The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

Your family life and your career life might seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum of your life, but there is much more overlap there than you might realize.
Explore how you can kill two birds with one stone today -- can you take care of work-related errands and personal errands at the same time?
Someone close needs to tell you something -- are you running around too much to listen?
Try to connect with a loved one today; you'll have the time.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Berlin, Berlin Germany
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Montreal Quebec, Canada
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hastings, Hawk's Bay, New Zealand
Exeter, England, United Kingdom
Heidelberg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Manila, Manila, Philippines
London, England, United Kingdom
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Peterborough, England, United Kingdom
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Lille, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, France
Kazan, Tartarstan, Russia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine
Vladivostok, Primor'ye, Russia
Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Acton, Ontario, Canada
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 Shamokin, Hickory, Swansea, Old Fort and more!

Today is:

Today is Monday, November 7, the 311th day of 2011.

There are 54 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

Manic Monday

U.S. city is lab for fast food

The city that taste tests America's fast food

With nearly 20 national chains based in this U.S. city, residents get a first taste of many menu items.

  Trendsetters 

Also: 

• Fast food you can't get
• America's fattiest foods
• Ways to cut 700 calories

Big money paid for John Lennon's tooth

Big money paid for John Lennon's tooth

A molar the singer reportedly gave as a gift to a housekeeper sells for much more than expected.

  Auction price 

Also: 

• Springsteen's long show
• Plant and Daltry team up
• Black Sabbath reuniting

Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend speaks out

Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend speaks out

In his first post-prison interview, Raffaele Sollecito says "cruel injustice" crushed their love. 

  Turned down Knox's offer 

Also: 

• Family still battling rumors
• Bulger girlfriend denied bail
• Murdoch family struggles

Did you know ...

Are things looking up for obama in the polls?

Here's the peoples guide to the federal budget.

Here's how to prevent election fraud. (It's easy - don't let repugicans near the polls nor the counting rooms)

Remember to occupy the voting booth.

First Nationwide Test of US Emergency System

It's only a test, but nerves are somewhat frayed over the first nationwide exercise on Wednesday of the system designed to alert Americans to national emergencies.

Read more 

Protesters circle White House

Pipeline protesters circle White House

Thousands of activists press President Obama to reject a new oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S.

Political pitfalls 

Also: 

• Protest photos
• Potential risks for Obama
• Canada PM lobbies for plan

Daily Comic Relief

Free-market boom in Cuba

Free-market economy taking hold in Cuba

The quiet streets of the countryside are once again alive with commerce, thanks to new initiatives.

  Farmers hold wealth 

Also: 

• Reforms convince cynics
• Another 'positive step'
• Hemingway bar opens

Crabby Road

Chicago trader mocks Occupy movement, dumps McDonald's applications on crowd

Let's remember that this is the same group of half wits who cheered on CNBC's Rick Santelli and the teabagging rant that launched the tea party.

It's also the same group who proudly embraced being the 1% last month.

There's a reason so many Americans support OWS and detest the people who caused the recession.

The truth be told

Transfers don't worry banks

Why banks may not mind losing customers

There's a reason bank execs don't seem worried about losing depositors to credit unions.  

 Upshot of Bank Transfer Day 

Also: 

• Choosing a new bank
• Avoid account fees
• Quick cash in an hour

How to cut your 2011 taxes

How to cut your 2011 taxes now

One clever strategy might let you take advantage of the 0% federal tax rate.

The new rules for IRAs 

Also: 

• More tax-saving moves
• Big firms, little tax bills
• What if deficit panel fails

Ziggy

Medicine Cabinet Must-Haves

 

Be prepared for life's little emergencies

This list of basic medicines and items will help you deal with minor illness and accidents at home. 

Are they in date? 

Also: 

• Medicine safety at home
• How to catch a cold
• Reasons to stay in bed

Signs of too much caffeine

Signs you've had too much caffeine

Elevated levels can have an effect on your energy, your mood, and even your bodily fluids.

Truth about decaf 

Also: 

• How to work out at lunch
• Best nut for blood sugar
• Steam room explanation

Foods that make you hungrier

'Diet' foods that make you hungrier

An apple is a healthy snack, but if you don’t eat anything else with it, you may overeat later.

  What you should add 

Also: 

• 15 new uses for tea
• Great chili recipes
• Fish: The ultimate ripoff?

Chicken Surprise

A couple go for a meal at a Chinese restaurant and order the 'Chicken Surprise'.

The waiter brings the meal, served in a lidded cast iron pot. Just as the wife is about to serve herself, the lid of the pot rises slightly and she briefly sees two beady little eyes looking around before the lid slams back down.

'Good grief, did you see that?' she asks her husband. He hasn't, so she asks him to look in the pot. He reaches for it and again the lid rises, and he sees two little eyes looking around before it slams down.

Rather perturbed, he calls the waiter over, explains what is happening, and demands an explanation.

 'Please sir,' says the waiter, 'what you order?'

 The husband replies, 'Chicken Surprise.'

 (You're going to love this.  You're going to hate yourself for loving this!)

