The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of  
Carolina Naturally

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Carolina Naturally is read in 210 countries around the world daily.   

   
Universal Appeal ... !

Today is - There is no particular celebration today

 You want the unvarnished truth?

Don't forget to visit: The Truth Be Told
Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Antigua - Argentina - Aruba - Bahamas - Barbados - Belize - Bolivia - Brazil - Canada - Chile  Colombia - Costa Rica - Dominican Republic- Ecuador - El Salvador - French Guiana - Guatemala Haiti - Honduras - Jamaica - Mexico - Nicaragua - Paraguay - Peru - Puerto Rico
Sint Eustatius and Saba - Sint Maartin - Trinidad and Tobago - Turks and Caicos - United States  Uruguay - Venezuela - Virgin Islands
Europe
Albania - Armenia - Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia  Cyprus -  Czech Republic - Denmark - England - Estonia - Finland - France - Georgia - Germany Greece -  Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Isle of Mann - Italy - Jersey - Latvia - Lithuania - Macedonia  Malta - Moldova - Monaco - Montenegro - Netherlands - Northern Ireland - Norway - Poland Portugal - Romania - Russia - San Marino - Scotland - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden  Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine - Wales
Asia
Afghanistan - Azerbaijan - Bangladesh - Brunei - Burma - Cambodia - China - Hong Kong - India  Indonesia  Iran - Iraq - Israel - Japan - Jordan - Kazakhstan - Korea -  Lebanon - Malaysia - Mauritius
Mongolia - Nepal - Oman - Pakistan - Palestine - Saudi Arabia - Singapore - Sri Lanka - Taiwan Thailand - Tibet - United Arab Emirates - Uzbekistan - Vietnam - Yemen
Africa
Algeria - Chad - Congo - Egypt - Ethiopia - Ivory Coast - Ghana - Kenya - Libya - Madagascar  Morocco - Mozambique - Nigeria - South Africa - Sudan - Tunisia - Zambia - Zimbabwe
The Pacific
Australia - French Polynesia - Guam - Marshall Islands - New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Philippines

Don't forget to visit our sister blogs Here and Here.

Today in History

1782		The British sign a preliminary agreement in Paris, recognizing American independence.
1838		Mexico declares war on France.
1861		The British Parliament sends to Queen Victoria an ultimatum for the United States, demanding the release of two Confederate diplomats who were seized on the British ship Trent.
1864		The Union wins the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.
1900		The French government denounces British actions in South Africa, declaring sympathy for the Boers.
1900		Oscar Wilde dies in a Paris hotel room after saying of the room’s wallpaper: “One of us had to go.”
1906		President Theodore Roosevelt publicly denounces segregation of Japanese schoolchildren in San Francisco.
1919		Women cast votes for the first time in French legislative elections.
1935		Non-belief in Nazism is proclaimed grounds for divorce in Germany.
1945		Russian forces take Danzig in Poland and invade Austria.
1948		The Soviet Union complete the division of Berlin, installing the government in the Soviet sector.
1950		President Harry Truman declares that the United States will use the A-bomb to get peace in Korea.
1956		The United States offers emergency oil to Europe to counter the Arab ban.
1961		The Soviet Union vetoes a UN seat for Kuwait, pleasing Iraq.
1974		India and Pakistan decide to end a 10-year trade ban.
1974		Pioneer II sends photos back to NASA as it nears Jupiter.
1979		Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope in 1,000 years to attend an Orthodox mass.
1981		Representatives of the US and USSR meet in Geneva, Switzerland, to begin negotiations on reducing the number of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.
1982		Thriller, Michael Jackson’s second solo album, released; the album, produced by Quincy Jones, became the best-selling album in history.
1993		US President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (better known as the Brady Bill) into law.
1994		MS Achille Lauro, a ship with long history of problems including a 1985 terrorist hijacking, catches fire off the coast of Somalia.
1995		Operation Desert Storm officially comes to an end.
1998		Exxon and Mobil oil companies agree to a $73.7 billion merge, creating the world’s largest company, Exxon-Mobil.
2004		On the game show Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings loses after 74 consecutive victories. It is the longest winning streak in game-show history, earning him a total of over $3 million.
2005		John Sentamu becomes Archbishop of York, making him the Church of England’s first black archbishop.

