Active Youth in Dynamic Society

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***Adventure for three hours***

The story which I want to tell to you is completely true.
And so, the adventure began with my visit to Georgia which situated in the north-west of Azerbaijan. The date was 13 November 17, 2008. I went there dealing with preparation to Youth Exchange Program. It was 8:35 pm (GMT+4) local time. The train started to move to from Baku towards to Tbilisi. I took with myself some food but I forgot to take water. The carriage was too hot and it was easy to get thirsty. The same time there was problem with the light inside the coupe. I was alone in my coupe. I asked to passenger carriage controller if it possible to solve the light problem. She with her typical manner answered me might be later.
It was approximately 01:29 am that the train stopped one of the station which calls Ujar. I asked to the controller that is it possible to go out and buy something to drink she said me yes, the train stops here 20 minutes usually. I tried to buy some soft drinks from outside.The train began to move.Because of I was 30 meters away from the train I couldn’t reach it. So, after the shock I took a taxi and asked him to reach the train up to the next station which calls Yevlakh. I drove not so fast and the same time he confused the way to the next station and I lost the train in the Yevlakh as well. I gave the driver 20 dollars then I took another taxi for the next station – Ganja. He drove too fast – 120-160 km/s. Because of my fortune we met the police on the way. And he asked the driver to stop but the driver didn’t. And some minutes following us police informed the Police post which was in the ahead. But the driver neither stopped in the police post. Finally, we reached the Ganja in time and I gave the driver 40 dollars for the way and 20 dollars for the police punishment which he expected on the way back to his home.
After 3 hours taxi travel I got in the train. It was 04:30 am. The first I met with controller she had smile on her face and the first question which I she asked was “where were you?”. I said “thank you for the fresh air”. The second strange think for me was the light which was in my coupe.

Thanks to the God, I finally got to the Tbilisi.

Author: Rustam Rahimli

The strange guests of Baku Metro

I would like to tell you a strange story which recently happened with me. It happened in the Metro. I mean in the Underground station. Before I faced with this event I was with my friends in the city center. It was too late and I decided to come back home by Metro. After some stations later a little boy who is 11 years old got in the same passenger carriage with me.He began to ask money for the treatment of his brother. Some people gave money but some of them laughed. He stayed in the carriage just a station. After the station he got off. In order to define the reality I followed him. He looked for new train. I approached to him. And after introducing myself I ask him some questions such why do you beg money?, Do you study anywhere? And etc. He told me that he doesn’t study. His mother died and he begs for the treatment of his brother.

Meanwhile, one woman about 40 – 45 aged come near me. She seemed as a beggar. But after the conversation with her I got understood that she is neither beggar nor gipsy. She does it because of her the worst standards of living. And she came to Baku from the sub of country. Her first question was who am I and why am I keeping the child away from the “work”? I politely approached the woman and asked about her relations with the boy. She told me that she is his mother. But when I said that he told me his mother died, she changed her answer by saying I am his aunt. When I said that I am journalist and I want to inform about her problem to others she tried to be a bit sincere. She introduced herself as Latifa Huseynova. And she is 34 years old. At first I ask about the boy she told me that he has got only a sister in that case it means the boy cheat the people in the Metro. Then she told me that she has got 5 children. But she has got extra 2 children as well whose parents died. The eldest age is 16 and the smallest is 5 years. Referring to her interview her husband is bed ill. And none of the children go to the school. Just only her 8 years daughter goes to school for first class. Latifa didn’t finished school either. After 8 classes she went out of the school.

I asked her about how many children “work” under her “leadership”. She tried to diminish the number by saying one – only 11 years old child. Another question of mine was how many times have you been involved this “job”? – it is still a year she answered. Why do you do that, if there are other opportunities to earn money such as housemaid? She told me she worked such jobs but it isn’t satisfactory for her to feed the children. For my question about is there any government support to you like donation? Yes, it is – she said. There is also one official who works at Customs Committee. But some times we need for much money because of one of the children (the child was there and she showed him to me) needs regular operation – she added. During her interview as a skeptic man she often repeated “I don’t cheat you, why should I do that?!”
In order to verify correctness of this information I approached the woman who works in the station as an inspector. She was near by me when I interviewed the Latifa. But she refused to answer the questions on Latifa. I understood that the information of Latifa about the children was given wrong and if inspector will say true there must be quarrel between them. That is by saying goodbye I finished my investigation.

Author:
Rustam Rahimli

Special reportage 26.09.2008

The Caucasus in 10 Years may possibilities meet Needs...

If I were asked this question 10 years ago, I am sure my answers would have been very wide of the current mark.

My ansewer now, perhaps just wishful thinking, will, I hope, be closer to the reality in ten years.

