Forget skinny, in Ethiopia - FAT is in

The tribe where big is definitely beautiful: Ethiopian men compete to be the fattest in the village by drinking a gruesome mixture of blood and milk while living in isolation for SIX months
--Men from the Bodi tribe compete to become the fattest during the new year or Ka'el ceremony
--They spend six months guzzling a mixture of blood and milk in a bid to fatten up as fast as they can
--The winning fat man doesn't get a prize but is feted as a hero for life by the rest of the tribe
--Bodi want to retain their traditions but they are threatened by government resettlement plans
By RUTH STYLES
DAILYMAIL
October 31, 2013

Slim might be in elsewhere but for Ethiopia's Bodi or Me'en people, bigger is always better. The tribe, which lives in a remote corner of Ethiopia's Omo Valley, is home to an unusual ritual which sees young men gorge on cow's blood and milk in a bid to be crowned the fattest man.
Six months after starting the regime, the men emerge to show off their newly engorged physiques and for a winner to be chosen. The champion fat man is then feted as a hero for the rest of his life.

Now the little known rite is the subject of incredible photos taken by French shutterbug Eric Lafforgue - who spent time with the Bodi while travelling through south-western Ethiopia during the run up to the Bodi New Year or Ka'el ceremony.


Hero: Every child wants to become one of the fat men, according to Lafforgue, who are feted as heroes by the rest of the tribe for their incredible feat


Competition: On the day of the Ka'el ceremony, the tribe's fat men walk for hours around a sacred tree, watched by other men and helped out by the women


Too much! A Bodi man finds that his morning bowl of blood and milk is a little too much and is ill outside his hut - watched by a baffled-looking herd of cows

Sadly, the Ka'el ritual and the Bodi's traditional way of life is under threat from the Ethiopian government who plan to resettle 300,000 people from all over the country on their lands.
For now, the tribe continue as they always have, and still celebrate Ka'el in traditional style each June.

The contest begins six months before the ceremony. Every family is allowed to present an unmarried man for the challenge, who, after being chosen, retires to his hut and must not move or have sex for the duration.

Food comes in the form of a cow's blood and milk mixture, served regularly to the men by women from the village. 'The cows are sacred to the Bodi tribe so they are not killed,' explains Lafforgue. 'The blood is taken by making a hole in a vein with a spear or an axe, and after that, they close it with clay.'

Because of the scorching temperatures, the men have to drink the two-litre bowl of blood and milk quickly before it coagulates but as Lafforgue reveals, not everyone can handle drinking so much at speed.

'The fat men drink milk and blood all day long,' he says. 'The first bowl of blood is drunk at sunrise. The place is invaded by flies. The man must drink it quickly before it coagulates but some cannot drink everything and vomit it.'

On the day itself, the men cover their bodies with clay and ashes before emerging from their huts for the walk to the spot where the ceremony will take place.

Thanks to the weight gain, many of them find covering the short distance tougher than the weeks spent fattening up. 'Some fat men are so big that they cannot walk anymore,' explains Lafforgue.

'One asked me if he could use my car to go to the ceremony area. Once in the car, he started to drink milk and blood again because he said he wanted to keep trying to be the fattest until the very last moment.'

The ceremony itself involves spending hours walking in a circle around a sacred tree, watched by the other men and helped by the women who ply them with alcohol and wipe away the sweat.
Once the fattest man has been chosen, the ceremony ends with the slaughter of a cow using a huge sacred stone. Village elders will then inspect the stomach and the blood to see whether the future will be a bright one or not.

After the ceremony, the men's lives return to normal and most lose their enormous bellies after a few weeks of eating sparingly. But a few weeks later, the next generation of competitively fat Bodi men will be chosen and the cycle will begin again.

'Becoming a fat man is the dream of every Bodi kid,' says Lafforgue. 'A few weeks [after the ceremony] he will recover a normal stomach but he will remain a hero for life.'

   
Winner: The 2013 champion is the man on the left, who beat off all comers - including the man on the right. Both will be feted as heroes for the rest of their lives.

Click here to view more images on DailyMail

The history of the Pomegranate fruit

by: Willow Tohi
Natural News
October 01, 2013

(NaturalNews) A small deciduous tree or large shrub that bears fruit, the Punica granatum, commonly known as the pomegranate, is a superfood with a long and rich history. Native to the East, it can be traced through historical documents as far back as 4000 B.C. The red fruit grows from pretty red flowers and is between a lemon and a grapefruit in size. The white flesh inside the thick skin is full of several hundred seeds.

Pomegranates are grown as both a fruit crop and as ornamental trees or shrubs for parks and gardens. They are tolerant of drought and moderate frost, growing in climates similar to the Mediterranean region, California, or Northern India. There are many genotypes, with the differences ranging from exocarp and aril color, hardness of seed, fruit size, juice content and astringency, and so on. The pomegranate has become increasingly popular in the countries of North America over the last few decades.

