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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.


Saturday, September 12, 2015

The Daily Drift

Welcome to the Saturday Edition of  Carolina Naturally.
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Dos Iguanas ... !
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Today in History

490 BC Athenian and Plataean Hoplites commanded by General Miltiades drive back a Persian invasion force under General Datis at Marathon.
1213 Simon de Montfort defeats Raymond of Toulouse and Peter II of Aragon at Muret, France.
1609 Henry Hudson sails into what is now New York Harbor aboard his sloop Half Moon.
1662 Governor Berkley of Virginia is denied his attempts to repeal the Navigation Acts.
1683 A combined Austrian and Polish army defeats the Turks at Kahlenberg and lifts the siege on Vienna, Austria.
1722 The Treaty of St. Petersburg puts an end to the Russo-Persian War.
1786 Despite his failed efforts to suppress the American Revolution, Lord Cornwallis is appointed governor general of India.
1836 Mexican authorities crush the revolt which broke out on August 25.
1918 British troops retake Havincourt, Moeuvres, and Trescault along the Western Front.
1919 Adolf Hitler joins German Worker’s Party.
1939 In response to the invasion of Poland, the French Army advances into Germany. On this day they reach their furthest penetration-five miles.
1940 Italian forces begin an offensive into Egypt from Libya.
1940 The Lascaux Caves in France, with their prehistoric wall paintings, are discovered.
1944 American troops fight their way into Germany.
1945 French troops land in Indochina.
1969 Richard Nixon orders a resumption in bombing North Vietnam.
1977 Steve Biko, a South African activist opposing apartheid, dies while in police custody.
1980 Military coup in Turkey.
1990 East and West Germany, along with the UK, US and USSR—the Allied nations that had occupied post-WWII Germany—sign the final settlement for reunification of Germany.
1992 Space Shuttle Endeavor takes off on NASA’s 50th shuttle mission; its crew includes the first African-American woman in space, the first married couple, and the first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spacecraft.
2003 UN lifts sanctions against Libya in exchange for that country accepting responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and paying recompense to victims’ families.
2007 Joseph Estrada, former president of the Philippines, is convicted of plunder.
2011 In New York City, the 9/11 Memorial Museum opens to the public.

Is This 8-Year Old's Newspaper Better Than Yours?

This is Hilde Lysiak, 8, the founder and chief reporter of The Orange Street News. It's a monthly newspaper and, in fact, the only newspaper for Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, a town of about 5,000 people. Hilde is and old-fashioned, gumshoe journalist who focuses on hard news. The Columbia Journalism Review followed her on the job as she investigated the effects of a local tornado strike:
An older man with an ample potbelly answered, and apologized for being shirtless. With a mix of affability and confusion, he looked down at the freckly blonde 8-year-old standing before him. She had her pen and pad in hand. Homemade press credentials dangled from her neck. “Hi. I’m Hilde from The Orange Street News, and I was wondering if you could tell me what happened a couple nights ago.”
He gestured to his neighbor’s property. “This gentleman over here got the worst of it,” he said. “It went through his house and then went out in the middle of the Susquehanna River and went to the south.” Hilde took notes. She asked the man for his name and spelled out the letters in her notebook: “B-O-B M-A-Y-H-E-W.”
Hilde learned the trade from her father, Matt Lysiak, a former reporter for the New York Daily News. He takes care of the business end of Hilde's reporting, which is a popular source of information in the town. Residents are quite willing to pay to read her work:
Two hundred copies of each issue are distributed around town in local businesses, like a cafe where Hilde is known to hunker down on deadline with her usual toasted bagel and side of bacon. More than 40 people pay $1 to $2 a year to have Hilde hand-deliver The Orange Street News to their doors, many of whom the Lysiaks had never heard of before subscription letters began arriving in the mail. “We are very proud of you for taking on such a big project at such a young age,” wrote Mike Garinger, who enclosed an additional $5 to help with production costs.
And it's no wonder. Hilde reports on serious news topics:
In June, after Hilde’s competitors reported there had been a break-in on Orange Street, Hilde paid a visit to the police station to ask for the address. The cops wouldn’t give it out, so she went knocking on doors until she found the right house. Hilde landed an interview with its resident, who gushed that her dog, Zeus, had saved the day: “Hero Dog Thwarts Intruder!” Hilde’s headline proclaimed. As for the perpetrator, Hilde dubbed him (or her) “The Orange Street Bandit.”

