our proposed uRespond concept sketches for the “random hacks of kindness” event

simple rapid user input

mapping of local user updates

current emergency response protocol

next five important earthquakes

Interesting article in Time today:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1930622_1930614_1930606,00.html

Next five major (important) earthquakes expected to occur in: Los Angeles, Tokyo, Tehran, Pacific Northwest, Indonesia

“All of Iran lies within a major earthquake zone, and the country has suffered terrible temblors before — most recently in 2003, when a 6.8-magnitude quake leveled the ancient city of Bam and killed more than 30,000 people. But a similar quake in the congested capital of Tehran — where more than 7 million people live — would be a shattering catastrophe. Unlike building codes in other endangered cities such as San Francisco and Tokyo, Tehran’s are relatively lax, and many residents like in the sort of unreinforced-concrete houses that turn into death traps in the event of a strong quake. The Iranian Health Ministry once estimated that a 7-magnitude quake would destroy 90% of the city’s hospitals. Tehran is so threatened that there has been periodic talk about moving the capital.” — Time, Oct. 20th, 2009

tehran’s minor earthquake on saturday

Tehran experienced a minor earthquake (Richter magnitude 4) on Saturday at 2:23 pm local time (http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=205750). It seems that most Tehranies felt this shake. There is now a widespread fear of aftershocks and possibly bigger earthquakes due to more activities on the Eivanaki fault in southeast Tehran. Since information on the historical activity of this fault seems to be limited, it is difficult to make accurate probabilistic predictions on the likelihood of an aftershock. But it is certainly possible and quite likely to have another earthquake soon (not necessarily related to this particular fault movement). Tehran sits on major active faults and suffers from a large seismic risk due to fault activity, poor construction practice, and large population. The occurance of this recent minor earthquake may have influenced the stresses in the surrounding faults and might have increased the existing seismic risk facing Tehran.

 

Tehrani residents, engineers, contractors, general public, please be aware and pay attention to this important risk that you will have to deal with sooner or later. To learn how to protect yourself before, during, and after an earthquake, visit this site by FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm. 

In two of our previous posts, we also had some good discussion on earthquake preparedness in Tehran:

http://tehranshake.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/121/

http://tehranshake.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/what-to-do-before-during-and-after-an-earthquake/

Tehrani engineers, architects, and contractors: I assume that you already know how to make earthquake resistant structures in a cost-effective way. If you have questions/concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will try my best to send you information on the current state of practice (in structural and geotechnical design) for your specific project. If you are not convinced about the risks facing your city and need more information on the probability of earthquakes in the coming years, also please don’t hesitate to let me know or contact someone at IIEES in Tehran (http://www.iiees.ac.ir/). Keep in mind that you are responsible for your building, and negligence and lack of knowledge are not acceptable any more.

iran’s population density

A very interesting way of graphically showing the population density, and hence the earthquake risk facing different parts of Iran (based on their vulnerability):

understanding earthquakes and effects

Great overview of our progress and current understanding of earthquakes since the 1906 great San Francisco earthquake:

image reflection

Tehran has been going through many shakes in the last few months following the presidential elections. These shakes, have, of course been non-seismic! This blog is meant to address the critical issues facing Tehran’s infrastructure and vulnerabilities, so it stayed quiet. However, although, during this sensitive time, infrastructure and role of engineers may seem to many of us as un-important or the last item on our list of priorities, it is in fact a fundamental step toward the common goals of all Iranians, regardless of their political agenda or crises.

Tehran remains to be highly divided and the government seems more divided than its subjects. But that is not my concern, as I’m sure many others are working on that. I am actually concerned about that part of us responsible for our own daily actions. I hear that construction projects are more or less dead in Tehran these days but are starting to move forward gradually. In the past few months, we have all been shaken hard by the wave of excitement and tragedies of our fellow Iranians. We all feel like we’ve been hit in the head a few times every day, watching the news or video clips of new stories. It’s draining, I know. But I also know that we always have a tendency to criticize others and not ourselves – the easiest job in the world.

