Yeah, Right...

...we're so convinced:

Iran condemns attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and France

Back Where It All Began...

...Tunisian Voters Say No to Islamists

"Tunisia just held a parliamentary election and Ennahda, the sort-of-moderate-but-not-really Islamist party lost to the ardently secular Nidaa Tounes, which translates into Call of Tunisia.

Ennahda is the Tunisian Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood under another name, and it wears a more moderate face than the Egyptian branch. Tunisia is a genuinely moderate country and Ennahda’s leaders have no choice but to tone down their rhetoric and their platform if they want to seriously compete in elections."

[---]

"Tunisian politics might be more coherent if a viable mainstream conservative party were to compete with a more-brazen Ennahda and split the votes of religious moderates and religious extremists, but Ennahda certainly won’t split itself. The Islamists would have even fewer seats in the parliament if that were to happen. Ennahda can’t even win an election with its ostensibly moderate platform.

Much hay is being made of the fact that a large percentage of Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq hail from Tunisia. We can speculate about the reasons for that, but I can tell you with absolute confidence that it’s not because Tunisia has a broader base of support for totalitarian political Islam than other Muslim countries.

On the contrary, Tunisia is the most liberal Arab country in the world. I’ve known that for a decade. In such marked contrast to Egypt, Libya, and Syria, it has emerged from the upheavals of the Arab Spring as a more-or-less properly functioning democracy. On January 26, 2014, Tunisia ratified the most liberal constitution in the entire Arab world."

Bit by bit.

There's Stupid...

...and then there's really stupid:

Femen activists on trial in Tunisia for topless protest

Listen sweethearts. Get your aims straight. Going topless, especially in an Arab country, is basically a protest against common sense. It's an admission that you have none. A topless protest has nothing to do with "Ms Tyler" and won't help her. It has everything to do with your own self-centredness.

Back Where It All Began...

...it ain't over until it's over:

Tunisia’s Theocratic Temptation

Back Where It All Began...

A Victory for Arab Liberals

"Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahda has caved to overwhelming pressure from liberal, leftist, and other secular parties and abandoned its push for making Islam the basis of the country's new constitution.

Just a few days ago I spoke to several people here in Tunis who thought a compromise might be reached, that Sharia law would be described in the constitution as a source of legislation rather than the source, but it looks like the Islamists won't even get that much."

Let's hope, like the original Arab Spring, this victory for modernism will spread East.

It used to be that Egypt (under Gamel Abdel Nasser) was the center of the Arab world. Maybe that is changing. Interesting times.

Tunisians Vote...

...today.

"Yamina Guermazi, 45, wore a black headscarf in remembrance of her 18-month-old daughter, Yaquine, who was asphyxiated when Ben Ali’s security forces fired teargas into a hammam, a Turkish bath for women.

“I have been crying since this morning, but I am happy to be experiencing this historic moment. It remains a happy day after half a century of slavery,” she said.

Salem Bouazizi, brother of fruitseller Mohamed Bouazizi whose self-immolation sparked the Tunisian revolution, cast his first democratic vote in the southern town of Sfax at the age of 31."

[---]

"“I am very happy, I feel good,” Ahmed Radali said with a broad smile after voting, wagging his blue-tipped finger.

“No, I won’t tell you who I voted for. Today, there is nobody to point a gun at your temple, to throttle you or to hit you in the ribs,” he said of the voter intimidation practices widely ascribed to Ben Ali’s regime."

I cannot imagine....

More. A 70% turnout.

Here.

"Those who are not versed in Tunisian politics should go and stand in the square opposite the Municipality of Tunis and just absorb the architecture of political Tunisia. This square has no analogue elsewhere in the Arab world.

With the municipality to one's back, the Sadiki school - founded by reformer Khayr al-Din Pasha - symbolises not only Ottoman connections, but also a reformist agenda begun more than 150 years ago. To the right, stands the Aziza Othman hospital, named after a woman who cultivated the earliest forms of civic networks in Tunisia.

Just opposite the Kasbah, the seat of government and the lush manicured trees shading the squares joining the prime minister's office and the ministry of finance, the onlooker sees architectural syncretism at its best. Various shapes of domes and minarets - Tunisian and Ottoman - dot the skyline of Tunis, the country's hub of political power. Some of my pro-democratisation students from the University of Exeter and I brainstormed on how to understand this perennial quest for synthesis in Tunisia.