What I hope for depends on the people. Consequently, to realize my dreams, it is necessary to transform people, to modify the way they think.

They say that in order to transform common thought, one should first transform individual thoughts. Therefore we should first start with ourselves, and not with somebody else. This requires more creativity and more vigor.

In the Caucasus, we have a saying, which I hope to see made into reality within 10 years. And I hope the entire Caucasus enjoys this future reality.

I hope our possibilities match our needs!

Ayaz Abushov
Festival organizer in Sumgait

Nationality: Human South Caucasus Documentary film festival
Of peace and human rights

Your Choice is our Future

As a well-populated beverage, alcohol drinks specially, "Vodka" and "Bear" are most used by the youth. Being aware that this drink is the current challenge for youth of Europe including Azerbaijan, I have decided to touch the problem. At first, as usual I approached the Azerbaijani Youth walking in the streets of Baku. The first interviewer was 23 aged Eldar. He has recently graduated the University of Azerbaijan Economic State University. Regarding his group mates he told me that most of students in his group are non – alcohol drinker. But there are same students who prefer to drink bear at the parties.

Another interviewer was a young girl who is called Leyla.

She is an administrator at the one of the PUB – Cafés in Baku. She said that alcohol - drinks are mostly served by men. But there are some frequent woman visitors who also prefers some bear. She added to her speech that the visitors to the pub-café are mostly English people and that is why she could not estimate the degree of Azeri people who has alcohol dependence.

In order to get official information over alcohol dependence I approached the expert of the Association of Azerbaijan Independent Human Development – Zohrab Gadimov. The first questions of mine were “how wide and why does alcoholism spread among the youth?”. By answering my question he noted that actually, the amount of alcoloholics isn’t the same with the official indications. For his speech from the one of two youth become alcohol drinker because of his/her depression. They see the “vodka” as only way the solution of their problems – he said. If there 70% of youth are pessimist the 20% are optimist. And it the reason why of speediness of alcoholism among the Azer youth. By continuing his conversation he added that most of Azerbaijani youth tries to be similar with European youth specially, in this regard. Then he had clarified his idea by saying that “in the West mode of life the drunkenness isn’t considered like abnormal rather than the sign of manhood”.

And finally, I would like to apply to the youth of the World that don’t drink so much if you couldn’t keep your key with yourself.

Regards, Rustam Rahimli

Intoxicated Sigar

"There is a sound mind in a sound body"

Socrat

One of the Youth Organization has recently organize debate on the topic of “let’s don’t smoke sigar”. In order to hear new arguments and rich the current article I took part there. One side answered to another side by arguments. But the main arguments were different.
For instance, anti-agitator Afaq spoke over the harms of sigar. She noted that the harm of sigar affected not only the user but also the others who is the arround of him/her. But the opposite party resist on that the harms of sigar isn’t so danger for the health of human than the enviromental pollution.
Let’s speak about the attitude of our youth to the sigar. The most of my acquaintances smoke the sigar. If say true I smoke seldom. As in everything we find something to justify ourselves in this regard. For example, to get out of the streess, to make weaker of our anger and etc.
I should say that it is possible now to see often the pupil who smokes. There are also the girls who smokes. But it is not so wide-spread.
Generally, in our country the youth prefer the sigar which has less nicotine. About drinks I could say that in Azerbiajan bear is prefered by youth. The alcohol drinks are usually drinked at the parties, birthdays and etc.

Sincerely,

Ayaz

One Step Nearer to European Education

Nowadays, one of the problems concerning the students, the main part of Azeri youth, is the current basement on the Soviet education system at majority of universities.
As is known, at some universities the education has already been transformed to credit system. A thought exchange on this issue was held from the Ministry of Education officials to civil students. Moreover, a poll under the name of “Tahsilimizi Takminleshdirak” (Let’s Improve Our Education) was held in some universities among both the students getting education the principles of soviet system and the ones studying according to credit system and relying on the results of the poll one can note that, majority of the students are for the full realization of this system.Particularly,at Azerbaijan University Languages, I study, it passed to credit system in 2005 and the query taken from 1st ,2nd, 3rd-year students showed that they are mostly satisfied.

If taken into he consideration the opportunities credit system gives to students; to continue their education in different European countries on the basis of students exchange and to diminish the possible problems to minimum they can face, recognition of our diplomas and some other reasons it is quite to get such results on the poll.
Moreover, to our mind, credit system offers good conditions for training more skilled specialists, because irrespective of time, a student has to complete all his academic debts.
Another totally different and favorable feature is that students possess the opportunity to get qualified in two professions at the same time, that is one can extend his/her education on a field close to their qualifications.

Regards, Aynur Nabiyeva (new member)