The Controversial Files

A South Florida Man Killed His Wife And Posted The Picture On Facebook

A SOUTH Florida man who allegedly killed his wife then posted a photo of her on Facebook has been charged with first-degree murder.

Miami-Dade police said in an arrest affidavit that Derek Medina, 31, said he shot Jennifer Alfonso, 26, at their South Miami home after she said she was "leaving him".

When officers responded to the home, they found Alfonso's body, as well as her 10-year-old daughter, who was unharmed.

According to the affidavit, Mr Medina said the couple became involved in a heated argument in an upstairs bedroom when he armed himself with a gun and pointed it at her.

This booking photo shows suspect Derek Medina who announced on Facebook that he had shot and killed his wife before posting a photo of her twisted, bloodied body lying on a linoleum floor.

He said Ms Alfonso left the bedroom, returning later to say she was leaving him. He says he went downstairs and confronted her in the kitchen, when she began punching him.

He claims he went back upstairs to get his gun and confronted her again, at which time she grabbed a knife. Mr Medina said he was able to disarm her and put the knife in a drawer, but that when she began punching him again, he shot her several times, the affidavit says.

A post on a Facebook page identified as Mr Medina's said at 11.11am on Thursday (1:11am AEST Friday), "Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys takecare Facebook people you will see me in the news."

Derek Medina and Jennifer Alfonso. via Facebook

The post claimed that his wife was punching him and that he wasn't going to stand any more abuse. YouTube videos linked to his Facebook page earlier this week show him working out in a martial arts studio, punching and kicking a heavy bag.

The next and final post - also at 11.11am and titled "Rip Jennifer Alfonso" - was a gruesome photograph showing a woman in black leotards slumped on the floor. She looked like she had fallen backward, with her legs bent to her sides and blood on her left arm and left cheek. The photo was up for more than five hours before Facebook removed the page late on Thursday afternoon.

"The content was reported to us," a Facebook spokeswoman wrote. "We took action on the profile - removing the content and disabling the profile, and we reached out to law enforcement. We take action on all content that violates our terms, which are clearly laid out on our site."

Derek Medina's Facebook post which showed the dead body of his wife Jennifer Alfonso, who he allegedly killed. via Facebook

Police declined comment on the Facebook posts.

Public records show that Mr Medina and Ms Alfonso first married in January 2010, divorced in February 2012 and then remarried three months later.

On his Facebook page, Mr Medina claimed to be a supervisor at a property management company and to have appeared in the Miami-based crime drama Burn Notice, though his name doesn't appear in online credits for the show.

Derek Medina Facebook post in which he confesses to killing Jennifer Alfonso. via Facebook

Photos posted by Mr Medina on Wednesday show the family enjoying a meal alongside an unnamed marina and lounging beside a swimming pool.

Police said in the arrest affidavit that Mr Medina never called 911, only turning himself into police after going to see family and confessing.

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Whistleblower: Obama Was Indonesian Citizen & Given Financial Aid As Foreign Student At Occidental College

A whistle-blower from Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany New York came forward and advised Attorney Orly Taitz that she personally reviewed Barack Obama’s financial aid information, which stated that financial aid was given to Obama as foreign student and as a citizen of Indonesia.

In the original case there were over 100 pages that documented that Barack Obama was a citizen of Indonesia at the time he attended Occidental and that he has used fraudulent means to secure Identification.

However, Superior Court Judge Charles Marginis ruled in favor of Occidental College and denied Taitz’s motion to force them to produce Obama’s college registration forms.

Kathleen O’Leary, the Chief Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeals, then re-instated the appeal.

In Taitz’s press release she writes, “Additionally, Obama failed to submit the Appellee’s brief in Taitz v Obama, Feinstein, Emken. This is an appeal, which was reinstated by the Chief Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal Kathleen O’Leary. Appellant Taitz filed her Appellant’s brief.”

“Appellees failed to file an Appellees’ brief,” the press release continued. “They were given additional 15 days and they failed again. Attorney Taitz submitted a notice of failure by Appellees to file an Appellee’s brief and provided the court with this additional information, as part of the appeal revolves around the decision by the Superior Court judge Charles Marginis to rule in favor of the Occidental college and deny a motion to compel production of a redacted college registration for Obama in light of over a 100 pages of records showing Obama to be a citizen of Indonesia using forged and fraudulently obtained IDs.”

As a result, Taitz submitted the new information to the Superior Court claiming “Whistleblower wrote for Taitz in her own handwriting her first and last name, her work e-mail address, her personal e-mail address and her home and cell phone numbers.”

“Taitz did her due diligence and independently verified that the whistleblower is indeed employed by the Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany, New York” Taitz’s submittal read. “She further checked that Obama transferred from the Occidental college to Columbia University in New York and his financial aid would indeed be handled by the Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany, New York (Hereinafter HESC). Whistleblower advised Taitz that the policy of the HESC is no to destroy records and microfilm is contained in the safe of the corporation. She further advised Taitz that several employees of the HESC made copies of the microfilm, in case the management decides to destroy the evidence. She came forward, as she is concerned about fraud being committed and the fact that as a citizen of Indonesia Obama was not eligible to be the president of the United States.”

Elementary school of Obama in Indonesia

A sword declaration was also attached, as you can see here.

Ms. Taitz say that the information provided should weigh in her favor in granting an appeal. Moreover, if further evidence confirms this information and attorney for Occidental college knew that Obama’s registration, application and financial aid show him registered as a foreign student and a citizen of Indonesia, then they would have knowingly been committing treason against the people of the United States of America and were aiding and abetting the most egregious fraud in the history of the US.

I wonder why those who have made copies of the microfilm have not simply pitched it into the hands of someone like Taitz. In either case, I’m sure the Obama administration has put its NSA ears to the ground around HESC now and employees can rest assured they are being monitored.

Barack Obama has spent millions of dollars to keep his records from the public eye? Why? Isn’t he the man that said, “The only people that don’t want to disclose the truth, are people with something to hide?” Again, how hard is it for Obama to simply produce the documentation, not a forged digital image on the web, and put to rest the allegations? If I were in the position, that’s exactly what I would do and demonstrate the foolishness of the claim, but when someone goes to great expense and lengths to keep information hidden, it only lends credibility to the charges leveled against him, especially in light of his past and his time in office.

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while we search the skies for UFOs and search beneath cities for hidden installations, we have a genetic crisis brewing on this planet. From depleted uranium, to GMO foods, to coal powered power plant run off, to fracking water pollution, greed and arrogance will change the face of this planet.

Depleted Uranium Turning Babies Into Monsters–terrible Picture

This female baby was born on the morning of July 25th, 2013 in Fallujah, Iraq with a case of Icthyosis. Her brother was born late in 2004 and died at age of 13 days with the same illness. The family denied any previous family history of this condition. The birth defects in Iraq are most likely caused by the use of depleted uranium left there by the USA, courtesy of Israel. It is associated with a mutation on the ABCA12 gene. So sad that many innocent adults and children have to suffer these useless wars.

