The Syria Situation Continues To Spiral Out Of Control

Despite extended and wagging fore fingers, and some don't-you-dare's from the mouths of China and Russia, US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, told the BBC that American forces are prime and ready to attack Syria, if President Obama does, in fact, order a strike.



This is all in response to the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons on their own people.


The Syrian government adamantly denies the accusations, but US Secretary of State, John Kerry, suggests that there's undeniable proof. He further said:



Government sources are saying that US President, Barack Obama, and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, have been talking, and will continue to talk, and if an agreement is made to attack, it could happen as early as this week.



On the other side of things, we have China's official news agency saying:



While Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, tweeted:



Now, if all the world is a stage, this is a very tense act. Russia and China backed the Syrian regime, saying there's no glaring evidence of the use of chemical weapons. US and Britain are stuck between this weird place of action and big talk. The UN is trying to formulate a way to respond without things getting too messy. Too late. And, the Syrian people are caught right in the middle.


Some clamour for international intervention, while others are crying for the West to stay the freak out.

And, don't for one nanosecond think that the Syrian government is going to just push over. A senior Syrian official had a different kind of warning for America. That being from Halef al-Muftah, saying that Israel will be under fire, if the United States attack Syria.



Also, the Syrian Foreign Minister said:



I just hope that those "materials" are not of the chemical nature, because that's exactly what this whole thing's about.

So, the world is still waiting on official confirmation from the inspectors at Damascus. But, their jobs have been hampered by the Syrian government; as well as sniper attacks, and reports that shells are still falling on the area where the attack took place. And, that's why inspectors are delaying inspections that were supposed to happen a few days ago.



John Kerry states that this is the Syrian government trying to systematically destroy evidence before UN inspectors enter into the area. It's all a mess!

The Pentagon has positioned four warships in the region, with missiles, ready to strike.



Britain moved airfighters within striking distance, and the world is on the edge of its seat, waiting to see who makes the next move.

Obviously, it's scary, because the common denominator here is human life.

Sweetie South American Animal Discovered

Scientists recently confirmed the existence of the first, new carnivorous mammal to be identified in the Western Hemisphere, in the past 35 years.



It also just made the list of things that I want to uncontrollably hug and never let go. I mean my self-control is unrivalled, but I can be a hug monster.

Without further ado, meet the Olinguito:



So, this little ball of adorable is described as a cat-teddy bear hybrid.



Yep, and it roams the treetops of the Andean mountains in Ecuador.



The nocturnal Olinguitos belong to the Olingo family. Olingos look like this:



For the past ten years, scientists have been semi-privy to their existence, but they've only recently identified the little cuddlebug.

The Olinguitos are different from the Olingos because their smaller bodies are covered in precious, thick red fur.



And, they've got larger lovable heads, and bigger chump-chump (I mean teeth). And, even though they're carnivorous, they most likely chump-chump on fruits and figs; with the occasional lizards (you know, when it's being naughty and cheating on its diet).

This little guy is native to the small Ecuadorian forest, and this forest (in South America), its home, is being destroyed by humans and development.

Roland Kays, one of the researchers of the discovery squad said this about the find:



Ultimately, if the Olinguito could talk, then this would be the discovery of the century. But, it'd also be frightening beyond all belief because the Olinguito would replace all men. Lemme finish. It'd attract women with its cutie-cutie looks, and then woo them into submission with sweet nothings whispered upon sexy latin accents. That'd be game over, Men!

The Sun's Gigantic Magnetic Field Will Soon Start Flipping

Proportionately, every eleven years, or so, our majestic sun decides to give itself a magnetic makeover. Because, even the sun doesn't want to just sit there and burn complacently.



So, what happens is that the sun's magnetic field flips, and the poles do a little switcheroo.



Unsurprisingly, sun scientists admit they don't fully understand why all this happens (obviously because it's the freaking sun). But, solar physicist, Phil Scherrer says:



And, this time around, the eleven-year flip is piling on another big fat scoop of mystery on top of our ice cream sundae of things we don't quite understand.

