US church splits over sexuality

"However, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has warned the two parishes that they do not own their church property"

I find this interesting as one would assume that any true Christian would respect those whom we might disagree with, but clearly in this case the episcopal church is thinking of money. Possibly revealing their true colours. Makes one think!

US scientists reject interference

Some 10,000 US researchers have signed a statement protesting about political interference in the scientific process.
The Union said is was hopeful that the new Congress taking office in January would show a greater commitment to protecting the integrity of the scientific process.

Good science is always good, the problem is that the scientist talk and act as thought they have no agenda, but that is deceptive to the maximum. The scientist have protested in the past about fetal stem cell research funding. Telling the government that they are the arbiters of morality. The problem with these statements that these scientist make is that they are biased and someone should have oversight over the choices that they make and some of them have an agenda to push.
The other unique aspect is that science at its most basic level over the last one hundred years has not kept any integrity about the facts for modern science pushes evolution down our throats as scientific fact while saying that believing in a creator is religion and can not be science. Ignoring that evolution can not be substantiated from its very basis. Evolution cries contradictory to the second law of thermodynamics. The second law says that energy decays to an unstable form not to a more organized form, or that complexity does not come without an outside force creating it.
They have a bigger lie in that they argue from statistics while misusing statistics. Frequently they will say if the chances are 1 in 100 than the one hundredth time it is bound to happen. Statistics says if its 1 in 100 than the 100th time its still 1 in 100. The odds that they use is 1 in 100,000,000 so its never going to happen and that optimistic thinking.

Stripping is art, Norway decides

A Norwegian appeals court has ruled that striptease is an art form and should therefore be exempt from value-added tax (VAT).

"One can suspect there were moral scruples behind the tax authorities' claim since all forms of stage dance are free of value-added tax," Reuters news agency quoted the club owners' lawyer as saying.

I think this is obvious.

Foetal cells 'to treat strokes'

By Pallab Ghosh BBC News, science correspondent A UK company is applying for permission to transplant stem cells made from human foetal tissue into the brains of stroke patients.
Guildford-based ReNeuron has told the BBC it has convincing lab evidence that the cells could potentially regenerate brain cells damaged by a stroke.
It has applied to the US Food and Drug Administration to carry out human trials on 12 stroke patients.
However, opponents have said it is a "sick proposal".
We can provide a renewable source of cells in order to treat a large patient population Dr Eric Miljan
The ReNeuron team have successfully extracted stem cells from the developing brain area of a 12 week old aborted foetus.
These cells have begun to specialise into brain cells and have the ability to rapidly generate brain tissue.
According to Dr Eric Miljan, Reneuron's head of stem cell discovery, when the foetal stem cells were injected into the brains of rats in which a stroke had been induced their movement recovered.
Tests showed that blood flow and brain activity were restored in the damaged area.
Dr Miljan said: "We're very excited. There have been a battery of tests. There have been a series of animal safety experiments. And they work.
" We feel that we are ready to go into patient trials."
The company is to submit its research results to the FDA, and if the human trial is approved it could begin early next year.

Safety concerns
But the regulators will want to be satisfied that the trials will be safe and hold out a realistic chance of doing some good.
In particular they will want to look closely at a crucial part of the treatment which involves genetically modifying the foetal brain cells.
The researchers incorporate a gene called c-myc which is associated with normal cell division.
However, when there are abnormalities with cells the gene can be involved in the uncontrollable replication of cells and lead to cancer.
ReNeuron say they have safely harnessed this property by modifying this gene to make its action fully controllable.
They add the modified version of the gene so that it can cause a small number of foetal stem cells to multiply when a chemical is added. In effect, this provides a biochemical way of photocopying the cells.
The replication stops once the chemical is taken away.
Ethics case
Michael Hunt, ReNeuron's CEO, said: "We have proven with reams of experimental data that the system is fully controllable.
It's a sick proposal. It involves cannibalising an unborn child John Smeeton Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
"We have also shown that the cells we grow using this system show absolutely no abnormalities throughout the growth process.
"It is very important for us to be able to demonstrate these safety characteristics before moving our therapy forward into stroke patients."
Reneuron's idea is to produce unlimited quantities of stem cells from just one foetal tissue sample.
According to Dr Miljan, this makes their treatment potentially commercially viable and ethically more acceptable.
"We only take one single piece of tissue and for that we can grow up enough cells to potentially treat all eligible patients.
"And we never have to go back to that tissue again. We can provide a renewable source of cells in order to treat a large patient population."
Holy grail
Joe Corner, of the UK's stroke Association, said the research was "very interesting".
He said: "The Holy grail for stroke research has been to find a way of regenerating the damaged part of the brain.
"Until now its been thought that the damage was irreversible.
"Most treatments and therapies have relied on teaching the patient to use different parts of their brain through physiotherapy.
"But we are beginning to see some promising signs in potential stem cell treatments and ReNeuron's approach does seem very exciting."
However, John Smeaton, director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, was completely opposed to the research.
He said: "It's a sick proposal. It involves cannibalising an unborn child.
"It's an unethical in every way - killing one member of the human race to help another. We are totally opposed to this."

Now what using an aborted child as is unacceptanble, as there is no need for continued cell recovery a child that misscaried seems that it could work as well, with little ethical dilemas as that would be a donation like a heart donation.