The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
A lack of insight won't be your problem -- in fact, you'll see so many opportunities and angles that you may have a hard time deciding where to go first.
To prevent yourself from flying off in all different directions (and wasting your time), look to a vacancy in your life.
What (or who) is missing?
It's time to put all your efforts toward finding that missing piece.
A complete energy in your life will help you share your hopes with others and keep a positive outlook.

Some of our readers today have been in:

London, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Cuttack, Orissa, India
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei and Muara, Brunei Darussalam
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Vienna, Wien, Austria

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 Flora, Manteca, Lake Elsinore, Copperopolis and more.

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, March 8, the 67th day of 2011.

There are 298 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Unique Names Day.

And of course today is Mardi gras!

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Dum Dum Girls rock garage band in retro black

Dum Dum Girls rock garage band in retro black

When Dee Dee Penny started writing songs for what would become the Dum Dum Girls, she knew exactly what ingredients she wanted to transform her barebones acoustic bedroom folk songs into the basis for the next underground buzz band.

I Will Be by Dum Dum Girls

Shoe

Digital Billboards Restrictions In NC Could Change

Digital Billboards Restrictions In NC Could Change

• 
  

The end could be near for traditional billboards along the interstate if a bill makes its way through the North Carolina legislature.

Heavy Rains Expected Wednesday Into Thursday, Flooding Possible

Oh, Joy!

Heavy Rains Expected Wednesday Into Thursday, Flooding Possible

WFMY News 2's Leigh Brock said a storm moving in the area Wednesday could bring up to three inches of rain to parts of the Triad.

More rain, flooding on its way to the mountains 

More rain is on the way as the French Broad River at Blantyre continues to be under a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service.

READ MORE

Second gold rush under way in North Carolina

Second gold rush under way in North Carolina

Record prices for flashy metal and rich find just over border in South Carolina driving quiet boom in exploration and land acquisition for mineral that played huge role in state's early history.

Gold mine plan unearths concerns

Gold Rush Brings Mining Company To Randolph County

A number of companies are leasing minerals rights to thousands of acres in the Piedmont, including north of Asheboro.

They Came For The Gold Hightlights Small-Town Defeat of Big-Scale Mining

Image via YouTube video

Argentina is one of the richest areas left for precious metal mining. Over 400 mega-mines are already in operation and many more would like to get started. However, they are not always welcomed. They Came For The Gold, They Came For It All is a film about one small town's defeat of a major mining company's bid to dig in to their mountain, a project that threatened not only the mountain habitat but also the area's water supply. The film shows that how even a small town with a high unemployment rate can fight against a project that doesn't have the citizens' best interests at heart.

Article continues: They Came For The Gold Hightlights Small-Town Defeat of Big-Scale Mining (Video)

And I Quote

"I have one dollar in my wallet.
That’s more than the combined income tax liability of GE, ExxonMobil, Citibank, and the Bank of America.
Somebody is gaming the system.”

~ Carl Gibson

More here

Ain't it the truth

Chilling new footage of 9/11

Footage gives chilling new view of Sept. 11

A just-surfaced video shot from an NYPD helicopter shows the tragedy unfolding from the skies.  

Watch 

Also: 

• Spotlight on 1916 attack
• Uproar on Muslim hearing
• Daring firefighter rescue

Just a reminder ...

Actors paid to call in to hate radio shows

From the "Tell us something we didn't know" Department:

Nothing is real: Dimbulb’s parent company still using actors to fake radio call-ins.

The company responsible for syndicating big conservative radio names like Lush Dimbulb, Glenn Brick and Sean Handjob has been using paid actors to call in to their radio shows.
According to a recent report in Tablet Magazine, Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, hired actors to call in as guests.
A website for the Premiere On Call service was taken offline before the report was published, but a cached version of the website is still available.
However, when Raw Story contacted Premiere's entertainment division, one individual who spoke off the record claimed that the service was still being offered.
"Premiere On Call is our new custom caller service," the website said. "We supply voice talent to take/make your on-air calls, improvise your scenes or deliver your scripts. Using our simple online booking tool, specify the kind of voice you need, and we’ll get your the right person fast. Unless you request it, you won’t hear that same voice again for at least two months, ensuring the authenticity of your programming for avid listeners."
An audition request form asked actors to sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to divulge details of their work.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin

      ♦ Madison officially says thanks to the protesters.

