Miss Lebanon’s Selfie With Miss Israel Causes Outrage in Arab World

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By Reuters. A Israeli beauty queen’s selfie has caused a stir in Lebanon, with some Lebanese saying their country’s contestant at the Miss Universe pageant should be stripped of her title for consorting with the enemy.

Miss Israel Doron Matalon posted a photo of herself and Miss Lebanon Saly Greige smiling together at pageant preparations in Miami, where the winner will be picked on January 25.

The two countries are technically at war, although the border has been largely quiet since their 2006 conflict. The Lebanese risk prison if they call or travel to Israel and all Israeli products are banned in Lebanon.

Some Lebanese have demanded on social media that Greige lose her title for contacts with a citizen of the enemy state. (Read more about the selfie with Miss Israel HERE)

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Miss Israel’s Response After Miss Lebanon Distances Herself From Their Selfie

By Algemeiner. Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, has responded to the controversy surrounding a ‘selfie’ she took together with Miss Lebanon at the ongoing Miss Universe competition in Florida, saying that she is saddened, but not surprised by the Arab beauty’s decision to strongly distance herself from the picture.

“It doesn’t surprise me, but it still makes me sad. Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game,” Matalon wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighboring country.”

The controversial picture was first posted by Matalon on January 11th and was captioned: “Good morning from us!”

After an avalanche of criticism from within the Arab world, which often frowns on contact with Israel, Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, on Friday issued a stunning repudiation of the image and even claimed to have been avoiding Miss Israel throughout the competition. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Woman Can’t Forget the Cries of Baby During Live-Birth Abortion

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Photo Credit: Life News Members of Congress next week have an opportunity to right a travesty of injustice. Every day in the United States, babies are silently screaming in late-term abortions that deprive them of their right to life.

As Congressman Trent Franks told LifeNews.com recently, “More than 18,000 ‘very late term’ abortions are performed every year on perfectly healthy unborn babies in America. These are innocent and defenseless children who can not only feel pain, but who can survive outside of the womb in most cases, and who are torturously killed without even basic anesthesia.”

“Many of them cry and scream as they die, but because it is amniotic fluid going over their vocal cords instead of air, we don’t hear them,” he said.

A former employee at the abortion clinic Kermit Gosnell ran in Philadelphia described how she heard a baby scream during a live-birth abortion. Abortion clinic employee Sherry West described an incident which “really freaked (her) out” and related to the jury how she heard a child scream who was born alive following an abortion. (Read more about her experience during the live-birth abortion HERE)

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American Morality Takes Another Hit: What Once was Called “Incest” is Now Termed “GSA”

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Unbelievably, marriage equality advocates are once again attempting to change the language to make once-forbidden and immoral practices culturally accepted.

One such group is “Full Marriage Equality.” This organization is “Advocating for the right of consenting adults to share and enjoy love, sex, residence, and marriage without limits on the gender, number, or relation of participants. Full marriage equality is a basic human right.” It claims that

If you’ve met a genetic relative for the first time, or after being separated since at least one of you was a child, and you have experienced a strong attraction to that person that includes physical or sexual attraction or has resulted in sexual affection or arousal, you are likely experiencing Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA).

GSA is real and is a common, normal response to the circumstances involved. GSA is not an indication that anything is wrong with you or the other person. It is not wrong to have these feelings.

At the rate of our culture’s moral implosion, there’s little doubt that within the next few weeks we’ll be reading other columns attempting to normalize bestiality and pedophilia.

Oh, wait. That’s already happened.

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[Editor’s note: The following excerpt from New York Mag is presented as an example of the efforts to normalize incestuous behavior.]

What It’s Like to Date Your Dad

By Alexa Tsoulis-Reay. In the late ’80s, the founder of a support group for adopted children who had recently reconnected with their biological relatives coined the term “Genetic Sexual Attraction” (GSA) to describe the intense romantic and sexual feelings that she observed occurring in many of these reunions. According to an article in The Guardian, experts estimate that these taboo feelings occur in about 50 percent of cases where estranged relatives are reunited as adults (GSA’s discoverer had herself become attracted to the son she’d adopted out when she met him 26 years later, but her feelings were not reciprocated).

