Skateboarding in Afghanistan

Every once in a great while, you read something that is both heartwarming and surreal. This is a story about an Australian who brought skateboarding to Afghanistan. Regardless of what you think of globalization, the war on terror, Western cultural imperialism, or even skateboarders, this is simply amazing. In a country with not-really-modern attitudes towards women, girls are finding something new to do.

It was the sight of girls spinning across the concrete, their scarves billowing, that caught the eye of Kenny Reed, a skater from upstate New York. "You know," he said, "I think this is the first time I've ever seen little girls skating anywhere."

It's called Skateistan. I'll never look at skateboarding the same way again.