The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Some unexpected terminations may have you feeling a little uncertain right now, but you don't have to worry about your own situation. 

Stay calm, and don't assume the worst -- doing so will only put you in a bad mood, and there's no point in that. 

Your relationships are more solid than ever -- despite the fact that there has been a little bit of conflict going on lately. 

You mustn't think that people don't like you just because they argue with you.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Kiev, Kyivv, Ukraine
Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
London, England, United Kingdom
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Tranbjerg, Arhus, Denmark
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland
Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark

Hanover, Niedersachsen, 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 Taylors, Fountain Inn, Barnwell, Greer and more!

Today is:

Today is Sunday, November 6, the 310th day of 2011.

There are 55 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

 Zero Tasking Day

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Subtle Sunday

Daylight Saving disaster stories

True stories of Daylight Saving disasters

The time change can wreak havoc on people who don't heed the old "spring forward, fall back" rule.

  'What a mess...' 

Also: 

• Tips to adjust more easily
• Do pets notice difference?
• Insomnia, depression link

The fly in the ointment

#occupywallst protesters reject plea deal, decide to occupy courts.

States with excess cash

Fortunate states with excess cash

A few states are in enviable budgetary positions while most feel the crunch of a recession.  

One has extra $260 million 

Also: 

• Cuts for N.Y. agencies
• Wash. trims cell expenses
• Colo. voters reject hikes

Bank of America threatened foreclosure with ex-home owner over $1

And people continue to trust their money with Bank of America for what reason? Why would anyone want to do business with such a business?

Huffington Post:

Shantell Curtis and her family were threatened with foreclosure months after they had sold their Vernal, Utah house. What's more, the problem revolved around a single dollar, Connect2Utah.com reports (h/t The Consumerist). Months after the Curtises sold and moved out of the home in August of last year, their lender, Bank of America, reportedly sent them a foreclosure notice.

Bank of America claimed the family owed months of missed mortgage payments, before realizing a $1 coding error had held up the Curtises' title transfer. While BofA has taken months to resolving the issue, the Curtises' credit report has taken a beating since then.

The episode is far from the first foreclosure mishap BofA has dealt with in recent months, and not even the smallest dollar amount related to foreclosure threats. In June, BofA tried to foreclose on a man living in Massachusetts over a missed mortgage payment totaling $0.00.

Crabby Road

Best cities without a car

Best cities to live in without a car

These ten metros make it easy to get around by foot, bike, or public transit.

New York City is not No. 1 

Also: 

• Bikes from automakers
• Best places to retire
• Get top dollar for your car

The Average American Has Two Friends

How many friends do you have? No, not Facebook friends, silly. Real friends.
If you have only two, then you're an average American. A new study has suggested that our circle of friends is shrinking:

Participants were asked to list the names of people they had discussed "important matters" with over the previous six months. If respondents said "none," they asked whether this was because they didn't have any important matters to discuss or no one with whom to discuss them in the past six months.

About 48 percent of participants listed one name, 18 percent listed two, and roughly 29 percent listed more than two names for these close friends. On average, participants had 2.03 confidantes. And just over 4 percent of participants didn't list any names.
When Brashears looked closer at that number of socially isolated individuals, he found that 64 percent indicated that this was because they had no topic to discuss, while only about 36 percent had no one to talk to. Turns out, female participants and those who were educated were the least likely to report no names on their confidante list.

Full Story

Balancing your work and life

Top careers for better work-life balance

These fields let you scrap the 9-to-5 routine and work a flexible schedule.  

Best education options for them 

Also: 

• Managing work stress
• How jobs hurt health
• Your looks and your pay

Side businesses for extra cash

Side businesses that bring in extra cash

These five types of side projects are all easy to start and can generate real money.  

 Advice on getting started 

Also: 

• Tech entrepreneur advice
• Seven creative startups
• Handling a young boss

Home projects that don't pay

The 6 worst home fixes for the money

Odds are, you'll take a loss on these home improvement projects when you sell.

Bathrooms that flush away cash 

Also: 

• Smart fall renovations
• Paying for improvements
• What homes will be like

Chores that burn calories

Calorie-burning household chores

Just shoveling your driveway could torch as many as 400 calories per hour.  

Task as effective as ballroom dancing 

Also: 

• Get Kate Middleton's arms
• Plus-sized gym clothes
• Weird weight-loss tricks

Autumn

 

Autumn is called 'Fall' for a reason, you know.

How to cook better at home

Nine ways to be a better cook at home

Many people use too little of this spice in their dishes, and the flavor suffers.  

When to skip chicken breasts 

Also: 

• Home meals chefs cook
• Hidden kitchen dangers
• Secret to perfect gravy

Wrong meatball ingredient

Why your meatballs don't taste right

This common mistake is hurting your recipe — and your wallet, Chef Fabio says.

'The only way to do it' 

Also: 

• Perfect meatball recipe
• Top pasta tricks
• 'Herbtastic' halibut

Best U.S. spots for fried chicken

Best places for amazing fried chicken

One spot serves the crunchy, juicy dish with light angel biscuits and sides made from family recipes. 

Picks across U.S. 

Also: 

• Slow cooker fall recipes
• Burger King's odd dish
• Tips for home cooks

Pie recipe revealed

Award-winning apple pie recipe revealed

The cook's late mother-in-law gave her these prized secret instructions as a Christmas gift.