Let me start with myself: I am trying hard to, as we say in Persian, not forget my mirror when I want to criticize others, including my friends, parents, teachers, and leaders. Hey, government filters, don’t panic. I am not saying anything bad about you. This is, in fact, about me and my fellow Iranians. So, you can relax…

looking at landscapes

[SR] I’m taking a course this semester titled “cultural landscape methods.”  It’s in the geography department but covers concepts in architecture, city and regional planning, landscape architecture as well as social, economic, political dimensions.  This week we’re reading about J.B. Jackson.  Very interesting character.  In the US, he’s one of the pioneers of looking… really looking at everyday landscapes… as in land-scapes – or to paraphrase: human settlements or traces on the face of the earth.  He’s not a typical academic… but rather has a strong “common streak,” which I totally admire.  

tehran disaster management

[By SD]   I came across this link yesterday and thought it might be interesting to TehranShake: www.tdmmo.ir

towns without cars

[by SR] Like many others, I’m sure, I’ve often fantasized about towns without cars – would it be feasible?  Maybe have a light rail line and perhaps routes for emergency services and perhaps shuttles for the elderly and disabled… but otherwise, no cars.  Anyhow, I just came across this interesting article in today’s New York Times: “In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars”.

Response to Obama’s Nowruz message

در جواب به پیغام نوروزیه اوباما

For those who can’t see the video, this is the text of the message:

VIDEOTAPED RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA’S NOWRUZ MESSAGE

Today, on behalf of Iran’s people and government, I would like to extend my thanks to President Obama for his heartfelt Nowruz message.  (OK, perhaps it’s only on behalf of me, but that’s beside the point.)

Nowruz message from Obama!

تبریک سال نو از رییس جمهور امریکا ،اوباما

how interesting…

http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1372&Itemid=2

http://www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/

For those who can’t view this video, this is the text of his message:

VIDEOTAPED REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN CELEBRATION OF NOWRUZ

THE PRESIDENT: Today I want to extend my very best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz around the world.

فال بنتون

[by SR] In my eyes, Tehran had never joined the ranks of other big metropolis cities with their “placeless” architecture and new buildings in the style of famous architects, scattered across the world: like say the eye-catching buildings in the financial and shopping districts in NY, London, Tokyo, etc (and Mexico City?  haven’t been… but would be an interesting comparison to Tehran).  Tehran always did its own thing, with residential architecture being the only avenue for architectural expression, and even then, that expression was always mature and subdued, as opposed to the rambunctious and daring designs of big name global architects and their followers.  There have been some forays into global architecture, I guess, in Tehran commercial architecture, but I think they were always a bit disappointing – like the red quasi-pyramidal tower near میدون آرژانتین (Argentine Square) I think – and show more of an identity crisis than architecture in the spirit of global architecture.  Note: I’m not saying that I’m a fan of what I’m calling global architecture… I’m just thinking about its absence in Tehran…, which may very well be a good thing!  Perhaps it was Iran’s economic isolation in the world that had prevented the wave of globalization from dumping on Tehran’s streets a flotsam of anonymous architecture… I’m not quite sure.  Anyhow, a couple weeks ago a couple of friends told me about an architecture competition by Benetton for two office/retail centers in Tehran: http://www.benettongroup.com/designinginteheran/.

