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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.


Friday, June 25, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
You know that the stuff available at the mall just isn't going to cut it -- you don't want to find something special and then see it walking down the street toward you, or on the wall at a restaurant.
Shopping online feels like delayed gratification, so you might feel frustrated.
It's time to look for unique treasures made by local craftspeople, artists or jewelers -- or to root around at a flea market or antique mall.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia
Rockingham, Western Australia, Australia
Zurich. Zurich, Switzerland
London, England, United Kingdom
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Moscow, Moskva, Russia
Tripoli, Tarabulus, Lybia
Non Buri, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Bad Vilbel, Hessen, Germany
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Hull End, England, United Kingdom
Mansfield, England, United Kingdom
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany
Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Rome, Lazio, Italy

as well as Sweden, Brazil, and the United States in such cities as hercules, Nashua, Racine, Walla Walla and more

Today is Friday, June 25, the 176th day of 2010.
There are 189 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
Take Your Dog To Work Day

World Cup Soccer

The U.S. soccer star stands to make millions of dollars after his heroic goal, one writer says.  
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Landon Donovan reveals that he's not so estranged from actress Bianca Kajlich after all.
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Italy is booted from the tournament despite a schedule that many thought would be a breeze.
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An Australian man is spending the entire month of the World Cup inside a unique "apartment."  
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The peculiar tradition that takes place after most soccer games goes back a long ways.  
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A walk in the park

Obama and Medvedev's burger run and Twitter jokes show how much tensions have eased.  
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As The World Turns

As The World Turns
Stalin Falls Down
A towering monument to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin vanishes from his hometown in a secretive operation.  
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*****

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health
California declares an epidemic after five infant deaths and more than 900 cases are reported.
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Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites
Reach for these diet-friendly picks when you get the craving for something sweet, cool, or crunchy.  
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Budget-conscious families can score great deals for dining out with the children.
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Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints
Companies offer protection for many scenarios, but often these policies are unnecessary.  
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Don't cool your food by blowing on it or cut a dinner roll with your knife, an expert on manners warns. 
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Ziggy

Ziggy

Man run over by his dog

A bulldog with a penchant for jumping around inside a Ridge Manor man's pickup got a bit too energetic on Sunday when the animal accidentally shifted the car into gear and caused the truck to back up - with his owner underneath.

Christopher Bishop, 43, told deputies that at around 8 p.m. Sunday, he was checking the transmission of his Ford F150 for oil leaks. He placed the car in neutral and left the driver's side door open.

He soon noticed the car moving. The bulldog, named Tassey, had apparently jumped into the pickup, hit the gear shift and run him over, Bishop said. Bishop said he managed to get up and stop the vehicle before it struck a fence next to his single-wide mobile home at 4000 Burwell Road.

Bishop said he waited about six hours before seeking medical attention because he does not like doctors. Bishop was treated at Pasco Regional Hospital for a few non-life threatening injuries

Country ways

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in an isolated area.

Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.

He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!". Buddy didn't move.

Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" and the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind but he ain't stupid, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!"

The Seven Seas future Kings

jellyfish ocean photo
Image credit: the_tahoe_guy/Flickr
They're commonly known as "jellyfish" but the name is a bit of a misnomer: In fact "jellies," or "gelatinous zooplankton," are not fish at all.
What they are, is amazing. Without bones, brains, or blood, they manage to thrive in all of the worlds oceans, in an astonishing range of depths. This versatility, however, is becoming a problem as other species are strained by steadily collapsing ecosystems.

Jellyfish: Future Rulers of the Oceans

Diving with sharks risking lives

From the "No shit, Sherlock" Department:
Cage-diving adventures off Mexico's Pacific coast may be risking tourists' lives, critics contend.   
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Broom Hilda

Broom Hilda

Paranoia Strikes Deep

Paranoia Strikes Deep 
Ten-year-old Carley Helm's caged, two-inch pet causes a big disturbance at Atlanta's airport.  
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The truth about teabaggers

tb
Let the truth be told.

NC State Trooper Charged With Drunken Driving, Hit And Run

An off-duty North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper has been arrested on charges of drunken driving and felony hit and run.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Master Trooper Timothy Scott Stiwinter Hendersonville was arrested after a wreck Thursday night in which a vehicle ran a red light and hit a car.
http://www.digtriad.com/genthumb/genthumb.ashx?e=3&h=240&w=320&i=/assetpool/images/100625113155_stiwinter.jpg
Investigators say Stiwinter was stopped by an Asheville police officer a couple hours after the wreck. An officer said she detected the smell of alcohol on Stiwinter's breath and that he was unsteady. He refused to take a field sobriety test or a breath-alcohol test.
A search warrant has been filed to test Stiwinter's blood. It was unclear if he has an attorney.
Stiwinter was released on an involuntary commitment order, which means he was taken to a hospital because there was reason to believe he was a danger to himself or others, according to court papers.
Stiwinter has been with the Highway Patrol since 1999. A patrol spokesman was not immediately available to discuss Stiwinter's status.

Bad Cops

Bad Cops







Drug dealer's to do list includes 'go on the rob' and 'sell weed'

An unemployed teenager arrested for drug dealing was found carrying a handwritten self-help note. Thomas Franks, who was in desperate need of money, had made himself a list that read: Sell push bike, go on the rob; Sell weed, get a job.