Xmas Movies and TV Show Schedule 2016

As we slide into the Xmas season, there are tons of Xmas movies, TV specials, and marathons coming to a television near you. With so many channels to keep up with, it helps that Den of Geek has published a running list of holiday programming for us. Keep this one bookmarked for the next month or so, because they'll be updating it as new information comes in. But meanwhile, you can mark your calendar with your favorites.

11 Twisted Facts About 'The Far Side'

Gary Larson entertained us with his surreal sense of humor in the newspaper comic The Far Side from 1980 to 1995. Although the last comic ran over twenty years ago, Larson's loony ideas have become part of the real world in many ways. The Far Side gave us useful new English words, like Anatidaephobia and Thagomizer.

Stegosaurus is world-famous for its lime-sized brain and the quartet of nasty-looking spikes on its tail. A 1982 "Far Side" strip decided to have a little fun with the latter attribute. In that cartoon, we find an early human anachronistically lecturing his fellow cavemen about dinosaur-related hazards. Pointing at the rear end of a Stegosaurus diagram, he says “Now this end is called the thagomizer … after the late Thag Simmons.” Without meaning to, Larson’s strip plugged a gap in the scientific lexicon. Previously, nobody had ever given a name to the unique arrangement of tail spikes found on Stegosaurus and its relatives. But today, many paleontologists use the word “thagomizer” when describing this apparatus, even in scientific journals.

Read more wonderful stories about The Far Side at mental_floss.

California Phases Out Plastic Bags

In Huge Win for Oceans and Wildlife, California Phases Out Plastic Bags

You Should Be Having Romping Good Sex After 50

Why You Should Be Having Romping Good Sex After 50

7 Common Plants You Might Find in Your Backyard That Could Save You a Trip to the Pharmacy

7 Common Plants You Might Find in Your Backyard That Could Save You a Trip to the Pharmacy

6 Ways Your Diet Can Help Combat Post-Trump Stress Disorder

6 Ways Your Diet Can Help Combat Post-Trump Stress Disorder

Delta Bans 'Hillary Bi#ches' Passenger For Life

...And his fellow passengers suffering through his outburst get a refund.

Acute Financial Stress

We Have to Face the Major Problem of Acute Financial Stress

Will Workplace Safety Survive a Dumbass Trump junta?

Will Workplace Safety Survive a Dumbass Trump junta?

Low-Wage Workers Are Protesting in 340 Cities to Push for a Righteous $15 Wage

Low-Wage Workers Are Protesting in 340 Cities to Push for a Righteous $15 Wage

FAA Restricts Drones Flying Over Pipeline Protests

FAA Restricts Drones Flying Over Pipeline Protests

The FAA has imposed a 4-nautical mile Temporary Flight Restriction in airspace up to 3500 feet above sea level, over the Standing Rock Protest in North Dakota.

Concussion Grenades, Hypothermia & the Fight for Clean Water

Reports from Standing Rock: Concussion Grenades, Hypothermia & the Fight for Clean Water

Somali-American Teen Competes In Miss USA-Minnesota Pageant

Representation matters. And so does calling the bluff of pageant organizers.

Wife Of Putin Aide Performs Holocaust-Themed Skate Routine

Pro-tip: Don't do this. Judges score bad taste poorly.

Titan: A Place To Live?

We are now concentrating on sending people to Mars because we've already been to the moon, and Mars is pretty close compared to the other planets (and more pleasant than Venus). But Saturn's largest moon offers a much better environment for human colonization. Sure, there are drawbacks, but those could be worked around. Let's look at the good things about Titan.

It’s cold on Titan, at -180°C (-291°F), but thanks to its thick atmosphere, residents wouldn’t need pressure suits—just warm clothing and respirators. Housing could be made of plastic produced from the unlimited resources harvested on the surface, and could consist of domes inflated by warm oxygen and nitrogen. The ease of construction would allow huge indoor spaces.
Titanians (as we call them) wouldn’t have to spend all their time inside. The recreational opportunities on Titan are unique. For example, you could fly. The weak gravity—similar to the Moon’s—combined with the thick atmosphere would allow individuals to aviate with wings on their backs. If the wings fall off, no worry, landing will be easy. Terminal velocity on Titan is a tenth that found on the Earth.

