A man who couldn't find a black doll in the shops as a gift for his niece decided to take matters into his own hands.
In 2007, Taofick Okoya, 43, created his own doll that Nigerian girls could identify with by recreating their skin colour and style - and it is now so successful that it is outselling Barbie.
The doll, which is called Queens of Africa, comes with traditional outfits and accessories and costs around £4.50.
A Nigerian businessman decided to create own doll that Nigerian girls could identify with called Queens of Africa, by recreating their skin colour and style - and now it's outselling Barbie in his native country
The dolls' look is modelled on three of the country's biggest tribes and aims to promote strong feminine ideals, like love, peace and endurance.
The doll is now so popular that, according to Reuters, it is selling up to 9,000 units a month - a staggering 15 per cent of the country's toy market.
In 2007, Taofick Okoya, created a doll that Nigerian girls could identify with
43-year-old based his Queens of Africa dolls on country's biggest tribes
They cost roughly £4.50 and aim to promote strong feminine ideals
But the Queens of Africa aren't just selling in their home country.
Thanks to the doll's online presence, customers are coming from as far as America, Brazil and Europe.
The dolls' are modelled on three of the country's biggest tribes and aims to promote strong feminine ideals
The doll is now so popular that, it is selling up to 9,000 units a month - 15 per cent of the country's toy market
Speaking to ELLE about his dolls out-selling Barbie in his native Nigeria, Okoya said: 'My mission is to make the Queens of Africa a symbol of hope, trust, and confidence by promoting African history, culture, and fashion.'
One person that Okoya really hopes the dolls will have a positive impact on is his daughter, who, he explains, once wished she was white.
Okoya said: 'I don't believe Mattel sees the Nigerian market as a priority, yet their product has great influence on the psyche of the children here and affirms certain values contrary to our society'
He explained that even though they live in Nigeria, there was a lot of Western influence. He said: '[This] might have been responsible for her wishing she was white. It made me aware that I needed to make her proud and happy being a black African girl, and not limit it to her alone as this was a common trend among the younger generation. The Queens of Africa became a platform to achieve this.'
Unfortunately, Okoya has been told that he won't be able to sell the dolls on the shelves of mainline stories in America and will have to limit his business to specialist stores.
But he is determined to see the decision overturned, he said: 'I am looking to prove them wrong.'
The creation of the ISIL terrorist group was part of a “false flag operation” by the United States and Israel to spread “Islamophobia” against Muslims, a journalist says.
“The US and Israel have been involved in the whole creation of the ISIS/ISIL myth… trying to lay the blame on the Muslim nations,” said Arthur Topham from Cottonwood, British Columbia.
“As far as I can see, it’s another false flag attempt to build up more Islamophobic hatred towards all the Arab states in the Middle East,” Topham told Press TV during a phone interview on Thursday.
The US and Israel are using scapegoats like Osama bin Laden to connect terrorism to people in the Middle East in order to “justify all sorts of violent actions against various nations” in the region, he said.
The rise of ISIL in Iraq and Syria is another example of “fraudulent efforts to attack the Muslim nations,” Topham noted.
According to a report by a leading Pakistani newspaper, an ISIL leader has confessed to getting funds via the United States.
The ISIL operative, identified as Yousaf al-Salafi, told Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies that he received funding through the US, The Express Tribune reported on Wednesday.
Salafi, a Pakistani Syrian, was taken into custody in December 2014, according to the paper, although other reports say he was arrested on January 22.
The ISIL terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.
They have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.
A Norfolk State University student suffers open wounds
Norfolk police reportedly allowed police dogs to attack London Colvin, an Army Reservist and Junior at Norfolk State University, after Colvin refused to answer questions about a fight in which she was not involved. The fight broke out off-campus around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday morning. Colvin’s cousin, Whitney Dunn, said, “‘She was at a party off campus. She said that a fight broke out, and she had nothing to do with the fight. She did say she was at the party, and her and her friends were leaving,” as reported by Potomac Local.
Dunn said that her cousin admitted to being loud as she was leaving the party with friends, and when a police officer approached her about the fight she refused to talk to him. Two other police officers then approached Ms. Colvin, and when she still refused to answer questions, the officers held her on the ground and let the dogs attack her.
