Today is 1.1.11, and this first day of 2011 heralds two historic changes. Estonia becomes the 17th country to introduce the Euro, and Brazil's first woman president takes office.
With the euro woes of Greece and Ireland prompting some to suggest that the currency is on the rocks, it is encouraging to see a new member of the Eurozone today. It is quite remarkable to think that Estonia was a part of the Soviet Union until just 20 years ago. Who would have ever imagined back then that this small Baltic state with a population of little over a million, would ever have acceded to the European Union, yet alone the Euro.
While we are becoming somewhat more accustomed to female leaders, they are still relatively rare. For a country of the size of Brasil, it is very encouraging to see Dilma Rousseff sworn in today as Brazil's first woman president, succeeding the incredibly popular President Lula.
By the time you read this, I really do hope that the Euro will be a successful currency embraced by all of Europe, incoluding Britain, and that there will be nothing remarkable about any woman being appointed to any job in the world.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
