What's America suddenly afraid of?

I come back from Thailand and this is the news that greets me. Nice. Well at least it gives me something to blog about.

It appears that America has decided to usher in the Year of the Rat by cleaning up the rats in the world. I can actually picture someone in the White House saying that with a thick American accent:

"Gentlemen, the new year in the Chinese calendar has officially begun. Let's ring in the Year of the Rat by cleaning up these Commie and Jihadist rats! Yee-haw!"

What are they suddenly so scared of, I wonder. Is it a distraction from the Presidential race between a woman and a black man? Is it to reassert their 'manhood' because their next president may be a woman or a black man? Or is it just GWB having his last hurrah?

Attention: Americans who may have stumbled upon this. It's a joke.

Attention: The rest of the world who many have stumbled upon this and inadvertantly got the idea that I care about what you think. I don't.

Moving on. BBC is chock full of interesting stuff today, such as this. From BBC: Saudis clamp down on valentines:

Religious police in Saudi Arabia are banning the sale of Valentine's Day gifts including red roses, a local newspaper has reported.

The Saudi Gazette quoted shop workers as saying that officials had warned them to remove all red items including flowers and wrapping paper.

Black market prices for roses were already rising, the paper said.

Saudi authorities consider Valentine's Day, along with a host of other annual celebrations, as un-Islamic.

In addition to the prohibition on celebrating non-Islamic festivals, the authorities consider Valentine's Day as encouraging relations between men and women outside wedlock - punishable by law in the conservative kingdom.

There's a black market for roses.

More on Americans v The rest of the world. From BBC: US marine held over Japan rape:

A US marine has been arrested in Okinawa, Japan, on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl.

Sgt Tyrone Luther Hadnott, from Camp Courtney base, is alleged to have raped the local girl in a parked car.

The 38-year-old denies the accusation but has admitted to forcibly kissing the girl. He has not been charged.

A Japanese official said Sgt Hadnott met the girl on Sunday and offered to drive her home.

Instead he is reported to have taken her to his house, but when she started to cry he said he would take her home, which is when the alleged rape took place.

Okinawa's governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, said he felt "great anger" about the situation.

"This is a serious crime that contravenes a woman's rights and should not be forgiven," he told reporters.

Local tensions

Tokyo has asked the US military to tighten discipline among its personnel and take steps to prevent such incidents from taking place.

Lt Gen Bruce Wright, commander of the US forces in Japan, said US officials were aware of the "serious allegations" and were monitoring the situation in cooperation with the Japanese authorities.

Allegations of crimes by US troops against Japanese locals cause particular unease after a 1995 case in which three servicemen were jailed for the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl.

In 2006, a US civilian military employee was jailed for nine years for the rape of two women.

Damn straight, rape is a serious crime. Good to know soldiers have to answer for their own actions somewhere in the world. It's so rarely the case.

On a lighter note. From NST: Lonely Planet picks Malaysia as one of world's top destinations:

One of the world’s most widely read travel guidebooks has picked Malaysia as one of the world’s top destinations for this year. According to Lonely Planet, many of the hottest tourist attractions are on the East Coast. These include Taman Negara; Tasek Kenyir, Southeast Asia’s largest man-made lake; elephant sanctuaries in Kuala Gandah; and turtle sanctuaries - like the Ma’ Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre in Kemaman, opened in 1999.

“Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in Southeast Asia. It’s buoyant and wealthy. It has moved towards a pluralist culture, based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs,” said Lonely Planet’s website.

“Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st century, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia. The jungle at Taman Negara is so dense you could pass within metres of an animal and never know it.”

The greatest reward of a visit to Taman Negara is to be present in one of the world’s most pristine extant primary rainforests, Lonely Planet said. “The jungle here is claimed to be the oldest in the world: none of the Ice Ages had any effect here, and Taman Negara has eluded volcanic activity and other geological upheavals.”

As someone who is only just discovering what Malaysia has to offer, I'm inclined to agree. I've been impressed time and again, especially this year. Yay. Except the title of the article is misleading. The quote clearly says South East Asia. But whatever.