Author Archives: socialinform

Iran-Israel a viral TED Video by Ronny Edry

Also consider that the people in Iran are living in a dictatorship, which strongly limits their freedom of speech. Still for every Israeli love-message there was an iranian response.

This is the reality. the reality is not what politicians make up, like what you can read in the following article by the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Israel-paints-Iran-as-Enemy-No.-1-1992

Iran’s Environment Chief, the first woman to receive the Energy Globe Foundation award

Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment Masoumeh Ebtekar has won the Energy Globe Foundation award for her long-term efforts in the field of environment protection.

Wolfgang Neumann, the Austrian founder of the Energy Globe Foundation, took a trip to Iran to present the prize to Ebtekar, who is the first women ever receiving the award.

Some more info about Masoumeh Ebtekar from Wikipedia:
Ebtekar was born in Tehran as Niloufar Ebtekar in a middle-class family. Her first name translates to “Innocent Water Lily” in English. Ebtekar’s father studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and she lived with her parents in Upper Darby of Philadelphia. During her six years in Philadelphia, she developed “near-perfect, American-accented English.”

[…]

Ebtekar has served as faculty member at Tarbiat Modares University, which is a post graduate academic center located in Tehran. As an Associate Professor in Immunology, she has taught, supervised and advised PhD and MSc students. Ebtekar currently teaches cytokines, viral immunology, HIV vaccines, aging, immunology of the nervous system and psychoneuroimmunology. She has currently filed 41 ISI scientific articles in the field of immunology in her name. In her speech to the Eleventh International Congress of Immunology in Tehran, she mentioned the detrimental effect of sanctions on the advancement of science in Iran and noted that sanctions should not be directed against nations. Ebtekar is a member of several research board committees and a reviewer for two international and four national immunology journals.

Check my reply to this post to read my comment.

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Check the photos here: Payvand Iran News

Highly awarded Iranian filmmaker and director Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Persian: محسن مخملباف‎, Mohsen Makhmalbaaf; born May 29, 1957) is an acclaimed Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a jury in more than 15 major film festivals. His award-winning films include Kandahar, and his latest film is the The Gardener.

Time magazine selected Makhmalbaf’s 2001 film Kandahar as one of the top 100 films of all time.[1] In 2006, he was a member of the Jury at the Venice film festival.

Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Awarded Iranian film director

Degrees and honors

  • Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature From St Andrew University, Scotland, 2011
  • Honorary Degree of Doctor of Cinema From Nanterre University, France, 2010
  • “Freedom to Create Prize” for his human right activity and promoting social Justice through his art, Art Action, England, 2009
  • “Federico Fillini Honor” from UNESCO in Paris, 2001 (France)
  • A Moment of Innocence: Among Top Ten Films of the Decade – Awarded by International Festival Directors and Critics 1999.
  • Mohsen Makhmalbaf: Selected as the best filmmaker after the revolution by readers of cinema publications, 1988.

International Awards

1. The Cyclist: Best Film – Rimini Festival (Italy) 1989.
2. The Cyclist: Best Film – Hawaii Festival (USA) 1991.
3. Once Upon a Time, Cinema: Best Film – Taormina Festival (Italy) 1992.
4. Once Upon a Time, Cinema: Best Film – Karlovy vary Festival (Czechoslovakia) 1992.
5. Once Upon a Time, Cinema: Best Film – Fiprachi Critics – Karlovy vary Festival (Czechoslovakia) 1992.
6.Once Upon a Time, Cinema: Best Director – Karlovy vary Festival (Czechoslovakia) 1992.

9. Salam Cinema: Best Film – Munich Festival (Germany) 1996.
10. Gabbeh: Best Artistic Film – Tokyo Festival (Japan) 1996.
11. Gabbeh: One of 10 selected films by critics – Times (USA) 1996.
12. Gabbeh: Best Director – Sitguess Festival (Spain) 1996.

16. A Moment of Innocence: Youth Golden Award – Locarno Festival (Switzerland) 1996.
17. A Moment of Innocence: Among Top Ten Films of the Decade – Awarded by International Festival Directors and Critics 1999.
18. Silence: Golden Prize of Italian Parliament – Venice Festival (Italy) 1997.

