The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
As you begin a new adventure, it's time to put an end to a situation that you no longer want in your life -- this will be like pruning a rose bush: An unpleasant (and potentially painful) task, but a necessary one if you want some beautiful things in your life to blossom.
It's okay to mourn the end of something you've grown familiar with, but try not to let these feelings dampen the optimism and excitement you're feeling about the new beginnings in your life.

Some of our readers today have been in:

London, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Geneva, Geneve, Swizterland
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Melbourne, Victoria, Canada
Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

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 Mansfield, Mountain View, Monroe, Miami and more.

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, June 21, the 172nd day of 2011.

There are 193 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

National Daylight Appreciation Day
World Handshake Day
Baby Boomer Recognition Day
and
Ann and Samantha Day.

It is also the Summer Solstice!

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

As I was saying ...

New network, new show, same Olbermann

The left-leaning talker reboots with a familiar format and guests he and his audience know well.

'As I was saying...' 

Also: 

• Fox nabs CNN's Ed Henry
• Stewart and Wallace spar
• NBC's pledge miscue

Non Sequitur

Kissing couple speaks out

Famous kissing couple's first public words

Scott Jones and Alex Thomas describe being caught up in the Vancouver riot — and the now-famous photo. Their story 

Also: 

• Vancouver riots
• How to stop fan riots
• Rioter, family threatened

Awesome Pictures

Miscellanea

Facebook users are sociable

People with Facebook accounts have a higher degree of social well-being.

World Record: 400 Skinny Dip

A group of 400 naked Britons braved the chilly waters off a beach in Wales to break the world record for largest skinny dip.

Sunset

Odds and Sods

Study Affirms Concussion Dangers To Young Athletes

A new study highlights the heightened danger to young athletes who suffer concussions and sustain new head blows before they've fully recovered.

Iowa Woman Dies After Being Attacked By Cow

A woman has died after being attacked by a cow on her farm near Urbana. The Benton County sheriff's office said that 60-year-old Jean Fee was feeding the cows Saturday afternoon when one of them attacked her.

Goonland

Popeye the Sailor from 1938.

Not very 'PC' by today's standards.
And you can be forgiven if you had the nightmarish vision of a wingnut-religio/fascist-repugican world flash before your eyes given the title of this cartoon.

NBC Apologizes

And they should not have! Not for airing the actual Pledge of Allegiance anyway - but airing a fucking golf game, well ...

Some ignorant assholes got really upset: NBC apologizes for cutting “under god” from Pledge of Allegiance before U.S. Open.

NBC apologized for cutting the words “under god” from the Pledge of Allegiance in its leadup to coverage to the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club.
“We began our coverage of this final round just about three hours ago and when we did it was our intent to begin the coverage of this U.S. Open Championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being held in our nation’s capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it.”

Here's what they aired:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, with liberty and justice for all."

That's actually the real Pledge of Allegiance, by the way - ALL of it.

Lunatic Fringe

Batshit Crazy Michele Bachman: Schools should teach intelligent design.

"I support intelligent design. What I support is putting all science on the table and then letting students decide. I don't think it's a good idea for government to come down on one side of scientific issue or another, when there is reasonable doubt on both sides."

What a fucking moron!

And speaking of insane morons ...
Glenn Beck thinks Facebook organizes people to riot

Supreme Court blocks states' climate change lawsuit

In yet another wrong decision ...

The Supreme Court blocked a federal lawsuit today by states and conservation groups trying to force cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Full Story

Alarming nuclear safety trend

Alarming nuclear safety trend exposed

U.S. regulators have repeatedly weakened safety rules, raising fears of a serious reactor accident.

Investigation 

Also: 

• Hot-tempered chief of NRC
• Japan's shortcomings
• Plant rescues trapped seal

Navy to scrap stealth ship

Navy to scrap Sea Shadow stealth ship

The bizarre $195 million experimental craft was "never intended for missions."  

Inspiration for Bond villain's vessel 

Also: 

• Stealth ship photos
• More on Sea Shadow
• Eerie images of old ships

Real estate turnaround signs

Signs your housing market is turning up

These three local indicators could be clues that home values are rebounding where you live.  

Words of caution 

Also: 

• Find a new house
• 20% downpayment rule
• Mansions of billionaires

Wizard of Id

Wal-Mart wins bias lawsuit

In another wrong decision ...

