Overprotective parents don't just limit their children's freedom – they may also slow brain growth in an area linked to mental illness.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Mom and dad, stop stifling me – it's damaging my brain
Overprotective parents don't just limit their children's freedom – they may also slow brain growth in an area linked to mental illness.
World's oldest rivers mapped under huge desert dunes
Ancient waterways buried beneath Australia's Simpson desert have been traced – even though massive dunes make remote sensing impossible.World's oldest rivers mapped under huge desert dunes
Science News
From BBC-Science:
 | | The mechanism by which thalidomide causes malformed limbs is revealed by scientists. |
Victims' joy at apology | Researchers in Edinburgh say they have solved the mystery of why some chickens hatch out half-male and half-female. |
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Job sectors that are hiring now
6 job sectors that are hiring now
Despite high unemployment, some professions are producing large numbers of open positions.
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Uncle Sam might owe you money
Uncle Sam might owe you money
The IRS says 1.4 million taxpayers are owed refunds from 2006 that they haven't claimed.
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Ways to save money and eat healthier
Ways to save money and eat healthier
Natural and organic foods often carry premium prices, but these Web coupons can help.
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Bank apologizes for seizing wrong home
Bank apologizes for seizing wrong home
Angela Iannelli's doors were padlocked and her parrot stolen — even though the mortgage was paid.
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How the U.S. no-fly list is built
How the U.S. no-fly list is built
There are four steps the government takes before banning a person from flying.
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Why the fight for free TV isn't over
Why the fight for free TV isn't over
Don't read too much into the recent Oscar night agreement; the truce was only temporary.
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Critical supply of Mexican oil shrinking
Critical supply of Mexican oil shrinking
Mexico's readily accessible oil is used up, but politics is keeping more out of reach.
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Greece's crisis a cautionary tale for U.S.
Greece's crisis a cautionary tale for U.S.
Greece is currently a financial mess, and America could be heading down that same road.
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There Could Be Libraries For Everything
From Treehugger:
Trinity College, Dublin
TreeHugger loves Product Service Systems, where you borrow and share instead of own. They are also called libraries, and Kris De Decker of No-Tech Magazine points us to a lovely post by Brian Kaller, a former newspaper reporter now living in rural Ireland. He loves his local library, but more importantly, writes about the principle behind it:
Article continues: There Could Be Libraries For Everything
Scots claim record for kilts going down hill
Scots claim record for kilts going down hill
Ever wonder what the record was for most people going down a ski run on skis and snowboards while wearing kilts? Without mentioning what the record was before Saturday, the BBC reports that the new record was set in Aviemore, Scotland, and now stands at 235. It smacks of the kind of record that is a record only because the people who set it said it is, but still, there were 235 people going down CairnGorm Mountain in kilts. "It was an impressive sight," said spokesman Colin Kirkwood.
Extremely rare penguin photographed
Extremely rare penguin photographed
A "one in a zillion" king penguin is spotted near Antarctica with a bizarre mutation.
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Meet the new richest person in the world
Meet the new richest person in the world
The wealthiest person on the planet isn't Bill Gates or Warren Buffett anymore.
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Gosh darn it, 'midnight knitter' pulls the wool over NJ town
An unknown person dubbed The Midnight Knitter by West Cape May residents is covering tree branches and lamp poles with little sweaters under cover of darkness.
The largest house of cards ever built
The largest house of cards ever built
Bryan Berg breaks a world record for the second time with more than 4,000 decks of cards and no glue.
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Prom canceled after student's date request
Prom canceled after student's date request
Citing "distractions," a school district under pressure from the ACLU calls off prom altogether.
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Robber scored $6 from holding up 11 people at California market
They say crime doesn't pay.
For one robber in California, it did - but not much.
You know times are hard when even the thieves are having it rough.
Food company sold contaminated food and knew about it
Unusual tool solves salmonella mystery
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the recent outbreak with a common shopping item.
Also:
This is a classic example of why the government and not business should be in the lead for food recalls. The FDA could have pushed this a bit faster but compared to the previous FDA, they are doing an incredible job.
The company responsible for a ballooning recall of processed foods continued to manufacture and distribute a flavor-enhancing ingredient for a month after tests confirmed it was made with contaminated equipment, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.
FDA inspectors said the company, Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., knew of salmonella contamination on its equipment after it received the results of a private inspection on Jan. 21. They said the company continued to distribute the ingredient, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, until Feb. 15.