Iraq's environment minister blamed Monday the use of depleted uranium weapons by U.S. forces during the 2003 Operation Shock and Awe for the current surge in cancer cases across the country.

As a result of "at least 350 sites in Iraq being contaminated during bombing" with depleted uranium (DU) weapons, Nermin Othman said, the nation is facing about 140,000 cases of cancer, with 7,000 to 8,000 new ones registered each year.

Speaking at a ministerial meeting of the Arab League, she also complained that many chemical plants and oil facilities had been destroyed during the two military campaigns since the 1990s, but the ecological consequences remain unclear. "Our ministry is fledgling, and we need international support; notably, we need laboratories to better monitor air and water contamination," she said. The first major UN research on the consequences of the use of DU on the battlefield was conducted in 2003 in the wake of NATO operations in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Montenegro.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) said in its report after the research that DU poses little threat if spent munitions are cleared from the ground. "Health risks primarily depend on the awareness of people coming into contact with DU," UNEP writes in its 2004 brochure "Depleted Uranium Awareness." No major clean-up or public awareness campaigns have been reported in Iraq.

Iraq's real WMD crime
By Lawrence Smallman
Aljazeera

They have ruined the lives of just under 300,000 people during the last decade — and numbers will increase. The reason is simple. Two hundred tonnes of radioactive material were fired by invading US forces into buildings, homes, streets and gardens all over Baghdad.

The material in question is depleted uranium (DU). Left over after natural uranium has been enriched, DU is 1.7 times denser than lead — effective in penetrating armoured objects such as tanks. After a DU-coated shell strikes, it goes straight through before exploding into a burning vapour which turns to dust.

"Depleted uranium has a half life of 4.7 billion years that means thousands upon thousands of Iraqi children will suffer for tens of thousands of years to come. This is what I call terrorism," says Dr Ahmad Hardan. As a special scientific adviser to the World Health Organisation, the United Nations and the Iraqi Ministry of Health, Dr Hardan is the man who documented the effects of depleted uranium in Iraq between 1991 and 2002.

Terrible history repeated

"American forces admit to using over 300 tonnes of depleted uranium weapons in 1991. The actual figure is closer to 800.

"This has caused a health crisis that has affected almost a third of a million people. As if that was not enough, America went on and used 200 tonnes more in Baghdad alone this April. I don't know about other parts of Iraq, it will take me years to document that."

Hardan is particularly angry because he says there is no need for this type of weapon US conventional weapons are quite capable of destroying tanks and buildings.

"In Basra, it took us two years to obtain conclusive proof of what DU does, but we now know what to look for and the results are terrifying."

Leukaemia has already become the most common type of cancer in Iraq among all age groups, but is most prevalent in the under-15 category. It has increased way above the percentage of population growth in every single province of Iraq without exception.

Women as young as 35 are developing breast cancer. Sterility among men has increased tenfold.

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Scientific Community Puzzled After Meditating “Buddha Boy” Goes Without Food Or Water For 10 Months!

A meditating teenage boy in south-central Nepal who went without food or water for 10 months has changed the way we look at modern science and medicine forever. In 2006, Discovery Channel film crew traveled to Nepal to establish if it was possible for a human to abstain from all sustenance, water included, by filming “Buddha Boy” continuously for four days and nights.

Ram Bahadur Bomjon, also known as “Buddha Boy” attracted thousands of visitors and media attention when he began his mysterious meditation without food and water on 16 May 2005.

Most people can live without food for several weeks, with the body drawing on its fat and protein stores. But the average human can survive for only three to four days without water.

The film crew was able to film Ram continuously for 96 hours, day and night, during which time he did not change his position and did not drink any fluids or eat any food. The film crew concluded that: “After 96 hours of filming, Ram has defied modern science by continuing his meditation and remaining alive.”

The Discovery Channel documentary film produced was titled “The Boy With Divine Powers” and you can watch it below.

What is most incredible about the film footage is that the boy showed no signs of classical physical deterioration caused by dehydration. Close inspection by the film crew of the area around the tree where Ram was sitting confirmed no hidden food supply or water pipes. According to science, an average person would be expected to die from kidney failure after four days without drinking any fluids.

However, this doesn't seem to be the case for a person who can reach a high level of meditation or a person who can harvest energy from other sources, such as the sun. In fact, there have been other extreme cases of food and water fasting, such as that of an Indian man who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for 70 years.

Many have argued that Ram Bahadur Bomjon is the reincarnation of Buddha. However Ram himself has denied this fact but rather he claims that to have been “enlightened” like Buddha after his long meditation. Over the following years after the filming of the documentary, Bomjon has reappeared and blessed thousands of pilgrims – only to disappear again and meditate.

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Lady Gaga stars in 'The Abramovic Method Practiced by Lady Gaga' - a Kickstarter video to support the Marina Abramovic Institute.

Lady Gaga has left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

In a video to promote a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the Marina Abramovic Institute, the 27-year-old "Born This Way" singer usually known for her bizarre ensembles can be seen completely stripped down to her birthday suit.

Lady Gaga strips down naked for Marina Abramovic's Kickstarter art project

Lady Gaga bares all while practicing 'The Abramovic Method.'

In the clip, Gaga is on a "three-day retreat in upstate New York" with performance artist Marina Abramovic in which she practices "a series of exercises designed to heighten participants' awareness of their physical and mental experience in the present moment."

The singer is seen here perched on top of a crystal in the nude in a Kickstarter video to support the Marina Abramovic Institute.

According to MAI's website, the institute "will be an experimental space to conduct research and host workshops, public lectures, and residencies, and will serve as a venue through which the public may experience and interact with works of long durational performance."

Lady Gaga leaves nothing to the imagination during the 'The Abramovic Method.'

The intriguing scenes, featuring the daring Gaga, show her walking across a grassy field in the buff as well as a glimpse of the singer bent down holding a tree branch in the forest.

While also nude, she sits on a crystal and cradles it before ending the video by abrubtly opening her eyes as she she is surrounded by stones.

Lady Gaga surrounds herself in crystals to end the intriguing series of scenes.

Gaga's third studio album, ARTPOP, is set to be released Nov. 11, and prior to that, she will be performing a new single at the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 25.

VIDEO

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Pacu, Testicle-Eating 'Ball-Cutter' Fish Spotted In Sweden

If you're male and planning a swim off the coast of Sweden any time soon you might want to reconsider.

For a fearsome fish with a penchant for feasting on human testicles has been spotted in Öresund Sound, The Telegraph reports.

The pacu fish is a relative of the piranha and until now had never seen in European waters.

It's unclear how the fish got into Scandinavian waters.

