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Efforts to settle the conflict in Syria will be among the themes of the conversations. “This trip is of special importance,” Ushakov believes. He recalled that the Pope, prior to the G20 summit in St Petersburg in September, sent Putin a message in which he actively came out against a use-of-force option for settling the Syrian issue. LINK

A report by the London-based Oxford Research Group found a quarter of children killed in the conflict were shot in small arms fire while seven in 10 were blown up. The ORG recorded a total of 11,420 child deaths – a figure which includes children caught in cross fire, as well as others allegedly targeted by snipers, summarily executed and in some cases, tortured. LINK

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A guillotine was wheeled through the streets, its blade poised above a toy horse’s head. Another horse effigy was mounted on a crucifix. One sign read “Too many taxes = Spanghero,” a reference to the French firm the government said sold horsemeat labeled as beef that made its way through the European food chain, prompting a food scandal earlier this year. LINK

A church hit by thieves is getting help from the community to give away food on Thanksgiving to families in need. Thieves broke into the church’s gymnasium and stole what they could have had for free—food for Thanksgiving. LINK

Sunday’s agreement said Iran and the major powers aimed to reach a final deal that would “involve a mutually defined enrichment program with mutually agreed parameters consistent with practical needs, with agreed limits on scope and level of enrichment activities, capacity, where it is carried out, and stocks of enriched uranium, for a period to be agreed upon.” LINK

In the cruel politics of the Middle East, the partial nuclear agreement between Iran and the world’s six most important powers proves that the West will not go to war with Iran and has no intention – far into the future – of undertaking military action in the region. LINK

“It’s a really big deal,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which filed the lawsuit. “A church currently could pay a minister $50,000 but designate $20,000 of it a housing allowance so that only $30,000 would be taxed as salary.” LINK

Since Nov. 8, 2010, a woman identifying herself as Maria Divine Mercy, a Catholic messenger from God and the Last Prophet, has posted nearly 1,000 messages from Jesus, the Virgin Mary and God the Father on the Website TheWarningSecondComing.com. She has nearly 35,000 international Facebook followers and dozens of worldwide geographically-local Facebook sites.LINK

While any discussion of wearable technology immediately brings to mind visors and watches, a new patent filed by Google’s Motorola Mobility division suggests that the firm is working on an electronic tattoo that will serve as a microphone for various other devices. LINK

A teenage hit man sentenced to three years in prison for beheading four boys in Mexico may be sent to the United States when his sentence ends next month. It’s not known where Edgar Jimenez Lugo’s will head to given that it is likely he would face violent reprisals at his former home in a working-class village south of Mexico City. LINK

One fish, two fish, bad-for-you-fish. Yes fish, no fish, red fish…OK fish? Our oceans have become so depleted of wild fish stocks, and so polluted with industrial contaminants, that trying to figure out the fish that are both safe and sustainable can make your head spin.LINK

Jaro, Leyte, Philippines – “HOMELESS BUT NOT HOPELESS.” This statement reflects the character of resiliency by citizens of typhoon stricken Leyte. And that Ray of Hope was set aglow by the sensational victory of their boxing idol and hero Manny Pacquiao. LINK

A faithful reader sent me a code and asked me to investigate how it ties into the larger scale of things. The specific code sent to me will make any American’s hair stand up on the back of their neck. The code is ICD 9 E 978. LINK