The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
As usual, you have something to teach us.
This time around, the lesson will be on the virtue of subtlety, at a time when it would be far easier for you to just give in and make a show of things.
Yes, strutting your stuff -- the same way the rest of the planet's population will be strutting theirs -- may be the easy thing to do, but that won't tempt you.
When have you ever taken the easy way out of anything?

Some of our readers today have been in:

Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Sydney, New South Wales, Auatralia
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

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 Boise, Branson, Bozeman, Butler and more.

Today is:

Today is Friday, February 18, the 49th day of 2011.

There are 316 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are: 

Battery Day
and
Pluto Day.

It is also Perigean Spring Tides.
 

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Ziggy

The Founding Fathers Would Be Proud of the People of Egypt ... And Disgusted With the People of America"

WASHINGTON'S BLOG declares: "The Founding Fathers Would Be Proud of the People of Egypt ... And Disgusted With the People of America".

He's got a point, check out the rest of the article. 

America's founding fathers stood up for their freedom, winning it from the British (with the help of the French).

The Egyptian people have stood up for their freedom, winning it from the Mubarak dictatorship (with the help of the army, which refused to fire a shot at the people, and may even have helped convince Mubarak to leave. See this and this).

The Egyptian people found their courage even when Mubarak's thugs flew fighter jets low over their heads, beat and murdered protesters, and otherwise threatened violence.

But the American people today have been cowed into passivity by an irrational fear of terrorism, laziness and mindlessness.

The truth be told

The Cognitive Dissonant-Afflicted repugican Mind

You always knew it - but now we have photographic proof in the form of an X-Ray ... repugicans have shit for brains.

Did Wisconsin repugican governor create crisis to reward friends and attack unions?

You bet your sweet bippy he did.

There was a budget surplus when he arrived yet suddenly, he's talking about a financial crisis. Somehow the massive deficit that he references is about the same amount of money as new contracts that he just rewarded to campaign supporters.

Hmmmmm.

In its Jan. 31 memo to legislators on the condition of the state’s budget, the Fiscal Bureau determined that the state will end the year with a balance of $121.4 million.

To the extent that there is an imbalance -- Walker claims there is a $137 million deficit -- it is not because of a drop in revenues or increases in the cost of state employee contracts, benefits or pensions. It is because Walker and his allies pushed through $140 million in new spending for special-interest groups in January. If the Legislature were simply to rescind Walker’s new spending schemes -- or delay their implementation until they are offset by fresh revenues -- the “crisis” would not exist.

Repugicans Seek to Prevent Coal Ash Regulation as Hazardous Waste, PCB Cleanup, and More

Image: wvhighlands.org

You're probably aware of the environmental and health problems with coal ash and the debate surrounding whether or not the EPA will decide to classify it as hazardous waste.
The agency is currently weighing proposals for coal ash regulation. One of those proposals would classify the substance as hazardous waste, but two of the amendments tacked onto the repugican budget bill, which itself is bad enough, would prevent the EPA from enforcing any such rule. And they're just two of more than 400 amendments that deserve a little more attention than they've been getting.

Article continues: Amendments to repugican Budget Bill Seek to Prevent Coal Ash Regulation as Hazardous Waste, PCB Cleanup, and More

Tuscon firefighter refused to respond to Gifford's attack because of politics

Thankfully, he quit before he could be fired but this is getting to be too much. It's as bad as the nutty pharmacists who refuse certain customers because of religious differences. What are these people thinking and why do they enter these professions? The initial report mentioned his political disagreements though he later changed that to "distracted" and unable to assist. Uh huh.

A city firefighter refused to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting spree that left six people dead and 13 wounded, the Arizona Daily Star reported, citing city memos.

The firefighter, Mark Ekstrum, quit the force two days later as management was considering possible disciplinary action against him, the Daily Star reported.

Fire Capt. Ben Williams wrote in a memo that when Ekstrum told him he would not go on the call, "he mentioned something about 'political bantering' and he did not want to be part of it," the newspaper reported.

Odds and Sods

Shakira: Honored in Harvard - Lampooned in Spain

The Colombian singer, on February 26th, will receive the most prestigious award given by Harvard university to a singer: "Artist of the Year".

The Harvard foundation will award a medal to the Waka-Waka star, for her talent as a singer-songwriter, as well as her humanitarian efforts.

Non Sequitur

Bullet from brothers' gunfight strikes their 80-year-old mother in the head

A gunfight between two Jefferson County brothers ended with their 
80-year-old mother getting shot in the head.
Mollie Mae Hooper was trying to escape the gunfire by running out of
her Muscoda home on Wednesday night when one of the bullets struck her in
the head.
She was taken to UAB West.

