The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Do not worry whether folks aren't giving you your props -- they might have been bitten by the green-eyed monster! 

But if people are accusing you of cockiness, it might be karma's way of sending you a message. 

Next time the people around you score a big win, try hard to be the first one to congratulate them -- and mean it! 

The generous energy you put out will come right back to you when it's your turn to shine. 

This time, the folks you encouraged will cheer for you.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Albury, New South Wales, Australia

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

London, England, United Kingdom

Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Bandar Seri Begwan, Brunei and Muara, Brunei Darussalam

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

Gothenburg, Vastra Gotaland, Sweden

Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Berne, Bern, Switzerland

Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia

Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

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 Glen Burnie, Fuquay Varina, Kennewick, Corvallis and more.

Today is:

Today is Saturday, August 27, the 239th day of 2011.

There are 126 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

There are none.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

President Obama's Weekly Address

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, August 27, 2011

In just two weeks, we’ll come together, as a nation, to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  We’ll remember the innocent lives we lost.  We’ll stand with the families who loved them.  We’ll honor the heroic first responders who rushed to the scene and saved so many.  And we’ll pay tribute to our troops and military families, and all those who have served over the past ten years, to keep us safe and strong.
We’ll also recall how the worst terrorist attack in American history brought out the best in the American people.  How Americans lined up to give blood.  How volunteers drove across the country to lend a hand.  How schoolchildren donated their savings.  How communities, faith groups and businesses collected food and clothing.
We were united, and the outpouring of generosity and compassion reminded us that in times of challenge, we Americans move forward together, as one people.
This September 11th, Michelle and I will join the commemorations at Ground Zero, in Shanksville, and at the Pentagon.  But even if you can’t be in New York, Pennsylvania or Virginia, every American can be part of this anniversary.  Once again, 9/11 will be a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  And in the days and weeks ahead, folks across the country—in all 50 states—will come together, in their communities and neighborhoods, to honor the victims of 9/11 and to reaffirm the strength of our nation with acts of service and charity.
In Minneapolis, volunteers will help restore a community center.  In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, they’ll hammer shingles and lay floors to give families a new home.  In Tallahassee, Florida, they’ll assemble care packages for our troops overseas and their families here at home.  In Orange County, California, they’ll renovate homes for our veterans.  And once again, Michelle and I look forward to joining a local service project as well.
There are so many ways to get involved, and every American can do something.  To learn more about the opportunities where you live, just go online and visit Serve.gov.  Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost; a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.       
On this 10th anniversary, we still face great challenges as a nation.  We’re emerging from the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes.  We’re taking the fight to al Qaeda, ending the war in Iraq and starting to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.  And we’re working to rebuild the foundation of our national strength here at home.
None of this will be easy.  And it can’t be the work of government alone.  As we saw after 9/11, the strength of America has always been the character and compassion of our people.  So as we mark this solemn anniversary, let’s summon that spirit once more.  And let’s show that the sense of common purpose that we need in America doesn’t have to be a fleeting moment; it can be a lasting virtue—not just on one day, but every day.

Super Saturday

 

***

We're trying out a new feature here at Carolina Naturally.
Each day will be designated as a special day and something uplifting, quirky, slightly akimbo, straight up funny or downright insightful will fill in the space.
We begin with Super Saturday to be followed by Subtle Sunday, Manic Monday, Tuneful Tuesday, Wondrous Wednesday, Thorough Thursday and Far-Out Friday.

Non Sequitur

Hurricane Irene slams into North Carolina

Hurricane Irene slams into North Carolina

Hurricane Irene has hit the US coast with winds of 80mph recorded near Jacksonville, say forecasters.

More

Earthquake + Hurricane = Historic Pairing

An earthquake and a hurricane? It's never happened before in the same week, in the same place. Read more 

This is so true ...

