We all make these mistakes

29 Tips for Bad Writing on Afghanistan.

They don’t care about us

One of the pillars of Western democratic societies is tolerance, particularly in issues regarding minorities who have different opinions and lifestyles from the rest of the society. Minorities’ different opinions, though strange for the majority, are normally respected. It is believed this is a right for them because of a possibility of validity for those opinions. However, when it comes to Muslims,this right most of the time is rejected.

On Sunday, October 29, 2009, Swiss voters supported a proposal to ban construction of minarets on Muslim mosques, with 57% in favor of the ban. The ban was initially proposed by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). “This vote was against minarets as symbols of Islamic power,” says Martin Baltisser, SVP’s General Secretary. There are 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland, and Islam is the second largest religion. However, there are only four minarets in the whole country. Minarets are just parts of an Islamic traditional architecture for mosques remained from centuries ago. No one, in Islamic countries, regards it as a source for power. It’s mere seen from a historical and artistic point of view, and nothing more. However, there could be the danger, in Western societies, if once Muslim minorities are given the concept that minarets on a mosque is an identity for them to separate them from the rest of the society, and a tool for some to leverage in raising Muslim’s religious emotions for using it to reach their illegitimate goals.

Switzerland has been always seen as a peaceful country. The Swiss Muslims are relatively moderate people among other Muslims of the world. Even in recent years, while Islamic extremists have been targeting many parts of the world, yet, we have not witnessed any attack in that country. However, won’t the ban on construction of minarets have the risk of a reaction from the Swiss Muslim community; another reason for Muslim extremists, from around the world, to further justify the West as an enemy; and, raising hatred among moderate Muslims?

It is essential to understand Muslims’ expectations and interpretations of their identity within the western societies. When, I first opened my account on Facebook, I made “friend” with a girl, from Washington D.C. In her profile photo, she had put on a scarf that made her look like an Arab girl. I asked if where she was from. She said she was Afghan. And, when I expressed my surprise, she gave me pages of lectures that, yes, she was a Muslim and Muslim girls must be like this and that. I was more surprised when I saw that how an Afghan girl from Washington D.C. was giving me lecture about Islam, while I have grown up in one of the most religious cities among Islamic countries, and one of the centers of Islamic fundamentalism. In fact, she did not know much about how girls behave in Islamic countries; and it seemed she did not care either. Because, the contradiction is this that in Islamic countries, girls, by their own will or from fear, do not put their photos on a public Website to show off themselves with their scarves! Actually, scarf for that girl was a symbol for the identity by which she had a chance to express herself in the society, from which she had been once rejected. The more the society was banning her from scarf, the more she would be determinant to wear it. Similarly, it seems this is what the French secular government does. By not allowing girls to dress in the way to demonstrate a religious identity in the public sphere, it teaches them that scarf is an identity for the isolated minority group they are living in.

Scarf and minarets are nothing but parts of women’s clothing and Islamic architectural heritage. They are similar to any other kinds of things like them. It would be funny to talk about their danger, the same way it is funny when, in some Islamic countries like Iran, necktie is considered dangerous for the society. Nor scarf neither necktie is dangerous; even if they are considered as symbols for Islamic and Western identity. Even, it is expected they are welcomed as examples of diversity in a Western society; what that essentially makes the Western countries distinguished as democratic and pluralistic societies. However, when minority groups, like Muslims in western societies, are not tolerated for their lifestyles, they will tend to separate themselves from the rest of the society. They will start building their own identities, in the form of clothing in a special way or building minarets; and become isolated more and more in their own communities. In spite of geographically living in a modern Western country, they are living in an island, far from the society.

In Islamic countries, that I have ever lived, people normally do not care about minarets, in their routine lives, as they have become as normal as part of a building. In whole of my life, I do not recall I have ever stopped in front of a mosque and look at its minarets, with pride, and said, yes, this is the reason of my existence! I am wondering to know who tells Muslims in Western societies that minarets are so important.

The ban of construction of minarets in Switzerland is an example, illustrating, how integration of Muslim communities in Western societies is more complicated than other minorities. In addition, it clearly demonstrates how misunderstandings could be easily made. I think most of those young Muslims, who are absorbed in extremist groups, have once experienced a failed effort in being integrated and accepted as citizens of a society, which tolerance is not respected towards them.

I did it

Yeah, I wrote another article.

Another one

Well, I won't surrender. I will write another article.

Two weeks is not enough for eating democracy

“Sorry mate, but I’m not going to eat it,” the last words, said Stefan Gates, in Cooking in the Danger Zone, a documentary film by BBC.

Stefan Gates is a food “adventurous”. He pops up wherever eating is a challenging task; Afghanistan, Tonga, U.S. Army, India, Venezuela, and this time, South Korea. Maybe, South Korea can’t be considered as a high-risk region in terms of security, but, definitely it is challenging when it comes to eating dog. Well, nothing seems more enjoyable than challenging an undiscovered land for a Westerner. How about when it is the matter of culture? Something deeply engraved on spirit of a human being, grown from hundreds of years of customs. Stefan Gates could not eat dog, within two weeks try during his stay in South Korea. So, why must West expect Afghan people to become democratic only after a few years?

Stefan Gates wants to have an experience of tasting dog’s meat. Koreans, through two weeks, tried their best to convince Stefan that eating dog is something completely normal in their culture. It’s regarded as a “traditional medicine and a cornerstone of the culture.” However, “just like the dog meat industry itself, it wasn't pretty,” concluded Stefan.

I was just wondered how Stefan, who claims “I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to food” , can’t eat dog. Stefan, himself, says, “I don’t see anything particularly wrong with eating dog.” But, he can’t eat it.

We don’t eat dog because dog is a pet. But, cow and sheep can also be pets. So, what’s wrong? Culture. Culture says you shouldn’t eat dog. It is based in hundreds of years of traditions and customs. So, fairly nobody should expect to digest it within two weeks!

Stefan may refuse to eat dog. But, how about our people in Helmand when they are being taught democracy, secularism, women empowerment… in classrooms like Bagwa desert, and with chalks like B-52? They may not refuse to learn. They are condemned to learn democracy.

My aim, here, is not to prove that democracy is something as disgusting as eating dog for Afghan people. However, there would be the danger of such an assumption if they were forced to adopt it within a short period. Such phenomena as democracy and secularism are deeply rooted in Western culture. It has been achieved “gradually over the course of nearly 300 years, allowing new ideas of governance time to filter down to all levels of society.” In Afghanistan, however, Europeans and Americans want the people to learn such concepts during one night.

After 9/11, the U.S. sent troops to Afghanistan to destroy Taliban and eliminate terrorism. This is not the first time that the U.S. tries to remove an anti-American regime, in the international arena. After the World War II, the U.S. removed the Nazism in Germany, and established a democratic government. In Afghanistan, the same strategy is applied. However, establishing democracy requires a considerable time, allowing all democratic institutions to root in a society. In Germany, there was no need for such time since all of its democratic institutions were already in place. In Afghanistan, however, we need to start from the beginning; learning this that democracy is not something bad at all!