22. Kandahar: Grand prize from Society of churches of world, Cannes 2001 (France)
23. Kandahar: “Federico Fillini Honor” from UNESCO in Paris, 2001 (France)
24. Kandahar: The best movie from Ajaccio Film Festival, (France) 2001
25. Kandahar: “Public Prize” from Festival des Cinemas du Sud, (France) 2001
26. Kandahar:”Best Director Award” from Riga International Film Forum Arsenals,Latvia 2002

29. The Afghan Alphabet:”Best Film Award”from Document ART International Film Festival, (Germany) 2002.

32. Kandahar: “Best Film” Fiprachi Critics From Thessaloniki (Greece) 2001

35. “Clermont-Ferrand Medallion”, the city medallion granted to the legendary Mohsen Makhmalbaf, France, 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohsen_Makhmalbaf

Samira Makhmalbaf one of the world most famous female directors, and winner of multiple international movie awards

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Samira Makhmalbaf (Persian: سمیرا مخملباف‎, Samiraa Makhmalbaaf) (born February 15, 1980,[1] Tehran) is an internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and script writer. She is the daughter of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the film director and writer. Samira Makhmalbaf is considered to be one of the most influential directors as part of the Iranian New Wave.

At the age of 17, after directing two video productions, she went on to direct the movie The Apple.

Samira Makhmalbaf has been the winner and nominee of numerous awards. She was nominated twice for Golden Palm of Cannes Film Festival for Panj é asr (At Five in the Afternoon) (2003) and Takhté siah (Blackboards) (2001). She won Prix du Jury of Cannes, for both films in 2003 and 2001 respectively. Samira Mohmalbaf also won UNESCO Award of Venice Film Festival in 2002 for 11.09.01 – September 11 and Sutherland Trophy of London Film Festival for The Apple in 1998. In 2003, a panel of critics at the British newspaper The Guardian named Makhmalbaf among the best 40 best directors at work today.[4]

Awards and Nominations

  • “Sutherland Trophy”, London Film Festival 1998, UK.
  • “International Critics prize”, Locarno Film Festival 1998, Switzerland.
  • “Jury’s Special prize”, Thessalonica Film Festival 1998, Greece.
  • “Jury’s Special prize”,São Paulo Film Festival 1998, Brazil.
  • “Jury’s Special prize”, Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.
  • “Critic’s prize”, Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.
  • “Audience’s prize”, Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.
  • “Jury Special award”Official Competition section of the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, France.[11]
  • “Federico Fellini Medal”, UNESCO, Paris, 2000.
  • “François Truffaut prize”, Giffoni Film Festival in Italy 2000.
  • “Giffoni’s Mayor Prize “, Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, 2000.
  • “Special cultural Prize”, UNESCO, Paris, 2000.
  • “The grand Jury prize”, American Film Institute, U.S., 2000
  • “Jury Special award”, Official Competition section of Cannes Film Festival 2003, France.
  • Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes 2003, France.
  • Golden Peacock, competition (first prize) for Best film at the 34th International Film Festival of India 2003, India.
  • The “Youths’ Cinema” Award in Singapore’s 17th International Silver Screen Film Festival 2004
  • “The Special Jury Prize”, San Sebastian Film Festival (2008)

More details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samira_Makhmalbaf

Hairless hero: Iranian teacher shaves head in solidarity with bullied pupil

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When Iranian schoolteacher Ali Mohammadian noticed that one of his students was being bullied after going bald as a result of a mysterious illness, he decided to show solidarity and shave his own hair. In no time, his entire class shaved their heads and the bullying stopped.

Now, Mohammadian, who teaches at Sheikh Shaltoot’s elementary school in Marivan, a Kurdish city in the west of Iran, has become a national hero.

Read more:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2014/jan/28/iranian-teacher-hero-shaving-head-solidarity-bullied-pupil

Abdol Hossein Sardari – The Iranian Muslim that saved the lives of thousands of Jews from the Nazis

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Abdol Hossein Sardari: Iranian Schindler

An Iranian official risking his life to save Jews? This scenario, while implausible nowadays, actually happened during the Holocaust.

Meet Abdol Hossein Sardari, a diplomat at the Iranian mission in Paris during the 1940s. Known as the “Iranian Schindler,” he helped thousands of Jews escape certain death – by turning the Nazi race ideology on its head. […]

Born into a privileged Iranian family, Sardari was a junior diplomat at the Paris embassy who enjoyed fine dining and the company of pretty women. After the Germans invaded France and the Iranian ambassador left the capital and went to Vichy to reconstitute the embassy there, Sardari was put in charge of consular affairs in Paris. When the Nazis started implementing anti-Jewish decrees in occupied France, Sardari made it his mission to protect his fellow Iranians in the region, regardless of their religion. […]

Writing on the letterhead of the Imperial Consulate of Iran, Sardari tried to convince the authorities that according to “an ethnographic and historical study,” the members of the Jewish communities of Persia and central Asia were not Semitic but rather Aryan, like the Germans themselves. […]

Sardari’s plan actually worked. When Jews were forced to wear the yellow Star of David, a directive was issued that Iranian Jews should be exempt. In addition, Sardari gave out between 500 and 1,000 Iranian passports, without the consent of his superiors. This saved 2,000 to 3,000 Jewish lives, as passports were issued for entire families.