Apparently, one of the poles already went and flipped itself last year, and now, the other pole is playing the oh-so-fun game of catchup. I'm sure, many of you (like myself) are starting to wonder what this means for us humans. I'll tell you what, we will burn into sun-charged, flaky former versions of ourselves. Additionally, our big burning ball of gas cum cosmic heat source could cease production of its golden rays of life-giving warmth. No, don't pass out yet, it only does coincide with the solar maximum, which is the most baller solar activity.

On a more serious note, the full flip should complete itself over the next three to four months, and it's just going to blast all kinds of freaking cosmic rays out into the universe; and the magnetic shift will be felt across our galaxy, like all the way to the outer edge of interstellar space.



Pretty spectacular, if you ask me.

Syria's Chemical Catastrophe

Activists in Syria are claiming thirteen hundred (1,300) people have been killed in a government rocket strike, on a residential area.



These Syrian activists are utilizing the internet to report the alleged atrocious attack they're claiming they've endured, and they're also accusing the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad of bombing the suburbs of Damascus (early last week), with chemical weapons. The Syrian government, however, adamantly denies these claims, and says the reports are merely a distraction.



If these reports are true, and, Assad did in fact unleash chemical weapons, this would be the most egregious chemical attack since Saddam Hussein used gas to kill thousands of Kurds in 1988. Either way, this act is nothing short of a massacre.



Reportedly, local warheads (rockets with chemical agents) hit the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka, and Jobar. They hit right before dawn as families were sleeping.



Hospital reports and images show victims with little to no physical damage on their bodies; which could show evidence of the use of chemical agents.



Dr. Khaled al-Doumi, a director of a medical center near the site stated:



A UN team is in Syria, probing to see if this did happen, and if it was because of President Assad.



The hope here is that these chemical experts investigate the area of the bombings, right away. But, the catch is that they need permission from Syria to do anything in the country. It's probably all going to get wrapped up in bureaucracy, so, who knows if that will ever occur.

The pictures of the aftermath are hard to look at. There are many children who were killed.



The European Union has condemned the suspected use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. While the French foreign minister said that if these claims are true, a reaction of force must be taken. Adding that if the UN council cannot do it, decisions would be made otherwise.



The Turkish foreign minister also joined in saying the UN must act, as all red lines have been crossed.



The German foreign minister called for more efforts to confirm that this happened. The US joined in, saying that this must be urgently investigated. But, will actually anything happen? Thanks to the UN security council, I don't know. But, what I do know, is that China and Russia will not join in. And, it's terrible to see because it's just more of what we've been seeing. Over 100,000 people have been killed (in conflicts that started back in 2011). Millions displaced. And, really, no positive end seems in sight.



A website called The Revolting Syrian, which has posted many disturbing images of the aftermath, stated:



And, that's the thing: it's important we don't forget. Daily, these people wake up to a world of uncertainty and violence that we could never begin to comprehend or handle. And, if these allegations are true, and indeed, chemical weapons were used against the people of Syria, , I hope for a swift and actual response from the international community.

In either way, my heart and thoughts go out to all of the victims in Syria.

Forked Up!!!

According to a report in the International Journal for Surgery Cases, a man was admitted to the hospital after he stuffed a four-inch fork into his urethra. Yes, where you think I just typed he did. Apparently, it was an attempt to achieve "sexual gratification", and this is the actual X-ray:



Luckily, the report says they were able to remove the fork with forceps, and a ton of lubrication. Omg, nightmares forever. Lol, one of the funniest things about this report though, is it ends with the authors saying:



Lmao! Creative my urethra! Seriously, if you read this story, and you neither cringed nor squirmed, you know you've seen too much shit!

The Google Glass Gimmickry

Google has been granted the patent for pay-per-gaze advertising.



It would use a sensor to know when a user is looking at an advertisement, both in the real world, or online.



