The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
It's quite tempting to do something that feels good in the moment, but you need to consider the consequences of what is sure to happen later -- not to mention how you might feel following your actions.
If you know regret is in your future if you don't stop yourself, then why do it?
Refuse to jump into this hole and treat yourself with the respect you deserve.
Aren't you worth the best care around?

Some of our readers today have been in:

Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg City, Russia

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Enkhuizen, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Vigo, Galicia, Spain

London, England, United Kingdom

Taiping, Perak, Malaysia

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Athens, Attiki, Greece

Livorno, Toscana, Italy

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

as well as Scotland, and the United States in such cities as Scotch Plains, Gowrie, Xenia, Wasilla and more

Today is Wednesday, June 16, the 167th day of 2010.

There are 198 days left in the year.

Today In History June 16

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

Bloomsday

and

Fudge Day

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

Strong quakes in Indonesia kill 3, collapse homes

A series of powerful earthquakes rattled Indonesia on Wednesday, killing at least three people, triggering landslides and demolishing dozens of homes.

Full story

Shootout in Mexican tourist town of Taxco leaves 15 dead

Full story

Fifteen suspects were killed Tuesday in a shootout with soldiers in the tourist town of Taxco, Mexico, the national defense secretary said in a news release.

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

UNCC police chief who Posed for Playboy resigns The police chief at UNCC – who had once appeared in Playboy and went through past issues of certification – has resigned, UNCC officials told WBTV exclusively on Tuesday.

Marlene Hall resigned her position as police chief and director of police and public safety on June 11, officials said. UNC Charlotte is determining the effective date of her resignation pending tabulation of sick leave balance.

In the meantime, she has been reassigned to other duties, reporting to Henry James, associate vice chancellor for risk, management, safety and security, officials said.

Hall joined UNC Charlotte in March 2006. In late 2006, WBTV's Steve Crump did a story about Hall's past – and the fact that she had appeared in a Playboy pictorial in the early 1980s.

Issues of her certification also came up during the story in 2006. Crump's story indicated that she was apparently on the job for UNCC for several months and had not been certified to run the police department.

At the time, the Attorney General's Office told WBTV that Hall had not applied for certification. After WBTV's story, the university took away her badge, gun and blue lights until she was eventually retrained and certified.

Major Jeff Baker has assumed the role of interim chief effective immediately, UNCC said.

Baker, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department captain, joined UNC Charlotte in November, 2009 as deputy director, reporting to Hall. He oversees the daily management of police operations and support units. A decorated officer, Baker served CMPD for 29 years and received the Police Medal of Merit in 1984 for saving the life of a fellow officer.

UNC Charlotte will commence a search for a permanent replacement for Hall.

He almost found him

Despite being a religious whack-job he was closer than any of the 'official' ones seeking bin Laden have ever been.

The Hindu Kush mountain range near Chitral, in northwest Pakistan. 
The area is thought to be a refuge of Osama bin Laden.

By now, you’ve probably heard the news: a middle-aged construction worker from Colorado was arrested in a forest in northwest Pakistan, carrying a samurai sword and a pistol, looking for Osama bin Laden.
He didn’t find him.

 

Before you chuckle, let me just say: Whatever else we might conclude about Gary Faulkner, our arrested American bounty hunter, we should give him this: He was looking in the right place.
Or at least the place where many intelligence analysts think he is: the mountainous high-altitude district of Chitral.

Full Story

Disabled comedian a huge Web hit

Disabled comedian a huge Web hit

One hopeful's cerebral palsy hasn't stopped him from wowing millions in an online talent contest.

TV show next? 

Also: 

• More on Zach Anner
• More on cerebral palsy
• Viral Super Mario knockoff

A bit of humor

A man went to his dentist because his mouth felt funny. The dentist examined him and said, "That new upper plate I put in for you six months ago is eroding. What have you been eating?"

The man replied, "All I can think of is that about four months ago my wife made some asparagus and put some stuff on it that was delicious. Hollandaise sauce. I loved it so much I now put it on everything - meat, toast, fish, vegetables, everything."