Sardari never took any credit for what he did. When Yad Vashem asked him in 1978, three years before he died a poor exile in London, about his wartime activities, he responded: “As you may know, I had the pleasure of being the Iranian consul in Paris during the German occupation of France, and as such it was my duty to save all Iranians, including Iranian Jews.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles and other Jewish institutions have posthumously honored Sardari for his actions.

Read more: Beating the Nazis at their own game | The Times of Israel

The BBC adds:

When Britain and Russia invaded Iran in September 1941, Sardari’s humanitarian task become more perilous. Iran signed a treaty with the Allies and Sardari was ordered by Tehran to return home as soon as possible. But despite being stripped of his diplomatic immunity and status, Sardari resolved to remain in France and carry on helping the Iranian Jews, at considerable risk to his own safety, using money from his inheritance to keep his office going. […]

Fariborz Mokhtari, the author of “In the Lion’s Shadow: The Iranian Schindler and his homeland in the Second World War,” a new biography about Sardari states:

“Here you have a Muslim Iranian who goes out of his way, risks his life, certainly risks his career and property and everything else, to save fellow Iranians,” he says. “There is no distinction ‘I am Muslim, he is Jew’ or whatever.”

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16190541

Hana Makhmalbaf – Iran’s world famous female filmmaker

Hana Makhmalbaf

Hana Makhmalbaf


Hana Makhmalbaf (Persian: حنا مخملباف ‎) (born September 3, 1988 (age 25) in Tehran) is an Iranian filmmaker. She is the younger sister of filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf and daughter of filmmakers Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Marzieh Makhmalbaf.
Career

Her first short film was shown at the Locarno Film Festival in Ticino, Switzerland when she was eight years old. Her first full film was in 2003 and entitled Joy of Madness. The film is a documentary about the making of Samira’s At Five in the Afternoon.

Her first feature film, Buddha Collapsed out of Shame won an award at Festival du nouveau cinéma in Montreal, Canada in 2007, as well as two awards from San Sebastian International Film Festival, Spain, and the Crystal Bear for the Best Feature Film by the Generation Kplus Children’s Jury at the Berlinale Film Festival 2008.

Her second feature, Green Days premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. Begun as a documentary about the run-up to the 2009 Presidential Election in Iran, it was completed by inter-cutting scenes of the post-election violence garnered from cell-phone and other amateur videos circulating anonymously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hana_Makhmalbaf

Salome MC – Iran’s first female rapper

Salome Mc (Persian: سالومه, born 1985), is a female rap artist from Iran.[1]

Being questioned about being a female rapper in Iran, she mentioned in several interviews that she wouldn’t say she faced many chal­lenges just because she was a female. “I might be the first female rap­per to ever step in a stu­dio in Iran, yes, but from peo­ple around me I mostly got courage after they got over the sur­prise. The other chal­lenges that you might guess was there for my male coun­ter­parts too. Of course you get a cer­tain amount of sexist com­ments from lack of com­mon sense or edu­ca­tion, but that is a global prob­lem. “[5]

female iranian rapper

female iranian rapper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome_MC

Beautiful Iran (photos)

Parsin's avatarPersia

See Also

A Very Beautiful Slide show about Iran (pps)

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Uramunat- Kurdistan- North western Iran

armenian-church-north-western-iran

armenian-church-Azerbaijan- North western Iran

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Kart track in Iran

Parand International Kart Racing Complex is situated approximately 35 km southwest of Tehran.

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A woman on second place:

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Celebrating the day with some music:Image

http://www.uskowioniran.com/2013/11/parand-international-kart-racing-complex.html

Photos: Socrates play performed in Tehran

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enjoy more cool and surprising pictures at:

http://www.payvand.com/news/13/dec/1082.html

Photos: Snow in Ardabil

Ardabil is about 70 km (43 mi) from the Caspian Sea, and 210 km from the city of Tabriz. It has an average altitude of 1,263 metres (4,144 ft)

The name Ardabil comes from the Zoroastrian name of “Artawila”, which means a holy place. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2011 census, its population was 564,365, in 156,324 families, where the dominant majority are ethnic Azeris.

See more cool and surprising photos at:

http://www.payvand.com/news/13/dec/1086.html

Snow_in_ardabil_Oldtimer

 

Iran vs. Middle East and EU3 at International Olympiads in Informatics

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http://ioi.eduardische.com/countries/

International Math Olympiads – Iran’s performance compared to EU3 (Britain, France, Germany)

In the last 20 years (1993-2013), Iran has almost always achieved a better ranking in the international math olympiads than the EU3.

