Just the facts.

Male cosmetics counters could hit department stores in five years, L’Oreal boss says

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According to The Telegraph:

Male make-up counters could become a reality within five years, the UK boss of L’Oreal has said, as it is no longer a taboo for the “selfie generation”.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Vismay Sharma, the cosmetics giant’s UK managing director, said that demand for make-up among men was growing fast.

Speaking about the industry as a whole, he said male-targeted counters in department stores and drug stores could be a reality in “five to seven years”.

According to Mr Sharma taboos are changing and make-up is becoming more accepted for men among what he describes as the “selfie generation”.

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Disney Accused Of Illegally Tracking Children Via Apps

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According to Hollywood Reporter:

A San Francisco mom says her child was illegally tracked while using the Disney Princess Palace Pets app.

Amanda Rushing, on behalf of her child referred to as “L.L.,” is suing The Walt Disney Company, Disney Electronic Content and others in a proposed class action filed Thursday in California federal court.

Rushing claims an advertising-specific software development kit is surreptitiously embedded in the code for the app, and that’s how Disney is collecting personal information and tracking online behavior.

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Dawn of the bionic age: Body hackers let chips get under their skin

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McClatchy reports:

If you’re prone to forgetting your card key for the office or your computer password, here’s a solution: Get a microchip implanted in your hand.

That’s what Brian McEvoy has done multiple times. He’s got five implants, mostly for functional reasons but one just for fun.

“There’s a glow-in-the-dark implant on the back of my right hand,” said McEvoy, a 36-year-old electrical engineer from St. Paul, Minnesota.

For years, owners have implanted microchips in their pets to recover them if they go astray. Farmers use them in cattle. Now, humans are experimenting with subdermal microchips, which are the size of a large grain of rice, to make modern life easier.

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Commandant: ‘I Will Not Break Faith’ With Transgender Coast Guardsmen

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Military.com has the story:

As military services await guidance following President Donald Trump’s announcement last week via Twitter of a ban on transgender service members, the commandant of the Coast Guard is speaking out, saying he has no intention of leaving transgender Coast Guardsmen out in the cold.

Speaking on the topic for the first time at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday morning, Adm. Paul Zukunft said his first action upon becoming aware of Trump’s tweets was to have his office reach out to all 13 members of the Coast Guard who have self-identified as transgender.

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Leaked George Soros Plan to Turn Ireland into a Pro-Abortion Country

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Breitbart reports:

DC Leaks.com revealed last year that billionaire investor George Soros has been using his Open Society Foundation (OSF) to turn Ireland – what Planned Parenthood refers to as the “jewel in the crown of the pro-life movement” – into a pro-abortion country.

Catholic News Agency (CNA) broke the news last August of Soros’s leaked strategy to use Ireland as a prototype to upend anti-abortion laws in Catholic countries around the world.

CNA reported:

“With one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, a win there could impact other strongly Catholic countries in Europe, such as Poland, and provide much needed proof that change is possible, even in highly conservative places,” the document says.

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College Students Who Lost Access to Marijuana Improved Their Grades

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This is from a new study that was conducted by Review of Economic Studies. Wintery Knight has the report:

This is from the radically leftist fake news site Washington Post, of all places. Thankfully, the study was done by scientists, not by journalists.

Excerpt:

The most rigorous study yet of the effects of marijuana legalization has identified a disturbing result: College students with access to recreational cannabis on average earn worse grades and fail classes at a higher rate.

Economists Olivier Marie and Ulf Zölitz took advantage of a decision by Maastricht, a city in the Netherlands, to change the rules for “cannabis cafes,” which legally sell recreational marijuana. Because Maastricht is very close to the border of multiple European countries (Belgium, France and Germany), drug tourism was posing difficulties for the city. Hoping to address this, the city barred noncitizens of the Netherlands from buying from the cafes.

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Many Americans are too drugged-out to work

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According to Axois:

A slew of reports finds a fresh reason for the chronic inability of American companies to fill skilled jobs: not a lack of skills, and hence a training-and-education crisis, but a surfeit of drug abuse. Simply put, prime-working age Americans without a college diploma are often too drugged-out to get the best jobs. Opioids remain at high levels, but the surge in drug use is now heroin and the powerful contaminant fentanyl.

