AUSTIN, Tx. -- Beauty amidst chaos. The act of beautification is itself an act of resistance and rejection of the bleakest future of war. JESUS am I in a weird mood this morning. Via the Institute for War & Peace Reporting:

In the heart of al-Salihiya, the most stable neighbourhood in Baghdad, a large sign reads, “Rasha’s Salon for Women”.

The salon is just four months old, a symbol of a new, more secure Baghdad. Business is buzzing, particularly after the owner, Rasha Amin, 28, advertised her salon with flyers and got neighbouring shop owners to help drum up trade.

“My dream was to open a famous hairdressing salon,” said Amin, a college graduate who used to style her younger sisters’ hair for fun. “Now, I am fulfilling my dream.”

I rode along with the 57th MPs as they patrolled the streets of Saliyah last year. To see this reported is glorious.