Daily Commutes Tougher on Women

Why the extra strain on women? It may have to do with juggling the demands of work and home. Read more 

More Americans died from dog bites or lightning than terrorism last year

This means we need to spend a lot more money on stopping dog bites and lightning strikes. Either that or Bear Patrols. Is the bottomless pit of spending for so-called anti-terrorism really worth it?

ThinkProgress:

While identifying and then preventing or combating terrorism is an important part of the nation’s national security strategy, it is important to keep things in perspective when deciding national priorities. Last week, the State Department its annual Country Reports On Terrorism, which surveys terrorism injuries and deaths worldwide last year.

The report notes that 15 American private citizens died from terrorism last year worldwide, with almost all the deaths occurring in Afghanistan and one each occurring in Iraq and Uganda. While this statistic is tragic, it should be noted that it is dwarfed by the number of Americans who died from two other causes which do not receive nearly as much sensationalistic media coverage: dog bites and lightning strikes.

The truth be told

Odds and Sods

If you notice a young couple with exceptionally clean, dandruff-free hair pushing a baby stroller in a CVS drugstore, take a closer look. 

Asheville police seek suspects in 'weird' shampoo thefts

Mulcaire reveals News Of The World Bosses

Mulcaire reveals NOTW hacking names

Glenn Mulcaire has provided the names of NOTW bosses who instructed him to hack phones.  

Court order 

Also: 

• Hacking scandal
• Tory MP web threats
• Clegg attacker in court

Anti-Piracy Lawyers Sue Dead Person

When tens of thousands of people are sued for alleged copyright infringement all at once, there are bound to be some unfortunate targets and plenty of collateral damage. Earlier this year an adult movie studio sued a blind man and now the makers of The Hurt Locker have taken it one step further – by sending their lawyers after a dead person.

Since last year, in the U.S. alone more than 200,000 people have been accused of pirating movies.

While it’s likely that a significant portion of the people who are suspected of downloading and sharing copyrighted material have indeed done the deed, we can be certain that tens of thousands of defendants are wrongfully accused. After all, an IP-address is not a person.

Every now and then cases appear where these wrongful accusations are apparent. Two weeks ago for example we reported on a blind man who was sued for downloading a porn movie. But things can get even more complicated.

The makers of The Hurt Locker have sued 24,583 alleged BitTorrent users, and starting earlier this year they’ve been sending out subpoenas to identify these defendants. However, it now appears that not all of the accused individuals can easily cough up the settlement fee of a few thousand dollars.

This week a letter was returned to the U.S. District Court, indicating that the addressee is no longer alive. Whether the person in question had already passed away at the time of the alleged offense is unknown.

This is not the first time that a dead person has been sued for copyright infringement.

In 2006 the RIAA reached a new low when they did the same, and even more. After they found out that the alleged infringer had passed away they didn’t drop the case, but instead went after his children. Not before granting the children a 60-day grieving period of course.

“Plaintiffs do not believe it appropriate to discuss a resolution of the case with the family so close to Mr. Scantlebury’s passing. Plaintiffs therefore request a stay of 60 days to allow the family additional time to grieve,” RIAA’s lawyers wrote at the time.

Whether the makers of The Hurt Locker will be this cold-hearted is doubtful. After all, they probably don’t want their shoddy evidence to be tested in court, so they are likely to dismiss the dead person as collateral damage and move on to more lucrative targets.

Newlyweds caught shoplifting food for their wedding reception

A newlywed couple are accused of stealing more than $1,000 of merchandise on Saturday from a supermarket that police said they intended for their wedding reception later that afternoon. The value of the stolen items totaled $1,049.26, police said.

Arthur Phillips III, 32, and Brittany M. Lurch, 22, both of Centre Hall, married Aug. 18, and scheduled their wedding reception for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, police said. But at 2:30 p.m., Patton Township police were called to Wegmans supermarket for a report of a retail theft.

They watched the couple on surveillance cameras put items in their shopping cart, and walk out to their car without paying, according to an affidavit filed by police. Police then arrested Phillips and Lurch, who told them the items were intended for their reception.