It is this synthesis which will triumph. The embrace of the Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a mini-Champs Elysees with its open-air cafes, a refuge for all, including the unemployed, and the Medina, the Old City, hints at how Tunisia will vote.

Tunisians champion syncretism, and this is really the crux of Tunisia's "political culture". They do not wish to ditch their Arab and Islamic heritage. Nor do they wish to detach from the brighter spots of reformist politics in their history. French and European inputs into the mix of their culture are now deep-rooted and appreciated."

and here.

"Tunisians turned out in force to vote in the country's first free election, 10 months after vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in an act of protest that started the Arab Spring uprisings.

In some areas where polling booths had shut, people were still waiting to vote. Election officers in the conservative district of Ettadamen in Tunis said some 300 people still queueing would be allowed to cast votes.

"Everyone who is inside will be allowed vote, even if it takes us to midnight," an officer said.

The leader of an Islamist party predicted to win the biggest share of the vote was heckled outside a polling station by people shouting "terrorist," highlighting tensions between Islamists and secularists being felt across the Arab world.

Bouazizi's dramatic suicide, prompted by despair over poverty and government repression, provoked mass protests which forced President Zine al-Abidine to flee Tunisia. This in turn inspired uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain."

They should be just about done by now. It's twenty minutes after eight.

All Eyes On Tunisia

Yes We Can!!

Some People Think The Arab World Is Condemned To Perpetual Dictatorships

I don't. And here's why. For years and years and years, Europe's capitals have been a second home to many Middle Easterners. I've seen it myself in London more than thirty years ago. They have lived in democracies. They know what it is they are missing and they want it.

It's worthwhile to remember that many of the regimes in the Middle East came to power at the point of a barrel on a tank, during the Cold War, and were supported by one or the other of the two adversaries of that era.

Dictatorships are not deeply rooted in this civilization, but are, rather, a modern phenomena, arising after the fall of European empires and incubated by one or the other of the Cold War advocates as a buffer against the other.

Many in the media agree:

Election in Tunisia key to democratic Arab future

"Despite delays and obstructions, Tunisians anticipate October 23rd with immense hope – a culmination of their revolution, of the struggle of generations of women and men of diverse persuasions against despotism and for freedom, equality and dignity.

TUNISIA IS two days from its first elections for a national constituent assembly. Despite delays and obstructions, Tunisians anticipate October 23rd with immense hope – a culmination of their revolution, of the struggle of generations of women and men of diverse persuasions against despotism and for freedom, equality and dignity."

[---]

"In these elections, Ennahda is, according to several opinion polls, set to win a considerable share of the vote. Our popularity is partly due to the sympathy felt by many towards Ennahda’s suffering over three decades under successive dictatorships. However, this sympathy and Ennahda’s record in the struggle for freedom and democracy are no longer sufficient. Immense challenges call for specific and effective programmes. Tunisia needs a new political system, a decisive break with the past.

We have long advocated democracy within the mainstream trend of political Islam, which we feel is the best system to protect against injustice and authoritarianism. It also provides institutions and mechanisms to guarantee personal and public liberties, most importantly the peaceful transfer of power through elections, respect of the popular will, protection of women’s rights, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary, media freedom, and protection of minority rights. All these in no way contradict Islam, but reflect its principles of consultation, justice and accountability as we understand them."

The Islamists will not rule in Tunisia after Sunday’s vote

"About six parties are poised to gather the majority of the available seats. All are considered progressive or centre-left except one: the Islamic party Ennahda. Though the party has pledged to uphold democracy, secular critics suspect that Ennahda has a secret agenda to impose hard-line Islam.

Ennahda leads in the polls with 30 per cent of the vote. Its closest competitors trail at 15 per cent. Prediction polls have been banned since Oct. 1, but even Ennahda’s opponents agree that unless something dramatic occurs, the party will probably finish first.

In the political program Ennahda presented to journalists during the campaign, the party outlined its plans to create a single-house parliamentary system led by the members of whichever party obtained the most seats in the election. The new prime minister would be the only leader of the country, and would have the responsibility to form a new government.