Wal-Mart wins case to stop sex discrimination lawsuit at the Supreme Court 

This is just breaking. Not a surprise that this Supreme Court would side with Wal-Mart, but, surprised it was unanimous:

The Supreme Court has ruled for Wal-Mart in its fight to block a massive sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of women who work there.

The court ruled unanimously Monday that the lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cannot proceed as a class action, reversing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million women, with Wal-Mart facing potentially billions of dollars in damages.

Supreme Court sides with Wal-Mart in suit

The largest sex-discrimination lawsuit ever is blocked by the court, overturning a prior ruling.

Individual cases 

Also 

• Justice's ethics questioned
• Court rejects land dispute
• The right to mock teachers

College degrees most in demand

The college degrees employers want most

Firms with job openings are eager to hire graduates who have one of these five diplomas.  

Potential career paths 

Also: 

• Popular online degrees
• Craft a career plan
• Is an MBA for you?

High school's tuition tops $40K

One high school's tuition tops $40,000

The cost to attend some elite prep schools is greater than colleges such as Harvard and Princeton.

'That's crazy' 

Also: 

• Best high schools in U.S.
• Economy hurting grades?
• Lack of history knowledge

Krugman says the economy isn’t recovering at all

Paul Krugman has an interesting post about whether we're in a Japan-style lost decade or not. He notes that Clive Crook in the Financial Times thinks we're flirting with the possibility.

For Krugman  ... we're well beyond that point —

His evidence is this chart, the graph of employment-to-population ratio (click to see).

 Here's Krugman:

What you see isn’t a recovering economy that may be stumbling; you see an economy that has stopped its free fall, but hasn’t really been recovering at all.

Debt Ceiling: Time's Running Out

So little time.
So little clarity.
So much at stake.

It's T minus two weeks until July 1.

That's the chosen deadline for the small bipartisan group of lawmakers negotiating a debt-reduction "framework" to accompany an increase in the country's debt ceiling.

Full Story

Lingering downturn helps keep gardening boom going

Many of the millions of people who turned to gardening to save money during the recession appear to be sticking with it during the recovery as food prices remain high and interest in safe, fresh and local food grows nationwide.

Forty-three million American households planned to grow at least some of their own food in 2009, a 19 percent increase from ...

Full Story

Most common scam in U.S.

Avoiding America's most common scam

You may think you’re too smart to be taken by fake checks, but they’ve hit people from all walks of life.  

5 cons 

Also: 

• Get-rich-quick schemes
• Debit card secrets
• Facebook and ID thieves

This is sad ...

Man claims he robbed bank of $1 in order to secure jail health care.

$1 bank robbery

Manage Your Life

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints and there are over 100 different types of arthritis.

Tips on managing summer aches and pains related to arthritis

Healthy Living

 

What a 2,000 calorie day really looks like

   

You can get pregnant without sex 

 

Would you ever backpack naked? 

 

How to become an early-riser exerciser

Adulterated cocaine causing serious skin reactions

Doctors warned of a potential public health epidemic in a recent report on patients in Los Angeles and New York who developed serious skin reactions after smoking or snorting cocaine believed to be contaminated with a veterinary medication drug dealers are using to dilute, or “cut,” up to 70% of the cocaine in the U.S.

Adulterated cocaine causing serious skin reactions

When mold can be a good thing

When mold can actually be a good thing

The blue dots that make old bread icky can also make a tasty snack and even save lives.  

Soy sauce connection 

Also: 

• Moldy homes and allergies
• Antibiotics overprescribed
• Israel cheese protest

Deep-Fried Kool-Aid

Once you’ve tried every kind of food imaginable deep-fried or on a stick, what’s new for the county and state fairs this year? Deep-Fried Kool-Aid, of course! Creator “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian isn’t sharing the exact recipe, but it involves flour and Kool-Aid powder. And a deep-fryer. And possibly sugar.

Chicken Charlie’s is a staple of fried rations at fairs across the country. It sold 400 to 600 orders of deep-fried Kool-Aid per day the first weekend of the San Diego County Fair. That’s about double the rate of previous debut items, Boghosian said.
“That’s because it tastes so darn good,” Boghosian said of the Kool-Aid.

The San Diego County Fair runs through July 4th.

Full Story

Culinary DeLites

Easy, healthy dishes that span the globe

Asian-inspired steak and Mexican-influenced pork chops are on the menu this week.

