The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Your recent efforts to connect with someone are working, but you should think about turning down the heat a little.
Discard the extra details in your stories, and resist the urge to share too much about yourself.
Right now, this discovery phase should be simple, short and general.
Too many details could confuse or overwhelm, and they may cause some unfortunate misperceptions.
Let the other person ask a few questions -- don't do all the work yourself.

Some of our readers today have been in:

 Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Rijeka, Primosko-Goranska, Croatia
London, England, United Kingdom
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Edinburgh, Scotland. United Kingdom
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Lille, Nord-Pas-De- Calais, France
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Bamberg, Bayern, Germany
Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic

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 Somersworth, Calabasas, Puyallup, Chattanooga and more.

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, July 26, the 207th day of 2011.

There are 158 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.
 

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Vocabulary Size

Took one of those 'tests' that are abundant on the net today - this one estimated how many English words I knew.

Your total vocabulary size is estimated to be:

45,000 words

Not bad considering the average is somewhere between 20K and 35K for a native speaker and around 9K for a non-native speaker.
There are however 300K words in the English language (as published in the OED) so I need to do better.
Now if I can find a similar 'test' for any of the other languages I know, mayhaps I can do as well on them.

Aw, Shit - not another 404 Error again!

INSTALLING COOLER WEATHER.....
███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE.
Install delayed....please wait.
Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Cool Weather not found. "Cooler Weather" cannot be located. The weather you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

And I Quote

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers. 

~ Aristotle

Could third party win in 2012?

Could a third party win 2012 election?

Americans are fed up with Republicans and Democrats, so the time appears ripe for another option. 

  Candidates 

Also: 

• Palin's 'Undefeated' tanks
• Americans' debt worries
• Pawlenty, Bachmann feud

Remember ...

Repugicans would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stay on the ground and tell the truth.

Just the facts

8 facts about spending repugicans forgot.

Non Sequitur

Hero of Norway massacre

Norway tragedy's unlikely hero emerges

Marcel Gleffe sped to the island after hearing gunfire and helped 20 teens escape.

  'I just did it on instinct' 

Also: 

• Response to manifesto
• Suspect in isolation
• Finland boosts surveillance

N.R.A. opens branch in Norway

Wingnut PROUD he killed 76 innocent kids

Norway mourned on Sunday 76 people killed in a shooting spree and car bombing by a Norwegian
who saw his attacks as "atrocious, but necessary" to defeat liberal immigration policies and the spread of islam.
Anders Breivik, 32, said he wanted to explain himself at a court hearing on Monday about extending his custody.

"He believed the actions were atrocious, but that in his head they were necessary," his lawyer, Geir Lippestad said.

Breivik admitted to Friday's shootings at a Labour party youth camp and the bombing that killed seven people
in Oslo's government district a few hours earlier.

However, "he feels that what he has done does not deserve punishment," Lippestad said.


Perfect - now America is exporting our violent hatred to other countries.

This bloody dittohead hunted down 60 kids at camp and shot them in the head.

Their SWAT team, unused to US-style violence, took 90 minutes to arrive.
Had they shown up in 15 minutes, maybe 40 of those kids would still be alive.

If those kids were fetuses, the repugicans would be outraged.

Full Story

Wingnut media: Norway terrorist not Muslim but acts like it

Yes, the American wingnut loons have their excuses lined up because you know, christians are never terrorists. Forget about what you see in Northern Ireland because that also doesn't count. Timothy McVeigh was a premature Muslim terrorist as well if you buy into their wacko theory. For that matter, ignore the US bombings in the name of the war on terror because sending guided missiles into foreign countries where the people aren't white skinned doesn't count. Killing innocent civilians only counts when it's in the name of islam because christians could never do such a thing despite evidence to the contrary.

More from Media Matters.

Among the conservative to rush to judgment were Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post, CNN contributor Erick Erickson, and Andrew Breitbart's BigPeace.com. The Breitbart website surmised that the attacks could have meant that Norway's "big Muslim problem" had "just blown up in its face." Erickson wrote via Twitter: "Terrorist bombing in Oslo. I bet you it was not Lutherans who did it."

Now that they're uninformed and ideologically motivated guesswork has been proven wrong, these same conservatives are adopting the "No True Scotsman" fallacy and claiming that Breivik's abhorrent behavior was not that of a Christian, but more akin to that of a Muslim.

Glen Beck likens dead children to Nazis

What an insane asshole!

The insane wingnut compared those who were massacred on the Norwegian island of Utøya to the Nazi party's youth wing.

"There was a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like the Hitler youth, or, whatever. I mean, who does a camp for kids that's all about politics. Disturbing," said Beck on his syndicated radio show.

