The Daily Drift

Fourteen Days To Go ....

Carolina Naturally is read in 194 countries around the world daily.
 

In the high country ... !

Today is - International Mountain Day
 

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Some of our readers today have been in:

The Americas

Blainville, Mississauga, Toronto, Pikangikum, Lethbridge, Ottawa, Vancouver, Byward Market and Winnipeg, Canada

The Bottom Saba, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Petoskey, Duluth, Batavia, Wasilla, Parsippany, Shamokin and Azle, United States

Tegucigalpa Honduras

Tipitapa, Nicaragua

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Santiago, Chile

Cochabamba, Bolivia

Caracas, Venezuela

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Europe 

Chelyabinsk, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Vladivostok and Novgorod, Russia

Vienna, Austria

Dublin and Swords, Ireland

Madrid, L'Olleria and Basauri, Spain

Rome, Pistoia, Milan and Padova,  Italy

Zhovti Vody and Kiev, Ukraine

Boulogne-Billancourt, Laval, Rouen, Drap and Salon-De-Provence, France

Vilnius, Lithuania

Covilha, Portugal

Istanbul, Bursa and Ankara, Turkey

Sofia and Ruse, Bulgaria

Shrewsbury and London, England

Zurich, Switzerland

Tranbjerg and Vojens, Denmark

Athens, Greece

Tallinn, Estonia

Chisinau, Moldova

Mechelen, Belgium

Kista, Sweden

Kecskemet, Hungary

Sulzbach, Hannover and Mannheim, Germany

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Asia

Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Bangalore, Kottayam, Kakinada, Pune, Hyderabed, Kolkata, Surat, New Delhi, Lohardaga and Hojai, India

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Islamabad, Pakistan

Manama, Bahrain

Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Baku, Azerbaijan

Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Cheras and Sungai Petani, Malaysia

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Tehran, Iran

Ramla and Lod,  Israel

Doha, Qatar

Bangkok and Krung Thep, Thailand

Muscat, Oman

Yogyakarta and Jakarta, Indonesia

Beijing, China

Africa

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa

Al Jizah, Egypt

Algiers, Algeria

Pacific

Makati, Mandaluyong City and Paraiso, Philippines

Melbourne and Homebush, Australia

Today in History

1688		James II abdicates the throne because of William of Orange landing in England.
1816		Indiana is admitted to the Union as the 19th state.
1861		A raging fire sweeps the business district of Charleston, South Carolina, adding to an already depressed economic state.
1862		Union General Ambrose Burnside occupies Fredericksburg and prepares to attack the Confederates under Robert E. Lee.
1863		Union gunboats Restless, Bloomer and Caroline enter St. Andrew's Bay, Fla., and begin bombardment of both Confederate quarters and saltworks.
1882		A production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe at Boston's Bijou Theatre becomes the first performance in a theatre lit by incandescent electric lights.
1927		Nearly 400 world leaders sign a letter to President Calvin Coolidge asking the United States to join the World Court.
1930		As the economic crisis grows, the Bank of the United States closes its doors.
1933		Reports say Paraguay has captured 11,000 Bolivians in the war over Chaco.
1936		Britain's King Edward VIII abdicates the throne to marry American Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1941		The United States declares war on Italy and Germany.
1943		U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull demands that Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria withdraw from the war.
1945		A Boeing B-29 Superfortress shatters all records by crossing the United States in five hours and 27 minutes.
1951		Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball.
1955		Israel raids Syrian positions on the Sea of Galilee.
1964		Frank Sinatra, Jr., is returned home to his parents after being kidnapped for the ransom amount of $240,000.
1967		The Concorde, a joint British-French venture and the world's first supersonic airliner, is unveiled in Toulouse, France.
1972		Challenger, the lunar lander for Apollo 17, touches down on the moon's surface, the last time that men visit the moon.
1978		Massive demonstrations take place in Tehran against the shah.
1981		Military forces in El Salvador kill over 800 civilians in what is known as the El Mozote massacre during the Salvadoran Civil War.
1997		The Kyoto Protocol international treaty intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses, opens for signature.
2001		People's Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.
2005		Cronulla riots begin in Cronulla, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
2006		President of Mexico Felipe Calderon launches a military-led offensive against drug cartel violence in the state of Michoacan.
2008		Bernard "Bernie" Madoff arrested and charged with securities fraud in what was called a $50-billion Ponzi scheme.