For establishing democracy in Afghanistan, Europeans and Americans first need to build an image of themselves for Afghans as if they are here to really help us. (Though, they are doubtful about it, among themselves, as “Is counterinsurgency [in Afghanistan] meant to achieve the goal of counterterrorism or state-building, or both?”) In last semester at American University of Afghanistan, spring 2009, we had a course titled University Success. Part of the course was “service-learning component”, in which “students apply what they have learned by doing a community service project.” What we did was helping the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), settled in a camp around Kabul. Through two months work within four groups, we held a Fun Fair Day on campus to raise the initially estimated US$2,000 fund. We got it. Also, by the brilliant initiative of one of the class fellows, we acquired a US$72,000 grant from The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), in the form of Hygiene Kit packages. Finally, we went to the camp and distributed the kits. The project was successfully implemented.

“By far […] this has been the most successful project in 7 semesters of my classes,” says Professor Shaw; I agree with him. We did well, but in terms of team working, and not by the end result. To my curiosity and simplicity, I visited that camp another day. I was not surprised when I observed no change in the living conditions of the people. In fact, we spent US$72,000 not to bring an improvement, but to fulfill the feeling of selfishness in ourselves. US$72,000 of the total money, coming to Afghanistan as International humanitarian assistance. I was ashamed of facing those poor people who expected us to help them, not to make them a joke. They needed food, prior to toothbrush!

I can’t describe exactly what grounds the similarity between eating dog and democracy. However, this comparison is inevitable for me, when I have to follow, every night, the news of “today’s number” of killed and injured of Afghan people. I am just wondering how it would be like if Helmandis, too, were allowed not to eat democracy, so fast.

Watch your steps online!

This post has already been published here. However, I added some more words, more analyses, and I did a bit more research on it. So, here is what I have come up with.

“Do not do something in private that you are ashamed of demonstrating it in public,” Said the 14th century Persian poet, Hafiz Shirazi. Hafiz has many moral maxims, in his poems, about honesty. However, if Hafiz knew how to search Google to get information about a person, would he still put his time in inviting people to be honest?

Thanks to the Internet, we can find information of any kind. Just type a few words, and click. Online networking, as a phenomenon on the Internet, has created many opportunities in expanding social relationships. On the other hand, the more you are networking, the more you are decreasing your privacy.

Social networking Websites have given us the opportunity to be connected with each other. For instance, I “follow”, and am being “followed” by, Barack Obama and Britney Spears on my Twitter account. Twitter is a “social networking and micro-blogging service” that allows to post your status within 140 characters. It is a convenient way of getting information about everything. It has also created potential opportunities for businesses to build relationship with their customers. By using Twitter search engine, businesses may find their customers’ concerns about their products, or seek opportunities to develop new products. Since the “tweet” (the so-called status updates) is limited to 140 characters, you need to use the words as efficiently as possible.

On my Facebook account, I am a “friend” of Dr. Barnett Rubin. He is an expert on Afghanistan. I know he has no time to talk to me in person. However, I have chatted with him via Facebook several times, and taken advantage of his opinions on Afghanistan issues. Thus, I have made many friends, even among celebrities, whom I’ve always had the dream of having a chance to talk to.

In the professional arena, “social networking sites are exploding in popularity, as people look to connect with pretty much everyone they know...” LinkedIn, a “professional networking site”, has provided employment opportunities. According to Site Analytic, the number of LinkedIn’s unique visitors has been doubled since last year, getting 14,241,651 people for the month of August 2009. On LinkedIn, you can connect to people in your field of expertise. Also, you can seek job opportunities through expanding the number of your “connections”.

However, when you look at the other side of the coin, you will understand how fast you are disseminating your personal information to everyone; something inevitable, in online social networking. You post your photos on Facebook, update your status, share videos, news, links, etc. Just imagine how easy it is getting into the depth of your personality, through all this information; it would be terrifying!

Facebook is concerned about the privacy of their users. The Facebook Privacy Policy says, “We understand you may not want everyone in the world to have the information you share…” However, this claim is opposing the philosophy of Facebook’s functions. In its nature, Facebook is a “data mining company… that seeks to open and/or disseminate private information to third parties for commercial purposes…” According to the Privacy Policy:

“… these third party advertisers may […] download cookies to your computer […] to personalize advertising content.”

What Facebook wants is “to make as much information as possible on Facebook public.” On July 01, 2009, Facebook made some changes in the privacy setting of the Website, providing an option as “everyone”. By choosing that, you would allow all people on the Web to access your information. Of course, this is what, not only Facebook, but also any other social networking Website requires; putting your things in public.

Being on the Web is risky. It is not always about inadequate privacy policies of social networking Websites. Sometimes, it’s you who is not careful about what is being said or done. For example, imagine you are applying for a job. The employer does a search for your name on Google. A lot of information, photos, and texts, by your name, are being up. Okay, there would be no problem if they are just good things. But, what if, you’ve, someday, shared a porn photo or video? Or, after applying for the job, you blog that you “hate the job and you just have to get that!” However, “Google never forgets.” Then, can you imagine what the reaction of that employer would be towards you?

Online networking is a gift by the Internet. Yet it has its own advantages, and disadvantages. It depends on us as how we want to use it. However, one thing should never be forgotten: You need to be careful in your online life, as if, there is always an eye watching you!

Teens become entrepreneur

Who says age matters in the age of Silicon Valley? Read how kids become entrepreneur.

The Shadow of Skirts

“The shadow of Queen Soraya Tarzi Hanim’s skirts still haunts Kabul policy circles more than three-quarters of a century after her sartorial ensemble shook Afghan society.” (Jacinto, L. (2006). Abandoning the Wardrobe and Reclaiming Religion in the Discourse on Afghan Women's Islamic Rights. Journal of Women in Culture & Society, 32(1), 9. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from Academic Source Complete (EBSCOhost Research Databases)) Queen Soraya, in 1927, accompanied King Amanullah on a great trip to Europe, Egypt, and India. After returning to Afghanistan, she appeared in the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) in Paghman with the King. A history had begun. August 29, 2009; Afghan presidential election: Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the presidential candidate, appears in public to give his vote, while his wife is accompanying him.

For Afghans, it has always been a unique experience to see their president’s wife in public. On the other hand, some of the most considerable momentums in the last century of Afghanistan’s history have been or related to this experience.

Soraya Tarzai Hanim was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1899. In Damascus, she learned modern western values. In 1913, Prince Amanullah met Soraya Tarzai and married her. Soraya Tarzai became the Queen of Afghanistan, and the only wife of King Amanullah, breaking the centuries of tradition of polygamy.

King Amanullah campaigned against the veil. "Islam does not require women to cover their bodies or wear any special kind of veil," said the King to Afghan elders, in the Loya Jirga in Paghman. Then, Queen Soraya, who was present in the speech, tore off her veil in public and the wives of other officials present at the meeting followed this example. “Thus, he struck at the roots of conservative Islam by removing the veil from the women…” (Dupree, L. (1997). Afghanistan. Karachi, Pakistan: 1997.) The Queen took part in hunting parties, military parades and other official ceremonies, with the King. During the War of Independence, she visited the tents of the wounded soldiers. She went with the King in rebellious provinces. “Do not think… that our nation needs only men to serve it,” she said in an Independence Day address to Afghan Women in 1926. “Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of Islam.” (Jacinto L., pp. 13-14.)