This incredibly interesting idea is made a little bit creepy with this sentence:



Obviously, it will analyze the dilation of your eyes when you look at said advertisement. Kinda cool, but also extremely weird too.

Egypt's Ebullition Escalates

Egypt's newly drafted constitution may ban religious political parties.



It looks like the army-backed interim government is setting it up so the Muslim Brotherhood will no longer be a political party.



And so, in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood may, in fact, be seen as a terrorist organization, especially after all these clashes with the government have left over 800 dead.



Among the other proposed amendments in this constitution, the ban against Mubarak's National Democratic Party, would be lifted. And, on top of that, a judge has now ordered that the former Egyptian autocrat be freed from prison.



Government sources, and Mubarak's lawyers have told the New York Times that Mubarak would be freed soon. But, the government has not officially confirmed the order, indicating that it may seek other ways to keep Mubarak in jail.

Mubarak, of course, in jail, and on trial, for the death of over 900 peaceful protesters, during the 2011 revolution. And, even though he has been reportedly ordered to be freed, he's kind of, universally despised.

There's a ton of different stories, a lot of different versions of everything coming out of Egypt. During all these chaos in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was accused of attacking Christian Communities. Although, a spokesman from the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said:



So, who knows?

Benedict Cumberbatch Parries Paparazzi Perfectly Well

Benedict Cumberbatch is probably my top three (favorite celebrity) right now.



Last Saturday, when he was leaving the set of BBC's Sherlock, he knew photogs were going to be outside, so he put on a hoodie, and put this sign up that said:



Interestingly, these photographers that are taking pictures of Cumberbatch, will probably make more money than the ones out there (in Egypt) risking their lives to bring an important story to people. And, in that, it just shows you how weird the balance of the world is.

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte Figi was only 3 months old when she had her first seizure. It lasted about 30 minutes, and needless to say, it terrified her parents. These seizures continued to happen, and they could last between 2 and 4 hours. She was hospitalized repeatedly, and finally, doctors were able to diagnose her with Dravet Syndrome: a type of epilepsy unable to be controlled by medication.



And, in spite of all these, Charlotte still developed fairly normally; talking and walking at an adequate pace.



But, as the seizures got worse, she started to decline, cognitively, at the age of 2. That's when she was further diagnosed with an SCN1A gene mutation (the bad kind, not the Jean Grey kind), making this the worst case scenario for poor Charlotte.



Charlotte's parents tried all sorts of drugs, diets, and treatments, but to no avail. Charlotte's seizures could not be kept at bay. That's when they decided to take an alternative route.



While Charlotte's parents had initially been staunchy against the use of medicinal marijuana, stories of the drug helping kids with Dravet, in other parts of the country, might have changed their minds. Especially now that Charlotte had lost the ability to talk, and walk, and eat; they thought it might be worth a shot. Or a toke.



However, the family was terrified to use a federally illegal drug substance to treat their child, the stunning results quickly removed their qualms. The seizures stopped almost immediately!!! The seizures which, at their worst were occurring 300 times a week, had now stopped for 7 days!!!

The supply of medicinal marijuana was running low. Charlotte's mother then heard about the Stanley brothers, one of Colorado's largest marijuana growers, and dispensary owners.



These guys were crossbreeding a strain of marijuana low in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (which, of course, causes the psychoactivity), and high in cannabidiol, or CBD (which has all the good, medical properties while not having any of the psychoactive stuff). Paraphrasing, a weed high in healing properties, but low in high-ling properties, if you will.



Now, with the purpose for this strain of weed, the brothers started the Realm of Caring Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides cannabis to adults and children suffering from an array of diseases. More and more people have since started using the marijuana strain, which is now called Charlotte's Web (possibly because it has helped Charlotte so much).



Charlotte is growing and learning more everyday, and is now down to only 2 or 3 seizures a month, and mostly in her sleep; which is pretty good for a disease that was declared untreatable by medication.