Channeling Free Speech

I am a fan a free speech. It is a basic tenet of freedom and many people today are living in countries where free speech is a right denied.

But should there be limits?

Yesterday a few protesters appeared at a homecoming parade given to honour the British soldiers who have fought in Afghanistan. The protest was limited to just a few and I hope the cheers of the hundreds drowned out the jeers of the few.

Soldiers are following orders and display tremendous courage under the most difficult of circumstances. They are far from home, away from their families and friends. Their lives have been under threat every single minute of every single day they were away.

There are appropriate means in which to protest a war. There are places to go to demonstrate your dissatisfaction with the current policy. There are politicians to write to. There is a better way to exercise your freedom of speech.

This is not it.

Today, a similar march took place without incident. Thank goodness. I would hate for these men and women to think for one second that we don't appreciate every thing they do to ensure more people can enjoy the freedom of speech.

Soup Kitchen

Michelle Obama was volunteering at a soup kitchen a few blocks from the White House last week. An article in the newspaper featured a photo of a soup kitchen patron taking a photo of Mrs Obama. He was taking the photo with his mobile phone.

That's right...how does someone getting their food from a soup kitchen afford a mobile phone? With a camera in it?

Am I the only person in the world who thinks there is something wrong with this picture?

Subscribe

If you go to YouTube and subscribe to BarackObamadotcom you will get updates from President Obama about his policies, programs, etc. this will keep you informed which can only be a good thing.

Here's the latest:



Make sure you check out the Recovery site to watch where the money is going (that's assuming the package gets approved)!

Yes We Can

I'm normally pretty much up on these things. but I have to confess, this just blew right over my radar. Just in case it blew past yours, I thought I would give you an opportunity to catch it. Yes We Can. Even though we already did inspires me to do it again.



And then for the funny factor......



And for the sheer music of it......

Best Byline Ever

I know I am an Obama fan. And I was half hoping that my infatuation with the man and his enormous intellect would start to wane. Every star must dim and the shelf life of a typical politician's star tends to be shorter then mayonnaise sitting outside in August.

But, oh, this star just keeps getting brighter and brighter.

First, he admits to being human and commits the one mortal sin that all politicians avoid. He made a mistake. And he took responsibility for the mistake. And he is correcting it. Oh glory be!! Is the world still turning? Has this ever happened in the modern era of politics? Is Bill Clinton listening? Is Gordon Brown?

Secondly, he has moved and moved fast to reverse some of the most shameful legislation ever implemented by his predecessor. In fact, Obama and his team must have been making a l ist and checking it twice during the last 8 years because they are ripping those Bush sponsored but unconstitutional and inhumane activities right out with the tattered and torn White House drapes.

Finally (but certainly not last) the man writes this. He writes. He thinks. He speaks. The byline is the best. Ever.

Top 10 Lessons

I hate making mistakes. As I've aged I've learned that making mistakes is part of the process. It is the place where I learn the most. What I hate more is not learning from previous mistakes and making the mistake twice. Doh! Although much more difficult for me but altogether more effective is if I can avoid making the mistake myself and learn from those of others.

With President Obama taking over from George W Bush, I would say there is a ripe harvest of lessons learned and examples of what not to do. Bob Woodward over at The Washington Post has kindly given President Obama a generous gift by identifying those costly mistakes and giving him a robust instruction on how they might best be avoided.

As I read through the list, I thought to myself, hey this doesn't just apply to the presidency or the leadership of a country. Any leader in any position could (without too much effort) translate these to make them applicable in their role.

Read and learn.

Historical Day

Today, I sat with my children and watched history be made. I have never been so proud to be an American as I am at this moment. I remember my mother making me sit and watch the Watergate hearings telling me that I would remember this day. I do but it wasn't a happy memory. It was a dark day. I hope that today will live in my children's memories as what is possible and an example of how democracy works and when right wins out over wrong.

If you haven't read The Audacity of Hope, read it. I haven't finished it but so far I am so impressed it has already made it to my top 10 list of favourite books. Dreams from my Father is on my "Read Soon" list. Hope it is as good as Audacity and have heard it is even better.

In the moment whilst Barack Obama was taking the oath of this most lofty office, new pages were loaded on to the government website. Take a look around. Let him know what you think. He's asked for our help, our opinions, our support. Let's give it to him. We all have a duty to make our government work. Get busy and get to work. For him and yourselves.

