Podcasts about Jian

In this edition of Roqe, two Iranian-Canadian visionaries share their insights on building ideas into impact. First, Jian speaks with Babak Khodaparast — a young inventor, entrepreneur, and President of the National Inventors Team of Canada — about thriving in what he calls the “Invention Economy.” From clean-tech to startup incubation, Babak explains why creativity, adaptability, and innovation are the ultimate skill sets in an unpredictable future. Then, highlights from a feature on-stage interview at Ideas at the Roqe Hub with Hamed Azimi — legal-tech entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist — who offers a bold critique of how professionals market themselves in the digital age. Are we spending too much and thinking too little when it comes to strategy? Hamed breaks it down. A double feature on building, branding, and the new economy.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Audio Summary of the May 2025 Issue by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Iranian singer, dancer, and activist Saba Zameni was once jailed in Iran for doing what many of us take for granted — expressing herself through music and movement. Now based in Canada, she has emerged as a rising voice in the global Iranian community, with a fast-growing online presence and a story that resonates with audiences around the world. In this special episode, recorded live as part of the ‘Ideas at the Roqe Hub' series in Toronto, Saba performs on stage and joins Jian for an extended and emotional conversation about her time in prison, her family's support, the power of art as protest — and what freedom really means. With her mother and sister in the front row, this is one of our most moving and unforgettable recordings. (Note: interview is conducted mostly in Persian) This episode of Roqe is brought to you with the support of Grazing Delice, Apadana Entertainment and Diora Jewels. #SabaZameni #IranianWomen #FreedomOfExpression #WomenLifeFreedom #IranianArtist #PersianMusic #RoqeMedia #JianGhomeshi #LiveAtRoqeHub #DiasporaVoices

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang. 

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

In this new edition of Roqe – recorded live at the Roqe Hub – we explore the science, psychology, and shifting cultural standards of beauty with Dr. Amir Rouzati, a leading figure in the world of aesthetic medicine. In a wide-ranging talk followed by a candid and thought-provoking - and, at times challenging - on-stage interview with Jian, Dr. Rouzati unpacks how the human brain perceives beauty, why symmetry and proportion still hold evolutionary power, and how social media and global forces are reshaping our aesthetic ideals. From biology to Botox, from ancient instincts to modern influencers, this is a fascinating look at what beauty means today – and why it matters more than we might admit. Plus, Jian kicks the show off with a stirring essay aimed at non-Iranians about why the Persian Gulf should never be renamed.

In 1968, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, asserting his control of China 15 years later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up period, putting China on the path to becoming an economic powerhouse. But what happens in between these two critical periods of Chinese history? How does China go from Mao's Cultural Revolution to Deng's embrace of reforms? Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian together fill in this history in The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform (Yale University Press: 2024) Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. His books include The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (Cambridge University Press: 2012), winner of the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750 (Basic Books: 2012). Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at NYU and NYU Shanghai and Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include China's Road to the Korean War (Columbia University Press: 1994), Mao's China and the Cold War (The University of North Carolina Press: 2001), and Zhou Enlai: A Life (Harvard University Press: 2024). You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Great Transformation. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In the wake of Canada's latest federal election, Jian hosts a timely and incisive roundtable exploring what the results reveal about Iranian-Canadian political identity and influence. With the Liberal Party securing a minority government and traditional voting patterns shifting, this special episode of Roqe asks: How did Iranian-Canadians vote this time, what drove the changes, and what might the new government mean for Canada's approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran? Joining Jian for this in-depth conversation are four sharp and diverse voices: longtime Liberal strategist Maryam Azari from Vancouver; author and activist Mehrdad Loghmani; international law expert and ICANN founder Sadeq Bigdeli; and veteran journalist and Persian Mirror editor-in-chief Dr. Mohammad Tajdolati. From divided loyalties to diaspora awakening, this episode digs into the complexities-and consequences-of a maturing political voice.

In 1968, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, asserting his control of China 15 years later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up period, putting China on the path to becoming an economic powerhouse. But what happens in between these two critical periods of Chinese history? How does China go from Mao's Cultural Revolution to Deng's embrace of reforms? Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian together fill in this history in The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform (Yale University Press: 2024) Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. His books include The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (Cambridge University Press: 2012), winner of the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750 (Basic Books: 2012). Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at NYU and NYU Shanghai and Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include China's Road to the Korean War (Columbia University Press: 1994), Mao's China and the Cold War (The University of North Carolina Press: 2001), and Zhou Enlai: A Life (Harvard University Press: 2024). You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Great Transformation. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In 1968, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, asserting his control of China 15 years later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up period, putting China on the path to becoming an economic powerhouse. But what happens in between these two critical periods of Chinese history? How does China go from Mao's Cultural Revolution to Deng's embrace of reforms? Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian together fill in this history in The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform (Yale University Press: 2024) Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. His books include The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (Cambridge University Press: 2012), winner of the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750 (Basic Books: 2012). Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at NYU and NYU Shanghai and Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include China's Road to the Korean War (Columbia University Press: 1994), Mao's China and the Cold War (The University of North Carolina Press: 2001), and Zhou Enlai: A Life (Harvard University Press: 2024). You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Great Transformation. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

In 1968, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, asserting his control of China 15 years later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up period, putting China on the path to becoming an economic powerhouse. But what happens in between these two critical periods of Chinese history? How does China go from Mao's Cultural Revolution to Deng's embrace of reforms? Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian together fill in this history in The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform (Yale University Press: 2024) Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. His books include The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (Cambridge University Press: 2012), winner of the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750 (Basic Books: 2012). Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at NYU and NYU Shanghai and Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include China's Road to the Korean War (Columbia University Press: 1994), Mao's China and the Cold War (The University of North Carolina Press: 2001), and Zhou Enlai: A Life (Harvard University Press: 2024). You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Great Transformation. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

This week Mike, Jeff & Jian are joined by Carl (of CarlCon fame) to discuss Squad Goals!CarlCon Info: https://www.carlcon.net/Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/vYUHyCfZsT

In 1968, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, asserting his control of China 15 years later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up period, putting China on the path to becoming an economic powerhouse. But what happens in between these two critical periods of Chinese history? How does China go from Mao's Cultural Revolution to Deng's embrace of reforms? Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian together fill in this history in The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform (Yale University Press: 2024) Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. His books include The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (Cambridge University Press: 2012), winner of the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750 (Basic Books: 2012). Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at NYU and NYU Shanghai and Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include China's Road to the Korean War (Columbia University Press: 1994), Mao's China and the Cold War (The University of North Carolina Press: 2001), and Zhou Enlai: A Life (Harvard University Press: 2024). You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Great Transformation. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Après leur série à succès Stern, les frères Maffre dévoilent leur nouvelle création : Jian, aux édiitons du Lombard. Entre croyances païennes locales pyrénéennes et un empire romain en déliquescence où les hérésies chrétiennes prospèrent, cette nouvelle série audacieuse dessinée par Ludovica Ceregatti joue avec les codes de différents genres littéraires pour une proposition novatrice où souffle le vent de l'aventure.Frédéric Maffre nous en conte la genèse.Une production ActuaBD.com - Interview : Kelian Nguyen -Montage : Merwan Bouchouari — Photo : Kelian Nguyen - Musique : We March Together — Courtesy of Patrick Patrikios — Youtube Audio Library