Non Sequitur

Xmas Countdown Xmas Stories

The magic of mistletoe

Tis' the season to be jolly, and to be on the lookout for pests that can affect the overall health of your trees! Mistletoe is one of the classic Xmas decorations shrouded with tradition and myth, from the health of trees to the obligatory kiss beneath and those "poisonous" berries. Maybe with a bit of Xmas cheer, we can debunk and clarify mistletoe facts from fiction. Although it is unclear where the myths of mistletoe begin exactly, its lore is said to originate with ancient druid tribes in pre-christian Europe where European mistletoe, Viscum album, if taken from oak trees, had special powers, including boosting male fertility and ending barrenness in animals. In a Norse belief, it was an arrow made of mistletoe that was able to kill Baldr, the Norse god of light, and the lesser known brother of Thor. Although one would believe, with such a mythical heritage, that the word mistletoe would have great meaning, it loosely translates from Greek, meaning "a twig with droppings," most likely stemming from the fact that the plant is spread primarily by birds. Think about that the next time you are waiting for a kiss from your special someone!

American mistletoe, Phoradendron serotinum, is considered a parasitic plant that can thrive in dozens of species of trees. The plant is considered parasitic due to its unique ability to "trick" a host tree into feeding it nutrients and water. Mistletoe is spread in many different ways, including gravity and wind, but primarily by birds that eat the fruit. Many things must happen for mistletoe to be able to grow in the canopy of a tree. The tree branch that the berry lands upon must be the correct diameter, fast growing and have thin bark. For this reason, along with the lack of sunlight, infection of very old branches in the canopy of trees is rare. Infection more often takes place in the outer-edges of the tree canopy on new limbs. Generally, the tallest trees, or those that are standing alone, are more likely to become infected. Although mistletoe is present all year, it is usually only noticed in the fall and winter, after the leaves begin to fall.
Mistletoe has the innate ability to commandeer water and nutrients from the host tree. If given the chance, the first thing that the plant does is insert root-like structures, called haustorium, into and under, anchoring the plant to the tree. These haustoria work their way beneath the bark, and into the vascular tissue of the host tree. Here, they steal nutrients (the Latin translation of Phoradendron literally means "tree thief") from the tree and continue to grow. Generally a tree is capable of protecting itself from wounds and other invasive damage by a process called compartmentalization, which seals the area from receiving water and nutrients. Mistletoe however, "tricks" the tree into not recognizing that it is a pest by secreting hormones and enzymes to prevent the tree from undergoing compartmentalization, thus continuing its supply of water. Once established, and therefore visible from the ground, mistletoe is capable of manufacturing its own food through photosynthesis though it continues to steal water from the tree, often in very large quantities. In times of drought, trees that are infected with large amounts of mistletoe can die due to this theft of water. Mistletoe can also cause girdling of branches, causing them to die and eventually fall off. This can also lead to structural damage within the tree, causing branch failure.
Although mistletoe is considered a mild hazard to a host tree, it also is a beneficial organism that supports a vast array of wildlife, primarily birds. Many of our common favorites rely on mistletoe: mockingbirds, bluebirds, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, both red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers, and cedar wax-wings, just to name a few. These birds eat the berries from the plant and then deposit them elsewhere in their waste. This source of food for birds is especially important during times of drought. While birds can eat the berries, it is not recommended for humans or pets to consume any part of the plant. In a study by the poison control center over four years, 92 people across the US were reported to have ingested bits of the plants, including berries and leaves. Of these 92, only 12% reported any symptoms from the plant, most commonly gastrointestinal distress. Many of the myths and rumors of the toxicity of the plant most likely stem from the concentration of different chemicals in the plants when used as a tea or medication. While not so poisonous, the plant does contain calcium oxalate crystals, a major component of human kidney stones. These crystals, known as raphides, act as mechanical defense to ward off animals, and humans, causing pain in the mouth and throat of the consumer.
Controlling mistletoe is most simply accomplished by removing the green part of the plant or to correctly prune off the infected branch. Although this does not actually kill the plant, it hedges off the water stealing capabilities for a while. The only problem with this is that the plants are often located many feet off of the ground, so it may prove impossible for the homeowner to accomplish this. Remember, mistletoe alone will not cause the tree to die; it can only be one of many contributing factors. Whether or not Burl Ives' famous line "Ho ho the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me..." will actually work, well that's still up in the air.

