The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

While things in your personal life are quite rosy right now, not everything will be as pleasant in your business or professional life.
This will definitely not be an easy day in terms of negotiating or making a power play.
If possible, reschedule that big meeting, or at least get in a couple of rehearsals -- and plan things in detail.
The more prepared you are, the better.
The good news is that you have strong supporters who want to see you succeed.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Granada, Audalucia, Spain
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Trail, British Columbia, Canada
Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina
San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Johor Baharu, Johor, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Sofia, Sofyia, Bulgaria
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Woodlands, Singapore, Singapore
Falun, Dalarnas Lan, Sweden
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Tegucigalpa, Distrito Central, Honduras
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Athens, Attiki, Greece
Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
Siena, Toscana, Italy
Vlissingen, Zeeland, Netherlands
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Munich, Bayern, Germany

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 Trumbull, Tallahassee, Terre Haute, Turkey Creek
and more!

Today is:

Today is Tuesday, November 15, the 319th day of 2011.

There are 46 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

Thanks to our readers

376,000

That's the number of readers CN has had so far this year.
Can we make 500,000?

What Xmas is all about

Did you know ...

... that journalists covering #occupywallst are being targeted for arrest nation-wide.

or

... that Occupy Oakland has its own newspaper?!

When Politics Meet Comic Books

More

Good Question

Have the repugicans finally realized they've totally screwed the pooch?

The truth be told

American dream lost

American dream lost for many, poll finds

A majority in the U.S. harbor a bleak economic view, according to a Yahoo! Finance survey.

  No retirement savings 

Also: 

• Consumers boost retailers
• New AmEx cards at Target
• Price of farmland jumps

Ziggy

Mortgage execs' big payday

Mortgage executives' post-bailout payday

Nearly $100 million in tax dollars went to packages for top leaders at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

  'Strains credulity' 

Also: 

• Programs target waste
• Buffett's housing concerns
• BofA debit card lesson

The Warehouse

Credit score for your age

The average credit score for your age

Five factors affect how your number is calculated, but other things can skew the outcome.

  Group with most debt 

Also: 

• Tale of improvement
• Figuring out your 401(k)
• Quell retirement fears

Calvin and Hobbes

Starbucks drops secret fee

Starbucks ditches secret fee after probe

A watchdog group calls the chain out for adding an undisclosed surcharge to certain purchases.  

 Fined for violations 

Also: 

• Starbucks bets on juice
• World gets more McCafés
• Yogurt new skin-care fad?

Eating Local Good for the Economy

The local foods movement is harvesting success for farmers and growing jobs for American workers. Read more

The repugicans want tomato paste on pizza classified as a "vegetable" for school lunches

This brings back memories of the miserable Reagan years when he declared ketchup a vegetable. Back then it was about being a jerk but now it's all about the junk food lobby who can't stand the idea of healthy eating. Maybe this is why so many people in the US have such poor eating habits.

Congress wants to keep pizza and french fries on school lunch lines, fighting back against an Obama administration proposal to make school lunches healthier.

The final version of a spending bill released late Monday would unravel school lunch standards the Agriculture Department proposed earlier this year, which included limiting the use of potatoes on the lunch line and delaying limits on sodium and delaying a requirement to boost whole grains.

The bill also would allow tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable, as it is now. USDA had wanted to prevent that.

Note that some Senate Democrats, who apparently don't want to come back in 2013, agreed to this nonsense.

Editor's Note: For the record, Tomatoes are fruits not vegetables in the first place.

Perfect Pasta

Expert tips for perfect pasta every time

The secret to hearty, flavorful pasta is how and when you combine it with the sauce.  

 Add salt or oil to boiling water? 

Also: 

• Fresh vs. dry pasta
• Make great meatballs
• Flawless lasagna tricks

Culinary DeLites

Easy ways to dress up boxed stuffing

A store-bought basic becomes a crowd pleaser when you add bacon, leeks, and Gruyère.

