Welcome to ...

The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Saturday, January 9, 2010

Repugicans - it's so easy to make fun of them

The headline reads ...
GOP Strategist Todd Harris Can't Name One Thing Republicans Have Done for the Country in 20 Years.
Full Story.

The jokes ... They just write themselves.

Solution to Airport Security, Health Care Woes

Full Body Scans to Double as Annual Checkups

In what some in the White House are calling a "win/win" solution to the nation's airport security and health care reform problems, starting next month U.S. airports will begin conducting full body scans that will double as annual physical checkups.

Best cities for home prices in 2010

5 best cities for home prices in 2010

Home prices are expected to drop 7.9% nationwide, but most of these cities will skip the slump.

Why iguana is asleep and crab is pink

Why iguana is asleep and crab is pink

Big lizards falling out of trees and crabs the color of dessert stir the Web.

Those things on the bottom of wings

Those things on the bottom of wings

Ever wonder what those torpedo-looking things on the bottom of jet wings are for?

Hawaii can't afford to hold election

Hawaii can't afford to hold election

600,000 Honolulu residents may go without representation in congress.

Six delicious foods for weight loss

Six delicious foods for weight loss

These healthy diet choices will satisfy your taste buds while also suppressing your appetite.

Deep freeze threatens zoo animals

Deep freeze threatens zoo animals

The arctic blast is stunning sea turtles, driving giraffes inside, and keeping one lion on his rock.

The most amazing views in the world

The most amazing views in the world

From the cliffs of Moher to the Matterhorn, these iconic vistas are must-sees for any traveler.

NYC man charged with getting al-Qaida training

A New York City man under investigation for his links to a terror suspect pleaded not guilty Saturday to charges that he flew to Pakistan to get military training from al-Qaida.
Adis Medunjanin entered the plea during a swift arraignment at a federal court in Brooklyn.

NYC man charged with getting al-Qaida training

15 Injured in Latest Hong Kong Acid Attack

News reports say an attacker has dropped a bottle of acid into a crowd in Hong Kong and injured at least 15 people.

Man gets 10 yrs for stealing $80 slab of meat

The defendant testified he was "massaging" the meat, not stealing it.
A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing an $80 slab of meat.

Man gets 10 yrs for stealing $80 slab of meat

Unraveling an old mummy mystery

A Worcester librarian and researcher believes she has found definitive proof that an urban legend - that American paper manufacturers once made paper from the linen wrappings of Egyptian mummies - is indeed true.

Full Story

Iguana Showers and Frozen Sea Turtle Rescue in Frigid Florida

From Treehugger:

sea turtle at seaworld photo
A cold stunned endangered green turtle is kept warm at SeaWorld Orlando. Photo by Jason Collier courtesy of PRNewsFoto/SeaWorld

The severe weather hitting the South has sent a cold snap to the Sunshine State, leaving iguanas paralyzed and falling out of trees. The prolonged freezing temps, down into the 20s, are causing these non-native reptiles to shut down, bringing their blood flow to a standstill which can kill them. Meanwhile farmers have scrambled to save strawberry fields and heat orange groves as icicles hang from the citrus orchards.Tourists bundle up, barely grateful it's not below zero, like back home. So who's wrapping Florida's endangered sea turtles in Snugglies?

Welcome New Readers

We here at Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers in our 176th country Uzbekistan.



Only 20 countries left to go and we will have readers in every nation on the planet.

Conservationists file piracy claim against whalers

A conservationist group that lost one of its ships in a clash with Japanese whalers off Antarctica has filed a piracy complaint in the Netherlands against the captain and crew of the whaling vessel, one of the group's leaders said Saturday.

Conservationists file piracy claim against whalers

California authorities told to return 60 lbs. of pot

From the "Only in California" Department:

A Los Angeles judge has ordered that 60 pounds of pot confiscated by the California Highway Patrol during an arrest be returned to the defendant.

California authorities told to return 60 lbs. of pot

President as pitchman

A larger-than-life President Barack Obama became a presidential pitchman Wednesday on a Times Square billboard that used his photo without permission.

Full Story

Skin care mistakes that make you look older

Skin care mistakes that make you look older

Making any of these five common errors can lead to premature aging, an expert says.

Prison inmates tattooing the whites of their eyes

From the "Some people are just idiots" Department:

Authorities were stunned to find that two prison inmates had undergone a painful and dangerous self-made tattoo procedure to permanently ink the whites of their eyes.

Full Story

Health Department Works To Enforce Smoking Ban

A week into the statewide smoking ban, smokers are getting used to lighting up outside of bars and restaurants, while many people are enjoying breathing easier inside.

Health Department Works To Enforce Smoking Ban

Law Students Discover Sentencing Error, Get Man His Freedom

It is the first time the Wake Forest University students' work with the Innocence and Justice Clinic has resulted in a reduced sentence.

Law Students Discover Sentencing Error, Get Man His Freedom

Polar Bears Forced to Land and Water

From Livescience:

As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are changing their habitat, shifting from their preferred ice hunting grounds to land and open water, according to a new long-term study.
Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding and denning. The bears wait for seals to pop up through breathing holes in the ice, but since the ice is melting earlier and earlier in the year, polar bears are shifting there habitat to land and water, and may be missing out on hunting opportunities. Credit: USGS

Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding and denning. The bears wait for seals to pop up through breathing holes in the ice, but since the ice is melting earlier and earlier in the year, polar bears are shifting there habitat to land and water, and may be missing out on hunting opportunities.

Credit: USGS

Full Story

War and peas

It's all about hummus

Israel has taken the upper hand in a new kind of Middle East conflict where bullets are replaced by chickpeas.

