CAROLINA NATURALLY: Dec 4, 2016

Sunday, December 4, 2016

The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of
Carolina Naturally

The 4th Xmas Tree ...!

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Today is - National Cookie Day

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Today in History

771		With the death of his brother Carloman, Charlemagne becomes sole ruler of the Frankish Empire.
1861		The U.S. Senate, voting 36 to 0, expels Senator John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky because of his joining the Confederate Army.
1861		Queen Victoria of Britain forbids the export of gunpowder, firearms and all materials for their production.
1862		Winchester, Va., falls into Union hands, resulting in the capture of 145 Southern soldiers.
1863		Seven solid days of bombardment ends at Charleston, S.C. The Union fires some 1,307 rounds.
1872		The U.S. brigantine Marie Celeste is found adrift and deserted with its cargo intact, in the Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and Portugal.
1900		The French National Assembly, successor to the States-General, rejects Nationalist General Mercier’s proposal to plan an invasion of England.
1914		The first Seaplane Unit formed by the German Navy officially comes into existence and begins operations from Zeebrugge, Belgium.
1918		France cancels trade treaties in order to compete in the postwar economic battles.
1941		Operation Taifun (Typhoon), which was launched by the German armies on October 2, 1941, as a prelude to taking Moscow, is halted because of freezing temperatures and lack of serviceable aircraft.
1942		U.S. planes make the first raids on Naples, Italy.
1947		Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire premieres on Broadway starring Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy.
1950		The University of Tennessee defies court rulings by rejecting five Negro applicants.
1952		The Grumman XS2F-1 makes its first flight.
1959		Peking pardons Pu Yi, ex-emperor of China and of the Japanese puppet-state of Manchukuo.
1981		President Ronald Reagan broadens the power of the CIA by allowing spying in the United States.
1985		Robert McFarland resigns as National Security Advisor. Admiral John Poindexter is named to succeed.
1991		The last American hostages held in Lebanon are released.
1992		US Pres. George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 troops to Somalia during the Somali Civil War.

Editorial Comment

The Holidaze is upon us.
The Mrs., decided that yesterday was Xmas "shopping" day.
I started off with a 10lb wallet in the morning, by evening it was a 10oz wallet (If That!).
[Was that enough hyperbole for you?]
She took shop-to-you-drop to a entirely new level but we got all the grandkids and relatives taken care of for the season.
(Normally, I do my Xmas shopping in February - better prices, less crowds ... but she wanted to get out of the house.)
On the familial front our two eldest grandkids are engaged to be married now, so I will be officiating a couple of weddings soon.
Remember, as always ....

Have Fun and Be Happy

The Toymaker Who (Actually) Saved Xmas

Alfred Carlton Gilbert was an extraordinary man. He set a world record for chin-ups, won an Olympic gold medal in the pole vault, earned a medical degree, and invented the Erector Set. The toy company he built around it was so respected that Gilbert was elected the first president of the Toy Manufacturers of America trade group. And that's when he ran into his biggest challenge.

It was 1918, the U.S. was embroiled in World War I, and the Council had made an open issue about their deliberation over whether to halt all production of toys indefinitely, turning factories into ammunition centers and even discouraging giving or receiving gifts that holiday season. Instead of toys, they argued, citizens should be spending money on war bonds. Playthings had become inconsequential.
Frantic toymakers persuaded Gilbert, founder of the A.C. Gilbert Company and creator of the popular Erector construction sets, to speak on their behalf. Toys in hand, he faced his own personal firing squad of military generals, policy advisors, and the Secretary of War.

Gilbert managed to convince the committee not to cancel toys for Christmas, which worked out well as the war ended that November. Read what he said to convince them at mental_floss.

Fire at Underground Warehouse Party

9 Confirmed Killed, at Least 25 Missing in Oakland Fire at Underground Warehouse Party

Dumbass Trump is Poaching the Worst and Dimmest for His Junta From Fox 'News'

Dumbass Trump is Poaching the Worst and Dimmest for His Junta From Fox 'News'

Dumbass Trump has moved Fox 'News'' "whole roster off of Rupert Murdoch and onto the taxpayers of the United States."…

Wingnuts Are Going To Take Your Healthcare Away And Give Insurance Companies A Bailout

Wingnuts Are Going To Take Your Healthcare Away And Give Insurance Companies A Bailout

Health insurance companies are warning that the system will collapse after Obamacare is repealed, so the solution that Republicans are working on involving giving billions of taxpayer dollars to insurance companies while taking health insurance away from at least ten million Americans.…

Hampshire College Calls Cops On Fox 'News'' Jesse Watters

For the yahoos at Fox, "liberty" means trying to suppress the rights of others.