International fight over the exit sign
International fight over the exit sign
Americans may think the big red word is perfect, but the rest of the world thinks it’s ridiculous.
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Liars and Fools
Liars and Fools
The delusional douchebag is delusional as ever.
No, that was during the eight years of hell for the entire world that was the shrub and the cabal's regin of terror.
This madman gets more and more insane with every sound he utters.
Hey, Lush ... the syphilis acting up again? That was the shrub and the cabal's plan - it failed get over it.
Unhealthiest chicken dishes at restaurants
Unhealthiest chicken dishes at restaurants
One chain's chicken pasta plate has 2,579 calories and 62 grams of saturated fat.
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Woman pleads guilty in plot to kidnap girls
Linda Gonzalez
A woman who helped her estranged husband translate a ransom note into English pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Linda Gonzalez, 21, of Edinburg Texas faces a maximum of five years in federal prison for her part in the scheme to kidnap two girls from a bus stop in Cornelius, according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The kidnapping plot was Ruben Garcia Rosario's idea, according to court documents. The girls were the daughters of a couple for whom he worked as a painter. He drove by their school bus stop several times, according to police, snapping pictures of the girls with his cell phone camera.
He promised Gonzalez $10,000 if she'd help translate the note, the release says.
Garcia was arrested Sept. 29 and is in Mecklenburg jail, charged with attempted kidnapping and conspiring to kidnap the two girls. Federal immigration officials have also placed a hold on him because he is an illegal immigrant.
The indictment says Garcia and Gonzalez wrote the ransom note over the telephone, which threatened to kill the children if they didn't receive money.
Parents called police in early September, saying a man was at the bus stop in Cornelius early one morning, Cornelius Police Maj. David King said at a news conference following the arrest. The parents provided a description of the car, but it was gone before police arrived.
On Sept. 22, police got another call from parents - the man taking pictures was back, and this time they had a license plate number.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested Garcia and charged him with driving without a license and carrying a concealed weapon. But after he was interrogated, officers say he told them about the kidnapping scheme.
When officers searched his car, they found several ransom notes, pictures of the girls, a loaded gun, duct tape, latex gloves, a ski mask and two Mexican passports.
East Mecklenburg high school student shot walking home from school
A 15-year-old sophomore girl at East Mecklenburg high school was shot after school yesterday as she passed near a group of men having a fight, police said.
Millions Of Unclaimed Money Awaits On NC Website
The state of North Carolina has $600 million dollars of unclaimed money. That means you could have anywhere from $10...to $10,000 waiting for you...but you just might not realize you're owed the money.
Millions Of Unclaimed Money Awaits On NC Website
'Jihad Jane' has Texas connection
You just knew there had to be ...
The self-described "Jihad Jane" who thought her blond hair and blue eyes would let her blend in as she sought to kill an artist in Sweden is a rare case of an American woman aiding foreign terrorists and shows the evolution of the global threat, authorities say.
More:
'Jihad Jane' puzzles anti-terror experts
Colleen LaRose's unusual appearance and background have officials rethinking their strategy.
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Insurance companies not paying on bad mortgage insurance
What a great business model. Sign contracts to deliver a service and then balk when asked to follow through.
Mortgage insurers are rescinding (denying) claims, claiming themselves that the loans were fraudulent and misrepresented to them.
"The broker dealers, Bear Stearns, Countrywide even ResCap that was part of GM at the time, they used underwriting standards that were a little bit looser than what we see with the normal conforming market," says Chris Whalen of Institutional Risk Analytics. "In those cases, the default rates are in double digits and there's a lot more claims for what we call rescission or really putting back the loan to the originator by the insurer and saying, 'Hey, this loan wasn't kosher, and I shouldn't have insured it in the first place.'"
Valuable tax breaks for parents
10 valuable tax breaks for parents
Having children can lower your IRS bill in many ways, beyond just claiming kids as dependents.
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U.S. births set for historic shift
U.S. births set for historic shift
2010 could prove to be a tipping point for the country's population makeup, data shows.
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What six unusual jobs really pay
What six unusual jobs really pay
Bounty hunters, bodyguards, and private investigators can all earn more than you may think.
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Change in format
You might have noticed a format change here at Carolina Naturally.
In the past couple of days we changed the post format to a daily post page format in lieu of a posts per page format so that our readers can read all of the day's posts on one page.
Today is ...
Today is Thursday, March 11, the 70th day of 2010.
