The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Pause and remember some words you uttered not too long ago.
Fast forward a little bit and review the effects of those hastily spoken sentences.
Your impatience isn't benefiting a complicated relationship, one that needs a little more time and TLC in order to truly blossom into its full potential.
Beating yourself up won't help -- forgive yourself and move on.
Resolve to communicate, and you've got a chance to start over.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Santander, Cantabria, Spain

London, England, United Kingdom

Oldenburg, Neidersachsen, Germany

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia

Munich, Bayern, Germany

as well as France and in cities across the United States such as Coalinga, Gowrie, Hixson, Indianapolis and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, September 9, the 252nd day of 2010.

There are 113 days left in the year.

Today In History September 9

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Wonderful Weirdos Day

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Odd News

Earl helps uncover historic records

Earl may have not packed a very powerful punch, but he can get the credit for an unexpected and valuable discovery in Providence that dates back to the 18th century.

Archive finds stock share from 1606

An archive in the Netherlands has uncovered what it says is the oldest known share of stock in a company.

Lost in Translation

Many Army translators' skills said to be fake

A U.S. company is accused of sending unqualified interpreters to Afghanistan. 

Lawsuit sparks fraud investigation 

Also: 

• Afghanistan languages
• Rethinking Afghanistan
• Soldiers' alleged plot

Pirates vs Marines ... You know how this one turned out.

Marines foil pirates in dramatic encounter

U.S. commandos seize control of a pirate-held ship and nine prisoners — without firing a shot. 

'Air and sea' raid

Also:

• Amphibious ships
• China-Japan boat spat
• Coast Guard discrepancy

Bad Cops

Bad Cops

Pennsylvania police Taser man trying to save pets from house fire

Analysis: Taser-related deaths in US accelerating

Off-duty Virginia police officer charged with assault

Florida police officer is arrested on battery charges

South Carolina cop is arrested for criminal domestic violence

ACLU demands investigation of excessive force, false arrests and other abuses by Newark police

World's Top Dealer in Endangered Animals Snagged

Anson Wong spent years running a global network of illegal wildlife trafficking. He smuggled contraband such as Sumatran rhino horns, panda and snow leopard fur, and live endangered species across borders for those who paid premium prices.

Wong previously served five years in U.S. prison, after being nabbed by an extraordinary international undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service called Operation Chameleon, considered one of the most successful in history.  [You can read about this extraordinary sting operation in last January's National Geographic, in writer Bryan Christy's story, 'The Kingpin".] But Wong’s wife continued to operate the smuggling network while her husband was in prison, and Wong returned to Penang in 2003 to resume his criminal activities. “Nothing can be done to me,” Wong boasted then to an undercover agent. “I could sell a panda — and, nothing. As long as I’m here, I’m safe.”
He was caught this time by an alert airline security officer [Hear! Hear!] who noticed the broken lock on his luggage, and found it to be full of 95 boa constrictors.

The good news is that traffickers are no longer safe from prosecution in Malaysia. Wong was convicted by Malaysian court this week under a new law designed to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade.

Full Story

I Wanna Be Like You

Cool Jazz

'All-natural' syrup it ain't

Vermonters say 'all-natural' syrup is fake

State officials cry foul over a concoction that's being marketed as maple syrup.

Contains caramel color, xanthan gum 

Also: 

• How syrup is made
• Chefs' breakfast secrets
• Drinks boost McDonald's

What to eat to be beautiful

7 foods that help you look beautiful

Superfoods like avocados and sweet potatoes can help fight wrinkles.  

Veggie with more vitamin C than citrus 

Also; 

• Foods that steal sleep
• How to use wheat germ
• Doctors' skin-care rules

Things They Won't Tell You

Things They Won't Tell You

What chefs won't order when they eat out

A survey reveals which dishes they skip, their favorite fast-food chain, and more. 

