Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe, aged 91, is reportedly the world’s oldest head of state. Rumors have circulated for years, however, that he died in the early 1990’s from gonorrhea and was replaced by a body double.

The Kuwaiti Dinar is currently the strongest currency of the world, followed by the Bahraini Dinar and the Omani Riyal.  For a more complete list, see:  http://life-in-saudiarabia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/top-10-strongest-currencies-in-world.html#.VemurspRGUk

In a 1998 New Yorker article about the impeachment of Bill Clinton after his affair with Monica Lewinsky, African-American author and professor Toni Morrison referred to Bill Clinton as America’s first black president:   “…  white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President.  Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime.  After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness:  single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.”

The components in computers and monitors contain many toxic materials which are hazardous for the environment and to human health.

Prescriptions have been free in Scotland since 2011.  According to recent statistics, this cost the NHS Scotland nearly £ 1.2 billion in the past year alone (an increase of 27% over the last 10 years).  The most prescribed drug is Omprazole.  Used for the treatment of an acid stomach and indigestion, more than 3.5 million prescriptions have been written since 2014.  With a population of approximately 5.3 million, this means that more than 65% of Scotland’s residents have received a free prescription for this drug.

Every year, the State of California publishes a list of 500 delinquent taxpayers who owe the state the largest amount of money.  They have discovered that although these taxpayers feel no guilt over their non-payment, many will do so if they fear they will lose credibility with the public.  There are now 28 other states publishing similar lists with successful results.

Beneath Bolivia’s salt flats lies half the world’s supply of lithium, which is critical in the production of robotic technology.

In May 2013, Greece presented Germany with a bill in the amount of $200 billion for WWII reparations and for the repayment of a forced loan Greece gave Germany during the occupation.  Over 250,000 Greeks were killed when the Nazis invaded in April 1941.  Some towns lost every man over the age of 12.  Many Greeks had NOTHING after the Nazis left, and some said even their shoelaces were taken.

Greek billionaire Ari Onassis initially made his fortune selling tobacco to Argentina. He later built up a shipping fleet of freighters and tankers that flew Panamanian flags and sailed tax-free at a lower cost than his competition. Large oil companies such as Texaco, Mobil and Socony signed long-term contacts with him to use his fleet to maximize their profits.  It is also believed that Onassis sold oil and guns to both the Allies and the Axis during WWII, and that both sides protected his fleet.  None of the 360+ Greek ships that sunk during the war belonged to him.  In later years, he increased his fortune in the whaling business where thousands of whales were slaughtered for a huge profit.

Although there are some benefits derived from online computer games, many child psychologists fear they are gradually changing our society. By rewarding violence, vengeance and aggression, criminal activity and disrespect for authority are deemed appropriate.  Children begin to confuse reality and fantasy and may become more susceptible to mind control.  Female characters are also often portrayed as weaker, and while the ability to concentrate is enhanced in short bursts, long term damage may result.

Perhaps one of the most famous of the Roman Emperors, Nero was initially popular with the people.  A chariot car racer, actor, singer and poet, he knew how to gain public affection but later lost their support with his lavish lifestyle, highly controversial personal life and the tortuous crucifixion and burning of Christians.  Accused of killing his mother, poisoning his step-brother and kicking his pregnant wife to death, few know that toward the end of his life he married a castrated freedman named Sporus who supposedly bore a strong resemblance to his wife Sabina. After being declared a pubic enemy by the Senate, he committed suicide in 68 A.D.

One of Hollywood’s major stars in the 1950’s and a former Playboy playmate, model and nightclub entertainer, Jayne Mansfield’s short life was filled with controversy. Despite the roles she played, Jayne reportedly had an IQ of 163, was a linguist, a violinist and lived for a while in a small apartment in Los Angeles with 4 dogs, 3 cats and a rabbit.  She reportedly had a romantic relationship with Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, and became a disciple of his and a practicing High Priestess Satanist. Her signature color was pink.  In 1967, she died in a car crash at the age of 34.

A new branch of the British Military Intelligence known as the MI9 was established in 1939 to train personnel on how to evade capture and/or plan an escape. With the help of escapologist Christopher Hutton (who had worked with Harry Houdini) and former magician Jasper Maskelyn, various escape aids were manufactured and sent to POW camps.  Examples include saw blades hidden in cricket bats, boots with hollowed heels that held knives, small maps printed on playing cards, and music records and the Monopoly board game that hid actual cash inside.