I remember, Benetton was always the one high-end western retailer in Tehran since I was a child… I was always baffled by their presence in فرشته (Fereshteh)… what were they doing there when everything else Western (non-industrial sector) was either imported black-market or imitated locally? With their design competition, it looks again, as though they are perhaps reading (or heralding) the future of Tehran as it gradually slips out of its isolation into the global current.  I guess this sort of goes with what I understand to be Iran’s recent (past 5 to 10 year?) relaxing economic policies (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/02/090202fa_fact_secor , http://bazardispatch.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-yorkers-article-about-iranian.html). 

a letter to mr. future president

[by SD]   Our role in the upcoming presidential elections, a topic I wonder about often as a student living abroad. I do not reside in Iran and have been out of the country for almost ten years. It is difficult to know what’s most important to the lives of Iranians from outside. But I am still and will forever be an Iranian and can still vote here in Berkeley; I would like to hope that my vote matters.

 

There currently seems to be two main choices in Iran’s upcoming presidential elections: Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Khatami, both with previous experience as president!

I think about which one of these candidates is more likely to make life better in my country, in a general sense. Well, it seems that “the quality of life” is highly subjective. To narrow it down: which one is more likely to improve the economy, quality of education (I mean real education), freedom of thought and expression, international relations, and finally the state of our infrastructure and environment? Who is more likely to advocate for ethical practice in various fields? How would either of these candidates advocate for ethics when cheating and bribery are a part of everyone’s daily life from an early age?

 

 

I wish we had more choices and more fresh faces among the possible candidates. But we have to choose one president among the choices that we have got. As an earthquake engineer, I naturally care a great deal about the policies that will be adopted under the next administration influencing the budget spent on improving and retrofitting schools, hospitals, and homes before the next earthquake strikes. There are also other urgent issues that I care about deeply related to education and the economy. So, I write this letter to the next president, whoever it may be, and hope that he will read it carefully and forgive my lack of awareness of other potentially critical problems on his agenda. If he happens to read this, I would like to invite him to join this dialogue and share his ideas with us on TehranShake, of course if he has the time!

 

A letter to my future president:

—————————–

 

Dear Mr. President to be,

 

Congratulations on your decision to run in the upcoming elections. I admire you for your brave decision and for accepting a heavy load of responsibility on behalf of our nation.

I wish you success in your campaign and more importantly in your term serving as president of an important nation. Of course, Iran has a rich history of feeding other cultures with its knowledge, philosophy, and arts, is in a critical geographic location, enjoys a large reservoir of natural wealth and human talents. Iran has a large population of talented youth and excellent institutions committed to their training and future growth. Yet, as you are definitely well aware, many things can be improved. The existing issues facing our nation make your job a most critical one for the future of the region and of the world. I am sure that you have your own agenda and priorities, but as an Iranian student living abroad I, along with many others, have the following requests for your office to consider in the coming years. If you or people who control your decisions disagree with any of these requests, I would be happy to discuss them further:

informal settlements in tehran

[by SR] I am reading a book by a sociology professor about “informal settlements” in Tehran.  It talks about the history and activities of slum dwellers and squatters, hashiehneshinan (حاشیه نشینان), and groups settling in shanty towns (like halabiabad – حلبی آباد) and occupying vacant buildings, and/or informal settlements.  The book is Street Politics: Poor People’s Movements in Iran by Asef Bayat (Columbia University Press, 1997), who interestingly grew up in the informal settlements he writes about. 

power of incentive

 

[By Shideh]    My thoughts on the concept of “incentive”…

What do you think would give Tehranians enough incentives to do what’s good for their city? What would give any person enough incentives to care about her surrounding? To cheat less whether in school or in trade, to respect the rules, to drive properly, to keep her/his street clean, to use public transportation, to turn off the lights when not used, to respect order in lines, to build ethically, and finally to come out in the morning with a smile and a loud “good morning, isn’t it a beautiful day” to the neighbors?

 

 

Photo courtesy of Hamed

 

Why do I see this attitude in some cities, and the opposite in others? Is there something in our genes that make us care and cheat less? Is it cultural, deeply rooted in our training as we grow up and if so, can we change that? Or is it purely a matter of the circumstance? I hear my economist friends talk about the fact that there is little evidence to prove that it is a matter of culture or genes (I’m sure some would disagree). Some believe that most people cheat when they can, any where they can, with any background. What is it then that makes a city like Berlin or Tokyo so clean and progressive in public awareness and that makes Tehran and many other cities (i.e. New York City, Mexico City, Cairo, Istanbul, downtown Los Angeles,… the list goes on forever…) the way they are?

