Dino-Chicken

When Will We See a Dino-Chicken?

A top dino expert says we're '50 percent there' to reverting a chicken to a dinosaur.

Tiger Temple Maul

Controversial 'Tiger Temple' Tiger Mauls Abbot 'Accidentally'

The tigers at the 'Tiger Temple' roam freely around the monastery, where anyone can pay a fee to pet them. 

Eruptions and Pink Iguanas

Galapagos Volcano Eruption Raises Wildlife Concerns

A volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted Monday, raising fears for the world's only colony of pink iguanas.

Mozambique's Elephants

Poachers Kill Half Mozambique's Elephants in 5 Yrs: Survey

Poaching elephants for their ivory, prized in Asia for trinkets, is rampant in Africa. 

How To Get a Cane Toad To Croak?

How To Get a Cane Toad To Croak? Freeze It

Australia's invasive cane toads are tough to kill, so researchers tried making toadsicles: it's humane and effective, they say. 

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Nothing beats the Classics ...!

 

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Flying Rat  ... !

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Today in History

1453   Constantinople falls to Muhammad II, ending the Byzantine Empire.  
1660   Charles II is restored to the English throne, succeeding the short-lived Commonwealth.
1721   South Carolina is formally incorporated as a royal colony of England.  
1790   Rhode Island becomes last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the Constitution.  
1848   Wisconsin becomes the thirtieth state.  
1849   A patent for lifting vessels is granted to Abraham Lincoln.  
1862   Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard retreats to Tupelo, Mississippi.  
1911   The first running of the Indianapolis 500.  
1913   The premier of the ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) in Paris causes rioting in the theater.
1916   U.S. forces invade the Dominican Republic.  
1922   Ecuador becomes independent.  
1922   The U.S. Supreme Court rules organized baseball is a sport not subject to antitrust laws.  
1942   The German Army completes its encirclement of the Kharkov region of the Soviet Union.  
1951   C. F. Blair becomes the first man to fly over the North Pole in single engine plane.  
1953   Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first men to reach the top of Mount Everest.  
1974   President Richard Nixon agrees to turn over 1,200 pages of edited Watergate transcripts.
1990   Boris Yeltsin is elected the president of Russia.

America's crumbling infrastructure

by Kaye Foley

America’s infrastructure could be reaching a breaking point. Literally. When it comes to our transportation infrastructure — that’s railroads, water pipelines, ports, dams, bridges, airports and roads — the United States has gotten way off track.

In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent report card gave America’s infrastructure a D+. And according to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. ranks 16th in quality of overall infrastructure, behind countries like France, Spain and Japan.

Our roads, for example, require a lot of maintenance, especially after a long winter. All those potholes and rough roads cost drivers an estimated $324 a year spent on car repairs. Many roads are often jammed with traffic. Forty-two percent of America’s major urban highways are considered congested. And that costs the economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel each year.

It’s not just the highways and roads. Around 70,000 bridges are structurally deficient, which means they’re not unsafe but are in poor condition due to deterioration.

So why is America’s infrastructure beginning to crumble? Maintaining and improving infrastructure is expensive — really expensive. According to the ASCE report, an estimated $1.7 trillion is needed by 2020 for our surface transportation to be improved.
State and local governments largely finance infrastructure in the U.S., but when they’re short on funds, infrastructure moves down the priority list.

The federal government provides crucial funding through something called the Highway Trust Fund, which gets its revenue mostly from a gas tax. It’s 18.4 cents per gallon, but it hasn’t been raised since 1993. The tax brings in around $34 billion each year, which isn’t enough for all the infrastructure projects across the nation.

Over the years, Congress has passed a series of fixes to keep the fund going, but it is expected to go broke on May 31 if lawmakers don’t act quickly. On May 19 the House passed a two-month extension, and it is expected to also pass in the Senate. Still, a more permanent fix is needed. Politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that this is a critical issue. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in January, “We’ve got to find a way to deal with America’s crumbling infrastructure.”

But so far for Congress, and even the White House, the road forward doesn’t include raising the gas tax. And they can’t see eye to eye on other spending to allocate for infrastructure either.

Your tax money at work

YouTube link.

A railgun is an electrically powered electromagnetic projectile launcher based on similar principles to the homopolar motor...
Railguns are being researched as a weapon with a projectile that would use neither explosives nor propellant, but rather rely on electromagnetic forces to achieve a very high kinetic energy... railguns can potentially exceed Mach 10, and thus far exceed conventionally delivered munitions in range and destructive force, with the absence of explosives to store and handle as an additional advantage.
Railguns have long existed as experimental technology but the mass, size and cost of the required power supplies have prevented railguns from becoming practical military weapons. However, in recent years, significant efforts have been made towards their development as feasible military technology.

