The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You may question how you can best help the people around you today, but don't give in to despair.
You always look for ways to benefit those less fortunate, whether you want to contribute to your community in a new way or just take your current involvement up a notch.
Look into all of your options so that you can make a real difference.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

London, England, United Kingdom

Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Canberra Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Melbourne, Victoria, Canada

Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina

Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania

Neuss, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Penza, Penza, Russia

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

as well as the Czech Republic, and the United States in such cities as Missoula, Moline, Durham, Tulsa and more

Today is Thursday, June 3, the 154th day of 2010.

There are 211 days left in the year.

Today In History June 3

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Chimborazo Day

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

'First' Neanderthal tool evidence

Archaeologists have found artifacts which they say provide the earliest evidence of Neanderthals living in Britain.

Amazing fish changes its stripes

Scientists challenge the "magical" skin of the cuttlefish to match an unnatural pattern.  

Can it do it? 

Also: 

• Animal camouflage pics
• Dolphin uses iPad to 'talk'
• Species threatened by oil

Deep sea fish 'mystery migration'

Deep sea fish from the Pacific Ocean have been discovered on the other side of the world, in the south Atlantic.

Early humans had taste for aquatic diet

A cache of turtles, crocodiles and catfish butchered some 2 million years ago shows when our ancestors gave up vegetarianism

Would the real Indiana Jones please stand up?

You know you've made it as a popular archaeologist when you get compared to Indy.

Maya man: No future for archaeology without ethics

Leading archaeologist Arthur Demarest explains why discovering Mayan palaces matters less than helping the impoverished people who live near them

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

After pirates are captured, then what?

Countries burdened with trying the bandits in court must do so with minimal resources. 

Lawyers going unpaid 

Also: 

• Cargo crew retakes ship
• Somalia's piracy problem
• Another vessel seized

Part of a Washington is sinking

Just as the wingnuts, especially in Texas, are trying to tear down Thomas Jefferson - we get this news:

Part of a Washington landmark is sinking

Experts discover that the sea wall at the Jefferson Memorial has no foundation. 

Work underway  

Also:

• Tallest building in D.C.
• 'Great Outdoors' proposal
• Appeal of Rainbow Bridge

Armed robber is calmly snubbed

An armed robber burst into an Italian supermarket — and the cashier calmly ignored him. The masked raider stormed into the shop in broad daylight and demanded the day's takings, but the till worker didn't even end his phone call.

In CCTV footage, the bandit is seen putting a bag on the counter, demanding it be filled with cash. But the assistant casually throws it on the floor, despite having a gun pointed at him.

The robber eventually flees the CISA store empty-handed, and the assistant continues calmly serving customers. A police spokesman in Nuoro, near Cagliari, Sardinia, said: "When we examined the footage we were amazed.

"The man was incredibly brave as he had no idea whether it was a real gun or a fake one, but he just kept ice cool and refused to hand over any money. If it wasn't so serious it would be funny." The manager at CISA refused to identify the cashier, but said he had been given "a few days off".

Family kept quiet about bomb 'to avoid disturbing school'

A family who discovered an unexploded WWI bomb in their garage kept quiet about it for ten days because they didn't want to cause a fuss. Sophie Isaac said she and her family waited until half term before alerting the police so a nearby primary school would not have to be evacuated. So convinced were they that the bomb would not explode her husband Nick even scrubbed it with a wire brush "to clean it up" and took souvenir snaps with his ten year-old son, Thomas.

However, when they eventually raised the alarm, bomb disposal experts swooped on their house, shutting down their street for three hours while the area was made safe. Mrs Isaac, 42, said: "Nick was clearing out the garage and saw the 30cm shell underneath a dusty work bench. It was covered in tatty rags and looked like it had been there for years.

"We weren't too concerned it would blow up because we figured if it was going to explode it would have done it as long time ago." The family knew they would have to alert the police to the bomb but say they were worried about the effect it would have on nearby St Bernard's Catholic Primary School. Mrs Isaac said: "Obviously we knew we'd eventually have to report it to the police. But we were concerned the school would need to be evacuated. So we waited until half term."

Once police were alerted about the find at about 10.30 on Tuesday morning, a Bomb Disposal Unit was sent to assess the danger. About ten homes were evacuated and the main street into Moseley, in Birmingham, was brought to a standstill for three hours as a 1,300ft cordon went up around their home. The device was later disposed of safely while the family waited at a safe distance.

News video.

Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows

The Beatles  (a promotional video from Apple)

Tomorrow Never Knows
Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream
It is not dying
It  is not dying 
Lay down all thought
Surrender to the void
It is shining 
It is shining 
That you may see
The meaning of within
It is being
It is being 
That love is all
And love is everyone
It is knowing
It is knowing  
That ignorance and hate
May mourn the dead
It is believing
It is believing 
But listen to the color of your dreams
It is not living
It is not living 
Or play the game existence to the end
Of the beginning ...

The Beatles

Same video as above but with the complete original track.

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

Rural area finds unlikely health care model

Poor towns in the Mississippi Delta once had more in common with rural Iran than most of America.  