I was amazed to see him get straight to work: signing in his cabinet and, it is rumoured, moving to close the embarrassment that is Guantanamo Bay. Would love to have a look at his To Do list.

I'm not sure what kind of individual agrees to go through the most hellatious job interview for 18 months and then take over (for very little financial compensation) a troubled country with a catalogue of problems. But he seems like he is the right man, the right choice. And he seems to be building a coalition of people to work with him to identify durable, fair and compassionate solutions to the most insurmountable mountain of challenges.

Good luck, Mr President. Let Freedom Ring!

PS Didn't you just love what those adorable Obama girls were wearing?!?!?!?

No Rest

I could never be President. Not that I would ever want to. The pay is really bad and someone is always complaining about the job your doing. Plus if you are really good at the job, you don't get anytime off.

President-elect Obama just went through the longest job interview EVER! The people interviewing him (the American public and various other stakeholders around the world) weren't entirely sure about the job description or what they were looking for in a candidate.

Worst of all, the job changed dramatically just a few months before he was offered the position. When he answered the question from the journalist about whether he still wanted the job, I know I would have probably given a different answer.

Then he gets the job! Yeah!!!!! And he celebrates for, oh, about 2 minutes. OK, 17 minutes to be exact.

And then he gets busy working on the task of transition. And getting the morning briefing. And working out who is going to do what for him. Seems he started working on what his first day of work was going to be like back in July. One of the weaknesses of the Clinton administration was an unpreparedness on the first day of work. In short, Clinton made such a bad first impression on his employers those first few weeks and it took him so long to recover his credibility, anything he wanted to do in his first year was pretty much scuppered.

Some are criticising that President Obama was counting his chickens. I say we made the right choice. A man well prepared to do the job who never doubted our ability to make the right choice.

President Obama

I fell asleep......again.

When I awoke to the sound of my breakfast being delivered this morning I raced to switch on the TV only to find that the cable service in all of Cannes was down. There was no answer at the front desk. Or on housekeeping. I was fearful for a while that McCain had won and everyone in France had drank the kool aid just to avoid 4 more years of a Republican American President.

I finally got my internet connection up and running and I read the news there. At first I couldn't believe it. And then the enormity of what had happened hit me like a tsunami.

My chest puffs out with pride and my eyes water. As a country we have spoken. We have stepped well out of our comfort zone and we are taking a risk. The message this sends to the rest of the world's citizens is profound.

I spoke to my sister and we had our own little election celebration via telephone. Today (and possibly tonight) I shall hoist a glass of champage and toast the victory. And the future.

President-elect Obama, if you are reading this, you have run an honourable and thoughtful campaign. You have inspired a nation to let go of the burdens of racism. We entrust you will not let us down. Good luck. Let me know if you need any help!

Election Coverage via Cannes, France

How very bizarre it is to be watching the events of today unfold surrounded by an international community of several thousand from all over Europe and the USA.

I am on my annual pilgramage to Cannes, France for the Gartner IT Symposium. It is still, IMHO, the best IT conference I have ever attended and this year is proving no different. Except that the weather is just as miserable here as it was when I left dark, grey, cloudy, wet, and cold England and quite frankly I was hoping for a dose of sunshine. The wind is howling, the heavens open up and soak everything below them every couple hours. Do not venture far from your umbrella is something I have learnt the hard way.

Gartner is an American company and nearly all of the presenters (100s of them) are American. Many of the people who support Gartner here are American. I will be having dinner this evening with a couple of Americans and we hope to watch the election returns well into the wee hours of the morning. I don't want to make the same mistake I did in 2000 when I went to bed assured that Gore had won only to awaken and find it had been stolen out from underneath him (as if my watchful eye could have prevented such a travesty of justice).

Nearly everyone else here is from the UK and Europe. I am surrounded by non native English speakers. I respect the commitment it must take to come to a 5 day conference where ALL the presentations are done in English. If I am tired at the end of it, they must be shattered.

There is a lot of buzz on the conference floors and in the presentations about today's election. Everyone is checking out the web for news and trying to catch snipets of newscasts on the 1 television in the Symclub (don't ask). The presenters make references to the candidates and the impact the outcome of today may have on our lives over here an ocean away.

