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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Friday, February 25, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
Things are brewing between you and someone else, but everything is still deep under the surface; you will need to utilize all your insight to piece together a more complete picture.
What other people say isn't going to help -- you need to ignore any reports you've heard that are based on third-hand information.
The game of telephone is not one you should play.
There is too much overlapping communication going on, so focus on keeping your messages and intentions crystal clear.

Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan
London, England, United Kingdom
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Perth, Western Australia, Austrtalia
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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 Baton Rouge, Seattle, Scranton, Chicago and more.

Today is:
Today is Friday, February 25, the 56th day of 2011.
There are 309 days left in the year.


Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are: 
They are none.


Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Ice-age child's remains discovered in Alaska

 Just an interesting anthropological story for the day.
The 3-year-old is only the second ice-age child discovered on the continent, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Archaeologists discovered the remains in a fire pit in an abandoned living area from 13,200 years ago and dated the child's death to about 11,500 years ago, according to research by UAF's Ben Potter and his team in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.

Looking at the child's teeth, UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish said in initial observations that the remains had traits of North Americans and northeast Asians.

Neanderthals Wore Feathers as Fashion Accessories

Neandertal 
Neanderthals living in what is now Italy may have used feathers as fashion accessories, according to a study on 44,000-year-old bird bones.
While investigating Neanderthal remains in the Fumane Cave near Verona in northern Italy, paleoanthropologist Marco Peresani from the University of Ferrara and colleagues discovered 660 bird bones in layers that were dated to around 44,000 years ago.
Belonging to 22 species of birds, the remains included several wing bones which, according to the researchers, were deliberately cut to take the feathers off.

Happy Birthday George

Happy Birthday George
Here comes the sun, here comes the sunAnd I say it’s alright
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it’s alright
Happy Birthday George Harrison who would have been 68 today…
Give me loveGive me loveGive me peace on earthGive me lightGive me lifeKeep me free from birthGive me hopeHelp me cope, with this heavy loadTrying to, touch and reach you with,heart and soul
Happy Birthday George Harrison who would have been 68 today…
Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

Random Celebrity Photo

Clara Bow
Clara Bow

The Castle At Sunset


Kamyanets-Podilsky is a Ukrainian town of major historical importance. Its “Old Town” is situated on a rocky island that is washed by a river in a deep canyon. The island is connected with the “big land” with a narrow neck of land where a marvellous castle was built.

Autumn is golden in the Hibiny Mountains


Amazingly beautiful nature of the Hibiny Mountains in autumn.

Winter in Russia

From A Bird’s-Eye View
Flight 72
Discover snowy Russian landscapes from the plane flight view. Fasten your seatbelts!

Ziggy

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/uc/20110225/largeimagezi110225.gif

On The Job

If you fantasize about working away from an office, one of these jobs might be for you.  
Also: 
    The right background will help you land an interview in hot fields like health care.  
    Also: 
      Sending yours to lots of friends and business colleagues actually isn't wise. 
      Also: 

      The Fuller Brush Man

      The Fuller Brush Company was founded January 1, 1906, by Alfred Carl Fuller, a businessman from Nova Scotia, Canada. The company began with door-to-door sales of brushes of various sorts. During the 1940s and 1950s, the ubiquitous Fuller Brush salesman became a cultural icon, inspiring comedy and jokes, movies, and at least one song.

      These days, door-to-door selling is frowned upon. But in its heyday, door-to-door selling was a legitimate pursuit and many men (and a few women) made a good living at it. One of the more prolific door-to-door salesman was the Fuller Brush Man.

      Marketing

      https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKM3gskfU8o5hLlg09Kz794gO_GZ_aC4rCIL-S52EJ5dKiGwVqqf_4PjrSOnCrY518D8TCPbnmSjDzbPSfWlLXaqExOdd1pQ8neagyjf_v5q1a5jYO6qdZG96LqIB1AJ75u1tYx9IIb6U/s320/alienembryo.jpg

      Unrest may slow U.S. recovery

      Chaos in the Mideast sends gas prices soaring, which could force Americans to cut back on spending.  
      Also: 

        Chaos as Libyan revolt swells

        As rebels mourn their dead in captured cities, Gadhafi tells his supporters to "defend the nation."
        Also: 

        Zeta's 'Tweety Bird' and 5 Others Held in Killing of U.S. Federal Agent

        "Confusion" Led to Ambush
        Mexican officials have arrested six members of the violent Los Zetas drug cartel in the killing of U.S. federal agent Jaime Zapata including cell leader 'El Piolin' or "Tweety Bird" whose real name is Julian Zapata Espinoza.