      ♦ We're now in the fourth week of protests, and if you're unsure what's happening here in Wisconsin, and Ohio, and Indiana, and America, please read this and watch this. If you've been brainwashed by the lies, scrub your head with some truth. For top notch coverage of the Wisconsin situation, turn to London's Guardian. And please, support the recall of the Republicans who are trying to end workers' rights and obliterate the middle class.

      ♦ Among the many other lies, Gov Walker's crew committed perjury last week, with staggeringly obvious lies claiming that protesters had done millions of dollars of damage to the capitol building.

      ♦ The Koch-funded "Stand with Walker" bus tour, supporting the abrogation of workers' rights and the general Tea Party agenda, was outnumbered by good guys everywhere from Eau Claire to Sheboygan to tiny Hudson, WI to Madison.

      ♦ Michael Moore says "We are all Wisconsinites now." Great speech, well-written and well-delivered.

      ♦ Norwegianity said it: "40,000 rally in Madison, making three weekends in a row that tens of thousands of pro-union people have rallied for economic justice. ... National coverage? Not so much. Too bad they can’t round up a baker’s dozen of Tea Party counter protesters to make this newsworthy."

Senate To Vote On Rival Democratic, repugican Budgets

The Senate appears likely to reject both a slashing repugican budget bill and a sane Democratic alternative.

Full Story

You get what you pay for

Should Students Be Allowed To Vote?

Repugicans think they shouldn't: Parties clash over voting laws.
New Hampshire's new repugican state House speaker is pretty clear about what he thinks of college kids and how they vote. They're "foolish," Speaker William O'Brien said in a recent speech to a tea party group.
"Voting as a liberal. That's what kids do," he added, his comments taped by a state Democratic Party staffer and posted on YouTube. Students lack "life experience," and "they just vote their feelings."
New Hampshire House repugicans are pushing for new laws that would prohibit many college students from voting in the state - and effectively keep some from voting at all.

This is nauseating.

Eight Ways the repugicans are Trying to Dismantle Environmental Protections

Photo: SELC

When the GOP first released its budget outline a few weeks back, I noted the significant cuts it would make to the EPA -- cuts to the tune of $30 billion. It was an astonishing sum, a number intended to double as an agenda-setting message. And now, with top Republicans pursuing a bill to gut the Clean Air Act, denying high speed rail funding, even replacing the biodegradable food packaging used in the House cafeteria with Styrofoam, that message is ringing loud and clear: the environment can kiss their you-know-what.

Article continues: 8 Ways the GOP is Trying to Dismantle Environmental Protections

Life's Little Ironies

Online pop-ups offering to help you get rid of online pop-ups advertisements.

Bad Cops

Lawsuit may force Kansas City police to return stolen property to owners

Fired Pennsylvania cop is convicted in scheme to steal heroin during a fake traffic stop

Retired Ohio cop pleads guilty to attempted rape, pandering child pornography, possession of criminal tools, and 22 other counts

Former deputy from Arkansas to face rape charges there

Indiana sheriff's officer charged with pulling gun on wife, man, firing shot

Florida deputy charged with child cruelty

Texas police officer suspended after allegedly throwing tear gas canister into cook-off competitor's booth

Odds and Sods

Intruder and homeowner call police on each other

Oregon police say both an intruder and a Portland homeowner phoned 911 to report the same thing: a strange man in a home.

The truth be told

Missing Student Found Dead in Madrid River, 6 Weeks After Arriving in Country as Exchange Student

The family of 22-year Austin Bice just received the worse news possible on their missing son from Madrid authorities - that his body was found in a shallow river in the city.

Full Story

Ziggy

Pinching pennies can cost you

When pinching pennies costs you money

Discount stores and 50%-off sales are not always the bargains that they appear to be.  

The dollar menu surprise 

Also: 

• How to get the best deals
• Rising mortgage costs  
• Credit card crazed-cities

On The Job

Industries that will hire the most this year

As the recovery kicks in, firms are expected to create 284,000 office-worker jobs.  

Nine more growth fields 

Also: 

• Top-paying companies
• Fields with dim futures  
• State workers' benefits

Signs that your job's in jeopardy

Subtle signs your job may be in jeopardy

If your boss stops dropping by to shoot the breeze, it may be time to start worrying.  

'I should have seen it coming' 

Also: 

• What bosses don't say
• Degrees for job security  
• Worst resumé mistakes

Check your credit score IQ

What you should know about credit scores

See if you're as confused as most people about how banks and insurers set rates.  

