Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Peanut Gallery

Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.


1.Islamic radicals in Germany have launched an unprecedented nationwide campaign to distribute 25 million copies of the Koran, translated into the German language, with the goal of placing one Koran into every household in Germany, free of charge. The mass proselytization campaign -- called Project "Read!" -- is being organized by dozens of Islamic Salafist groups located in cities and towns throughout Germany, as well as in Austria and in Switzerland.
Salafism is a branch of radical Islam, practiced in Saudi Arabia, that seeks to establish an Islamic empire (Caliphate) across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe -- and eventually the entire world. The Caliphate would be governed exclusively by Islamic Sharia law, which would apply both to Muslims and to non-Muslims. PG: And so the decline begins....It begins by appeasing a crocodile.


2.Relations between Iran and its northern neighbour Azerbaijan have also become strained, with each accusing the other of preparing “terrorist” actions. For example, last month Azerbaijan’s national security ministry said 22 Azerbaijani citizens had been arrested on suspicion of cooperating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “to commit terrorist acts against the US, Israeli and other Western states’ embassies and the embassies’ employees.” Tehran is also unhappy over Baku’s ties to Israel, and its purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Israeli military weapons and equipment. ($1.6 Billion).


3.The Supreme Court signaled Wednesday that it might uphold a key element of Arizona's immigration law, as justices across the board suggested the state has a serious problem on its hands and should have some level of sovereignty to address illegal immigration. The justices strongly suggested Wednesday they are not buying the Obama administration's argument that the state exceeded its authority, with Chief Justice John Roberts at one point saying he doesn't think the federal government even wants to know how many illegal immigrants are in the country. PG: More supreme court trouble for Obama?


4.In November, California voters will have the chance to vote for or against capital punishment. Two months ago the state of Connecticut became the 17th state to abolish capital punishment. Since 1973, 46,586 murders have been committed in Connecticut. Of these only 66 have led to conviction. And only nine of the convicted have received the death penalty. PG: Why bother with any form of punishment?


5.The Palestinian Authority TV children's program The Best Home featured a child reciting a poem promoting Pan-Arabism. The poem, by an Egyptian writer, included the following words: 
"Our enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail." PG: Two State solution? Speak to the hand.

6.Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings brought destruction to the nations in which they occurred and that Yemen's own revolt cost the country billions of dollars in lost revenues, AP reported April 22.  PG: From the horses mouth.


7.With little public attention, dozens of universities and law-enforcement agencies have been given approval by federal aviation regulators to use unmanned aircraft known as drones, according to documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests by an advocacy group. The more than 50 institutions that received approvals to operate remotely piloted aircraft are more varied than many outsiders and privacy experts previously knew. They include not only agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security but also smaller ones such as the police departments in North Little Rock, Ark., and Ogden, Utah, as well the University of North Dakota and Nicholls State University in Louisiana. PG: Big Brother....


8.A new company backed by two Google Inc. billionaires, film director James Cameron and other space exploration proponents is aiming high in the hunt for natural resources—with mining asteroids the possible target. The venture, called Planetary Resources Inc., revealed little in a press release this week except to say that it would "overlay two critical sectors—space exploration and natural resources—to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP" and "help ensure humanity's prosperity." The company is formally unveiling its plans at an event Tuesday in Seattle. PG: There were snickers when Newt Gingrich suggested something similar. Looks like he is not alone...

9.An infant born with six legs in Pakistan had four of his extra limbs successfully removed by doctors, the International Business Times reported. Baby boy Umar Farooq had been born with a rare genetic disorder called polymelia – a condition that affects only one in a million babies.  
Polymelia is a condition in which an embryo starts as conjoined twins in the womb. One of the twins eventually disintegrates, leaving behind extra limbs that get attached to the remaining fetus.


10.Kulula Airlines, based in Johannesburg, is offering a free ticket for a man's fourth wife if the entire family flies together between the city and Cape Town. The ad reads, "Not only will you get a great deal on kulula.com flights for your first three wives, but your fourth wife will fly free, mahala, on the house." The stunt, which runs until April 30, coincides with South African president Jacob Zuma's marriage to his fourth wife over the weekend. Zuma has been married six times in total, but one of his wives committed suicide in 2000, and he divorced his second in 1998. PG: What a world we live in....


The hardest person to awaken is the one already awake - Tagalog Saying

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