Eyewitnesses claim that the police sat on Colvin “while the dogs brutally bit and attacked her,” according toHBCUbuzz.com. The student, a private with the 3rd Brigade, 318th Regiment and 78th Training Division, based at Fort Belvoir, has not released a statement pertaining to the incident and is seeking legal counsel.
Kayla Cook, a NSU junior studying Tourism and Hospitality, told HBCUbuzz.com, “‘We want the word out about this. The police told her that she took the dogs better than other people have before. We don’t know how many people the officers have [been] attacked before [this incident].’”
According to Daniel Hudson, a Norfolk police spokesman, having police canines at scenes with massive crowds is standard protocol. “‘We responded to a massive fight that happened in the street. Apparently there was a call for about 35 individuals who were partaking in a physical fight in the middle of the street,’” Hudson stated. He explained that the canine was permitted to attack Colvin in an attempt to control the crowd and protect other witnesses.
“‘There was an officer that was attempting to place the woman in custody for disorderly conduct. When [the officer] tried to place her in custody, she became combative against the officer. Another officer attempted to restrain her, but again, there were multiple people around, so the canine officer deployed the dog to restrain the woman so nobody would get hurt,’” said Hudson.
Colvin was taken to the hospital, where she received 40 stitches to close several wounds. Her cousin told reporters that one of the leg wounds can’t be closed and will need plastic surgery. Dunn spoke on behalf of her Colvin’s family, saying, “‘How I felt about the situation was, and how I think my whole family feels about the situation is – we can understand her getting arrested, because she was being disorderly or anything like that – however she didn’t have a weapon. She can’t put her hands up, or remove her hands from anywhere, or do anything because she’s being restrained by two police officers. So to allow the dog [to attack] is the only thing that we have a problem with.’”
There have been no further details revealed regarding the incident.
A Sacramento County Deputy has been put on paid administrative leave after holding a man’s head to the ground with his foot, and then beating him with a flashlight.
The situation was brought to the Sheriff’s Department when KCRA 3 obtained and sent a copy of the video to the agency. It was reported that another copy of the altercation had been sent to the department by someone else as well.
Sacramento County Undersheriff, Jaime Lewis, responded to the video saying:
“There are portions of that video that clearly have caused me concern, and that is exactly what has caused the department to initiate an investigation, so we can get to the bottom of it.” However, Lewis additionally claims that the victim was resisting arrest. “Let’s face it, had the suspect complied with the officer’s directives from the initial contact and beyond, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about this today.”
The Sheriff Department’s report is inconsistent with the statements from both the victim, John Madison Reyes, 51, and Michael White, the man who shot the video.
According to Reyes:
“I asked him kindly to move the car,” Reyes said. “He glared at me and stared at me. And then, I said an expletive, ‘You need to move the car because I can’t get through.’”
Apparently the situation escalated at this point after the officer inquired about Reyes being on probation.
It continues with Michael White’s account of the situation:
“The cop was walking around him and he tased him several times, and you could see the guy’s body convulse about three or four times. And he’s not yelling or anything. He was not trying to get away. I think [the officer] should get fired. I think he should go to jail. I don’t think administrative leave is enough.”
According to KCRA News Sacramento:
“Reyes was only cited and then released. His citation was for resisting arrest, not for anything he was doing before his confrontation with that officer.”
An incredible woman has the perfect response for someone who says, "You speak so well ... for a black girl." But that's not all. Ernestine Johnson is just getting warmed up.
She has plenty more to say about what speaking, looking, and acting like an average black girl really means.
And nope, this isn't another lesson in political correctness; it's more about common sense.
Alexandria VA- In a case that has received very little coverage from mainstream media, a CIA whistle-blower has been found guilty on all 9 counts against him. Jeffrey Sterling was accused of leaking classified information to New York Times reporter James Risen and revealing a botched CIA program to take down the Iranian nuclear program.
Monday, the jury in the case came back with a guilty verdict on all nine counts. Interestingly, earlier the same day, the jury had sent the judge a message saying they could not reach a verdict on a number of charges. A few hours later the verdict was unanimous.
