The Daily Drift

Hey, wingnuts - Pay Attention ..!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 200 countries around the world daily.   

Philosophy  ... !

Today is  - no particular celebration Day
 

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Some of our readers today have been in:

The Americas

Naugatuck, Nacogdoches, Norwalk, Nashville, Newark and Norman, United States

Vancouver, North York, Montreal, Quebec, Joliette and Chinatown, Canada

The Bottom, Sint Eustatius-Saba

Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Natal, Brazil

Luquillo and San Juan, Puerto Rico

Mexico City, Mexico

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tunja, Colombia

Managua, Nicaragua

Europe

Madrid and Basauri, Spain

Tomsk, Ryazan and Moscow, Russia

Rouen, Cerny, Rennes, Magenta and Paris, France

Horni Pocernice, Usti Nad Labem and Prague, Czech Republic

Naples, Treviso, Milan, Reggio Nell'Emilia, Ravenna, Venice, Bergamo, Terlizzi, Rome and Cercola, Italy

Nuremberg, Germany

Stockholm, Sweden

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Reykjavik, Iceland

London, Kettering and Woking, England

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Timisoara, Romania

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Brussels, Belgium

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Ruse, Bulgaria

Kiev, Ukraine

Belgrade, Serbia

Asia

Tehran and Tabriz, Iran

Doha, Qatar

Bangalore, Silchar, Patna, Kolkata, Gaya, Bara Bazar, Bikaner, New Delhi, Surat and Morbi, India

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Vacoas, Mauritius

Jakarta, Indonesia

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Africa

Swakopmund, Namibia

Klerksdorp, South Africa

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The Pacific

Manila, Quilo-Quilo, Makati and Paranque, Philippines

Homebush and Sydney, Australia

Today in History

394		Theodosius becomes sole ruler of Italy after defeating Eugenius at the Battle of the River Frigidus.
1422		Sultan Murat II ends a vain siege of Constantinople.
1522		One of the five ships that set out in Ferdinand Magellan's trip around the world makes it back to Spain. Only 15 of the original 265 men that set out survived. Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines.
1688		Imperial troops defeat the Turks and take Belgrade, Serbia.
1793		French General Jean Houchard and his 40,000 men begin a three-day battle against an Anglo-Hanoveraian army at Hondschoote, southwest Belgium, in the wars of the French Revolution.
1847		Henry David Thoreau leaves Walden Pond and moves back into town, to Concord, Massachusetts.
1861		Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces capture Paducah, Kentucky from Confederate forces.
1870		The last British troops to serve in Austria are withdrawn.
1901		President William McKinley is shot while attending a reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by 28-year-old anarchist Leon Czolgosz. McKinley dies eight days later, the third American president assassinated.
1907		The luxury liner Lusitania leaves London for New York on her maiden voyage.
1918		The German Army begins a general retreat across the Aisne, with British troops in pursuit.
1936		Aviator Beryl Markham flies the first east-to-west solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
1937		The Soviet Union accuses Italy of torpedoing two Russian ships in the Mediterranean.
1941		Germany announces that all Jews living in the country will have to begin wearing a Star of David.
1943		The United States asks the Chinese Nationals to join with the Communists to present a common front to the Japanese.
1953		The last American and Korean prisoners are exchanged in Operation Big Switch, the last official act of the Korean War.
1965		Indian troops invade Lahore; Pakistan paratroopers raid Punjab.
1972		The world learns an earlier announcement that all Israeli athletes taken hostage at the Munich Olympics had been rescued was erroneous; all had killed by their captors from the Black September terrorist group; all but 3 terrorists also died in shootout around midnight.
1976		A Soviet pilot lands his MIG-25 in Tokyo and asks for political asylum in the United States.
1976		Lieutenant Viktor Belenko, a Soviet air force pilot defects, flying a MiG-25 jet fighter to Japan and requesting political asylum in US.
1988		Lee Roy Young becomes the first African-American Texas Ranger in the force's 165-year history.
1991		USSR officially recognizes independence for the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1991		Leningrad, second-largest city in the USSR, is changed to Saint Petersburg, which had been the city's name prior to 1924.
1995		Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a 56-year MLB record held by Lou Gehrig; in 2007 fans voted this achievement the most memorable moment in MLB history.
1997		Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales: over 1 million people line London's streets to honor her and 2.5 billion watched the event on TV.

Non Sequitur

Editorial Comment

We here at Carolina Naturally just wanted to thank our readers once again.

