The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

An innocent mix-up between a few of your friends is starting to snowball -- and if you aren't careful, you could get caught up in the avalanche.
Try not to give the impression that you've chosen sides, even if you feel strongly that one person is in the right.
You have to seem objective, even if you don't feel that way.
It's best to keep yourself as detached as possible and let them figure out how to come to terms.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Poole, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya
Crawley, England, United Kingdom
Lille, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, France
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Delhi, Delhi, India
San Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Georgetown, Demerara-Mahacia, Guyana

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 Caribou, Latrobe, Sapulpa, Show Low and more!

Today is:

Today is Thursday, November 24, the 328th day of 2011.

There are 37 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Thorough Thursday

It's a Blond World

A blonde tried to sell her old car. She was having a lot of problems selling it,because the car had almost 230,000 miles on it.

One day, she told her problem to a brunette she worked with at a salon.

The brunette told her, "There is a possibility to make the car easier to sell, but it's not legal."

"That doesn't matter," replied the blonde, "if I only can sell the car."

"Okay," said the brunette. "Here is the address of a friend of mine. He owns a car repair shop. Tell him I sent you and he will 'fix it'. Then it should not be a problem to sell your car anymore."

The following weekend, the blonde made the trip to the mechanic.

About one month after that, the brunette asked the blonde, "Did you sell your car?"

"No," replied the blonde, "Why should I? It only has 50,000 miles on it!"

Random Photos

Russia lashes out at U.S.

Russia threatens U.S. missile defense sites

A move that Obama insists is aimed at Iran draws a pointed response from President Medvedev.

  Retaliatory action 

Also: 

• Showdown with Iran
• China opposes sanctions
• Putin booing fiasco fallout

Australian senator says Murdoch’s "news" company tried to bribe him for vote on legislation

Raise your hand if you're surprised with this charge?
OK, so no raised hands
If the same thing happened in the US or UK, would you be surprised? 
No?
The Guardian:

Australian police are investigating a former senator's allegations that an executive from Rupert Murdoch's News Limited offered him favorable newspaper coverage and "a special relationship" in return for voting against government legislation....

The newspapers reported that an unnamed executive of News Ltd asked O'Chee during a lunch on 13 June 1998 to vote against his conservative government's legislation on the creation of digital TV in Australia. The news group stood to profit from the legislation failing.

Offering a senator a bribe or inducement to influence a vote is an offense punishable by up to six months in prison.

One wonders whether the opposite was implied as well - don't vote our way and we'll give you bad coverage. That would be worse than a bribe, it would be extortion.

Yeah, just like that

Did you know ...

That comparing banksters to Hitler and Stalin is an insult to Hitler and Stalin and that's just going too far!

Well I'll be damned, it wasn't Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that caused the current economic crisis, who knew?!

Nearly half of Americans struggle to get by financially

USA #1, right?

If we're going to tell everyone how great we are as a country, we should expect more from the system and provide better opportunity for everyone. Nobody is asking for a free ride, but we need to get back to the goal of providing opportunity for everyone and not just the 1%. Why is this traditional American idea so disregarded by the political class?

"This is a wake-up call for Congress, for our state policy-makers, really for all of us," said Donna Addkison, President and CEO of WOW.

"Nearly half of our nation's families cannot cover the costs of basic expenses even when they do have a job. Under these conditions, cuts to unemployment insurance ... and other programs families are relying on right now would push them from crisis to catastrophe."

The WOW survey compared 2009 pre-tax incomes to a budget of basic and essential monthly expenses for various families that it developed along with researchers at Washington University with funding from the Ford Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Cities with hiring boom

Hiring hotspots emerge in unlikely places

One Indiana city has added 8,000 jobs in the past year, with many in manufacturing.

  Homegrown ventures 

Also: 

• More seek jobless help
• Consumer spending up
• Mortgage demand rises

Look for a job while employed

'Passive job search' may pay off

Creating a wish list can be a first step to exploring employment options while you still have a job. 

  One powerful tool 

Also: 

• Job interview myths
• New skills for job seekers
• Low-stress professions

Ziggy

First-class Section

A businessman finds that his neighbor in the first class cabin of his flight is a parrot. They take off and the stewardess asks what they would like to drink.

"Glenlivet on the rocks with a twist," says the parrot.

The businessman orders a coke.

After waiting two or three minutes, the bird starts yelling, "Where's my drink?! Stop fooling around and give me my drink!"

The stewardess runs to him with his glass, leaving the businessman still thirsty.

Half an hour later the stewardess makes a second round.

The bird orders another Glenlivet and a Wall Street Journal. The businessman asks for a coke.

Again, after a couple of minutes, the bird screams, squawking, "You lazy idiot! Where is my drink?!" The poor woman nearly trips over herself getting the parrot his drink and the newspaper.

The businessman still has nothing, and after ten more minutes decides to take his cue from the bird. "Hey! Where's my coke! The service here stinks!"

Out of nowhere the purser, the captain and two passengers grab the businessman and the bird, open the hatch and throw them out of the plane.

At 30,000 feet in the air the two fall side by side and the parrot says to the terrified man, "Wow, that took a lot of guts for a guy with no wings."

The future of solar power

Generating even more power from the sun

Gray skies are like kryptonite to solar power but engineers may have a solution for rainy days.

