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Friday, May 13, 2011
Lost in Blogger Land
Blogger was experiencing 'difficulties' for a day and a half so we're a bit heavy on the posts today.
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:One thing you can rely on today more than anything is your energy!
As soon as you begin your morning routine, your synapses will spring to life and you'll be ready to meet anything the day has to offer.
One excellent use of your energy would be to rally the troops and get some real teamwork going.
Your spirit is likely to be contagious, and you can affect the environment around you more than ever before, whether it's work, home or the dating scene.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
Gloucester, England, United Kingdom
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
Amstrdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, Ontario, Canada
Naticoke, Ontario, Canada
Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Milan, Lombardia, Itay
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Limerick, Limerick, ireland
Galway, Galway, Ireland
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Zurich, Zurich, Switaerland
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
Gloucester, England, United Kingdom
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
Amstrdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, Ontario, Canada
Naticoke, Ontario, Canada
Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Milan, Lombardia, Itay
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Limerick, Limerick, ireland
Galway, Galway, Ireland
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Zurich, Zurich, Switaerland
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
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 Utica, New Hyde Park, Ocala, Detroit and more.
and in cities across the United States such as Utica, New Hyde Park, Ocala, Detroit and more.
Today is:
Today is Friday, May 13, the 133rd day of 2011.
There are 232 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
Apple Pie Day
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
Triskaidekaphobians
Today is Friday the 13th, and that is bad luck if you are superstitious, because it's National Apple Pie Day.
Gymnastics for grownups
Adults discover that balance beams and trampolines are great ways to get fit.
Also: Humane Society helps get eye surgery for dog
U.S. pushes school cafeterias toward healthier offerings
School lunches have long served as the punch line of jokes, prompting chuckles about "mystery meat" and angry lunch ladies.
Are geeks better as adults?
Traits that make kids unpopular in school translate into adult success, a new book says.
Also: What Do Teens Really Want?
- A new survey asking teens what they would wish for reveals some surprises.
School gives kids sandwiches as punishment
Worst flooding still to come
The bulging Mississippi takes a steep toll and threatens to go "where it's never been before."
Also: Mississippi Delta braces for historic flood
Dirty Jobs creator on the need for skilled tradespeople in America
Mike Rowe, creator of the TV show "Dirty Jobs," testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the de-skilling of America, and the way in which skilled manual labor has been undervalued and derided in the USA to its detriment:
A few months ago in Atlanta I ran into Tom Vilsack, our Secretary of Agriculture. Tom told me about a governor who was unable to move forward on the construction of a power plant. The reason was telling. It wasn't a lack of funds. It wasn't a lack of support. It was a lack of qualified welders. In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We've elevated the importance of "higher education" to such a lofty perch that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled "alternative." Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job-training opportunities as "vocational consolation prizes," best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree. And still, we talk about millions of "shovel ready" jobs for a society that doesn't encourage people to pick up a shovel.
In a hundred different ways, we have slowly marginalized an entire category of critical professions, reshaping our expectations of a "good job" into something that no longer looks like work. A few years from now, an hour with a good plumber -- if you can find one -- is going to cost more than an hour with a good psychiatrist. At which point we'll all be in need of both.
I came here today because guys like my grandfather are no less important to civilized life than they were 50 years ago. Maybe they're in short supply because we don't acknowledge them they way we used to. We leave our check on the kitchen counter, and hope the work gets done. That needs to change.
'Made in USA' comeback
The tide is turning against Chinese manufacturing, says an influential analyst.
Also: FBI arrests long-sought Puerto Rican militant
Obama pressures repugicans
Obama hopes to put Republicans in a tough spot by pushing for immigration reform.
Also: 
Suicide Record Set
From the "You knew it was coming" Department:
In Dubai: World's tallest tower sees its first suicide leap.
In Dubai: World's tallest tower sees its first suicide leap.
Why?A man threw himself off the world's tallest building in Dubai, its developer said, plummeting to his death in the first suicide from Burj Khalifa tower.
Emaar Properties, the owner of the towering structure, said in a brief statement that "an incident involving a male" was reported at the tower's site at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.
Local reports quoted security officials as saying the man fell from the 147th floor of the 2,717 foot-tall tower and landed on a deck on the 108th floor.
Reports on the websites of the Gulf News and 7 Days newspapers say the man — who is believed to be in his twenties and of South Asian background — jumped following a dispute with his company. Police said statements from co-workers indicated that his vacation request had been turned down.
Gaddafi wounded in NATO air strike
From Reuters.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has likely been wounded in western airstrikes and has probably left Tripoli, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Friday.
A Libyan government spokesman immediately denied that Gaddafi had been harmed.
Frattini told reporters that he believed what he had been told by Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, the Catholic bishop in Tripoli, that Gaddafi had probably left Tripoli and had probably even been wounded by NATO airstrikes.
Bomb called bin Laden revenge
Bombers set off huge blasts in Pakistan in alleged retaliation for the al-Qaida chief's killing.
Also: Stupid
Actually he didn't, but this is a great example of the knee-jerk reaction of some (particularly wingnuts) that proves them to be stupid so the next time they are called stupid.
Charles Koch to approve new professors at Florida State University
From the "This is Bullshit of the Highest Order" Department:
The state of Florida has gone off the deep end.
The state of Florida has gone off the deep end.
A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."
Traditionally, university donors have little official input into choosing the person who fills a chair they've funded. The power of university faculty and officials to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom.
Under the agreement with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, however, faculty only retain the illusion of control. The contract specifies that an advisory committee appointed by Koch decides which candidates should be considered. The foundation can also withdraw its funding if it's not happy with the faculty's choice or if the hires don't meet "objectives" set by Koch during annual evaluations.