In this case, a 21 cm specimen was reeled in and confirmed, prompting the National History Museum in neighbouring Denmark to issue the following warning:

"Keep your swimwear on if you're bathing in the Sound these days - maybe there are more out there!"

The freshwater fish, which hails from the Amazon, can grow up to 90 cm in length and weigh up to 25 kg. It primarily feeds on nuts, aquatic vegetation and snails, but its habit of attacking male genitalia has seen it dubbed the "ball-cutter".

"The pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite, there have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea where some men have had their testicles bitten off," Henrik Carl, a fish expert at the Danish museum,told The Local.

"They bite because they're hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth. And its mouth is not so big, so of course it normally eats nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles are just a natural target. It's not normal to get your testicles bitten off, of course, but it can happen, especially now in Sweden."

In further incidents of pacus turning up unexpectedly, last year one was discovered in Lake Lou Yaeger in Illinois, KSDK reported.

In 2011 British fisherman Jeremy Wade travelled to Papa New Guinea to catch his own "ball-cutter" after learning one had castrated two fishermen who had subsequently bled to death.

He told The Metro: "When I reeled it in, it had this mouth which was surprisingly human-like, it is almost like they have teeth specially made for crushing."

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Spain Will Defend Its Interests in Gibraltar as Britain Sends Warships To dispute with Spain

Spain will defend its interests in Gibraltar: Spanish PM

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says the government will take “all necessary measures” to defend its interests in British-held territory of Gibraltar amid a diplomatic row with London.

Rajoy’s remarks on Friday came after reports revealed that the British Royal Navy is set to send aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and two frigates to Gibraltar during a four-month deployment to the Mediterranean.

“I hope that this doesn’t go any further, but it’s clear that Spain has to defend its national interests and that’s what we’re going to do,” said Rajoy.

In addition, Spain said it was keeping its plans to impose several retaliatory measures towards Gibraltar as a response to a dispute over fishing grounds.

The planned measures were presented on August 5 and include a 50-euro (USD 66) border-crossing fee for all vehicles coming and going to the territory via the Spanish border as well as closing the airspace to planes flying to Gibraltar airport.

Spain has also increased its border controls to Gibraltar causing criticism from the British government, as people had to wait up to seven hours to pass the border.

Madrid on the other hand argues that the increased searches are necessary since Gibraltar is not a member of Schengen, the open-border zone of 26 European countries.

Tension between the two countries arose after authorities in Gibraltar dumped 70 blocks of concrete in waters close the territory’s coast in mid-July, aimed at creating an artificial reef.

However, Spain denounced the action, saying the British territory dumped the blocks “without any type of authorization and breaking several environmental norms” and considered it as “an environmental crime.”

In addition, Madrid said the concrete blocks seriously damaged the fishery, making it impossible for Spanish fishing boats to work in the area.

Gibraltar is one of the British Overseas Territories, which is on the United Nations list of areas waiting decolonization.

The British territory was seized from Spain in 1713 and remains a bone of contention between the two European countries.

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Britain sends warships to Gibraltar as dispute with Spain continues

Britain is sending navy warships to Gibraltar amid growing tension between London and Madrid over the territory's sovereignty.

According to reports, Royal Navy rapid-reaction force including aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and two frigates will sail for the Mediterranean on Monday, August 12 for a four-month deployment after a diplomatic row with neighboring Spain over the territory heated up.

British Ministry of Defence (MoD), however, claimed the deployment was long-planned and not connected to recent tensions between the two countries.

“Gibraltar is a strategic base for UK Defence and as such Royal Navy ships visit its waters throughout the year as part of a range of regular and routine deployments,” an MoD spokesperson said.

The deployment of warships in Gibraltar follows weeks of rising tension after Spanish border officers caused delays of up to six hours for cars trying to enter Spain, carrying out searches on vehicles.

The move drew an angry reaction from London and British Foreign Office formally protested to Spain’s ambassador to London over the matter.

Tensions between Spain and Gibraltar flared up last month when the Rock’s authorities announced plan for creating an artificial reef for fish and boats began dumping concrete blocks into the sea. On other side of the border, Spanish authorities said the reef would block its fishing boats.

Gibraltar was occupied by Britain in 1713 and has been since a bone of contention between Madrid and London.

The United Nations (UN) lists the strategic 6.8-kilometer area that overlooks the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean as a territory waiting to be decolonized.

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Heartbreaking Portraits of Boy Prostitutes in Thailand Paint a Picture of Innocence Lost

Underage #25
Name: Sittikom Sricharoen
Nickname: Boat
Age: 13
D.O.B.: February 24, 1997
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Bangkok
Siblings: 13
Parents: Never knew father. Mother is a street vendor
Length of prostitution: One month
Clients: 22
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: Pilot
Date Photographed: September 2, 2010

This project is multi-layered and complex in its nature. Psychologically, the project offers provocative and haunting portraits of these lost souls. The visual is visceral and represents an ugly mess and deep-rooted problems of family, teenage years in Thailand, and society. The personal data of each subject is included to offer an insight and to peep into their lives and journey to the opposite side of norms, tradition, and perception.

While most subjects identify themselves as heterosexual young boys who come to terms with having sex with gay guys for money, almost all of them have never had sex with females. Many of them reason that all men must go through having sex with gay guys in order to understand how to have sex with females when such time comes.

I want the images to act as a mirror reflecting the rotten reality of child abuse and exploitation. I also want the images to pose painful questions about life, choice, consequences, and of humanity. Lastly, I hope the project will shed some light about this pervasive situation, raising questions for us about society, corruption, morals, and human treatment.—Ohm Phanphiroj

Underage is Thai photographer and filmmaker Ohm Phanphiroj’s powerful documention of underage male prostitutes in Thailand. According to a survey in 2004, there were 800,000 underage prostitutes in Thailand, putting the country at the top for underage sexual exploitation according to the U.N. Phanphiroj brings an evocatively human element to this disheartening statistic, revealing the lives of these young boys in an upfront, tangible way. The portraits deliver an intensity you can almost feel in your gut; the complexity of corruption and innocence is potent, undeniable. The look in the boys’ eyes seems to stretch for miles, through you, past you—but not before locking you in with a gaze that as Phanphiroj says, makes you “take the part of both…the boy and the buyer.”

Phanphiroj has received much recognition for the project, including Critical Mass 2013 and artist-in-residence fellowships at the Newspace Center for Photography and Light Work. The Kinsey Institute acquired the project for its permanent collection in 2011.

