Signs of the Times (June 13, 2016)
Here is the latest madness form the modern world.
Warning: Sensitive Material
Woman Grows Full Beard and has never been happier
An Oregon woman discovered the hairiest secret yet to self-confidence: growing her beard out.Rose Geil, 39, spent her teen years trying to bust her beard, shaving her stubbly mug every day.
At one point, her mom took her to the doctor, who put her on birth control in an effort to stabilize hormones that may be triggering the hair growth.
She even invested in laser removal procedures, which can cost thousands of dollars to zap out the hairs, but her whiskers just kept coming back.
“I was emotionally drained from trying to hide my beard every day and feeling like I was failing miserably,” Geil said.
But about eight months ago, she ditched her razor — and sported a large beard in just six weeks.
“I definitely feel womanly, sexy and sensuous,” she told Barcroft Media. “I feel more feminine and it has very little to do with my appearance, it comes from my attitude and giving myself the freedom to be who I am.”
Now, she opts to wear low-cut shirts that show off her shaggy chest and has been hitting it off with men, who have tried to propose and sent her sexual pics.
“I feel pretty with my beard and I never felt pretty before,” Geil said. “Growing my beard has made me more confident.”
Woman’s Beard Makes Her Feel "Sexy"
Canada’s Supreme Court rules some bestiality legal
While bestiality is a criminal offense in Canada, the top court ruled the legal definition is much more limited than how it has been interpreted for decades. It all goes back to the 1800s Church of England trying to ban any sex acts that were seen as unnatural.
Over the years the Criminal Code of Canada changed but the definition of bestiality was never explicitly expanded. The court found in a 7-1 ruling Thursday that there needs to be penetration involved for an act with an animal to be a criminal offence. READ MORE
Jozi Cats: Africa's first gay rugby team tackles homophobia
(CNN)Queen. Fairy. Pansy. Pillow Biter.
In
the macho world of sports, it's not easy to be openly gay -- and
insults like these make it difficult to come out in the locker room.
But
one fledgling rugby team is using such stereotypes to not only create
awareness of homophobia, but to promote itself as a safe haven for those
who don't feel comfortable with the game's culture.
Formed
this year, Johannesburg-based Jozi Cats is Africa's first gay rugby
team -- and its provocative marketing campaign has had a greater impact
than its members ever dreamed possible.
"The
feedback has been phenomenal. I can't believe how quickly it's gone
global. Our behind-the-scenes video has been seen in 126 countries, the
support has been incredible," Chris Verrijdt, who devised the campaign, tells CNN.
Africa's first gay rugby club shatters stereotypes 01:23
Homosexuality is outlawed in many African countries, but that is not the case in South Africa. However, an Amnesty International report
pointed to at least seven murders in what appeared to be homophobic
attacks between June and November 2012. Five of the victims were
lesbians.
"We said let's do
something that takes gay stereotypes and turns them on their heads, and
ask the question, like 'Are you or aren't you?' We don't actually mind
if you are or you're not, we just need players," Verrijdt adds.
"We
had to use words -- traditional gay slurs -- which didn't need
translation to the broader straight community, which people would get
without too much explanation. So that's why we went to our six gay
stereotypes."
Behind the scenes at the team's photo shoot.
The
club's main goal was to recruit new players, its chairman Teveshan Kuni
says, but the campaign ended up creating something much more powerful.
"It's
started a conversation about homophobia in sport, more specifically
homophobia in rugby," says Kuni, who portrayed "Pillow Biter" in the
photo shoot.
"Quite a lot of the
players at our club said they wouldn't feel 100% comfortable in the
organized club structure setup. They couldn't be their authentic selves
if they were there.
"We've also
got a few players who aren't out yet, so we make a safe space for them
to play. There's also quite a big gay rugby scene globally that we want
to put teams together for, because South Africa is not represented there
at all."
Verrijdt, who works for a
PR agency, says the inspiration for the campaign came from one of his
work colleagues as they brainstormed ways to promote the team on a
limited budget.
"He said what do my
players look like? So we looked at them, and he said 'But they don't
even look gay.' I said that's the whole point."
Kuni says South African rugby "shares all the traits of football in the U.S. -- it is the ultimate macho game."