Norwegians have hit back at former Faux News presenter and tea party darling Glenn Beck, after he compared the country's shooting victims to the Hitler Youth in a radio show overnight.
 

The comments were condemned by Torbjørn Eriksen, a former press secretary to Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's prime minister.

The Hitler Youth - Hitler Jugend - was an organization set up by Adolf Hitler in the 1920s to indoctrinate young Germans in Nazi ideology. 

So, are the 'summer camps' the teabaggers have set up for the perversion of their kids themselves - a conveniently forgotten fact by the wingnuts ... which is par for the course.

Full Story

Wizard of Id

'I would do it over'

'I would do it over,' Jersey City Killer Tells Judge at Sentencing

The Jersey City killer who sparked a near-riot last week at a sentencing hearing when he grinned at family members of the victim this morning created another courtroom scene when he said he would kill again if he was free.

Full Story

Mom faces jail for jaywalking

Mom faces jail after son dies jaywalking

Raquel Nelson may spend years in prison after her 4-year-old son was killed in a hit-and-run.  

'Slap in the face' 

Also: 

• Georgia law on jaywalking
• ADHD kids' greater risk
• Toddler survives crash

Algae invades China sea

Enormous algae bloom invades China sea

A thick blanket of algae covers 200 square miles of the Yellow Sea and may threaten marine life. 

Cause a mystery 

Also: 

• Green covers the water
• Heat fosters toxic algae
• Tests for 'burning ice'

Spectacular 'Roadshow' find

Spectacular 'Antiques Roadshow' find

One man's collection of old cups turns out to be worth more than any item in the show's history.  

'Rare treasure' 

Also: 

• Sinkhole swallows building
• Fake Apple store revealed
• Dog attacks shark

Photos of best fan costumes

Best fan costume photos

Superheroes and storm troopers are among the standouts at this year's Comic-Con. 

  Image gallery 

Also: 

• More wild fan getups
• Spider-Man tricks crowd
• Comic-Con interviews

Overcome your biggest fears

How to overcome your biggest fears

Surprising facts about dreams

Six dream mysteries explained

While you're sleeping, your brain is cataloging all the events of the day.

Tapping into emotional issues, too 

Also: 

• Get a good night's rest
• Natural sleep boosters
• Foods that help your brain

Looking to Rent

Bill and Sarah were Londoners and were blessed with seven healthy children. After many months of discussion, they finally decided to move to New York. It should have been a simple enough move, but when they arrived, they had great difficulty finding a suitable apartment to live in.

Although many were big enough, the landlords always seemed to object to such a large family living there. If only Bill wasn't so honest about the size of his family!

After several days of unsuccessful searching, Bill had an idea. He told Sarah to take the four younger children to visit the local cemetery while he went with the older three children to find an apartment. After looking for most of the morning, Bill found a place that was ideal.

The landlord asked him, "How many children do you have?"

Bill answered with a deep sigh, "Seven . . . but four are with their dear mother in the cemetery."

He got the apartment!

Four popular online degrees

Four popular online degree options

These academic programs lend themselves well to learning on your computer.  

Potential career paths 

Also: 

• Degrees with best value
• Most affordable colleges
• Overlooked tuition ideas

Billionaire investor retiring

Legendary billionaire Soros retiring

The noted philanthropist ends nearly 40 years as one of the world's top hedge fund managers.  

 His $1 billion bet 

Also: 

• World's top billionaires
• Invest like a shark
• Busy week for IPOs

On The Job

Outdated career advice you should ignore

Classic attention-getting moves, like sending your resumé express mail, will backfire today.  

 Interview mistakes, too 

Also: 

• Beat your work fears
• Credit-check red flags
• New ways to find work

Racial wealth gap grows

White-minority wealth gap grows

The recession erases decades of minority progress, according to census data.  

Widest split in a quarter-century 

Also: 

• Misery Index rises
• Black gains reversed
• Both sides blamed on jobs

How to read a credit report

How to read your credit report

The x-ray of your credit health can be dense, so just look for these six items.

Where to get yours free 

Also: 

• What boosts credit scores
• No-'gotchas' credit card
• Lowest borrowing rates

How to boost savings by $50K

Boost your retirement savings by $50K

A controversial way of paying down credit card debt could free up cash for your future.  

Get into the $100 habit 

Also: 

• Tough retirement choices
• Make your money last
• Stealth taxes are rising

Best deals at dollar stores

Our seven favorite dollar-store deals

One couple that routinely shops the aisles says these items offer the best bargains.  

