The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
While this day is going to ultimately be a successful one, there are some business-related problems brewing that will affect your lifestyle.
These problems could be coming out of your workplace, but they could also be at a store or restaurant you visit frequently.
Delays and disruptions might slow you down and make you think twice.
Where you spend your money and your time in the future will be affected.
Nothing will invade your peaceful attitude, though.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Buenos Aires, Distrito, Federal, Argentina
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Kampar, Perak, Malaysia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Nice, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France
The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

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 Chantilly, Charleston, Savannah, Wilmington and more.

Today is:

Today is Friday, July 8, the 189th day of 2011.

There are 178 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

S.C.U.D (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama) Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Most popular U.S. eateries

Most popular type of restaurant in U.S.

Americans love to order burgers, Chinese, and pizza, but which has the most outlets?

Little-known facts 

Also: 

• Top cities for burgers
• Fortune cookie's origin
• Acts of pizza kindness

Why We Love Chips

 

image credit

Eating just one chip (potato crisp, French fries, or whatever you call them) without then devouring the rest is almost impossible for most people to do. Now scientists have worked out why it's so difficult to walk away from tasty but unhealthy food.

The fats in these snacks make trigger a surprising biological mechanism that likely drives our gluttonous behaviour. The culprit is natural marijuana-like chemicals in the body called endocannabinoids, researchers from University of California, Irvine found.

Non Sequitur

Top 100 Images Hubble Images

The Hubble Space Telescope is a joint ESA/NASA project and was launched in 1990 by the Space Shuttle mission STS-31 into a low-Earth orbit 569 km (354 miles) above the ground. During its lifetime Hubble has become one of the most important science projects ever.

The Top 100 images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

How NASA can inspire America

How NASA can inspire America again

A Mars mission is one way to renew interest in the space program, says an ex-NASA chief.

Worth the cost? 

Also: 

• Space shuttle photos
• Obama on NASA's future
• Final shuttle astronauts

In The News

Tyrannosaurus rex trio goes on display at L.A.'s Nat'l History Museum

A trio of Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons is the main attraction in the new Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.

Weird Railway Stations of the World

Weird Railway Stations of The World Sometimes We Prefer to Hire A Car instead of Traveling by A Train.

Teachers caught cheating

Teachers caught cheating on tests

The biggest cheating scandal in U.S. history tarnishes a lauded official. 

Irregularities in other states 

Also: 

• Calif. bill on gay history
• Open data could aid reform
• Tablets replace textbooks

Plug pulled on Murdoch tabloid

Score one for the good guys!

Let's hope Faux News is next.

Plug pulled on embattled tabloid

Amid allegations of illegally hacking phones, News of the World will cease publication.  

Started in 1843 

Also: 

• Murdoch's full statement
• Dangers for British PM
• Why tabloids bin-dive

Mom turns in her own kids

Mom turns in own kids for alleged theft

A mother watching TV news is shocked by a surveillance video — and who she spots in it.  

Her message to parents 

Also: 

• Smurf robbers nabbed
• Church thief freed
• Comics' joke-theft trial

Family fights U.S. over coins

Fight over rare 'Double Eagle' gold coins

When a jeweler's heirs ask the U.S. Treasury to authenticate 10 coins, the feds seize them all.  

Staggering value 

Also: 

• Gold nugget fraud
• Aussie coins break record
• Priceless guide missing

Awesome Pictures

Agent Orange is back

"Agent Orange is one of the most devastating weapons of modern warfare, a chemical which killed or injured an estimated 400,000 people during the Vietnam War -- and now it's being used against the Amazon rainforest. According to officials, ranchers in Brazil have begun spraying the highly toxic herbicide over patches of forest as a covert method to illegally clear foliage, more difficult to detect that chainsaws and tractors. In recent weeks, an aerial survey detected some 440 acres of rainforest that had been sprayed with the compound -- poisoning thousands of trees and an untold number of animals, potentially for generations.

Officials from Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA were first tipped to the illegal clearing by satellite images of the forest in Amazonia; a helicopter flyover in the region later revealed thousands of trees left ash-colored and defoliated by toxic chemicals. IBAMA says that Agent Orange was likely dispersed by aircraft by a yet unidentified rancher..."

More.

Ziggy

How to thwart phone hackers

Protect yourself from phone hackers

It's often very easy for a savvy intruder to access your personal voicemail.  

Smartphones especially vulnerable 

Also: 

• New iOS security flaw
• Hackers target each other
• Distracted driving's effect

How to be more authoritative

How to appear more authoritative

These eight tips will help you exude confidence at work and in your daily life.  