I would argue that “incentive” is the main factor. Incentive is what makes me evaluate the cost/benefits of my actions and make a decision on whether it’s worth perusing and taking the risks.  This automatic cost/benefit analysis that takes place in my head is not only economic (money related).  Much of it has to do with my fear of social embarrassment, punishment of various degrees, and my own social awareness of the influences of my actions on my own future and that of others,…

a nation’s battle for life

[By Shideh]   We watched an amazing silent movie last night, produced and directed by Cooper, Schoedsack, and Harrison in 1924, named “Grass.”  I highly recommend it as it is an invaluable record of history and tells us quite a bit about the culture and extreme hardships faced by nomads in Persia for survival. It is as if this documentary is not so much of present, but of an ancient past, an unchanging “forgotten” group of brave people. Since many believe that Arians migrated from east to west as nomadic tribes some 4000-5000 years ago, studying the culture of these remaining nomads might be a guide to a deeper understanding of the sometimes misunderstood behavior/desires of our nation as a whole.

 

 

Photo courtesy of IranChamber

“In 1924, neophyte film-makers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack hooked up with journalist and sometime spy Maguerite Harrison and set off to film and adventure.  They found excitement, danger and unparalleled drama in the migration of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia (now Iran). Twice a year, more than 50,000 people and half a million animals surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles to take their herds to pasture. 

“The filmmakers captured unforgettable images of courage and determination as the Bakhtiari braved the raging and icy waters of the half-mile-wide Karun River. Cooper and Schoedsack almost froze when they filmed the breath-taking, almost unbelievable, sight of an endless river of men, women and children – their feet bare or wrapped in rags – winding up the side of the sheer, snow-covered rock face of the 15,000-foot-high Zardeh Kuh mountain.

“Although many documentary historians consider GRASS second only to NANOOK OF THE NORTH, few people have actually seen this legendary film…” Georgia Brown, Village Voice

pakistan hit by quake

[By Shideh]   Pakistan suffered from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake today: about 500 people were killed and thousands were left homeless. I want to offer my condolences to the people of Pakistan and particularly to those who were affected. It is truly heart-breaking and it’s a shame that we still witness such losses in a century of information technology and knowledge.  

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Daily Nation

 

 

The tremor is reported to have flattened entire villages (click here for more detail).  The earthquake struck southwest Pakistan before dawn as people were preparing for the first prayer of the day. Many evacuated their homes after the first, smaller tremor shook their houses, went outside and waited for awhile but returned back in because of cold weather. It is reported that about 20 minutes later the large earthquake hit, flattening many houses and killing hundreds.

 

The earthquake was located about 60km northeast of the provincial capital Quetta.  Timber and mud with heavy walls are common construction materials in the area. The challenge now is to provide food and shelter to those who survived – in this cold weather. The ability of the government to respond effectively to the people’s urgent needs is questionable. Click here for news.

 

This earthquake affected a few villages in Pakistan, but it is yet another warning to every village and city in the region where active faults are present.  All these cities will face the same fate sooner or later when the next earthquake hits (in Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkey, etc.).  Why does it remain to be a challenge to understand the risks that we are facing and to act promptly?

