The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
How well do you know your ancestors?
Understanding where you came from will help you understand where you can go.
Try an Internet search to satisfy your curiosity.
Who knows?
You might discover that you have a knack for genealogy and may want to start working on a family tree.
Older members of your family are a great resource, so why not drop them a line to catch up?
Find out how they lived when they were your age.
You'll have a great time comparing notes.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Brescia, Lombardia, Itly
London, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, 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 Rio Rico, Gowrie, Virginia Beach, San Jose and more.

Today is:

Today is Sunday, May 1, the 122nd day of 2011.

There are 233 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

 Lei Day
May Day
Penguin Day
World Laughter Day
and
Mother Goose Day.

It is also the Beltane Festival!

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Did you know ...

Did Ye Know that on this day, May 1st, 1707, the Act of Union between Scotland and England came into force.

Scottish church bells played the tune "Why am I so Sad on my Wedding Day?" - the Union was brought about in spite of opposition by the majority of Scots.

Can Psychedelic Politics Ride Out The Coming Storm?

Sudden storm. 

Image credit:Flickr, allspice1, "...entry into the Leave It To Me Challenge #30."

The radical right has been fighting a successful culture war against all things 60's and 70's. Earth day and its legislative outcomes are under especially intense attack, for example. An hallucinatory contact high among these Warriors has them attempting to spin the clock back far enough to re-ignite a Cuyahoga River fire, thereby reconstituting 1969 unemployment levels (approximately 3.5%). Fabulous bit of magical thinking, eh?

Article continues: Can Psychedelic Politics Ride Out The Coming Storm?

Buffett admits to 'big mistake'

Warren Buffett admits to making mistake

The CEO shoulders some blame for the way his top lieutenant handled company business.  

'Inexcusable' situation 

Also: 

• First-quarter profit drops
• More on Warren Buffett
• Nasdaq still rides high

President Obama keeps up push to end gas, oil tax breaks

President Barack Obama says oil companies are profiting from rising pump prices and he wants Congress to end $4 billion in annual tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.

Full Story

The truth be told

Three Ways To Save Medicare Paul Ryan Doesn't Want You To Know About

Across the country, Main Street Americans are speaking out against the repugican budget plan that would effectively end Medicare

Full Story

Failure to raise debt ceiling "asinine"

Warren Buffett said he expects the Congress to raise the nation's debt ceiling before it expires in mid-May, and said it would be that body's "most asinine act" ever if it failed.

Full Story

And with the most aisnine gaggle of lunatic fringe kooks ever in congress it's even money they'll do the most asinine thing possible.

Wizard of Id

PSN users see fraudulent credit card use, despite Sony assurances

Although admitting that personal information was stolen during the PlayStation Network (PSN) and Qriocity, Sony has said 1) that it is unsure if any credit card data was stolen, and 2) that even if they had been, the numbers were encrypted.

However, a number of PSN users are coming forward, saying they have seen fraudulent charges on the credit cards they have linked to their PSN accounts, damning evidence against Sony's statements.

Full Story

Credit Card Overuse Changes Consumer Expectations

Many consumers who are heavy spenders are more likely to believe that items they purchase will make them happier.  

 Read more 

Family budget cuts off limits

'Family budget cuts I just won't make'

One work-at-home mom believes her relationships are more important than trimming costs.  

Cable bill untouchable 

Also: 

• Cash in on spring cleaning
• Consumer spending up
• How to use 'good debt'

Five easy ways to save on groceries

Groceries represent a large part of the overall monthly budget for most families.

Full Story

Ziggy

Unusual causes of bad moods

Six unexpected reasons you’re cranky

Your bedroom lighting or anticipation of an upcoming party can leave you feeling edgy.

Deflecting a grumpy co-worker 

Also: 

• Sleep’s powerful effects
• Ways to boost immunity
• Tech items' dangers

Pinky and The Brain

One is a genius and the other is insane - but which is which?

Yemen dictator refusing to sign exit document

Dictators always have a hard time moving on. That's why they were dictators in the first place.

