CAROLINA NATURALLY

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Your energy is extremely alluring today, and you are like a flame that attracts many moths.

The attention is wonderful and invigorating, but take another look at these fluttering fawners for just a moment -- you will soon realize that their adoration is not built on a very substantial foundation.

It's not that you don't deserve fervent fans; it's just that the people singing your praises are not the kind of people you need to be impressing.

Aim higher.

Some of our readers today have been in:
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Parsberg, Bayern, Germany
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Paya Lebar, Singapore, Singapore
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Penza, Penza, Russia
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Grimbergen, Brabant Wallon, Belgium

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, 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, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland

and in cities across the United States such as Tampa, Tempe, Tomah, Tucson and more!

Today is:

Today is Monday, October 17, the 290th day of 2011.

There are 75 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Mulligan Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

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Manic Monday

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So, what's your excuse?

100-Year Old Man Completes Marathon

I think that we’ve now run out of excuses to exercise. Fauja Singh, at the age of 100, became the oldest man to complete a marathon:

It took Singh over eight hours to cross the finish line — more than six hours after Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year — and he was the last competitor to complete the course. But his time wasn’t nearly remarkable as the accomplishment itself. [...]
Sunday’s run was Fauja Singh’s eighth marathon — he ran his first at the tender age of 89 — and wasn’t the first time he set a record. In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in five hours 40 minutes and one second.

Full Story

Awesome Pictures

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Stand

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Protest hurdle or strength?

Wall Street protesters' biggest problem

The anticorporate unrest has gained some global momentum but lacks central leadership.

Why it might help

Also:

Global Fury as Wall Street Protests Extend to Five Continents

What started as a small protest in Manhattan's financial district on September 17 2011, has now become a people powered movement spread across the world.

Full Story

The Third Day

City showdown: Protesters face bankers

Anti-capitalist demonstrators camped out in London's financial district are entering a third day of protests. More

Also:

Anonymous is about to rip this guy a new one

The Occupy Wall Street protests have been going on for a month. And it seems the FBI and NYPD have had help tracking protesters' moves thanks to a wingnut computer security expert who gained access to one of the group's internal mailing lists, and then handed over information on the group's plans to authorities and corporations targeted by protesters.

Since the Occupy Wall Street protest began on September 17, New York security consultant Thomas Ryan has been waging a campaign to infiltrate and discredit the movement. Ryan says he's done contract work for the U.S. Army and he brags on his blog that he leads "a team called Black Cell, a team of the most-highly trained and capable physical, threat and cyber security professionals in the world."

Full Story

Glenn Beck Sneers At Students Who Can't Afford A College Education

Wingnut idol hatemonger Glenn Beck spent much of his speech at the Values Voters Conference this weekend lambasting young Americans who are part of the 99 Percent Movement, and those who have the audacity to not be rich but want a college education.

Full Story

Any Questions?

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The repugicans lie, the economy suffers, and the media does nothing about it

The repugican response to the President's radio address yesterday was an outright lie. Practically every credible expert, including economists on Wall Street even, agree that the stimulus did save/create jobs, boost GDP, and help cut back on unemployment. Everyone. But the repugicans keep outright lying and claiming the stimulus didn't do a thing. And the media just quotes them diligently and doesn't explain to the reader that it's a lie. WSJ:

Offering the repugican response, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy criticized what he called the continuation of a "stimulation strategy that's led to more debt and fewer jobs."

Both the CBO and Moody's concluded that the stimulus did work - the only problem was that it wasn't big enough, not that it was too big. Had we done what Kevin McCarthy is saying, we'd be in a depression right now - Moody's has already said the repugican plan won't work. But the President's stimulus, Moody's says it was absolutely worth it because it worked:

All this help comes at significant cost. While the fiscal stimulus has been vital, it helped produce a $1.4 trillion budget deficit this past fiscal year and will lead to another $1 trillion-plus deficit in the current one. Yet the cost to taxpayers would have been measurably greater if policymakers had not acted aggressively. The recession would still be in full swing, undermining tax revenues and driving up government spending on Medicaid, welfare, and other income support for distressed families. It is a tragedy that the nation has been forced to spend so much to tame the financial crisis and end the Great Recession. Yet it has been money well spent. The fiscal stimulus is working to ensure that the recent dark economic times will soon be relegated to the history books.

As for government regulations hurting jobs, AP concluded the other day that it too is a lie. This talk is dangerous.

And the lie grew worse over the past few months. As we pointed our previously, the new repugican talking point, that I first heard on Faux, of course, is that the stimulus actually CAUSED the economy to worsen.

Outright lie. And the media still doesn't sufficiently call them on it. How about a story asking the repugicans why they think lying is an answer to our economic troubles? Why their party so easily, and willingly, embraces lies instead of facts? Reporters should be asking Kevin McCarthy if he's a liar, crazy, or just stupid.

This why our political system is broken. Because the checks and balances are broken too.

FBI's DNA database plans under fire

FBI's DNA database plans under fire

A major upgrade of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) DNA database system comes under fire from a group of US forensic scientists.

World population nears 7 billion

World population about to hit 7 billion

The U.N. expects the milestone to be reached by Oct. 31, further straining resources.

Hardest-pressed areas

Also:

The Taj Mahal Is Collapsing

All this time kids have been singing about the London Bridge falling down, but it turns out it’s the Taj Mahal that’s in trouble.
That’s right, if you’ve always wanted to see the stunning Indian landmark, you’d better make plans to see it soon because experts are warning that it could fall down in as little as two years thanks to a crumbling wooden foundation. Cracks are already showing up in the monument’s marble walls.

Full Story