Iran has been all this time in the Top 20.

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Photos: Saint Stepanous Monastery in Jolfa, Iran

Iran’s East and West Azerbaijan Provinces are host to the oldest churches in Iran. Among the most significant are the Tatavous Vank ( St. Tatavous Cathedral), which is also called the Ghara Kelissa (the black monastery). This is located at the Siahcheshmeh (Ghara-Eini) border area south of Makou.

There is also the Saint Stepanous Monastery, which stands 24 kilometers south of East Azarbaijan’s Jolfa town. The general structure mostly resembles Armenian and Georgian architecture and the inside of the building is adorned with beautiful paintings by Honatanian, a renowned Armenian artist. Hayk Ajimian, an Armenian scholar and historian, recorded that the church was originally built in the ninth century AD, but repeated earthquakes completely eroded the previous structure. The church was rebuilt during the rule of Shah Abbas the Second.

Source: Payvand News of Iran

Prof. Cumrun Vafa – reciepient of the Dirac Medal (2008) and the Eisenbud Prize

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Cumrun Vafa (born 1960 in Tehran) is an Iranian-American leading string theorist from Harvard University where he started as a Harvard Junior Fellow. He is a recipient of the 2008 Dirac Medal.

He graduated from Alborz High School and went to the US in 1977. He got his undergraduate degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a double major in physics and mathematics. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1985 under the supervision of Edward Witten. He then became a junior fellow at Harvard, where he later got a junior faculty position. In 1989 he was offered a senior faculty position, and he has been there ever since. Currently, he is the Donner Professor of Science at Harvard University. Ref:Wikipedia

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Vank Christian Church in Isfahan, Iran

The Vank Cathedral was one of the first churches to be established in Isfahan by Armenian immigrants settled by Shah Abbas I after the Ottoman War of 1603-05.

Church construction is believed to have begun in 1606, and completed with major alterations to design between 1655 and 1664 under the supervision of Archbishop David.

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Source: payvand.com

Nasrin Sotoudeh – Sakharov prize winner and human rights lawyer

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Nasrin Sotoudeh (also spelled Sotoodeh, Persian: نسرین ستوده‎) is a human rights lawyer in Iran. She has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors.[1] Her clients have included journalist Isa Saharkhiz, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and Heshmat Tabarzadi, the head of the banned opposition group Democratic Front of Iran.[2]

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Sotoudeh was arrested in September 2010 on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security[1] and was imprisoned in solitary confinement in Evin Prison.[3] In January 2011, Iranian authorities sentenced Sotoudeh to 11 years in prison.

Prior to her arrest, Sotoudeh represented activists and journalists such as Isa Saharkhiz, Heshmat Tabarzadi, Nahid Keshavarz, Parvin Ardalan, Omid Memarian

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Shirin Ebadi – the first iranian woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Shirin Ebadi (Persian: شيرين عبادىŠirin Ebādi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranianlawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women’s, children’s, and refugee rights. She was the first ever Iranian to receive the prize.

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She was admitted to the law department of the University of Tehran in 1965 and in 1969, upon graduation, passed the qualification exams to become a judge. After a six-month internship period, she officially became a judge in March 1969. She continued her studies in University of Tehran in the meantime to pursue a doctorate’s degree in law in 1971. In 1975, she became the first woman president of the Tehran…

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First Baluchi Sunni woman elected mayor in Iran

It is a significant step which local experts believe that can inspire Baluchi women to work for more rights and break boundaries that have been created by both the state and society.

Samiyeh Balochzehi, 26, who was elected mayor by the Kalat city council, is an engineer and has a master’s degree in natural resources management from the Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch in Tehran. […]

Balochzehi is a widow, her sister is on the city council and she comes from a wealthy and influential family. […]

The province of Sistan-Baluchistan is situated in southeastern Iran and at 187,502 square kilometers [72,395 square miles, roughly the size of Washington state] is Iran’s largest province. From the north of the province to the city of Zabol (famous ancient city) is the region of Sistan, whose population is mostly Persian-speaking and Shiite. […]

This province has historically suffered from political repression, economic deprivation, and has witnessed violence through terrorism from extremist Sunni groups and drug smuggling. […]

Read more: AL-MONITOR | Baluch Sunni woman elected mayor is first for Iran

Christmas celebrations at church in Tehran, Iran

A number of Christian denominations still live in Iran today and include Assyrians, Armenians, Catholics, Protestants and Evangelical Christians. Although a minority religious group in Iran, Christians of Iran are free to practice their religion and perform their religious rituals. (see article)

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Source: Payvand News of Iran

Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami – the Iranian chess grand master who won against Anatoly Karpov and set a guiness world record in chess

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami (born 11 January 1982) is a chess grandmaster (2000) from Iran. On the September 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2583. He is a bachelor of law and now is studying sports management at the University of Tehran.