  Trick gives her an edge 

Also: 

• Cheese festival delights
• Buffalo wing contest
• Deep fried pecan pie

Foodies in California pushing for homemade food sales law

Mark Stambler's handcrafted bread was a favorite at Los Angeles specialty food shops until public health officials cracked down on the crusty loaves leavened in his garage and baked in a wood-burning oven in his backyard.

Full Story

Retro Photo

Edward Weston - Mammy’s Cupboard, Natchez, Mississippi, 1941.

Never Before Seen Pictures of Marilyn Monroe

It takes a lot of poise to still look beautiful, sexy and powerful while using crutches, but if anyone could do it -it was Marilyn Monroe. And the gorgeous pictures of the late, great actress featured on The Huffington Post show just how stunning she could look, even with an ankle injury. If you love Marilyn, don’t miss these great, unreleased-up-until-now shots.

Full Story

Did you know ...

Magnolias do not require bees for pollination

"Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles." 

Let's be Honest

American back from Libya

American missing in Libya returns home

Matthew VanDyke secretly went to join the uprising against Gadhafi when he was captured.  

 Five months in solitary 

Also: 

• Libyan arms missing
• Gadhafi's hometown grim
• Muslims throng Mt. Arafat

Ziggy

The 'devil' is in the details

'Devil' found in artwork's detail 

Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.

Zetas blink in the face of "Anonymous" threat

Amazing story.

 NY Daily News:

The hacktavist collective Anonymous has cancelled Operation Cartel after a member that was allegedly abducted by a Mexican drug cartel was released Thursday, the group's longtime public face announced in an online post.

Barrett Brown claimed the organization had 25,000 emails stolen from the Mexican government that proved collusion with the Zetas cartel, blamed for dozens of deaths in the drug war gripping the Veracruz region of Mexico, Gawker reported Thursday. From those e-mails, the group says it compiled a list of 75 Zetas accomplices, which Anonymous threatened to expose.

However, after the unidentified member reportedly had been freed, Brown claimed that the e-mails would be handed over to him instead and the hackers would back down.

The Last Villager of Leonidovka

Desolation and silence, lop-sided electric poles and shabby houses prove that the village was abandoned long time ago.

Read more

Abandoned village in Russia

Look at the photos of an abandoned town that was accidentally found in the forests of the Moscow region. Why have the citizens left the place?

Full Story

Fascinating WTF Photos From Russia

Russia seems like a chaotic place to live, with giant pigeons lurking around every corner, blighted urban landscapes full of dogs getting it on, and an extremely diverse citizenry trying their best to act like nothing’s wrong.
These photos capture a side of Russia few outside the country ever get to see, and each image has an interesting story to tell.

Full Story

Daily Comic Relief

Laser Turns Brown Eyes Blue

Want to turn your brown eyes blue? Forget contact lenses! Changing the color of your eyes permanently from brown to blue may be just a laser treatment away, according to one doctor working on the technology:

Dr. Gregg Homer at Stroma Medical in California announced on KTLA-TV that he had come up with a laser procedure that removes the brown pigment, known as melanin, in the iris. Once removed, the blue color underneath is revealed, giving the person blue eyes. Homer said the procedure takes about 20 seconds.
“We use a laser that’s tuned to a specific frequency to remove the pigment from the surface of the iris,” he told KTLA. [...]
“The eyes are the windows to the soul, [there's] this idea that people can actually see into it — a blue eye is not opaque. You can see deeply into it, and a brown eye is very opaque, and I think that there is something meaningful about this idea of having open windows to the soul,” Homer told KTLA.

Full Story

Strange ailment ends football game

Mystery outbreak ends HS game early

Nearly two dozen high school students and fans are stricken during a football game in Texas.

Stadium cleared 

Also: 

• Ind. school's gutsy rally
• Playoffs in Ala. begin
• N.Y. suspensions stand

Brain parasite affects reward producing chemical

The brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which infects more than 60 million people in the US alone, directly affects the output of dopamine, a key chemical that controls our reward and pleasure centers.

Full Story

Don't go into the water

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans, seldom found farther south than 42°N latitude. Similar jellyfish, which may be the same species, are known to inhabit seas near Australia and New Zealand. The largest recorded specimen found, washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell (body) with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) and tentacles 120 feet (37 m) long.

and

On July 21, 2010, around 150 people are thought to have been stung by the remains of a dead Lion's mane jellyfish that had broken up into countless pieces in Rye, New Hampshire in the United States. Considering the size of the species, it is possible that this mass incident was caused by a single specimen.

Full Story

B.C.

Sewer Snakes

NC sewer worker finds python coiled under lid

A sewer system worker in western North Carolina lifted an iron lid and came face-to-face with a 7-foot python.

Australian toddler and lion cub become firm friends

Little Maddi Robinson’s new pet kitten is nearly as big as her. After being rejected by her mother, three-week-old lion cub Sassie has made her home with Maddi’s family, which owns the Darling Downs Zoo near Toowoomba.

Two of four cubs born at the zoo three weeks ago have taken up residence alongside the Robinson family, spending their days reclining on the couch and dozing on the lounge room floor.

Maddi is happy to do her bit by helping keep the cubs entertained and it's they, not the two-year-old, who must keep their wits about them. "At the moment she's a bit rough with them. We're always telling her to be gentle but it won't be long before they turn the tables," mother Stephanie Robinson said.

YouTube link.

While eventually Sassie’s teeth will be too big to have the run of the house, Maddi is making the most of her warm and cuddly playmate. For now, the pair are inseparable.

Animal News