To many‚ the Voynich Manuscript represents a 600-year-old mystery. The medieval text is filled with bizarre illustrations and is written in a hitherto indecipherable language. But for all its enigmatic features‚ two scholars believe they have solved at least one: the manuscript‚ they argue‚ is at least partially about sex.A weird manuscriptThe manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich‚ an antique bookseller who bought the text in 1912. Ever since then‚ there have been various attempts to decipher its meaning‚ with some suggestions being more plausible than others. Some believe it is a hoax‚ some argue that it is an alchemical text‚ while others have argued that its seemingly unusual language was written by aliens (of course).  The parchment was subjected to radiocarbon dating in 2009‚ which dated it – with 95 percent probability – to the years between 1404 and 1438. This means that that animals whose skins were used to make the pages lived and died around this time.However‚ who made the manuscript remains unknown‚ nor do we know how many hands it passed through before the first identifiable owner. This was Jakub Hoický z Tepence‚ the personal physician to Rudolf II‚ the Holy Roman Emperor. We know this because his name appears on the manuscript but was only identified through ultraviolet light in recent years. This means the manuscript passed between unknown people for over a century.An example of the unusual imagery contained within the Voynich manuscript. This illustration is included in a balneological section of the text.Image credit: Beinecke Rare Book &; Manuscript Library‚ Yale University via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)We do have a better idea of where it was created though. The details on certain illustrations‚ especially architectural features of castles‚ suggest it was made in southern Germany or in northern Italy.It’s about women’s secretsFor some time‚ scholars have wondered whether the Voynich manuscript may have something to do with women and may have been written by women for women. However‚ new research by Keagan Brewer and Michelle L. Lewis suggests it does indeed relate to women‚ but actually contains enciphered information related to sexual matters.They reached this conclusion by examining the work of the Bavarian physician Johann Hartlieb‚ who lived around the same time that the manuscript was created.Hartlieb‚ they explain‚ wrote about plants‚ women‚ magic astronomy‚ and baths‚ but also recommended the use of cyphers to obscure “sensitive information”. In particular‚ he recommended their use when discussing medical recipes and procedures related to contraception‚ abortion‚ and sterility. The main concern for Hartlieb‚ the authors argue‚ was that the free circulation of this information would lead to extramarital sex‚ which would incur God’s wrath.As such‚ we may not have Hartlieb’s original cypher‚ but an examination of his work and his unencrypted writing can yield a lot of information about contemporary attitudes and what may be concealed within the Voynich manuscript.“While the motivations of the Voynich manuscript’s anonymous authors remain a matter for speculation and inference‚” the authors write‚ “examination of the works of physicians from adjacent regions definitively reveals contemporary attitudes towards issues hinted at by the Voynich illustrations.”From his work‚ we can see that Hartlieb resisted or was hesitant to write about topics related to female sexual matters. This included subjects like post-partum vaginal ointments‚ women’s sexual pleasure‚ speculation over unusual births (women giving birth to animals)‚ dietary advice to alter the libido‚ and any information about dangerous compounds that may cause hallucinations and serve as a contraceptive or abortive.Today‚ we may see this level of secrecy and esotericism as suspect‚ but it is perfectly in-keeping with the prevailing attitudes of his day. In fact‚ Hartlieb was not the only one to conceal such information behind cyphers‚ especially anything of a gynecological and sexological nature.Knowledge was not for everyone and especially not for women‚ and yet women were becoming more literate during this period.The Voynich manuscript's secrets unveiled Using this lens‚ Brewer and Lewis examined the Voynich manuscript’s largest illustrations – the Rosettes – and suggested they are a cryptic representation of the contemporary understanding of sex and conception.“The Rosettes‚ the largest and most intricate illustration on the Voynich manuscript‚ has rightly received close attention‚” they write‚ “but its layers of visual symbolism have caused it to be misunderstood until now.”