Do not call me girl

Women in the workforce

by Susan Grigsby

 

Years ago, when my career depended on my being so much better at what I did than were the men I worked with, and my willingness to work twice as hard for 60.2 percent of their salary, I was forced to walk a very fine line between my feminist principles and my need for that truncated paycheck. I loved the work though; I was thrilled to be paid to analyze the physical and financial aspects of a business and to make a decision. Someone was actually willing to pay me to think. And to deal with abstract concepts, like finance and contracts and tort law. Heady stuff for one who was raised in an era when few women worked outside the home.
Even in my early twenties, I knew that the words we used shaped the way we think. Back before it was called politically correct, when it was merely seen as respect, we stopped referring to adult African American males as boys. But even the most liberal men of that era still referred to women as girls.
One day, up on that tenuous tightrope upon which the first woman in a man's job had to balance, I had a discussion with my boss, a Berkeley graduate working in San Francisco, about the word girl. Politely, with humor and a winning smile, I suggested that referring to an adult in the terms of childhood diminished her standing in his eyes. That it was not possible to see the professional woman when he was thinking of her as a child, as "less than" an adult member of his team. I remember saying that of course, it was his right to use whatever language he felt was appropriate, but that I did wish he would at least think about the word and what it implied, when he was using it.
Today, I am no longer in need of a paycheck issued by a man, so I can say it flat out, "Do not call me 'girl.' " I am not a child, and it doesn't matter how many women use the term to describe each other or themselves. It is inappropriate to label an adult as a child in any professional setting. Or in any discussion of adults in a professional setting.
The reason this needs to be said now, is that we are likely to nominate the first woman as president of the United States within the next year. We have to be prepared for the backlash that is sure to come, just as our black sisters and brothers have had to deal with the backlash created by the election of the first black president of the United States.

Last week Laura Clawson reported that there were United States congressmen who would not allow a female staff member to accompany them to evening events, be alone in a car with them or in a closed door, one-on-one, meeting.

As a result, women are kept out of important meetings and kept from developing the kind of professional relationships that are so crucial to advancing on Capitol Hill. Not because they've done anything wrong, just because someone might think it looks bad. These policies are in a minority of congressional offices, but they're also not a one-off thing. Such policies are discriminatory and illegal—yet they're coming from members of Congress tasked with making the law. Talk about inspiring absolutely no confidence.

Someone suggested that this illegal, discriminatory behavior was to protect the man from a sexual harassment claim. That intrigued my curiosity. How many actual claims of sexual harassment are filed every year? Is this a concern that most men should be troubled with? And if so, what should we do to eliminate it as a threat? According to the Department of Labor:

Of the 123 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 72 million, or 58.6 percent, were labor force participants—working or looking for work.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office in fiscal year 2014, there were a total of 26,027 claims filed alleging discrimination on the basis of sex. Those claims include sexual harassment as well as pregnancy and other sexually related claims. The total claims alleging sexual harassment were 6,862. Keep in mind that in order to file a federal lawsuit claiming sexual harassment, all administrative remedies, including an EEOC complaint, must be exhausted first. So in order to sue, a woman must first comply with all corporate procedures for filing a sexual harassment claim, submit to the corporation's attempts to mediate, and then if unsatisfied, she must file with the EEOC before a suit can be brought. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to file such a claim.
Although these numbers include a minority of male victims as well, I am using the feminine pronoun. But even if we were to assume that all claims were brought by women, that still results in a chance of .01 percent (6,862 divided by 72,000,000) that the woman sitting in your office will bring a claim against you if your office door is closed. And that assumes that some type of harassment actually occurs. The odds of a claim without reasonable basis (52.0 percent of filed claims), is .005 percent.
So for an infinitesimal chance that a false sexual harassment suit might be brought, women must be excluded from one-on-one meetings with men, staffing politicians at evening events and even serving as their drivers?
Sarah Mimms, for the National Journal, spoke with a representative from the congressional Office of Compliance about this issue.

"Policies, official or unofficial, that prohibit female staff from being alone with a Member can be discriminatory and create an unequal playing field in the workplace," OOC spokesman Scott Mulligan said in a statement to National Journal. "A practice like this means that women can never become trusted advisors or rise to high positions within an office based solely upon their gender. Employers should concentrate on ensuring that their staffs are trained in workplace rights laws and that the workplace is free from harassment and discrimination rather than trying to build unlawful fences around their female staff."

Women already, (still) face an unequal playing field in the competition for leadership rolls in the workplace.

How Millennials Living With Parents Are Affecting the Housing Market

by Jason Notte

It's getting better for millennials financially, but the housing market is getting impatient.

A Ned Davis Research report from a few months back indicated that joblessness, stagnant income and student loan debt had not only set millennials back, but kept enough of them away from buying homes to account for 3 million homes' worth of property demand. That's 1 million more homes than the 2 million existing homes, or 4.6-month supply, that the National Association of Realtors says are in the national inventory.

According to the Census Bureau, 30.3% of millennials ages 18 to 34 still live at home with their parents. That's more than 22 million out of 76 million millennials, including nearly 12 million between the ages of 25 and 34. Eric Mintz, portfolio co-manager at Eagle Asset Management, notes that millennials living at home are a huge headwind for the overall economy.

