The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You're famous for your ability to sense something brewing, especially in a business sense, well before it's begun to brew.
In this case, with the heavens putting out all kinds of perceptive energies, your intuition is definitely running on high -- or higher.
Some of the things you're picking up are downright uncanny, as a matter of fact.
For example, when the phone rings -- I mean, just disconnect the Caller ID!
Why bother paying for it when you know who it is before the darned thing even rings?

Some of our readers today have been in:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Rosenheim, Bayern, Germany

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Vincenza, Veneto, Italy

Kassel, Hessen, Germany

Padova, Veneto, Italy

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands

Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Troitsk, Moscow City, Russia

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Rosairo, Santa Fe, Argentina

Mersin, Icel, Turkey

Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia

Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France

as well as 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, 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 Atascadero, Sun City, Phenix City, Weare and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, January 13, the 13th day of 2011.

There are 352 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is: 

Rubber Duckie Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Life is what we make it ...

Then why do some pretend to be assholes?

A Conversation with a Congressman

A Congressman was seated next to a little girl on an airplane so he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”
The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?”
Oh, I don’t know,” said the congressman. “How about global warming, universal health care, or stimulus packages?” as he smiled smugly.

“OK,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics, but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”

The legislator, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”

To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss global warming, universal health care, or the economy, when you don’t know shit?”

And then she went back to reading her book.

New State of the Union seating?

New seating proposed for State of the Union

A suggestion to break tradition gains momentum after recent calls to end political divisiveness. 

Senator's idea 

Also: 

• Ariz. shootings as catalyst
• Obama's call for civility
• Praise for speech

Wizard of Id

Nine-year-old Arizona victim mourned

Hundreds mourn youngest Tucson victim

Christina Green's funeral is the first for the six victims killed in the Arizona shootings.  

Ground Zero flag used 

Also: 

• Photos of the scene
• Giffords's 'miracle' moment
• Standing ovation for intern

Giffords 'knows we're here'

      

Obama's speech stirs Tucson crowd

Dramatic moments in the president's call for unity prompt a strong audience reaction.

'Gabby opened her eyes'

Also:

Intern praised as hero
Moving scenes
Suspect's past with police

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Comparing speeches of Obama and Palin: 'It's difficult to imagine a starker contrast'

This morning, Mike Signorile tweeted:

Yesterday: Sarah Palin reminded us of who she is and why she & McCain lost. Barack Obama reminded us of who he is & why he won.

Mike is so right. Yesterday, Palin finally responded to the Arizona massacre. She chose to insert herself on the day of the Tucson memorial service, where the President would be speaking. She set herself up for the inevitable comparisons between the speeches from leading repugican, as she deludes herself, and the leading Democrat, Obama.

As the Washington Post noted today:

And after four days of near silence, the timing guaranteed that Palin would be written into the story line of President Obama's visit to comfort grief-stricken Tucson after a massacre there.

Well, she got what she wanted. She's part of the story. But, the results aren't good for her -- not at all, as you can see from the following two articles.

Michael Shear from The New York Times:

Wednesday was bookended by two remarkable — and remarkably different — political performances that demonstrated the vast expanse of America’s political landscape.

The day opened at 5 a.m. with Sarah Palin, whose seven-and-a-half minute video statement captured with precision the bubbling anger and resentment that is an undercurrent of the national conversation about our public discourse.

Sarah Palin issued a forceful denunciation of her critics in a video statement posted to her Facebook page.  

It ended with President Obama, whose plea for civility, love and compassion — for us to all be not just better citizens but better people — exposed for the first time the emotions of a leader who has spent two years staying cool and controlled for a nation beset by difficult times.

The tone of the two speeches could not have been more different. The venues were a world apart — the smallness of a rectangular video on a computer screen and the vastness of an echo-filled basketball arena.

Jonathan Martin from Politico:

In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency next year.

At sunrise in the east on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest—or capacity—in moving beyond her brand of grievance-based politics. And at sundown in the west, Barack Obama reminded even his critics of his ability to rally disparate Americans around a message of reconciliation.

Palin was defiant, making the case in a taped speech she posted online why the nation’s heated political debate should continue unabated even after Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson. And, seeming to follow her own advice, she swung back at her opponents, deeming the inflammatory notion that she was in any way responsible for the shootings a “blood libel.”

Obama, speaking at a memorial service at the University of Arizona, summoned the country to honor the victims, and especially nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green, by treating one another with more respect. “I want America to be as good as Christina imaged it,” he said.

It’s difficult to imagine a starker contrast.

Boehner opts for fundraiser over going to memorial service in Tucson

A real classy act who obviously has his priorities:

Speaker John Boehner (reptile-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturday’s shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.

Boehner is instead scheduled to attend a reception on Wednesday night on behalf of Maria Cino, a former top House repugican aide who is seeking the repugican national cabal chairmanship. Boehner is backing Cino’s challenge to current rnc chairwimp Michael Steele.

Boehner’s reception for Cino was first reported on Wednesday morning by POLITICO.

Wingnut smear of Tucson memorial service turns out to be ... wait for it ... a lie

Dishonoring the dead.
But they're not extremists, really they're not.