And they wonder why they are referred to as Floridiots.
Charles Koch can pucker and kiss it.
Hair of the Dog
Nazareth
The repugicans are just about to find out just what dealing with the 'Hair of the Dog' is all about.
Repugican Medicare Vote Won't Be Forgotten
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats won't let people forget how repugicans voted to alter Medicare.
Paul Ryan says destroying Medicare gives repugicans "a great communications challenge"
Actually, Paul, repugicans have a political problem, not a "communications challenge." People get the message that you want to destroy Medicare. It's really not that complicated for people to understand. There's no way other way to spin it. And, Americans don't like it. That's going to become an electoral challenge:
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Wednesday that repucicans are running into a "communications challenge" in selling their 2012 budget proposal to Americans.
Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee who authored the 2012 budget, acknowledged the repugicans face obstacles but pushed back against the notion that it is losing a communications battle against Democrats, who have assailed Ryan's proposal to significantly reform Medicare.
"I wouldn't say we're losing the communications battle -- but we have a great communications challenge," the Wisconsin repugican said on Faux News.
A tax hike and we lose medicaid
44M to Lose Medicaid in repugican plan
House repugican plans to repeal the new healthcare law and to convert the Medicaid insurance program into a block grant to states could force as many as 44 million poor and disabled Americans out of the program over the next decade, according to a new analysis by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation .
From AP:
repugicans to hike taxes on 44 million Americans
Hey, I'm just using their own methodology. After all, as John Boehner taught us today, a subsidy decrease is a tax increase. From AP:
The House Republican budget would leave up to 44 million more low-income people uninsured as the federal government cuts states' Medicaid funding by about one-third over the next 10 years, nonpartisan groups said in a report issued Tuesday.Cutting subsidies for Medicaid sure sounds like a tax hike to me.
Middle class appetites drive China food inflation
Hunger was such a constant companion in Yao Qizhong's childhood that even now, at age 40, he'll stoop down to salvage a single clove of garlic that falls from his table at the Beijing market where he hawks fresh produce.
Democrats Seek to Strip $21 Billion in Subsidies from Big Oil
Article continues: Democrats Seek to Strip $21 Billion in Subsidies from Big Oil
Where Is All the Money Going?
Image: Dvortygirl via flickr
As gas prices climb, do you think at all about where the money goes? There's some talk in Washington right now about what's driving prices up, and there's little doubt that much of it is going straight to company executives—but there's a nice chunk of change that's wholly unaccounted for. Article continues: $3.94 A Gallon -- Where Is All the Money Going?
Americans buy less food as gas prices rise
U.S. shoppers are making fewer shopping trips, eating out less, and skimping even on groceries to rein in household budgets amid rising gasoline prices, a survey showed.Americans buy less food as gas prices rise: survey
FEMA wants its money back
The agency acknowledges mistakenly giving out $22 million in payments.
Also: Got a spare $9B
300M shares of AIG for sale, worth $9B
Family inherits $100 million
One of the richest men in America left his money to great-great-grandchildren he'd never meet.
Also: Living the good life on $30,000
After losing his huge income, this man found ways to buy a home and a luxury car — for cheap.
Also: Things They Won't Tell You
Some employees are facing serious issues at work and don't even know it.
Also: Ways to keep your job safe
Offer ways the firm can cut costs, since your boss won’t fire someone boosting the bottom line.
Also: The best U.S. cities for jobs
One state boasts vibrant growth for several of its large and small metro areas.
Also: 
Coming jolt for U.S. housing
An upcoming change in federal rules frightens homeowners, especially in upscale areas.
Also: Best cities to buy a home
Houses are quite affordable and the economy is holding up in these metro areas.
Also: 
World Wastes 1 Billion Tons Of Food A Year
Best Street Foods From Around the World
Ah, lunch time! Forget fancy restaurants and fast food joints – the good stuff’s on the street. If you’re adventurous (and have cast-iron stomach), Lonely Planet has got the list of the best street food in the world.Take this one, for instance:
Bánh Mi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
As you cruise the elegant French colonial vestiges of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), stop off at a streetside stall for the Vietnamese take on its former colonisers’ simple salad sandwich – heavenly bánh mi is a piece of history wrapped in a baguette. Tender chunks of grilled pork swaddled inside fluffy French bread combine with Vietnamese mayonnaise, coarsely chopped pickled daikon radish and carrot, together with a touch of eye-watering chilli sauce, to create the best East-meets-West moment you’ll ever taste. Close your eyes, take a bite and be transported back to the grand imperial days of old Saigon.
Every WB Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon ever made, from 1930-1969
Fleeting images, one frame each, of every Warner Brothers cartoon made between 1930 and 1969, set to the tune of "the cartoon's most famous closing theme performed by various artists including The Three Stooges."
Speedy spring-cleaning tips
Test out these speedy ways to clear the clutter and freshen up the air around your house.
Also: Five ways to boost your memory
If you find yourself becoming more forgetful, try filling up your social calendar.
Also: The world's silliest signs
A talk show host's call for unintentionally funny public signage generates hilarious results.
Also: Fictional Countries
This world has more fictional countries than real countries: List of Fictional Countries.A few of them are from the Three Stooges:
- Double Crossia: a country mentioned in the Three Stooges short You Nazty Spy
- Moronica: parody of Nazi Germany from the Three Stooges short You Nazty Spy
- Valeska: a tropical country from the Three Stooges short Saved by the Belle.
Teen's medical discovery
A 16-year-old's discovery of a new way to treat cystic fibrosis wins a science competition.
How he did it
Also:
How he did it
Also:
The nose knows
Allergy season here with vengeance
Schools banning chocolate milk
Major school districts are taking action, but many nutritionists question the crackdown.
Also: