The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You're entering a very exciting period of adjustment right now, which could represent a few challenges (especially to those who aren't as flexible as you).
But change is good, there's no doubt about it -- and the changes that are beginning today trigger some entertaining episodes.
Your friends are trying new things, and they think you'd get a kick out of what they've discovered.
Get in touch with them and find out what's going on.
Get back into the social scene with a goal in mind.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Valencia, Comunidad Valencia, Spain
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland and in cities across the United States such as Forked River, Fremont, Champaign, Knoxville and more.

Today is:

Today is Sunday, February 6, the 37th day of 2011.

There are 328 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are: 

There aren't any.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Myth versus Reality

 Ronny Raygun

How does "raised taxes eleven times" always manage to be ignored by the repugicans?

CBS News:

But following his party's losses in the 1982 election, Reagan largely backed off his efforts at spending cuts even as he continued to offer the small-government rhetoric that helped get him elected. In fact, he went in the opposite direction: His creation of the department of veterans affairs contributed to an increase in the federal workforce of more than 60,000 people during his presidency.

And while Reagan somewhat slowed the marginal rate of growth in the budget, it continued to increase during his time in office. So did the debt, skyrocketing from $700 billion to $3 trillion. Then there's the fact that after first pushing to cut Social Security benefits - and being stymied by Congress - Reagan in 1983 agreed to a $165 billion bailout of the program. He also massively expanded the Pentagon budget.

Meanwhile, following that initial tax cut, Reagan actually ended up raising taxes - eleven times. That's according to former repugican Sen. Alan Simpson, a longtime Reagan friend who co-chaired President Obama's fiscal commission that last year offered a deficit reduction proposal.

Happy Birthday Bob!

Happy Birthday Bob!

“None but ourselves can free our minds.” - Bob Marley

Random Celebrity Photo

Russ Meyer / Kitten Natividad

Non Sequitur

The Football Star

The coach had put together the perfect team for the Detroit Lions. The only thing missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl victory.

Then one night, while watching CNN, he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan. In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan Muslim soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a window from 80 yards away. Then he threw another from 50 yards down a chimney, and then hit a passing car going 80 miles per hour.

"I've got to get this guy!" coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!"

So, he brings the young Afghan to the States and teaches him the great game of football ........ and sure enough the Lions go on to win the Super Bowl. The young Afghan is hailed as a hero of football and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants to do is call his mother.

"Mom," he says into the phone, "I just won the SuperBowl!"

"I don't want to talk to you," the old Muslim woman says. "You deserted us. You are not my son!"

"Mother, I don't think you understand," pleads the son, "I've just won the greatest sporting event in the world!"

"No! let me tell you," his mother retorts. "At this very moment there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!"

The old lady pauses then tearfully says, "I will never forgive you for making us move to Detroit!"

'Never Miss a Super Bowl' Club Member Robert Cook to Miss Super Bowl XLV

Robert Cook, a member of the 'fearsome foursome' of the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club, which was famously featured in a VISA television commercial is about the miss his first in 44 years. 

Full Story

Wizard of Id

Unrest's impact on terror fight

Mideast unrest affecting U.S. terror fight

Ongoing unrest threatens to scramble U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in Yemen.  

Concerns about Egypt's stance 

Also: 

• New concessions made
• Why Egypt is important
• Terror trial begins

Man charged after middle school bomb threat

A Huntersville man faces a charge of disorderly conduct by disrupting students for a threatening call made to Bailey Middle School on Wednesday.

Full Story

Man Shot At As He Stops To Help At Car Wreck

A man trying to help a driver who crashed on the Grimesland Bridge speaks about the bizarre ordeal, that almost cost him his life.

Man Shot At As He Stops To Help At Car Wreck

Boredom has set it

Odds and Sods

Surf and turf: Dead cow washes up on Seattle shore

Authorities in Seattle say bovine met the shoreline when beachfront residents found the body of a 400-pound cow washed up by the surf.

Full Story

Dilbert

Nasdaq hackers target service for corporate boards

Hackers broke into a Nasdaq service that handles confidential communications for some 300 corporations, the company said Saturday - the latest vulnerability exposed in the computer systems Wall Street depends on.

Full Story

NASDAQ hacked into several times in the past year

The computer network that runs the NASDAQ Stock Market, home to the stock of many technology companies such as Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT). has been hacked into several times over the past year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Full Story

The Problem with Passwords

There’s a reason some sites ask for, or require, a password that contains both letters and numbers. The first column describes passwords. The other columns tell you how long it takes a hacker to figure them out. Don’t make it easy for someone to figure yours out.

Full Story

Awesome Pictures

Home repairs worth tackling

Six home repairs you shouldn't skip

Take care of these small jobs now before they become gigantic, expensive problems later.  

Avoid a disastrous fire 

Also: 

• DIY home repairs
• Unnecessary insurance  
• Costly home disasters

How to save on everything

Ten golden rules to save on everything

Spend less on the items you want with these easy and painless strategies.  

Three ways to get 50 percent off 

Also: 

• Pay down debt or save?
• Valentine's Day gift tips  
• When warranties pay

Pretty Rocks

Tourmaline in Lepidolite from Brazil

Best & worst cities for men

Best and worst U.S. cities for men's health

The healthiest place for guys ranks high in both fitness and quality of life.  

More doctors in the community helps 

Also: 

• Best & worst for women
• 18 supplements for guys  
• Men's biggest aging fears

The five most popular supplements

The five most popular supplements

A survey of 6,000 people finds one supplement has jumped in popularity.

Should you be taking them? 

Also: 

• How much vitamin D?
• Check drug interactions 
• Omega-3 fatty acids 101

Air pollutants from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves raise health concerns

With millions of people warding off winter’s chill with blazing fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, scientists are raising red flags about the potential health effects of the smoke released from burning wood.

Air pollutants from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves raise health concerns

Peripheral artery disease harder on women

Small calf muscles may be a feminine trait, but for women with peripheral artery disease (PAD) they’re a major disadvantage. Researchers at Northwestern Medicine point to the smaller calf muscles of women as a gender difference that may …

Full story

Six workouts that burn calories

The six best workouts for burning calories

Take a high-intensity step class and you'll burn about 600 calories an hour.  

Other activities burn even more 

Also: 

• Why 'boot camps' work
• Try classes at the gym  
• 4 workout-boosting foods

Five tasty healthier chips

Five healthier chips worth dipping

Taste testers found several brands with reduced salt and oil, but plenty of flavor.  

One 'reigned supreme' among tasters 

Also: 

• Delicious ready-made dips
• Make salsa & guacamole  
• 13 types of chili

Minnesota Hospital Opens Food Pantry

A Minnesota medical center has one of the nation's first hospital-based food pantries.

Minnesota Hospital Opens Food Pantry

Restaurant lets you be chef

Restaurant ploy: You cook dinner

Getting the smell of garlic off your fingers is just one trick you'll learn in this gourmet kitchen.  

How to hold a knife 

Also: 

• Royal wedding menu ideas
• Dinner for two under $10  
• North Carolina's BBQ debate

Mmmmmmm ... grasshopper tacos

La Oaxaque Bakery and Restaurant in San Francisco's Mission district is serving up grasshopper tacos.

Mmmmmmm ... grasshopper tacos

U.S. military serving up seafood to give Gulf of Mexico businesses a boost

Sales of Gulf of Mexico seafood are getting a boost from the military after being hammered by last year's BP oil spill, which left consumers fearing the water's bounty had been tainted.

Full Story

Balloon Dog

Farm insurance fraud is cheating taxpayers out of millions

The federal investigator took the witness stand and described the crime scene: a sprawling field clogged with boulders, native grasses and knee-high sagebrush.

Full Story

Farmers hit hard by snow

Farmers see livelihood buried in snow

Caving roofs take an unprecedented toll on farms across the Northeast.  

 Livestock, supplies destroyed 

Also: 

• Winter safety tips
• Busy season for roofers
• A look back at storm

Hunters Versus Farmers In The Neolithic Period

Between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago, the first farmers from Asia were already cultivating land in what is now Greece, according to archaeological remains ... 

