Leading Evolutionist Demonstrates Why Most People Believe in Intelligent Design

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Forget Little Green Men – Aliens Will Look Like Humans, Says Cambridge University Evolution Expert

By Paul Gallagher. They are often portrayed on screen as little green men with elongated limbs and saucer-like eyes.

From E.T to the X-Files, aliens from outer space have captured our imagination for decades.

Yet a new book from a leading evolutionary biologist argues that if they exist and we ever encountered them, they would look very similar to us.

Professor Simon Conway Morris said extra-terrestrials that resemble human beings should have evolved on at least some of the many Earth-like planets that have been discovered by astronomers.

In his new book published on 2 July, The Runes of Evolution, the University of Cambridge academic builds on the principle of convergent evolution – that different species will independently evolve similar features, with the comparison of the camera eye of an octopus and a human eye a favourite example – and argues it will not just took place on Earth. (Read more from “Forget Little Green Men – Aliens Will Look Like Humans, Says Cambridge University Evolution Expert” HERE)

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MOD to Release UK’s Top Secret UFO ‘X-Files’ That ‘Could Prove Aliens Exist’

By Jon Austin. The major boost for alien hunters can be exclusively revealed by Express.co.uk on World UFO Day, which campaigners are using to call for the release of all such records globally.

UFO researchers, backed by House of Lords peer, have been fighting for the release of 18 top secret Ministry of Defence (MoD) files about UFO sightings from more than 30 years ago.

The Government faced claims of a cover-up from conspiracy theorists when their release was stalled at the end of 2013.

Some investigators claim the files could provide key evidence of extra-terrestrial life visiting the UK and of specific information about famous controversial sightings such as the Rendlesham Forest incident – a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of one or more craft in Suffolk in late December 1980.

Lord Black of Brentwood, who asked the Government for an update through a Parliamentary question, was assured yesterday – the day before World UFO day – the files would be released by the MoD to the National Archives by March next year. (Read more from this story HERE)

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TV Land Pulls Dukes of Hazzard Episodes Amid Confederate Flag Uproar

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TV Land has pulled reruns of Dukes of Hazzard in light of the recent uproar over the Confederate flag, which is emblazoned on the roof of the show’s iconic General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The show has faced criticism over the depiction of the controversial flag in the wake of the June 17 shooting in Charleston, S.C., that left nine dead, and what many viewed as South Carolina’s delayed decision to take the flag down.

Confederate merchandise has since been dropped by Walmart, Target, Amazon and other businesses after the shooting, which took place at a historic black church.

Shortly after the attack, photos surfaced showing alleged shooter Dylann Roof burning one American flag and stepping on another, while waving and posing provocatively with Confederate banners.

In a recent interview with THR, Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider defended the series’ use of the flag. “Labeling anyone who has the flag a ‘racist’ seems unfair to those who are clearly ‘never meanin’ no harm,'” he said. His co-star Ben Jones has also come out in defense of the flag, saying it represents the “indomitable spirit of independence.” (Read more from “TV Land Pulls Dukes of Hazzard Episodes Amid Confederate Flag Uproar” HERE)

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7-Foot Shark Pulls Man Under Water Ocracoke Island in NC, Victim Airlifted to Hospital

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Photo Credit: Stephen Lee A 68-year-old man was pulled under the water by a shark Wednesday in the Outer Banks — this time on Ocracoke Island.

The man was swimming outside the first breaker about 25 feet offshore, directly in front of the lifeguard stand, when he encountered a gray shark about 7 feet long, Hyde County officials said. A lifeguard saw the shark pull the man under the water. He suffered several bites to his rib cage, hip, lower leg and both hands . . .

The victim was able to swim out of the water, where a doctor who happened to be in the area was able to stabilize him, said Justin Gibbs with Hyde County EMS. The man, who was visiting from Massachusetts, was then airlifted off the island to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C. The man was stable and alert, officials said . . .