Strange Christmas Traditions around the World

In Japan, it’s traditional to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas. It’s obviously not an ancient tradition. Rather, it is a marketing ploy that KFC made in 1974. A group of foreigners came into a KFC restaurant searching for a Christmas turkey dinner. They decided that chicken would be an acceptable substitute.
The company saw an opportunity and launched its new advertising campaign. It was straightforward: “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!”—“Kentucky for Christmas!” For about $10, diners could get chicken and wine.
This program became enormously popular with not just foreigners living in Japan, but the Japanese themselves. It’s now a tradition in many families to have Christmas dinner at KFC, even if they have to wait in line for two hours.
This is one of 12 Christmas traditions celebrated around the world that, to Americans, may seem a bit odd. You can read the rest at Flavorwire.

The history of the War On Xmas

Ka-chingle all the way: the 'war on Xmas' nonsense 

Believe it or not, there was a much earlier 'war on Xmas,' waged for reasons far removed from today's hyper-commercialized season.

There's a nip in the air. Couples bundle against the cold. It must be time for the "war on Xmas."

Like the changing of the weather, the war on Xmas arrives each year a few weeks before Dec. 25. Wingnuts take to the airwaves to denounce schools, parks and businesses that have replaced Xmas rituals and decorations with generic "holiday" ones.

And this year's battle features a familiar face: former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In a trash, "Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Xmas," Palin rages at "angry atheists" who are allegedly threatening it.

"We've become a society that is overly concerned that something we say, even when true or right, might offend someone," explained AFA President Tim Wildmon. "The truth is that America was built on christian principles."(That is a blatant lie but is he called on it ... no)

But for much of our early history, those same principles worked against the celebration of Xtmas. Despite what Palin and Wildmon would have you believe, the first war on Xtmas was waged by devout christians. The holiday wasn't a reflection of their religious heritage; instead, Xtmas was a sin against it.

Start with our Puritan forebears in Massachusetts, who between 1659 and 1681 made it illegal to celebrate Xtmas. (Lawbreakers were fined 5 shillings.) As the Puritans correctly argued, there was no historical or biblical reason to think that christ was born on Dec. 25. The date was chosen because of its proximity to the winter solstice, making Xmas a pagan holiday in christian garb.

But there was more. In Europe, Xmas was marked by drinking, dancing and card playing. In one ritual, peasants and workers would sing carols outside the homes of their lords and employers, demanding food and libation.

All of that was anathema to the Puritans, who sought to build a highly structured, hierarchical society. But they failed. By the early 1700s, Puritan agitator Cotton Mather was railing against "young people of both sexes" who held a "Frolick, revelling feast and Ball" on Xmas. And with the coming of the Revolution, well-to-do Americans worried about gangs of young Xmas celebrants who "howled and shouted as if possessed by the demon of disorder," as a Philadelphia newspaper warned.

Enter St. Nicholas, a.k.a. Santa Claus. Loosely adopted from a Dutch figure, Santa Claus was promoted by New York gentry in the early 1800s to domesticate Xmas. He brought the holiday from the streets into the home, where Americans were building smaller, more nurturing families.