But the biggest asset would be the tons of gas available for fuel. Yeah, it rains methane there. Read about Titan and its potential at Scientific American.

Gävle Goat Destroyed in Record Time

Every year since 1966, the people of Gävle, Sweden, have erected a giant straw goat to celebrate Xmas. This year was special, as it was the 50th anniversary edition of the goat. However, in many of those years, the goat became a victim of arson.

The goat is traditionally constructed in late November or early December, and from that point on, it’s just a waiting game to see when vandals will strike. Various protections have been put in place and tried out over the years including adding a perimeter fence, covering the goat in coating of flame retardant, employing security cameras, and having the goat personally guarded by volunteers. But no matter how the city tries to preserve the goat, it usually manages to get set on fire.

The completed 13-meter-tall goat was unveiled on Sunday afternoon. By 11 that night, it was in flames. The perpetrators struck while two security guards were in the restroom and a third was on the opposite side of the goat.
The Gävle goat didn't even make it an entire day. A movement is underway to get the goat rebuilt before Xmas.

Fascinating Facts About Ravens

Humans have always had an uneasy relationship with ravens, and for every civilization that thought of them as pure evil there was one who saw the raven as a powerful deity or nature spirit.

But despite what some bird haters will have you believe ravens don't want to watch the human world burn- they want to be a part of it.

(YouTube Link)

Ravens are one of the smartest animals on Earth, they can imitate human speech much like parrots, and scientists believe they communicate by using nonvocal signals and may even feel empathy for their fellow ravens.

Ravens also roam around in gangs during adolescence, love to trick other animals out of their food and roll around on ant hills, so perhaps their bad reputation isn't pure superstition after all.Read 10 Fascinating Facts About Ravens at mental_floss

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of  
Carolina Naturally

You know you want to ...! 

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 210 countries around the world daily.   

   
Swing your partner ... !

Today is - Square Dance Day

 You want the unvarnished truth?

Don't forget to visit: The Truth Be Told
Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Antigua - Argentina - Aruba - Bahamas - Barbados - Belize - Bolivia - Brazil - Canada - Chile  Colombia - Costa Rica - Dominican Republic- Ecuador - El Salvador - French Guiana - Guatemala Haiti - Honduras - Jamaica - Mexico - Nicaragua - Paraguay - Peru - Puerto Rico
Sint Eustatius and Saba - Sint Maartin - Trinidad and Tobago - Turks and Caicos - United States  Uruguay - Venezuela - Virgin Islands
Europe
Albania - Armenia - Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia  Cyprus -  Czech Republic - Denmark - England - Estonia - Finland - France - Georgia - Germany Greece -  Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Isle of Mann - Italy - Jersey - Latvia - Lithuania - Macedonia  Malta - Moldova - Monaco - Montenegro - Netherlands - Northern Ireland - Norway - Poland Portugal - Romania - Russia - San Marino - Scotland - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden  Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine - Wales
Asia
Afghanistan - Azerbaijan - Bangladesh - Brunei - Burma - Cambodia - China - Hong Kong - India  Indonesia  Iran - Iraq - Israel - Japan - Jordan - Kazakhstan - Korea -  Lebanon - Malaysia - Mauritius
Mongolia - Nepal - Oman - Pakistan - Palestine - Saudi Arabia - Singapore - Sri Lanka - Taiwan Thailand - Tibet - United Arab Emirates - Uzbekistan - Vietnam - Yemen
Africa
Algeria - Chad - Congo - Egypt - Ethiopia - Ivory Coast - Ghana - Kenya - Libya - Madagascar  Morocco - Mozambique - Nigeria - South Africa - Sudan - Tunisia - Zambia - Zimbabwe
The Pacific
Australia - French Polynesia - Guam - Marshall Islands - New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Philippines

Don't forget to visit our sister blogs Here and Here.