The couple didn’t make it to the reception. Charged with misdemeanor counts of retail theft and receiving stolen property, Phillips and Lurch remain in Centre County jail in lieu of $2,500 bail.

Ziggy

Calvin and Hobbs

Five fun college degrees

Find the fun in five college degrees

These majors sound straightforward, but they all have an entertaining side.  

Chance to study abroad, too 

Also: 

• Careers you can enjoy
• In-demand degrees
• Balancing work and life

Are We All Geniuses?

Now that we have technology to assist us in our intellectual endeavors, is it easier to reach the status of genius?  

Read more 

Ten Great Philosophers Who Were Mentally Disturbed

Those who ask the difficult questions, like Why are we here? From where do we derive morals? and What does it all really mean, when you get right down to it? have given humanity amazing philosophical insights and ethical guidance.

Unfortunately, thinking too much about these issues can sometimes also lead to the brains of those philosophizing rejecting the difficulty - feeling the pressure just a little too much! Then again, maybe it's a wee bit of madness that leads great philosophers to try to seek out the answers in the first place.

Think your way happy

Use your mind to be a happier person

These mental tweaks help cheery types live longer, stay healthier, and even look younger.

  As effective as drugs 

Also: 

• Easy memory aids
• Skinny people's secrets
• Household toxins to banish

Heart attacks not always obvious

If you're not overweight, eat pretty well and exercise now and then, you might think you're in good heart health.

Full Story

Random Photos

Cool shipping container homes

From shipping containers to chic homes

These industrial steel boxes can actually become stylish, beautiful houses.  

High ceilings, modern interiors 

Also: 

• Green kitchen makeovers
• Who should buy now
• East Coast quake-ready?

Awesome Pictures

Fishy Store Labels on 'Sustainable Fish'

It may read " sustainable," but Chilean sea bass is not always what it appears to be on store shelves. Read more 

We all understand!

Risk of Civil War Increased Dramatically By El Nino

Photo: super devoika

Scientists are suggesting that the warmer weather that occurs every four years through El Nino has a domino effect on poorer tropical societies, which can cause civil war. It's no secret that unfortunate weather conditions such as drought can lead to unrest, but the link to El Nino adds another dimension to the argument. Scientists are suggesting that 1 out of every five civil wars has in fact been caused by El Nino, according to Reuters.

Article continues: Risk of Civil War Increased Dramatically By El Nino

The Oak Island Money Pit

 

Oak Island is a 140-acre island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Oak Island is noted as the location of the so-called Money Pit and the site of over 200 years of treasure hunting. Repeated excavations have reported layers of apparently man-made artifacts, but ended in collapsed excavations and flooding. Critics argue that there is no treasure and that the pit is a natural phenomenon, likely a sinkhole.

The most common theory, however, is that pirates buried their treasure there and set up a series of traps to protect it. Captain Kidd and Blackbeard are both believed to be owners of the alleged booty. Other wild ideas range from Marie Antoinettes jewels to the Ark of the Covenant.

Belgium's Abandoned Crypts

Environmental Graffiti has a gallery of images from an underground crypt in Belgium. It was used for burials for decades, but maintenance was discontinued because of the expense. After years of decay, access to the crypt was closed for safety reasons. But you can see it still. Photographer and urban explorer Sven Fennema takes you on an underground tour with fascinating pictures from his book Anderswelten (Other Worlds).

“The air was very cold and wet, and you could see your every breath – also an experience I will never forget. It was as if death was close beside you somehow. The crypt was full of those strange plastic flowers – still with their bright colors – but it was also full of spiders’ webs and other kinds of decay.”

Full Story

The 10 Oldest Buildings In The World

Many buildings haven't lasted for more than 200 years. Modern technology has increased exponentially over the years, but I still have some doubts that today's Wal-Marts could stand as long as these gems of the ancient world.

