CAROLINA NATURALLY: May 26, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Whether you use a pen, pencil, stylus or keyboard, today is a great day for writing.
Use every last bit of your creativity to make your messages more interesting and meaningful.
Do not settle for trite catchphrases or metaphorical cliches right now -- instead, use vivid, precise language to accurately communicate what's going on in your mind.
Perhaps employing something like a simple rhyme or a bit of ingenious alliteration will help get your messages noticed.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gloucester, England, United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Kuatan, Pahang, Malaysia
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, Ontario, Canada

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland

and in cities across the United States such as Plain City, Des Moines, La Crosse, Cicero and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, May 26, the 146th day of 2011.

There are 219 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

There are none.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

It's all a myth anyway ...

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Some never learn.

Tornado shreds parked truck

Tornado shreds parked truck in Oklahoma

The driver of the tractor-trailer is lucky to be alive after stopping to ride out nasty weather.

Trailer is 'completely gone'

Also:

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Causes of epic tornado season

What's behind the record tornado outbreak

Factors dating back to the winter have contributed to nearly 1,200 twisters this year.

La Niña has played a critical role

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Awesome Pictures

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Culinary DeLites

The secret to perfect pasta every time

Dumping a bunch of sauce on top of noodles is one way to ruin your dish.

How much salt do you really need?

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The health benefits of a regular doughnut

Eating "forbidden" foods a few times a week could actually help you lose weight.

Best ways to banish the guilt

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America's top diner food

What to order at America's top diners

Eggs are still on the menu, but so are quirky twists on old American favorites.

Maple-bacon doughnuts

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The Bacteria That Live on Caffeine

If you can’t live without a cup of coffee, you have something in common with the bacterium Pseudomonas putida CBB5. The bug was discovered to live on caffeine – literally!

The caffeine-munching bacterium was found in a flower bed on the University of Iowa campus.
Ryan Summers, a doctoral student there, identified four digestive proteins that it uses to break down caffeine, which allows it to live and grow, he explains in a summary of his research presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.
"This work, for the first time, demonstrates the enzymes and genes utilized by bacteria to live on caffeine," he writes.

Full Story

See Ya in the Funny Pages

Non Sequitur

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Shoe

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Wizard of Id

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Ziggy

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Summer skin-care tips

Dermatologists' summer skin-care secrets

A washcloth soaked in skim milk and ice can help curb damage from sunburn.

What to do before you hit the beach

Also:

Sunscreens you should avoid using

Hundreds of lotions aren't effective protection against UV rays — and they also may not be safe.

Truth about SPF

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Could Conjoined Twins Share a Mind?

Tatiana and Krista Hogan of British Columbia are twin 4-year-olds who are joined at the skull. They are too young for thorough testing, but they have given hints that they share some information between their brains!

Twins joined at the head — the medical term is craniopagus — are one in 2.5 million, of which only a fraction survive. The way the girls’ brains formed beneath the surface of their fused skulls, however, makes them beyond rare: their neural anatomy is unique, at least in the annals of recorded scientific literature. Their brain images reveal what looks like an attenuated line stretching between the two organs, a piece of anatomy their neurosurgeon, Douglas Cochrane of British Columbia Children’s Hospital, has called a thalamic bridge, because he believes it links the thalamus of one girl to the thalamus of her sister. The thalamus is a kind of switchboard, a two-lobed organ that filters most sensory input and has long been thought to be essential in the neural loops that create consciousness. Because the thalamus functions as a relay station, the girls’ doctors believe it is entirely possible that the sensory input that one girl receives could somehow cross that bridge into the brain of the other. One girl drinks, another girl feels it.

The New York Times magazine has an extensive article on Tatiana and Krista, covering their lives, medical condition, and the very rare opportunity they may present to learn about how the human brain works.

Full Story

Hand Sanitizers Can Influence Alcohol Test

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Can using hand sanitizers get you drunk?

No, but they can make you appear so on one kind of alcohol test.

Read more

Dry Bones

Although you don't hear the actual guitar, Herman Munster can play it -- which isn't always the case when actors play a guitar on TV.

New Zealand trucker 'blown up like balloon' by air hose

A New Zealand truck driver who fell on a compressed air hose that pierced his buttock has survived being blown up like a balloon. Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose. The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically. As he screamed, Mr McCormack's colleagues turned the air off and laid him on his side, saving his life.

