The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
There's only one cure for any problem today: direct action.
Unfortunately, you've almost certainly been feeling stuck lately.
Let that urge for activity lead you in a new, more social direction.
You've earned it and so have your people -- and besides, don't you want fresh opinions on those major changes you're thinking about?
While they're all present and accounted for, pass out a sign-up list for your next big party.

Some of today's readers have been in:

 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

London, England, United Kingdom

Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Arad, Arad, Romania

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia

Lodz, Lodzkie, Poland

Breman, Bremen, Germany

Novosibirsk, Novgorod, Russia

Cebu, Cebu City, Philippines

Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Kanata, Ontario, Canada

as well as Brazil, and the United States in such cities as Cadott, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Norwell and more

Today is Tuesday, April 13, the 103rd day of 2010.

There are 262 days left in the year.

Today In History April 13

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

International Moment of Laughter Day

And for those not living in Texas it is Thomas Jefferson Day

April is Confederate History Month

For all who erroneously think the war for Southern Independence was about slavery here's what the General that 'won it' for the Yankees had to say during the conflict:

"If I thought this war was to abolish slavery, I would resign my commission, and offer my sword to the other side."

~ Ulysses S. Grant

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

Croatian girl switches to speaking in German after waking from coma

A teenager went into a coma and awoke speaking another language. The case of Sandra Ralic, 13, has doctors baffled.

She spoke Croatian before the sudden coma and fluent German after.

Her parents say she had only just started studying German at her school in Knin, southern Croatia.

Local hospital chief Dujomir Marasovic said: "We are still trying to find out what caused the coma and why she has apparently forgotten how to speak Croatian."

Eleven of the seventeen killed in Bangkok died directly from gunshot wounds

Eleven civilians who died during the violent clashes between red-shirt demonstrators and soldiers on Saturday night were victims of gunshot wounds, while another succumbed to heart failure, autopsy results revealed yesterday.
The autopsies were performed jointly by forensic scientists and doctors from various agencies to ensure transparency and accurate results. Two observers represented the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD), the organisers of the ongoing anti-government protests.

Eight victims were shot with high-velocity bullets of an unknown type from a long distance, said Pol Lt-General Jongjate Aojanephong, director of the Police General Hospital. Five took shots to the head and three others to the abdomen and chest. The officer could not tell whether the bullets were shot from sitting or sniping positions.

"Autopsy results also cannot reveal whether they were trained shooters. They can only tell that the bullets were high-velocity," he added

Here's video of one of these high-velocity shots: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcwxd7_redbkk_news

Full Story

 

Photo via The Times of Malta

A massive chunk of ice from a glacier in the Andes, measuring 1,640 feet by 656 feet, plummeted into a lake in Peru yesterday, resulting in a tsunami that swept through villages along the shore, injuring scores and carrying away at least three. The 75 foot wave generated by the event overtook levees, destroying homes and an important water treatment facility. Peru is home to 70 percent of the world's tropical ice fields, which have been receding in recent years due to rising global temperatures. Similar collapses have occurred in the past, claiming thousands of lives--so while this most recent devastation may have been comparatively minor, officials fear that may not be the case as melting continues.

Article continues: Giant Glacier Fall in Peru Causes Deadly Tsunami

The State Of The Nation

The State Of The Nation

Marine dad's battle raises thorny questions

A father's fight against the picketers at his son's funeral stirs sympathy — and worries legal experts.  

'Slippery slope' 

Also: 

• wingnut group's pastor
• Military's suicide problem
• High court issue reignited

There are no questions thorny or otherwise - the wingnut picketers are wrong and do not have any rights in this case period!

No votes for bank robber who would be sheriff

A northern Kentucky man who had been convicted of bank robbery has ended his campaign for sheriff of Grant County.The Kentucky Enquirer reported Tuesday that Bill King of Dry Ridge dropped out of the race after the head of the county Democratic Party filed a motion in March to have King’s name removed from the ballot.The state attorney general’s office filed a wrongful registration charge against King and a spokeswoman for the office said his withdrawal doesn’t affect that charge.The newspaper reported King didn’t return its phone calls.