Today in History

1760
Major Roger Rogers takes possession of Detroit on behalf of Britain.
1787
Louis XVI promulgates an edict of tolerance, granting civil status to Protestants.
1812
The last elements of Napoleon Bonaparte‘s Grand Armee retreats across the Berezina River in Russia.
1863
The Battle of Fort Sanders, Knoxville, Tenn., ends with a Confederate withdrawal.
1864
Colonel John M. Chivington’s 3rd Colorado Volunteers massacre Black Kettles’ camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians at Sand Creek, Colo.
1903
An Inquiry into the U.S. Postal Service demonstrates the government has lost millions in fraud.
1923
An international commission headed by American banker Charles Dawes is set up to investigate the German economy.
1929
Commander Richard Byrd makes the first flight over the South Pole.
1931
The Spanish government seizes large estates for land redistribution.
1939
Soviet planes bomb an airfield at Helsinki, Finland.
1948
The Metropolitan Opera is televised for the first time as the season opens with “Othello.”
1948
The popular children’s television show, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, premieres.
1949
The United States announces it will conduct atomic tests at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific.
1961
NASA launches a chimpanzee named Enos into Earth orbit.
1962
Algeria bans the Communist Party.
1963
President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints Chief Justice Earl Warren head of a commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1967
US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announces his resignation.
1972
Atari announces the release of Pong, the first commercially successful video game.
2007
Armed forces of the Philippines besiege The Peninsula Manila in response to a mutiny led by Senator Antonio Trillanes.

Editorial Comment

Awhile back we posted about maybe starting to list some of our recent comments after the first of the year.
The jury is still out on this.
We have a ton of spam and some putrid attempts by wingnuts and other perverts attempting to clog up the inbox, so sifting through to genuine comments is a time consuming ordeal which is why we ceased publishing comments several years ago.
However, we decided to post a few of the positive comments we have received now to see what the response will be.

I am one of your great fans. - Sonja Olegsdottir, Malmo, Sverige (Sweden)
Your blog is amazing! - Janis DeLuca, Sacramento, California, USA
Many thanks to the author. - Mary Johnson, Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
Very interesting blog. - Pablo y Isabella Garcia de Tores, Barcelona, España (Spain)
Nice blog, thank you. - Ansa Kumar, Rajahmundy, Andhra Pradesh, India
Looking forward to your usual awesomeness. - Jimbo, Austin Texas, USA
Your site is very informative and your articles are wonderful - Kerry Lundgren, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Wow! This is awesome! Great job! - Wesley Hesthstead, London, England
Keep on writing, great job! - Juana Guzman, Belo Horizonte, Brasil (Brazil)
I don't know what to say. This blog is fantastic. That's not really a really huge statement, but its all I could come up with after reading this. You know so much about this subject. So much so that you made me want to learn more about it. Your blog is my stepping stone, my friend. Thanks for the heads up on this subject. on Peering Into the Heart of a Supernova.- Zudzy Bhano, Harare, Zimbabwe

Now before the trolls begin let us just say that these are comments we have received and the names of the authors of those comments - or at least the names those commenting gave.
As to the names' authenticity we can only take them at their word because most people who post positive comments actually are proud to use their real names ... unlike the trolls who spew negativity and bile under false names like cowards.
Also before asking, we will never post negative comments: Critical comments made in a positive or neutral manner, yes, negative, no.
Derogatory, slanderous and libelous comments are forwarded to the authorities and quite a few wingnut/pervert trolls have discovered this, much to their dismay.
Oh, and by the way ...

We begin our annual Xmas Tree countdown in two days.

Untangling the History of Xmas Lights

The long Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the perfect time to get out the Xmas decorations and put up the colored lights that illuminate the dark winter nights. Those beautiful strings of electric lights replaced candles, which didn't last long, came only in flame color, and were extremely dangerous. The dawn of electric Xmas lights had a lot to do with Thomas Edison, as you might guess, but even more with Edward Hibberd Johnson, who was the first to use Xmas lights.

