Vatican astronomer: Just a matter of time until life found elsewhere in the universe

Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, the new president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, has no doubt that life exists elsewhere in the universe and that when humanity discovers it, the news will come as no big surprise. He suggested that the likely discovery — whether next month or a millennium from now — will be received much the way that news of planets orbiting far off stars has filtered in since the 1990s. “The general public is going to be, ‘Oh, I knew that.

Islamic State attack on Iraqi base leaves hundreds missing, shows army weaknesses

The army base in Iraq’s western Anbar province had been under siege by Islamic State militants for a week, so when a convoy of armored Humvees rolled up at the gate, the Iraqi soldiers at Camp Saqlawiyah believed saviors had arrived. But this was no rescue attempt. The vehicles were driven by militants on suicide missions, and within seconds on Sunday the base had become a bloody scene of multiple bombings.

San Francisco’s World Famous Fetish Festival Turns 30

Some things are classically San Franciscan. The Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard’s curves and the celebration of alternative sexuality known as the Folsom Street Fair are treats as signature to San Francisco as Rice-A-Roni. The 30-year-old culmination of Leather Week, this year happening on Sunday, attracts visitors from around the world as well as locals.

Two London chefs are trying to come up with a burger that tastes like human flesh

Two London chefs are this week trying to come up with a burger that tastes like human flesh, while Hannibal is busy cooking lung and loin bourguignon over on NBC, but exactly what flavour do we have? It’s a macabre thought, but one carnivores can’t help but idly wonder from time to time when eating the wide array of animals that we do. What with cannibalism being illegal and all, we only really have the unreliable testimonies of murderers and long-dead explorers to go on.

White House Fence Jumper Was On Psychiatric Drugs

The ex-stepson of the veteran arrested for jumping over the White House fence says the vet was on psychiatric medication prescribed by a Ft. Hood psychiatrist, highlighting once again the connection between unstable behavior and SSRIs. Jerry S.

China Floods U.S. With Near-Perfect Fake Driver’s Licenses

Fake driver’s licenses are flooding our market and could pose a real threat. 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports these bogus licenses are being produced overseas and sold online. State and federal officials say they want to shut down the sales of them.

Russia Holds Massive Military Drill: 155,000 Troops, 4,000 Tanks, 632 Aircraft, 84 Ships

At what point is a drill more than just a drill? Maybe when it is so massive it could be confused for an invasion force, involving a mindblowing 155,000 troops, more than the armies of most sovereign nations, 4,000 armoured vehicles, 632 planes and helicopters and 84 vessels. Those are the staggering numbers taking [3]part in the Vostok-2014 strategic exercises, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, and whose main priority is ti “demonstrate that the degree of combat preparedness in Russian troops has risen.

CDC warns universities to prepare for Ebola pandemic

American colleges and universities are now on high alert and are being instructed to take extra precautions against the potential spread of incoming Ebola. Students traveling abroad to Ebola-stricken countries like Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria or Sierra Leone run the risk of bringing the virus back to US campuses. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now urging all US colleges to implement additional safety measures to prevent accidental spread of Ebola.

Russia to fully renew nuclear forces by 2020

Russia is set to renew the country’s strategic nuclear forces by 100 percent, not 70 percent as previously announced, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. “The formation of the technical basis for strategic nuclear forces is going at a faster rate, and in fact, we will renew not 70 percent of the SNF, but 100 percent,” Rogozin told Rossiya TV channel. The deputy premier, who’s responsible for the Russian defense industry, also declared that in 2015 the army and the navy are to switch 30 percent of their weapons to “cutting edge” technology, and by 70 percent in 2020.

Sierra Leone’s Ebola shutdown uncovers 92 dead in capital, 56 new cases reported

Sierra Leone wrapped up its 72-hour shutdown on Sunday, with authorities reporting that the action aimed at containing the Ebola epidemic had uncovered up to 70 dead bodies in and around the capital. Most of the West African country’s six million people were confined to their homes for a third straight day, with only essential workers such as health professionals and security forces exempt. Almost 30,000 volunteers have been going door-to-door to educate locals and hand out soap, in an exercise that was expected to lead to scores more patients and bodies being discovered in homes.

Obama’s UN Ambassador Admits Fight Against ISIS Designed to Take Out Assad in Syria

Obama’s United Nations ambassador Samantha Power told Chuck Todd of NBC on Sunday the real purpose of the fight against ISIS is to overthrow al-Assad and the Syrian government. Power said the “moderate” Free Syrian Army (FSA) will receive an “infusion of support” in its battle against both ISIS and the Syrian government which is, according to Power and the United States, “backed by Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, etc.” CIA’s Hydra:

California Or Ethiopia? ‘Families Dream Every Night About Water’

It’s worst and getting worst-er. Hundreds of domestic wells in California’s drought-parched Central Valley farming region have run dry, according to AP, leaving many residents to rely on donated bottles of drinking water to get by. With government set to regulate deeper drilling, hope is plunging that a solution to California’s drought will come anytime soon as groundwater levels plunge.

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