“The marriage rate has been down, but it has a lot to do with the financial well-being of the millennial generation,” he says. “But it does appear to be on the mend and, as we work our way through the recovery, household formation should start to climb higher.”

Millennials have a whole lot of other obstacles to clear before reaching that point, however. The effective unemployment rate for millennials, including those who've dropped out of the workforce, was 13.9% in March. Even those who are employed are having a hard time saving. They're coming out of college with average student loan debt of more than $33,000 apiece, with more graduates having $40,000 or more in student loan debt than at any other time in U.S. history.

They'd like to own homes — and 43.4% of college-educated millennials do want to, according to the Lending Tree — but 67.4% say they need a higher salary, 28.7% want to pay off student loans first and 25.7% say homeownership would be a possibility after they spent time and money on other things, such as traveling, investing and philanthropic missions. Besides, 44.8% have less than $5,000 in savings.

“As the economy is rebounding, this market segment is still feeling longer-term effects of the recession,” says LendingTree founder and CEO Doug Lebda. “Underemployment and low salaries combined with high student debt and uncertainty about the future are a reality that is affecting the housing market. The demand is there, but until this age group sees higher salaries, lower debt levels and feelings of settlement, millennial participation in the housing market will be slow.”
Meanwhile, millennials' parents have been their most trusted financial advisors and biggest supporters. According to a survey by the Principal, millennials' parents still chip in for their cellphone bills (12%), car insurance (8%), health insurance (7%) and rent (7%). Their investment is starting to pay off.
Joe O’Boyle, a financial advisor and retirement coach with Voya Financial Advisors in Beverly Hills, Calif., notes that millennials living at home aren't always doing so because they're jobless. In many cases, it's the most fiscally responsible way they can pay down debt — if their parents go along with it. O'Boyle shared the story of a financially savvy millennial client who is a doctor in Los Angeles and made the conscious decision to live at home with her parents after finishing medical school.
“She used the estimated $4,000 a month that would have been going towards rent and utilities and the cost of living on her own towards paying down her student loans, building up her emergency reserves and savings towards a wedding fund,” he says. “She has a great relationship with her parents, and lived at home for two years — $96,000 in savings — to put herself in a better financial position to start a life with her soon-to-be husband.”
One of O'Boyle's other clients, a sales director with a six-figure salary, opted to live at home to pay off student loan and credit card debt and build a $36,000 travel fund to give himself $3,000 a month for a year abroad.

“He said he had no concerns about finding a job upon his return,” O'Boyle says. “He would live with his parents for a few months when he returned from his trip. This way he could find a new job and build up his savings so he could live comfortably on his own. He said, 'The time for this adventure is now,' and he made it happen."

Overall, millennials have seen their fortunes improve during the economic recovery. According to the Principal, 32% of employed millennials have more job security than a year ago and just 4% have less job security. Another 30% of millennials say their savings are in better shape now than a year ago, while just 15% are less comfortable. Finally, 33% of millennials report their overall financial situation is better than 12 months ago compared with 16% who say it has deteriorated.

Eventually, even among millennials who live with their parents, that typically means a step into the housing market. O'Boyle notes that many millennials with good jobs who can afford to live on their own make the choice, with their parents, to live at home so they can save money toward buying their first home. In the costly Los Angeles housing market, one of his millennial client who is an attorney with student loans or credit card debt decided to live at home so she could save toward the down payment on a home. She lived at home for three years after she finished law school and saved up more than $200,000 to make a 20% down payment on a home in a nice neighborhood near her office.

“She said that there were some small sacrifices to her social life that came with living with her folks, but that it allowed her to buy her first home and it was definitely worth it,” O'Boyle says. “The trade-off for many millennials living at home is giving up some of their independence today for greater financial freedom tomorrow.”

Random Celebrity Photos

Marilyn Monroe in a 'Sack Dress' like many women wore during the rationing day of WW2.
Due to rationing and shortages and the depressed non-war supply part of the economy people began to make their own clothing (they had been for years but used fabrics bought at the store for just that ... now those cotton and denim fabrics where going to make military uniforms and the silks into parachutes) out of the only material in greater quantity - Feed and Flour Sacks.

15 of the Coolest Themed Bars in America

The Lovecraft Bar, Portland 

With so many bars and nightclubs located in our myriad great cities here in the U. S., and the incredible competition for patrons between establishments, owners have to work smart. They need at least one draw (and preferably more) to keep people coming in the door. Whether the lure is a classic idea such as with San Francisco's Tonga Room, or a more modern twist, such as Mutts Canine Cantina in Dallas, it needs to be done well, run well and produce the fun well. The Lovecraft Bar of Portland, pictured above, takes advantage of the horror master theme to the fullest. Creepy décor catering to a somewhat "goth" crowd. A giant pentagram over the dance floor. Bizarre, old movies and burlesque shows. Drinks strong enough to stir the dead. What could go wrong that wouldn't be considered part of the dark evening?
Check out this listing of cool, themed bars and nightclubs. Have you been to any on the list? Share your experience if you're so inclined. Last summer on an extended stay in San Francisco, my sister and I hung out at the Tonga Room more than once; a bar in which it regularly rains and thunders. A classic spot in the gorgeous Fairmont Hotel, this old-Hollywood, Polynesian tiki lounge — complete with a pool in the middle of the place in which a band plays on a floating raft — is cheesy, kitschy, stocked with delicious food and drink and an absolute blast.