Underage #3
Name: Parinya Luenpitak
Nickname: Tent
Age: 12
D.O.B.: May 28, 1998
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Nonthaburi
Siblings: 7 (2 passed away)
Parents: Unemployed
Length of prostitution: 6 months
Clients: 24
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: Military
Date Photographed: June 25, 2010

Underage #20
Name: Chawalit Choosangkaew
Nickname: Jo
Age: 13
D.O.B.: 1997 (Never Know his exact birth date and month)
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Hometown: Chiangrai
Siblings: 5
Parents: Mother died of Tuberculosis. Father is a street vendor
Length of prostitution: 5 years
Clients: 100+
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: Mechanic
Date Photographed: August 4, 2010

Underage #1
Name: Chanon Sornsuebsin
Nickname: Non
Age: 15
D.O.B.: December 7, 1995
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Thonburi Province
Siblings: 3 (2 boys, 1 girl, all of which are prostitutes)
Parents: Unemployed
Length of prostitution: 5 months
Clients: 40+
Reason for prostitution: Parents told him to come earn a living
Dream: Military
Date Photographed: May 30, 2010

Underage #46
Name: Nattawat Sukhontawong
Nickname: Nut
Age: 17
D.O.B.: October 15, 1994
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Bangkok
Siblings: 2
Parents: Divorced
Length of prostitution: 6 years
Clients: 400+
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: Policeman
Date Photographed: November 7, 2011

Underage #54
Name: Monton Wongkornburi
Nickname: Ball
Age: 17
D.O.B.: March 28, 1995
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Bangkok
Siblings: 4 (One passed away)
Parents: Brass jewelry shop workers
Length of prostitution: 3 years
Clients: 200+
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: No Dream
Date Photographed: November 11, 2012

Underage #4
Name: Warin Mangsin
Nickname: Bas
Age: 14
D.O.B.: November 12, 1995
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Bangkok
Siblings: 3
Parents: Unemployed
Length of prostitution: One week
Clients: 8
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: B-Boy dancer
Date Photographed: June 30, 2010

Underage #17
Name: Worawit Ketkaew
Nickname: Tu
Age: 15
D.O.B.: March 15, 1995
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Hometown: Nonthaburi
Siblings: 5
Parents: Father Passed away. Mother is unemployed
Length of prostitution: One year
Clients: 120+
Reason for prostitution: Money
Dream: Policeman
Date Photographed: August 3, 2010

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Militant Filipino farmers destroy Golden Rice GM crop

Genetically modified foods have an image problem all over the world. Field trials of GM wheat were targeted last year in the UK, and now some 400 farmers in the Philippines have stormed a government-owned GM research field.

The protestors destroyed 1000 square metres of Golden Rice – a variety created to reduce vitamin A deficiency.

Golden Rice is engineered to contain beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A which gives the rice its distinctive yellow colour. Vitamin A deficiency kills up to 2 million people and causes blindness in 500,000 children worldwide each year. It was recently shown that replacing half of a child's rice intake with Golden Rice provides them with 60 per cent of their daily vitamin A requirement.

Not everyone views it positively though. "The Golden Rice is a poison," Willy Marbella, a farmer and deputy secretary general of the militant farmers' group KMP, told New Scientist. Marbella, who attended the protest at Pili, Camarines Sur, where the Golden Rice in a trial site was uprooted, says malnutrition is caused by poverty and needs to be addressed by support services, not genetically modified crops.

The research so far indicates that Golden Rice is safe, but it won't be made available to eat until further testing is completed, says the International Rice Research Institute, a non-profit research body that develops new rice varieties. IRRI runs the test site, in partnership with the Philippine Department of Agriculture.

Contamination fears

Beau Baconguis, programme manager for Greenpeace Southeast Asia based in the Philippines is concerned, however. "There is not enough safety testing done on any GM crops," she says.

Baconguis believes the farmers took matters into their own hands because they were concerned about their crops being contaminated. "I think that the farmers know what they want. What they want is a safe environment that they can grow their crops in," she says.

But Bruce Tolentino, deputy director general at IRRI, says there was almost no risk of contamination. "These are confined field trials," he says. "They're fenced. They're covered by nets. They're protected from rats and birds. And, we hoped, people."

He also pointed to research showing that rice is generally self-pollinated and so is unlikely to contaminate other crops. And because the beta-carotene that Golden Rice contains doesn't give it a competitive advantage over wild rice, it is unlikely to endanger biodiversity.

Tolentino says the destroyed field was part of a study aiming to figure out whether Golden Rice will behave just like ordinary rice, thereby not requiring farmers to change their practices. "We were hoping we would get data from this field but we also have five other locations to get the data from. So it is not a major blow to the research process," he says. "But it is a major blow to public acceptance of what's going on."

Although Golden Rice is not being developed for profit, activists argue that it is being used as a propaganda tool to soften the image of GM crops. Golden Rice is the "poster boy" of the industry, says Baconguis. "This is playing with the lives of people when you are using Golden Rice to promote more GMOs in our food."

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The Rise Of The Bear: 18 Signs That Russia Is Rapidly Catching Up To The United States

The Russian Bear is stronger and more powerful than it has ever been before. Sadly, most Americans don’t understand this. They still think of Russia as an “ex-superpower” that was rendered almost irrelevant when the Cold War ended. And yes, when the Cold War ended Russia was in rough shape. I got the chance to go over there in the early nineties, and at the time Russia was an economic disaster zone. Russian currency was so worthless that I joked that I could go exchange a 20 dollar bill and buy the Kremlin. But since that time Russia has roared back to life. Once Vladimir Putin became president, the Russian economy started to grow very rapidly.

Today, Russia is an economic powerhouse that is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Their debt to GDP ratio is extremely small, they actually run a trade surplus every year, and they have the second most powerful military on the entire planet. Anyone that underestimates Russia at this point is making a huge mistake. The Russian Bear is back, and today it is a more formidable adversary than it ever was at any point during the Cold War.

Just check out the following statistics. The following are 18 signs that Russia is rapidly catching up to the United States…

#1 Russia produces more oil than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in third place.

#2 Russia is the number two oil exporter in the world. The United States is forced to import more oil than anyone else in the world.

#3 Russia produces more natural gas than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in second place.

#4 Today, Russia supplies 34 percent of Europe’s natural gas needs.

#5 The United States has a debt to GDP ratio of 101 percent. Russia has a debt to GDP ratio of about 8 percent.

#6 The United States had a trade deficit of more than half a trillion dollars last year. Russia consistently runs a large trade surplus.

#7 The United States has an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. Russia has an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent.

#8 Since Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia, the Russian economy has grown at a very rapid pace. The following is from Wikipedia…

Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin Russia’s economy saw the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) double, climbing from 22nd to 11th largest in the world. The economy made real gains of an average 7% per year (1999: 6.5%, 2000: 10%, 2001: 5.7%, 2002: 4.9%, 2003: 7.3%, 2004: 7.2%, 2005: 6.4%, 2006: 8.2%, 2007: 8.5%, 2008: 5.2%), making it the 6th largest economy in the world in GDP(PPP). In 2007, Russia’s GDP exceeded that of 1990, meaning it has overcome the devastating consequences of the recession in the 1990s.
During Putin’s eight years in office, the industry grew by 75%, investments increased by 125%, and agricultural production and construction increased as well. Real incomes more than doubled and the average salary increased eightfold from $80 to $640. The volume of consumer credit between 2000–2006 increased 45 times, and during that same time period, the middle class grew from 8 million to 55 million, an increase of 7 times. The number of people living below the poverty line also decreased from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008.