“The elaborate – and deliberate – symbolisms in the Rosettes constitute a form of visual encipherment that has excluded or confused the uninitiated for many centuries.”During the late-medieval period‚ the uterus was thought to have seven chambers as well as two openings to the vagina. The authors contend that the nine circles of the Rosettes represent these chambers and entrances.A castle that appears within the Rosette illustration may related to a German term that could also refer to female genitalia.Image credit: Trackler/Beinecke Rare Book &; Manuscript Library‚ Yale University via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).According to Abu Bakr Al-Razi‚ one of the most influential figures in the history of medieval medicine as well as Islamic tradition‚ virgins had five small veins in their vaginas. The authors believe these five veins are visible on the top left circle of the Rosettes and running towards the centre.Another coded idea appears in the form of two horn-like protrusions on the top right and bottom right of the circles. These horns‚ they maintain‚ match contemporary beliefs that the uterus had two horns on its sides.It is also possible that the castle that appears on the illustration may be a form of word play‚ where the German word schloss could refer to a “castle” or “lock”‚ but also female genitalia and “female pelvis”.If they are right‚ then this adds a great deal to our understanding of this mysterious manuscript and shows that‚ in order to decipher it‚ we need to pay closer attention to the wider context of late medieval thinking.As the writers conclude: “Overall‚ we infer that the creators of the manuscript‚ like Hartlieb‚ felt a mixture of passionate fascination and abject horror at the taboo subject matters collectively referred to as women’s secrets.”“What we hope to have demonstrated in this paper is that amid the abundance of gynaecological and sexological writing drawn up in late-medieval Europe‚ there were large numbers of medical writers and readers who considered ‘women’s secrets’‚ or diverse aspects thereof‚ worthy of obscuration‚ sometimes in addition to other subjects such as alchemy‚ magic‚ and demons.”The study is published in the journal Social History of Medicine.

In the jungles of Indonesia‚ a camera trap has captured footage of a Javan rhinoceros calf‚ one of the rarest and most threatened large mammals on planet Earth.Spotted alongside its mother‚ the Javan rhino calf was spotted in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park on the morning of March 4‚ 2024. The calf is estimated to be between 3 to 5 months old‚ but little else is known about the individual – it's not even certain whether it is male or female yet. The video (below) follows previous sightings in 2022 and 2023 that each showed other new Javan rhino calves‚ suggesting the troubled species is perhaps not as doomed as once thought. &;quot;Ahamdullilah [praise be to God]‚ this is good news and proves that the Javan rhino in the world‚ which only exists in Ujung Kulon‚ can develop well and sustainably‚&;quot; Satyawan Pudyatmoko‚ Director General of the Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE)‚ said in a statement.While this is promising evidence that the population is reproducing‚ Pudyatmoko goes on to say that we should not be “lulled by the joy of finding this birth.”“We and all parties who assist in efforts to preserve the Javan rhino must not be careless and always anticipate any threats that might occur‚&;quot; he added.              The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the five remaining rhinoceros species currently on Earth‚ known for the relatively short and stumpy horns found only on males.They are listed as critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN Red List. Until the past few centuries‚ the species could be found throughout Java and Sumatra‚ as well as the mainland of Southeast Asia‚ East India‚ Bhutan‚ and the south of China. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries the rhinos were prolifically hunted for their horns‚ which were prized as hunting trophies and used in traditional medicine. Now‚ under 100 individuals are left‚ all of which live within Ujung Kulon National Park on the far western tip of Java‚ Indonesia.Although heavily protected‚ the remaining population faces a myriad of problems. Along with continued habitat destruction and the ever-present threat of poaching‚ the region is vulnerable to tsunamis and eruptions of the nearby Anak Krakatau volcano. Their extremely limited population means Javan rhinoceros have a very low genetic diversity within the species. There are also significantly fewer females than males‚ raising further doubt whether the species could support a robust‚ sustainable population. While news of fresh life is always a boon‚ the Javan rhino isn’t out of the woods yet. 