Full Story

Music By Mozart Induces Weight Gain In Preemies

The music they listen to doesn't have any lyrics that tell them to grow, but new research from Tel Aviv University finds that premature babies who are exposed to music by 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gain weight faster - and therefore become stronger - than those who don't.

TAU Finds Music By Mozart Induces Weight Gain In Preemies

Neanderthal Make-Up

Pigment-coated ancient shell
Scientists claim to have the first evidence that Neanderthals wore "body paint" 50,000 years ago.

Bone Chilling Temperatures Persist Through The Weekend

The Arctic plunge will persist through the weekend, but warmer temperatures return next week ...

Bone Chilling Temperatures Persist Through The Weekend

This nickel is worth $3,737,500

This nickel is worth $3,737,500

Bidders go wild for a rare U.S. coin that was featured on a 1970s TV show.

President Obama's Weekly Address


Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
January 9, 2010

A year ago, when I took office in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, I promised you two things. The first was that there would be better days ahead. And the second was that the road to recovery would be long, and sometimes bumpy.

That was brought home again yesterday. We learned that in November, our economy saw its first month of job gains in nearly two years – but last month, we lost more than we gained. Now, we know that no single month makes a trend, and job losses for the final quarter of 2009 were one-tenth what they were in the first quarter. But until we see a trend of good, sustainable job creation, we will be relentless in our efforts to put America back to work.

That task goes even deeper than replacing the seven million jobs that have been lost over the past two years. We need to rebuild our economy in such a way that our families can feel a measure of security again. Too many of the folks I’ve talked with this year, and whose stories I read in letters at night, tell me that they’ve known their own private recessions since long before economists declared one – and they’ll still feel the recession long after economists have declared it over.

That’s because, for decades, Washington avoided doing what was right in favor of doing what was easy. And the result was an economy where some made out well, but the middle class too often took a beating.

Over the past decade, the income of the average household actually declined, and we lost as many jobs as we created. Hardworking folks who did everything right suddenly found themselves forced to downscale their dreams because of economic factors beyond their control. We’re talking about simple dreams. American dreams. A good job with a good wage. A secure and dignified retirement. Stable health care so you don’t go broke just because you get sick. The chance to give our kids a better shot than we got.

That’s why, as we begin to emerge from this crisis, we will not return to the complacency that helped cause it. Even as we focus on putting America back to work today, we’re building a new foundation for our economy to create the good, lasting jobs and shared prosperity of tomorrow.

We’re making historic investments in science and in a clean energy economy that will generate and keep the jobs and industries of the future right here in America.

We’re reforming our education system, so that our kids are fully prepared to compete with workers anywhere in the world and win the race for the 21st century.

We’re fixing our broken health insurance system that’s crushing families, eating away at workers’ take-home pay, and nailing small businesses with double-digit premium increases.

And that’s what I’d like to focus on for a minute. After a long and thorough debate, we are on the verge of passing health insurance reform that will finally offer Americans the security of knowing they’ll have quality, affordable health care whether they lose their job, change jobs, move, or get sick. The worst practices of the insurance industry will be banned forever. And costs will finally come down for families, businesses, and our government.

Now, it’ll take a few years to fully implement these reforms in a responsible way. But what every American should know is that once I sign health insurance reform into law, there are dozens of protections and benefits that will take effect this year.

Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing illness or condition will finally be able to purchase coverage they can afford.

Children with pre-existing conditions will no longer be refused coverage, and young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ policy until they’re 26 or 27 years old.

Small business owners who can’t afford to cover their employees will be immediately offered tax credits to purchase coverage.

Early retirees who receive coverage from their employers will see their coverage protected and their premiums go down.

Seniors who fall into the coverage gap known as the donut hole will receive discounts of up to 50 percent on their prescriptions as we begin to close that gap altogether.

And every patient’s choice of doctor will be protected, along with access to emergency care.

Here’s what else will happen within the first year. Insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to their customers – so that we can start catching preventable illnesses and diseases on the front end. They’ll no longer be allowed to impose restrictive annual limits on the amount of coverage you receive or lifetime limits on the amount of benefits you receive. They’ll be prohibited from dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. And there will be a new, independent appeals process for anyone who feels they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company.

In short, once I sign health insurance reform into law, doctors and patients will have more control over their health care decisions, and insurance company bureaucrats will have less. All told, these changes represent the most sweeping reforms and toughest restrictions on insurance companies that this country has ever known. That’s how we’ll make 2010 a healthier and more secure year for every American – for those who have health insurance, and those who don’t.

We enter a new decade, now, with new perils – but we’re going to meet them. It’s also a time of tremendous promise – and we’re going to seize it. We will rebuild the American Dream for our middle class and put the American economy on a stronger footing for the future. And this year, I am as hopeful and as confident as ever that we’re going to rise to this moment the same way that generations of Americans always have: as one nation, and one people. Thanks for listening.

Today is ...

Today is Saturday, January 9, the 9th day of 2010.

There are 356 days left in the year.

Today In History January 9

Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:

Fruitcake Toss Day

and

Positively Penguins Day

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
Gosport, England, United Kingdom
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Hope, British Columbia, Canada
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

as well as Guatemala, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Just for the heck of it, invite someone to go shopping with you who you know secretly thinks you're too 'traditional' in your tastes.
Then prepare to have some fun, as you watch the look on their face change and change again.
You'll want to peruse specialty shops and boutiques that carry absolutely nothing they'd ever expect you to be remotely interested in, much less make a purchase in.
Just don't get too carried away with the plastic.
This, too, shall pass.

Traditional? Now that's a rarely used term ...