A new episode of Roqe including a feature interview and performance with popular Iranian-Canadian musician and podcaster King Raam - recorded live in front of an audience as part of the ‘Ideas at the Roqe Hub' series. Raam joins Jian to open up about the horrific experience of losing his father - killed in Evin prison in Iran - and the detainment of his mother just a few years ago, and finding meaning after loss. It is an emotional, powerful and, at times, very funny conversation that includes a couple of songs. Plus Jian opens the show with an essay called, “It's Time for Iranians to Take Copyright Seriously” - a monologue - with a new show in Iran debuting called....wait for it..."Roqe"(!) - that tackles the deep-rooted disregard for copyright and intellectual property in Iranian culture — from pirated films to unpaid music legends like Farid Zoland and authors like Iraj Pezeshkzad.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Cherry Blossoms and Coffee: A Creative Spark in Chengdu Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-24-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在成都的一个春天，有一个地方总是充满了咖啡的香气。En: In a springtime in Chengdu, there was a place always filled with the aroma of coffee.Zh: 那是一个温馨的咖啡烘焙店，墙壁是红砖砌成的，窗子宽大，外面可以看见开满樱花的小街。En: It was a cozy coffee roasting shop, with walls made of red bricks and large windows through which you could see a small street full of blooming cherry blossoms.Zh: 这一天，天气有些凉，还有点拥挤。En: On this day, the weather was a bit cool and somewhat crowded.Zh: 简，一个喜欢摄影的年轻人，正站在吧台前排队。En: Jian, a young photography enthusiast, was standing in line at the bar counter.Zh: 他来成都是为了寻找新项目的灵感，但是一切似乎都变得很困难。En: He had come to Chengdu to seek inspiration for a new project, but everything seemed to have become difficult.Zh: 他的心情有些沉重，因为一直找不到合适的拍摄对象。En: He felt a bit heavy-hearted because he couldn't find a suitable subject for his photography.Zh: 此时，一个女孩走进了咖啡店。En: At this moment, a girl walked into the coffee shop.Zh: 她叫梅，是本地的作家，正在寻找灵感完成她的新小说。En: Her name was Mei, a local writer, looking for inspiration to complete her new novel.Zh: 尽管对创作充满热情，但她同样感到迷茫。En: Although she was passionate about creating, she also felt lost.Zh: 两人都在寻找，但似乎都卡在了一个相似的地方。En: Both were searching, but seemed stuck in a similar place.Zh: 人群中，简注意到了紧随其来的梅。En: In the crowd, Jian noticed Mei, who had arrived shortly after.Zh: 她同样在等咖啡。En: She was also waiting for coffee.Zh: 简犹豫了一会儿，鼓起勇气开口：“你好，我是简。En: Jian hesitated for a while, and then gathered the courage to speak: "Hello, I'm Jian.Zh: 你也是来找灵感的吗？En: Are you also here looking for inspiration?"Zh: ”梅似乎有些惊讶，但还是微笑着回答：“是的，我叫梅。En: Mei seemed a bit surprised but smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm Mei.Zh: 我在写一本小说，但是写到了瓶颈。En: I'm writing a novel, but I've hit a bottleneck."Zh: ”简对这个回答产生了共鸣。En: Jian resonated with her response.Zh: 他告诉梅，自己也是如此，他们慢慢聊起了城市和摄影。En: He told Mei that he was experiencing the same, and they gradually started chatting about the city and photography.Zh: 梅对简摄影的想法感兴趣，而简对梅的写作故事也颇有好奇。En: Mei became interested in Jian's photography ideas, and Jian was quite curious about Mei's writing stories.Zh: 两个人如同找到了共同的语言。En: It was as if they had found a common language.Zh: 就在此时，店外突然下起了大雨。En: Just at this moment, it suddenly started raining heavily outside the shop.Zh: 两人一起跑到了咖啡店外的雨棚下避雨。En: They both ran to the awning outside the coffee shop to shelter from the rain.Zh: 在雨声的伴奏下，他们的交谈逐渐深入。En: Accompanied by the sound of the rain, their conversation gradually deepened.Zh: 梅坦诚地分享了她的创作困惑，而简则诉说了他对照片的期待。En: Mei candidly shared her creative dilemmas, while Jian expressed his expectations for his photographs.Zh: 两人发现彼此在创作上的困难竟有相似之处。En: They discovered that they faced similar difficulties in their creative endeavors.Zh: 随着雨停，简和梅都感觉到内心的负担减轻了不少。En: As the rain stopped, both Jian and Mei felt that the burden in their hearts had lightened considerably.Zh: 他们决定交换联系方式，以后一起分享更多想法和灵感。En: They decided to exchange contact information and share more ideas and inspirations in the future.Zh: 这次偶然的相遇，让简开始相信和更多人分享他的旅程可以带来新的灵感；而梅也找到了信心，敢于更大胆地披露自己的创作过程。En: This chance encounter made Jian begin to believe that sharing his journey with more people could bring new inspiration; and Mei found the confidence to boldly disclose her creative process.Zh: 在樱花与咖啡香气中，他们各自感到焕然一新，准备重新投入各自的创作世界。En: Amid the cherry blossoms and the aroma of coffee, they each felt revitalized, ready to plunge back into their own creative worlds. Vocabulary Words:aroma: 香气cozy: 温馨roasting: 烘焙bricks: 砖difficult: 困难heavy-hearted: 沉重suitable: 合适的novel: 小说bottleneck: 瓶颈resonated: 产生共鸣dilemmas: 困惑endeavors: 努力revitalized: 焕然一新enthusiast: 爱好者subject: 对象gathered: 鼓起curious: 好奇awning: 雨棚accompanied: 伴奏disclose: 披露chance: 偶然burden: 负担plunge: 投入creative: 创作的blossoms: 樱花crowded: 拥挤hesitated: 犹豫surprised: 惊讶conversation: 交谈gradually: 逐渐

A feature exclusive and wide-ranging interview with legendary Iranian pop singers and songwriter, Andy Madadian. Andy joins Jian for a career interview about his path from modest means in Iran, to exile in America, the effective creation of a new genre of Persian music in LA, hit songs, collaborations, and recent participation in Ed Sheeran's global hit, “Azizam.” Plus Jian kicks of the show with an essay ode to Andy as “the symbol of self-made.”

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Spring Breezes and Friendship: A Qinglong Festival Tale Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-18-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 阳光明媚的春日，北海公园迎来了青葱的青龙节。En: On a sunny spring day, Beihai Park welcomed the lush Qinglong Festival.Zh: 公园里，樱花盛开，浩荡的春风把各色风筝吹上蓝天。En: In the park, cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and a vast spring breeze blew kites of all colors into the blue sky.Zh: 明华来到公园，希望在这个特别的节日里感受家族传统。En: Minghua came to the park hoping to experience his family traditions during this special festival.Zh: 他走在树下，留意着长辈们祭拜先人的景象，心里倍感平静。En: He walked under the trees, observing the elders paying respects to their ancestors, feeling a deep sense of peace in his heart.Zh: 这时，他看见了一张熟悉的面孔。En: At that moment, he saw a familiar face.Zh: 丽华，她也喜欢放风筝，只是性格稍显内敛。她正在努力控制着她手中的风筝。En: Lihua, who also enjoyed flying kites, although she was slightly introverted in nature, was trying to control her kite.Zh: 风筝在空中翻转，自由自在，让丽华向往。En: The kite flipped freely in the air, stirring Lihua's longing.Zh: 明华走近，笑着说：“你好，看来你也是个风筝迷啊。”En: Minghua approached with a smile and said, "Hello, it seems you're a kite enthusiast too."Zh: 丽华微微一怔，但很快露出微笑，点头说道：“是啊，我非常喜欢这项活动。”En: Lihua was slightly startled but soon smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, I really love this activity."Zh: 两人一见如故，聊起了风筝的花样和技艺。En: The two hit it off immediately and talked about kite designs and skills.Zh: 就在这时，他们注意到不远处的湖边，剑正忙着操作一个巨大的风筝。En: Just then, they noticed Jian was busy operating a giant kite near the lakeside.Zh: 然而，突如其来的阵风吹偏了风筝的方向。En: However, a sudden gust of wind changed the kite's direction.Zh: 风筝在剑的掌控下摇晃着，而且越来越靠近湖面。En: Under Jian's control, the kite wavered, getting closer and closer to the lake's surface.Zh: 就在瞬间，这只风筝划破了空中，急速向湖里坠去。En: In an instant, this kite tore through the air and plummeted rapidly towards the lake.Zh: 剑惊叫一声，尝试挽救，但为时已晚。En: Jian shouted in surprise, trying to save it, but it was too late.Zh: 风筝径直落入湖中，被风推得越来越远。En: The kite fell straight into the lake, being pushed further away by the wind.Zh: 见剑一脸焦急，明华和丽华相视一眼，决心一同帮助剑。En: Seeing Jian's anxious expression, Minghua and Lihua exchanged a glance and decided to help Jian together.Zh: 他们迅速来到湖边，制定了一个计划。En: They quickly reached the lakeside and devised a plan.Zh: 明华小心地找到一根长木棍，而丽华则机智地用自己的风筝线套住了剑的风筝。En: Minghua cautiously found a long wooden stick, while Lihua cleverly used her kite string to snare Jian's kite.Zh: 经过一番艰辛的合作，三人终于将风筝拉回了岸边。En: After some strenuous teamwork, the three of them finally pulled the kite back to shore.Zh: 湖边，剑拿着湿漉漉的风筝，对明华和丽华充满感激。En: By the lake, Jian, holding the wet kite, was filled with gratitude towards Minghua and Lihua.Zh: 他说：“谢谢你们的帮助，没想到会这样。En: He said, "Thank you for your help, I didn't expect this to happen.Zh: 今天不仅拯救了我的风筝，还认识了你们这样的好朋友。”En: Today not only saved my kite but also introduced me to great friends like you."Zh: 明华笑了笑，回答道：“我们也很高兴能帮你，一起经历过才更能体会到友谊的可贵。”En: Minghua smiled and replied, "We are also glad to help you, going through something together really highlights the value of friendship."Zh: 丽华也点头附和。En: Lihua nodded in agreement.Zh: 下午的阳光依旧温暖，三人在公园里继续享受着节日的乐趣。En: The afternoon sun remained warm, and the three of them continued to enjoy the festival in the park.Zh: 他们聊着放风筝的趣事和各自的故事，欢声笑语不绝于耳。En: They shared stories and laughter about kite flying and their own experiences.Zh: 通过这个意外的经历，明华在与人交往上更有信心，与丽华建立了深厚的友谊，而剑则珍惜这次新交的朋友。En: Through this unexpected experience, Minghua gained more confidence in interacting with people, developed a deep friendship with Lihua, and Jian cherished the new friends he had made.Zh: 北海公园的春风吹散了天空中的余晖，但温暖的人情却让这个青龙节变得更加难忘。En: The spring breeze of Beihai Park dispersed the sky's twilight, but the warmth of human connection made this Qinglong Festival even more unforgettable. Vocabulary Words:lush: 青葱bloom: 盛开vast: 浩荡ancestors: 先人senses: 感受peace: 平静face: 面孔introverted: 内敛control: 控制longing: 向往enthusiast: 迷startled: 一怔gust: 阵风plummeted: 坠去anxious: 焦急devised: 制定cautiously: 小心地cleverly: 机智地strenuous: 艰辛gratitude: 感激highlights: 体会warmth: 温暖unforgettable: 难忘experience: 经历confidence: 信心cherished: 珍惜human connection: 人情twilight: 余晖kite designs: 风筝的花样shore: 岸边