Full Story

11-year-old girl's 'miracle' rescue

Nadia Bloom spent more than four days alone in an alligator-infested swamp in Florida.  

Police didn't find her 

Also: 

• Disappearance theory
• Related photos
• More on Nadia Bloom

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

Confederate Navy to the Rescue

A group of men aboard a replica of the CSS Albemarle, headed to a Civil War re-enactment, ended up saving three boaters whose boat had capsized...they were unable to locate a fourth boater.

Civil War Re-Enactors Rescue Boaters, Search For Fourth Continues

 

The original CSS Albemarle

Tanning salon tax may turn some browners blue

Salons face a new 10 percent tax on indoor tanning sessions.

UV radiation and health

Massage Envy Adds Spas to Several Charlotte Area Clinics

Massage Envy, the leading provider of professional, convenient and affordable therapeutic massage, has recently added spa services to six of their Charlotte area locations, including Blakeney, Cotswold, University, Huntersville, Concord and Weddington - Waxhaw.

New bombshell in adoption drama

New bombshell in adoption drama

As police mull criminal charges, intrigue mounts around the Tenn. mom who sent a boy back to Russia alone. Details 

Also: 

• U.S.: We share outrage
• Family says agency lied
• International adoptions

Ziggy

Interesting In General

Interesting In General

Outside of Remy in Ratatouille, we have not considered the intersection of mushrooms and lightning, but the rat was on to something. In Japan, farming folklore that suggested that lightning made mushrooms grow faster; now scientists have tested the theory and found that it is true. Koichi Takaki of Iwate University has been zapping mushrooms with high voltage and almost doubled the crop.

Article continues: The New Mushroom Treatment: Keep Them In the Dark, Add Lots of Manure, and Give Them A Jolt

Real-life caped crusaders in NYC

These would-be heroes take to the streets like their comic book idols.

Meet 'Dark Guardian'  

Also: 

• Real-life superheroes
• NYC crime spikes
• $1.5 mil comic book

Teen makes dress out of gum wrappers

Elizabeth Rasmuson's homemade prom dress sparkles and shines without sequins.  

See her creation 

Also: 

• Candy-wrapper fashion
• How to walk in heels
• 2010 prom songs

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

'Bad' carbs boost heart disease risk

You might not need to cut back on all carbohydrates, though, a study finds.  

5 rules for breads, rice, and pasta 

Also: 

• Glycemic index
• Teen-drinking cancer risk
• Rural kids' obesity soars

How safe are medical spas?

The FDA warns several spas to stop administering a nonsurgical version of liposuction.  

Procedures to be wary of 

Also: 

• Organic skin products
• Facts about liposuction
• Skin care buzzwords

The six best seafood options

These choices are all full of omega-3s, sustainable, and low on contaminants like mercury.

Also, what to avoid 

Also: 

• Mercury levels in fish
• Reduce Alzheimer's risk
• Small ways to be healthier

Unhealthiest pasta dishes in America

The worst restaurant offender has more than 2,800 calories and is loaded with fat and salt.  

What to eat instead 

Also: 

• Healthy pasta recipes
• Bad chicken entrées
• Worst mall foods

Hank Williams gets Pulitzer award

Hank Williams gets Pulitzer award

The legendary songwriter receives a special citation for transforming country music.

Granddaughter's response 

Also: 

• Williams' performances
• More on Hank Williams
• Other Pulitzer winners

Mark Fiore wins a Pulitzer

Mark Fiore, whose animated political cartoons appear on sfgate.com, the web site of the chronicle, won the Pulitzer prize for editorial cartooning Monday. It is the first time since the category of editorial cartooning was created in 1922 that the Pulitzer has gone to an artist whose work does not appear in print. The Pulitzer jury said Fiore's "biting wit, extensive research and ability to distill complex issues set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary" - online video cartooning.