In 2004, he came first in the Kish GM Tournament. In 2009, he won a 20-game combined match (four classical, four rapid and twelve blitz games) against Anatoly Karpov, played with a special rule: play to mate or dead draw.

The new Guinness record holder for simultaneous chess games (614 opponents and has achieved 97.5% score points) which was held in Tehran on 10th FEB 2011.

He was the most successful chess player in 2004 in regard to increasing the most rating points and playing the most number of games and tournaments, which is registered by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

Source: Wikipedia | Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami

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Professor Parvaneh Vosough: “Iran’s Mother Theresa”

Parvaneh-VosoughProfessor Parvaneh Vosough was born in 1935 in Tafresh, central Iran. She received her MD in general medicine in 1963 in Tehran University of Medical Science. She completed her specialty and sub-specialty in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Illinois Universities, and she attended Washington University for her graduate course. In 1971 she returned to Iran and practiced her profession in Ali Asghar Hospital in Tehran.

Her colleagues say that many times, she had been proposed residence of US and European countries for research and lucrative income, but that she had chosen providing free service to her country’s cancer-suffering children.

In the course of her medical services, Professor Vosough treated many cancer-suffering children around the world, giving them health, and she had never married. Perhaps for this reason, she was called ‘Iran’s Mother Theresa’ by some people.

Source: Payvand News | Prof. Parvaneh Vosough, angel of Iran’s Cancer Children, passes away

“Iran-UK Sonics” at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Friday 13 December 2013

International arts consultancy Six Pillars announces the UK’s first sound art residency for Iranian artists and musicians.

Five emerging practitioners visit London for the first time from Iran on 9 December: Nasim Khorassani, Sepehr Haghighi, Nemo Ghasemi, Niloufar Em and Heckmat(t).

The two weeks intense preparation and technical workshops peak with the performance of “Iran-UK Sonics” at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Friday 13 December.

Fari Bradley of Six Pillars who is running this visionary project with Southbank Centre, LCC and Resonance104.4FM “After a public call out and in-depth selection process, we’ve a hugely varied group coming to exchange ideas with the UK. Our aim is to dialogue with Iran about experimental music, and make a difference in terms of frequently problematic cultural perceptions.

Sources:
http://sixpillars.org/IranUK/
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/dec/1000.html

Iran’s track record in the International Math Olympiad vs other Middle Eastern countries

The following figure shows Iran’s ranking (the lower the better) at the International Math Olympiad compared to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Israel over the last 20 years. Over this period Iran has been in the top 20 of the world.

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Behruz Firuzi – Iranian cartoonist finishes first in Italian contest

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

The Iranian cartoonist Behruz Firuzi has won the first in the category satirical drawing at the 17th edition of the international competition Fax for Peace, Fax for Tolerance in Spilimbergo, Italy.

Other Iranian cartoonists Sohrab Kheiri and Parvin Mohammadi received honorable mention at the competition.

Peace, tolerance, fighting against any form of racism and the defense of human rights are the themes of the competition.

Sources:
– Gallery: http://www.faxforpeace.eu/?page_id=786
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/dec/1009.html

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Aravane Rezaï – Iranian–French tennis player

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Aravane Rezaï is a professional Iranian–French tennis player.

She has defeated many top players on the WTA circuit, such as Justine Henin, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, Francesca Schiavone, Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Flavia Pennetta, Jelena Janković and Ai Sugiyama. Her career high rank was No. 15, achieved on October 11, 2010.

Rezaï competed for Iran at the Women’s Islamic Games, winning gold in 2001 and 2005.

Rezaï is now based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aravane_Reza%C3%AF

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Shadi Paridar – Iranian chess woman grandmaster

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Played for Iran in the Women’s Asian Team Chess Championships of 1995, 2003, 2005 and 2008.

FIDE rating: 2250

Peak rating: 2274

Asian Indoor Games results for Shadi Paridar:
Silver – 2007 Macau – Individual rapid
Bronze – 2007 Macau – Team rapid
Bronze – 2009 Quang Ninh – Team blitz

Shadi Paridar in wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadi_Paridar

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Noora Naraghi – Iran’s female motocross champion

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Noora Naraghi was born in Teheran on May 30th 1988. She is the first women’s Iran motocross champion. In 2009, she won Iran’s first-ever Female Motocross Championship.

