Iranian of the Day

Anoush is an accomplished woman

She is definitely a smart woman. No doubt her husband and her worked hard to achieve what they have. Nevertheless, paying such a large sume (20 Mil $) for just a trip, though that was to out of space, does raise some questions regarding her priorities.

Right before coming to this page, I was watching a blog by behnam-sezavar on the slums of south Tehran, and how an Old man has no source of income to support his family. I encourage everone to watch this video - This is the link: //iranian.com/main/blog/behnam-sezavar/vi...
When we see stuff like this, it is just natural to question whether the 20 Mil could have been better spent on the needy of her own country.

Also, I work in the Telecom Industry. I remember that when Anoush Rohani and her husband sold their company that many of the Shareholders filed a Class Action Lawsuit against them for insider information. The reason for that was the share price of their company dived precipitously right after their sale.

In any event, I guess you have to take the good with the bad. She is definitely an accomplished woman. Her priorities may not be where it should be. Also, she may like to have publicity, and all the vanities that goes with it. But then again who am I to judge? :) :) - Or for that matter, perhaps we should mind all our own business!!

Anousheh Ansari

Has any of you (who have criticized her for not having helped iranians or humanity,) actually looked to see if that 's true or not.
I know for a fact that her humanitarian efforts are global (including Iran) and ongoing.
If she chose to publicize her life and its dream is to inspire the young people, especially young girls to not give up on their dreams. And she has succeeded in that.

Can you spare $20 million Dollars Agha?

//www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/omi0bio-1

Good For Her

I don't see anything wrong with it. She is not obligated to take care of every problem in the world. If she were to give her money to Iran it would just be "mullah khore" anyway; I hope she enjoyed it!!

god bless her

she worked hard, with a right motivation, intelignese and luck she made it big. Unlike the mullah's and aghazadeh's who rob people night and day she earned it, she deserved it and she used it for what she likes.
I much doubt any of you so called compassionate people who are obviously jellous of her and her achievements will give up a vaction, or give up a new car and instead spend your money on opening orphanage or donate to cancer research or to poor in
some thirld world country. You know what they say "cheraghi ke be khaneh..."

What is Your Motivator

Ask yourself, what is my dream, what is my motivator. Then see if you have the "k**n" to make it possible. If so, irrespective of the dream and the motivation, you can be my role model. What sets the role models apart is that they don't have a "k****h goshad" and keep at it until they achieve their dream.

RE: She is NOT a role model!

That is her money and she has the right to do whatever she wants with it. What do you expect her to do with her money?! To give it to unknowns?
Are you disregarding all her efforts to make her dreams come true? How many of us have the heart and motivation to do such a wonderful thing?????!!!!
Yes, many of us use our money to have the same luxury that our friends have!!!.. that is a shame and too low...most of us are middle class but she is a high class one... go figure.

As a professional woman, I DO see her as a role model

Anoosheh earned her money and the right to spend it in pursuit of her dream. It was admirable to see how hard she trained in order to be able to go into space. It wasn't as simple as buying a ticket for $20M.

Her dream is admirable and of substance. Some people contribute to orphanages, some contribute to history and space. If you can't understand it, it doesn't means it's not important. Also, why does she have to give to Iranian causes?

She is a good role model because she is educated, she is smart, she is beautiful, she sets high dreams and standards for herself, she pursued her professional dream and made it big, and pursued her childhood dream of going into space. I certainly would rather have Anoosheh be my daughter's role model than Bita Daryabari(Omid Kordestani's ex-wife)!

Anoosheh sets herself apart from all the other "glamorous" (according to Iranian culture and values) Iranian women as she is self accomplished and not just some executive's wife. She has more to talk about than breast lifts, Botox, taming her husband, trips to Europe, the number of carats on her ring, etc...like most of those useless women.

Unlike those "glamorous women", who volunteer one day a year at a Kahrizak bazaar all dressed up in their designer clothing and highlighted hair, Anoosheh spends time going to schools and speaking to children about space and peaking their curiousity. From having Anoosheh as a role model,Iranian girls can see they too can dream big; and yes it is possible to ascertain those big dreams on your own and not based on who you marry.