Parents Share The Most Inappropriate Thing Their Kids Ever Did

When it comes to a topic such as children saying things and behaving in ways that are inappropriate, the article simply writes itself. So BuzzFeed found when they asked their community of readers to share the most inappropriate things their kids ever did. The following quotes are a sample of the responses they received. Read all of the responses here.  

“We were getting ready to leave a birthday party and went up to the mother of the birthday child to thank her for inviting us. My 2-year-old son slapped her butt and said, ‘Thanks for the cake, babe.’ That’s how his father thanks me for dinner and apparently he thought it was just how you thank people for food.”

—Tracy Mattea Grimes, Facebook7

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“After my son learned what made boys and girls different, he started introducing himself to random people thusly: ‘Hi, I’m John, and I do NOT have a vagina.’”

—meaghanb44815185c

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“My mom says that when I was little we were waiting for a train when a group of nuns sat down on the bench opposite us. I pointed at them and screamed, ‘Mommy! Look at the witches!! Look Mommy!! Witches!!!’”

—Laura Adler, Facebook

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“My 3-year-old son told an older lady at the hair salon that he had a big penis.”

—mandyp430b718de 

Clerk Provides Funny Commentary For That One Time She Was Held At Gunpoint

Armed robberies are no laughing matter, and if someone is desperate or reckless enough to walk in to a store and steal cash at gunpoint they’re probably not going to appreciate you laughing at their efforts.
But clerks who are lucky enough to survive an armed robbery, especially those who survive by keeping their cool through the robbery, have every right to chuckle about it all after the encounter.

(YouTube Link)

The clerk delivering the running commentary on this NSFW security video footage sent the video to her sister, meant for her eyes only, and of course the sister immediately posted it online for the world to see.
It's a good thing the clerk handled the robbery like she did, because her cool head and calm manner most likely saved her from being shot…or worse.

Terry Sawchuk Is The Face Of Hockey

Hockey is one of the roughest professional sports, and one of the only sports where players don’t have to tell people which sport they play when out of uniform- because their face does all the talking for them!

One face in particular has come to be known as the face of hockey, and that face belongs to Terry Sawchuk, frankengoalie.
Sawchuk started tending goal pre-1966, when players weren't required to wear masks or head protection of any kind. When safety rules were implemented in 1966 LIFE magazine hired a professional makeup artist to recreate many of the facial injuries Terry had sustained during his sixteen years in the game for this eye opening photo.
The other injuries they couldn't effectively recreate include:

"a slashed eyeball requiring three stitches, a 70% loss of function in his right arm because 60 bone chips were removed from his elbow, and a permanent “sway-back” caused by continual bent-over posture."

Read more about Terry Sawchuk, the face of hockey, here

Harley ...

... as in Davidson

Diverse Linkage

1. Even Australians can't understand a strong Australian accent.
   According to the QI elves, "in 1965 a US Senate Committee predicted that by the year 2000 the average working week would be 14 hours." (sourced from The Atlantic)
2. It is not mandatory for a chrysalis to be kept upright (or suspended) for a butterfly to develop normally - as long as the newly enclosed butterfly can climb somewhere to suspend his/her wings after emergence.
3. Donkey milk (and salmon hatchery water) are being touted as beauty ingredients:  "...this milk 'soothes sensitive skin and eczema,' thanks to its high protein and vitamin content."
4. A dashpot is "a mechanical device, a damper which resists motion via viscous friction."  That's the word for the doohickey that lets a door close slowly rather than slamming shut. They are also common components of automobile shock absorbers.
5. The Soviet Union developed "spy dust" for tracking people.  "...powder containing both luminol and a substance called nitrophenyl pentadien (NPPD) had been applied to doorknobs, the floor mats of cars, and other surfaces that Americans living in Moscow had touched. They would then track or smear the substance over every surface they subsequently touched."
6. There is a medical entity colloquially referred to as "bicyclist's vulva" (explicit photo at the British Medical Journal).  Interestingly it is not simple edema, but rather lymphedema.
7. A "vindshield viper."

Get A Load of This Math Problem Using the “Old” Way and the “Common Core” Way

The world is laughing at us, folks …

This Color is Scientifically Proven to Bring Health and Happiness

Forget red; green is the real power color. A study finds that we associate the color green with happiness, comfort, hope, excitement, and a sense of peace. And is it any wonder? Symbolically, green embodies the rite of spring when everything is flourishing and new. We offer a few simple seasonal ways to reap the benefits of living a “greener” life. Green can really bring a home to life. Just take this dining room setting: The wall is painted a dramatic forest shade of green. The table is set with leaf-printed dishware alongside an array of glass decanters and tumblers, some of which are left empty and others that showcase minimal arrangements of white carnations, leafy fronds, chrysanthemums, and tulips. The entire mood is vibrant and full of life.