The pomegranate is one of the world's most ancient foods

The name pomegranate comes from Medieval Latin meaning "seeded apple." It has been named in many ancient texts from the Book of Exodus in the Torah, the Quran, the Homeric Hymns, and Mesopotamian records, to name a few. The pomegranate originally came from Persia, or modern day Iran, and the western Himalayas. It has been cultivated for millennia in places such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, and the Mediterranean region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate). It migrated as far east as China and Southeast Asia and was found along the Silk Road as a symbol of abundance and posterity. It is also grown extensively in Korea, Japan, and Latin America, having been introduced there by settlers or traders.

Archaeologists have found carbonized pomegranate exocarps in places such as Jericho from the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC), Cyprus, from the Late Bronze Age, and in Egyptian tombs, including King Tut's. Pomegranates were highly valued in Ancient Egypt, and were part of the supply of fruits required in a pharaoh's residence (1600 BC). It was revered enough to have been painted on walls and tombs to symbolize life after death. The pomegranate had many uses, including the fruit as food, the juice as a tonic to kill parasites, the blossom was crushed to make a red dye, and the peel was used to dye leather. (http://www.pomwonderful.com)

Other ancient sightings of the pomegranate include on the pillars of the Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, on the robes of Jewish priests, and in mosaics from ancient Rome (including Pompeii) where it was called the "Phoenician apple." Its twigs were worn on Roman women's headdresses to signify marital status. In Zoroastrian temples, pomegranates were used to symbolize eternal life and were associated with fertility. A symbol of strength in ancient Persia, the army of Xerxes carried spears with pomegranates on the tip (instead of spikes) when they invaded Greece in 480 BC. (http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-pomegranate-history.html). Pomegranates were also depicted on the walls of the royal palace and fortress Alhambra of the Islamic Nasrid Dynasty by the Moors in Spain. They even renamed one of their cities after the fruit. It also has a place of significance in Armenian culture.

More than just a nutritious food source, the pomegranate was an integral part of many cultures.
In many cases, the pomegranate surpassed its status as a highly celebrated source of food, and became part of the lore and legends of a culture. It was celebrated by the Buddha, and was considered one of the three blessed fruits, often being represented in Buddhist art. It was also depicted on the Temple of the Founder of Zen, to honor Bodhidharma.

Another example is how prominently the pomegranate was featured in Greek myths (approximately 500 BC). Most of us remember how Hades tempted Persephone with a pomegranate, and when she partook, it bound her to him as pomegranates symbolize the indissolubility of marriage. This is how Greek legend explains the seasons: when Persephone is in the Underworld with her husband, it is winter; when she rejoins her mother every year, we have spring.

Pomegranates have been a central part of many religions. Over the centuries, pomegranates were featured on Jewish money, furnishings, and religious objects. Around 600 AD Islam's Muhammad had high regard for the pomegranate, considering it to be nutritious for both physical and emotional health. Legend has it that each pomegranate contains one aril descended directly from paradise (http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-pomegranate-history.html). By 1500 AD, the pomegranate had also become an important symbol in Christianity, representing Jesus' resurrection. It was also used to symbolize The Virgin Mary because "both are filled with sweetness," and like a pomegranate she is said "to have within her many benefits for humankind, all revealed in Christ." (EDITOR'S NOTE: NOT SURE IF WE SHOULD LEAVE THIS PART ABOUT JESUS AND MARY, WHAT DO YOU THINK?) In India, the pomegranate has been a Hindu symbol of prosperity and fertility for centuries and is thought to bring good health. The pomegranate is featured prominently in Hindu art, being found on several avatars of Ganesha. (http://www.pomwonderful.com/about/pomegranate-history-legend/asia/)

As the pomegranate made its way to Europe, it had become more of a symbol than a food, and was portrayed regularly in art, literature, religion, and mythology. Eventually the western cultures come to value the pomegranate for its medicinal properties, and it was featured in heraldry, being found on the heraldic crests of many medical institutions including the British Medical Association (http://www.pomwonderful.com/about/pomegranate-history-legend/europe/). As it spread throughout Europe, the pomegranate came to appear on several coats of arms and symbolize noble birth.

The pomegranate made it to the new world via Spanish missionaries. When Cortez conquered the Aztecs in the 1500s, pomegranate trees were planted in Mexico, then made their way north to missions in California and Texas. It spread across the south but did not do well in the northern climates. In 1771, Thomas Jefferson planted pomegranates at Monticello, his plantation in Virginia. Around the year 2000, pomegranate popularity began to grow again as this sweet, juicy, succulent fruit was rediscovered. It's availability around the United States increased as a result.

Pomegranates are one of the most popular superfoods readily available today

The pomegranate became popular in the Middle Eastern civilizations 6000 years ago largely because its dense nutrition and juice provided sustenance for long journeys. The superfood status of the pomegranate has only grown in modern times as nutritional research has come to decipher and understand the true power of the pomegranate's phytonutrients. India's Ayurvedic medicine has used pomegranates as a source for traditional remedies for thousands of years. For example, the bark of the tree and the fruit rind is used to stem diarrhea, dysentery, bladder problems, mouth ulcers, and intestinal parasites while the seeds and juice are considered a tonic for the heart. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate)

The seeds in their casings, or arils, are the most desired part of the pomegranate, and they are consumed raw. Pomegranate juice can be sweet or sour depending on the variety, but most are moderate with some astringent notes due to the acidic tannins. Pomegranates are rich in vitamin C, pantothenic acid, potassium, flavonoids, and other natural phenols such as ellagitannins, a powerful antioxidant. The pomegranate also has unsaturated oils, fiber, and many additional micronutrients, if you eat the seeds. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate)

Some miscellaneous uses of pomegranates many may not know include that it is often used as a bonsai tree and that pomegranate juice is sweetened and thickened to make grenadine syrup for cocktails.