Lots of people have asked me if I have voted and how I think it is going to go. I am not a political analyst. I have voted but I haven't a clue what the result may be. I read the same papers I hope everyone else reads (although I don't think Sarah Palin reads given her ridiculous response to the Katie Couric question). I watch the same news. I get the feeds via telephone, email, twitter.

But I am nervous. There is a flutter of butterflies in my stomach as I wait and hope.

For Change.

The eyes of the world are upon you. Do Well.

Losers

In the run up to the US presidential race I thought it might be interesting to look at what awaits the loser, if only because there is always a loser.

There are 9 people still alive who have fought hard and lost the longest job interview of all time (unless you count my sister who is currenlty undergoing the most excrutiatingly long job interview of all time!).

George McGovern was the Democratic candidate in the 1972 election. America was divided over the never ending saga in Vietnam. He fought hard and won millions of young voters with his notion of peace and hope and change. His campaign was wildly successful until it was revealed that his Vice Presidential running mate, Thomas Eagleton, had been treated for depression in the 1960s. At first McGovern stood behind Eagleton but then accepted his resignation and took on Sargent Shriver as his running mate. It was a PR disaster. McGovern looked flaky and disloyal not to mention indecisive. Not good for a future president. He never recovered.

A few of the candidates lost as incumbents: Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush (Sr) and are still hanging around.

Jimmy Carter was generally regarded as one of the worst presidents of all time when inflation and interest rates caused a short recession during his presidency despite unprecedented employment levels and a massive decrease in the national deficit. To make matters worse the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian hostage crisis happened on his watch. Reelection would have been a tough sell. Jimmy Carter is still active in politics (more so than some think he should be) but his biggest post presidential contribution, in my humble opinion, would have to be his involvement in Habitat for Humanity which helps families build their own homes. He won the Nobel Peace in 2002. He's the second oldest living president.

And we all know what George Senior is up to......


One candidate, Ralph Nadar is a candidate in this year's race (again) although why remains a mystery to me. His participation in the 2000 race probably lost the election for Al Gore. I sure wish he wouldn't do that!


Walter Mondale was Vice President for Jimmy Carter and failed in his bid for the presidency. His post presidential career included a stint as US Ambassador to Japan during the Clinton Administration. Other than that he maintains a low profile (read off the radar).

Do you ever ask yourself what ever happened to Mike Dukakis? I mean I love his cousin Olympia. She's a great actress but Mike slipped into obscurity much the way his Massachusetts miracle slipped from the fingers of the citizens of MA. He splits his time teaching political science at universities in California and Massachusetts. Not sure he's got much to say other than to serve as an example of what not to do.

Bob Dole is 85 and maintains a staff for his very own web page. You can read all about his latest activity on his web page. Forewarned is forearmed: it is pretty dull.

Al Gore has been very busy banging on about all this global climate change stuff after he lost his bid for the presidency (and we all know he didn't really lose, if only Florida would learn to count). He even won the Nobel Prize!

So far John Kerry hasn't done much but it is early days.

And what do you think McCain will be up to next year at this time?

Data Breach

The British government has really messed up. We are included in the 40% of the population with children whose personal details have been lost. Man, I'm angry!

What I Know For Sure

Some of you may know Barabas. I’ve never met him but he faithfully visits my blog and leaves his highly opinionated, sometimes judgemental, but always insightful, entertaining and thought provoking comments to my posts.

Barabas made some statement about who I am based on what I say in my blog (and in comments I leave on other blogs we both visit). I’d like to clear up any impression I may have given to him and any other readers.

1. I so believe in individualism. I just believe that some cultures do a better job at encouraging individualism than others. America is a place where homogeneity and following the pack is recommended. Although breaking away is occasionally rewarded.


2. I wouldn’t say I’m odd or very unique. I would say that my life’s experiences have left me in a very small pool of people with similar demographics and experiences. I wish I had the courage to swim against the current more often. I do know many people who share my opinions. I know a lot of people don’t. This makes the world an interesting place to live. We have a lot to learn from each other.