 'Ah! So sorry,' says the waiter, 'I bring you Peeking Duck'.

 (please ... no fowl language!)

Governmental Logic

And I Quote

I’m trying to conserve energy, but I keep having to get off the couch.

~ Ron White

Rare Chinese art rediscovered

Rare Chinese art collection rediscovered

A university coordinator stumbles upon 15 handmade propaganda pieces made decades ago.  

 How they were found 

Also: 

• Devil spotted in fresco
• Costly mistake at museum
• Authorities seize painting

New Delhi's Last Magicians Colony

The Kathputli Colony is a community of performers: formerly itinerant magicians, puppeteers, acrobats, and others that settled into an area in West Delhi about 50 years ago. Most are poor.

But amidst the squalor is a remarkable tale of slum dwellers who have lived lives of the lowest degradation and of the highest luxury. Perplexing as it may sound, the Indian government bandies the community’s greatest puppeteers and magicians around the world anytime they needs to showcase the cultural excellence of India.
As the filmmakers tell us, “you’ll sit in someone’s ramshackle home and watch as they flip through photo albums where they are pictured alongside [former Prime Minister] Rajeev Gandhi or Laura Bush.”

But now the land has been sold to a developer who plans to bulldoze the slums and set up a shopping mall. The plight of the Kathputli Colony is shown in a video called Tomorrow We Disappear, which you can see, along with more pictures, at Atlas Obscura.

Awesome Pictures

Facts In Photos

U.S. poet, essayist, and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: 'A man is the whole encyclopedia of facts.' Here's a collection of funny facts. Take a look at the photos and grab some knowledge.

US Government: No Evidence Of Extraterrestrial Presence Here On Earth

Two petitions were asking the Obama Administration to acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence here on Earth.

Their answer:

The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the
public's eye.

However, that doesn't mean the subject of life outside our planet isn't being discussed or explored. In fact, there are a number of projects working toward the goal of understanding if life can or does exist off Earth.

Floods Show What Lies Ahead for Sinking Bangkok

The Thai capital, built on swampland, is slowly sinking and the floods in Bangkok could be merely a foretaste of a grim future as climate change makes its impact felt.  

Read more 

Rise in Oklahoma rumblings

Rise in Okla. rumblings puzzles scientists

The biggest earthquake in the state's history is part of a dramatic spike in seismic activity.

  'It's a real mystery' 

Also: 

• Homes damaged in quake
• Thailand flooding disaster
• Deadly Colombian landslide

Fifteen Really Odd Geographical Facts

Do you know what is the shortest place name? The world's oldest constitutional republic? Ever heard of a sea without coasts? Our planet is filled with many wonderful geographical and geological anomalies and mysteries. So many that we may never truly unlock all of the secrets that nature has tucked away.

This is a list of 15 of the more unusual or outright bizarre facts relating to geography, geology, and the earth.

Scientists baffled by kilogram

Boffins baffled by kilo weight enigma

A metal cylinder used as the global benchmark for the kilogram is somehow changing mass.  

Physics dilemma 

Also: 

• BIPM kilo
• US pipeline protests
• Underwater mountains

Hubble Space Telescope Sees a Gravitationally Lensed Quasar

Photo: NASA, ESA and J.A. Muñoz (University of Valencia)

You're looking at a picture of a quasar that's beeing sucked into a black hole, taken by the Hubble Space telescope. ESA's Hubble Space Telescope page explains:

While black holes themselves are invisible, the forces they unleash cause some of the brightest phenomena in the Universe. Quasars — short for quasi-stellar objects — are glowing discs of matter that orbit supermassive black holes, heating up and emitting extremely bright radiation as they do so.
“A quasar accretion disc has a typical size of a few light-days, or around 100 billion kilometres across, but they lie billions of light-years away. This means their apparent size when viewed from Earth is so small that we will probably never have a telescope powerful enough to see their structure directly,” explains Jose Muñoz, the lead scientist in this study.
Until now, the minute apparent size of quasars has meant that most of our knowledge of their inner structure has been based on theoretical extrapolations, rather than direct observations.
The team therefore used an innovative method to study the quasar: using the stars in an intervening galaxy as a scanning microscope to probe features in the quasar’s disc that would otherwise be far too small to see. As these stars move across the light from the quasar, gravitational effects amplify the light from different parts of the quasar, giving detailed colour information for a line that crosses through the accretion disc.

Full Story

B.C.

Now, that's something you don't see everyday

Bear in famed photo ID'd as troublemaker

She covered a wide swath of New Mexico over the past 10 years, between wandering on her own and being relocated by state wildlife crews.

Full Story

The Truth Hurts

 

Rush Limbaugh before he puts on his make up!

Big Bird Saves Vineyards Big Bucks

By bringing in a bird of prey, vineyard owners reduce crop losses to smaller birds.

Read more 

'Shieldcroc' May Be Father of All Crocodiles

 

A prehistoric beast with a bony plate on its head lived 99 million years ago and may be the ancestor of today's crocodiles.

Read more

Animal Pictures