A very controversial tunnel under Mt. Everest (connecting China to Nepal by train) is being proposed. Concerns regarding the environment, worker safety, and border security are some of the issues being discussed now. For more information, see the link below:

There are many countries where a child’s birth (and sometimes even their death) is never registered or recorded.  This means they may not be able to receive health care or an education in the future. But more importantly, this makes them more attractive to sex and labor traffickers and less likely to be found later because there is NO paper trail to prove they ever even existed.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HITLER. It was determined in 2009 that the skull fragment thought to have been Hitler’s belonged to a young woman not believed to be Eva Braun. It has also been revealed that Hitler was highly addicted to a drug called Pervitan. which he later supplied to his soldiers on the front line. Now known as “Hitler’s speed”, this drug is an ingredient found in crystal meth. For more little known facts about Hitler, please click on link below.

David Berg, founder of a religious group called the Children of God, began a method of evangelism in 1976 called “Flirty Fishing”.  Encouraging female members to show God’s love through sexual activity with potential converts, it is reported that over 224,000 people engaged in sex with these women who have since been referred to as Heaven’s Harlots.  The group has been reorganized (now practicing under the name of  The Family International), and current members believe they are soldiers in the spiritual war of good versus evil.

PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.  As the legend goes, the German town of Hamelin was overrun with rodents and hired a rat catcher, the Pied Piper, to lead them into the river with his music. When he completed the task and the town refused to pay him, he returned later to take out his revenge. Dressed in colorful clothing and playing his pipe, he lured 130 children out of the town into a nearby cave where they remained hidden the rest of their life.

BLUE STOCKINGS.  After 79 years and violent riots and protests, female students at Cambridge University in England were finally allowed to graduate in 1948 with the same degrees as men.  Referred to as “Blue Stockings” by their male peers,  the women there fought the beliefs expressed by some men that family life would be affected because “thinking” could affect not only their femininity but their actual menstrual cycle as well.

ASPERGER SYNDROME experts believe that a sensory blackout tent may help with the meltdowns that occur when a child is overwhelmed with too much stimuli. There is also evidence that the hormone melatonin may alleviate sleep disturbances and a potassium supplement and/or ibuprofen can reduce their hypertension and inflammation.

The wife of Church of Scientology leader, David Miscavige, has been missing since 2007. Some have been told she is on a “special project” while others like actress Leah Remini (who filed a missing report 2 years ago) believe Shelly Miscavige is being punished and has been “banished” from the Church. Others speculate she is being hidden at Miscavige’s base outside Los Angeles and is being “re-programmed”. Built to withstand a nuclear holocaust, Tom Cruise and John Travolta are also believed to have bunkers there. One insider in the Church was quoted as saying: “The closer to David Miscavige you get, the harder you’re going to fall….it’s just a matter of time.”

It is estimated that a Norwegian-American serial killer named Belle Gunness may have killed as many as 40 people, including both her husbands and all her children. Also known as Hell’s Belle, it is believed she did this for insurance money and other valuables.  Many of her victims died from poisoning and were later dissected and then buried in the hog pen near her home.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Gunness

The Hatfield and McCoys were two of America’s most famous gangs that battled with each other for decades. Both immigrated from Ireland to the Appalachians, but the affluent Hatfields supported the Confederate south during the Civil War while the working class McCoys were pro-Union. No one knows for sure its origins,  but the violent family feud went on for decades  … and revenge was the name of the game.

Written by Helen Hunt Jackson in 1881, A Century of Dishonor detailed the many broken promises and inequities imposed upon the Native American people by the US government. After its publication, the author sent a copy of her book to every member of Congress hoping to awaken the conscience of the American people. In her cover letter, she included the following quote: “Look upon your hands:  they are stained with the blood of your relations.”

The 2002 biographical film, Catch Me If You Can, was based on the life of Frank Abagnale, an American security consultant known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, and impostor. Claiming to have assumed no fewer than eight identities as an airline pilot, a doctor, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent, and a lawyer, he served less than five years in prison before starting to work for the federal government. He is currently a consultant and paid informant for the FBI.

