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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.


Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
Some casual acquaintance starts chatting you up, with perfectly good reason.
Once you start exchanging ideas, you should realize just how much you have in common.
Once that happens, you may realize that you really should have been spending a lot more time together quite some time ago.
There's no time like the present to make up for lost time.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany
London, England, United Kingdom
Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Jihlava, Vysocina, Czech Republic
Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands
Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Temuco, Araucania, Chile
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

as well as Poland, and the United States in such cities as Sulfur Springs, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, Toms River and more

Today is Thursday, June 10, the 161st day of 2010.
There are 204 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:
Ball Point Pen day
and
Iced Tea Day

Anger high after U.S. Border Patrol shooting

The latest incident, involving the death of a teen, adds to mounting tensions over immigration.  
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Nasty solar storms on the horizon

The sun is entering an active period that may threaten communication on Earth. 
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Stalin-era mass grave discovered

In Russia, approximately 500 skeletons—nearly all of which show head gunshot wounds—have been discovered in a mass grave believed to date back to Stalin-era purges in the 1930s.
grave.jpg "Practically all of the skulls have bullet wounds," said Yaroslav Livanksy, the head of a group of volunteers who helped to excavate the site. He said money and clothes from the 1930s had been found at the site. A crushed child's skull was discovered close to a bead bracelet and a small slipper. Irina Fliege, a senior researcher with Russian human rights group Memorial, which collects information about Stalin-era killings, said she had no doubt that the victims were shot by Stalinist forces. She said far more bodies were likely to be found as adjacent sites are studied.
"This happens all over the country, it's impossible to say how often," Felige said. "All we can to is put up monuments to remember the dead."

DNA

A menorah, the holy candelabrum that is seen as a symbol of 
Judaism
Scientists have shed light on the complexities of Jewish heritage with an in-depth genetic study.

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites
Many people assume fresh is always more nutritious than frozen, or think potatoes make you fat.
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The high fat and calorie content in almonds benefit three major organs.  
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Escape

These pristine beaches, villages, and protected rain forests make for blissful hideaways.  
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A workout plan to boost your brainpower

Experts say this is "the closest thing to a magic bullet" in terms of brain fitness.
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When knock-offs outshine the name brand

You might believe that generic-brand products are lower quality, but often that's not true.  
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Leaning Tower

The tilt of the Capital Gate building is nearly five times that of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa.  
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And I Quote

Dig where the gold is unless you just need some exercise. 
 
~ John M Capozzi

An Incredible Adventure

An Incredible Adventure, Caught on Film
When Dutchman Dick de Bruin accidentally dropped his waterproof video  camera while scuba diving in Aruba, he must have figured he would never  see it again--but he was wrong. Six months later, the camera was found  on a beach in Florida, a thousand miles away containing an amazing  video. It turns out the camera's strap became tangled around the shell  of a passing sea turtle. Somehow, the animal had inadvertently switched  the camera on, capturing at least part of its thousand mile journey on  film.

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know
Even though it's 5,500 years old, the well-preserved piece of footwear doesn't smell.
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New Discoveries in Dolphin Communication Reveal Use of Diplomacy to Avoid Fights

dolphin pod photo
Photo via JD Ebberly
We know that dolphins have an advanced language, more complicated than most other creatures that we're aware of. But to what extent is only now being unraveled. A complex communication system is a sign of a complex social system, and scientists are just discovering that dolphins - intensely social creatures - use diplomacy when talking with one another. By revealing a new level of importance for the burst-pulse sounds used by dolphins along with their clicks and whistles, the researchers have realized that the sounds mirror behavior that keeps the social hierarchy and peace of the pod intact.

A 5,000-year-old murder mystery

Solving a 5,000-year-old murder - in perhaps the coldest of cold cases, Ötzi, a Neolithic Iceman who was murdered more than 5,000 years ago.
Discovered in the Alps almost twenty years ago by two hikers, Ötzi has been subjected to a deep study by archaeologists who used X-rays, CT scans, and a slew of other forensic techniques to piece together the 33 hours before the Iceman faced his killer.

