A survey by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center says 63 percent of Americans would be in favor of taking military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Majorities of those surveyed in Western Europe also expressed support for military action to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The survey found widespread opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons in 21 countries, including Russia, China, and Lebanon. According to the survey, released on May 18, in most countries there is majority support among opponents of a nuclear-armed Iran for international economic sanctions to try to stop Tehran’s alleged weapons program. However, the Chinese and Russians who took part in the survey opposed tough sanctions on Iran and also military strikes.
Pew states: “Nine-in-ten people or more among the transatlantic E3+3 partners oppose Iran’s nuclear weapons aspiration. But just over half (54%) of Chinese agree. There are even greater differences among the negotiating partners over economic sanctions. Among those who oppose Tehran’s nuclear armaments program, about eight-in-ten Americans, Germans and British back sanctions, but only 38% of Chinese and 46% of Russians are in agreement. The military option is even more divisive among those who are against Iran’s nuclear weapons program. A solid majority (63%) of Americans would turn to military force to prevent Iran from going nuclear. Roughly half of Washington’s European allies would support such a move. And there is very little Chinese or Russian support for a military strike.”
The report continues, “There is almost universal opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons across the 21 nations … Among the United States and its fellow European negotiating partners, the opposition is overwhelming: 96% of the French and the Germans, 94% of Americans and 91% of the British oppose Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Other Europeans have similar sentiments. Fully 95% in Spain, 94% in Czech Republic and 91% in Italy do not want Tehran to have an atomic bomb. This opposition is effectively unchanged since the first Pew Global Attitudes survey on this issue in 2006. Russians and Chinese, whose governments are the other two partners in the E3+3 process, also oppose the Iranian nuclear weapons program, but less strongly. Roughly three-in-four Russians (77%) are against Tehran acquiring nuclear armaments. In China, 54% oppose Tehran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, down 15 points from 2007. Iran’s regional neighbors generally would rather not see an Iranian nuclear arsenal. But opinions do vary and they are fluid. About three-in-four Jordanians (76%), two-in-three Egyptians (66%) and 54% of Turks oppose Tehran acquiring nuclear weaponry, while Tunisians are divided (42% favor, 43% oppose). Half of Pakistanis back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, while just 11% oppose them. Nearly four-in-ten Pakistanis (39%) have no opinion.”
Read more HERE.
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Infoplease “Infoplease.com, a free, authoritative, and respected reference for Internet users, provides a comprehensive encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary, and thesaurus. Infoplease.com contains facts on all subjects including sports, entertainment, technology, education, world news, and united states government and history.”
Severe drought and dust storms exacerbated the Great Depression because it dried out farmlands and forced families to leave their farms. On May 9, 1934, a dust storm carried an estimated 350 million tons of dirt 2,000 miles eastward and dumped four million tons of prairie dirt in Chicago. The drought and dust killed tens of thousands of animals. – Provided by RandomHistory.com
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“An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.”
E. Hemingway.
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Autistic Young Adults Struggle after High School
About 500,000 autistic kids in the US will reach adulthood in the next decade, but their employment and educational prospects look bleak. Data from 2007 and 2008 show that two years after completing high school, more than half of those with autism had yet to get a job and had received no postsecondary education. Though things did improve the longer they were out of high school, 35 percent still had never had a paying job and had received no further education nearly seven years after graduation. More …
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Facebook’s first day of public trading, by the numbers: 571 million shares traded, a 23 cent gain in share price (up to $38.23 from an initial price of $38), and one hilarious parody video from the Taiwanese animation wizards at Next Media.
And how did all of this affect Mark Zuckerberg’s personal wealth? The Wall Street Journal is glad you asked. You can refer to their live tracker of the kid billionaire’s fortunes for all your Zuckwatch 2012 needs.
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Malcolm X (Born on this day in 1925)
Malcolm X was an African-American activist. His home was burned by the KKK when he was a child, and he joined the Nation of Islam in prison as an adult. Upon his release in 1952, he renounced his “slave name,” Little, and took the surname X, representing his lost African ancestral surname. He became a minister and soon rose to prominence campaigning for black separatism, but he publicly broke with the militant Black Muslims in 1964 after a pilgrimage to Mecca. Who assassinated him the next year? More…
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Love Valley – Seeing is Believing
Love Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey certainly has a claim to fame – a very large one. Rather euphemistically named, the valley is home to rock structures that bear a passing resemblance to… well – make your own mind up. Seeing, as they say, is believing.
Cappadocia (Kapadokya in Turkish) is a region of exceptional natural wonders, none more so than the giant monuments left by Mother Nature in Love Valley. Situated in the very heart of modern day Turkey this natural wonder sits on a high plateau over a thousand meters in altitude. Rainfall is sparse in this area and the place has hot dry summers and bitterly cold snowy winters. There is little rainfall and so the region is generally arid. In this environment these huge phallic natural structures seems like some sort of ancient homage to male fertility. However, they are far from man-made despite the possible resemblance to manhood.
The closest human habitation is the small town of Göreme. Although you might expect hordes of tourists visiting such a place this is not the case. The Turkish are gregarious but modest people – you do not get group outings to Love Valley to see the ‘willy shaped’ rocks as you might had they occurred in any number of other countries. As such the town is small and friendly with little commercialization as such. What you will find there, however, is a very genuine and relaxed atmosphere and a warm welcome. Although it is unlikely that you will get lost it is considered the right thing to hire a local guide when you head out to see the local geological features.
Tons more pictures at the link. Quite the interesting little town.
Go HERE.
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