CAROLINA NATURALLY: Apr 29, 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Does it feel like you need somebody to lean on?
If so, you are in luck, because there are plenty of people who are more than willing to be your rock.
The most important part is up to you, however -- you've got to step up and ask them for support.
Swallow that pride and do what you know is right.
Then you can sit back and watch the cavalry ride to your rescue.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Chatswood, New South wales, Australia

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Budapest, Budapest, Hungary

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Niteroi, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Pune, Maharashtra, India

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

London, England, United Kingdom

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Valencia, Comunidad Valencia, Spain

Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Auckland, Auckland, new Zealand

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium

Munich, Bayern, Germany

Joniskis, Siauliu Apskritis, Lithuania

as well as Italy, Scotland, Luxembourg and the United States in such cities such as Mesa, Monroe, Saratoga, Alabaster, Boston and more

Today is Thursday, April 29, the 119th day of 2010.

There are 246 days left in the year.

Today In History April 29, 2010

Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:

National Dance Day

and

Poem In Your Pocket Day

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

Centuries-old pharmacy boasts love potions

One of the top attractions in the Baltic republic of Estonia offers a legendary specialty.

Secret ingredient

Also:

The Oceans are Already Suffering Enough

Japan has to import a lot of rare metals that are used by its high-tech industry. To secure its supply lines, the government is thinking of pushing for underwater mining within the country's territorial waters. Is it a good idea? Well, if you thought mining was expensive, complex, and destructive on land, just wait until you see mining on the sea floor. It's probably technically possible to do it right, but chances are, like a lot of mining on land, it will be done in the fastest and cheaper way, leaving environmental destruction behind.

Article continues: Is Mining the Sea a Good Idea? Japan to Search the Ocean Floor for Rare Metals

China gymnasts stripped of Olympic medal

The U.S. is given the bronze from 2000 because the Chinese team entered an athlete who was too young.

Her age

Also:

The State Of The Nation

The State Of The Nation

Unexpected change in American loyalties

People don’t feel very loyal to their employers, but how they felt about their country saw a major change.

Details

Also:

Census may spell trouble for five states

Lower-than-expected response rates could mean lost congressional seats and clout.

Which ones are lagging

Also:

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

Thelma Lou mugged in Mayberry, cops get their man

Dating Barney Fife doesn’t insulate you from crime.
Nor does living in the the town that was the template for the for fictional hamlet of Mayberry.

Finance reform

repugicans caving on financial reform

That's what happens when you stand up to a bully.

Good for the Democrats and good for America.

(And what is good about/for the Democrats has always been what is good about/for America)

Wednesday that a repugican filibuster of Wall Street reform legislation will end.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, reptile-Kentucky, released a statement saying closed-door negotiations with Democrats on the financial regulations reform bill had ended with agreement on some issues but others left unresolved.

Of course, they can still filibuster the bill again later on. But at least they were forced to cave on this one.

Senator's language a problem for press

Carl Levin's attack on Goldman Sachs' questionable deals posed a conundrum for reporters.
Euphemisms

Also:

Aronazi

http://www.bartcop.com/arizona-graphic-ricardo-sm.jpg

repugican member of Congress accuses Latino member of working for Mexico

From Media Matters Action:

Last week, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) called for a boycott of Arizona over the state's draconian, possibly unconstitutional immigration law. "Do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea separate but equal treatment under the law can be codified," he said.

Unlike Grijalva, Steve King (retard-IA) is a big fan of Arizona's crackdown. After praising the effort in a statement earlier this week, King blasted Grijalva's position last night. During an interview on Fox News, King absurdly suggested that Grijalva's district has been "ceded" and accused the Arizona lawmaker of "advocating for Mexico" and against the United States.

Increased talk of boycotting Arizona over draconian anti-immigrant law

This is good, and necessary.
From John Amato at Crooks and Liars:

Outrage is pouring out all across America over SB 1070. There's a ton of facebook groups popping up to help organize. The push is on to put pressure on MLB to stop supporting Arizona, their MLB franchise and now their Cactus League. Arizona has become host to 15 Major League teams that use the state for their spring training games before the start of the regular season. Cincinnati was the latest team to move their facilities over to the "police state." You may remember the departed Marge Schott, who owned the Reds was suspended from baseball for her racist epithets back in 1993.
The Cincinnati owner, the only female baseball owner, allegedly called two of her former players "million-dollar niggers" and also allegedly made disparaging remarks about Jews and Japanese.
Since almost 30% of MLB players are Latino, I'm trying to find out how many of those players are using work visas. I'm not attacking the players here, but if you were in America on a work visa to play baseball or any sport from another country and had to play in Arizona, wouldn't you be a bit unnerved?

Following Arizona, seven states considering anti-immigrant legislation

It's not entirely clear that Congress and the administration are going to have a choice but to deal with immigration this year.

Some issues you just can't avoid.

repugican congressional candidate wants to implant microchips into Mexicans like dogs

I can think of no other rumor to better destroy the repugicans' chances at the polls than for America's 30 million Latinos to fear that repugicans want to implant them with microchips, like dogs. And in this case, the rumor is true.
From the Des Moines Register:

An Iowa repugican congressional candidate says he supports inserting microchips into illegal immigrants to track their movements, noting that's how he keeps track of his dog.

