The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
From the moment your alarm clock goes off this morning until the time you rest your head on the pillow tonight, this day will drag.
Instead of getting frustrated, make use of your exaggerated sense of time by taking a good look at your surroundings.
Some obvious (and easy) improvements will occur.
Relax through the day and remind yourself that you're not running any races.
Things are moving slowly in a new relationship too -- and this meandering schedule the healthiest one to adhere to now.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Hennef, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
London, England, United Kingdom
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Segamat, Johor, Malaysia
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
Lippstadt, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 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 Boston, Chicago, Portland, Dallas and more.

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, July 5, the 186th day of 2011.

There are 179 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Bikini Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Tax-friendliest U.S. states

Tax-friendliest U.S. states to retire in

One state known for stunning vistas, zero income tax, and a 4% sales tax leads the list.  

Florida isn't in top 5 

Also: 

• U.S. savings near record
• Regrets from a renter
• Surprise costs for retirees

The United States Of ...

image credit

The landscape of the United States is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations. A vast, diverse country, take a look at he U.S. from various perspectives.

Stunning U.S. landmarks

America's most beautiful landmarks

Some are easy to access, but this dazzling rock formation in Arizona requires special effort.

How to visit it 

Also: 

• Flickr pics of landmarks
• World's breathtaking lakes
• Great beach towns

Random Celebrity Photo

Preventing Heart Trouble

Optimism keeps heart in robust health

"Studies also show that pessimists and people who lack self-confidence have a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes than their more optimistic friends."

Satisfaction with life protects the heart from diseases

A new study has found that being satisfied with life, especially one's job, family, sex, and self, reduces the risk of heart disease.

Non Sequitur

We May Not Live in a Hologram After All

By analyzing the gamma-rays emitted by a gamma ray burst, a European satellite may have inadvertently found evidence contradicting the holographic universe hypothesis.  

 Read more 

Awesome Pictures

Things that make you wonder ...

From the "DUH!" Department:

 

You know some dumbass did exactly that - tweeted about the building being on fire before exiting the building during a fire for this sign to even be necessary.

Propaganda Techniques "Faux News" Uses to Brainwash Americans

From "The Big Lie" Department: TRUTHOUT has a great article by Dr. Cynthia Boaz, "14 Propaganda Techniques "Faux News" Uses to Brainwash Americans" that is worthy of your attention.

Here's the first five:

1. Panic Mongering
2. Character Assassination/Ad Hominem
3. Projection/Flipping
4. Rewriting History
5. Scapegoating/Othering

Click on the link for the rest, and explanations.

Ziggy

Killer sues prison for calling him an 'inmate'

The sister of a cold-blooded killer serving 25 years to life in a New York prison for shooting a man in the head complains he is being stigmatized by the use of the term "inmate." The label "implies that our brother is locked up for the purpose of mating with other men," Marie Domond claimed in a lawsuit against New York State Correctional Services Department.

The Brooklyn federal court filing demands that officials immediately stop calling Gerard Domond "an inmate" - along with a $50 million claim for damages for "mental anguish." In 1987, Gerard, then a 24-year-old with a lengthy rap sheet, killed a man in Brooklyn in a drug deal gone wrong.

Now 49, he is at the Clinton Correctional Facility and eligible for parole in May 2013. Acting as her own lawyer, Marie insists: "The suggestive nature of the word is disgraceful. This cruel psychological programming has weighed heavily on our emotional and psychological well-being."

"It's something that's bothered me for a long time," Marie said. "I couldn't understand why no one recognized that somebody being labelled an inmate, why they wouldn't recognize that. To me it just sounded very wrong."

Mexican man tries to escape prison in suitcase

Police say a woman was caught trying to sneak her common-law-husband out of a Mexican prison in a suitcase following a conjugal visit.

Full Story

Son of Austria's emperor dies

Eldest son of last Austrian emperor dies

Otto Habsburg-Lothringen lived through world wars, the Cold War, and Europe's unification. 