Man Threatens To 'Shoot All Spanish-Speaking People' At Store Because 'This Is Our Country'

A New York man who threatened to "shoot all Spanish-speaking people" at a grocery store is facing weapons charges.

‘Santa is WHITE. BOYCOTT Mall of America’

‘Santa is WHITE. BOYCOTT Mall of America’: Online racists are having a meltdown over mall’s black Santa

Three years after Fox’s Megyn Kelly definitively explained to America that both jesus christ and Santa Claus were white men, Mall of America dismissed her advice and now people are freaking out.

‘Dumbass Trump AmeriKKKa is real’

‘Dumbass Trump AmeriKKKa is real’: Muslim woman assaulted on subway by three men as bystanders watched

"Dumbass Trump’s name was repeatedly said and it finally clicked in my head. No matter how ‘cultured’ or ‘Americanized’ I am, these people don’t see me as an American.”

Ohio interracial couple’s home trashed with swastikas and ‘white power’ slogans painted on it

Welcome to Dumbass Trump's AmeriKKKa!

Logic

Woman: Do you drink beer?
Man: Yes
Woman: How many beers a day?
Man: Usually about three
Woman: How much do you pay per beer?
Man: $5.00 which includes a tip (this is where it gets scary!)
Woman: And how long have you been drinking?
Man: About 20 years, I suppose
Woman: So a beer costs $5 and you have three beers a day which puts your spending each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5400 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: If in 1 year you spend $5400, not accounting for inflation, the past 20 years puts your spending at $108,000 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: Do you know that if you didn’t drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought an airplane?
Man: Do you drink beer?
Woman: No.
Man: Where is your airplane?

1 In 10 Women Spy On Their Husbands

So Apparently 1 In 10 Women Spy On Their Husbands

Here’s what to do if you catch her snooping

Link Dump

Meanwhile, in Missouri… A vampire story

Of sick goats and duck costumes

Quiz: Are You Actually Doing Everything Wrong?

Finding their age based only on their name

Astonished Animals

10 unlikely events that actually happened

Home Cleaning Hacks

Road Rage Demolition Derby in California

38 Actors Who Rejected Iconic Movie Roles

What having dyslexia is like

Next SpaceX launch looks set for December 16

20 People Who Overcame Tremendous Obstacles To Make It Big

Environmentalists Are Being Murdered at a Frightening Rate

Environmentalists Are Being Murdered at a Frightening Rate: What Can Be Done?

85% of the Food We Eat Has Pesticide Residues

85% of the Food We Eat Has Pesticide Residues

Two Surprising Factors That Make Millions of Americans Sick

Two Surprising Factors That Make Millions of Americans Sick

Remove A Matchstick Balanced On A Nickel Under Glass Without Touching Anything

If you spend enough time in bars, bowling alleys or pool halls you're bound to meet a trickster looking to score drinks by doing the seemingly impossible- or by simply conning people out of their cash.Tricksters who use fast talk to confuse their marks are annoying, those who use a natural talent to win money are impressive, but nothing makes people happier about losing than tricksters who teach you a new trick for your money.
On this episode of Scam School Remix- how to remove a matchstick balanced on a nickel under glass without touching anything.

(YouTube Link)

Now you owe me a drink!

Meanwhile, in the maternity ward…

The Top Baby Names Of 2016

The top ten baby names of 2016 are nothing to write home about, as they are very close to the lists for 2015. The top six girls names ranked the same, and the top eight boys names are the same, but in a slightly different order. But that's not the big story here. Let's take a look at what names a little further down the list gained popularity in 2016. According to Buzzfeed, it appears pop culture played a part, because Tyreese, Hershel, and Carol all rose in popularity, thanks to The Walking Dead. The Netflix show Stranger Things may have played a part late in the year, as Dustin, Mike, and Joyce all rose. Banner and Harley made astonishing leaps in popularity. But it's not just pop culture: Hillary rose 64% and Ivanka was up 39%. See the top 100 names of 2016 for both boys and girls at BabyCenter.