After eighty years from the time Queen Soraya challenged Afghan traditional society by unveiling in the historic Loya Girga, we were about to experience it once more. Dr. Abdullah is participating in the election with his wife. After the communist rule and about three decades of war in Afghanistan, this is the first time that an Afghan leader shocks the public by showing up to vote with his wife and his son. “Men and women in this country have a responsibility and it's the destiny of everybody, not just men in this country,” said Dr. Abdullah, after he voted.

‘Wearing an Iranian-style scarf, a green coat and black pants, Dr. Abdullah’s wife came up with a more politic response: “Women make up 50 per cent of Afghan society and [my presence] is to give a message to Afghan women to take part in the elections.”’

Queen Soraya and King Amanullah started the reform process in Afghanistan. They put themselves and their kingdom into danger with their beliefs. Finally, when the reform programs “increased in momentum”, in 1928, tribesmen revolted against the King, and burned down the King’s palace. (Dupree L., p. 452.) The kingdom of Amanullah collapsed, and he remained in exile until he died in 1960 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Queen Soraya lived when just two decades of the Twentieth century had passed. Afghanistan had not yet experienced many modern thoughts, ideologies, and technologies. Although, we are in 2009, if I want to know the name of Dr. Abdullah’s wife, I search the Internet and find nothing! I ask some people: “Nobody knows, and those who know wouldn’t tell you,” a fellow classmate said.

When Journalists ask the presidential candidate why he had not brought his daughters to the polling station, Dr. Abdullah said, “I have brought my son to give him the impression of democracy and voting for the presidency in our country I haven’t brought my daughters because they were not at home.”

For about eight years, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Afghanistan; he knows well how to diplomatically respond to such questions.

alone

It's 7:45 at office. I am not alone. Chopin is talking to me.

Persia in The Story of Civilization

One of the books, which I have been always dreaming to conquer, is The Story of Civilization. For me, it is unbelievable how a single person can start and finish writing such a huge book; a book, which is even a great task to be thoroughly read. Will Durant, the writer of The Story of Civilization says,

“I wish to tell as much as I can, in as little space as I can, of the contributions that genius and labor have made to the cultural heritage of mankind—to chronicle and contemplate, in their causes, character and effects, the advances of invention […] the development of science, the wisdom of philosophy, and the achievements of arts. I do not need to be told how absurd this enterprise is, nor how immodest is its very conception; for many years of efforts have brought it to but a fifth of its completion, and have made it clear that no one mind, and no single lifetime, can adequately compass this task.”(Will Durant, The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage, New York: Simon and Schuster 1954, p. vii.)

However, he succeeded. The Story of Civilization is in 10 volumes: (1) Our oriental Heritage; (2) The Life of Greece; (3) Caesar and Christ; (4) The Age of Faith; (5) The Renaissance; (6) The Reformation; (7) The Age of Reason Begins; (8) The Age of Louis XIV; (9) The Age of Voltaire; (10) Rousseau and Revolution.

Durant in the first volume, Our Oriental Heritage, has paid attention to many primary people and civilizations that lived, invented, made, conquered, and left many things we are, today, heirs to. One of these civilizations is Persia. A chapter (VIII), comprising of 35 pages has been allocated to it. (Durant, pp. 350-385) Comparing to the role of the Persia in the history of civilization, this 35 pages, of course, cannot be considered so many. Particularly, when we compare it to the whole of the first volume, which is about to 1000 pages.

Durant starts from the Medes. Then, he follows the chapter with Cyrus, his policies, and the creation of one of the strongest empires throughout the history. Durant talks to us about Darius the Great, the people, their culture, their religion, Zarathustra, Ahura Mazda, trades, industries, and much more. In the end, like every civilization in the history, we reach to a point that the Persia has to enter into a period of decline. Darius III, the last of King of Persia, is defeated, through a several wars, against the young Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great. Thus, the great civilization of the Persia, which has become old enough to die, replaced with the Macedonian Empire, and becomes one of its provinces. (Ibid, p. 328)

I have been wrong

It could be strange or funny that you write on a Weblog and you expect nobody will read what you've written. It's impossible. Well, I have been feeling like this. I think I am wrong.

Listen Online

This is one of my dreams that someday I could do all my computer works just online. Thanks to some like Google, this dream, to some extent, has been fulfilled. I can use Google Doc to do everything (not actually everything, of course) that I do in MS Office, for example.

I want to, someday, totally use online storages and websites to listen music, without having to downloading them on my computer. Here is a first post by Orli Yakuel on TechCrunch, of a two-part article, introducing the most popular websites for listening music online. Have a look at it. You maybe will like it.

The Fall Semester

Thank God, the summer break is about to over. And, we're going to have another plasureable time in the Fall Semester.

I have scheduled for tomorrow to go AUAF to register for the new semester. I have planned to get myself a bit busier this semester.

One interesting thing in this semester is online registration, which, I am sure, is going to decrease our headaches very much. Thanks to AUAF!

Nasim Fekrat

Definitely, this is just more than a name: Nasim Fekrat...

Love?

She is certain. She says this is not love. She says love is something...

I must...

I must go away. I must be alone. I must forget about everything...

Why do, or do not, you read me?

Because, Everyone else reads it.

At nights in alleys

At nights, when everybody is asleep, in alleys, in lonelinesses, we shall put hands in pockets, we shall walk a bit, we shall smoke some, and till anyone is awake, and till they break our fragile loneliness, we shall talk a bit.

When you are asleep

When you are asleep, deeply, with eyes closed. When you are asleep, with eyes closed, and me, sitting beside you. When you are asleep, and me, sitting, watching you… You can’t even guess, what I am stealing of you with my eyes, wide-open, watching you…

patience for freedom

Only a bit more patience, dawn is close...

Where Roads End, the Taliban Begins

(Originally Published here)

It’s your wedding party. You’re happy; a few are dancing. You’re sitting beside your bride; she’s happy too…

A loud sound, darkness, dust, silence…

Coalition Forces fighter planes…

Everyone assumes that they are targeting the Taliban. But, what about the innocent people like you whose wedding party is being celebrated?

The next day, briefly in the news: “… as many as 100 civilians might have died.”

U.S. troops are going to be increased in order to fight the Taliban insurgents more effectively so that terrorism can be eliminated in Afghanistan. Will these terrorists be eliminated? From all we have witnessed in the last few years, this claim is invalid. For six or seven years, al-Qaeda has been increasing its terrorist activities in Afghanistan. Now, in 2009, a top Taliban commander claims that they are “ready to attack Kabul and could strike virtually anywhere in the city.” In fact, the first targets, the defenseless targets, have always been civilians. Last year, on July 7, a suicide bomber, with a car full of explosives attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul. Two Indian diplomats were killed. This attack also killed 41 and injured 141 Afghans. Today, many Afghans have started to think that the cause of all the instabilities in Afghanistan is not al-Qaeda or Taliban, but the international community, and particularly the U.S. If U.S. troops are increased, suicide attacks will be increased, and bombarding of U.S. fighters will be increased too. As a result, what we are going to witness are more civilian casualties, more violence, and more instability.

