The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Something is definitely getting started right now.
Is it the very beginning hints of a love affair?
Or the rekindling of an existing love that's been smoldering quietly and is ready, now, to burst into flames?
Is it a life-expanding new friendship that's getting started?
It could be a combination of things -- you'll only know once you find out.
So go find out ... and have fun!

Some of our readers today have been in:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Woensdrecht, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

Oldenburg, Nierdersachsen, Germany

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

as well as Italy and in cities across the United States such as Parkville, Sevierville, Dallas, Chicago and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, September 16, the 259th day of 2010.

There are 106 days left in the year.

Today In History September 16

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Beer Day

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

He Hate Me

He Hate Me finds a new calling

Rod Smart won fame nine years ago for the phrase stitched on his football jersey.

Still making a name for himself 

Also: 

• More on Rod Smart
• CBS hiatus for Sharpe
• Young didn't want honor

I was lovin' it' television ad enrages McDonald's

From the "Who gives a shit what McDonald's thinks" Department:

In a television ad that could  kill your appetite, an overweight, middle-aged man is seen lying dead in  a morgue holding a half-eaten hamburger as a woman weeps over the  linen-clad body. McDonald's ubiquitous golden arches then trace the dead  man's feet with the text "I was lovin' it," a stinging pun on the  fast-food chain's long-running slogan "I'm lovin' it."

A  voiceover says, "high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks.  Tonight, make it vegetarian." Produced by Washington-based health lobby  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the commercial is  set to be aired in Washington DC during the popular The Daily Show with  Jon Stewart on Thursday. PCRM says it is also considering running it in  Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Los Angeles

The  ad "takes aim at McDonald's high-fat menu, with the goal of drawing  Washingtonians' attention to the city's high rates of heart disease  deaths and its high density of fast-food restaurants," PCRM said in a  statement. Studies show that people who consume fast food are at a  higher risk for obesity, a factor contributing to heart disease, it  said.

But the ad enraged McDonald's. "This commercial is outrageous, misleading and unfair to all consumers. McDonald's trusts  our customers to put such outlandish propaganda in perspective, and to make food and lifestyle choices that are right for them,"  spokeswoman Bridget Coffing said. PCRM said its survey showed that  Washington has more McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC outlets per square  mile than eight other cities with similar population sizes.

World's most valuable brands

World's most valuable brands named

BP drops off the list of the world's top 100 brands for the first time in nine years.  

No. 1 is 'ruthlessly consistent' 

Also: 

• Worst brand names
• Store vs. name brands
• Things to buy generic

B.C.

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites

10 ways to eat like a nutritionist

The pros know that cooking with spices and seasonal produce adds fat-free flavor.

One dietitian's 'key habit' 

Also: 

• Things chefs never say
• Become a dietitian
• Five ways to eat local

The unhealthiest milkshakes in America

At 2,000 calories and 131 grams of fat, Cold Stone's PB&C shake is chilling.

Six healthier ways to indulge 

Also: 

• Scariest restaurant foods
• Ad targets McDonald's
• Healthy smoothie recipes

Eight fast make-at-home breakfasts

Start the day with fiber, protein, and healthy carbs in no time at all. 

All have three ingredients or less 

Also: 

• 10 healthy breakfasts
• Best and worst cereals
• Ideal fiber intake

Drunk woman cuts friend while eating pig’s feet in bed

A woman who was eating pig’s feet in bed accidentally cut her friend in the arm, police say.
The 52-year-old Rock Hill woman told police she accidentally cut a friend in the forearm with a knife around at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both she and the victim, 50, were intoxicated, according to a Rock Hill police report.

He had a deep cut to his arm. The report did not state if he was hospitalized.

No charges were filed, but the incident remains under investigation.

Police filmed on zip wire during burglary investigation

Two police officers who took a ride on a zip wire while investigating a burglary at an activity center in Torquay have been reprimanded by senior officers. Chief Inspector Jim Nye, of Torbay police, said the unnamed pair had realized that their actions — caught on film by a witness — were inappropriate. The duo were called to Barton Hall's PGL activity venue in Watcombe on August 23 to investigate the theft of a camcorder from holidaymakers' accommodation the day before.
Their zip-wire ride was snapped on the mobile phone of a member of staff. One officer can be seen disappearing into the distance on the wire. The cameraman claimed the officers involved ordered him to delete his damning footage. But the man, aged 22 and from Paignton, kept his shots by only pretending to get rid of them. The man later quit his job at the site and resigned from the agency which placed him at the holiday center.

He revealed he was taking a late lunch break when he heard police were having a go on the zip wire. "I was gobsmacked at what I saw. They said it was 'community interfacing'. They are paid good money by taxpayers to investigate crime — not enjoy themselves on a fun ride," he said. Police were called to the location on the edge of Torquay to collect details about a break-in which was discovered on August 22.

"The other officer filmed the same sequence on his phone. But I was told to delete my stuff because they said it would look bad if it got out," said the former employee. Mr Nye said: "The officers have realized in hindsight that such actions on duty are not acceptable. They were offered a go on the zip wire and they accepted. They have realized the error of their ways. We now consider the matter closed — and it is time to move on and continue our work to make the Bay a better and safer place in which to live and work."

You can see the wholly underwhelming video footage here.

Just the News

Greeks Find Human Skulls In Luggage Of U.S. Tourists

Greek police charged two U.S. tourists with desecrating the dead on Thursday after they found six human skulls in their hand luggage at Athens international airport, a police official said.

