The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You need to go for it in a major way today.
Ask for that promotion or pursue that new client with all the zeal you can muster -- which is quite a lot, of course!
Your enthusiasm may be so infectious that you inadvertently inspire a group of supporters who are swept away by your can-do spirit.
Still, it's important to sort out who's genuinely loyal.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Graz, Steiermark, Austria

Milano, Lombardia, Italy

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Paderborn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

London, England, United Kingdom

Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

as well as Brazil, and the United States in such cities as Moncton, Metairie, Medford, Miami and more

Today is Tuesday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2010.

There are 192 days left in the year.

Today In History June 22

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There are none.

It is Perigan Spring Tides though.

Just how old is the internet

Find out exactly how old the Internet is right here.

World Cup Soccer

Fury grows over World Cup team's debacle

The president is alarmed, sponsors pull out, and the media's in a tizzy over the French soccer team.

 'Stupid' protest 

Also: 

• 'Pilloried worldwide'
• Zidane reacts
• French newspapers

Final humiliation for World Cup team

The French soccer team is abruptly sent home coach-class after an embarrassing spectacle in South Africa.

Column 

Also: 

• Coach won't shake hands
• Mexico loses, moves on
• More World Cup coverage

Soccer superstar's goofy scoring play

Even Ronaldo has to chuckle about the juggling act he performed en route to an unlikely World Cup goal.

Watch 

Also: 

• Portugal scores 7
• More on Ronaldo
• More World Cup coverage

Why didn't they bench him from the beginning!

Controversial referee is benched

A notable name is missing from the World Cup's new list of officiating assignments.  

Ref's assistant speaks 

Also: 

• Koman Coulibaly
• Refs becoming an issue
• Buy World Cup gear

Minidress pranksters get off the hook

Charges are dropped against the Dutch women who wore orange minidresses to the World Cup.

The deal they struck 

Also: 

• Photos of the women
• Ambush marketing
• Locker-room fan in court

Is cheerleading a sport?

In a word ... NO!

Judge to decide if cheerleading is a sport

Volleyball players sue their college for eliminating their team in favor of the cheering squad.  

Nationwide impact 

Also: 

• Details on the case
• How to be a cheerleader
• Toy-soldier ban reversed

The State Of The Nation

The State Of The Nation

States take aim at pension benefits

Many states say they can't afford promised pensions and are cutting once-sacrosanct benefits.  

Details 

Also: 

• State pension crisis
• Retirement without 401(k)
• Health ins. costs jump

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

No more loud whistling as you walk down the streets in one South Carolina coastal town.

No singing, either.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that Sullivans Island Town Council approved an ordinance last week that added singing, whistling, hooting and hollering on public streets to a list of possible disturbing noises.

The proposal could get final approval next month.

It would make loud noises on public streets illegal late at night or at any time or place if it's annoying people nearby.

Sullivans Island town administrator Andy Benke says the wording comes from North Charleston, where annoying singing already is illegal. North Charleston police spokesman says he can't recall the city fining anyone for singing.

Beautiful And Strange Trees

Pictures of 18 beautiful and strange trees.

Want to find your mind?

From New Scientist (painting by Salvador Dalí):

In 1992, Gerald Edelman at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, proposed that there are two possible states of consciousness, which he called primary and secondary consciousness. Primary consciousness is the simple subjective experience of sensory perception and emotions, which could be applied to most animals. It's a state of "just being, feeling, floating", according to Ursula Voss at the University of Frankfurt in Germany... The mental life of your common or garden human, however, is a lot more complicated. That's because we are "aware of being aware". This allows us to reflect upon ourselves and our feelings and, in an ideal world, make insightful decisions and judgements. This state, dubbed secondary consciousness, is thought to be unique to humans.
With their increased self-awareness, lucid dreams share certain aspects of secondary consciousness, so researchers are now vying to observe what happens in the brain when someone "wakes up" within their dream, and whether they exhibit any further signatures of consciousness. "It's a very interesting leap because it can show you exactly what occurs if you jump from limited consciousness to very high consciousness," says Victor Spoormaker of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. "This should be one of the main themes of lucid dream research."