But the Islamic party will not get a majority of the vote in Sunday’s election. Ennahda will probably win, but it will have to consider forming a coalition government. This is no small task, as Ennahda’s opponents have staunchly refused to ally with it.

Meanwhile, the five most important progressive democratic parties have started to privately negotiate their own future coalition. These parties wish to have a presidential system with a legislative assembly instead of a lone parliament. To be implemented, legislation creating such a system (or a parliamentary one) needs to obtain a majority of favourable votes at the Constituent Assembly. This would effectively end the Islamists’ ambitions to one day claim the presidency. This progressive alliance seems to be shaping up to become a common front against Ennahda.

The main reason a presidential system would be of no help for Ennahda is that normally it requires a candidate to obtain the majority of votes on a popular ballot, and Ennahda’s narrow base is not likely to deliver such a high percentage of votes. Such elections often end in a final-round ballot between two candidates, and Ennahda has almost no chance of attaining the 50 per cent required to win.

Meanwhile, the party’s 30-per-cent share of very loyal supporters won’t stand for the compromises that would be necessary to attract undecided voters.

It seems likely that Tunisia will come out of Sunday’s elections with the Islamic party finishing in first place, but not holding the power. Many of the progressive parties’ representatives have noted (off the record) that they have no intention of co-operating with Ennahda; they rather plan to form a coalition in support of a presidential system."

Tunisians Elect A Constituent Assembly Sunday

"Sarah Johnson, assistant director of the Democracy Program at the Carter Center, said “People are excited to have a peaceful credible election and they are very much looking forward to the polls on Sunday,” said Johnson. “There is perhaps a segment of society that is skeptical of the political process…but [assured] that things could be different and has been turning out in large numbers.”


Johnson said despite short notice, the Independent National Elections Commission has made adequate preparations to ensure transparency. And, she said political parties have launched vigorous but peaceful campaigns."

[---]

"Johnson who is also a member of the poll observer delegation said she’s been monitoring the voter registration drive since July, and that all has been calm.

She expressed hope that Tunisians will have confidence in their electoral system’s ability to organize a credible vote."

From Arab Spring to elections: Tunisia steps into a new era

"The previously banned Islamist party, Al Nahda, is leading the opinion polls and is pitching a moderate, pluralist agenda."

And besides that, the electorate seems ready to assume the role of citizens, not subjects:

"As she browses a wall plastered with photos of election candidates, Ameni, a 21-year-old student at Carthage University in Tunis, is preparing to take on a new responsibility. "It's a major turning point," she says. "I feel like a real citizen for the first time."

For Ameni and more than 10 million other Tunisians, the vote in elections this Sunday is their first experience of democratic election. Decades of despotic rule ended in January this year when Tunisia's revolution brought down President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. This small North African country sparked a string of revolutions in the Middle East – and now it is the first to put democracy to the test at the polling booth.

"I never voted. I never imagined that I would," says 62-year-old Mohamad Ali Mahfoudh, a magazine proof-reader in Tunis. "Before, there was no point [voting] as the elections were faked.""

Tunisians in Canada vote in historic election

"It’s a mixture of hope, pride, tears and trepidation for the thousands of Tunisian expatriates who say they’re voting “for real” for the first time in their lives.

The first comprehensive general election emerging from the “Arab Spring” — the pro-democracy protests that swept through the Middle East this year — is underway in Tunisia, the spark of it all.

A long lineup snaked down the corridors of the downtown building holding Tunisia’s consulate in Montreal, one of three voting locales in Canada.

Several voters feared Tunisia’s Islamists would win a large share of the assembly seats.

“The revolution was brought by the young and the poor. I hope that it will move forward and not backward with the Islamists,” said Sahla Allani, 37."

[---]

"Upon seeing early-Thursday pictures on Facebook of huge lines in Paris, and descriptions of the emotional crowd, Manai said she cried.

“Whatever the outcome of the vote, even if the majority don’t represent (my political views), I am still happy,” Manai said, “because it will still mean the Tunisians have made their choice freely.”"

They get it. Especially the young people. Their intolerance of dictatorships, whether secular or Islamist, bodes well for the future.

I Presume...