Throughout most of recorded history, our ancestors have had high regard for the pomegranate. Its immune boosting phytonutrients have shown to be an effective tool in preventing degenerative and inflammatory ailments such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis (http://www.naturalnews.com/031068_pomegranate_superfood.html). Current research underway includes studies on how pomegranate components affect diseases such as diabetes, cancer, rhinovirus, the common cold, coronary artery disease, kidney disease, and brain injury.

Visit Natural News for more info and articles on healthy living and foods

Women - Are They HUMANS or ANIMAL? Shocking question even in the 21st century...

The status of women in Islam - compared to the status of women in other civilizations and religions...shocking revelations by the very men and institutions we hold sacred and learned



video property and courtesy of: TechnoMediaco

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New study says life on Earth has another good 1.75 billion years to go...unless we humans screw it up beforehand

How Much Longer Can Earth Support Life?
[Life on Earth has another good 1.75 billion years to go, study says]
by Wynne Parry 
LiveScience
Sep. 18, 2013 

Earth could continue to host life for at least another 1.75 billion years, as long as nuclear holocaust, an errant asteroid or some other disaster doesn't intervene, a new study calculates.

But even without such dramatic doomsday scenarios, astronomical forces will eventually render the planet uninhabitable. Somewhere between 1.75 billion and 3.25 billion years from now, Earth will travel out of the solar system's habitable zone and into the "hot zone," new research indicates.

These zones are defined by water. In the habitable zone, a planet (whether in this solar system or an alien one) is just the right distance from its star to have liquid water. Closer to the sun, in the "hot zone," the Earth's oceans would evaporate. Of course, conditions for complex life — including humans — would become untenable before the planet entered the hot zone.

But the researchers' main concern was the search for life on other planets, not predicting a timeline for the end of life on this one.

The evolution of complex life on Earth suggests the process requires a lot of time.

Simple cells first appeared on Earth nearly 4 billion years ago. "We had insects 400 million years ago, dinosaurs 300 million years ago and flowering plants 130 million years ago," lead researcher Andrew Rushby of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom said in a statement." Anatomically modern humans have only been around for the last 200,000 years — so you can see it takes a really long time for intelligent life to develop."

Rushby and his colleagues developed a new tool to help evaluate the amount of time available for the evolution of life on other planets: a model that predicts the time a planet would spend in its habitable zone. In the research, published Wednesday in the journal Astrobiology, they applied the model to Earth and eight other planets currently in the habitable zone, including Mars.

They calculated that Earth's habitable-zone lifetime is as long as 7.79 billion years. (Earth is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old.) Meanwhile, the other planets had habitable-zone lifetimes ranging from 1 billion years to 54.72 billion years.

"If we ever needed to move to another planet, Mars is probably our best bet," Rushby said in a statement. "It's very close and will remain in the habitable zone until the end of the sun's lifetime — 6 billion years from now."

While other models have been developed for Earth, they are not suitable for other planets, he added.


Original article published on LiveScience.

Ashton Kutcher got it right: telling America`s youth success comes from hard work

Ashton Kutcher shocks America's youth by telling them success comes from hard work
by: J. D. Heyes
Natural News
September 18, 2013

(NaturalNews) So much of what passes for intelligentsia in Hollywood is little more than left-wing, progressive blather, but every now and then a star tells it like it really is - and it's as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day.

Ashton Kutcher provided that cool breeze recently when he told America's youth what so many politicians and entertainers alike know but won't say, because they're afraid of either losing a vote or a fan: That there is no free lunch, and you get ahead by working hard.

From The Hill, Congress' daily newspaper:

Kutcher received the "Ultimate Choice Award" - the evening's top honor - at the awards show, which airs on Nickelodeon and is geared toward younger people.

In his acceptance speech, the "Two and A Half Men" star said teenagers should build their own lives and find opportunities.

'Opportunity looks a lot like hard work'

"I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work," Kutcher said in his acceptance speech.

"When I was 13, I had my first job with Dad carrying shingles to the roof, and then I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant, and then I got a job in a grocery store deli, and then I got a job in a factory sweeping Cheerio dust off the ground," he continued.

"And I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job, and I never quit my job until I had my next job. And so opportunities look a lot like work," he said. "The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous. Everything else is crap. I promise you."

The speech went viral on YouTube, garnering literally millions of views [watch it here: http://www.youtube.com]. And it was widely praised by political conservatives and other Americans not used to hearing such sage - and honest - words of wisdom come out of Hollywood.

"Remarkable speech," tweeted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

"Good to see his Iowa roots shining through all that Hollywood glitter!" former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page. "On our trips to Iowa our family has always admired the strong work ethic and dedication to freedom that those who live there in the heartland hold dear. As they say - you can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take Iowa out of the boy."

