CAROLINA NATURALLY

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Brazilian TV clown elected to high office, passes literacy test

Brazilian TV clown Francisco Oliveira (AKA Tiririca) has been elected to the Brazilian government, running on such slogans as "What does a federal deputy do? I have no idea -- but vote for me and I'll let you know." He was required to take a literacy test (which he narrowly passed) before taking office.

He ran a humorous television campaign dressed as a clown with a blond wig and colorful costume, and spouting riffs like "What does a federal deputy do? I have no idea -- but vote for me and I'll let you know." Detractors, including several longtime lawmakers, said Oliveira was bringing Brazil's congress -- known for its many corruption scandals -- into disrepute, and challenged his candidacy on literacy grounds.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former shoeshine boy and metalworker, called the demand for the test an "idiocy" disrespecting those who voted for Oliveira.

Brazil clown secures congress seat after literacy test

Belarus opposition troubled by dirty tricks ahead of presidential election

An opposition activist depicted as a bikini-clad gay on national TV.
Leaflets telling lies about a presidential hopeful.

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CIA chief pulled from Pakistan; drones kill 54

Map locates the Kyhber tribal region of Pakistan, where three U.S. missile attacks killed more than 50 alleged militants Friday.

The CIA yanked its top spy out of Pakistan after his cover was blown and his life threatened, and 54 suspected militants were killed in a U.S. drone missile attack Friday in stark new signs of the troubled relationship ...

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Myth of kids' sugary cereals

Busting the myth of kids' sugary cereals

Many parents figure children's super-sweet breakfasts are unavoidable.

Study suggests a better alternative

Also:

Schoolchildren, 14, become Britain's youngest mother and father ... and vow 'We'll be good parents'

Two 14-year-old schoolchildren have become Britain's youngest ever parents, it was revealed last night.

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Teenage girl charged with murder

A teenage girl has been charged with murder following the death of a young mother, police have said.

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Non Sequitur

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Boutique hotels under $150

Exquisite boutique hotels under $150

These spots offer touches you won't find in chain resorts, and they won't break the bank.

9 picks across the globe

Also:

Marilyn

A little Marilyn to warm you on a cold day …

Melt With You

Modern English

Random Celebrity Photo

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Dorothy Lamour

Shoe

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Where the bright lights of Vegas go to die

The stack of giant neon letters just beyond the gates of the Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas are unlit.

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Oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ

Benjamin Franklin's 200+ Synonyms for "Drunk"

Noted founding father Benjamin Franklin published a list of different ways we refer to someone as drunk in the Pennsylvania Gazette on January 6, 1737. Franklin said he collected these phrases at -what else- a tavern.

Here are just a few:

Got the Indian Vapours,
Topsy Turvey,
As Drunk as David’s Sow,
He’s got his Top Gallant Sails out,
Seen the yellow Star,
As Stiff as a Ring-bolt,
The King is his Cousin,
Got Kib’d Heels,
As Dizzy as a Goose,
Had a Kick in the Guts,
Spoke with his Friend,
Cherubimical,
He’s kiss’d black Betty,
He’s had a Thump over the Head with Sampson’s Jawbone

Of course, that’s not 200.

See the rest here.

Treasure hoard of Roman coins

... What he found that afternoon is now stacked in a waist-high pile of shoe box-sized cardboard boxes, in a corner of an office in the coins department of the British Museum – a Diagon Alley place of mysteries, on two floors, protected by a three-inch-thick strongroom door.

The boxes hold the contents of a giant potbellied jar which lay in the clay of that sloping Somerset field for almost 2,000 years, filled to overflowing with the largest coin hoard ever found in a single container in Britain. "You can see what a job it's going to be to clean the horrors," Sam Moorhead, a Roman coins specialist, says fondly, running through his fingers a handful of disgusting bits of metal, green with corrosion, ragged with welded-on bits of other broken coins. Studying the 52,503 of them that are legible will occupy the experts for the rest of their careers...

