Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally
'Nuff Said!
Today is March 2, 2023
Today is: World Book Day
In 1791CE: Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris
Ain't That The Truth
Thursday, March 2, 2023
The Daily Drift
Editorial Comment
Been a week since we've had a chance to post, so we have several "news" or "headline" post to try and catch up in today's postings.
And we thought retiring meant relaxing ... boy, were we mistaken. People, when they (whomever 'they' are - we have not figured that one out ourselves as of yet) tells you that when you retire you get to relax and do whatever you desire don't believe them.
We do want to give a shout out to our readers in Jersey and Malta and say thanks for stopping by to read Carolina Naturally.
Remember to have fun and enjoy life.
Editorial Staff
Why Is the Letter "W" called Double-U Instead of Double-V?
The "w" in the English language is an outlier. It is the only letter with a name that's more than a syllable long (it has three), and the only one in which the name is a visual description instead of its sound. Yeah, it would make sense to call it wuh, but it's a bit too late for that. Furthermore, its description doesn't make sense in type. It looks like a double "v." The conundrum is the basis for a children's poem from 1885.
“Excuse me if I trouble you,”
Said V to jolly W,
“But will you have the kindness to explain one thing to me?
Why, looking as you do,
Folks should call you double U,
When they really ought to call you double V?”
Said W to curious V:
“The reason’s plain as plain can be
(Although I must admit it’s understood by very few);
As you say I’m double V;
And therefore, don’t you see,
The people say that I am double you.”
“Excuse me if I trouble you,”
Said V to jolly W,
“But will you have the kindness to explain one thing to me?
Why, looking as you do,
Folks should call you double U,
When they really ought to call you double V?”
Said W to curious V:
“The reason’s plain as plain can be
(Although I must admit it’s understood by very few);
As you say I’m double V;
And therefore, don’t you see,
The people say that I am double you.”
But if you want the real answer, you have to go back to the time when the Latin alphabet collided with the English language in the 7th century, and had to make accommodations for sounds that did not occur in Latin. For the "w" sound in Old English, they used two letters. And those were "u"s. For example, the word "wonder" was spelled "uundra" in Old English. The process of this sound becoming a "w" in English is a bit more complicated. For instance, there was another letter, "ƿ" (or wynn) that tried to take its place, but was ultimately discarded. You can read up on the evolution of the letter "w" at Grammarphobia.
Cognitive neuroscientist explains why stupidity is an existential threat to America
Although the term "stupidity" may seem derogatory or insulting, it is actually a scientific concept that refers to a specific type of cognitive failure. It is important to realize that stupidity is not simply a lack of intelligence or knowledge, but rather a failure to use one's cognitive abilities effectively. This means that you can be “smart” while having a low IQ, or no expertise in anything. It is often said that “you can’t fix stupid,” but that is not exactly true. By becoming aware of the limitations of our natural intelligence or our ignorance, we can adjust our reasoning, behavior, and decision-making to account for our intellectual shortcomings.
Cognitive neuroscientist explains why stupidity is an existential threat to America
Economist Paul Krugman tears down wingnut arguments that Social Security and Medicare are doomed
Off the ledge lunatic fringe insane wingnut Rick Scott (w-Florida), for example, has proposed that Social Security and Medicare, instead of being renewed automatically, should be reevaluated by Congress every five years. After a five-year period, Scott has argued, Congress should be required to either refund the programs or terminate them. Even insane wingnut Moscow Mitch (w-Kentucky) has criticized Scott's proposal as a bad idea.
Economist Paul Krugman tears down wingnut arguments that Social Security and Medicare are doomed
'Unlawful and illegal detention'
Per Miami Herald, Harrell was "arrested and charged with second-degree murder" in Miami-Dade County at six weeks pregnant last July, following a "fatal quarrel" in an Uber.
The 24-year-old, according to NBC Miami, has now been pregnant for about eight months, and while imprisoned, the baby "has received inadequate prenatal care while Harrell has been held without bond," which Miami Herald notes "could even set a precedent amid a legal system navigating complex arguments in a post-Roe world."
'Unlawful and illegal detention': Florida lawyer says incarceration violates due process of unborn child
'Unlawful and illegal detention': Florida lawyer says incarceration violates due process of unborn child
How Singapore Airlines Cooks 7,000 Omelets a Day
No More Airbnb Purchases In Portugal!
Foreigners and residents in Portugal are no longer allowed to purchase homes and use them as Airbnbs in the country. In a series of laws passed, the government has limited the number of these hotel-like places in their country.
This decision came after an influx of foreigners decided to purchase expensive homes and turned them into these kinds of establishments, which lead to the country’s housing market rising up and managing to drive away the local population. “The great appeal of our cities is not to turn [us] into some sort of Disneyland,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa, said at a press conference. “There is no city that can remain authentic if it isn’t able to maintain its residents.”
Aside from limiting the Airbnbs in Portugal, the country will also no longer hand out “Golden Visas,” which are passes that allow people to have an easier and streamlined process to become residents of Portugal as long as they promise to invest in the country.
This decision came after an influx of foreigners decided to purchase expensive homes and turned them into these kinds of establishments, which lead to the country’s housing market rising up and managing to drive away the local population. “The great appeal of our cities is not to turn [us] into some sort of Disneyland,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa, said at a press conference. “There is no city that can remain authentic if it isn’t able to maintain its residents.”
Aside from limiting the Airbnbs in Portugal, the country will also no longer hand out “Golden Visas,” which are passes that allow people to have an easier and streamlined process to become residents of Portugal as long as they promise to invest in the country.