Both sports have had more top-level "out" athletes than soccer, golf or tennis, but the numbers are still low.
"It's great to have started the conversation -- and that conversation is, 'Why do we even need to have a gay rugby team?'" Verrijdt says.
"Why
are we still having conversations, 22 years since the start of our
democracy, about inclusion in sport? This for me is a no-brainer, it
should've already happened."
Verrijdt is wary of condemning rugby as a homophobic sport, and says education can create wider awareness.
"A
lot of homophobic slurs have a certain jocular humor to it, so I often
think it's unconscious and it's not even meant in the way it comes out,"
he says.
"But it can be hurtful,
absolutely, and that's why we use the payoff line, 'Rugby, that's so
gay,' because I've been out with straight friends -- as friendly and
inclusive as they are -- and even with them it slips out, and you have
to catch yourself.
"What we're
doing is to make people aware of what you say, and how it can affect.
Yes, it may be water off a duck's back for me, but there are other guys
out there that they just shut down and then they'll walk away. That's
not what we want."
Verrijdt says the club's campaign was a delicate balance of being out and proud, and protecting the players.
"One
of the guys, Chris, he hadn't even come out to his friends and family,
so this was like his coming-out parade, in a way," he says.
"We
were very conscious of the sensitivities surrounding everything. Once
you get your face on a poster, you put a title above it, and get on the
internet, it's going to be on there forever. "
Kuni hopes the club -- which mainly plays touch rugby for now -- will one day take part in international events such as the Gay Games, Out Games and Bingham Cup.
"We're one of 70 of our type throughout the world and the only one in Africa," he says.
"Everyone
who speaks to us says, 'Why is there not an African team, and
specifically why not a South African team, in these formats of rugby?'"
The
response has been largely positive so far. Verrijdt says club
membership has grown from single figures to over 40, with another 30
expressing interest in joining.
"The
only time we've seen any kind of slurring, or anything like that, has
been in mainstream sports publications in South Africa, but again it's
that jocular humor," he says.
"They're
saying stuff to be funny but to those who are perhaps a little bit less
secure, it's very offensive. That for me was a big surprise, but
hopefully this is what this campaign is about -- people will just check
themselves."
Doctor to Start End-of-Life Practice in Berkeley as State Law Set to Take Effect
As California's right-to-die law goes
into effect Thursday, a Berkeley-based doctor will open one of the
first practices in the state that specializes in end-of-life options.
"I
think it's an important right for the patient to have at the end of
their life to control the way they die," says Dr. Lonny Shavelson.
The
new law will allow terminally ill patients who meet certain criteria to
ask their doctor for a prescription for life-ending medication. But in
the event the patient's doctor declines to participate, Shavelson will
step in. He already has several appointments with patients to evaluate
their situations.
"This needs to
be a well thought out, carefully planned," he says. "It's not something
you call on Tuesday and say, 'Doctor, I'm suffering,' and on Wednesday
we give you a prescription."
The
Legislature passed Senate Bill 128 after the widely publicized case of
29-year-old Brittany Maynard, an East Bay woman who had a terminal brain
tumor and had to move to Oregon to legally end her life. Shavelson, who
has written a book on the issue, says it's about time patients have the
option to end their suffering.
Maynard's husband, Dan Diaz, is grateful terminally ill Californians will now have the option to die on their own terms.
"I
think Brittany would feel a great sense of pride we were able to
accomplish what we did," Diaz says. "In this day of modern medicine, a
person shouldn't feel they should have to suffer like that their final
few days on this green earth."
Says Shavelson: "If this is done well, it is a good way to provide one more option to patients who are dying."
Scientists grow human organs in pigs
Scientists in the United States are trying to grow human organs inside pigs. They have injected human stem cells into pig embryos to produce human-pig embryos known as chimeras. The embryos are part of research aimed at overcoming the worldwide shortage of transplant organs. The team from University of California, Davis says they should look and behave like normal pigs except that one organ will be composed of human cells.
The human-pig chimeric embryos are being allowed to develop in the sows for 28 days before the pregnancies are terminated and the tissue removed for analysis. The BBC’s Panorama was given exclusive access to the research for Medicine’s Big Breakthrough: Editing Your Genes. FULL REPORT
WORLD'S ENDING! WOMAN IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH TREE!
