Pretty cool story:

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/sports/othersports/26skate.html

(even with video. I like the way the Times is incorporating a lot of new media to their website)

KABUL, Afghanistan — It looked like an ordinary neighborhood playground: six children tumbling off their skateboards to the tune of laughter. But only hours before, just 20 yards away, the body of a suicide car bomber was sprawled beside a glistening pool of blood.

Afghan youth have learned to recover almost instantly from such routine violence. One person determined to inject some normalcy into their lives is Oliver Percovich. A 34-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, he plans to open this country’s first skateboarding school, Skateistan, this spring. He sees sport as a way to woo students into after-school activities like English and computer classes, which are otherwise reserved for the elite.

I know people always used to say basketball was the best way to keep kids out of trouble and to give kids an escape, but I think skateboarding is much better for both.

Thanks for this great article Dipseth although it is very sad at the same time.