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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.


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
Someone who has a thirst for power might try to enlist you in plans to overthrow others in a powerful position.
This person's plans aren't fully worked out yet, so joining him or her is not a wise idea.
If you can, find a way to avoid the fracas altogether.
Focus instead on making the best of this difficult situation.
Now is not the right time to join a revolution.
Think smart, and bide your time for a few more days.

Some of our readers today have been in:
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Vilnius, Vilniaus Apskritis, Lithuania
London, England, United Kingdom
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Roermond, Limburg, Netherlands

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 Honeoye Falls, Chesapeake, Ann Arbor, San Francisco and more.

Today is:
Today is Tuesday, May 17, the 137th day of 2011.
There are 228 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
There isn't one.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Blogger has been acting Kinky today

A few days ago as our readers well know the host of this blog went through an interesting time and posts for an entire day disappeared into the ether's mist of cyberspace never to be seen again ...
Well today, those posts have been appearing on a regular basis while we have tried to publish this blog today.
Every time we thought we had finished another missing post would crop up and this has led to many extra posts for the day.
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/uc/20110517/largeimagezi110517.gif
Could it be our host has a Trojan in their midst?

US Hits Debt Ceiling

It's official: The U.S. government hit the debt ceiling on Monday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress.

Who Increased the debt, again?

http://www.bartcop.com/debt_increase_1981-2011_001.jpg 
Someone needs to show this to those flaming teabaggers so they can scream at the bastards responsible for our debt.

Federal Workers Facing More Cuts

Already enduring a two-year pay freeze, federal workers are once again in the crosshairs of a plan designed to cut government spending.

Shuttle photo wows the Web

Stefanie Gordon was in the right airplane seat at the right time as Endeavour blasted off.
Also:

Non Sequitur

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Imagine

Random Celebrity Photo

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John Lennon

Carlos Santana: Stop Shucking and Jiving About Immigration Law

Guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana had a few things to say at the Atlanta Braves "Civil Rights" Game in Georgia, held only two days after the state passed a bill, allowing law enforcement to demand immigration papers from any person they suspect of being illegally in the country, same as in Arizona SB 1070.

Should US Get Real About True Cost Of Gas?

There is a Greek proverb I wish every elected federal and state official would recite before starting any talks about our energy policies and challenges: "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

In other words, the strength of our nation is dependent upon leaders who are able to see beyond the ...

The truth be told

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Senate takes up bill repealing $2B oil tax breaks

The Senate is taking up a bill Tuesday that would repeal about $2 billion a year in tax breaks for the five biggest oil companies, a Democratic response to $4-a-gallon gasoline that might fare better when Congress and the White House negotiate a deal later this year to increase the government's ability to borrow.

The Scent of Pot and Some Noise Enough to Allow Warrantless Search

Another bad decision from the Clown Court:

There might be a rush on air freshener, or air filters, after this: the Supreme Court has ruled that, under certain conditions, the scent of marijuana is sufficient to allow law enforcement, sans a warrant, to enter a residence and search.
This is a horrid decision. While this won't ever be a problem here as there has never nor will there ever be the 'scent of pot' wafting from this locale - the stuff reeks and we have no use for the junk. It tramples on the rights of this nation citizens once again ... and all the trampling that is occurring will provoke a backlash and said backlash will be at least twice as vicious as the trampling ever was - it is how it is and how it has been since man became sentient.

Top 10 places you are not allowed to visit

Leonardo's Car


Fantastic virtual and material reconstruction of the first thing can be called car or looks like a car and work at same with some sophisticated mechanism, invented by the Italian Genius Leonardo Da Vinci in the year of 1495!!