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Healing Bonds: A Nurse's Heartfelt Journey of Family and Duty Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-17-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在医院的长廊里，春天的绿色似乎无法透过窗户的玻璃，但走廊充满了淡淡的花香。En: In the hospital corridor, the green of spring seemed unable to penetrate the window glass, but the hallway was filled with a faint floral fragrance.Zh: 忙碌的护士梅走得飞快，她的心里装满了焦虑和不安。En: The busy nurse Mei walked quickly, her heart full of anxiety and unease.Zh: 梅的弟弟健最近被诊断出一种严重的疾病，让她心力交瘁。En: Mei's younger brother Jian had recently been diagnosed with a serious illness, leaving her exhausted.Zh: 清明节即将来临，梅却无法抽出时间去祭拜祖先。En: The Qing Ming Festival was approaching, yet Mei couldn't find the time to pay respects to her ancestors.Zh: 她一方面要为患者提供护理，另一方面又不得不面对弟弟的病情变化。En: On one hand, she had to care for her patients, and on the other, she had to face her brother's changing condition.Zh: 医院政策严格，她很难在工作时间内去关心弟弟。En: The hospital's strict policy made it difficult for her to attend to her brother during work hours.Zh: 她的心里充满了矛盾。En: Her heart was full of conflict.Zh: 梅的朋友莉玲也是医院的一名护士。En: Mei's friend Liling was also a nurse at the hospital.Zh: 莉玲一直默默地支持梅，不仅因为友谊，还因为她对健隐隐的爱慕之情。En: Liling supported Mei silently, not only because of their friendship but also due to her hidden affection for Jian.Zh: 今天，莉玲特意带了一个小青团，安慰陷入困境的梅。En: Today, Liling specifically brought a small qingtuan to comfort Mei, who was in distress.Zh: “梅，有时候我们也要为自己考虑。”莉玲轻声说。En: "Mei, sometimes we have to think about ourselves too," Liling said softly.Zh: 梅点点头，但她知道现实并不简单。En: Mei nodded, but she knew reality wasn't that simple.Zh: 时间一分一秒地过去，健的病情愈发严重。En: Time ticked by, and Jian's condition worsened.Zh: 虽然梅尽力平衡工作和家庭，但她内心仍然焦灼不安。En: Although Mei tried to balance work and family, her heart remained anxious.Zh: 某天下午，医生把健的最新检查结果交到梅的手中。En: One afternoon, the doctor handed Jian's latest test results to Mei.Zh: 结果令人出乎意料：健的病可治。En: The results were unexpected: Jian's illness was treatable.Zh: 梅知道，这是弟弟的希望。En: Mei knew this was her brother's hope.Zh: 那一刻，梅决定无论如何都要陪在弟弟身边。En: At that moment, Mei decided to stay by her brother's side no matter what.Zh: 她明确自己的职责，却也不愿再错过与家人共度的时光。En: While understanding her responsibilities, she was no longer willing to miss time with her family.Zh: 于是，她选择违反了医院的规定，在健身边待了一整个晚上。En: So, she chose to break the hospital's rules and stayed with Jian for the whole night.Zh: 那一夜，虽然医院的走廊依旧安静，梅的内心却前所未有的平和。En: Although the hospital corridors remained quiet that night, Mei's heart was more peaceful than ever.Zh: 第二天，莉玲终于鼓足勇气，向健表白了心意。En: The next day, Liling finally mustered the courage to confess her feelings to Jian.Zh: 健惊讶之余，心中也被温暖包围。En: Surprised, Jian felt warmth surrounding his heart.Zh: 他们决定一起努力度过难关。En: They decided to work together to overcome the difficulties.Zh: 梅虽然因违反规定被上司训斥，但她的真诚和责任心得到了理解。En: Although Mei was reprimanded by her supervisor for breaking the rules, her sincerity and sense of responsibility were understood.Zh: 同事们纷纷伸出援手，帮助她同时兼顾工作和家庭。En: Colleagues reached out to help her manage both work and family.Zh: 随着治疗的进行，健渐渐恢复健康。En: As the treatment progressed, Jian gradually recovered.Zh: 梅学会了更好地处理工作与生活，她的心态也更加坚定。En: Mei learned to better handle work and life, and her mindset became more resolute.Zh: 在明亮的春光下，梅、健和莉玲在医院的院子里散步。En: In the bright spring sunshine, Mei, Jian, and Liling strolled in the hospital yard.Zh: 花香依旧，她们心中的春天也悄然苏醒。En: The fragrance of flowers lingered, and the spring in their hearts quietly awakened.Zh: 经历过这次考验，梅明白了家庭与事业并不必然互相矛盾。En: Having endured this trial, Mei understood that family and career need not inherently conflict.Zh: 她学会了珍惜生活中的每一个瞬间，坚定地面对未来的每一个挑战。En: She learned to cherish every moment in life and face every future challenge with determination. Vocabulary Words:corridor: 长廊fragrance: 花香anxiety: 焦虑unease: 不安diagnosed: 诊断exhausted: 心力交瘁respects: 祭拜ancestors: 祖先care: 护理policy: 政策strict: 严格conflict: 矛盾affection: 爱慕specific: 特意distress: 困境balance: 平衡treatable: 可治sincerity: 真诚reprimanded: 训斥supervisor: 上司colleagues: 同事manage: 处理resolute: 坚定mustering: 鼓足courage: 勇气confess: 表白warmth: 温暖overcome: 度过treatment: 治疗recover: 恢复

On the precipice of a Canadian federal election, a new episode of Roqe features a discussion/debate on the question of how the growing Iranian-Canadian community should vote this time. Jian is joined in the Roqe Studio by Iranian-Canadian lawyer Sadeq Bigdeli advocating for the Conservative Party and Iranian-Canadian academic and author Mehrdad Loghmani speaking in favour of a vote for the Liberal Party. It is a comprehensive and passionate episode that covers a lot of territory with respect to the alignment, interests, issues and voting patterns of people of Iranian descent in Canada. Plus, Jian begins the episode with an essay imploring Iranian-Canadians to vote and be seen.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

Commentary by Dr. Jian'an Wang.

A new episode of Roqe including a feature interview with chess prodigy Dorsa Derakhshani, who joins Jian from Missouri. Dorsa discusses her journey of how she quickly rose through the ranks of competitive chess, earning the titles of Women's Grandmaster and International Master, along with multiple gold medals at the Asian Youth Chess Championships, before being banned from competing with the Iranian national team after defying Iran's mandatory hijab rule at a tournament. It is a harrowing tale of courage, frustration and perspective having been in the United States in recent years as a medical student while continuing her presence in the chess world. Plus Jian opens the show with an ode to his French bulldog, Oogie, on his 7th birthday week, with an essay entitled, “Dogs Are Better Than Us.”

A new episode of Roqe examining the role of psychedelics in mental health. What was until recently considered taboo, is now being embraced in some medical circles for innovative treatments, the science of psychedelics, and the promise of ayahuasca or psilocybin. Jian is first joined by Anisa Deghani in Rotterdam - a researcher who has worked at Harvard University Medical Center and has a deep interest in alternative therapies, she brings both scientific insight and a global perspective to discussions on mental health. Then Mohammad Barzegari, psychotherapist based in Toronto who has been working in the mental health field for several years and has recently focused on psychedelic-assisted therapy, joins us in the Roqe Studio. Plus, Jian kicks off the program with an appeal to fellow “humans of Iranian descent” to finally remove the taboo and stigma and embrace therapy and progressive approaches to mental health.

On the day of Nowruz, a Roqe Special with a Roundtable featuring some members of the Roqe Team and Tehranto Times reflecting on the Persian New Year. Jian is joined in the Roqe Hub studio by Pegah, Parissa, Tina, Ghazaleh, Ebi and Bella for a heartfelt conversation about the best and worst of Nowruz, fond family memories, the beauty of new beginnings, the worries about commercialization and the state of the world. Plus Jian opens the show with an essay entitled, “Nowruz: A Gift to the World.”