There are 295 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
Johnny Appleseed Day
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland
London, England United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
as well as Scotland, and the United States in such cities as Broken Arrow, Mineola, Pewaukee, Bealeton, El Mirage, Leavenworth, Omaha, Duluth, Lubec and more
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Feeling excessive?
Impractical?
Like if it's not worth a risk, it's not worth anything at all?
It's not as if you've never, ever felt this way before, but right now you have it bad.
You have an ailment characterized by the inability to do anything at all in moderation.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) it's temporary.
Get busy.
How busy?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
German catholics to investigate abuse charges
In a case of the weasel 'investigating' the fox for who's raiding the hen house more:
catholic authorities in Germany announced two major abuse investigations Wednesday — one into the renowned choir once led by pope Benedict XVI's brother and another into what everyone, including the pope, knew about the sexual and physical abuse of students.
Full Story
catholic authorities in Germany announced two major abuse investigations Wednesday — one into the renowned choir once led by pope Benedict XVI's brother and another into what everyone, including the pope, knew about the sexual and physical abuse of students.
Full Story
7-year-old saves family with 911 call
7-year-old saves family with 911 call
When armed attackers broke into his home, a young boy grabbed his sister and sprang into action.
U.S. sales tax rates hit record high
So much for the teabaggers desires ...
U.S. sales tax rates hit record high
Sales taxes are rising across America, with one town charging as much as 12%.
Credit Default Swaps are no more
The so-advanced-nobody-has-any-idea-what-they-are Credit Default Swaps are on their last leg. They won't be missed by anyone other than the snake oil salesmen on Wall Street who cashed in on chaos. Then again, Chuck Prince and Stanley O'Neal are living the good life in retirement so they don't care.
What's interesting here is how active Greek PM Papandreou has been going around the EU and now the US pushing for both reform in the financial sector as well as assistance with Greece's own financial issues. He inherited a serious problem and has been doing a decent job of responding. Taking advantage of the moment to push for much needed reform in the financial industry deserves a lot of credit.
From The Guardian:
What's interesting here is how active Greek PM Papandreou has been going around the EU and now the US pushing for both reform in the financial sector as well as assistance with Greece's own financial issues. He inherited a serious problem and has been doing a decent job of responding. Taking advantage of the moment to push for much needed reform in the financial industry deserves a lot of credit.
From The Guardian:
The commission announcement came in response to pressure from Merkel, Sarkozy, Juncker and Papandreou, who threatened to take national action against the markets if Brussels balked.
The European crackdown on CDS trading appeared to be the central result of Papandreou's tour of key capitals, a strong political signal aimed at winning time for the Greeks. The apparent determination to regulate the traders as well as the concerted political signals sent today were aimed at relieving the pressure on Greece whose debt and deficit crisis could spiral out of control and undermine the euro.
For the first time Barroso said the eurozone countries were preparing some form of bailout for the Greeks which, nonetheless, would not breach the no-bailout clause in the single currency rulebook.
Bruma bans Suu Kyi from elections
Doesn't look like they're trying to bother with "free and fair" this time either.
Why bother having elections?
Burma's military rulers have barred pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running in upcoming elections and may force her own political party to expel her under a new election law unveiled Wednesday.
The Political Parties Registration Law, published in official newspapers, prohibits anyone convicted by a court of law from joining a political party, making them ineligible to become a candidate.
It also instructs parties to expel members who are "not in conformity with the qualification to be members of a party," a clause that could force Suu Kyi's expulsion. Parties that don't register automatically cease to exist, the law says.
This is a case where a local power such as China could help have a positive influence. But of course, they're too busy rigging their own political system and shutting down respected critics themselves.
Massachusetts court upholds state gun-lock requirement
The highest court in Massachusetts has upheld the constitutionality of a state law that requires gun owners to lock weapons in their homes, a ruling seen as a victory for gun-control advocates.
Massachusetts court upholds state gun-lock requirement
Of course the NRA and the other assorted gun nuts are having fits of apoplexy over this correct decision.
Massachusetts court upholds state gun-lock requirement
Of course the NRA and the other assorted gun nuts are having fits of apoplexy over this correct decision.
Roberts unsettled by Obama's public criticism of Supreme Court
From the "Cry me a river" Department:
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told law students Tuesday that he found it "very troubling" to be surrounded by loudly cheering critics at President Obama's State of the Union address.
Here's a clue Roberts ... Get used to it!