...the Arab Spring is moving right along, whether I pay attention or not. This headline, though, really caught my eye. Back where it all started, it gives me hope:

Thousands rally in Tunisia to back embattled TV station

"Thousands of people marched through Tunis Sunday to support a television station subjected to violent protests last week after broadcasting a controversial film that offended Muslims.

The demonstrators were answering a call on Facebook to demonstrate for free speech, just two days after demonstrations against Nessma TV for its showing of award-winning "Persepolis" degenerated into violence.

While some marchers shouted slogans calling for freedom of speech and tolerance, others had taped over their mouths in a sign of protest at what they see as a growing climate of intolerance in the country."

I have no idea who's going to win in the end, but the young folk seem to want to join the 21st century, and by the looks of it, the Islamists are all old gray haired men, so, IMVHO, the future looks bright.

Egypt Follows Tunisia, Again

UPDATED and BUMPED:  The first act of Tunisia's new president, Fouad Mebazaa, was to call an election for July 24th for the creation of a constituent assembly which will be tasked with writing a new constitution, which is good news.  However, the current constitution states that he can only serve for two months. I suppose it's anyone's guess what will happen next.
=============================
Just as Tunisia's interim president resigned under pressure from protesters to do so, because he had ties to the ancient regime, Egypt's Mubarak appointed interim president has also resigned.

Absurdities From a British Leftist

Tunisians know Ben Ali was not democracy's only block

This is one of the most sickening example of apologetics I have ever read.

"As the revolution gathers strength, an old Islamist party looks likely to win any election – if the west respects its legitimacy"

[---]

"The rising temperature has not escaped the United States' attention. Rightwing senators Joe Lieberman and John McCain were here a week ago, and last Thursday the state department's top Middle East official, William Burns, held talks with Ghannouchi, who served in the same job for more than 10 years under Ben Ali. Although all three men hailed the Tunisian revolution, there is little doubt they want to keep it – as far as possible – in check."

Unfreakin' believable!

"After Ben Ali fled, Ghannouchi's government was given two months to implement reforms. With the deadline of 15 March nearing, two broad approaches have emerged. The conservative one, backed by the old political and business elite and most of the print media, is to extend the interim government's term until presidential elections in July. France and the US are thought to be pressing for the formation of a new centre party that will absorb leading members of the old ruling party, the RCD, and provide a good candidate for the presidency."

...for which he offers no evidence whatsoever. None. Zero. Zilch. A big goose egg.

"The secular left and the Islamists want deeper change. Along with the main trade union federation, they are displaying remarkable unity and recently formed a National Council for the Defence of the Revolution (NCDR)."

I'll bet they have. This is an in-the-raw example of the old saw "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

"The establishment newspapers and some secular politicians are trying to raise the alarm about the Islamists and sharia law, but Rached Ghannouchi (a leading opposition figure) and his colleagues insist they want a broad-based coalition to reflect all the movements that toppled the dictatorship. They say arguments over whether policies should be secular or non-secular are a diversion. The main issue is democracy."

Ala communist style, I presume.

""After suffering under a presidential dictatorship and de facto one-party rule, most leftists and Islamists are calling for a parliamentary system," says Radhia Nasraoui, a lawyer who heads the Association against Torture in Tunisia. Her husband, Hamma Hammami, leads the Tunisian Workers' Communist party (yup) and was only released from prison when Ben Ali was toppled."

[---]

"There is a widespread consensus that the old Islamist party, al-Nahda (Renaissance), is Tunisia's strongest political force. It is more powerful morally, [riiiight] if not yet organisationally, than its Egyptian counterparts because so many hundreds of members suffered torture and exile under Ben Ali, unlike the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt which was banned but not brutalised (apart from very few)."

[---]

"In Tunisia things look different. They see a west that supported a string of Arab dictators and they remember how western countries led the boycott of Gaza after Hamas won the 2006 election."

Truly bizarre. As if Hamas is a shining example of democracy and human rights!

"Western leaders like to think that they are bringing democracy to less enlightened parts of the world."

Huh? Again, no evidence.

In fact, the only thing he gets right is this:

"These elections should be for a constituent assembly that will work out a constitution that enshrines all the basic civic freedoms as well as mechanisms to prevent or punish torture in prisons and police stations."

Indeed, that should apply in every country now witnessing mass protests.

