The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Today your imagination, dreams and fantasies will provide other people with entertainment.
After you perform for these folks, you should reach out to them for advice.
You've been in a thick fog about how you feel about someone else, and a conversation with a close mutual friend will bring some clarity.
Plus, you are likely to pick up on facts that you didn't quite pick up on before.
You'll know what to say to the source of confusion by the end of the day.

Some of our readers today have been in:

 London, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
London, Ontario, Canada
Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Dorking, England, United Kingdom
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Amstrdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Berne, Bern, Switzerland

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 Athens, Utica, Sparta, Lake Forest and more.

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2011.

There are 172 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.
 

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Sikhs battle against bias

Incident sparks fear of bias for Sikhs

A recent shooting of two elderly Sikhs fuels existing concerns about hate crimes. 

'Afraid of being out in public' 

Also: 

• Pub sorry for evicting Sikh
• Plans for 9/11 memorial
• Outcry over group prayer

Tug-of-war over Jewish trove

International flap over rare Jewish trove

Iraqi officials accuse the U.S. of delaying the return of a valuable collection of books and photos.  

Where it was found 

Also: 

• Israeli house surprises
• Ceremony honors Jews
• Battle for rare gold coins

Four men sentenced to 240 years in Juarez massacre

Mexican judges have sentenced four men to 240 years in prison each for killing 15 people in a birthday party attack that provoked a national outcry.

Full Story

Non Sequitur

He's baaaaaaaaack!

(and the wingnuts are shitting bricks!)

Alan Grayson, the congressman with spinal fortitude, is back...and he's running for congress.

I’m in.  I’m running for congress.

I’m running because I promised Charlaina and Rick that I would.   Charlaina called me a few weeks ago, from the hospital.  she told me that her husband, Rick, was suffering from multiple organ failure – lungs, kidneys and liver.

Rick was 56 years old.  that’s three years older than me.

Rick was a veteran.   but the veterans administration wasn’t covering his hospital bills.

Rick had had a bad liver  since he was 30, when he contracted hepatitis.  No insurance company would go  near him.

Every day Rick survived, his  family owed several thousand dollars more to hospitals and doctors.  And  they had no way to pay it.

I told Charlaina how sorry I was.  And I told her that I wasn’t in congress anymore, so I wasn’t sure how I could help.

She said: “You can run again.”

“You are the only person who ever cared about people like us.  Rick wants people in congress who can’t be  bought and sold.  Rick wants you to run again.”

A dying man wants me to run  for congress.  What exactly could I say?

I promised that I would run.

Rick died on June 30, 2011,  at 5:55 p.m.

I’m keeping my promise.   I’m in.

***

Now, when we have more people with cajones like Mr. Grayson in congress we will get what needs to be done, done!

I welcome their hatred ...

FDR spoke these words in 1936 and they were true then and they are never more true than they are today!

'Batshit' Bachmann issues correction: Life under Obama isn’t worse than slavery, it’s just like slavery

Wow, am I ever so glad she cleared that one up!

Lawmaker aims gun at reporter

Firestorm over Ariz. senator's gun use

A reporter says Lori Klein aimed a loaded, raspberry-pink handgun at his chest during an interview.  

 'It's so cute' 

Also: 

• Arizona town ousts mayor
• Stun gun found on plane
• New border gun rules

She has no right to have her little pink gun regardless of what she thinks! Also, she has no right to wear that Tartan!

Multiple Murdoch news entities broke the law - it’s fair to ask whether Faux News was involved as well

You bet your sweet bippy they were involved!

We now know that it wasn't just News of the World, but three of Rupert Murdoch's "news" organizations that allegedly broke the law in order to gather information on the British Prime Minister, the Queen, 9/11 victims, and more. Since this problem was not just isolated to one paper, but rather to the Murdoch empire, it's fair to ask whether other properties in the Murdoch media empire also were in any way involved with this alleged behavior. Did anyone at Faux News, for instance, know about this? Did anyone at Faux ever engage in similar behavior?