Partnership 

Also: 

• Shiraz University
• Same-sex partner benefits
• World health rankings

Out of the shadows: our unknown immune system

An immune switch we didn't even know existed may play a role in cancer, diabetes, asthma and MS.

Binge drinking rots teen brains

Adolescent monkeys given alcohol from an early age show signs of serious brain damage.

Dengue fever strikes US

The mosquito-borne virus has snuck back into the US via the Florida Keys after an absence of 65 years.

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites

Tips for picking the healthiest breads

Choose breads made from whole grains rather than ones made from refined grain with added fiber.  

Which oils to avoid 

Also: 

• Top whole grain cereals
• Best ranch dressings
• Perfect potluck dishes

On The Job

On The Job

Degrees that will get you hired

These six subjects are the best bet for job security, according to a survey of recruiters.  

Up to $86K a year to start 

Also: 

• Save by speeding college
• Internship mistakes
• Worst-paying degrees

Workplaces paying employees to get fit

Workers like Kevin Acocella are getting motivated to exercise with the prospect of earning cash.

Amounts given out 

Also: 

• Best firms to work for
• Exercise's big boost
• Schools' PE requirements

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid

Banks try to push overdraft 'protection'

Under new rules starting July 1, banks must ask customers to opt in for overdraft coverage.

But should you? 

Also: 

• Best online banks
• 6 reasons to use a bank
• One way to boost wealth

Barely-late payments can ding your credit

Even a check that's one day overdue can ruin an otherwise excellent credit history. 

When you can get away with it 

Also: 

• Credit-card rescue stories
• Find 0% interest cards
• Unusual ways to save

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

When dealing with wingnuts ... Remember the rule: 

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

The repugicans have a new website. The morons put up a website to 'ask' America what their platform or agenda should be and are bragging about using technology that NASA uses.

Repugicans were very pleased with their technological sophistication as they introduced the website. Kevin McCarthy (retard-Calif.), who created the program, said that to get software for the site, "I personally traveled to Washington state and discovered a Microsoft program that helped NASA map the moon."

Using lunar software is appropriate, because the lunatic fringe has responded to the repugicans' request for ideas in a big way and as you'd expect - they're out there:

"End Child Labor Laws". "We coddle children too much. They need to spend their youth in the factories."

"A 'teacher' told my child in class that dolphins were mammals and not fish!" a third complains. "And the same thing about whales! We need TRADITIONAL VALUES in all areas of education. If it swims in the water, it is a FISH. Period! End of Story."

"Build a castle-style wall along the border, there is plenty of stone laying around about there."

"I say, repeal all the amendments to the Constitution." 

"Don't let the illegals run out of Arizona and hide. . . . I think that we should do something to identify them in case they try to come back over. Like maybe tattoo a big scarlet 'I' on their chests -- for 'illegal'!!!"

"I oppose the Hispanicization of America." "These are not patriotic people."

"English is are official langauge. Anybody who ain't speak it the RIGHT way should kicked out." 

All misspellings and incorrect grammar were left as they were originally posted in the citations above.

Of course there were a few of this type:

"Legalize Marijuana, cause, like, alcohol is legal. Man. Also." 

(OK, who let the commie-pink-homo-stoner in).

Some real winners as you can see.

Bad Cops

Bad Cops

North Carolina trooper seeks reinstatement after killing neighbor's kitten

Indiana police officer accused of setting apartment blaze

Chicago police officer is found guilty of threatening cabbie with gun over $8 fare

Florida police officer charged with bribery during traffic stops

North Carolina narc pleads guilty of skimming drug money

South Carolina deputy quits after only a week of paid suspension amid investigation of driving squad car while drunk

Houston police officer arrested on outstanding theft warrant

Drug lords smuggle up to $29Billion annually

Full story

A first-ever study targeting the exorbitant wealth of Mexico's drug lords shows more than half the money smuggled out of the U.S. each year is cash that never passes through a bank, making it nearly invisible to law enforcement.

Man left girlfriend's body rotting on his sofa for 10 months

A murder suspect surrounded his girlfriend’s body with air fresheners after leaving her rotting corpse on his sofa for ten months, an inquest has heard. Gabriel Brown told police he was ‘too grief stricken’ to report 37-year-old Lynn Warman’s death at their home. The 54-year-old desperately tried to hide the stench of the body from neighbors in Worthing, West Sussex, by placing dozens of air fresheners around the corpse.

Brown was arrested in December last year and admitted recovering drug addict Ms Warman had died in February. He was himself found dead in the same house in January this year while on police bail, Horsham Magistrates’ Court coroner heard.

He had told police Ms Warman had fallen on February 9, 2009, and he woke the next day to find she had died – but chose to leave her where she lay instead of calling the police. A post-mortem examination of the woman failed to find a cause of death because of the length of time she had been dead. Coroner Penelope Schofield recorded an open verdict on the death of Miss Warman and said an inquest into Mr Brown’s death would be held later this year.

A former neighbor said: ‘Gabriel and Lynn had their ups and downs like any couple but they seemed happy a lot of the time. It’s horrible to think she lay there for nearly a year as he lived in the same house. The smell must have been terrible. I hope they can both now rest in peace.’

