All magickal things

I'm back from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Don't laugh! It was soooo fun! The designers at the theme park did such an amazing job with Hogwarts and the village of Hogsmeade. Moaning Myrtle's voice could be heard in the public bathroom, we walked through a portrait hall of speaking paintings, we dined at the Three Broomsticks, we perused the candy selection at Honeydukes ($10 chocolate frogs!), and we had Butter Beer that made us nauseous. I was even able to check into my flight without getting pulled aside for "special treatment" due to my name (usually, I'm never able to check in using the automated kiosks). Alice got her yogurt confiscated though because it was obviously dangerous. I felt so much safer since the TSA caught that. They don't mess around.
I got really in touch with my culture in the fortune teller's tent near Sindbad's Adventure:

Princess of Persia 

My friends even learned a little bit about my heritage at the Revenge of the Mummy gift shop!

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Meanwhile, in the non-wizarding world...

Gang rape in Iran is caused by depraved women, natch.

"I believe the raped women's families are to blame, because if they had proper clothing and if the sound of their music was not so loud, the rapist would not have imagined it as a depraved get-together," [Revolutionary Guards Col. Hossein Yardoosti] was quoted as saying.

I finally got a chance to read Seattle Persian journalist Dorothy Parvaz's terrifying account of being detained in Syria. At least her time in Iran was okay?

"Actually all told, it was relatively fair. The people there [Iran] treated me with respect. I had a clean room, I had a physical check-up with the doctor as soon as I showed up. All of my questions were answered as much as they could be. The women who looked after me at the women’s detention centre were extraordinarily kind, twice a day I was taken out for fresh air. I’m a vegetarian, that diet was adhered to, any medication I needed."

And, lastly, in all things Voldemart (and I really do promise that's my last Harry Potter reference), the Iranian parliament is cracking down on male necklaces and dog ownership. Good. I hate it when men wear necklaces. And I think dogs are totally disgusting. I'm really glad they're focusing on these major issues. Viva la revolution!