#9 According to Bloomberg, Russia has added 570 metric tons of gold to their reserves over the past decade. In the United States, nobody seems to be quite sure how much gold the Federal Reserve actually has left.

#10 Moscow is the second most expensive city in the world. Meanwhile, the United States actually has the unfriendliest city in the world (Newark, New Jersey).

#11 More billionaires live in Moscow than in any other city on the globe.

#12 The Moscow metro system completely outclasses the subway systems in Washington D.C. and New York City.

#13 The United States has the most powerful military on the planet, but Russia is in second place.

#14 Russia has introduced a new “near silent” nuclear submarine which is far more quiet than anything the U.S. has…

The Borey Class submarine, dubbed Vladimir Monomakh, has a next generation nuclear reactor, can dive deeper than 1,200 feet, and carries up to 20 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
Each of these “Bulava” ICBM’s can carry ten detachable MIRV warheads, what they call “re-entry vehicles,” capable of delivering 150 kiloton yields per warhead

#15 While Barack Obama is neutering the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal, Vladimir Putin is working hard to modernize Russian nuclear forces.

#16 Russian missile forces will hold more than 200 drills during the second half of 2013.

#17 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made headlines all over the world when he climbed into the cockpit of Russia’s new “fifth generation” fighter jet and announced that it was far superior to the F-22 Raptor.

#18 It is estimated that Russia has more spies inside the United States today than it did at any point during the Cold War.

Unfortunately, whenever I write an article about Russia I find that most people simply do not get it. They will make statements such as “the Cold War is over” or “Russia is our friend” which show a complete and total lack of understanding of the current geopolitical situation.

Russia has been steadily building a stronger relationship with China, and collectively they represent the number one strategic threat to the United States.

Someday this will become abundantly clear to the American people. Hopefully it will not be too late by the time they realize it.

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People Born With Tail, Treated Like gods [Video]

The human tail is front and center this week, thanks to Ke$ha and a 12-year-old boy worshipped as a living God in India.

Ke$ha, who previously claimed she had sex with a ghost, told the British publication Heat that she was born with a tail, but that it was removed before she could shake it.

"I had a tail when I was born. It was a tiny tail, about a quarter of an inch, then they chopped it off and stole my tail," she told Heat. "That was when I was little. I'm really sad about that story."

Ke$ha's alleged tale has been lost to history (and to the hospital waste bin), but a 12-year-old boy in Chandigarh, India, has what looks like a 7-inch tail sticking out of his back.

Arshid Ali Khan is worshipped as the living incarnation of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, and has faithful followers who refer to him as "Balaji," Nairaland.com reported.

Doctors have a different, less spiritual, theory: The appendage is actually meningocele, a rare form of spina bifida that causes the spine to grow abnormally.

Although medical experts believe Khan should have the "tail" removed because he risks further medical problems, he is philosophically opposed to it.

“I love my tail. It’s a gift from God. It’s unusual, but people respect me and bow before me because of it," he said, according to the Sun. "I feel special.”

Dr. Scott Meyer, a member of the neuro-spine team at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, said meningocele can be associated with a tuft of hair in the lower back.

"The combination of a membranous sac with a tuft of hair could certainly produce a likeness to a monkey's tail,” he told The Huffington Post.

He recommends people who have meningocele have surgery to put the "tail" back into the body because of an increased risk of infection. Meyer added that the condition has been reduced by 50 percent in North America thanks to programs that "support folic acid supplementation during pregnancy.”

About 40 cases of human tails have been reported according to a study by the People's Journal of Scientifc Research, but you don't necessarily need the condition to have one.

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Hurt: Mr Ramos now has to wear a catheter following the mysterious incident

A 64-year-old man has told how he passed out after a heavy night drinking and woke up to find that his penis was missing.

Neighbours of Geraldo Ramos claim that he was attacked by a dog as he stumbled around the Dominican Republic naked while drunk.

But Mr Ramos, of Santiago, doesn't believe their version of events and is none-the-wiser as to how he came to be dismembered.

Mystery illness: Geraldo Ramos passed out drunk and woke up to find that his penis was missing

Recuperating: Mr Ramos was pictured relaxing at home recovering from his horrific injury

He told a local television station that all he remembers is waking up and being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

The dog which is said to have attacked him has not been traced, nor indeed has Mr Ramos's penis.

Mr Ramos now has to wear a catheter and was filmed recuperating at his home.

He says that he has learned his lesson - Mr Ramos told Noticias Sin that he is to lay off the drink from now on.

Man Passes Out Drunk, Wakes Up With No Penis [Video]

No fear: Despite Mr Ramos's neighbours claiming that he was the victim of a dog attack, the 64-year-old is clearly undeterred from being around canines - he was pictured relaxing with a dog

While the neighbour's dog attack tale may seem a little far fetched, it is not entirely unbelievable.

A paralysed man in Arkansas woke up in July to find that his dog had eaten one of his testicles.

A Brazilian man meanwhile had his toes chewed off by his pet dog.

And it seems it's not just dog attacks that men should be wary of - a man was rushed to hospital in Israel after a snake bit him on the penis while he was going to the toilet.

Fortunately the snake was not venomous and the man only suffered minor injuries.

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Religious People Are Less Intelligent Than Atheists, Study Finds

Religious people are less intelligent than non-believers, according to a new review of 63 scientific studies stretching back over decades.

A team led by Miron Zuckerman of the University of Rochester found “a reliable negative relation between intelligence and religiosity” in 53 out of 63 studies

Even in extreme old age, intelligent people are less likely to believe, the researchers found - and the reasons why people with high IQs shun religion may not be as simple as previously thought.

Previous studies have tended to assume that intelligent people simply “know better”, the researchers write - but the reasons may be more complex.

For instance, intelligent people are more likely to be married, and more likely to be successful in life - and this may mean they “need” religion less.

The studies used in Zuckerman's paper included a life-long analysis of the beliefs of a group of 1,500 gifted children - those with IQs over 135 - in a study which began in 1921 and continues today.

Even at 75 to 91 years of age, the children from Lewis Terman’s study scored lower for religiosity than the general population - contrary to the widely held belief that people turn to God as they age. The researchers noted that data was lacking about religious attitudes in old age and say, “Additional research is needed to resolve this issue.”

As early as 1958, Michael Argyle concluded, “Although intelligent children grasp religious concepts earlier, they are also the first to doubt the truth of religion, and intelligent students are much less likely to accept orthodox beliefs, and rather less likely to have pro-religious attitudes.”