She went onto to call describe his speech as "heartfelt."

More high praise

On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh praised Kutcher for giving "a traditional, uplifting, motivational and inspirational speech."

"This is a message that young kids today are not hearing except maybe in their homes from their parents, but they're not hearing this. They're not hearing this from Obama. They're not hearing this from presidential or political leadership," he said.

Glen Beck, on his radio program, also praised Kutcher and his message.

"It's a fairly safe to say that viewers don't tune in to the Teen Choice Awards in hopes of hearing an incredibly insightful advice about the hard work of hard work perseverance and dreaming because that's exactly what they got there," he said.

And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee added on his personal blog: "A lot of kids who think learning isn't cool desperately needed to hear that. These are messages that teachers try in vain to tell kids. Will they finally listen if it comes from Ashton Kutcher? Hard to say. But that video has gone viral and is being watched thousands of times on the Internet. So, good job, Ashton."

Remember Global Warming?...well now its more like 'Global Cooling' thanks to new data

Global warming computer models collapse
Arctic ice sheets rapidly expand as planet plunges into global cooling

Mike Adams
Natural News
September 10, 2013

(NaturalNews) For years, we’ve all heard that global warming is threatening our planet. But now, in a stunning turnaround, world scientists are warning that an era of global cooling seems to be upon us, complete with extraordinary expansions of ocean ice being recorded in just the past year.

[...]

For example, in 2007, the BBC reported that the Arctic would be “ice-free” by the summer of 2013. Here’s exactly how that fear mongering was published by the BBC:

   Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the   
   disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar   
   waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski 
   told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had 
   underestimated the processes now driving ice loss.

That BBC global warming fear mongering article is still available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7139797.stm

Here’s the screen shot:

image courtesy of Natural News and BBC

Massive expansion of ice proves global warming alarmists wrong

Now the summer of 2013 is over, and you can’t argue with the satellite imagery of ice. Those images, shown below, reveal over one million square miles of new ice being formed in just the last year. That’s an increase of 60 percent over the previous year, reports the Daily Mail.

Here’s the satellite imagery they published, showing the expansion of ice:

image courtesy of DailyMail

As you can see from the image, the coverage of ice in the August, 2013 image (on the right) is vastly increased over the August, 2012 image (on the left).
...

[click here to read the FULL article at Natural News]

'Alpha Lambda Mu' - America's first Muslim fraternity

By HUGO GYE
DAILYMAIL
September 10, 2013 

Fraternities are often used as an excuse to hold wild parties, where the alcohol flows freely and no behavior is too outrageous.

But at America's first Muslim frat house, such debauchery is strictly forbidden - with the emphasis instead on charity work, self-improvement and mutual support.

Alif Laam Meem has been founded at the University of Texas, Dallas, as a way for Muslim students to socialize together and enjoy college life without the drinking culture which is integral to most frats.

Frat: Alif Laam Meem is the first Muslim fraternity in the U.S. after being set up at the University of Texas, Dallas

Protest: The group recently joined a demonstration standing up against domestic violence

Instead of partying, the frat brothers get together to discuss their faith, and drive around the local area handing out sandwiches to the homeless.

Their initiation ceremony does not involve drinking from a keg of beer, but handing over $100 to be donated to charity.

And rather than chugging drinks from red cups, they can be recognized by their bright red kufi caps.

The fraternity - whose name is Alpha Lambda Mu in the traditional Greek letters, or Alif Laam Meem in Arabic - was founded by Ali Mahmoud shortly after he arrived as an undergraduate at UT Dallas.

When a Muslim friend told him that he was considering joining a fraternity to share in its social life and alumni connections, he began to think about how Muslims were excluded from many traditional 'Greek' activities.

Community: The frat was founded as a way of helping Muslim students lead a full social life on campus

Prayer: The frat brothers gather for meetings where they discuss their faith and moral issues

'The idea of a Muslim fraternity seemed heretical,' he told the Independent - but he realised that he could bring pious young men together in a format which was already familiar on campus.

Some Muslim groups have criticized Mr Mahmoud for joining a tradition which is often associated with excessive drinking and sexual promiscuity, but he insists it is important show that frats do not have to be decadent environments.

'Muslims have been having a hard time recently trying to understand what their role in society is, so to embrace this very traditional American organisation is a symbolic move,' he told the New York Daily News.

However, the student has rejected any suggestion that the frat might be designed to help Muslims integrate with mainstream U.S. culture, pointing out that most members are in fact natural-born Americans.

'I personally grew up in Plano, Texas,' he said. 'I went to public school, I played Xbox Live all the time with my friends who weren't Muslim, and I regrettably ate too much fast food.
'I'm a proud American Muslim, and I see no contradiction of those two titles. Islam is my moral compass that guides every aspect of my life, but it also leaves room for our cultural experiences.'

While many college students cannot imagine the frat experience without drinking and partying, Mr Mahmoud is adamant that he and his friends are not missing out on anything.
'Most of us have grown up in families where that atmosphere of partying and drinking is not the norm,' he said. 'And we think that behavior of womanizing and excessive drinking is un-gentleman-like.'