Lived mostly in exile 

Also: 

• William and Kate in Quebec
• Funding for queen falls
• Princess Charlene's tiara

The Shocking True Tale Of The Mad Genius Who Invented Sea-Monkeys

Did you ever order Sea Monkeys from an ad in the back of a comic book? The man behind the “Bowlfull of Happiness” was Harold von Braunhut, who’s life was so much more than sea monkeys.

The accounts Von Braunhut gave of his adventures in American kitsch are consistently winning. Granted, he makes some claims that a skeptic is inclined to independently confirm. At some point in the years after he raced motorcycles as The Green Hornet, von Braunhut worked as a talent agent of sorts. He tells Planet X about a stunt performer he used to manage—the article has von Braunhut calling him “a fella by the name of Henry Lamore”—who would dive from a height of 40 feet into a kiddie pool filled with 12 inches of water. I began to lose faith while trying to verify this doozy, but it turns out that the Internet allows you to watch a man named Henri LaMothe still pulling off this feat at 71 years old, as an opening act for Evel Knievel.
As anyone sold by the Sea-Monkey ads could tell you, it was hard to say exactly where von Braunhut was walking on the terrain between truth, embellishment and con. That was his gift. He convinced us to look at the jazz hands and lose sight of the footwork. Von Braunhut’s inventions were not quite what they seemed to be. Neither was he.

Von Braunhut was best known for his Sea Monkeys, but it was only one of his 195 patents. Even more unusual was his association with the Aryan Nation.

Full Story

Funny Pictures

Rush Hour!

Why parents have grey hair

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick.

So he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. 'Hello?'

'Is your daddy home?'

'Yes, he's out in the garden,' whispered the small voice.

'May I talk with him?'

The child whispered, 'No.'

So the boss asked, 'Well, is your Mommy there?'

'Yes, she's out in the garden too.’

The boss asked; 'May I talk with her?'

Again the small voice whispered, 'No.'

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?'

'Yes,' whispered the child, 'a policeman.'

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'

'No, he's busy,' whispered the child.

'Busy doing what?' 'Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the police dog men.'

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background, the boss asked,

'What is that noise?'

'It's a helicopter,' answered the whispering voice.

'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.

'The search team just landed a helicopter'

'A search team?' said the boss.

'What are they searching for?'

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle.... 'ME!'

Eight and Three

8 ways to be happier at your job

In Horrible Bosses, three annoyed-as-hell employees decide the only way to find happiness at work is to concoct a plot to murder their superiors.
Number 1. Terrible idea.
Number 2. There are so many simpler ways to accomplish that goal.
Turns out, job satisfaction is as easy (and law-abiding) to obtain as an iced coffee.
Here, eight research-proven ways to have more fun, be more creative, and get the most out of your hours spent on the clock.

Read More

3 Surprising Culprits of Work Burnout

 

Feeling overworked, bored, or not appreciated at your job? If you answered yes to any of those, you may be experiencing

Read More

Does Money Make You Happy?

Maybe Not

Many people think, “If I had more money, I’d be happier.” Or, “If I was rich, I wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore.” While it’s true that…

Read More

Outrageously costly items

Outrageous products you won't believe

A $2,600 bottle of water and a $530 towel make for one expensive day at the beach.

$11,000 exercise bike 

Also: 

• Most expensive items sold
• Credit cards for the rich
• Save money on travel

Worst housing markets in U.S.

America's weakest housing markets

Homes in Miami have lost nearly 55 percent of their value over the past six years.  

Other depreciating areas 

Also: 

• Million-dollar homes
• New rules of real estate
• Surviving the downturn

See the difference?

Cheerwine Doughnuts Are Back

Krispy Kreme's Cheerwine doughnuts are back.

The company says that the chocolate-iced doughnuts with a slightly fizzy filling that tastes like the cherry-flavored soft drink are rolling into stores for July.

Krispy Kreme Brings Back Cheerwine Doughnut

High Hopes For Cliff-Top Lake District Cafe

Two brothers have set up what is believed to be England's highest cafe.

