These are apparently "real" pictures from the campaign of Yulia Tymoshenko -  the former Prime Minister of the Ukraine whose "Orange" party is trying for a strong comeback in the upcoming elections. Personally I think this campaign is brilliant - I'd vote for her!

I guess there's something about Ukrainian politics that makes people want a superstar or at least someone willing to pose with a can of spraypaint. Much too risque for American politics - what a womon on a motorbike (she's obviously for speeding and road kills) who does't claim to be descended from the Mayflower (as everyone with a thick Southern accent claims to be) and who didn't grow up on a farm (less than 5% of the US population did also but that's besides the point) and so on... see her official website here.

As the controversy over the Prophet Mohammed cartoons has grown, violence related to protests has also increased. What's particularly disheartening, although not a surprise is the increase in sectarian violence especially towards Christian minorities in South Asia and other parts of the world where such groups hold little or no power and have little recourse for action.

I guess we could site here and argue for hours the issues that might flame this - local populations being held in sway of clergy, violence as  a result of disfranchisement and a bleak outlook on life and so on but the fact remains that minority groups tend to be blamed for issues that thay may not even be related to - and that is sad.