And Santa also brought presents, of course, the mass-produced fruits of America's burgeoning industrial economy. But if a kid asked where all of this loot came from, the answer was simple: from Santa's workshop! He was a robber baron in reverse, giving away everything he built for the good of the whole. And he was the perfect stand-in for ambivalent American parents, who could shower the kids with gifts even as they recoiled at the commercialism of Xmas.

And my, what commerce! By 1867, Macy's stayed open until midnight on Xmas Eve. Two decades later, it provided next-day delivery of presents, to save harried shoppers time and energy. "As soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is eaten, the great question of buying Xtmas presents begins to take the terrifying shape it has come to assume in recent years," a New York paper complained in 1894. "The season of Xtmas needs to be dematerialized."

Yet Xmas became infinitely more commercial in the 20th century, of course, enlisting Thanksgiving in the task. Macy's and other stores devised Thanksgiving Day parades featuring Santa Claus, who morphed from a producer into an advertiser. And Congress moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the fourth one, to guarantee at least four weeks of pre-Xmas shopping.

Fast-forward to our shopping season now, when more and more stores opened on Thanksgiving. They included Sears, Toys R Us and Gap, which all made the AFA's list of Xmas-friendly stores.

And why not? They're doing exactly what Xmas is supposed to do: Sell as many goods as possible. It doesn't really matter what the stores call the holiday, or what our current crop of culture warriors say about it.

The Truth Hurts

Did you know ...

That Tasmania wants 100% renewable energy by 2020

That soldiers come home broken from the wars

It's coming soon: a $12 minimum wage?

About these 4 online personal finance resources

House repugicans Are Proudly Celebrating Their Obstruction of President Obama

Twisted House repugicans are proudly celebrating their obstruction of President Obama and bragging about how they have slowed the government down.
According to The Hill, House repugicans are happy with the job they’ve done in 2013,

House repugicans say they’re proud of their 2013 campaign to stymie President Obama’s regulatory agenda, even as Congress comes under fire for one of its least productive years. The bitterly divided Congress will pass fewer laws in 2013 than any year in modern history. As a result of the gridlock, President Obama has turned to his administration’s regulatory authority in pursuit of key policy goals, including efforts to tackle gun violence and climate change.
While House repugicans have pinned the blame for Congress’ anemic legislative output on Senate Democrats, they make no bones about their efforts to blunt Obama’s rulemaking power.
“We’re left with no choice,” said  Jason Chaffetz (r-Utah). “The president can’t just go it alone, that’s not who we are as a country.”
In interviews with The Hill, several House repugicans claimed momentum in the messaging battle over federal regulations, which they’ve portrayed as too overbearing and expensive under the Obama administration.

House repugicans don’t see anything wrong with what they are doing. In fact, they are trying to expand their obstruction of the president into his rulemaking and implementation powers. This is a constitutional violation of the separation of powers, but House repugicans don’t care. For them, everything is about stopping President Obama.
The repugicans are proud of the fact that they have wasted the taxpayers time and money on dozens of hearings. They brush off any concerns that they are passing bills that will never become law by blaming the Democratically controlled Senate, but the truth is that these House repugicans view their job as obstructing the president. Anytime that they can prevent something the president supports from being passed, House repugicans consider it a win.
House repugicans are running in 2014 on a campaign of taking the obstruction of President Obama to a whole new level. They should be ashamed of what they have done to this country. Instead, they are proud and celebrating.
Boehner’s repugicans are never going to learn, which is why voters who want a functioning government only have one option. They must send the current House repugican majority packing in November 2014.

Rand Paul Tells Millions He’s Doing Them a Favor By Cutting Off Unemployment Benefits

Rand Paul said we shouldn't extend unemployment benefits set to expire momentarily because it will lead to perpetual unemployment. In other words, Paul thinks he's doing them a favor ...