Though the research is scarce, those who have studied GSA offer a range of possible explanations for it, including a primordial feeling of always having “belonged” to the estranged relative, a sense of wanting to experience the bonding missed out on during childhood, or simply an overwhelming closeness based on similarities: like meeting a mate who was designed for you in a science lab. Perhaps GSA accounts for Kevin Gates’s attraction to his first cousin.

Consensual incest between fathers and their daughters remains the least reported and perhaps the most taboo sort of GSA relationship. Keith Pullman, who runs a marriage equality blog, has personally talked to over 20 GSA couples and notes that he’s only had a few father-daughter couples speak out, speculating that many of them fear that others will assume the daughter must have been abused in childhood (it should be said that when these unions lead to children, those children can face potentially serious difficulties as a result of the genetic implications of incest, even if some online communities downplay these risks). (Read more from this story HERE)

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‘American Sniper’ Review: Patriotic Masterpiece About War on Terror

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By John Nolte. In director Clint Eastwood’s best films (“Gran Torino,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven,” “The Outlaw Josey Wales”), the multiple Oscar-winner is able to make us feel both the righteousness of justified violence and the heavy emotional price paid by those committing it. “American Sniper,” which is undoubtedly Eastwood’s best picture since “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), and might just be his best since “Unforgiven” (1992), faithfully constructs and respectfully deconstructs “The Legend”: Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in the history of the U.S. Military.

“American Sniper” opens during the worst days of Fallujah in Iraq. Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is the eye in the sky watching his fellow warriors through a sniper scope and protecting them when necessary with the kind of precision shooting that will quickly make him a legend (and target).

Through a door, an Iraqi woman emerges with a boy who can’t be older than 10. They walk towards a group of Marines. She hands the boy a large grenade. Kyle has been told by his superiors that what happens next is his call.

Before Kyle can make what seems like an impossible choice (“I’ve never seen such evil,” Kyle says later), Eastwood and his screenwriter Jason Hall take us back in time with one of the best flashback sequences you’ll ever see. The economy is brilliant, and in just a few minutes we see what made Chris Kyle Chris Kyle: His Christian father’s strict but loving moral code, his days as a rodeo rider, his romance with Taya (a terrific Sienna Miller) — the woman who will become his faithful wife, and why two pre-9/11 terrorist attacks on American embassies led Kyle to become a Navy SEAL at the ripe old age of 30.

The rest of the story, which is every bit as compelling (this might be the best-paced film Eastwood has ever made), centers on Kyle’s harrowing four tours of duty and his troubled home life. This is a man deeply in love with his country (“I’d die for this country. America is the greatest country in the world.”) and his young family. He can only be truly faithful to one. “God, country, family,” are the man’s priorities. (Read more about the American Sniper review HERE)

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‘American Sniper’ Set to Shatter Box Office Records

By Twitchy Staff. From The Hollywood Reporter:

Clint Eastwood‘s American Sniper is smashing records at the North American box office, where it is doing huge business Friday for a projected four-day debut in the $55 million-$60 million range over the long Martin Luther King weekend, if not higher.

Take note, Hollywood: Americans admire our heroes. (Read more from this story HERE)

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21st Century Inquisition: School Board Requires Homeschoolers to be Interrogated on Religious Beliefs

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A school board in Virginia is considering the repeal of a policy that would have forced 14-year-old minors to stand before the school board to be interrogated about their religious beliefs.

The Goochland County policy is aimed at homeschool families that fall under Virginia’s decades-old religious exemption statute, which acknowledges parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

The longstanding state statue allows parents to homeschool their children without reporting to the state if they have an objection to attending school outside the home that is based on “bona fide religious training or belief.”

The Goochland school board decided that not only do parents have to submit the basis for their religious beliefs for choosing to homeschool their children, but that it could require children, minors, between the ages of 14 and 18 to appear before the school board and undergo an inquisition about their own independent basis for their religious beliefs.

As the local CBS affiliate reports:

A policy approved by the Goochland County School Board in 2013 has several parents who home school their children upset.

The policy requires children ages 14 and up who want to be home schooled to provide a statement about their religious beliefs to the school system.

As part of that, the board reserves the right to bring the child and his or her parent in for a hearing.

(Read more about the school board that requires homeschoolers to answer questions about their religion HERE)

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Courageous Pregnant Woman With Breast Cancer Rejects Abortion

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Photo Credit: Life News By Sarah Zagorski. Breast cancer during pregnancy is very rare, occurring in only one in every 3,000 pregnant women. That’s why when Ottawa mother, Jillian O’Conner, felt a lump in her breast while nursing her 1-year-old son she thought it was a blocked milk duck.