The reports suggest a circularity to the crisis in America’s rust and manufacturing belts: the loss of jobs and wage stagnation has led to widespread disaffection, alienation and drug abuse; and drug abuse has led to joblessness, hopelessness and disaffection.

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U.S. Department of Justice Files Legal Brief Declaring Title VII Does Not Include Homosexuality

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Christian News reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an amicus brief declaring that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not pertain to homosexuality.

“The sole question here is whether, as a matter of law, Title VII reaches sexual orientation discrimination,” it wrote. “It does not, as has been settled for decades. Any efforts to amend Title VII’s scope should be directed to Congress rather than the courts.”

The Department filed the “friend of the court” brief in the case of Zarda vs. Altitude Express, which centers on skydiving instructor Donald Zarda, who was fired by his employer following a complaint from the boyfriend of a female diver.

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Infant Charlie Gard dies after parents’ futile pleas

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Baptist Press has the story:

Charlie Guard. Screenshot from Fox News

Charlie Gard — the infant at the center of a battle over parental authority that gained international attention — has died, his parents announced today (July 28) in England.

Charlie died in hospice care a week short of his first birthday, Aug. 4, after being removed from a ventilator. He was born with a rare condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS). His parents — Chris Gard and Yates — fought numerous legal battles for their son’s life and raised about $1.7 million for an experimental treatment in the United States that he never was permitted to receive.

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Trump Announces Reinstatement of Ban on Transgenders Serving in U.S. Military

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Christian News reports:

President Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. government has decided to reinstate the country’s ban on open transgenders serving in the military, advising that the issue is a distraction and would place a burden on the finances of the Armed Forces.

“After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” he tweeted this morning. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgenders in the military would entail. Thank you.”

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This Pop Singer and American Witches Want to Hex the President

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Last October a group called “Feminists Against Trump” organized a “witch-in” to “cast magical spells of love and feminism to destroy the Great Orange One and his alleged racism, xenophobia and sexism. Now there’s a new spell caster in town who plans to do a mass spell binding against the president. LifeZette has the story:

President Trump can count on many plagues in the six months he’s been in the office, such as the leaks, endless obstructionism, and a mainstream media determined to cast him from the White House. But pop artist Lana Del Rey would like to add to his troubles and has already begun to do so—by casting a spell on him.

“Yeah, I did it, why not?” Del Rey told NME.  “Look, I do a lot of [stuff].”

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California Imam Prays for Allah to ‘Annihilate’ Jews in Public Sermon

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Breitbart reports:

 

Imam Ammar Shahin of the Islamic Center of Davis in California delivered a sermon on Friday in which he quoted an antisemitic hadith and prayed for Allah to “annihilate” Jews “down to the very last one.”

The video of Shahin’s sermon was posted to the Islamic Center of Davis’s YouTube channel on Friday (Update: the video has since been removed), and translated and excerpted by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), though portions of the sermon were delivered in English.

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New blood test can check for 13 types of cancers

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Among the 13 types are breast, ovarian, lung, stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and liver. Japan News has the story:

A research team led by the Tokyo-based National Cancer Center Japan has developed a new test to diagnose 13 kinds of cancers from a single drop of blood, with a clinical study set to start from next month.

The center’s research and ethics screening committee gave the green light to the study in mid-July. The research team will apply to the central government to put the new test into practical use within three years, at the earliest.

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Trump Taps New Communications Director Who Advocated for ‘Gay Rights Movement,’ ‘Pro-Choice’ Cause

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Christian News reports:

President Donald Trump has appointed Anthony Scaramucci to be the new White House Communications Director—a man who has publicly stated his support for same-sex “marriage” and abortion rights.

“Republicans should support gay marriage,” he tweeted in 2012, again writing later that year in response to a follower, “I am not a partisan. For gay marriage, against the death penalty, and pro-choice. I am for social inclusion, fiscal responsibility.”

