Welcome to ...

The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

'Outrageous' security breach at National Archives

'Outrageous' security breach at National Archives

A computer hard drive containing sensitive data including Social Security numbers and Secret Service procedures is missing, officials say.

Security breach at National Archives

Fed downgrades economic forecast for 2009

Fed downgrades economic forecast for 2009 Despite projections of a growing unemployment rate, some areas could see improvement in coming months.

Economic forecast

Also:

Glenn Beck under fire on 'The View'

Glenn Beck under fire on 'The View'Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters accuse the commentator of lying during a tense exchange on the talk show.

Glenn Beck under fire

Health food hoaxes to avoid

Health food hoaxes to avoidRestaurants are using buzzwords like "healthy" to tempt you to eat these calorie bombs.

Health food hoaxes to avoid

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Shameless Self Promotion and Thanks

As of now there are over 100 million blogs floating through cyberspace and we here at Carolina Naturally sit at 400,910th place from the number one blog ... that means at least 99,599,091 blogs are behind us.
Not too shabby for a blog that is fast approaching only its Second birthday.
Thanks everyone form making us one of the top ten percent of the blogs out there ... wait, that's the top five percent, if I remember my math correctly - that's even better. Really Thank You!

YouTube battles "Porn Day" campaign

YouTube is the latest target for pranksters looking to amuse themselves.

Today, May 20, has been deemed "Porn Day" by denizens of 4chan and eBaum's World, with an organized group of users from the sites uploading video clips of explicit, adult content en masse in an attempt to overwhelm the search results. In actuality, it appears that content was prematurely uploaded on the afternoon of the 19th. YouTube has already taken some steps to fight back, but it's disturbingly easy to find stuff you really don't want to see, and the uploaders are changing tactics.

As one might expect, the pornographic clips are being uploaded without any indication that they're for adult eyes only, making them easy to happen upon by casual searchers. As the upload-fest has progressed, users are also uploading what seems to be legitimate content, but is in fact a porn video that simply has 20-30 seconds of non-porn content (a newscast, an interview) at the beginning.

YouTube, for its part, has been fast to remove the video clips for violations of the site's terms of use, but we are still able to find porn videos posted a few hours ago. Even those that are found and removed leave porn residue, since the XXX-rated videos are still showing up in searches and their explicit thumbnails remain in plain view for anyone to see.

"It may take some time for video search results and thumbnail images to disappear from the site," Google spokesperson Scott Rubin told Ars. "Typically, this should not take more than a couple of days, but the videos themselves are no longer viewable."

The lag time between video and thumbnail removal seems to be ruffling the feathers of some users, particularly those with kids who use the site. After all, it's pretty easy to run across these thumbnails even though their corresponding videos have been removed, and it's pretty clear what's going on at first glance.

YouTube is getting a little inadvertent help in combating the uploading, thanks to the fact that the earliest posters all used the same tags (for instance, marblecake, jonas brothers [search at your own risk]), which made identifying videos easier. Many uploaders are also posting links to their "victories" on the forums, making it easier to find videos that way as well.

Born on the bayou

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

I sincerely hope you are enjoying your Weights and Measures Day today!

Golfer leaves tour because of wife's illness

While, I am not the biggest Golf fan (in fact I pretty much loath it) I got to say, Way to go Phil, on choosing his wife over a little ball and a few sticks - there are more than a few others who would have gone with the ball and sticks.

Golf great leaves tour because of wife's illnessPhil Mickelson made his decision after learning his wife, Amy, has cancer.

He leaves tour because of wife's illness

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Our Carolina Readers

We get forget our Carolina Naturally readers from, well the Carolinas, now can we?!

Today readers in Statesville, Huntersville, Charlotte, Beaufort, Durham, Midas Springs, Salisbury, Fayetteville, Asheville, Boone, Hotsprings, Cullowhee, Mount Airy, Winston Salem, Fuquay Varina, East Flat Rock, Monroe, Mooresville, Blowing Rock, Asheboro, Wilkesboro and Hickory in North Carolina have enjoyed reading Carolina Naturally.

While readers in Conway, Beaufort, Mrytle Beach, Georgetwon, Columbia, Greer, Lancaster, Rock Hill, York, Charleston, Lexington, Greenville, Camden, Clemson, Orangeburg, Winnsboro and Aiken in South Carolina have enjoyed reading Carolina Naturally as well.

Joke of the Week

"Glenn Beck, talk show host and political commentator, is the single most intelligent person to ever grace the earth with his presence."

That insanely funny lie opens a piece of pure fantasy in the Daily Nebraskan by Kyle Citta who obviously is insane as well because he thinks he is stating a fact.
That moron is not referred to as 'Brick' (as in thick as as a brick) for nothing, you know. His 'intelligence' and 'smarts' are akin to granite (then again that would be a gross insult to granite) and so sub par as to make Sarah Palin look smart ... and you know how difficult that is to do!

So, Citta, relish your insanity - it's the only thing you'll ever have.

*****

If you want to have a belly ache from laughing so hard you begin to cry then you need to go here to read Citta's entire piece of homo-eroticism for yourself.

