Readying for Ebola: How U.S. Hospitals Are Gearing Up

Federal health-care officials, hospital administrators and emergency-care doctors are preparing for the first cases of Ebola here in the United States. Experts say it’s not a question of if, but rather when it will happen. The good news is that the public health infrastructure in the United States — from the epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control to the weekend physician at the local doc-in-a-box — has been mobilized for this very eventuality.

Pope’s Astronomer Guy Consolmagno Says ‘Aliens Exist’

The astronomer of Pope Francis has said he believes there is life beyond Earth. Brother Guy Consolmagno, president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, made the comment in the booklet Would You Baptise an Extraterrestrial?, which he wrote with astronomer Father Paul Muller.

Dr. Stan Monteith dies at 85

Dr. Stanley Monteith, whose well-known book “Brotherhood of Darkness” exposed a “grand conspiracy” of secret societies, the Council of Foreign Relations and the Bilderbergers, has died at the age of 85. A researcher, author and talk-show host, Monteith spent more than 40 years studying the movement to create a world government.

Could Mt. Fuji be the next volcano to erupt in Japan?

The sudden eruption of Mount Ontake over the weekend, which is believed to have killed dozens of people, was a reminder of Japan’s vulnerability to its many active volcanoes. Gas continued to pour from the ruptured crater Monday as emergency workers tried to reach the bodies of hikers trapped on the peak when it roared into life. Ontake is one of 110 live volcanoes dotted throughout the seismically-active country, including Mount Fuji, the country’s tallest mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that welcomes some 300,000 climbers each year.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Will Get 80 New Warships to Repel NATO

Russia will construct a second naval base on the Black Sea and reinforce its fleet with 80 warships to ward off what it sees as an increasing NATO presence in the waters around the recently annexed Crimean Peninsula, the head of the Russia’s Black Sea fleet said Tuesday. A new base in the city of Novorossiisk will be built be 2016, and by the end of the decade Russia’s Black Sea force will tally 206 ships, Admiral Alexander Vitko was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS. “With Crimea’s return to Russia, the relevance of this base has increased due to the fact that NATO ships are consistently present in the Black Sea,” Vitko told President Vladimir Putin, who visited the construction site of the new base in Novorossiisk on Tuesday.

Report: Obama Has Missed over Half His Second-Term Daily Intel Briefings

A new Government Accountability Institute (GAI)report reveals that President Barack Obama has attended only 42.1% of his daily intelligence briefings (known officially as the Presidential Daily Brief, or PDB) in the 2,079 days of his presidency through September 29, 2014. The GAI report also included a breakdown of Obama’s PDB attendance record between terms; he attended 42.

CDC Warns Funeral Homes in U.S. to Prepare For Ebola Victims

The Centers for Disease Control is advising funeral homes in the United States on how to handle the remains of Ebola victims, although officials are keen to stress that the development is not a cause for alarm. A three page list of recommendations instructs funeral workers to wear protective gear while handling Ebola victims, as well as warning them not to carry out autopsies or to embalm corpses. “If the outbreak of the potentially deadly virus is in West Africa, why are funeral homes in America being given guidelines?

Consumer confidence drops sharply in September

Consumer confidence fell sharply in September after hitting a seven-year high the previous month. A closely watched index of consumer confidence tumbled to 86 from 93.4 in August after rising four straight months, the Conference Board said Tuesday.

World wildlife populations cut in half over the past 40 years – report

The global loss of species is even worse than previously thought, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) says in its new Living Planet Index. The report suggests populations have halved in 40 years, as new methodology gives more alarming results than in a report two years ago. The report says populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52%.

America’s Allies Almost Bombed in Syrian Airstrikes

Last week, an airstrike from the American-led coalition nearly hit a command-and-control facility affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, the moderate rebels the Obama administration says are America’s “boots on the ground,” according to two opposition leaders. They are asking the Obama administration to please coordinate with them in the future before America bombs its only allies in Syria. Since U.

Reckless Federal Shopping Spree Could Squander $50 Billion

Today marks the end of the federal government’s fiscal year. It’s also the biggest one-day shopping spree of the year– the day when federal agencies rush to spend the last of their money before October 1, before anything left over is returned to the Treasury. Since agencies cannot carry over unspent funds, the idea is “use it or lose it.

A Man With A Gun Stopped The Oklahoma Beheader From Murdering Another Woman

Anti-gun liberals of the world please take note – it was a man with a gun that stopped the Oklahoma beheader from beheading another woman. If a man with a gun had not been there and had not shot 30-year-old Alton Alexander Nolen, he would have finished his attack on his second female victim. And after that, Nolen would have probably kept beheading people for as long as he could before the authorities arrived.

New Local Doctor Doesn’t Take Insurance, Makes House Calls, for Flat Monthly Fee

Imagine going to a primary care doctor and never being asked “do you have insurance?” Or having your doctor’s cell phone number and never feeling nervous before making an after-hours call during the inevitable crises of parenthood when a child’s fever is spiking or a strange rash appears. And maybe getting a house call.

+ More