SPLC on racist Arizona law: 'a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values'

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), one of the nation's most forceful fighters against hatred and bigotry, weighed in on the new Arizona law. Here's the brutally harsh assessment:

Arizona’s newly adopted immigration law is brazenly unconstitutional and will undoubtedly trample upon the civil rights of residents caught in its path.

By requiring local law enforcement to arrest a person when there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally, Arizona lawmakers have created a system that guarantees racial profiling. They also have usurped federal authority by attempting to enforce immigration law.

Quite simply, this law is a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values. No one in our country should be required to produce their “papers” on demand to prove their innocence. What kind of country are we becoming?

Damned good question!

Mexico issues Arizona travel alert

Full story

The Mexican government Tuesday issued a travel alert for Arizona, saying Mexican nationals could face harassment as a result of the state's new immigration law.

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

Liars and Fools

Lush Dimbulb lies: the Obama administration is a "racist" "regime".

Nope, that was the shrub and the cabal and before that papa shrub and lil'ronnie raygun.

Faux's Glen Brick lies: White House budget director Peter Orszag admitted a government board would "ration care," links to "death panels".

OK, enough is enough! One bold faced lie after another and he is still not in jail ... why?

Faux's Tucker Carlson lies: Obama is "using racial anxiety", compares Obama not mentioning white voters to "Nixon's Southern Strategy".

That'd be you boys using racial anxiety - you keep bringing it up. Obama mentions 'voters' - meaning all of them. He does not deliniate voters into 'black', 'hispanic', 'women', 'gay and lesbian' etc., voters like you do.

Faux's Glen Brick lies: "Progressives build the structure that a communist, a Marxist, a Nazi would love to have".

There you go again a Nazi comparing everything else to a Nazi - Hey you need a new mirror ... the one you're using is cracked.

Rick Perry (reptile-Texas) delusively rants: anti-Obama wingnuts are an "army" that can "take their country back".

Get in line behind the Cherokee, the Shawnee, the Mohawk, the Sioux, the Apache, the Hopi, the Kiowa, the ...

Faux's Glen Brick lies: "freedom of speech is under attack ... the person that questions [Obama] comes under vicious attack".

Nope, Hate is under attack - we're tired of it and we aren't going to allow it any longer

*****

We rest our case

Idiot shows his true racist colors

repugican gubernatorial candidate Tim James joins the fray with an ad about Alabama driver's tests.

'We speak English'

BTW, No you don't - unless you live in the mountains of western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee you do not speak English, you speak the modern language we call English.

Also:

Upping the cute factor

Wallabies, a quiet alternative to mowers

They're sold in pairs and cost more than your average mower, but they get to areas some machines can't.

Waitlist

Also:

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

Exercises that don't require equipment

Work out the tough-to-reach muscles that pull in the belly, lift the backside, and trim the thighs.

Get started

Also:

Climate change is making allergies worse

Now, isn't that just Peachy.

Researchers found that not only is spring coming earlier, making for a longer allergy season, but warmer weather allows hickory and oak, two of the most allergenic tree species, to thrive almost everywhere in the US. Another factor: Some plants, such as ragweed, are actually making more pollen as the environment changes. "As trees that use the wind to pollinate undergo stress from heat or lack of water, they begin to produce more pollen to compensate," explained NWF climate scientist Amanda Staudt. Scientists have already observed this phenomenon in cities, where C02 levels are an average of 30 percent higher than in suburbs and rural areas. "Cities are where we’re seeing increased pollen production," explains Demain.

Hayfever's not the only allergic reaction that could worsen with climate change. Sometimes, pollen from certain plants can exacerbate food allergies to related plants, says Jeffrey Demain, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska. People who are genetically presdisposed to fruit and nut allergies, for example, may find that increased exposure to birch pollen makes their food reactions worse. Similarly, more ragweed pollen could aggravate symptoms in people allergic to melon. Also on the horizon: more aggressive poison ivy. A Duke university study found that poison ivy plants exposed to CO2 produced more potent urushiol, the allergen that causes the famous rash.

So is there any chance we'll adapt by becoming less allergic to all that pollen? Probably not, says Demain.

Let the sunshine in

Our fear of skin cancer is blinding us to our need for sunlight.

Bring on the rays . . .

“Sunlight is like a good champagne,” wrote Sir Henry Gauvain, an eminent British surgeon in the 1920s. “It invigorates and stimulates; indulged in to excess, it intoxicates and poisons.”

Full Story

Researchers suggest use of 'nude' hospital gowns

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons why a patient's skin colour might change, but doctors might not notice a slight difference right away.

It's The Economy Stupid

Greece debt crisis ignites fears worldwide

Instability in Greece is triggering talk of a "contagion" that could spread globally.

What happens if it really defaults

Also:

8 questions for the constantly broke

If you're always nervous about your bank balance, it's probably time for a reality check.