More

Largest income tax return ever filed

Largest income tax return ever filed

Thousands of pages and a whopping check put one company on this list of fun tax facts.

What average family pays 

Also: 

• Why you shouldn't itemize
• How to avoid tax scams
• USPS model 'not viable'

Seven simple dinners

Seven simple dinners

This main-dish salad is a great way to use leftover steak or roast beef.  

Get recipes for the week 

Also: 

• Fast family dinners
• Healthy focaccia bread
• 10 spring desserts to try

Daily Comic Relief

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

Michelle Bachmann showing her true colors

Liars and Fools

Huckabee likens gay marriage to incest, polygamy 

And he should know! We won't go into details, but ...

Michael Savage lies: Obama is "a traitor" who is "not loyal to America". 

Spoken like a true traitor and proud NAZI.

Faux's Dick Morris lies: Obama "might be the first anti-American president we've ever had". 

Actually, it was Ronald Reagan followed by the idiotic elder shrub and the moronic brain-dead shrub.

Rick Santorum (reptile-Pennsylvania) lies: Obama wants to change America from being a Judeo-Christian nation. 

We aren't a judeo-christian nation to begin with you perverted imbecile ... you can't change from what you're not.

Tea Partier handjob Victoria Jackson on Obama: Whether he has a birth certificate or not, he's not an American. 

More so than you, you never were funny bitch (and never will be). So just be bitter quietly.

Loony wingnut Jon Voight lies: Obama "rapes this nation" with his "socialistic, Marxist teaching".

Here again someone needs a lesson in the definition of the terms they are spouting - that and a modicum of talent for 'playing' homosexual whores on film ... or is he 'playing'?

Michael Savage lies: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-California) is "the most hated woman in American history" and a "monster, arrogant, egotistical, maniacal". 

No, that would be Nancy Reagan you idiot.

Faux's Glenn Brick falsely claims that Obama has said of tea partiers, "You are either with the president, or you're a terrorist". 

Pulling mythological quotes out of your ass again I see, heh, Glen ol'boy.

Paul Ryan (retard-Wisconsin) and Faux's Glen Brick agree that progressivism is "a cancer". 

Wrong. A cancer is an abnormal growth of a living cell but of course you would not know that being beyond the cancerous stage and well into the zombie(dead cell) stage.

The Dick at a wingnut rally

Tea party members envision state militia

Tea party members envision state militia

Oklahoma movement leaders have gained the support of lawmakers to start a volunteer force.

'Fuel in the fire' 

Also: 

• Tea party crashers
• Volunteer militias
• Confederate controversy

Hey, teabaggers get a small picture ... deal with it.

Wrong video sparks feud over racial slur

Wrong video sparks feud over racial slur

A 48-second clip takes center stage in a dispute between tea party activists and black lawmakers.

Just one problem

Three Democratic congressmen — all black — say they heard racial slurs as they walked through thousands of angry protesters outside the U.S. Capitol.
A white lawmaker says he heard the epithets too.
Wingnut aggitators say the lawmakers are lying.
What does the video show?
Not much.
Indeed, new interviews show that a much-viewed YouTube recording cited as evidence by wingnuts was actually shot well after the time in question.
Also:

• Tea party foes' strategy
• Rep. John Lewis' past
• Rare syndrome lacks bias

Missouri repugican Roy Blunt wants to end pre-existing condition protections

Throughout the health insurance reform debate, there was one issue that seemed to unite people: ending the practice of denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. It polled very, very well:

Most popular by a mile: “Requiring that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.” Sixty-three percent of respondents said that proposal “absolutely must” be included as part of any final legislation, and another 26% said they “would prefer” for it to be included.

That's 89% when combined. Nothing polls at 89%.

But, in Missouri, House repuican/Senate candidate Roy Blunt doesn't think the American people deserve that protection. Today, he cast his lot with the insurance companies in a way that was surprisingly big, even for a repugican:

Like any good repugican, Blunt puts his loyalties to the insurance industry ahead of the public interest. Most of them aren't so obvious and so tone deaf about their fealty to lobbyists.

