In an interview with The Washington Post, former president Jimmy Carter said he would advise young people “if they can” to refrain from sex before marriage, but said he doesn’t criticize his 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren if they behave differently. “We look the other way,” the president said. “I’ve learned we can’t have the same mores.” Carter also said he wrote to Pope Francis and told him to make good on his promise to create a greater role for women.

Tornadoes touched down during storms in Northern California, including one twister near Sacramento that damaged a dozen homes and left a path of debris about 300 yards long.Between a dozen to 20 houses suffered roof and fence damage when a tornado hit near Roseville in Placer County shortly after 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Rob Baquera, a fire department spokesman, said Thursday. MORE

Police said those bullets were stopped by some sort of “intervention.”“The two bullets were stopped by the New Testament book in his (shirt) pocket,” [Sgt. Michael] Pauley said. Police later referred to the book as a religious devotional titled “The Message,” which is a modern translation of the Bible. “There was obviously some kind of intervention involved in this incident, because he probably should not be here,” Pauley said. MORE

Bank of America agreed to pay $9.3 billion to settle claims that it sold Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac faulty mortgagebonds, helping the bank to end one of the largest legal headaches it still faced from the financial crisis. The settlement, announced on Wednesday, includes $6.3 billion in cash and the rest in securities that Bank of America will purchase from the two housing finance entities.MORE

Former President Jimmy Carter will become Catholic if two things happen: First, if Pope Francis stays in office. Secondly, if a female priest asks him to join her church. Cue raucous applause and chants of “Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy!” from the Colbert Nation studio audience. MORE

What do the majority of people think about biblical events, such as the flood and current events?  You’ll be surprised to hear what they say, and even more surprised by the comments and questions the video host, Ray, poses.  He even leaves a disbelieving scientist speechless to the point the man becomes angry.  This video is a must-see, and well worth sharing.

YouTube Commentary: In the time of Noah, people were going about their daily lives, not mindful of the impending destruction. Like them, are we ignoring warnings of God’s coming judgment? The Bible gives us clear signs of the last days. Did you know the Scriptures say we will see: MORE

Abortion – the “life-sustaining act” of the ages. That’s the theme behind an exhibit currently on display at the University of Michigan dedicated to defending and glamorizing the history of abortion. “4000 Years for Choice is an exhibition of posters about the age-old practices of abortion and contraception as a means to reclaim reproductive freedom as a deeply personal and life-sustaining act existing throughout all of human history,” states a university webpage describing the exhibit. MORE

President Barack Obama meets with Pope Francis in Vatican City and, with his poll numbers, probably hopes some of the pontiff’s popularity will rub off on him before he leaves. “I’m a great admirer,” Obama tells Francis. The focus of the conversation when President Barack Obama meets Pope Francis on Thursday is expected to be the gap between the rich and the poor. MORE

If we learned nothing else during the 2012 election, it is that some of us are makers, hard-working folk solely responsible for America’s prosperity, and others are takers, who want the federal government to pay for luxuries like food and health care.

What may come as some surprise is where these two warring tribes tend to live. The states with elected officials most likely to espouse anti-taker sentiments — i.e., Republican-dominated states — are the most dependent on federal spending, while returning the least to Washington in the way of tax dollars. MORE

Nearly 200 scientists are attending the conference, called The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System: Exoplanets, Biosignature & Instruments, which runs from March 16-21 in Tucson, Arizona. The Vatican Observatory is co-hosting the conference with the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory. ‘Finding life beyond Earth is one of the great challenges of modern science and we are excited to have the world leaders in this field together in Tucson,’ said event co-chair Daniel Apai, assistant professor of astronomy and planetary sciences at the UA Steward Observatory. MORE

You’ve never experienced celebrities like this:  It all starts with your favorite celebrities, and a quick biopsy to obtain tissue samples.
Culture: Isolating muscle stem cells, we grow celebrity meat in our proprietary bioreactors. – Meats: In the tradition of Italian cured meats, we dry, age, and spice our product into fine charcuterie. Process: Continue reading →

Justices Kagan, Sotomayor and Ginsburg aggressively questioned the corporate challengers who want exemptions from providing contraception under Obamacare at Tuesday’s oral arguments. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties say the measure violates their religious freedoms. MORE