From Mediaite:

Among attempts by some conservatives to cast last night’s “Together We Thrive” memorial for victims of the massacre in Tucson in a negative light were suggestions that the White House was involved in designing and distributing t-shirts at the event.

University of Arizona spokesperson Jennifer Fitzenberger told me that the shirts were, indeed, provided by the University. “The University wanted to give people something to remember that symbolized community spirit and continued the event’s positive energy into the future,” she said.

Many have also wondered how the shirts were produced so quickly. According to Fitzenberger, “The UA BookStores made the arrangements to produce the shirts. The BookStores knew a vendor that could turn them around fast.”

Tuscon tea party co-founder thinks Giffords deserves blame for not having security

Classy, as ever, from the tea party.

ThinkProgress:

Tuscon tea party co-founder Trent Humphries called Giffords’ previous concerns about violent rhetoric “political gamesmenship,” claiming that if Giffords was so concerned, then she is to blame for Saturday’s shootings because she “had no security whatsoever”:

“It’s political gamesmanship. The real case is that she [Giffords] had no security whatsoever at this event. So if she lived under a constant fear of being targeted, if she lived under this constant fear of this rhetoric and hatred that was seething, why would she attend an event in full view of the public with no security whatsoever?” he said. “For all the stuff they accuse her [Palin] of, that gun poster has not done a tenth of the damage to the political discourse as what we’re hearing right now.”

Another arrest following another threat to US Congressman

Not to worry though because violent threats against politicians happen every day in other industrialized countries.
None come to mind but give Faux News some time and they will surely come up with a long list that proves the US doesn't have a sick obsession with violence and guns.

NY Times:

A California man was arrested on Wednesday morning for threatening to kill Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington State, as the shootings in Tucson sparked impassioned conversation about Congressional security on Capitol Hill.

Charles Habermann, 32, of Palm Springs, Calif., was arrested for phone calls he made in December to Mr. McDermott’s office in which he threatened to kill Mr. McDermott, as well as the congressman’ss friends and family, and to put the congressman “in the trash.”

The news came as law-enforcement officials briefed members of Congress on precautions they ought to take to ensure the security of their families and staff in the wake of the shootings in Tucson. A spokeswoman for the United States Attorney’s Office in Seattle said that prosecutors’ decision to bring charges, and their timing, did not reflect any policy change in response to the incident.

The truth be told

Odds and Sods

Couple held in central Russian exorcist killing

A married couple from the central Russian city of Voronezh have been charged with murdering their daughter in an attempt to exorcise her of demons, media reports said on Thursday.

IRS Socks TV Personality Montel Williams, Wife With $1 Million Tax Lien

TV personality Montel Williams has been hit with a $1 million federal tax lien, according to Internal Revenue Service documents recorded this week in New York City.

Snow Present in 49 of the 50 U.S. States

Right now there is snow present in 49 of the 50 U.S. states:

After big snow and ice events in the Southeast, Plains, and Midwest this week, 49 out of the 50 states currently have snow on the ground – yes, even Hawaii, where snow falls in Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea all winter.

Thanks a lot, Florida. We almost had a perfect record. But you just had to go and be different, didn’t ya?

Full Story

Tragic hero of Australia floods

Boy hailed as tragic hero of Australia floods

A 13-year-old's selfless act saves his brother's life and strikes a nerve around the world. 

'He was petrified of water' 

Also: 

• Photos: City underwater
• Man's incredible footage  
• Brisbane 'like a war zone'

Deadly Brazil mudslides

Deadly mudslides wreak havoc in Brazil

Driving rains and flooding leaves hundreds dead in an area north of Rio de Janeiro.  

Photos of the devastation 

Also: 

• Dramatic flood rescue
• Survivors recount horrors
• Philippine landslides

Acid-laden tanker capsizes

Tanker carrying acid capsizes on Rhine

A vessel transporting 2,400 tons of sulfuric acid overturns in Germany.

Safeguards against contamination 

Also: 

• Sulfuric acid
• Icebound ships freed
• Asian ship dispute

Corruption

At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?"

The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't hear the question.

"Isn't it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond.

Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question."

"Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."

Brett Favre's Sister Arrested in Mississippi Meth Bust

Brett Favre's younger sister was arrested in Mississippi when narcotics agents busted a meth lab hidden in a condo.

Brandi Favre was among 5 suspects rounded up on the scene ... and according to WLOX, the perps were taken to a local medical center for decontamination before being thrown behind bars.

It's not the first time Brandi's had a run-in with the law -- in the past, she's been arrested for shoplifting and unlawful use of a weapon.

More:

The younger sister of Brett Favre was arrested on Sunday after police in Mississippi discovered a meth lab in the town of Diamondhead.

WLOX-TV reported that Brandi Favre was among five people police arrested after finding the meth lab. Police told the station they observed persons participating in a drug buy who then led them back to the location of the meth lab.

Major Matt Karl, the director of narcotics in Hancock County, Miss., told the Biloxi Sun Herald authorities found Brandi Favre in the unit when they entered.

"She was here, at the wrong place at the wrong time," Karl told the paper.

Police did not yet say what the five individuals would be charged with.