Why are you guys jealous. Because she has it all and you don't. I admire her and if there is one person I would like to see in person, it is Anoosheh. I wish we had more Iranian women like her.

Show off

The only reason that she took that trip was because she wanted to show off and become a guest at TV shows like Oprah.Her money could have been spent on Iranian causes like helping homeless people living in streets and treating drug users.People see her on TV and forget about her after a while,but if she used her money for a good cause Iranian people would have remembered her during her life time.

Each to it's own

What about that Olympics athlete who trains, for years and years, to be able to beat everyone in the world in tennis?

Or the singer who practices for years to be able to sing like Shajarian?

Or the author who spends her life writing about some ancient civilization?

"She should have spent her time, instead feeding the poor, or teach the idiots, or find a cure for AIDS...etc.", I am sure some of you would say.

None of them are my cup of tea either, but hey, if that's your dream, pursue it; and if you achieve it after all the obstacles, you are my role model!

Anousheh Ansari is a woman, an Iranian, who came to the US and wanted to go to space. This sounded like a crazy dream to many, at the time, but she put her mind into it, and with much hard work, and some luck, achieved her dream.

You'll be my role model if you work hard and make your dream a reality.

Nag nag nag...

God bless

She is NOT a role model!

I also agree that she is  not a role model.

It's all about setting priorites and she could have done much more for Iranians and the humanity in general.

What a waste...

EGO is a powerful motivator!

It's Anoushe's right to defend her $20,000,000 trip! It was her money and she spent it her way; to feed her EGO!  

But for her to expect anyone to hold her in high regard as a role model or an encouragement to follow your dreams is rediculous!

The only reason Anousheh Ansari was able to go to space was because the lightening hit her and her husband in form of all business and technological elements lining up to create the Dot Com and Telecomm Bubble of the late 1990's which brought her the financial means to splurge like that!

For her to say that her life and journey will encourage others is rediculous. Many, many, many Iranian engineers and PhD's 10 times smarter and harder working than her are struggling like everyone else in the current global economic slump!  Anousheh Ansari and her family simply got lucky; period!

Why not?

When I was broke, no one gave me any money.
Now that I busted my ass and have some money, all of the sudden, the new world order wants me to share my wealth with everyone else.
Don't buy that fancy car, give the money to the poor.
Don't go on that trip, give the money to the broke.
Don't enjoy dinner in that fancy restaurant, feed the hungry in India.

There will ALWAYS be poor, and hungry in India, no matter how much money and food we send them.

You do as you please, butI spend my hard earned money any way I like.

She is not a role model.

20 million on a selfish pursuit to explore the black cosmos that surrounds the earth.

That money could have easily been donated to HIV or Cancer research or a myriad of other critical charities.

That's wasted money, and you call her a role model?

I bet you wouldn't have as "much" respect for her if she was the first Italian (or fill in the blank) women to do such a thing.

Put nationalistic pride aside, it's ridiculous...and in your next life whose to stay you're not going to turn out a hungry deprived child in Tibet, China, or Africa. The odds are against you if reincarnation is really an option.

We always give attention to people with money who use it unwisely...not the ones who do.

Think about that.

She is a real role model for Iranian women

I admire her, respect her and look up to her..she is awesome.

When someone uses the word "I" so many times

The issue is this: What have you achieved as a mere passenger?

$20,000,000 budget:

$10,000,000 to open an orphanage in Tehran with best education and sports training.

$10,000,000 in bank in Iran to earn 18% interest to pay off for the upkeep of that orphanage.

She could become far more popular if she would have said " I could afford to go to space, but I decided to take care of the Earth achievements first."

Yes, true that was her money and her choice to spend, but what she could have done with $20,000,000 to earn a publicity is the issue. After all she did not go to space on a scientific mission it was a like a cruise to Hawaii, no glory, no matter how you twist it with sci-fi music in the background.

The children of Iran should have come first, what a failure.

I hope this becomes a lesson for the "First Iranian on The Moon" that if you are just a passenger, then spend the money on something a bit more exciting.