French Priest Freed 'On Compassionate Grounds': Boko Haram

French priest freed 'on compassionate grounds': Boko Haram (via AFP)

The banned Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram on Wednesday said it had released a French Roman Catholic priest on compassionate grounds but insisted that no ransom had been paid. The militants, considered a terrorist organisation by the United States…

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The Clock Has Struck Twelve... Happy Whovian Year!

"And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves.
Eleven's hour is over now, clock is striking Twelve's."
Extract from Thoughts on a Clock" by Eric Richie, Jr.

That's it, we are now in 2014!

It's a brand new year... with a brand new Doctor Who (with a brand new batch of regenerations and all). Not a bad start, is it?

So, we wish all this blog's readers, friends, supporters and contributors a very happy new year!

All the best for 2014!

Loup Dargent

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Intuition Vs. Psychic Abilities

The words ‘intuition’ and ‘psychic’ might seem interchangeable, at first. They don’t, however, mean the same thing. This article is intended just to get you to delve in a little deeper and understand the difference, and maybe to understand the uses of intuition and psychic abilities a little better. To those ends, we’ll take a more general look at intuitive knowledge and then at how it specifically relates to your psychic experience.

There’s a lot to be said for intuition. For most of human history it was one of the major ways that knowledge was derived from the world. Nearly all of Aristotle’s writings were written “on a hunch” and plenty of his most important hunches are still being considered today.

When we talk about intuition we’re generally addressing a broad feeling, perhaps indistinct, but that can be very strong. It’s also been described as the “un-processed” mental information that all of us receive – and from all kinds of sources – but that we only use for certain situations. 

Racist Attacks Elderly Black Man To See Whether His ‘Knockout’ Would Be ‘Nationally Televised’

Conrad Alvin Barrett

A Texas man has been charged with a federal hate crime after he assaulted an elderly black man in an attack motivated by the “knockout game.”

Conrad Alvin Barrett singled out his victim — who authorities did not identify — because of the color of his skin, and federal prosecutors charged him one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Prosecutors allege that according to video recovered from Barrett’s phone, he said, “The plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?”

They allege that he then approached the victim, “hit [him] with such force that the man immediately fell to the ground…then laughed and said ‘knockout’ as he ran to his vehicle and fled.”

⏩ The victim suffered two jaw fractures and lost three teeth in the attack.

According to U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels, “The complaint alleges Barrett made several videos, one in which he identifies himself and another in which he makes a racial slur. In addition, Barrett had allegedly been working up the ‘courage’ to play the ‘knockout game’ for approximately a week.”

⏩ Other videos on the phone allegedly have Barrett using racial slurs and saying that African-Americans “haven’t fully experienced the blessing of evolution.”

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SOURCE: Raw Story

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Holy Regeneration, Batman!

Wow! If you needed another good reason to visit the site DeviantArt.com, the comic we're showing in today's post is definitely the one that will convince you once and for all...

That mother of all 'what if' comics by Stjepan Sejic is not only hilarious, it also actually makes sense. How else would the Dark Knight be still looking so good considering he's been fighting crime since 1939? 

The utility belt part is sheer genius... Great Tardis reference! Love it!

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: Kudos to the peeps at GeekTyrant.com for the heads up...

Source: Deviantart

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Age of Information Technology, the Career Choice of a Lifetime

Whether you’re a student choosing your career path or a seasoned professional looking to change directions, the IT sector should be your first choice. Because let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to pursue a career in an industry that is expanding at an exponential rate and where job opportunities are virtually unlimited?

Information Technology, or IT, is a rather broad term that covers any and all aspects related to managing, processing and storing information through the use of computers. Today, IT plays a vital function in every workplace, from hospitals and banks to manufacturing and film making.

This dependence on computers and the networks that connect them has opened up a vast range of new job opportunities, and an in depth knowledge of computers is often required even for job seekers who choose to work in other industries.

Despite the fact that unemployment rates have been consistently rising over the past few years, the tech industry remains unaffected, and has actually added over 54,000 jobs since 2009. Many IT departments are even facing a shortage of skilled workers and according to a recent survey, 46% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are finding it increasingly difficult to find capable IT professionals.