A 1916 study quoted in Zuckerman’s paper (Leuba) found that, “58% of randomly selected scientists in the United States expressed disbelief in, or doubt regarding the existence of God; this proportion rose to nearly 70% for the most eminent scientists.”

The paper, published in the academic journal Personality and Social Psychology Review, said “Most extant explanations (of a negative relation) share one central theme—the premise that religious beliefs are irrational, not anchored in science, not testable and, therefore, unappealing to intelligent people who “know better.”

The answer may, however, be more complex. Intelligent people may simply be able to provide themselves with the psychological benefits offered by religion - such as “self-regulation and self-enhancement”, because they are more likely to be successful, and have stable lives.

“Intelligent people typically spend more time in school—a form of self-regulation that may yield long-term benefits,” the researchers write. “More intelligent people get higher level jobs (and better employment (and higher salary) may lead to higher self-esteem, and encourage personal control beliefs.”

“Last, more intelligent people are more likely to get and stay married (greater attachment), though for intelligent people, that too comes later in life. We therefore suggest that as intelligent people move from young adulthood to adulthood and then to middle age, the benefits of intelligence may continue to accrue.”

The researchers suggest that further research on the “function” of religion may reveal more..

“People possessing the functions that religion provides are likely to adopt atheism, people lacking these very functions (e.g., the poor, the helpless) are likely to adopt theism,” the researchers wrote.

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Pastor Preaching Abstinence While Condoms Fall Out of His Bible; “Followers” Beat Him Into a Coma

A Nigerian bus pastor was reportedly beaten to a coma on Saturday morning after some condoms allegedly fell out of his bible as he preached.

The pastor was dragged out of the commercial bus and beaten to a pulp before he was rescued by the police.

Apparently the preacher embarked from Apapa and started preaching to the people on the bus, using very strong words like "If you wear trouser you'll go to hell! The Devil invented Make up! Weave-on is from Marine Kingdom! If you have pre-marital sex you will burn in hell and your skin will peel!"

It was learnt that the people in the bus were so moved and some started falling due to the 'anointing'.

Eyewitness, Mr. John Mbakogu, who was on his way to his shop at Ladipo said, "People were just falling as he was laying hands. One man almost fell out of the bus under the influence of the Spirit. It was amazing until he raised his hands to cast the demon soul of one girl, and 2 Durex condoms fell out.

The angry men in the bus who had been having pangs of guilt due to the pastor's preaching about sex suddenly got really angry and pounced on him, who all of a sudden started shouting, I also preach safe sex! Safe sex is good!"

However, the police had to be called to the scene to save the pastor's life. So far 2 arrests have been made, and the Condoms have been kept as evidence.

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Company in Honduras Allegedly Forced Employees to Wear Diapers at Work

A Korean and American capital company in Honduras is being accused by union leaders and former employees of forcing its workers to wear diapers in order to increase their productivity. Company representatives have denied the allegations but an investigation is already under way.

Last Saturday, Daniel Duron, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Workers, denounced the violation of labor rights by Kyungshin-Lear Honduras Electrical Distribution Systems, accusing the company of forcing its employees to wear adult diapers to avoid going to the bathroom for their physiological needs. He added that the employer doesn’t actually supply the diapers for its workforce, but that the employees, especially the women, buy them themselves to avoid leaving their work posts and risk losing their jobs. Duron based his accusations on testimonies made by Kyungshin-Lear employees and urged authorities to investigate.

Honduran Labor Minister, Jorge Bográn, told reporters that 30 inspectors are currently working on the case to verify the “accuracy of the claim”. Edgardo Dumas, the legal representative of Kyungshin-Lear dismissed the accusations as false and reckless, and claimed the company has never violated labor law. The president of the Manufacturers’ Association of Honduras also told the press the allegations were false and blamed the interference of unions from the United States “who want to regain the jobs lost in their country”. However, Maria Galeano, a worker who was fired in April after seven years of working at Kyungshin-Lear, confirmed Daniel Duron’s claims. ”It’s embarrassing to say one has to wear diapers because they don’t give you permission to go to the bathroom, but there are a lot of employees who can confirm this claim,” she told reporters.

Kyungshin-Lear Electrical Distribution Systems started operating in Honduras 10 years ago, and has around 3,500 employees.

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A recent release from German-Foreign-Policy.com reveals the following: “The German Army has set in operation a new command structure for worldwide war operations. The ‘Multinational Commando Operative Command,’ based in Baden Württemberg’s Ulm, shall guide the organization of the EU Battlegroups. According to their own statement they are prepared for ‘every imaginable mission’ in an intervention area of up to 6,000 kilometers distance—including the use of ‘highly intensive’ force” (August 8; translation ours).

That should send shivers up the spine of old diehards who remember the last time that Germany prepared for the use of “highly-intensive force” in “worldwide war operations.”

The German-Foreign-Policy.com release continues, “The Battlegroups are being trained regularly within the framework of special forces maneuvers. Their agenda includes support of parties involved in civil war .…”

To the generations blinded to the historic reality of past German aspirations for imperial power by half a century of miseducation and revisionist history, such a startling revelation of this latest Bundeswehr restructuring will mean nothing. To students of Bible prophecy it has most profound meaning.

You need to read Nahum—An End-Time Prophecy for Germany to fully understand the impact of this latest imperialist move by German elites. It is a good primer for further study of this subject by reading:

The Resurrected Holy Roman European Empire And The Coming Super President.
(Click the Link)

We will provide more detail on the significance of the Bundeswehr’s new command structure as further details come to light. In the meantime, as the September German federal elections approach, we continue to declare, “watch Germany!” That nation is prophesied to soon have powerful effect on this planet through just one more third and final effort at gaining global power by “worldwide war operations.” The German-Foreign-Policy.com report indicates the recent restructure of the Bundeswehr brings that prospect one more significant step closer!

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Muslim Brotherhood Supporters Attack Christian Churches, Burn All Over Egypt

While most headlines from Egypt are focused on Wednesday’s violent dispersal of Muslim Brotherhood supporter sit-ins— latest death toll placed at 149, per the Associated Press — Christians in the embattled country are facing what’s being described as “a black day” as their churches are being attacked and torched by angry Islamists.

Supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi set fire to churches around Egypt in apparent retaliation for the police dispersing the pro-Morsi demonstrations in Cairo. According to AFP, three churches were attacked, but other outlets place the number higher.

Egypt-watchers and reporters are using terms such as “unprecedented,” a sectarian “catastrophe” and “a literal pogrom” to describe the unfolding of events Wednesday.

One Twitter user called it “a black day in the Coptic modern history.”

The Egyptian blogger The Big Pharaoh reported that the St. Theresa Church in Assiut in Upper Egypt was set ablaze and that both the St. James monastery and a Jesuit nuns’ school in Meniah “a very old building” were burned down. Churches in Arish and Ezbet el-Nakhl in Greater Cairo were also “torched,” The Big Pharaoh blogger reported.