Just in November, Scaramucci wrote, “I support the gay rights movement and I am an active proponent of equality.”

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Pro-Life Leaders Meet with Pence to Urge Planned Parenthood Defunding

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According to Breitbart:

National pro-life activists were among the conservative leaders who met with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday to emphasize the importance of debating an Obamacare repeal bill and the elimination of Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding. The pro-life leaders have an ardent advocate in Pence, who became the first sitting vice president to address the annual March for Life in January:

Vice President Pence 

 ✔@VP

WATCH LIVE! I’m meeting w/ grassroots orgs calling on the Senate to act to rescue the American people from Obamacare https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/vice-president-pence-hosts-roudtable-discussion … pic.twitter.com/HvIjqwqkUe

Vice President Pence 

✔@VP

As @POTUS Trump said, inaction is not an option. Obamacare is collapsing all across the country. It’s time for Congress to act. pic.twitter.com/fnEkJcsBwo

The leaders gathered with Pence Friday as Republicans’ proposals to repeal Obamacare have failed thus far, largely because of a desire on the part of liberal GOP members to keep much of the onerous healthcare reform intact.

Millennials’ Scary Faith in Harry Potter

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According to LifeZette, one fan of the new “Harry Potter and the Sacred Test” podcast declared “I feel like I’m born again.”

Works of fiction can never replace sacred scripture, but a group of avid fans is apparently finding deep meaning in the spellbinding series.

It seems silly — yet a Harry Potter podcast is aimed at readers and listeners who view the popular book series as sacred text, a recent Washington Post story noted. Clearly, fantasy books about wizards, witches and magic should never serve as a replacement for faith in God or be compared to religion, but that hasn’t prevented it from happening.

The “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text” podcast for Potter fanatics has become a faith substitute for many millennials who fall into a religious “nones” category. As exhibit one, hundreds of people in Washington, D.C., this week attended a live taping of the podcast.

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Military General: Delay of ‘Transgender’ Enlistment ‘Largely Based’ on Disagreement Over Science of Solving Medical Issues

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Christian News reports:

A top military general says that one of the main reasons that the U.S. Department of Defense has decided to delay implementation of the Obama-era policy allowing “transgenders” to serve in the military is disagreement over the science of how the medical treatments for those struggling with gender dysphoria alleviate the problem.

Air Force Gen. Paul Selva was asked about the matter by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, on Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

“I am concerned that the recent six-month delay the Department has approved before letting transgender people enlist in the services will have some unintended consequences,” Gillibrand stated. “What have you learned so far in your review of this issue, and how is the implementation going so far?”

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Investigation: Millions of Dollars in Assets Not Reported by IHOP Megachurch

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According to Barry Bowen of The Christian Sentinel:

Pastor Mike Bickle and International House of Prayer (IHOP) have inspired numerous charismatic Christians with their ambitious goal to worship God around-the-clock. One worship band follows the next, 24/7 at the Kansas City megachurch.

Bickle has a long history of engaging in controversial church movements. In the 1980s and ’90s Bickle played an important role in the Kansas City Prophets. This group of pastors popularized the idea that God was raising up a new generation of apostles that would bring in a huge, global spiritual harvest.

Many discernment ministries have already written about the bad doctrines espoused by Bickle. Now it is time to examine his ministries’ finances. Are they transparent? Are there red flags (besides bad doctrine) that Christians should closely examine?

Where to begin? With an address. IHOP meets at 3535 E Red Bridge Road in Kansas City, MO.

A search for this address in the DuckDuckGo search engine reveals a Bizapedia webpagereporting, “There are 54 companies that have an address matching 3535 E Red Bridge Road Kansas City, MO 64137.”

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Research Team Slams Global Warming Data In New Report: ‘Not Reality… Totally Inconsistent With Credible Temperature Data’

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According to Zero Hedge:

As world leaders, namely in the European Union, attack President Trump for pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement which would have saddled Americans with billions upon billions of dollars in debt and economic losses, a new bombshell report that analyzed Global Average Surface Temperature (GAST) data produced by NASA, the NOAA and HADLEY proves the President was right on target with his refusal to be a part of the new initiative.

