From Tehran

In Tehran, it is hot and dry. The pollution could have been worse, still it manages to burn your throat. The streets are parking lots, it is impossible to find a spot to part your car. Driving is an adventure. The drivers stare at you and keep coming.... there is something psychological in that. They see you, but they do not see you.
The economy still is in transition, the new bills for public utility have sent shock waves through the economy. It is a guess but i do not think the households are done adjusting. The prices have gone up in some cases and are expected to increase even more by some. It is a bit traditional, in this economy consumers always expect price hikes.
Interesting observation: I have not seen any coffee shop or restaurant out of business, but it seems manufacturing sector is struggling (if one believes the word on the street).  There are the latest Mazda, Lexus and other brands on the streets. I have seen several Porsche as well in Tehran. The cars are so diverse from old Peykans, valued at a few thousand dollars, to imported vehicles with prices hovering in 200K USD and above. The drivers all drive the same! This is Tehran.

Long time

Moving to Atlanta, adopting to new lifestyle and catching up with research proved time consuming. My second year at Clayton State is coming to an end. Time flies. I am dusting off this blog to start writing again. Happy Nowruz everyone!

Tehran...

Weather cooled down, city is quiet. Many have left because of the holiday. In less than 2 weeks Ramadan will be here. The month of fasting and praying. The other day i grabbed a hot dog sandwich in a cafe. The music was a selection of Googoosh. I was surprised when i realized it had sounded so natural to me at the begining.

Tehran

Tehran is hot, but in the evening a cool breeze comes from mountains. Today is the birthday of Shi'ee 12th Imam; Mahdi. Last night there were fireworks and traffic was most heavy. It is the last great celebration before Ramadan. Weddings are on in full swing and cars decorated as carriages are racing through city with brides and grooms.

One Year Passed

One year passed since that Friday when I was sitting in Mashhad International Airport, waiting for my father to land so we would go home together. I was reading Jean Tirole's Industrial Organization textbook and writing down notes. I knew there had been an incident, i did not know of casualties. TV started to show images of Aria IL 62 and there was a banner saying people were killed.
I went home with him finally, but for him it was the final stop. We had a memorial last Friday for him, it was very dignified and many of his colleagues and friends showed up.
There were a few articles in media about the anniversary of Aria and Caspian Airlines incidents, critical of the way aviation industry is managed, few mentioned the sanctions and their effects on the industry.

A Good Article

Rojan Taghavi has written a very insightful article for Guardian "Iran fears falling oil sales – not UN sanctions" She reviews Iran's refining infra structure.

A Difficult Year Has Passed

Almost a year has passed and a lot has happened. I think I should start writing again. At Clayton State we are celebrating the first anniversary of CREST. Dean Chacko left us to become Dean of College of Business Administration in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Tidwell is on his way to Pennsylvania to assume deanship of School of Business at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Alphonso Ogbuehi is joining Clayton State as the new dean of school of business. It is many changes.