Saving 50% on one staple 

Also: 

• Back-to-school savings
• Why I quit bulk-buying
• Where gas costs the most

Culinary DeLites

Scrumptious dinner ideas all week long

If you're wondering what to do with your squash, this zucchini-laden pizza is a tasty option.

  Chili-rubbed steak 

Also: 

• Adding veggies to diet
• 8 glasses of water a day?
• Organic foods not to buy

Organic products that go too far

Organic products that go too far

Fresh Garden Veggies Burst with Flavor

Freshly picked Chioggia beets from my garden. Yellow onions, Yukon Gold potatoes and carrots just out of the vegetable beds in my garden.

Full Story

Ziggy

Mexican Anthropologists Unearth Cannibal Tribe Remains in Durango

Research on bones found in caves were the Xixima Indians resided, shown the ancient Mexican tribe were cannibals.

Full Story

Preserving Smelly History

We can preserve and experience historical sights and sounds. But how do we know what, for example, Eighteenth Century Manhattan smelled like? Thanks to technologies developed by the perfume industry, there are now ways to preserve smells so that future generations can experience them:

A pioneer of this approach is Roman Kaiser, a Swiss fragrance chemist who developed a technology called “headspace” in the 1970s that made it possible to capture and analyze the scent given off by flowers and other objects. Using a glass container, a pump, and a sampling trap that gathers molecules using a solvent or coated surface, the system allows a chemist or perfumer to gather the volatile scent molecules exuded by an object without harming it.[...]
Perfumers like New York-based Christopher Brosius have used headspace to re-create less obvious smells, like the odor of an old fur coat or a well-worn paperback. Their goal is an artistic one, but the same approach could serve as the beginning of a database. Imagine having a library of scents specific to a particular time or place, from the strangely sweet aroma of a plastic-wrapped CD case to the blend of horse dung and candy that permeates Boston’s Faneuil Hall.

Other historians are attempting to recreate scents from the past, from a cologne used by Napoleon Bonaparte to a Viking-era latrine. What historical smell would you like to experience?

Full Story

Melting Arctic Ice Releases Stored Toxic Chemicals

 

Photo: Andy Tinkham / cc

As if the threat of rising sea-levels due to rising global temperatures weren't enough cause for concern, new research suggests that as arctic ice melts, it may be releasing much more than just water. According to researchers studying the melting polar caps, as snow cover dwindles as a result of climate change, toxic chemicals stored in the ice from decades of pollution are being 'remobilized' back into the atmosphere -- potentially exposing humans and wildlife to substances known to cause illness and death, for decades to come.

Article continues: Melting Arctic Ice Releases Stored Toxic Chemicals

Magnetic and Electric Properties in a Single Material

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory announced today that they have observed a rare property in a special class of metals called multiferroics: they have both magnetic and electric properties, which normally don’t happen in the same material. Ferromagnets are, of course, magnetic metals, and ferroelectrics are materials that have a permanent electric polarization.

Now, scientists have found a new way that electric and magnetic properties can be coupled in a material. The group used extremely bright beams of x-rays at Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) to examine the electronic structure of a particular metal oxide made of yttrium, manganese, and oxygen. They determined that the magnetic-electric coupling is caused by the outer cloud of electrons surrounding the atom.
“Previously, this mechanism had only been predicted theoretically and its existence was hotly debated,” [Brookhaven physicist Stuart] Wilkins said.
In this particular material, the manganese and oxygen electrons mix atomic orbitals in a process that creates atomic bonds and keeps the material together. The researchers’ measurements show that this process is dependent upon the magnetic structure of the material, which in this case, causes the material to become ferroelectric, i.e. have an electric polarization. In other words, any change in the material’s magnetic structure will result in a change in direction of its ferroelectric state. By definition, that makes the material a multiferroic.

You’ll find more technical information at the Brookhaven National Laboratory site.

Philosoraptor Says ...

A new Dinosaur?

Two fossil hunting brothers from Kansas think they've found something new while digging in Montana.

Utah paleontologist Jim Kirkland has examined photos of the fossil that Robert Detrich and his brother, Alan  are uncovering and thinks it's a new kind of ankylosaur.

The low-slung heavily armored type of dinosaur lived around 65 million years ago.

Kirkland says the fossil was probably about 30 feet long, making it twice as big as a typical ankylosaur.

If the dinosaur does prove to be something new, Robert Detrich says he and his brother would like to call it "enormasaurus."

The brothers have been digging since May in a fossil rich area near the town of Jordan.

They've uncovered the fossil's skull, part of its leg and some vertebrae.

The World's Biggest Dog

George, a Great Dane, is the biggest dog in the world.

He stands nearly 4ft high at the shoulder, 7ft long and weighing nearly 18 stone (114 kilo).

Animal Pictures