Franks, of Tennyson Close, Pound Hill, pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates' Court on Friday to possessing herbal cannabis with intent to supply. Prosecuting, Richard Lynn said police investigating an unrelated matter at a hostel for the homeless in Southgate found Franks there carrying a bag of cannabis.

They carried out a search and discovered further amounts of the drug totaling 21 grams, during the May 7 visit. The 19-year-old denied all the cannabis belonged to him but admitted he was selling it to friends. Mr Lynn described it as a "small-scale retail operation".

The defendant told officers who found his self-help list that he was in desperate need of money to pay for expensive repairs to his computer games console. Magistrates bailed Franks while probation and medical reports are prepared. He will be sentenced on June 28.

Man found dead four years after bedtime

Relatives followed the instructions of a Dutch man who asked not to be disturbed when he went to his bedroom: they left him alone and his body was found in bed four years later, police say.

The man, 50 at the time of his death, lived with four siblings aged between 44 and 71 in the northern village of Minnertsga. "He was used to being obeyed and very quick to anger," police spokesman Wouter De Vries said.


"Four years ago he told his brothers and sisters he didn't want to be disturbed and went to his bedroom." Though they frequently passed by the bedroom door, no one dared to open it and look in, Mr de Vries said.

The body was only discovered when the landlords decided some work needed to be done in the room. "A decomposing body produces a very strong smell, and it's really remarkable that his brothers and sisters don't seem to have noticed anything," the police spokesman said.

They don't call it 'DOPE' for nothing you know

A California couple found to be high on methamphetamine face child endangerment charges after police say they tried to sell their 6-month-old baby for $25 outside a Walmart store.

Creationism is not science

Bad news for the idiot wing
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit by a creationism think tank and school that attempted to force the state of Texas to allow it to offer master's degrees in science education.

In 2008, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rejected the Dallas-based Institute for Creation Research's application to offer master's degrees, which taught science from a biblical perspective. The institute's graduate school sued in 2009, claiming the board violated its constitutional right to free speech and religion.

Good news for normal people

Social Security broke? That's Bullshit!

That's Bullshit" with Sam Seder

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid
Record-breaking lending rates give consumers added incentive to buy a home or refinance.  
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These metro areas boast stable housing markets and robust economies, a new report reveals.
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On The Job

On The Job
The demise of a massive aid bill means 200,000 people a week will lose jobless benefits.
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When a company makes an offer, you should always counter with at least this much more.  
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Most resumés sent online are never seen, and many "required" qualifications aren't necessarily so.  
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The repugicans are deliberately trying to sabotage the economy

Hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans will lose their benefits because of the repugicans in the Senate. The Senate repugicans held together to block cloture on the jobs bill.

The vote was 57 - 41. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins sided with Mitch McConnell's over their constituents in Maine. Of course they did. All the other repugicans voted no, too. As did Ben Nelson.

The repugicans created the economic crisis. Families across the country are suffering. Really suffering. But, the repugicans have decided those families don't matter.

That really is how the repugicans govern. Sell out to Big Oil and Wall Street. Screw over the unemployed.

repugicans - this is how they would govern

Hell, would nothing! It is how they tried to govern and all but destroyed the nation!

Jack Off making pizza

From the "It's better than he deserves" Department:
Jack Abramoff's first job out of prison is a big departure from his $750-per-hour power player days.  
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Free 'Prosecute' BP Stickers

B.C.

B.C.

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All
White sand beaches in the Sunshine State are being stained by Gulf spill sludge.
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It's Not Like We Don't Have Another One

News from the Great Lakes

A 20-lb. fish captured beyond the Army Corps' last line of defense sparks alarm and debate.
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Divers say the 112-year-old wooden vessel is so well preserved that its cargo is still intact.  
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Toxic whales prompt widespread warning

Lead, chromium, and other metals could affect the health of millions of seafood eaters.
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A city on the move

NASA images show April's powerful Baja quake nudged the city of Calexico.
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Mystical Places That Ruled Over Human Imagination


Shoe

Shoe

Little-known history of the Korean War

U.S. soldiers helped save the lives of 10,000 children orphaned by the war.  
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Be Careful What You Pray For ...

A preacher said, "Anyone with 'special needs' who wants to be prayed over, please come forward to the front by the altar."

With that, Leroy got in line, and when it was his turn, the Preacher asked, "Leroy, what do you want me to pray about for you?"

Leroy replied, "Preacher, I need you to pray for help with my hearing."

The preacher put one finger of one hand in Leroy's ear, placed his other hand on top of Leroy's head, and then prayed and prayed and prayed.

He "prayed up a storm" and a "blue streak" for Leroy, and the whole congregation joined in with great enthusiasm.

After a few minutes, the preacher removed his hands, stood back and asked, "Leroy, how is your hearing now?"

Leroy was silent a moment then answered, "I don't know. I ain't in court 'til next week..."

Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods
Tourist swims into $12M cocaine stash
It wasn't the white sandy beaches off Italy's town of Alghero that made a young female tourist's holiday interesting, but the nearly 53 pounds of cocaine she swam into while splashing in the water.