Friday, April 9, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You love to hang out with those who aren't afraid of themselves -- people who stand up and speak before spoken to, say what's on their minds no matter what and let the rest of the world know that they're not afraid to be different.
Expect to cross paths with someone just like that, and when they come along, your only mission is to let them know that you're not just interested -- you're extremely interested.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

London, England, United Kingdom

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Versailles, Ile-De-France, France

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Marseille, Provenece-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea

Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

as well as Brazil, Guatemala, Singapore, and the United States in such cities as Mililani, Maricopa, Cheyenne, Queensbury, Ladysmith and more.

Today is Friday, April 9, the 99th day of 2010.

There are 266 days left in the year.

Today In History April 9

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

National Cherish An Antique Day

Great Scots!

Great Scots!

Huntersville’s Scottish festival begins next week!

The Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games will begin its 17th annual celebration April 16 to exhibit Scottish tradition and heritage, held at the 4431 Neck Road at Rural Hill Farm.

http://texasconfederateveterans.com/b.jpg

Bet you never thought of that.

Musical Interlude

Who's Next

All 15 tracks in order ... although the first 9 are what most Americans are familiar with as the US release only had the first 9 when it was originally released in the US unlike in the UK and the rest of the world.

Baba O'Riley

Bargain

Love Ain't For Keeping

My Wife

The Song Is Over

Getting In Tune

Going Mobile

Behind Blue Eyes

Won't Get Fooled Again

Pure And Easy

Baby Don't You Do It

Naked Eye

Water

Too Much Of Anything

I Don't Even Know Myself

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

Understanding the unrest in Kyrgyzstan

Answers to four key questions about the chaos and the little-known Central Asian nation.

What's at stake

Also:

Thai anti-government protesters stormed into a telecom company compound where authorities had shut down their vital TV channel, as soldiers and riot police failed to hold them back with tear gas and water cannons. The "Red Shirt" protesters then negotiated with police to return People Channel to the air, and the security forces and protesters withdrew from the compound side by side.

The assault was another humiliating blow to the government in monthlong protests aimed at ousting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and forcing new elections. At least 10 protesters and three security personnel were injured in the brief confrontation in a northern Bangkok suburb.

Full Story

The State Of The Nation

The State Of The Nation

Supreme Court Justice Stevens to retire

Days before his 90th birthday, the head of the court's liberal bloc gives President Obama a key opportunity.

Timing

Also:

Stevens retirement sets up high-wire act

Stevens retirement sets up high-wire act

Replacing the Supreme Court's liberal leader poses a tricky challenge for Democrats.

Three top contenders

Also:

Census braces for head count debacle

Census braces for head count debacle

The government is concerned its $15 billion program could be endangered by a slew of major risks.

The top concern

Also:

Adopted boy's return sparks diplomatic flap

Adopted boy's return sparks diplomatic flap

A Tennessee woman who put a 7-year-old alone on a flight back to Russia triggers an international incident.

'Last straw'

Also:

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

Author calls Charlotte a hotbed for human trafficking

Charlotte is a hotbed for human trafficking, according to Aaron Cohen, author of "Slave Hunter."
Cohen spoke at UNC Charlotte Thursday night.

He said Charlotte is a major hub for human trafficking because of its location -- roughly halfway between Houston and New York City. Cohen said young girls are most often the victims.

"People in Charlotte need to open their eyes, because if they don't they're going to have the next great enslavement in the South happening right now in their own hometown," Cohen said.

Cohen said sex trafficking is very common. There was one high profile case in Charlotte in 2008 when police made a prostitution bust at Island Spa in Monroe. Investigators later said the women involved were smuggled illegally into the country.

For more information on Cohen, visit http://www.abolishslavery.org/

Interesting In General

Interesting In General

Unusual treehouses from around the world

One dwelling has sliding doors and a 60-inch TV, all 30 feet above the ground.

Some cost $30K or more

Also:

*****

Man slashes dog for being racist

A black man who had grown tired of the incessant barking of a dog that reportedly dislikes minorities was arrested on Monday night after he slashed its face, police said.

The German shepherd lost an eye, and the suspect — who worked for an oil delivery business where the dog stood guard — was arrested on a felony aggravated cruelty charge. He also was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

Andrew Owens, 58, was arraigned on Tuesday in City Court after spending the night in jail. He admitted to the crime, police said. "The dog reacts to black people, Hispanics, anyone who is not white," owner Paul Tocco said. "She always barked at him. He (Owens) was well aware the dog didn't like him, and he knew to stay away from her."

A detective for the SPCA of Westchester said the slashing was unprovoked. It took place around 7 p.m. as the dog, a 4-year-old named Jenna, was leashed outside Valley Oil at 707 Nepperhan Ave.

Owens, who worked there as a handyman, had threatened to kill the dog in the past and told authorities it had bitten him about a year ago. On Monday night, he "egged on" the barking dog and charged at her, Detective Ken Ross III said. Owens is alleged to have then brandished a 9-inch folding knife.