Cry of the Celts

IMF head's fall from grace

An ugly scandal follows earlier troubles for the French presidential candidate.
Also: 

IMF chief's time in Rikers

Dominique Strauss-Kahn will not enjoy any luxuries on "The Rock," according to a former inmate.
Also: 

Top terrorists after bin Laden

A U.S.-born militant is implicated in many recent high-profile attacks.  
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Refugees flee Syrian town

Refugees describe the "catastrophic" scene as government violence enters month three.  
Also: 

    From the New Yorker

    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYYry80a-BiZTKS_vSsdmEBf2lNDHGognopYOv5m0pPXaYm7xwW2i42vwU-hBsyVbwggT_kR-4XFOo-cqj5wYNhkhzoTId018V9K9ZZ5nCOx2NJg94Ju7Gv7NyL81qzXcsnYZO4lwq3IK/s400/airline+oxygen.gif

    The $172,200 two-year degree

    Midcareer execs in this MBA program shell out nearly $250 an hour and stay in a plush hotel.
    Also: 

      Freedom

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      What recession will cost you

      Your retirement benefits will take a hit year after year due to the slowdown, says a study.
      Also: 

        Retiring without savings

        If you haven’t socked money away, try these steps to bolster your financial future.
        Also: 

        Cities with top credit scores

        People in these metro areas manage debt wisely because of a few key traits.  
        Also: 

        Vegas landmark shuts down

        An iconic Rat Pack hangout steeped in glamour and ghost stories falls silent as problems mount.
        Also: 

          Winner of Beard Competition Has the Norwegian Flag and a Moose on His Face

           
          Elmar Weiss, a longtime beard champion, has once again captured the world title for best beard. Since the competition was held in Norway, he sculpted his long beard into a Norwegian flag and a moose.
          In 2005 he won with with a beard styled into the shape of Berlin’s Brandenberg Gate, and in 2007 with a representation of London’s Tower Bridge.
          He said he had begun preparing his creation for the Trondheim event at 7am, with the help of his sister.
          “When my beard isn’t styled, it goes down to my waist. It is sort of folded up,” he told the AFP news agency.

          New alternatives to Facebook

          These sites cater to people who don't want to blast updates to their entire network of friends.  
          Also: 

            Criticizing your boss nicely

            To get the point across without being judgmental, you'll need to choose your words wisely.  
            Also: 

              Dilbert

              http://d.yimg.com/b/util/anysize/551x-1209600,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/umedia/20110517/largeimage.6e916f579fe7e3ddb756acacd9943e7c.gif

              Top children's hospitals in U.S.

              A national survey looks at facilities' reputations, specialized programs, and other crucial factors.
              Also: 

              Old cars worth big bucks

              This Shelby Cobra was found in an old shed and sold for more than $500,000.
              Also: 

              The Progress of Man

              https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1jHKAzPjXIJ5v959Cc6olW6IJRH7e3C8UMnr0jmJm_YljiIPUZfJ9WI_yAMGXYzQOeJJ3ypCSc3PxytLne6nV_psWAsx1fK_wxtHDg4ygnpSMPYlQ-fuX_tIzRLAJsjN9Cn6DqMReZdaLlw/s1600/daihavolv.jpg
              Something the repugicans know nothing about.

              Thailand surprised by tigers discovered in jungle

              What an amazing find by researchers in Thap Lan national park since outsiders thought the area was void of tigers.
              More than half the park has still to be checked, but rangers have already confirmed eight tigers. This is not yet enough to be classified as a sustainable population, but park managers are optimistic more animals will be found. "I'm very happy as this is beyond expectations," said Thap Lan's superintendent, Taywin Meesat. "There are areas deeper inside where we haven't placed camera traps yet. Given the results so far, there could be 20 to 50 tigers here."

              The conservation group that provided much of the training and equipment for the operation said the results showed a gap in understanding and the need to invest more in research and protection.

              Tim Redford of Freeland, a Bangkok-based group that helps rangers in south-east Asia, said: "This place was supposed to be devoid of tigers. But we did a course here and were surprised to find signs of tigers. The more we looked, the more we found. That led me to believe the forest must have tigers throughout and there is a big gap in our knowledge of where they live."

              Things They Won't Tell You

              Take pictures of all your valuable property before you let them haul it away.  
              Also: 

              Eyewitness To History

              EyeWitnessToHistory.com has thousands of accounts throughout history from the people who where there. These include testimony on events from the ancient world to the present.

