Ok, I was thinking about posting this a while ago, but decided not to since it was just kind of funny. But since then, so many things have happened that this deserved a story. Here are the reasons why the President-for-life of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, is insane:

From the most recent article:

• has ordered a zoo be built for 300 species of birds and animals, including penguins, in the Central Asian republic's Kara Kum desert
• In August 2004, he ordered that a giant ice palace be built in mountains north of the capital, but doubts were raised about whether it could be sustained in a desert country that receives just 100-250 millimetres of rain a year.
• Last month, state-run media reported Niyazov's spiritual guide book Rukhnama was blasted into space with two Japanese satellites from the Russian launch station in Kazakhstan as proof that Turkmenistan had joined the space-powers club.
• his poetry and philosophical writings dominate radio and television programmes

And from an older article:

• Banned lip-synching, citing "a negative effect on the development of singing and musical art"
• In 2001, Niyazov banned opera and ballet as not corresponding with the national mentality.
• Last year, he called for young people not to get gold tooth caps and urged authorities to crack down on young men wearing beards or long hair.