The accident happened at Opotiki on the North Island on Saturday. Mr McCormack, who is 48, is still in hospital in the nearest town, Whakatane. He said that doctors had told him they were surprised that his skin had not burst, as the compressed air - pumping into his body at 100lb/sq in - had separated fat from muscle. "I felt the air rush into my body and I felt like it was going to explode from my foot. I was blowing up like a football ... it felt like I had the bends, like in diving. I had no choice but just to lay there, blowing up like a balloon," he said.

He said his skin feels "like a pork roast", hard and crackly on the outside but soft underneath. He credits his colleagues, especially Jason Wenham who lay him on his side, with saving his life. Mr Wenham, Ross Hustler and Robbie Petersen had lifted Mr McCormack off the brass nozzle which was still stuck in his body, and packed ice around his swollen neck until an ambulance arrived.

Doctors inserted a tube into his lungs to drain the fluid and cleared the wound in his buttock using what felt to him like a drill. "That was the most painful part," he said. "It's fair to say he's lucky to be alive, it was a potentially life-threatening situation," a hospital spokeswoman said. Mr McCormack confided that the air was gradually escaping his body in the way that air usually does.

There's a news video here.

The truth be told

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Loughner found incompetent

Arizona shooting suspect incompetent for trial

Experts find Jared Loughner, who is accused of killing six and wounding Rep. Giffords, has schizophrenia.

Outburst

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Most dangerous U.S. cities

America's most dangerous cities

Violent crime is down nationwide, but it’s a major problem in these 10 metro areas.

One had 310 murders last year

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War crimes fugitive captured

Legendary war crimes fugitive captured

A ruthless general who dubbed himself "God" is wanted for Europe's worst massacre since WWII.

Mladic's legacy

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Middle East News

US order nonessential diplomats to leave Yemen

The State Department on Wednesday ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to depart Yemen and urged all Americans there to leave as security conditions deteriorated with the country's embattled leader refusing to step down.

Full Story

Egypt to open Rafah crossing permanently

Egypt will open its only crossing with the Gaza Strip this weekend, the Cairo military government announced Wednesday, significantly easing a four-year blockade on the Hamas -ruled territory but setting up a potential conflict with Israel .

Full Story

Muslims who attacked teacher jailed

Four Muslim men have been jailed after they carried out a brutal attack on an RE teacher because they did not approve of him teaching religious studies to Muslim girls.

Full Story

Well, at least they finally admitted it ...

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John Edwards's new troubles

John Edwards facing more troubles

Once his party's golden boy, Edwards has seen his career torn asunder by scandal since '08.

Possible indictment

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Protect IP Act

Senate Panel OKs Controversial AntiPiracy Bill

As expected, the U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to approve a bill that targets Internet pirates based overseas.

The Protect IP Act looks to hand the U.S. Department of Justice the ability to seek a court order against allegedly infringing Web sites. The order could be served on search engines, certain Domain Name System providers, and Internet advertising firms--which would in turn be required to "expeditiously" make the target Web sites vanish from the Internet.

The bill was backed by leaders of both major political parties and is supported by a wide range of industries, including the film and music sectors. Backers of the legislation say that online piracy cuts deeply into their profits and kills jobs.

"The small businesses, artists, entrepreneurs, software designers, local journalists and every other segment of the creative community support the (Judiciary committee's decision) today," said Sandra Aistars, director of the Copyright Alliance, a group backed by varying copyright owners.

Critics, who include Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, have said the legislation threatens free speech by providing the government with a simple, effective way of silencing critics: brand them copyright pirates. Schmidt criticized the legislation in London last week and went as far as to suggest that Google could continue to fight it even it becomes law.

"If there is a law that requires DNS to do x," Schmidt told reporters, "and it's passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president of the United States, and we disagree with it, then we would still fight it...If it's a request, the answer is we wouldn't do it."

Before the bill can be passed in the full Senate, it must overcome expected opposition from Sen. Ron Wyden (pictured- D-Ore.).

A spokesman from Wyden's office wasn't immediately available for comment. If Wyden opposes the bill, he can hold it up for an indefinite amount of time. Backers would likely try to reach some kind of compromise on the legislation with Wyden.