In 1871, Johnson hired Edison, then a 24-year-old inventor, as a consultant for the Automatic Telegraph Company. Edison “ate at this desk and slept in a chair,” Johnson later recalled. “In six weeks he had gone through the books, written a volume of abstracts, and made two thousand experiments...and produced a solution.”
So impressed was Johnson that when Edison left to start a new company, he followed, quickly making himself useful turning Edison’s brainstorms into cash. In 1877, after Edison invented the phonograph, Johnson took the machine on tour, charging crowds to drum up excitement. When Edison patented the light bulb in 1880, its exact value was hard to gauge; widespread electrification was still decades away. Still, Johnson, Edison and others invested $35,000 to form the Edison Lamp Company to sell the bulbs.

So you see, the guy who strung the first electric Xmas lights in 1882 had a financial stake in their success. Read how it all came about in the December issue of Smithsonian magazine.

The Development of the Proper Medicine Cabinet

When toilets went from outside somewhere to having its own room in the house, it brought a lot of changes. The actual design of such a room was first considered as luxurious and comforting, but easy-to-clean and sanitize design win out. Then there's the medicine cabinet. Medicines were previously kept in the kitchen, where Mom could keep up with them. Then the medicine cabinet was invented, which was at first just a medicine box on the wall. What to keep in this cabinet was a question enthusiastically answered by those who sold such products, and it was Mom's duty to keep it well-stocked, as we learn in an interview with historian Deanna Day.

Right, there’s the familiar image of the snoopy house guest who goes into the bathroom and starts poking around in the medicine cabinet to see what sort of pills you have or what kind of lotion you use, only to be discovered when things start falling out and crashing to the floor. You write about a James Thurber short story that plays on this.
Yes, “Nine Needles.” It plays on the idea that the medicine cabinet holds tools that you use to take care of your very private bodily needs, and they’re sort of hidden away. But at the same time that the medicine cabinet is a private space, it also has a public dimension; it’s a hideaway but—unlike perhaps other closed-off spaces in the home—it’s in a room that guests are actually invited into. Then it becomes a private space that guests are actually given a private opportunity to explore, if they want to. It feels like a minor transgression to open the cabinet and see what kinds of things your hosts are using on their bodies, a relatively low-stakes form of gaining secret knowledge about them.

I believe that's a little naive, as there are friends, acquaintances, and even family members who will look in there to see what they can take. But all that aside, the story of the development, expectations, and curation of the medicine cabinet can be found at (appropriately) Cabinet Magazine.

Daily Comic Relief

It’s Iceland vs Iceland ...

It’s Iceland vs Iceland as trademark row erupts between country and frozen supermarket chain

Get Your IUD While You Can

Get an IUD While You Can

California considers ban on sex between lawyers and clients

The nation's largest state bar association is overhauling ethics rules for attorneys for the first time in 30 years, and some lawyers are not happy about a proposal that would open them up to discipline for having sex with clients. Supporters of an all-out ban say the relationship between a lawyer and client is inherently unequal, so any sexual relationship is potentially coercive.

 Read more 

Amid a media blackout of the Standing Rock protests, law enforcement targets the rare journalists on the scene

Amid a media blackout of the Standing Rock protests, law enforcement targets the rare journalists on the scene

The history of sanctuary spaces and why they matter?

What’s the history of sanctuary spaces and why do they matter? 

Black-White Earnings Gap Returns to 1950 Levels

After years of progress, the median earnings gap between black and white men has returned to what it was in 1950, according to new research by economists from Duke University and the University of Chicago. … Read more

Random Photos

The Disgusting Ways Actors Gained Weight

It's common knowledge that actors often have to gain or lose a few pounds depending on the roles they are cast in. But when they have to gain 30 pounds or more for a role -often in only a handful of months, the weight gain gets seriously intense. In fact, it seems that many of them resort to chugging melted ice cream just to get as many calories in as quickly as possible (though why Jared Leto thought it was necessary to add olive oil and soy sauce into the mix is a mystery). The worst part is how often it doesn't even pay off. In fact, many actors went through all this suffering only to see their movies fail and be panned by critics and poor Ryan Gosling gained 60 pounds for the movie The Lovely Bones only to get fired since he didn't clear the weight gain with director Peter Jackson beforehand.

Read more about actors gaining weight for their roles at Mel Magazine.

