CAROLINA NATURALLY: May 4, 2015

Monday, May 4, 2015

The Daily Drift

Not OCD Compliant ...!

Carolina Naturally is read in 203 countries around the world daily.

Star Wars - May The Fourth Be With You ... !

Today is - Intergalactic Star Wars Derby

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Today in History

1471		In England, the Yorkists defeat the Landcastians at the battle of Tewkesbury.
1626		Indians sell Manhattan Island for $24 in cloth and buttons.
1715		A French manufacturer debuts the first folding umbrella.
1776		Rhode Island declares independence from England.
1795		Thousands of rioters enter jails in Lyons, France, and massacre 99 Jacobin prisoners.
1814		Napoleon Bonaparte disembarks at Portoferraio on the island of Elba in the Mediterranean.
1863		The Battle of Chancellorsville ends when Union Army retreats.
1864		Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces cross the Rapidan River and meet Robert E. Lee's Confederate army.
1927		A balloon soars over 40,000 feet for the first time.
1930		Mahatma Gandhi is arrested by the British.
1942		The Battle of the Coral Sea commences.
1942		The United States begins food rationing.
1961		13 civil rights activists, dubbed Freedom Riders, begin a bus trip through the South.
1970		Ohio National Guardsmen open fire on student protesters at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine others.

Former Marine: I Was A 'Patriot', Now I'm A 'Thug'?

A former Marine unloaded on the police and the hypocrisy of wingnut criticism.

I Was A 'Patriot', Now I'm A 'Thug'?

A 'Ninja' Sister-Wife, A Sexual Assault and A Sword Fight

Remember the pair of armed ninja sister-wives caught trying to abduct a sexual assault victim in Utah last September?
One member of the duo, Raven Blackwing received a prison sentence of up to fifteen years for her role in a break-in and sword fight at a house in West Jordan, Utah on September 19. She has already spent 223 days behind bars.
For those whose recollection of what officials describe as a “polygamous ninja” onslaught has gotten hazy, a quick recap:
This past fall, Blackwing and 19-year-old sister-wife Tylynn Southwick broke into the home of a witness in a rape trial. The defendant in the trial was the man Blackwing and Southwick were both romantically involved with. Allegedly, the two women wanted to retaliate against a witness who might make their lover look bad in the court of law.
Blackwing and Southwick arrived at the residence “armed with a knife, a stun gun, a tourniquet and syringes along with a chemical intended to render someone unconscious when they broke into the home,” reports the local news in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After the women entered the house, they allegedly “lunged” at a man inside. Another man in the residence heard yelling and came to assist in subduing the polygamous ninja attackers.
Victims of the attack successfully managed to subdue Blackwing and Southwick before police arrived.
When the cops got there, Southwick “…was sitting on the couch dressed in all black, wearing a black mask and black latex gloves. Standing a few feet from [Blackwing] was [a man] holding a samurai sword.”

Orange County family paid $72K to keep son in upgraded jail cell after he killed girl while drunk driving

Prisoner gives "OK" sign - (Shutterstock)

Contrary to the concept of “equal justice for all,” multiple Southern California cities offer upgraded jail cells with phones, DVD players, and full-sized refrigerators to offenders who can afford the daily rate.

Luxury jail cell

Dead man given six-month suspended jail sentence for stealing electricity

A Greek court has convicted a dead man of stealing electricity from a power utility, giving him a six-month suspended jail sentence.

His defense lawyer, Christos Bakelas, told the Thessaloniki court that his client was dead. He asked to have the trial deferred until he could deliver a death certificate.
But the court refused, and on Tuesday convicted the man in absentia. Thessaloniki police records show the 46-year-old unemployed father of three died on 8 April, but Bakelas was not told until the eve of the trial.
The man was charged last year after activists reconnected his power supply that had been cut by the electricity company for unpaid bills. Bakelas said he was astonished by the court’s decision and had not experienced anything like it in his 25 years as a lawyer.