Her injury is not believed to be 
life-threatening at this time, said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief 
Deputy Randy Christian.
 The incident happened at about 8 p.m. when Hooper's sons started arguing. They both pulled out guns and started shooting. Hooper was in the kitchen and tried to run out the back door. A single
 bullet struck her in the back of the head. Family members rushed her to
 the hospital.

Sheriff's deputies found one of the brothers at a home on Hillside
 Avenue in Bessemer. The other turned himself into the sheriff's office 
in Bessemer.
Michael Hooper, 57, and Joe Hooper, 52, are charged with first-degree
 assault. They are in the county jail with bond set at $30,000.


"Guns and alcohol are a dangerous combination. Throw a little
 stupidity in there and it almost cost a life," Christian said. "They 
were within an inch of killing their own mother. It doesn't get much
 worse than that."

Full Moon

Priceless Pharaoh Statue Found Near Garbage Can

The story of the looted artifacts at the Egyptian museum almost reads like a crime-fiction story. Read more

Science News

Scientists build first anti-laser 
Physicists have built the world's first device that can cancel out a laser beam - a so-called anti-laser.

Sun eruptions set to reach Earth 
Scientists will be watching closely as three waves of charged particles from the Sun reach the Earth.

Primitive Dinosaur Found in Antarctic Mountains

Fossils of the fabrosaur, about 190 million years old, were found at 12,500 feet elevation.  

Read more 

Awesome Pictures

Best credit cards for 2011

The best credit card deals for 2011

One charges no interest for six months and pays back 10 percent on some purchases.  

Tops for airline miles 

Also: 

• Borders gift card ruling
• A 79.9 percent card  
• Student loan consolidation

I am the boss

The boss complained to the staff meeting that he was respected enough.
The next day he brought along a sign that read: "I'm The Boss!"

He put it on the door of his office.

When he came back after the noon lunch, he saw that someone had taped a note to it.

Thereon read:"Your wife called ... She wants her sign back!"

On The Job

Amid debate, struggle continues for jobless

Behind Washington's focus on long-term solutions are stories of unpaid bills and frustration.

Readers' hardships 

Also: 

• Fight in Washington
• Worrying trend hits jobless
• Jobs prediction from Fed

Careers headed for the trash pile

Certain types of jobs are not likely to come back after the recession, experts say. 

  Mail sorters and others 

Also: 

• Make money in 2011
• Worst cities for job hunt
• Real career comebacks

Top franchises for the money

Best franchises to invest your money in

An after-school tutoring program has one of the lowest start-up costs and offers lots of training.  

Pizza chain on top 

Also: 

• Why buy a franchise?
• Start your own business 
• Jobs outside the cubicle

Culinary DeLites

Seven desserts that do no harm

These sweet treats won’t leave you feeling guilty after you have more than a spoonful.

Their good sides 

Also: 

• Healthy dessert recipes
• 7 sandwiches to avoid  
• Skip these bad calories

B.C.

Take a chance ... Read

Twenty-five lions airlifted to safety

25 circus lions airlifted to safety in U.S.

After years of suspected abuse, animals travel 4,500 miles from Bolivia to a new home.  

Game-show host's key role 

Also: 

• Operation Lion Ark
• Lion embraces friends 
• Gorilla walks upright

Rock on

'Lost' Frogs Rediscovered

A global search for long-lost amphibians -- frogs, salamanders and others that have been missing for a decade or more -- has yielded few leads.  

Read more 

Dumpster-diving Squirrel

A photo gallery in the Lexington Herald-Leader documents how a lucky squirrel retrieved an entire fast-food meal in a trash can at a city park.

The squirrel climbed inside the can and came out with a french fry. After eating the fry, it went back in the can and came out with the remains of a fish sandwich. Local parks were crowded this afternoon as temperatures neared 70.

The story was featured on the front page of the paper, prompting debate on its newsworthiness.
So it might not be that 'newsworthy' but stories like this remind us of what life is and it has a 'good' feel to it. We need more stories like this one.

Full Story

Island's Invasive "Killing Machine" Finally Captured

 

Photo: Impy Malting

The tiny island of Kapiti, located five miles off the coast of Wellington, New Zealand, is one of the last refuges for a menagerie of wildlife driven to near-extinction elsewhere by invasive species. Since the late 1980s, when all non-native animals were meticulously cleared from the island, it has been designated as a sanctuary, an important safe-haven for a host of birds species unaccustomed to predatory mammals. Late last year, however, a single stoat was spotted on the pristine island -- prompting a aggressive, three month long search for the rogue "killing machine."

Article continues: Island's Invasive "Killing Machine" Finally Captured

Animal Pictures

Inside a Bird House

OK so it's an ad, what of it - it's funny.