The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

You should try to wholeheartedly embrace change and unfamiliar ideas today -- the newness around you is going to show you a better way to do something you're currently doing. 

Every time you encounter something that makes you confused, pursue it! 

Dig in and try to wrap your mind around something that challenges you. 

This process could take all day to complete, but it will exhilarate you, not frustrate you. 

By this evening, you will have learned something exciting and new.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Canberra, Australian, Capital Territory, Australia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Versailles, Ile-De-France, France
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Ripely, Ontario, Canada
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Doncaster, England, United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Mysore, Karnataka, India
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Basauri, Pais Vasco, Spain
As, Askersus, Norway
Morini, Morini, Comoros
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United kingdom
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

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 Downers Grove, Hilton Head Island, New Orleans, San Francisco and more!

Today is:

Today is Friday, October 21, the 294th day of 2011.

There are 71 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Reptile Awareness Day.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Far-Out Friday

Best weekend getaways

Best cities for weekend vacations

These getaway spots offer marquee attractions, unique culture, atmosphere, and great food.

  Easy to navigate, too 

Also:

• America's top downtowns
• Book your own excursion
• Most-haunted U.S. hotels

Awesome Pictures

Fan's cool custom hearse

Fan drives cool custom hearse to games

A lifelong North Carolina supporter makes sure he doesn't go unnoticed at tailgates.

  See his wild ride

Also:

• LSU suspends players
• Big BCS debate looming
• College football picks

IQ Can Actually Fluctuate

Does IQ truly measure your intelligence or is it just another achievement test, much like the SAT, with fluctuations in scores as you gain knowledge?
Maybe more the latter, according to a new study by researchers at University College London. Researchers show that IQs of a group of British teenagers fluctuate - sometimes by a lot:

The researchers tested 33 healthy adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They repeated the tests four years later and found that some teens improved their scores by as much as 20 points on the standardized IQ scale.
"We were very surprised," researcher Cathy Price, who led the project, tells Shots. She had expected changes of a few points. "But we had individuals that changed from being on the 50th percentile, with an IQ of 100, [all] the way up to being in the (top) 3rd percentile, with an IQ of 127." In other cases, performance slipped by nearly as much, with kids shaving points off their scores.
Price and her colleagues used brain scans to confirm that these big fluctuations in performance were not random — or just a fluke. They evaluated the structure of the teens' brain in the early teen years and again in the late teenage years.
"We were able to see that the degree to which their IQ had changed was proportional to the degree to which different parts of their brain had changed," explains Price. For instance, an increase in verbal IQ score correlated with a structural change in the left motor cortex of the brain that is activated when we speak.

Full Story

Paul Ryan ... Asshole

The house repugican majority, since it came into power, has repeatedly set its sights on pell grants, the federal grants that help low- and middle-income students pay a portion of their higher education tuition. repugicans have not only proposed lowering the maximum pell amount from $5,500 (which is the level to which the Obama administration raised it) but also limiting eligibility, knocking one million students from the pell program entirely. During a town hall today, house budget committee chairman Paul Ryan (reptile-wi) was asked by Matthew Lowe, a student, why the repugicans want to cut pell grants. Ryan responded by saying that the program is “unsustainable,” before telling Lowe that he should be working three jobs and taking out student loans to pay for college, instead of using pell grants. - More

The wisdom of Maxine

The 147 Highly Interconnected Companies That Rule The World

That's not just a pretty picture above. My friends, say hello to the 1,318 highly interconnected transnational companies (with a core of 147 "super-entities") that rule the world, as visualized by scientists at the Swiss Federal Insitute of Technology:

From Orbis 2007, a database listing 37 million companies and investors worldwide, they pulled out all 43,060 TNCs and the share ownerships linking them. Then they constructed a model of which companies controlled others through shareholding networks, coupled with each company's operating revenues, to map the structure of economic power.
The work, to be published in PloS One, revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships (see image). Each of the 1318 had ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. What's more, although they represented 20 per cent of global operating revenues, the 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world's large blue chip and manufacturing firms - the "real" economy - representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues.
When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a "super-entity" of 147 even more tightly knit companies - all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity - that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. "In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network," says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.

Full Story

Fat paychecks, no housing

Desperate measures for boomtown workers

Thousands head to a remote location for hefty salaries, but the trade-off is painful to bear.

  Where home is a parking lot 

Also: 

• Sept. unemployment rates
• Foreign homeowner surge
• Discounts for borrowers

'Get a Job!'? Get a Clue!

"Get a job!" It's the wingnut's favorite retort to protesters among the majority. It goes back at least as far as the 1960's and 1970's, and implies that only "dirty hippies" who are too lazy to work - and would rather mooch off the government and be subsidized people in the so-called "53 percent" - have time to protest.

Full Story

Choosing your profile photo

What your profile photo says about you

Your image on social-media sites can have a mighty impact on how you're perceived in business. 