  Spicy chorizo-adobo recipe 

Also: 

• Cut Thanksgiving costs
• Homemade pie recipes
• Delicious warm drinks

Some Honey May Have Unsweet Origins

Though the products still consist of honey, differences in how they're processed can affect quality and safety.

Read more 

Scientists Use Tears to Measure Blood Sugar

The idea of using tears to gauge blood sugar isn't new, but a new sensor has improved the tests.   Read more 

 

Little-known facts about fat

Little-known facts about your body weight

Many people wonder if you can change your metabolism and if sleep affects your weight. 

Can you be fat and fit? 

Also: 

• Four easy nutrition fixes
• 'Loser' trainer's diet plan
• Perils of quick weight loss

Sometimes it just isn't your day ...

 

Neutral isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes.

Twenty Things You Didn't Know About ... Water

1: Water is everywhere—there are 332,500,000 cubic miles of it on the earth’s surface. But less than 1 percent of it is fresh and accessible, even when you include bottled water.

2: And “fresh” can be a relative term. Before 2009, federal regulators did not require water bottlers to remove E. coli.

3: Actually, E. coli doesn’t sound so bad. In 1999 the Natural Resources Defense Council found that one brand of spring water came from a well in an industrial parking lot near a hazardous waste dump.

Read the rest

Scenic soaking spots

Prettiest soaking spots in the world

This terraced hot spring is rumored to have both healing and beautifying powers. 

  Breathtaking views 

Also: 

• World's best islands
• Beaches with history
• Castles you can sleep in

Tuneful Tuesday

Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End by The Beatles

Lost JFK tapes discovered

Lost JFK assassination tapes discovered

Recordings found in an aide's estate may finally end speculation about one of Kennedy's foes.  

 Debate over body 

Also: 

• 'Ask not' line borrowed?
• Singer rebooks '63 concert
• Nixon: Watergate 'silly'

Girl survives 2 days in wreck

9-year-old survives two days in car wreck

A "heroic" girl pinned upside down in a culvert ate Pop Tarts to stay alive after a tragic accident.  

 How she was found 

Also: 

• Footage from the scene
• Georgia man swept away
• Boy's remarkable birthday

Sheriff Huckleberry

Starring Huckleberry Hound

Crouching Tiger And Turtle

The Roller Coaster Walkway

 

image credit

It has taken eight weeks of intensive assembly work but the newest feature of the German landscape has been unveiled yesterday.

The city of Duisberg is now home to Crouching Tiger and Turtle, which could easily be described as a roller coaster without a roller coaster!

Car stereotypes in China

Wildly divergent car stereotypes in China

One car, declared a “damaged brand” in America, is now a luxury vehicle in Beijing.

  Why taxis yield to Audis 

Also: 

• China’s rapid growth
• U.S. aid under scrutiny
• Artist’s big donation

The civilized game

US Army Wants a Paintball Gun That Can Detect IEDs

The US Army wants a means of determining if mysterious objects may be improvised bombs. Specifically, they want to be able to fire a chemical pellet at an object and tell from the color of the splatter if the object is an explosive:

The system would work by loading up projectiles with materials that advertise the presence of explosives — sort of like a litmus test for bombs — and firing them at the suspected bombs. Picture paintballing, but with a target that might really kill you. [...]
The paintball idea is comparatively low-tech. The Army notes that the technology to detect explosives with paints and powders is already a commercial reality. They point to Raptor Detection Technology’s SAFE-T Spray, which turns orange on contact with certain explosives, as an example.

Full Story

Who owns the moon?

Who can claim ownership of the moon?

One country plans a permanent base by 2020, but one man is already selling plots of land.  

 What 1967 treaty says 

Also: 

• China's space success
• 'Angry Bird' goes into orbit
• Time-lapse space view

Midlife crisis for Milky Way

Milky Way may be facing midlife crisis

Experts think our galaxy is transitioning from a young, dynamic region into a stagnant one.

