Today I decided to comment on the news, because there are some weird and interesting things going on out there.
Weird thing- Scientists in Taiwan have created a flourescent green pig. Tres bizarre, I think. This has something to do with stem cell research, which I don't have any particular opinion on because I don't know much about it. So are green pigs, like, extra haram? Ha ha, I don't like pork anyways, even before I became Muslim I very rarely ate it because its yucky. I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I Am!
Sad thing- Many pilgrims were killed today during Hajj as they rushed to stone the pillars at Mina. Inna lillahi wa inna rajaoon. I don't know what the solution is to this problem, but something more must be done to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. The Saudi officials KNOW that there are going to be 2.5 mil people there, so.... The way I look at it there are a few problems, which is inefficient crowd control, and the demand by Wahhabbi clerics that people complete the stoning between noon and sunset. Shi'a clerics say that people can complete it anytime during sunrise to sunset, so most of the Shi'a got through it early in the morning and had no problems. Another thing which is horrible is that another hotel collapsed earlier in hajj and killed many pilgrims, that is totally preventable by requiring people to follow building regulations, but I guess that is just too much to ask. Arrgggg!
Thing I am worried about- Let me tell you a little story. In summer 2002, I went to Germany and actually backpacked from Muenster to Rome and back again with 3 German friends of mine. Along the way we met several other friends. Sometimes people would ask me, "do you think that the U.S. is going to invade Iraq?" "Ha ha", I would suavely reply, "that would never happen, your press over here is so sensationalist!" Oh little did I know... Boy did I feel like a dumb a*** a year later. Now the war drums are beating for Iran, and I will say this, we as a country do not have the troops, resources, and public morale to support ANY kind of military action into Iran. Iran is not a feeble dictatorship that has been suffering under more than a decade of UN imposed sanctions. The U.S. is getting in TOO deep, even for themselves, unless they have MASSIVE EU support, which I don't think will happen, even with murmerings going on right now. I hope that we stay away from Iran, if solely for the sake of my middle age, when I will be paying off the national deficit (not single-handedly, but you know what I mean).
Ok, enough of my political commentary for today and my news commentary. Ta ta!
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