Activities carried out by Alif Laam Meem so far include protesting against domestic violence, and raising money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
As the new academic year began, the fraternity began a recruitment drive - and despite its religious foundation, non-Muslims are welcome to apply.

Déjà vu again in Syria? Flashback to Gaddafi and Saddam who gave up weapons before being attacked and toppled

Is Assad Being Tricked Into Sacrificing Syria?
Or is the plan to relinquish chemical weapons a geopolitical master stroke?

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
September 10, 2013

Is President Bashar Al-Assad being tricked into creating circumstances that will hand the Obama White House a justification for war, or is the plan for Syria’s chemical weapons to be destroyed a geopolitical master stroke that will avert a regional conflict?

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem today formally accepted a Russian proposal – first mooted by John Kerry – for Syria to hand its chemical arsenal over to international control in a bid to avoid a US military attack.

Many see the development as a stunning example of Russia once again outmaneuvering the United States, seizing on an apparent gaffe by Kerry in order to pull the rug out from underneath Washington and derail Obama’s pretext for war.

However, could the precondition of Syria destroying its chemical weapons actually be used to rescue a congressional vote that had looked doomed to fail?

[...]

In December 2003, Colonel Gaddafi agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction and allow unimpeded inspections. This didn’t stop the Obama administration coming to the aid of Al-Qaeda-linked rebels eight years later to destroy Libya and leave it in the hands of brutal warlords.

Similarly, Saddam Hussein agreed to give UN weapons inspectors unfettered access in a desperate bid to prevent the US invasion of Iraq, but the move was completely futile because, as in the case of Syria, the decision to attack had already been made...

[Click here to read the full article]


Related info:
--Intercepts caught Assad rejecting requests to use chemical weapons, German paper says
--US Prepares 60,000 Ground Troops For Post-Assad Syria

Better drop those McDonald`s chicken 'McNuggets' - SHOCKING 'mysterious fibers' found...what else is there?

McDonald's Chicken McNuggets found to contain mysterious fibers, hair-like structures; Natural News Forensic Food Lab posts research photos, video
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Natural News
Friday, August 16, 2013

(NaturalNews) Today we announce the first investigation conducted at the Natural News Forensic Food Laboratory, the new science-based research branch of Natural News where we put foods under the microscope and find out what's really there.

Earlier today I purchased a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets from a McDonald's restaurant in Austin, Texas. Under carefully controlled conditions, I then examined the Chicken McNuggets under a high-powered digital microscope, expecting to see only processed chicken bits and a fried outer coating.

But what I found instead shocked even me. I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my decade of investigating foods and nutrition, but I never expected to find this...

Update: Natural News has now released a second round of "mysterious fiber" photos of Chicken McNuggets, in addition to the photos you see below.

Strange fibers found embedded inside Chicken McNuggets

As the following photos show, the Chicken McNuggets were found to contain strange fibers that some people might say even resemble so-called "Morgellon's."

We found dark black hair-like structures sticking out of the nugget mass, as well as light blue egg-shaped structures with attached tail-like hairs or fibers.

These are shown in extreme detail in the photos below, taken on August 15, 2013 at the Natural News Forensic Food Lab. The actual Chicken McNugget samples used in these photos have been frozen for storage of forensic evidence.

We also found odd red coloring splotches in several locations, as well as a spherical green object that resembles algae.

We are not claiming or implying that these objects in any way make McDonald's Chicken McNuggets unsafe to consume. We do, however, believe that this visual evidence may warrant an FDA investigation into the ingredient composition of Chicken McNuggets.

In particular, where are the hair-like structures coming from? This is especially important to answer, given that chickens do not have hair. Is there cross-species contamination in the processing of Chicken McNuggets? This question needs to be answered.

Share this story with everyone you know.

See my video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fuL-E2hPlc

Or if YouTube censors the video, watch it at our free-speech video site, TV.naturalnews.com:
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=151BC31144DF47CE1D85FB664CCC2A65



Microscopic photos reveal an alien-like landscape with weird shapes and fibers

Here are the some of the photos from the Natural News Forensic Food Lab:









(view more detailed images at Natural News)

1953 coup against the democratically-elected Iranian PM Mosaddeq none other than for - OIL...no real surprise there

US fomented 1953 coup to control Iran oil: William Beeman
Press TV
Aug 20, 2013

Press TV has conducted an interview with William Beeman, professor at University of Minnesota, about the US Central Intelligence Agency declassifying a document that confirms Washington’s role in the 1953 coup against the democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq.



What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: The released documents say the aim of the CIA operation was to cause the Mosaddeq government to fall. Just why did the CIA want to depose Mosaddeq?

Beeman: There were two reasons. The first reason had to do with the nationalization of oil. The United States and Great Britain were going to lose millions of dollars plus access to oil when the National Iranian Oil Company was nationalized by Mosaddeq.

Though the second reason is, however, for the United States. The United States was afraid and continued to be afraid all the way through the Carter administration that somehow Russia or the Soviet Union was going to invade Iran and push down to the Persian Gulf and gain a warm water port.

So the United States had to look right after World War II to the Soviet attempts to set up puppet states in Kurdistan and Azerbaijan and they were afraid that Mosaddeq was too weak to be able to withstand any kind of Soviet pressure.