In other words, what did Faux News know and when did they know it?
An investigation by the Guardian has found that:

• Scotland Yard has discovered references to both Brown and his wife, Sarah, in paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who specialized in phone hacking for the News of the World;

• Abbey National bank found evidence suggesting that a "blagger" acting for the Sunday Times on six occasions posed as Brown and gained details from his account;

• London lawyers, Allen & Overy, were tricked into handing over details from his file by a conman working for the Sunday Times;

• Details from his infant son's medical records were obtained by the Sun, who published a story about the child's serious illness.

Daily Comic Relief

Lack of Vitamin D May Have Killed Mozart

If he had spent more time in the sun, it might have forestalled Mozart's untimely death at 35. 

Read more 

First double leg transplant surgery

Absolutely amazing.

Spanish surgeons on Monday carried out the world's first-ever double leg transplant, authorities in the eastern city of Valencia said.

The operation lasted all night and was completed on Monday morning in the city's La Fe hospital, the regional health authority said in a statement.

"It is the first time in the world that such a transplant has been carried out," it said.

And to think such progress can occur in a so-called socialist health care country. And here I thought that such programs would destroy innovation, like the wingnuts love to squeal about at the top of their lungs. Imagine that.

Art

It's a Blond World

A blond left her car out in a hail storm. When the storm was over, she checked her car and discovered it was covered with hundreds of small dents. Having no insurance and very little money, she went to the local garage and asked the mechanic how she might fix the problem herself.
The mechanic told her that if she blew real hard, directly into the tailpipe, most of the dents would disappear within a few minutes.
Armed with this free advice, she drove home, parked her car and proceeded to blow into the tailpipe with all her might.
Another blond just happened to be jogging by and stopped to ask what she was doing.
Gasping for air, the first blonde explained that she was blowing into the tailpipe to remove the dents.
Surveying the situation, the second blond responded, “Duuhhhhhh! That’s not going to work. You gotta roll up all your windows first.”

U.S. muscle cars' comeback

Detroit muscle cars' unlikely comeback

Ford, Chevy, and Dodge once again all offer models with in-your-face styling and tons of horsepower.
Who's buying 

Also: 

• Is it better to buy used?
• Why gas prices will climb
• Chevy plans diesel Cruze

Town Can’t Sell Souvenirs

In South Dakota: Vendors say Sturgis trademark hurts business.

Black Hills shop owners who usually carry Sturgis motorcycle rally paraphernalia have seen a drop in business since Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Inc. trademarked such words as "Sturgis" and "Black Hills" in February.
But fear keeps most of them from speaking out. "Everyone is scared," one business owner said Friday, declining to give his name.
Five business owners contacted Friday by the Rapid City Journal declined to comment about the trademark issue, citing a fear that Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Inc., known as SMRi, will "go after us."

Can you trademark the name of a town? Apparently so.

In February, SMRi obtained trademarks on several labels, including Sturgis, Black Hills, Sturgis Bike Week, Sturgis Rally & Races and Take the Ride to Sturgis.
SMRi then sued Rushmore Photo & Gifts, a distributing firm that designs Sturgis souvenir products, for infringement on use, arguing that SMRi has exclusive rights to use the word Sturgis.

Some say the trademark was obtained fraudulently.

Rushmore Photo & Gifts' attorney Aaron Davis of Minneapolis said the trademark registration appears to be "based on a lie." By law, he said, names that are geographically descriptive of a place cannot be trademarked. One exception: If a trademark applicant can prove it was the exclusive user of a geographic name for five years, a trademark could be filed.
That's never been the case in Sturgis, he said. "There is no way that anyone could legitimately swear they were the exclusive user of Sturgis for five years," he said. "How can this not be a fraudulently obtained registration?"

That sign is probably a trademark violation.

Chase Bank declared Florida woman dead

A central Florida woman says she's having numerous financial troubles because of a bank error that caused Chase Bank USA to declare her dead last November.

Lawsuit: Chase Bank declared Florida woman dead

The best day to save money

When you can save the most money

You’ll find the biggest deals on groceries and gasoline on one day of the week.

40% discounts on women's clothes, too 

Also: 

• Save $1,000 on groceries
• Cut your cooling costs
• Higher gas prices coming

Benefits checks running out

Benefits' end casts dark economic cloud

Much government assistance, including jobless pay and the payroll tax cut, will go away soon.  