UK Taxi driver shoots 12 dead

A taxi driver killed 12 people and injured several others before ending his own life in a horrific shooting spree in northern England.

Derrick Bird's three-and-a-half-hour rampage across Cumbria on Wednesday shocked police and locals who battled to try to understand what could have motivated him.

Cumbria police deputy chief constable Stuart Hyde described the shootings, which left 25 people badly injured, as a "terrifying and horrific" attack.

He said detectives did not yet know what motivated Bird, but promised a full investigation into the gunman's history, access to firearms and possible motives.

"This has shocked the people of Cumbria and around the country to the core," he told reporters.

"We're not able to understand at this stage the real motivation behind it or establish whether this was a pre-meditated or a random attack."

Full Story

Boy dies after father leaves him in hot car for eight hours

A five-year-old boy has died in Cyprus after being left for eight hours in a locked car by his father, a doctor who rushed to a medical emergency.

The 40-year-old doctor, an orthopedic surgeon who has not been named, was taking his son to nursery in the southern coastal town of Larnaca when he received an emergency call at around 8am on Tuesday.

He drove to a private clinic and left the boy in the car, police said.

It was only when his wife called him more than eight hours later, after she had gone to collect the child from his nursery, that the father realized what he had done.

He found his son unconscious in the back seat of the car, with an empty water bottle beside him. Colleagues from the clinic were unable to revive the boy.

A post mortem carried out on Wednesday indicated that the boy could have died from a heart attack.

The car in which he was found was towed away and impounded by the authorities. Temperatures in Cyprus have reached 117F (30C) this week.

Organize your life in one week

How to organize your life in one week

In just seven days you can overhaul everything from your email inbox to your kitchen cabinets.  

Day-by-day guide 

Also: 

• How to have a 'staycation'
• Simple rituals worth trying
• Does clutter hurt health?

Teacher suspended after pupils reported him for being late for school

A science teacher has been suspended after pupils reported him for repeatedly turning up to school late.

Jasbir Dhillon rushed into lessons up to an hour behind schedule on 21 occasions over the last two years.

Pupils complained about the 40-year-old’s lack of punctuality at Washwood Heath Technology College in Birmingham.

Mr Dhillon, a father-of-two, has now been suspended for three months after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of misconduct.

The General Teaching Council ruled that Mr Dhillon’s behaviour had been unprofessional and risked damaging the academic success of his pupils.

Mr Dhillon will now be suspended for three months and forced onto a strict punctuality programme when he returns to work.

Owner saves bulldog with kiss of life

A former Army first aider revived his beloved pet dog by giving her the kiss of life when she choked on a bone. British Bulldog Stella stopped breathing and was lifeless after wolfing down a spare rib whole at a family barbecue. Stella had pinched the treat off a table but it got stuck in her throat on Friday. Her owner, former infantryman Chris Mallett, of Clacton, turned pooch paramedic and saved his beloved dog with mouth to mouth resuscitation he learned during his seven years in the Army.

The dad-of-five, who served with 2nd Battalion the Royal Anglians, said he was alerted to what had happened when his 10-year-old son Bailey ran upstairs crying and saying seven-year-old Stella had died. Mr Mallett said: “I went downstairs and picked Stella up but she wasn’t breathing, she was completely lifeless. I took her outside and prized open her jaws. I put my hand down her throat and I could feel the bone. She hadn’t chewed it at all. She’d swallowed it whole and it was lodged in her throat. I pulled it out and it broke, half of it came out so I put my hand down and got the other bit out. As I pulled it out her body jolted.”

He continued: “I was amazed, it was a sign of life so I thought I would try and give her mouth to mouth. I held her mouth together and blew down her nose like they do with babies. Then I saw some colour came back into her eyes. They were black but I could see the brown coming back into them. She jolted when I blew into her mouth so I kept going. I was rubbing her to try and stimulate her and eventually she started breathing again.

“She lifted her up head and looked like she’d had 15 beers but eventually she got up. Five minutes later she was running around as if nothing had happened, it was amazing. It’s not something I’d look forward to doing again but Stella is right as rain and that’s the main thing. She had all foam around her mouth but I didn’t think twice about getting stuck in. My wife didn’t kiss me until I had washed my face though.”

Ocean Photographer Reveals Amazing Images

Image via TED video

TED's Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos put some of the best scientists and advocates of the oceans in one place to discuss what's happening to our seas - the good and the bad. But a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, so the TED Talk given by photographer Brian Skerry holds a particularly hefty weight. In fact, he even states that he wanted to make his photographic endeavors more like war photography, with harder-hitting pictures that tell the full story of the oceans - gorgeous, imperiled, emotional and stark. In this short talk, Skerry reveals how images can impact viewers in a way no amount of lecturing can match. Click through to see how Skerry shows both the "horror and magic of the ocean" as he shows some of the incredible photos he's taken both above and below the waves.

Article continues: TED Talk: Ocean Photographer Brian Skerry Reveals Amazing Images (Video)