Rand Paul (r-KY) was on Faux News Sunday to continue his minority outreach to African Americans, by saying we shouldn’t extend unemployment benefits set to expire momentarily because he knows one black businessman who wants tax cuts.
Paul said, “I do support unemployment benefits for the 26 weeks that they’re paid for, but if you extend it past that you do a disservice to these workers.” His reasoning is that when you “allow people” to be on unemployment for longer, you are causing them to be “perpetually unemployed”. Don’t forget about his one black businessman.
See, it’s not that there are no jobs, it’s that employers don’t like to hire people who have been out of work for very long. Thus, by taking away the “incentive” to stay unemployed, Paul thinks he can solve the unemployment problem. It’s the “firmer hand” theory, also used as an argument for slavery.
There can be no other explanation for Paul’s reasoning other than people want to stay unemployed, otherwise he wouldn’t think that taking away unemployment benefits creates job opportunities. This veers dangerously close to the “lazy urban” narrative that repugicans favor. It is not accurate to suggest that starving will create jobs. So this is not a good plan for jobs or for the unemployed.
Paul said that African American unemployment hasn’t budged under this President, implying that he thinks he can get the African American vote by criticizing this president and blaming him for higher unemployment among African Americans, as if this is a new phenomenon best addressed by letting a white Southern man make decisions for African Americans and this president. Some things just shouldn’t be said by certain people, especially not people who employed a white supremacist. It’s bad optics.
The carrot dangling is far from over. You know what the number once concern is for African Americans, after tax cuts for businesses? School choice, apparently. “My economic stimulus plan would stimulate Detroit. There is no other plan on the table. If my plan would pass I think it’s the only one that would pass. I am also talking about restoring voting rights and school choice.”
Voting rights? His cabal is the cabal that came after voting rights nationally and his cabal is the cabal that made Detroiters’ votes meaningless under repugican Gov. Rick Snyder. That’s going to be a hard sale.
When asked for alternatives to ObamaCare, Rand criticized ObamaCare and then said he’s for Freedom of Choice. Seriously. The anti-choicer is for Freedom of Choice, which means no plan. It means repeal ObamaCare because the “premiums are higher” – which they aren’t for the majority of people. So that’s his big sell to Detroit: Come and get nothing in order to protect the rich. That’s new for repugicans in Detroit. Detroiters will never see through that (see sarcasm). Clearly Sen. Paul is unaware of the high priority most Americans put on the issue of affordable healthcare. It’s an issue of economic survival for many. Not something they want to toss away into the repugican cabal “freedom” for corporations ring.
Yes, 2016 2016 2016. The asshat is a repugican presidential front runner, and it seems he is already running for President, “the thought has crossed my mind, Chris.” But he’s concerned about the “haters and hacks”. So are we, asshole.

Mother makes video tribute after her special needs daughter wasn't invited to school dance

A mother in Sydney, Australia has made a video tribute to her 16-year-old special needs daughter after she wasn't invited to her year's school dance. Julie Webster posted the video tribute to her daughter Josie on YouTube after discovering about the event on Facebook. "She may not get to dress up and dance," Ms Webster says. "But … I will continue to dance with her, even if no one else does."

Josie has Down's Syndrome, she goes on to say, but that has not stopped her from living life to the fullest. She pays drums, dances and goes on adventure holidays. In her short life, she has braved the Shotgun River in New Zealand, journeyed to Uluru in Central Australia and crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam. But last Thursday, Engadine High School in southern Sydney held its Year Ten school formal and didn't invite Josie.
The school dance was a lavish affair at Doltone House, which is just 20 minutes from Josie's school. Every Year Ten pupil, except four special needs students including Josie, were invited. The girls dolled themselves up in party dresses, the boys donned suits and ties and the excited teenagers jumped into hired Hummers and headed off for their big night. Afterwards, they posted photographs of themselves beaming in their party clothes on Facebook.

YouTube link.

