Israeli Company Claims It Has Created New Technology That Can Destroy Cancerous Tumors

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Blaze. An Israeli company says it has developed a targeted radiation treatment that it claims can cure cancerous tumors.

“This is the first time in the world that you can treat solid tumors with alpha radiation,” Alpha Tau Medical’s CEO Uzi Sofer told the Times of Israel.

The technology called Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy, or DaRT, uses a needle to inject tumors with a radioactive seed that releases a high-energy dose of alpha radiation that destroys the tumor. The healthy tissue surrounding the tumors is left unharmed.

The procedure is minimally invasive and can be performed using local anesthesia in two hours or less, the company said. Sofer told the Times that for superficial tumors it’s much “like going to a dentist.” (Read more from “Israeli Company Claims It Has Created New Technology That Can Destroy Cancerous Tumors” HERE)

_____________________________________________________

Anti-Tumor DaRT Could Point the Way to New Arsenal in Battle Against Cancer

By The Times of Israel. Tel Aviv-based startup Alpha Tau Medical claims it has developed a technology that can cure tumors by injecting them with radioactive material that attacks and destroys the cancer cells. The procedure takes two hours or less and can be performed anywhere, the company says.

In the treatment, called Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy (DaRT), a needle containing radium-224, a radioactive isotope, is inserted into the location of the tumor. Once positioned, it emits alpha particles that have the capacity to exterminate the cancer cells. These particles are known to have the ability to cause irreparable breaks in the DNA of these cells.

The problem with using alpha cells in cancer treatment is that they decay and lose effectiveness very quickly. So the Israeli firm came up with a system that uses a needle armed with radium-224. This needle is injected into the tumor, where it releases the radium. As the radium decays, after about four days, it releases “daughter atoms” that spread within the tumor and emit high-energy alpha particles, which target the cancer cells.

(Read more from “Anti-Tumor DaRT Could Point the Way to New Arsenal in Battle Against Cancer” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

CDC: Year’s Challenges Include ‘Steep and Sustained Increases’ in STDs, Opioid Deaths

/0 Comments/in , /by

The most pressing health threats for Americans in 2018 included “steep and sustained increases in sexually transmitted diseases” and declining overall life expectancy blamed in large part on the opioid crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s year-end roundup also noted that since August the agency has been coordinating with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health as the second-largest ebola outbreak in history sweeps through the region.

The World Health Organization reported last week that battling the ebola outbreak in the DRC “continues to be a complex challenge” as “pockets of community reluctance and the conflict setting continue to obstruct activities in some affected areas.” . . .

CDC also responded to several foodborne illness outbreaks over the year, including E. coli contamination of romaine lettuce that led to nationwide recalls, and formed a task force in November to respond to a marked increase in cases of acute flaccid myelitis — a rare but serious nervous system condition that develops mostly in children after a mild viral infection.

The agency also noted a record-breaking increase in reports of sexually transmitted diseases, including nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. STDs increased for the fourth year in a row, the CDC reported in August, including gonorrhea nearly doubling among men. (Read more from “CDC: Year’s Challenges Include ‘Steep and Sustained Increases’ in STDs, Opioid Deaths” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

10 Vintage Christmas Commercials That Will Pull at Your Heartstrings

/0 Comments/in , /by

Sometimes when a commercial is done just right, it becomes as memorable and loved as any other piece of entertainment. When brands find the sweet spot and can incorporate the right amount of humor, sentimentality, and wit into a spot for a product, the public eats it right up. (No pun intended.)

We went through the archives and found several Christmas commercials from the past few decades. Some of these continue to grace our small screens today, as the companies behind them have come to recognize that we associate these particular commercials with the holidays. Others you might not have seen in a while, but are absolute classics in one way or another. Chances are that you have formed memories not just around old Christmas cartoons and shows, but also around the advertisements that made them possible.

(Read more from “10 Vintage Christmas Commercials That Will Pull at Your Heartstrings” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

This Christmas, Pray for Those Persecuted in the Region of Jesus’ Birth

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Washington Examiner. At Christmastime, writers have in recent years labored to make the nativity into a story about immigrants or refugees. After all, the Holy Family did seek refuge in Egypt.

But there’s little beyond that to justify such a facile comparison. There are Biblical passages about the treatment of strangers and foreigners that fit that topic much better (“for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt”). But the story of Jesus’ birth, if it has any political analog, looks less like a story of migration than a story of political and religious repression by bad governments. It does not resemble America’s civilized politics at all, but sadly it looks a lot like what we see today in the region of the world where Jesus was born.

In the time of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the various secular powers refused to leave them alone. The Romans first saddled the Holy Family with a census designed to maximize tax revenue from their empire. Added to their bureaucratic indifference was the psychopathic, paranoid behavior of the local ruler, who sought to kill the baby Jesus. . .

In the Middle East specifically, roughly half of Syrian Christians have been forced to flee that country since 2011. An estimated 80 percent of Christians have been forced to flee Iraq since 2003. Smaller communities of Christians in Egypt and Libya have been ground between the same two millstones — the violence of fanatics and the indifference or hostility of secular authorities.

Nor are Christians the only religious group suffering persecution in that region. ISIS has been especially murderous toward their fellow Muslims (either those of the wrong sect or those not sufficiently observant) and toward Yazidis. And closer to the vicinity of Jesus’ birth, the visceral hatred of Jews and the total destruction of Israel have become institutionalized as a form of nationalism, to which even some Americans try to lend legitimacy with boycotts and sanctions. (Read more from “This Christmas, Pray for Those Persecuted in the Region of Jesus’ Birth” HERE)
___________________________________________________

This Christmas, Don’t Forget to Pray and Take Action for the Persecuted Christians Around the World

By Fox News. Christmas is a cheerful season in the West. Families and friends gather together, decorate Christmas trees, drink hot chocolate and cherish each other’s company. Most importantly, it is a warm and joyous opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Yet we are lucky in this regard. Tens of millions of Christians around the world are being actively persecuted by authoritarian governments and terrorist groups. This Christmas, we must not forget to pray and take action for the persecuted Church.

Whether it’s the Assyrian community in Iraq or evangelicals in North Korea, many Christians face significant barriers to worshipping Jesus. From China to Iran, believers can be met with death and intense persecution for sharing their faith or celebrating Christmas.

Astonishingly, despite all of these atrocities happening in real time, many in the West remain uninformed about the dangers facing Christian communities worldwide. Many deride articles like this as simplistic paeans to Christian sensibilities. They see Christendom’s dominant status in the West and assume this situation holds worldwide. . .

To this day, Christians remain the most persecuted religious group in the world. Nowhere is this rise in ill-treatment better illustrated than in China. As we have previously highlighted, President Xi perceives Christianity as both a philosophical and political threat to his revisionist agenda. (Read more from “This Christmas, Don’t Forget to Pray and Take Action for the Persecuted Christians Around the World” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Catholic Senior Living Center Bans Residents From Saying ‘Merry Christmas’

/0 Comments/in , /by

A senior living center in Chehalis, Washington has banned its residents from saying “Merry Christmas” or displaying any Christmas cards or decorations with any religious significance in common areas.

The trouble started when the building manager at Providence Place in Chehalis told a Christian resident she could not say “Merry Christmas” or hang Christmas cards with religious symbols on her doorframe because the center receives funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. . .

“Americans don’t lose their constitutionally protected freedom to say ‘Merry Christmas’ or otherwise express their faith just because they live in a facility that accepts government funds,” ADF Senior Counsel Matt Sharp said in a statement. “No HUD rule requires senior living centers that accept federal resources to deny their residents the ability to celebrate Christmas with religious songs and symbols.” . . .

“When decorating the common areas and exterior of your community, think festive not religious,” the letter reads.“Greenery, colored lights, snowmen, and snowflakes all convey the festive atmosphere without alluding to a specific religion.”

In a copy of the letter obtained by The Federalist, Newman specifically claims the ban on religious-themed decor is a directive from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In two subsequent letters sent to residents on December 7 and December 12, two of Providence Place’s directors said that while the nonprofit senior living center is Catholic, it cannot allow residents to display anything that is “specifically religious in nature.” (Read more from “Catholic Senior Living Center Bans Residents From Saying ‘Merry Christmas'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Trump the Disrupter Pivots Back to Trumpism – and the Establishment Freaks Out

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The Americans who voted for Donald Trump wanted a disrupter, and that’s what Santa brought them this Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa. After two years of denying his inner Donald, and under fire from all sides, Trump finally went full Trump. That is, he actually did what he promised, and the establishment lost its collective Schiff.

They really thought this was it for Trump. They thought they finally had him. The GOP just lost the House. The Fed raised interest rates as the market slumped – for totally economic reasons and not to hurt Trump’s chances, and if you say different you are a crazy traitor Russian emoluments treason guy. Ann Coulter was dissing him about the wall so hard he unfollowed her on Twitter. The Mueller festival of elite onanism peaked with the Flynn fiasco.

But when all hell breaks loose, Trump thrives. And he thrives through disruption. He stopped trying to behave – yeah, the last two years was him behaving in an attempt to work with the establishment – and started doing what he said he would do. He went back to disrupting the elite consensus. And that has freaked out the squares.

Trump campaigned on his promise to build a wall. He told Frisco Nancy and Chuck Odd that he would shut down the government if he didn’t get his wall money. The Republican establishment, which does not really want a wall because the GOP corporate donor class doesn’t want to turn off the spigot of cheap foreign peasant labor even though those illegals are all future Democrat voters, led Trump on and on. They put continuing resolution after continuing resolution in front of him, each time promising to really, truly, cross-my-heart-and-hope-you-die fight next time. He gave them a chance. He gave them too many chances. And they expected he’d go along again this time. But conservatives drew the line and Trump realized that he needed to do what he did best to get back inside the ruling class’s decision cycle.

He needed to disrupt, so he kept his promise. He refused to play along with the wall scam anymore. And the gleeful Dem senators singing carols as they expected to get away with another grift ended their serenade with a sad trombone. Now the government is going to shut down, and Trump has zero to lose by holding out. (Read more from “Trump the Disrupter Pivots Back to Trumpism – and the Establishment Freaks Out” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Christmas Witnessing and Blessings

/0 Comments/in , /by

I have made it a habit during the Christmas season to always wish those I encounter in stores and elsewhere a “Merry Christmas”. When someone initially says “Happy Holidays” to me, my response is “and a Merry Christmas to you.” And you know, there has never been a problem. Frequently, the person appears to be relieved that someone is not playing the politically correct game with them, especially if their store bosses have ordered them to say only the pathetic “Happy Holidays.”

Another witness is through outdoor Christmas decorations. For many years we have had a lighted, manger scene in the front of our house surrounded by many lights on our bushes and tree. The old manger was eventually getting damaged by years of winter weather and I found it took several years to find a replacement. They are no longer anywhere near as available as they used to be. My daughter in Virginia finally found a suitable replacement online that I could order.

The new manger scene is larger and more artsy looking, but it does the job in explicitly witnessing to the reality that Christmas is all about the birth of the Christ child and not about blown up, huge, lighted and moving snowmen, Santas, elves and other figures that we see on many front lawns. We have received a lot of compliments on the manger scene, even from strangers and non-Christians.

Last year, a few days before Christmas, I was also blessed to see a large and beautiful angel statue in a Canadian Tire store that had been drastically reduced in price. That angel is not only now part of our nativity scene, but is kept at the front of the house year-round as a sign of the guardian angel of our home. . .

And of course, the most important Christmas witnessing is to be extra kind, patient, charitable and generous to those we meet during the Christmas season and to take every opportunity that is appropriate to refer to the holiness of this great commemoration of the birth of the Savior of the world. Visiting the sick and inviting in the lonely witness to the love of Christ for all of mankind. (Read more from “Christmas Witnessing and Blessings” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Son of President Reagan Has Urgent Warning for Trump Concerning the Border Wall

/0 Comments/in , , /by

By The Blaze. Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, voiced a dire warning to President Donald Trump Thursday, one day before the government temporarily shut down over a budget battle between Republicans and Democrats.

Despite Democrats’ insistence to thwart any and all effort to build a wall on the southern U.S. border, Reagan — who hasn’t always been a Trump supporter — urged Trump to not back down from border security. . .

One of Trump’s central campaign promises was border security and erecting a border wall. However, politics in Washington have proved to be a powerful roadblock to seeing the realization of that promise. (Read more from “Son of President Reagan Has Urgent Warning for Trump Concerning the Border Wall” HERE)
___________________________________________________

Ronald Reagan’s Son Warns Trump About Border Wall

By Daily Wire. The son of former President Ronald Reagan issued a warning for President Donald Trump this week, telling the president that this is his last chance to get the funding that he needs to build the border wall.

“Hey @POTUS in 1986 my father made a deal with the Democrats Amnesty for Border Security my father is still waiting,” Michael Reagan tweeted on Thursday. “U have no choice its now or never. #BuildTheWallNow.”

“The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 allowed any illegal immigrants who had been in the U.S. since 1982 to receive temporary legal status and eventually become eligible for green cards if they learned English,” The Washington Examiner reported. “The legislation also attempted to boost border security by increasing funding for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Border Patrol. … The measure also sought to crack down on illegal immigration by barring employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.”

The number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1986, from approximately 5 million to 11.1 million, according to The Washington Post. . .

(Read more from “Ronald Reagan’s Son Warns Trump About Border Wall” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Teen Cashier Praised for Picking up Struggling Woman’s Grocery Tab

/0 Comments/in , /by

A Texas teenager has gone viral for all the right reasons after a Facebook user caught him paying the grocery bill for a struggling mom.

The 19-year-old cashier, whose name is John Lopez, Jr., was working at the Princeton, Texas Walmart in order to save money for college, according to KTVT-TV.

A customer named Laci Simms, who shared the story on her Facebook, was in Lopez’s line when she noticed that a woman in line in front of her was “in obvious distress about her inability to pay” for her bill. According to Simms, Lopez stepped in and volunteered to pay the woman’s bill himself.

As of the writing of this article, the Facebook post had been shared over 3,000 times.

(Read more from “Teen Cashier Praised for Picking up Struggling Woman’s Grocery Tab” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Lawyer Tallies up All of MacCauley Culkin’s Crimes in ‘Home Alone 2,’ Figures out His Jail Sentence

/0 Comments/in , /by

. . .The anonymous lawyer, known as The Secret Barrister, declares that Kevin, played by MacCauley Culkin, commits numerous crimes, as do his parents and others in the movie.

The lawyer lays the ground rules, saying he or she will consider “how the adventures of Kevin McAllister might have been different had he, his family and his adversaries been subject to the jurisdiction of the law of England and Wales.” He follows with a brief synopsis of the plot: “In Home Alone, Kevin’s family flew to Paris for Christmas and forgot him. Oops.”

(Read more from “Lawyer Tallies up All of MacCauley Culkin’s Crimes in ‘Home Alone 2,’ Figures out His Jail Sentence” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.