What you shouldn't focus on

Also:

Financial advice by women for women

Most tips are universal, but there is one key gender difference when it comes to money, an expert says.

Details

Also:

Dream prizes you can't afford to win

That "free" $143,000 sports car could cost the winner around $50K in taxes.

Prizes that can leave you poorer

Also:

Spring fixes that boost home values

It's the perfect time of year to brighten your house without spending a lot of money
7 smart projects to tackle
Also:

Music industry spokesman loves child porn

A music-industry speaker at an American Chamber of Commerce event in Stockholm waxed enthusiastic about child porn, because it serves as the perfect excuse for network censorship, and once you've got a child-porn filter, you can censor anything:

"Child pornography is great," the speaker at the podium declared enthusiastically. "It is great because politicians understand child pornography. By playing that card, we can get them to act, and start blocking sites. And once they have done that, we can get them to start blocking file sharing sites". The venue was a seminar organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm on May 27, 2007, under the title "Sweden -- A Safe Haven for Pirates?". The speaker was Johan Schlüter from the Danish Anti-Piracy Group, a lobby organization for the music and film industry associations, like IFPI and others...
"One day we will have a giant filter that we develop in close cooperation with IFPI and MPA. We continuously monitor the child porn on the net, to show the politicians that filtering works. Child porn is an issue they understand," Johan Schlüter said with a grin, his whole being radiating pride and enthusiasm from the podium.

IFPI's child porn strategy

Calculus created in India 250 years before Newton

Like this helps the world to keep spinning

Researchers in England may have finally settled the centuries-old debate over who gets credit for the creation of calculus.
For years, English scientist Isaac Newton and German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz both claimed credit for inventing the mathematical system sometime around the end of the seventeenth century.
Now, a team from the universities of Manchester and Exeter says it knows where the true credit lies — and it’s with someone else completely.
The “Kerala school,” a little-known group of scholars and mathematicians in fourteenth century India, identified the “infinite series” — one of the basic components of calculus — around 1350.

Calculus created in India 250 years before Newton

Coca Colla

A certain US soft drinks giant may disagree, but Bolivia has come up with a fizzy beverage it says is the real thing: Coca Colla.
The drink, made from the coca leaf and named after the indigenous Colla people from Bolivia’s highlands, went on sale this week across the South American country.
It is black, sweet and comes in a bottle with a red label – but similarities to Coca-Cola end there. One is a symbol of US-led globalization and corporate might; the other could be considered a socialist-tinged affront to western imperialism.

Coca Colla: the new ‘real thing’ in Bolivia

Interesting In General

Interesting In General

58-year-old pitcher makes college team

Poor grades prevented Larry Hasenfaus from playing college baseball 40 years ago.

Why he's playing now

Also:

The most influential people you don't know

Amid the Bill Clintons and Lady Gagas on the annual "Time 100" list are some intriguing new names.

Who they are

Also:

Rats to Bunnies

Photo: Reuters via the Daily Mail

Four years ago, the tiny Scottish island of Canna had a rat problem. The invasive pests were relentless, threatening the island's native bird colonies and other local wildlife. So, in 2005, the island's 20 residence called in rat-killing experts for help. Around two years and nearly a million dollars later, Canna is rat-free--but their troubles still remain, albeit in a slightly cuter form. As it turns out, the invasive rats were the one thing damping down the island's invasive rabbit population. Without the rats, a bunny-boom has occurred on the island and residents are fed up.

Article continues: Island Once Overrun by Rats Now Buried in Bunnies

Planet Earth

Planet Earth

Strange sea species found off Greenland

Photo gallery.

From National Geographic

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Original Earth water source: Asteroids?

The recent discovery of ice on a massive space rock supports a life creation theory.

Window into early solar system

Also:

*****

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All

Most polluted cities in America

One particularly polluted metro area gets low marks in three categories from the American Lung Association. 5 worst

Also:

Fun and stylish ways to use less gas

Eco-friendly features can co-exist with head-turning looks and plenty of oomph.

One cool choice under $24K

Also:

Controversial wind farm gains approval

After years of lawsuits, a plan to build 130 windmills off Cape Cod may become reality.

Why some are upset

Also:

New oil leak found at sunken rig site

Officials now say as much as 5,000 barrels of crude is gushing into the Gulf each day.

Nearing Louisiana coast

Also:

Photo via Nature

The Pentagon has already made it well known that it considers climate change a grave national security threat, and recently the US military already pointed out that the world may face severe oil shortages as soon as 2015. But now, in what's being hailed as an "unprecedented" show of support for climate action, 33 retired US military generals and admirals have united to alert the public and our legislators that "climate change is making the world a more dangerous place." They should know -- they've seen its effects firsthand. Here's their full announcement:

Article continues: 33 US Military Generals, Admirals: "Climate Change is Threatening America's Security"

Things They Wont tell You

Things They Wont tell You

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/ww/news/2010/04/28/airline.jpg

10 things that airlines don't tell you

More and more passengers are being involuntarily bumped and many won't get compensated.

Surprising insights

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Welcome to ...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Strange sea species found off Greenland

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