        Saudi Student & Texas Resident Arrested as Terrorist

        Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas on a federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device.

        The young college student was studying chemical engineering in Texas purchased explosive chemicals over the Internet as part of a plan to hide bomb materials inside dolls and baby carriages to blow up dams, nuclear plants or the Dallas home of the shrub, the Justice Department said Thursday.

        Armed robber sues over underpants arrest

        An armed robber is suing police after they led him from a bank he'd held up in handcuffs with his trousers round his ankles.

        Phillip Niere, 38, had threatened to kill staff at a branch of the Noris Bank in Aachen, Germany, if they didn't hand over £200,000.


        But he surrendered after an hour when police negotiators convinced him he'd be treated with dignity. "The handcuffs are understandable, but what the police have to explain is why he was brought out with his jeans pulled down and his underwear on show.

        "It is clearly a breach of his human rights and caused Mr Niere needless humiliation and embarrassment," said a lawyer.

        Man ticketed for catching cops sleeping on the job

        The Surete du Quebec has launched an internal investigation after a video was taken that appears to show a pair of officers asleep in their patrol car.
        The squad car was parked on the side of Highway 40 between the exits for St. Maurice and Des Prairies, and didn't appear to have anyone inside, according to the person who made the video.
        The cameraman started filming as he walked up to the car and spotted two people lying down in the front seats.
        "They're sleeping on the job!'' he exclaimed in the video.
        The SQ officers then fined the cameraman $156 for parking in an area reserved for emergency vehicles, although a Crown prosecutor has the right to overturn the ticket if it is contested.
        Sergeant Guy Lapointe says the SQ was notified of the situation this morning and immediately launched a disciplinary review.
        The officers involved have been asked to file a written report, and investigators will talk to the person who made the video.
        The video was first made public through radio station NRJ 102.3 FM.
        Watch the video here.

        We have a winner ...

        http://www.bartcop.com/jeopardy-hammers.jpg

        Anonymous seizes Westboro's domain during live TV confrontation

        How do the kids say it again? Oh, yeah ... you just got 'pwned'
        http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/anonymous-650x293.jpg

        During a live TV interview between an Anonymous member and Shirley Phelps-Roper from the Westboro Baptist Church, the escalating war between the two has peaked. During a 10-minute-plus interview, Phelps-Roper repeatedly blamed Anonymous for a letter released earlier this week promising to attack the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. Anonymous has been claiming since the accusation that it was not the author of the widely circulated message, and insists the entire operation was likely a ploy for attention on the congregation’s part.

        During the interview, Anonymous continuously and calmly reiterated it was not responsible for the original letter, and that the church’s site had been taken down earlier by another hacktivist widely known as “th3j3st3r.” The Jester took credit for the hack via his Twitter on February 21.

        But Phelps-Roper would have none of it. Between hurling insults and thanking Anonymous for the increased attention to the church’s cause (which includes degrading fallen US soldiers and homosexuals), she refused to hear out Anonymous’ defense. After nearly nine minutes of listening to her crazed diatribe, the hacktivist group took action. “I was just going to say in the time that Shirley was blabbing her religious preachings I actually did some business and I think if you check downloads.westborobaptistchurch right now you’ll see a nice message from Anonymous.”

        Indeed, after insisting that no hacker could take down its controversial website, Anonymous was able to do so in a matter of moments, and seemingly without prior planning. “We just put up a nice release while Shirley was preaching there…Yeah we just, we had enough. We responded [to the original letter from Westboro Baptist] maturely…then Shirley comes on the show, [says] I’m going to hell, so we’ve given her something to look at.”


        Source

        Faux Reverses Results Of Gallup Poll To Claim Americans Oppose Union Collective Bargaining Rights


        Tuesday, USA Today and Gallup released a new poll that found that a whopping 61 percent of Americans oppose efforts like those of Gov. Scott Walker (reptile-WI) to strip public sector unions of collective bargaining rights. The poll also found that only a third of Americans support such a policy, indicating that Walker is pandering to the wingnuts of the American electorate and is hardly representative of mainstream political thought in this country.