So those were the two big reasons. One was control of oil and one was fear of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Press TV: Even now, the US government continues to allocate an annual budget for covert operations in Iran. How different are Washington’s aims today?

Beeman: Well they are a little bit different because there is no more Soviet Union. But there is no question that the United States is attempting to try to control politics within the Middle East.

     There is still a faction within Washington that continually want regime change in Iran and        there is also no question that the United States would like very much to have some kind of      control over the petroleum market in Iran.

In this regard, the fear that Iran is somehow a danger to Israel is merely a way of trying to sell US interference in Iran to the rest of the world.

AHK/KA

(video property and courtesy of Press TV)

Who knew ORGASMS can increase BRAINPOWER?!?

If you were asked what gives your brain a better workout - orgasms or doing a crossword puzzle or soduku, what would you answer?

Well...no, surprisingly accordingly to neuroscientist Professor Barry Komisaruk, orgasms give our brains a better workout as "the sensation increases brain activity across the whole organ whereas a puzzle activates only relatively localized regions."

The 72 yr old researcher has been studying female arousal since the `60s and works at Rutgers University in New Jersey, studying women in his laboratory at the university’s Department of Psychology. Initially the professor started his experiments on rats but then moved on to women in the `80s.

Dr. Komisaruk measured the blood flow to his female patient`s brains as they reached orgasm, and says, ‘at orgasm we see a tremendous increase in the blood flow [to the brain]. So my belief is it can’t be bad. It brings all the nutrients and oxygenation to the brain.’

‘Mental exercises increase brain activity but only in relatively localized regions. Orgasm activates the whole,’ he said.

He also claims the orgasm sensations can block out pain. The increased blood flow and oxygen surely plays a role. Now, this can can instrumental in such, of finding out what parts of the human brain produce such intense pleasure and can it be used in some way? As the neuroscientist eluded - ‘What would that do to depression or anxiety or addiction or pain?’

Dr. Komisaruk stands in a unique position in this matter and field as he published the first evidence of brain mapping and regions involved in orgasm in women almost a decade ago.

Very interesting indeed...but begs the question now of what about too much orgasm activity on the brain? Nothing is ever good when done in excess of moderation...nevertheless what a brainteaser.

Article source: 
Forget crosswords - having an ORGASM is more effective at giving the brain a workout, claims leading scientist - DAILYMAIL

"...Not majority rule but just rule;" a lost concept in modern day democracy

"...not majority rule but just rule: All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression." 

- Thomas Jefferson

Billions of petrodollars flood into Egypt post military coup, so who needs democracy anyway?

I was never a Muhammed Morsi fan but to uproot a democratic institution without following the normal and proper conventions of a government is just ludicrous, and it goes to show that the Egyptian military is an institution beholden NOT to the people as they Egyptian people might think, but in reality to a 'foreign' entity. The sooner the people realize this, the better they can control the outcome. The Egyptian army has always protected itself at any cost and will do the bidding of others as its strings are pulled to and fro. No matter what else occurs in Egypt in terms of a government, the military will always be there as a watchdog ready to obey it`s master`s orders. And of course, lets not forget it`s military financing and budget...that it`s wholly dependent on. Finally, what can one say about the Persian Gulf nations...no self identity whatsoever. They who hate and abhor democracy, pumped into Egypt a staggering $12 billion all in a single month, chump change when compared to what was 'given' to Cairo post-Mubarak.

Its funny in retrospect when you think to President Obama`s 2009 Cairo speech, where he declared, “No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by another,..."

Our wise Founding Father George Washington`s farewell address sums up accurately our current state of affairs concerning our diplomatic and military commitment to virtually the entire world. “Nothing is more essential,” Washington said, “than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded.”

“The nation which indulges towards another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave,” he added. “It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.” What ominous words from our founding father, who sadly is ridiculed by our government officials as being 'un-American.'

Egyptian army’s financial coup: 12 billion petrodollars from Saudi, UAE, Kuwaiti fans
DEBKAfile
July 10, 2013

In a dazzling display of monetary muscle, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates poured $8 billion in a single day into the coffers of Egypt’s army rulers in cash, grants, loans without interest and gifts of gas, a dizzying life-saving infusion into its tottering economy. Forking out sums on this scale in a single day – or even month - is beyond the capacity of almost every world power – even the US and Russia - in this age of economic distress. The Arab oil colossuses managed to dwarf Iran’s pretensions to the standing of regional power.
Tuesday, July 9, just six days after the Egyptian army overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, a UAE delegation of foreign and energy ministers and national security adviser landed in Cairo. They came carrying the gifts of $1 billion as a grant and $2 billion in long-term credit.

In well-orchestrated moves, Saudi Arabia then stepped forward with a $5 billion package, of which a lump sum of $2 billion was drafted to Egypt’s state bank that day, followed by another $2 billion as a gift of Saudi gas, and a further $1 billion for propping up the sagging Egyptian currency.

The delivery by two Arab governments to a third of financial assistance on this scale and on a single day is unheard of in the Middle East, or, indeed, anywhere else.

As they celebrate Ramadan, 84 million Egyptians can start looking forward to a square meal at the end of their month of fasting.