"Well," said the dentist, "that's probably the problem. Hollandaise sauce is made with lots of lemon juice, which is highly corrosive. It's eaten away your upper plate. I'll make you a new plate, and this time I'll use chrome."

"Why chrome?" asked the patient.

To which the dentist replied, "It's simple. Everyone knows that there's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise!"

Teen sailor responds to critics

Teen sailor responds to critics

Abby Sunderland defends her thwarted attempt to sail alone around the world.  

'They don't understand' 

Also: 

• Parents under fire
• Sunderland's journey
• Details of the rescue

Five tourist destinations in turmoil

Five tourist destinations in turmoil

Despite recent news of unrest and oil spills, these hotspots can still make for a great trip. 

Which cities are safe 

Also: 

• Current travel alerts
• Airports to avoid
• Check flight deals

Broom Hilda

Designer says plus-size models are 'a joke'

 

This 'guy' is an idiot and from the looks of it in the accompanying photo he has serious 'compensation' issues as well.

Man's quest to ID missing soldiers pays off

Man's quest to ID missing soldiers pays off

Ted Darcy's painstaking work has yielded a remarkable number of potential WWII matches.  

How he did it 

Also: 

• Discovery of WWII wreck
• War codes to be digitized
• Prisoners of war

Avoid those long waits

Best ways to avoid those long waits

Advance planning can help you prevent wasting time in line or in a waiting room. 

What to do before you leave the house 

Also: 

• Save time at the doctor's
• Habits of healthy women
• Foods that save you time

Weight-loss myths

Weight-loss myths that can hold you back

A standard height and weight chart may not be the right way to set your fitness goal.

Other common misconceptions 

Also: 

• What to drink to slim down
• 4,000-calorie menu item
• Body mass index

Shoe

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All

Photo via OSTC

With the gruesome pictures of oil-covered birds and soiled shorelines now rolling in, and the narrative of the spill split between BP's continued inability to get a handle on the flow from the source and the federal government's inability to get a handle on BP, an important element of this debacle has slid under the radar: BP has continued to deploy hundreds of thousands of toxic chemical dispersants into the Gulf -- despite repeated directives from the EPA demanding that they halt the practice. They've now passed the 1 million gallon mark.

Article continues: 1.1 Million Gallons of Toxic Chemical Dispersants Now in the Gulf

Doubts over safety tests on Gulf oil dispersants

We reveal serious flaws in toxicity tests on dispersants being used to break up spilt oil from Deepwater Horizon.

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Icy world measured in star pass Astronomers work out the size of a distant icy object by watching it pass in front of a bright star. Dynamic Pluto in images

Family values: Why wolves belong together

Wolf packs are hard-working family enterprises and assets to their ecological communities – that's why we shouldn't treat them like outlaw gangs.
The biggest living thing with teeth
It hunts the largest squid in the world, and helps combat climate change in the process. How does the sperm whale do it?

American Airlines flight attendant helps land Boeing 767 at Chicago O'Hare

Full story

An American Airlines flight attendant helped land an American Boeing 767 at Chicago O'Hare on Monday after the co-pilot came down with "vicious stomach flu-like symptoms," the Chicago Tribune reports. After the ill co-pilot left the cockpit on American Flight 1612 from San Francisco, the pilot paged the flight to see if any off-duty pilots were on board.

Aircraft can change the weather

Aircraft can change the weather

A new study confirms that jets punch holes in clouds, leaving trails of rain or snow in their wake.

How it works 

Also: 

• Cloud seeding
• Summer rain times
• Solar plane's night flight

Baby's In Black

 

The Beatles Baby's In Black Cartoon

From 1965. When the Beatles visit a creepy Transylvanian  castle, Paul falls down a secret passage, and meets a mad scientist and  his latest experiment — a girl who is half human, half bat. Then the  scientist decides that Paul will be the perfect husband for his new  creation!

France moves to raise retirement age

France moves to raise retirement age

The Gallic state's famously generous social benefits are getting a little less so.  

'The end of happy days' 

Also: 

• Dutch workers warned
• Trinidad deficit worry
• Pension plan advice

Fastest-growing counties in the U.S.