The case revolved around a C.I.A. operation in which a former Russian scientist provided Iran with intentionally flawed nuclear component schematics. Mr. Risen revealed the operation in his 2006 book, “State of War,” describing it as a mismanaged, potentially reckless mission that may have inadvertently aided the Iranian nuclear program.
Perhaps the most important part of this story is that Jeffrey Sterling was never proven in court to have released information to NYT reporter James Risen. For his part, Risen never revealed Sterling as his source during the trial and had said he would go to prison before revealing the source. Even so, Sterling was connected to Risen because of action he had taken in the past by “whistle blowing” through the proper channels. Sterling had taken his concerns about the program to the Senate Intelligence Committee in early 2003, a time when dissenting voices in the C.I.A. were hushed as the country prepared for war in Iraq. The Justice Department and C.I.A., however, deny that characterization.
In the video above Ben Swann talks with Normon Solomon about the chilling effect this has on other whistle-blowers who are being told the correct and safe way to bring transparency to government is to use proper channels.
Every now and then news reporters try and manipulate the interviewees on camera with their investigative questioning and slick interviewing techniques. Well, this time, a Memphis day care center director, Terry Oliver, who was seemingly under fire by Memphis’ Fox 13 reporter Trey Paul, used her professionalism and quick wit to stand firm with the center’s decision to open the door to a drug dealer, who at the time was just a mere stranger and possible customer. We didn’t have to call Olivia Pope for this interview, Terry had it handled! Not only did she address the procedures and plans executed by the day care center, she also sent a direct challenge to city leaders in Memphis and the mayor to address how issues such as these and crime can be fixed.
If any of you ever need notes on how to remain professional and turn a negative question into a positive, take a look at Terry Oliver’s response. Absolutely phenomenal. You would almost believe someone gave her the questions ahead of the interview. It does not get any better than this. The Day care center and its owners should be very proud to have Terry as its director. Professionalism at its finest. #TERRYFORMAYOR
Take a look at the interview below that originally aired on myfoxmemphis.com
Students from the University of Michigan, including members from six fraternities and sororities, are accused of causing thousands of dollars' worth of damages during a weekend stay at two northern Michigan ski resorts.
The students, which included members of the Sigma Alpha Mu, Pi Kappa Alpha and Chi Psi fraternities, as well as members of the Sigma Delta Tau, Alpha Phi and Delta Gamma sororities, are being accused by resort operators of trashing hotel rooms and hallways, including ripping off cabinet doors, destroying ceilings and rugs, and busting up tables, during a Jan. 17-18 weekend stay at the Treetops Resort and Spa in Gaylord, and the Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs.
University of Michigan spokesman Rick Fitzgerald confirmed to ABC News the fraternities and sororities who are accused of being involved, saying in a statement, "We are very disappointed in the behavior of some of our students during a weekend visit to two northern Michigan ski resorts. I want to assure you that the organizations and the individuals involved will be held accountable for their actions."
"While we are still gathering information, we understand that the damage at Treetops Resort and Boyne Highlands is expected to total in the thousands of dollars," the statement continued.
The Treetops Resort gave ABC News exclusive photos of the trashed hotel rooms and hallways, which the resort claims totaled in $75,000 worth of damages.
Treetops general manager Barry Owens described the vandalism as “a malicious destruction of property,” adding that upon inspection, “The rooms were incredibly dirty, broken windows, broken furniture, ceiling tiles torn out of hallways, wall sconces broken off, doors kicked in.
“I mean it just kind of never ended,” he said.
Although the Treetops Resort touts itself as a family destination, Owens said college students and fraternity groups do visit, but there had never been any prior issues.
“I’ve been in this business for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen something even close to this,” Owens said. “We do cater to them [college students] but this one got completely out of hand
Boyne Highlands President and General Manager Mike Chumbler told ABC News about 100 to 120 students were staying in their cottage and townhouse units, which sustained damage ranging from stains to holes in dry wall. While the damage wasn't as severe as Treetops, Chumbler said, he estimated it could be up to $20,000 in repairs.