According to the report, which has been peer reviewed by administrators, scientists and researchers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), and several of America’s leading universities, the data is completely bunk:

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Mexican folk religion involving human sacrifice gaining status among criminals

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Fox News reports:

A Mexican folk religion involving human sacrifice and devoted to “Holy Death” is growing in popularity among drug traffickers and violent criminals, prompting Texas officials and the Catholic Church to warn about honoring the so-called “Saint Death.”

Authorities are speaking out about the religion devoted to La Santa Muerte, which translates to “Holy Death” and “Saint Death,” that has gained popularity steadily since the late 1980s among Mexican-American Catholics.

“She’s not a saint. There is nothing good that can come out of praying to her,” Sante Fe Archbiship John Wester said in February. “We have a lot of saints who represent the teaching of Jesus Christ. This is an aberration.”

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Southern Baptist-Owned LifeWay Stores Won’t Pull ‘Message Bible’ After Author’s ‘Gay Marriage’ Retraction

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As previously reported here and here, a huge hullabaloo erupted after retired pastor and author Eugene Peterson, best known for “The Message,” commented during an interview that he would be willing to officiate a same-sex ceremony for “Christians of good faith” if he were pastoring today. According to Heather Clark of Christian News, Peterson “acknowledged that he did respond yes (that he would officiate a same-sex ceremony) during the interview, but said he only did so “in the moment” and felt the need to retract his answer upon praying about the matter.”  Clark now reports that if Peterson keeps his true feelings on homosexuality to himself, his books could have a long shelf life:

LifeWay Christian Stores, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, says that it will not pull the “Message Bible” or any of Eugene Peterson’s other writings now that the author has retracted his initial statements about same-sex “marriage.”

“Based upon Eugene Peterson’s retraction, we will continue to sell his resources,” Carol Pipes, the director of corporate communications for LifeWay Christian Resources, told Christian News Network in a statement.

The company had said last week that if Peterson indeeds supports homosexual “marriage,” as he seemingly indicated in his recent interview with Religion News Service, it would pull his products.

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Mental Illness Gets New Attention from Police

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LifeZette reports:

A new South Carolina law requires all police officers to be trained on how to de-escalate situations involving people with mental illnesses.

The Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia has a 4 1/2-hour class dedicated to covering the topic of mental health. The cadets are taught how to pick up on cues from a person who may be mentally ill, de-escalate the situation, and get that person to communicate with them.

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‘Kids endangered by puberty blockers’, academics warn

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According to The Christian Institute:

Giving out hormone blockers to ‘pause’ puberty ‘endangers’ young children, medical experts have warned.

In an article published in the New Atlantis science journal, experts warned against using hormone-suppressing drugs to encourage gender-confused children to “transition.”

The authors concluded that there is little scientific evidence to support the use of hormone blockers and they should not be considered a prudent option.

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Church of England Overwhelmingly Votes to ‘Welcome and Affirm’ Transgenders

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Christian News reports:

Photo credit: Hans Musil3

According to the denomination’s website, the General Synod voted on Sunday to approve a motion that “recognizing the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church, call[s] on the House of Bishops to consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person’s gender transition.”

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TBN Spends $20 Million on Attorneys’ Fees in Four Years

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Barry Bowen of The Christian Sentinel has the story:

In 1987, Congress held hearings to examine government oversight or the lack thereof for religious institutions. The hearing was spurred on by allegations of fraud involving televangelist Jim Bakker and PTL.

Pastor D. James Kennedy meekly told Congress, “I would think that if a person is going to give money to something, that they have … a responsibility to learn where it is going.”

Donor Responsibility. It is an important concept. Christians should check out televangelists before sending them checks or making donations by phone. Besides examining a preacher’s theology, donors should determine if giving to them is good stewardship.

Trinity Broadcasting Network, America’s largest religious TV network, is amassing huge legal expenses. The network has spent more than $20 million on attorneys’ fees since 2012.

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