Science News

In Science News:

Chilly brine could have harbored life on Mars

Salty water made from the Red Planet's minerals could have maintained conditions for life even in a sub-zero climate, say researchers

Magma pulses may reveal Earth's 'heartbeat'

Evidence from distant parts of Earth's crust suggests the core is pulsing, according to a controversial claim that would revise our picture of the center of the planet

Preparing to peer into a black hole

No one has yet stared into the abyss of a black hole, but at last we are ready – and we may be in for some surprises

Ape Man

The Kinks

Creativity chemical favors the smart

High levels of a chemical that seems to increase creativity in really intelligent people has the opposite effect in those of average intellect.

Creativity chemical favors the smart

We already knew this ... the smart people that is ...


Sonic Alarm

Manatee showing propeller injuries (Image: Jeff Foott/Discovery Channel Images/Getty)

A new sonic alarm could keep whales and manatees out of a quiet zone in the path of approaching ships, say its inventors.

Craigslist sues S.C. AG

from www.thestate.com- Craigslist has filed a federal lawsuit against S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster (pictured) to prevent him from charging officials of the worldwide Internet classified ad site with violating state prostitution or obscenity laws, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster announced this morning.

The suit seeks declaratory relief and a restraining order "with respect to criminal charges he has repeatedly threatened against Craigslist and its executives, Buckmaster said on his company blog.

McMaster or other representatives of his office could not be immediately reach for comment this morning.

In an exclusive interview two days ago with The State newspaper, Buckmaster would not comment directly whether he or his company planned a possible lawsuit against McMaster, saying only, "Threats are not really my style. I'll just leave that right where it is."

McMaster has said that the "erotic services" section of Craigslist often has been a front for prostitution, and that obscene pictures routinely are posted in various sections of the site. Buckmaster said the erotic services section would be discontinued nationwide this week and replaced with an "adult services" section that would be manually monitored by company staff.

But McMaster said that proposal didn't go far enough, and that Buckmaster didn't comply with a Friday deadline to remove illegal ads from the S.C. portion of the site.

*****

McMaster is a self-righteous blowhard that needs to be stopped and it looks like he blew too hard one time too many this time.

'Buried treasure' surprises widow

On what would have been her 62nd anniversary, Anna Arneson received an unexpected gift.

'Buried treasure' surprises widow

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Teen cancer patient and mom on the run

We need to find this fruitcake! She is a danger to anyone she comes in contact with!

Teen cancer patient and mom on the run

An arrest warrant has been issued for Colleen Hauser, who refused chemotherapy for her ailing son.

Teen cancer patient and mom on the run

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Australian doctor uses household drill to save boy

A doctor in rural Australia used a handyman's power drill to bore a hole into the skull of a boy with a severe head injury, saving his life.

Nicholas Rossi fell off his bike on Friday in the small Victoria state city of >Maryborough, hitting his head on the pavement, his father, Michael, said Wednesday. By the time Rossi got to the hospital, he was slipping in and out of consciousness.

The doctor on duty, Rob Carson, quickly recognized the boy was experiencing potentially fatal bleeding on the brain and knew he had only minutes to make a hole in the boy's skull to relieve the pressure.

But the small hospital was not equipped with neurological drills — so Carson sent for a household drill from the maintenance room.

Read the rest here.

10-year-old battles rare breast cancer

A fifth grader with a cancer that affects just one in 12 million wants to set an example to "all the kids of the world."

Rare breast cancer

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Stable jobs outside the cubicle

Stable jobs outside the cubicleThese four fields are high-paying, in demand, and can help you break free from a desk.

Outside the cubicle

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Science is Fun

In the world of Archaeology and Paleontology:

'Missing link' fossil unveiled

'Missing link' fossil unveiled

Scientists say the fossil shows how humans evolved from ancient primates.

Also:

As well as:

Unveiled ‘Holy Grail’ Fossil Gets Celebrity Treatment Scientists unveiled a 47-million-year-old fossil with much pomp and circumstance today at the American Museum of Natural History.

Ancient Human Ancestor 'Ida' Discovered A discovery of a 47-million-year-old fossil primate that is said to be a human ancestor was announced today.

Favorite Recipes

Citrus Chicken

What you need:
4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 orange
1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon butter

How To:
1. Cook chicken and garlic in butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning chicken once and stirring garlic occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, combine lime peel, lime juice, ginger, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl; set aside. Peel orange, reserving juice. Cut orange in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into slices. Add any reserved orange juice and the lime juice mixture to skillet. Place orange slices on top of chicken. Cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon any reserved drippings over chicken to serve.

Menu Suggestion:
Make it a meal with cooked wild rice and fresh raw yellow squash and cucumber sliced paper thin and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil infused with basil.

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal
London, England, United Kingdom
Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Lelystad, Flevoland, Netherlands
Zagazig, Ash Sharqiyah, Egypt
Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia
Wetzler, Hessen, Germany
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Collegno, Piemonte, Italy
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Penne, Abruzzi, Italy
Semily, Liberecky Kraj, Czech Republic
Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Ahmadi, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait

as well as Saudi Arabia, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

If you are feeling uncertain or nervous about your career right now, don't suppress it. Turn to your family for the comfort you need -- even just a short phone call could make you feel ten times better about this situation. You are an imperfect human and it is a healthy thing to process all your feelings -- and who better to process those feelings with than the people who love and care about you the most? Let them cheer you up by reminding you that no one is perfect.

You mean I'm NOT perfect?! Bummer!