Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس

Teaching Persian with Chai and Conversation and Riding Bikes in Austin TX

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

I generally don’t share my videos on Twitter, but this is my favorite I’ve made so far- about the word “ham” in Persian. Ham means same or equal, but the Persian language has such a unique way of combining it with other simple words to come up with the most poetic concepts:

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

Texas currently has 28.5 billion dollars in its 'rainy day fund.' AISD has a budget shortfall of 185 million dollars, and they're currently cutting every cost they can, selling all their building, laying off hundreds of staff.
This is disgusting and egregious @GregAbbott_TX

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@bennyjohnson it's about time.

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@LauraLoomer @StephenM Finally.

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

You’re forgetting the “in Iran, we don’t have gay people” guy

[Christiane Amanpour @amanpour]

⁠Ahmadinejad, SERIOUSLY? The Holocaust denier? The wipe Israel off the map guy? The Green Revolution death and torture guy who stole the 2009 elections? The nuclear program accelerator guy? The Islamic fundamentalist end-days guy?

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

This is a hard article to read, but I hope you'll do so. I've spent some time reporting on widespread rape and other sexual violence of Palestinian male and female prisoners by Israeli authorities, and the article is now published. The assault victims were warned not to give speak of what they endured -- they were sometimes told they would be killed or raped if they gave interviews -- but they found the courage to do so. One man described being raped three times in a single day in Israeli prison, the third time after he tried to protest. A young woman said the guards would come in at the beginning of each shift and strip her naked and abuse her. Another reported that she was shown photos of herself being raped and warned they would be released unless she cooperated with Israeli intelligence. Even three children who had been detained told me they had been sexually abused. Look, whatever our position on the Middle East, we should be able to agree on being anti-rape. Sexual assaults were horrific when Israeli women were targeted on Oct. 7, and they're equally horrific when Israeli authorities use them against Palestinians day after day after day. We should be able to find common ground in opposing rape. Here's a gift link to the article: https://t.co/aMMHId49OO

[Ramit Sethi @ramit]

Ryan is one of the only white men in self development to publicly speak against Trump and his corrupt circle. I have a lot of respect for him speaking up repeatedly

Many others in self development could learn a lesson from Ryan

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@barmiyeh3975 @ICEgov @DHSgov What is your deal @barmiyeh3975 ?? Why are you posting about me? Me and sharghzadeh are not the same person and I’m not related to Alex shams. What is wrong with you?

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

Our daughter, Rachel Corrie, was killed in 2003 in Gaza, while trying to protect a Palestinian home facing illegal destruction by the Israeli military. She was 23 years old. The massive, armored Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer that crushed her was operated by two Israeli soldiers and manufactured in the United States. It was the same type of militarized bulldozer that US presidents from George W. Bush through to Donald Trump have delivered to Israel.
Today, as the destruction of Palestinian homes has only become more commonplace, not to mention the horror of Israel’s genocide, Senator Bernie Sanders will force a vote in the Senate to try to end this cycle of death by banning the transfer of D-9 bulldozers to Israel. We hope he will not take this stand alone.
No policy can bring back those taken from us by these actions—children and other loved ones. But the Senate now has an opportunity to honor the memories of our daughter, other Americans, and thousands of Palestinian civilians killed, and to show that their deaths, and all the destruction, will no longer be condoned and funded. We hope those elected to represent us, the American people, understand the message that voting to block these D-9 bulldozers will send. This will not be a symbolic gesture, but a concrete step toward the protection of human life.

https://t.co/KvwjbIsMDX

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@barmiyeh3975 @LuCiFeRuqdx @RoobinNorouzi What is your obsession with me? I am not connected to the IRGC and I’m also not related to Alex Shams. I’ve told you this before. Who is “the shams family” you keep referring to??

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@Tiger6Actual @AlexDuncanTX @carolyn86452721 Muslims love Jesus so I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@TheoBuysStocks @cyrusradfar @Acyn This type of taxation won't affect you, don't worry. I know that by defending this guy and acting against your own interest you feel like you're closer to him, but a guy that's worth billions is a different species. Don't know what it'll take for you to undersatnd that.

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@TheoBuysStocks @cyrusradfar @Acyn Awww buddy, that guy will never invite you to his penthouse <3

[L'Espresso @espressonline]

L'annessione della Cisgiordania, con i soldati complici dei coloni. Gaza annientata. L'avanzata in Libano. Il confine violato in Siria. La guerra all'Iran. Pulizia etnica e massacri. Così la destra sionista dà forma al Grande Israele

Il numero de L’Espresso, in edicola e su app

[ℵ 🔻 ☭ @chikodesalonika]

Jewry in Iran is incredibly rich. I try to document various Jewish traditional clothing & arts in my free time as the zionist entity seeks to erase these identities. Here are some of my personal faves from Iran

[Babak @ChronicBabak]

Check out the drip on my great great grandfather from the Jewish community of Hamadan, Iran. This photograph of him hitting a hookah is 120 years old.

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@ChronicBabak Omg what a photo!!!! Do you have more to share??

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@hmajd @AlanEyre1 It’s true! But for some reason that one doesn’t grate my ears as much as Hormooooz does. Every time it makes my toes curl a bit!

[Nilo Tabrizy @ntabrizy]

A source in Iran told me about the continued repression by state security forces despite waves of heavy air strikes over their city:

"The government constantly sends threatening [text] messages to everyone. It says that if you come to the streets to protest, you will be considered an Israeli soldier and will be killed."

"At night, government forces march through the city with the flag of the Islamic Republic and [chant] government slogans. They hang flags from their cars. Many of them are armed. At every crossroad, several people are there in civilian clothes and with weapons in their hands."

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@follard Also, they barely have any windows facing the park!!!

[Leyla Shams, Chai and Conversation لیلا‌شمس @justleyla]

@starheal What does 'win the war' mean in this case?