The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You'd rather keep your mouth shut and play the fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
That's why you've never been much for emotional chitchat, revealing secrets to those 'below you' or confiding business matters to anyone not qualified to hear them.
It's time to reveal something now, though, so while the next 24 hours may not be surprising to you, expect that your actions may still shock, amaze and astound a loved one.
Prep them before you start to speak.
It's only fair.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait

London, England, United Kingdom

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Swindon, England, United Kingdom

as well as Germany, Scotland, France and in cities across the United States such as Clarksdale, Sylva, San Diego, Providence and more.

Today is:

Today is Wednesday, September 29, the 272nd day of 2010.

There are 93 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

This is the craziest Christine O'Donnell clip yet!

Bill sent this to me ...
Watch this spoof from last week's Real Time with Bill Maher right here.

President calls 'FOX' destructive to America

Good.

Fox News pushes "a point of view that I disagree with. It's a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world," Obama said.

Teabaggers suffer from ...

Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom.

and

Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge

These but are two of the multitude of fears in teabaagers' psychotic delusions.

Proof of this in the post following this one ...

NY town would dig up bodies of two local Muslims and shutter tiny cemetery

From the "This is so uncool dudes" Department:

The "good people" of a the tiny upstate NY town of Sidney, Delaware County, are lobbying to dig up the bodies of two local Muslims buried in a Sufi cemetery that the town approved in 2005, much to the horror of the departed's loved ones. Town supervisor Bob McCarthy cites a nonexistent law requiring permits for cemeteries on private land (although the town has, in fact, given this cemetery a permit). McCarthy also claims that the cemetery's owners "just came in and buried the bodies" -- despite the fact that the first burial involved a police motorcade.
An email forwarded to a Huffington Post reporter purportedly from McCarthy to another party cites phone conversations with someone with Tea Party affiliation who "...wanted to know how he could help with 'the Muslims.'"

And there's certainly nothing illegal about it as far as the State Troopers are concerned. "We looked into the cemetery and it was determined what they were doing is lawful," says Captain James Barnes of the New York State Police, Troop "C," based in Sidney. This apparently isn't stopping the town board. Town attorney Joseph Ermeti wouldn't speak with us, but two other town officers indicated that in the absence of specific laws forbidding the cemetery, the town may try for a court order to force the Muslims to dig up the graves, based on a New York law against cemeteries on mortgaged land -- a technicality that covers the Muslim site, sitting in a hillside glade no larger than a Manhattan studio apartment.

Tiny Upstate New York Town Wants Local Muslims to Dig Up Their Cemetery 

Dilbert

Bad Cops

Bad Cops

Illinois cop is arrested again for beating the same woman

Curiously un-named California cop is investigated for fake arrest of teen daughter's boyfriend

Connecticut cop is suspended for one day for ordering the destruction of subpoenaed dashboard video

California border officer is charged with conspiring to import cocaine and taking bribes

Curiously un-named Wisconsin deputy is accused of attending firearms training while drunk

Florida deputy convicted of raping handcuffed prisoner

California deputy is charged with sexually assault of a juvenile relative

South Carolina sheriff's deputy is arrested for rape

Cops bust 'school' drug bus

Three British Columbia men are facing charges after police say they drove their van, disguised as a school bus, from school to school in Alberta selling drugs.

Cops bust 'school' drug bus

Harsher DUI punishments

From the "It's about time" Department:

Rulings indicate harsher DUI punishments

Juries are becoming more likely to hand down severe sentences in fatal drunken driving cases.

A new legal strategy 

Also: 

• Pitcher crash verdict
• Drunken driving stats
• Lohan back in rehab

Don't Mess With Old Guys

Read the whole story at Samuel Whittemore.
One bad-ass dude.

UC Berkeley cuts historic baseball program

UC Berkeley cuts historic baseball program

Budget cuts will eliminate Cal's team, which started playing in 1892, for the spring 2012 season.   

Impact elsewhere 

Also: 

• UC budget crisis
• Haden's hopes for USC
• FB coach back to work

*****

'Lucky guy' becomes a millionaire — twice

Months after winning $1M in lottery, man wins $2M

The odds of winning $1 million in a lottery are astronomical, but one Missouri man has beaten them - twice.

