New Kind of ‘Designer’ Immune Cells Clear Baby’s Leukemia

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A baby whom doctors thought almost certain to die has been cleared of a previously incurable leukemia in the first human use of an “off-the-shelf” cell therapy from Cellectis that creates designer immune cells.

One-year-old Layla had run out of all other treatment options when doctors at Britain’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) gave her the highly experimental, genetically edited cells in a tiny 1-milliliter intravenous infusion.

Two months later, she was cancer-free and she is now home from hospital, the doctors said at a briefing about her case in London on Wednesday . . .

The gene-edited cell treatment was prepared by scientists at GOSH and University College London (UCL) together with the French biotech firm Cellectis, which is now funding full clinical trials of the therapy due to start next year . . .

Using a gene-editing technology called TALEN, which acts as “molecular scissors,” specific genes are then cut to make the T-cells behave in two specific ways: Firstly, they are rendered invisible to a powerful leukemia drug that would usually kill them and secondly they are reprogrammed to only target and fight against leukemia cells. (Read more from “New Kind of ‘Designer’ Immune Cells Clear Baby’s Leukemia” HERE)

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War on Christmas: Starbucks Red Cups Are Emblematic of the Christian Culture Cleansing of the West

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Now of course, I have no cause to go to Starbucks, although I can happily admit to shoving a Royale with Cheese into my gob after a particularly frivolous night out.

But I did go this morning, after seeing a Facebook post by a colleague of mine pointing out what Starbucks’ newest “Red Cup” looks like. For those unfamiliar: one of Starbucks’ greatest marketing gimmicks is changing the colour of their cups from white to red every Christmas. I myself remember excitedly declaring to an ex-girlfriend how red cups heralded the beginning of Christmas (sorry, Peter Hitchens) . . .

And what I found was deeply disappointing to 17-year-old, macchiato-chugging me. The Red Cups (do I need a trademark symbol after that?) are now an anti-Christmas symbol, with Starbucks declaring their formerly Christmassy cups to be “holiday beverages” and shedding any sign of Christmas from them . . .

I asked Starbucks why, but they just sent me a “factsheet” with their latest flavours and a link to their website where they’ve talked about wanting “to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories” . . .

You can see what’s going on here. More open? You mean, you’re trying not to “offend” anyone. (Read more from “War on Christmas: Starbucks Red Cups Are Emblematic of the Christian Culture Cleansing of the West” HERE)

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Ben Carson Endorses a Pro-Gay, Pro-Abortion Candidate in 2014

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Ben Carson’s wholehearted endorsement of pro-gay-marriage and pro-abortion candidate [was] utterly heart-breaking . . .

As it turns out, Carson is just another Judas who has no problem throwing lip-service to the preborn and to marriage and simultaneously endorsing pro-gay-marriage and pro-abortion candidates for office. He even gave a speech to lobby for Monica Wehby for the U.S. Senate. His justification of his unconscionable endorsement is what is most troubling to me. The GOP, according to Carson, needs to be big enough for pro-abortion Republicans. He doesn’t have a “litmus test” – not even when it comes to the slaughter of innocent babies. Fully aware of her public positions, Monica Wehby, according to Ben Carson, has “a very good value system.”

Ben Carson assures us she’s “personally pro-life”, but, she justifies abortion in cases of rape and incest and for the health of the mother. She goes further and says, “I believe this is a personal decision between a women and her family, not a woman and the federal government.” Isn’t that a justification of all abortion as long as it is a personal decision of the mother? (Read more from “FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Ben Carson Endorses a Pro-Gay, Pro-Abortion Candidate in 2014” HERE)

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Mother of Officer Killed by Drunk-Driving Illegal Alien Reveals the Response She Received After ‘Pleading’ to Meet With White House

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After her police officer son was killed by a drunk-driving illegal immigrant, Mary Anne Mendoza says she has been “pleading” for a meeting with the White House to discuss the politically charged issue of illegal alien criminals.

She said Sunday the White Has responded to her requests with silence.

Mesa, Arizona, police officer Brandon Mendoza was killed in a 2014 head-on collision with a man who was found to be driving intoxicated with a BAC of 0.238 percent and living in the country illegally for decades . . .

Mary Anne Mendoza has since written three letters to President Barack Obama, but has not received any response. She said it’s “disheartening” to see some of the people who actually receive White House invites. (Read more from “Mother of Officer Killed by Drunk-Driving Illegal Alien Reveals the Response She Received After ‘Pleading’ to Meet With White House” HERE)

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Mother Says She Is Taking Legal Action Against Vaccine for ‘Disabling Daughter’

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A mother who claims her daughter suffered “horrendous adverse effects” after receiving the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer has brought legal proceedings.

Fiona Kirby, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, is a member of a parents support group, REGRET (Reaction and Effects of Gardasil Resulting in Extreme Trauma), for those who claim their teenage girls became ill after getting the vaccine.

Ms Kirby, a nurse, is seeking a High Court order for the withdrawal of the license given for the Gardasil HPV vaccine, currently being offered to the parents of 11-16 year old girls as a possible cervical cancer preventative.

An order restraining the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), which monitors health products in Ireland, proceeding with use of Gardasil in any vaccine programme is also sought.

The vaccine has been offered to teenage girls in Ireland since May 2010 as part of the schools vaccination programme and is recommended by the World Health Organsiation. (Read more from “Mother Says She Is Taking Legal Action Against Vaccine for ‘Disabling Daughter'” HERE)

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Feds Force High School Girls to Undress Next to ‘Confused’ NAKED BOYS

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On Monday, the federal government declared itself fit for the madhouse by mandating that a Chicago high school allow a full biological male into the girls’ locker room for all purposes, including nudity. This biological male, the feds determined, was different because he thinks he is a female.

The feds have ruled that the presence of a twig-and-berries in the girls’ locker room has been mandated by Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Yes, ladies and gents and non-cisgenders: it turns out that the battle against sexism enshrined in the ill-written Title IX was actually intended to force underage young women to look at the penises and testicles of mentally ill boys . . .

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights spent almost two years checking out the Township High School District 211 because of the transgender “girl.” He filed a complaint with the feds in 2013 after the school refused “unrestricted access” to the girls’ locker room. The district eventually agreed to allow the boy into the girls’ room so long as he used a privacy curtain while disrobing.

That wasn’t good enough. The feds determined that this still constituted discrimination. Why? As John Knight, director of the alphabet-soup LGBT and AIDS Project at the ACLU, stated, this was “blatant discrimination.” He explained (well, we think it’s a he, unless he identifies differently today):

It’s not voluntary; it’s mandatory for her. It’s one thing to say to all the girls, “You can choose if you want some extra privacy,” but it’s another thing to say, “You, and you alone, must use them.” That sends a pretty strong signal to her that she’s not accepted and the district does not see her as a girl.

(Read more from “Feds Force High School Girls to Undress Next to ‘Confused’ NAKED BOYS” HERE)

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Disgusting: Father Seeks Right to Marry Adopted Son

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Before states across the country began striking down bans on same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court ultimately decided the issue nationwide, some gay couples used adoption laws as a way to gain legal recognition as a family, and the related benefits such as inheritance and hospital visitation rights.

Nino Esposito, a retired teacher, adopted his partner Roland “Drew” Bosee, a former freelance and technical writer, in 2012, after more than 40 years of being a couple.

Now, they’re trying to undo the adoption to get married and a state trial court judge has rejected their request, saying his ability to annul adoptions is generally limited to instances of fraud . . .

The adoption “gave us the most legitimate thing available to us” at the time, said Bosee, 68.

The adoption process Bosee and Esposito went through was not uncommon. Although it is difficult to gather hard numbers, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, a group supporting the couple, says it learned that many couples in states across the country lawfully took advantage of adoption laws in order to protect their relationships. Now these couples seek to marry, but first they must confront state adoption laws that provide no easy path to annulment. (Read more from “Disgusting: Father Seeks Right to Marry Adopted Son” HERE)

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Number of Americans ‘Certain’ About God Falls to a Worrisome Percentage

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The proportion of Americans who say they are “absolutely certain” God exists has dropped sharply from 71 percent to less than two thirds, the Pew Research Center said Tuesday.

The share of US adults who say they believe in God declined from 92 to 89 percent over the same period, from 2007 to 2014, but is still remarkably high compared to other developed countries.

The percentage of Americans who say they pray every day, attend regular services and consider religion very important have also clocked small, but significant declines, the research center said.

The vast majority of Americans, 77 percent of adults, continue to identify with some religious faith, but a growing number are unaffiliated to a particular group, the study found.

Younger Americans are also less religious than their elders. For example, four in 10 of the youngest Millennials say they pray every day, compared to six in 10 Baby Boomers. (Read more from “Number of Americans ‘Certain’ About God Falls to a Worrisome Percentage” HERE)

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Courageous and Risky, Daring Missionary Brings the Gospel to This Suffering People-Group in One of the ‘Most Dangerous Places in the World’

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Victor Marx is an author, speaker, and international child advocate who works with troubled, abused, and trafficked youth all over the world . . .

Recently, he led a team to the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq, where he and his fellow high-risk missionaries spoke with Yazidi men, women, and children who were driven from their homes. Many of them were tortured and their families killed by ISIS.

The Yazidis belong to a religious community that has its own culture. They are not Muslims, nor are they Christians, but they have been viciously attacked by ISIS and driven out of their homes in Northern Iraq, near the Syrian border.

Huge numbers of Yazidis are now living in IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps in Iraq. Countless Yazidi women and girls have been raped and tortured by ISIS fighters.

Marx and his team ministered the love of Christ to the Yazidi victims of ISIS. They also met with members of the Peshmerga, the Kurdish military, who are trying to stop ISIS from advancing further into Kurdish and Iraqi territory. (Read more from “Courageous and Risky, Daring Missionary Brings the Gospel to This Suffering People-Group in One of the ‘Most Dangerous Places in the World'” HERE)

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This Is What a Pharmacy ‘Accidentally’ Gave to Children on Halloween

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A worker at a Canadian pharmacy accidentally gave out out bipolar medication to trick-or-treaters instead of candy, according to a report.

The mix-up unfolded after a woman unknowingly dropped her 17-year-old son’s prescription drugs while on her way out of a Beauport pharmacy.

Another customer picked up the medication — Quetiapine and Divalproex sodium, both of which are used to treat schizophrenia as well as other psychological disorders — and placed it dangerously close to the candy basket on the counter.

“So – unfortunately – we don’t know how – an employee just mixed it with the candy by accident and distributed it to the kids,” a Quebec City police spokesperson told the Daily Star. (Read more from “This Is What a Pharmacy ‘Accidentally’ Gave to Children on Halloween” HERE)

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