... an expert committee met at the British Museum, and after hours of debate and three widely varying outside opinions on the value of the hoard, finally set a price of £320,250 on the coins, to be shared between Crisp and the landowners, Geoff and Anne Sheppard...

The conventional explanation is that these hoards are either underground piggy banks, or stashed in times of danger to be recovered when normal life resumes – or never, if the feared catastrophe overwhelms the owner... But the Frome hoard doesn't match that picture at all...

Moorhead is convinced the Frome hoard represents a stupendous offering of as much cash as the community could raise. The swords and bronze shields their ancestors threw into rivers and springs were gone, and coins were the easiest way of assembling a massive quantity of metal...

The rest of the story is at The Guardian.

Awesome Pictures

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Next question

Einstein E=NBC 2

Photographer Series

A photograph by John @ Digitalpict Photography, who lives in Scotland.

Daisy Road

Windowfarms Project Hydroponic Garden

This farm hangs in a window and uses plastic bottles, a pump and irrigation system. A nutrient solution feeds the plants. Urban apartment dwellers can grow almost anything in a Windowfarm, as long as it is not a root vegetable. Herbs, tomatoes, lettuce and squash are all good candidates. Prices run from $140 to $240.

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“Pont-neuf”

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“Pont-neuf”

Winter Solstice and Lunar Eclipse

The only total lunar eclipse of 2010 will be visible from all of North America on Monday night/Tuesday morning. That won’t happen again until 2014.

The entire 72 minutes of the total lunar eclipse will be visible from all of North and South America, the northern and western part of Europe, and a small part of northeast Asia including Korea and much of Japan. Totality will also be visible in its entirety from the North Island of New Zealand and Hawaii.
In all, an estimated 1.5 billion people will have an opportunity to enjoy the best part of this lunar show.
In other parts of the world, either only the partial stages of the eclipse will be visible or the eclipse will occur when it’s daytime and the moon is not above their local horizon.

The moon might take on some odd colors during the eclipse. This is the first lunar eclipse during the winter solstice in almost 500 years.

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Iapetus

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is returning awesome photos of Saturn, its rings, and its moons, many of them assembled at Boston.com's Big Picture.

Especially interesting to see was a closeup of Iapetus, the eighth moon, which has a circumferential ridge around its equator. The top photo is from NASA in 2007. The photo below that comes from what I'm sure everyone would consider a "wacko" website that suggests that Iapetus is an artificial (i.e. manufactured) moon. Certainly the comparison with a Deathstar is striking.

Whether or not the Iapetus stuff interests you, the rest of the photos from Cassini are truly impressive.

Update: When I originally posted this is May of 2009, that equatorial ridge around Iapetus was unexplained. A new hypothesis suggests that this ridge comes not from deformational stresses within the moon, as previously postulated, but rather that it is the remnant of a collapsed ring of debris:

...we propose intact capture or accretion from a debris disk of a "sub-satellite" (possibly more than one) around Iapetus... Such a sub-satellite would be tidally drawn towards Iapetus, once Iapetus is sufficiently despun by tidal interaction with Saturn... Once deep inside the Roche limit, tides would then tear the sub-satellite apart. The resulting debris would collisionally evolve to the equatorial plane, dissipating orbital energy and ultimately raining down on the equator (deorbiting) at subsonic speeds... Assuming the density of ice and a high porosity, rubble-pile structure, all the mass in the ridge can be supplied by a sub-satellite ~100 km in radius, a size relative to Iapetus far smaller than the relative sizes of the Moon to the Earth or Charon to Pluto...

That's from the abstract at the American Geophysical Union meeting. A BBC summary is here.

Ziggy

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Neunundneunzig Luftballons

Nena

At the army hospital

An army Major is visiting sick soldiers.

He goes up to one private and asks:
“What’s your problem, soldier?”
“Chronic syphilis, sir”
“What treatment are you getting?”
“Five minutes with the wire brush each day.”
“What’s your ambition?”
“To get back to the front sir”
“Good man,” says the Major..

