Seventh Day Adventist couple jailed for letting their five-month-old son die because they failed to get him medical care due to religious beliefs

The parents of a five-month-old boy who died from rickets after they neglected his care because of their religious beliefs were jailed today.
Seventh Day Adventists Nkosiyapha Kunene, 36, and his wife Virginia, 32, from Erith, Kent, who admitted the manslaughter of their son Ndingeko, received three years and two years, three months' imprisonment respectively. The couple admitted the charge at earlier hearings.
Mr Justice Singh, at the Old Bailey, said: ‘The secular courts of this country apply the secular law of the land. They do so equally to all who come before them. The law respects the right of everyone to freedom of thought and belief.

‘However the right to manifest one's religion is not absolute. It is limited in particular by the rights of others. The state has a particularly important duty to protect the right to life, especially when a young child is concerned.’

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Mr Whittam told Mr Justice Singh at the couple's sentencing hearing that, although their beliefs arose out of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, that church does not approve of medical care being withheld

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‘He was highly regarded in the church,’ counsel said.
A senior figure in the church had said that the couple’s views, as reported to him by police investigating the case, were perhaps the most extreme that he had ever encountered.
Mr Whittam said: ‘The reality is that had rickets been diagnosed earlier, and appropriate treatment given, there could have been a complete recovery, and therefore the death was avoidable.’
Nkosiyapha remains of the view that death was God’s will, counsel said.
Kerim Fuad QC, defending Nkosiyapha Kunene, said: ‘This court will rarely have before it such a gentle, humble and hitherto law-abiding peaceful couple.’
He said his client could be a responsible, adoring and essentially wonderful father. The attraction of a suspended custodial sentence, with a lengthy supervision requirement, was obvious.
‘The loss of their son haunts them, and will do, for the rest of their lives. They don’t expect that pain to pass.’
He added: ‘The covenant he (Nkosiyapha) had sworn with God blinded his objectivity and common sense.’
Nkosiyapha, who was working as a nurse at King’s College Hospital, did not reject medical treatment outright.
‘He simply believes that a large amount of modern medicine is procedural and formulaic. He believes medicines are given to patients without much thought as to whether they are appropriate to a particular case.’

  

6 Things That Might Be Causing Your Belly Fat

What causes belly fat? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones. You don’t have to watch your weight, you eat what you like, you brag about not having to work out, and you shake your head in pity at your chronically-dieting friends.

But if you’re like most people, you are very aware of your weight with its ups and downs, and every time a pair of jeans feels suddenly tighter you know deep down inside they didn’t shrink in the dryer.

Every day we make small choices that make a big difference to your weight. Because we hardly think about these small choices, the weight creeps up until it’s time for a full plan of weight loss action. Instead of waiting until it gets to that point, start spotting these six diet saboteurs that may be slowly but surely adding inches to your waistline.

Uninhibited Weekends

Researchers have found that people eat significantly more on weekends without even noticing it; especially on Saturdays when fat consumption is at its highest. Those extra weekend calories can quickly add up.

To avoid overindulging on the weekends, pay special attention to portion size and limit your alcohol consumption.  Alcohol is full of empty calories and it lowers your inhibitions enough to cause you to eat foods and amounts you wouldn’t normally.

Eating On the Run

Who hasn’t walked and scarfed down lunch at the same time?  When you’re in a hurry the first thing you sacrifice is usually time to sit down to a decent meal.  Eating on the run can cause you to eat too quickly for your body’s hunger and satisfaction signals to keep up.  If you take less than 20 minutes to eat a meal, you could be setting yourself up for cravings and overeating. To avoid this, sit down and slow down before you eat.

Plus-Sized Portions

Over the last 50 years, restaurant portions have grown out of control and so have our weights. We’ve become so used to the huge portion sizes that they seem normal now.  Cook at home instead of eating out and use a smaller plate for your meals.  Remember that half your plate should be filled with vegetables and one fourth with a lean protein.  If you must eat at a restaurant ask for a doggie bag before you eat and pack up the excess portion to avoid digging into too much food.

“Luxury” Coffee Shop Beverages

Your daily coffee supreme with the works from the coffee shop may be adding a significant amount of calories to your diet. Those specialty drinks can cost you about 370 calories and 15 g of fat. Instead, choose a regular coffee with two tablespoons of sugar and you’ll cut about 17,000 calories a year from your diet, which is almost 5 pounds.

A Dieting Mindset

Food is essential to live.  Food is not the enemy, and any diet that tells you otherwise is not good for you. Being stuck in the dieting mindset can cause you to go on a rollercoaster of losing weight just to stop dieting and put it back on.  Yo-yo dieting is bad for your health. It causes your body to slow down your metabolic rate and initiates cravings. To get to and maintain a good weight, you need to follow a balanced and nutritious diet.