Cáel's second vacation with Aya and friends.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Loving your enemy is easy. You know precisely where the two of you standJust in case anyone cares, I do not hate China or the Chinese People. As a Global Power, the PRC is fair game as a great antagonist. Not only do they have, as of 2015, the world's largest economy, largest population and a truly global Diaspora, they also have a rather totalitarian governance system that enables them to devote scary levels of resources to any endeavor they set their minds to.I usually paint all governments to be entities capable of great good (rarely achieved) and great evil (because it makes such enticing fiction). In my stories, it often falls to the people within those institutions to make judgment calls on what is the right thing to do. In my final analysis, there are no 'Evil' governments, just evil people who use the system to get what they want(Right where we left off)"Aya," I spoke to her when she'd finished up by giving Mu a strong dose of a pain killer, "Now go back to the galley and find the nice medic-lady there. She has a bottle filled with some of those kick-ass sedatives. Inject everyone else but me, you, Zhen here and Mu, Mu's had enough drugs for one day.""Okay," she popped up. She turned fearlessly to face her former tormentors and jailors."I had them all swear an oath to Ishara to not kill, harm, or restrain you in any manner, so have fun hunting them down. You've got about thirty minutes.""Is Dot with us right now?" she gave me a bone-tired smile. I nodded. "This is going to be fun," she shouted and off she went.'I'll be by her side', Dot whispered to me. She rose forth from the seat within me and followed Aya out into Seven Pillars Hell. Technically, I believed it was the Diyu of the Fiendish Child. Those malicious bastards suffered every accident, misfortune, and nearly-impossible odds malfunction in the process of being subdued by a 9 year old Amazon.Four of them died in the process of trying to kill her, when stopping her became obviously impossible. Two had their guns blow up when they tried to shoot her, dismembering their hands and wrists. One guy was strangled in his emergency oxygen supply mask. The last guy lunged forward, slipped on a cup and broke his neck when his head was caught in a folded armrest.Twenty-eight nerve wracking minutes later."All done," she gave me an exhausted yet triumphant chirp. "Should I strap Mr. Mu into a chair? He's passed out.""Zhen, buckle your brother into a chair and hurry back. I'll hold us steady until you get back."Remember, I had only the use of my left hand. My right had to stay on the dagger to keep things powered up."Buckle-up after you've gotten Duan Mu secured, Aya. That's his proper name.""I know that. I was trying to keep them irritated so they would act irrationally. You taught me that," Aya bathed me in her sinister ways and means.Finally, it was down to me and Zhen. "Do you think we will succeed, Cáel Wakko Ishara?" "I'm giving it my best shot." "The little girl was right," Zhen groaned. "She told us we'd regret not killing you in New York when we had the chance. I thought she was being an annoying spoiled brat. I was wrong." Pause. "I know you have no reason to answer me truthfully, but when we, the rest of us, die, could you make sure my brother's body is returned to my father so that he can join our ancestors in the family grave?" "Why do you think I would lie to you now that we are alone?" That was a loaded question. I did the majority of my lying when I was alone with a woman. "I, will you give me your Oath, in your Goddess's name?" "Nope. My Goddess has pretty much been exhausted by your boys trying to break their vows to me and Aya. I'll tell you what I will do, " "What?" "Show me your tits and I'll promise to do my best." "What? You want to see me naked?" she grew indignant. "No!" It was her being a vaginal virgin (I knew the type ~ good oral technique and bed play, but no 'go-uppy' the cunt, or ass) and me not being Han Chinese, therefore being a 'Stinky Barbarian'. "Listen, I've never flown a commercial jet before and neither have you. Odds are we are both going to be dead in the next ten minutes. After all the hell you have put me through, can you at least give me some fucking inspiration. No one will ever know. Besides, imagining the perfect swell of your breast and the smooth tautness of your stomach, well, you are so damn perfect it is distracting!" I protested against the World's grand injustice (me not being Han and thus not worthy of seeing her goodies). "Do you really think we are all about to die?" she studied me. "I'm doing my best, but, yes, I believe we are," I stared deep into her dark brown orbs.'You are despicable,' Ishara chortled. 'I promise you, plant your seed and she will bear you a son.' "Very well, hold onto the controls," she said as she released her joystick. She rolled up her padded (high-tech body-weave) shirt carefully. I was a past master of looking while pretending not too look. Still, "Can I look yet?" I hesitantly questioned. Sure, we were about to slam an Airbus-350 into the Pacific Ocean, or a concrete runway, no lights, in a cyclone, but she was 'working it'. For all she knew, this striptease would be her last living memory. "No." A few seconds passed. "Now?" "No." Oh, her top was just cresting her highly aroused nipples, she had tiny, erect nipples. The smallest I had ever seen, but long, almost like tiny awls. Finally she'd played it out as long as possible. "Okay." "No, wait," I begged. "Let me make sure everything is stable. I want to look at you for as long as I can. This will probably be the last happy moment of my life, so I want to make the most of it." That made her happy. I puttered around for five seconds, then pivoted around to take in her full, topless view. I didn't say anything for the longest time. "Aren't you done yet," she grumbled. "We are about to crash." "Oh, sorry," I turned away. She rolled her top down quickly and we returned to trying to keep the people we loved most in life alive. I sensed as sense of disappointment in her nonetheless."Perfect," I whispered. She caught it. "What did you say? Is something wrong?" she worried, studying her crippled command console for any errors she might have missed. "I said 'perfect'. I knew it, your body is perfect," I confessed. Pause. "Oh, " "Now I have something to live for," I declared. "I will never let you see me naked again. This was a one-time thing!" "That's two things I have to live for then," I countered. "Bringing us in alive and seeing me naked once more?" she had to be sure. "I was going to say 'seeing you naked again' and 'living', but I can see that your priorities make more sense," I conceded. "Ah, you are right, that I am right." Pause. "Good luck." "On seeing you naked again, or surviving our landing." "Let's start out by landing the plane. "And then, Duan Zhen?" "We will see, Cáel Ishara."{9 pm, Tuesday, August 16th ~ 23 Days to go}{aka 2 am Wednesday, Aug. 17th ~ 22 Days to go (Havenstone time)}(The following is in Mandarin until I note otherwise)"What are you doing?" I struggled to keep the panic from my voice."Killing all these alarms," Zhen responded. She was grinding her teeth in frustration and fear. "There is nothing we can do to fix those problems.""My, right rudder, its barely responding," I grunted. This was fly-by-wire, not typical manual control, so my concern was entirely mental, not wanting to miss our turn south into the sole runaway on Johnston Atoll. With the steady degradation of the plane's electronics, we wouldn't make the 360 for another pass.Landing from the southern end of the runway would put the cyclone force winds behind us. There would be no way for the plane's two inexperienced pilots to make that miraculous landing happen. No, we had to approach form the north, into the winds and allow nature to slow us down."On it, I'm good," she confirmed that her co-pilot's systems were still doing their job. "Tell me when we are making our final approach." Zhen, my Seven Pillars of Heaven co-pilot (and designated assassin), couldn't see where we were going. Our avionics had perished earlier in this disaster.Goddess Dot Ishara was communicating with Goddess SzélAnya who was frolicking in this maelstrom; the Draconic Storm Divinity was in her element. Dot was 'in' her element as well ~ her last living mortal descendent (me), if you didn't count all those unborn offspring I'd been contributing to in the past few weeks.'Are you thinking about me, Wakko?' she whispered into my mind. I was Wakko Ishara. I was supposed to be Yakko, but that hadn't worked out. As the 'main girl' in the relationship between me, the leader of her Amazon House, and Yakko Ishara ~ my first Ishara ancestor ~ she earned the slot of Dot (see Warner Bros.) Ishara.One of her earliest gifts to me was to make my mind inviolate to ALL supernatural penetration which was the reason she was bothering to ask about my thoughts and intentions.'Yes,' I thought back. 'I'm worried you are expending too much energy on my behalf, Dot.''Opposed to leaving you alone with SzélAnya? I don't trust her around you. She'd make a little Dragon-offspring/avatar with you if I'm not careful.''If you aren't careful? Don't I get a say in all of this?''No. Trust me, she's clingy and you are more active than a whole temple of Babylon's whores. Her mortal avatar would further bond your two legends together and your Legend is already the prop, placed with House Ishara.' Translation: My Goddess was clingy. After all, she'd meant to say my legend was her 'property'."Flaps!" Zhen yelled at me. "Check your flaps. Mine keep shorting out.""On it," I replied. I'd 'zoned out', so she'd screamed at me to get my attention back on task. Altitude, 1200 meters, which meant flaps at, fuck if I knew."What do I set them, Oh Shit!" I realized I'd forgotten something horribly imperiling."What?" Zhen shot me a furious look."Fuel! We've got to start dumping the fuel!" I screamed."Why?""Fireball, Zhen. If we hit hard, this bitch will barbeque us," I spit the words. "Don't you watch any airplane crash movies?" I added."The Airbus 350 has plenty of, safeguards,""You mean like all the other ones that have failed us in the past half hour?""Opening main tanks #1 and #2," she grumbled. "If we are struck by another lightning bolt we could blow up in mid-air.""Won't happen," I feebly jested. "The Storm Goddess loves me.""Does she love my brother and I?""Nah. She wants you and everyone else on this plane dead, but she's humoring me right now.""Flaps," she reminded me. "Why would she care about you?""Having no other useful skills, I am a truly remarkable lover."Zhen spared me a blistering look."You have seized this aircraft from my brother, me and forty of our best Special Operations Strike Warriors. That does not qualify you as 'unskilled'," she lambasted me."Oh no? You should see a 'real' Amazon in action," I teased her. "I'm just an intern who hasn't yet completed his 84 day trial period." I also worked the flaps."Too much," she snapped. "If we drop below 400 kilometers per hour, these winds will slam us into the Pacific."I was adjusting the flaps appropriately as we began our final roll to the left when a cloud-to-cloud bolt of electricity coursed through our craft. We didn't blow up."Thank you, SzélAnya," I whispered."What?" Zhen worried. Fucking up now would be the end of us all.'Your gratitude is overdue, Cáel,' SzélAnya slipped her murmur into the crashing thunder and another lash of raw, natural fury. 'We will talk later.'"I thought you said she loves you.""Umm, did I forget to mention I told her I was going out for pizza and never called her back?""That makes no sense," Zhen glared at me briefly. I was gifted with a visual of our plane in perspective to the runway. Yay, five meter waves were smashing into the atoll. I adjusted our yaw to the right."We are three kilometers out," I advised her."Flaps, spoilers," I went over my limited Alal-knowledge. This stuff worked on a piston driven commercial liner and it was the only flight data I had."Landing gear," Zhen responded. She had to throttle up a little because all that drag was cutting into our speed.'You are being blown too far to the east,' SzélAnya advised. I did the best I could."What are you doing?" Zhen was starting to sweat."Responding to divine intervention.""I, I see it!" Zhen's panic turned to exultation as she could finally make out the pale concrete runway surrounded by the angry sea.Too disasters hit us simultaneously."The left landing gear is not fully deployed," Zhen cautioned me."We are coming in too fast anyway," I dryly noted. The Goddess had brought me in on target, but she knew nothing about aircraft aeronautics.The Airbus came down too hard, too fast and our left landing gear snapped on impact. Sarrat Irkalli's parting gift was decay. Every design weak point gave in. The front fuselage broke apart, my hand on the dagger slipped and the power died. The front 25% of the plane spun off to the west while the remainder shot down the runway and off the southern end of the island.Sadly we went off into the lagoon between the western side and the barrier reef. In a delayed bit of good fortune, our careening section went head to head against a massive storm surge."Go!" I screamed at Zhen.She snatched up her Jian that she had used to pin the undead necromancer Tsu. I was right behind her, though I did stop to retrieve Sarrat Irkalli's dagger and pluck the two bone reliquaries from his neck before following Zhen's tight, athletic buns out of the cockpit and toward Aya. My diminutive better half was still in her seatbelt and clutching the medical bag to her chest.