Egypt-watchers and reporters are using terms such as “unprecedented,” a sectarian “catastrophe” and “a literal pogrom” to describe the unfolding of events Wednesday.

One Twitter user called it “a black day in the Coptic modern history.”

The Egyptian blogger The Big Pharaoh reported that the St. Theresa Church in Assiut in Upper Egypt was set ablaze and that both the St. James monastery and a Jesuit nuns’ school in Meniah “a very old building” were burned down. Churches in Arish and Ezbet el-Nakhl in Greater Cairo were also “torched,” The Big Pharaoh blogger reported.

“I think the magnitude and geographical spread of the attacks on Christians didn’t happen before since the mid ages,” the blogger tweeted.

It’s unclear if the attacks were orchestrated in advance, but Eric Trager, an Egypt expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy tweeted, “Hideous & typical. MT @basildabh: FJP accuses ‘Christian thugs under police’ of dispersing Sohag pro-Morsi dem” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood linked Freedom and Justice Party.

AFP reports that attackers threw Molotov cocktails at the Coptic Christian Mar Gergiss Church in Sohag, a city with a large Christian population. Egypt’s MENA news agency reported that the church burned down. This is the same church where Islamists raised an Al Qaeda flag last week, as TheBlaze reported.

Security officials speaking to AFP confirmed the bloggers’ reports that another two churches were attacked in the Meniah province, but that partial damage resulted.

According to International Business Times, the churches attacked were the Church of Abraham and the Church of the Virgin Mary in Meniah. The outlet reported that Morsi supporters set fire to the buildings’ exteriors then smashed through doors.

The Bon Pasteur Catholic Church and Monastery in Suez was also reportedly attacked with Molotov cocktails and the smashing of windows.

The Maspero Youth Union which represents Coptic Christians is accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of “waging a war of retaliation” against Christians.

Israel National News conveyed these reports of the attacks on Christians:

In Fayoum, in Upper Egypt, pro-Morsi supporters set fire to a Christian youth center located next to the Muslim youth center where they had been protesting, according to a report on Ahram Arabic cited by the BBC.

Ahram Arabic also reported that pro-Morsi supporters threw fire bombs at the Al-Raey Al-Saleh Church and set three military vehicles on fire. Clashes are ongoing between protesters and military forces.

The Gamaa Islamiya – Islamic Group – urged loyalists “enraged by police attacks on the Rabaa and Nahda sit-ins,” not to assault “Christians or their religious buildings,” Israel National News reported.

According to the Associated Press, Egypt’s official news agency reported that 149 people were killed in Wednesday’s clashes across the country between Morsi’s supporters and security forces. A Health Ministry spokesman said 1,403 people were wounded.

List of churches that have been attacked:

1 – The Church of the Virgin Mary and Anba Abram of the Copts Orthodox village Dljh, the center of Deir Mawas, Minya Governorate burning church and demolished.
2 – The Church of St. Mina Coptic Orthodox neighborhood of Abu Hilal Kebly Minya Governorate burning church
3 – St. George’s Church Copts الارثوزكس the land of the archbishopric, Sohag Governorate burning church
4 – Center Baptist Church Bani Mazar, Minya Governorate burning church
5 – Church of Our Lady of Copts الأرثوزكس the village Nazlah, Yusuf Center, Fayoum governorate burning the church …
6 – Monastery of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd + school Suez burning
7 – Church Street parents Alfrencescan the Suez burning 23
8 – The Bible Society of Friends Fayoum burning
9 – The Church of Saint Maximus 45th Street Alexandria harassment
10 – Church of Prince Taodharos Echatbi Fayoum burning
11 – Church of Our Lady of Copts الارثوزكس the street butchers Abu Hilal District Minia Governorate burning
12 – Church Marmriqs the Catholic Copts Abu Hilal District, Minya Governorate burning
13 – Church of the Jesuit Fathers Abu Hilal District, Minya Governorate burning
14 – Church of the Virgin and Abram news Sohag burning
15 – Church Marmriqs the building services electricity Street, Sohag burning
16 – a Father Onjelios home king pastor of the Church of the Virgin and Anba Abram Bdljh of Deir Mawas Dljh the center of the province of Minya house was completely burned
17 – the burning of the Greek Church in Suez

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Islamic Hand Cutting: The Punishment for Reading a Bible in Saudi Arabia

by, burkasrugly / Act for America and The Muslim Issue Worldwide

There is a new punishment for reading the Bible in Saudi Arabia. Your right hand is shredded. The four fingers and thumb are cut to the bone forty or fifty times. Muscles and nerves are severed so as to render the hand useless in the future. Also this punishment is carried out in filthy conditions making serious infection almost certain.

[the image is an example of the damage].

Apart from their Sharia law, based on the doctrine’s of their ‘prophet’ Mohammed (warlord and pedophile) Saudi Arabia has been short of head-choppers for their 2,500+ executions per year PER executioner and have been advertising to fill these dirty positions for quite sometime.

An executioner is a job done by ‘lower status’ individual and is a position that is paid per execution by the government under confidentiality agreements. The government also provides the sword. The Saudi government has been considering firing squads to fill the shortage of executioners.

Executioners have said they are “proud to do God’s work”. But is it a god or a man who sentence these people, without a fair trial, tortured into confessions?

And it doesn’t get better in other Muslim societies. The Iranian government announced new legal punishment tools under Sharia: an electronic saw is now being used to cut off hands, fingers and feet [see picture from government announcement below]. And now a type of shredder is implemented in some places for punishments.

IRAN: It gets no better in other parts of the Muslim world. In January 2013 the Iranian government published pictures of a new tool for cutting fingers and hands off people. The machine, resembling a saw, was used for the public amputation of an adulterer’s fingers on Wednesday. The images were published by on of Iran’s official press agencies. Apparently the machine has been used before, but it’s not clear for how long.

VIDEO:

'Armageddon' Speech Prepared For The Queen In The Event Of Nuclear War Has Been Revealed

If a nuclear war had broken out in 1983, Queen Elizabeth II would have known just what to say.

Documents released Thursday by Britain’s National Archives show that in 1983, as part of an extensive war game, British officials drafted a speech to be read by the queen in the event of nuclear conflict.

The speech contrasts the fellowship inspired by the Christmas holiday a few months earlier with the war that would have been taking place.

“Now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds,” the speech says.

The queen never gave the speech and likely never saw it, royal experts said.

According to the document, the entire speech likely would have sounded like this:

“When I spoke to you less than three months ago we were all enjoying the warmth and fellowship of a family Christmas. Our thoughts were concentrated on the strong links that bind each generation to the ones that came before and those that will follow. The horrors of war could not have seemed more remote as my family and I shared our Christmas joy with the growing family of the Commonwealth.