Why are al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan? The al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, is from Saudi Arabia, which is a friend of the U.S. Why doesn’t he go back to his own country to fight its government? Why are people from Africa, South Asia, Arab countries, and many other parts of the world, coming here to Afghanistan to become terrorist? They’re here because the U.S. is here. This is the reason for them to come and fight against a common enemy; the West. A Muslim activist in Iraq, who supported insurgents against U.S. troops, before the previous U.S. presidential election said he would support the reelection of George W. Bush because he doesn’t want him to leave so easily. He said, “we want to defeat him […] we want to win the war and humiliate him, the way he has tried to humiliate us.” Increasing U.S. troops will definitely strengthen the international forces in the fight against terrorism. But on other hand, it will give a stronger motive to terrorists, from around the world, to find a field to challenge the U.S. The only losers of this political game are Afghan civilians. They are going to be either targeted by suicide bombers or by U.S. fighter planes.

Those who are in favor of increasing troops are arguing that increasing U.S. soldiers will bring Afghans more security. The experience of the last seven years does not support this assertion. Of 2100 civilian deaths in Afghanistan last year, 550 were the result of air strikes by U.S. and NATO-led forces. Homes are attacked and inspected by U.S. soldiers; men, women, elders and kids are treated in an inappropriate way, and villages are targeted by U.S. air attacks supporting the ground troops. On May 6, just a couple of weeks ago, U.S. air strikes killed 100 civilians in Farah province in western Afghanistan. Yet, it said that U.S. troops are being increased to defend Afghans against terrorism. It seems that they create insecurity and anxiety for Afghans.

It is also said that parts of this increase are comprised of those who will come to train Afghan security forces. Afghans should govern Afghans. This is the only way Afghans can endure being governed. Afghans should gradually have the responsibility of removing terrorism, bringing peace, and establishing security in Afghanistan. By transferring such responsibilities, it is assumed that this would considerably decrease the number of Afghan civilian causalities. The U.S. has already had a successful experience of such transition in al-Anbar province of Iraq. The Awakening Movement in al-Anbar province in 2005 showed how cooperatively local people would respond if once their importance in establishing stability was recognized. The U.S. strategy involved a reduction of troops in the Sunni territory of al-Anbar province, and transferring the responsibilities to local militias; those who first fought the U.S.

To end the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, the only solution is to enhance the image of the international community, especially the U.S., among Afghan people. Increasing troops could be a temporary answer to slow down the Taliban and al-Qaeda activities in Afghanistan but it won’t eliminate it. The U.S. should gradually transfer the responsibility of establishing stability to Afghans. In addition, instead of increasing the budget for military action, the U.S. can provide financial support for developing projects in various areas such as agriculture, employment, eliminating narcotics, building roads, and many others. Development in Afghanistan means the end of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Nathaniel C. Fick and John A. Nagl in an article on Foreign Policy say:

“In Ghazni province last summer, one of us spoke with an Afghan road builder whose shirt was covered in dried blood. He’d been shot by the Taliban a day earlier for working with the coalition, but he was back the next morning with his paving crew because he thought that finishing that road was the best way to bolster security in his village. Indeed, the U.S. general who was critical of U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan pointed at Afghanistan’s ring road from the window of his Black Hawk helicopter, and declared, “Where the road ends, the Taliban begins.”

The AUAF Summer Break Mood

I can't say I am in a good mood; nor I am in a bad mood! It seems everything is in its place where it must be. The campus is closed... actually, not closed totally, but to some people like me. Here is what I really feel about it, so, I am not talking about that here anymore.

Today, I read a post by Seth Godin as Textbook rant. It is about problems with textbooks and solutions, if any. Have a look at it

Summer Break

Three months! How would I be able to bear that?!

She knows...

She knows how to play the game of love... And, I know too...

Kites dance on AUAF

We were flying out kites...

War for peace, peace for victory

I am not writing for endorsing war. I am just saying that this is an inevitable fact. In this regard, we can only be passive observers. We can hardly do more. And, if you told me that you are willing to bring peace just for sake of peace, I would barely believe that. War is not good, but peace is something unnatural for the human instinct. As “social animals” we, the humans, are used-to-be-wild animals who are not anymore straight in their manners.

We fight for our ideas. Maybe they are good, maybe bad. But “bad” or “good” are not God-given phenomenons. We call them so, because we want them so. And, we fight for their trueness. In the past, these fights were much more openly violent. Nowadays, as humans have been socially developed, this violence is not so obviously observed. But you tell me what these are: when we write books, when we present statements, when we argue for a comment, when we compete to get a job, when we compete in a football game. Obviously, you are so eager to be the winner side. While you compete, defending a thought you have no mercy towards your competitors. This is the fact.

Humans are “social animals”. This is another cheerless fact that we have to live with that: We have to work in groups; we have to learn in groups; we have to play in groups. And, as many as the number of the group members is increased, your freedom is decreased. The same your share of food, water, shelter, job, education, etc. is decreased. So you have to fight to get them. You go to school to get a good job. You get a good job to get a good salary. You try exhaustively to get a good salary to get good things for living. But on other hand, these good things are not indefinite, they are limited. And, as much as you increase your share of them, the shares of others are decreased. So you have to fight to survive. Yes, this is another fact; a cheerless fact.

Peace for humans is something instinctively unnatural. We get used more to fight than to peace. And, if we want to bring peace, it is more for victory. This is the true instinct of a so-called “social animal”. Rather bringing peace, I want to assert that, fight for your ideas—this must be seemed more sincere. Fight for your ideas with sincere. And, if you are a good fighter, you will definitely bring peace.

I am not only a fan of peace, but I am in favor of good fight towards a true peace; a peace towards victory. This must be more sincere.

AUAF Free Press goes live

The AUAF Free Press was officially launched today at about 10:00 a.m. We are so happy we have the opportunity to take the first steps of what we hope and we wish to be a huge publication in the future. AUAF Free Press starts with these:

• Library Noise Problem
• AUAF Model UN Representatives Could Not Attend Hague Summit Due To Lack Of Funds
• New Faculty Face At AUAF
• Is This the Life for Afghan Teenagers?
• Horoscope
• Recipe: Vegetable Patties

and others.

I failed

I failed. I failed in the AUAF Model U.N. Simulation Competition.

The results were announced yesterday. I was not on the list of the certified representatives. I checked twice and trice. I was not there. Yeah, I was not, that's it.

The Model U.N. Club Competes

Yesterday, at last, we went for the Model U.N. Simulation Competition at 3:00 p.m. The scenario was the April 5 Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Missile Test. Two judges, one from the U.N. and one from the Canadian embassy participated at the competition. Mr. Oliver Mains was the Secretary General and President of the meeting.