Recently we experienced some of the ugly that lurks in the dark recesses of the web - wingnuts attempted to subvert and pervert this blog because they did not like and do not like the fact we expose them for what they are ... no need to innumerate what here, suffice it to say, think of every ignorant, stupid, vile, venal, disgusting and dishonest thing you can and odds are you've just named a trait of a wingnut - several in fact.

We will continue to bring you insightful, hopefully helpful, and entertaining items daily while exposing that and those which need to be.

This blog is for mature minds - one's that actually function - and deals with all of the spectrum of human existence ... as such we do not 'sugar-coat' or 'varnish' our posts to fit into a ideology.

Which is a far cry from what the aforementioned idiots (wingnuts) attempted here with their diatribes and denials along with their demands of 'proof' because facts and reality are not 'proof' in their warped and delusional minds because if it does not fit into their spoon-fed pablum of pure fantasy it isn't 'real'.

But enough of that.

Enjoy Carolina Naturally.

Did the historical Jesus exist? The Facts Say NO.

Most antiquities scholars think that the new testament gospels are "mythologized history."  In other words, they think that around the start of the first century a controversial jewish rabbi named Yeshua ben Yosef gathered a following and his life and teachings provided the seed that grew into christianity.
At the same time, these scholars acknowledge that many bible stories like the virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and women at the tomb borrow and rework mythic themes that were common in the Ancient Near East, much the way that screenwriters base new movies on old familiar tropes or plot elements. In this view, a "historical jesus" became mythologized.
For over 200 years, a wide ranging array of theologians and historians-most of them christian-analyzed ancient texts, both those that made it into the bible and those that didn't, in attempts to excavate the man behind the myth.  Several current or recent bestsellers take this approach, distilling the scholarship for a popular audience. Familiar titles include Zealot by Reza Aslan and  How jesus Became god by Bart Ehrman.
But other scholars believe that the gospel stories are actually "historicized mythology."  In this view, those ancient mythic templates are themselves the kernel. They got filled in with names, places and other real world details as early sects of jesus worship attempted to understand and defend the devotional traditions they had received.
The notion that jesus never existed is the majority position.  Of course it is! says David Fitzgerald, author of Nailed: Ten christian Myths That Show jesus Never Existed at All . For centuries all serious scholars of christianity were christians themselves, and modern secular scholars lean heavily on the groundwork that they laid in collecting, preserving, and analyzing ancient texts. Even today most secular scholars come out of a religious background, and many operate by default under historical presumptions of their former faith.
Fitzgerald is an atheist speaker and writer, popular with secular students and community groups. The internet phenom, Zeitgeist the Movie introduced millions to some of the mythic roots of christianity. But Zeitgeist and similar works contain known errors and oversimplifications that undermine their credibility. Fitzgerald seeks to correct that by giving young people interesting, accessible information that is grounded in accountable scholarship.
More false arguments in support of the jesus Myth theory can be found in the writings of Richard Carrier and Robert Price. Carrier, who has a Ph.D. in ancient history uses the tools of his trade to show, among other things, how christianity might have gotten off the ground without a miracle. Price, by contrast, writes from the perspective of a theologian whose biblical scholarship ultimately formed the basis for his skepticism. It is interesting to note that some of the harshest 'debunkers' of the truth from Zeitgeist or Joseph Atwill (who tries to argue that the Romans invented jesus) are from serious Mythicists like Fitzgerald, Carrier and Price.

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Reality Distortion

Another wingnut Myth Busted As Michael Brown Had A Clean Juvenile Record

Another wingnut lie was exposed on Wednesday as the St. Louis Juvenile Court revealed that Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old who was shot to death by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9th, was not facing any serious felony charges at the time of his death. He also had not been found delinquent of the juvenile equivalent of Class A, B or C felonies, per Cynthia Harcourt, a lawyer for the court who was arguing that the records should stay sealed.

This information was eventually revealed today, despite the opposition of the Brown family, who felt it was confidential and an attempt by media organizations to try to further assassinate Michael Brown’s character, due to two requests. One request was by a local newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The other request came from Charles C. Johnson, a wingnut blogger who had made spurious claims that Brown had a juvenile arrest record that included a second-degree murder. Johnson insists that two contacts of his within the St. Louis Police Department provided him with this information.