Now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds.

I have never forgotten the sorrow and the pride I felt as my sister and I huddled around the nursery wireless set listening to my father’s inspiring words on that fateful day in 1939. Not for a single moment did I imagine that this solemn and awful duty would one day fall to me.

We all know that the dangers facing us today are greater by far than at any time in our long history. The enemy is not the soldier with his rifle nor even the airman prowling the skies above our cities and towns but the deadly power of abused technology.

But whatever terrors lie in wait for us all the qualities that have helped to keep our freedom intact twice already during this sad century will once more be our strength.

My husband and I share with families up and down the land the fear we feel for sons and daughters, husbands and brothers who have left our side to serve their country. My beloved son Andrew is at this moment in action with his unit and we pray continually for his safety and for the safety of all servicemen and women at home and overseas.

It is this close bond of family life that must be our greatest defence against the unknown. If families remain united and resolute, giving shelter to those living alone and unprotected, our country’s will to survive cannot be broken.

My message to you therefore is simple. Help those who cannot help themselves, give comfort to the lonely and the homeless and let your family become the focus of hope and life to those who need it.

As we strive together to fight off the new evil let us pray for our country and men of goodwill wherever they may be.

God bless you all.

Other previously secret documents, released by the government under the 30-year rule, show that the prime minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher, was considering the use of troops to break a future coal miners’ strike, the BBC reports.

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The Bubonic Plague is Popping Up in Wild Animals and Pets in the Western United States

Health officials in Los Angeles County announced yesterday that a squirrel found covered in fleas has tested positive for bubonic plague, the scourge that develops into the deadly pneumonic plague known as the Black Death and wiped out an estimated 200 million people in Europe during the 14th century. Last month, two pet dogs in New Mexico were also discovered with the disease, which is genetically very similar to the strain from the 1300s.

“It is the plague,” Dr. Mark Dimenna, deputy of the Environmental Health Department, told local TV reporters from KOAT 7. “It is the bubonic plague, the Black Death. It’s the same organism that it always has been.”

“It’s the same organism that it always has been.”

Is the US facing an outbreak of the ancient epidemic? That’s unlikely, according to public health officials. Scattered cases of the plague in wild animals, domesticated pets, and humans happen every year. The plague was introduced to the new continent around 1900, long after the devastating outbreak in Europe. Between 1990 and 2010, there were 999 cases of probable or confirmed plague found in humans in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent decades, the US sees about seven cases of human plague a year. The plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics in most cases — an option our Medieval ancestors didn’t have — but the disease can still be deadly if allowed to progress.

Most cases are seen in the Western US in rodents, which get the disease from fleas. New Mexico typically sees about half of all plague cases in the country. Last year the state had one human case, one dog case, and one cat case; so far this year it’s seen four dog cases. We’re actually in the middle of plague season now, as the majority of cases occur between late spring and early fall.

The plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. It typically spreads from fleas to rodents to humans as bubonic plague, which causes swelling of the lymph nodes in humans and results in the characteristic bumps or “bubos” in the groin, underarm, or neck. Those infected may also experience sudden fever, muscle aches and headache, chills, and extreme weakness. Some animals, including cats and dogs, may not exhibit symptoms at all, however.

This squirrel infected with the plague has a petechial rash indicating hemorrhaging beneath the skin.

If allowed to progress, the bacteria can spread to all the major organs in between one and six days. It can cause rapid blood poisoning and gangrene, known as septicemic plague. Once it reaches the lungs it becomes highly contagious and can spread through the air, at which point it its known as pneumonic plague. It can cause human death in three days, although antibiotics have reduced the mortality rate to 11 percent.

The situation is much worse outside of the US. The World Health Organization estimates there are thousands of cases of human plague a year in central, eastern and southern Africa, South America, and in large areas of Asia, and mortality rates are much higher in some areas with poorer access to health care. There is a vaccine available, but it is rare and only available to professionals who are at high risk of exposure.

The plague does have a habit of suddenly reappearing after not being heard from in years. There was a minor outbreak in Libya in 2009, after the disease had not been seen for 25 years; similarly, in Algeria, plague was recorded in the 1940s, remained absent for around 50 years, and then reemerged in 2003. Despite the resilience of the bacillus, the vast improvements in public health have made it near impossible for the plague to spread the way it did in the Middle Ages.

The plague tends to suddenly reappear after not being heard from in years

However, because it is so contagious, the plague is often cited as having potential as a tool for bioterrorism. In 2009, there were reports that some 40 al-Qaida fighters had died in a failed attempt to weaponize the disease. The WHO denied this report, but fears remain.

“A bioweapon carrying Y. pestis is possible because the bacterium occurs in nature and could be isolated and grown in quantity in a laboratory,” the CDC acknowledged. “Even so, manufacturing an effective weapon using Y. pestis would require advanced knowledge and technology.” The government has been repeatedly criticized for not sufficiently addressing vulnerability against the threat of a highly contagious biological weapon such as the plague.

Officials in Los Angeles County have shut down three campgrounds for at least a week for flea extermination in order to prevent the plague from spreading further there. In the meantime, don’t pet any wild squirrels.

By Adrianne Jeffries with TheVerge.com

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A South Florida Man Killed His Wife And Posted The Picture On Facebook

Whistleblower: Obama Was Indonesian Citizen

Depleted Uranium Turning Babies Into Monsters–terrible Picture

“Buddha Boy” Goes Without Food Or Water For 10 Months!

Lady Gaga Strips Down Naked [VIDEO]

Pacu, Testicle-Eating 'Ball-Cutter' Fish Spotted In Sweden

Spain Will Defend Its Interests in Gibraltar as Britain Sends Warships To dispute with Spain

Spain will defend its interests in Gibraltar: Spanish PM

Heartbreaking Portraits of Boy Prostitutes in Thailand Paint a Picture of Innocence Lost

Militant Filipino farmers destroy Golden Rice GM crop

Contamination fears

The Rise Of The Bear: 18 Signs That Russia Is Rapidly Catching Up To The United States

People Born With Tail, Treated Like gods [Video]

Man Passes Out Drunk, Wakes Up With No Penis [Video]

Religious People Are Less Intelligent Than Atheists, Study Finds

Pastor Preaching Abstinence While Condoms Fall Out of His Bible; “Followers” Beat Him Into a Coma

Company in Honduras Allegedly Forced Employees to Wear Diapers at Work

Germany—Preparing for Worldwide War

Muslim Brotherhood Supporters Attack Christian Churches, Burn All Over Egypt

Islamic Hand Cutting: The Punishment for Reading a Bible in Saudi Arabia

'Armageddon' Speech Prepared For The Queen In The Event Of Nuclear War Has Been Revealed

The Bubonic Plague is Popping Up in Wild Animals and Pets in the Western United States