This river of largesse was the outcome of a development first revealed by DEBKAfile last week: The Egyptian military high command was not working alone when its operations headquarters put together the July 3 takeover of power from the Muslim Brotherhood; it was coordinated closely down to the last detail with the palaces of the Saudi and UAE rulers and the operations rooms of their intelligence services.

The last DEBKA Weekly issue 594 (July 5) carried details of the military-intelligence mechanism at work between the three governments.

The coming issue, out next Friday, July 12, offers further revelations of how this mechanism is designed to shore up Egypt’s post-coup regime and restore the strife-torn country, the most populous in the Arab world, to its traditional eminence. Cairo is assigned a lead role in a Sunni Muslim bloc stretching from the Gulf to Cairo (with room for quiet collaboration with Israel) to withstand the challenges posed by the alliance of Russia, Iran, Syria and the Lebanese Hizballah.

The petrodollar shower for Egypt did not end with the $8 billion from Saudi Arabia and the UAE: Kuwait has pledged another $5 billion - later amended to $4 billion - in a secret communication to Riyadh. It will be released after the sheikhdom's parliamentary elections on July 27, and so raise total Gulf Arab bounty to Egypt to the staggering total of $12 billion.
Friendly assistance on this scale tends to diminish the relevance of Washington’s dilemmas over the continuation of its $1.3 billion aid package to Egypt after a military coup, of which $700 million is due this year.

The suggestion that US aid may be used to hasten Egypt’s “swift return to a democratically elected civilian government” loses its force when Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both guaranteed to make up any shortfalls in US aid to Egypt.

On June 26, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Kadri Jamil boasted that Moscow, Beijing and Tehran were contributing half a billion dollars per month to Syria’s war chest. “It’s not so bad to have Russia, China and Iran on your side,” he gloated.

Egypt can now boast to have far outstripped Syria in foreign support - $12 billion in a single month, compared with a mere $6 billion in a year.

We celebrate the Fourth of July, but do we ask WHY we salute the red, white and blue and WHERE it came from?

Why the U.S. Flag is Red, White and Blue
By Nicole Greenstein
TIME
July 04, 2013

credit: AmericanFlagFoundation

Every Fourth of July, we flaunt Uncle Sam hats, wave our flag, and watch fireworks shoot sparks into the night sky. But many never even stop to ask the question, “Why does America salute the red, white and blue?”

On June 14, 1777 in Philadelphia, the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution that read the following: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.”

And with these words, the Stars and Stripes were born. Yet the resolution never said a word about the significance behind the choice of red, white and blue. And for good reason. The three colors did not have any official meaning when the flag was adopted in 1777.

The colors and their significance still trace back to the birth of the country, and had very specific meanings in the creation of the Great Seal a year earlier. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to develop a seal for the country. The committee was instructed to draw up a seal that reflected the Founding Fathers’ beliefs and values, as well as the sovereignty of the new nation. Red, white and blue were chosen, and the Great Seal was officially adopted on June 20, 1782.

Heraldic devices such as seals have specific meanings for each element and color, and the U.S. Seal was no exception. Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, explained the significance to Congress when he presented the seal. “The colors,” Thomson said at the time, “are those used in the flag of the United States of America. White signifies purity and innocence. Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue… signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.”

Mike Buss, a flag expert with the American Legion, says that the most obvious reason for the flag’s colors is that they were simply taken from our mother country’s flag — the Union Jack of England. “Our heritage does come from Great Britain, and that was some of the thought process that went about in coming up with our flag,” Buss says of the American flag’s red, white and blue. “They come from the three colors that the Founding Fathers had served under or had been exposed to.”

Over the years people have altered Thomson’s original interpretation. Some now say that red represents the blood spilled by the patriots and those who fight to protect our country. President Reagan even put his own spin on the matter when he proclaimed 1986 the Year of the Flag. “The colors of our flag signify the qualities of the human spirit we Americans cherish,” Reagan said. “Red for courage and readiness to sacrifice; white for pure intentions and high ideals; and blue for vigilance and justice.”

The significance behind the flag’s design is more commonly known than that of its colors. The 50 stars stand for America’s 50 states, while the 13 red and white stripes represent the 13 colonies. But there’s also a lesser-known interpretation for the Stars and Stripes. The House of Representatives’ 1977 book about the flag states: “The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.”

Although most Americans today aren’t aware of the specific symbolism behind the flag’s red, white and blue, flag expert Buss is not concerned. Instead, he believes the flag’s power to evoke patriotism and pride after all these years is most important.

“For us veterans, the flag represents why we served,” Buss says. “We were there because the flag represented our freedoms — freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion.”

What Americans ought to know about the Fourth of July but REALLY don`t...

Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, celebrates the adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Now on the 237th birthday of the United States, what`s shocking is that most 'Americans' don`t fully know the significance of the Fourth of July, its history, relevance and simply don't know WHY we celebrate the 4th of July or what country we declared independence from. Surprising huh?...

Firstly, the Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on July 4, 1776...

The Declaration of Independence is the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Thomas Jefferson's most enduring monument, since it was he who first wrote a draft of the document between June 11 and June 28, 1776 and was submitted when the Second Continental Congress met. 