States affected most 

Also: 

• Auto industry is hiring
• Jobless pay on debit cards
• Fight over death benefits

Toughest job interviews

Companies with the toughest questions

One firm asks candidates: How many ping pong balls can fit in the overhead compartment of a 747?

Real examples 

Also: 

• Tips from a job recruiter
• Job seekers get left out
• How bad is the economy?

Who's hiring and who's not

Where have America's jobs gone?

Employment is down sharply in fields like housing, but other businesses are on a hiring tear.

Best job prospects 

Also: 

• Cisco could cut 10K jobs
• Vanishing white-collar jobs
• Greek default possible

Next big U.S. boomtowns

The next big boomtowns in the U.S.

See which cities are best positioned to grow and prosper in the coming decade.

Major metros fare poorly 

Also: 

• Top states for business
• Retiree low-tax spots
• Scouting a neighborhood

Success with a tasty twist

Business success with tasty twist

Kim Oster Holstein's pretzels with a purpose exploded into a $10 million business.  

Tips for entrepreneurs 

Also: 

• Recovering from a mistake
• Prioritize your finances
• Launch your business

Culinary DeLites

Quick dishes for every night of the week

Try out a new pizza with tasty chicken strips, flavorful herbs, and crunchy corn.  

Mouth-watering pork ribs, too 

Also: 

• Wackiest deep-fried foods
• Hidden calorie bombs
• Mom gets her grill on

Should fancy restaurants ban kids?

Yes

This week, one Pennsylvania restaurant is banning all children under six from entering its establishment. While no one wants to dine next to a screaming child, is this move customer service or discrimination?

Read More

Moms can be charged with criminal neglect for sleeping

From the "This is seriously fucked up" Department:

Moms can be charged with criminal neglect for sleeping 

Taking a nap while your child is napping is not a crime!

Father's heroic act saves son

Father's heroic act saves 3-year-old son

Jake McCoy can't wait for firefighters to arrive when he learns young Dylan has fallen down a well. 

  'Daddy's coming' 

Also: 

• Cruise ship death toll
• Kidnap victims rescued
• Miners want pensions

Ziggy

Home Sweet Home

Bargain-priced lighthouses

Lighthouses for sale at bargain prices

You can own an historic lighthouse for a surprisingly low price — or even get one for free.  

But there's a catch 

Also: 

• Living in a lighthouse
• Outrageous floating homes
• Best places to retire

Homeowner fights get ugly

Homeowner association fights turn ugly

Many are shocked to learn the neighborhood groups can foreclose on their houses.

Neighbor vs. neighbor 

Also: 

• New cities housing plan
• More on HOAs
• Benefits running out

Awesome Pictures

A 400-Meter-Wide Asteroid Poses No Threat To Earth

The third near-earth asteroid of 2011 will pass between the moon and earth later this year, NASA has confirmed. The 400-meter wide asteroid, named 2005 YU55, will pass within 0.85 lunar distances of the Earth on November 8, 2011. 

Full Story

Scale Model of the Mississippi River Basin

What do you do when you are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and you want to learn how to control flooding? You recreate the Mississippi River to simulate floods. See the gallery of photos at the link of this amazing project constructed in the 1930’s.

In 1936, after nearly two decades of devastating floods in the Mississippi River Basin, Congress passed the Flood Control Act, which funneled over $300 million into dams and other projects that engineers hoped would prevent millions from losing their homes in the next flood. But even this dramatic injection of cash left people vulnerable to floods in Ohio. That’s when a visionary with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pitched a crazy idea: Why not create a vast, scale model of the Mississippi River, as an entire river system, and use a huge system of hydraulic pumps to simulate floods and flood prevention techniques? The result, in the mid-1940s, was one of the most incredible — and most successful — experiments in hydraulic engineering ever constructed. It was called the Mississippi River Basin Model, and you can still see its remains in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Full Story

The Valley of the Moon

Valle de la Luna means Valley of the Moon, an area you’ll find near the village of Mallasa in Bolivia. The towering cliffs and the dark valleys in between them honestly resemble something you might find in a science fiction novel!

Read about this unique valley, and see more pictures at For 91 Days. 