game of your dream

[By Shideh]   UC Berkeley had a football game against UCLA today.  Typically, these games have quite an impact on everything in town, most importantly transportation and parking become almost impossible.  How lively it is to fight for winning though, to have a favorite team, and to show your support for something you relate to.  Today, while I work at a café next to the football stadium in Berkeley, I am witnessing hundreds of students and alumni from both universities walk by wearing UCLA or Berkeley shirts, hats, or shorts.  Many have brought their children, and of course the children are wearing shirts with the name and colors of their parents’ favorite school.  As I write, Berkeley’s marching band passes by with the loudest drums and a few hundred uniformed students marching Bancroft Avenue while the crowd waves at them with open smiles.  I am automatically a part of this excitement as I hear that Berkeley has won the game: 41 by 22.  Why do I care? What is it that is so exciting about being a part of a community united for a purpose, a community that has a team and is relating to that team to feel better or to fight against something in common?  Would I be disappointed in Berkeley if she had lost the game? Perhaps, but I think not for long; I would probably continue smiling and congratulate the UCLA folks passing by.

 

 Photo courtesy of nybox6

 

 

I recently had a job interview in England and did not get the job.  When I was invited to interview for a faculty position that seemed to be a dream job at the time, I remember getting extremely nervous to even attend the interview fearing for the outcome.  I wished I had not applied for the job at all and thought it was too early for me to do this as I was not prepared and not even close to graduating.  My father told me something that completely changed my attitude, which is why I want to talk about sports.  He said: “this interview is like a football match of your dream.  You are invited to play in your national team against another excellent team.  What matters is that you play for the sake of playing, the excitement, the glory of the game in itself – pay no attention to the results.  Life is not about the outcome, it’s about the game.  You will go and you will play your best and will enjoy the game regardless of the results. Do not pre-judge, judge, or post-judge the outcome.  Just play…”

tehran vs. tokyo

[By Shideh]   Tehran mayor, Mr. Qalibaf, has been trying to learn from and collaborate with other big cities in the world to improve Tehran in many ways.  I find his attempts promising and in the right direction: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=180227

 

Tehran can learn a great deal from Tokyo in terms of pollution reduction and earthquake safety.  Perhaps Japan is one of the few remaining nations that has not paid much attention to the US attempts to impose international sanctions on Iran – up to debate.  This is a great start for Qalibaf to attract Japanese investment and collaborate with the mayor of Tokyo to improve Tehran’s infrastructure.  However, an important part of the problem in Tehran and Iran in general is not related to technical expertise and lack of knowledge.  The main problem seems to be deeply rooted in social awareness and culture.  It takes a great number of local experts on the social psychology of Tehranians to solve the essential problems that are unique to Tehran and do not apply to Tokyo.  Japan in particular has a culture vastly different from those of Iranians and I hope that their solutions and policies will not be blindly applied to Tehran. Iran has a history of blindly following policies of developed nations to improve its system (i.e. education, infrastructure, architecture, city planning, etc.) and my impression is that these attempts have lead to disastrous results and confusion on our own social/cultural identity.

who is to pay?

[By Shideh]

Dear Ms. or Mr. Doktor Mohandess God:

I am a middle-aged man in the construction business.  I was born and raised in Tehran but my parents came from Tabriz and Esfahan.  I am also a mohandess (engineer), though I never finished high school.  You know, engineering is an innate thing, it must be in you.  I know how to build, and I didn’t need to waste my time in schools behind desks, you know.  I worked hard to get here, have a lot of experience, do a great job, and make a lot of money.  I have 4 kids, all of whom are becoming real dokktor mohandesses in abroad in private schools.  My wife also has a Mercedes and 3 full time servants.  This is all “halaal” money though, and I pay my share to the poor.  For example, I helped an orphanage near by a few years ago by giving them $1000 for eid e Norouz.  I am not coming to you as a guilty man, but to ask you to help me in court on Tuesday.  You see, it was not my fault that the building in Saadat Aabad collapsed last week.  Only a few people got killed.  These things happen in the construction business, as you know.  I know my job well and this is how I have always built.  I usually pay some money to the city inspectors and they are okay with it.  In this case, the city inspector was also a partner in the deal. If I wanted to build everything according to the design, nothing would get built.  Those damn “engineers” think they know so much, they always add too much steel.  The connections don’t matter, I say this based on experience.  Nothing that I have built has had problems before until now.  Earthquake doesn’t matter either, because Tehran is on rock and with your help we won’t have one in our life time.  This time we were unlucky.  God joon, rooye maa ro zamin nandaz and help me in court on Tuesday.  I don’t want to lose everything.  I have always been your good servant.