Until then, neither Josie nor her mother, Julie Webster, knew a Year Ten school formal had even been planned. "She was devastated," Ms Webster said. To top it off, proceeds from ticket sales for the dance were going to fund the Engadine High School special needs unit where Josie is among a number of students with "mild" or "moderate" learning difficulties. Engadine High principal Joanne Jarvis refused to comment but informed Ms Webster that staff had no involvement in the party.

Swiss kiss spoiled Egyptian footballer's joy at being named player of the year

Switzerland’s best football player of the year is facing criticism from his homeland in Egypt after he kissed a presenter at an awards ceremony in Basel last week.

Mohamed Salah, high-scoring striker for FC Basel, was named best player for 2013 in the Swiss Super League at the ceremony organized by the Swiss Association of Football Players on Monday.
But Salah, 21, is getting flak from his fans back in Egypt for swapping kisses with a lady presenter before accepting the award at Basel’s Grand Casino. Exchanging kisses on the cheek is accepted as a normal form of greeting between a man and a woman in Switzerland but it is frowned upon by some residents of Arab countries, including Egypt.

YouTube link. Original news video.

Following the criticism, Salah said he was disappointed by the reactions. “They have spoiled my joy as they forgot the prize and concentrated on the lady kissing me.” Salah said. “Anywhere I go here in Switzerland people applaud, while my native fans criticize me,” Salah added.

Villainous Vixens

We often hear about villains in Medieval and Renaissance history. For example King John, Edward the Blaxk Prince and Cesare Borgia. But where are the stories about naughty women? Were there villainous women during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance?

Of course! Here's a look at a few women well known for their infamy.

Woman took little dog along as she burgled home

A woman in Florida took a little black dog with her during a burglary last week. Last Tuesday morning, the woman broke into a home in Melbourne.

Surveillance video show the woman using a pry tool to try to get through a sliding glass door – she is later seen inside the home, having got in through another door.

The video shows her leaving through the front door carrying a bag. Brevard County deputies say the woman took a dog with her during the break-in.

YouTube link.

Deputies describe the woman as middle-aged, white or Hispanic, between 4-foot-11 and 5-foot-1, weighing between 150 and 200 pounds. Deputies say she drove off in a small late model blue or green SUV.

Robbery foiled when victim didn't have anything worth stealing

Two would-be thieves ran from the scene of the crime in Parkville, Maryland recently when they discovered their targeted victim didn't have anything worth stealing.

At 11:30am on Nov. 27, an employee of the Pizza Polo shop was taking out the trash when two suspects approached him, according to Baltimore County Police Department.

One suspect implied that he had a weapon and demanded the victim's property, according to the report. The suspects fled when they realized the victim did not have anything to take.
The first suspect is a black male, 16 to 17 years old, about 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. The second suspect is a black male, 17 to 19, about 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.

Dope smokers broke into house to dye hair

Police are still trying to figure out why a group of unknown suspects would break into a Murfreesboro, Tennessee home just to smoke marijuana and dye their hair.

A woman discovered the burglary when she came home following a two-day trip. Oddly enough, nothing was missing from the residence, according to a Murfreesboro Police Department incident report.

“(The woman) stated that when she returned to her residence, she noticed her front window open,” Officer Christopher Williams said in the report, “and (she smelled) the odour of smoked marijuana.” Williams said the woman also pointed out that “someone had dyed their hair red in the bathroom.”
Although the woman told officers she suspects that the culprits were teenagers who are friends with her daughter, there was little evidence to support that theory. As such, authorities told the woman to contact the Police Department if she learns of any new information pertaining to the incident.

Ziggy

California Men Are Increasingly Talking in the Valley Girl Dialect

Be afraid, be very afraid!