  Their simple evidence 

Also: 

• A look at early stars
• Space mission launched
• A new Mars rover

Dilbert

The Danse Macabre Collection

The dance of death (usually represented by a skeleton) has been a recurring theme in art and literature for centuries -at least! BibliOddysey has a sampling of such illustrations from the Heinrich Hein University of Düsseldorf collection, ranging from 1736 to the 20th century.

Full Story

First Arabic Crusader Inscription Found

An Arabic inscription that bears the name of the Roman Emperor Frederick II was recently discovered.  

Read more 

 

A Bronze Age In Alaska?

Ancient Buckle Discovered

A prehistoric bronze artifact made from a cast has been found in Alaska, apparently a buckle.

 Full Story

The Moses Bridge

 This eye-catching installation called the Moses Bridge lets you cross the moat of a Seventeenth Century Dutch fort beneath the water level. From a distance, it can’t be seen, so people walking on it appear to be moving through the water.

Full Story | Official Website

Amazing lightning strikes

Incredible lightning strikes captured

Photographers catch stunning displays of extreme weather at locations around the world. 

 See the photos

Also:

• Weather strands whales
• Japan land radioactive
• Texas wildfire season

Waterfall, Moonbow, and Aurora All in One Picture

Stephanie Vetter captured this amazing photograph of the Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland. The rainbow is caused not by sunlight, but the illumination of a nearly full moon against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

Full Story | Photographer’s Website

B.C.

Prince Charles, The One Who Makes Cows Cry

How handsome is Charles, Prince of Wales? So handsome he makes cows cry.
No, really.
That's Prince Charles' new name, as bestowed upon him by the Maasai warriors of Africa:

Charles's new name in the tribe's language is Helper of Cows, which literally translates as ‘the one who makes cows cry’.
According to Matthew Rimba, a village elder and ‘father’ of the Boma, the animals would cry, or call, for their helper because of the support he gives them.
The awarding of the title is considered a great honour as in Maasai culture, the cow is king.
The Maasai believe they own every cow in the world - and had been particularly impressed to hear that Charles keeps over 800 cows on his land in the UK.

Full Story

Scandinavia's Sami Reindeer Herders

There are only around 70,000 people of the Sami culture remaining in the arctic areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The Gaup family are some of the few who still herd reindeer for a living. National Geographic presents photos and a video by Erika Larsen, who spent three years living with the Sami reindeer herders.

Full Story

The Unexpected Beauty of Coral Crustaceans

Corals are teeming with even more diversity than predicted. 

Read more

 

Real Turkeys Are Making a Comeback

How many turkeys are there in the United States? No, not that big frozen blob of white meat masquerading as real bird you'd find at the grocery store. I mean real turkeys.
Not many, it turns out. A survey in 1997 showed that there were only 1,300 turkeys - in the entire country - not bred for the food/avian industrial complex we know as Thanksgiving.
But thankfully, turkey (again, the real variety) is making a comeback. Claire Thompson wrote an interesting article over at Grist:

... if you’re not old enough to remember a time before the Broad Breasted White, you may be surprised that the ALBC’s website calls turkeys “the quintessential American bird.” Indeed, Benjamin Franklin wanted to designate the turkey—indigenous to North and South America—as our national symbol instead of the eagle. And for hundreds of years “turkeys were barnyard staples” in the U.S., says Vaughn. “They’re an easy, abundant source of meat, resilient and self-reliant. It was a no-brainer to have [them] around.”
Fast forward to today, when “they have literally bred all of the turkey out of the turkey,” says Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, the largest USDA-certified organic farm in the state of Georgia. Harris raises American Standard Bronze turkeys, one of eight varieties identified by the ALBC as heritage breed turkeys—or birds descended from a continuous gene pool dating back to before the rise of the Broad Breasted White. Heritage birds can still mate naturally, and have a long outdoor lifespan and slow growth rate. Industrial turkeys, on the other hand, said Harris, “are satisfied to sit in one place and eat and defecate.”

Full Story

Animal Pictures