From Cosmos:
Coldcaseeeee "The unique thing about this find is that a man has been preserved in full dress with all his equipment," says Angelika Fleckinger, director of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, where Ötzi resides today. It's not only the Iceman's age, but the 'wet' nature of the mummification process that makes him so scientifically valuable, she adds. "The tissue is therefore elastic; a lucky circumstance, as some scientific examinations would otherwise have been impossible."

"Ötzi is much older than any other glacier mummy and is a very rare case in which mummification took place by dehydration before the body became embedded in glacier ice," say researchers led by Klaus Oeggl of the University of Innsbruck, Austria, in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

"Even the food residue in his digestive tract was very well preserved, and a test sample provided evidence of his diet, environment, and season of death."

Oeggl's team have used the remains of Ötzi's last meals (including ibex, grains and red deer meat) and tiny traces of different pollens, to reveal his whereabouts over his last 33 hours with surprising clarity.

"Ötzi's movements in his last days from sub-alpine regions down to the valley bottoms and then up to alpine regions again, as well as his lethal injury by an arrowhead, confirm that Ötzi's last days were hectic and violent...

Delta mixes up two unaccompanied kids

A "paperwork swap" sends two young travelers to the wrong destinations.  
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It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid
Contrary to popular belief, the housing market has not hit bottom, an economist contends.
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One expert says these are the best mortgage rates you'll see for a decade. 
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On The Job

On The Job
In the last three months, more people quit their jobs than were laid off by employers.  
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Extravagant executive job perks

For some bosses, a big paycheck is only part of their lavish compensation.  
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Green Roofs Now Required by Law in Copenhagen

greenroof-copenhagen.jpg
Photo via Inhabitat
A new policy adopted last month has made green roofs required by law on all new buildings with roof slopes of less than 30 degrees. The initiative is one part of the city's plan to become totally carbon neutral by 2025, Inhabitat reports (via GOOD). And it's pretty impressive how much new green growth the policy will lead to:

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All
The 1,000 residents of Magnolia Springs, Ala., aren't waiting for federal help — or approval.  
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*****

"That's Bullshit" with Sam Seder


"That's Bullshit" with Sam Seder

Non Sequitur

http://imgsrv.gocomics.com/dim/?fh=a0302a2e60d29d4d43d5d46186ede5cd

Typical repugican ...

http://www.bartcop.com/bp-ugly-windmills.jpg

Skipping out on the Gulf

The oil giant's campaign to refurbish its image isn't aimed at those most affected by the Gulf spill.  
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Teachers Get In Trouble for Teaching Students About Their Constitutional Rights

By Blog of the National Coalition Against Censorship

Two teachers at Norview High School in Norfolk, VA were recently put on administrative leave by the school after a parent complained about a video that she saw in Government class.  The video informed its audience on how to assert their constitutional rights during various encounters with police, such as during a car or house search. It was accompanied by a one page handout about a person’s rights when stopped and arrested by the police.   When the girl came home after school that day, she told her mother “You won’t believe what we are learning in Government. They are teaching us how to hide our drugs.”  The woman promptly called the school to complain about what was taught to her daughter, and the teachers were subsequently suspended.

There are two things that are rather irksome about these series of events.  First, why are parents are so ready to jump to conclusions and act on those assumptions?  It’s a little hard to believe that teachers would be lecturing their students on the best way to hide drugs from the police.  If the girl’s mother had just inquired as to what was actually taught that day, it would have been clear that this was Government class as usual, just an exercise in educating youth on the Constitution.

Second, and more importantly, why are schools eager to appease parents at the drop of a hat?  These are institutions filled with education professionals: teachers know what their students should learn and what the appropriate materials for teaching them are.  A school’s administration should trust that the teacher is making reasonable choices as to how a child is taught and with what.  In response to a parent’s complaint, they should first research the allegations. The administration at Norview High School, for instance, could have a gotten a copy of the leaflet given to students.  They also could have watched the video to see if anything inappropriate was shown.  Instead, the school acquiesced to the demands of one uninformed parent.

Sometimes, Mother doesn’t know what’s best.  That’s why we have schools and teachers.
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem.  Schools all over the country have bowed down to raging parents over something they don’t think is appropriate for their child.  It’s a distressing thought that a parent’s misunderstanding about a certain book or a particular lesson in school can translate into a child’s incomplete education.  Learning about an individual’s constitutional rights enhances one’s education and can even make for a better citizen.