After a while, much like with the fake X-ray purported to be of Darren Wilson’s non-existent fractured orbital, this story took off in the wingnut fantasy blogosphere. And, just like with that story, or wingnut claims that the audio recording from Brown’s death was a hoax, wingnuts who have pushed all-in on defaming a young black man are left floundering. Of course, Johnson thinks there is a conspiracy afoot, still feels this is a victory for him and is hyping up more ‘blockbuster’ stories he is working on.

In the end, there was nothing to report. The reason the family didn’t want to release any juvenile records (if there were any) is because they feel that those should remain private. The argument that Johnson and The Post used is that since Brown is now dead, he shouldn’t have any right to privacy. Obviously, Brown’s family and the juvenile court knew that the only reason anyone wanted to see Michael’s juvenile records was to use it against him. The fact is, beyond calling Michael Brown a murderer, Johnson has made a lot of other crazy accusations, such as claiming Brown was in a gang. He even took a shot at Michael’s mom for saying he wasn’t in a gang.

You know, I get why Johnson was suing to get these records. He was hoping to find something, ANYTHING, to justify the pure conjecture he’s been floating out on the net that wingnut racists have been gobbling up for weeks. However, what I don’t get is why The Post, a respected publication, jumped on board this tasteless attempt to smear a dead kid. We can talk all we want about freedom of information and what not. In the end, Brown is the victim. He was shot at over 10 times and was hit with at least six bullets. Why the need to needlessly trample on his grave? Thankfully, the paper didn’t get its tabloid headline on Wednesday.

DOJ to Investigate Entire Ferguson PD for Pattern of Civil Rights Violations

On Thursday, the Department of Justice plans to announce it will conduct a civil rights investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. NBC’s  justice reporter, Pete Williams broke the story, noting the DOJ, with help from the FBI is already investigating the department’s conduct in the shooting death 18-year-old Michael Brown.  They are also investigating events related to the protests that followed. During those protests, the police arrested journalists, a Holocaust survivor and others for such infractions as moving too slowly, standing or not being in a designated free speech zone.  There were reports that the police threw tear gas at people who were on their own property.  Who can forget the images of Ferguson police officers involved in crowd control, armed as if they were at war in Iraq?

Brown, who was unarmed was shot at least 10 times by Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson.  The DOJ is conducting a similar investigation of the County police department.

Williams reports the investigation, to be announced on Thursday, is far broader because it will look at the entire department’s conduct over the past seven years.

Since 1994, the Justice Department has had the legal authority to investigate law enforcement organizations that appear to engage in a pattern of civil rights violations.  While some investigations end with agreements to improve the conduct, some have resisted compliance with the recommendations.  When that happens, the matter is taken to court for a Judge to decide.  In cases that the court supports the DOJ’s recommendations, police departments that fail to comply will be held in contempt of court.

During the past five years, the DOJ launched 20 investigations like this one nationwide.  To give you some perspective, that is twice the number of such investigations in the five years before that.

Moms Demand Action Hammers Grocery Chain For Allowing Guns To Be Openly Carried In Stores

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a national gun control group that was formed in the wake of the Newtown mass shooting tragedy, is targeting national grocery chain Kroger with an ad campaign highlighting the company’s lax attitudes towards guns in their stores. This ad campaign comes on the heels of open carry enthusiasts using stores across the nation to hold demonstrations where they walk through the aisles carrying assault rifles while they ‘shop.’ The print ads will run in USA Today, as well as large local newspapers like the Cincinnati Enquirer and Houston Chronicle.

When Moms Demand Action first announced they would be targeting Kroger with a concentrated ad campaign last month, the group highlighted that more than a dozen shootings have taken place on Kroger property in the past two years. The organization’s spokeswoman, Erika Soto Lamb, made the following statement when discussing the dangers customers and employees face in Kroger stores.

“Kroger employees shouldn’t have to determine whether the person holding a gun in the frozen aisle is someone dangerous or someone making a political statement.”

This is an extremely valid point and one that cannot be stressed enough. How is an employee, or store security, supposed to react when they see a person, or group of people, walking down the aisles toting a military-style assault rifle? Are they to just assume that if someone is openly carrying a gun in their store that the person poses no threat and is only exercising his or her rights? Furthermore, there is a completely racial element at play here. The feeling is that as long as the person walking around with a large gun is white, maybe wearing a hipster hat or decked out in NRA regalia, then the assumption is that the person is a ‘good guy with a gun.’ However, if it is a black person doing the same thing, then that person is obviously a dangerous criminal. (Heck, a black man could be carrying a toy gun in a store and get shot dead.)