Inside your chest is a gnarly-looking‚ asymmetrical lump of muscle that is devoid of emotion and horrifically unromantic. Despite this‚ we persist in using an anatomically incorrect “heart” shape to depict the coronary organ‚ which we erroneously imbue with sentimental characteristics.Exactly where this scallop-shaped cliche originates is not entirely certain‚ although the authors of a new study have attempted to figure out when the abomination began circulating. Looking back to times of yore‚ they suggest that ancient Greek philosophers may have been the first to associate the ticker with emotions‚ citing Aristotle as one of the main culprits.According to Dutch neurosurgeon and author Pierre Vinken‚ the earliest illustration of the classic heart-shaped symbol appeared in a 13th-century text and may have been inspired by Aristotle’s off-beat description of the organ. Other sources suggest that the classic heart logo represents the leaf of a now-extinct species of giant fennel called silphium‚ which once grew along the North African coast and was used as a form of birth control by the ancient Greeks and Romans.Regardless of how the image was first pumped out‚ the study authors bluntly remark that “the universally depicted symbol of the heart does not look anything like an actual human heart. However‚ no one cares‚ since the use of the present symbol of the heart is limited to express the idea of the ‘heart’ in its metaphorical sense as the core of emotion‚ affection‚ and love.”Nothing says &;quot;I love you&;quot; like a heart.Image credit: Martyshova Maria/Shutterstock.comThey go on to explain that the symbol became widespread in the 15th and 16th centuries‚ although it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that scientists finally realized that the simplified shape may actually be grounded in anatomical fact. Indeed‚ the first replicas of the coronary arterial system were created in the 1950s‚ when plastics were injected into the aorta of dead people‚ producing casts that‚ surprisingly‚ “resembled the iconic shape of the heart.”A few decades later‚ the development of new techniques involving the injection of contrast dyes into the coronary arteries revealed just how accurate the traditional heart shape really is. “By injecting at the same time both right and left coronary arteries‚ the entire coronary arterial circulation can be visualized‚” write the researchers. “Contemporaneous visualization of the right and left coronary trees form the exact shape of what we have been used to recognise as ‘the human heart’.”These observations therefore beg the question as to whether ancient anatomists had somehow glimpsed this pattern thousands of years before it was revealed by modern science. Speculating about this possibility‚ the study authors wonder whether these early scholars had produced similar post-mortem casts of the coronary arteries‚ using more rudimentary materials such as plaster instead of plastic.Admitting that their theory is highly conjectural‚ they nonetheless propose that it may be “the most plausible hypothesis to explain the exact correspondence of our images with the old standing archetypal image of the heart.”The study has been published in the Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine.

In the first episode of Amazon's new TV series Fallout‚ one of the main characters – played by Walton Goggins – mentions a &;quot;rule of thumb&;quot; about nuclear blasts.According to the character known as The Ghoul‚ during military training he was taught that if you extend your arm and raise your thumb in the direction of the blast‚ you can determine whether you are going to survive it. The rule‚ apparently believed by some Americans‚ says that if the mushroom cloud is smaller than your thumb you will be safe from the radioactive fallout‚ but if the mushroom cloud is bigger than your thumb you won't be so fortunate.While giving a big old thumbs up to a mushroom cloud will probably raise a few questions with fellow survivors‚ is it worth doing anyway&;#63; There has been a little in the way of research into the idea‚ thanks to the Fallout series of video games‚ which captured the attention of undergraduate physicists at the University of Leicester. They had heard the (erroneous) rumor that Vault Boy‚ the series' mascot‚ is doing a cheery thumbs up as a nod to the thumb rule‚ and wanted to see if the rule had any merit.The team looked at smaller blasts that matched with the series setting‚ choosing a blast of 15 kilotons‚ the size of the blast created when the US dropped &;quot;Little Boy&;quot; on Hiroshima. The team first tried to look at how far you would have to be from the mushroom cloud for your thumb to cover the blast‚ concluding that would be around 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles).&;quot;Assuming the detonation occurred on the ground‚ the radius for avoiding all burns is 4.67 km [2.9 miles] away from the blast centre and the radius for radiation sickness symptoms is 1.56 km [0.97 miles]‚&;quot; the team wrote in their paper. &;quot;This would mean that you would be safe from the initial blast effects of radiation and burns.&;quot;But‚ given that you have just witnessed a nearby nuclear blast‚ that by no means makes you safe (even before you start to worry about nuclear winter). Your main concern should be the wind carrying the radiation towards you.&;quot;Assuming an average wind speed of 24 kmh-1 the fallout would reach you within approximately half an hour if you were to be standing directly upwind.&;quot;Get caught in this wind‚ and you will receive enough rads to get radiation sickness. But using a second rule – run like hell – you may be able to reduce your dose.&;quot;This investigation showed that if a 15 kiloton nuclear bomb was to detonate‚ and your thumb extended at an arm’s length just covered the blast‚ you could survive most negative radiation effects by running laterally to the direction of the wind for a minimum of 1.65 km [1 mile] in half an hour given that you are standing directly upwind to the blast‚&;quot; the team concluded.However‚ this is only for a blast far smaller than the weapons the world possesses today‚ and even with smaller blasts the rule is unlikely to be helpful given the radiation released into the upper atmosphere‚ and the unpredictability of the wind. The executive director of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors in Frankfort‚ Kentucky‚ Ruth McBurney‚ told Inverse that “shelter is the preferable strategy if you think you may be in an area where fallout may be present or approaching.&;quot;Further strategies have suggested sheltering temporarily in whatever is available‚ before moving to better nearby shelters around half an hour after the blast. Of course‚ there are official guidelines on what you should do during a blast‚ which can be summarized as get inside and away from windows‚ stay inside and wash‚ and await further instructions. While you are doing so‚ for the love of all that is holy‚ make sure you do not condition your hair.