————————— 

Dear Mr. God,

I am 40 years old and own an engineering consulting firm in Tehran.  We recently got involved in an easy/money making project that failed. Please make sure that damn “besaaz befroosh” guy pays for his dishonesty.  Our engineers and designers did a fantastic job, nothing was wrong in the design.  In fact, we always over-design because we know it is never followed in construction.  People have been killed now, and it is not our fault. Never mind the fact that our over-designed drawings will cost the contractor too much, the point is that it is not our fault.  It’s their fault for not following our design. 

————————— 

Dear Allah the Merciful,

I am a young engineer, recently graduated and am about to get married.  You know how low our salaries are in this country when we have no experience.  There is no way to live with this salary and breath-taking expenses in Tehran and inflation, there is no way unless you are a thief.  In order to make a living, I got my engineering licence from “Nezam e Mohandessi” and sold my stamp to a few different structural design firms who pay well.  I should not have sold that engineering company my stamp.  What do I do now? The design submitted with my stamp has failed.  I have no idea how they designed that building and now I am responsible for it – people were killed.  

Please help me get out of this mess and I promise to pray every day and fast during every Ramazan in return.   

—————————  

God,

Why did you let this happen? They were innocent, why did they have to be inside this damn place when it collapsed? What kind of a God are you? Who is to pay?

 

Photo courtesy of Flickr

 

Note: these letters are fictional!  

 

hormozgan shaken

 

[By Shideh]   This morning, I talked to a few relatives in Tehran who had heard of a recent earthquake near by.  Naturally, I jumped to my lap top to check the USGS website looking for a small earthquake in Tehran, the fault rupture characteristics, and other things.  The earthquake that I was looking for had instead been a large one towards the south of the country, the province of Hormozgan immediately north of the Persian Gulf.  

 

The epicenter was approximately 45 km west of Bandar Abbas.  The earthquake was apparently strong enough to be felt in the UAE (the United Arab Emirates, south of the Persian Gulf and the epicenter of this earthquake) forcing many people in tall buildings to get out immediately.  The magnitude of this earthquake is reported to be 6 and two aftershocks of magnitudes 4.4 and 4.7 were recorded.  If you are interested to check recent earthquakes that occur around the world, you will like this website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

 

Sadly, at least five people are reported to be killed and 26 injured in Iran due to this earthquake.  The earthquake was intense and unfortunately, my guess is that this number is going to quickly increase as more information becomes available.  Hormozgan is an important province strategically as well as economically and Bandar Abbas is an ancient port located at a critical point, right on the kink connecting the Persian Gulf to the Oman Sea and then to the ocean.   

 

I will update TehranShake as more news becomes available on the estimated damage.  If you live in Iran, please let us know if you felt this earthquake and what you experienced.

 

Bandaries playing footbal in the beach (Bandar Abbas);  photo courtesy of  itfcfan

iran’s education race

[By Shideh]   Another interesting article for TehranShake readers:

 

SPECIAL REPORT: THE EDUCATION RACE
Published Aug 9, 2008
Aug. 18-25, 2008 issue
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151684

 

The Star Students of the Islamic Republic
Forget Harvard—one of the world’s best undergraduate colleges is in Iran.