Factory Fish Farming in Hawaii Expected to Expand By 900 Percent

photo: J. Novak

Fish farming has become a reality within an industry that over fished its way through global fish stocks at a remarkable rate. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of the world's fisheries are now either over-exploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted, or recovering from over-exploitation. And Hawaii is no exception. Twenty years ago Hawaii became the nation's testing ground for factory fish farming and though documented environmental repercussions are coming to light, the industry plans to expand 900 percent by 2013, according to Food and Water Watch.

Article continues: Factory Fish Farming in Hawaii Expected to Expand By 900 Percent

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid

Worst-selling housing markets

Sales are slowing and the number of unsold homes is piling up in these large cities.  

Demand being hurt by lost jobs 

Also: 

• Deals that won't last
• Big real-estate busts
• Renovations that pay off

Americans face an end to cheap credit

Consumers are in for a shock as the 30-year drop in the cost of borrowing ends.  

Where it will hit first 

Also: 

• Recession over or not?
• Foreclosures hit the rich
• Find mortgage rates

High-paying jobs that don't require a degree

A college education isn't necessary to earn a big paycheck in these 20 jobs. 

Average salaries above $50K 

Also: 

• Easy ways to higher pay
• 5 career myths busted
• Salary calculators

How China's currency hurts Americans

Most economists believe China's yuan is undervalued — a move that ultimately costs U.S. jobs.

Hot-button issue 

Also: 

• The yuan: What's at stake
• China's Hu rebuffs Obama
• The Big Mac Index

When to freeze your credit report

A simple step can prevent someone from applying for a credit card or a loan in your name.

No cost in some cases 

Also: 

• What ruins good credit
• 7 ways to fix finances
• Bankruptcy law

Tax breaks range widely for the rich

Tax breaks range widely for the rich

One state's wealthiest residents will get $1,595 on average from Obama's tax plan.  

Just $4 in another state 

Also: 

• Escaping fed. income tax
• Unusual deductions
• Search: Tax extension

Dow tops 11,000 ... Wall Street Journal says nothing about Obama policies

On March 3, 2009, the Wall Street Journal online published an article about how the Dow had dropped badly since Obama took office (six weeks earlier) and went to some lengths to imply that it was Obama's fault that the shrub recession had become worse, even though no Obama policies had been implemented and some of them had only been announced.

It is more than a year after that article was published and the Dow, which stood at 6763 on March 3, 2009, passed 11,000 today.

Where's the Wall Street Journal online article saying how Obama's economic policies had saved the economy and caused the Dow to jump by 63% in just thirteen and a half months?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Advanced degrees can hurt your career

Tell me about it ...

Advanced degrees can hurt your career

The downturn has changed how firms look at highly educated candidates.

'Many employers will be turned off' 

Also: 

• Save on school costs
• Get a raise this year
• College tax breaks

... and it isn't just a recent thing because of the downturn. Advanced degrees have been a hindrance to those that have them for years in the job market - no 'boss' will hire anyone they deem smarter and/or better educated than they are.

Ways to get on your boss's radar

Ways to get on your boss's radar

People who speak up in meetings are seen as more competent than quieter workers.  

How email can hamper you 

Also: 

• Toxic managers to avoid
• Career killers on Facebook
• Habits that bosses love

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Greco-Roman mummy unearthed in Egypt

Fourteen ancient tombs are discovered at the site of a planned youth center.  

Dating back to the 3rd century B.C.E.

Also: 

• Facts about mummies
• New mummy exhibit
• Turin shroud questions

Diminutive, but not Disappeared: Rare dwarf lemur rediscovered 100 years after last sighting

How interfering humans helped Amazon diversity
Even before Europeans arrived, farmers were changing South American ecosystems with a landscaping method previously unrecognized in the region

Stellar 'pollution' may be remains of watery planets

Atmospheric pollution on white dwarf stars could be a sign of destroyed watery exoplanets – suggesting that Earth-like worlds are common

Resurrecting ancient viruses

Roughly 8 percent of your DNA isn't really human. (How's that for a morning wake-up call?) 

