Regrets – he’s had a few

George Bush has said his biggest regret is the failure to get it right over whether Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Talking Points 15 August

Goodmorning, it’s Karnie…sorry about the delay..my computer’s been playing up!!

Thanks Mike, Brett, Steve and Will for stepping in at the last minute to moderate the blog..

By 2042 whites in the United States will be outnumbered by other racial groups due to significantly higher birth rates among immigrants. Several states, including California and Texas, have already reached the point where members of minorities are in the majority. The change will have far-reaching consequences for politics in the United States, pushing immigration and social reform to the top of the agenda.

On air: Can a woman’s behaviour make her more vulnerable to rape?

Earlier this week, media attention was drawn to a British rape victim who was due to receive 25% less compensation because she had been drinking before she was raped. In her case, the verdict was overturned. The Ministry of Justice has since said that “a victim of rape is not in any way culpable due to alcohol consumption”. But 14 other rape victims in the UK during the last year had their compensation reduced because they had been drinking.

So can the way a woman behaves be a factor in rape? Are women “inviting” rape by the way they dress or act? If a woman signals in some way that she’s available, does that mean she’s “asking for it”, or is this just an excuse?

On air: Your views on China

Thanks to Brett for moderating overnight.  Today’s programme is a special one.  Suzy and Jimmy will be hosting from Beijing, and they want to speak to people all over the world.  So over to Suzy….

Hello, my name is Suzy,  my friends and I were on World Have Your Say last week – live from Beijing. We tried to present you China from our experience and perspective, the China we live in today.

On air: Should women stay at home after all?

Tom is our presenter today, and has written this:

Yup, it’s a man who is writing this. But before you say, hah typical, read this.

Cuckoo in the nest

Mark writes:

It was Beijing’s twitterers who broke the news of the Tibet protests at the Bird’s Nest this morning. There’s some Qik video here but the headlines this will get won’t impress the Olympic organisers here in Beijing very much.