  Loaded choices 

Also: 

• Risky social-media moves
• Facebook jobs initiative
• Twists in Timeline drama

How jobs hurt your health

Ten ways your job may be hurting you

Your desk, colleagues, and even office air may be hazardous to your health.

  Habit that can increase cholesterol 

Also: 

• Managing work stress
• Coming payroll tax hike
• Retirement worries grow

Manage your life

7 workplace blunders and how to avoid them

• How to avoid 6 big money mistakes
• iPhone 4S buying guide
• How to spot a frenemey

Signs

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT GET A KICK OUT OF THESE (ACTUAL!) SIGNS:

Sign in London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS.

Outside a farm: HORSE MANURE: $1 PER PRE-PACKED BAG -.25 CENTS DO-IT-YOURSELF.

In a laundry, on each washing machine: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.

In a London office: AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD.

On a church door: THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN. ENTER YE BY THIS DOOR.
(This door is kept locked because of the draft. Please use the side door)

Outside a photographer’s studio: OUT TO LUNCH; IF NOT BACK BY FIVE, OUT FOR DINNER ALSO.

Outside a disco: SMARTS IS THE MOST EXCLUSIVE DISCO IN TOWN. EVERYONE WELCOME.

In a cleaner’s window: ANYONE LEAVING THEIR GARMENTS HERE FOR MORE THAN 30 DAYS WILL BE DISPOSED OF.

In a health food shop: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS.

In a safari park: ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

In a hotel during a conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN’T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

In a farmer’s field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT BE AWARE THAT THE BULL CHARGES.

On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (Please knock hard on the door — the bell doesn’t work)

In an office building washroom: TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW.

Wal-Mart reverses health insurance program; drops spouses from many policies

Nobody can deny that health insurance costs have a high cost for business, but this is a major step in the wrong direction. Whether you like Wal-Mart or not, their decisions have a large impact in the US so this should be a big red flag for the health insurance problem and the US economy. After receiving a lot of bad press in the past for its health insurance policies, Wal-Mart went on the offensive to improve its image. They have to know that rolling back these changes will come with a price, yet they still went ahead it. This gives you some indication as to how bad the problem is in terms of cost.
If anything, this move reinforces the urgency of needing a public option. The so-called "free market" for health insurance is anything but free and it's crushing the US. If the public option was so bad and so anti-American, obviously no one would buy it. Rolling back healthcare reform or doing nothing is not an option.

NY Times:

Citing rising costs, Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, told its employees this week that all future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average will no longer qualify for any of the company’s health insurance plans.

In addition, any new employees who average 24 hours to 33 hours a week will no longer be able to include a spouse as part of their health care plan, although children can still be covered.

This is a big shift from just a few years ago when Wal-Mart expanded coverage for employees and their families after facing criticism because so many of its 1.4 million workers could not afford or did not qualify for coverage — rendering many of them eligible for Medicaid.

Trouble that mimics heartburn

Nine conditions that mimic heartburn

The timing of symptoms can go a long way toward warning that you need to see a doctor.

  Gallstones or an ulcer? 

Also: 

• More info on heartburn
• How to wake up happier
• Getting healthy at work

Healthy Living

How to wake up happier

• Stressed? You're probably pregnant with a girl
• Does Hollywood's hottest workout really work? We test it out
• The worst Halloween candy you can buy

Some stores freezing out Ben & Jerry's new flavor

One of Ben & Jerry's newest ice cream flavors is getting a cold shoulder from some supermarket chains.

Full Story

Is organic milk worth it?

Is organic milk worth paying for?

Many people think it’s healthier than the conventional stuff, but science says not so fast.  

 Still good reasons to buy 

Also: 

• Guide to grass-fed beef
• Purple potatoes' benefit
• Immunity-boosting foods

Pronounce Italian menu items right

Order Italian without sounding pretentious

Are you sure you know how to say "bruschetta" and "gnocchi," or do you just sound silly?  

 More tough words 

Also: 

• Perfect mac n' cheese
• Best new restaurants
• Better-for-you foods

The 3-foot-high sandwich packs 540,000 calories and takes 22 hours to cook.

The Detroit News reports that Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate made a 338-pound "Absolutely Ridiculous Burger" on Thursday.

Full Story

Ziggy

Biggest U.S. landowners

The biggest landowners in America

The nation's top real estate baron just increased his holdings by buying a huge N.M. ranch.  

 Owns 2.2 million acres 

Also: 

• Fears over luxury market
• Housing construction is up
• One homebuyer's errors

Earth's Temperature Is Indeed Warming - Independent Analysis Backs NASA, NOAA, Others

Glenn Harper /CC BY 2.0

Not satisfied with existing research showing that Earth is in fact markedly warming post-Industrial Revolution, the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project set out to find out for themselves what's really going on. They even got more than $100,000 from the climate change denying Koch brothers to help.