Instead, it's the de-activated remnants of ancient retroviruses. All viruses hijack host cell machinery to replicate themselves, but retroviruses are a little more invasive than most. These viruses trick cells into turning viral RNA into DNA—the reverse of the normal DNA to RNA transcription process—and then snuggle that DNA right into the rest of the host's genome. They mutate frequently and, sometimes, accidentally deactivate themselves—in which case the "dead" viral DNA just ends up hanging out in the human genome.
It's a sneaky tactic that makes retroviruses—including HIV—difficult to fight. But it also leaves researchers "fossils" to study, physical evidence of viral evolution and adaptation that isn't really available any other way. Scientists can separate out the viral DNA from the human, and use it to learn how to better fight modern retroviruses.
Now, the jaw dropping part. That image above? That's a picture of particles of an ancient virus, budding off of a modern cell. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York used computer models to estimate what mutated viral DNA taken from the human genome would have originally looked like, and replicated a working version.
Read more:

• Paleovirology
• Reconstitution of an infectious human endogenous retrovirus

From NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory yesterday, this gorgeous new image from The Herschel Space Observatory: "a cosmic garden of budding stars, each expected to grow to 10 times the mass of our sun." The image was taken of the Rosette Nebula using infrared light by Herschel, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation. More here, including higher-resolution formats.

Photographing old things

Capturing the world's oldest things on film

Rachel Sussman has traveled the globe photographing the oldest living things, from a flower that could take your weight to 600,000-year-old bacteria

'Abyss' discovery may yield new life forms

'Abyss' discovery may yield new life forms

An expedition into an undersea canyon finds the world's deepest volcanic vent.  

Like 'the surface of another world' 

Also: 

• More on 'black smokers'
• Underwater supervolcano
• Where have whales gone?

Images of disappearing glaciers

Images of disappearing glaciers

Muir Glacier in Alaska is one of many to see a dramatic change in recent decades.

More striking photos 

Also: 

• Barrier Reef ship refloated
• Endangered vacations
• More on Alaska glaciers

Hallucinogens are in again

Scientists are taking a new look at hallucinogens, which became taboo among regulators after enthusiasts like Timothy Leary promoted them in the 1960s with the slogan “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” Now, using rigorous protocols and safeguards, scientists have won permission to study once again the drugs’ potential for treating mental problems and illuminating the nature of consciousness. [...]
Researchers from around the world are gathering this week in San Jose, Calif., for the largest conference on psychedelic science held in the United States in four decades. They plan to discuss studies of psilocybin and other psychedelics for treating depression in cancer patients, obsessive-compulsive disorder, end-of-life anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction to drugs or alcohol. [...]
Although federal regulators have resumed granting approval for controlled experiments with psychedelics, there has been little public money granted for the research, which is being conducted at Hopkins, the University of Arizona; Harvard; New York University; the University of California, Los Angeles; and other places.

Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again

Strongest evidence yet against spanking

Strongest evidence yet against spanking

A new study of 2,500 kids shows that spanking can have a dramatic effect on their later behavior.

Aggressive acts 

Also: 

• Temper tantrum tips
• Getting kids to sleep
• Russian adoption drama

Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods

In Cop News

After conviction for evidence tampering, Nebraska "CSI" chief asks for retrial

Mayor weighs possible disciplinary action against jailed New York cop

California deputies violated policy when raiding home with bails bondsmen

Tennessee deputy arrested after bar fight

Ohio jail guard gets year in jail on four counts of smuggling contraband behind bars

Border Patrol officer in Texas gets eleven years for bribery, transporting of illegal aliens, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine

Marilyn Monroe's chest X-ray up for auction

Full Story

Just when you thought every last bit of Marilyn Monroe had been put up for auction, including the crypt above hers at a local cemetery, along comes the couch from her shrink's office and a chest X-ray.