3. The world would be a better place if some of the politics of the US were a bit more thoughtful of the other inhabitants of the planet. This kind of goes back to point 1 above. Not everyone wants to live the same way the US or the UK or Australia or Japan or Korea do. Not everyone thinks one or another way is best. This isn’t an insult. Just let other people live the way they want to live in their own country. And don’t be a bully about it. There are of course limits. Genocide is a limit. The world citizens should act and encourage their governments to act.
   


4. Materialism is bad. No good can come from coveting thy neighbour's goods. Living beyond your means and buying 4 pairs of £300 jeans on your credit card is bad. Envying Paris Hilton and all she stands for is bad.


5. It does appear to me that we are contributing to Global Warming and if we can reduce our tendency to burn up the earth’s natural resources needlessly then we should do everything we can to stop. Maybe we aren’t responsible for global warming. Maybe all the science is wrong. But it can’t hurt to reduce our C02 emissions and dependency on oil from countries with oppressive governments and violent religious tendencies.


6. Some people will always be evil but how can you argue with the fact that yes, if people were nicer to each other the world would be a better place? Just because others are evil doesn't mean you have to be.


7. I do believe that there can be a balance between the drive towards excellence of the individual and a social conscience way of living. It is a difficult balance. Governments and the individuals they represent struggle with it every day.


8. Every child in the world should have access to basic health care including immunizations and mosquito nets.


9. Every child in the world should have access to education.


10. Rich does not equal bad. Bill & Melinda Gates are using their wealth to change the world. If all wealthy people did this the world would be a different place.


11. Peace on earth does not require a very strong military super power to act as the world’s police force. It does require a coalition of the world’s nations to have a dialogue and take corrective action when a nation’s leaders or citizens behave badly and don’t act for the greater good of all.


12. 9/11 was a tragedy. It was not an inside job. It was not the fault of the people of the US. Not sure how anyone could ever doubt my position on this.


13. One man’s freedom fight is another man’s terrorist. Avoid violence. Encourage dialogue.

There is more to me than these 13 points. My husband has known me for almost 8 years and he still doesn’t know all of me. I’m still discovering me myself. As I live each day I am on a journey of discovery. I learn something new every day. I educate myself and sometimes as a result of the dialogue I change my mind. There are very few things I know for sure.

Blame Game

Nothing like China to put a little perspective on our flooding dangers!

Here in the UK, the blame game beings. Actually it started a few days ago once we were no longer the lead story. Everyone who is not in government is now blaming the government. This seems strange to me for sooooo many reasons:

Government is powerful. But, believe it or not, they do not control the weather. There is absolutely nothing the government could have or should have done to stop prevent the flash flood of last week which lead to the rise in the river levels. Now an argument could be made that this is all caused by global warming and the government is not doing enough to stop global warming but again, I think this all starts with what individuals do and encourage corporates to do (although I do believe corporates will require legislation to consistently behave in an environmentally sound manner). Regardless, the government did not cause the rain. The government did not cause the floods.

Government is made up by the people for the people. Even here in the UK, although not explicit in a constitution (the UK does not have a constitution), this is a democracy and we vote for our leaders. We scream that our taxes are too high and the government doesn't spend enough money on education, health care, and the safety of their citizens (policing, fire protection). But no one says yeah, ok raise my taxes. I'll give you more money to improve the drainage pipes in my neighbourhood.

And this isn't like New Orleans where under investment in the levees for decades lead to a failure of the levees. Here in the UK an unprecedented amount has been spent in the last decade on flood defences, both coastal and in shore. I live just down river from the Jubilee river. This is a man made flood defence which splits the River Thames in 2 to alleviate the threat of flood in Maidenhead. The bad news is when you split a river you eventually have to bring it back together again and this just happens to occur just up river from us. However, in this case, unlike in 2003, the flood defence worked and Old Windsor, Datchet and Wraysbury have remained dry!

Hundreds of thousand of homes are without clean drinking water. A sanitation plant was flooded and without running water toilets are not working. Bowsers and bottled water is being distributed by the military. But there again, people are hoarding and not being sensible with their water usage. People don't know how to make do and just get by with what they've got. They expect that in the middle of a disaster area, their lives should pretty much go on as normal. One woman on the news complained she couldn't use her dishwasher. Are you kidding me?

Some homes (although not many) are without electricity. Several power substations were threatened by flooding. Thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters, power plant workers and just about every hand available all but 1 substation was prevented from flooding. The one power station that did go out was back on line within 24 hours.

