The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

You should act only for your own benefit today.
The stars aren't giving you free rein to act selfishly, but they are saying that impressing others should be at the bottom of your list of priorities.
Your education is especially important today, so make an effort to learn something new -- and that doesn't necessarily have to mean signing up for a class.
For instance, if you encounter an unfamiliar word, look it up in a dictionary, or if you have to cook dinner, try out a challenging new recipe.

 Some of our readers today have been in:
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Moscow, Moskva, Russia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Tranbjerg, Arhus, Denmark
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
St. Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Russia
Dronten, Flevoland, Netherlands
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Neumarket, Bayern, Germany
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Abuja, Abuja Capital Territory, Nigeria
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland
Crawley, England, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine
Delhi, Delhi, India
Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Georgetown, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana
Rawalpindi, Punjab, India

San Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador

London, England, United Kingdom

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 Cranberry Township, Peachtree City, Muscatine, Martha's Vineyard and more!

Today is:

Today is Friday, November 25, the 329th day of 2011.

There are 36 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

Far-Out Friday

Nice Costume

Soccer team's amazing slide

Soccer team wins first game in 17 years

Tiny American Samoa had been outscored a whopping 229-12 over 30 contests in FIFA play.

  'I can't explain it' 

Also: 

• Pop star beats manager?
• Beckham's grand plan
• MLS expansion draft

Museum of the Marine

Group proposes 'Museum of the Marine' in Carolinas

Marine Corps supporters near Camp Lejeune are launching a national effort to build a $12 million museum documenting the service's history in the Carolinas.

Top Marine spends Thanksgiving in Afghanistan
Perdue asks Obama to support military in NC

Crabby Road

Woman pepper sprays other Black Friday shoppers

A woman shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from merchandise she wanted during a Black Friday sale, and 20 people suffered minor injuries, authorities said.
The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.
Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the items she wanted were removed.
"Somehow she was trying to use it to gain an upper hand," police Lt. Abel Parga told The Associated Press early Friday.
He said she was apparently after some electronics and used the pepper spray to keep other shoppers at bay.
Officials said 20 people suffered minor injuries. Fire department spokesman Shawn Lenske said the injuries to least 10 of them were due to " rapid crowd movement."
Parga said police were still looking for the woman.
The store remained open and those not affected by the pepper spray continued shopping.

***

This is why you need to avoid the 'deals' on Black Friday!
And get the last sentence ... the store remained open ... gotta worship the almighty dollar you know.

Frank and Ernest

No Pepper Spray For Charlotte

Charlotte rules limit use of pepper spray

If Charlotte-Mecklenburg police follow their rules, they won't resort to pepper spray if confronted with nonviolent protesters at next year's Democratic National Convention.

CMPD: When to use - and not use - pepper spray

Students' release ordered

Egyptian court orders release of Americans

When the three students who were jailed on suspicion of protest violence will be freed remains unclear.

  Details 

Also: 

• Student's mother elated
• Writer alleges abuse
• Timeline of the turmoil

It comes as no surprise ...

"Congress' approval rating has fallen to an abysmal 9% -- to put this in perspective, herpes is now slightly more popular than Congress."

Did you know ...

That there's trouble in James O'Keefe land.

Activists gather more than 100,000 signatures in the first week of the Scott Walker recall campaign.

Dilbert

The Truth Hurts

And I Quote

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
    — Albert Einstein

Just so you know ...

There is one colossal storm raging over Saturn's surface.

Wood Sea

Woods 'need quality not quantity'

There needs to be a greater focus on woodland management rather than just paying attention to the number of trees being planted, a report concludes.

• UK oaks' future 'at crossroads'
• Unchecked deer 'harm woodlands'

Australia plans Coral Sea reserve

The Australian government announces plans to establish the world's largest marine reserve in the Coral Sea, home to sharks, reefs and shipwrecks.

Idyllic

Healthy Living

Uh-oh: The truth about your breath

On the Job

• 

  8 habits of highly productive people

  
  
• 

  Workplace bullies

  
  
• 

  Working from home: How to get your unsupportive spouse to help

Rethinking 'prosperity'

Americans adapting to a new prosperity

The depressed economy is forcing many people to reconsider their ideas of wealth.  

 Not just about making money 

Also: 

• Wall St. protest's legacy
• Europe's debt goes viral
• How to downsize your life

Ziggy

Doctor Who: A Beginner's Guide

 

image credit

Everyone's seen it - that blue police box. If you've ever been to Britain or watch the BBC at all, it's popped up in advertisements, store-front ads and a ton of other places. Some know that it has something to do with a 'Doctor Who,' but not much more than that.

Like many hardcore fandoms, Doctor Who appears to outsiders as a strange world of wonder that they could never truly appreciate. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. As much as some Who-nerds may want to keep the fandom exclusive, it isn't nearly as difficult to get into as it may first appear.

Check out Doctor Who: A Beginner's Guide.

Mimi and Eunice

Bound By Tradition

Foot binding was a tradition among Chinese women from around a thousand years ago to less than 100 years ago. Billions of women endured the crippling tradition, although many died trying to achieve the goal of “lotus feet.” The process of deforming a girl’s feet was started when she was between two and five years old.