By Afshin Molavi | NEWSWEEK
 Stanford University’s Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, getting some of the highest scores ever. That the whiz kids weren’t American wasn’t odd; students from Asia and elsewhere excel in U.S. programs. 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.
Sharif’s reputation highlights how while Iran makes headlines for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s incendiary remarks and its nuclear showdown with the United States, 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…

To view the full article: click here

 

recent and active tectonics in tehran region and central alborz

 

[By Shideh]   I received this email from a friend (Mr. Alireza Sarvi) that might be of interest to TehranShake:

 

USGS recently presented an interesting seminar about active tectonics and risk of earthquakes in Tehran region. The slides as well as the complete video are available in their web site now: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/seminars/?year=2008

 

Toward the end of the page, you can access to the seminar with the topic of “Recent and active tectonics in Tehran region and Central Alborz, Iran”, as well its slides and video. It seems that seismic risk in Tehran now gets the attention of well-recognized geological institutes around the world. By the way, from Geophysical point of view, I asked the speaker about the result of micro-seismic activities and the video includes it (from time around 43).

demography, urbanism, etc

[By Shawhin]   My friend just sent me a nice article on urbanism, planning, gentrification trends, etc in North American cities.  It’s a great read – but be sure to also read the comments and arguments:

http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=264510ca-2170-49cd-bad5-a0be122ac1a9 (Thanks, Mei!)

For good complimentary reading, check out Robert Putnam’s (Professor of Public Policy at Harvard) article on social capital:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/DETOC/assoc/bowling.html

Or listen to an interview with Prof. Putnam, at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1074874

me and my model!

[By Shideh]   I am sitting inside a round building with a big centrifuge and my model that has become like a friend (sort of like Tom Hanks and the Volleyball named Wilson in the movie Cast Away!)  I am here to run an experiment as a part of a research project.  I have stayed over night monitoring this model (for the past week) and get to rest for a few hours during the days while someone else covers for me.  In the process, this little model has taught me a lot!  It’s interesting how a lifeless thing can teach us important lessons some times.  Or perhaps it’s me being alone at nights having the opportunity to think and reflect…  Who knows?

 

 

My model and I are sitting in this big round building right now in the middle of no where and are thinking about the significance of the word “patience”.  This experiment cannot happen without lots and lots of patience.  It seems it’s an important lesson as we all mature.  When it’s dark and scary outside, my model and I think about what songs can make us feel better and how funny it is that life has brought us here!  We get depressed some times, frustrated at the world for long hours of work and no sleep.  Then we start to smile at each other again and think about how I am being trained to be patient.

My model is sitting here quietly as it is slowly filled with water and as I prepare some of the instrumentation and learn about the electrical system here. I sing to it sometimes and I wonder if anyone can hear me.  The person who cleans this building arrives at 7am and every time he is startled to see me here!

 

While I work at nights over my beloved model that I have created from scratch, I think a lot about everything that I don’t normally have time to think about.  Most recently, I have been thinking about the concept of creativity.  I read a book called “Jame’e Shenasi Nokhbeh Koshi” in Persian many years ago which is about the historical failure of Iranians to encourage reforming minds (like Hasanak Vazir, Amir Kabir, or Mossadeq).  According to this book, not only don’t we encourage creativity and reform, we also kill motivation in anyone who has the slightest desire to improve the system.  Among many other things, this book argues that Iran became a “user” society at some point in history and has been copying the west ever since.  I wondered then if there was much hope for a society with such a fate.  I wonder today…

maps

[By Shawhin] I just read an article about mapping and thought I’d share.  It was about the influence of maps on people’s conception of the spaces around them and also about alternate methods of mapping and the ability of maps to discover and promote aspects of the world we engage with.

(to view larger version, click here: tehranshake-exhibit)

a humble letter to the people in power!