Skipping Meals

Skipping meals is another way to wreak havoc on your metabolism.  Your body might store extra fat to prepare for other missed meals.  Instead of skipping meals, eat small nutritious snacks such as a handful of nuts or fiber rich cereal when you can’t get to a complete meal.  Try not to eat after 7 p.m. when your metabolism is at its lowest.

Lee Rigby's murderers dragged from dock shouting 'Allahu akbar' while fighting prison guards in court during sentencing

Violence broke out in the Old Bailey dock this afternoon after Lee Rigby's murderers began hurling abuse at the judge and fighting with prison guards during their sentencing.

Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term, while Michael Adebowale, 22, was jailed for life with a minimum of 45 years - meaning he could be back on the streets by the age of 67.




Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term, while Michael Adebowale, 22, was jailed for life with a minimum of 45 years - meaning he could be back on the streets by the age of 67. In extraordinary scenes, the two Muslim extremists yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and 'You (Britain) and America will never be safe' during their sentencing at the court in Central London. The British-born extremists mowed down Fusilier Rigby in a car before hacking him to death in the street in front of horrified onlookers near Woolwich Barracks in south-east London in May last year. Pictured: Relatives of Rigby arrive at court (bottom right), a sketch of the fighting during sentencing (bottom left), Rigby (centre inset), his widow leaving court (centre), protests by far-right groups outside (top right), and the murderers being driven away in police vans following the sentencing (bottom right).

Sentencing: Murderers Michael Adebolajo, who described himself as a 'soldier of Allah', attempted to decapitate Drummer Rigby while Michael Adebowale hacked at his body in the most appalling crime

Fight: After sentencing began the two killers shouted at Mr Justice Sweeney in protest at his remarks and were pinned to the ground by several security guards and taken back to the cells

Taken away head first: Mr Justice Sweeney was forced to sentence the men in their absence after they were bundled out of the courtroom following their violent outburst

Brave life lost: Lee Rigby was walking innocently along a Woolwich road towards his barracks when he was run down and butchered

                                                              

After sentencing began, the two men shouted at Mr Justice Sweeney in protest at his remarks and were pinned to the ground by several security guards and taken back to the cells.
The judge was forced to sentence the men in their absence after they were bundled out of the courtroom following their violent outburst.
The killers had to be pinned to the ground by nine security guards and Rigby's family began sobbing as they watched the incident in horror, being handed tissues by court staff.

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PHOTOS: 9 Yr Old girl who eats, sleeps and plays with 30 reptiles including an ANACONDA and 12ft PYTHON....says she is "crazy" about SNAKES!

Little Krista Guarino is an expert snake handler despite being just NINE years-old.

The brave schoolgirl lives with a staggering 30 reptiles, including anacondas and a 12ft python at her home in Michigan, America.

She eats, sleeps and plays with the creatures – some of which are twice her size - and held her first snake when she was just TWO.

The plucky schoolgirl has even been bitten a few times but none of the snakes are venomous and Krista claims the bites don't even hurt!

She said: “I’m never afraid of snakes, not even a little bit. I’m crazy for them.”

Krista, the eldest of three children, was first introduced to the animals by dad Jamie, 33, who is a snake specialist.

He said: “Snake was one of her first ever words.

"I knew when she was very little that they were going to be her passion.

“From an early age she wasn’t like a normal kid – she wasn’t afraid of snakes at all.

"She just wants to go up and grab them and pet them and play with them.”

During the summer holidays Krista helps Jamie out at their local reptile house and shows no fear when playing with, training or handling any snake.

She even helps to feed the ALLIGATORS.

The father and daughter team also enjoy weekends searching for rattlesnakes – one of the most dangerous species in the world.

And they upload their hair-raising videos of all their adventures to their SnakeHuntersTV channel on YouTube.

Krista has already set her sights on opening her own reptile zoo when she’s older because she wants to change perceptions about snakes.

She added: “Some people are afraid of snakes and they want to kill them but I think they’re really cool and interesting.

“One day I want to own every kind of reptile in the world.”


Weird indeed! *shivers*





#mirror.co.uk

'12 Years a Slave' Book and Film to be Taught in American High Schools

12 Years a Slave, the story of Solomon Northup's life as a free Black man who was abducted and sold into slavery, will now be taught in American public high schools.

According to Time, the National School Board Association in partnership with New Regency, Penguin Books has announced that the Oscar-nominated film, along with the original 1853 memoir and a study guide will be sent to public high schools across the United States. 

Each school district will be able to decide how and if they will incorporate the material into their curriculum.

Tom Gentzel, executive director of the NSBA, said,"This gives high school teachers a lot of options, so they can decide how they can fit it in with the curricula they're teaching." 

Steve McQueen, the film's director, has been vocal about his desire to have Solomon Northup's story become a part of education around the world. "Since first reading 12 Years a Slave, it has been my dream that this book be taught in schools," said McQueen.

12 Years a Slave is set to be distributed in September.  Talk show host Montel Williams will fund the distribution of the film.

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