(English) "Cáel, I think we are sinking," she noted with a twinge of concern and more courage than I felt like utilizing. As Zhen was rescuing her brother the enormity of my mistake sunk in. All the Seven Pillars people were unconscious thus unable to save themselves from drowning. Aya's survival came first. I'd worried about my 'would-be executioners' later.I swept up Aya so fast it took me a second to realize she was poking me. She had retrieved the trinkets Felix had given Mu, our phone cards, my Dot-treats and my Amazon blade. I quickly strapped the blade to my arm. The water was rushing in through the severed back section.I turned to see Zhen struggling with her brother. Her look said it all. She expected them both to die. She wouldn't abandon him to save herself and the waves were too rough to make it with him."Get as far as you can," I shouted to her over the typhoon strength winds. "I'll come back for you."Her face expressed how little faith she put in my promise. Zhen had no choice left to her. I cut off two lengths of seat-belt to give Aya a harness to wrap over my shoulder and opposite underarm. I used the second piece to create her harness I linked with my own. {Back to English as the primary language}"He'll come back for you," Aya tried to assure Zhen while I worked."Aya, take a deep breath then expel it," I advised. The second she did I dove into the water. I had never attempted to swim in water this nasty, but I had been dumped into a white water rapids before. That was the best I had.Somehow in the madness, I pointed myself in the right direction. Once more, the storm came to my rescue. Two monster waves picked us up and pushed us toward the edge of the runway.'Go to the north end of the island,' Ishara told me. There is a building there that will shelter you, and Cáel, I must leave now. Don't do it.''I can't not try,' I replied. 'Can you help Aya?' I gave one last appeal. No reply. I twisted southward to locate the next monster wave. My precious cargo pressed tightly to my upper torso, I flipped over so that my feet were facing toward the onrushing runway. I'm not as dumb as I look, or sound.I bent my knees in the same way they instruct you when you go cliff diving. Up we went. I pulled Aya and I as deep into the water as possible, up, up, crest and then down-down-down. My bare right foot hit something jagged and sharp. I'd worry about bleeding later. The momentum of that contact tried to tilt me head-first, but I resisted.My left foot slapped down on a hard, smooth, granular surface, the sea wall. Now I swam backwards with my free arm while I raced to get my right foot back under me. My body ended up surging forward, yet I was in control of my movements once more. I rolled with the impact, taking the brunt to my left shoulder while shielding Aya with my right. Three rolls and I was on my feet again."Aya!" I beseeched my companion."That was fun," she yelled back over the hurricane force winds. "Let's try to do this next year," the rest was lost. I kept staggering forward in about a foot of water that the storm had flooded over the land. I looked behind me.The next wave was unfriendly. The one behind that one appeared to be a lot like what I imagined a Berlin Wall-sized tombstone would look like. I ran. I survived the first wave then gave Aya a cautionary squeeze. I felt her tiny lungs inflate, soak up the salt-water spray and oxygen then flush the air back out.A few more steps then we plunged back sideways into the monster current ~ the wave had already crashed."What did you say?" I shook Aya as we surfaced once more."Next year, much later next year," she grinned up at me."Aya, do you think you can,""Yes. Go find them. You gave her your word," she hugged me."Stay on the runway, head north, Dot says there is a building up there that is still intact. Aya, take this," I handed her the pistol and a spare mag."Do you promise you won't let me die today?" she shouted over the winds. I had to think about that. Aya rammed the pistol and magazine into her medical bag's side pocket. Oaths had their own power and maybe, just maybe, Dot Ishara would help me honor this one."I swear to you, I will not let you die today," I yelled back."Then go and hurry," she hugged me as I cut her loose. "She needs you more than I do. Go!" With that, we separated. Aya slugged forward a few steps, was staggered by another wave then turned and gave me her 'thumbs up'.I turned to the south and the blinding winds and terrible surf. I had to try. Alal kicked in. Jumbo commercial airliners = no help. Shipwrecks = he'd survived a few. I mapped out in my mind the waves, winds and their direction relative to the plane. I could still make out its half-submerged shape.The edge of the runway had a U-shaped seawall which created a peak that channeled the waves. I couldn't see the structure itself due to the high tide, but I could locate the wall by watching the waves break. If I could get to the outside of the eastern peak, I would have an easier time going about this rescue. Also, if Zhen wasn't brought in by the same waves that saved Aya and I, she would be driven to the northwest, parallel to the island.I could intercept them. I'd effective killed everyone else. Maybe, I dove in.'Don't!'“Too late, SzélAnya,” I vaulted off the semi-submerged sea wall, then let the undertow pull me along the broken coral rocks the Navy had put there when they expanded the airfield in the 1960's.I kept my hands on the rocks, rock climbing in reverse. The waves passing overhead tried to pluck me up and return me to the land. I moved as rapidly as I could, until my muscles ached from the water's chill and oxygen starvation. My lungs were on fire. I let the next wave pull me up.Fortune favors the foolish should be my new motto. I broke the surface just after another large wave passed by. I kept my breathing short and steady, despite my burning hunger for air. Gulping air would only earn me a mouthful of salt water. I took the reprieve in the storm's efforts to drown me.The 'foolish' was waiting for me four meters away, slightly behind me and to the East. Zhen was being dragged past the atoll. I kept one eye on her progress and the other on the waves. A monster rolled up, I dove under and thus resurfaced less than two meters away. Zhen had Mu in a classic rescue swim position. He was still likely to suffocate in this downpour.The look in her eyes was, pure confliction. I cut through the last bit of ocean to be at her side. My first action was to point to the next tidal beast heading for us.(Mandarin) "I've got him. Dive beneath the wave," I hollered. Had she resisted, all three of us would have been screwed. She didn't.I took another deep breathe then sort of freaked her out. I clamped my mouth over Mu's and expelled my air into his lungs. My right arm snaked under his left with my hand grabbing the back of his head. I shoved his head tightly against my face, pressing his nose shut, then dove. Zhen was right behind me.After that, we had our routine down. Zhen took Mu every fourth wave. Breathing for both him and me was tough. I'd take him back for the fifth and slowly we made ourselves to the eastern shore. I hit first, fell flat on my face but kept a hold on Mu. I temporarily lost sight of Zhen. One life at a time.I lugged Mu up, staggered his unconscious and my exhausted forms a few feet and then was toppled by yet another wall of water. This time, when I returned to a standing position, I check Mu's breathing. He would make it. I few more steps, another wave. I kept my footing that time. Another, Zhen came careening our way from the North. The waves had swept her passed us.Zhen immediately looped her arm under Mu's right arm. That allowed her, me and our shared burden to slog another meter inland, then the next wave caught up with us. Zhen fell; I stumbled, but righted myself and thus kept Mu from being washed away. Zhen rolled a few feet forward, rebounded up, only to be shoved away when a gust of wind hit us.On her next attempt, she rejoined us. From that point onward, we were far enough away from the land's end so that we were slogging through standing water and could resist the waves that impacted us.(Mandarin) "You came back," she shouted.There were all kinds of romantic, chivalric and very true responses to that. I chose a half-lie. (Mandarin) "I really wanted to see your tits one more time," I yelled. The looks she gave me was priceless. She was convinced I was a lunatic ~ no doubt about it.While she puzzled out her reaction/retort, we chanced upon a Quonset hut. In its lee, we caught a break from the worst of the wind. We also picked up a little Epona who had made the same logical choice (to get out of the wind) as we had. My heart leapt for joy. She was grinning like an impish hellion as she tried to tell me something.I leaned down until her lips were touching my ear."I forgot to pack my swimsuit," she chortled."It's probably sitting at home along with my surfboard," I kissed her on the forehead. "How about we get inside, somewhere?" Aya nodded.(Mandarin) "Let's go," I roared. Zhen nodded briefly. We turned Mu around so we would be dragging him with his back to the winds. The journey to the structure SzélAnya had pointed me at (the J O C building) took over an hour and a half to cover the two kilometers. Along the way, Aya discovered her inner Peter Pan.That was the childish fiction I was going to use to explain what she did when I regaled this episode to her Mother, assuming we made it back. In common parlance, a gust of wind that must have been about 150 kilometers per hour picked her up and off she went. Hell, I'd honored my oath to Zhen. I dropped Mu and raced after my own personal good luck fairy.A freak micro-burst, shot Aya up so high I lost track of her in the rain.'Please'.I saw my tiny human javelin plummeting to earth several meters away. Aya had refused to mitigate her fate by releasing the medical bag. I jumped, caught her and took another hard spill to the ground, Aya on top of me. She said something to me.I made it back to my knees, clutching a standing Aya firmly to my chest."I said 'I've had enough fun for today," she sputtered. "Can we go inside now?"'You now owe me a life, I go,''Thank you'. If she heard me, she didn't acknowledge it. The storm didn't relent its assault, that was for sure.I couldn't risk losing Aya again. I had placed Zhen and Mu on solid ground so she returned to being my top priority. I slogged my way through the typhoon, cyclone, 'what have you', only to find a solid steel door between Aya and safety. I felt volcanic fury building up inside me. Then I remembered I still had a few firearms,The QCW spoke and the door popped opened. I raced around the first interior corner, deposited Aya, ran back to the door, reverse course, raced back to Aya, kissed her cheek then ran back out into the blinding rain and battering winds. Zhen was right where I'd left her. She had relied on me coming back, damn her.(The J S O C Building)Five minutes later, I had the Seven Pillars twins inside and the door wedged shut. We were all temporarily safe. Here and there small puddles of water had formed from leaks above, but otherwise the structure was solid, sound and safe. Zhen and Mu were on the opposite side of the room. After she tended to her brother, she looked my way.I took the medical bag from a wide-eyed and happy Aya."We are down to two of them," she shivered. "Perhaps you should ask her to surrender now, while they still can?" I snorted then chuckled."Do you really think the proud scions of Duan will bow before the Amazons?" I asked her. Aya fatigued mind worked that question over."No, you are right. I don't think they are smart enough to know when they are beat. Cáel, they called me 'Chǒul u de cuüw ', or something like that," Aya kept her eyes on Zhen. "What does that mean?" It took me a second to piece that together. You can tell a great deal about people if you catch them talking about you behind your backs, or when they think you can't understand what they are saying."Ugly Bug," I translated. Aya snorted."That was rude. We can call her 'L s la ninda'," she proclaimed loud enough for Zhen to hear, "and we can call him Amar."I had to applaud her choice of names for our would-be killers.See, L s la ninda roughly translated from Amazon to English as 'cupcake'. Amar was Amazon for 'calf' which was a play on his Mandarin name, 'Mu'."Dumu?" I indicated her. Aya's eyes sparkled. Duma was the diminutive for 'daughter'."Atta," she murmured back. That was 'respectful Father'; a title no Amazon girl had addressed a man with in, well maybe, ever. The term was largely religious and only used in the terms of female divinities referring to divine paternals."Take the gun," I withdrew the QSW-06 from the medical bag. "I'm going to take a look at Mu."I wasn't a surgeon, most of my medical skills were self-taught (I get hurt a great deal), I was personally acquainted with pain and I wasn't easily grossed out. Alal's past granted me beaucoup knowledge to fill in the gaps. Mu was going to be okay.His problems were the bullet hole, blood loss, our mutual damp condition and his complete exhaustion. Zhen knelt close by as I cut open his pants. The bullet was still in him. I was guessing the round had cracked his femur, not broken it. I cleaned out the wound with minimal disturbance to Mu's sleep. The antiseptic came next, followed by the wrapping and finally a syringe of general antibiotic.(Mandarin) "Let's find something to dress ourselves in and then we all need to get out of these wet clothes. If we don't shed these clothes soon, we'll get a chill we don't need," I advised.(Mandarin) "How bad is it?" she asked. She meant her brother's condition.(Mandarin) "He'll be okay. Feel free to try and kill me when you wish. He doesn't need me anymore." That, pretty much confirmed for her what she suspected, I was a lunatic.(Mandarin) "Well, okay. Thank you. I will not kill the child; I have given you my word."(Mandarin) "Are you talking about 'Ugly Bug'?"(Mandarin) "Oh. I thought she didn't know our language either," she blushed then frowned. "She never revealed she understood our words."(Mandarin) "She doesn't. Aya has a phenomenal memory. All Amazons are taught from a very young age to develop a strong eye for detail. This includes remembering words spoken around them, even if they don't know their meaning."That silenced her. The medical kit gifted us with five glow sticks.The women paired up to search the first, second, third and fourth floors; I didn't trust Zhen to find something useful and report it to me. I knew women. She wouldn't kill Aya tonight and Aya would keep her

