Iranian visitors may feel like home when they stand in front of the stunning ice rendition of Iran's "Azadi Tower" in the Western Asia section – capturing the tower's significance as a symbol of freedom and peace in the country's contemporary spirit.  

 When I was almost 16 someone told me holding a mirror means commanding governance.  

I had a pretty unconventional upbringing. I had foreign parents who didn’t know anything about anything here. They only knew Iranian music. We had our VHS collection from Iran and didn’t have cable. I was always starving to watch MTV or BET. I would ride with my dad to these car auctions in Detroit and was really impressed by “swag.” I remember thinking, “I want to be the swaggiest person; I want to be a rapper.” I really appreciated this persona, like an emcee. They embody this energy that’s confident and powerful. I saw that in the attitude, which back then was such a part of pop culture. I just signed on to it. I would steal my dad’s pager and put on my belt strap. - Rahill Jamalifard

A few years back in school I remember hearing a rumor about a crisis in which boys were cutting their hair short to look cool.  

With the official Fort Bragg redesignation ceremony happening Friday, the granddaughters of World War II veteran Roland L. Bragg are sharing their excitement for this momentous occasion. "I'm hopeful they will learn a little about our granddad and be really proud that with the renaming, that it's named after someone who led a good life," said Rebecca Amirpour, granddaughter of Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. According to Amirpour and her sister Jennifer Bell, several family members have traveled to North Carolina to witness the redesignation ceremony. Their grandfather has been gone for 23 years, but they are honored to represent him in this way.  

When Sholeh Janati left Tehran in 1988, the Iraq-Iran war was just ending and the Middle East was in a state of perpetual uncertainty. A single mother of a 4-year-old, she settled in Westport, and channeled her emotions, perspectives and thoughts into art. Now, she is recognized worldwide for her paintings and earned praise from a variety of American and European critics. “I left my country with my daughter and came here and started a life as a single mother,” Janati said. “Painting was the best way for me to express my feelings and the future I was looking forward to. There were many hardships before that.” Her paintings, usually acrylic and mixed media, are spontaneous and free-flowing, Janati said. She rotates the canvas as she paints, an effort to achieve balance and create four paintings in one as the viewer can rotate and hang it in any direction they choose. Janati is known for bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors found in Europe, the Middle East and North American...

When I was younger I used to go to this raised level plaza that had an elevator at the ground floor. Every once in a while the loudspeakers would announce: "Put it away, we're gonna fly now." It felt right.  

Marshall Manesh played taxi driver Ranjit on How I Met Your Mother. Though Ranjit was depicted as Bangladeshi in the series, Manesh delivered several lines in his native Persian.  

In 1990 by reading magazines I was sent from the US I got to know the US national soccer players. One such player was someone who I thought was called "Marcelo Balbao". It was later on while watching Rocky V and noticing that his last name was Balboa that I rechecked my sources and learned that Marcelo had that same last name.