  Ingenious design 

Also: 

• Storms of the sun
• Rise of wind turbines
• New rover for Mars

Jamie Hyneman designs bullet proof armor

Mythbusters - the Discovery Channel reality show - has gained quite a reputation for dramatically shattering preconceived notions that many viewers have believed for years.

So it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Jamie Hyneman’s prowess recently caught the attention of the U.S. military.

Yes, the Department of Defense has asked Hyneman to help it develop a new generation of lighter, stronger armor for military vehicles.

Full Story

Hate charges for Amish men

Beard cutting leads to hate crime charges

Members of the Mullet family allegedly attacked Amish men over a religious feud.

  Controversial sect leader 

Also: 

• Photos of the accused
• More on the religion
• Teen takes plea deal

Amazing scenic train rides

Amazing scenic train rides around the U.S.

The Blue Ridge railway offers stunning views along a 100-year-old route.

  Or step back in time in Fillmore, Calif. 

Also: 

• Ultra-expensive train cars
• Holiday travel costs up
• Ferrari's exclusive club

Pow Wow

 

image credit

A pow wow is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning 'spiritual leader.' A modern pow wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture.
Here are 50 pictures of a pow wow.

Vintage Photo

Crabby Road

Higher BPA in canned food

Higher BPA in people who eat canned foods

A study shows eating food from a can instead of fresh has a bigger impact than was suspected.

  A 1,221% jump 

Also: 

• Cancer claims explained
• Foods for cholesterol
• Anticancer superfoods

Frank and Ernest

It's a mystery: $1.28 million left at restaurant

Man leaves $1.28 million at restaurant

Police hunt for answers after a mysterious patron leaves behind a huge surprise at a Sydney café. 

  'Spooked' 

Also: 

• $1 million Mark Twain heist
• Cemetery's bling for dead
• Plane abandoned in Texas

Daily Comic Relief

A signal from Mars

Stranded Mars probe sends signal

Contact has finally been made with Russia's troubled Mars mission, Phobos-Grunt, says the European Space Agency.

• What would failure mean for Russia?

Walking Through Doorways Makes You Forget

Go into another room and forget what you meant to do? Your brain may just be in the act of refreshing.  

Read more 

Liveable Worlds

Most liveable alien worlds ranked 

Scientists have outlined which moons and planets are most likely to harbor extra-terrestrial life. 

Also:

• Jupiter moon 'has shallow lakes'
• White House denies alien contact
• Telescope search for ET revived
• Alien life 'may exist among us'

Water's Ultimate Freezing Point

Chemists have discovered just how cold water can get before it must freeze.

Read more 

Watch Brine Icicle form at the Bottom of the Sea

(Video Link) Scientists in Antarctica used a time-lapse camera to capture the formation of a brinicle — an icicle made from brine. As the salty water sank, it froze, forming a spike of brine down to the seafloor. As it grew over several hours, the brinicle killed everything in its path, including numerous unlucky starfish.

Full Story

Find sheds new light on holy site

New find shakes up beliefs about holy site

Coins dug up beneath one of the world's most sacred landmarks may help rewrite history.  

 Key to both Muslims and Jews 

Also: 

• Dead Sea Scrolls theory
• 'Alien' skull found in Peru
• Sunken islands discovered

Sex Pistols' Drawings As Important As Paleolithic Art?

Drawings by Johnny Rotten found in a flat in London should be treated as an archeological site, say researchers.

Read more 

B.C.

Dinosaur Found With Bird In Its Gut

Dinosaurs used to eat birds. This suspicion has been alive for years. And a new finding furthers confirmation but it's a complicated story.  

Read more 

A Quick Guide To Starting A Beehive

With Colony Collapse Disorder consistently chipping away at our global honeybee population, the art of beekeeping has become more important than ever. Since 2009, colony loss levels reached 29% and they increased to 34% come 2010. Compounded by a steady drop in beekeeping since World War II, it's a scary time for our bees considering just how important they are to our global food system.

Maybe you have been thinking of starting a beehive. Here's a quick guide.

Honeybees Trained To Smell TB

Bees have an impressive sense of smell and New Zealand biologists now believe they may be able to train them to help identify people with tuberculosis by the faint floral odor victims of the disease develop.

“When we tested them with the tuberculosis odors we found the bees can still smell it down to parts per billion,” says Max Suckling.
Christchurch zoologists are training bees to associate the smell of the disease with a sweet treat and to stick out their tongues when it’s present.

While TB is common worldwide, it is most prevalent in poverty stricken areas and the bees could provide an inexpensive screening solution for these people.

Full Story

Bees Protect Kenyan Crops From Elephants

Beehive fences have become an effective barrier on Kenyan farms -- keeping roaming elephants out and providing a sweet source of income.  

Read more 

Fifteen Insects That Could Save Your Life

Bee venom can control the harmful inflammation in joints that leads to rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists have shown the venom contains molecules that cause an increase in natural hormones in the body that regulate inflammation. It has raised hopes that bee venom can be used to develop new treatments that can help bring relief from the pain of arthritis and even prevent it from developing in the first place.

Here are 15 insects that could save your life.

Spiders Spin Ant-Repellent Silk

Worried about ants making an uninvited visit to your Thanksgiving table? You might want to invite some Golden Orb Web spiders over.

Read more 

Animal Pictures