Full story

'Lucky guy' becomes a millionaire — twice

An ex-military man quit his job after winning $1 million on a scratch ticket in June.  

But then he got even luckier 

Also: 

• Odds of winning lottery
• Maryland gets first casino
• The richest man in China

Seven ways your resumé can date you

7 ways your resumé can date you

Putting in too much info and leaving out online contacts can make you seem like a fuddy-duddy.  

Skills to omit 

Also: 

• Climb the salary ladder
• The worst resumé mistake
• Job hunting skills

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites

Where to taste the most unusual foods

Signature dishes get turned on their heads in these menu items that you'll hardly recognize. 

Cotton-candy eel? 

Also: 

• Easy cupcake variations
• Healthiest ethnic cuisines
• 10 upcoming food trends

Children with food allergies are often victims of bullying

In the first-ever study to assess the social impact of food allergies in children, Mount Sinai researchers have found that approximately 35 percent of children with food allergies, who are over the age of five, were reported to have experienced bullying, teasing, or harassment as a result of their allergies.

Full story

Now that's just Bizarre

Now that's just Bizarre

Man is addicted to eating live scorpions

Full story

A Chinese man says he has become addicted to eating live scorpions and reckons he's swallowed at least 10,000 over the last 30 years.

The Secret World of Beauty

Beauty secrets from around the world

Japanese women maintain flawless skin with rice scrubs and seaweed masks.  

Uses for milk, eggs, olive oil, almonds 

Also: 

• 10 French beauty tips
• Beauty home remedies
• Skin mistakes to avoid

Nine easy ways to exercise on the cheap

9 easy ways to exercise on the cheap

Park the car farther away from your destination to add more walking to your day. 

Rake in some extra cash 

Also: 

• Core strength workouts
• 7 ways to keep young
• Worst pizzas in America

Random Photos

Linda Ronstadt

Eleven in a row

Rock Hall of Fame honors and snubs

Bon Jovi is nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while another famous band is overlooked.  

11th straight time 

Also: 

• More on snubbed band
• Group's music videos
• Full list of nominees

With or Without You

 

U2

America's only zeppelin put to new use

America's only zeppelin put to new use

The throwback aircraft's slow speed makes it perfect for a certain kind of research.  

How it differs from a blimp 

Also: 

• Images of its work
• History of zeppelins
• Video essay on the craft

High Tech Specs

High-tech lenses for new kind of glasses

The design mimics the human eye to eliminate the need for reading glasses.  

A downside for style-conscious, though 

Also: 

• Preventing eye strain
• How 3D glasses work
• Get younger-looking eyes

I Dream Of Atlantis

A nice illustration of Atlantis: mush closer to Plato's description than many common fantasies:

An unusual change in the northern lights

An unusual change in the northern lights

The aurora borealis has become a rarer sight than at any other time in the past 100 years. 

Why it's happening 

Also: 

• Display gets reality show
• More about the lights
• Climate records broken

Northwest Passage increasingly an option for sea cargo ships

The good news for shipping companies is not good news for the planet.

Between 1906 and 2006 only 69 ships made the journey but in 2009 alone 24 vessels made the journey, according to Canadian maritime law expert Michael Byers, Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper reported.

Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grímsson recently claimed that the route was becoming a "trans-Arctic Panama Canal," the paper said.

Der Spiegel reported that new ships are being designed to cope with icebergs on the journey.

The MV Nordic Barents is due to arrive in the Chinese port of Lianyungang after a 3,500-mile journey through the Arctic Ocean from the Norwegian port of Kirkenes, the newspaper said. A Russian icebreaker sent to protect the ship, which was carrying iron ore concentrate, was not needed with broken ice floes only passing nearby twice.

Trio quit 'Deadliest Catch' TV show

Trio of stars quit 'Deadliest Catch' TV show

Discovery's lawsuit against the Hillstrand brothers draws a strong reaction from the show's captains.  