Here's Joe Sudbay's take on this:Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told law students Tuesday that he found it "very troubling" to be surrounded by loudly cheering critics at President Obama's State of the Union address.
Here's a clue Roberts ... Get used to it!
Thin-skinned Chief Justice didn't like criticism of campaign finance decision
John Roberts has a very thin skin. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is peeved that the President criticized the Supreme Court's campaign finance decision during the State of the Union:
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address was "very troubling" and that the annual speech to Congress has "degenerated into a political pep rally."I think the campaign finance system is broken down after the Citizens United decision. Robert Gibbs explained what is really "very troubling":
Responding to a University of Alabama law student's question about the Senate's method of confirming justices, Roberts said senators improperly try to make political points by asking questions they know nominees can't answer because of judicial ethics rules.
"I think the process is broken down," he said.
"What is troubling is that this decision opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections — drowning out the voices of average Americans," Gibbs said. "The president has long been committed to reducing the undue influence of special interests and their lobbyists over government. That is why he spoke out to condemn the decision and is working with Congress on a legislative response."Glenn Greenwald has an excellent take on Roberts' outburst, which concludes:
Supreme Court Justices, in particular, have awesome, unrestrained power. They are guaranteed life tenure, have no authorities who can sanction them except under the most extreme circumstances, and, with the mere sweep of a pen, can radically alter the lives of huge numbers of people or even transform our political system (as five of them, including Roberts, just did, to some degree, in Citizens United). The very idea that it's terrriby wrong, uncouth, and "very troubling" for the President to criticize one of their most significant judicial decisions in a speech while in their majestic presence -- not threaten them, or have them arrested, or incite violence against them, but disagree with their conclusions and call for Congressional remedies (as Art. II, Sec. 3 of the Constitution requires) -- approaches pathological levels of vanity and entitlement. The particular Obama/Roberts/Alito drama is an unimportant distraction, but what this reflects about the mindset of many judges, including (perhaps especially) ones on the Supreme Court and obviously the Chief Justice of that court, is definitely worth considering.
*****
We are often led to believe that judges are imbued with some mystical powers of fairness and justice. They're not. They're political appointees. For years, John Roberts was groomed for his job by the repugicans. Make no mistake, Roberts is on the Court to push an ideological agenda. And, that is exactly what he is doing.
Obama had every right to criticize the Citizens United decision.
He would have been wrong not to.
Presidents are allowed to criticize the Supreme Court, and have.
Supreme Court justices, especially the chief justice, are supposed to be objective and above politics. The court isn't supposed to respond to anything at the State of the Union.
For Roberts to be whining about Obama's speech a good month after the SOTU is rather pathetic. If he doesn't like the rules, he can always quit.
Then again, Roberts' style is more to simply overturn rules that don't jive with his political agenda.
Obama had every right to criticize the Citizens United decision.
He would have been wrong not to.
Presidents are allowed to criticize the Supreme Court, and have.
Supreme Court justices, especially the chief justice, are supposed to be objective and above politics. The court isn't supposed to respond to anything at the State of the Union.
For Roberts to be whining about Obama's speech a good month after the SOTU is rather pathetic. If he doesn't like the rules, he can always quit.
Then again, Roberts' style is more to simply overturn rules that don't jive with his political agenda.
Bronx pals face weapons rap after hitting off-duty cop with snowball
Sometimes it is only a snowball ...
Four Bronx buddies are facing a year in jail for criminal possession of a weapon - a snowball that hit an off-duty transit cop. The young men say they were horsing around in the late February storm when an errant snowball smacked Officer Adonis Ramirez in the leg.
*****
Now, if it truly was a errant snowball (and it mostly likely was due to the exuberance of youths in a snowball 'fight' having a good time) the transit cop needs to grow a thicker skin - he should have joined in the fun with a few snowballs of his own - and grow up.
Even deliberate targeting of the off duty cop does not mean malicious intent ... who hasn't walked by a snowball 'fight' and NOT had a snowball head in their direction at least once in their lives?
Editorial
Readers of Carolina Naturally and her sister blog The Naked, The Nude and The Nekkid know we pull stories from around the world to provide a view of the world to some who otherwise would have a very limited view of the world.
While Carolina Naturally deals with the mundane to the profound in the realm of human, vegetable and mineral and The Naked, the Nude and The Nekkid deals with the more risque mundane and profound in the realm of human, vegetable and mineral we do strive to balance the reality and truth with the not so real.