              Secret codes of highway signs

              The numbers assigned to roadways like Interstate 75 and Route 66 are anything but random.
              Also: 

                Stupidest Man In The World Found

                He's in New York: Ex subway worker sinks $140,000 life savings into campaign advertising the end of the world.
                fitzpatrick A retired MTA employee has pumped his $140,000 life savings into an ad campaign warning that the world will end on May 21.
                Robert Fitzpatrick, a follower of the notorious California Evangalist Harold Camping, has posted his Doomsday message on 1,000 subway car placards and at bus shelters throughout New York city.
                The foreboding advert reads: 'Global Earthquake! The Greatest Ever - Judgement Day: May 21,' above a night time Jerusalem skyline and a clock ticking towards midnight.
                Speaking to the New York Daily News, 60-year-old Mr Fitzpatrick said:'I'm trying to warn people about what's coming.
                He said: 'It'll start just before midnight, Jerusalem time: It'll be instantaneous and global.

                Welcome To Pyongyang

                You can't photograph whatever you want in North Korea. You can only photograph what they want you to see. That's what Britsh photographer Charlie Crane did. It took him over a year to get permission to go in with his camera and he was accompanied by two guides at all times throughout his trip in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. The result are eerie staged photographs.

                Yes

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                Luther Campbell runs for Miami-Dade mayor

                It's a late Friday night in a Little Havana restaurant when Luther "Luke" Campbell's campaign volunteer suggests announcing to the handful of other diners that a candidate for Miami-Dade County mayor is in their midst.

                The former rapper nods in agreement, then jokingly reconsiders as the curly-haired volunteer walks away. Her short-shorts are demure by Miami standards, even practical on a humid night, but maybe the older couple she's approaching will get the idea that his campaign is about booty shaking.

                "I'm a changed man!" Campbell says, laughing with three other male volunteers at his table.

                The former 2 Live Crew frontman is best known for raunchy rap albums, mostly in the 1980s and 1990s, that were among the first to boast parental advisory stickers, as well as R- and X-rated videos. His legal battles defended freedom of speech, including a U.S. Supreme Court victory that secured an artist's right to parody others' material.

                But it's not his "Uncle Luke" rap persona that's running for mayor in Florida's most-populous county: Campbell's campaign is built on decades of community involvement in his hometown. He insists it isn't a publicity stunt or vanity campaign. He wants voters to see him as a fellow angry taxpayer fed up with local politics — money disappearing from the county agencies; poor community policing; mismanagement at the publicly funded hospital; taxpayer money spent on a new Florida Marlins baseball stadium; and a lack of jobs in impoverished neighborhoods.

                He touts his business experience as a record company executive to back up his plans to boost the county's economy. The most headline-grabbing plan involves strippers, but not in a "Me So Horny" sort of way — Campbell wants to impose a license fee to dance in strip clubs to raise revenue.

                "I'm dead serious. Are you?" reads Campbell's campaign flyers.

                Campbell is one of 11 candidates running in the May 24 special election to replace Carlos Alvarez, who was recently ousted in a recall led by billionaire car dealer and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman. Voters outraged over a property tax rate increase and a salary raise for county employees in a struggling economy made Miami-Dade the most populous area, with more than 2.5 million people, ever to recall a local official.

                If no one gets a majority, the top two candidates will have a June runoff.

                If elected, Campbell promises a model of government transparency. His foibles, after all, are out there for the world to see, including a 2008 VH1 reality show that featured some of his six children, preparations for his wedding and the lewd videos he was selling at the time.

                Despite building his legacy in what some would call smut — producing sexually explicit songs, R-rated music videos that set the benchmark for rap and gyrating women, and even porn production — there has been little discussion made of Campbell's past in the campaign. (He makes occasional appearances at clubs, but he's not regularly performing any more, and says he will have someone else run his record label if he becomes mayor. The porn videos are still for sale on the website, but he's not making any new ones).

                Some voters who were among dozen or so audience members at a town hall in a predominantly black neighborhood seemed willing to see Campbell for the 50-year-old man he is, instead of the mouthy young rapper he was, especially when he complains about the same issues that concern them — jobs, gas prices, improving education opportunities in poor neighborhoods and the fatal shootings of seven black men by Miami police officers in less than one year.