It's After Labor Day, So Why Is It Still So Hot?

Unseasonable heat has much of the U.S. in its grip. Global warming will likely make heat waves more frequent and intense. 

Quick Hits

Houston woman convicted of making 'animal crush' fetish videos
Three children found dead in van across street from Los Angeles school
McDonald's moving to 'cage-free' eggs in US
A really 'smart' robotic monkey
Defiant Kentucky clerk's backers want aides fired over marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Sperm whales learn local dialects – new study is yet more proof that animals have culture
Condemned Georgia inmate seeks new sentence because juror said ‘that’s what that nigger deserved’
Arizona police report nine possible shootings along interstate highway

Five-year-old boys tunneled out of kindergarten school before attempting to buy a Jaguar

Two five-year-old boys in Russia used sand spades over several days to dig a hole under a fence at their kindergarten school, then made their way to a Jaguar showroom. The boys made their way several kilometers to the car showroom in the Urals city of Magnitogorsk.
They had slid under the fence after digging out the soil for several days, having meticulously planned their escape. They fled from under the noses of their teachers during a late afternoon walk in the grounds of the school. Police were alerted immediately, but by then the boys were well on the way.
A woman noticed them outside the Jaguar showroom as they gazed at the expensive cars. They eagerly told her they were there because they wanted a 'grown up car'. It was unclear how much money they had taken with them. The children were initially taken to the city's Ordzhonikidze Police station.
They were not harmed and were returned safely to their parents, who did not file a formal complaint. Despite this, the head of the group that allowed this to happen was fired. The head of the kindergarten was reprimanded. Olga Denisenko, acting head of pre-school education, said: "This is a very serious breach of rules. The head of the group that allowed this to happen was fired. The acting head of the kindergarten has been given administrative notice."

Councillor wants pedestrians to give drivers the finger

Norm Kelly, Councillor for the City of Toronto, Canada, is offering advice on road safety by telling pedestrians to give motorists the finger while crossing the road.
But instead of the middle finger, Kelly is encouraging people to extend their arms and point in the direction they want to walk when using crosswalks. “3 per cent of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in Toronto occur at marked crosswalks.
“This is a statistic which could be significantly reduced if pedestrians make the effort to point, pause then proceed,” said Kelly. “Getting the attention of motorists before crossing the street eliminates the possibility of a collision.” Kelly’s words of wisdom come as police departments across the Greater Toronto Area are conducting road safety campaigns this week.
In addition to distracted driving, officers will be paying special attention to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians who commit offenses in the vicinity of school zones, including offenses related to pedestrian crossovers, crosswalks, intersections and high-risk mid-block crossing.

Walter Scott Had Cocaine In His System According To Police Smear Campaign

Walter Scott Had Cocaine In His System According To Police Smear Campaign
The police have no shame whatsoever when it comes to smearing the reputation of a dead man who can’t defend himself.

More Proof That Immigrants Aren't All Criminals

The statistic seems to go against the Department of Homeland Security's announcement that its immigration agency would go after individuals who pose a "demonstrable risk to national security."

Anti-Latino Shooting Spree Leaves 14-Year-Old With A Bullet In His Back

Anti-Latino Shooting Spree Leaves 14-Year-Old With A Bullet In His BackAngry racists lash out at children because this is what Amurika has been reduced to.

Trans woman denied Louisiana driver’s license for wearing a dress and makeup: ‘You are actually man’

“It’s such discrimination that you just feel powerless,” Glover said.

Pennsylvania Barber Shop Fined For Refusing To Cut A Woman’s Hair Because She’s A Woman

PA Barber Shop Fined For Refusing To Cut A Woman’s Hair Because She’s A Woman (VIDEO) A Pennsylvania barber was fined $750 for discrimination after he refused to provide a woman with a haircut simply because she has a vagina ...

Pennsylvania man accused of brutally raping same woman a second time after after judge lowers bond

Richard Klingle (Facebook)
A Pennsylvania man is accused of brutally raping a woman a month after he was released on bond while awaiting trial for a similar attack on the same woman.