Wednesday’s attack marks the seventh incident on North Carolina beaches in June and July. Last year, there were only four reported in the state through the summer. George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told FOX8 recently that there are several environmental factors that make North Carolina appear to be a “perfect storm” for shark activity this summer . . .

On Friday, a 47-year-old man was bitten by a shark in the leg and back while trying to get children and another adult out of the water near Avon. (Read more from “7-Foot Shark Pulls Man Under Water Ocracoke Island in NC, Victim Airlifted to Hospital” HERE)

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This State Has More Marijuana Shops Than Starbucks

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Starting Wednesday, adults in Oregon will be able to legally possess and consume marijuana. But the state already has more ganja shops than Golden Arches or places to buy Grande Frappuccinos.

There are currently 269 medical marijuana dispensaries open for business in Oregon, according to the state’s health authority, which started issuing permits in March 2014. The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, by the way, has mapped nearly all of them. Medical weed is legal is 23 states, but very of few of them have licensed dispensaries. Oregon already has the second-highest number of medical marijuana patients per capita in the country, behind only Colorado.

Weed shops in Oregon are so plentiful that they top the total number of McDonald’s or Starbucks in the state. (Read more from “This State Has More Marijuana Shops Than Starbucks” HERE)

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Threat From Artificial Intelligence Not Just Hollywood Fantasy

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From the dystopian writings of Aldous Huxley and HG Wells to the sinister and apocalyptic vision of modern Hollywood blockbusters, the rise of the machines has long terrified mankind.

But it now seems that the brave new world of science-fiction could become all too real.

An Oxford academic is warning that humanity runs the risk of creating super intelligent computers that eventually destroy us all, even when specifically instructed not to harm people.

Dr Stuart Armstrong, of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, has predicted a future where machines run by artificial intelligence become so indispensable in human lives they eventually make us redundant and take over . . .

Dr Armstrong envisages machines capable of harnessing such large amounts of computing power, and at speeds inconceivable to the human brain, that they will eventually create global networks with each other – communicating without human interference. (Read more from “Threat From Artificial Intelligence Not Just Hollywood Fantasy” HERE)

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Incredible Discovery: Secret Tunnel Near Dracula’s Dungeon Uncovered

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Archaeologists still aren’t entirely sure where a secret passageway beneath a castle in Turkey leads, but visitors can now explore it for themselves. Not far from where Vlad the Impaler—the inspiration for Dracula—was reportedly held in one of two dungeons inside Tokat Castle, the tunnel stretches for about 100 feet before the path is blocked, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

“We have made progress. Since it has an angle of 45 degrees, it is hard to remove stones and earth,” culture and tourism director Abdurrahman Akyuz says of the tunnel, found during restoration efforts in 2009.

“We think that this tunnel was closed in the past to prevent possible danger.” Earlier this year, Akyuz told the Daily Sabah that “the history books record that this passage comes down to Pervane Public Bath with a stairway of 360 steps.” But for now, “it is a total mystery to where this passage leads.” Experts previously said the king’s daughters may have used the passage to access the bath, but all that’s known for certain is that the tunnel, known as Ceylanyolu or Gazelle Passage, stretches into Tokat’s city center, Akyuz says.

It wasn’t the only finding that popped up during the restoration, which is ongoing. Food preparation areas, a military shelter, and the two aforementioned dungeons have also been found over the years. (Read more from “Incredible Discovery: Secret Tunnel Near Dracula’s Dungeon Uncovered” HERE)

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Parking Your Car by Backing It Into Your Driveway Could Soon Be Illegal in This State

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The city council in Jacksonville, Florida, has taken up a proposal that, if approved, would make it illegal for residents to park their cars in any manner that prevents law enforcement from seeing their rear license plates from the street.

For those who live in single-family homes with off-street parking, such a law would make backing into the driveway to park an illegal act. Florida is among a handful of states that don’t require car owners to display license plates at the front of their cars.