5 Things That Happened When I Ate a Big Breakfast Every Day for a Week

5 Things That Happened When I Ate a Big Breakfast Every Day for a Week

"I learned that my definition of big was way too big."

Got Gas?

6 Reasons You’re So Gassy

If your flatulence level has reached an all-time high, one of these culprits could be to blame

Link Dump

16 Tools to Create Better Images

Everything you need to know about those ‘Gilmore Girls’

Original Gerber Baby, Ann Taylor Cook, turns 90

The Child Eater of Bern

Amazing white rainbow snapped over Scottish moor

30 pretty awesome wives

The Sweet and Not-So-Sweet History of Saccharin

40 Secrets Fast Food Places Will NEVER Tell You

The Cards Against Humanity Holiday Hole

The Driving Dead – Vehicles of The Walking Dead

What ‘The Brady Bunch’ taught me about science

What makes cinema popcorn taste better than home popcorn?

Video poker bug made these guys rich

More Than 100 Million Trees Have Died in California's Drought

More Than 100 Million Trees Have Died in California's Drought

Living Relics

Siberian Moose carry genes believed to have vanished with the Ice Age

by Doug Williams

Siberian moose not only look mysterious and abnormal; they even carry the genes of ancient Elks that are thought to have vanished or gone extinct some 24,000 years ago.
Researchers have claimed that they have discovered the genetic gems found hidden deep in the DNA of modern-day gangs of moose have remarkable similarities with the genes found in the remains of the ancient animal. The match was found after sequencing against the records kept in the International Computer Database GenBank.
The genetic variations are believed to have been widely spread among the ancient moose sometime between 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. However, as the Ice Age started reaching its Zenith; around 18,000 to 24,000 years ago to be more precise, these genetic lines also disappeared.
According to Olga Nemoikina, who is the researcher at the Biological Institute of Tomsk State University, the Western Siberia can be classified as a white spot; which means that no molecular study of animals has ever been held in this region. She added that the discovery of the moose’s ancient gene seemingly confirms the existence of regugia.
Regugia is the name associated with the theoretical places where populations (of animals and even humans) can evolve to survive in extremely hostile and unfavorable conditions like glacial areas or deserts.
Nemoikina believes that the Western Siberian region can be considered as fairly ideal plain, as the absence of any large natural barriers allowed the moose were able to spread wide and pass very rare genetic lines.

Olga believes that the moose were saved in the western Siberia and same applies to other animals that existed in prehistoric time. The conditions were hostile, but the overall environment and life’s ability to thrive in those conditions must have contributed in preserving these genetic lines.
When the population of these Elks grew again, these genetic lines returned to the common gene pool that effectively increased the biodiversity and adapted to change their habitat.
Talking about the wildlife of the region Nemoikina said that the animals found in the region are a sort of genetic repository for those species which live and thrive in these harsh conditions.
Olga Nemoikina was also involved earlier in a joint research project with specialists from the A N Sieverts Institute of Ecology and Evolution in Moscow. She had found out during the course of her research that the moose found in the western Siberia contained American Haplogroup, challenging the previously held notion that western Siberia was home to only European moose.

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of  
Carolina Naturally

Oh, yeah, today is also Cyber Monday ...! 

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 210 countries around the world daily.   

   
Here's mud in your eye ... !

Today is - Cider Monday

 You want the unvarnished truth?