This is excellent news for anyone hoping to find a job in this sector, but if the overflow of jobs hasn’t convinced you yet, consider another important factor—money. Salaries in the computer science and technology branch are known to be some of the world’s highest, ranging between US$50,000 and US$100,000, depending on education, experience and job description.

Of course, within the IT sector there are countless directions to take, and choosing one that suits you might be more challenging than you anticipated. To give you a quick peek into what’s in store for you, should you choose this industry; here are some of the highest paid  jobs in Information Technology.

5 Christian Charities In London That Need Your Support

By Sam Wright

Charity work and faith go hand in hand.The church has been a continuous source of support for those who need it for centuries. If you are a religious person and are keen to get involved in charity work, you may want to consider charity work related to your faith.

In London, there are hundreds of different charities that are crying out for support. In this blog we’ll highlight a few Christian charities that you may want to volunteer for.

USA: Housing In The Face Of White Privilege

The New Year is about to be upon us and the last thing anyone is thinking about is housing discrimination.  But once you start searching you can still see the result of our country’s long history with discrimination lingering in our housing market.  There is a giant income, life expectancy, and educational gap between African & Latino Americans and white folk.  

Santa Claus Now Officially Cleared For Entry Into The United States

Santa Claus was officially cleared for entry into the United States as federal agriculture officials waived stringent livestock checks on his nine reindeer.

The US Department of Agriculture announced in a light-hearted statement that a “Mr. S.Claus” of the North Pole was free to enter the United States with his reindeer from December 24 to December 25.

“During this season of giving, USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa,” said John R. Clifford, USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer.

“We agreed to waive the normal application fees and entry inspection/overtime costs, provided he winks his eye and wishes port personnel a Merry Christmas at the time of crossing.”

Authorities also waived the normal health checks for Santa’s reindeer — provided they met certain alternative conditions.

“As a condition of entry, the reindeer must be certified by Santa Claus as never having been fed anything other than hay, sugar plums and gingerbread,” the statement said.

“The reindeer must also be individually identified with microchips or official eartag identification, and must respond to the names ‘Dasher’, ‘Dancer’, ‘Prancer’, ‘Vixen’, ‘Comet’, ‘Cupid’, ‘Donner,’ ‘Blitzen’ and ‘Rudolph’ when interacting with port personnel.

No more than one reindeer in the group may be visibly affected by ‘Rednose Syndrome’, and upon entry, port personnel will visually inspect the reindeer to ensure they are healthy and fit for continued travel.”

The reindeer would also be required to be “pulling a wooden sleigh that has jingling bells attached and is filled with brightly-wrapped gifts.”

“Port personnel will clean and disinfect the runners and underside of the sleigh at the time of entry,” the statement said.

The USDA’s festive statement was in keeping with agencies who acknowledge the existence of Santa Claus, albeit with tongue firmly in cheek.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which polices the skies above Canada and the United States, regularly tracks the progress of Santa Claus and his reindeer in realtime on its NORAD Santa Tracker (www.noradsanta.org)

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North Pole News: Fun Arctic Facts

We're in the midst of holidays filled with hope, magic and mythic joy, and as we spend time with family and friends, children pretend to sleep while waiting for the sound of hooves tapping on the roof and rustling around the tree in the living room. Someone has come from the North Pole just for them.

The North Pole carries such a sense of wonder for us. Even as adults we keep up the mystery of Santa's Village and flying reindeer in the back of our minds to hold on to a bit of that youth. But Santa's not the only real thing happening up there. Quite a bit happens at the North Pole year round that many of us never consider.

Oscars And Globes And SAGs, Oh My! Get Ready For Awards Season

Awards season is upon us, and whether you simply like movies or are enamored with celebrities, awards season can be a great time for you to have some fun while watching the Oscars, Globes and SAGs. There are plenty of ways that you can get ready for and even enjoy awards season, and the following are four tips to help you do just that.

Suitable Day Jobs For Superheroes [Infographic]

In the following infographic, the peeps from Secured.co.uk have a light-hearted look at the most suitable everyday jobs for their favorite superheroes in case, one day, the world has become crime and war free at last (as, obviously, those super-beings would find themselves with nothing to do and, like the rest of us, would need to get a day job). 

Just in case, you know...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent