CAROLINA NATURALLY

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Put some more effort into your career today, and do the work you've been putting aside.
It's a good idea to assess your current situation and think about whether it may be time to set your sights a bit higher.
Remember that your boss is a human being, and sometimes a simple casual conversation can lay the foundation for your future.
But before you initiate any conversations, use today to formulate your plans and organize a list of your recent accomplishments.

Some of our readers today have been in:
Jerudong, Brunei and Muara, Brunei Darussalam
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
London, England, United Kingdom
Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sofia, Sofiya, Bulgaria
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Crawley, England, United Kingdom
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
As Askershus, Norway
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Vilnius, Vilniaus Apskritis, Lithuania
Milton, Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Morini, Morini, Comoros
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
London, Ontario, Canada
Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland
Quezon City, Manila, Philippines
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei and Muara, Brunei Darussalam

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 Arlington, Eden, Idaho Falls, Wingdale and more!

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, October 25, the 298th day of 2011.

There are 67 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Sourest Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

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Tuneful Tuesday

Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed

Girls switched at birth

Girls discover they were switched at birth

The 12-year-olds make a unique decision that both of their families have agreed to.

How they found out

Also:

The child left behind?

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What is Islamic sharia law?

What exactly is Islamic sharia law?

The declaration that religion will be the basis of Libya's new government raises concerns.

Rules on marriage, divorce

Also:

Atheist activist drops suit against Sheriff Grady Judd

EllenBeth Wachs, the legal coordinator for the Atheists of Florida, has dismissed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Grady Judd that accused him of targeting her because of her secular views.

Wachs, who has been charged criminally three times this year, said Monday the harassment she alleged ended after she filed the lawsuit in June.

“The whole community was aware that the charges were bogus,” Wachs said.
Judd said his agency was never served with a lawsuit, and his deputies never harassed Wachs. He added that he thinks the suit had no legal basis.

“As long as she behaves and adheres to the law, she won’t be arrested,” Judd said. “If she violates the law, she will be arrested. It’s just that clear.”

Wachs’ nonprofit group has tangled with the Lakeland City Commission and the Polk County School Board in the past because of prayers said at public meetings. Last winter, Wachs took aim at Judd for donating jailhouse basketball goals to churches, calling the move unconstitutional and sending him a cease and desist letter.

Investigators first accused her in March of illegally posing as a lawyer. She was later accused of having marijuana in her home and simulating sex sounds within earshot of a neighbor’s young son.

Prosecutors offered her a deal to drop the charges without conviction in August.

Her attorney, Lawrence Walters of Altamonte Springs, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Thursday without prejudice, giving them the option of re-filing the lawsuit later.

“We believe the sheriff has gotten the message that his campaign of harassment won’t be supported by the State Attorney’s Office,” Walters said.

A federal lawsuit Wachs filed against the Lakeland City Commission over prayers given at its public meetings is still pending.

Mother sues banks over son's money laundering scam

A 14-year-old boy who masterminded a massive money laundering scam splashed out $200,000 on shopping sprees, luxury holidays and pamper sessions. The New South Wales teen funded his celebrity lifestyle by selling fictitious products on eBay from 2007 - at one stage, earning more than $6000 a day.

The then 14-year-old went on a string of shopping sprees buying Versace and Prada clothes, flew groups of friends interstate for weekend-long parties in luxury apartments and lavished female friends with pamper sessions. His life of luxury also included rented penthouses overlooking Sydney Harbor that cost $4300 a night and limousine trips to take him to the beach.

The teen's mother is suing Australia's big four banks for their alleged role in the scam. The woman, from the NSW south coast, has launched an action in the Supreme Court seeking damages and wants an apology from the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac and NAB for ''unconscionable conduct'' after they allegedly handed her son dozens of bank accounts and debit cards ''without reasonable scrutiny''.

When his mother stumbled on the scam, she says she repeatedly warned the banks he was a minor sourcing funds illegally. It is alleged they ignored her or refused to discuss the matter for privacy reasons. She said she tried to seek help for her son, contacting teachers, principals, counselors, doctors, travel centers, limousine companies, motels, hotels, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the banking ombudsman and MPs.

