reactions to the normalising of diplomatic relations between israel and the united arab emirates

 New York Times: "It's a plot by Donald Trump to steal the next American elections."

Washington Post: "It's a Trump plot."

Wolf Blitzer (CNN broadcaster): "Trump... Plot... Awoooo-ooooo-ooo! Were wolves of CNN! Awooooooooooooo! Wolf Blitzers of CNN! Little old lady gonna vote Democrat. Doing the Were Dems of CNN. Chinese politbureau leader Hee Lo Phat. Doing the Wolf Blitzers of CNN. Awoooooo. Were Dems of CNN. Awoooo. Were Dems of CNN. Dung dung dung dung dung dung. Dung dung dung dung dung dung dung. Rioters burning Chicago and New York to the ground. Doing the Were Dems of CNN.. Rioters burning down Boston and Baltimore down. Doing the Were Dems of CNN. Awooooooooo. Were Dems of CNN. Awoooooooooo. Were Dems of CNN."

Joe Biden (US Presidential candidate): "Any historic improvement in the Middle East situation is clearly a plot by Trump to steal the American elections from me."

Ayatollah Yowsa Bombaheshti (Iranian Spokesperson): "You're for it now. You're really for it. All of you. Everyone in the world. You're all gonna get it. We'll kill you all. Then we'll kill you again. Nobody normalises realtions with Israel without our permission. Nobody. All will die. We will kill you deader than dead.  We're going to kill you so dead that you'll be alive and then we'll kill you again just to show you we mean business. The Emiratis will die. The Israelis will die. The Americans will die. Trump will die. Bugs Bunny will die. We will kill, kill, and kill again. And then just when you think we've stopped killing, we'll kill some more. Only this time we'll be really killing. It'll be the killingest killiing ever. We will kill you so dead you won't even know you're dead. This is not an empty threat. We will... we will... we will.... we will kill like we really mean it with great emotion and vehemence. In the past our killing was a very tame affair. Now we're going to go absolutely nuts."

contemplation

If you contemplate the planet there is a wondrousness to it.

Deserts, mountains, oceans, forests, rivers, fields.

It is amazing.

More to the point, our experiene of it is amazing.

The Muslims, Jews and Chrstians would say that it is amazing because God made it.

There is a loveliness synonymous with existence.

The planet is lovely because God is himself a loving creator who made everything out of love.

Everthing he does, is good.

Atheists would say the planet is amazing by chance.

If you look up and contemplate the stars, these too can seem inherently extraordinary to behold.

The sheer vastness in which they shine.

The feeling of awe they inspire.

Of course the universe could be deemed quite small depending on the dispositions of whoever is doing the deeming.

The idea of a vast distance depends on your concept and context for distance and indeed vastness.

Muslims, Jews, and Christians say that the stars are awesomely beautiful in the vast heavens because God made them and he is awesome and beautiful and he creates on an awesomely vast and beautiful scale.

Atheists say the stars and the universe are what they are by chance.

If you come back to the planet and contemplate yourself... oh what a wonder is man. The way we are made. Physicality. Interactions. Experience. Learning. Joy. The indefinable something that we call life. Spirit. Consciousness. Soul.

Muslims, Jews, and Christians say that we have a life, a soul, a spirit, because God made us to be immortal spirits.

Atheists say we are an arbitrary congeries of biochemistry caused by chance.

A really quite extraordinary thing to contemplate is contemplation itself.

Of all the wonders of creation, including planet, stars and creatures, the most astonishing is our very faculty to contemplate, to behold, to consider, to experience, to savour the planet, the stars, the creatures, and ourselves.

I am suggesting that contemplation did not happen by chance.

vulcan pie

I remember thinking what a bore,

When spock went back into the reactor core.

The plot needed something more.

And i don't mean that time travel rubbish from Star Trek 4.

I can't remember if I cried,

When the reactor melted with Spock inside.

Something touched me deep inside

The day Mr Spock died.

And i was singing

Bye bye why did Spock have to die

Oh I drove to Alpha Centauri

But Alpha Centauri was dry

And there were some good old Klingons

Ogling Lieutenant Uhuru's thighs

Singing this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Oh do you believe that Shatner can act?

Are transporter beams a credible fact?

Maybe we could talk about this for a while.

And McCoy said "he's dead" and gave a shimmy

Scotty was screaming "she'll nae take it jimmy."

They both stripped off their shoes

And hitched a ride to Betelgeuse.

Oh Chekov be nimble

Beam me up quick

George Takei just called Shatner a stupid dick

And Shatner's says Takei's just a country hick

The day Mr Spock died.

And they were singing

Bye bye why did Spock have to die

Oh I drove to Alpha Centauri

But Alpha Centauri was dry

And there were some good old Klingons

Ogling Lieutenant Uhuru's thighs

Singing this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I day.

And Ensign Ricky got shot again

That'll all they ever did with him

Go down to the planet and get killed

It was the only role he filled

And through endless lonely teenage nights

An alien in a chicken suit was picking fights

Until Captain Kirk punched out his lights

The day Mr Spock died.

And they were singing

Bye bye Mr Vulcan Pie

Oh I drove to Alpha Centauri

But Alpha Centauri was dry

And there were some good old Klingons

Ogling Lieutanant Uhuru's thighs

Singing this'll be the day that I die.

vermillion

 the birds of northernesse had gathered to sing a lay

in a dark tree near a torrent where the nether world issues

a word they want a word they need a word for an array

there splashed on vision none their marvellous mystic hues

vermillion said the eagle

the maker of all laws

and since twas he that said it

so by life it was

vermillion said the falcon

keep of the flame

and he looked around for challenge

in hauteur and disdain

vermillion said the hawk

and none could give the nay

for his claws were long and sharp

and he would have his way

vermillion chanted the other ranks

the magpie and the hen

the jackdaw and the cormorant

the peewit and the wren

vermillion sang they all

in a wondrous symphony

and their voices rang throughout the land

from the mountains to the sea

red blood quaked the sparrow

his plumage modest brown

and the birds could not see him

for his station lay far down

red blood piped he again

grown stronger at the truth

and the birds faced reality

and reality was mute

red blood cried he at last

and they saw him crouching low

and they flew at him and raged at him

and struck a mighty blow

shaking the ancient tree

about its massive girth

they seized him and they bore him

and they crushed him to the earth

regaining lofty branches

they did as they were meant

and shook their ruffled feathers

and nodded in assent

a word they had a good word

of a million words abhorred

they would hold to it cling to it

vermillion they roared