The new law, which the State Senate promised to act on quickly, states that human life begins "at fertilization" and that "unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected."

(Topeka, KS)—The Kansas House of Representatives voted 92-to-31 on Wednesday, March 20, to strengthen protections for unborn babies, just one day after rejecting an amendment to the state's late-term abortion ban that would have allowed abortions after 22 weeks in cases of rape or incest.

The new law, which the State Senate promised to act on quickly, states that human life begins "at fertilization" and that "unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected."

The bill, HB 2253, would ban abortionists from receiving tax breaks and would bar public schools from using sex education materials or teachers that are affiliated with abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

It also includes another provision meant to strengthen current laws preventing student doctors at state schools from using taxpayer-funded time or resources to perform abortions. Additionally, abortionists will now have to disclose additional warnings to patients seeking abortion, including the fact that the procedure has been linked to breast cancer.

On Tuesday, Rep. John Wilson (D-Lawrence) offered an amendment to the bill making an exception to the state's ban on abortions after 22 weeks, allowing them to be performed in cases of rape or incest. His amendment would have also allowed private insurance to pay for elective abortions in such cases, and exempted abortionists from the requirement that they notify parents in writing when a child seeks an abortion if the child claims to be a victim of rape or incest.

The House overwhelmingly rejected that amendment, with some lawmakers noting that state law allows abortion for any reason before 22 weeks.

Source: LifeSiteNews

"Just because we believe that life, all life, is human and worthy of protection at every stage of its development does not make us closed-minded. The people who are actually closed-minded in American politics are the people that love to preach certainty about science with regards to our climate but ignore the absolute fact that science has proven that life begins at conception."

(National Harbor, MD)—LifeSiteNews reports on Senator Marco Rubio's speech at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), held at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in Maryland.(Photo: Marco Rubio/Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Instead of spending most of the speech criticizing the current administration's policies, as other speakers did, Rubio chose to focus on his support for traditional values; including traditional marriage and protecting the unborn.

"Science has proven that life begins at conception," Rubio stated, even going off-script, to the apparent delight of the crowd in attendance.

"Just because we believe that life, all life, is human and worthy of protection at every stage of its development does not make us closed-minded," the senator from Florida continued. "The people who are actually closed-minded in American politics are the people that love to preach certainty about science with regards to our climate but ignore the absolute fact that science has proven that life begins at conception."

Speaking on traditional marriage, Rubio noted the "breakdown of the family" as the root of most of society's problems. He added, "Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in the traditional way does not make me a bigot."

Rubio concluded his speech by stating, "We don't need a new idea. There is an idea—the idea called America—and it still works."

Read the full LifeSiteNews report at the link provided.

Source: Kirsten Andersen – LifeSiteNews.com

Incredible statements made in speech by Bilal Hafeez, Deutsche Bank's global head of FX strategy, says Jesus is perfect role model because of His holiness and unquestionable respect by Europeans.

(Germany)—In a shock speech made recently by Deutsche Bank's global head of FX strategy, Bilal Hafeez, stated that only Jesus Christ can offer a positive "role model" and save the Eurozone from disaster. (Photo:Bloomberg.com)

The excerpt from the speech, as reported in the publication Business Insider, reads:

"Who else has entered the terrible teens? The Euro-Area! It was born in 1999 and so is currently fourteen years old. It has all the hallmarks of teenage angst. It is ridden with internal conflicts, it is groping around for structure, and it is suspicious of authority."

"So who can be a positive role model for the Euro-Area?" he asks. "Well, it cannot be the 'fathers '—Germany or France. It has to be an external figure that all Europeans respect and whose motives and character are beyond dispute. That rules out anyone living, as even the most competent person will make missteps or have something from their past dredged up to undermine them. That leaves us with historical figures whose lives have been laid bare by history." (Photo: Getty Images)

"I can only think of one figure that is respected by most Europeans and has never sinned," he concludes. "Jesus!"

Incredibly, Hafeez goes onto suggest that if everyone lived by the injunction to not be the "first to cast stones unless they were without sin" then the "constant accusations would stop."