Fastest-growing counties in the U.S.

Low home prices and other perks helped these spots nearly double in size since 2000.  

5-bedroom homes under $350K 

Also: 

• Most affordable suburbs
• Improved housing markets
• Best cities for families

On The Job

On The Job

Workers motivated by more than money

More people are quitting their jobs voluntarily than getting laid off now.

What's keeping some from fleeing 

Also: 

• Skills that recruiters want
• Reasons not to take a job
• Salary comparisons

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid

Thrifty habit sees a modern resurgence

Coupon collecting wins over an unusual group of shoppers, a study reports.

'Techy' aspects make saving easy 

Also: 

• Avoid credit card traps
• 10 ways to save more
• Coupon organizing tips

When it's OK to carry debt

Personal finance experts say there are only two situations where it makes sense to go into debt.

Details 

Also: 

• Thinking smarter about risk
• 9 money moves for grads
• What is 'good debt'?

Credit card holders to get some relief

Credit card holders to get some relief

Revised rules will stop banks from sticking customers with higher penalty fees.  

Some fees eliminated altogether 

Also: 

• Best cash-back cards
• Credit score tips
• Living without debt

Subprime Mortgage: Don't Blame the Dream of Home Ownership

Full story

Here is a fable that is making the rounds.
It is a collection of half-truths and outright lies: The financial meltdown was the result of too many people pursuing the American Dream of home ownership.

I Don't Want To Wait

 

Paula Cole Band

Cabbie Arrested for Extorting $3.30 Tip

Cabbie Arrested for Extorting $3.30 Tip

New Orleans Taxi Driver Accused of Locking 57-Year-Old Texan Woman in Back of Cab for Half-Hour; Cabbie's Permit Seized Authorities in the New Orleans area say a cab driver is accused of locking a Texas tourist in his cab and demanding a 10 percent tip on a $33 airport fare.

Remember: TIPS ARE NOT REQUIRED EVER!

High School Valedictorian Who Wants to Cure Cancer, Go Home

The Rude Pundit had this to say yesterday:

High School Valedictorian Who Wants to Cure Cancer, Go Home:

So this guy, Eric Balderas, a college student who was valedictorian of his high school class, no, even better, a Harvard University student, no, wait, even betterer, a Harvard University student majoring in molecular and cellular biology who wants to cure cancer, was brought to the United States from Mexico when he was four years old by his mother. The twist, of course, is that they've been living here illegally for the last 15 years. So Balderas was stopped by airport security last week before boarding a flight from San Antonio, where he was visiting his mom, to Boston, where he is, as mentioned before, studying to one day cure cancer.

This kid's a better human being than at least 90% of the people who get to be Americans, so of course he faces deportation to Mexico because we are a stupid, fearful, racist nation, and it's what we do. Bill O'Reilly will lose his fucking mind if an illegal drinks and drives, but you never hear about people like Balderas, just trying to negotiate a medieval immigration system and do well in this country. Unlike nearly every other undocumented immigrant, Balderas has Harvard behind him, so there might actually be a happy ending, god bless the plutocracy.

Meanwhile, Arizona, continuing in its quest to force white people to keep up their own damn lawns, is considering a bill that would deny citizenship to so-called "anchor babies." An anchor baby is a child born to an illegal immigrant mother on American soil. Our pesky Constitution says those kids are automatically citizens. But, because the state's cruel and idiotic, Arizona doesn't need no stinking 14th Amendment, even though it would seem like the decision as to who is and who is not a citizen of, you know, the nation would be decided at a federal level. Apparently, states' rights extends to disregarding the laws of the land.

If Balderas is deported and he goes to a Mexican university to finish his studies, the Rude Pundit hopes he comes up with a cure for cancer and his patent says that it can never be sold or used in the United States. When someone asks Balderas why he would deny the nation just to the norte a miracle drug, Balderas could say, "Because fuck them."

Bloody Sunday Lies

Lies exposed in Bloody Sunday report

A mammoth 12-year, $290 million hunt for the truth offers startling insights into the 1972 killings.  

