The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

A funny thing happens when the chaos of your life fades away: You suddenly notice things you never noticed before. 

Things are definitely throttling down today, so you might have a difficult time staying focused -- your eye will be distracted by items or people that everyone else has already become used to. 

It's important to take this day at face value -- don't go digging too deep for greater significance. 

Sometimes things just are what they seem to be.

Some of our readers today have been in: 

Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
London, England, United Kingdom
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Florence, Toscana, Italy
Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Albury, New South Wales, Australia
  Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Delhi, Delhi, India
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Moroni, Moroni, Comoros

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 San Jose, Riverside, Redwood City, Beverly Hills and more.

Today is:

Today is Monday, August 29, the 241st day of 2011.

There are 124 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

More Herbs, Less Salt Day.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Manic Monday

Welcome new readers

We here at Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers from the nation of Comoros.

Newest Country

Comoros
 

Irene damage assessed

With daylight, Irene damage assessed

First reports reveal the downgraded storm has done much less damage than feared.  

Flooding still possible 

Also: 

• NYC escapes the worst
• 4 million without power
• Full coverage of storm

Irene's staggering cost

Staggering cost of Irene's destruction

Millions are without power as a battered East Coast picks up the pieces from the storms' destruction.

  Flood warnings 

Also: 

• Nightmare commute in East
• Irene's dramatic stories
• Man dies saving child

Little Johnny in the first grade

A group of kindergartners were trying very hard to become accustomed to the first grade.

The biggest hurdle they faced was that the teacher insisted on NO baby talk! You need to use 'Big People' words,' she was always reminding them.

She asked Alex what he had done over the weekend?

'I went to visit my Nana.'

'No, you went to visit your GRANDMOTHER. Use 'Big People' words!'

She then asked Mitchell what he had done

'I took a ride on a choo-choo.'

She said. 'No, you took a ride on a TRAIN. You must remember to use 'Big People' words.'

She then asked little Johnny what he had done?

'I read a book,' he replied. That's WONDERFUL!' the teacher said.

'What book did you read?'

Johnny thought real hard about it, then puffed out his chest with great pride, and said,

'Winnie the SHIT'

What's still made in America

What's still 'made in America'

Despite the radical decline of bowling, one plucky company still makes the balls. 

But chopsticks, really? 

Also: 

• Benefits of slow economy
• Promising industry hubs
• 5 things you hardly use

‘The Naked Truth’

Would-be bank robber told off for jumping in line

He went to rob a bank and all he got was a telling off. An unidentified man who attempted to rob Eastern Bank in South Boston on Thursday left it empty-handed after being reprimanded by a teller and a customer waiting in line, Boston police said.

Police responded to 470 West Broadway at 6:08 p.m. for a call of an attempted robbery. Officers were then told by a teller that the suspect went up to her and showed her a note that read, “Give me all your money.’’ But the teller refused, informing the suspect that the window was closed.

“Then he moved over to the next teller and they scolded him for getting in front,’’ said Officer Eddy Chrispin. Police said the suspect was described as between 18 and 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches, and about 160 pounds, with brown eyes and dark facial hair. He was wearing a black backpack with gold trim and a dark blue hoodie.

The suspect was told by a teller and customer that he had to wait in line for his turn, and to take off his hoodie. The suspect refused to remove his hoodie and left the bank. Police said no one was injured and no weapon was shown. The robbery attempt is under investigation and no arrests have been made.

Clashing family money styles

When a family's money styles clash

Here's how to smooth out differences when there's a spender and a saver at home. 

  One woman's clever solutions 

Also: 

• Consumers turn sour
• Fatal money fantasies
• Prenups on the rise

Don't use your debit card here

Where not to use your debit card

Reaching for the plastic is easy, but it's much better to use cash when dining out.  

Steer clear of Wi-Fi hotspots 

Also: 

• Ways to prevent ID theft
• Pump up your savings
• Advice from the wealthy

Fabulous freebies

Fabulous things you can get for free

Books, food, and hobbies are just some of the things you don't have to shell out money for.

Family outings, too 

Also: 

• Top digital cameras
• House-cleaning gadgets
• Coffeemaker buying guide

Unique fortune teller found

Rare fortune teller found in restaurant

For years, nobody knew the broken machine gathering dust was worth millions.  

 David Copperfield's offer 

Also: 

• Mysterious ancient jar
• Oldest mammal fossil
• River beneath Amazon

Las Vegas hotel's demise

Vegas hotel may never see grand opening

The owner of the Harmon Hotel wants to demolish the 28-story tower before it sees a single guest. 

  'Buyer's remorse' 

Also: 

• Guests sue over outbreak
• Recession woes in Vegas
• Good time to buy a home?