Full Story

Consumers shifting money from big banks

Whether this trend will continue is open for debate, but there's certainly a lot of fed up consumers out there. When some called for shifting money a few years ago the movement never materialized but that was also before OWS and before the banks started to raise fees and show gaudy numbers during the recession. It's hard to beat the customer service offered by small credit unions but the hassle factor of changing is not insignificant.

Have the too-big-to-fail banks gone too far, finally?

...A growing number of big bank customers, angry about new debit card usage fees, harder-to-avoid checking accounts fees and rising ATM surcharges, are taking their frustrations and their business elsewhere.

"They're coming over in big chunks," said David Glaser, vice president of National Capital Bank, a family run, two-branch community bank in Washington D.C. He estimated that 80 percent of the new accounts opened in the three weeks since news broke about the $5 debit card fees have been opened by customers of the Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp.

And not all of those switching would even get charged the debit fee. "I had a woman bring me a quarter of a million dollars, Glaser said. "She would not have paid the $5 fee, she just didn't like the idea."

Goldman Sachs pulls out of fundraiser after learning OWS will be honored

Dumb, but typical, PR move.
Big companies have a compulsive need to confirm their worst stereotypes and give field to their harshest critics.

ThinkProgress:

Earlier this month, the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union in New York City held a fundraiser to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It just so happened that this the credit union many of the protesters at Occupy Wall Street (OWS) were using to store funds — and the protest group became an honoree at the dinner. When Goldman Sachs found out that OWS would be at the dinner, it pulled out of the event, along with its $5,000 donation.

Petty pity party of one your table is ready.

NYPD blaming OWS for increase in murders

As Freud would say a classic example of transference ...

Get this. The NYPD is now trying to blame the Occupy Wall Street protesters for an increase in murders in NYC because, the cops claim, they just don't have time to go after murderers since they're spending their days at OWS.

It's the NYPD's choice to spend their days pepper spraying young girls who are just standing there doing nothing, and clocking young guys simply walking down the street. The cops made their own priorities, and they decided that manhandling a bunch of peaceful liberals was more important than stopping murderers.

And here's a thought. Violent crime just spiked in DC too. Maybe, just maybe, violent crime just spiked nationwide, and the NYPD is simply having a post hoc ergo propter hoc moment.

How to end the deficit

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Did you know ...

Well, whaddya know, the dominionists really do want to take over the government. (aka: Treason)

Here are the seven biggest lies about the economy.

That nearly 100,000 millionaires pay a lower tax rate than the middle class.

Here's a clue - fix the 18,000 structurally deficient bridges in this country ... it will help ease the job crisis and make them safer and save lives in the process.

And as a bonus:
#occupywallst New Yorker covers

US companies not hiring, but not much firing either

Not great, but file this under the "it could be a lot worse" category.

The National Association of Business Economics' industry survey found that 59 percent of the 68 respondents saw no change in their employment levels, up from 49 percent in July. That was the highest percentage since January last year.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 20 and Oct. 5.

About 29 percent of businesses expected to increase payrolls, down from 43 percent in July. Three percent planned to lay off workers, up from zero three months ago.

Great jobs in growth fields

10 great jobs in high-growth fields

These positions offer job satisfaction, flexibility, and median pay of up to $111,000.

Tech, business, health care

Also:

Avoid costly home repairs

How to avoid expensive home repairs

Follow this maintenance checklist or you may wind up owing $100,000 in fix-up costs.

Signs of danger

Also:

Culinary DeLites

Making tasty meals with a slow-cooker

If you have the time, browning meat or veggies in a skillet adds loads of flavor.

What to do the night before

Also:

Table manners that still matter

A quick refresher of etiquette rules could save you some embarrassment.

Elbows on table still a faux pas?

Also:

Gas pump handles, disgustingly filthy

It's not a complete surprise that they're dirty, but this study claims they are the dirtiest surface people will touch on their way to work. Americans may be a little too worried about germs but in this particular instance, maybe they're right.

Just when you thought filling up your car could not hurt any more, researchers may have found another reason to avoid touching the gas pump: germs.

Gas pump handles turned out to be the filthiest surface that Americans encounter on the way to work, according to a study released on Tuesday by Kimberly-Clark Professional, a unit of personal hygiene giant Kimberly-Clark Corp.