Texas cult hires pastor after he’s charged with 29 counts of child sex abuse at another cult

Kyle Adcock is escorted to court by two deputies (WHNT)

Sexist School Dress Codes Get Even More Vindictive: Why Do Schools Slut-Shame Girls?

Because boys can't control themselvesSchool dress codes are getting stricter.
Only for the girls, of course.
Because it’s their fault if a boy can’t pass a test because she’s wearing a tank top.

Black Teenagers Charged As Adults For Having Naked Pictures Of Themselves

Black Teenagers Charged As Adults For Having Naked Pictures Of Themselves (VIDEO)
Two black teens in North Carolina were charged as adults for exploiting themselves by sexting each other.

Psychedelic Drugs May Be Ready For A Medical Comeback

Psychedelic Drugs May Be Ready For A Medical ComebackNew research on the use of psychedelic drugs as treatment for a range of mental disorders appears to be throwing open doors of perception long closed within the medical community.

Engineering Student Gets Drunk, Designs Airplane, Doesn't Remember Doing It

Keith Fraley is a software engineering student at Michigan Tech University. His roommate, Mark, is a mechanical engineering student. One night, Mark got drunk--very drunk. While thoroughly sloshed, he designed an airplane in substantial technical detail, complete with mathematical calculations for the design. Fraley described the event to The Guardian:
My friend Cody and I both looked at Mark as he then began to spew information about his whiteboard designed craft and the calculations behind it. Cody and I were in tears from laughter because the aerospace mathematics he tried telling us about sounded like a slurred robot. I did no encouraging towards the creation of this, but I did encourage him to continue talking because it was hilarious.
The guys that Mark shared drinks with were with him for more of the night than I was. They explained to me that Mark began a tantrum and began creating his design. Alex, a friend of Mark’s, said that he began staring at the ground and said that he asked for pen and paper immediately. After he sketched some designs, he said that he needed to leave and grab his aerospace mathematics textbook and whiteboard.
According to his drinking buddies, he was drawing frantically explaining his thoughts out loud and at the time he was very intoxicated. He was passing out on his whiteboard from time to time as well.
Later, Mark sobered up. He had no memory of the event. But his roommate did and explained. Mark isn't certain that the plane will fly, but he plans to build an RC model to find out.
I'm a librarian. If I got completely drunk, then creative at work, what might be the result?

Restaurant Owner Decided To Get Rid Of Tipping


Strange Fast Food Creations From Around the World

We love some crazy foods here, but I think even the Mrs., would balk at some of the crazy fast food options available at restaurants around the globe. This TopTenz article featuring some of he most outrageous creations out there -like the questionable lobster burger and lobster and caviar sandwiches above that are from Wendy's Japan.
And if you think KFC's Double Down is crazy, just wait until you see the hot dog versions available in the Philippines that features cheese, honey mustard and a chicken and cheese hot dog all sandwiched in a fried chicken "bun." Then again, as crazy as this is, we expect to see it hit American stores any time now.

Space whiskey and unprecedented flavor

Image: Ardberg distillery's Dr. Bill Lumsden and a vial of 'space whiskey' (Screen capture)

Adam Savage Proves The Blasters In Star Wars Aren't Lasers


Adam Savage generally has a good idea of what the outcome will be when he tests fictional science concepts with real world science, and he loves taking a major part of a pop culture franchise and putting it to the test.
This time around he's tackling the issue of blasters in Star Wars, which he says people have been wrongly referring to as "laser blasters" for decades.
Star Wars fans know the blasters actually fire particle beam energy which is referred to as a "bolt", but others assume these colorful bolts are lasers, which spurred Adam to prove once and for all that they can't be lasers.
He also proves something rather unexpected during the test- those blaster bolts were mighty slow, slow enough that an alert combatant actually could have dodged them. No wonder the Stormtroopers can't hit the broad side of a Star Destroyer!

Trekkies Needed for USS Enterprise Restoration Project

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington is restoring the 11-foot model of the USS Enterprise that was used in the TV series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969. It was donated to the Smithsonian in 1974, and was on display until 2014. But the ship doesn’t look the way it did when the series first aired in 1966, and the museum wants your help to make it so.
The ship has been modified eight times since it was built in 1964. But the studio model's 1967 appearance in the episode “Trouble with Tribbles” was the last time the Enterprise was modified during the original "Star Trek" television series.
Fans are encouraged to submit firsthand, original images or film of the ship under construction, during filming or on public display at any time before 1976. For more information about submitting material, contact StarshipEnterprise@si.edu and look for updates about the project on social media channels using #MilestonesofFlight.
The plan is to put the restored Enterprise back on display in 2016 in the new Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

What's That Strange Bright Dot in the Morning Sky?