                "We've all done some crazy things in our youth. Consequently, we have to move past that," says Akua Scott, a 50-something writer and educator from Miami Lakes who hasn't decided who she's supporting.

                If voters consider Campbell's rap career at all, it should be in the context of his legal battles defending 2 Live Crew's First Amendment rights, says Gary Johnson, executive director of political research for the Transportation Workers Union Local 291.

                "It goes back to the heart of the man, who fights for what he believes in, and you have the characteristics of a leader when someone will fight. Would he do that for the people of Dade County? That's why he's running for mayor, because he's willing to fight for the people," says Johnson, who also remains undecided about who will get his ballot.

                Local elections such as the Miami-Dade County mayor's race often come down to name recognition, and voters may cross ethnic lines to vote for Campbell because they remember him standing up for First Amendment rights, says George Gonzalez, a political science professor at the University of Miami.

                But, he asks, will that be enough to sway voters struggling with school cutbacks, joblessness and the real estate market collapse? "Here we are talking about Luther Campbell only because he was a rapper 20 years ago," Gonzalez says.

                Campbell was raised in Miami's tough Liberty City, where he's a familiar face through a football program he started more than 20 years ago. He coaches at high schools struggling to meet state standards, and with the pride of a father, brags about the players who made it out of the neighborhood to attend college.

                At one candidates' forum, Campbell was asked what headline about his leadership of county government would be after 18 months in office. Campbell's response: "He brought respect back to county government."

                When asked how that answer would fly with people familiar with Campbell's vulgar exploits, and he said Miami-Dade residents know he has changed.

                "The people here locally, they know me as a community servant. They know me as a disciplinarian, versus people outside of this community," Campbell said. "They'll tell you, 'He don't play about his community.'"

                Campbell says he learned politics through the court cases his rapping seemed to inspire, though he wasn't completely unprepared. His mother named him after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and an uncle insisted he read the newspaper every day.

                "You have to know the issues, the law of the land. It's a test. I understood that," Campbell says. "When you got a Senate subcommittee hearing on the lyrics, you get really lost if you're not politically savvy. So I became a political junkie of sorts."

                The manager of the Little Havana restaurant comes over to test Campbell about the campaign promises listed on his flyer. He doesn't recognize the former rapper, but he's familiar with political campaigns because all politicians go out of their way to make stops on Miami's famous Calle Ocho.

                "How are you going to create jobs?" the manager asks. Campbell explains that in Little Havana, he would support lengthening the annual Calle Ocho daylong carnival to a week to bring in more business.

                Entertainment creates jobs, and he did it himself while building his rap empire, he says.

                With a busboy mopping the floor around them, Campbell cajoles the manager, "I'm no politician, I'm like you: I'm a business owner."

                Bad Cops

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                California cop allegedly robbed prostitutes whose operations were competing with his own brothel

                New York cop accused of rape says woman tried to seduce him

                Arizona cops said guy they shot 71 times shot first, but that's not true

                Washington cop in videotaped stomping incident will get to keep job

                Pennsylvania cops' story doesn't pass smell test

                Two NYPD cops eyed in case of Long Island killings

                Two curiously un-named Wisconsin deputies arrested in separate incidents

                City in New Jersey pays $15,000 to settle lawsuit against four police officers

                Veteran Florida cop charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious battery

                Un-named New York sheriff's deputy charged for illegal drug possession

                Fired Oregon deputy accused of rape

                California cop arrested on rape charge

                North Carolina police officer, cadet arrested in 2007 car break-in

                Former California police officer arrested for security fraud

                Kansas lawman charged in wife's death

                Former Illinois police officer charged with theft of guns

                Illinois police officer suspended for part in strip club brawl

                Louisiana deputy fired, charged with indecent behavior

                Georgia police officer charged with theft of tools, suspended

                Lawyers explain that Illinois cops charged in sex assault are guilty only of bad judgment

                Illinois cop accused of planting evidence to get promotion

                Odds and Sods

                Man gets six-month sentence for spider smuggling

                A German man was sentenced to six months in federal prison Monday for bringing hundreds of tarantulas into the United States by mail.