Moms Demand Action’s ad campaign features three separate ads highlighting the store’s policies on who is allowed to enter the store and who isn’t. One ad shows a child with an ice cream cone. Another one shows a man with no shirt. The third one features a guy with a skateboard. All three ads show one of these people next to another person holding an assault rifle with the caption, “One of them isn’t welcome at Kroger. Guess which one.” the ads are meant to show the disparity between rules at the store affecting people that pose no real danger compared to their policy of allowing people to walk around with guns while shopping.

The group pointed this out explicitly when they released the ads.

Skateboarding isn’t welcome in Kroger stores. Neither is shopping while not wearing a shirt. And you’re not welcome to carry in outside food or drink. But you are perfectly welcome to shop in a Kroger-owned store carrying a loaded semi-automatic rifle.

A petition is also being circulated by Moms Demand Action calling on Kroger to prohibit the carrying of guns in their stores. As of Thursday, over 115,000 signatures have been collected.

Democrats May Keep Control Of The Senate By Not Having a Democratic Candidate In Kansas

The shocking news that the Democratic Senate candidate in Kansas has dropped out to make way for an Independent candidate who has promised to caucus with Democrats means that the control of the Senate may hinge on the winner in Kansas.

Democratic candidate Chad Taylor told the Wichita Eagle that he was dropping out of the race, “After much consideration and prolonged discussion with my supporters, my staff, and party leadership at every level, I have decided to end my campaign for the United States Senate. I have great love for the state of Kansas and the people that live here. I will continue work in their best interest every day, but effective today, my campaign is terminated.”

Taylor’s departure has paved the way for Independent candidate Greg Orman to take on repugican incumbent Pat Roberts. Orman has been running an Independent campaign that has been capturing momentum in the state. Seventy former repugican lawmakers have endorsed Orman. An August PPP poll of the state found that Orman leads Roberts 43%-33% in a head to head match-up.

Orman’s rise in the race is another aftershock caused by the civil war that Gov. Sam Brownback triggered within the repugican cabal. Brownback led a purge of moderate repugicans from the state party in 2012. He led the charge to replace moderate repugicans with tea partiers, and the result has been a deeply divided repugican cabal in the red state of Kansas.

The cabal is so divided that moderate repugicans in the state are supporting the Democrat for governor. Brownback will lose his reelection campaign and take Pat Roberts down with him. If Orman wins, he has promised to caucus with fellow Independents Bernie Sanders and Angus King. Both Sanders and King caucus with the Democrats. An added wrinkle is that Orman has also promised to vote to remove Harry Reid as Majority Leader.

A very weird scenario could play out where Democrats keep the Senate without having a Democrat candidate in the Kansas senate race. The repugicans are having much more trouble than they expected with their attempt to win back the Senate. The last thing they needed was another red state incumbent fighting to keep a seat that they never thought they would need to fight for in November.

The paths to the Democrats maintaining their majority continue to expand. It’s clear that Democrats have a game-plan, but it may be a repugican civil war in Kansas that keeps Democrats in control of the Senate.

Jury Drops The Hammer On repugican Bob McDonnell As Ex-Governor Guilty On 11 Counts

On Thursday, former Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, was found guilty of eleven counts of corruption. The repugican ex-governor, who left his office in disgrace less than a year ago, faces decades of prison time, though he will likely not spend a long period of time behind bars. His wife, Maureen McDonnell, was found guilty on eight corruption charges. The McDonnells were spared a guilty verdict on falsifying loan documents. The charges and ultimate conviction on corruption stemmed from hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts, vacation and loans provided to the couple by a Virginia businessman in exchange for political favors from the governor’s office.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 6th, 2015. Both McDonnells apparently sobbed in the courtroom after the verdict was handed down. It seems as if the jury was making a point that political corruption and selling access to public offices and elected officials needs to stop. McDonnell, who was already the first Governor of Virginia to be charged with a crime while in office, become the first person to hold the governor’s office in Virginia to be convicted of a crime.

The case itself was not only humiliating for the McDonnells due to the issues surrounding corruption, but also due to the embarrassing details brought forth regarding the couple’s marriage and Mrs. McDonnell’s apparent attraction to Jonnie Williams, Sr., the businessman who provided the couple with lavish gifts and cash. The defense tried to use the couple’s strained relationship as a way to build sympathy for both of them and provide some type of excuse for their behavior. In the end, the jury didn’t buy it, and they were convicted of most of the charges levied against them.