Al Jazeera:

The Yemeni president has refused to sign a Gulf Arab-led agreement to give up power in exchange for legal immunity, sources say.

Saturday's development was a new blow to efforts to mediate the months-old crisis between Ali Abdullah Saleh and demonstrators inspired by protests sweeping through the Arab region to demand his overthrow.

Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani, secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which brokered the agreement, had flown to the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday to urge Saleh to sign the deal.

Instead, he met high-level leaders of Saleh's governing political party and parliamentary bloc, where he was informed that Saleh had some reservations over the deal.

Gadhafi's son killed by missle

Gadhafi survives airstrike that kills son

Libyan officials say Seif al-Arab Gadhafi, Moammar's youngest son, was killed by a NATO missle.  

Other family fatalities 

Also: 

• Libyan unrest photos
• Libya's 'Freedom Radio'
• Syria protests continue

Can you say oops?

Police discover hidden arsenal in Ciudad Juarez

An arsenal containing grenades, grenade launchers, assault riffles and other high-powered weapons are stored inside a basement warehouse in the city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Friday April 29, 2011.

Full Story

Inmate injured trying to separate guards fighting over food

Well, now, that's a twist on the old prison fight story ...

The Erie County Sheriff's department is investigating what they admit is an embarrassing incident involving two correctional officers in the Yankee Building at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. Undersheriff Mark Wipperman confirmed that a fight between the two jailers took place last Thursday, and an inmate who tried to break up the fight was injured in the process.

Wipperman identifies the Corrections Officers as Lawrence Mule, a 26-year member of the force and James Conlin, for 29-years. Wipperman would only say the fight happened over food dissemination. "Quite frankly I don't care if it was a bag of chips, a candy bar, romaine noodles. This conduct should never of happened and will never be tolerated. Never," said Wipperman.

The Undersheriff describes the inmate who got involved as a "Trustee." The inmate told investigators the only reason why he intervened was because he didn't want to see either men lose their jobs.

Wipperman said: "I'm totally embarrassed. Quite frankly I'm very upset that I'm even having this conversation. I really feel bad for the men and women, the vast majority of them who come in the correctional facility and the holding center everyday and do a great job." Wipperman would not discuss the type of injury the inmate suffered, only to say that he was taken to the infirmary at the Corrections Facility, then to ECMC before returning back to jail.

Adverse changes in sleep duration are associated with lower cognitive scores in middle-aged adults

A study in the May 1 issue of the journal Sleep describes how changes in sleep that occur over a five-year period in late middle age affect cognitive function in later life.

Adverse changes in sleep duration are associated with lower cognitive scores in middle-aged adults

Oregon woman wakes from surgery with British accent

When Karen Butler came out of sedation after oral surgery a year and a half ago, her mouth throbbed and her face was puffy.

Full Story

Daring cliff-jump as skier saw it

Skier's riveting cliff-jump is a Web hit

A daring stunt in the Alps becomes even wilder viewed through the helmet camera of a jumper.  

See what skier saw 

Also: 

• Vonn's moving phone call
• Boarder hurdles train
• Skier tries out jet pack

Grandma Selling Suicide Kit on the Web

After watching her husband die a slow, painful death from colon cancer, a 91-year-old grandma named "Charlotte" is selling suicide kit on the Internet:

Charlotte makes the kits -- which cost buyers $60 -- by taking large plastic bags and sewing soft elastic bands around the opening. There is a slot in the bag for a plastic tube carrying helium gas to be inserted. Helium -- when inhaled in its pure form -- is deadly. Kit users are responsible for securing their own helium gas.
"If heaven is so wonderful, you know you'd naturally want to go there, wouldn't you?" said Charlotte.
Charlotte's story came to light because of the recent death of 29-year-old Nick Klonoski.
The Oregon man ordered one of Charlotte's kits and took his life in December 2010. Since then, his family has spoken out against Charlotte's business and now an Oregon lawmaker has put forward a bill to make selling the kits a felony in the state.
Charlotte, however, said caring for people in great pain is what motivates her to do what she does.

Full Story

Charlotte's business is legal in California, but people are questioning the ethics.