American Submarine That Went Missing During World War II Was Found In Japan
The submarine– the wreckage of it, at least, was found by the University of Tokyo's Tamaki Ura off the shore in Japan. According to the country’s records, it likely struck a mine off the shore in 1944.
The wreckage of a U.S. submarine from World War II was found off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan — after disappearing almost 80 years ago. The USS Albacore was positively identified by the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) after its initial discovery.
Archaeologists employed by the NHHC utilized the underwater imagery provided by Ura’s team to confirm the remains of the submarine.
Archaeological News
Other Archaeological News:
The First Law of Thermodynamics Has Been Rewritten
- Researchers have made a breakthrough in applying the first law of thermodynamics to complex systems.
- The law is a bedrock of physics, but has long failed to describe systems that are out of thermodynamic equilibrium.
- The work could have applications in fields ranging from circuitry and quantum computing to space weather.
A team lead by researchers at West Virginia University just released a paper detailing how the fundamental law can be applied more broadly than ever before—a finding that has the potential to rewrite the way we understand complex energetic systems.
The first law of thermodynamics is one of the bedrock laws of physics. Even if you’re not gung-ho for physics research, you might have heard the simplified version: energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be converted into different forms.
The First Law of Thermodynamics Has Been Rewritten
Albino redwood trees
There is an exception, however... several albino redwoods in California that have managed to survive till adulthood by latching on to the parent redwood and leaching off nutrients from the host tree...
New research have suggested that the albino redwood also helps the healthy redwood trees to survive by filtering out toxins from the soil. Albinos have defective stomata that causes them to lose more water through transpiration, forcing them to compensate by taking up more water through their roots. As a result, they accumulate more metals in their bodies than normal trees do... The research led by Zane Moore, a doctoral student at the University of California Davis, found high levels of toxic heavy metals, including nickel, copper and cadmium. These heavy metals were at least twice as high in the albino redwoods compared to healthy redwood trees...
It is believed that there are about 400 albino redwoods across California’s wilderness. Their locations are not advertised in order to prevent people from seeking them out and collecting souvenirs that would be harmful for the plant.
There's more information and several great pictures at Amusing Planet.
Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged?
Fossils provide very important evidence about the evolution of plants and animals. Unfortunately, there are very few fossils of ancient microbes available, so scientists rely on modern microbes to devise theories about how life started. I studied bacteria and another type of microbe called archaea from hot environments for many years to learn how they might have evolved on early Earth, but I still have so many unanswered questions.
Based on the fossil evidence we have, single-celled microbes appeared on Earth before larger cellular life like plants and animals. But which kinds of microbes were the very first kind of life?
Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged? A microbiologist explains
Gaia News
As detailed in a new paper published this week in the journal Nature Communications, a team of two seismologists from the Australian National University found that the Earth has an "innermost inner core," which may have been formed following a "significant global event from the past."
"Clearly, the innermost inner core has something different from the outer layer," lead author Thanh-Son Pham, a seismologist at the Australian National University, told The Washington Post. "We think that the way the atoms are [packed] in these two regions are slightly different."
Scientists Discover Gigantic Solid Metal Ball Inside the Earth's Core
Astronomical News
1st Image of Our Galaxy's "Black Hole Heart"
The Event Horizon Telescope captured the first image of the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* — our galaxy's "black hole heart."Other recent Astronomical News:
James Webb discovered massive galaxies that astronomers say shouldn’t exist
"If you scaled the Solar System to the size of a 10p piece, the Milky Way would be roughly the size of the United States." --- from the "qikipedia" at QI website, Feb 17, 2023
It's all about the Fungi.
Researchers from the University of Queensland discovered a type of mushroom that can magically regrow new brain cells. In new research done by Frederic Meunier and his team, they’ve found out that the edible “lion’s mane” mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) were highly effective in helping to forge new connections within the human brain.
These fungi have been used in traditional medicine in Asia for millennia, and their efficacy goes beyond– as proven by the lab testing done by Meunier and his team. “We wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells,” the scientist explained. His team initially did the test to determine if the hype around the fungi were real or just folklore.
The initial phase of their research found them on a more positive side in regards to the mushroom’s efficacy. “Pre-clinical testing found the lion’s mane mushroom had a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory,” Meunier stated. Further testing will be done to fully determine just how beneficial these mushrooms would be on the human body.
Regardless, the scientists behind the new study believe that these lion mushrooms hold promise for treating brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and other brain conditions.
Other Fungi:
Terra Fauna News
Swimming Cougars Take to the Sea, Astonishing Researchers in the Pacific Northwest
Maritime Fauna Headlines
The narwhal is considered to be one of the world’s most bizarre marine mammals. For starters, it has this one tusk sticking out from the top of its skull. Some scientists compare the tusk to a jousting knight’s lance, as it can extend from six to nine feet straight from its head.
Scientists have their own theories as to how and why these mammals developed their unicorn-like horns, but no one is sure how it evolved. Only male narwhals grow a single tusk, which can suggest that it has a function in reproduction. A possible theory is that females judge their mates by the size of their tusks, but this has not been proven.
This unique feature has intrigued experts for so long. This is because no other animal has anything like it. According to the curator of marine mammals at the Smithsonian, Michael McGowen, the tusk is a giant tooth. “The tusk grows out the front of the narwhal’s head, protruding horizontally through the animal’s upper lip. They have no other erupted teeth except for this single tusk,” he explained.
Other Maritime Fauna News:
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The Drift
Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally 'Nuff Said! Today is June 21, 2023 Today is: World Music Day On This Day In History...
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Want to try something new for retirement? Have you thought about retirement nudist communities? Retirement affords us the time to try new th... -
Rainforests are dense forests in tropical regions inhabited by a variety of unusual species you won't find anywhere else on the planet. ...