The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Be very careful with your spelling and punctuation today. 

Often, the style of your written communication speaks before you can speak, and you run a small risk of making a bad first impression unless you double- and triple-check your work. 

Go over your resume one more time, reread that email to a friend and make spell-check your best friend today! 

Making mistakes is natural, but making an extra effort to keep them to a minimum will be worthwhile.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Barking England, United Kingdom
Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
London, England, United Kingdom
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Sibu, Sarawak Malaysia
Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Moscow, Moskva, Russia
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Mainz, Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Versailles, Ile-De-France, France
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Dubrovnik, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska, Croatia
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Almaty, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Rustington, 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 Tickfaw, Akron, Gowrie, Old Hundred and more!

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, October 18, the 291st day of 2011.

There are 74 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Tuneful Tuesday

Red Lights by Care Bears On Fire

The Marines support Occupy Wall Street

You can always count on the Marines to do what is right!

Wall St. protests hit milestone

Wall Street protests hit milestone

The movement, which has seen its influence spread worldwide, turns one month old.  

 How much has been raised 

Also: 

• Feeding the masses
• Dozens arrested in Ariz.
• Obama taps public anger

Occupy the Tundra and Occupy Antarctica

Occupy the Tundra

Diane McEachern has something to teach all those people at Occupy Wall Street protest: you have to come in with overwhelming force that's no match for the local opposition. Like how she did it at Bethel, Alaska, with a one-woman army that is now the de facto occupier of the Tundra!

Full Story

Occupy Antarctica

We knew the Occupy Wall Street movement was widespread when we saw it had reached the Arctic tundra, but now it has been confirmed on the other end of the world as well! The protests have officially reached all seven continents.

Full Story

The truth be told

Just in case you didn't know

Whoops! Faux news poll about #occupywallst backfires - and Quinnipac finds New Yorkers overwhelmingly support #occupywallst

When is a person not a person? When it's a corporation.

Calvin and Hobbes explain corporate america (Twenty years ago - talk about precognition - and it hasn't changed, well one thing has).

Say what!

World's smallest hotel rooms

Tiniest hotel rooms in the world

This cozy spot with cottage decor is actually the inside of a giant wine barrel.

  Floating life pods from an oil rig 

Also: 

• 5 oddest U.S. museums
• America's haunted hotels
• Top bed-and-breakfasts

Fifteen Places You Should Travel To While You Are Young

 

There are so many interesting and beautiful places in the world that everyone should get the chance to travel to, but especially while you are young. It's the best time to shape your world view, so why wait? Explore the world and experience something new by visiting these places.

World cheese dip festival

Amazing finds at world cheese dip festival

Cheese is only the first ingredient to go into some of the country's best dips.

  One cheese preferred by most 

Also: 

• Get the cheese dip recipe
• Hot wings food festival
• Perfect tomato sauce

Eliminate food cravings

Guilt-free solutions for food cravings

Your body will often trick you into hankering for a decadent sweet or salty treat.  

Two zero-calorie fixes 

Also: 

• Healthy chili recipe
• Better-for-you foods
• Easy anywhere workout

`Kudzu bug' threatens to eat US farmers' lunch

Kudzu - the "plant that ate the South" - has finally met a pest that's just as voracious.

Full Story

Why barns are painted red

Why barns are always painted red

When farmers chose the color, they were being more practical than stylish.

  School buses' unique shade 

Also: 

• Family in corn maze
• 1,661-pound pumpkin
• Peanut crop shortage

Drug cartels target U.S. kids

Mexican drug cartels recruiting Texas kids

Even more shocking than the ages of the kids involved is what they're called by the traffickers.

  How they're used 

Also: 

• Cain fence barb reaction
• Steven Seagal, Texas cop
• Mexican state abandoned?

Milan judge clears Berlusconi in fraud case

A Milan judge on Tuesday cleared Silvio Berlusconi in a fraud and embezzlement case related to his private broadcaster Mediaset, a rare legal victory for the weakened Italian prime minister who is a defendant in three other trials.

Full Story

Ziggy

Woman shocked by $200K cell phone bill

Celina Aarons has her two deaf-mute brothers on her plan.
They communicate by texting and use their phones to watch videos.

Full Story

Credit score from scratch

How to build a credit score from scratch

These steps help young adults prove they're responsible to potential bosses and lenders.  

 What won't help 

Also: 

• Myth of 'true' credit score
• Worst credit-score cities
• Cut electric bill 20%

Social Security boosts benefits

Social Security to hand out more money

About 55 million people will get a boost in their benefits for the first time in two years.

  How much is expected 

Also: 

• Ron Paul's opt-out idea
• Charges in check scheme
• Advice for supercommittee

Degrees that employers want

College degrees that employers prefer

These five versatile programs help candidates appeal to a wide range of businesses.

  Bachelor's and master's 

Also: 

• Make a resumé stand out
• 5 steps to get hired
• Dems unveil new jobs bill

Fighting for holiday jobs

Older workers taking teens' holiday jobs

Some retailers prefer the adults who are elbowing out students for part-time work.  

Tough economy takes toll 

Also: 

• Pursue a new career
• Is public too gloomy?
• Economy under Romney

Worker's wild resignation

Disgruntled man hires band to quit job

A hotel employee takes the idea of marching into his manager's office to a funny extreme.

What's trending now 

Also: 

• Becoming self-employed
• What infuriates a boss
• Five happy careers

Best U.S. places to retire

The best places to retire in America

Find the ideal town for low living costs, sunny weather, or a second career.  

 Tops for singles 

Also: 

• Where to retire abroad
• Not my dad's retirement
• Best places to live, work

1. Best U.S. places to retire
2. App may have caught cheater
3. Never-seen photos of Ellen
4. Outrage after toddler run over

Crabby Road

Will you live to 100?

How to tell if you'll live to 100

Traits like your attitude or how quickly you walk can be clues to your longevity. 

  Signs that you're a 'slow ager' 

Also: 

• 100-year-old marathoner
• Eat like a centenarian
• Immunity-boosting foods

The Origin Of Frankenstein

The original Frankenstein's monster wasn't Boris Karloff.
It was a character created by a 19-year-old author named Mary Shelley... more than 190 years ago. The name Frankenstein - actually the novel's human protagonist - is often incorrectly used to refer to the monster itself. Mary Shelley herself called it 'Adam.'

Mummification for U.K. man

Man is first to be mummified in 3,000 years

A British taxi driver who suffered from cancer donated his body for the unique scientific endeavor.  

 Details of process 

Also: 

• Plague’s genetic code
• What makes CGI so eerie
• Cloned coyotes unveiled

Photographer's wall of lightning

Photographer creates wall of lightning

A man combines 70 strikes captured during a severe thunderstorm on a Greek island

More amazing photos 

Also: 

• Photos of the very small
• Dinosaur tracks found
• Bothersome monkeys

After Helping Cause Climate Change, Big Oil Now Set to Profit from Melting Arctic

Photo credit: USGS

Oil companies have done much to contribute to climate change. Of course, they extract, distribute, and sell a product that, when burned, emits heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But they also have used part of their profits to engage in efforts designed to convince the public that this should cause no alarm. Finally, they devote even more of their resources to back politicians who obstruct climate and clean energy policies that would reduce carbon emissions at large.
Their strategies have appeared to pay off -- now that we've emitted enough greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to drive significant climate change, the Arctic is increasingly ice-free in the summer. Which means more shipping lanes and drilling opportunities for the oil companies!

Article continues: After Helping Cause Climate Change, Big Oil Now Set to Profit from Melting Arctic

NASA and Japan Create Spectacular Map of Earth

NASA/Public Domain

Google Earth is the go-to software for viewing the planet in detail. However, a new topographical map created by NASA and Japan's Advanced Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER, instrument is showing up even Google Earth with a "global digital elevation model" that has a 3D effect.

Article continues: NASA and Japan Create Spectacular Map of Earth (Video)

Kayaker's risky whale encounter

Kayaker's risky whale encounter

A seafarer's helmet camera captures some astonishing footage, both above and below the water's surface.

  Watch 

Also: 

• Off-road racer killed
• Shark surfer's wild tale
• Dying woman's adventure

The Bolognian Stone

The Discovery Of Luminescence

In 1602 Vincenzo Casciarolo, a cobbler by trade and dilettante alchemist who pursued transformation of humbler materials into gold, discovered what is now known as the 'Bolognian Stone.' He took the stone to Scipione Begatello, an expert in the art of transformation in that time. Begetello told him that the stone was most suitable for the production of gold by virtue of its notable weight and content of sulphur.

After submitting the stone to much preparation, Casciarolo did not produce gold. But he found out that the stone would absorb the light of the sun. It was this natural stone that became the first object of scientific study of luminescent phenomena.

B.C.

Random Celebrity Photo

Audrey Hepburn and her Pet Fawn

AnOther  has more on Audrey and her deer.

Things your pet shouldn't eat

Little-known food dangers for pets

Chocolate is not the only thing that can cause serious health problems.

  Grapes, some sugarless gum, too 

Also: 

• New parents' pet mistakes
• 7 ways to help animals
• Funny cat tuxedo costume

Fascinating Turtle Facts & Pics

Dark Roasted Blend has a great article on turtles right now, complete with tons of great pictures and some interesting facts about the creatures. For example:

The rigid shell means turtles cannot breathe as other reptiles do, by changing the volume of their chest cavity via expansion and contraction of the ribs. Instead, turtles breathe in two ways. First, they employ buccal pumping, pulling air into their mouth, then pushing it into the lungs via oscillations of the floor of the throat. Secondly, by contracting the abdominal muscles that cover the posterior opening of the shell, the internal volume of the shell increases, drawing air into the lungs, allowing these muscles to function in much the same way as the mammalian diaphragm.

Full Story

Rare cyclops shark is real

'Extremely rare' cyclops shark verified

Few reports of mythical beasts come with proof, but a sea creature caught by fisherman is an exception.

  Yeti's den 

Also: 

• Home of the kraken found?
• Claim of cloned coyotes
• Sharks part of golf course

Animal Pictures