The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

In movies, the good guy always wins. 

But you learned long ago (through personal experience) that real life is a lot different -- all too often, the good guy ends up losing out. 

But today an underdog will triumph -- and it'll be just like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. 

Get ready to be inspired by the true story of someone who battled the odds and came out victorious. 

And know that you can win your battle, too.

 Some of our readers today have been in:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Morini, Morini, Comoros
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Moscow, Moskva, Russia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Crawley, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Rio De Janiero, Rio De Janiero, Brazil
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Manchester, 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 Bourbonnais, Deltona, Fitchburg, Markle and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, October 13, the 286th day of 2011.

There are 79 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

Thorough Thursday

Angry Birds In Real Life

Admit it, we’ve all wondered what kind of birds the angry birds actually are. Finally, someone has caught pictures of the animals in their wild habitats where it is a lot easier to tell their actual species.

Full Story

Most iconic U.S. drives

America's magnificent road trips

From leisurely byways to roller-coaster mountain roads, these classic routes were built to impress.

  Top 10 

Also: 

• More gorgeous drives
• Photos from the road
• Best fall getaways

Daily Comic Relief

What The OWS Protests Are About

A pretty good summary, with lots of charts: Here's What The Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About.

So, what are the protesters so upset about, really? Do they have legitimate gripes? To answer the latter question first, yes, they do. They have very legitimate gripes.
And if America cannot figure out a way to address these gripes, the country will likely become increasingly "de-stabilized," as sociologists might say. And in that scenario, the current protests will likely be only the beginning.
The problem in a nutshell is this: Inequality in this country has hit a level that has been seen only once in the nation's history—at the end of the 1920s. Unemployment has also reached a level that has been seen only once since the Great Depression.

Top facts on richest 1%

Top five facts about America's richest 1%

Occupy Wall Street's target has a bigger share of U.S. income than at any time since the 1920s

What they don't have 

Also: 

• Who funds the protesters
• Clash over economy
• Mortgage applications up

State capital files for bankruptcy

State capital files for bankruptcy

Crippled by debt and a sea of lawsuits, Harrisburg, Penn., finds itself in "imminent jeopardy."

  Big reason why 

Also: 

• Less help for cities
• UAW’s new labor pact
• More stimulus sought

Crabby Road

Americans like jobs bill

Americans approve of Obama’s jobs bill

A new poll suggests a majority of people disagree with the Senate about the president's plan. 

  Which details matter 

Also: 

• Report: Plans inadequate
• Recession hits birth rates
• repugicans block jobs bill

A winning elevator speech

Elevator speeches to get hired

Sell yourself to an interviewer succinctly by following five essential rules.

  What you shouldn't say 

Also: 

• Spot these interview clues
• Workplace dangers
• What popular jobs pay

Circle Logic

Six Things They Say Hurt Careers

 (That Statistics Say Help)

It turns out that many of the ways we intuitively believe we're improving our success in the workforce are totally wrong. If you want to get ahead, you'd be better advised to just let yourself go.

Full Story

What not to say to your boss

10 things to never say to your boss

Sharing office gossip with your supervisor can backfire in a big way.  

 When referencing your kids is negative 

Also: 

• Job interview goofs
• Earn more at your job
• What boss won't tell you

The Boss' Favorite

In a bid to discover more about workplace relations, a human resources consultancy conducted a study aimed at discovering more about employers' attitudes towards their staff.

Third of bosses 'favor' certain staff members

Tips on retiring abroad

What to consider before retiring abroad

You need to think about whether you want to live in an English-speaking country or not.

  Top two picks 

Also: 

• 8 places to consider
• Calculate your savings
• Don't sabotage retirement

Crabby Road Extras

Stuttering student told not to speak

Officials at a community college in northern New Jersey declined to say Wednesday whether they disciplined an adjunct professor who asked a stuttering student not to speak, but acknowledged that the professor acted improperly.

Full Story

Individuality

Eight people killed in California hair-salon shooting

8 killed in California hair-salon shooting

A man is arrested after eight people are killed and one is critically wounded, police say.  

 Quiet beach community 

Also: 

• Photos outside the salon
• More on Seal Beach
• Northwest murder spree

Tennessee Gun Guy Arrested

In Tennessee: Sponsor of guns-in-bars bill arrested for DUI with gun.

A Tennessee lawmaker who sponsored a controversial bill to allow handguns to be carried in bars was arrested Tuesday for driving under the influence and possessing a handgun while under the influence.
Police said that Tennessee state Rep. Curry Todd (R) was pulled over at around 11:15 p.m. in Nashville, according to WSMV-TV. Officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special hidden between the driver’s seat and center console.
An affidavit charged that the lawmaker was “almost falling down at times” and “obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun.”

Here's his mugshot.

Drug smugglers get creative

Drug smugglers get creative in Arizona

Ingenious use of parking spaces and 16 tunnels running under the border stuns the local mayor.

  'Unbelievable' details 

Also: 

• Creative drug smugglers
• Pot brownies at funeral
• Teen could avoid jail

Expensive BMW painted purple for inconsiderate parking

House painters in Russia’s central city of Veliky Novgorod avenged a driver of a inconsiderately-parked expensive BMW by painting his silver-colored car purple.