Jillian was only 31-years-old and 16-weeks pregnant when she discovered the lump and decided to visit her doctor. At first she was diagnosed with stage two cancer but was upgraded to stage four when doctors found that her liver was enlarged, which meant that the cancer had metastasized.

Her doctor, Mark Clemons, shared more with the Ottawa news. He said, “‘Jillian is facing not only the challenge of going through cancer treatment while pregnant but she knows her disease is not curable and once her baby is born, we will change her treatment to give her the best chance of long and fulfilling life.” He also said that most doctors advise women with breast cancer while pregnant to abort but he believes he can help O’Conner and her baby. (Read more about the pregnant woman with breast cancer HERE)

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Woman Refuses to Abort Two of Her Three Babies After Doctors Tell Her To

By Steven Ertelt. A mother in Britain has told her doctors that she will definitely not take their advice to terminate the lives of two of her triplet babies in abortions in order to supposedly save the life of one of them.

Jaime Halsey and husband were told they were expecting twins in October but an ultrasound scan showed one baby was 25 per cent smaller than others. Her physicians recommended an abortion, but she’s refused saying she will continue the pregnancy and hope for the best even though doctors claim the chance of all three babies surviving is 50-50.

The abortion selection is known in the medical industry as “selective reduction.”

“Selective reduction” is the abortion of one or more babies in a multiple pregnancy. Basically, if a woman is pregnant with twins, triplets, or more—often through in vitro fertilization or another fertility treatment—and she decides she only wants one or two babies, she aborts the rest. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Courts Say Teen Not Mature Enough to Make Health Care Decisions . . . but Abortion’s Okay

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By Christian Martin. I remember the day the governor of Connecticut came to visit my church. Governor Dan Malloy talked to our congregation about increasing the minimum wage and urged those without insurance to sign up for the Affordable Care Act.

As I listened to his speech, I realized I had to talk to him. I knew that if I didn’t take the opportunity to approach him, I might not have another chance. As he left the building with his companions, I hurried after him. After thanking him for coming, I asked to share something important. He obliged, and I told him that allowing abortions without parental notifications or consent was dangerous for young women in our state. I shared that pimps use abortion to keep sex-trafficked girls in business. I mentioned that it’s unsafe for teenagers to be able to get a potentially life-altering procedure without allowing their parents to know. The governor looked at me and politely nodded.

Connecticut is coming under fire after its Supreme Court ruled that a 17-year-old girl must undergo chemotherapy against her own will. The teenager in the case, Cassandra, and her mother Jackie are interested in seeking alternative treatments to chemotherapy. Cassandra has Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Medical experts say chemo can give her an 85% chance for life, and without it, she could die in two years.

ABC News reports that Cassandra let the press know she doesn’t want such “toxic harmful drugs” in her body. She shared that “being forced into the surgery and chemo has traumatized me.” She wrote a letter stating, “I do believe I am mature enough to make the decision to refuse the chemo, but it shouldn’t be about maturity, it should be a given human right to decide what you want and don’t want for your own body.”

This case has received national attention. Many question why the court would bypass the wishes of this teenager and her mother. In a statement to CNN, the Department of Children and Families claimed they had a “legal and moral responsibility in this case.” They stated, “Under this circumstance — when there is medical consensus that action must be taken or the child will die — the Department has a clear and urgent responsibility to save the life of this child.” (Read more about what the courts say on the girl not being mature enough to make health care decisions, but it’s okay for an abortion at her age HERE)

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Kelly Clarkson’s New Song Called “Heartbeat Song” is Set to the Beat of Her Unborn Baby’s Heartbeat

By Josh Shepherd. On Monday, new mom and pop/country superstar Kelly Clarkson released “Heartbeat Song” — an upbeat, synth-driven single that celebrates her new baby girl in a unique way.

“The beat is actually River’s heartbeat slowed down from when she was in my tummy!” shares Clarkson in a radio interview. Clarkson and her husband Brandon Blackstock, married in 2013, welcomed their baby girl River Rose into the world on June 12, 2014.

