We had a football game between UC Berkeley and UCLA today. Typically, these games have quite an impact on everything in town, most importantly transportation and parking become almost impossible. How lively it is to fight for winning, to have a favorite team, and to show your support for something you relate to. Today, while [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘youth’
August 18, 2008
iran’s education race
An interesting article for Asheyan …
SPECIAL REPORT: THE EDUCATION RACE
Published Aug 9, 2008
Aug. 18-25, 2008 issue
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151684
The Star Students of the Islamic Republic
Forget Harvard—one of the world’s best undergraduate colleges is in Iran.
By Afshin Molavi | NEWSWEEK
Stanford University’s Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, [...]
June 25, 2008
the real life
I sit here writing tonight from a friend’s apartment in the north of Tehran, Iran. For a moment, I almost feel as if I’m in the States. As I write this post, Oprah is talking to Dr. Oz on TV. The AC is blasting and I have a can of coca-cola sitting on the desk [...]
June 2, 2008
kuoban
A friend sent me this clip from a performance by Kuoban ensemble (formerly 40-daf) in Tehran. It is a combination of Kurdish and Luri music. We recently had a trip to Sanandaj in Kurdestan. The nature, people, music, and costumes are breath-taking and fascinating. Delightful yet traditional, proud, and strong. Enjoy:
April 9, 2008
international dance
Last week, on Sunday morning while the streets of New York City showed small signs of spring but cold winter winds could still freeze my bones early in the morning, we got on the bus to go to Manhattan for a special event. The Iranian community in New York (and many other parts of the [...]
March 3, 2008
khaastegar
It was a cold day in late February, a Friday afternoon busy with homework and exams during high school. My aunt had a “khaastegar” (translated to a suitor) that night! Well, in Iran like many other countries, when a man is introduced to a girl or her family (either independently or through family or friends) and [...]
February 29, 2008
power of colors
On our way to Iran from San Francisco, we stopped in Amsterdam to change planes. Shawhin and I got our coffee and orange juice (I’m the coffee person and he’s the healthy one) and we were on our way to find the gate for the KLM flight to Tehran. It turned out finding the gate [...]
February 26, 2008
homeland
I left Iran when I was 16 years old, after getting my high school diploma in math and physics. The name of my high school was (is) Kooshesh (which translates to “hard work” or “effort”) and it was located in Jordan Street, at the intersection of Ghobadian and Jordan Ave. It seems like a different [...]
February 1, 2008
youth and earthquake safety
This picture shows children cooperating during the reconstruction of schools in Bam (after the 2004 Earthquake which is an ongoing project), by the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) in Iran – truly inspirational.
There is a serious need for proper reconstruction of Bam as well as improving children’s safety in many regions in [...]
January 27, 2008
invisible children
Invisible Children is an eye-opening and heartwrenching documentary that details the life of street children in Uganda. Although this blog focuses on youth in South and Central Asia, much can be learned from the plight of youth in Uganda. The film was made by a few young men who were looking for an adventure when they discovered the [...]
January 25, 2008
born into brothels
The following series of videos are the documentary “Born into Brothels”, winner of the 77th Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It’s a visually amazing and heartfelt documentary about a series of young people living in the red light district in Calcutta and a photographer who introduces them to the restorative power of photography.
[...]
January 24, 2008
three cups
I’m currently reading Three Cups of Tea, which is a book co-written by Greg Mortenson. It is a compelling story about an American mountainer who became inspired to build a school in the impoverished and isolated mountains of Pakistan. Mortenson began this journey in 1993 and since then has built 55 schools, especially for girls, [...]
January 14, 2008
iran and brain drain
The International Monetary Fund recently surveyed 61 countries and concluded that every year more than 150,000 educated young Iranians leave their home country to find a better life abroad. According to IMF, Iran has the highest rate of “brain drain” in the world. In our recent trip to Iran, I heard from one of the [...]
January 12, 2008
the power of photography
Image borrowed from: www.kids-with-cameras.org
It is amazing what images the camera lens can capture. Mundane objects that we often overlook in our daily lives take on a whole new meaning when we see them through the eyes of another. As a medium for empowering, the camera is often the most simple restorative art form. [...]
January 3, 2008
youth and communications technology
In our recent trip to Iran I noticed the interesting relationship between the youth and communications technology as means for expressing their ideas and creativity or as a sign of protest against some old beliefs they passionately disagree with. In a country of 68 million people, the youth in Iran form about 70 percent of [...]