    On July 1, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and on the following 
    day 12 of the 13 colonies voted in favor of Richard Henry Lee’s motion for independence. 
    The delegates then spent the next two days debating and revising the language of a 
    statement drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

    On July 4, Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, and as a result the 
    date is celebrated as Independence Day. Nearly a month would go by, however, before the 
    actual signing of the document took place. First, New York’s delegates didn’t officially give 
    their support until July 9 because their home assembly hadn’t yet authorized them to vote in 
    favor of independence. Next, it took two weeks for the Declaration to be “engrossed”—
    written on parchment in a clear hand. Most of the delegates signed on August 2, but several
    —Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean and Matthew Thornton—
    signed on a later date. (Two others, John Dickinson and Robert R. Livingston, never signed 
    at all.) The signed parchment copy now resides at the National Archives in the Rotunda for 
    the Charters of Freedom, alongside the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence, included eighty-six changes made later by John Adams (1735-1826), Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790), other members of the committee appointed to draft the document, and by Congress. The "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence, one of the great milestones in American history, shows the evolution of the text from the initial composition draft by Jefferson to the final text adopted by Congress on the morning of July 4, 1776

WATCH: Americans Don't Know WHY We Celebrate the 4th of July or WHAT COUNTRY We Declared Independence From! [Mark Dice]

Russia`s answer to countering asteroid threat to the Earth

A Russian scientist has proposed using ICBM`s to fight threats posed by asteroids hitting Earth

This week its been reported that a Russian rocket scientist thinks a Russian ICBM can be used to destroy asteroids that pose a threat to the Earth, specifically the Soviet-era Voyevoda ICBM or NATO classification SS-18 Satan missiles. This news comes four months after a powerful meteor struck Russia’s Urals region, injuring 1,200 people in the area.

Now, the Soviet-era Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) ICBMs which have been in service since 1967 "...are well-suited for fighting suddenly discovered small [space] objects,” said Sabit Saitgarayev, a senior researcher at the State Rocket Design Center in the city of Miass in the Chelyabinsk Region.

These ICBM`s use the standard liquid fuel based on hydrazine and not the cryogenic fuel used in Russian heavy space rockets like the Soyuz which cannot be kept for long and is supplied directly before the launch. In essence, the latter rocket fuel type requires several days for prepping the rockets for launch and would not be favorable against targets discovered only hours before hitting the Earth.

For this reason, the scientist says the Voyevoda missiles are favorable as they can take off 10-20 minutes after an order is given for launch and are able to "destroy small space objects with a diameter of up to 100 meters if the missile is equipped with the third stage and if reequipped with a booster, the missile will be able to destroy space objects five-six hours before their collision with the Earth", he said.

Currently, the Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) are 2 staged ICBM`s with a payload capacity of 8.8 tons, that can carry up to 10 warheads, each with a yield up to 750 kilotons (TNT). "The [missiles] can stay in the condition of their readiness for launch for ten and more years, after some reequipping,” the scientist said.

Now, the only other question is, how the vicinity of the asteroid blast with the missiles along with the blast fragments will pose a grave threat to our ever growing number of satellites that orbit the planet as well as the ISS crew in space. This is of concern since when in 2007 China tested a ground-launched anti-satellite weapon and was condemned for it due to the dangers of the thousands of pieces of debris in orbit that continue to threaten both manned and unmanned spacecraft. 

Source:  Russian Scientist Proposes Satan Missiles to Fight Asteroid Threats (Ria Novosti)

The energy system of the Ancients & the mega monolithic builders

[the following is selectively abridged from Carmen Boulter, PhD The Pyramid Code; John Dering, Electromagnetic field theorist; John Burke, Biological Engineer, Robert Schoch, PhD Geologist, Boston Univ & Abd`el Hakim Awyan, Archaeologist, Indigenous wisdom keeper]: 

'Energy' is palpable at ancient Egyptian monolithic sites as well as monolithic sites around the globe. Claude Swanson, physicist, confirms numerous experiments in the last 20 years of research to show a certain type of energy that does not exist in our current science - called subtle energy.

This is a whole new trend of thought in looking at ancient structures, that maybe the ancients understood subtle energies. In the mega monolithic societies of the world, it appears its a type of energy tat existed they used. Monolithic structures harnessed the Earth`s natural varying geo-electromagnetic energy which generates therefore an electric current - called Telluric currents - of which these subtle energies passes along invisible lines around the globe. Certain types of geologies like dolomite limestone and granite magnify those energies several fold, and evidence shows the megalithic builders situated their structures around these lines and areas. Ancient scared sites and temples globally were always built along these lines. 

These subtle energies worked in conjunction with underground limestone aquifers (porous bearing rock), where the flow of water through the layers of rock from rainfall or rising rivers would generate electrical ground current and a magnetic field. Megalithic builders designed their structures and built them in such a way as to further concentrate those energies, so they definitely seem to have known what they were doing.  

Invisible subtle energy occurs around us all the time and is measurable by science.

When you look back at how sacred sites were chosen, buildings like the pyramids that were constructed, the suspicion arises they understood quite a lot more about this stuff than we do and may have been using it in their engineering.