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Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noora_Naraghi
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6857478/Irans-female-motocross-champion-gets-uphill-ride.html

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Laleh Seddigh – Iranian female racing driver

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

A PhD student from Tehran, she has been nicknamed “a little Schumacher” after the German Formula One champion. She has been given the title of Iran’s best female racing driver. The story is featured in a BBC TV documentary called “Girl Racer”.

The documentary can be viewed here:

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She earned international fame by fending off a host of male competitors to become Iran’s national rally champion in 2005.

More infos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laleh_Seddigh
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/14/international/middleeast/14seddigh.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

The best posts on Iranian women:
https://theotheriran.com/tag/women/

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Iran: Females outperform males in university entrance exams

The university entrance exam, known as the konkour, is a standardized test used as one of the means to gain admission to higher education in Iran.

Of the 36 with the highest scores, 19 are females and 17 are males. Most of them are from Tehran.

1,286,813 students took this year’s university entrance exam, 773,653 of whom (about 60%) were females and 513,160 were males.

Source:
http://www.payvand.com/news/10/aug/1008.html

First world grass skiing competitions for youth (boys and girls) in Dizin near Tehran, Iran

The first world grass skiing competitions for youth (boys and girls) was held in Dizin slopes north of Tehran, Iran. Below are some pictures from the opening ceremony and first competition day:

To see more photos, please follow these links:
Payvand News of Iran | Photos: Opening Ceremonies of Grass Ski Competitions in Dizin, Iran
Payvand News of Iran | Photos: 2012 Grass Skiing World Cup in Dizin, Iran
Iran Ski Federation |  Special images from World Cup skiing grass

 

 

Volleyball: Iran outclasses Japan to finish 4th at World Grand Champions Cup

Iran overpowered Japan in straight sets (25-17, 25-18, 25-14) in the final match of the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup on Sunday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

https://i0.wp.com/img7.irna.ir/1392/13920903/2531861/2531861-3605272.jpg

Source:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/nov/1195.html
FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup

Iran wins the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup

The Iranians beat the two-time defending Intercontinental Cup champion Russia 4-3 in the final match of the tourney.

Read the complete article:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/nov/1194.html

Atousa Pourkashiyan – Iranian female chess grandmaster

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Atousa Pourkashiyan, Iranian chess Woman Grandmaster

Atousa Pourkashiyan (Persian: آتوسا پور کاشیان‎, born 16 May 1988) is an Iranian chess Woman Grandmaster.

In April 2010 she won Women’s Asian Chess Championship in Subic Bay.

FIDE rating: 2321

Peak rating: 2374 (May 2011)

Other successes:
Asian Games 2006: Bronze
Asian Indoor Games 2009: Bronze

Atousa Pourkashiyan in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atousa_Pourkashiyan

Sepideh Mahabadi: Second woman to win gold in the history of the International Olympiads in Informatics

Sepideh Mahabadi received 2011 her B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, Iran. That year she moved to the United States to continue her studies. In 2013 she received her M.Sc. and in 2017 her PhD from the MIT.

When she was 18 years old she made history at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) after receiving a gold medal. She was the only female contestant to win a gold medal that year and the second woman to win a gold medal in the history of the Olympiad.

The IOI is one of the most prominent computer science competitions in the world. In 2007 the event was held in Croatia and gathered nearly 300 top students from 75 countries. Sina Sadeghian, Saeed Reza Sedighin, and Hesamodin Akhlaghpor, the other members of Iran’s team, won three silver medals.

Sepideh Mahabadi is a postdoctoral research scientist with an appointment at the Simons Collaboration on Algorithms and Geometry based at Columbia University.

More articles on Iranian successes in science competitions

Sources: Press TV, MIT, Simons Foundation, stats.ioiinformatics.org (IOI 2007)

Prof. Mahmud Hesabi – great Iranian scientist and student of Albert Einstein

Mahmud Hesabi (February 23, 1903-September 3, 1992) was a prominent Iranian scientist, researcher and distinguished professor of the University of Tehran.

[…]

At the early age of seventeen he obtained his Bachelor’s in Arts and Sciences from the American University of Beirut. Later he obtained his B.A. in civil engineering while working as a draftsman. After a short period of time he obtained a B.A. in mathematics and astronomy.

[…]

In 1947, he published his classic papers on “continuous particles”. Then he proposed his model of “infinitely extended particles” in 1957. The medal of the commandeur de la Légion d’honneur, France’s greatest scientific medal, was awarded to him for his achievements.