        Schizophrenia risk is increased with a particular gene mutation

        We always knew repugicans were mutants ... now science provides the proof.
        Schizophrenia is a severe, complicated illness. 
        There are no obvious explanations for what causes the condition, which causes hallucinations and delusions.

        Dirty air triggers more heart attacks than cocaine


        Air pollution triggers more heart attacks than using cocaine and poses as high a risk of sparking a heart attack as alcohol, coffee and physical exertion, scientists said on Thursday.

        Men's Health Can Be Affected By Diet

        In a television commercial for a popular fast food chain, a father and son sit on the living room couch as the dad prepares to teach his boy an important life -- how to eat a pizza.

        Culinary DeLites

        Honey may get grainy or change color, but it's still delicious and safe to eat.
        Also: 
        Two Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos are healthier than you might imagine.  
        Also: 

        Tips from a "prolific dumpster diver"

        A self-described "prolific dumpster diver" in the UK was mass-interviewed on Reddit yesterday, and wrote some detailed, intriguing, and potentially useful descriptions of how he lives and thrives on trash:
        Besides food, what are some of the other products that you come across most frequently and use? Nothing has such a short shelf-life as food, so other things don't get come across really that regularly. Charity shops are always VERY varied so not much same-ness there, except for foot bath/massagers. Oddly I see one at least every couple of months. CRT TVs are common, as are George Foreman-style grills. Toiletries are pretty common, and there is waaaaay too much washing powder/liquid for us to use as it apparently leaks often. Flowers are really really common, we always have fresh flowers on the kitchen table and I'm gradually adding the kind of pot-plants you get in a supermarket to our small garden... Yep, the supermarket tends to throw out £50 worth of flowers per week! Currently we have three bouquets of lilies in the house.

        Helpful Hints

        Why add coffee or salt to your laundry?
        Why add coffee or salt to your laundry?
        Get whiter whites and darker darks with these ingenious additions to your laundry.
        Whiter whites
        Do your white T-shirts tend to go grey? White socks look dirty no matter how many times they’re washed? Try one of these tried and trusted methods for making whites…

        Gel shoe inserts that really work

        Gel insoles make lofty promises like claiming to pamper your feet as you walk.  
        Also: 

        Awesome Pictures

        http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh5bwzUBlK1qe4nc9o1_500.jpg

        Tiny Transistors Track Cash


        These itty-bitty low power organic transistors can be placed on the surface of bank notes for security or tracking by transmitting information wirelessly to a scanner. A group of German and Japanese scientists manufacture these 250-nanometer-thick transistors using minute amounts of aluminum and gold and a special dry process. They work well on the rough surface of paper and need only three volts to operate.

        These mistakes could wind up costing you money or attracting unwanted attention from the IRS.  
        Also: 

        How to build your wealth

        The best way to build wealth remains unchanged, but it requires absolute discipline, says one expert.  
        Also: 

        The reality of a government shutdown

        If the federal budget impasse isn't resolved, Americans shouldn't expect a halt to all services.
        Also: 

          City's teachers get pink slips

          Critics cry foul as a Rhode Island mayor sends out nearly 2,000 layoff warnings.  
          Also: 

            The truth be told

            http://d.yimg.com/a/p/umedia/20110225/largeimage.8e7afdcac19d8664d39fbbfd1ca6a96c.gif

            Earthquake

            Hawaii jolted be quake
            A small earthquake hit Hawaii on Thursday, with a jolt felt across Honolulu . The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 3.6 temblor struck at 2:12 p.m., about 12 miles deep in the Kaiwi Channel, between the islands of Oahu and Molokai and was felt most centered in the rural Waimanalo area on the eastern side of Oahu island.

            Magnitude-5.7 quake shakes Mexico's Gulf coast
            A magnitude-5.7 earthquake has shaken Mexico's Gulf coast. There are no immediate reports of damage.