Owens is accused of taunting the dog with his arm, raising his arm with a knife and slashing the dog across the face, Ross said. The dog was cut "over the right eye, all the way down to the socket bone," he said.

*****

Here's to hoping the man gets the same treatment he gave to the dog while he is imprisoned!

Bye Bye Glaciers

From Treehugger:

Two USGS researchers collect data in Glacier National Park in 2008. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.

Guest bloggers Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer are co-founders of NaturallySavvy.com.

We all know warmer temperatures have led to shrinking glaciers, and now two more of Glacier National Park's ice fields are too small to be classified as glaciers, according to a recent article on msnbc.com.
The Shepard Glacier and Miche Wabun Glacier have shrunk to less than 25 acres, bringing the number of glaciers in the Montana park down to 25; the park was once home to some 150 glaciers. And the article paints a grim picture for the future of the Montana park's glaciers.

Article continues: Bye Bye Glaciers: 2 More Gone From Glacier National Park

Ancient pearl necklace smashes record

Ancient pearl necklace smashes record

An 18th century piece commands the highest price ever paid for a Chinese imperial jewel.

How many millions

Also:

Just so you know ...

How to Make Mustard from Scratch

How to slim down this spring

How to slim down this spring

Starting dinner with a vegetable course and ditching caloric drinks can help you drop the pounds.

Nutrition tips

Also:

Connecting with Nature

The Power of Trees

Because trees are larger and older than we can ever hope to be; because they provide shade, food, medicines, furniture, wood for musical instruments, fuel, paper, shelter, recreation and space to commune with nature; and because they stretch from Earth to heaven, trees have been revered since before recorded time. Even with today’s technology, we still rely daily upon all of their products and we need trees to help counteract global warming and protect the planet.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/335083671_3f371b4f46.jpg

Full Story

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

cuban crocodile julie larsen maher photo

The Cuban crocodile is among the world's most endangered species.

Photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society.

The world's smallest marine cetacean, the national bird of Grenada, and an island-dwelling fox share a distinction no species would seek out: They are among the rarest animals of them all, according to a new list released this week by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The organization's recent State of the Wild report highlighted 10 rare species categorized as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), indicating that they "face an 'extremely high risk of extinction in the wild,' often meaning that the species' numbers have been reduced by approximately 80 percent in the last 10 years (or three generations)."
These "rarest of the rare" animals are an eclectic group, comprising birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, and threatened by both environmental changes such as habitat loss and more direct dangers such as hunting and illegal collection for the international pet trade. The endangered species featured on the list include the:

Cuban crocodile -- Currently restricted to two small areas of Cuba due largely to illegal hunting, chiefly for meat for restaurants serving the tourist industry, the survival of this species is also due to extensive hybridization with American crocodiles.
Florida bonneted bat -- Thought to be extinct until 2002, the small colony discovered in a North Fort Myers suburb suffers from a loss of roosting sites and pesticide spraying of the mosquitoes that they eat.
Green-eyed frog -- This once-common species has been decimated by chytrid fungus, as well as agricultural and logging activities.
Grenada dove -- Habitat loss and threats from introduced predators have left fewer than 150 of the Caribbean island's national bird alive.
Hirola -- One of the most most highly threatened antelopes in Africa, the hirola, or Hunter's hartebeest, is technically protected in Kenya and Somalia, but lack of effective enforcement leaves it vulnerable to poaching.
Ploughshare tortoise -- Restricted to five small, unconnected sub-populations in northwestern Madagascar and threatened by illegal collection for the international pet trade, the ploughshare tortoise will be extinct within 30 years if current conditions continue.
Island gray fox -- Found only on six of the California Channel Islands, there are likely fewer than 1,000 individuals of this fox species left.
Sumatran orangutan -- The Indonesian forest habitat of these primates is seriously threatened by logging and deforestation for palm oil plantations.
Vaquita -- The world's smallest marine cetacean at just five feet long, this rare porpoise often gets caught and drowned in fishing gillnets used in the Gulf of California.
White-headed langur -- Hunted for "monkey balm," a traditional Chinese medicinal preparation, this species has declined 98 percent over the past 40 years, to perhaps less than 100 individuals.

The news isn't all bad however: The tiny Romer's tree frog in Hong Kong and the Przewalski's horse, the only true living species of wild horse, are both "on the road to recovery" thanks to conservation measures, the WCS reports.
"The Rarest of the Rare provides a global snapshot of some of the world's most endangered animals," said Kent Redford, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute. "While the news is dire for some species, it also shows that conservation measures can and do protect wildlife if given the chance to work."

More about endangered species:

Know Your Endangered Species? : Quiz

Endangered Species Day In The USA: May 21, 2010

Life on the Endangered Species Waiting List

American University Students Help Create Afghanistan's First List of Protected Species

American Pika Denied Endangered Species Protection

'100 Heartbeats': Endangered Species Timebomb

7 Weird Endangered Species Only a Mother Could Love

Via: Treehugger