The proposed local bill would also require people who use car covers to figure out a way to make the license plates of covered cars similarly visible.

According to The Florida Times-Union, local officials attribute the need for such a law to code enforcers’ inability to cite owners of abandoned vehicles . . .

The bill doesn’t refer to other law enforcement endeavors that might require an unobstructed street view of parked cars — such as the use of license plate scanners. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2012 whether it uses such devices — and what it does with any data it collects — but has not indicated any response. (Read more from “Parking Your Car by Backing It Into Your Driveway Could Soon Be Illegal in This State” HERE)

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The Horrifying Reason That Your Eyes Go Red in the Pool

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According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s not the chlorine in a swimming pool that makes your eyes red and itchy after a swim – it’s the pee. You may want to think twice about not wearing goggles before swimming in that public pool . . .

There is a common misconception that chlorine immediately gets rid of all the nasties that people swimming in a pool may have. Associate director of the CDC’s Healthy Water program Dr. Michael Beach explains to Women’s Health that “Chlorine binds with all the things it’s trying to kill from your bodies, and it forms these chemical irritants. That’s what’s stinging your eyes. It’s the chlorine binding to the urine and sweat” . . .

Speaking frankly of diarrhea, disease outbreaks from public swimming pools are on the rise, according to Beach’s research. Those that swim while experiencing diarrhea are putting others at risk. They don’t actually have to poop in the pool, but any germs on their body could potentially spread to other people in the same water. This is why the CDC strongly recommends that swimmers shower before jumping into the pool. (Read more from “The Horrifying Reason That Your Eyes Go Red in the Pool” HERE)

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Deemed Racist

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Oh the times we live in where food can be deemed racist. In a move Oprah would be proud of, Principal Verenice Gutierrez, of the Harvey Scott K-8 School in Portland, has labeled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as racist.

Apparently, in a move distinguished by the superintendant of the school, an effort was made to, “improve education for students of color.”

Tell me, how does the lunch selection improve the implementation of education?

This is so far beyond politically correct it’s dumfounding. Gutierrez has determined that the fact that the PB&J is on bread, it leads to cultural sensitivity . . .

The principal states that certain students that belong to minorities, take for example, “Somali or Hispanic students,” may not have culturally eaten bread, but instead used things like torta, or pitas. (Read more from “Peanut Butter and Jelly Deemed Racist” HERE)

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Google Accused of Abusive Conduct in Privacy App Case

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An award-winning company founded by former Google engineers is taking legal action against the search engine giant over claims it has engaged in a “pattern of abusive behavior” and is violating privacy rights on a “massive scale.”

Disconnect, a U.S. firm that designs privacy-enhancing technology, has filed a complaint with European antitrust regulators after its Android app was banned from the Google Play Store. The app was designed to protect smartphone users from invisible tracking and malware distributed through online advertisements.

The complaint was submitted earlier this month, but the full allegations were not made public at the time. The Intercept has obtained a copy of the 104-page complaint, which attacks Google over its claimed commitment to privacy and accuses the tech titan of trying to stop people from using the Disconnect app because it poses an “existential threat” to its revenue sources.

Google’s business, the complaint claims, “consists almost entirely of gathering data about the preferences, locations, and behavior of ordinary people and monetizing that data through the sale of targeted advertisements on the Internet.” Because of this, it alleges, Google is “using the full weight of its market power to deny users control over tracking, particularly mobile tracking.”

When you visit a website, usually unbeknown to you, other websites and services try to connect to your device in the background to collect data about your browsing habits. The Disconnect app allows users to view and block these invisible network connections, which the company says “permit intrusions into the personal privacy of users by facilitating tracking and the collection of personal information” and “expose users to risks associated with malware and other forms of cybercrime.” However, some of these same invisible connections are used to generate advertising revenue, an issue that appears to be at the root of Google’s decision to crack down on Disconnect. (Read more from “Google Accused of Abusive Conduct in Privacy App Case” HERE)

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