If you see a bright light just above the horizon at sunrise, don't panic! It's not a UFO — it's probably just Venus.

Hey, that’s not as mosquito…

Micro droneHave you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall to spy on what’s going on or being said?   How about being a mosquito instead!
No, this  isn’t a real mosquito. It’s an insect spy drone for urban areas, already in production, funded by the US Government. It can be remotely controlled and is equipped with a camera and a microphone. It can land on you, and even has the potential to take a DNA sample or leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin. 
It can fly through a slightly open window, or it can attach to your clothing until you unwittingly take it into your home. It can then be guided to the top of a curtain or other invisible location where it can scope entire rooms and monitor everything being said.
Given their propensity to request macro-sized drones for surveillance, one is left with little doubt that the government has big plans for these micro gadgets.
(And to think we were worried about West Nile virus!)

Frankenvirus Emerges From Siberia's Frozen Wasteland

As the climate warms more microscopic pathogens could thaw and come back to life.

Paleontology News

The only woolly rhinoceros infant specimen ever found has its time of death more accurately fixed after an autopsy.
The 120-million-year-old creature beats the previous fossil find by about 25 million years.

Rhino Calves

Three critically endangered Javan rhino calves have been filmed in an Indonesian national park.

Notorious blue bastard finally recognized by science

The “blue bastard”, an elusive and uniquely combative reef fish from northern Australia, long known only in fishing folklore, has been recognized officially by science. Queensland Museum scientist Jeff Johnson, who identified the species from photos taken last year by a Weipa fisherman, has formally christened it Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus – a direct Latin translation of the colloquial name anglers bestowed on a fish famously difficult to land. “Caeruleo is blue and nothus is bastard. That was the origin of the name applied by fishermen for many years and I thought, why should I argue with that? It seemed like a perfect name for me,” Johnson said.
“I wondered what the reviewers of the paper would say about it but they both agreed it was quintessentially Australian and we should go ahead.” Johnson said it was unusual to identify a new species in a fish so large and so well-known through fishing TV programs and magazines. Due to being native to murky far-northern reef waters swimming with sharks and crocodiles, it had proven understandably elusive, he said. He used photos from fly fisherman Ben Bright to show that the blue bastard’s 12 dorsal spines make it utterly different from a sweetlips species it had previously been confused with. The blue bastard is distinctive in that it changes color from yellow, dark and light stripes as a juvenile, to a silvery blue in adulthood, when it can grow up to a meter in length.
But it was the adult males’ propensity for “serious combat” through locking jaws and grappling at the water’s surface, in a spectacle dubbed “kissing” by anglers, that really sets the fish apart from related species, Johnson said. “I’ve spoken to a few of the guys and they say they often engage in these episodes and they’re pretty serious about it too,” he said. “One fish will see another one approaching in the distance and he’ll just make a beeline for the other guy and they’ll go at it hammer and tongs.” Johnson worked with geneticist Jessica Worthington Wilmer, using DNA sequence codes to describe this newest member of the sweetlips family, after analyzing comparable specimens from Africa, the Middle East and Japan. Johnson has no anecdotal evidence on how the fish tastes but ventured it would not be its finest attribute.
“I haven’t tried it myself and most of the fly fishermen practise catch-and-release so I haven’t spoken to anyone that’s eaten one,” he said. “It’s probably only fair edible quality, I’d suspect, going on the closest relative.” The chief executive of Queensland Museum, Suzanne Miller, said the discovery of the blue bastard was “another exciting achievement” for museum scientists, who described 120 new species in 2014-15. Queensland science and innovation minister Leeanne Enoch said the discovery was proof that museums were “much more than displays of static objects”. She cited the importance of “retaining a pool of talented scientists” in the state by investing in research through the government’s $180m Advance Queensland initiative. The scientific paper on Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus has just been published in the zoological journal Zootaxa.

Animal Pictures