American Bishop Explains How Religion Is ‘Made Up’ & Used To Control People
Below is a video of Jon Shelby Sponge, a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church, discussing these problems. He argues that religion is a business and it is used as a control mechanism (and he’s not the first insider to do so).
In the video, Sponge affirms that “religion is always in the control business, and that’s something people don’t really understand. It’s in the guilt producing control business.”
Priest says Hell is an invention of the church to control people with fear
WA State to Teach Kindergartners about Transgenderism
By fall 2017 Washington state public schools will begin teaching gender expression to kindergarteners under newly-approved health education learning standards that designate sexual health a “core idea” of public K-12 education. While some aspects of sexual health aren’t taught K-12 (HIV prevention begins in fourth grade), one component of sexual health titled “Self-Identity” begins in kindergarten, where students will be expected to “Understand there are many ways to express gender.”
The state’s health education glossary defines gender as “A social construct based on emotional, behavioral, and cultural characteristics attached to a person’s assigned biological sex.” Gender expression, meanwhile, is defined as “The way someone outwardly expresses their gender.” These definitions differ from the state’s definition of “biological sex”: “Based on chromosomes, hormones, and internal and external anatomy.” FULL REPORT
SOUND THE TRUMPETS! BROTHERS BECOME SISTERS!
Amsterdam sex robot BROTHEL 'will help prevent human trafficking and spread of STDs'?
According to a bizarre paper in an academic journal, red-light districts will be transformed by 2050 with the introduction of the robotic sex workers.
Ian Yeoman, a scientist specialising in futurology, and Michelle Mars, a sexologist at the University of Wellington, co-authored a paper entitled "Robots, Men and Sex Tourism".
Read more: Road worker backflipped down road after scooping £1MILLION
In the paper, they imagine an Amsterdam brothel in 2050.
The paper reads: "Yub-Yum is modern and gleaming with about 100 scantily clad blondes and brunettes parading around in exotic G-strings and lingerie .
"Entry costs $10,000 for an all inclusive service. The club offers a full range of sexual services from massages, lap dancing and intercourse in plush surroundings.
"The Yub-Yum is a unique bordello licensed by the city council, staffed not by humans but by androids."
Yeoman and Mars go on to describe how the futuristic brothel came about because of a spoke in human trafficking in the sex industry in the 2040s.
They also predict a growing problem with incurable Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), particularly HIV, which they say will mutate and become resistant to vaccines.
Th pair claim Yub-Yum will feature robots of all ethnicities, body shapes, ages, languages and sexual features. But the most popular, they say, is tall, blonde, Russian android 'Irina', who is a particular favourite of Middle Eastern businessmen.
"All androids are made of bacteria resistant fiber and are flushed for human fluids, therefore guaranteeing no Sexual Transmitted Diseases are transferred between consumers."
However, according to Yeoman and Mars, while the club will help 'the sex industry alleviate all health and human trafficking problems', human sex workers will be put out of business, unable to compete on price and quality of service.
"Robots, Men and Sex Tourism" appeared in an issue of Futures , an academic journal.
Israeli Christian wins first "Miss Trans Israel" pageant
TEL AVIV, Israel -- An Israeli from a Catholic Arab family has been crowned the winner of the country's first transgender pageant.
Ta'alin Abu Hanna, 21, from the northern city of Nazareth wore a white bridal dress as she was declared the first "Miss Trans Israel" on Friday at HaBima, Israel's national theater, in Tel Aviv.She describes her victory as "historic" and says it promotes equality.
She will represent Israel at the Miss Trans Star International pageant in Spain in August.
Israel is generally tolerant of gay people, and Tel Aviv has emerged as one of the world's most gay-friendly destinations.
The Israeli city stands in sharp contrast to many parts of the Middle East, where gay people are often persecuted. But homosexuality is commonly shunned in religiously observant Jewish and Muslim communities.
LGBT EDITOR Argues MEN 'DO' MENSTRUATE & CAN Get PREGNANT.
Planet X and all the comets it will kick in cant come soon enough....