Expensive goofs to avoid 

Also: 

• Credit score myths
• Stop saving so much  
• Bad money habits

It's a Gas

Mystery of fluctuating gas prices explained

The price of crude oil is just one factor in how station owners set their prices each day.  

Why gas costs more in summer 

Also: 

• What's in U.S. oil reserves
• Gas tips that don't work
• Food prices bigger threat?

Gas-saving tips that don't actually work

Most people assume that turning off the AC improves your mileage, but tests show otherwise.  

More myth-busters 

Also: 

• Oil prices rising again
• The dirtiest automobiles 
• Save on car repairs

Here's a One-and-two-thirds-dollar bill

Found in the collections of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.  The photos are of marginal quality, but are supplemented by this description:

The note is worn, and, in common with several of its fellows, it was carefully stitched together, obscuring part of the design. But if we could see everything, we would see that, on the front of the note, a figure representing Great Britain receives a petition of the Continental Congress. It is handed to her by an America, who is simultaneously trampling on a scroll marked SLAVERY and holding aloft a Liberty cap on a pole, a beacon for American troops who are hastening to the scene from the right.

Meanwhile, George III (the figure at the center-left) is doing his best to set fire to an American city (perhaps Baltimore) already under attack from a British fleet. He's also trampling a copy of Magna Charta, just to underscore the point. Inscriptions along the sides read "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" and "PRO ARIS ET FOCIS" (For altars and hearths). The other side of the note conveys hope. Britain and America are shown achieving peace, with the reminder that "PAX TRIUMPHIS POTIOR" (Peace is preferable to victory).

The note was designed by Annapolis silversmith Thomas Sparrow in the summer of 1775. His initials are inscribed on the front and his full name on the back. This series of Maryland notes remains the most politically charged currency ever issued in the United States during wartime.

That explains the design, but not the curious denomination.  There were no American "dollars" until 1792, so the dollar referenced in this bill would have been the Spanish one.  But why have the bill in such an odd multiple?  Any numismatists out there have ideas?

Glacial Caves

For several years, photographer Eric Guth has shot some amazing pictures of caves and hollows that form under glaciers. He explained how he knows where to look for good shots:

“I’ve found that melt water has everything to do with how glaciers change, move and create points of entry. As I’ve learned more about how water erodes, shapes and works the ice (as it does everything else on the planet, given enough time), I’ve learned where to look to find caves.
“More than where to look, where to listen. Where water enters from a nearby stream or exits from a sub-glacial river there is a good chance the erosive force of that water has created an opening. Whether that opening is safe or dry enough to explore is another question!”

You can view sixteen more photos here.

Alien 'evidence' disputed

'Evidence' of alien life disputed

NASA distances itself from a scientist's claim that a meteorite contains fossils of extraterrestrial organisms.  

Explanation 

Also: 

• Jupiter leaving night sky
• The next mass extinction
• Satellite's inglorious end

Last chance to see Discovery

Stargazers' final chance to see Discovery

The space shuttle's trip home can be viewed with the naked eye across the U.S. and Canada. 

When, where to look 

Also: 

• Home to retirement
• Shatner's sendoff
• Space plane launched

Dramatic amateur photos

Dramatic images captured by amateurs

Natural phenomena like tornadoes and the "northern lights" are showcased in a collection of photos.

Stunning shots 

Also: 

• Louisiana twister cleanup
• Tornadoes hard to predict
• Instant-print face-off

The world's highest places

Visit the highest places in the world

You don't have to be a thrill-seeker to take in these dizzying landmarks, but it helps.  

Dining on the 122nd floor 

Also: 

• Tallest TV Tower
• Vegas's huge ferris wheel  
• Acrophobia symptoms

Nine Spectacular Sculpture Gardens

 

image credit

Slowly but surely, spring is creeping in and that means it's finally time to head outside for some fun. But while parks, hiking trails and beaches are common outdoor destinations, there are other fresh-air spots to visit as well - like, sculpture gardens!

Not only can visitors take in the scenery and enjoy being outdoors, they can also view incredible works of art. Get excited for spring by checking out these nine impressive sculpture gardens from around the world.

Awesome Pictures

Seven Supermarket Rip-Offs

Seven of the worst supermarket rip-offs

Swordfish can cost more than $20 a pound — and may include something you don't want.

Avocados to skip 

Also: 

• 15 food industry secrets
• Top ways to waste money  
• Eat out and lose weight

LED Lighting Makes Food Look More Appetizing

Next time you're at the store, you might want to take a second look at your emerald-green broccoli and super-fresh red meats.