Want to find your mind? Learn to direct your dreams

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

7th graders make surprising Mars discovery

California middle-schoolers stumble upon an unusual feature of the red planet by accident.  

Martian skylight 

Also: 

• More photos of Mars
• Glenn: Keep flying shuttles
• Water on Mars

Oldest baby mammoth's big next step

Discovered in northern Siberia last year, "Khoma" is thought to be more than 50,000 years old.  

Its lethal cargo 

Also: 

• Oldest human fossil?
• Learn about mammoths
• Terracotta warrior find

Science sizes up 'ghost particle' Astronomers have made the most accurate measurement yet of the mass of a mysterious neutrino or "ghost particle".

How the world's sinkholes measure up

Most of the natural depressions in the U.S. are potholes compared to Egypt's claim to fame.  

How many miles wide 

Also: 

• Guatemala's mystery
• Cause of sinkholes
• Crater in China

Lucy's 'great-grandfather' found

Anthropologists say they have discovered the 3.6 million-year-old partial skeleton of a creature that came from the same species as Lucy, but was 400,000 years older and at least as good at walking upright. Their analysis suggests that upright walking, the trademark trait for humans and their extinct kin, goes back further in time than some might have assumed.

Full Story

The Ancient Atapuerca Caves In Spain

The Atapuerca Mountains is an ancient karstic region of Spain, in the province of Burgos and near the town of the same name and Ibeas de Juarros. It contains several caves, where fossils and stone tools of the earliest known Hominians in West Europe have been found.

In the late 19th century, a railway cutting driven through the Atapuerca Mountains led to the discovery of the ancient limestone caves. After several excavations during the 20th century, a student made a startling discovery. A human jawbone buried neatly in the caves gave way to the significance of Atapuerca.

Research Shows Ocean Chemistry Delayed Evolution by 1 Billion Years

Photo via mickeymox

Researchers from Newcastle University have published a new study in Nature Geoscience illustrating that the chemical make-up of our early oceans may have delayed the evolution of life on our planet by as much as 1 billion years. Their research shows for the first time a chemical "layering" in the oceans that kept oxygen from reaching the deep ocean. That lack of oxygen may explain the long wait for development of life, and the sudden boom of animal life later on.

Article continues: Research Shows Ocean Chemistry Delayed Evolution by 1 Billion Years

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites

50 foods for less than $1 a pound

A "world-class penny pincher" says many of the healthiest foods to eat happen to cost the least.  

The list 

Also: 

• 7 myths about veggies
• Daily benefits of green tea
• Foods to buy organic

Seven quick dinners

This adaptation of the classic Mexican fajita dish is loaded with succulent shrimp and scallops.  

Get recipes 

Also: 

• Find seafood recipes
• Summer tomato recipes
• Favorite burger recipes

3 simple tricks to improve a green salad

Adding nutrient-rich nuts lets you ditch the croutons without losing the crunch. 

What a difference colors make 

Also: 

• Vinaigrette recipes
• 3 dinners in 1 pot
• Low-cal summer desserts

The worst burgers in America

These meals are loaded with bacon, cheese, and two days' worth of fat and sodium.
One is over 2,000 calories 
Also: 

• Foods to fight cellulite
• Worst 'health' drinks
• Sodium daily allowance

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

New food rules for health and fitness

Dietary experts advising the government have new guidelines on how much meat and seafood to eat.  

Ideal calories 

Also: 

• Official food pyramid
• How to de-stress your day
• Backyard health risks

Ziggy

*****

Saharan Bees Survive 10,000 Year Isolation

Image credit: cygnus921/Flickr

Around the world, honeybee populations are shrinking. Some colonies suffer from infestations of parasitic mites, others, the widespread use of pesticides, and some struggle to cope with changing climatic conditions.
But deep in the Sahara desert, one colony of bees lives on in blissful isolation, as it has for as many as 10,000 years.