A new edition of Roqe featuring two inspiring Iranian-Canadian women who have redefined their life journeys and careers. Popular psychotherapist and author Sara Rahimi is the latest prominent guest to do an on-stage talk and interview as part of the “Ideas at the Roqe Hub” series. She performs a monologue about her perspective on age and ambition and then joins Jian in front of a sold out crowd at our Roqe space last Friday night, to discuss her decision, on the cusp of 50 years of age, to enter a bikini competition and competitive fitness path. Then, in the Roqe Studio, Jian is joined by publisher and author, Dr. Katty Bidad, founder of North Star Success. Katty recounts her journey of leaving her career as a medical doctor to pursue her passion for books, and how she is building an independent publishing business that is empowering many Iranians in the diaspora to tell their stories.

The crew made it to Tokyo!Jeff, Jeremy, and Jian chat the first few days of the trip, including Tokyo department stores, touring the Grand Seiko Museum, cruising in Alphards, Beams+, slamming bad noodles, and choose your konbini! **This episode is brought to you by Grand Seiko Special thanks for letting us geek out in the museum :) 

A feature conversation with Iranian explorer, adventurer, and social media star, Ben Marco. Ben joins Jian in the Roqe Studio during a brief visit to Toronto to for a riveting conversation about all that he has learned in his explorations around the world, his favourite places, the dangers he has faced, the most attractive people he has encountered, the least, the most fun, the safest travels and the best food. This entertaining and moving conversation is in both English and Persian.

Commentary by Dr.  Jian'an Wang

Audio Summary of the March 2025 Part 1 Issue by Dr. Jian'an Wang

Commentary by Dr.  Jian'an Wang

Commentary by Dr.  Jian'an Wang

Commentary by Dr.  Jian'an Wang

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Teahouse Treasure: Mei's Puzzle Adventure in Beijing Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-04-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 茶店里弥漫着茉莉花茶的香气，窗外的樱花恣意地开放。En: The tea shop was filled with the fragrance of molihuacha, and outside the window, yinghua were blooming freely.Zh: 店内的每个角落都透着一股温暖的气息。En: Every corner of the shop exuded a warm atmosphere.Zh: 梅在角落的柜台后忙碌着，她是这家北京小茶店里年轻的职员，生活平静而简单。En: Mei was busy behind the counter in the corner; she was a young employee at this small tea shop in Beijing, living a calm and simple life.Zh: 然而，她对解谜有着不同寻常的热忱。En: However, she had an unusual passion for solving puzzles.Zh: 一天，正当梅擦拭桌子的时候，她注意到一张被折叠得整整齐齐的纸塞在桌子底下。En: One day, just as Mei was wiping down tables, she noticed a neatly folded piece of paper tucked under a table.Zh: 她把纸拿出来，小心展开，发现那是一张用不熟悉的密码写成的笔记。En: She took out the paper, carefully unfolded it, and found it was a note written in an unfamiliar code.Zh: 梅的好奇心被点燃了，她想要知道这张神秘纸条的含义。En: Mei's curiosity was ignited, and she wanted to know the meaning of this mysterious note.Zh: “只是一张无趣的旧纸，”李伟，梅的同事，漫不经心地说，En: "It's just a boring old piece of paper," Li Wei, Mei's colleague, said nonchalantly.Zh: “这种东西没什么特别的。”En: "There's nothing special about this kind of thing."Zh: 李伟是一位务实的人，对那些不切实际的事情不感兴趣。En: Li Wei was a pragmatic person who wasn't interested in impractical matters.Zh: 但梅并不这么想。En: But Mei didn't think so.Zh: 与此同时，健，一个常来这里喝茶的客人，走了进来。En: Meanwhile, Jian, a regular customer who came here often for tea, walked in.Zh: 他看到梅手里的纸条，眼中闪过一丝兴奋。En: Seeing the note in Mei's hand, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.Zh: “我对密码和谜题很感兴趣，也许我可以帮忙？”健建议道。En: "I'm interested in codes and puzzles, maybe I can help?" Jian suggested.Zh: 当天晚上，梅下班后没有回家，而是留了下来，邀请健帮她破解这张纸条。En: That evening, after Mei finished work, she didn't go home but stayed back, inviting Jian to help her decode the note.Zh: 两个人坐在茶店的一个角落，桌上是一壶热气腾腾的茉莉花茶。En: The two of them sat in a corner of the tea shop, with a steaming pot of molihuacha on the table.Zh: 他们努力解读这张纸条上的密码。En: They worked hard to decipher the code on the note.Zh: 经过一番研究和讨论，梅和健终于破解了这张纸条。En: After much research and discussion, Mei and Jian finally cracked the code.Zh: 它是一条关于茶店地下隐藏宝藏的信息。En: It was information about a hidden treasure beneath the tea shop.Zh: 梅心中的好奇和兴奋交织在一起。En: Excitement and curiosity intermingled in Mei's heart.Zh: 她决定说服李伟一起寻找这个宝藏。En: She decided to convince Li Wei to join them in the treasure hunt.Zh: 第二天，梅把解码的结果告诉了李伟。En: The next day, Mei told Li Wei the results of their decoding.Zh: 虽然起初李伟有些怀疑，在梅和健的坚持下，他终于同意一起探索。En: Although initially skeptical, Li Wei finally agreed to explore with Mei and Jian after their persistent urging.Zh: 三人在一个周末进行搜索，终于在茶店地板下找到了一个秘密空间，里面竟是一些珍贵的历史文物。En: Over a weekend, the three of them conducted a search and finally discovered a secret space beneath the tea shop floor, which contained some precious historical artifacts.Zh: 原来，这些文物是为了捐献给博物馆的。En: It turned out those artifacts were meant to be donated to a museum.Zh: 经过这次冒险，梅对自己的解谜能力有了更多的信心，而李伟也开始对她充满尊重。En: After this adventure, Mei gained more confidence in her puzzle-solving abilities, and Li Wei began to have a newfound respect for her.Zh: 茶店继续如往常一样运转，空气中仍然飘散着茉莉花茶的香气，但每个人心中都多了一份对未来惊喜的期待。En: The tea shop continued to operate as usual, with the scent of molihuacha still lingering in the air, but everyone now harbored a bit more anticipation for surprises in the future. Vocabulary Words:fragrance: 香气blooming: 开放exuded: 透着warm atmosphere: 温暖的气息unusual: 不同寻常的puzzles: 谜题neatly: 整整齐齐tucked: 塞unfamiliar: 不熟悉的ignited: 点燃了mysterious: 神秘的nonchalantly: 漫不经心地pragmatic: 务实persistent: 坚持decode: 解码discussion: 讨论cracked: 破解了treasure: 宝藏beneath: 地下skeptical: 怀疑conducted: 进行artifacts: 文物donated: 捐献confidence: 信心harbored: 藏anticipation: 期待surprises: 惊喜ventures: 冒险historical: 历史explore: 探索

A new episode of Roqe featuring an all-star language panel on the question of Iranian immigrants learning English and whether the journey of language learning is truly bound by age. Jian is joined by popular social media star and English teacher, Shahrzad Sherry Kazemi, in Vancouver, popular YouTuber and creator of Houshang Academy, Houshang Noormohammadi in Oklahoma, and popular language instructor and translator, Mojdeh Razeh in the Roqe Studio. The panel looks at everything from why benefits of embracing the language of a new home are profound, to the challenges and excuses in doing so, to the criticism of Iranian towards other Iranians who do their best and may speak imperfect English.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: A Snowy Escape: Laughter and Warmth at the Lantern Festival Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-02-21-23-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在一个白雪皑皑的冬日，健、丽华和一鸣决定去温泉度假村享受元宵节的热闹。En: On a snowy winter day, Jian, Lihua, and Yiming decided to go to a hot spring resort to enjoy the lively Lantern Festival.Zh: 他们来到这里，期待着能在热气腾腾的温泉中放松自己。En: They arrived there, looking forward to relaxing in the steaming hot springs.Zh: 度假村四周被雪山环绕，空中挂满了五颜六色的灯笼，十分壮观。En: The resort was surrounded by snow-covered mountains, and colorful lanterns hung in the air, creating a spectacular scene.Zh: 泡完温泉后，三个人兴高采烈地离开水池。En: After soaking in the hot springs, the three of them cheerfully left the pool.Zh: 但是，当他们来到更衣室门口时，发现门被锁上了。En: However, when they reached the locker room door, they found it was locked.Zh: 他们没有带毛巾，也没有穿衣服，只能尴尬地站在原地。En: They hadn't brought any towels or clothes, so they could only stand there awkwardly.Zh: 健一脸严肃，他最怕丢脸，不知道该怎么办。En: Jian had a serious look on his face, as he was most afraid of losing face and didn't know what to do.Zh: 丽华则很开心地笑着说：“没关系，咱们肯定有办法。En: Lihua laughed and said, "It's okay, we'll figure something out."Zh: ”一鸣虽然有些慌乱，但他很快冷静下来，寻找解决办法。En: Although Yiming was a bit flustered, he quickly calmed down and looked for a solution.Zh: 四周有许多其他客人，他们都在享受元宵节的表演和温泉的舒适。En: There were many other guests around, all enjoying the Lantern Festival performances and the comfort of the hot springs.Zh: 健灵机一动，决定用雪堆几个雪人，希望能分散大家的注意力。En: Jian had a sudden inspiration and decided to build some snowmen, hoping to distract others' attention.Zh: 于是，他和丽华一边悄悄堆雪人，一边向一鸣使眼色。En: So, he and Lihua quietly built snowmen while signaling to Yiming.Zh: 一鸣理解他们的计划，迅速跑去找工作人员帮忙。En: Yiming understood their plan and quickly ran to find a staff member for help.Zh: 他在休息区找了一位员工，用诚恳的态度请求她帮助打开更衣室的门。En: In the lounge area, he found an employee and sincerely requested her assistance in opening the locker room door.Zh: 工作人员被这个请求逗乐了，但也理解他们的窘境，决定去帮忙。En: The staff member found the request amusing but understood their predicament and decided to help.Zh: 这时，健的雪人开始吸引到了一些游客的注意，孩子们笑着跑过去围观。En: At this moment, the snowmen Jian built began to attract the attention of some tourists, and children ran over laughing to take a look.Zh: 健有些紧张，但也无可奈何地笑了。En: Jian was a bit nervous but couldn't help but smile.Zh: 他心想：该来的总会来。En: He thought to himself: What will come, will come.Zh: 幸运的是，就在游客们兴致勃勃地研究雪人的时候，丽华和一鸣带着工作人员回来，成功打开了更衣室的门。En: Fortunately, just as the visitors were eagerly inspecting the snowmen, Lihua and Yiming returned with the staff member, successfully unlocking the locker room door.Zh: 三个人赶紧进去，拿到了自己的毛巾和衣服。En: The three of them quickly went inside and grabbed their towels and clothes.Zh: 虽然经历了一番尴尬，但他们最终大笑起来。En: Despite the awkward experience, they eventually burst into laughter.Zh: 健看着一旁的丽华和一鸣，感慨地说：“其实，偶尔也得学会笑对人生。En: Jian looked at Lihua and Yiming and said with feeling, "Actually, sometimes you just have to learn to laugh at life."Zh: ”故事以三人的欢笑声结束，他们再次走出更衣室，融入到温泉度假村热闹的元宵节庆典中。En: The story ends with the laughter of the three, as they once again walked out of the locker room and into the lively Lantern Festival celebration at the hot spring resort. Vocabulary Words:snowy: 白雪皑皑resort: 度假村lively: 热闹steaming: 热气腾腾surrounded: 环绕spectacular: 壮观soaking: 泡locker room: 更衣室awkwardly: 尴尬地serious: 严肃losing face: 丢脸flustered: 慌乱solution: 解决办法inspiration: 灵机一动distract: 分散sincerely: 诚恳predicament: 窘境attract: 吸引nervous: 紧张visitors: 游客eagerly: 兴致勃勃inspect: 研究fortunately: 幸运burst: 大笑laughter: 欢笑celebration: 庆典staff member: 工作人员surroundings: 四周distract attention: 分散注意力learn to laugh: 学会笑对