According to U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald, members of the Chi Psi and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternities, and the Delta Gamma and Alpha Phi sororities were staying at Boyne Highlands, while members of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and Sigma Delta Tau sorority were staying at Treetops.
The Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, which is now facing suspension from its national chapter over this incident, issued a statement to ABC News, saying, “We are embarrassed and ashamed of the behavior of a few of our chapter members at Treetops Resort over the weekend of January 17-18. This behavior is inconsistent with the values, policies, and practices of this organization. Our chapter accepts full responsibility for this incident and we will be working with the management of the resort to pay for all damages and cleaning costs. We will work within our own organization and with university officials to hold those who are responsible accountable for their actions.”
Despite the fraternity’s apology, Owens voiced his concerns. “They said they were going to make good on this, however they also said they would behave themselves… we have concerns about the integrity of their word.”
The Treetops resort hasn’t yet billed the fraternity for the damages, or made a decision about whether to seek criminal charges. According to Fitzgerald, there is a pending Michigan State Police investigation that could lead to criminal charges.
You will never have a true idea of how deeply I love you, although I will do my best to make sure that you do. There are no words that can encompass my love for you, for how much I wanted you ,and for how grateful I AM for the blessing you are bringing to my life.
You, who came into my dreams two years before you were conceived...You, who with a wealth of mental and physical odds stacked against you - odds manifested by myself and your father like age, mental and physical health, drinking and smoking and "rock star" lifestyles of short days and long nights decided that in spite of all of that, it was time anyway and you were ready to be here. I could not say no to you and make the same choice I‘d made before under similar circumstances - to return you to the ether. You, my beloved Imani Grace, came for a purpose that I, in my limited human wisdom, am not equipped to judge.
Simply, you choose to come now, when the world is burning. Truth be told in historical context, unfortunately, our human world is always burning. But now, during this time of a deep paradigm shift, when societal veils are being lifted, with old ways and means being exposed, explored and redefined, your birth approaches. Again, the purpose in your timing speaks volumes to me.
See, your mama is a hippie..lol. A real “peace and love, spiritual but non-religious, tree hugging, earthing and meditating, Einstein and Tesla quoting, Reiki and energy facilitating, chakra balancing, art and Hip Hop and human being supporting, love wielding, light working" hippie. And all that means, really, is that I AM a believer in all that manifests as having a reason and a purpose and a season. I am a believer in life as a series of lessons designed to help our spirits grow.
Lessons that I’ve personally learned like:
The word and the deed must always match. In the event that they don't, pay close attention to the deed, actions do not lie. And so by default that means, always do your best to keep YOUR word if you give it.
Life is a paradox which is why, for example, beginnings are also endings, and endings are also beginnings. Take comfort in that.
Forgiveness releases and frees YOU. So hold no grudges, harbor no anger and forgive those who trespass against you. Do not allow those who hurt you the space in your mind or spirit.
Why? Because it's not usually about you so don't take it personal. We are all fighting our own battles, and some will see you as an enemy and some will see you as a friend.
So, choose your battles, and your friends, wisely.
Because what you allow is what will continue, and will let people know how they should treat you.
And, what we give energy to is what grows.
So, promote and give energy to what you love as opposed to bashing what you hate.
Lastly, always speak the truth as you see it. Find a way to do it in the most gentle way possible, but speak the truth nonetheless. People may not like it, but they will respect it, and respect you for it.
Baby girl, the times, they are a'changin..our society is shifting and we, as human beings, are evolving and growing. Growth is painful but always necessary and so must never be feared. And you are choosing me as your vessel, and here and now to arrive, and for that I thank you.
I love you mama, more than you'll ever truly know.
The deadline imposed by ISIS for Japan to pay $200 million to free two captives passed, starting what the terrorist group called a countdown clock on Friday, even as questions swirled about the authenticity of the initial tape and whether the pair is even alive.
A tweet from a Twitter account linked to ISIS said the hostages had been killed "because of Japan's choices." The tweet, on the same one that previously posted the countdown clock, warned that a new video was "being sent to production." Intelligence sources told Fox News the claim the hostages had been killed could not be confirmed, but said the situation is being monitored as they await release of a new video.
