Unfortunately that is the one thing that will not happen. What will happen is a closing of borders, toughening of immigration laws, discrimination against immigrants, usurping civil rights in the name of security... the same sort of knee-jerk reaction that happened in the US after 9/11. Support for right wing and fascist elements has been rising in Europe. This will be a shot in the arm for those parties. This type of xenophobia doesn't bode well for anyone. It will only make the world more unstable. What should be done is to deal with the root cause of Islamic fundamentalism worldwide -- the hateful ideology and funding being provided by radical elements in Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Arab nations. More education, free and fair elections, more opportunities for Arab youth are the only hope of eradicating this menace, but of course no one will bat an eyelash at the Saudis because...OIL.
this ^.. ..we will again hear...endless speeches about "humanity /solidarity " but not one word about sanctions for Saudi from Washington. After all that is reserved only for Russia and Iran. Hypocrisy at its best.
And here I thought I was being very discreet by not mentioning The Kingdom & its pact with the Salafi nutcases and the Caliphate revanchists. :biglaugh Where SA is concerned, its not just about an extremist fringe - that pact is built into the very founding of the state. The stability of the royal house depends upon it. Yes, all the political posturing is mere theatre without strong sanctions against and censure of Saudi Arabia. We need fusion-power pronto.
Frankly, I have never understood the foreign policies of the Western world for a long time, leave alone rationalizing them. Now that every dollar spent for philanthropic purposes are watched so closely ever since 9/11, how a Royal Kingdom right in the middle of the troubled region, do whatever is right to sustain themselves including funding without any censorship from any Western nation, is beyond my understanding. It is difficult to comprehend how one can derive motivation to make ultimate sacrifice to kill innocent lives when the purpose is not to defend the nation with patriotism. So called "Defeat and destroy" strategy should first be implemented with cutting off the funding. Oil continued to be a great currency not for progress and development but for lack of growth and destruction. There has to be a paradigm shift in building foreign policies instead of adopting what was implemented earlier. There has to be a government that is ready to do the right thing rather than what is popular. Viswa
I am tentatively planning to post the answer to #2679 sometime this afternoon if everyone has solved it. If you guys want me to wait let me know. If I haven't posted a solution by 4pm PST please move on to the next puzzle. I will come back with the answer later tonight or tomorrow.
I am going to be on and off for a week and please don't wait for me for at least until the end of next weekend. I will miss this vibrant thread. I have too much going on personal and professional front. I will do my best to peep into see the answer from Gauri as well as the puzzle from Soka. Viswa
Ahh I hate being late for a puzzle on a person I admire . I wish I grow old to look like that... The heart is heavy with the current events and wished to be transposed to a more serene place Let me watch a movie Parinita maybe.. Both Vidya and Raima look lovely
While we wait for Rihana, here's the next one. Task: Yaksha uvaca: Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava, SaH kaH? A guru, a guest Akin to God himself, Pray tell me - Who is this visitor? Level: Easy, if you don’t get carried away by your imagination. You may have to play a little bit with some of the clues. Prior knowledge is an asset, but not mandatory. It’s all about green-belt Shaolin Google Fu. Of the clues, two are sufficient in themselves – i.e. either one alone can lead you to a solution. You can use the others as a checksum! I would expect that most readers have not heard of our Hero, although he is worth knowing, the little reward at the end. Two very closely related solutions are possible. Although I have one in mind, and together the clues point very directly, I will take either answer, since they point to each other anyway. Surprisingly, one of the two you came across in middle school but the other (the one I have in mind) wasn’t mentioned – at least not in my books - should have been! On the whole I have laid it on pretty thick, so I would like you to attempt rationalizing all clues if you solve it!
You know, I am surprised how often I mention middle-school. I pretty much hated school and zombied out, but it appears as if I never learned anything after that! :rotfl