The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
It won't take much arm-twisting to talk you into a little recreation now -- yes, even though you may need to get up tomorrow, and even though you're ordinarily the very soul of responsibility.
It will take even less strong-arming if you happen to be at the mercy of someone you find absolutely delightful, however -- and if they're someone who's made it clear that they're just dying for a few quality hours alone with you.
Oh, go ahead, and don't feel guilty.
You're due.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Perth, Western, Australia, Australia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Malmo, Skane Lan, Sweden
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Merida, Yucatan, mexico
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia
Stoke On Trent, England, United Kingdom
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom

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 Gowrie, Boise, Haverhill, Galt and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, March 17, the 76th day of 2011.

There are 289 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

But it is St Patrick's Day 
- so - 

Beannachtaí Na Féile Pádraig Oraibh 

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Irish Whiskey

Two Irishmen, Patrick Murphy and Shawn O'Brian grew up together and were lifelong friends. But alas, Patrick developed cancer, and was dying. While on his deathbed, Patrick called to his buddy, Shawn, "O'Brian, come 'ere. I 'ave a request for ye." Shawn walked to his friend's bedside and kneels.

"Shawny ole boy, we've been friends all our lives, and now I'm leaving 'ere. I 'ave one last request fir ye to do."

O'Brian burst into tears, "Anything Patrick, anything ye wish. It's done."

"Well, under me bed is a box containing a bottle of the finest whiskey in all of Ireland. Bottled the year I was born it was. After I die, and they plant me in the ground, I want you to pour that fine whiskey over me grave so it might soak into me bones and I'll be able to enjoy it for all eternity."

O'Brian was overcome by the beauty and in the true Irish spirit of his friend's request, he asked, "Aye, tis a fine thing you ask of me, and I will pour the whiskey. But, might I strain it through me kidneys first?"

Wizard of Id

American Pronunciations of English Words Not Thriving in the British Isles

A study by the British Library revealed that despite concerns to the contrary, Britons have not begun adopting the American pronunciation for English words. In fact, British English is changing at a faster rate than American English. Jonnie Robinson, one of the researchers, said:

‘In fact, in some cases it is the other way around. British English, for whatever reason, is innovating and changing while American English remains very conservative and traditional in its speech patterns.’

Here’s how Robinson and his colleagues conducted the study of 10,000 English speakers:

The volunteers were asked to read extracts from Mr Tickle, one of the series of Mr Men books by Roger Hargreaves.
They were also asked to pronounce a set of six different words which included ‘controversy’, ‘garage’, ‘scone’, ‘neither’, ‘attitude’ and ‘schedule’.
Linguists then examined the recordings made by 60 of the British and Irish participants and 60 of their counterparts from the U.S. and Canada.

Full Story

Random Celebrity Photo

Jennifer Aniston at 3

The Biggest Aircraft In The World

AN-225 “MRIA”

AN-225 “MRIA” (from Ukrainian – “a dream”) is today the biggest and the heaviest aircraft with the highest cargo capacity in the World. This unique cargo plane was constructed in the 80′s by the Antonov’s Development Laboratory. Its length is 84 m, height – 18 m, total cargo capacity – 250 tons. Currently there is only one operative AN-225, and it belongs to a Ukrainian air company.

Full Story

Carbon-fiber guitar debuts

High-tech carbon-fiber guitar debuts

The pint-sized instrument's space-age design makes it loud and virtually indestructible. 

Not cheap, though 

Also: 

• Real guitars in video game
• GPS watches for runners
• Great gadgets for spring

Just a bit off

What year is it? 

To one eastern Tennessee man it's 1989. 

Police say Joseph David Bales was so out of it, he thinks it's '89. 

Not only was he 22 years off, police say Bales thought he was in town nine miles away.

Tennessee Man Thinks the Year is Still 1989

Buford, Wyoming Population 1

Buford was formed in 1866 as military outpost “Fort Sanders”, to protect workers building a railroad. It was once home to 2000 people and the town was named Buford after Civil War general John Buford following the opening.

When Don Sammons moved to Buford, Wyoming it was a booming metropolis of 7 residents. Today Don is the lone resident of the town. He left Los Angeles in 1980 looking for a quieter lifestyle and it looks like he’s found it in Buford. He runs a gas station and convenience store in this windy town. Sammons sells souvenirs like mugs, hats and postcards and is happy to go home at the end of the day to his isolated mountain top perch. He says he loves the slow pace and never feels lonely.

Full Story

Uproar over SAT essay question

Uproar over reality TV question on SAT

Did a test topic really require familiarity with shows like "Jersey Shore"? 

Why complaints may be overblown 

Also: 

• Girl's IQ tops Einstein's
• Deciphering teen-speak
• Degrees recruiters look for

Things They Won't Tell You

10 things hotels won't tell you

The photos on a hotel's website may barely resemble the room you check into. 

Best place to book for an upgrade 

Also: 

• Best U.S. city hotels
• 10 rooms with a view 
• Hotels for romantics

Human Prejudice Has Ancient Evolutionary Roots

The tendency to perceive others as “us versus them” isn’t exclusively human but appears to be shared by our primate cousins, a new study led by Yale researchers has found.

In a series of ingenious experiments, Yale researchers led by psychologist Laurie Santos showed that monkeys treat individuals from outside their groups with the same [...]