Italian family-pleasers 

Also: 

• Great cookout recipes
• Insect ice cream?
• Romantic picnic for two

And:

The grossest burger ever made

How to buy seafood

8 healthy salad toppings you've never tried

7 easy iced drinks for summer

Ten Cold Desert Recipes for Summer's Hottest Days

Photo: Auntie K/Creative Commons

Nothing cools down the dog days of summer like a freezer full of fresh and fruity frozen treats.
But here's the good news: You can make all the ice cream, popsicles, frozen yogurts, and smoothies you could ever want, using local, organic produce. These 10 recipes boast the best in flavor and nutrition -- from classic pairs-with-anything vanilla ice cream to tangy watermelon-cilantro-lime popsicles, peach and blueberry combos, and even an icy indulgence with the adult addition of beer.

Article continues: 10 Cold Desert Recipes for Summer's Hottest Days 

Statistics

A 2006 study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles per gallon.

Not too Bad.

A Redneck Recipe

Redneck Recipe: Take meat and marinate liberally with ketchup. Simmer until the tire marks disappear.

South Dakota Wild West-style shootout leaves three hurt

A Wild West show in South Dakota became a little too realistic when three tourists were injured in a mock shootout. Lt Marty Graves, of Pennington County Sheriff's Office, said it did not appear that the shootings on Friday evening in Hill City were intentional.

He said they had confiscated weapons involved and were talking to witnesses. Those injured were taken to hospital and one has since been released. The other two are in a "fair" condition. The shootout staged by volunteer cowboys is a regular attraction and raises funds for a children's charity.

Lt Graves said it was too early to say for certain what happened. The guns are supposed to be filled with blanks, and those playing the parts of cowboys say they load their owns guns and watch each other do it.

"This is a horrible thing," Brenda Nolting, president of the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce, said. "We're sick about it. I'm sick for the families. This is just a shock for everybody who is here." The sheriff's office named the victims as Jose Pruneda of Alliance, Nebraska; Carrol Knutson of Birchwood, Minnesota; and John Ellis of South Connellsville, Pennsylvania.

What Is A Bohemian Rhapsody?

You all know the lyrics from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The story is about a man confessing a murder to his mother, vainly pleading poverty in a trial and ending up resigned to his fate.

But questions remain: Who did he kill and why? And why does the judge talk funny? Who is Bismillah? And what about the Italian influences? Scaramouche, Galileo, and Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville?

Once-lavish resort in ruins

Once-lavish resort falls into ruin

Grossinger's once hosted acting and sports legends like Elizabeth Taylor and Rocky Marciano. 

Frozen in time 

Also: 

• More on the resort
• Asian casino hits Miami
• Director's hotel robbed

Chinese Plan Copy of Scenic Austrian Town

A Chinese company has begun construction of a duplicate Austrian village that is known for its scenic Alpine beauty. The town of Hallstatt attracts thousands of visitors a year, but apparently some of them were there to photograph, draw and take measurements of architecture to be duplicated in its Asian counterpart.

After taking photos and collecting other data on the village while mingling with the tourists, a Chinese firm has started to rebuild much of Hallstatt in faraway Guandong province. Although publicly, Hallstatters say they are proud that their village has caught the eye, others have voiced their outrage about the fact they were not consulted about the plans to replicate it.

Full Story

Mount Sukapak at Midnight

Ancient epitaph decoded

Roman gladiator's gravestone decoded

The 1,800-year-old tombstone's unique epitaph tells the sordid tale of a warrior's untimely death.

A referee's treachery 

Also: 

• Iraqi treasures in danger
• A mass ocean extinction?
• Copycat Austrian village

Iraq's Ancient Ur Site in Danger

So far Ur, the mythical birthplace of Abraham, has relinquished only a fraction of its antiquities.

Read more 

Ancient Mycenaean fortress discovered

A recent find by a University of Cincinnati archeologist suggests an ancient Mycenaean city was well protected from outside threats.

Full Story

B.C.

Stink bugs on the move a growing nuisance in NC

First it was Yankees ...

It could be the latest in foreign-born pests to make themselves a nuisance to North Carolina residents.

Full Story

Seven new species of mammals discovered on Luzon

A group of American and Filipino biologists has discovered seven previously unknown species of mammals in the Philippines, increasing the number of native mammals known from Luzon Island (excluding bats) from 42 to 49 (17 percent).

The formal descriptions of the seven species, all of which are members of the genus Apomys ...

7 new species of mammals discovered on Luzon

Animal Pictures