He goes to the next bed.
What’s your problem, soldier?”
“Chronic piles, sir”
“What treatment are you getting?”
“Five minutes with the wire brush each day.”
“What’s your ambition?”
“To get back to the front sir”
“Good man,” says the Major..

He goes to the next bed.
What’s your problem, soldier?”
“Chronic gum disease, sir”
“What treatment are you getting?”
“Five minutes with the wire brush each day.”
“What’s your ambition?”
“To get the wire brush before the other two sir!!”…..

US Army Evaluating Solar Powered Tents

Advances in photovoltaic technology have led to the development of thin, flexible solar cells. It’s possible to build a tent out of them, and the US Army is considering acquiring and using such portable structures:

The TEMPER Fly is a roughly 16-by-20-foot tent structure able to generate 800 watts of electricity. A QUADrant is a smaller variant of the TEMPER Fly, able to generate 200 watts of power, and the Power Shades range in size and are capable of generating up to 3 kilowatts of exportable electrical power, Tucker said. The PV integrated military shelter items use a lamination process to combine the PV materials into the textile substrate, Tucker explained. The US Army News Service spoke with Steven Tucker, an engineer working on the project:
“Alternative energy sources are really going to shine in mission scenarios where you don’t want to use a generator because you don’t want the noise or heat signature that goes along with it, or where re-supplying that generator with fuel doesn’t make sense,” said Tucker.

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B.C.

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Upping the cute factor

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Bizarre Hairy Fly Is Rediscovered

Scientists have rediscovered a bizarre insect in Kenya, collecting the first Terrible Hairy Fly specimen since 1948. Since then, at least half a dozen expeditions have visited its only known habitat - a rock cleft in an area east of Nairobi - in search of the fly.

Two insect specialists recently spotted the insect, known as Mormotomyia hirsuta. They point out that it looks more like a spider with hairy legs. The rediscovery of the species, which has been collected on only two occasions before, in 1933 and 1948, has caused excitement in insect museums world-wide.

Eagles Flourish in Sanctuary

Photo credit: Alaskan Dude/Creative Commons

On a ridgetop preserve in Pennsylvania, conservationists and bird watchers gathered for the annual count of migrating bald eagles. It's a tradition that has persisted for 76 years—since the founding of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
This year, however, was a little different: Participates were treated to a record number of sightings—a reassuring sign of the incredible success of bald eagle conservation programs across the country.

Article continues: Eagles Flourish in Sanctuary, Hints at Species Comeback

Animal Pictures

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Friday, December 17, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
After all the good work you've done lately, asking for that raise, bonus or promotion should be a piece of cake.
You're confident that you're earned it, but as usual, you're feeling a bit on the humble side and wondering why they haven't yet offered it to you.
Well, remember that old adage about the squeaky wheel getting the grease?
It's true.
Step right up, tell your superiors that you deserve this, and do it in a startling, sudden fashion.
They'll admire your tenacity.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Espoo, Southern Finland, Finland

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Toulouse, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands

Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Delhi, Dlehi, India

London, England, United Kingdom

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Bergen, Hordaland, Norway

Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Santander, Cantabria, Spain

Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia

as well as Bulgaria, Israel, Austria, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Italy, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, Italy, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Morocco, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova and in cities across the United States such as Yerington, Brockway, Gallatin, Gretna and more.

Today is:

Today is Friday, December 17, the 351st day of 2010.

There are 14 days left in the year.

Today In History December 17

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

Wright Brother's Day

and

Underdog Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

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National Security Archive director on "Wikimania," and the dangers of demonizing WikiLeaks

Thomas Blanton, executive director of the National Security Archive, was among those who testified before the House Judiciary Committee on the aftermath of "Cablegate" and WikiLeaks. Blanton believes efforts to tighten secrecy and crack down on leakers and press will be "fundamentally self-defeating."