A team of researchers say they have found the &;quot;strongest statistical evidence yet that Planet 9 is really out there&;quot; in the solar system after studying a population of distant‚ unstable objects that cross Neptune's orbit.When it comes to discovering planets‚ finding them around other stars is actually a little easier than locating them around our own. Astronomers can watch for dips in light as planets pass their host star and block the light reaching our telescopes on Earth or in space‚ known as the &;quot;transit method&;quot;; or by observing the wobble of a star caused by planets orbiting it and the knock-on effect that has. Through these methods‚ and a few others‚ we have discovered thousands of exoplanets in the last few decades‚ while the number of planets in our solar system has remained at eight. Discovering planets around our own sun has relied on two methods: seeing them in the sky‚ and observing slight disturbances in the orbits of other objects. Venus‚ Mercury‚ Saturn‚ Jupiter‚ and Mars were all found through visual sightings. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel after he noticed a bright object had moved compared to other stars in a survey and took a closer look. Neptune was discovered when astronomer and mathematician Urbain Le Verrier noticed that Uranus's orbit was different from the orbit predicted by Newtonian physics. He realized that this could be explained by another planet beyond Uranus affecting its orbit‚ and predicted where this planet would be.But our discovery of planets within the solar system might not yet be over. In 2015‚ two astronomers from Caltech presented evidence that six objects past the orbit of Neptune were bunched together in a way that suggested they were being &;quot;herded&;quot; by something with a large gravitational pull. Despite suggestions the planet could be due to a statistical anomaly and selection bias‚ the team believes the objects could be moving due to the influence of a large object beyond Neptune's orbit. In a new paper‚ the team looked at long-period objects that crossed the path of Neptune's orbit‚ finding that their closest point of orbit to the sun was around 15-30 astronomical units (AU)‚ with one AU being the distance between the sun and the Earth.           IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Carrying out simulations to try and discover what best explains the orbits of these objects‚ the team found that a model that includes a massive planet beyond the region of Neptune explained the steady state of these objects much better than in simulations where planet 9 was not included. In the model‚ the team included other variables‚ such as the galactic tide and the gravitational influence of passing stars.          IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Though this is intriguing‚ the analysis does not narrow down where to look for such a planet. Thankfully‚ we might not have too long to wait on that front.&;quot;Excitingly‚ the dynamics described here‚ along with all other lines of evidence for Planet 9‚ will soon face a rigorous test with the operational commencement of the Vera Rubin Observatory‚&;quot; the team concluded. &;quot;This upcoming phase of exploration promises to provide critical insights into the mysteries of our solar system’s outer reaches.&;quot;The paper is posted on the pre-print server arXiv and has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Congressional correspondent Annie Karni got snarky against Republicans (and‚ perhaps‚ some of her fellow reporters&;#63;) in Sunday’s New York Times‚ after House Speaker Mike Johnson received some backhanded praise from some quarters of the media/Democratic alliance for pushing a military aid bill for Ukraine through: “Mike Johnson‚ Like Pence‚ Does What Passes for Brave in Today’s GOP: His Job.” The accolades directed at Speaker Mike Johnson in recent days for finally defying the right wing of his party and allowing an aid bill for Ukraine to move through the House might have seemed a tad excessive. After all‚ a speaker’s entire job is to move legislation through the House‚ and as Saturday’s vote to pass the bill demonstrated‚ the Ukraine measure had overwhelming support. But Mr. Johnson’s feat was not so different from that of another embattled Republican who faced a difficult choice under immense pressure from hard-right Republicans and was saluted as a hero for simply doing his job: former Vice President Mike Pence. When Mr. Pence refused former President Donald J. Trump’s demands that he overturn the 2020 election results as he presided over the electoral vote count by Congress on Jan. 6‚ 2021 -- even as an angry mob with baseball bats and pepper spray invaded the Capitol and chanted “hang Mike Pence” -- the normally unremarkable act of performing the duties in a vice president’s job description was hailed as courageous. Mr. Pence and now Mr. Johnson represent the most high-profile examples of a stark political reality: In today’s Republican Party‚ subsumed by Mr. Trump‚ taking the norm-preserving‚ consensus-driven path can spell the end of your political career. Karni brought her paper’s hostile labeling pattern with her. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Pence‚ both mild-mannered‚ extremely conservative evangelical Christians who have put their faith at the center of their politics‚ occupy a similar space in their party. They have both gone through contortions to accommodate Mr. Trump and the forces he unleashed in their party‚ which in turn have ultimately come after them….Mr. Pence has been offering Mr. Johnson private encouragement in recent weeks‚ as he faced growing discontent from the far right. Karni saved space for Ukraine president and media hero Zelensky praising Johnson “for the decision that keeps history on the right track‚” but instantly pivoted with “Not everyone was eager to pile on the kudos‚” citing a Democrat who aired criticism precisely like Karni’s. “I’m so glad Republicans finally realize the gravity of the situation and the urgency with which we must act‚” Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts‚ the top Democrat on the Rules Committee‚ said on Friday as the House was about to take a vote to clear the way for the bill. “But you don’t get an award around here for doing your damn job.” Karni got the scoop from The View’s allegedly Republican co-host. Alyssa Farah Griffin‚ a former top aide in the Trump administration‚ was lukewarm‚ at best‚ in her praise for Mr. Johnson‚ who she noted had dithered for months before moving ahead on Ukraine aid‚ even though it was clear there was a broad consensus that the aid was critical. “It’s remarkable that this is being viewed as a brave or heroic move -- simply putting a bill on the House floor for a vote that has bipartisan support to pass‚” she said. “In the period of time that Johnson waffled over whether to even allow a vote on it or not‚ Ukraine lost ground and Ukrainians were killed by Russians.” Alyssa Farah served with Trump for almost his entire term‚ and then quickly became a high-paid host on The View. Why is she the &;quot;bravery&;quot; judge&;#63; But the Times just did a puff piece on her.  Even after Johnson did what the Democrats (who waved Ukrainian flags on the House floor) wanted‚ Karni didn’t pause from her petulance. Even after his impassioned comments‚ he hesitated before releasing the text of the bills‚ prompting Democrats to worry that his indecision and desire to appeal to the far right would again win out.

Soccer icon David Beckham is suing actor Mark Wahlberg through their companies‚ alleging that Beckham lost millions due to poor business conduct by Wahlberg's fitness studio brand.Beckham's DB Ventures Ltd. reportedly began its lawsuit against fitness chain F45 Training Holdings in 2022 — which is part-owned by Wahlberg — after Beckham was working as the company's global ambassador.Beckham alleged that he was misled when he began working with the company‚ according to the Independent‚ which eventually led to him losing £8.5 million‚ the equivalent to $10.5 million USD. The alleged &;quot;fraudulent conduct&;quot; happened when Beckham was reportedly promised stocks but did not get them until months later after the price of shares tanked from around $12 to about $3.In May 2023‚ Yahoo reported that the company had been notified by the NYSE that it was not complying with its listing standards. In August 2023‚ F45 Training Holdings announced it had delisted itself from the New York Stock Exchange after the 75% price drop‚ the Sun noted.Wahlberg and his codefendants said that the allegations of fraudulent conduct were baseless‚ and they had asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.The motion to dismiss reportedly claimed that the Beckham group blamed others for its mistakes and said the &;quot;209-page‚ 610-paragraph SAC [complaint] tries to make up with length what it lacks in merit.&;quot; According to TMZ‚ David Beckham has filed a lawsuit against Mark Wahlberg's company F5 for $10 MILLION. \n\nBeckham's company‚ DB Ventures Ltd‚ claims that F45 Training &;quot;deceived&;quot; him into signing on with them‚ failing to pay the $10 MILLION that was promised to him. — (@) Beckham had originally teamed up with Australian golfer Greg Norman in 2022 to file a lawsuit worth $20 million for allegedly withheld payments‚ per the Daily Mail. However‚ a judge told the two that they needed to file separate lawsuits. F45 has more than 2‚000 studios worldwide‚ including 1‚000 in the United States and around 500 in Australia‚ as well.Wahlberg became a minority shareholder in the company in 2019 after he purchased a stake through the same investment group that Beckham is suing. As for their friendship‚ the former English- and Spanish-league soccer player became friends with the Hollywood actor after moving to Beverly Hills‚ California‚ with his pop-star wife‚ Victoria‚ in 2007. Wahlberg‚ 52‚ and Beckham‚ 48‚ were neighbors when the soccer player made a shocking transfer to American sports league Major League Soccer.Beckham had made numerous social media posts promoting F45 since becoming its global ambassador‚ but the posts appear to have since been deleted.The company has described itself as a &;quot;life-changing gym&;quot; with &;quot;functional team training‚&;quot; typically displaying group-training sessions with a high-end fitness studio vibe.Current financial data has F45 stock at around 15 cents per share‚ which is actually the highest it has been seen August 2023.Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

The Satanic Temple is outraged that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) doesn't want satanists to counsel students in the Sunshine State.Last week‚ DeSantis signed a new law allowing school districts and charter schools to invite chaplains into schools &;quot;to provide support‚ services‚ and programs to students.&;quot; More than a dozen states now offer similar school programs‚ which have become necessary amid an epidemic of students facing mental health challenges.But at a press conference on Thursday‚ DeSantis said satanists need not apply.&;quot;Now some have said if you do a school chaplain program that somehow you're going to have satanists running around in all our schools. We're not playing those games in Florida. That is not a religion‚&;quot; he said. &;quot;That is not qualifying to be able to participate in this. We're going to be using common sense when it comes to this‚ so you don't have to worry about that.&;quot; — (@) Despite claiming not to worship satan‚ the Satanic Temple — which is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt church — took offense to DeSantis' pledge.Lucien Greaves‚ co-founder of TST‚ said: Despite DeSantis's contempt for religious liberty‚ the Constitution guarantees our equal treatment under the law‚ and DeSantis is not at liberty to amend the Constitution by fiat‚ at whim. He just invited Satanic chaplains into public schools‚ whether he likes it or not.Greaves‚ moreover‚ accused DeSantis of &;quot;engaging in empty grandstanding with a complete disregard for the intelligence of the people of Florida.&;quot; Greaves is challenging DeSantis to a public debate on the issue.But will satanists serve as 'chaplains' in schools&;#63;Probably not.First‚ the program is completely voluntary‚ both for school districts and parents. Satanic &;quot;chaplains&;quot; are not going to waltz into schools and start offering their &;quot;counseling.&;quot;Second‚ the law requires &;quot;parental consent before a student participates in or receives supports‚ services‚ and programs provided by a volunteer school chaplain.&;quot; Part of the consent process includes parents selecting a volunteer school chaplain from a list that each school district provides parents. That list must include the chaplain's religious affiliation. How many parents would actually select a satanic chaplain to help their student&;#63; The answer is likely zero.Still‚ the law does not prohibit satanic chaplains or chaplains of any religious affiliation from volunteering for the program. Chaplains simply need to meet background screening requirements before being allowed to volunteer their services.Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

Just three months after the Golden Bachelor – 72-year-old Gerry Turner – wed contestant Theresa Nist‚ the two are already calling it quits. While Allie Beth Stuckey “knew from the beginning it shouldn’t have been Theresa‚” she still thinks the couple needs to just “ride it out.” But apparently‚ the two think that divorce is the answer that will lead to their individual happiness. In a strange &;quot;Good Morning America&;quot; interview‚ Gerry and Theresa announced the following: “We’ve kinda come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage‚” Gerry said. “Get a divorce three months after getting married&;#63;” the shocked host retorted. “Yes‚” the duo confirmed. “I think we just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to live apart.” “So what they found out after they got married on television in January after a whirlwind romance through the ‘Golden Bachelor’ is that they don't like each other – that’s it‚” sighs Allie. “You don't like each other; you don't love each other; you weren't willing to put the work in.” Not only does the death of the their short-lived marriage prove that “it wasn’t real‚” but it also is likely to discourage the same people whose hopes of finding love in their elderly years were elevated as a result of the show. “You are showing people this romance that everyone thought was real‚ that everyone thought was sincere and so wonderful‚ that people who the world may have counted out as past their prime can date and fall in love … it wasn't real‚” criticizes Allie‚ adding that “maybe you had some feelings for each other‚ but you didn't have that kind of real‚ solid‚ sacrificial‚ commitment-level love if the marriage is already quote-unquote dissolving.” But perhaps there’s another reason the marriage didn’t work out. “Or they're just very superficial people‚ and nothing went actually wrong after marriage and … they were just used to living by themselves and they realized‚ ‘okay‚ we don't really want to do this‚”’ she continues. “Also I feel like when marriages end this quickly‚ it's like one person ended up being way different than the other person thought … I will say that Jerry had a very different background than what was portrayed [on the show].” To hear Allie’s full analysis of the imploded relationship‚ watch the clip below. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey&;#63;To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture‚ news‚ and theology from a Christian‚ conservative perspective‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

A Home Depot in New York recently hired third-party security guards with dogs to patrol its parking lot due to theft and loitering migrants harassing customers‚ the New York Post reported.The Home Depot‚ located in New Rochelle‚ is now guarded by two MSA Security workers wearing bulletproof vests. The men walk the property with a German Shepherd‚ the Post observed Tuesday.One of the guards told the news outlet that Home Depot contracted the company a few weeks ago to address several issues‚ including thieves and loitering migrants.&;quot;It's more about omnipresence‚&;quot; the guard stated. &;quot;It's not like we let [the dog] go bite anyone or anything.&;quot;The presence of the security guards and their K9 has appeared to put an end to the issue‚ the Post observed this week. However‚ just seven miles away at one of Home Depot's Bronx locations‚ 30 male migrants were seen lingering near the doors.According to the Post‚ some of the individuals were day laborers hoping to find work with local contractors. Many of the other migrants were accosting customers‚ attempting to sell them fake Apple AirPods or make tips for helping them move their items into their vehicles.One worker told the news outlet that several women have reported being robbed by the migrants who took their purses and phones.&;quot;You come out and you're a woman by yourself‚ they literally leech onto your wagon‚ and you're like‚ 'No‚ I don't need any help‚'&;quot; the worker said. &;quot;And when they're following you to your car; it's unnerving.&;quot;She told the Post that one day on her way to work‚ she observed roughly 100 men in the parking lot. A shopper told the news outlet that she had a negative encounter with one of the migrants when leaving the store with her husband. Despite the couple's repeated refusal‚ the man insisted on helping them load a couple of boxes and a paint scraper into their vehicle.&;quot;He's still keeps following‚ like on top of us‚&;quot; she explained. The shopper claimed that the man &;quot;put his hand&;quot; on one of the boxes after she refused his help multiple times. She stated that her husband told the man‚ &;quot;Don't touch anything‚&;quot; but he did not stop.&;quot;So I held up my pepper spray‚ and I yelled‚ 'He said don't touch‚'&;quot; she continued. &;quot;And all of a sudden he goes‚ 'Oh‚ you don't have to yell at me.' ... But he started looking like he was getting angry. So we just hurried up and jumped in the car.&;quot;She accused Home Depot's headquarters of &;quot;brush[ing] off&;quot; her complaint. She noted that a regional manager informed her that the company planned to deploy security guards with dogs to two Bronx locations. LaurieAnn Masciocco‚ who works in Home Depot's customer service department‚ told the Post‚ &;quot;It's come to the point where they're invading personal space‚ touching people's belongings‚ just harassing.&;quot;&;quot;I get it‚ you're trying to make a buck. But when it becomes aggressive and harassing there's a major issue‚&;quot; Masciocco added.Even the migrant day laborers searching for construction work are fed up with the assertive solicitors.One Mexican national told the news outlet‚ &;quot;There are a lot of people who have been coming here for a lot of years ... asking people for jobs in construction and if they need help with projects.&;quot;He said the aggressive solicitors impact their ability to find work &;quot;because now people don't want to communicate with us because they're scared.&;quot;&;quot;They confuse us with them‚&;quot; he remarked.One of the migrants who charges customers for assisting them with their items told the Post that he makes approximately $300 per day on tips. Margaret Smith‚ a spokesperson for Home Depot‚ would not confirm whether the company plans to add guards to the Bronx locations. &;quot;While we can't go into specifics about our security measures‚&;quot; she stated‚ &;quot;it's not unusual for us to use third-party security at various stores across the country.&;quot;Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;