Article continues: Saharan Bees Survive 10,000 Year Isolation

It's Tornado season, too, you know

Tornado rips roof off Montana arena

A twister barrels through a Billings stadium, sending debris spinning through the air. 

See raw footage 

Also: 

• Eyewitness photos
• Witnesses' reactions
• Tornado survival tips

The Secrets of hole-punch clouds

What causes the bizarre "hole-punch" clouds like the one seen above? The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has just published a scientific paper addressing this wonder of nature. During certain conditions, flying airplanes can sometimes "seed" clouds, resulting in brief and highly-localized snow or rain falls. According to the NCAR, air is rapidly cooled behind the propellers of prop planes or as the wings of jets cut through the clouds. Water droplets in the cloud freeze and then fall to Earth, leaving the telltale hole in the cloud.

From the National Science Foundation:

Precipitation from planes may be particularly common in regions such as the Pacific Northwest and western Europe because of the frequent occurrence of cloud layers with supercooled droplets, Heymsfield says... Researchers have proposed a number of possible aviation-related causes, from acoustic shock waves produced by jets, to local warming of the air along a jet's path, to the formation of ice along jet contrails. Indeed, the earliest observations implicated jet aircraft, but not propeller aircraft, as producing the holes.
Researchers in the 1980s observed that propeller aircraft could transform supercooled droplets into ice crystals, and experiments were launched in the 1990s to characterize the phenomenon.
But scientists had not previously observed snow as it fell to the ground as a result of aircraft until Heymsfield and his colleagues happened to fly through some falling snow west of Denver International Airport with an array of instruments.

Mysterious Clouds Produced When Aircraft Inadvertently Cause Rain or Snow

Rio on fire

 

Photo via Global Voices

Rio de Janeiro is a city known for its spirited festivities and all-night celebrations, but part of those revelries are being blamed for inadvertently setting a blaze on one of the city's hillside national parks over the weekend, which added an ominous glow to Rio's iconic natural skyline. Fortunately for residents, many of whom make their homes perched along city's forested peaks, the fire's destruction was limited to just 10 acres of vegetation, though the park was rich in wildlife. Firefighters suspect the blaze was caused after a fire-laden balloon was released into the sky by partygoers--a practice considered an environmental crime that carries with it a heavy fine and jail time.

Article continues: Balloon Blamed For Setting Rio de Janeiro on Fire

B.C.

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid

11 ways to protect against debit fraud

It's quite possible to be a victim of fraud even when you still have the physical card.  

'Skimming' technique 

Also: 

• Best cards for cash back
• Banking reform doubts
• Worst online scams

Two hundred million to zero in 5.3 seconds

How millionaire entrepreneur went broke

Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk once had $200 million, but now says he has zero cash.

But he's 'asset rich' 

Also: 

• World's rich get richer
• U.S. has most millionaires
• More on Tesla Motors

On The Job

On The Job

What we'd love to tell the boss

Many employees don't feel free to share with a manager what's on their minds, but if they did...  

12 things we'd say 

Also: 

• Handling a younger boss
• Men vs. women managers
• Annoying office habits

Skills that could be hurting your career

Taken to the extreme, even some positive traits can look bad at the office.  

Don't multitask yourself out of a job 

Also: 

• Soft skills you'll need
• Best ways to get fired
• Career myths busted

There's a catch

$75 million mansion for sale — with a catch

A Florida palace nicknamed "Versailles" has 23 bathrooms and 3 pools, but it's missing a few basics.  

See photos 

Also: 

• World's priciest homes
• Chihuahua gets millions
• World's rich grow richer

Attempted NYC bombing suspect's plea

Attempted NYC bombing suspect's plea

Pakistani-born citizen Faisal Shahzad tells the judge he wants to "plead guilty and 100 times more."

Details 

Also: 

• Anti-terror law upheld
• Faisal Shahzad
• Temple suspects defended

Padding the books

In law schools, grades get an extra boost

Several prominent law schools are deliberately inflating students' GPAs. 