Read more 

Culinary DeLites

How to make Mardi Gras King Cake

Many people are seeking the perfect recipe for this ring-shaped confection.  

What the colors of the frosting mean 

Also: 

• Classic Big Easy recipes
• Make your own pralines  
• New Orleans's parades

Inside an eating disorder clinic

Meg Halston was a woman like many of us – pretty, smart, a therapist.

Except that she was only eating 300 calories a day.

Here, Halston details what happened when she checked herself in to 45 days of groundbreaking therapy.  

Read More

Five reasons to drink coffee

Five reasons not to give up coffee

Find new reasons why coffee is good for your health, including its effect on your heart and brain.  

Don't feel guilty 

Also: 

• How to eat more fruit  
• Potassium-rich foods
• Home fixes for headaches

Eating styles that hurt dieting

5 eating styles that undermine weight loss

If you stick to your diet all week only to blow it on Friday night, you could be a "weekender."  

A better way to indulge 

Also: 

• 5 myths about dieting
• Perfect weight-loss day  
• Stop the diet sabotage

Twelve Delicious Edible Insects

Human insect-eating is common in cultures in parts of the world, such as North, Central and South America; and Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Over 1,000 insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world's nations. However, in some societies insect-eating is uncommon or even taboo.

In many cases people started eating insects out of necessity, but these days they've become a delicacy, as any entomophage (eater of insects) will tell you.

B.C.

Upping the cute factor

Slow Loris with Umbrella

Herring Break Wind To Communicate

In polite society, flatulence is often a social faux pas - especially when issued deliberately. But in the world of fish, group 'raspberry-blowing' sessions appear to perform an important social role.

This intriguing idea comes from scientists who discovered that herring create a mysterious underwater noise by farting. Researchers suspect herring hear the bubbles as they're expelled, helping the fish form protective shoals at night. It's the first ever study to suggest fish communicate by breaking wind.

Putting the Endangered Species Act Into Practice, One Wolf Listing at a Time

Photo credit: mybulldog/Creative Commons

Since 1973, the Endangered Species Act has shaped not only conservation in the United States, but the entire country's environmental policy. By calling on agencies to enlist help from the public and scientists, it bridges a gap between government and citizens. By mandating protections of habitat and the implementation of recovery projects it guards against the destruction of fragile ecosystems and rebuilds damaged natural resources.
But the Endangered Species Act—a piece of legislation that has, without a doubt, been largely successful—is not perfect. The success the legislation has had protecting and rebuilding gray wolf populations—and it's failure dealing with these new wolves—has become a glaring example of these imperfections; an example that now threatens the vitality of the Endangered Species Act itself.

Article continues: Putting the Endangered Species Act Into Practice, One Wolf Listing at a Time

Asian Carp Almost Migrate from U.S. to Canada, in a Big Truck

Photo via AsianCarp.org.

How will invasive Asian carp enter the Great Lakes? Via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, maybe another flood? They almost made it via a semi-tractor trailer crossing the Ambassador Bridge from the U.S. to Canada.

Article continues: Asian Carp Almost Migrate from U.S. to Canada, in a Big Truck

Ajolote

AKA: Mexican mole lizard

Properly termed bipes biporus, but known as the "five-toed worm lizard" to his friends, this little critter is nicely described at Scrubmuncher's Blog:

Fossorial and seldom seen, precious little is known about the biology of the 160 or so described species of worm lizard. Almost all of them live in the tropics or sub-tropics and it is their admirable adaptations for a subterranean existence that really single them out. Along with their limbs they have all but lost their eyes and they retain just the vestiges of these organs – tiny, beady and covered with a thin scale...

Worm lizards make their tunnels by using their head like a battering ram, a rather brutal, yet effective technique necessitating a heavily reinforced skull where there individual bones of skull are all fused. Some species have a spade-shaped head, which is used to compress the soil into the top of the tunnel, while other species have a keel shaped head they use to press the soil in to the sides of the tunnel by vigorously moving their head from side to side...

In Latin, Amphisbaena means to ‘move in both ways’ reflecting the animal’s ability to move forwards and backwards equally well. Also, in myth and legend the amphisbaena was a fabulous beast with a head at either end of its body, perhaps the brainchild of a medieval chronicler who saw a worm lizard in its defensive posture...

More here, which also has a video showing the ajolote trying to burrow into loose soil.

Animal Pictures