It will be interesting to see what type of sentence both of them receive in January. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison over his extortion conviction regarding his attempts to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after Obama’s Presidential election victory. He is required to serve at least 12 years of that sentence. I doubt the McDonnells will get nearly that harsh of a sentence as in comparison their crimes don’t seem nearly as extreme as the former Illinois Governor. However, it seems likely that they will serve at least some time in prison. I don’t think there is any way they can get out of wearing an orange jumpsuit.

A message was sent to corrupt politicians on Thursday. Your office is not for sale, and if you are caught, you will pay.

Rick Perry's Border-Deployed National Guard Troops Haven't Been Paid

When Rick Perry sent National Guard soldiers to the Texas-Mexico border to much fanfare earlier this summer, he couldn't say how long they'd be there. It turns out he also couldn't pay them: At least 50 soldiers haven't seen a paycheck and are getting sustenance and vehicle fuel from a local food bank. 

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Random Photos

Chinese restaurant employee pulled gun on customer in dispute over soy sauce

An employee at the Dragon City and Chinese Restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, is accused of threatening a dissatisfied customer with a gun.

Dayton police arrested Allan Lin, 40, at the restaurant early on Sunday evening, according to the police report. Police said a 19-year-old man ordered food and asked for more soy sauce, which sparked an argument with Lin, the employee working the cash register.
The teen told police Lin pulled out a handgun from a holster on his belt and shoved the barrel of the gun into his chest, according to the report. Lin told the officers that the customer threatened to have him "jumped," to which he replied, "go ahead and do it," police said.
Officers confiscated from Lin a loaded .40-calibre handgun and two extra magazines. The gun and ammo, a total of 36 rounds, were all attached to Lin's belt, police said. Lin was arrested on suspicion of aggravated menacing.

Eye shadow enthusiast arrested on suspicion of stealing eye shadow

An Arkansas woman with an obvious affinity for eye shadow was arrested on suspicion of stealing $144 worth of eye shadow on Monday. Brandy Allen, 31, was booked into the Washington County Detention Center and faces charges of shoplifting and disorderly conduct. Police were called to the Ulta Beauty Store in Fayetteville to deal with a shoplifter, according to a preliminary report.

The caller said she saw Allen grabbing handfuls of make-up without looking at the color or labels. She didn’t appear to be checking prices, either. Allen entered the store with an unidentified woman who tried to distract store employees by asking questions and leading them away from Allen. An officer arrived at the store and approached Allen.
The original caller introduced herself to Allen as the general manager of the store and asked to see the contents of her purse. Allen fumbled through her purse for several minutes before taking out several different packages of eye shadow, and as she pulled out the items, she’d run her fingers through the tops of each one, trying to make the eye shadow look used. She started to curse loudly saying, “No one [expletive] saw me steal anything.”
She also described the situation with two more expletives. The officer noted that Allen’s cursing was drawing the attention of several customers and young children. Allen continued to dig through her purse, and the store manager pointed out some red eyeliner that an employee had helped Allen get at the counter. She insisted that the eyeliner was hers, and she twisted it and broke it in half in front of the officer and store manager to make it appear used. The officer took Allen into custody. Allen’s bond was set at $830.

Drunk driver hit 'Drive Sober' sign on police department lawn

Police in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, say a 34-year-old man crashed a truck through a construction zone, drove through the police department's front yard, hitting a "Drive Sober or get Pulled Over" sign before being arrested. Grand Blanc Township Police say that at about 2am on Aug. 23, police noticed a vehicle stopped, although there was no stop sign.
As it pulled into a driveway, police saw both front tyres were flat and pulled over the vehicle. After noticing more vehicle damage to the Ford F-150, police said the driver wouldn't answer what he hit. When the man exited the vehicle, police saw that he wasn't wearing any shoes and, after initially refusing to answer how much he drank, he eventually told police "he had a lot," according to the report.
After arresting him for operating while intoxicated, he gave a sample of 0.25 blood-alcohol content - three times the legal limit - with a breath test. Nearly 10 hours later, at 12:30pm, officers found damaged property in front of the police department,including tyre tracks that left the road to strike a "watch for fire trucks sign," a ground flood light and a "Drive Sober or get Pulled Over" sign.