Full Story

Amazing Earth

A special selection, with unique scenes from this wonderful planet which we call Earth. 

Special thanks BBC - Planet Earth team.

Solar Wind Bridge

This bridge, designed by  Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino, is still in the theoretical stage. At high altitude where the speed of the wind is greater  the structure will capture energy in two ways:

Between the pillars of a long-expanse bridge, a multitude of turbines capture wind energy from the faster-moving high-altitude currents. In addition, the (currently theoretical) road is paved with a “dense network of solar cells,” covered with a transparent and highly-resistant plastic,  increasing the design’s energy production.

A solar park is also incorporated into the plan. It is estimated that the bridge will generate 40 million kWh per year.

Full Story

The Galileo Thermometer

Image Credit Flickr User Tadek

Galileo Galilei was an Italian jack of all arts and science trades who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century. His discoveries about the effect of temperature on the density of liquids led to a thermometer being named after him.The instrument consists of a sealed glass cylinder containing a clear liquid and a series of bulbs with weights attached.  As the temperature changes, the bulbs rise and fall depending of a number of mathematical principles first conceived by Galileo. It is not only functional; it is also very beautiful.

Full Story

Ziggy

Ten budget travel destinations

10 great budget travel destinations

Dublin's economic turmoil has an upside for tourists: big savings on hotels and food.  

City with a five-star room for $153 

Also: 

• Find deals and discounts
• Truly unique destinations  
• Very pricey hotel rooms

News in Nepal is broadcast by lantern light

One of Nepal's top television networks has begun broadcasting its nightly news bulletin in semi-darkness to highlight the effects of massive power cuts.

Since the beginning of February, Kantipur Television has used only a kerosene (paraffin) lantern to light its 30-minute-long 7pm news bulletin.

YouTube link.

The head of Kantipur News said that the aim was to put pressure on the government to tackle the problem. Nepal is currently suffering about 12 hours of power cuts a day.

"We want the government to produce more electricity as soon as possible," Kantipur News head Tirtha Koirala said. "So far we've been getting a very positive response from our audience, but nothing yet from the government."

Thirteen Of Japan's Most Strangely Stylish Hotels

In Japan thousands of years of traditional culture collide with the almost futuristically modern vibe of larger cities like Tokyo to present a traveler's dream of varied experience.

That fusion is echoed in the nation's many hotels, which range from serene ryokans, or traditional inns, to unabashedly out-there 'love hotels' with amazing themed rooms.

Virtual Map Of The City Of Venice

Take a walk through the city of Venice, Italy, in street level view. Or make a boat tour through its canals. This virtual map provides a 360 degree panoramic tour in Venice city centre and its islands. You can also 'walk' in the Venice museums and churches, art exhibitions, historical shops, hotels and restaurants.

Mysterious Bakla Cave Town

Bakla cave town is situated in the Crimea, 2 km far from Skalisty (“Rocky”) village. Its formation is dated the 3rd century CE but now one can only see the traces of former life here.

Full Story

The Perils of Tree-Planting Programs in Turkey

Turkey's arid steppe is a threatened landscape. 

Photo: Jennifer Hattam.

The most common landscape in Turkey today, the Central Anatolian steppe is threatened by the usual suspects: poor water management, encroaching agricultural development, and the damming of its rivers. But according to one local environmentalist, this arid natural grassland ecosystem has also been the victim of good intentions.

Article continues: The Perils of Tree-Planting Programs in Turkey

B.C.

Fight over dog biscuit leads to arrest

A Montana man who took exception to someone else giving his dog a biscuit faces a misdemeanor assault charge.

Full Story

Upping the cute factor

Prehistoric man's best friend?

Fido wasn't always man's best friend

A surprising find shows early humans may have had another pet before dogs.

Tougher to domesticate 

Also: 

• Fear for Egypt's relics
• Dogs' impact on wildlife
• EPA regulates spilled milk

Seven Animals Humans Brought To Extinction

 

image credit

It seems weird that a creature alive today could suddenly be wiped off the earth tomorrow. But it happens. Species become extinct because of human activity. Here are seven such animals that are no longer on earth thanks to mankind.

Animal Pictures