Step 1: Stand when talking on phone 

Also: 

• Fees you should negotiate
• Signs you're in wrong job
• Overcome startup fears

Best solitary careers

Best careers for introverted people

These jobs offer solitude and fewer distractions to employees who like to work solo.  

Degrees you'll need 

Also: 

• Why go back to school?
• Research career options
• Find work-life balance

Working America asks: "Have you ever had a really bad boss?"

Almost everyone who has worked has had a bad boss. D.C. is rife with stories about bad bosses. Really bad, egotistical, annoying bosses. I've had my share.
Working America is having a contest to name the worst of the worst:

Have you ever had a really bad boss?

We all have! That’s why we started the Bad Boss contest, where you can share stories about your worst Bad Boss experience—and have the chance to win some great prizes.

You can enter your story here. There are already lots of examples. There are some real nasty bosses out there. And, this demonstrates the need for workplace protections, which is a goal of Working America.

AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka and Family Values At Work Director Ellen Bravo are going to start announcing semi-finalists on Thursday. The big prize winner/loser will be announced on August 2nd.

Three signs you're in the wrong job

3 signs you're in the wrong job

Overlooked money savers

Six surprising uses for everyday items

Cut costs by using coffee filters and shower curtains for something they weren't intended for.

More ideas 

Also: 

• Daily-deal site tips
• Vacation for free
• Always-negotiable costs

Most affordable colleges

Most affordable colleges in the U.S.

The new rankings look at the actual amount the average student pays. 

Less than $2,000 per year at some 

Also: 

• Ways to tame college bills
• Costs hit middle class
• Family facing $300K bill

Fewer bills being printed

Why the Treasury is printing less cash

For the first time in 30 years, no $10 bills have been printed, and production of $5 bills is at a low.  

But $100s booming 

Also: 

• Debt ceiling deadline
• Top risks to economy
• Credit card payoff woes

Five bullets the economy has dodged

Five bullets the economy has dodged

The recovery is subdued, but everyone should be thankful that none of these threats materialized.

Still a concern? 

Also: 

• Auto industry revival
• New investing ideas
• Less U.S. cash printed

Mortgage change anxiety

Feds’ mortgage move worries sellers

The government will soon make its first retreat from housing, but there are fears it could lower prices.

Loans affected 

Also: 

• Homebuyers' most-wanted
• 5 new real estate rules
• Homes that $1 mil buys

Tiny homes with big appeal

Pocket-sized homes with big appeal

One cozy beach cottage features only 280 square feet, but offers enviable views and location.

Surprising price tags 

Also: 

• Small space living
• Cool dome houses
• Dream homes in U.S.

Perfect summer lake towns

Great American lake towns for summer

These quaint destinations offer a different kind of getaway than an ocean resort. 

Find out where to eat 

Also: 

• Beautiful U.S. landmarks
• America's national parks
• Coolest small U.S. cities

Former Nazi resort rebuilt as huge youth hostel

A gigantic Nazi seaside resort on Germany's Baltic coast in the town of Prora has been turned -- after decades of disuse and decay -- into one of the country's largest youth hostels.

Full Story

The Melted Fort

Built by engineer Konstantin Zverev in the 1870s, Fort Zverev now lies in ruins, with machine gun mounts, bunkers, and water tubes slowly rusting away.

But the part of Fort Zverev that feels truly nightmarish lies in the basement area, where in the 1970s, a fire erupted. However this wasn't just any fire.

In this basement they stored a Russian alternative to napalm, and when it caught fire it reached temperatures of over 2000С, so hot in fact, that it literally melted the brick above it. In doing so it created a sort of artificial cave of red brick stalactites dripping down from above.

Full Story

Seven Weird Micronations Of The World

 

image credit

A micronation is a tiny, self-proclaimed sovereign state. Though they claim sovereignty and are often not interfered with by larger government entities, they are not recognized as official independent states. There are any number of reasons someone may start a micronation: as a joke, as a form of art, for protest purposes, as a political or legal experiment, or even to conduct criminal activity.

Often times a strange legal quirk gives these micronations a unique legal status. Some of them are hilarious. Some of them are interesting. Most of them are, in their own way, bizarre, unique, and strange.

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

German man who lived at Mallorca airport for four years to return home

A German man who fled from his wife and family and then lived for four years at Mallorca airport because he had nowhere else to go has decided to fly home. Architect Rene Becker, 57, vanished four years ago from his home in Mainz after accusing his wife Edith, 51, of cheating on him and having an affair.