                Five face jail over station killing

                Five teenagers are facing jail for the killing of a 15-year-old boy "hunted down" and stabbed at a Tube station in an attack planned on Facebook.

                Yes, We’ll Have No Bananas

                Cecil Adams answers a question: Are bananas about to become extinct?
                No, bananas aren't about to become extinct. Yes, the banana as we know it may disappear.
                bananaThe most popular banana is the Cavendish banana. About 100 billion of 'em are sold every year.
                Absent some miraculous intervention, there’s a high likelihood the Cavendish will be destroyed as a commercial crop. The banana is threatened by Panama disease race 4, a fungus that spreads through the soil. (Panama disease race 1 is what killed off most of the Gros Michels.) There’s no effective way of treating race 4. The fungus is wreaking havoc with the Cavendish industry in parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia. So far it hasn’t appeared in the Americas, but it’s transmitted through contact with shoes, clothes, etc, and many scientists think its arrival is only a matter of time.
                Although it dominates world trade, it’s a so-called dessert banana, prized for its sweetness. Sure, it’s good for you, but in the industrialized world, bananas are an optional commodity, consumed in quantity only since the 1880s.
                In the developing parts of the globe, different story. Bananas in many countries aren’t dessert; in the starchy form known as the plantain they’re the main course, one of the most valuable food crops on earth. Ugandans, for example, are estimated to spend a third to half their food money on bananas.
                Banana yields in central Africa are half what they were 30 years ago. Only a handful of scientists are working on the problem. No bananas for us affluent types means we’ll have to find something else to slice up on our cornflakes. For tens of millions in Africa, the potential loss of the banana is a matter of life and death.

                Melons explode in China

                Melons have been bursting by the hundreds in eastern China, causing hardship for farmers.  
                Also: 

                That's going to leave a mark

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                Man survives lightning strike at campsite

                Police say a Pennsylvania man has survived a lighting strike while helping set up tents for a Boy Scout outing.

                Lightning

                ions

                How to ruin good sleep

                Even good sleepers can stare at the ceiling in the early morning hours if their timing is off.  
                Also: 

                Fifteen surprising health tips

                Believe it or not, eating bacon and eggs for breakfast can actually help you lose weight.  
                Also: 

                Healthy Living

                Patent Medicine

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                Serial burglar with cleanliness obsession spared jail after judge accepts he'd find it too dirty

                A serial burglar was spared being locked up because a court heard his cleanliness disorder and other emotional problems would make it too traumatic.

                Nathan Cassidy, 20, of Flack End, Orchard Park, in Cambridge, who had 14 previous convictions for 29 offences, was not given an immediate custodial sentence because of his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).


                Mark McDonald, for Cassidy, said because of psychological problems, including OCD in relation to cleanliness, custody would have a “very traumatic effect” on him. Yet the court had heard how one of his elderly victims collapsed in shock after the criminal struck.

                Cassidy received a 12-month sentence in a young offenders’ institution, suspended for two years and a two-year supervision order. Judge Gareth Hawkesworth, who asked how Cassidy could bring himself to burgle someone else’s home and touch their belongings if he had OCD, told him: “It’s clear to me from the psychological report you have a raft of psychological problems that need addressing.”

                Woman who likes to throw fire arrested for arson

                A woman served with eviction papers at her Des Moines apartment was arrested on a charge of first-degree arson. Police said in a report that Cassie Ellen Majerus, 26, started a fire in her apartment shortly after noon on Wednesday.

                Majerus was still on scene when firefighters arrived. Other occupants of the building told investigators they heard Majerus yelling that her apartment was on fire. One of the residents grabbed a fire extinguisher at put out the fire.


                While investigating the damage, officers discovered that the smoke alarms had been removed from the ceiling and placed in a closet by the bathroom, police said.

                The police report says Majerus told officers she became frightened. “She stated that she likes to throw fire at things when she gets scared,” police said. Bond was set at $25,000.