[…]

Mahmud Hesabi was the only Iranian student of Albert Einstein and during his years of scientific research he had meetings with well-known scientists such as Erwin Schrodinger, Max Born, Enrico Fermi, Paul Dirac, Aage Niels Bohr, and scholars such as Bertrand Russell and André Gide.

Mahmud-Hesabi2

Mahmud Hesabi

Read the complete article:
http://www.payvand.com/news/07/sep/1057.html

Iranian students win grand prize in Malaysian 2013 Chem-E-Car Competition attended by 35 teams

Hossein Hassan-zadeh, a chemistry engineering student at Poly Technique University of Orumiyeh, northwestern Iran, said the competition was involved of the two sections of poster and performance, and the Iranian team was granted the prize considering its points in the two sections.

The team ranked 3rd in the previous round of competitions held in Singapore.

In Chem-E-Car Competition, the chemistry and chemistry engineering students are competing in building cars whose motive force is supplied by a chemical reaction.

The cars used in the matches should be self-controlled and not to start moving through pushing or tuning. Using dry battery or other batteries, mechanical or chemical braking systems, mechanical or electronic timing tools to end the chemical reaction is banned.

http://www.payvand.com/news/13/apr/1144.html

Photos: 26th International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults in Isfahan

Filmmakers from 40 countries have participated in the festival and 200 movies are scheduled to go on screen at Farshchian, Qods, Sahel, Sepahan, Honar and several other theaters in Isfahan during the event.

A jury composed of 60 children helped the main jury for the national competition section.

The photos can be viewed here:
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/oct/1090.html

Photos: Xmas shopping 2012 in Tehran

While Iran is officially designated the “Islamic Republic,” among its more than 66 million people is a small but important Christian minority.

Check out the photos showing Tehran’s Christian residents doing their shopping for the holiday season: http://www.payvand.com/news/12/dec/1222.html

Iranian Neurologist Professor Majid Samii Wins Leibniz Ring Prize

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Iranian neurologist has won the Leibniz Ring Prize in Germany. The prize is given to Personalities who have made contributions to human development.

[…]

Prof. Samii is renowned worldwide for his life trajectory and specially for his work in the Project Africa 100. Investing in educating African neuroscientists in order to give these physicians incentives to stay in their home countries. This long lasting bridge building is based on knowledge transfer between professionals on different continents. Prof. Samii has also made partnerships with neurologists in Iran.

[…]

During his speech, Prof. Samii touched upon the importance of investing in training programs for African medical staff, especially in the field of neurosciences. He said the continent needs the investment for sustainable development and growth.

Read the complete article:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/nov/1131.html

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Iranian doctor received the award of the greatest world woman inventor in 2013

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

An Iranian doctor from Mashad Medical Science University received the award of the greatest world woman inventor in Geneva International Festival for Inventions in year 2013.

Dr. Zahra Alizadeh Thani, who is a specialist in radiology of heart and coroners, also received gold medal and special award of 41st Geneva Festival in addition to her award as the world inventor.

Dr. Alizadeh Thani has invented a device to determine level of tightness of heart coroners.

The device also makes it possible to determine if the patient needs angioplasty.

Zahra Alizadeh Thani - Greatest world women inventor 2013

http://www.payvand.com/news/13/apr/1119.html

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The Star Students of Iran

Source:
http://www.newsweek.com/surprising-success-irans-universities-87853

In 2003, administrators at Stanford University’s Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, getting some of the highest scores ever. The surprising thing, say Stanford administrators, is that the majority came from one country and one school: Sharif University of Science and Technology in Iran.

Stanford has become a favorite destination of Sharif grads. Bruce A. Wooley, a former chair of the Electrical Engineering Department, has said that’s because Sharif now has one of the best undergraduate electrical-engineering programs in the world. That’s no small praise given its competition: MIT, Caltech and Stanford in the United States, Tsinghua in China and Cambridge in Britain.

Iranian students from Sharif and other top schools, such as the University of Tehran and the Isfahan University of Technology, have also become major players in the international Science Olympics, taking home trophies in physics, mathematics, chemistry and robotics. As a testament to this newfound success, the Iranian city of Isfahan recently hosted the International Physics Olympiad–an honor no other Middle Eastern country has enjoyed.

[…]

Iranian students are developing an international reputation as science superstars. Stanford’s administrators aren’t the only ones to notice. Universities across Canada and Australia, where visa restrictions are lower, report a big boom in the Iranian recruits; Canada has seen its total number of Iranian students grow 240 percent since 1985, while Australian press reports point to a fivefold increase over the past five years, to nearly 1,500.

[…]

Part of the explanation, says Mohammad Mansouri, a Sharif grad (’97) who’s now a professor in New York, lies in the tendency of Iranian parents to push their kids into medicine or engineering as opposed to other fields, like law.

