CAROLINA NATURALLY

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Keep focusing on alone time -- do not let social expectations drive you out into the world if you're not feeling it.
Your charm doesn't react well to pressure, anyway.
If you really want to have fun, make social decisions based on what would make you happiest.
It sounds simple, of course -- but it's only simple if you remember to do it.
Work pressures will ease, so expect a lot of free weekday nights.
Enjoy them alone or with your favorite person (which could be you too).

Some of our readers today have been in:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany

Odense, Fyn, Denmark

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Moscow, Moskva, Russia

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait

Vienna, Wien, Austria

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Taipei. Taipei, Taiwan

London, England, United Kingdom

as well as Italy, France, Israel and in cities across the United States such as Reno, Oakland, Charlotte, Taho and more.

Today is:

Today is Sunday, October 17, the 290th day of 2010.

There are 75 days left in the year.

Today In History October 17

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Mulligan Day

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

The Statue of Liberty Under Construction

Image Credit Flickr User New York Public Library

There is always a point in time when famous landmarks weren’t there. One image of America which is fixed in the minds of millions is the Statue of Liberty and the history of its construction is fascinating. Take a trip back in time and see extraordinary behind the scenes images of the creation of this superlative structure.

Full Story

Man with Kermit puppets rocks the Web

A street performer and his green pals deliver a musical tribute to people living "Under Pressure."

Dynamic duet

Also:

Pentagon Going Green?

Pentagon ponders a greener future

Military brass see fossil fuels as a liability, but not because of the cost of gas.

Americans want more options

Also:

Great places to retire in the U.S.

Unique selling qualities like affordability put these towns on various "Top 10" lists.

Many homes for under $200K

Also:

Peak time for meteor shower

Meteor shower threatened by moonlight

The best time to view the Orionids will be earlier than some stargazers might think.

Halley's Comet connection

Also:

Culinary DeLites

Eight ways to satisfy a bacon craving

The breakfast meat inspires as many classic combinations as it does unconventional creations.

8 recipes

Also:

A new look for an old salad staple

Celery goes red, just in time for the holidays, and farmers hope customers will bite.

First photos of the new stalks

Also:

Is America ready for red celery?

A Florida produce company thinks so and has bet consumers will bite on the colorful crunch of its new product.

Tastiest donuts from coast to coast

The bacon maple bar at Voodoo's and the ice-cream sandwich donut at Peter Pan's are to die for.

Elvis-inspired treat

Also:

Food-label buzzword reality

What food-label buzzwords really mean

Terms such as "natural," "organic," and "local" don't always jibe with shoppers' perceptions.

Wide-ranging definitions

Also:

Make a small kitchen stylish

Ideas for making a small kitchen stylish

A mirrored backsplash is a simple fix to give the illusion of more space.

See 13 charming kitchens

Also:

Snowmen in Phoenix

An investment company wants to build a Phoenix theme park where children can build snowmen, have snowball fights and sled down a hill - even when Arizona desert temperatures top 100 degrees.

Company wants to build snow-themed park in Phoenix

Mexican Borough Makes World's Biggest Enchilada

A Mexico City borough went for the whole enchilada - and got it!
Residents of Iztapalapa cooked up a 230-foot-long , almost 1yy-ton enchilada Sunday.

World's Biggest Enchilada

El Paso sees its own 'Manhattan-style' UFOs

Although most don't believe in UFOs, the spate of UFO sightings of late, including the recent ones in China and New York City have some people nervous.

Full story

Wizard of Id

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/uc/20101017/largeimagecrwiz101017.gif

Karma is a bitch ...

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPj_PF1HTUGT5jr-PIIk3wGbYSjSYyYPUEdBPDqglammgMosg&t=1&usg=__4JDPzBheO_KVzjNc_ub_s98sgQY=

A south Florida police chief who found himself under fire for sending numerous racist and otherwise offensive emails -- including one lamenting that President Obama wasn't shot by his security detail -- has been forced to resign.