Don't forget to visit: The Truth Be Told
Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Antigua - Argentina - Aruba - Bahamas - Barbados - Belize - Bolivia - Brazil - Canada - Chile  Colombia - Costa Rica - Dominican Republic- Ecuador - El Salvador - French Guiana - Guatemala Haiti - Honduras - Jamaica - Mexico - Nicaragua - Paraguay - Peru - Puerto Rico
Sint Eustatius and Saba - Sint Maartin - Trinidad and Tobago - Turks and Caicos - United States  Uruguay - Venezuela - Virgin Islands
Europe
Albania - Armenia - Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia  Cyprus -  Czech Republic - Denmark - England - Estonia - Finland - France - Georgia - Germany Greece -  Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Isle of Mann - Italy - Jersey - Latvia - Lithuania - Macedonia  Malta - Moldova - Monaco - Montenegro - Netherlands - Northern Ireland - Norway - Poland Portugal - Romania - Russia - San Marino - Scotland - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden  Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine - Wales
Asia
Afghanistan - Azerbaijan - Bangladesh - Brunei - Burma - Cambodia - China - Hong Kong - India  Indonesia  Iran - Iraq - Israel - Japan - Jordan - Kazakhstan - Korea -  Lebanon - Malaysia - Mauritius
Mongolia - Nepal - Oman - Pakistan - Palestine - Saudi Arabia - Singapore - Sri Lanka - Taiwan Thailand - Tibet - United Arab Emirates - Uzbekistan - Vietnam - Yemen
Africa
Algeria - Chad - Congo - Egypt - Ethiopia - Ivory Coast - Ghana - Kenya - Libya - Madagascar  Morocco - Mozambique - Nigeria - South Africa - Sudan - Tunisia - Zambia - Zimbabwe
The Pacific
Australia - French Polynesia - Guam - Marshall Islands - New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Philippines

Don't forget to visit our sister blogs Here and Here.

Today in History

1520
Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, having discovered a strait at the tip of South America, enters the Pacific.
1729
Natchez Indians massacre most of the 300 French settlers and soldiers at Fort Rosalie, Louisiana.
1861
The Confederate Congress admits Missouri to the Confederacy, although Missouri has not yet seceded from the Union.
1868
Mt. Etna in Sicily violently erupts.
1872
The Modoc War of 1872-73 begins in northern California when fighting breaks out between Modoc Chief Captain Jack and a cavalry detail led by Captain James Jackson.
1899
The British are victorious over the Boers at Modder River.
1919
Lady Astor is elected the first woman in Parliament.
1925
The forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry, called the WSM Barn Dance, opens in Nashville, Tennessee.
1935
The German Reich declares all men ages 18 to 45 as army reservists.
1937
Spanish leader Francisco Franco blockades the Spanish coast.
1939
The Soviet Union scraps its nonaggression pact with Finland.
1941
The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise departs from Pearl Harbor to deliver F4F Wildcat fighters to Wake Island. This mission saves the carrier from destruction when the Japanese attack.
1943
Sir Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt meet at Tehran, Iran, to hammer out war aims.
1944
The first shipment of supplies reach Antwerp by convoy, a new route for the Allies.
1948
Dr. Edwin Land’s first Polaroid cameras go on sale in Boston.
1950
In Korea, 200,000 Communist troops launch attack on UN forces.
1961
Ernie Davis becomes the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
1963
Cape Canaveral is renamed Cape Kennedy.
1971
The Anglican cult ordains the first two women as priests.
1975
East Timor declares independence from Portugal.
1980
Operation Morvarid (Iran-Iraq War) takes place; Iranian Navy destroys over 70% of Iraqi Navy.
1984
Wingnut Robert Dole is elected Senate majority leader.
1989
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces it will give up its monopoly on political power.
1991
South Ossetia declares independence from Georgia.
2002
Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya.

How Happy Couples Tackle 3 Of the Most Common Relationship Fights

How Happy Couples Tackle 3 Of the Most Common Relationship Fights

Find out how a fight—if done right—can actually be productive

Surprising Things Guys Learned About Their Wives After Getting Married

9 Guys Share the Surprising Things They Learned About Their Wives After Getting Married

"She’s messy."

The Scariest Side Effect Of Low Blood Pressure

The Scariest Side Effect Of Low Blood Pressure

A high reading isn’t the only kind that comes with risk

Eating this dessert for breakfast may make you smarter

Eating this dessert for breakfast may make you smarter

The Burger That Literally Explodes With Cheese

A burger bun pumped full of cheese sounds like heaven, but when you see it launch the cheesy goo in a stream that looks disturbingly pimple-ish way, it may just change your mind.

(Video Link)

The burger, created by RawMaterialNYC is totally dividing audiences, with some mesmerized with the delicious cheesy filling -and others utterly disgusted with the zit-like visual that happens whenever someone bursts that bun open. What do you guys think? Nasty or nice?