Birthday Party

Ellen DeGeneres certainly got an eyeful of Katy Perry at Grammy awards. The talk show host was photo'd checking out Katy Perry's assets with an expression of utter awe.
Thanks to the clever editors over at Baracksdubs, we all have a pretty good idea of what President Obama would sound like if he were a pop singer.
Their latest work, however, passes the musical spotlight over to another notable personality: Ellen DeGeneres!
Watch above as Ellen performs a rendition of Katy Perry's hit song "Birthday" without having to sing a single note.
San Ysidro Ranch is a ritzy hideaway in the wine country of Southern California, where major celebrities cluster. The Montecito foothills rearing up behind the property make a spectacular backdrop for all the charming heritage buildings, and on a pretty day it is a nice place to wait for someone who is stuck in traffic in Los Angeles. So, when Katy Perry roars in like a Bond girl in her low, growly, bright-red Maserati GranCabrio Fendi and hurls it into a parking space, it’s like the beginning of a movie.
I adore a capable woman who can drive like James Bond (especially since she has to chauffeur me around all day). Why did she buy a Maserati? Perry says, “Because I didn’t like the Porsche. And it’s rented.” She is in a girly-girl’s flower-print dress in shades of mauve—is it vintage? Or is it a vintage-inspired knockoff of a 1960s dress? She shakes her head: “Ach! It’s just a . . . little dress I found,” she says. “One of those little dresses everyone has. That you just—throw on. And you’re dressed.” And are these Repetto ballet shoes on her feet? In the same bright orange as her nail polish? “Yes, ma’am. Easy to pop on and off.” And is that thick mass of lush raven hair all hers? She laughs. “Probably straight off the airplane from India.”

Traffic in Tehran

Desperate driver leaving a note for the Police not giving him a ticket!

The Iranian government faces a major challenge: Traffic accidents represent a disproportionately high number of the country's fatalities. In the past, UN agencies, the World Bank and Iranian experts issued reports stating that accident rates and consequent deaths constituted a socioeconomic crisis in Iran. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in a report that Iran had the highest number of deaths caused by road accidents in the world. 
The relative improvement in the number of traffic deaths since 2005 is a consequence of a greater effort by the country’s traffic police to implement safety laws, including a compulsory use of helmets for motorcyclists.

The highest priority should be road design and infrastructure. Unfortunately, the previous administration was too focused on the quantitative growth of Iranian roads. However, there is a genuine need for qualitative improvement and intelligent design of roads and traffic points. The country has the knowledge and expertise to design and build quality roads — what is needed is adequate infrastructure budgets and thorough supervision of road construction projects. Diverse provinces could also possibly be allowed to develop their own strategies in road construction, as opposed to a centralized structure that implements projects from Tehran.

In line with the above effort, more and more municipalities have to be obliged to increase traffic safety features in their communities. Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been at the forefront of a national effort to make investments and improve safety conditions in Tehran. These efforts are positive but too fragmented. The government needs to offer incentives to municipalities to engage in such programs more actively and consistently.

Unbelieveable

Children’s lives are mired in difficulty in Iran.  Each month, more than 100 children die as a result of famine, street fights, and illness.  National authorities are searching for ways to check the flow of child trafficking and child labor.  However, it is sometimes authorities who themselves violate the most fundamental of children’s rights.  Iran is one of the last countries in the world that allows the death penalty for those under the age of 18.
Although Iran is rich in natural resources, these resources are often stolen or rerouted through drug trafficking or terrorist networks.  In this manner, much of the population cannot profit from the country’s natural wealth.

Thus, much of the population lives in poverty. According to official reports, 80% of the Iranian population lives below the poverty line.  Children in rural areas are the most affected by this problem.
Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the “right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health.”  Iran has a very high mortality rate for children under the age of 5.  Premature birth, pneumonia, pelvic congestion, and diarrhea are the main causes of infant mortality.
Although maternal health care has improved in the last few years, malnutrition is still a serious problem among mothers and children, especially in rural areas.
Education is free and required up to age 11.  In rural areas, however, school attendance is low, particularly among girls.  The most far-flung reaches of the country still require numerous improvements in infrastructure.