It started with a one-minute welcome speech in an alphabetical order through which I was the third. It was followed by a moderated caucus through which representatives could give a two-minute presentation. Then, followed by an unmoderated caucus, in which the representatives had the opportunity to informally lobby. The second moderated caucus continued the meeting. In this part some countries, by requesting time to talk, provided their opinions. Some countries provided some proposals for the resolution. The General Assembly through a voting ended the causes and started the voting for the proposals of the resolution.

20 students took part at the competition. Seven will be elected as the best representatives for their respective countries. I was the Czech Republic. I think I did well. However the results is to be announced within a few days.

Steve McCurry's photo exhibition

Yesterday, we had a short trip to the photo exhibition of Steve McCurry, the great American photographer, with AUAF students and faculties. Steve McCurry is the one whose the photo of an Afghan girl was published in the National Geographic cover, and republished in millions throughout the world.

At this point, I wish I could have more time to write in detail about McCurry's photo exhibition, but these days university course works, preparation for the Model UN simulation competition, as well as a full time job have filled me up with tasks. Just I wanted to say I enjoyed a lot.

The AUAF Model United Nation Club meets

The AUAF Model United Nation Club met yesterday at 03:00 p.m and was co-chaired by Dr. Shah and Ali Babour. Several issues pertaining to the forthcoming competition came under discussion. The procedure required for the club to be officially recognized at the campus, issues relating to fundraising, the topic to be discussed in the simulation session and much more.

It was a good and fruitful meeting, though, most of us including me, were acting awkwardly. We were given a topic regarding a current international conflict. Then, as representatives of various involving countries in the issue, we started debating. After the countries' presentation of their positions, the lobbies were begun, followed by another round of presentations. Wrap up and adopting a resolution ended the MUN session.

The topic of the MUN simulation competition to be held on April 18 is the North Korea's Nuclear Program, and we've got a week to research on the issue and to best represent our respective countries.

The MUN Competition

Today, we're going to have a practice session for the MUN simulation competition to be held in April 18.

AUAF Free Press

Hey you! Don't miss this!

I have just become the Photo Editor of the AUAF Free Press. Today, just a few minutes ago, the Photo and Journalism Club co-met and elected the officers of the AUAF Free Press. The most important and our boss (!), the Editor In-chief will be a girl whose name is Nahid. The one I took her photo, just right down this page.

I also met Ali Babour. I asked him about MUN competition due on April 18.

When my last class finishes

I have almost got used to this that every other day I go to the university I happily start classes and go happily through them. But, when I finish the last one, I am damn fucked up. I get anxiety, upset, sad, depressed... and, it continues for the two following days till it disappears and till I again go to the university and again the same thing repeats.

Degree on Facebook and Twitter

© °Florian. Some rights reserved

Here is a school presenting degrees on Facebook, Twitter and social media. Wanna have it?

I have started

Since I started thinking of MBA program at Stanford GSB, I began worrying about my job experience. MBA programs require applicants to have a few years career background in the field of management, organization, or whatever areas similar to them. But I had nothing in my resume to put forward about that. I have been translator/Interpreter since five or six years ago, which has nothing to do with the business. Therefore, I needed a job transition, from translation to a field (or fields) I have no background in it. Thus, no organization would hire me. But if I apply for a low position, and preferably, in my existing organization, I thought it might work.

From a couple of month ago, I have been eagerly sharping my ears, and nose, to hear new vacancies. At last one was up: H.R. Assistant. No better position than that I would've thought of. I applied and passed an interview and got it. Not so easy of course. To get that job, I started from several months ago, even before the vacancy was announced. I needed to build a good and successful career in my existing one to be well recommended for the next.

Here I am with this position. It's a new starting point for me. I will not of course remain here. I am going to be promoted. But I am patient.

International Women Day: some photos

AUAF celebrated the International Women Day by inviting some people from the American embassy to give speech at the campus. I took part, more for taking some photographs! I don't know why now, I am putting some of the photos I took, here.

One of the girls has gone up a desk to take photo! It's women day!
[removed]


A fellow presenting a bouquet of flower to the speakers and saying something funny I think!

AUAF authority itching his head for bullshits being asked!
[removed]

A pretty girl, looking at me taking her photograph?!
[removed]

A handsome guy.
[removed]

Lunch at the cafeteria after the ceremony...

Google's end?

If so, Google would die...

What about when an instructor delays...?

When we hand in an assignment late we have to be punished and condemned, but when an instructor delays in reviewing the assignment and giving grade to that, what should be done?

Prepare for a meeting

What to do for preparation for a meeting? Seth mentions 10 points.

Can you believe this?!

©13stock. Some rights reserved.

Does it mean someday, along with other courses at school and universities, students can take courses on tweeting, blogging, podcasting, online networking and much more?

Apparently, it seems not a so-far, out-of-the-way future--it has happened today! Read this on Guardian as Pupils to study Twitter and blogs in primary schools shake-up.

I should be anxious!

Everybody has anxiety before a forthcoming test--No need to explain why. This anxiety most of the time has a negative impact on the test performance. But being completely free of anxiety and stress neither is something good. Always there must be some anxiety with you, of course a bit, to move you, to force to try more.

This is particularly true when it comes to me. I was excessively worried about my UNV 101 midterm exam held on Tuesday and I tried so hard I did it pretty well. Today, I am going to take ENG 110. It seems to me it's easy. So, I am not trying. I am sitting here blogging! Is that right?

Why do they hate Google?!

Google's top designer Doug Bowman left the company to join Twitter. Because he could not tolerate more that Google sacrifices design for data. He says:

© gorriti. Some rights reserved.

"With every new design decision, critics cry foul. Without conviction, doubt creeps in. Instincts fail. “Is this the right move?” When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just look at the data. Data in your favor? Ok, launch it. Data shows negative effects? Back to the drawing board. And that data eventually becomes a crutch for every decision, paralyzing the company and preventing it from making any daring design decisions."

Read the complete post here.

What does your blog say about you?

What does your blog say about you--your values, your beliefs, your attitudes, your taste, your personality type? Here is a Web site called Typealyze which allows you to determine what your "blog personality type" is. Read here more about this Web site.

Here is what I am according to the Typealyze:

ISTP - The Mechanics

The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.


Some parts are nonsense: I don't like race cars or say I don't like risk so much. I risk in my life whenever and wherever elements are to some extent clear for me to make decision.

What do I do when I have an exam?

I've got an exam today, and four two-page papers to be written for the exam in addition to the 30 questions I am supposed to answer. But I have sat here blogging!

You know, I don't want this to be seemed to me a very important event. Rather I want that to be seemed normal, and a normal day I go to AUAF.

Oops! You hit the Gmail's Send botten too soon!

You have certainly experienced cases that you sent an email that has been too soon and the email has not been complete. You wanted it back but it was gone! Now you can undo the sent message in Gmail, but only in a few seconds after hitting the Send button. You have to hit the "Undo Send" button appearing on top of the sent message. Read more here and here.

When you...

When you make a girlfriend or boyfriend, what is the most important thing passing in your mind?

Trees under Kabul's Winter

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Jan. 16, 2008

Posted via email from soroush's posterous

UNV 101 University Success

In this term, I've taken a course as UNV 101 University Success. This course has been designed for college freshmen who are not properly familiar with the different system of education in college comparing to high school. It covers each and every aspect of colleges education system such as, Time Management, Personal Mission Statement, Taking Notes, Taking Tests, Reading Skills, Writing Skills and much more. I must say that very many of my problems have been answered regarding university life. I now know where I was, where I am standing now and, I have a clearer concept what I am going to do from now on, without any exaggeration.

Here in Afghanistan, unfortunately there are not so many books available for each subject, so we have been provided only one book for this course which its title is P.O.W.E.R. Learning: Strategies for Success in College and Life by Robert S. Feldman. It's a nice book. I have never let even a word be missed, up to here! On the back cover of the book there is a compliment as:

"This book is worth gold and I wish only that I would have had access to something like it when I was in high school or college! It is a book that doesn't affect a student for one semester--it can affect their whole life."

--Jill Hughes, Casper College

... I agree with her!

Who is the God in Afghanistan?!

"Well, we wouldn’t want Afghans to be able to read the Quran (Koran) now would we? That’s just too dangerous. They might find out about the wide range of rights that God has granted to man. But really, who needs to listen to God when you have the Supreme Court of Afghanistan?"

Read this.

Merely an "image" beautifully expressed

And so Blue remained, a beautiful part of our landscape, very peaceful to look at from the window, white against the grass. Once a friend came to visit and said, looking out on the soothing view: “And it would have to be white horse; the very image of freedom.” And I thought, yes, the animals are forced to become for us merely “images” of what they once so beautifully expressed.

--from Am I Blue? by Alice Walker

Bad for Good

I am wondering why always a bad must be there, for a good to be existed?

Why university?

Why do you go to university? Read what Jeff Jervis, author of the famous BuzzMachine says, in Hacking education: Google U.

One of these lovely creatures in the International Women Day Event!

We are going to have an event on the International Women Day in Campus. I have no idea how it's going to be like, but however, mostly I want to take part especially for one of them.

She is not so much pretty, but cute. I somehow have a special feeling about her, since exactly at the first glance. I've no idea what possibly she could think about me, or even she have never thought about me or ever noticed me!

I didn't know her name but you know, recently I am in the process to power my hearing (!), therefore, I sharpened someday for her friends talking to her. She was called "...", Okay, that's it, it was enough for me to find anything on the Internet she had already shared in public. I found a few pages on Facebook, one on LinkedIn, and some other stuffs.

But these all aside, I know that I should go and very simply start talking to her. Yeah, this must be the way, and the right way.

Is this an end?

Have we got to the end of papers' lives? Read Newspaperman contemplates suicide by Jeff Jervis.

Saying YES!

Wouldn't be bad if you have a look at this!

Watch your steps online!

I remember an excerpt of a poem by the 14th century Persian poet Hafiz which implicates (I cannot translate it word by word) that do not pretend to be something you are not, and maybe also, do not do something in private you are ashamed of showing it in public. In fact, these kinds of maxims are very many in the Persian classic literature. But, maybe that was a time that Hafiz didn't know anything about Google and how to dig into that to manifest somebody as he/she really is. Otherwise, Hafiz would forget about giving such advices!

Nowadays, thanks to (or maybe not) various aspects of information technology, we can find any info of any kind on the Internet, for example, by just typing a few letters and a click, and there you go, millions of pages would be provided.

The chances are high that you, wherever resided, are availed with the Internet. And then, I would be to some extent sure that you are on a few social networking websites, to name, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr etc. These websites need always some info about you: your name, your birth date, your birth place, your education, your job... Then you share all of these with your friends, some of whom, you have never ever met before. So, would you still remain private?

Now, imagine you are applying for a job. The emplyer searches your name on Google. And, there you go, a lot of info, photo, texts are up and all by your name. Okay, there woud be no problem if they are just good things, but what if, for example if you, someday that you do not remember, shared a porn photo or video? Can you imagine what would be the reaction of that emplyer toward you?

Here is what Seth Godin says regarding this facility or problem: Personal branding in the age of Google.

Time: 25 Best Blogs 2009

What are the most influential, most-viewed, best-written, most-hot-topics-picked-up weblogs in the world? Here are what Time start naming it as, 25 Best Blogs 2009:

1. Talking Points Memo (by Journalist Josh Marshall--politics)
   
2. Huffington Post (by Arianna Huffington--politics)
3. Lifehacker (Group blog--Technology)
4. MeFi (Group blog--community weblog)
5. Andrew Sullivan (by Andrew Sullivan--politics)
6. ...
   

You go on!

I have been already following some of these weblogs, like Seth Godin's blog (sethgodin.com) which is on marketing, and I love it very much. I deal with its posts like gold!

Anyway, I am strongly suggesting you giving Time's blog ranking a look. You would not waste your time!

How much do you care about your opposite sex at university?

The years of everybody's life passed by university level of education, especially in the countries I have ever lived, are very important years, for a reason of reasons: being with the opposite sex.

In Afghanistan, passing whole of your life apart and far from girls, in the case you're a boy, and far from boys, if you are a girl, actually must be intolerable. But this that how we've been able to tolerate that, is a question worthy to ask, and so important to deliberate about. Thus, to some extent, universities of any kind, give us, boys and girls, such great, unique, invaluable privilege.

On BW B-School Forum Feb. 22, a discussion was raised by one (dipmyballsinit) of the members (thanks to him!) about "hottest girls". It has been more than a couple of months, I am meticulously following the discussions on B-School Forum, and admittedly, I must say that I have gained a lot. Especially, it helped me very much in easily entering and being admitted at American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), through useful advises and suggestions, being put forward, for example on my admission essay. Anyway, THIS topic to be discussed on B-School Forum is very much new and innovative and interesting, to me at least. Dipmyballsinit begins so:

All of this HSW stuff is getting old. Let's start a discussion we all care about. Which school has the best looking girls?

You know, this kinds of matters have been always important to me, because I believe that they are the things directly related to the real lives of young boys and girls. We can not omit them. We can not ignore them. We can not forget them. We can not reject them. We can not condemn them. Why? because THIS is life, real life. You are against that?

Making girlfriend and boyfriend are natural things, that is, building communication with the opposite sex, which is started by an honest curiosity of a teen trying to discover what's going on over there, on the opposite sex. No matter how deep we go into it; either only chatting, sending SMS, talking, walking, going, coming, as it is the type we mostly have in these countries and mainly we may not exceed those, or sometime going deeper, and sex, love (though this one can also take place with the previous one), marriage (and this one also), and... I don't know, you name it.

The discussion on B-School Forum goes with this that how much you weigh on choosing a specific B-School, considering the availability of your favorable opposite sex. He gives his own answer as, "...For me it's probably not at all, but I still think that it is important to discuss...", so do I.

At AUAF, the atmosphere is relatively open, comparing to Kardan Institute of Higher Education. In fact, one of the primary reasons of opening this weblog was at first, to talk about the relationships between girls and boys at Kardan, when I newly attended there. But, honestly, I didn't dare to start saying even a word about it! Kardan's faculty, administration, and students attitudes were so closed and conservative that even maybe, each of them individually would like to start such debates within Kardan, they do not dare. Even once, I tried that. I asked a question about girls and boys at psychology time, and the consequence: all the girls immediately left the class, and we had a long-lasting dispute between fellows!

