Saddle Ridge couple become Saddle Rich

A California couple found a stash of gold coins buried on their property last year valued at as much as US$10,000,000, rare coin dealers have said. The couple live in a rural area of California known as Gold Country for the swarms of prospectors who descended on the region during the 19th Century gold rush. They found the coins in an area of their land they called Saddle Ridge, and the coin dealers who have seen the haul have taken to calling it the Saddle Ridge Hoard. The 1,427 coins in said hoard, which date from 1847-1894, were never circulated and are in mint condition. The unnamed couple found them buried in rusting metal cans under a tree while on a walk last April. It is seen as the largest haul of buried treasure in US history, but you won't be around to enjoy it if you're planning on taking part in an upcoming one-way trip to Mars. On that topic, imagine this scenario: would there be any chance of survival on the red planet? That's a concern for the General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments (GAIAE), the United Arab Emirates' religious watchdog, for anyone who wishes to travel to Mars. The GAIAE has issued a fatwa, or an official Islamic ruling, to warn Muslims against a Mars mission. But the GAIAE likens the journey to a suicide mission. On the authority's free 24-hour hotline, the issue was deliberated by the center's specialized muftis, or scholars, who issued the following statement: "It is not permissible to travel to Mars and never to return if there is no life on Mars. The chances of dying are higher than living." Taking one's life willingly is against Islamic principles. But seriously, come on. A verse from the Quran encourages Muslims to go out and see the signs of God's creation in the heavens and the earth. The first Martian settlers would walk in the footsteps of great Muslim explorers like Ibn Battuta, the 14th century Moroccan journeyman whose travels took him across North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. There have even been Muslim space explorers in the past. And to help Muslims observe religious obligations in space, the Malaysian government has been instrumental in setting up guidelines. In 2006, Malaysia's national space agency Angkasa convened a conference of Islamic scientists and scholars to address the religious obligations of Muslim astronauts. The result was a detailed set of rules called "A Guideline of Performing Ibadah (worship) at the International Space Station (ISS)." It tackles a number of issues, like the number of times a Muslim should observe daily prayers, when a day lasts just 90 minutes in orbit.