Foreign Fodder

* Last Friday Israel published bids for the building of 450 new housing units in West Bank settlements. It’s more than Palestinians looking askance at this development. The U.S. officially doesn’t approve either–especially the timing. Another reason why President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu will not be sitting down together next month–when the PM is in town to address a joint-session of Congress–pretending they even like each other.

* Here’s the part about that Jordan-ISIS “negotiation” that truly makes no sense, even beyond ISIS’ delay–or inability–in guaranteeing proof that a captive pilot was still alive. Why is it that Sajida al-Rishawi–the terrorist, would-be barter bait–was even alive to be barter-able? She was  sentenced to death for her role in that notorious 2005 hotel bombing in Amman that killed 60 people–the worst terror act in Jordanian history. She was a suicide bomber. Her suicide belt failed and she tried to escape.

Al-Rishawi wanted to die, but she remained alive for a decade before finally being hung this week. Innocent journalists and aid workers who wanted to live have been brutally, summarily executed. How perversely and tragically ironic.

* China is now legally encouraging more households to have a second child. For decades prior, most urban Chinese families could have only one child.

Now that’s BIG government.

* The U.S. Census Bureau will be testing a new classification in the next 10-year census. If the Bureau determines–via focus groups–and Congress concurs, the changes could be implemented for the 2020 Census. Specifically, the feds would allow a new Middle East-North Africa (MENA) classification. Arab-Americans, the majority of a MENA category, have heretofore been classified by default as white. Many U.S. Middle Eastern communities have been lobbying for the new classification.

Indeed, their point is valid, if you consider keeping abreast of America’s changing racial and ethnic identities a valid priority. A racial category so broad that it could range from Scots to Yemenis makes no sense.

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