One institution adds .333 to every grade 

Also: 

• Grade inflation in U.S.
• Student loans get better
• Tip for picking a college

Bad Cops

Bad Cops

Pennsylvania cop arrested for threatening his wife's life while vacationing in North Carolina

Tennessee police officer reportedly blocks couple from entering emergency room and later charges husband with evading arrest for staying with ailing wife

Drunk-driving, gun-shootin' Texas cop gets special treatment from fellow cops

Louisiana police officer charged with theft, malfeasance

Washington police chief refuses judge's order to return man's medical marijuana

Maryland cop caught on surveillance camera lying about DUI case acquitted

Frankenstein

The Edgar Winter group  

Judge blocks Obama's offshore drilling ban

From the "That's Bullshit!" Department:

The judge owns oil company stock ...

Judge blocks Obama's offshore drilling ban

A federal judge says the 6-month moratorium on new drilling is based on faulty reasoning.  

White House reacts 

Also: 

• Report: Judge owns stock
• Big oil industry summit
• Payments to Gulf victims

Wizard of Id

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All

Two months in, oil spill damage continues

As drilling crews race to build relief wells, Gulf residents fight to keep the oil from their shores.  

Bleak images 

Also: 

• Spill by the numbers
• Latest developments
• Drilling ban challenged

It's Not Like We Don't Have Another One

Real Worst-Case Scenario For Gulf Of Mexico: Double Exploding Methane Trigggered Tsunamis, and more

Image credit:mi2g.com

If one faction of the deepwater drilling debate continues to deny any serious risk of more exploratory drilling - an example of this denial would be the court injunction, just now successfully obtained by oil industry attorneys, overturning the Federal exploratory drilling moratorium in the deepwater Gulf - it is fair and appropriate to state the ultimate potential danger of expanded drilling. And this is one serious worst case.
From the Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance, viaMi2g.com, a work-in-progress worst-case risk description concludes with this paragraph: "The danger of loss of buoyancy and cascading tsunamis in the Gulf of Mexico -- caused by the release of the massive methane and poisonous gas bubble -- has been a much lower probability in the early period of the crisis, which began on April 20th. However, as time goes by and the risk increases, this low probability high impact scenario ought not to be ignored, given that the safety and security of the personnel involved remains paramount. Could this be how nature eventually seals the hole created by the Gulf of Mexico oil gusher?"

Article continues: Real Worst-Case Scenario For Gulf Of Mexico: Double Exploding Methane Trigggered Tsunamis, and more

Is BP Burning Endangered Sea Turtles Alive?

A lucky Kemp's Ridley sea turtle that didn't get burned.

Photo: Wikipedia, public domain.

Destroying the Evidence?
Kemp's Ridley is a critically endangered species of sea turtle that can be found in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Mike Ellis (see the video interview below), BP has been keeping rescue teams from getting to the turtles and has even been burning them alive, along with other animals. Because Kemp's Ridleys are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, killing or harming them can bring civil liability and even criminal charges. Is BP trying to "destroy the evidence" by burning it?

Article continues: WTF? Is BP Burning Endangered Sea Turtles Alive? (Videos)

DOJ to file suit against Arizona immigration law next week

At first look, this is great.

But what is worrisome is that the Latinos are being played.
Rather than pass comprehensive immigration reform this year, as promised, the administration is weighing in on a high-profile case that, heinous as it is, only affects one state.
It's an easy to way score points on immigration without doing the heavy lifting of trying to pass real national reform.
Had the administration gotten real reform passed, this suit would be welcomed.
But without national reform, the suit is a sorry substitute.

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

Faux's Glenn Beck fears that the government "will need to control the people" because they'll be "hungry," "frightened, and there will be civil unrest".

What an idiot

Faux's Sean Hannity lies: that Obama is sabotaging BP Gulf gusher cleanup.

No, that would be BP doing that itself

Faux's Glenn Beck lies, again, there are "actual revolutionaries that are in Washington right now that want revolution".

Well, 'lie' is not entirely correct ... there are 'actual revolutionaries' in Washington - they're called repugicans, however that is not who the idiot is ranting about.

Lush Dimbulb's substitute host lies: Obama's "plan is working for the destruction of America exactly on schedule".

No, that plan was the shrub's and the cabal's and it was stopped cold and the wingnuts don't like it.

Dimbulb blasts repugicans for backing off criticism of BP escrow account

The leader of the repugican party has spoken. The round of apologies won't be far behind. 

From CNN:

Wingnut hate-radio host Lush Dimbulb is taking aim at repugican leaders for rushing to demand  Joe Barton retract his controversial apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward during last week's congressional hearing.

On his radio show Monday, Dimbulb suggested the repugican leadership likely agrees with Barton's sentiments, but are driven by recent national polls which suggest the majority of Americans support President Barack Obama's push for BP to set aside $20 billion for future liability claims.

"It was a shakedown pure and simple," said Dimbulb, echoing the words for which Barton later apologized. "And somebody had the audacity to call it what it was and now everybody's running for the hills."

Fascists and Nazis the Fremont, Nebraska

Town passes strict illegal-immigration law

Fremont, Nebraska, is the latest battleground for the national immigration debate.  

Tough new bans 

Also: 

• Related photos
• Letter leads to deportation
• Az.'s immigration law

Shoe

NYC's Naked Cowboy tells Naked Cowgirl to stop stealing his trademark, sign franchise deal

 Robert Burck, also known as The Naked Cowboy

Here's the bad news ... you have no trademark and unless the Naked Cowgirl starts billing herself as a Naked CowBOY you're going to have to accept it.

Full story

You've heard of police decoy whores ... well what about decoy jews

John Aravosis writes:

Sad. Cops in Amsterdam are having to use undercover officers disguised as Jews to stop anti-Semitic violence.

Secret tv recordings by the Jewish broadcasting company Joodse Omroep broadcast on Sunday showed young men shouting and making Nazi salutes at a rabbi when he visited different areas of the city.

Here is the video.

Goldilocks burglar discovered by New Zealand home-owner

A Goldilocks-style burglar was arrested when her victim came home to find her asleep in bed. Vanessa Joy Long, 39, who has long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail, proved an easy arrest after she broke into a house on Hills Road in Christchurch, about 11.40pm on June 5.

Finding her asleep, the homeowner phoned police, an option the three bears in the Goldilocks fable failed to exercise. She went in through an unlocked back door, raided the fridge, ate the food, drank some alcohol, went to the bedroom, tried on clothes, then climbed into the victim's bed.

She pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court today, telling the court she had blacked out and no idea what had happened. Judge Stephen Erber bailed her for sentence on September 1.

He ordered a probation report, a report on Long's suitability for home detention, and a reparation report. He needed to know if she could pay, because this fairy tale was not going to have a happy ending. Long soiled the bedding and mattress while she was in bed, and the cost of the food, drink, and damage amounted to $1,500.

Family dies while poisoning rats with car exhaust fumes

Three residents of a small settlement in Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk region died from exhaust fumes of their own Zaporozhets vehicle. The head of the family, a 71-year-old man, decided to exterminate rats in the house with the help of his old car.

The man attached a hose to the exhaust pipe of the ZAZ-968 “Zaporozhets” car and put the other end of the hose into the basement of the house. He started the engine and went upstairs.

Some time later, the man decided to see what was happening in the basement. As soon as the man entered the basement, he lost consciousness because of the high concentration of exhaust fumes.

His wife, a 77-year-old woman, started worrying about her husband when he did not come back. She went downstairs to see what was happening in the basement and fainted too. The same happened with their 29-year-old granddaughter. Their other granddaughter found the bodies two hours later and was lucky to stay alive. However, her three relatives died.

'Gringo chief' leads South American tribe

'Gringo chief' leads South American tribe

Randy Borman speaks their language flawlessly and is a crack shot with a blowgun.  

His tale

Also:

• Ecuador's Cofan people
• Lone Indian's tale
• Jolie visits refugees