Elderly man arrested after grabbing neighbor's neck in malfunctioning doorbell row

An 82-year-old Florida man spent Tuesday night in jail after deputies say he grabbed his 81-year-old neighbor's neck during an argument over the fact that his doorbell rang whenever hers did. Victim Diana Willis-Morse says she is still shaken by the episode, which happened at a Century Village retirement community in West Boca. She said she'd sought an order of protection against her alleged attacker, Julian Mariasis. "Cursing and carrying on and calling me names," Willis-Morse said. "For what? What did I do?"

Deputies arrested Mariasis on a charge of battery against a person over 65 years old. He was released from jail on Wednesday afternoon. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report, the dispute began at about 11am on Tuesday, when Marisias, fed up with the doorbell situation, came down to Willis-Morse's apartment to confront her. Willis-Morse said the confrontation was apparently triggered by a friend of hers ringing her doorbell. She said Mariasis, to whom she'd never spoken before, "barged into" her apartment and started yelling at her about their doorbells being on the same frequency. He was "screaming like a banshee," Willis-Morse said.
When she tried to close the door, she told deputies, he pushed her and grabbed her throat. "I'm 82 years old," Willis-Morse said. "I have a broken femur and a broken hip, not from this, but when he started to push me, I started getting panicky because I thought I was going to fall again." Her friend told deputies Mariasis called Willis-Morse "stupid" and used an expletive against her. She said that as Willis-Morse was trying to push Mariasis out of her apartment, Mariasis reached out and pushed her back and reached out toward her again. The sheriff's office report said Mariasis acknowledged going to Willis-Morse's apartment to talk to her about the doorbell problem.
He said while he was standing inside the unit, the conversation turned into an argument and the woman told him to leave, and grabbed his arm and shirt - allegations Willis-Morse denies. Mariasis told deputies he did not know where his other arm went during the struggle and it's possible he may have grabbed Willis-Morse. While Willis-Morse said she was frightened by her neighbor's actions, she also found a little humour in the catalyst of the attack. She said her doorbell rings whenever his does, too. "There's no reason in this world," she said, "that anybody has to push, holler, scream and do what he did over the sound of a buzz. It's not even a buzz, actually, it's a bell. It's a pretty sound, it really is."

Police apologize for ignoring naked gang’s park rampage

A police bungle meant officers weren’t sent to tackle a gang of naked youngsters rampaging through Cowdenbeath in Fife, Scotland, last weekend. Scared members of the public who watched the events unfold in the town’s public park called the police, to no avail.

Instead the gang continued the mayhem unabated, setting fire to a wheelie bin and sneering at firefighters sent out to tackle the blaze. The incident has seen Chief Superintendent Alan Spiers admit that “regrettably” the calls received at the police control room had not been logged correctly and local officers were not dispatched.”
Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley has written to Chief Superintendent Garry McEwan, asking him to investigate how the police responded to the incident. “The level of behavior in the park that local residents have to deal with is completely unacceptable and I am taking this up with the local station in Cowdenbeath. Some residents tell me they were told ‘the police don’t put out fires’ which is just not the response they were looking for when reporting anti-social behavior, vandalism and fire-raising.”
Local community inspector Hannah Morrison stressed local officers did appreciate anti-social issues in Johnston Park and Leuchatsbeath Drive, bordering the park, and were working to resolve them. Additional patrols have been carried out by community officers and wardens over the last few weekends. Regular visits will also be made to local licensed premises to identify the issue of proxy sales of alcohol to young people.

Mayan City Grid

Ancient Mayan City Built on Grid

The city, which contains flat-topped pyramids, was in use between roughly 600 B.C. and 300 B.C., when the first cities were being constructed in the area.