In a video released Tuesday, Kenji Goto, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, who runs a security company, were threatened with beheading by the barbaric terror organization if the Japanese government did not pay the staggering on ransom. The video, posted on militant websites and identified as being made by the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm, appeared to have been shot in the same location as those showing American hostages James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, and British captives David Haines and Alan Henning.
Japan has said it is working to free the hostages, but has not stated whether it would pay the ransom. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe convened his National Security Council to discuss how to handle the crisis.
The hostage video showing the hostages wearing orange jump suits and kneeling before a masked, black-clad jihadist may have been faked, experts said. New analysis of the video appears to reveal the message was shot indoors using a "green screen," and a phony backdrop, according to Veryan Khan, editorial director for the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium. She told The Associated Press the light source on the men in the latest videos appears to be coming from two different directions — as opposed to one bright sun, and said if the video was made outdoors in natural light, the shadows behind them should be going in one direction. Instead, they converge.
"The hostages are visibly bothered by" the bright light, she said.
"My son is not an enemy of the Islamic State."
- Mother of 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto
Although one of the hostage's jumpsuits flutters in a breeze, Khan said she believes a fan caused the movement and noted that wind in the desert would be noisy and affect the sound quality of the statements being made by the knife-wielding man. It would also kick up dust, and none seems apparent, she said.
Experts poring over the slickly-produced videos believe they were made in an area south of Raqqa in northern Syria, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State group. The killings of the five other hostages took place between August and November. The U.S.-led coalition began targeting IS militants in Syria in mid-September, and has gradually intensified its aerial bombardment of suspected IS infrastructure in both Syria and Iraq.
In Japan, government officials and family members of the hostages were desperate to save the men.
"Time is running out. Please, Japanese government, save my son's life," said Junko Ishido, the mother of 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto.
"My son is not an enemy of the Islamic State," she said in a tearful appearance in Tokyo.
Ishido said she was astonished and angered to learn from her daughter-in-law that Goto had left less than two weeks after his child was born, in October, to go to Syria to try to rescue the other hostage, 42-year-old Haruna Yukawa.
"My son felt he had to do everything in his power to try to rescue a friend and acquaintance," she said.
In very Japanese fashion, Ishido apologized repeatedly for "all the trouble my son has caused."
The national broadcaster NHK reported early Friday that it had received a message from ISIS "public relations" saying a statement would be released soon.
Lacking clout and diplomatic reach in the Middle East, Japan has scrambled for a way to secure the release of the two men, one a journalist, the other an adventurer fascinated by war. Two Japanese who said they have contacts with an ISIS leader offered Thursday to try to negotiate, but it was unclear if the Japanese government was receptive to the idea.
Ishido said she had not had any contact with the government.
Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga reiterated Friday that Japan was trying all possible channels to reach those holding the hostages, and that its policy of providing humanitarian aid for those displaced by conflict in the Middle East was unchanged.
"We are doing our very best to coordinate with related parties, including through tribal chiefs," Suga said.
Japan has joined other major industrial nations of the Group of Seven in opposing ransom payments. U.S. and British officials also said they advised against paying.
Tokyo lacks strong diplomatic connections in the Middle East, and Japanese diplomats left Syria as the civil war there escalated, adding to the difficulty of contacting the group holding the hostages.
There was no sign the government had taken action on an offer to try to negotiate with ISIS by Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law and former professor at Kyoto's Doshisha University, along with freelance journalist Kousuke Tsuneoka.
Nakata and Tsuneoka, who both are converts to Islam, said Thursday that they have a contact in ISIS and were prepared to go to Syria.
Nakata and Tsuneoka, who was released after being held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, visited Syria in September in an unsuccessful attempt to gain Yukawa's release. Goto was seized sometime after late October when he entered the area.
Since Japan's military operates only in a self-defense capacity a home any rescue attempt would require help from an ally like the United States.
Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
It was signed into law in 1983 but it wasn't officially celebrated until 1986 but wait it gets better you ever heard about the super 8 ? the eight republicans who voted against making MLK an federal holiday and guess who's on the list I'll give u a hint he ran against Obama in 08 also add that Regan himself voted against this ..