Like, ohmygod you guys! Just gag me with a spoon ‘cause according to these dweebs, young California men are like totally talking like Valley Girls:

"We found use of uptalk in all of our speakers, despite their diverse backgrounds in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, bilingualism and gender," said Amanda Ritchart, a linguist at the University of California who led the research.
"We believe that uptalk is becoming more prevalent and systematic in its use for the younger generations in Southern California," she added.
The team recorded and analysed the voices of 23 native Californians aged between 18 and 22. The researchers were therefore not able to infer similar language patters in older Californians.

Herpes viruses associated with cognitive impairment

Herpes viruses associated with cognitive impairment

The herpes virus that produces cold sores during times of stress now has been linked to cognitive impairment throughout life, according to a new University of Michigan study that for the first time shows an […]

Good to the Last Drop Dead

Caffeine and Marathons

Caffeine has a potential role in marathon deaths by heart attack at or near the finish line. Jen A. Miller explains the state of research and the concerns of medical directors at races.

More

Can't Resist Chocolate Cake?

Blame Your Brain

Researchers of the Institute of Clinical Physiology in Pisa, Italy, have discovered that our brains react differently when we see or taste chocolate cake offering a new insight into why some people simply cannot stay away from sugary treats.

Even seeing a picture of a chocolate cake can trigger a maelstrom of delight in the pleasure centre of their brains. For others, however, the taste of sweet or fatty foods barely registers. So they are more likely to steer clear of sugary, fatty foods, and pick a healthier option.

Have We Found the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island?

Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored a colony of English immigrants on Roanoake Island, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They arrived in 1587 and had disappeared by 1590. It has since been called "The Lost Colony" because no one knows what happened to the 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children who established the colony. They may had died from disease or violence from Native Americans, or they may have left, possibly splitting up to join tribal villages. In recent years, research into the mystery was sparked by a discovery on a map drawn by the colony's governor John White.

Two patches on the map made Brent Lane of the First Colony Foundation (the group behind the latest archaeological trip and a National Geographic grantee) in Durham, North Carolina, wonder if they might hide something beneath.

Scientists at the British Museum looked into the patches and discovered a tiny red-and-blue symbol. Could it have indicated a fort or a secret emergency location?

"Our best idea is that parts of Raleigh's exploration in North America were a state secret, and the map 'cover-up' was an effort to keep information from the public and from foreign agents," said Eric Klingelhofer of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, a historian and the principal investigator on the project.

This map point led researchers to take the latest technology out into the area, ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The intriguing results present evidence of a fort buried several feet under the ground. But what is really underneath, and how old is it? It has been suggested that the next step might be the use of a proton magnetometer. However, Clay Swindell of the Museum of the Albemarle thinks they may have to resort to old-fashioned research.

"We have to go in and dig some holes, I guess," Swindell said.

Read about the Lost Colony and the latest research on its disappearance at NatGeo News.

When did the Anthropocene begin?