In the process of going into the yard, police say the man hit two sand hills that were in the area for construction and, after hitting the signs, stopped near the broken signs, where police found a receipt with his name on it. The Ford truck that the man was driving was owned by a Linden resident, who told police the man did not have permission to drive the vehicle and was supposed to be working on it.

Ebola News

Grim Ebola Prediction: Outbreak Is Unstoppable for Now

A doctor who just returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa predicts the current Ebola outbreak will go on for more than a year, and will continue to spread.

DNews: How Does Ebola Kill People?

How exactly does the Ebola virus take human lives, as it has done to horrific effect in West African nations? Trace takes a look inside the human body to find out what happens to it when Ebola arrives.

Bloodletting, Bone Brushes, And Tooth Keys

The White-Knuckle Adventures In Early Dentistry

With all those gleaming, stainless-steel tools readied for painful prodding, few people look forward to visiting the dentist. But modern dentistry is a walk in the park compared with archaic methods of treating oral maladies: Be glad you're not seeking treatment for mysterious 'tooth worms' or using dentures filled with the syphilitic teeth of dead soldiers.

The science of dentistry and oral health wasn't fully understood until quite recently, so Collectors Weekly took a look at the experimental techniques and failed treatments of the last few thousand years.

How Europe's Borders Changed Over 2,000 Years

It's interesting to find out that my country, in the past 2,000 years, was consecutively called or part of the Roman Empire, Franci, East Francia, Francia, Holy Roman Empire, Brabant, Austria-Burgundy, France, Les Pays de Par Deça, the Batavian Republic, the Batavian Commonwelth, Kingdom of Holland, United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Kingdom of the Netherlands.

YouTube link

Ziggy

Pacific Volcano

Massive Extinct Volcano Discovered Beneath Pacific

A newly found seamount beneath the Pacific Ocean is about two-thirds of a mile high (1.1 kilometers), researchers said.

Mocona Falls

A Waterfall That Runs Parallel To The River

Iguazu Falls may be the most popular waterfall in Argentina, but Mocona Falls take the crown for the most unique. Mocona does not follow the normal downward and forward trajectory that most waterfalls do. Instead, it runs along the length of the river with water spilling off the side into a gorge.
At 1.8 miles (3 km) long, Mocona Falls is perhaps the only waterfall in the world to run parallel to the river rather than perpendicular.

'Space Whiskey'

'Space Whiskey' to Return After Space Station Voyage

Does space and alcohol mix? We already know that beer has a cozy relationship with space culture, but now it's time to raise an orbital dram. 

Aurora Borealis

What is the Aurora Borealis?

Get an inside look at the aurora borealis and find out more about this intense space weather.

Daily Comic Relief

Astronomical News

Mars to Barely Dodge a Massive Cometary Bullet

Sep 3, 2014 01:16 PM ET

The red planet will soon experience the great relief of having a half-mile wide lump of icy rock just miss it on a flyby. DNews Space Producer Dr. Ian O'Neill explains just how lucky our ruddy, rocky Milky Way buddy will be.

Welcome to Laniakea, Our New Cosmic Home

Using a new mapping technique that takes into account the motions -- and not just the distances -- of nearby galaxies, astronomers discovered that the Milky Way is located in the suburb of a massive, previously unknown super-cluster they named Laniakea.

Stinky Alien Life Could be Detected From Afar

If Professor Hubert Farnsworth's 'Smell-O-Scope' actually existed, astrobiologists would have pointed it at dozens of alien planets by now.

Paleontological News

Ancient Mammal Relatives Were 'Night Owls'

New research finds that nighttime behavior may have evolved 100 million years earlier than mammals did.

Colossal New Dinosaur Was One of World's Largest

Dreadnoughtus schrani measured over 83 feet long -- and was still growing at the time of its death.

 

Blue Whales

California blue whales rebound from whaling, first of their kin to do so

The number of California blue whales has rebounded to near […]

Animal News

Fish Spits With Impressive Precision to Kill Prey

Archerfish shoot to kill, using water as their weapon.

Albino Cobra on the Loose in California Suburb

The snake has a potentially lethal bite and has been roaming the neighborhood for several days.

Elusive Dumbo Octopus Takes a Bow in Gulf of Mexico

Rarely seen creature from the deepest depths gives researchers a camera-full of octopus fun.

Cockatoos Watch and Learn From 'Teacher' Birds

The parrots demonstrate they can learn how to make and use tools after seeing another bird at work.

Animal Pictures