Secrets from restaurant kitchens 

Also: 

• Chefs' breakfast tips
• Expiration dates explained
• Do you tip for takeout?

Restaurant says "no" to screaming children

A restaurant in Carolina Beach is stirring up controversy over a couple of signs reading, "Screaming children will not be tolerated." The owner of the Olde Salty restaurant, Brenda Armes, is tired of having her customers complain to her about children misbehaving and screaming when others are trying to enjoy a quiet meal.

Armes says the signs have worked. "It has been a good thing for us," Armes said. "It has brought us in more customers than it has ever kept away."

Gary Gibson was dining at the restaurant for the first time and agrees with Armes. "It's not very enjoyable when you hear a bunch of kids screaming. It's nice to see a sign like that up," Gibson said. While many are for the rule, some families are against it.

"I've never seen a restaurant say, don't bring your screaming kids in here," said Ashley Heflin, who is a mom of two. "You can't help it if your kids scream." Armes says that if a child is screaming, a restaurant employee will ask the parent to take them outside to calm down. They will not be asked to leave the restaurant for good. "We want to attract the type of people that come in knowing they aren't going to have to sit behind a table with a bunch of screaming children," Armes said.

Ziggy

Accusations of child witchcraft on the rise in Africa

This is so wrong:

Child witchcraft allegations are increasing in parts of Africa, as thousands of children have been attacked, beaten or killed, according to a new report.
The accused children are mostly boys, ages 8 to 14 — with orphans, street children, albinos, and disabled as the most at risk, said the United Nations Children’s Fund in its report.
The accused children often suffer from extreme physical or psychological violence as a result of being branded a “child witch,” the report said.

Accusations of child witchcraft on the rise in Africa

Five Worries Parents Should Drop, And Five They Shouldn’t

According to a survey conducted by Christie Barnes, author of the top 5 things parents are worried about:

1. Kidnapping
2. School snipers
3. Terrorists
4. Dangerous strangers
5. Drugs

And the top 5 ways kids actually get hurt:

1. Car accidents
2. Homicide (usually committed by a person who knows the child, not a stranger)
3. Abuse
4. Suicide
5. Drowning

 5 Worries Parents Should Drop, And 5 They Shouldn’t

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

Health insurers plan rate hikes

Companies blame Congress' landmark health care legislation for the expected rise in premiums.  

Who's affected 

Also: 

• Changes to expect in 2011
• Policies you don't need
• Term vs. whole life plans

And pure unadulterated greed has absolutely nothing to do with it, huh?

Gulf Doctors Advised to Learn to Treat Oil-Related Illnesses

Photo via News One

Less dramatic than the fiery explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the multiple month-spanning underwater oil geyser that followed it are many of the BP Gulf spill's side effects. And oil-related sicknesses are undoubtedly among the thorniest -- many fishermen-turned cleanup workers have already been afflicted by close contact with oil and the chemical dispersents used to combat it. But there will probably be many more. As such, "Health Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill", a paper recently published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA), is advising physicians around the Gulf and beyond to learn to treat oil and dispersent-related sicknesses.

Article continues: Gulf Doctors Advised to Learn to Treat Oil-Related Illnesses

One Froggy Evening

The old ones are the best.

On The Job

On The Job

What employers can't ask job applicants

Some seemingly innocuous interview questions are actually against the law. 

Marital status, citizenship, disabilities 

Also: 

• Interview follow-ups
• Skills every worker needs
• Best cities for jobs

Oh, by the way you're dead

Credit bureaus tell woman she's 'deceased'

In order to buy a home, Jessica Winter had to convince two agencies she was, in fact, still alive. 

Her ordeal 

Also: 

• How to raise credit score
• Find the average score
• Quest for perfect number

Colonel who? KFC founder forgotten

Colonel who? KFC founder forgotten

Most young Americans don't know who the man in the KFC logo is, troubling the fast-food chain.  

Plan  

Also:

• KFC's secret recipe
• New Burger King CEO
• Worst fast-food meals

Romania witches win tax fight ... for now

Abracadabra, we'll turn all of you into toads! 

That's what Romanian senators may have been fearing when they rejected a proposal to tax witches and fortune tellers.

Full story

The NFL could shut down in 2011

Why the NFL could shut down in 2011

Concerns over a possible lockout are becoming very real, a writer says.  

Players angrily mock league's boss 

Also: 

• Column: Legacy at stake
• Why lockout isn't definite
• More on the labor issue

The Boon in Bedbugs

Businesses jump on bedbug bandwagon

Companies are selling pest control services that can run as much as $70,000.  

Big demand for beagles 

Also: 

• Four places bedbugs hide
• How to detect bedbugs
• A mattress for $33,000?

Small Town Big Gas

And no we are not talking about the Hash House's three alarm chili either

Small Pa. town squares off against Big Gas

Companies scrambling to grab a piece of a massive underground fuel deposit run into an unusual obstacle.  

Money 

Also: 

• More on huge reserves
• No apology in BP report
• Plume under Yellowstone

Cuban Economic Model A Failure

This is from the 'horse's mouth' mind you.

Castro's unusual concession to journalist

Cuba's ex-president admits that his country's communist economic model doesn't work. 

Rare interview 

Also: 

• His thoughts on Iran
• More on Fidel Castro
• U.S. embargo critic dies

Shoe

Beck and Palin cash in on 9/11

What patriot doesn't try to raise money on the backs of thousands of dead Americans?

Surely just a coincidence.

The wingnut hacks are set to appear together in Alaska on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in an event that costs a minimum of $65 to attend.

"We can count on Glenn to make the night interesting and inspiring, and I can think of no better way to commemorate 9/11 than to gather with patriots who will 'never forget,'" said Palin on her Facebook page earlier this week. "Hope to see you there!"

But in sharp contrast to the free event in Washington last month, tickets to this latest Palin-Beck affair run as high as $225 – a price tag that some Democrats are making hay about given the somber timing of the event.

But Christopher Cox, the Anchorage-based promoter of the event, told the Anchorage Daily News the date is purely coincidental and was originally scheduled for a week earlier.

Yeah and the check's in the mail, too

U.S. economy continues to drop

U.S. continues to fall in global ranking

After losing the top spot last year, the U.S. takes another step back among competitive economies.

Who's leading 

Also: 

• Obama-economy poll
• Recession alters shopping
• More on global economy

Wizard of Id

No Quran Burning Saturday

Minister cancels plan to burn Qurans

The Rev. Terry Jones says he expects the controversial NYC mosque to be moved in exchange.  

Imam won't barter 

Also: 

• Gates's phone call
• More on the Quran
• Minister's media frenzy

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

Otherwise known as the Seditionists

When dealing with wingnuts ... Remember the rule: 

If they accuse someone of something, then they're already guilty of it.

Liars and Fools

Faux's Andrew Napolitano lies: 1970s-era terror group Weather Underground is among the "radicals that have influenced and are continuing to influence" Obama administration.
Still deluded I see.

Wingnut hate radio loudmouth Lush Dimbulb lies: "Obama's philosophy would have been considered tyranny," "would have been rejected" by the Founding Fathers.
Wrong, that is the philosophy of you and those of your ilk espouse and it was 'rejected' when we ousted the shrub and the cabal.

Washington Times just keeps getting crazier and crazier: Columnist Kuhner says President’s socialist takeover must be stopped.
The socialist 'take over' was stopped back in November of 2008, asshole.

Wingnut hate radio loudmouth Lush Dimbulb lies: "The country is in a fight for its life ... we're in a fight for our liberty".
We were in the fight for its life and its life was saved in November of 2008 - all you're 'fighting' for is to return to the wanton destruction wrought upon this nation by the shrub and the cabal.

Need we say more?

