"I see a red door and i want to paint it green / No reds anymore I want them to turn green / I see the girls walk by in their bloody clothes / I have to turn my head until the darkness goes."

-- The Rolling Stones (slightly edited)

Almost three years in Iran and I still don't smoke cigarettes or drink tea. An achievement of sorts considering how many times I've been offered both! The cell phone conversations are down to an all time low, because they're either not working, or when they are you feel like some dude somewhere is listening in and just waiting to misunderstand something you said and use it against you.

The shade and the sunlight are battling it out at the Government's Gate (Darvazeh Dowlat Metro station).

The Cinematograph at Bagh Ferdows. It's always good to see new movie theaters. A country of 70 million deserves more than 300. Granted most movies are crap and majority of people would rather watch bootleg American films at home. The current government has a policy of only allowing slapstick comedies and cheap melodramas get made. So all films that might have something to say are pretty much on hold until further notice. And just so you know, in Iran the government has to give you a permission to shoot once your script is approved, then a permission to screen your film if you meet all the demands of the censorship board, then they determine when and how your film is screened and for how long, then more censorship before it hits the VCD market. One wonders why anyone in their right mind would ever want to make a movie in Iran!

I left Tehran halfway through February and I won't be back there until mid April. So for the next issue I was hoping to do something I have never done before. I want people to submit their photos of Tehran along with a caption to be included in next month's issue. The theme is "Life Goes On In Tehran." So please submit your original photos to the email address listed on the first page or post to LGOIT's Facebook fan page.

My new-found fascination with windshield wipers continues and a makeshift birthday cake becomes the center of attention.