During the Bum Blockade of 1936, thousands of Dust Bowl refugees displaced by the Great Depression were turned away from California. Known as the “Hobo Hunters”, the Los Angeles Police Dept (consisting of 136 officers) blocked 16 major points into the city by using force, intimidation and arrest. For more information, see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZDMtRDCxI

Referred to as Ireland’s gulags, the former grounds of “mother and baby homes” run by the Bon Secours order of Catholic nuns are being investigated. After a mass grave was discovered of nearly 800 infants and toddlers buried in a septic tank in Tuam (County Galway), the government is now looking into allegations of horrific abuse of these children dating back as far as 1925. There is also evidence that some may have been subjected to vaccine testing and research.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/10887561/Irish-care-home-scandal-grows-amid-allegations-of-vaccine-testing-on-children.html

When Vaclav Havel, the 1st President of the Czech Republic died in 2011, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Madeline Albright attended the funeral to support the former playwright, poet, dissident and politician. Others refused to attend, however, criticizing him for his support of NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia and his humanitarian hypocrisy. In the course of the campaign, NATO launched 2,300 missiles at 990 targets and dropped 14,000 bombs. Thousands of civilians were killed or injured, and more than 40,000 homes damaged or destroyed, in addition to schools, libraries, and hospitals. Many of the casualities were forced to flee the area, including over 200,0000 ethnic Serbs who left their homeland in Kosovo. For more info, please read:  http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/hayden.htm

Constructed in 1901, the Confederate Memorial at Arlington Cemetery was initially constructed to honor the American soldiers who had lost their lives during the Civil War. Today, it remains an important symbol to represent not only those that have sacrificed their lives on behalf of their country but also as a reminder of how many have done it without expectation of recognition or reward.

Lion huntress Melissa Bachman sparked international outrage last year when she posted a picture on social media boasting about killing a magnificent male lion in the Maroi Conservancy in South Africa.  Experts estimate that 90% of the unnatural deaths of lions are due to human poaching.  With only 22,000 lions remaining in the wild (down from 100,000 only 50 years ago), this species could become extinct as early as 2020.

China has one of the largest organ transplant programs in the world, but there are many reports of involuntary organ harvesting from live bodies that have been taken prisoner.  In particular, global human rights activists have been investigating the claims made by members of the persecuted spiritual group Falun Gong. For more information, see: http://investigating.wordpress.com/

The life expectancy rate for the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota Indian reservation in South Dakota is only 45 years old. More than 95% of the population live below the poverty level, and diabetes, tuberculosis and cervical cancer rates are 500% higher than US average. School drop out is over 70% and suicide rate is 3 times higher. “No matter how young, they know about suicide”.  For more info, see:  http://www.backpacksforpineridge.com/Stats_About_Pine_Ridge.html

The Lord’s Resistance Army is a terrorist military group formed in 1987 and headed by Joseph Kony, who claims to be the “spokesperson” of God and a spirit medium.  With origins in Uganda, it has now spread to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan. It’s infamous for murder, torture, rape, mutilation and the abduction of tens of thousands of children who are brainwashed and used as sex slaves and child soldiers.

The 1963 film “The Great Escape”, which starred Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough, was based on a true story about Allied escape-artist prisoners of WWII who escaped from a German Nazi high security concentration camp.

Japanese Kamikaze pilots in WWII were reportedly given high doses of methamphetamine before their suicide missions. Other research has shown that the Nazis developed a cocaine-based stimulant for its front-line fighters that was first tested on concentration camp inmates. See:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1371512/Nazis-fed-speed-infantrymen-tested-cocaine-like-stimulant-concentration-camps.html

According to an Alabama State Department of Public Health Report issued in 1919, approximately 30% of all children in that state had physical and or mental deficiencies.

The inventor and mail-order marketer of the Sea-Monkeys scam (that reached the height of its popularity with children in the 1960’s -1970’s) owned Nazi memorabilia and was a contributing member of the Aryan Nations white supremacist group. Born and raised a Jew, Harold Von Braunhut was once quoted as saying: ‘Hitler wasn’t a bad guy. He just got bad press.”

For the past ten years, Longnecker & Associates has conducted an analysis of the Texas Top Guns (i.e. the CEO’s of the top public companies in Texas). This study includes current compensation trends but also a comparison of 2002 against 2012 to determine how CEO compensation has changed over the past decade.

It has been 20 years since the Rwanda genocide. More than 800,000 people were killed when the extremist radical Hutu government tried to wipe out the minority Tsutsis. Many countries, including United Nations peacekeepers, were criticized for their lack of action during one of the darkest chapters of modern history.