There are so many shades of green that you can really have fun with it. Take a closer look at this entry hall: A wide spectrum of shades can be found in this single space. Three different tones of matte paint accentuate the wall paneling alone. More can be found in the decorative elements: the hanging lamp, collected glassware, mirror, and overflowing houseplant. But since it’s all the same color, it feels whole. Step into a home like this one, and you’ll immediate unwind.

Green has been proven to aid concentration and foster creativity, making it perfect for decorating your home office, study, or crafts room, as Martha has done in the attic-turned-crafting space of her Bedford home. This workspace not only uses green, but it calls in the two colors that make up green – yellow (in the warm golden tones of the rug as well as the bright lemon tones of the desktop accessories including the dishware and lamp) and blue (in the abstract wall art). Together, these three colors work in compatibility, and the look is oh-so light and tranquil.

Don’t be afraid to be dramatic. Green pairs well with rich earth tones. In this guest bath, a collection of opaline glassware is luminescent against the black-painted wood. And it results in quite the statement.

Similarly, consider this traditional dining room. The shamrock green found in the platters and seat cushions are enhanced by the darkness of the furniture and accents. A bowl of fresh ferns in a subtle change of hue can keep the room from feeling too matchy-matchy.

Your green thumb can sprout a greener home. Turn your garden inside out by bringing in the colorful blooms and leafy plants of the season. We designed this statement wall by planting leafy ferns in white pots and placing them atop bright yellow brackets.

The same indoor garden idea on a smaller scale: A windowside table is decorated with an array of antique honey jars that hold blossoms of honeysuckle. This is what we like to call an effortlessly pristine presentation.

And of course, the best place to see green is on your plate. This platter of lightly blanched asparagus, cauliflower, snap peas, and celery offers a gorgeous gradient of green. Just don’t forget the green goddess dip. The idea is to keep your palette lusciously, vibrantly green. Incorporate the color into unexpected details. Think: a thriving terrarium table, jasperware ornaments, lush wallpaper, even paper flowers or a pair of stenciled pillows you made yourself. A green home really is like taking a breath of fresh air.

Blaming the Genies

Genies Blamed For School Sickness, Possessions

Genies have been blamed for a recent spate of possessions and fits in Saudi Arabian schools.

Beheadings, classism, and religious intolerance

Forgotten aspects of the United States' colonial heritage:

Just as the Indians in Virginia were seen "defacing... and mangling [the colonists'] dead carcasses into many pieces, and carrying some parts away in derision," so the Virginians "ransaked their Temples, Tooke downe the Corpes of their deade kings from of[f] their Toambes," engaged freely in scalping, and did not hesitate to decapitate their enemies in campaigns of terror.  (Percy, casually: "I cawsed the Indians heade to be Cutt of[f]"; Kiefft, coolly: ten fathoms of wampum for a Raritan's head, twenty for a suspected murderer's.)

An excerpt (p. 502) from Bernard Bailyn's The Barbarous Years; The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675.

This practice was a carryover from the mayhem known to the colonists from their European forefathers' genocidal wars (p. 498):

The retaliatory executions in the conquered city of Mons, in Hainault, proceeded at a leisurely pace: for a full year "ten, twelve, twenty persons were often hanged, burned, or beheaded in a single day.  The experience and knowledge of such extreme but not uncommon events were carried to North America by the many veterans of the Dutch rebellion and the Thirty Years War who were sent to the colonies...

So closely linked were the incidences of racial conflict, so extended their dedly aftermaths, that one can conceive of a single, continuous Euro-Indian war - precisely the Virginia Company's hoped-for 'perpetuall Warr without peace or truce" - that lasted from 1607 to 1664 and beyond...

From this book I also learned about the extreme classism towards the poor practiced by the colonists:

They therefore prohibited anyone "whose visible estates, reall and personall, shall not exceed the true and indifferent valew of two hundred pounds, shall weare any gold or silver lace, or gold and silver buttons, or any bone lace above two shillings per yard, or silk hoods or scarfes, uppon the poenaltie of tenn shillings for every such offense."  Those who defied this ruling would be taxed at the level of wealth they pretended to - provided, they added in an elegiac conclusion that went to the heart of their discontents, that the law would not aply to anyone "whose education and imployments have binn above the ordinary degree, or whose estates have binn considerable, though now decaied." (p. 469)

It was interesting to learn that the colonists and the Native Americans freely exchanged children for prolonged periods of time in order to develop bilingual translators (p. 304).  There was also a lot of religious intolerance -

[The jews] were, Stuyvesant wrote his superiors in Amsterdam, "a deceitful race," blasphemers who would infect the entire colony with their elemental corruption.  He appealed to the West India Company for permission to expel them forthwith... The colony had trouble enough, [Megapolensis] pointed out, with "papists, mennonites, and lutherans among the Dutch; also many Puritans or Independents and many atheists and varioius other servants of Baal among the English under this government, who conceal themselves under the name of christians; it would create a still greater confusion if the obstinate and immovable jews came to settle here." (p. 252-4)

There's lots more in this comprehensive book about the often-suppressed "dark side" of the colonial existence in North America.