People are price gauging accommodation. People are stealing from evacuated homes. Parents are allowing their children to play with the bowsers and drain them of their precious water. People are hoarding bottled water.

Finally, people are blaming the government for not evacuating them soon enough or providing them with hotel quality accommodation. What people just don't get is at some point they have got to be responsible for themselves and their neighbours. If we help each other get through, we'll survive and thrive.

I recall the stories of the British during the second world war. They had victory gardens and grew their own vegetables. They made do with their meager rations. They sat in black out. Neighbours helped neighbours.

I don't think the UK could survive another time like that. What has happened to that stiff upper lip? It is quivering. And it is not attractive.

Terror Alerts

As many are aware, the French government recently announced a raise in its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide". The normal level is "General Arrogance", and the only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate". The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

It's not only the French that are on a heightened level of alert: Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing". Two more levels remain, "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides".

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdain" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs". They have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose".

Seeing this reaction in continental Europe, the Americans have gone from "Isolationism" to "Find Another Oil-Rich Nation For Regime Change". Their remaining higher alert states are "Attack Random Countries (Ideally Those Without Any Credible Military)" and "Ask The British For Help".

The British are also feeling the pinch in relation to recent bombing threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved". Soon though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross". Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the Blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance".

The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Editor's Note: Big thanks to Marc W to forwarded this to me via email!

7/7 Anniversary

Today marks the second anniversary of the bombings of 7/7. It was the point in time when the British could no longer convince themselves that their support of the US war in Iraq would not carry a price.

52 people died. 784 people were injured. All the bombers died.

Terrorism in the UK

We've had a bad week. And that doesn't even consider the pandemic flooding all over the north of England.

Tony Blair's alliance with George Bush has put this country in grave danger. And the threat persists.

I was lucky to not have been anywhere near London when the 7/7 attacks were launched. But we have friends and family (Marc's cousins) who both live and work in London. And whilst no one was injured we were all psychologically impacted.

I still have a wee bit of anxiety when I get on the tube or a bus in London. The trouble is that I do both of these things with my children. They love the excitement of transportation. Whenever we have days out scheduled we use public transportation because it is so much more convenient and responsible. Have you ever tried to park in London? A day's parking can cost well over £30 ($60). Now I just hold my breath and close my eyes and hope for the trip to end soon.

In the last week 2 car bombs have been found in central London. One of the cars had even been towed away for being parked illegally. The vigilance of ordinary people on the street led to the discovery of the suspicious car in Haymarket. And some out of the box thinking led to the discovery of the bomb in the car that had been towed away (unfortunately to a more dangerous location than where it had originally been parked). Luckily, the bombs did not detonate and no one was injured.

These plotters are not the most clever of terrorists I would hazard. I mean everyone knows you don't park illegally in London any more than you do in New York City. They parked these cars at 2 am. Did they think no one would spot them in the deserted city streets before the start of the morning rush hour? Haven't they ever met a London traffic warden? No? Then they are not from around here! And they haven't lived here long (if at all).

All this goes with the territory of living in London. Remember London had been the target of terrorist bombings for years during the "Northern Ireland Troubles". There were never any rubbish bins in the underground or on the city streets for fear that these would be used for locating bombs. When my husband used to travel as a member of the school cadets (like boy scouts with a military bent) when he was 14 or so, they had to travel in civilian clothes so as not to be targeted by earnest terrorists. Some would have chosen to stay home. Today, most would. But not the British. They just adapted and carried on.

Yesterday's car bomb was driven into the front of the Glasgow airport. Luckily, no one was injured (unless you count the bombers and I don't). It merely the disrupted the flow of travelers trying to escape the grey, rainy, dreary June weather.

Glasgow is far away from London. And it is in Scotland. The Scottish, whilst British, are not English and hence, imagine themselves somewhat immune from the terrorist threat. No one needed to remind them yesterday that our new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown is Scottish. I mean very Scottish. Mr. Brown is only one of 4 educated Prime Ministers that didn't got to Oxford or Cambridge. The Right Hounorable Mr. Brown went to the University of Edinburgh. Unlike, Mr Blair, who although he was born in Scotland, immediately left for south of the border. Does anyone think this has anything at all to do with the airport explosion yesterday?