Scientists Outline Plan For Settling Debate  

Want to know when the Anthropocene started exactly? It will only cost an entirely revamped scientific effort in archaeology, ecology and paleontology, among other disciplines, at an unprecedented planetary scale, according to a new paper calling for such a scheme.
The putative start date for what scientists have begun to call the Anthropocene—a newly defined epoch in which humanity is the dominant force on the planet—ranges widely. Some argue that humans began changing the global environment about 50,000 years back, in the Pleistocene epoch, helping along if not outright causing the mass extinctions of megafauna, from mammoths to giant kangaroos, on most continents. Others date it to the emergence of agriculture some 7,000 years ago. The most definitive cases to be made coincide with the start of the industrial revolution and the dawn of the atomic age. The beginnings of burning fossil fuels to power machines in the 19th century initiated a change in the mix of atmospheric gases , and the first nuclear weapon test on July 16, 1945, spread unique isotopes across the globe.
There is little doubt from the archaeological record that humans have been altering ecosystems on a local scale for at least 50,000 years if not longer, but the extent of that alteration remains unknown. Recent work by ecologist Erle Ellis of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and others suggests that for at least 3,000 years hunting, farming and burning have shaped most landscapes on the planet, based on computer models.
To definitively prove that with field evidence would require the kind of archaeological and ecological effort the world has never seen, a scheme Ellis and co-authors lay out in a paper in the inaugural issue of the new open-access journal Elementa, devoted to the Anthropocene. That plan, they say, would have to be global in scale—to eliminate the bias in current research toward the most accessible archaeological sites—as well as unusually open. Few scientific disciplines are as secretive as archaeology, paleontology and paleoecology, given that careers are made (or not) based on access to specimens.
The payoff would be a true historical baseline for what is "natural" for the first time, complementing efforts like the Long Term Ecological Research Network and the new National Ecological Observatory Network, among others. "What is a natural system has a cultural history as part of its constitution," says archaeologist Dorian Fuller of University College London, a co-author of the paper and a supporter of "Big Archaeology," who notes that the ecosystems of Amazonia, Europe and even the western U.S. are all products of at least millennia of human activity.
Prospects for such a global effort are, admittedly, dim, not least because it is unclear who would fund such work. But a global, synthetic effort is the only way to answer the question: How long have humans been terraforming? "This is great scientific work that can be done and needs to be done," Ellis argues. "It will help us define the role of humans in shaping the Anthropocene and will mark a scientific triumph for humanity: a full empirical account of our rise to global stewardship of the biosphere."

Neanderthals kept a tidy home

New research suggests that Neanderthals kept a tidy home. During excavations at a cave in Italy where a group of our closest known extinct relatives once lived, scientists say they found a strategically placed hearth and separate spaces for butchering and tool-making.
In recent years, researchers have discovered that Neanderthals made tools, buried their dead, used fire and maybe even adorned themselves with feathers, bucking our ancient cousins' reputation as stocky brutes. The new findings add to that growing list of intelligent behaviors similar to those of humans.
"There has been this idea that Neanderthals did not have an organized use of space, something that has always been attributed to humans," study researcher Julien Riel-Salvatore, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado Denver, said in a statement. "But we found that Neanderthals did not just throw their stuff everywhere, but in fact were organized and purposeful when it came to domestic space."
Riel-Salvatore and colleagues discovered that Neanderthals may have been rather domestically inclined while the scientists were digging at Riparo Bombrini, a collapsed rock shelter on the coast of northwest Italy. Excavations revealed some "provocative patterns" of artifact distribution, the researchers wrote in their study detailed in the Canadian Journal of Archaeology.
The scientists think the cave's ancient occupants divided the space into sections for different activities: a top level for butchering and preparing animals, a middle level for long-term living and a bottom level for use as a short-term base camp.
In the main living level, a hearth was positioned near the back wall of the shelter, which likely allowed warmth to circulate among the living space. Meanwhile, stone tools and animal bones were concentrated at the front of the cave, the researchers say.
"When you make stone tools there is a lot of debris that you don't want in high-traffic areas or you risk injuring yourself," Riel-Salvatore said.
Alongside a hoard of animal remains in the back of the top level, the researchers also uncovered evidence of ochre, a natural brownish pigment.
"We found some ochre throughout the sequence but we are not sure what it was used for," Riel-Salvatore explained in a statement. "Neanderthals could have used it for tanning hides, for gluing, as an antiseptic or even for symbolic purposes — we really can't tell at this point."
The authors note that other Neanderthal sites in the archaeological record, such as Italy's Grotta Breuil, are not so tidy, suggesting that spatial organization of living spaces might not have been common to all Neanderthals.
"This is ongoing work, but the big picture in this study is that we have one more example that Neanderthals used some kind of logic for organizing their living sites," Riel-Salvatore said. "This is still more evidence that they were more sophisticated than many have given them credit for. If we are going to identify modern human behavior on the basis of organized spatial patterns, then you have to extend it to Neanderthals as well."
Neanderthals roamed Eurasia from at least 200,000 years ago until they went extinct 30,000 years ago. For a period of time, they overlapped with humans, and some studies suggest the two even interbred.

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