The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Ready for some fireworks?
Good -- because there's a whole bunch on the way.
Today's heavenly menu will urge you to make some changes with regard to your goals for the future -- and this certainly could mean that you'll feel the need to begin associating with a whole new peer group.
If that's the case, try to ease away from the usual suspects gently -- or at least offer to take the ones along who'll know how to act.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Swindon, England, United Kingdom

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Sittard, Limburg, Ntherlands

Las Pinas City, Manila, Philippines

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Burghausen, Bayern, Germany

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Norwich, England, United Kingdom

Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic

Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

as well as Italy and in cities across the United States such as Coraopolis, Dubuque, Opp, Bucyrus and more.

Today is:

Today is Saturday, October 23, the 296th day of 2010.

There are 69 days left in the year.

Today In History October 23

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

National Mole Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

President Obama's Weekly Adress

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Weekly Address
Washington, DC

Over the past two years, we’ve won a number of battles to defend the interests of the middle class.  One of the most important victories we achieved was the passage of Wall Street Reform.

This was a bill designed to rein in the secret deals and reckless gambling that nearly brought down the financial system.  It set new rules so that taxpayers would never again be on the hook for a bailout if a big financial company went under.  And reform included the strongest consumer protections in history – to put an end to a lot of the hidden fees, deceptive mortgages, and other abusive practices used to tilt the tables against ordinary people in their financial dealings.

It was a tough fight.  The special interests poured millions into a lobbying campaign to prevent us from reforming the system – a system that worked a lot better for them than for middle class families.  Some in the financial industry were eager to protect a status quo that basically allowed them to play by their own rules.  And these interests held common cause with Republican leaders in Washington who were looking to score a political victory in an election year.

But their efforts failed.  And we succeeded in passing reform in the hopes of ensuring that we never again face a crisis like the one we’ve been through – a crisis that unleashed an economic downturn as deep as any since the Great Depression.  Even today, we are still digging out of the damage it unleashed on the economy.  Millions of people are still out of work.  Millions of families are still hurting.

We’re also seeing the reverberations of this crisis with the rise in foreclosures.  And recently, we’ve seen problems in foreclosure proceedings – mistakes that have led to disruptions in the housing markets.  This is only one more piece of evidence as to why Wall Street Reform is so necessary.  In fact, as part of reform, a new consumer watchdog is now standing up.  It will have just one job: looking out for ordinary consumers in the financial system.  And this watchdog will have the authority to guard against unfair practices in mortgage transactions and foreclosures.

Yet despite the importance of this law – and despite the terrible economic dislocation caused by the failures in our financial system under the old rules – top Republicans in Congress are now beating the drum to repeal all of these reforms and consumer protections.  Recently, one of the Republican leaders in the Senate said that if Republicans take charge of Congress, repeal would be one of the first orders of business.  And he joins the top Republican in the House who actually called for the law to be repealed even before it passed.

I think that would be a terrible mistake.  Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules – whether you’re a big bank, a small business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card. And as we saw, without sound oversight and common-sense protections for consumers, the whole economy is put in jeopardy.  That doesn’t serve Main Street.  That doesn’t serve Wall Street.  That doesn’t serve anyone.  And that’s why I think it’s so important that we not take this country backward – that we don’t go back to the broken system we had before.  We’ve got to keep moving forward.

Thanks.

Awesome Pictures

Culinary DeLites

Wacky caramel apples for Halloween

Try a new "apple pie" topping — a mix of cinnamon, caramel, and whipped cream.

Simple recipe to get you started 

Also: 

• Homemade caramel
• Use up leftover candy
• 13 incredible pancakes

Shoe

Nursing Is Gay, and Other Things Marketers Know About You Via Facebook

Online advertisers target Facebook users based on information Facebook claims not to share, according to two new research papers reported on in the New York Times.

 Nursing Is Gay, and Other Things Marketers Know About You Via Facebook

How to not spend the weekend painting

How to not spend the weekend painting

Save time by using a low-tack painter’s tape and disposable roller tray liners. 

Which area you should paint first 

Also: 

• Picking the perfect color
• Interior design ideas
• Using up leftover paint

Wizard of Id

Toxic securities provide 36% return for US Treasury

It's still early and they're not called "toxic" for nothing, but these are impressive returns.

Bloomberg:

A U.S. government program aimed at reviving the mortgage-backed securities market returned more than triple what stocks or bonds gained in the past year.

The eight funds created under the Public-Private Investment Program, or PPIP, reported net internal rates of return averaging 36 percent through Sept. 30, the Treasury Department said in a report this week. That compares with the 10 percent return for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and 8.2 percent for the BarCap U.S. Aggregate Total Return Index of bonds.