That notorious list includes eight more Republicans. In the Senate, Richard Shelby (Alabama,) Chuck Grassley (Iowa,) John McCain (Arizona,) and Orrin Hatch (Utah). In the House, Jim Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin) and Hal Rogers (Kentucky). While serving in state legislatures, Rep. John Culberson (Texas) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (Georgia) also voted against the holiday.
King Abdullah, who ruled Saudi Arabia from 1995 to 2015, will be succeeded by his half-brother, Crown Prince Salman
January 22, 20155:10PM ET
He was one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchs. But King Abdullah's years as Crown Prince might have marked his legacy even more strongly than his rule as King.
King Abdullah King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saudbecame de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1995 when his predecessor, King Fahd, suffered a stroke. At the time, Abdullah was Crown Prince — but from that position he wielded a tremendous amount of power and influence.
He was known to foreign diplomats as devout and conservative, with strong ties to the country's Bedouin tribes. But even then, he pushed for change in the kingdom. And when he finally ascended to the throne in 2005, many saw him as a beacon of hope for reform on a broad scale in Saudi Arabia. During his reign as Crown Prince, Abdullah promoted greater openness in two particular areas: the role of women, and freedom of expression, and for a time there was greater tolerance of some degree of criticism of government policy.
On assuming the throne, Abdullah faced pressure from conservative clerics to restrain his reform program, aimed at bringing together Islamic traditions with the needs of a modern state. As monarch, he worked to trim the high-spending habits of the kingdom’s vast royal family and sought to tackle youth unemployment by liberalizing the economy and stimulating the private sector.
He also paved the way for municipal elections, granted women the right to vote and to run for office, and issued them with ID cards, allowing them for the first time to do business without the involvement of a male guardian.
Abdullah's other major decision was to set up a council of royal elders to make the royal succession more orderly. But domestic concerns gave way to global ones when the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Fifteen of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers were Saudi citizens.
He took on Al-Qaeda when the group began a campaign of bombings against westerners inside the kingdom and ordered the conservative clergy to stop preaching intolerance in schools and mosques.
King Abdullah's next major challenge after September 11 and Al-Qaeda was Iran. His foreign policy focused on efforts to contain what the Sunni monarchy saw as the increasing regional influence of the Shia-led government of Iran. The resulting Cold War battle between the two countries was played out in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the region.
When former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who had been a strong ally of Saudi Arabia, was assassinated in 2005, most of the international community blamed the Iran-backed Syrian government.
The Iran factor also influenced Abdullah's stance towards the Arab Spring.
He seemed to support regime change in Libya and to be lukewarm toward the revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. But by sending troops to support Bahrain's monarchy against protesters, he may have revealed Saudi fears of an Iranian-backed revolution next door.
But Saudi Arabia's cold war with Iran reached its peak in Syria.
While Iran clearly backed president Bashar al-Assad, King Abdullah was one of the staunchest supporters of the Syrian rebels.
At home, despite hopes that he would usher in an era of reform, his record on human rights remained controversial. Many became disillusioned by what they saw as a failure to deliver on high expectations even on such limited symbolic issues as women’s right to drive. Judicial reforms failed to fulfill expectations, and Sunni-Shia communal tensions have been escalated.
In recent years activists who demanded change through petitions ended up in jail, and political parties and public demonstrations were banned.
But as the Arab uprising raged elsewhere, he spent $130 billion on housing, jobs and other social benefits in a bid to win the hearts and minds of his subjects.
His calculation appears to have worked, because despite online calls for a "day of rage"to protest the lack of democracy, no anti-government protest movement of the type seen elsewhere ever took hold in the kingdom.
And the king remained a largely popular figure.
His critics believe he could have done more, given Saudi Arabia's vast oil wealth, to help his population. But if the stability of Saudi’s monarchy is under threat, it’s not from looming poverty or a possible uprising, but from old age — and a potential succession problem.
The country has recently buried two crown princes and now its king. Crown Prince Salman, who is poised to take over from Abdullah, is nearly 80. His deputy is Prince Muqrin, a younger, direct son, of the founding father, King Abdul Aziz. With his appointment, the post of deputy crown prince has been created for the first time, perhaps to reduce the probabilities of a succession crisis in the near future. But he is nearly 70.
