The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You've got energy to burn, and that's a good thing, because whatever you do tonight could last well into tomorrow -- or beyond!
Others are definitely impressed with your stamina and style, as your carefully laid plans come together in a rather cinematic fashion -- maybe better than you'd hoped.
Be sure to snap some pictures to secure the memories that you're sure to make.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia

Quebec, Quebec, Canada

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

London, England, United Kingdom

Rabat, Rabat, Malta

Perth, Western, Australia, Australia

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

San Jose, San Jose, Costa Rica

Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Penang Pulau, Pinang, Malaysia

as well as the Czech Republic, and the United States in such cities as Glen Rock, Oakland, Grand Junction, White Hall and more

Today is Sunday, June 27, the 176th day of 2010.

There are 187 days left in the year.

Today In History June 27

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Decide To Be Married Day

It's a hot one out there

 

Going for the record today!

And I Quote

The strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone. 

 

~ Thomas H Huxley

Protest escalate

At least 400 have been arrested

Protests escalate at world summit

Tensions rise between protesters and police outside the G-20 meeting in Toronto.  

Splinter groups blamed 

Also: 

• More on the summit
• North Korea, Iran slammed
• Economic recovery routes

Bittersweet end to U.S. World Cup run

Bittersweet end to U.S. World Cup run

Exciting comebacks made for a great story, but they also revealed the team's weaknesses.

Writer's opinion 

Also: 

• Winners and losers
• Donovan backs teammate
• U.S. fans still proud

World Cup Soccer

Another bad call mars World Cup game

England is incensed after a perfectly legal goal against Germany is not allowed by a referee.  

See the mistake 

Also: 

• England team astonished
• World Cup photos
• Worst calls in sports

On The Job

On The Job

10 jobs you really can do from home

These solid career options don't always require that you spend 9-to-5 in an office.  

Half make $50K or more 

Also: 

• Ways to work for yourself
• You get paid to do that?
• Freelance writing jobs

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites

Taste test of top hot sauces

In a test of dozens of spicy options, one classic with cayenne peppers stood tall.  

Mild, medium, and superhot picks, too 

Also: 

• How to make hot sauce
• A spicy recipe for summer
• U.S. likes extreme flavors

Policeman on horse rides through hookah bar

A Tampa Police officer was caught on tape walking his horse through a crowded Ybor City bar, and the police chief said she approves of it.

The video shows a mounted police officer walking his horse through Habibi's Hookah Bar on 7th Avenue. A woman is heard screaming in surprise as the horse rounds a corner into her path.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said, "It's good public relations." However, one business owner complained about the practice.

Phat Katz Tattoo shares a walkway with the covered tobacco cafe. Owner Christiene Henry says the horse has walked through her shop as well. "To just come through, I think that's a safety hazard for everyone," said Henry. "The officers, the horse, as well as the people that are on the property, because it can get pretty busy out here at night."

They even took the kitchen sink

Thieves steal everything including the kitchen sink from police station

South Africa's police are investigating after thieves stripped a police station of all its contents, down to the kitchen sink. The office was under renovations and ready for re-occupation when the thieves hit.

The robbers helped themselves to everything of value - including doors, cupboards, basins, cutlery, tiles, furniture, electrical equipment and mortuary fridges. Officers from the Carletonville police station, west of Johannesburg, have had to cram into three small rooms.

The space is inadequate, and there with no holding cells or parking spaces. The rent costs the police about 127,000 rand ($17,000; £11,430) each month. It is not clear how the burglars managed to clean out the office without being detected by the security company contracted by the Department of Public Works to guard the premises.

Democratic Alliance police spokesperson Dianne Kohler Barnard said that the Department of Public Works had "failed taxpayers". "How bizarre, that the police will now have to investigate a crime committed at a police station," she said. "It's absolutely terrible, but typical of Public Works. For them to allow that place to be stripped is outrageous."

Computer Program Detects Depression in Bloggers

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Israel developed a computer program that they think can detect depression among bloggers. To test their hypothesis, they scanned 300,000 English-language blogs and had clinical psychologists read the subjects that the computer indicated were depressed. The psychologists agreed with the computer 78% of the time:

“The software program was designed to find depressive content hidden in language that did not mention the obvious terms like “depression” or suicide,” explains Prof. Neuman. “A psychologist knows how to spot various emotional states through intuition. Here, we have a program that does this methodically through the innovative use of ‘web intelligence.’”
For example, the program spots words that express various emotions, like colors that the writer employs to metaphorically describe certain situations. Words like “black” combined with other terms that describe symptoms of depression, such as sleep deprivation or loneliness, will be recognized by the software as “depressive” texts.

Full Story

B.C.

Supreme sale (out)

Let the truth be told!

Endless Bummers

Jon Stewart gives them the business:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Endless Bummers
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

BP blocking employees from speaking with Congress

Obviously BP is above the law.

The chairman of a House panel investigating the Gulf oil spill said Friday that BP won't let members talk to several employees who may have critical information about what led to the catastrophe.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., told The Associated Press that BP PLC has cited its own investigation as its reason for denying access to the employees.

BP spokesman David Nicholas said in an e-mail that BP "has not objected to providing access to any of the specific BP employees that the committee has requested, and we continue to cooperate with the committee." He would not elaborate.

Federal judge who blocked oil drilling ban owns BP stock

Gee, conflict of interest , naw couldn't be?! 

Non Sequitur

Comedian Wins Icelandic Election

A polar bear display for the zoo. Free towels at public swimming pools. A 'drug-free Parliament by 2020.' Iceland's 'Best Party,' founded in December 2009 by a comedian, Jón Gnarr Kristinsson, to satirize his country's political system, ran a campaign that was one big joke.

At least it looked like a joke until they won the elections. Jón Gnarr is now the new mayor of Reykjavik. In his acceptance speech he said: No one has to be afraid of the Best Party because it is the best party. If it wasn't, it would be called the Worst Party or the Bad Party. We would never work with a party like that.

What's that smell

Five strangest perfume scents

You can spray on beetroot, mildew, or Play-Doh, but do you really want to?  

Questionable fragrances 

Also: 

• Priciest perfumes
• Summer essentials
• Dark eye circle causes

Time spent in the shower

Never paid that close attention, but the graph does seem to be fairly accurate

Library In A Phone Booth

A traditional red phone box has been recycled into one of Britain's smallest lending libraries, stocking 100 books. Villagers from Westbury-sub-Mendip in Somerset can use the library around the clock, selecting books, DVDs and CDs. Users simply stock it with a book they have read, swapping it for one they have not.

After witnessing their weekly mobile library disappear, this town wasn't going to let their iconic phone booth be taken away as well. Conceived by a local resident as a way to save a bit of history while satiating the curious minds of the township, the classic phone booth was recycled into what has now become the country's smallest library.

Bust a move

Grandpa has the moves

 

All of them

The No. 1 obstacle to your retirement

The No. 1 obstacle to your retirement

When it comes to saving enough to retire comfortably, most Americans face the same big problem.  

Details 

Also: 

• Ready for retirement?
• 7 tips to protect savings
• Cheap places to retire

Orangutan learns to swim

Watch Suyia, a 7-year-old male orangutan, swim and dive underwater with his trainer. The great ape is able to swim up to twenty feet unaided using his rudimentary 'Borneo crawl', defying the common misconception that they are terrified of water.

Suriya looks comfortable retrieving hoops from the bottom of the pool and riding on the back of handler Moksha Bybee, 30, as she glides underwater. The ape staff at Myrtle Beach Safari, South Carolina, introduced the orangutan to their 67-foot-long pool after they noticed he had an unusual love for splashing around in the bath.

"The organutans went from playing in just a couple of inches of water to a couple of feet. They loved it so much they would splash around there for hours," Moksha Bybee said.

"One night, I decided to give the big oranguatan a lifevest, and immediately the light went on - Suyia understood that he could swim. Later we took him to the big pool and he learned all the new dimensions of what he could do underwater."

The whole of Mars' surface was shaped by liquid water

The whole of Mars' surface was shaped by liquid water around four billion years ago, say scientists.

 Read all about it, here.

Did you know ...

Carrots have not always been orange; originally they were purple and in the future, there may be rainbow colored carrots.

Full Story

The Secret to Biodiversity is in the Soil

Image: Photoshop Top Secret, via Flickr

Mankind has long been fascinated by biodiversity, even imagining species beyond the natural realm. We have learned to appreciate the value of biodiversity by enjoying the variety in nature, and by benefiting from products derived from many different species. But did you ever wonder why there is so much diversity on our planet? If "survival of the fittest" is the rule, is the planet naturally trending towards a time when just a few of the fittest survive?

Article continues: The Secret to Biodiversity is in the Soil

Broom Hilda

New Champ Crowned

New champ crowned in ugly-dog contest

This year's top honor goes to a pooch that was found running in a street just a few months ago. 

See the winner 

Also: 

• Previous winners
• List of dog breeds
• Cat gets prosthetic legs