But it wasn't Police Chief Richard Perez's abusive emails that cost him his job.

He was fired over vacation time.

Karma is a real bitch, ain't she.

A New Study Shows that Americans are Idiots

By Jill

"Brilliant at Breakfast" - - Remember how Democrats always refuse to fight back against smears because "The American people are too smart to fall for that"?

No, they aren't. In fact, Americans are no longer capable of arriving at opinions through actual thought:

Americans have a more negative view of government today than they did a decade ago, or even a few years ago. Most say it focuses on the wrong things and lack confidence that it can solve big domestic problems; this general anti-Washington sentiment is helping to fuel a potential Republican takeover of Congress next month.

But ask people what they expect the government to do for themselves and their families, and a more complicated picture emerges.

A new study by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University shows that most Americans who say they want more limited government also call Social Security and Medicare "very important." They want Washington to be involved in schools and to help reduce poverty. Nearly half want the government to maintain a role in regulating health care.

So let's see...they like Social Security and Medicare, but they want spending cut to the bone. They want Washington to be involved in schools, but they want Washington out of their schools. They want Washington to help reduce poverty, but they don't want social programs for "Those People."

Take this woman, for example:

"I think the less the government governs us, the better we do," Norma Osuna, 48, said in a follow-up interview to the survey. A stay-at-home mother, she sees the country as going in a "socialistic" direction.

Did anyone think to ask her what her evidence was for her view that the country is going in a "socialistic" direction? Has she thought about it, or is she just parroting Glenn Beck? Do any of the journalists who talk to these people actually ask them to explain their views or how they got there?

Or how about this nitwit:

For Scottie Church, 39, of Winder, Ga., the answer is simple: "It's time to get back to basics. It's time for [the federal government] to get out of the way and let the private sector do its job."

And what, pray tell, is the private sector's job? Does Scottie Church even know? Has anyone thought to ask? If Scottie Church is talking about "capitalism", well, capitalism's job is to maximize profit. Not create jobs, maximize profit. And if maximizing profit means poisoning an entire community with toxic sludge or crude oil or benzene; if it means sending all the jobs to Asia in a never-ending chase for the most exploitable workers; if it means screwing over every man, woman and child in America, well, that's immaterial to the goals of capitalism. Capitalism is about profit, and ONLY profit. So I'd like someone to ask Scottie Church if that's what he/she means.

We are a profoundly ignorant. People don't know anything about their own religions. We know little of our own history, let alone our history in context with the rest of the world. We worship sports heroes who torture dogs, but we point at scientists and laugh. A profoundly messed-up woman like Christine O'Donnell can run on a platform of "See? I can't manage my finances either. I'm you." We had eight years of a dry drunk as president because people thought he was the guy they'd want to have a beer with -- as if that were ever going to happen. Now there are people who would vote to give the nuclear codes to an aging high school mean girl because they'd like to fuck her -- as if that's ever going to happen. Smart people are regarded with scorn as "elites." Ignorance is regarded as a virtue.

This is how an empire dies. And we are going to be around to see it.

Say NO to Stupid!

Marc Perkel had this to say ...

There seems to be a great effort this year to get voters to vote stupid.
The news media is pushing stupidity. Campaigns are running ads trying to make you stupid.
There are even those who are trying to convince you that stupid is the new smart.
They need you to be stupid because it's easier to take advantage of stupid people.

Don't listen to them! Say NO to stupid! Vote SMART!
I say that we should think things through. I say YES to using good judgment.

America is in a time of crisis and we can no longer afford stupidity when it comes to
making our important decisions. If we vote stupid then politicians in all parties are going
to have to cater to the stupid voter by saying stupid things, promoting stupid ideas, and
voting stupid. That's not what is going to turn this country around.

We need to elect the smart people. Thinking is a good thing!
Think before you vote.