To begin the foot binding process, the foot binder would gently soak the child’s feet in a solution of animal blood and herbs. Her toenails were trimmed and groomed, and her feet were thoroughly massaged. Once the skin was softened and the muscles were relaxed, the foot binder would curl the child’s toes down towards the sole of the foot as far as the bones would allow. The binder would then curl the toes farther than the bones would allow, snapping the toddler’s phalanges and forming a kind of twisted foot-fist. No manner of pain relief was employed during this process, so the binder was required to disregard any agonized screams. Next, the arch was broken.

But that’s just the beginning of the process. Read the rest of it, and how foot binding finally fell out of style, at  Damn Interesting.

The Monsters Of Villa Palagonia

Bagheria is a town in the province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. Without a doubt, the top touristic sight in the town of Bagheria is Villa Palagonia, a patrician villa built in 1715 by the architect Tommaso Napoli with the help of Agatino Daidone.

It's one of the earliest examples of Sicilian Baroque. However, its popularity comes mainly from the statues of monsters with human faces that decorate its garden and its wall, and earned it the nickname of 'The Villa of Monsters' (Villa dei Mostri).

Cities that have vanished

Most fascinating vanished cities

The bell tower of a 14th-century church is the only reminder of a once populated area in Italy.  

 'Canceled' town 

Also: 

• Places to raise kids
• Oprah's place for rent
• High-profile foreclosures

Awesome Pictures

Culinary DeLites

Step-by-step guide to great gravy

The secret is in the delicious brown caramelized bits you get at the bottom of the turkey roasting pan.  

 Fix lumps 

Also: 

• Perfect pie filling
• Last-minute side dishes
• Festive decorations

Tasty soup has a twist

Tasty soup's unconventional recipe

Chefs who procrastinate have a good reason to like this healthy, easy dish.  

 Just a few ingredients 

Also: 

• Fast, fool-proof chili
• Ultimate homemade pizza
• Curb food cravings

Lucky Iron Fish Saves Lives in Cambodia

Anemia is a serious problem in Cambodia, leading to birth defects and impaired brain development. Chris Charles, a graduate student at the University of Guelph in Canada, was trying to persuade villagers there to increase the amount of iron in their diet. A simple solution would be to stir chunks of iron inside cooking pots, but Charles encountered serious resistance to this idea. His solution, which gained broad acceptance, was to shape the iron like a local fish considered lucky:

“We designed it about 3 or 4 inches long, small enough to be stirred easily but large enough to provide up to about 75 per cent of the daily iron requirement,” said Charles. They found a local scrap metal worker who could make them for $1.50 each, and so far they have been reusing the fish roughly three years.
“We’re getting fantastic results; there seems to be a huge decrease in anemia and the village women say they feel good, no dizziness, fewer headaches. The iron fish is incredibly powerful.”

Full Story

Americana

Apocalypse now

Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

 Apocalypse now - discovery at ancient Mayan site could herald real-life 2012

A 2,000 years old tomb found in China

A tomb that is more than 2,000 years old has been excavated in northeast China's Liaoning province.

 Full Story

Syncrude unearths rare fossil in oil sands

The Canadian oil sands have been prime real estate for dinosaur fossils. On Thursday, Syncrude announced it made a big fossil find when one of its heavy equipment operators unearthed what is believed to be a nearly complete plesiosaur skeleton.

 Full Story

B.C.

Cat vs Dog

Who Rulez Teh Interweb?

Despite of what you may hear, cats are not the King of the Interweb. According to a new study of shared links by Bitly, dogs are still the top dog of cute animals on the Web:

While cats have a respectable lead, the winner is clear — dogs are 37% of the total results in the cute animal set, and feature in 50% more pages than cats!

Full Story

Woman vows to wear only a bikini and not eat until she gets her Chihuahua back

A woman took to the streets of La Jolla, San Diego on Wednesday to find her lost Chihuahua, and she won’t clothe herself or eat until the dog comes home. Arlene Mossa Corona wore a bikini and held up a sign with pictures of her dog Chispeta in the intersection of La Jolla Village Dr. and Genesee Ave. at about 9 a.m.

Corona, a student at UCSD, said she tried everything to find her dog, from calling the pound to contacting a pet psychic. The only other option was to wear her bikini in the 50-degree weather and not eat until she finds the dog, Corona said in an email. She listed her phone number and multiple pictures of Chispeta on her signs.

“Against my family's wishes, I will be skipping my family Thanksgiving celebration this year and standing out there alone in an effort to be reunited with my dog,” she said. “Thanksgiving won't be the same without Chispita.”

Cars honked and men whistled and shouted cat-calls as she held up her sign, wearing red pumps, a white bikini top and blue bikini bottom – the nation’s colours, she said, to represent military personnel coming home. She hopes the same will be true of her dog. A maintenance worker in her La Jolla apartment complex told Corona that he saw a girl take the dog. Corona believes that if the dog was stolen, whoever took it may be too afraid to return it.

Animal Pictures