[By Shideh] My mind has been preoccupied with a number of events lately. I am busy with my last experiment while the world around me seems to have turned upside down. I usually worry a lot about the state of practice in earthquake engineering and am passionate in thinking that I can make a difference in this field, in Iran and perhaps other developing countries. Here I am though, sitting in front of the TV watching CNN in my hotel in Davis, tired of hard work all day, witnessing the world turn upside down once more.  What is going on? Are Israeli authorities really planning to bomb Iran’s nuclear power stations (and other things)? Is Iran’s government really showing fake or real movie clips of its military maneuvers to threaten Israel back, to bluff, to defend itself, or to scare others?  Are American politicians really open to the military option against Iran? Does it seem like a video game to them or do they actually realize it’s people’s lives they are so easily taking?  Am I wasting my life trying to solve a tiny technical problem in earthquake engineering hoping to make cities safe, wishing to save lives, while our governments can blow up the whole world in one second?  Who am I trying to save?

I am helplessly writing to you, my governments, the authorities or decision makers of the world, you who think you can make decisions on my behalf to kill others, I am writing this letter to you hoping to make you realize that I am disappointed in how you have all used my tax money toward propaganda against each other, to promote our differences, and to create hatred.  When are you going to stop fighting and start solving conflicts without actual conflicts?

another reminder: building collapsed in tehran

[By Shideh]   A 7-story building in Tehran collapsed today, sadly killing at least 3 people.  The design engineers and contractors have been arrested and they currently face trial. The mayor of Tehran, Mr. Qalibaf, has blamed the engineering community (Nezam e Mohandesi) for failing to properly oversee the design and construction practice and has requested the judiciary branch to penalize the responsible parties severely.

 

Photo courtesy of BBC

 

According to the ISNA news, the city of Tehran has evacuated the buildings around the collapsed structure until they are closely evaluated.

I’m glad that the media is giving this event proper attention and the responsible agencies are under the magnifying glass of national and international news sources.  It seems to me, however, that the city of Tehran, under the supervision of the new mayor, has improved to respond to such failures with a higher sense of authority and strength.  

I personally hope that the responsible parties, either engineers, contractors, or owners who did not design the building properly or did not completely evacuate the building on time after noticing the excessive settlement of the column, will be penalized with no room for bribery.  This is a fundamental step in training the engineering community toward ethical and responsible practice where negligence can lead to such life-threatening disasters. This event reminds me of an old post in which I wrote about a quote by one of my professors here in Berkeley: “you have the power of God in your hands as engineers, you can save lives and can take lives.”

 

My fellow aghaayoon va khaanoom haye “Mohandess”, let’s remember that with such power, comes great responsibility.

tale of “change”!

[By Shideh]   My aunt sent me this letter to share with our blog readers.  It is about hope and change and has a strong message for all of us, whether you are from Tehran, Tokyo, Cairo, or Los Angeles, even though the topic is on the existing situation in the United States.  Enjoy reading it and send us your own thoughts and experiences:

 

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On the 28th of June 2008 I made all the possible arrangements to attend a party in Berkeley for Obama. I wanted to participate in that party to unite with the community I felt a part of. Being with the people who are seeking change; who are promoting dignity for mankind irrespective of their race and ethnic back ground. The thought of this understanding coming from American people really excited me for the wonderful world my children and their generation are going to have ahead of them. This all had come at the time when they had lost hope for the future. People of this country were about to have compassion for themselves and for the people of the world. How incredible.

 

The people at the party were obviously mostly the elite group from Berkeley, fit, outspoken, and open minded of all ages. The refreshments were generously presented along with very efficient display of stickers, pamphlets, T-shirts, etc. It was a wonderful feeling to be sitting with this group under the same roof. The speakers informed us of all that was happening and all that is needed to be done in the few months to come (just a few months). The questions and answers followed the introduction and it gave way to comments about international affairs. 

As one of the speakers started commenting and joking about Iran, I found myself feeling very confused. What is going on here? As the jokes about my country continued, I felt as if the walls of the room were closing in on me. I felt even dizzier when I looked around and saw these well intentioned people, or so they seemed in the beginning, as the same prejudiced people they are trying to oppose.

earthquake prone tehran (continued…)

An educational documentary broadcast from inside Iran also recommended by Mr. Alireza Sarvi: