Day's Headlines: Fighting Death; Taking Advantage of the Dead; N.C. Stares Down U.S.; Anti-Culture; Presidential Prayer and Folly; Killing Baby Softly; Iran Calls for Anti-Isreal Unity; Texan IED; Legion vs Banks; Human Anti-Cancer Antibody; "No, I'm Earth!"; and Viv

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Fighting Death; Taking Advantage of the Dead; N.C. Stares Down U.S.; Anti-Culture; Presidential Prayer and Folly; Killing Baby Softly; Iran Calls for Anti-Isreal Unity; Texan IED; Legion vs Banks; Human Anti-Cancer Antibody; "No, I'm Earth!"; and Viv

Today starts creepy (testing on clinically dead) and ends sad (Utah requires painkillers for some babies before aborting them). There's also the fight between North Carolina and the Federal Government, and the President's disjointed reality when it comes to religious freedom and prayer.


Death

Dead could be brought 'back to life' in groundbreaking project telegraph.co.uk

A biotech company in the US has been granted ethical permission to recruit 20 patients who have been declared clinically dead from a traumatic brain injury, to test whether parts of their central nervous system can be brought back to life.

Crime

Fraudsters 'using the dead' in mortgage scam bbc

Cases are increasing of thieves using the identities of people who have just died to make mortgage applications to lenders, Experian said.

More commonly, fraudsters mimic solicitors to trick buyers into putting a deposit into the thieves' account.

Society

North Carolina leaders denounce federal threat on LGBT law sfgate

"This is no longer just a North Carolina issue, because this conclusion by the Department of Justice impacts every state," [Govenor] McCrory said.

See also The U.S. Just Threw Down the Hammer Over North Carolina’s Transgender Bathroom Law v

THE RISE OF THE ANTI-CULTURE firstthings

Of course, for those saps who use the word ‘culture’ but really mean ‘pop culture’ and therefore assume that a posturing Lady Gaga or the ‘artistic contributions' of some slack-jawed twenty-something with ill-fitting trousers, a pair of over-priced sneakers, and a recording contract qualify as examples of such, then yes, we do still have culture of a sort. But if we define it as the elaborate structures and materials built in to the very fabric of society for the refinement and transmission of its beliefs and its forms of life from generation to generation, connecting past, present, and future, then we really have none. None at all.

Sobering thoughts by Carl Trueman on engaging a culture when there no longer remains one to engage.

Presidential Proclamation -- National Day of Prayer, 2016 whitehouse.gov

Each of us is an author in our collective American story, and in participating in our national discourse to address some of our Nation's greatest challenges, we are reminded of the blessing we have to live in a land where we are able to freely express the beliefs we hold in our hearts. The United States will continue to stand up for those around the world who are subject to fear or violence because of their religion or beliefs. As a Nation free to practice our faith as we choose, we must remember those around the world who are not afforded this freedom, and we must recommit to building a society where all can enjoy this liberty and live their lives in peace and dignity.

Abortion

When Can Fetuses Feel Pain? Utah Abortion Law and Doctors Are at Odds nytimes

Starting later this month, women in Utah seeking an abortion 20 weeks or more into a pregnancy will first have to be given anesthesia or painkillers — drugs that are intended not for them, but for the fetus.

Israel

Iran’s Dehqan tells Islamic Jihad head: Unity key to defeating Israel jpost

“The secret of victory over the Zionist regime and the liberation of the Holy al-Quds [Jerusalem] lie in the unity of all Muslims,” Dehqan told Ramadan Shalah in their meeting in Iran on Tuesday, Fars News Agency reported.

Terrorism

Texas Officials Discover IED Beneath Rosebud Bridge hngn

Inside the IED, authorities found flammable liquid, a detonator and shotgun shells, according to Sheriff Parnell McNamara. He stated that the device was designed to blow shrapnel and would have been extremely dangerous had it gone off, which it was capable of doing had they not located and diffused it.

Banking

Hackers vs. banks battle heats up cnbc

Anonymous has launched a 30-day attack against "all central banks" and major financial institutions, the activist-hacking group warned this week, after recent strikes on several major banks around the world by different hackers.

Medical

Researchers develop human-derived antibody that appears to destroy cancer cells foxnews

Researchers extracted the white blood cells from patients who made the antibody, sequenced the antibody genes, and cloned them to make mature antibodies. The antibody was then tested in multiple cancer cell lines, including lung, gastric and breast cancers in lab dishes and in tumors in living mice. Researchers observed that the antibodies inhibited tumor growth without obvious side effects.

Space

Will the Real Earthlike Planets Please Stand Up? phenomena.nationalgeographic

Earlier this week, a string of somewhat breathless news stories reported that three Earthlike exoplanets could be the most likely hosts for life outside the solar system. But that’s not exactly true. There’s a lot we don’t know about these newly revealed planets, and a vast ocean of data that needs gathering before an Earth-size world can make the leap to truly Earthlike. Already, a new study has suggested that two of these planets could be desiccated, parched, and decidedly un-Earthy.

AI

The creators of Siri are now on a mission to destroy it digitaltrends

“Get me a pizza from Pizz’a Chicago near my office,” a Viv engineer spoke into his phone, according to the Washington Post. The nervous tension in the air was cut with Viv’s reply: “Would you like toppings with that?”

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