Anyone else just watched the interview between John Snow and President Ahmedinajad?

I've a few questions on that.
1) Was Snow going so easy on him because of the known habit of reporters to "disappear" after asking awkward questions?
2) Did Ahmedinejad actually think he was fooling anyone, or even the least bit convincing in his statements?
3) The apparent requirement that other world leaders must have all the virtues of God before being listened to or negotiated with rather suggests that the President has gone insane.

He compared police violence in Iran to police violence in the UK as if they were totally equal. No, really. I know our police get nasty sometimes, but they don't tend to grab people off the street, brutally beat and rape them in the cells, cause disappearances, and use the sheer levels of violence the Iranian police have been shown on camera using.

Socialism/ leftist politics and class often come into serious conflict- and not always in a constructive way. A very popular jibe to throw at any leftist commentator is "oh, s/he's from a well-off family and s/he went to a good university, therefore s/he can't talk about working class issues or socialism".

Education is designed to equip us with the ability to think, reason, and explain. It gives us the tools to put our thoughts into words. Some people are naturally gifted in this way without an expensive education, but there is no denying that a good education is really bloody useful. If you're Eton and Oxbridge, you are far more likely to have the vocabulary, learned reasoning, and debating ability necessary to really get your point across. A good education should also encourage critical thinking skills, enabling the student to better look at any area of life or leisure, and take it apart. This includes areas like politics and economics.

Whether from direct experience of wealth inequality and the problems it brings, or from a more distant study of history and economic theory, a socialist is a socialist. They see the same problems, and the same solutions. The only difference an education makes is the method of expression.

I have leather trousers now, yay. They were a tenner and fit quite nicely. (some minor repair work required, but for the price I'm quite okay with making a few repairs)
I have a job interview tomorrow. Must dig out suitable trousers, shirt and jacket. And locate a decent vest, since it's due to freeze this week and ladies' shirts and jackets are far too thin for winter wear.

People buying RATM as some sort of protest against the X-Factor- if you're doing it because you don't want Cowell's pets to win, try again next year. RATM are owned by Sony BMG, just as all Cowell's pets are, and he owns a rather substantial stake. If you buy RATM, you're buying from Cowell. Please seek a decent non-Sony, non-Cowell alternative (maybe even something vaguely seasonally appropriate?) for next year.

Christmas Gift Toy & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com