The crown in Saudi Arabia passes among brothers before it goes to sons.
In a few years the last eligible direct son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, will either have died or become incapacitated by age.
That would leave several dozen royal grandsons vying for the throne.
The Allegiance Council of royal elders created by King Abdullah was created to prevent such a problem. Its first real test could be just around the corner.
American Veteran and Independent Filmmaker of “Gray State” Found Dead with His Family at Home in Minnesota
The creator, director and producer of the controversial movie about the encroaching police state and FEMA camps in America, David Crowley, has been found dead with his wife and young daughter over the weekend. The police are calling it a murder-suicide incident yet not ruling out anything suspicious.
The movie was currently in production and Crowley had recently received a contract of $30 million to complete the project of his dreams. While depression can have its harshest affects on people, his friends and co-workers have stated that the police story is highly unlikely.
His movie, Gray State, had a sort of cult following with nearly a million views of its trailer on YouTube.
The fiction movie is about the resistance to the police state and rise of enslavement here in America. It is set in the not-so-distant future with all the aspects one has come to expect about the end of our civilization and collapse of normal society: RFID chips, suspended travel, empty store shelves, FEMA camps, complete control through martial law.
There are many apocalyptic movies which don’t address these exact topics and many fans fear David Crowley may have been far too close to the truth.
We offer prayers for the families and all involved in this horrific tragedy, no matter whose hand caused it.
Watch David Crowley at PaulFest give a speech about his movie project and the current state of our devolved culture:
Jamie Smith takes a stand as Washington bureaucrats attempt to force unwanted drugs on her children. (Photo courtesy KOMO News)
TACOMA, WA — A state bureaucracy is threatening a mother with removal of an infant unless her entire family subjects themselves to flu shots.
This is the dilemma that foster parent Jamie Smith is currently facing. The Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is giving the Tacoma family until February to comply with the mandated regimen of influenza vaccines — imposed on every member of the family — or else they will lose their youngest child, a 2-week-old foster infant that was born on Christmas.
Mrs. Smith is a dedicated foster mom, and has fostered seven babies. She currently raises five children, including an adopted 4-year-old daughter. Her objection to vaccines is based on safety concerns for her family, she revealed in an interview with KOMO News:
“I’ve done a lot of research on it and I don’t like some of the side effects that it has,” she said.
Smith says she’s worried about mercury in the vaccine and its effects on the brain. She doesn’t want her or her five children exposed to that even if it means losing the little one.
“I’ve thought about that a lot,” said Smith. “Unfortunately, I have to think about our kids who are in the house first and to me they’re more important, their safety, than trying to fight to keep this little guy.”
Packaging information for Fluzone®. (Image: Drugs.com)
Flu shots, like the ones listed above, are responsible for a host of neurological disorders and other serious side effects. According to the DOJ’s report on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program — which settles vaccine injury claims since the drug makers were made legally blameless by Congress — over half the compensatory claims handled between 5/16/2013 to 8/15/2013 were for adverse reactions to flu vaccines. The injuries included:
Guillain-Barré Syndrome, myelopathy and radiculopathy; psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; skin rash, fatigue, and scarring; brachial neuritis; shoulder injury related to vaccine administration, autoimmune demyelinating condition, bursitis, Bell’s palsy and urticaria/angioedema; bilateral brachial neuritis; meningoencephalitis and optic neuritis; transverse myelitis, serum sickness and pain amplification syndrome of childhood/fibromyalgia; acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; rheumatoid arthritis; significant aggravation of an underlying COPD and other pulmonary conditions, and death.
Despite these weighty concerns, Mrs. Smith’s informed objection to vaccinating is being cast aside by bureaucratic force. The mandate holds that she, her husband, and each of the other children must be injected with the drug, or else their family will be broken apart and their precious “Christmas baby” will be taken away.
“I’m hoping that we can raise enough of a voice that the state will at least give waivers or do something so the children won’t be taken out of their homes,” Mrs. Smith told KOMO News. Her family’s integrity requires that readers and supporters rally against these invasive medical mandates imposed on families like the Smiths.
Link : http://www.policestateusa.com/2015/jamiesmith/