Source: Staff – Business Insider

"Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use this gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial infection." Dr. Joshua L. Hood

(St. Louis, MO)—Nanoparticles carrying a toxin found in bee venom can destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while leaving surrounding cells unharmed, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown. The finding is an important step toward developing a vaginal gel that may prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

"Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use this gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial infection," says Joshua L. Hood, MD, PhD, a research instructor in medicine.(Photo by: Luna Calquin)

The study appears in the current issue of Antiviral Therapy.

Bee venom contains a potent toxin called melittin that can poke holes in the protective envelope that surrounds HIV, and other viruses. Large amounts of free melittin can cause a lot of damage. Indeed, in addition to anti-viral therapy, the paper's senior author, Samuel A. Wickline, MD, the J. Russell Hornsby Professor of Biomedical Sciences, has shown melittin-loaded to be effective in killing tumor cells.

The new study shows that melittin loaded onto these nanoparticles does not harm normal cells. That's because Hood added protective bumpers to the nanoparticle surface. When the nanoparticles come into contact with normal cells, which are much larger in size, the particles simply bounce off. HIV, on the other hand, is even smaller than the nanoparticle, so HIV fits between the bumpers and makes contact with the surface of the nanoparticle, the bee toxin awaits.

"Melittin on the nanoparticles fuses with the viral envelope," Hood says. "The melittin forms little pore-like attack complexes and ruptures the envelope, stripping it off the virus."

According to Hood, an advantage of this approach is that the nanoparticle attacks an essential part of the virus' structure. In contrast, most anti-HIV drugs inhibit the virus's ability to replicate. But this anti-replication strategy does nothing to stop initial infection, and some strains of the virus have found ways around these drugs and reproduce anyway.

"We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV," Hood says. "Theoretically, there isn't any way for the virus to adapt to that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane that covers the virus."

Beyond prevention in the form of a vaginal gel, Hood also sees potential for using nanoparticles with melittin as therapy for existing HIV infections, especially those that are drug-resistant. The nanoparticles could be injected intravenously and, in theory, would be able to clear HIV from the blood stream.

"The basic particle that we are using in these experiments was developed many years ago as an artificial blood product," Hood says. "It didn't work very well for delivering oxygen, but it circulates safely in the body and gives us a nice platform that we can adapt to fight different kinds of infections."

Since melittin attacks double-layered membranes indiscriminately, this concept is not limited to HIV. Many viruses, including hepatitis B and C, rely on the same kind of protective envelope and would be vulnerable to melittin-loaded nanoparticles.

While this particular paper does not address contraception, Hood says the gel easily could be adapted to target sperm as well as HIV. But in some cases people may only want the HIV protection.

"We also are looking at this for couples where only one of the partners has HIV, and they want to have a baby," Hood says. "These particles by themselves are actually very safe for sperm, for the same reason they are safe for vaginal cells."

While this work was done in cells in a laboratory environment, Hood and his colleagues say the nanoparticles are easy to manufacture in large enough quantities to supply them for future clinical trials.

Source: Washington University, St. Louis

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" –Psalm 27:1

I think it's important for each of us to be informed on what's going on in the world. But, sometimes that can be pretty frightening.

Things were probably just as alarming at the time the Apostle Paul wrote these words to his young protégé Timothy:

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." -2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) (Photo by: Ronit Geller)

This verse has really been on my mind as I thought about the first few months of this year.

How many of us are plagued at times with fear, in whatever form it may present itself?

Fear prevents us from reaching out to someone else, from communing with the Lord, and from thriving in the joy in which God has designed each of His children to live. (Side note here: joy is not defined by circumstances, which may or may not be favorable—it means being empowered each day by the strength the Lord affords us, namely His joy; see Nehemiah 8:10)

As we look around at the world we live in—as Believers in Jesus Christ—we can't help but notice the mounting persecution against faith on all fronts, and in all places. (Photo by: Lotus Head) 

In many non-Christian nations Believers are imprisoned and worse for their faith; the womb is increasingly under attack everywhere, and ideologies that are derogatory to family values are quickly becoming the norm.

It would be easy to give in to fear.

Except that none of this is a surprise to God. And even in these times, He has equipped us to walk in His love, with hope and faith.

2 Peter 1:3 says, "For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." (AMP)

This morning, looking around the internet at the various headlines; the aforementioned persecution; terrorism; wars and the "powder keg" situations that exist in countries that seem on the verge of war; the natural disasters in just the last 5 years alone and the increasing frequency of asteroids and comets near the Earth . . . (Photo: Guardian.co.uk)

Every generation from the first century till now has thought they must be in "the end times." Perhaps we are, and then again, maybe not.

Whether we are or not isn't as much the issue as knowing and staying close to Jesus—in these times; in every time.

The future may be unsure and unclear but it doesn't have to be filled with fear. 

You can look at current events each day and bring them to the Lord in prayer; interceding for others and then asking for His peace that passes understanding to guard your heart and mind. (Phil.4:6-7)

In this way we, as Believers, can be ready to receive His direction—instead of being so preoccupied with fright, that we can't even move.

In this way we will be able to live—regardless of our situation—in God's power, love and with a sound mind. (Photo: jdshankles.wordpress)

I call this "reading the headlines with Jesus."

As long as "in Him, we live and move and have our being," then nothing can overtake us that He does not allow, and whatever it is we walk through—He is with us in every step.

"Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees . . ." -Hebrews 12:12

". . . For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" –Hebrews 13:5

"Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation." 
–Isaiah 12:2

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." –Hebrews 13:8

Source: Two Cents Worth-blog

"These data add critical information to the debate about the toxicity of chronic daily cannabis smoking." -Dr. Marylin Huesti

Reporter's Note: How many times have we heard youth (and even some adults) say, "Smoking pot is safer than drinking" or, "Better to be a pot-head than an alcoholic." Well, now that Colorado and Washington state have decriminalized smoking marijuana, and with a national push to make the drug legal throughout America, this study—which warns that cannabis can be detected in a person's blood up to a month after intake and causes impaired— will hopefully provide some much-needed scientific ammunition to combat those efforts. -Teresa Neumann

(Washington, DC)—New research appearing online in Clinical Chemistry, the journal of AACC, shows that cannabis can be detected in the blood of daily smokers for a month after last intake. The scientific data in this paper by Bergamaschi et al. can provide real help in the public safety need for a drugged driving policy that reduces the number of drugged driving accidents on the road.

Cannabis is second only to alcohol for causing impaired driving and motor vehicle accidents. In 2009, 12.8% of young adults reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs and in the 2007 National Roadside Survey, more drivers tested positive for drugs than for alcohol. These cannabis smokers had a 10-fold increase in car crash injury compared with infrequent or nonusers after adjustment for blood alcohol concentration. (Photo:planet1051.com/CNN)

In this paper, 30 male chronic daily cannabis smokers resided on a secure research unit for up to 33 days, with daily blood collection. Twenty-seven of 30 participants were THC-positive on admission, with a median (range) concentration of 1.4 µg/L (0.3–6.3). THC decreased gradually with only 1 of 11 participants negative at 26 days; 2 of 5 remained THC-positive (0.3 µg/L) for 30 days.

These results demonstrate, for the first time, that cannabinoids can be detected in blood of chronic daily cannabis smokers during a month of sustained abstinence. This is consistent with the time course of persisting neurocognitive impairment reported in recent studies and suggests that establishment of 'per se' THC legislation might achieve a reduction in motor vehicle injuries and deaths. 

This same type of 'per se' alcohol legislation improved prosecution of drunk drivers and dramatically reduced alcohol-related deaths.

"These data have never been obtained previously due to the cost and difficulty of studying chronic daily cannabis smoking over an extended period," said Dr. Marylin Huestis of the National Institutes of Health and author on the paper. "These data add critical information to the debate about the toxicity of chronic daily cannabis smoking."

Source: American Association for Clinical Chemistry