If a compromise can't be reached, the bill's supporters could try to put the bill up for a vote in the full Senate, where all the need is a majority. Meanwhile, a similar bill is expected to be introduced in the house and opposition there is said to be light.

Wisconsin Judge strikes down Walker/repugican anti-union law

It's not over, but the fat lady is starting to sing.

The anti-union law got whacked by a Wisconsin Judge today:

A judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker's controversial new collective bargaining law.

Dane County Judge MaryAnn Sumi issued a permanent injunction against the law Thursday morning. That means the law is effectively dead until the Wisconsin Supreme Court acts on it.

In her decision, Sumi said there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Republicans who control the Legislature violated the state's open meetings laws in their rush to pass the legislation, meaning the law is void.

"The court must consider the potential damage to public trust and confidence in government if the Legislature is not held to the same rules of transparency that it has created for other governmental bodies," Sumi wrote.

And, don't forget, the Senate recall elections, which were spurred by this law, will be held on July 12.

Winning in Wisconsin will be a great follow up to the victory in New York 26 -- and it would be another repudiation of the repugican's extreme wingnut policies.

Court upholds Arizona law

Supreme Court rules on Arizona law

The high court upholds a 2007 law that penalizes businesses for hiring illegal immigrants.

'It is common sense'

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No Comment

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Schools hurting over cuts

Schools paying heavy toll from crisis

Layoffs are just the norm for schools struggling to recover from the recession.

Generation of students at risk

Also:

My blog is paying my bills

Bloggers who turn their passion into cash

Darren Kitchen says he makes $5,000 a month selling caps and stickers on his site.

Ads cost $54,000 a day on one blog

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On The Job

Nap your way to success at work

A quick snooze on the job actually makes you more alert and creative the rest of the day.

How to prepare for one

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Why an MBA might be right for you

This business degree could help you climb the corporate ladder in seven fields.

Potential career paths

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When you should dumb down your resumé

Leaving off work experience is risky, but it makes sense in some situations.

The good news for the overqualified

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Falling into homelessness

From middle class to homeless at age 24

Brianna Karp never thought losing her job would lead to living in a dilapidated shed.

Why she feels lucky

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Foreclosures hurt home prices

Foreclosures devastate U.S. housing prices

In one state, 53 percent of all homes sold are in some stage of distress.

Banks selling at steep discounts

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Odds and Sods

'Skinniest house' back on the market

A house dubbed New York City's "skinniest" is on the market with a hefty price tag: $4.3 million.

Horse banned from drive-through

A woman was refused service at a McDonald's drive-through amid safety concerns over her vehicle - a horse and carriage.

Astronomical News

Farthest-ever explosion found?

A group of researchers claim they've found the most distant explosion ever detected, a pulse of high energy radiation sent by a disintegrating star near the very edge of the observable universe.

Full Story

Possible Proof of White Holes

While still not proven, the possibility of the existence of “white holes” in deep space have some in the scientific community excited.

White holes are the opposite of black holes, objects into which nothing can enter but are constantly spewing out matter. They were thought to be completely hypothetical, more a mathematical oddity than a real thing…but we may have seen one.

Full Story

Inner Moon as Wet as Earth

The inside of the moon may have as much water as Earth's mantle, finds an analysis of moon crystals returned by Apollo astronauts.

Read more

Mars Formed Fast, Stayed Small

Earth and Venus may have protected Mars from planet-building impacts common in the solar system's early days.

Read more

Pyramid-Exploring Robot Reveals Hidden Hieroglyphs

Written in red paint, the symbols may help Egyptologists figure out why mysterious shafts were built into the pyramids.

Read more

B.C.

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Animal News

Dog's incredible trek home after tornado

A pet swept away by fierce winds last month crawls back to his family's home on two broken legs.

Meet Mason

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Cat Raising Baby Chicks

A farmer in China noticed something really strange about his cat. She doesn’t eat chicken. Instead, Niu Niu has taken 30 young chicks under her wing (so to speak), and even licks them clean.

“I came back home and found Niu Niu had got into the chicks’ box and I thought she was going to eat them,” he said.
“I shouted at her and she froze. But then I realised that the chicks were climbing all over her and she was just playing with them.”
Lao, of Suibing County, Heilongjiang Province, said he now leaves Niu Niu to look after the baby chicks while he goes out to work.

The chicks have bonded with the cat, and follow her everywhere.

Full Story