Article continues: Earth's Temperature Is Indeed Warming - Independent Analysis Backs NASA, NOAA, Others

Doomed South Pole voyage

Lost photos of doomed South Pole voyage

Rare images surface from Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated 1910-13 Antarctic expedition.

See more pictures 

Also: 

• The Scott expedition
• Polar kite trek planned
• Viking burial site found

Titanic disaster photos emerge

Rare photos of Titanic disaster emerge

The images, which show the aftermath of the ship's sinking, are going on the auction block.

  Survivor's letters, too 

Also: 

• Amazing nature photos
• Man turned into mummy
• Dinosaur tracks found

Technology

The 8 Most Wildly Irresponsible Vintage Toys

We’ve posted about some extremely unsafe toys here. the one that came to mind immediately when I saw the title of this Cracked post was the Atomic Energy Lab, and it’s included. But the others are just as shockingly dangerous! However, I remember some of them from my own childhood, the childhood with no seat belts or bicycle helmets or minimum age for babysitting. Shown here is a kit for children to learn how to melt and mold their own lead, which could not only burn a hole through flesh, but poison your brain as well.

Full Story

Officials find Pete the Moose's remains

Vermont officials say they believe they've found the remains of a beloved captive moose, but the carcass is too decomposed to be tested for disease.

Full Story

The Once-ler from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is Revealed At Last

In Dr. Seuss' book The Lorax, it costs the boy 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail to hear the story of the Once-ler.
Suess never revealed who ... or what the Once-ler was, but soon, you'll be able to see the face of the Thneed industrialist, courtesy of Hollywood:

That elderly, decrepit fellow was similarly depicted in the original Seuss illustrations as a pair of eyes between the slats of a boarded up window, and those scenes in the story provided the single strongest piece of evidence that the seemingly furry-limbed villain was human.
Actually, it was his Snuvv that gave it away.
Snuvv?
This rhyme explains it (as much as any Seussian nonsense verse can.) It accompanied a drawing — seen below — of the Once-ler accepting payment from the boy before telling his tale of woe.
Then he hides what you paid him
away in his Snuvv,
his secret strange hole
in his gruvvulous glove.
“If there was a clear sign this character was something other than human, we would have abided by that,” says Meledandri. “But okay, he’s wearing gloves. You’re not going to put gloves on a monster.”

The Lorax producer Christopher Meledandri went on to explain the philosophical underpinning of making the Once-ler a man instead of a monster. Read the entire story at Entertainment Weekly's Inside Movies: here.

Why Are Some People Afraid Of Clowns?

Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns. For some, clowns are the stuff of horrific nightmares. The fear can be so strong that a simple picture of a clown can induce a panic attack.

Often used for entertainment at birthday parties and circus acts, clowns are supposed to do just the opposite - they're supposed to create a fun, humorous and happy environment. So why are some people deathly afraid of clowns?

Five Real Princesses Too Badass for Disney Movies

History is full of royal women who kicked all kinds of ass.
None of them fit for a Disney movie.

Full Story

B.C.

Diver hypnotizes a 10-foot shark

A diver hypnotizes a 10-foot shark

A diver in the Caribbean demonstrates her unusual ability to put sharks into a deep trance.  

Week's best photos 

Also: 

• Rare Titanic photographs
• Viking burial discovered
• Flooding hits Rome

True, that!

Firefighters give dog mouth-to-snout resuscitation after house blaze rescue

Firefighters Jamie Giese and Jared Thompson performed an unusual rescue when they gave mouth-to-snout resuscitation to a dog. The pair attended a house fire in Wausau, Wisconsin, where the family’s pets were still trapped inside the burning building. Dwight Borchardt, 17, returned from walking one of his dogs at around 4pm on Tuesday to find smoke billowing from the second floor.

While dad Todd Borchardt and his fiancee Kim Carlson were out of the house, pet cats Lavender and Mocha, and pet dog Coda were stranded inside. The teenager attempted to search for the missing animals but was overwhelmed by heavy smoke. The firefighters found seven-year-old Labrador Retriever in shock, sitting in a rocking chair in the room where the fire is believed to have started.

The men carried the stricken pooch to safety where they performed mouth-to-snout resuscitation. They also poured water over his soot-covered fur and used an oxygen mask to try and revive the animal. Speaking after the rescue, Giese admitted “It was all improvised” while Thompson said he had remembered tips from former reality TV show Rescue 911.

The heroes’ quick thinking paid off, as Coda was taken to two different pet hospitals, staying overnight at the second to recover. The lucky mutt had only been with the family for four days after previously living with a family friend. Son Dwight said: “He’s just a sweetheart. He’s been following me around for two days straight.” And the rescue has a happy ending – moggies Lavender and Mocha were found safe and well in the basement.

Animals Reflected in Water

I wouldn’t exactly call it narcissism, but animals like to look at their reflections just like people do. And when a photographer is there to capture the moment, you get double the subjects! See 16 photographs of animals and their reflections in water in a gallery at Environmental Graffiti.

Animal Pictures