Non Sequitur

Would you like 1 hump or 2

Would you like 1 hump or 2 on a dino?

The weird world of dinosaurs has just gotten a tad more bizarre. Scientists found a nearly complete fossil of a new dinosaur that sports a noticeable hump, maybe as possible advertising.

Full story

Also:

Dino clue to 'earliest feathers'

Palaeontologists uncover a new dinosaur with what may be the earliest evidence of feathers.

Going underground

British explorers map out 'never-ending' cave network underneath Borneo jungle

Full Story

Ancient Greeks spotted Halley's comet

Halley's comet and a meteorite the size of a "wagonload" triggered a turning point in ancient Greek astronomy

Ancient Greeks spotted Halley's comet

Popping Pills 2,000 years ago

Medicine found in a millennia-old shipwreck in the Mediterranean is the first physical evidence for ancient Greek prescriptions.

2000-year-old pills found in Greek shipwreck

Thank the ur-worm for Shakespeare's brain

The hallmark of the human brain – its enormous cortex – can be traced back 600 million years to the ancestor of a primitive worm.

Thank the ur-worm

Cane toads aren't quite the bad guys we thought

It's invaded Australia, but the cane toad has not triggered the ecological catastrophe that some predicted.

Cane toads aren't quite the bad guys we thought

Invasive 'killer' shrimp found in UK

Invasive 'killer' shrimp found in UK

 Invasive 'killer' shrimp found in UK An invasive species of predatory shrimp has been found in the UK for the first time.

• Aquatic alien 'thugs' set to meet

Lawyers, Guns and Money

Warren Zevon

Astronomical News

Telescope may spot alien oceans

The next generation of telescopes could reveal the presence of oceans on planets beyond our Solar System.

• Rich exoplanet system discovered
• Exoplanet gas spotted from Earth
• Planet shine 'to aid life search'

Star Spiral

This is an image taken by the Hubble telescope of a binary star system (named AFGL 3068) in which one star is a a carbon star, a dying red giant, which throws off material in which appears to us to be a spiral pattern. The explanation of this very strange star system is at Bad Astronomy.

Full Story

Tractor Beams Are Now Real!

Okay, that may be overstating it just a bit. But Australian scientists claim to have moved small particles five feet using only light:

The device works by shining a hollow laser beam around tiny glass particles. The air surrounding the particle heats up, while the dark center of the beam stays cool. When the particle starts to drift out of the middle and into the bright laser beam, the force of heated air molecules bouncing around and hitting the particle’s surface is enough to nudge it back to the center.
A small amount of light also seeps into the darker middle part of the beam, heating the air on one side of the particle and pushing it along the length of the laser beam. If another such laser is lined up on the opposite side of the beam, the speed and direction the particle moves can be easily manipulated by changing the brightness of the beams.

Full Story

How To Become An Early Riser

Some people aren't made for waking up early, and that's okay. It's not a character flaw or a sign of laziness; your sleep cycles are just geared for staying up late and sleeping in. But if you read the biographies of history's greatest men, you'll find that most were early risers.

They used each morning to write, read, ponder, and plan for their day. The benefits of waking up early are increased productivity, creativity, fitness, and decreased stress. Learn how to become an early riser.

First Klingon Opera Set To Launch In The Netherlands

The first authentic Klingon opera on Earth will be hosted in the Netherlands at the Zeebelt Theater, The Hague from the 9th to the 12th of September 2010. The opera, while attracting Star Trek fans from around the world, also invited some honoured guests. On April 18, a radio message was broadcast to the assumed location of Qo'nos, the Klingon home planet, approximately nine light years away.

Klingon opera uses the principle of musical combat. Beauty in Klingon music comes from the impact of two opposing forces. To quote a well known Klingon proverb 'qa’ wIje 'meH masuv' or 'We fight to enrich the spirit.' The Klingon orchestra is made up of various indigenous Klingon instruments, some that have never been heard on earth before.

Klingon Opera web site.