[…]

Several Sharif alumni point to one other powerful motivator. “When you live in Iran and you see all the frustrations of daily life, you dream of leaving the country, and your books and studies become a ticket to a better life,” says one who asked not to be identified. “It becomes more than just studying,” he says. “It becomes an obsession, where you wake up at 4 a.m. just to get in a few more hours before class.”

Iran’s success, in other words, is also the country’s tragedy: students want nothing more than to get away the moment they graduate. That’s a boon for foreign universities and tech firms but a serious source of brain drain for the Islamic Republic.

This article also appeared in:
http://newamerica.net/node/8873

Iranian physicists participate in CERN, Professor receives award from American Physical Society

Professor Farhad Ardalan received the APS fellowship award from Jon Clark the president of the International Forum of American Physical Society. For pioneering work in applications of non-commutative geometry in string theory and gauge theories, and for promoting the participation of Iranian scientists in CERN and Middle-East programs.

[…]

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research.

[…]

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member States.

Read the complete article here:
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/dec/1271.html

 

Iranian women’s futsal team wins silver at Asian Indoor Games

The Japanese squad defeated the Iranians 2-1 on Friday at the Songdo Global University Campus.

The Iranian women’s futsal team advanced to the final of the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games by defeating Indonesia 4-0. Fereshteh Karimi scored two goals for Iran and Nasimeh Sadat Gholami and Niloufar Ardalan also found the back of the net in the semifinal match.

Iranian team members lift their captain, Leila Eqbali, in the air. Eqbali is quitting the games after 9 years

More photos: Payvand News of Iran

Iran futsal team beats Japan, wins gold at Asian Indoor Games

The national Iranian men’s futsal team has beaten Japan, winning the gold medal at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in South Korea.

Iranians trounced the Japanese 5-2 at the Songdo Global University Campus in South Korea’s northwestern city of Incheon on Saturday and clinched the gold medal.

Members of the Iranian men’s futsal team

More pictures:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/jul/1050.html

The Iranian involved in the Apollo Project passes away

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Prominent Iranian mathematician Professor Abolghassem Ghaffari passed away on the night of Tuesday November 5, 2013, at the age of 106.

Abolghassem Ghafari was born in Tehran in 1906, studied at Darolfonoon School and was part of the first group of Iranian students sent to study in France. He pursued his masters in mathematics at France’s Nancy University and obtained his PhD in mathematics from Sorbonne with a PhD thesis entitled “Brownian Motion from the Perspective of Advanced Mathematics”, which led to his meeting with Albert Einstein. Brownian motion was also the topic of one of Einstein’s five articles in 1905.

In addition to teaching at the Universities of Tehran, Princeton, Harvard and Washington, Ghaffari was the first Iranian to find his way into NASA and the only foreign national involved in the orbital calculations of the Apollo 11 project at NASA’s Goddard Space Centre. He even received the NASA…

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Iran’s Kaleh crowned Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Champion

Iran’s Kaleh wrapped up the title of the 2013 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship with a win over Al-Rayyan on Monday.

[…]

Kaleh stayed unbeaten through the competitions. The team had finished in second place in the previous edition.

See more pictures:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/apr/1207.html

Iran wins Asian Beach Soccer Championship on penalties

Iran made history by winning the Asian beach soccer championship for the first time.

Iran came back from a 6-3 deficit to secure a 6-6 draw against Japan in regulation time of the final of the Asian qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. There were no goals in the two 3-minute extra periods but the Persians finally defeated the defending Asian champions 5-4 on penalties at Doha’s Katara Beach.

Read the complete article here:
http://www.payvand.com/news/13/jan/1244.html

Maryam Tousi: A girl with the speed of the wind

socialinform's avatarRemarkable people with Iranian roots

Maryam Tousi (born 5 December 1988 in Tehran) is an Iranian sprint athlete. She is the Iranian record holder in 100 m, 200 m, 400 m and 4×400 m relay. She studied Physical Education at University of Tehran.

Medal record
16px-Gold_medal_icon.svg400m – 2014 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Hangzhou, China
16px-Gold_medal_icon.svg400m – 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Hangzhou, China
16px-Silver_medal_icon.svg 4 x 400m relay – 2016 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar
Bronze_medal_icon.svg 4 x 400m relay – 2010 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran, Iran
Bronze_medal_icon.svg 60m – 
2014 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Hangzhou, China

Sources: Payvand News of Iran, Wikipedia | Maryam Tousi, ISNA, Facebook | Maryam Toosi (official page), IAAF | Athlete profile (personal best)

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