I never borow money

'Why I never borrow money now'

After 10 years with crushing debts, Steve Thompson changed his habits drastically. 

'It's no way to live' 

Also: 

• Your retirement 'number'
• Tax moves to make now
• Find a financial planner

RNC millions in debt as election nears

And people expect them to be fiscally responsible because of what?

CBS News:

The repugican national cabal reports more debt than cash on hand for the period ending Sept. 30, a weak financial foundation for a party entering the homestretch of the midterm election campaign.

In documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, the party said it had $3.4 million in the bank but $4.6 million in debts. The rnc reported raising $9.6 million during September and took out a $2.5 million dollar loan.

B.C.

Snoring Ecuadorean wins Spanish siesta contest

A 62-year-old Ecuadorean man managed to ignore the uproar of a teeming Madrid shopping center and snore long enough to win what was billed as Spain's first siesta championship.

Snoring Ecuadorean wins Spanish siesta contest

Berlin museum offers night on a magic mushroom

Visitors to Berlin's Museum for Contemporary Art can book themselves a night in an installation created by artist Carsten Hoeller at a cost of 1,000 euros (£893) as of November 5.

The installation, which includes a floating hotel room on a platform shaped like a mushroom, gives guests an "opportunity to dive into the world of soma," the museum said. Soma is a mythical drink with powers to heal, enlighten and provide access to the divine, according to the beliefs of Verdic nomads in northern India during the second millennium BC.

It is no longer known what soma was made of, but research suggests the fly agaric mushroom, more popularly known as "magic mushrooms," may have been the ingredient responsible for its effect. This provided Hoeller with the inspiration for his fantastical installation.

The exhibition, which explores how to achieve enlightenment and the role given to science and myth in society, will be open until February 6 next year.

Believe it or not

Rare attack spotlights white sharks

Rare attack spotlights white sharks

A man is killed off the California coast, making him the state's 12th victim in 90 years. 

Shark population increase 

Also: 

• Shark safety tips
• Art to save sharks
• Anglers' marlin struggle

Killer bees claim first victim in Georgia

Killer bees are now in Georgia.
Tests confirm Africanized honeybees attacked and killed a Dougherty County man last week.

 Killer bees claim first victim in Georgia

Dog prefers to walk on two legs

A pet dog has become a local celebrity in China because he prefers to walk upright on his back legs. Zhou Guanshun, the 18-month-old dog's owner, of Zhumadian, Henan Province, taught his pet to walk on two legs by holding one of its front paws.

"Lu Lu was given to us by a friend and we loved him instantly," he said. "He learned to walk upright when he was just four months old, and hasn't stopped ever since then."

Zhou, a retired teacher, said that Lu Lu now spends most of his time standing upright on his back legs. Even when he rests, he prefers to squat on his back legs while keeping his body upright and his front legs off the ground.

Each morning, Zhou takes Lu Lu to the nearby Century Square for a walk, where Lu Lu is a celebrity among the morning exercisers who all love him and bring him snacks.

A Funny One

The police knocked at my door saying that my dogs were chasing people on their bikes.

I said it can't be my dogs and he asked why. 

I said my dogs can't ride a bike

Trail of decapitated animals found in Miami neighborhood

A gruesome Halloween mystery came to a Miami neighborhood on Thursday morning when residents awoke to find dozens of dead, headless animals dumped down their street. About a dozen goats, cats and different types of birds were laid out on nearly two blocks between 16th Terrace and 15th Terrace on 34th Avenue in Miami, leaving residents scared at what might be next as Halloween approaches.

"Nothing had a head," said Marioly Perez, who was awakened by screeching tires as a car peeled out down the street. "I have never seen anything like this. It's scary." Miami Police believe the dead animals might have been part of a religious ritual like a Santeria, but those don't usually involve cats. There was also a "very large" animal that no one could identify, residents said.


It all started when something went bump in the night outside. A loud boom woke residents and the sounds of a fast-moving car caused them to come outside. When they walked out, the scene resembled something from a nightmare - a trail of headless animals with body parts strewn everywhere. Perez said the smell was suffocating and that it seemed like the animals had been dead for some time.

"We all love animals here. This is very, very depressing. You don't know what kind of crazy people are around your neighborhood," resident Josefine Pita said. "It's very, very scary because you don't know if they are going to steal your animal." The City's Sanitation Department cleared away the animal carcasses, while the Fire Department hosed down the Street.