'Stand together' 

Also: 

• TLC show draws probe
• More on 'Deadliest Catch'
• Most dangerous jobs

Awesome Pictures

Germany Makes Final Reparations Payment for World War I

In 1919, after the close of World War I, Germany was assessed 226 billion marks in reparations payments against its foes. On Sunday, that nation will pay its final installment of this bill:

The final payment of £59.5 million, writes off the crippling debt that was the price for one world war and laid the foundations for another.[...]
“On Sunday the last bill is due and the First World War finally, financially at least, terminates for Germany,” said Bild, the country’s biggest selling newspaper.
Most of the money goes to private individuals, pension funds and corporations holding debenture bonds as agreed under the Treaty of Versailles, where Germany was made to sign the ‘war guilt’ clause, accepting blame for the war.

Full Story

Mumbai-style terror plot exposed in Europe

Mumbai-style terror plot exposed in Europe

Officials intercept a complex attack plan out of Pakistan as a religiously charged anniversary looms.  

Multiple targets 

Also: 

• American al-Qaida suspect
• Bin Laden starring in trial
• Latest on Norway plot

Wizard of Id

U.S. city with highest median income

U.S. city with highest median income

Workers in the top-earning metro area enjoy a household income of $85,198.  

Salaries drop nearly everywhere else 

Also: 

• Jobs with most pay gains
• Americans more worried
• Best cities for jobs

Eight Infamous Wall Street Scandals

When Michael Douglas' character Gordon Gekko hit the big screen in the 1987 film Wall Street, it caused a sensation. Gekko's slick bravado and 'greed is good' mantra were appallingly entrancing. But something else captivated audiences: the convincing way the movie captured the underbelly of '80s cash-fueled gluttony.

Twenty-three years later, a sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, is on its way , and Gekko still fascinates - as do the real-life insider-trading crimes committed by Wall Street titans. Here are 8 of the most famous Wall Street cases to make headlines.

Record gap in US between rich and poor

And the repugicans want to fight over giving the richest Americans a tax cuts?
The trickle down reagan-voodoo-omics has been costly for most Americans, creating a Banana Republic-like economic environment.
For all of the repugican blather about income distribution, it has been the repugicans who have mastered the issue.

The top-earning 20 percent of Americans — those making more than $100,000 each year — received 49.4 percent of all income generated in the U.S., compared with the 3.4 percent earned by those below the poverty line, according to newly released census figures. That ratio of 14.5-to-1 was an increase from 13.6 in 2008 and nearly double a low of 7.69 in 1968.

A different measure, the international Gini index, found U.S. income inequality at its highest level since the Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations.

At the top, the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans, who earn more than $180,000, added slightly to their annual incomes last year, census data show. Families at the $50,000 median level slipped lower.

Little progress on gender pay gap

Little progress on gender pay gap

Before 2000, female managers made 79 cents for each dollar earned by male counterparts. 

How much it's changed 

Also: 

• Gender-gap exceptions
• Women CEOs 2010
• 3 dicey money questions

*****

Five shopping strategies for dollar stores

Five shopping strategies for dollar stores

Not all groceries are a bargain, including some candy, snacks, and cereal.  

One section you should definitely skip 

Also: 

• 5 just-as-good generics
• Find dollar stores
• Spending calculator

*****

Al Franken seeks legislation to reduce debt collection abuse

It's always good to see someone in Washington who shows more interest in regular voters rather than the deepest pockets. We sure could use people in Congress like Franken.

StarTribune:

Franken would make it an unfair practice under federal law for private firms to use arrest warrants in debt collections, according to a summary of his proposed bill. Consumers would have the right to sue collectors over the practice. Franken said the bill won't limit judges' authority to issue arrest warrants against debtors who can pay, but don't show up in court when a creditor sues.

"That should come from the court, not the debt collector," said Franken, who asserted that the collections industry relies too much on public resources, such as sheriffs' offices, to collect private debts.

His legislation also would require collectors to furnish consumers with more information about what they owe, including a breakdown of fees and interest, and notify people of what rights they have.

How to ruin your good credit

How to get the worst credit score ever

Indulge in these habits long enough and terrible credit may be just the beginning of your troubles.

Serious damage 

Also: 

• Best credit card rates
• Crazy ways to save more
• 15 things to get for free

Deals and Saving

When you can save by spending more

Shelling out extra for these clothes and products offers big long-term payoffs.  

