Twenty-nine-year-old communications professional and blogger Sara Refai has a Masters Degree in Social Psychology, and has worked with political analysis companies, conflict resolution organisations, and PR agencies over the last six years.   As part of the Lebanese diaspora, she has lived in both the Middle East and the West, where she's studied and learned about different cultures and how

Kikune knelt in front of Fukiko and me, the epitome of grace and beauty in a spectacular melon-coloured kimono.

She was in turn thoughtful, playful and coy, as she answered my questions and shared the trials, tribulations, and joys of fulfilling her dream: to become one of Kyoto’s legendary geisha.

It was a conversation I shall never forget.

One year later, I’ve finally produced the

The auditorium fell dead silent when Dr. Sunitha Krishnan stepped onto the stage at TED India on November 6. And Tedsters around the world, watching via a live stream webcast, were transfixed – or at least we were in Dubai!

The diminutive, soft-spoken, anti-trafficking crusader, who was gang-raped as a teenager, began her talk with the heart-wrenching stories of three children – Pranitha,

In February 2008, former nun and religious scholar Karen Armstrong shared a wish with the worldwide TED community.

(Scroll down to see and hear the amazingly eloquent, thoughtful and thought-provoking talk in which she made the wish.)

She asked “TEDsters” to help her assemble the Charter for Compassion, a document around which religious leaders can work together for peace.

 Armstrong's

I was going to start this blog entry with a caveat.

But then I decided it probably wouldn’t do much good – someone somewhere is bound to be offended by what follows. So there are no apologies here. I’ll seek forgiveness later if required.

Before I go any further, a word of advice: whoever you are, wherever you are, register for the next and closest TEDx event within reach (the worldwide

Dr. Janet Rose Wojtalik has seven powerful “secrets” to share about parenting girls – secrets that will help today’s moms and dads create the strong, independent, amazing women of the future.

One of three children born to working-class parents, Wojtalik says she herself struggled to break free from negative, gender-biased parental and societal messages, and the fear of failure, to eventually

Here's a taster from the latest video blog update (#5), from Dubai-based Canadian journalist (and AWR member) Natalie Carney, who is producing a documentary on children in Afghanistan.

See the 10-minute "full meal deal" here.

Find out more about her fledgling charity Kids Being Kids: Afghanistan here.

 

Related links:

Women In Leadership Forum  25 - 27 October Dubai

 

Women In Leadership Forum is a platform to address the

challenges we are facing and to determine the future. When the

economy is moving forward robustly, most executives focus

on growing sales. But inevitably when the economy slows and

times become tough, most executives turn inward, looking at

how their

As post-election trauma and violence sweep across Iran, the powerfully positive forces of music and dance are also at work transforming our world.

Today, I was exposed to two inspirational musical initiatives, one of which I’d like to share with you now (I’m saving the other one for later).

I’m reading A Whole New Mind (Daniel H. Pink), at the moment.

Coincidentally, today my Malaysian friend Malar (thanks Marls, I miss you!), sent me a link to Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 TED Talk on creativity and education.

The common themes struck a chord with me.

It's a fact that educating girls and empowering women creates a powerful force for positive economic and social