Take a look at some other themes this old commie has written about. Now, pardon me while I go hurl. When I come back, I'll tell you what I think Islamist parties need to do earn "legitimacy" from the West.

Back Where It All Began

Tunisians celebrate prime minister's ouster

"Less than a minute after Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi resigned Sunday in a speech on national television, the massive crowd filling this city's Casbah Square suddenly halted the angry chants that had continued around the clock for days. There was silence, and then cheers, chants and circles of ecstatic dancing."

[---]

"Ghannouchi, 69, quit because he had been unable to overcome his past as part of fallen president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's government, and the peaceful demonstrations that forced Ben Ali out had turned violent and police seemed unable to control the crowds, according to activists in several newly formed political parties.

"He had to go," said Abdelaziz Belkhodja, a publisher and novelist who is a founder of the new Republican Party here. "But the real worry is that there is so little time to arrange for elections and political structures."

Tunisia's constitution gives the interim government only 60 days to hold an election."

The timing of proposed elections in several of these countries where uprising are taking place is problematic. The weakness of opposition parties is just one of the problems. I hope they find a way through this, otherwise we may witness a "one election, one time" scenario, similar to Gaza, which is NOT democracy.

Coming to a Dictatorship Near You

...Now in China:

China stifles 'Jasmine' trail online, breaks up protests

"'Jasmine' became the watchword for Chinese authorities on Sunday as an innocuous post online led to gatherings in Beijing and Shanghai, and protests that took after the wave of rebellion sweeping north Africa and the Arab world.

In a swift crackdown underlining the Chinese government's anxiety, officials questioned or detained scores of activists and warned others, while blocking posts on Chinese websites calling on people to join in protests. The police stepped up vigilance across 13 cities in China in response to persistent posts over the internet exhorting the Chinese to join the Jasmine Revolution that began in Tunisia, to secure their democratic rights from the government in Beijing."

Damn, I'm glad I live where I do.

Took Him a Few Days

But he finally came up with a response to the revolt in Egypt. And guess what? It's the same old, same old.

Gadhafi: Palestinian refugees can use Mideast unrest to pressure Israel

T'is to laugh.

Hen Pecked, Too!

Tunisian deposed leader dominated by 'Lady Macbeth'

"Tunisia's deposed dictator's final moments before fleeing his country's "jasmine revolution" were yesterday revealed as being spent enduring a flurry of insults from his fearsome wife.

Leila Ben Ali's words of "encouragement" to her husband, Zine al-Abidine as he refused to board the plane to spirit him out of Tunisia and to Saudi Arabia were reported as: "Get on imbecile. All my life I've had to put up with your screw ups."

An unnamed senior air force official recounted the 74-year old ex-president's feeble attempt to disobey Lady Macbeth of Carthage, as his wife has been dubbed, in the French weekly, Nouvel Observateur.

As revolt rumbled in the capital, Mr Ben Ali, who was ousted after 23 years of iron rule on January 14, stood on the tarmac in Tunis airport with a small briefcase wringing his hands, and saying: "Leave me, I don't want to go, I want to die here for my country."

At Leila's side was Ali Seriati, Mr Ben Ali's feared and hated political police chief, who pushed him onto the steps, shouting: "For ----'s sake, get on!"

None of the soldiers present from the army that had helped topple Mr Ben Ali budged as the fallen leader slowly climbed the steps."

[---]

"During the flight, Mr Ben Ali got up and walked to the cockpit every ten minutes, asking the pilot: "My son, you are going to take me back to Tunisia afterwards, aren't you?"

That's almost sad.

"According to Trabelsi family members and palace officials, Mr Ben Ali was totally under the thumb of his wife, a 53-year old former hairdresser.

Diminished by prostate cancer, he had expressed the desire to end his rule in 2009, but Mrs Ben Ali ruled that out, as she allegedly harboured secret plans to rule in his place.

"In her mind, the scenario was clear: she would take care of the regency until her son Mohammed (today aged six) was old enough to reign," one family member said.

But her already advanced plans were foiled by the 'jasmine revolution'."

Maybe he should have pulled a Henry VIII, separated from the mosque and divorced her. Perhaps his daughter, if he has one, might one day be queen. Now, for an Arab/Islamic country that would be a revolution of its own!

Ramifications Blow Both Ways

Syrian Strongman: Time for 'Reform'

Iran Sees Rise of Islamic Hard-Liners

Or maybe Iran is trying to direct Baby Assad's "Reforms".

While Cairo Burns

...Ottawa churns:

Canada moves to extradite, freeze assets of exiled Tunisian billionaire

"The federal government says it will move as fast as it can to extradite the wealthy relative of Tunisia’s former president who fled to Montreal, and is seeking to freeze his assets."

[---]

"Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Ottawa is looking for a legal avenue to return him to Tunisia, where the new government is seeking to prosecute him.

“We will find – obviously within existing Canadian law – the means that will ensure that we can comply with the Tunisian government’s request as quickly as possible, so this individual is no longer on Canadian territory,” Mr. Cannon said. He also said that the federal government would make every effort to find and freeze Mr. Trabelsi’s assets.

The question now is whether Ottawa’s legal powers match its rhetoric – or whether Mr. Trabelsi will be able to fight his expulsion for years.

The RCMP say they have yet to receive a warrant for Mr. Trabelsi’s arrest. Tunisia’s request for his arrest has no legal impact until Canadian authorities determine there is grounds for arrest, and issue a warrant here.

Ottawa is now working on two avenues to remove him: by deporting under immigration laws and by extraditing him for criminal prosecution. But both can be challenged in time-consuming legal procedures."

This is going to be one long, complicated, drawn-out mess. By the time it's finished, I sure hope Tunisia has a good solid foundation upon which to build its new polity.

Iranian Students...

...living in France express solidarity with Tunisian people.

"The fall of Tunisia's pharaoh was an incredible event that filled us with joy and delight. Emancipation from the yoke of tyranny was not only a victory for the people of Tunisia but was also an inspiring achievement for all nations under oppression.

We congratulate our Tunisian brothers and sisters on this triumph and caution that the gift of freedom is hard to come by but easy to lose."

The Irony is Thick

Harper is visiting Morocco, which is still a monarchy, while back home the Tunisian dictator's relatives are being stripped of their residency permits.  And there are demonstrations in Jordan against King Abdullah.  The trip to Morocco centred on free trade between Canada and that North African country. I guess the trip had already been arranged before any of the uprisings began, but I wonder how stable the monarchy in Morocco is, and what impact that question might have with businesses wanting to do trade with Morocco.

Tunisian Rebels Get What They Want...

...again!

Tunisian PM names independents to key gov't posts

"Tunisia's prime minister appointed independents to three key posts in the country's new interim Cabinet on Thursday, removing ministers from the former ruling party in a major concession to demonstrators."

[---]

"The new interim Cabinet, Tunisia's second in 10 days, is a caretaker government intended to prepare for elections in six to seven months. Ghannouchi said the elections will be organized by an independent national commission and overseen by international observers to ensure the vote is "honest and transparent." He did not offer a date for the ballot."

Things are moving right along. So far, it looks like the Tunisian revolution could very well be a success. These election plans sound very much like the process used in Iraq. I'm not sure if Tunisians on the streets were inspired by what happened in Iraq, but there is certainly a case to be made that the experience in Iraq, or some aspects of it, at least, have provided a template. Now, if all those other places where throngs are on the streets are equally successful we will see the Middle East become a very different place by this time next year.

And who knows what the next decade will bring? Perhaps, twenty years from now, as with Eastern Europe, the young folk in the region will have no memory of their own of the repressive regimes that held power for half a century. I've always measured the beginning of that era by the overthrow of Egypt's King Farouk, and the British, in 1952, an event that inspired so many coups that followed, and that also ushered in the long era of dictatorship, military and otherwise, that are just now being rattled to the core. Makes me feel like an old fart to be able to say I lived long enough to observe it all.

And since so many on the streets seem to be carrying loaves of French bread, maybe it should be called the French Bread Revolution.   I seem to recall the French Revolution having something to do with bread, too, or was it cake?  Bread and roses jasmine.  And in case you're wondering why it's been called the jasmine revolution, I suppose it's named after the sweetest smelling flowering shrub in the Middle East.  Take a look.  That's why we gave our daughter that name, too. But I'm rambling. Like an old fart.