One Year of Neptune

 

The planet Neptune was first observed by telescope on September 24, 1846, although astronomers knew of its existence by other evidence, namely the effect it had on the orbit of Uranus. Since that discovery, Neptune has traveled exactly once around the sun. Today, Neptune is back at the same point in orbit as it was when it was first seen in 1846. That’s one Neptunian year, or 164.79 Earth years.

Once Neptune was discovered, it took just seventeen days for William Lassell to find its moon Triton. None of its other 12 moons were found until the 20th century. Neptune is the fourth-largest planet in diameter and the third largest in terms of mass — 17 times that of Earth — in the solar system. It is also the farthest planet from the Sun since Pluto’s demotion in 2006.
The gas giant is often lumped together with Uranus under the label “ice giants” due to the fact that they are smaller and have a higher proportion of “ices” (such as water, ammonia and methane) then Jupiter and Saturn. Its atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and it’s pretty chilly, with temperatures approaching -218 degrees C. It’s also pretty windy, with gusts reaching speeds of up to 1,200 miles per hour.

So, although Neptune is a rather inhospitable place, we wish the planet a happy birthday.

Full Story

B.C.

Tough Turtle Survived What Dinosaurs Couldn't

A tough river turtle not only survived the meteorite impact that likely wiped out dinosaurs but thrived -- for a while.  

Read more 

Alligator bites boy at Indiana park

Police say an 11-year-old North Carolina boy was bitten on the hand by an alligator at a northern Indiana amusement park after a man invited nearby children to pet the 2-foot-long reptile.

Full Story

Are some dogs hypoallergenic?

The myth of hypoallergenic dog breeds

Pet lovers with allergies often think picking the right type of pooch will solve the problem.

Why it's not true 

Also: 

• Kids and pet allergies
• Spay, neuter efforts work
• What is hay fever?

Owl crashes into window leaving imprint

An owl was left in a flap after crashing into a window, leaving a near perfect print of himself on the glass. Sally Arnold returned home to Kendal, Cumbria, and found the huge imprint complete with eyes, beak and feathers on her bedroom window.

She said: "Our first concern was for the welfare of what we suspected was an owl and we opened up the window to check if it was still around. Fortunately, there was no sign of the bird and we can only assume that it had flown away probably suffering from a headache."

The silhouette was left by the bird's "powder down" - a substance protecting growing feathers. Experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) confirmed the bird was most likely a tawny owl because of its size and shape and the fact that they appear in gardens more regularly than others.

Val Osborne, head of the RSPB's wildlife inquiries team, said: "We don't very often see an imprint of a bird that's flown into a window that's this clear and where it's pretty obvious exactly what kind of birds it is. This would have been very uncomfortable for the bird but thankfully it looks like it survived as Mr and Mrs Arnold couldn't find it anywhere close by. Sadly, many birds aren't so lucky."

Tool Using Fish

Professional diver Scott Gardner has captured what are believed to be the first images of a wild fish using a tool. The picture above, captured in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, shows a foot-long blackspot tuskfish smashing a clam on a rock until it cracks open, so the fish can gobble up the bivalve inside.

Full Story

Dolphins maintained vigil for drowned Irishman in Australia

A grieving mother has said that she drew comfort at her son’s funeral after learning that a pod of dolphins had kept a vigil on his body after his fatal accident in Australia. Shaun McBride, from Co Donegal, died in a tragic accident less than two weeks ago in Dampier, Western Australia, when scaffolding collapsed into the water beneath him.

He was buried after a funeral Mass in St Columba’s church in Burtonport. His mother, Sylvia, said the remarkably affectionate scene which rescuers witnessed had a special poignancy as her son had a huge attachment to dolphins as a young child.

He had only arrived in Western Australia six weeks before his death. Speaking ahead of the funeral, Perth-based priest Fr Joe Walsh said the family had found comfort when he told them about the dolphins’ remarkable vigil. Fr Walsh said: “We’ve learnt that a few hours after the accident when divers went to retrieve his body, they saw a big pod of dolphins swimming around him.

“And there was one dolphin that was using its nose to try to lift the body up to the surface. But it wasn’t able to do so because the body was caught up in the scaffolding.”

Animal Pictures