Later generations, reading back into the past the outcomes they knew, often gentrified this passage in the peopling of British North America, but there was nothing genteel about it. It was a brutal encounter—brutal not only between the Europeans and native peoples, despite occasional efforts at accommodation, and between Europeans and Africans, but among Europeans themselves...

Divergent Linkage

1. A gif of a thirsty cow operating a pump handle.
2. If you fold a Bank of England 10-pound note just right and tilt it, you can create a HappyQueen/Sad Queen.
3.  "A 65-year-old woman with stage IV breast cancer presented after being denied authorization to perform a banking transaction because her fingerprints were unrecognizable..."  (because of a chemo-induced hand-foot syndrome)
4. Video of thousands of crabs migrating as a pyramidal cluster, rather than spread out on the seafloor.
5. An octopus chasing a crab in open water.
6. Planning a trip to Ecuador?  Take along lots of $2 bills.
7. A history of the C-section in medieval times.
8. "While the belief that prolonged close-up activities like reading and playing computer games cause short sightedness (myopia) is popularly held, new research indicates that a deficiency of sunlight is the true culprit... Our hypothesis that the mechanism of the effect of light was mediated by retinal dopamine."
9. "The Mystery of the Leaping Fish"- "This short silent film from 1916 is a thinly veiled parody of the Sherlock Holmes series. Douglas Fairbanks stars as Coke Ennyday, a "Scientific Detective" with a cocaine habit. The film was released in 1916, a year before the Harrison Act that regulated narcotics came into force."  Full-length (26 minute) video embedded at the link.
10. Video of a dog practicing for the hammer throw.

Europa has more water than the Earth

An old APOD from NASA.

"...if all the water on [Jupiter's moon] Europa were gathered into a ball it would have a radius of 877 kilometers. To scale, this intriguing illustration compares that hypothetical ball of all the water on Europa to the size of Europa itself (left) - and similarly to all the water on planet Earth."

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

More like two weeks, but who's counting ...!

 

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

    
Nature - Save It  ... !

Today is - Sierra Club Day

You want the unvarnished truth?

Don't forget to visit: The Truth Be Told

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Today in History

585 BC   A solar eclipse interrupts a battle outside of Sardis in western Turkey between Medes and Lydians. The battle ends in a draw.  
1805   Napoleon is crowned in Milan, Italy.  
1830   Congress authorizes Indian removal from all states to the western Prairie.  
1863   The 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of African-American recruits, leaves Boston, headed for Hilton Head, South Carolina.  
1859   The French army launches a flanking attack on the Austrian army in Northern France.  
1871   The Paris commune is suppressed by troops from Versailles.  
1900   Britain annexes the Orange Free State in South Africa.  
1940   Belgium surrenders to Germany.  
1953   Melody, the first animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor, premiers.
1961  Amnesty International, a human rights organization, is founded.

These Kids Were Banned From Their School Carnival For Being Poor

You either have an event for all students or you don’t have the event at all, especially if you are supposedly a public school. The reason schools...

They Were Sent To Dark Auditorium

A Bomb In DC

But it may just have been a pressure cooker and little more.

Bomb Squad Detonates Pressure Cooker Near US Capitol, 1 Arrested

Debunking the Myths of OCD

(YouTube link)

People and pop culture latch onto psychological terms and extrapolate them to people they know. Even themselves! Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is one of the more recent psychological fads. The real disorder is way more serious than we commonly think, and doesn’t fit the descriptions we see in the movies. This TED-Ed lesson by Dr. Natascha M. Santos explains the real OCD.

Genetically-engineered yeast is the future of flavor

Why does grape candy taste so fake? What on earth is blue raspberry, anyway? And what is the difference between natural and artificial, at least when it comes to flavor?

Throughout human history, if you wanted to make a dish taste like strawberry, you had no choice but to add a strawberry. But in the 19th century, scientists began to understand how to synthesize flavor chemicals, whether from plants or from byproducts of coal processing, to evoke familiar flavors. While the technology to evaluate the flavor molecules of a particular food have become increasingly sophisticated in the past century, the basic concept of synthetic flavor has remained unchanged. Until now.

Boing Boing has more.

6 Things You May Not Know About Holography

If a 2D picture is worth a thousand words, then a 3D image is worth a million. With holography, it is possible to reconstruct 3D images using holograms, and the process is unlike anything found in traditional display technology.
Even though it was invented over 70 years ago, holography remains the best candidate for achieving true 3D displays. Here are 6 things you may not know about the strange and wonderful world of holography.

Man wearing only underpants and socks left taped to traffic lights

An unfortunate man was left taped to traffic lights at Hazel Grove in Stockport, Greater Manchester on Saturday morning.

Motorists were left bemused when they pulled up at the lights to see the half-naked man attached to the metal pole.
Wearing just a pair of patterned briefs and socks, the man was strapped with his hands behind his back using duct tape and cling film.
It is not known how long he was left taped to the lights.