Though, I am not still satisfied properly with this, but, I am wondering: what does cause us, or motivate us to be a bit open at AUAF? Does anything change coming over here? What is/are the stimulus?

Want to feel poverty?

One who's willing to feel the poverty in Afghanistan.

Why do we SO love Google?

Again, why do we love Google--I mean, Jeff Jervis, for example? Here it is then:

I spent the day yesterday at Google and environs—my first visit to Olympus—and came away with one word: smart. I guess I missed that rule in the book: Hire smart people, act smart, be smart. It’s simple and obvious, but I can’t help feel that that is what sets Google apart from other companies: an assumption of intelligence...

Give that a look, I enjoyed, guess you would too.

Gates' way of presentation

Bill Gates at TED opened a jar of mosquitoes and released them into the audience to show what malaria is! Read here to learn in detail about the way Bill Gates provides a presentation.

February 19

Today, I am 26. That's it!

Why is it needed to motivate emplyees to adopt customer-focused behaviors?

[...] why is it so difficult to instill customer-focused behaviors? Why do we even need to talk about motivation? It seems like people would be self-motivated. I believe one reason is because...

Elaha reout!

Elaha out! Aside from all I said before, how sad it is that our people can not understand the value of life out of and without their ridiculous, idiotic, nonsense, ethnic beliefs! Alas!

What I said, was all I believed and still so. But, that was what, I believed, not the Elaha's voters. So why Elaha could not get up?

Elaha, from the beginning, had not been made for these people. She sang what they do not like. What, they could not manifest their ethnicity by. That was why, Elaha, in her last stage and performance, sang a song which was against (I guess) her taste. She had to--she supposed so. But no result. I don't know...

How such pretty, talented, invaluable girls as Elaha could possibly survive among such people? Maybe, she shouldn't have been back to the process. Thus, she could save her prestige.

What is your style at learning?

We have been assigned with doing a some sort of process called "Learning Style Inventory", including few questions, through which, you can get what style you are at learning: "AUDITORY learner", "VISUAL learner", or "TACTILE learner".

I am not so much sure about the outcome, which was Visual Learner for me, and has implied some recommendation for that:

If your are a VISUAL learner, then by all means be sure that you look at all study materials. Use charts, maps, filmstrips, notes and flashcards. Practice visualizing or picturing words/concepts in your head. Write out everything for frequent and quick visual review.

It looks like soothsaying! I don't believe in that. It couldn't be so much easy and simple. Okay, you try yourself!

What could be meant by "Afghanization"?

“Afghanisation”: a rather unfortunate neologism by Christian Bleuer.

The point is not this whether how much I believe that or not, but, it discusses a point, worthy to consider.

I don't want to become a "millionaire"!

In Afghanistan, whenever you turn on the TV to watch maybe something interesting, you definitely face with an ad, of a bank, a GSM provider, a... I don't know, you name it, which says about a sort of lottery or something like that. I just wonder that what kinds of industries they are in--banking, communication... or, lottery industry?

I want to just ask these businesses that, wouldn't it better to go and a bit work on your products, instead of "making the people, 'millionaire'"?! People are not seeking becoming millionaire by using your products, they just want to satisfy their needs. And, if you're not the one satisfying those needs, why don't you just find a way to become the one? Thus, you wont definitely need even to advertise for your products--that is, "Word of Mouth", which is much stronger.

Elaha--No! Not anymore!

A few days ago, a friend of mine called me up and talked about the Afghan Star, the Tolo TV contest show, and said, that the directors of the program have thought of a way to turn back some of the guys who had been shot out, including and specially, Elaha Sorour. Apparently (actually according to what the friend of mine said), the numbers of votes being given to the stars have been considerably decreased, so the Tolo's directors have had to care of it and thought of a solution for that. That is, we can again vote, in particular for Elaha. Also some of Elaha's fans has launched a Web site in her name to supper her, including the videos of her performances.

But wait a sec! We must ask ourselves, "Why?". Why should we have another opportunity to give vote and support our favorites? Why must this round be different from the previous rounds? What about those coming up yet? Haven't they been got up, up to here, by the votes of the people?

Personally, I am happy that Elaha can fight again for what she has the talent and the capacity, but, I am not happy about this new process, totally, and the opportunity provided, since this is not the right way, and the way of right. This is CHEATING!

From the beginning of the process, Tolo TV has established a procedure, that is, the stars are promoted to higher stage by the votes of the people which are given via SMS. We, including the voters and the stars, have accepted this rule. However, technically, or musically, whether this procedure is wrong or right, we have accepted that. Then, what has happened now, to violate this rule?

All of this process is fun, up to here. Thus, we can vote, we can support our favorite singers, we can spend our mobile credits to see that our favorite singer has won. But, I am not to be taken advantage; I do NOT allow Tolo TV, nor any GSM provider in Afghanistan, use me like a tool. I wrote about Elaha (here and here) and expressed my sadness when she could not get higher than 8th, all, because I believed that she could be given more than that; something she had the right. I believed that she fought for change, an ethical and moral change, but this, definitely not moral, nor ethical.

All the guys, taking part in this contest, are of youths, who hard are more than 25 years old. This process must not only a scene to challenge the capacities and capabilities of these young boys and girls, but also must be a lesson, by our adults, of ethics, morale, effort, equality, and integrity, for them. But alas, we can observe that our adults show us how to cheat!

I am completely AGAINST this new process.

Which one is the first: the egg or the hen?

Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after.

Which comes first, the product or the marketing? Nice, short post by Seth Godin. Give a look!

LinkedIn down!

Last night, I attended the Orientation at AUAF. A few people addressed including [the names removed], and a few others, I hadn't met them before.

I don't know whether this was due to my eastern attitude or what, all during the addresses, I was feeling that the manner of lecturers was a bit ungracious. I don't know. Maybe it was a problem of my hearing!

I completed all my preliminary administrative works, including ID card, email account, etc.To check the functionality of my AUAF email, I went to the library which is much more bigger than the one of Kardan, and much more equipped (thanks to AUAF, then). I wanted also to check my LinkedIn account, but it didn't work. I thought it could be because of a problem of the computer or the internet connection of AUAF, due to my relatively internet illitracy! But, today I read on TechCrunch, and also, on the LinkedIn's blog itself, that yeah, it was in fact a problem of LinkedIn. Okay, I didn't care that, and I do not.

You're the one who's putting a nail into her shoes in a marathon?

Last night, I just heard on a TV ad (but, I did not give a look at it!) that a SIM card of Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC), a GSM provider in Afghanistan, charges only 2 afghanis per min while making a call with another AWCC's SIM card, and 4 afghanis with all others. The normal charges for making a call in Afghanistan, almost common for all GSM providers, is 5 afghanis per min.

I am pretty sure this is not the good way of marketing. AWCC is willing to build an advantage for itself, by lowering the prices, but why does it also, by itself, put some limits on this advantage?! It is like that, in a marathon, while nobody has any shoes to run, but you have one, and this is a great advantage for you, but you're putting a nail in your shoes!