Only the terrorists know. What I do know is that it won't stop me from traveling into London. The 7/7 bombs did. I experienced extreme forms of anxiety (shortness of breath, pounding and accelerated heart rate) in the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks. I didn't take my children into London for almost a year. And when we did go after that we avoided trains, buses and the underground.

But it won't happen again. Not the attacks. I'm sure there will be more of those. But my fear will not win. And the terrorists will not win.

New Prime Minister

Today England has a new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

Not long after I moved here, Tony Blair took over as Prime Minister from John Major. I was all a bit confused. I wasn't very familiar with the political process and it seemed very odd that one day power could pass from one person to another without an election and without a coup d'etat, neither of which has occurred.

10 years on and I am only slightly more familiar with the political process. I know that in elections you don't vote for people but parties. I hoped this would put an end to the cult of charisma that has infected modern politics in many western nations. But it hasn't.

I know that the Prime Minister has to call an election every 5 years and whichever party gets the most votes gets to stay in power. But Labour still won the last election and Tony Blair could have chosen to stay as the party leader and thus could have remained the Prime Minister.

Luckily, he's decided he's had enough. And now Gordon gets a go.

It's all done with the typical British lack of fanfare. No big ceremony. All behind closed doors. Albeit with the Queen accepting one resignation of the outgoing and one acceptance of the incoming, today we have a new captain at the helm.

He promises it will be different. Don't they all? Oddly, Brown has declared another election will be held nex summer. I love the fact they just call elections willy nilly.

Women in Iran

Under Zoroastrianism, the religion that prevailed in Persia until displaced by Islam in the 7th century, women were treated as equals. In battle, women fought alongside their men. These were the women that the ancient Greeks, appalled by this "upside down society" dubbed "the Amazons". Iranians, fiercely proud of this heritage, defended Zoroastrian holidays like National Picnic Day from periodic attempts at suppression by the Islamic authorities.

For all their repression and corruption, the Pahlavi kinds pursued a secular version of modernisation that included a liberal view f the role of women. Reza Shah, who became monarch in 1926, forbade women from wearing the hijab or chador in public. Under his rule a new civil code was approved giving women the right to ask for divorce under certain conditions and raising the marriage age for girls from 9 to 15. Girls were also to receive the same education as boys.

Under his successor, the last Shah of Iran, women were given the right to vote and stand for election. In 1968 a Family Protection Law, divorce hearings were transferred from religious to family courts, polygamy was limited, and the marriage age for girls was raised to 18. In 1975, women gained to right of guardianship over their children after the death of their husband (a right us western women take for granted).

But then came the Islamic Revolution of 1979. And everything changed. The Family Protection Law was annulled. Just like that. Overnight.

Women were forced out of jobs and barred from being judges. Legal age of marriage forr girls reduced back to 9. Segregation in education and the workplace was introduce. Women even have to sit at the back of public transport. Mothers' rights of custody in divorce were curtailed. Stoning to death for adultery became common.

With the institution of the mullahs, the plight of women has improved slightly. Paradoxically, Islamic strictures have undermined many of the values they were meant to uphold. Before the Islamic revolution, traditional Muslim families didn't let their daughter ago to work, school or university for fear they'd be corrupted. Once the compulsory hijab, segregation and other moral rules were instituted, the outside world seemed less threatening. girls poured out of their homes.

20 years ago the female literacy rate was 30%. today it is 87%. The law of unintended consequences also occurred when the mullahs, responding to Saddam Hussein's attack on Iran in 1980, banned contraception and told women to go forth and raise martyrs.

The consequence was a massive baby boom: two-thirds of Iran's 70 million people are now under 30. Far from a nation of martyrs, the mullahs created millions of angry young people who;'d rather check their email, listen to Western rock music and watch pirated DVDs than die for Islam.

Iranian girls are the world's blog queens, renowned for their spicy mix of politics, dirty jokes, acid comment and worries about their weight. Realising their mistake, the mullahs have executed a rapid U-turn.

Contraception is now freely available.

USA Election

With the US Presidential elections only 17 months away (UGH!), I found this and that it was seriously cool! Just sit back and watch the colours change. As it progress through time, remember back to who won those elections!