Human Prejudice Has Ancient Evolutionary Roots

Lush Dimbulb the Latest to Mock Japan in Wake of Earthquake

Lush Dimbulb has become the latest wingnut hate talk show host to mock Japan, despite the devastating earthquake that has killed thousands, left untold numbers homeless and missing, and threatened their nuclear power plants.

Full Story

Libyan no-fly zone approved

U.N. approves no-fly zone over Libya

The Security Council backs "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from attacks.  

5 nations abstain 

Also: 

• Gadhafi vows assault
• Oil over $100 on crisis
• U.S. journalists missing

Video purportedly shows Bahraini protester shot in head point-blank by police

We have no way to verify this, but it's making the rounds, including Huff Post. The video is posted below the screen shots.

He was already shot once by the police, and was just standing up again when he got shot a second time, apparently in the head. First pic he's standing up after being shot the first time, second pic you can see the cop in back aiming his gun seemingly at the man's head, third pic he fires in a puff of smoke. Looks like they might be rubber bullets, or they might have been buckshot that they were using on other protesters.

Violent Struggle Over Illegal Mining in Colombia Forces Hundreds to Flee

At least 800 ethnic Afro-Colombians have had to flee their homes in western Colombia since the start of the month because of a struggle between armed groups in the mineral-rich area to control illegal mining activities, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

Full Story

Judge denies bail for RI Strip Club bouncer in mob case

Stooge for Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio

A strip club bouncer accused of taking part in a mob extortion scheme was ordered held without bail Wednesday after a detective described conversations in which he threatened to kill a man and bragged of shooting someone else.

Richard Bonafiglia, who has a long criminal record -- including violent crimes and bail violations -- poses a danger to the community and to potential witnesses against him, Magistrate Judge David Martin said after hearing the evidence.

"Conditions of release are meaningless to Mr. Bonafiglia," Martin said. "What really tips the scales is Mr. Bonafiglia's past conduct."

Bonafiglia, 57, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy charges.

He is named in an indictment that alleges he helped Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio -- the suspected former boss of New England's Patriarca crime family -- keep tabs on his employer, the Cadillac Lounge strip club.

Manocchio, who was arrested in a major mob sweep in January, has pleaded not guilty to charges he and his associates extorted protection payments, totaling at least several thousand dollars a month, from Rhode Island strip clubs and adult bookstores.

To bolster the government's case for pre-trial detention, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ferland called on state police Detective Matthew Moynihan, who worked on the case, to review transcripts of conversations intercepted in 2008 by police surveillance of a Cadillac Lounge office.

In quotes Moynihan attributed to Bonafiglia, the bouncer brags about acts of violence on several occasions, including what Moynihan said was a deadly shooting that took place in a Rhode Island liquor store in the late 1980s.

"I shot him twice in the joint. And then he got in the car, and I threw one through the window and the horn went beep," Bonafiglia said, according to the transcript.

Moynihan said the victim of that shooting died but that Bonafiglia was never charged with the slaying. He said the bouncer also was questioned in 2008 in connection with two other cold case murders.

Ferland also played a recording of an intercepted conversation from the Cadillac Lounge. In the recording, a voice identified by Moynihan as belonging to Bonafiglia screams at an unknown man over the telephone, telling him to be quiet "or I will come there and cut your throat" and threatening violence if the man calls the police.

Bonafiglia, who had family members present in the courtroom, frowned as the recording was played.

His public defender, Robert Mann, argued that he should be released.

Prosecutors "rely on primarily unproven allegations that are over two decades old" to demonstrate Bonafiglia's propensity for violence, Mann said.

He said his client requires medical treatment for a painkiller addiction beyond what he could receive in detention and that his deep ties to Rhode Island do not make him a flight risk.

Two other former employees of the Cadillac Lounge charged in the indictment have also pleaded not guilty.

Mayor, police chief and official in U.S. border town busted for running guns to Mexico drug cartels

Eddie Espinoza and Angelo Vega, the mayor and police chief of Columbus, N.M., were busted on charges that they ran a smuggling operation that funneled guns into northern Mexico.

Full Story

Huntersville mom leads Charlotte police to break-in suspects

Convinced her son had been falsely accused of breaking into a south Charlotte home, a Huntersville woman followed a tip from one of her son's friends and located the couple she believes committed the break-in and other daytime home burglaries.

Full Story

Stepfather jailed after forcing boy to sleep in straitjacket

An 11-year-old boy's parents have been jailed after forcing him to sleep in a straitjacket, surgical collar and special helmet. The youngster's stepfather, who had an interest in bondage, reportedly believed that restraining the boy, who suffered from behavioral problems, would help him sleep better. He also wrongly believed that the boy suffered from autism, despite a doctor saying this was not the case.

Both the stepfather and the boy's mother pleaded guilty to child cruelty at Doncaster Crown Court. The stepfather was jailed for three years, while the boy's mum was locked up for two years for allowing the abuse to continue. Judge Jacqueline Davies said: 'What happened to this young man over a period is that he was physically restrained in the most appalling way.

'It is difficult for any normal human being to understand how you could have done this to any human being.' However, the stepfather's lawyer, Tina Dempster, said that the man's behavior was due to his desire to help the youngster. 'To him it was a natural development because it seemed to be working,' she said.

'There is no sadism in this case and no element of concealment.' The boy is now residing with a foster family and the judge ordered the equipment to be destroyed. Speaking to reporters, one of the family's neighbors said they had no idea something like this had been going on in the house.