Orientation Week

Okay, the first session at AUAF, whatever the impression was, passed. What about the Orientation? What would it be like? Any idea?

Davos09: What’s missing in journalism?--by Jeff Jervis

The media machers at Davos got together yesterday with three economists to ask what went wrong in financial coverage that did not warn of the crisis.

Like other leaders from other segments of society here in the meeting of the machers, they did not don hairshirts. I believe that will be the worst outcome of this year’s Davos: a failure to take responsibility for the failure of leadership. But blame isn’t the most productive priority. What’s more critical is to ask what to do about the failure.

I wonder...

Strongly recommending giving a look.

Where is Professionality?

Every person, in every field, in the social arena, needs to be recognized, in order to promote himself or herself. This is also true about bloggers who start newly to blog. Some time ago, I sent an email to a news web site to put my URL on its blogroll list; as, it itself, had invited so. But, after a few times try, nothing was changed, and nobody gave me an eye. I, a little bit, got angry about it, but, that was all. I never spat on nobody's face!

This is something happened to Micheal Arrington, the famous author of the technology and startup web log, TechCrunch, during his stay in Munich, Germany, for the Digital, Life, Design Conference.

Yesterday as I was leaving the DLD Conference in Munich, Germany someone walked up to me and quite deliberately spat in my face. Before I even understood what was happening, he veered off into the crowd, just another dark head in a dark suit...

Micheal Arrington has become a famous figure in the Online World, maybe too famous. He blogs about and covers startups, which could be really significant in the term of being recognized for the startups. But sometimes, some startups which are not covered by him, are got angry so as,

TechCrunch is a successful startup in its own right, and I’m proud of what we’ve built over the years. We are aggressive proponents of the startup community, and do what we can to give exposure to new ventures that previously had little chance at public exposure[...]

But I can’t say my job is much fun any more. Startups that don’t get the coverage they want and competing journalists and bloggers tend to accuse us of the most ridiculous things [...] as we’ve grown and become more successful the attacks have also grown. On any given day, when I care to look, dozens of highly negative comments are made about me, TechCrunch or one of our employees in our comments, on Twitter, or on blogs or other sites. Some of these are appropriately critical comments on things we can be doing better. But the majority of comments are among the more horrible things I can imagine a human being say.

He and his family have ever been threatened to be killed. This is really shameful! How could these people, doing such things, call themselves Professional. Professionality is something worthless and can not be called so, without ethics. OK, we have a lot of things to learn from such experiences.

What is this CREATIVITY?

What is "Creativity"? And, the thing that is so? How is it like to be? Are those things, being thought "Creative", really so?

"Creativity" is...

Elaha--be not worry! This is Afghanistan

At least, I have learned music for about seven years, and I can understand who could be possibly a singer or who can not. Elaha, among other girls of the previous round of the Afghan Star, has been the best. She is pretty, she is good-looking, she is tall, she is dignified, as well as, having a good voice to sing. But she is not got higher than 8th, why?!

A friend was always saying and still, "TIA", and then saying, "This is Afghanistan", meaning everything IS possible in Afghanistan! It is possible for an ugly boy or girl who has never, in his/her life, heard a note of a song, who has never sing a song, who has never appeared in public, who has never... to go and become "The Afghan Star"! And a prefect, pretty, dignified girl with a really good voice...

Alas! Yes, "TIA", This is Afghanistan. Everything is possible, and, sometimes nothing is possible, for a girl such as Elaha, who is not committed to anything, but people, but music, who is not dependent on anything, but herself, he voice, her prettyness, And not on the dirty support of Hizb-i-Wahdat, Mazari's followers, Khalili's, Mohaqqeq's, etc.

Alas! TIA--This is Afghanistan!

Admission done!

Today, I received an email from AUAf, about the acceptance of my admission:

Dear Mr. Rasouli,

The American University of Afghanistan is pleased to accept your application for undergraduate study.
On review of your application we have noted that it is complete...

May I be happy, please?!

AUAf admission to be done

Today, I am going to submit my complete application to AUAf. I also a few times more, revised the admission essay. It is as follows:
AUAf Admission Essay

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Essays Academic Work

You do not work for people!

One of my long-term ambitions in starting a business and being an entrepreneur is establishment of an ad magazine. I am not to talk about this ambition, in detail now, but, I want to just say this, that while talking about it to different people, and discuss the feasibility, the single response I have been, most of the time, receiving has been, "NO"!

The people, who most of them have had hands in journalism, responded such that there is no market in this niche in Afghanistan. They give me examples with available newspapers, magazines, etc. which are not, almost all, profitable. And, the reason often they suggest is that Afghan people are not interested in paying attention to print media, or this that print media has not been institutionalized in the lives of Afghans, and so, and so.

But, I am not blaming Afghan people, but looking for the reason among the media themselves--their function, management, policies, strategies, cultures, structures, attitudes, etc. They are not designed such to meet the needs of the people, i.e. they do not work for Afghan people, so how do they expect the people to work for them?

Read more about this, what Seth says.

TOEFL done!

I just called up the AUAF to ask about my TOEFL result. They said I have been passed in it. Congratulate me! But they didn't anything about the score. I have to visit there in person.

Elaha Sorour--fight for change

From time to time, I am getting into thinking about this that who, at last, would be possibly the one to become the pioneer of an evolution, or what I really mean, a revolution, in the minds of Afghans? Who would be the one to release my people from the prison of their minds?

There have been no answer, however, in my mind to this question, alas! These, are NOT intellectuals. They have already failed. But who else?

This is the 4th round of the Afghan Star--a show by Tolo TV, which is a contest between Afghan youths to put their voices into competition. In each round, there have been a few girls as well, among very many boys, showing and presenting freely and bravely themselves in front of eyes of millions of Afghans.

Elaha Sorour is one of these girls. She is one of the bravest Afghans, I know, who has accepted the excessive risk of anything, actually not to win the competition, but to fight, I believe. To fight against what is wrong in the Afghan society which is limiting her. To fight for change. Maybe she could be the one.

TOEFL

About a week ago, I took the TOEFL at the American University. It was not so much difficult, but so fast, and actually, its difficulty was in this case. I did not expect such a pace. I had only 10 seconds per question, in the 1st section (Listening) for example. I answered all the questions, though I got late to the exam hall, and that was another problem. I almost fill my name and other boxes of the answer sheet at the end of the test. Also, because of getting late, I was pretty panicked!

I did well the 2nd section, which was writing. It was quite easy. But the last section --reading-- was pretty long-- 50 qs. Though, after answering to all questions, I had still five minutes! which was put on writing my name.

The result is to inform within a few days coming. I am not so much hopeful, but no problem, I'm going to try it again, if I am not passed in it.

Want to manage Britney Spears online?

Britney Spears is on a few social networking web sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. And she needs someone to handle all "the hard work of posting and responding to contents" of her accounts. Of the requirements, the one interesting to mention is:

being addicted to social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, technology and social blogs, and playing around with new technologies such as ٔٔٔTwitter...

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