A new edition of Roqe including a feature hour with Iranian-American comedian and actor Maz Jobrani returning to the show. Maz joins Jian amidst his ongoing tour that brings him to Canada to discuss everything from being Iranian to growing older to evolving as a comedian in the social media and AI era. It's a dynamic and funny wide-ranging conversation that is not to be missed.

Our latest live edition of the Roqe podcast recorded on Feb 6, 2025, in front of a sold out audience at City Playhouse in Thornhill, Canada, featuring Shohreh Aghdashloo (recipient of the Roqe Media Icon Award), Fardad Farahzad, Dang Show, Siamak Mehr, Ghazal Akhounzadeh, Anahita Nayebi, Mahsa Mortazavi, Pegah Ganji and DJ Blanch Echo. Jian kicks off the show with an essay about Persians and tardiness (“The Science of Being Late”) before being joined by all the special guests for interviews and memorable performances. Full video of the show is available on our YouTube Channel and audio across all of our podcast platforms. Thanks to the full Roqe team, crew, and volunteers. Makeup by Milad Beauty and lighting by Light Night Design And our sponsors for Roqe Live 4: Montrok Group @montrokgroup Anabel Sharouyan @anabel_sharouyan Beigi Law Firm @beigilaw Gta partyplatter @gtapartyplatter Famluxy @famluxy Aydin Rahimy @aydin_rahimy_realestate Twoar.t @twoar.t TIP Services @tip_services Dental forest wood @dentalforestwood Ontario Camera @ontariocamera Alia pastry @aliapastry Lazar prop creation @lazar_prop_creation

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Ancient Mysteries: A Puzzle Adventure in Shanghai's Yu Garden Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-02-12-23-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 连，梅和建走在上海的豫园。En: Lian, Mei and Jian are walking in Shanghai's Yu Garden.Zh: 冬天的空气清凉，四周是舞动的红灯笼和节日装饰。En: The winter air is cool, and all around are dancing red lanterns and festive decorations.Zh: 新春佳节的喜庆弥漫在每个角落。En: The joy of the Lunar New Year fills every corner.Zh: 连是个年轻的姑娘，她喜欢解决谜题。En: Lian is a young girl who loves solving puzzles.Zh: 今天，她和梅在园中游玩，发现了一张神秘的纸条，脚边的积雪覆盖着大半部分。En: Today, she and Mei are wandering in the garden when they discover a mysterious note, mostly covered by the snow at their feet.Zh: 她俯身捡起，皱眉研究着那些难以辨认的字符。En: She bends down to pick it up and frowns as she studies the hard-to-read characters.Zh: “这是个谜题吗？”梅问，语气中带着一丝怀疑。En: "Is this a puzzle?" Mei asks with a hint of skepticism in her voice.Zh: 连点点头。“上面提到了古老的东西，也许只有建能帮我们解开。”En: Lian nods. "It mentions something ancient; maybe only Jian can help us decipher it."Zh: 建是个安静寡言的人，对古物有深入研究。En: Jian is a quiet and reserved person with a deep knowledge of antiquities.Zh: 她们找到建，连立刻展示了纸条。En: They find Jian, and Lian immediately shows him the note.Zh: “这些符号很古怪，”建说，“你们发现它时有没有什么其他线索？”En: "These symbols are very strange," Jian says, "Did you find any other clues when you discovered it?"Zh: 连摇摇头，“只有这张纸。不过，这里可能藏着更多的线索。”En: Lian shakes her head, "Just this piece of paper. But there might be more clues hidden around here."Zh: 他们开始在豫园中寻找。En: They begin searching in Yu Garden.Zh: 随着夜色降临，纸条上的信息逐渐指引着他们穿过曲径通幽的回廊和庭院。En: As night falls, the information on the note gradually guides them through winding corridors and courtyards.Zh: 一个接一个的谜题让梅的步伐有些犹豫，但连的兴致越来越高。En: One puzzle after another makes Mei tread a bit hesitantly, but Lian's enthusiasm grows stronger.Zh: 在一个小亭子里，建终于辨认出了某种符号。En: In a small pavilion, Jian finally recognizes a certain symbol.Zh: “这是指向地下室的位置。”他说。En: "This points to the location of a basement," he says.Zh: 他们找到入口，小心翼翼地顺着台阶而下。En: They find the entrance and cautiously descend the steps.Zh: 地下室中，他们发现了一件精美的古代文物。En: In the basement, they discover an exquisite ancient artifact.Zh: 装饰精致，蕴含着丰富的文化意义。En: The decoration is intricate, containing rich cultural significance.Zh: 就在此时，外面的烟花开始绚烂地绽放，五彩的火光映亮了整个豫园。En: At that moment, fireworks begin to bloom brilliantly outside, colorful lights illuminating the entire Yu Garden.Zh: “我们应该把它交给文化部门。”梅提议。En: "We should hand this over to the cultural department," Mei suggests.Zh: 连点头同意，她对自己所做的感到骄傲。En: Lian nods in agreement, feeling proud of what they have accomplished.Zh: 她一直以来的热情得到了回报，而这个发现也为节日增添了一份特殊的意义。En: Her passion has been rewarded, and this discovery adds a special meaning to the festival.Zh: 最终，他们把文物归还给相关部门，受到表彰。En: In the end, they return the artifact to the relevant authorities and receive commendation.Zh: 这个新春，她不再只是追谜题的女孩，而是真正理解了传承和文化的重量。En: This Lunar New Year, she is no longer just a girl chasing puzzles but someone who truly understands the weight of heritage and culture.Zh: 这个春节，他们心里充满了别样的欢喜，而连也收获了新的自信与成长。En: This Spring Festival, their hearts are filled with a unique joy, and Lian has gained new confidence and growth. Vocabulary Words:cool: 清凉festive: 节日decorations: 装饰wandering: 游玩mysterious: 神秘note: 纸条covered: 覆盖study: 研究characters: 字符puzzle: 谜题skepticism: 怀疑decipher: 解开antiquities: 古物symbols: 符号clues: 线索courtyards: 庭院hesitantly: 犹豫enthusiasm: 兴致pavilion: 小亭子cautiously: 小心翼翼exquisite: 精美artifact: 文物intricate: 精致bloom: 绽放illuminating: 映亮commendation: 表彰heritage: 传承significance: 意义unique: 别样confidence: 自信

A special episode of Roqe presenting the inaugural edition of “Ideas at the Roqe Hub”- taped in front of a live audience. Nima Behnoud, founder of the luxury fashion brand, NIMANY, gives a talk and then is joined by Jian for an on-stage interview on the topic, How AI is Changing the Fashion World. It is a fascinating, fun, and at times, philosophical conversation and insight into Nima's view on tech and the future of fashion. Plus Jian opens the show with an essay entitled, The AI Future: Inevitable Doesn't Always Mean Good.

A new edition of Roqe featuring two accomplished women who have defied conventions and redefined what it means to be successful, proud, and true to oneself in the Iranian community. First up, Nicole Dayani joins Jian from Los Angeles, to discuss her journey to becoming a beloved Iranian-American chef and the person behind Nicole's Kitchen LA. It's a dynamic conversation that ranges from family expectations, to passion and politics, to how to make a special Fessenjoon. Then Jian is joined in studio by Elham Rezaei, who has become one of the most successful financial advisors in North America in a very short time, and has made it her mission to help fellow Iranians and all Canadians and beyond, improve their financial literacy.