The people of Afghanistan go to the polls tomorrow to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai, who has governed since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Despite a long history of war, poverty, oppression and illiteracy, many are still hopeful that the new regime will bring peace and prosperity to the region.

Considered one of the most spiritual animals, giraffes are not territorial and their loose herds of typically no more than 20 have no leaders. Aggression will occur between the males to win a female, but unlike humans, the winner will not chase the loser out and can co-exist peacefully later.

The Chinese government has recently banned one of its most popular cartoons for children, “Pleasant Sheep and the Big Bad Wolf”. During the run of the 1,000 episode series, it was determined that the sheep in this domestic comedy got boiled 839 times and the grey wolf got hit over the head with a frying pan 1,755 times. Although some parents see this as only entertainment, the majority believe it is too violent and vulgar for children who are easily influenced by what they see on television: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDKjOikELh4

Hired by Abraham Lincoln to run spy operations for the Union Army, the Pinkerton Detective Agency (founded in 1850) pioneered the use of undercover agents and informants.  By 1900, the Agency had 2,000 active agents and more than 30,000 part-time employees, a standing force at the time larger than the US Army.

The surrender of the British to the Japanese in WWII occurred at the former Ford Motor Company in Singapore on February 14, 1942 during a meeting between Lt. General Arthur Percival and General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Soon after, Nissan took over the plant to assemble military vehicles for the Japanese forces.

Topsy-turvy dolls were double ended and traditionally had a black girl on one side and a white girl on the other. Its origins date back to the Civil War, and many historians believe they were first produced for slave children who were forbidden to play with white dolls. When no one was looking, they could turn the doll over.

Like people, animals also have unique and special spirits that differentiate them from the rest of the animal kingdom. For a complete list of their attributes and characteristics, see:  http://www.spiritwalkministry.com/spirit_guides/land_animal_spirits

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852, illustrated the horrors of slavery and helped change the attitudes of Americans who viewed black people as merely “property”. The novel also emphasized that Christian love can eradicate oppression and that women are as intelligent and as strong as men. Stowe based her story on what she witnessed first hand in Kentucky as well as the many former slaves she interviewed, including fugitives she protected and hired later.

Due to the one-child policy and the traditional preference for boys, finding a girlfriend in China is getting harder. Some bachelors have even resorted to “renting” women to pacify their worrying parents.  It is estimated that by the year 2020, there will be 30 million more men of marriageable age than women.

Considered one of the largest and most peaceful gatherings in the world, the Kumbh Mela in India is a festival of faith in which millions make the pilgramage to bathe in the sacred Ganges river. The men below are headed to a holy initiation ceremony where they will cast off self-interest for the common good.

Phenobarbital, a sedative and hypnotic barbiturate, was brought to market in 1912 by the drug company Bayer as the brand Luminal. It was initially used to treat epilepsy but later used by the Nazis in a clandestine program which euthanized disabled children through at least 1943.  At lower dosages, the side effects can include dizziness, drowsiness, memory loss, headache, balance and coordination problems, loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting.

In the current film “12 Years a Slave”, a true story set in pre-Civil War, the slave Patsy was the best worker at the plantation and always picked more cotton than anyone else. But she was humiliated, harassed and severely whipped numerous times at the order of the plantation owner’s wife who was jealous of her husband’s feelings for Patsy.

This Russian palace located in a nature reserve near Sochi is reportedly owned by President Vladimir Putin. Built at a cost of $1 Billion, it is over 20,000 square meters in size and was reportedly paid for with illicit state funds initially targeted for a children’s hospital.

Although China has announced its plans to abolish its notorious labor reform camps, there are still other avenues the government can use to keep citizens quiet, such as black jails, brainwashing classes and other types of arbitrary detentions.

At the urging of Pope Francis, two archbishops of the Slovenia Catholic diocese have resigned after a mutual fund operated by the Church lost more than 800 Million Euros and thousands of faith followers lost their entire investment.

Most psychopaths are not as recognizable as the ones we see in the movies, and many look clean cut and live undetected amongst society. They are charming smooth talkers who lack empathy and have no guilt or remorse for their actions. They are pathological liars who are prone to boredom and often love thrill-seeking adventure and horror.  For more info, see http://www.michelleparsons.com/control-freak-or-psychopath/

Four sisters in Botswana recently won a landmark court case in which they were granted the right to inherit their family home. According to tradition, it was customary for only the sons to inherit, and there is hope now that this case will improve the rights of women all over Africa.