A welcome sight for weary hikers.

Perched on a ridge near the summit of Helvellyn in the Lake District, David and Owen Holmes are selling bacon butties and a range of hot and cold drinks for weary walkers and climbers.

Full Story

Culinary DeLites

The Grillin' Edition

Easy grilling recipes for any night

Buttermilk chicken and simple pizzas with no-cook sauce shine after a turn on the grill. 

Spicy jambalaya too 

Also: 

• Red, white, blue treats
• Healthiest snack foods
• Chocolate chip cookie tips

Best supermarket BBQ sauces

High price doesn’t mean great taste when it comes to livening up your summer grilling.  

Top bargain brand 

Also: 

• Best BBQ joints in the U.S.
• Healthy grilling ideas
• Delicious pork ribs recipe

How to avoid common grilling mistakes

Experts explain why you shouldn't apply marinade throughout the cooking process.

Other tips to avoid flare-ups 

Also: 

• Marinades for grilling
• Perfect summer iced teas
• More uses for Jell-O

History Cookbook

Do you know what the Vikings ate for dinner? What a typical meal of a wealthy family in Roman Britain consisted of, or what food was like in a Victorian Workhouse?

Drop into the History Cookbook and find out?

This project looks at the food of the past and how this influenced the health of the people living in each time period. You can also try some of the recipes for yourself.

Southern swamp holds clues about runaway slaves

The oppressive heat, venomous serpents and boot-snatching muck that made the Great Dismal Swamp a barrier to European settlement ever since colonial times also made it a haven for thousands of people escaping slavery before the War Between the States.

Full Story

A 5,200 year-old Ancient Egyptian drawing unearthed

Egypt's Antiquities Authority says archaeologists have unearthed a 5,200-year-old rock drawing depicting a royal festival during Ancient Egypt's earliest dynasty.

Full Story

How Tibetan Singing Bowls Work

Ceremonial Tibetan “singing bowls” are beginning to give up their secrets.
The water-filled bowls, when rubbed with a leather-wrapped mallet, exhibit a lively dance of water droplets as they emit a haunting sound.
Now slow-motion video has unveiled just what occurs in the bowls; droplets can actually bounce on the water’s surface.
A report in the journal Nonlinearity mathematically analyses the effect and could shed light on other fluid processes, such as fuel injection.

Tibetan singing bowls give up their chaotic secrets

The Mysterious Minaret Of Jam

image credit

The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. It is located in the Shahrak District, Ghor Province, by the Hari River. The 213 feet high minaret was built in the 1190s, entirely of baked-bricks.

It is famous for its intricate brick, stucco and glazed tile decoration, which consists of alternating bands of kufic and naskhi calligraphy and geometric patterns.

Wild camels at Archeï oasis in Chad

"Knee-deep wading is bliss for camels in Chad's Archeï, a canyon whose trapped waters hold a zoological surprise. Fertilized by beasts' droppings, algae are eaten by fish that are preyed upon by an isolated group of crocodiles."

B.C.

When birds attack ...

 

Cheeky bird.

Warring ants know their enemies

Warring ants know their enemies 

Ants can recognize their worst enemies by smell, aggressively fighting slave-makers ants but only carrying away less threatening foes, a study shows.

BBC Nature

• Ants videos, news and facts
• The world's ants captured in 3D

Upping the cute factor

Elephant and sheep become fast friends.

Cyclist swallows insect during ride

Frank Schleck couldn't tell by the taste if it was a bee or wasp. He was merely happy not to develop an allergic reaction after being stung inside his mouth when he swallowed an insect while riding in the Tour de France.

Full Story

Trappers Profit From Uganda's Taste For Bugs

In Uganda, where grasshoppers are regarded as a delicious seasonal snack, the appetite for the crispy critters has created a booming informal trade that has turned some trappers into wealthy men.

Full Story

Monkeys take over photoshoot

There was quite a lot of monkey business when a group of macaques got their hands on a digital camera and started snapping away.

Monkeys take over photoshoot

Animal Pictures