"There is more heat than light," Blanton stated, citing calls for broadening the Espionage Act and assassinating Wikileaks leader, Julian Assange. Hasty punitive reactions, he predicted, "will actually produce more leaks, more crackdowns, less accountable government, and diminished security." "History shows we end up doing more damage from the overreaction than from the original leak."

Chevron negotiated oil drilling contract with Iran

From the WikiLeaks File:

When you are confident that you're above the law, you don't care much about the law. If true, would this really surprise anyone?

The Guardian:

The US energy firm Chevron negotiated with Tehran about developing an Iraq-Iran cross-border oilfield in spite of tight US sanctions, according to the Iraqi prime minister in leaked diplomatic cables.

Nouri al-Maliki's claim, reported in the cables, that Chevron was in discussions with the Iranian government will raise eyebrows in Europe and other parts of the world where international companies have come under significant pressure from Washington to end investments and other financial dealings with Tehran.

Chevron declined to either confirm or deny that it had been in contact with Iran, and confined its reaction to a statement saying it had not done, and would not do, anything in violation of US law.

Cables show India accused of widespread, systematic torture in Kashmir

From the WikiLeaks File:

A new set of diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks tonight is parsed by The Guardian, and includes revelations that:

US diplomats in Delhi were briefed in 2005 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about the use of electrocution, beatings and sexual humiliation against hundreds of detainees. Other cables show that as recently as 2007 American diplomats were concerned about widespread human rights abuses by Indian security forces, who they said relied on torture for confessions. Other cables released tonight reveal that:
• The Dalai Lama has told US officials that combating climate change is more urgent than finding a political solution in Tibet, which "can wait five to 10 years".
• Rahul Gandhi, the crown prince of Indian politics, believes Hindu extremists pose a greater threat to his country than Muslim militants, according to the American ambassador to India.
• Five doctors were coerced by the Sri Lankan government to recant on casualty figures they gave to journalists in the last months of island's brutal civil war.

WikiLeaks cables: India accused of systematic use of torture in Kashmir

Winter Wonderland

Top remodeling trends for 2011

Instead of huge projects, owners will tackle smaller ones, such as zen-like bathrooms.

Opening up rooms, too

Also:

Roadside ploy distracts drivers

Ploy to slow Czech drivers turns heads

Roadside cutouts meant to curtail speeders wind up distracting them.

See the cardboard displays

Also:

The truth be told

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Economy's toll on Santa letters

Letters to Santa reflect tough economy

Many children sending wish lists to the North Pole this year aren't even asking for toys.

Grownups writing, too

Also:

Gold-dispensing ATM debuts

Gold-dispensing ATM debuts in the U.S.

An upscale Florida mall gets the country's first touchscreen kiosk selling coins and bars.

See how it works

Also:

Jindal's sand berms to block oil were a $200 million waste of money

A fiscal conservative, is he now?

The big set of sand barriers erected by Louisiana's governor to protect the coastline at the height of the Gulf oil spill was criticized by staff with the presidential spill commission Thursday as a colossal, $200 million waste of BP's money so far.

Hardly any oil ever reached the berms, government documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, who pushed the venture over the objections of scientists and federal agencies, has strongly defended it. And despite the commission's scathing report, he plans to move ahead with the project, though with some changes to make it more beneficial.

Senators vote to ban earmarks - then grab them

More than two dozen senators, most repugicans, who recently voted to ban homestate projects are claiming hundreds of earmarks in an almost $1.3 trillion bill to fund most federal programs and agencies into next fall.

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Artist Got Grant Money for "Invisible" Art

What’s better than getting taxpayer-funded grant money for an art show? Getting that money for an invisible painting!

Polish artist Agnieszka Kurant got the Arts Council England grant for a show that included "a painting that hasn’t been painted yet".
Warsaw-based Kurant’s Snow Black exhibition also had "an invisible sculpture" and "a movie shot with no film in the camera".

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