There's something round under the ground at King's Knot

 

Archaeologists using remote sensing devices have found evidence of a round subsurface structure at the fabled "King's Knot" at Stirling Castle. 

The Telegraph:

Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older. Writers going back more than six centuries have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur.

Archaeologists from Glasgow University, working with the Stirling Local History Society and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society, conducted the first ever non-invasive survey of the site in May and June in a bid to uncover some of its secrets. Their findings were show there was indeed a round feature on the site that pre-dates the visible earthworks...

Around 1375 the Scots poet John Barbour said that "the round table" was south of Stirling Castle, and in 1478 William of Worcester told how "King Arthur kept the Round Table at Stirling Castle". Sir David Lindsay, the 16th century Scottish writer, added to the legend in 1529 when he said that Stirling Castle was home of the "Chapell-royall, park, and Tabyll Round".

Mysterious bubble cloud sighting in China

Scientists in China are baffled after a huge bubble cloud appeared above Beijing. Concerned people uploaded photographs of the phenomenon looming over the Chinese capital

One observer at the Beijing Planetarium described what he saw: "At first, it's relatively small and bright, the upper part is something like a semi-circle, a spherical ring of light, it's obviously becoming bigger and bigger then."

YouTube link.

The object, which appeared in the sky for fifteen minutes, gradually became bigger and thinner. Similar reports came in from Shenyang, Shanxi, and Zhejiang provinces, although experts say it was probably the same phenomenon.

Zhu Jin, the curator of the Beijing Planetarium said: "It must have been caused by human beings, not nature or things like that."

The Rio Hamza

The Underground River Beneath The Amazon River

Add this to the long list of amazing things that is the Amazon River: Brazilian scientists have found a new river that runs underneath it!

The Rio Hamza, named after the head of the team of researchers who found the groundwater flow, appears to be as long as the Amazon river but up to hundreds of times wider.
Both the Amazon and Hamza flow from west to east and are around the same length, at 6,000km. But whereas the Amazon ranges from 1km to 100km in width, the Hamza ranges from 200km to 400km.

Full Story

B.C.

Dino Hunters Bask at Plush Dig Site

Eat your heart out , Shangri-La. If you're a dino digger, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, might just be paradise. James Williams finds out why.    

Watch video 

Flora and Fauna

1. Smelliest plant in the world still won't flower after eight years
   Staff at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh have been left red faced after the world's stinkiest flower failed to bloom.
2. Chinese Scientist Creates World's Smallest Frog
   There are many tiny frogs in the world, some no bigger than the size of a pea, but Hu Gansheng, a Chinese computer science professor from the Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, claims to have developed, through artificial breeding, the world's smallest specimens.

Horses Domesticated 9,000 Years Ago in Saudi Arabia

Previous estimates had dated horse domestication back only 5,000 years.

Read more 

Dolphin Conch Fishing

Researchers from Murdoch University have been watching bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia develop an ingenious way to fish. First witnessed by researchers in 2007, a dolphin will use a conch shell to trap and scoop up fish. The dolphin will then proceed to pour the fishies into its mouth as if they were the bottoms of a chip bag. The remarkable part is that this behavior seems to be becoming more widespread, marking it as a trend learned.

“Conching” is a method by which Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are trapping small fish in conch shells, bringing the shells to the surface, and then shaking them with their rostrums to clear out the water and dump the fish into their mouths. More remarkably, the trend appears to be spreading throughout an entire population of dolphins, and fast.
The first isolated instances of conching were recorded in 2007 and 2009 among a small group of Shark Bay’s dolphins. But other dolphins seem to be observing that behavior and learning the method for themselves–in the last four months alone, researchers have documented the behavior six or seven times–marking a very rapid horizontal spread of behavior.

Full Story

New Monkey and American Bird Species Found

A unique new primate was found in the Amazon and, for the first time in decades, the U.S. has a new bird species.

Read more 

Animal Pictures