U.K. leader's apology 

Also: 

• Search: Bloody Sunday
• Victims remembered
• Ireland expels Israeli

Wizard of Id

Arrests made in World Cup minidress flap

Arrests made in World Cup minidress flap

Some brightly-clad soccer spectators draw the attention of officials, but for the wrong reason.

The offense 

Also: 

• Photos of the women
• Ambush marketing
• Broadcaster also snared

Captured On Video: Seattle Cop Punches Woman In The Face For Jaywalking

Want to know what cable news talking heads will likely be debating in the next 36 hours? Whether or not the following video clip of a Seattle Police officer punching a female teen in the face is an example of a citizen obstructing justice or police brutality. 

The reason why the woman was stopped by the cops in the first place? 

Jaywalking!

Full Story

Bad Cops

Bad Cops

Wisconsin cop charged with physical abuse of 4-year-old

Video shows Seattle cop punching 17-year-old girl in the head

California man shot and killed by police officer photographed his killer just moments before he died, according to prosecutors who have charged the officer with murder

Two un-named Atlanta cops resign over lies and falsified documents regarding botched raid that left old lady dead

Georgia sheriff's deputy convicted for seeking sex with 7-year-old girl

Phoenix police officer is arrested for stealing money from suspected drug dealer

Arkansas detention officer sentenced in inmate beating

Oklahoma police officer is charged with assault and battery after hitting a woman in the face

Dumb Crooks

 Dumb Crooks

Woman flew with 506 lbs. of pot

A California woman traveling with a bodyguard on a private jet was arrested at an Ohio airport with 506 pounds of marijuana stashed in 13 suitcases, federal authorities said.

Outlaw killed by ATF was suspect in Maine shooting

A motorcycle gang member shot dead by federal agents in Maine was one of two Outlaws accused of shooting a rival outside a Hell's Angel clubhouse last year.Court documents indicate the October shooting in central Maine was payback for a clash between Outlaws and Hell's Angels in Connecticut.

Full story

Rats in their holes

New way to combat rats in NYC subways

A rodent expert sheds light on why so many of the persistent pests call the tunnels home.  

Their favorite spot 

Also: 

• The Norway rat
• Cockroach dining habits
• Another infestation fear

What a perfect post to lead into the posts about the repugicans and other assorted wingnuts!

Paranoia Strikes Deep

Paranoia Strikes Deep 

"Nothing you have ever seen before and nothing you have ever heard before will prepare you for the shock of 'My Baby is Black!'" 

This is what the teabaggers want! The 1950s all over again.

The truth about teabggers

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

When dealing with wingnuts ... Remember the rule: 

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

Liars and Fools

repugican Senate candidate Sharron Angle is seditious when she floats the possibility of armed insurrection.
Leave it to these idiots to openly declare sedition

Faux's Glenn Beck uses BP oil spill to accuse Obama of hating white people.
Nurse get the Thorazine, STAT!

repugican Congressional candidate Tom Mullins shows his racist stupidity and suggests mining the US-Mexico border.
And they actually think they will be elected?

Lush Dimbulb repeats his lie that Obama "want[s] this disaster" in the Gulf.
Repetitive talking into the mirror is a sign of severe mental problems.

repugican Congressional candidate Rick Barber strokes a Revolutionary War pistol in new ad, calls for President Obama to be impeached, and concludes with a "founding father" who snarls, "Gather your armies".
You know he's an idiot - he's a repugican.

Apartheid is alive and well

And it's not Arizona (for once) ...

Where apartheid continues to exist

There's a village in South Africa that wants nothing to do with the vanquishing of old racial wounds.  

Orania's story 

Also: 

• Inside look at Orania
• History of apartheid
• WC strike spreads

Virginia man stuck in Egypt limbo after his name appears on no-fly list

A Virginia man, stuck in Egypt for the last six weeks living in a cheap hotel and surviving on fast food, said Wednesday his name was placed on a U.S. no-fly list because of a trip to Yemen.