Anger over kitchens on first floor of new homes

Internal changes to a new housing development have created tension between a developer and neighboring residents. Developer Bramber Construction Co Ltd has built four three-story houses in Shoreham, West Sussex, with kitchens located on the first floor. The original planning application for the site included kitchens on the ground floor of the properties and the changes were made before an amendment application was submitted. Angry residents have hit out at the developer’s conduct and believe if the internal layout of the houses is not changed back it will make a mockery of the planning system.

Jose Enticknap, 59, said: “I think this sets a precedent. If we’re told the developer can do what they want where do we stop? I’m gobsmacked with all of it really.” The development backs onto Mrs Enticknap’s Grade Two listed house. Concerns include overlooking, additional noise, smells and disturbance. Mrs Enticknap and her husband Kevin said none of the above were issues in the approved application. The couple have lodged a formal complaint against Adur District Council for ‘neglecting their duties in overseeing the development being built to the agreed plans put in place by Adur planning office’. Bruce Williams, chairman of Bramber Construction Co Ltd, lives in Shoreham and said there was ‘no way’ he would be party to something he should not be doing.
“The whole thing is unbelievable,” said Mr Williams. “We were advised to put them on the first floor by local agents who had quite a few people interested who wanted kitchens on the first floor. It costs more money to put them on the first floor. We are incredibly disappointed actually that it’s got to this stage.” The Shoreham Society had planned to present Bramber Construction Co Ltd with a plaque for the development being ‘exemplary’, but it will now withhold the award. Gerry Thompson, an architect and member of the Shoreham Society’s building and planning sub committee, called the alteration ‘significant’ and said the society objected to developers applying for retrospective planning approval. He said: “The developer has not built in accordance with planning approval. We are very strongly against that.”
Mr Williams submitted an application for variation of an approved application to Adur District Council on March 27. A council spokesman said: “The council is currently negotiating with the developers to reduce the amount of overlooking caused by relocating the kitchens to the first floor of this development.” He said the council relied on developers to build in accordance with approved plans, and for them to notify the council if internal layout elements are changed. The spokesman continued: “The developer has submitted a retrospective planning application for these amendments and the application will be assessed on its planning merits, having regard to all representations received from adjoining occupiers. The council remains hopeful that a compromise solution can be found to address the concerns of neighboring properties.”

Classic Combos

Train company apologizes for 'callous and tasteless' death announcement

A rail company has apologized after a staff member told passengers the train was delayed because someone "couldn't be bothered to live any more". Passengers aboard a train to Plymouth were delayed after a fatality on the line. Esmee Phillips, 21, complained to First Great Western, saying "the shocking and callous" loudspeaker announcement left people "completely open-mouthed".

The company has apologized for "any distress caused". Its services were disrupted on Friday after a man was killed by a train between Slough and Reading. Miss Phillips was traveling back from Oxford to Plymouth on a delayed service and said a female staff member made two loudspeaker announcements about the fatality. She said the announcement said: "Our delays are due to someone who couldn't be bothered to live any more.
"Because of this, there are severe delays. Some of you have missed your connecting flights for the Bank Holiday." Miss Phillips said she and other passengers "cringed" at the message. "It was shocking as it was said in a very callous and tasteless way, especially as you don't know what personal experiences other passengers have gone through," she said. Fellow passenger Jay Young said the announcements, made once near Westbury and again just before Exeter, made passengers in his carriage "gasp".
First Great Western said: "We expect high standards from our on board teams, who are trained to make clear announcements about delays. When this involves a fatality this should be done with sensitivity and care. We're sorry for any distress caused to customers yesterday and can confirm that this incident is under investigation."

Mystery over cremated remains from Michigan that washed up on Scottish beach

Morag Paterson was going for a swim near Inverness on Friday morning when something on the beach caught her eye. A plastic bag sat near the water and was full of a greyish powder.

The bag was sealed and attached to it was a round metal tag that said simply, “Central Michigan Crematory Battle Creek MI” with a five-digit identification number. And so the mystery began. Paterson tried to email the crematory, run by Brutsche Concrete Products, but could not get through, so she contacted the Battle Creek Enquirer instead to make known what she had stumbled upon.
When they contacted the company’s Mickey Brutsche, he said they know who the remains belong to through the ID number. He has no idea how the remains ended up in Scotland but said remains have been known to show up far from where they might be expected. “It does happen somewhat often,” he said.
“They found the remains in Ireland (actually in the north of Scotland) and we are working with our records and the funeral home and letting them know. It happens a couple of times a year.” Brutsche would not identify the funeral home that handled the service and he said it would be the funeral home’s responsibility to notify the family. “But this is someone’s loved one so it’s up to them if they want it to be public or not,” he said.

Man named Bacon arrested after becoming involved in sausage dispute

A man from Madison, New Jersey, was arrested recently for assaulting another person during a dispute over sausage.

