The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Ever notice that at least nine times out of ten when someone suddenly pops into your mind for no reason at all, it's not at all unusual to bump into them just as suddenly, or to get a call from them -- sometimes, almost immediately?
Well, guess what?
Yep.
You're due.
These are the times that convince many of us that there really is no such thing as a coincidence.
A master plan, perhaps -- fate, maybe -- but coincidence?
Nah.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Milan Lombardia, Italy

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Leeds, England, United Kingdom

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France

Modena, Eilia-Romagna, Italy

London, England, United Kingdom

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

as well as Singapore, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia and in cities across the United States such as Jasper, Bedford, Wake Forest, Durham and more.

Today is:

Today is Sunday, October 31, the 304th day of 2010.

There are 61 days left in the year.

Today In History October 31

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:

National Carmel Apple Day

National Knock-Knock Jokes Day

and

National Magic Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Happy Halloween

It's Samhain ... what are you doing to celebrate?

Welcome to the ancient festival of Samhain - the time when the barrier between the visible and invisible is at it’s weakest and those that have left this world on their timeless journey can draw closer to us.

This is the time when our Celtic ancestors celebrated their ancestors and the legacy of life and dreams, myths, magic and legends that they inspired - reflecting not only on those that have gone before us but on their own mortality.

In Celtic lands the passing of someone is always celebrated with a ‘wake’. This is not a sad time but a cause of celebration - a time to rejoice at the passing of the soul to a better place. This time, the time of Samhain was a perfect time to reflect and reconnect with those we have loved and cared for.

This is also a time of primeval energies when barriers fall and worlds merge. The tradition of ‘trick or treating’ came from these lands when on this - of all nights - but it was also done throughout the year - the earth spirits (the Sidhe or the faery) had to be placated - ‘treated’ or they would curse your lands (trick) and livestock.

Today our children take the role.  Playful, in the moment, spiteful when crossed - who better reflects the earth spirits? Hallow’en (All Hallow’s Eve - the christian festival of the holy souls which is tomorrow) is not a time of terror - but of reflection, reconnection and joy.

Fall colors at their peak

Photos: Fall colors at their peak

Photographer John Simmons captures the glory of fall in the N.C. mountains.

Sights and sounds of N.C. mountains
Panorama: Fall colors along the parkway

Haunted House

Mickey Mouse from 1929

Police Given Unruly Witches Handbook

U.K. police officers on patrol for Halloween celebrations Sunday have been armed with a 300-page handbook that includes information on how to deal with unruly witches.

Police Given Unruly Witches Handbook

The Belles of the Ball

Home (Holey, Moley, Me Oh My)

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

Don't Wait Up For Me

The Donnas

I wouldn't if I were You

I wouldn't if I were You. Messing with us is not the brightest idea you've ever had.

New suspicions about bomb plot

Mail-bomb plot deadlier than first thought

Bombs addressed to U.S. synagogues may have been designed to detonate midflight.  

On 2 passenger planes 

Also: 

• Images from Yemen
• Afghans hold Taliban talks
• Backscatter imaging

Explosive marijuana experiment destroys freezer, fridge

Police say a man who tried to distill the active ingredient from marijuana using butane gas inadvertently caused an explosion that sent the door of his refrigerator through a wall in his home.

Full Story

Little known sources of air pollution

Air pollutants you may not know about

Candles add ambiance, but those made from paraffin emit chemicals and soot.  

A harmful device in every office 

Also: 

• Healthy lungs for life
• Respiratory illnesses
• Five benefits of breath

Shoe

Awesome People Tricks

Viral hit spotlights awesome people tricks

This collection of gasp-inducing favorites showcases the amazing feats people can do.  

Flips, spins, and perfect aim 

Also: 

• Perfect precision march
• Baby's fun dog game
• Find: Cool pet tricks

Pontiac comes to an end

American auto icon comes to an end

After 84 years, General Motors finally drops the declining Pontiac brand.  

Once-storied muscle cars 

Also: 

• History of the cars
• Bond's Aston Martin sold
• Famous American autos

Awesome Pictures

All the World Loved the Swastika before WW2

 

All the World Loved the Swastika before WW2

Shadows Dancing

Judge: NC Voters Must Be Warned About Touch Screen Machines

A judge ruled Saturday that NC voters must be warned touch-screen voting machines are sensitive and poll workers will need to keep detailed records of complaints.

NC Voters Must Be Warned About Touch Screen Machines

The Rally to Restore Sanity



See the 100 Best Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear yesterday in Washington, DC.
And all are spelled correctly!

Oh rally?

Some post-rally tid-bits

TPM has some great pics of choice signs found on the mall today

Plus this one of Uncle Sam

More proof wingnuts need spell check (or at least proof-readers)

Oddly enough, some media pundits (Marc Cooper) thought the comedy show was political-content free. Imagine that.

How big was the rally? take the source w/a grain of salt, but MTV says 250,000, Viacom says 200,000.

Even an editor for the Atlantic, who was there, says it was bigger than Beck.

(via: Skippy)

About 950,000 voters have already cast ballots in NC

950,000 voters have already cast ballots in NC

About 950,000 voters have already cast their ballots in North Carolina.

Full Story

This is not a good sign for the wingnuts

Non Sequitur

Debt Collection Firm Accused Of Setting Up Phony Courtroom

Talk about a kangaroo court!

Call it "theater of the real."
A debt collection firm is accused of setting up a fake courtroom, complete with a raised "bench" and judge in black and other decorations and furniture, to trick and holding bogus hearings to extract payment from debtors.

Full Story

Foreclosure suspension puts buyers in limbo

Josh and Tayla Thomforde thought they had a deal to buy a three-bedroom house with a fenced-in backyard and room for their family to grow. But the nation's latest foreclosure quagmire scuttled their plans.

Foreclosure suspension puts buyers in limbo

Also:

How the foreclosure process works in N.C.

Scary Credit Card Issues

Protecting yourself from credit card issues

The key to handling a lost card or a missed payment is to promptly contact the bank.  

How to deal with late fees 

Also: 

• When to avoid credit
• Tricks of identity thieves
• Create a budget

Despite high-tech, auto-adjusting smartphones, folks still confused about DST

One of the two times of the year for Americans' internal clock to be screwed up is nearly here. Daylight Savings Time 2010 is about to end, and despite the popularity of smartphones, folks are still asking: when do we turn the clocks back in 2010? 

Full story

Be careful with 50% off deals

How stores use '50% off' to hook you

Price-slashing deals sound great, but their sales tags may come with strings attached.  

When 50% becomes 36% 

Also: 

• How to avoid impulse buys
• Money and happiness
• Holiday shopping tips

Culinary DeLites

Best pasta restaurants in America

Look for exotic dishes like strozzapreti and conchiglie at these highly rated spots.  

One serves Tootsie-Roll shapes 

Also: 

• Making your own pasta
• Tasty lasagna recipes
• Restaurant portion advice

Pumpple: The Turducken of Cakes

Flying Monkey, a bakery in Philadelphia, created a cake dubbed the “pumpple”. It’s a pumpkin pie and apple pie baked between chocolate and vanilla cakes and covered with buttercream icing:

This oversize creation weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds and measures more than a foot tall. And at 1,800 calories a slice, it’s not for the faint of heart.[...]
It starts with the pies, which it par-bakes. The half-cooked pumpkin pie is dipped into chocolate cake batter and baked. The apple pie and vanilla cake get the same treatment and are baked on top of the chocolate cake. Its massive size means that it spends hours in the oven. Homemade buttercream is then — literally — the icing on the entire cake.

Full Story

B.C.

Upping the cute factor

Dog and Dolphin Swim

Zoo critters do some Halloween pumpkin-smashing

Even some of the critters at the North Carolina Zoo can partake in a long-standing tradition of Halloween mischief: pumpkin-smashing. The zoo is holding its annual "Pachyderm Pumpkin Pounding" on Sunday, which is Halloween.

Zoo critters do some Halloween pumpkin-smashing

Ten Greatest Animal Photobombs

10 Greatest Animal Photobombs

Indian Giant Squirrel

Indian Giant Squirrel