School administrators need to have more confidence in themselves and their teachers.
They need to stick to what they believe is important for a child’s education.

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe
When dealing with wingnuts ... Remember the rule: 
If they accuse someone of something, then they're already guilty of it.
Liars and Fools
Faux's Glenn Beck says some progressive groups don't have "a problem with blood in the streets".
And he's lying, of course.

Michael Savage asks whether or not Americans "understand that the presidency may have been usurped by a foreign power"
What an idiot.


Faux's Glenn Beck hosts author who has been member of hate group League of the South.
And this is news, how?

Michael Savage attacks Hispanic civil rights group National Council of La Raza as "the most violent elements of the Hispanic supremacist movement".
Once again, what an idiot.

Faux's Glenn Beck: All Democrats are Marxists.
Someone lacks an understanding of the meaning of the term Marxist.

Faux's Glenn Beck claims "many of the people that are in and around this president and this White House are going for a 'Marxist utopia' in the US."
Delusional is no way to live, asshole.

Louie Gohmert (reptile-Texas) suggests Obama administration would condone attacks on TSA workers.
Only the morons that provoke attacks - which by all reports appears to be all of them ... by their actions with passengers.

Faux's Glenn Beck: Obama has said "I'm your man" to Marxist revolutionaries.
Time for the Thorazine, Glenn ol'boy.

Faux's Gretchen Carlson says Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-California) can't say "God".
Gretchen can't hear, so?

Hate radio kook Michael Savage lies President Obama and ex-radical Bill Ayers are behind the Israeli Commando Raid.
This nut is seriously deranged.
http://www.sensibleerection.com/images/entry_thumbnails/1272658436_

The truth be told ...

http://www.bartcop.com/az-state-line-610.jpg

Bad Cops

Bad Cops










B.C.

B.C.

Ugandan protesters fish in potholes

Residents in the Ugandan capital Kampala have been protesting against the state of the roads by going fishing in potholes. The protesters said the poor state of roads causes accidents and increases congestion.

Kampala's roads are in such a bad state that the city has been nicknamed "Kampothole". The capital is an opposition stronghold and the mayor said he is not given enough tax revenue to fix roads.


"To do one kilometre of a tarmac road requires you to have $1m (£660,000)," Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebagala said. "That's a big problem." The protesters pretended to be fishmongers, selling fish from the large, cavernous, water-filled potholes.

"Five thousand shillings ($2; £1.30) fish - direct from Lake Ssebagala, the mayor of Kampala," they shouted to passing traffic. The group created a spectacle in their attempt to embarrass Kampala City Council. Motorists and bus commuters driving by shouted their approval.

Taboo topic sparks controversy in India

The country's census may pose a difficult question to citizens: What is your caste?  
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They have names?

Pop icons such as Barbie, Mr. Clean and Cap’n Crunch actually have first and last names.  
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Man sues for injury caused by cactus sap

A maintenance worker is suing his bosses for up to £10,000 after he was nearly blinded while pruning a cactus in a shopping center. Carl Woodbridge, 22, was sprayed with toxic sap after he sliced into a branch on a 30ft tall cactus at ‘thecentre:MK’ in Milton Keynes, Bucks., in October 2008.

The liquid squirted from the plant, situated in an open walkway in the center, into his right eye, neck, face and arm. Mr Woodbridge fell to the ground in agony with blisters to his face and body and a burned cornea which caused blindness.


He was rushed to Milton Keynes Hospital where his eye was put under a tap for two hours before doctors scraped off a layer of latex-type film which was glued to his eyeball. A health and safety investigation revealed Mr Woodbridge, a technician for Ambius, a subsidiary of Rentokil Initial UK Ltd, was handed ”no protective clothing” and given ”inadequate” training.

His eyesight gradually returned but he must wear specialist glasses to protect his eye from the sun and bright lights. Rentokill Initial UK Ltd was fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs after admitting health and safety breaches at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court last Friday. Injured Mr Woodbridge was forced to take six weeks off work and is now seeking thousands of pounds in compensation.