Just changing bulbs can save $3,900 

Also: 

• 5 money habits to adopt
• What not to pay for
• Best online deals

Find deals in some unexpected places

Save on art and jewelry at auctions and on furniture and travel at bridal expos.  

Discounts at colleges for nonstudents 

Also: 

• 15 fabulous freebies
• Coupon codes
• Flat-screen TV prices drop

B.C.

Fun Pictures

Sargent Schultz I presume.

Nine Prehistoric Species Still Roaming the Earth

Photo via Geekologie

It's been about 65 million years since dinosaurs became extinct -- but a few of the species that shared the world with them still remain. Almost entirely unchanged after hundreds of millions of years, meet the modern-day birds, crabs, fish, and reptiles that that give new meaning to the term "survivor."

Rare Pink Hippopotamus Photographed In Kenya

British wildlife photographers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas captured this image of the brightly colored hippo in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Visiting the African country on the hunt to photograph the legendary wildebeest migration the brothers were in for a treat when rumours of a pink hippo surfaced.

The hippo is pink because it is 'leucistic' [a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals and humans], and not an albino since it does have some pigmented spots and dark eyes. Usually leucistic and albino animals do not survive in the wild as they are very visible to predators and they get serious sunburn.

Trained monkeys guard athletes at Commonwealth Games

Trained langur monkeys are being deployed by organizers of the Commonwealth Games to prevent wild animals infesting sporting venues in Delhi. The highly intelligent primates have been patrolling stadiums and accommodation blocks to scare off other wildlife including wild monkeys, dogs and even snakes.

Handlers from miles around the Indian capital have been drafted in to patrol the athletes’ village as the final preparations are made for the games. Some teams threatened to boycott the competition after complaining that the accommodation was inhabitable and overrun with animals. One shocked South African competitor even discovered a deadly cobra snake in his room.

Heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding near the Games Village causing many snakes to seek refuge. Commonwealth Games organisers have also been particularly concerned by the arrival of packs of wild monkeys which have been creating a nuisance around the venues by stealing food and attacking humans.

Langur monkeys are noted for their intelligence but also their aggression and are highly effective in deterring other animals from taking up residence. The Commonwealth Games are due to get under way at the weekend and will be officially opened by the Prince of Wales. Probably.

Dog nurses rare white tiger quadruplets

Four tiger cubs are being nursed and raised by an adoptive canine mother in Weihai city in China's eastern Shandong province. The quadruplets, born at the Xixiakou Wild Animal Preserve, are a rare occurrence within the white tiger species, which usually gives birth to one or two cubs per litter.
As a result of the larger litter, the cubs, three snow tigers and one white tiger, were abandoned by their natural birth mother and left to starve. The reserve staff brought the cubs to the nursery and provided a dog to nurse the cubs along with her two biological puppies.

Inclined by a maternal instinct, the dog quickly adopted the cubs as her own. The puppies and tiger cubs sleep and nurse together as brothers and sisters, despite the stark difference of species and appearance.

Snow tigers are a variation of the white tiger breed and they are born with white fur and blue eyes. These tigers are much rarer than their white tiger counterparts, with only 200 left in the world.

Leaf Carving

Leaf carving involves cutting away at a leaf until it reveals an image. This is a craft practiced by Nature’s Art, a studio in Hengshui, China. At the link, you can view several other examples as well as instructions on how to make your own.

Full Story

Pineberries

"Allegedly they were sourced from an endangered strain in South Africa and have been cultivated for the past seven years, now available for limited commercial purchase in Europe. They have the same genetic makeup as a strawberry, but are white with red seeds and taste like pineapples."

Fifteen Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Bananas

Bananas are one of the most important food crops of the world. Hundreds of varieties are cultivated. Perhaps the most important species is the common banana, Musaceae sapientum.

The ripe fruit is high in carbohydrates, potassium, and vitamins C and A, and it is low in protein and fat. The U.S. imports more bananas than does any other country.

15 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Bananas.

Illuminated Loo

When you get up in the dark of the night, what is it that you really need to see? 

The toilet!  

LavNav lights up only the toilet, so you can see where you are “going”. 

It’s motion-triggered, which saves batteries, and glows red when the seat is up and green when the seat is down. 

What will they think of next?  

Details