A witness said that an unknown driver parked his BMW on Sunday on one of the central streets of the city near a building, where house painters were working. The parked car occupied a considerable part of the sidewalk posing inconvenience for pedestrians and obstructing the work of the house painters.

At first, the house painters tried asking the residents of the house, who was the owner of the car, but after getting no information they used their paint rollers to apply purple paint on the vehicle and wrote a swear-word on the rear window.

The car remained this way all day on Sunday and by the late evening disappeared. A spokesman for the city police said there were no complaints concerning inflicted damage to the car.

Hijacked crew saved from pirates after sending message in a bottle

The crew of the Montecristo resorted to a traditional seafaring means of communication when their ship was hijacked by pirates. They wrote a message, placed it in a bottle, and tossed it into the sea through a porthole. The bottle was retrieved by Nato warships who were nearby after responding to an earlier call for help from the Italian merchantman.

The message inside, and another written on a sheet, was clear: it was safe to board. It was the signal for Royal Marine commandos to launch an attempt to rescue the 23-man crew, who were being held by 11 suspected pirates, in full knowledge that they could do so without risking lives.

The Montecristo's crew - seven Italians, six Ukrainians and 10 Indians - had locked themselves inside an armoured area of the vessel when the pirates boarded the ship on Monday, according to Italian defence minister Ignazio La Russa. Safe from the pirates' threats, the crew continued to navigate the ship.

"The criminals managed to cut off all means of communication, but the 'prisoners' tossed a bottle with a message through a porthole explaining the situation," said La Russa. Rubber boats with British marine commandos on board circled the Montecristo, while a helicopter hovered above. "The pirates surrendered right away, some throwing their weapons in the sea, and were arrested," La Russa said.

Ziggy

A year without groceries

Living without groceries 'surprisingly easy'

The Hoff family avoided supermarkets for a year, and found the results delightful. 

They raised, grew, bartered for food 

Also: 

• The truth about sugar
• Food trends men hate
• Are vegetarians thinner?

Culinary DeLites

• 

  What food trends are you so over?

• 

  Halloween menu that's scary (and simple!)

• 

  Try this tonight: Homemade mayo

• 

  What's your favorite way to enjoy fall pears?

Addicted to Diet Coke

To get her fix, one woman downed 7 pints of the no-calorie drink a day.

And at what cost?

Thousands of dollars, 42 pounds on the scale, and severely compromised health.

Here's how she's trying to kick the cola habit.

Read More

Healthy Living

7 ways to get an iron-clad immune system

• The best treadmills for a small budget
• How to have a fitter, healthier marriage
• 10 things that take more time than a breast exam

Manage your life

Study on overweight women and beauty makes us cringe

• Daughter heir-apparents of mega moguls
• How to clean your house in 30 minutes or less
• Why you shouldn't close your credit card

Old-fashioned domestic tips

Old-fashioned household tips that work

Just grab some salad oil or petroleum jelly to wipe away white rings from wood furniture.  

 Nontoxic ant solution 

Also: 

• Clean house in 30 minutes
• DIY home decor ideas  
• How to always be on time

Five Safety Measures That Don't Make You Safer

Helmets, anti-lock breaks, sunscreen -they all seem like they should make us so much safer and healthier, but as it turns out, they can actually put us in more danger, largely because we take our safety for granted once we have these protection measures in place. Read about these and other safety precautions that actually make you less safe in this great Cracked article.

What homes will look like in 2015

What homes of 2015 will look like

One familiar room will be left out of many new houses, according to builders.

  Six features you'll see more 

Also: 

• Find new homes for sale
• Most expensive markets
• House gone, not debt

Pikachu Sunrise

Photo: Luis Argerich - via Buzzfeed

First it was Sunsquatch, now Pikachu sunrise! Argentinian photographer Luis Argerich took this photo of an unusual sunrise over Rio de La Plata.
APOD explains that it's just low level clouds but just you wait till it attacks with the Volt Tackle!

Can a Venus Flytrap Digest Human Flesh?

At some point in our lives, each of us has wondered if a sufficiently large venus flytrap could eat us. Also, is there one lurking nearby? Can they fly or teleport at will? Barry White, a scientist (specifically, an astronomer), devised an experiment to partially resolve the first issue. Can a venus flytrap digest a portion of human flesh? Due to a case of athlete’s foot, he had some to spare and fed it to the plant:

After a week, the traps opened. I had predicted the skin chunks would be relatively inert and unaffected. After all, these were hard, crusty chunks of skin from the sole of my diseased feet. Surely the Venus flytraps would have no effect upon them.
Was I ever wrong! The skin chunks were almost completely digested. Worse, what was left no longer had much cohesion, but was gooey and slimy, like little boogers. Uck! Uck! Uck! And what is with the weird hue shift to bacon color?? Uck! Uck! Uck! Iä! Iä!

You can see pictures of his semi-digested human flesh at the link. Because, you know, you want to. Admit it.

Full Story

B.C.

Upping the cute factor

Ancient whale jawbone found in Antarctica

The jawbone of an ancient whale found in Antarctica may be the oldest fully aquatic whale yet discovered, Argentine scientists said Tuesday.

Full Story

Researchers discover oldest fossil rodents in South America

In a literal walk through time along the Ucayali River near Contamana, Peru, a team of researchers found rodent fossils at least 41 million years old - by far the oldest on the South American continent.

Full Story

Animal Pictures