Marine ecologists are very concerned that the sunflower sea star population from Alaska to California have almost completely disappeared in the past few months. They are suffering from a mysterious disease called “wasting syndrome” where they lose their limbs and/or turn into a gelatinous goo. Other varieties on the East Coast have also been dramatically affected. These sea stars are important to the marine eco system because they eat the black mollusks which could now take over (to the detriment of other marine species).

It is believed that former Congressman and Mayor Sonny Bono never died as a result of a skiing accident as reported in 1998. Investigator Bob Fletcher confessed that he sent a report to Bono one month before he died which revealed the activities of high ranking U.S. military and government officials Fletcher claims were raking in millions from arms and drug deals in Central America and Southeast Asia. He believes Bono, who planned to go public with the report, was clubbed to death by hitmen in order to silence him.   He died from massive head injuries, there were no witnesses to his death, and his autopsy was never revealed.

In 2010, the Russian parliament declared that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin personally ordered the 1940 Katyn massacre of over 22,000 Polish officers, religious leaders and elite. For more than half a century, Russians denied responsibility and blamed the Nazi government for the killings. During WWII, Pres. Franklin Roosevelt referred to Stalin as “Uncle Joe”. See http://www.michelleparsons.com/the-rehabilitation-of-joseph-stalin/ 

It’s said all cats have Aspergers because they are intelligent, inquisitive, independent and do not like being told what to do. They also hate change, are accused of being emotionally detached, and have psychic abilities.

Known as the “Killer Twins” , best friends John Scalise and Albert Anselmi were notorious Chicago mobsters who were known for rubbing their bullets with garlic and for the “handshake hit”.  Also referred to as the “Mutt and Jeff of Murder”, they double crossed the Genna’s Mafia Family and joined up with Al Capone. They were investigated for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 but released for lack of evidence. A few months later, they were badly beaten and shot to death.

Studies show that some women use “indirect aggression” to demoralize their competition and take sexual rivals out of the picture. Referred to as “catty” or “mean girl behavior”, examples of this include false rumor spreading, shunning and backstabbing while often pretending to be their best friend.

The planet Saturn is a gas giant made up of 96.3 percent molecular hydrogen, 3.25 percent helium, and minor amounts of methane, In roman mythology, Saturn is the god of Agriculture, but in animal symbolism, Saturn governs snakes, mice, foxes, dragons, and nocturnal birds of prey such as the owl that represent death.

In the 1957 WWII film Bridge on the River Kwai, British prisoners of war are marched into a Japanese prison camp, led by Colonel Nicholson (played by actor Alec Guinness).  As a sign of strength, dignity and defiance, they enter the camp whistling the Colonel Bogey March.  See the following clip:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83bmsluWHZc

Analysts suspect that the weapons displayed by North Korea in recent parades are “fakes”.  Scientists believe the metal is too thin to withstand flight, and there is a lot of speculation now as to how strong their military power really is.

A 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, George Horner, recently made his orchestral debut with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to benefit a foundation dedicated to preserving the work of artists and musicians killed by the Nazis. During the war, Horner played piano and accordion at the Czech Terezin concentration camp to entertain his captors and believes music saved his life.

According to human rights activists, IRAN has one of the world’s worst records for conducting executions without a trial. In 2012, approximately 490 executions took place, of which 58 were held in public.

After the Civil War and until the mid-1960’s, Jim Crow laws were enacted in the Southern States of the former Confederacy to separate Whites from African-Americans. Many Christian ministers taught that “whites were the chosen people, blacks were cursed to be servants and God supported racial segregation.”  For more information, see:   http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has been suspended by Pope Francis for his lavish lifestyle. Known as the “Bishop of Bling”, he reportedly spent over $40 Million on renovations of his residence.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942, President Roosevelt signed an order which removed approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and placed them in camps until the war ended in 1945. More than half were American citizens, but their citizenships were not reinstated until May 20, 1959.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a 1956 film about extraterrestrials who invade a California town and replace human beings with duplicates who appear identical but are devoid of emotion or any sense of individuality. A local doctor who believes his loved ones have been replaced by imposters tries to stop them.