Full story

Petaluma Pop-up Prototype: Affordable Kit House From HousePort

Hally Thacher is offering a "a new, clean, simple concept in architecture", the PopUP from House Port. Dwell includes it in their "Houses We Love" section, saying it addresses the demand for "low-cost, stylish, sustainable residential homes." Inhabitat calls it "stylish" and "an affordable, eco-friendly, pre-fabricated kit".
It is a clever mix of two systems; an inexpensive portal frame supporting a steel roof, a system commonly used for industrial purposes, and underneath, two boxes made from SIPs, (structural insulated panels), a highly energy efficient building panel.

Article continues: Petaluma Pop-up Prototype: Affordable Kit House From HousePort

Ban on school dance helicopter drop

A parent was banned from flying a child to an end-of-term primary school dance in a helicopter, it was revealed.
Full story

Ziggy

A history of swimsuits: More daring styles give women summertime blues

By Gloria Tietgens Sladek

I'm not ready for swimsuit season.
My mirror tells me to get on that bicycle and trim my thighs. Or to try Weight Watchers or Slim-Fast.
If the thought of exposing all that skin gives you the jitters, too, you're in good company. Most everyone is self-conscious about some part of her body, and it's always been that way.
Bathing suits have quite a history.

Read the read of her piece here.

***

Actually most everyone is NOT self-conscious about some part of their body and it has always been that way - that is until someone else tells them they are or should be self-conscious of that particular part.
And if you are so all fired nervous about wearing a swimsuit then wear the one you were born in.

Six unusual homes

Take a tour of six unusual homes

See what's inside a fairy-tale cottage, a tree house, and a home underground.  

Another is carved out of a hillside 

Also: 

• More unusual houses
• A look at Cher's LA digs
• Must-have home features

Man has extra bones growing in his body

By the time we reach middle school, one of the facts we learn in science class is that the average adult has 206 bones, give or take a few. Yet Danbury resident Dan Aziere has more than that in his body.

A lot more. He estimates he has about 50 extra bones.

"They are around every joint, and there are a lot around my rib cage," said Aziere, 41, who works as a senior claims adjuster for Geico in Danbury. Aziere suffers from multiple hereditary exostoses, a rare genetic disorder in which benign tumors grow from the growth plate or the surface of bones throughout the body.

Since the age of 5, he has undergone 19 surgeries to remove 42 bones. He has had extra bones in his leg, shoulder, ankles, knees, hips, arms, wrists, back, chest, and almost all his fingers. They've ranged in size from as small as a pencil eraser to as large as 4 inches long by 2 inches wide by 1 inch high.

Full story

Indian woman, 66, gives birth to triplets

An Indian woman has become the oldest person in the world to have triplets at the age of 66. After being childless for 44 years of marriage Bhateri Devi gave birth to two boys and a girl. ‘Bhateri has fulfilled my dream of having a child and gave my family an heir,’ said husband Deva Singh, 64.

‘She was my first wife and after she failed to conceive a child, I married twice – but again I did not have any children from my other wives either.’ Devi, from Madina in Rohtak, northern India, was given IVF treatment at the National Fertility Center in Hisar.

It is the same clinic where Rajo Devi Lohan, the world’s oldest mother, was controversially treated, aged 70. ‘Bhateri Devi was coming to us for the treatment. She has become a mother for the first time and conceived only in our third attempt through IVF technique,’ said Dr Anurag Bishnoi.

The triplets, weighing 1.1kg (2lbs 6oz), 1kg (2lbs 4oz) and 0.7kg (1lb 7oz), are dangerously underweight and are being treated in intensive care. They were born by Cesarean section on May 29. ‘I will provide all the best facilities for my children in the coming years,’ promised Mr Singh.

Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods

Mortician accused of mishandling corpse

Full story

State regulators in Ohio have shut down a funeral home where a director is accused of mishandling a corpse and other misdeeds.

Bigfoot with six fingers and beautiful blond hair spotted in North Carolina Mountains

Tim Peeler of Cleveland County, North Carolina called police after encountering Bigfoot outside his mountain home. Apparently, this particular Bigfoot was 10-feet-tall, had "beautiful (blonde) hair," and six fingers on each hand. Peeler told the Charlotte Observer that he "rough-talked him" and scared him off.

"Cleveland County man reports encounter with Bigfoot"