Preikestolen

Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, is a famous tourist attraction in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway. It consists of a steep cliff which rises 604 meters (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, with an almost flat top of approximately 25 by 25 meters (82 by 82 feet).
The authorities have opted not to install fencing or other safety devices as they felt it would detract from the natural beauty of the site and the fact that fatalities at the site are extremely rare, despite having approximately 200,000 visitors each year. Furthermore, there were concerns that fences or other devices might encourage dangerous behavior such as climbing onto the fences. It should also be noted that it is a policy from Norwegian authorities that "we cannot fence in all nature in this country", and this is supported by the Norwegian population who are generally more accustomed to "dangerous nature" of their country than foreign tourists.

The Sun's Beautiful Magnetism

Sun's Beautiful Magnetism Captured in Stunning Eclipse Photo

When you block out the glare of the sun, usually invisible -- and beautiful -- phenomena pop into view.

Man traumatized after part of nipple bitten off by zebra

A man in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is recovering after being bitten by a zebra. Leonard Overcash was working in a yard next to the animal's field when the animal attacked him.

“He was just staring, you know just looking, and he just put his head over the fence and bit me,” said Overcash. “I was traumatized,” he added. He said it bit off a piece of his right nipple. Overcash had to have seven stitches.
The owner of the animal said she has had the zebra for 10 years, since it was a baby. People in the neighborhood said they’ve never had any issues with the zebra. The animal has been locked in a stable since the incident, but now the city of Muskogee is making the owner get rid of it.
City officials said exotic animals are not allowed within Muskogee city limits and that it has been that way for years. The owner said she was unaware of the law and was told she did not need a permit before she got the pet zebra. She has agreed to pay for all of Overcash’s medical bills and has 30 days to find a new home for the zebra. Overcash said he’s doing much better and he’s back at work. “It hurt. It was very severe. It was very traumatizing,” he said.

Bonbardier Defense

How some beetles produce a scalding defensive spray

Bombardier beetles, which exist on every continent except Antarctica, have a pretty easy life. Virtually no other animals prey on them, because of one particularly effective defense mechanism: When disturbed […]

Man punched bear in the face to save his dog

A 73-year-old man from Placer County, California, came face-to-face with a bear outside his home. He didn’t run. He didn’t call wildlife officials. Instead, he punched the bear in the face. Carl Moore is not a man who scares easily.

“The man or beast that I run from ain’t been born, and his momma’s already dead,” he said. “I ain’t run from nothing; I never have in my whole life and I ain’t going to start now,” he said. “And you’re not going to sacrifice my babies for some damn bear.”
Recently, Lacy, the dog he loves like a daughter, started whimpering outside. Carl ran out and there it was, a bear who had no idea it had just stepped into Carl’s world. “And I raised both hands in the air and I cussed at him, 'Rrraaaaaaa! Get out of here you bastard', and he looked at me like 'Go eff yourself,'” he said.

YouTube link.

Carl landed a whirling haymaker, punching the bear right in the face. The bear is now long gone. But if he does return, Carl will be ready with that right hand. “This guy’s a jerk, but he ain’t been back since he’s been smacked by Carl,” Carl added.

Woman surprised to find wild turkey in her bathroom

Nancy Page from Warwick, Rhode Island, first thought a pipe had burst when she returned home late last week and saw water pouring from the garage ceiling. When she went upstairs and checked the bathroom, she discovered the real culprit.

“I saw the red head and neck, and I knew that was a turkey,” Page said. The wild turkey had crashed through the bathroom window, and somehow turned on the hot water tap (faucet). It also left behind its own mess. “Turkey poop. Everywhere,” according to Page.
She first called 911, then called her husband. Dan Peres was teaching a class at New England Tech when he got the strange news. “I told them I had to end class early. I said a turkey had crashed its way through our bathroom window,” Peres said.

YouTube link.

“They looked at me like, ‘What? can you repeat that?'” Police and a DEM officer came to the house, caught the turkey, and released it outside. Page and Peres had to throw out the bathroom sink, because it had been running for two or three hours. They also said they were looking at thousands of dollars in water damage.