Our relationship with Iran has hardly been comfortable in the past decades, even before the latest bizarrities. Yet just when Americans were donning crazy costumes for weekend Halloween parties, and as surprising as was the snow in New York City, the calendar afforded a day for our countries to find common ground. 
My article in recognition of International Cyrus the Great Day, which appeared in the Huffington Post, found a second home (in both English and Farsi) on the website of the Iranian organization that first proposed October 29 for such a celebration. Savepasargard.com not only works to preserve the geographical site where Cyrus II established a serene palace with formal gardens (from which we get the word “paradise”) and where he was buried. In the spirit of that visionary leader, the organization also seeks to promote human rights and environmental responsibility. But it was Cyrus’ daughter, Atossa, who settled in to the Brooklyn pub booth with me and my friend, Donna, this weekend as we talked about Atossa’s story of 2500 years ago. More on that to come ~