But after living at the airport for four years he became the focus of a German newspaper article a week ago - and he now has received an unexpected visit this week when his daughter Patricia, 24, and wife flew to see him to persuade him to come home. They had not tried to contact him believing that he had managed to acquire a luxury villa in Spain - not realising he had spent all his money years ago.

Pushing a grubby suitcase and with a huge beard he burst into tears when he saw the pair in the airport lounge and said: "I think I might have made a mistake. I think it's time for me to come home to Germany."

Rene had been allowed to wash in the local police station, had eaten in the airport canteen for a special price of two euros and earned cash by helping out around the airport.

Dentist's cleaning lady removed terrified girl's healthy tooth

A dentist's cleaning lady who put on a white coat and yanked out a terrified schoolgirl's tooth with pliers is facing five years in jail in Tula, Russia.

Nikita Shanina, 45, claimed she was a locum dentist when the 10-year-old girl arrived with her mother at the surgery. But after strapping the youngster into the chair, Shanina yanked out a healthy tooth while the girl screamed in agony.

She was saved from more pain when her mother burst into the treatment room and challenged the cleaner, say police who have confiscated CCTV footage from the surgery.

"The child was in a lot of distress and pain. The suspect had no medical training whatsoever. Luckily the real dentist has CCTV in the treatment room so we know exactly what went on," said one officer.

Horror as tiny worms with teeth attack Australian couple

A Victorian couple endured a health nightmare after tiny worms with teeth began eating through their bodies. It is the first time humans have been infected by the parasite in Australia. It is believed the couple became ill after eating a fish they caught on a WA camping holiday.

Alfred hospital infectious disease physician Andrew Fuller said that when the couple ate the fish, believed to be a black bream, they also ingested the gnathostomiasis larvae. "The worms are 1-3mm long and have got these sharp little teeth and they can go anywhere they like in the body," Dr Fuller said.

"The worm works its way around the human body until it dies or is killed by the immune system. They move under the skin and cause itchy lumps that can make you feel sick - and it can be very hard to diagnose."

The infected couple suffered muscle pain, fevers, vomiting and their skin began to look like orange peel. They were given antibiotics and have recovered. The worms can stay in a human for 15 years, leaving people chronically ill. They can make their way into the brain, other organs and the spinal cord. "They eat your tissues," Dr Fuller said.

B.C.

Yellowstone bear kills hiker

Grizzly bear kills hiker in rare attack

A mother bear fatally mauls a man in the first attack of its kind at Yellowstone since 1986.  

What will happen to bruin 

Also: 

• Grand Teton's bear jams
• Hiker snaps rare sight
• Orphanage adopts cub

Sea Pancake

Photo: Terry Gosliner, California Academy of SciencesThat’s what scientists are calling this newly discovered species of nudibranch off the coast of the Philippines. Take a look at more neat photos of other discoveries over at NatGeo.

The Pink Magnet Slug

Zoologger has a feature on the Pink Magnet Slug. The nudibranch Rosy tritonia isn’t exactly cuddly-looking, nor is it brightly patterned like its recently discovered cousin, the Sea Pancake, but it has an enviable perk: its entire body is a compass.

The rosy tritonia is one of the growing list of animals that are known to sense Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate. It was first seen doing so in 1987.
The discovery raised two questions: how does it do it, and why? A. O. Dennis Willows of the University of Washington in Friday Harbor has spent the past two decades trying to get answers.
Many animals use localized sensors to detect magnetic fields – some birds seem to use special chemicals in their eyes, for instance – but Willows says the rosy tritonia has sensors throughout its body.
Early experiments identified pairs of neurons in the rosy tritonia’s brain that fired more, or in some cases less, when the direction of the magnetic field was changed. But those neurons aren’t the sensors: cutting the nerves running into the brain stopped the neurons responding.
Willows and colleagues have now tried recording from peripheral nerves in animals that have had their brains removed. Nerves from all over the body responded when he rotated the magnetic field. The response was stronger on the right side: 43 axons responded on the right but only 25 on the left.
Because so many nerves responded, Willows thinks the rosy tritonia must have sensors distributed throughout its body. But he doesn’t know what sort of sensors: it might be a chemical like the one birds use, or small bits of magnetic metal embedded in cells.

Read more about the Pink Magnet Slug at New Scientist.

Polar Bears Have Irish Lineage

Some 50,000 years ago, modern polar bears split from a population of Irish brown bears.

Read more 

Zoo Chimps' Mental Health Affected by Captivity

 

The behaviors seen in the animals include rocking back and forth and pulling out hair.

Read more 

Animal Pictures