A preview of the track released first on Twitter, in a video featuring pink-clad baby River. (Read more from this story HERE)

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This Twelve Year Old May be More Interested in Politics Than You Are

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Photo Credit: Chicks on the Right
That’s Coreco Pearson Jr., who goes by CJ. CJ is a 12 year old student body president, super-fan of Ariana Grande, reader of Harry Potter, and watcher of the Hunger Games series . . .

CJ has been a die-hard Republican since age 8. And what’s even more remarkable about the fact that a young kid like CJ already knows where he stands politically is the fact that his parents are Democrats.

Robin, his mom, says that CJ’s dad, a retired sergeant major, is pretty sure CJ is just going through a phase. But four years kinda seems like more than a phase. And when CJ’s parents aren’t carting him around to important breakfast meetings, CJ spends around 40 hours weekly doing political stuff – either campaigning on behalf of GOP candidates, putting up yard signs, making phone calls, or even pushing his own legislative ideas onto his local/state representatives.

His hot button issue right now? To lower the age restriction on holding public office to 18 in the House and 21 in the Senate in Georgia, his home state. CJ is already itching to serve.

CJ started writing political blog posts at age 8 when he first realized his interest. . .But if you suggest to CJ that it’s rather odd that a young black boy would adopt the GOP as his party, he says, “I didn’t look at it as a race thing. For me, it was more about who really cared about your country.” (Read more about the boy interested in politics HERE)

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Autistic Student Makes Mistake, Kicked Out of College for Sexual Assault

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An autistic man attending classes at a local college has been kicked out of school and accused of sexual assault after mistakenly hugging and kissing a woman he did not know.

Brian Ferguson, 20, was attending special needs classes at the Waxahachie, Texas campus of Navarro College when he spotted a woman he thought he recognized. He walked up behind her and gave her a hug and kiss on the head.

According to his mother, Staci Martin, that’s simply how Ferguson greets friends.

“He’s 6’5″, so when he gives hugs, he’ll give you a big hug and kiss you right here on the top of your scalp,” she told a Dallas NBC affiliate.

Nonetheless, the female student reported the incident to school officials, who responded by banning Ferguson from campus. (Read more from “Autistic Student Makes Mistake” HERE)

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The Top Ten Biblical Archaeology Discoveries of 2014

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Photo Credit: Biblical Archaeology The Animals Went in Two by Two, According to Babylonian Ark Tablet
An Old Babylonian flood tablet translated by British Museum scholar Irving Finkel describes how to build a circular ark.

Qumran Phylacteries Reveal Nine New Dead Sea Scrolls
Yonatan Adler’s work revealed new phylacteries containing unopened tefillin Dead Sea Scrolls texts, confirming a continuity of Jewish practice over the past two millennia.

Canaanite Fortress Discovered in the City of David
An enormous 18th-century B.C.E. structure that isolates and protects the Gihon Spring is believed to be the fortress described in the Book of Samuel that King David later conquered.

Huqoq 2014: Update from the Field
Huqoq excavation director Jodi Magness and mosaics specialist Karen Britt discuss a new mosaic that might depict the legendary meeting between Alexander the Great and the Jewish high priest.

Monumental Entryway to King Herod’s Palace at Herodium Excavated
Archaeologists excavating at Herodium National Park uncovered a massive corridor to King Herod’s hilltop palace-fortress.

Coins Celebrating the Great Revolt Against the Romans Unearthed near Jerusalem
Excavations near Jerusalem uncovered a rare hoard of coins dating to the fourth year of the Great Revolt against the Romans (69/70 C.E.).

Oldest Metal Object from the Southern Levant Discovered
The discovery of a 7,000-year-old copper awl at Tel Tsaf suggests that metal was used in the southern Levant several hundred years earlier than previously thought.

Early Bronze Age: Megiddo’s Great Temple and the Birth of Urban Culture in the Levant
Megiddo’s Great Temple is a structure that, according to its excavators, “has proven to be the most monumental single edifice so far uncovered in the EB I Levant and ranks among the largest structures of its time in the Near East.”

Skilled Craftsmen, Not Slaves, Smelted Copper at Timna
Scholars suggest that ancient metalworkers in the Timna Valley were not slaves, as popularly believed, but highly skilled craftsmen.

6,500-Year-Old Ur Skeleton Resurfaces in Penn Museum
A skeleton unearthed from an Ubaid-period (5500–4000 B.C.E.) grave at Ur was recently rediscovered in the basement of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

(Read more about these Biblical archaeology discoveries HERE)

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