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Ahmadinejad Criticizes World Cup Octopus

   VOA News 28 July 2010
   Common octopus Paul oracles the result of the World Cup matches in the
   SeaLife Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, 19 Jul 2010

Photo: AP

   Common octopus Paul oracles the result of the World Cup matches in the
   SeaLife Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, 19 Jul 2010

   Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized Paul the octopus,
   who gained fame by correctly predicting the outcome of eight World Cup
   matches.
   The  Iranian leader called Paul a symbol of decadence and decay in the
   Western  world.  Mr.  Ahmadinejad  also  said  those  who believe in a
   psychic octopus cannot be leaders of nations like Iran "that aspire to
   human perfection."
   Iran's state-run media said the president discussed the octopus during
   a speech to a youth festival in Tehran on Friday.
   Paul lives at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany.
   The  eight-legged sea creature picked the outcome of this year's World
   Cup  matches  in South Africa by choosing to eat from a box of mussels
   labeled with the flag of the winning team.
   Paul  correctly  predicted  the  winner  of  all  seven  of  Germany's
   matches.   He  also  picked  Spain  to  defeat the Netherlands in the
   final.

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