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A trustee of transgender children's charity Mermaids last night sensationally quit after it emerged he had spoken at an 'academic' conference hosted by an organisation that promotes services to paedophiles. Dr Jacob Breslow, who at the time was a PhD student in gender research at the London School of Economics, presented his research at an event in Baltimore for the American-based B4U-ACT in 2011. B4U-ACT lists its aims as supporting and promoting 'a science-informed understanding about people in our communities with an attraction to children or adolescents' on its own website. Dr Breslow's presentation, titled Sexual Alignment: Critiquing Sexual Orientation,...

Like any savvy investor, I am always on the lookout for signs that the economy may be overheating, that things may be getting a bit frothy. Of particular concern are exotic businesses that pop up at the very end of economic booms, selling products or services that will be the first items struck off the shopping list once things go south. You know what I’m talking about. Fantasy Capo di Tutti Capi camps. Cribbage with the Stars. Falconry Schools for the Blind. Recently, several enterprises matching this general description caught my eye. The Sirens of the Deep Mermaid Camp in...

A group of women have quit their jobs to become permanent mermaids. A community of people in Seattle, Washington, have decided to switch their life on land to live like the sea beings under water permanently, despite being "laughed" at for their lifelong ambition as a child. Caitlin Nielsen - who was a biology graduate - has put her plan into action as she has set up a workshop where she handcrafts silicone tails, which she feels "awkward" when she isn't wearing the attachment. Speaking to The Mirror Online, the 32-year-old said: "When I was in kindergarten and the teacher...

Braving a funding ban put in place by America’s top health agency, some U.S. research centers are moving ahead with attempts to grow human tissue inside pigs and sheep with the goal of creating hearts, livers, or other organs needed for transplants. The effort to incubate organs in farm animals is ethically charged because it involves adding human cells to animal embryos in ways that could blur the line between species. Last September, in a reversal of earlier policy, the National Institutes of Health announced it would not support studies involving such “human-animal chimeras” until it had reviewed the scientific...

In the two-hour CGI Special “Mermaids: The Body Found,” Animal Planet dives deep into the idea that mermaids may have been real, and, even better -- related to humans! “It’s a very radical theory on human evolution, but we have approached an age-old myth and really chased its origins,” Animal Planet honcho Charlie Foley told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “It has been compiled in a way that is very compelling, making us think that mermaids might not just be mythical creatures.” The show unravels mysterious underwater sound recordings and presents a bone-chilling argument for the Aquatic Ape Theory, which suggests...

The United States government has assured its citizens that, much like zombies, mermaids probably do not exist, saying in an official post: “No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found.” “Mermaids — those half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea — are legendary sea creatures,” read the online statement from the National Ocean Service (NOS). The agency, charged with responding to natural hazards, received letters inquiring about the existence of the sea maidens after the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet network broadcast “Mermaids: The Body Found” in May. The show “paints a wildly convincing picture of the existence of mermaids, what...

#mermaids are real, you are closed minded if you think something like that couldn't exist. 🌺🌊— Miranda Comisky (@mirandakittyy) May 27, 2013

No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Mermaids — those half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea — are legendary sea creatures chronicled in maritime cultures since time immemorial. The ancient Greek epic poet Homer wrote of them in The Odyssey. In the ancient Far East, mermaids were the wives of powerful sea-dragons, and served as trusted messengers between their spouses and the emperors on land. The aboriginal people of Australia call mermaids yawkyawks – a name that may refer to their mesmerizing songs. The belief in mermaids may have arisen at the very dawn of our species. Magical...

Locals and tourists in the Israeli town of Kiryat Yam have been flocking to the coast in hopes of glimpsing a creature that most people believe only exist in fairy tales. An alleged mermaid, said to resemble a cross between a fish and a young girl, only appears at sunset. It performs a few tricks for onlookers before disappearing for the night. One of the first people to see the mermaid, Shlomo Cohen, said, "I was with friends when suddenly we saw a woman laying on the sand in a weird way. At first I thought she was just another...

You are probably here because you looked closely at the Starbucks logo and were a little confused about what is depicted on it. Is it a mermaid? What are those things that she is holding up with her hands? Wasn't the logo different before? What's the history of it? I asked those questions myself and did a little bit of digging. My research started with a book that I had, called A Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot. In it there was a chapter about Sirens. Basically, from what I gathered from different sources, including that book, there is a...

PATTAYA, Thailand -- American Mimi Marks won 8,000 dollars, a crown and several other gifts by beating out contestants from around the world to win the Miss International Queen beauty contest for transvestites and transgenders here over the weekend. Blonde Marks pipped Korea's Yu Ri and Thailand's Tiptanlree Rujiranon to win the title in the beauty quest being held for the second time. Contestants from across the world took part in the contest, which selected the most beautiful woman who had been born a man. Miss International Queen organizers said the contest aims to raise awareness of issues facing transvestites...