            Dead Baby Dolphin Death Toll Rises to 60 Along Gulf Coast

            bottlenose dolphin photo
            Updating the story from three days ago on dead baby dolphins washing up at 10 times the normal rate on Gulf Coast beaches: And then there were 60. Initial reports said that 17 dead baby dolphins had been discovered in Alabama and Mississippi.
            Article continues: Dead Baby Dolphin Death Toll Rises to 60 Along Gulf Coast

            Did an ancient Roman invent "flexible glass" ?

            From an interesting post this week at Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog:
            The story appears first in Petronius’ Satyricon (51 – early first century AD): ‘However, there was an artificer once who made a glass goblet that would not break. So he was admitted to the Emperor’s presence to offer him his invention; then, on receiving the cup back from the Emperor’s hands, he dashed it down on the floor. Who so startled as the Emperor? But the man quietly picked up the goblet again, which was dented as a vessel of bronze might be. Then taking a little hammer from his pocket, he easily and neatly knocked the goblet into shape again. This done, the fellow thought he was as good as in heaven already, especially when Emperor said to him, ‘Does anybody else besides yourself understand the manufacture of this glass?’ But, on his replying in the negative, Emperor ordered him to be beheaded, because if once the secret became known, we should think no more of gold than of so much dirt.’
            Beachcombing notes that the story was retold two centuries later, and a different incident was reported in 79 AD:
            Pliny the Elder (obit 79 AD), a near contemporary, reports that in the time of Tiberius, forty years before he brought out his Natural History, a new kind of flexible glass was produced that the Emperor did everything possible to outlaw, even destroying the workshop of the inventor (‘totam officinam artificis eius abolitam’).
            Fable/myth?  Or true?  There's a discussion at the link, with a addendum suggesting that the Romans might have invented tempered glass.  A different possibility that occurred to me is that a craftsman could have acquired a large lump of relatively clear amber (does amber come in clear form?) and worked into the shape of a glass (? is that possible).

            It's the weather whether you like it or not

            The weather phenomenon associated with rain and hail produces a valuable commodity.
            Also:
              Experts see a parallel between today's conditions and thousand-year dry spells that plagued the Southwest. 
              Also: 

              The Prandtl-Glauert Singularity

              Amazing Jet Plane Shock Collar
               

              It's an amazing site - a cone of vapor appearing around an aircraft which is travelling at transonic speed. Known as the Prandtl–Glauert Singularity this astonishing effect simultaneously widens the eyes and drops the jaw. Yet how does it occur?

              Flea Jump Mystery Solved

              Forty-four years after the debate about how fleas jump began,  researchers say they've solved the mystery thanks to high-speed cameras  that show the insects pushing off with their toes rather than with their  knees.

              Shoe

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              How to ruin a real estate listing

              The biggest red flags for homebuyers might be in the way you promote your property. 
              Also: 

                House has interior surprise

                This three-level house has an unusual twist that’s a kid-pleasing alternative to going down the stairs.  
                Also: 

                  The Ten Most Precariously Placed Treehouses On Earth

                  The urge to inhabit high up places has been with us throughout the course of human history - tied up with a desire for protection from predators and the ability to see threats coming from afar.

                  Trees were obvious choices when our ancestors were selecting lofty locations in which to build house and home - but with such grand designs come natural risks. Living tens if not hundreds of feet above ground in a treehouse means it's a long, long way down should you happen to lose your footing.

                  B.C.

                  http://d.yimg.com/a/p/uc/20110225/largeimagecrbc110225.gif

                  Animal News

                  monkey photo
                  Photo: rubber bullets/Creative Commons
                  Just like humans, monkeys can gauge how difficult a situation is. In a ground-breaking study, Macaques trained to play video games choose to skip by difficult levels when given the option.
                  We also have the unsolved mystery of suicidal whales; a lonely Wolverine, perhaps the only one of his species in California after a long trek; a sea turtle hospital; color-changing owls; deceptively adorable invasive species; and more in The Week in Animal News.
                  The Week in Animal News: Self-Doubting Monkeys, Suicidal Whales, and More slideshow
                  Article continues: The Week in Animal News: Self-Doubting Monkeys, Suicidal Whales, and More 

                  Amish Horse Team Pulls Tractor Trailer out of Snow


                  Sometimes, the best solutions lie in older technologies. Jalopnik has a video by Joel Appleman of a tractor trailer stuck in a snow drift in central Pennsylvania. A friendly Amish man hauled the truck out with his team of horses.