Number Ten

Origin of Burning Man fest

Why festival is called Burning Man

For one week, this annual desert gathering will become the fifth-largest city in Nevada.

Unusual arson incident 

Also: 

• More on Burning Man
• London carnival finale
• Venice film fest revival

What Is Yoga?

The origin of the word "yoga" is the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning "yoke or union." This ancient discipline combines physical postures with controlled breathing , meditation, and a philosophy of mindfulness in which practitioners aim for a concord of mind- body.

Full Story

Blackfoot Decorated Tipis Circa 1900

image credit

In 1896 American photographer Walter McClintock west for a federal commission investigating national forests. McClintock became friends with the expedition's Blackfoot Indian scout Siksikakoan. When the commission completed its field work, Siksikakoan introduced McClintock to the Blackfoot community of northwestern Montana.

Over the next twenty years, supported by the Blackfoot elder Mad Wolf, McClintock made several thousand photographs of the Blackfoot, their homelands, their material culture, and their ceremonies.

Some people are just plain stupid ...

 

Galileo got it wrong: Catholics

Scientists have got it wrong - Earth really is the centre of the universe, according to a group of staunch Catholics who refuse to believe otherwise.

Eleven Horrible OSHA Violations

If you read There, I Fixed It, then you already know there are a lot of people with stupid solutions to serious safety concerns, but just in case you can’t get enough, there’s always this BuzzFeed collection of terrible OSHA violations.

Full Story

Mister-Know-It-All : How to remove an unwanted guest

These were great the first time around ... and still are.

Health Workers Found More Likely to Use Alternative Remedies

A new report suggests that three-quarters of all U.S. health-care workers use alternative medicine in their regimen, according to HealthDay.

Full Story

Superfoods for glowing skin

Superfoods to eat for glowing skin

These foods are not only nutrient-rich, they can also combat aging, acne, and dry spots.

Get the clear-skin diet 

Also: 

• Fight pimples & wrinkles
• Beauty buys under $10
• Hair stuck in a time warp

Nine bad foods you should be eating

Some healthful foods have gotten bad raps they just can’t shake. Do you avoid peanut butter because you think it's super-fattening? Have you banned egg yolk because you're concerned about your heart health? Get the good truth about these and more “misunderstood” foods and why you should eat them—in moderation, of course.

Read More

Buying Local Plums Proves to be Difficult in England

Photo: yingyangskincare

It's the best British plum harvest in years but no one is buying... Farmers and good food shoppers are enraged as supermarkets favour cheaper European imports over the local ones.
The National Farmers' Union said farms have hundreds of tons of plums picked and ready to ship but the stores aren't buying.

Article continues: Buying Local Plums Proves to be Difficult in England

Things They Won't Tell You

Graffiti for Grandmas

Who says that street art has to be for young punks? A graffiti course in Germany is teaching the art of spraying to an unlikely segment of the population ... senior citizens!
Alison Kilian of Spiegel Online explains:

Often grey-haired or bespectacled, with some participants as old as 80, they don't exactly fit the profile of rebellious youth commonly associated with graffiti culture. And for most of them, it's their first time wielding a spray can.
"Many older people regard graffiti as vandalism," says Stephanie Hanna, a Berlin-based artist who has organized several graffiti workshops for older people. "But that is changing as people start to see that it has artistic value." Indeed, in recent years graffiti and street art have enjoyed growing prestige. Works by the elusive British street artist Banksy now change hands for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Full Story

When Countries Go Extinct Thanks To Low Birth Rates

Given the low birth rates of some countries (I'm looking at you, Hong Kong* and Singapore), it's only a matter of time before they simply depopulate themselves out of existence. But how long do they have?
The Economist did the (wild) projection:

In Hong Kong, for example, a cohort of 1,000 women is now expected to give birth to just 547 daughters. If nothing changed, those 547 daughters would be succeeded by 299 daughters of their own, and so on. Extrapolating wildly, it would take only 25 generations for Hong Kong’s female population to shrink from 3.75m to just one. Given that Hong Kong’s average age of childbearing is 31.4 years, the territory would expect to see the birth of its last woman in the year 2798.
By the same unflinching logic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Spain will not see out the next millennium. Even China has only 1,500 years left.

Full Story

*Yes, I know that Hong Kong is not an independent country, but it operates like one.

Ziggy

Cool paper airplane designs

Cool paper airplanes that really fly

Ken Blackburn’s design is easy to make, and set a world record for flight time. 