Charity shop sold little boy's scooter when he left it outside

A mix-up at a charity shop saw a child’s mini scooter get sold while he and his mother were still in the shop. Carine Siebert had left her son Gael's scooter outside while they browsed the Shaw Trust shop in Thame, Oxfordshire, only to come back and find it had been sold for just £3.

Shop staff admitted the error but still made Carine pay for the goods she was buying while the scooter was being sold. She said: “We went in as normal and left the little scooter outside, which costs about £50, but when we came out there was no scooter.

“The lady looked a bit worried and said to us - ‘I think I made a mistake’. They said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do to help me out. I went around town looking for it but I couldn’t see anyone walking about with a scooter.”

A poster has been put in the shop asking for the scooter to be returned for a refund and Carine is also appealing to whoever purchased it to bring it back. She said: “I just don’t really know what to do now, I hope the person who bought it will see the mistake and bring it back.”

Epic Fail

A Spanish Island's Quest to Be the Greenest Place on Earth

When its innovative wind-power system goes online at the end of the year, Spain's El Hierro island could be on its way to becoming the world's most sustainable inhabited landmass

Full Story

Huge tornado relief effort

Tornado-ravaged South needs help

Volunteers step up efforts to get food and shelter to victims as the death toll rises.  

What's needed most 

Also: 

• How to help victims
• Photos of the aftermath
• Factors behind damage

Strange Spring: Explaining This Year's Wild Weather

We've seen snow in the Midwest, wildfires in Texas and a surge of tornadoes across the country. 

What's going on with the weather?

Read more 

Ozone Hole A Surprise Rainmaker

A new climate change culprit in the Southern Hemisphere has been identified -- the ozone hole.  

Read more 

Ocean Heat Exchange: A Leaky Deal

Oceanographers say the Southern Hemisphere has a way of warming the North Atlantic Ocean.  

Read more 

Now, that's something you don't see everyday

Super-Civilizations Might Live Off Black Holes

It's time to think far outside of the box regarding our preconceptions of how to find extraterrestrial civilizations.

Read more 

Bizarre alien hoax exposed

Elaborate hoax behind popular 'alien' video

The materials used to create this E.T. are as unexpected as something from outer space.  

What's that smell? 

Also: 

• Setbacks for alien hunt
• Fast spinning stars
• 'God particle' debate

Alien Life In The Andes?

 

image credit

There is something green and alien looking growing in South America.

On first inspection you might think that it is some extraterrestrial species, using the remote grasslands of the continent to establish a foothold on planet Earth.

Yet however alien this looks, this green mass of cells has its origins very much on this world.

This is Yareta.

B.C.

Dog submerged herself in bathtub to survive raging fire

A dog survived a raging house fire for six hours by hiding in a water-filled bathtub, according to firefighters. Piedmont Park Fire Capt. Duane Brock said the fire was extremely difficult to extinguish because of the size of the house and the intensity of the flames. Firefighters were able to rescue the dog, a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois named Mia, from the basement of the burning home.

Mia's owner, Chris Brumby, was amazed at how the dog survived, but said he knew she was smart. "She acts like a human for most things," Brumby said. "And that kind of showed it. She knew where to go and hide." He said Mia was able to get to a bathtub on the lowest level of the house, where she waited as firefighters doused the home with water.

As the water ran down into the basement, it filled the bathtub and soaked Mia, keeping her safe from flames, Brock said. Brumby said the dog has learned how to open doors throughout the house, and that she had to open four doors to get to the bathtub where she was found. He said when firefighters brought her out of the house, she was wet, dazed and covered in soot. "She literally had steam coming off of her," he said.

Brumby, his wife Codi and their two children were out to dinner when the fire started. He said the house was a total loss, but that they were relieved that the dog survived. "That was a pretty special moment for us, because she's definitely part of the family," he said.

Giant tortoises saving island

Giant tortoises help save an ecosystem

Introducing an "alien" species onto an island was originally considered controversial.  

Seeds of change 

Also: 

• More on the tortoises
• Polar bear cub rescued
• Endangered frog lawsuit

Animal Pictures