What a lovely little picture.

I love inspiring stories like this. Little successes in the face of gigantic obstacles.

The idea of women-centered grassroots organization selling indigenous products from around the world is great and inspiring. This is how development should occur.

I think you nailed it on the head with the last line: it all comes down to choice, something that even in the US society has trouble giving women.

My guess is that some people crusading for the face-covering ban are doing it out of pure hatred and anti-Muslim sentiment but others think they're helping women who have no choice but to be covered. I've always had a troubled relationship with the dialogue surrounding all forms of head-covering. I am an ardent believer in choice in all parts of life but at the same time I worry because I know that in some situations (I wouldn't hazard a guess as to what percentage) it is coerced either directly though laws or indirectly through cultural norms. I think in general though it's a strawman argument, talking about the burqa is ignoring what we really need to be having a discussion about: women's empowerment(and multiculturalism). Let's stop focusing on these surface issues, because if a women is truly being coerced to cover her head then we have far deeper problems that legislation won't solve.

I think the governmental response to any widespread disaster is certainly in question, and as a country we tend to have a wait until it happens mentality.

There are so many disasters that could happen (a plague, a meteor hitting earth, global nuclear war, or just a bad flood, during the floods in Nashville this spring a town was entirely cut off from contact with the outside world for a week). We take so many modern conveniences for granted, I'm guilty of it, I can't do anything without my laptop, cell phone, and credit card. What's that old saying, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.