Then give 'the Cobra' a try 

Also: 

• Rock, Paper, Scissors tips
• Crossword solving tips
• Board game whodunits

Russia Plans to Build Tunnel to Alaska

For a century, Russia and the United States have considered building a tunnel or a bridge across the 64-mile Bering Strait — the body of water that separates Siberia and Alaska. Now the Russian government is making serious plans to build a transcontinental railway and tunnel system at the cost of $65 billion:

Russian officials insist that the tunnel is an economic idea whose time has now come and that it could be ready within ten years. They argue that it would repay construction costs by stimulating up to 100 million tons of freight traffic each year, as well as supplying oil, gas and electricity from Siberia to the US and Canada.[...]
The tunnel across the international date-line would be built in three sections through two islands in the Bering Strait and would link 6,000km (3,728 miles) of new railway lines. The tunnel alone would cost an estimated $10-12 billion to construct.

Full Story

Ekranoplan in Dry Dock

You've seen the Ekranoplan, the insanely huge sea plane (something between a hovercraft and an airplane) developed by the Soviets before, but most photos of the beast we've seen had been old and grainy black and white photos.
Livejournal user igor113 took a ton of new photos of the Ekranoplan as it is currently sitting on a dry dock, rusting away like yet another Cold War relic. Check 'em out: here. 

B.C.

Old Family Photos

Child-sized frog caught and eaten in Malaysia

Showing an image of the gigantic creature taken with a cell phone camera, a Chinese man claims that the photo was taken a fortnight ago at a mountainous area in Gemencheh, Malaysia. The frog was huge in size and tipped the scales at about 20kg, the normal weight of a seven or eight year-old child.

According to him, the enormous animal was captured by an Orang Asli indigenous tribesman by the riverside. His friend was startled upon seeing the creature because previously, he had never seen a frog that size in his entire life.

The man added, his friend offered to buy the frog for 500 Malaysian Ringgit (£100) but the Orang Asli demanded RM1,000 (£200) instead. As the friend did not have enough money with him at the time, he went home to get more money.

“When my friend returned to the Orang Asli’s house with the money, he discovered that the giant frog had been slaughtered and eaten. It was also learnt that the Orang Asli fell ill after consuming the frog and until today, he is still bed-ridden and unable to move around,” he said. He added, the Orang Asli did not allow any photo taking but his friend took a photo of the frog in secret.

Street Shark

This picture was taken in Puerto Rico shortly after Hurricane Irene ravaged the island. Yes, that’s a shark swimming down the street next to a car, and this is exactly why authorities in NYC are warning people not to go swimming in flood waters after a hurricane. Sharks go where fish go, and fish go where water goes, and if that water (and those subsequent fish) happen to be right outside your front door, then guess where that freakin’ shark’s going to be?!

Nairobi's Elephant Orphanage

This National Geographic article about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust an elephant orphanage in Nairobi. The stories in the article are a must-read for any animal lover.

The nursery takes in orphan elephants from all over Kenya, many victims of poaching or human-wildlife conflict, and raises them until they are no longer milk dependent. Once healed and stabilized at the nursery, they are moved more than a hundred miles southeast to two holding centers in Tsavo National Park. There, at their own pace, which can be up to eight to ten years, they gradually make the transition back into the wild. The program is a cutting-edge experiment in cross-species empathy that only the worst extremes of human insensitivity could have necessitated.

Be sure to read the whole thing to learn all kinds of fascinating information about the group, the elephants and the amazing people working to improve the lives of these majestic creatures.

Full Story

Penguin Heads Home After Making a Rare Wrong Turn

 

Photo: alisdair / cc

Two months ago, on a sandy stretch of coastline in north-western New Zealand, the most peculiar creature waddled ashore -- and straight into the hearts of animal-lovers the world over. Biologists said that the young Emperor penguin likely became lost while searching for food in the Antarctic Ocean, ultimately ending up thousands of miles away from its native habitat of ice and snow. At the time, the animal's fate seemed grim, due to the extent of its waywardness and resulting health problems. But now, after months of recovery in the hands of tireless veterinarians, the misplaced penguin is finally heading home.

Article continues: Penguin Heads Home After Making a Rare Wrong Turn

Bear Bile Farming Isn't Just Cruel, It's "Unnecessary"

 

Photo: Soggydan / cc

In pursuit of convenient animal-based products, like meat and leather, profiteers and consumers have turned a blind eye to some incredibly inhumane treatment of countless other species -- but too often, unimaginable cruelty is inflicted for no real gain at all. Throughout parts of China, some 10,000 endangered Asiatic black bears are currently housed in tiny, restrictive metal cages where they are systematically 'milked' of bile, a digestive fluid produced in the gallbladder which is believed to have medicinal qualities in some Asian traditions. But after a recent conference on bile farms, experts have confirmed what so many animal rights groups had long suspected: the bear bile industry isn't just cruel, it's unnecessary, too.

Article continues: Bear Bile Farming Isn't Just Cruel, It's "Unnecessary"

Animal Pictures