The political and religious arenas are where most (OK, 99.9%) of the departures from reality occur and we at times post items from those 'departure' sites as they are without comment so that our readers can see for themselves how crazy they really are - not that we shy from skewering them as well. But sometimes it is just too easy to do so ... and they do such a good job of it themselves, so why should we?
While Carolina Naturally deals with the mundane to the profound in the realm of human, vegetable and mineral and The Naked, the Nude and The Nekkid deals with the more risque mundane and profound in the realm of human, vegetable and mineral we do strive to balance the reality and truth with the not so real.
The political and religious arenas are where most (OK, 99.9%) of the departures from reality occur and we at times post items from those 'departure' sites as they are without comment so that our readers can see for themselves how crazy they really are - not that we shy from skewering them as well. But sometimes it is just too easy to do so ... and they do such a good job of it themselves, so why should we?
Indonesian president says suspected Bali bomb mastermind shot dead by police on Java
Indonesian counterterror authorities won international praise on Wednesday for killing a top-ranked Southeast Asian militant wanted for planning the deadly 2002 Bali bombings.
Bank makes mistake, man is guilty
A man has been convicted of theft for not returning more than $280,000 mistakenly deposited into his bank account.
Bank makes mistake, man is guilty
They're error yet he goes to jail. What can possibly be wrong with this picture?
Man Who Claims Pot As Sacrament Convicted
Now there's a religion for you ...
A Colorado man who says marijuana is a sacrament in his religion has been convicted of misdemeanor drug charges.
Man Who Claims Pot As Sacrament Convicted
Hell, getting stoned or intoxicated by religions has been the cornerstone of the downfall of every civilization of man since time began and they've done it with the use of drugs all along.
A Colorado man who says marijuana is a sacrament in his religion has been convicted of misdemeanor drug charges.
Man Who Claims Pot As Sacrament Convicted
Hell, getting stoned or intoxicated by religions has been the cornerstone of the downfall of every civilization of man since time began and they've done it with the use of drugs all along.
Rare black penguin living off the Falklands coast
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology expert Dr Allan Baker, from the University of Toronto, said the Antarctic penguin was black because it had lost control of its pigmentation patterns.
World's First Museum Dedicated to Leprechauns Opens in Ireland
Just in time for Paddy's day ...
A museum that claims to be the world's first-ever visitor attraction dedicated to Ireland's mythological mischief maker opened Wednesday in Dublin.
A museum that claims to be the world's first-ever visitor attraction dedicated to Ireland's mythological mischief maker opened Wednesday in Dublin.
Man attacked for Monopoly money drug buy
From the "There is always one" Department:
Kansas authorities said an injured man pulled over during a traffic stop told officers he was beaten for using Monopoly money to purchase drugs.
Kansas authorities said an injured man pulled over during a traffic stop told officers he was beaten for using Monopoly money to purchase drugs.
Unemployment Insurance Faces Senate Vote
Tornado close encounter caught on tape
Tornado close encounter caught on tape
Storm chasers spotted the twister as it touched down outside an Oklahoma town.
Pre-Dinosaur Era Plant Specimens Brazenly Stolen
From Treehugger:
This photo, via The Telegraph, shows just how difficult it is to move one of the large, primitive cycads.
Important specimens from one of the world´s oldest and rarest species of plant were stolen last weekend, covert ops style, from a botanical garden in South Africa. The species, cycads, is so old, in fact, that their broad leaves were casting shadows even before there walked any dinosaur to appreciate the shade. For some time, cycads were abundant and could be found across the globe, but today they are so rare, one large plant can fetch as much as $10,000. The brazen theft of the rare species has botanists concerned that some endangered plants may be lost before being recognized by the scientific community.
Article continues: Pre-Dinosaur Era Plant Specimens Brazenly Stolen
Shooting at Ohio State kills 1, wounds 2
A shooting at an Ohio State University campus maintenance building left one employee dead and two others wounded, the university said Tuesday.
The unmistakable stench of burning rubber and patchouli
Los Angeles police say all they needed to find marijuana growing in a Van Nuys warehouse was a sense of smell.
Odor leads police to 200 pot plants
Odor leads police to 200 pot plants
Pringles recalled over salmonella risk
Look for your tubes: those tube-based potato chips are having a recall.
A Pringles recall was announced on Tuesday, based on that old, familiar risk: salmonella.
A Pringles recall was announced on Tuesday, based on that old, familiar risk: salmonella.
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