On May 12 at 3:32am, Officer Lisa Esposito responded to a residence for a reported dispute in progress.
When Officer Esposito arrived, she found that Thomas Bacon, 19, had allegedly assaulted another person inside the house over eating a piece of sausage.
Because of the sausage, Bacon was charged with simple assault and released pending an appearance in the Madison Municipal Court.

Woman hit self on head with bowling ball as cover for robbery

A 30-year-old employee of Pla-Mor Lanes bowling alley in Decatur, Illinois, triggered a massive rapid response from police when she reported she was knocked unconscious by a robber with a bowling ball who emptied the company's safe. However, when police looked at the surveillance video, it told a different story. At 9:25pm on Thursday, eight officers responded to the report of the robbery, many of them using their emergency lights and traveling at "an increased rate of speed," said an affidavit by patrol officer James Weddle.

Jamie L. Gordon said "she had been struck in the head with a bowling ball and all of the money, $2,100, had been stolen out of the safe," Weddle wrote in his statement. She said she did not see her assailant because she was struck from behind and knocked unconscious. When a manager arrived at the bowling alley, he granted Weddle permission to view the surveillance video. "I observed Jamie walk into the office. Jamie walks over to the counter in the office and picks up a red bowling ball with her left hand and a cash drawer with her right hand," the affidavit said. "Jamie proceeds to strike herself twice in the back, left side of her head with the bowling ball."
Gordon then "dropped to the floor," where she remained for 13 minutes, waiting for another employee to discover her. After informing Gordon that he "just watched her strike herself in the head with a bowling ball twice on video," he asked her where the money was. "Jamie sighed and stated, 'Some of it is in my car.'" She led the officer to her car "where she pulled out a Hello Kitty brand bag full of money. The bag contained $439." When asked where the rest of the missing money was, Gordon said she had gambled it away in the bowling alley's slot machines.
During an interview, Gordon said she recently gambled away her pay check. After that, "she began taking money from the drawers and safe." She said she "already owed Pla-Mor Lanes $250" as a result of the other missing cash. "Jamie admitted to striking herself in the head with the bowling ball in an attempt to make it look like she had been robbed. Jamie advised she struck herself with the bowling ball so that she would have a knot on her head when police arrived." Gordon, who has no prior criminal record, was booked into the Macon County Jail, where she was being held on $7,500 bond.

Random Photos

Photographer Follows His Girlfriend Through the Wonders of India

Photographer Murad Osmann and his girlfriend Natalie Zakharova love to travel around the world. Once, while in Barcelona, she wearied of him taking pictures of everything. So she grabbed his hand and dragged him along. This launched a project that made him famous: photos of his girlfriend leading him everywhere.
The results are beautiful and have only gotten better since they journeyed to India. Zakharova wore traditional Indian clothing and pulled Osmann through scenic parts of that country, including famous landmarks such as the Taj Mahal and the Jama Masjid mosque. Neatorama has more.

Welcome To Ordos

The World's Largest Ghost City

Built for over a million people, the city of Ordos was designed to be the crowning glory of Inner Mongolia. Doomed to incompletion however, this futuristic metropolis now rises empty out of the deserts of northern China. Only 2% of its buildings were ever filled; the rest has largely been left to decay, abandoned mid-construction.

Grand Canyon Steam Train

Running between Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon's south rim, a distance of 64 miles, the Grand Canyon Railway has become a major tourist attraction and people mover since its re-opening in 1989.

Built in 1901, the line is now owned by Xanterra Parks and Resorts. While the railroad canceled its regular steam operations in 2008, they still run ex-CBQ 2-8-2 4960 on select weekends throughout the year.

YouTube link

The world's first bumblebee highway created in Norway

The Norwegian capital Oslo has inaugurated the world's first 'bumblebee highway', a corridor through the city pollen stations every 250 meters. “The idea is to create a route through the city with enough feeding stations for the bumblebees all the way,” Tonje Waaktaar Gamst of the Oslo Garden Society said. ”Enough food will also help the bumblebees withstand man-made environmental stress better.”

Bumblebees and other pollinating insects struggle in urban environments where there are few flowers rich in nectar, effectively starving them. Gamst and his team have placed flowerpots on rooftops and balconies along a route from east to west through the city. During the last few years, bees, bumblebees and other insects have suffered, with many colonies dying out, causing damage to agriculture that depends on the insects.
Six out of 35 Norwegian bumblebee species are close to extinction. Oslo's municipality is co-operating with environmental organizations, the public, and and companies, who are asked to plant bumblebee friendly flowers on their property. To help the insects along, the organization ByBi (Bee Town) has created an app, where the public can see the “grey areas”, long stretches with no food for bees, in order to encourage the planting of flowers in areas that don’t have nearby parks.
“It will be easy to see barriers and obstacles on the map. The goal is to inspire people to fill these gaps.” Agnes Lyche Melvær of ByBi said. The public will also be able to upload pictures of their projects to improve the situation for bees and bumblebees, such as flowerpots and bee hotels. ”Some bee species like to live in solitary rooms. They need small hollows like a crack in an old tree truck. It’s very important to have some old wood lying around,” says Melvær.

Animal Pictures