Mystery Bidder Buys Berlin's 'Checkpoint Bravo'

A mystery telephone bidder purchased a piece of history in the form of "Checkpoint Bravo" -- once one of the busiest crossing points between East and West Berlin -- in an auction Thursday.

Adolf Hitler Car Gift To Nepal King To Be Used Again

A car said to have been a gift from Adolf Hitler to a Nepali king will be repaired and used to drive visitors around the grounds of a palace museum, a government official said on Thursday.

New DNA analysis, done on bones dug up from a graveyard in the Dominican Republic, shows that Africans came to the Americas far earlier than anyone previously thought. The skeletons belonged to members of a failed colony set up during Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the New World in 1494.

The 'Happiness gap' is shrinking

'Happiness gap' is shrinking dramatically

A study finds a big shift in African Americans' level of satisfaction with their lives.  

Major change from decades past 

Also: 

• Does richer mean happier?
• Being satisfied with less
• Quotes about happiness

How to know when the recession is over

How to know when the recession is over

Many Americans just aren't feeling the impact of the recovery in their daily lives.  

The single biggest indicator 

Also: 

• Double dip in home prices
• 10 radical money moves
• Double-dip recession

U.S. industries that may never recover

Some sectors of the American economy won't see growing numbers of workers anytime soon.  

Endangered jobs 

Also: 

• Signs of a layoff
• Live in a high-debt city?
• The new global empire

Early Retirement

Pension cuts spark early workforce exit

Many states have rolled back pension benefits, triggering a rush of early retirements. 

A global trend? 

Also: 

• A look at the changes
• Calif. city's pension flap
• The U.S. pension system

American workers are at least $6.6 trillion short of retirement needs

CNBC:

The study, conducted by Boston College's Center for Retirement Research, says savings have been squeezed by declines in stock and housing values.

The study was commissioned by Retirement USA, a coalition of organized labor and pension rights advocates that hopes to use the study to push for a more stable retirement system. The group plans to unveil the study at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday.

The $6.6 trillion figure is based on projections of retirement and income for American workers ages 32-64. The study's authors say they arrived at the amount using conservative assumptions, including a 3 percent rate of return on assets and no further cuts in pension coverage or increases in the Social Security retirement age.

Most repossessions ever

Banks take over record number of homes

More repossessions took place last month than at any other time since the mortgage crisis began. 

Top 10 states 

Also: 

• Two years after Lehman
• More on foreclosures
• Fewer options in future

More Americans now living in poverty

More Americans now living in poverty

One in seven makes less than the poverty rate — set at $21,954 for a family of four.

Reasons it's not higher 

Also: 

• World poverty falling
• Jobless claims drop
• Global average incomes

US ranchers brace for limits on antibiotics

Just part of the story:

Mr. Rowles says he keeps his pigs fit by feeding them antibiotics for weeks after weaning, to ward off possible illness in that vulnerable period. And for months after that, he administers an antibiotic that promotes faster growth with less feed.

Now, after decades of debate, the Food and Drug Administration appears poised to issue its strongest guidelines on animal antibiotics yet, intended to reduce what it calls a clear risk to human health. They would end farm uses of the drugs simply to promote faster animal growth and call for tighter oversight by veterinarians.

Mexican Independence Day

The truth about Mexican Independence Day

Mexico celebrates its bicentennial on Sept. 16. So why is it more important than Cinco de Mayo? 

Web confused 

Also: 

• Hope for peaceful fiesta
• More on Mexico's day
• Storm hits Yucatan

Russian official fired for making boys kiss his feet

A regional Russian official sacked for forcing a group of teenagers to kiss his feet has defended his actions, claiming he was merely repeating a lesson he had learned in the Red army. The official, Difkat Khantimerov, was fired over the weekend after a video posted on YouTube exposed the bizarre incident. The official took charge of a PE lesson and ordered a basketball squad to perform a series of arduous press-ups. He then stuck out his right shoe and ordered the boys to kiss it.

With the teenagers struggling to carry out his request, Khantimerov barked out a series of military-style commands, including "Harder!" "One, two!" and "Kiss!". The clip shows him withdrawing his foot. He then crouches down, and lays his hand flat on the gym floor to be kissed instead. The extraordinary episode took place in Bashkortostan, a largely Muslim region of southern Russia in the Urals. On Saturday the republic's president, Rustem Khamitov, said he was "relieving the official of his duties" after watching the video on the internet.

"This looks like an outrage, an insult against schoolchildren," the president said. The president was "indignant to the bottom of his soul," his press secretary, Airat Murzagaleev, said. Muzagaleev said the official had given "a strange and not very convincing" explanation for his behaviour: "He told us he had experienced the same thing in the Red army. He said he believed today's youth weren't disciplined and needed to be properly educated." Khantimerov was the head of the Ermekeyev district, Muzagaleev said.

The dismissal represents another victory for Russia's vigilant and politically active blogosphere. Faced with a hostile judicial system that sides with the rich and well-connected, bloggers have taken to posting compromising material online, forcing the authorities to take action. Russia's presidential children's envoy, Pavel Astakhov, also condemned the foot-kissing incident, describing it as "another case of cruel treatment of children". A few commenters, however, defended him. One, valet176, said that he had done nothing wrong, and noted that the basketball court had recently been renovated.

Trapped Chilean miner becomes a father

Trapped Chilean miner becomes a father

The wife of one of the 33 men surviving underground delivers the couple's first daughter.

Why they changed her name 

Also: 

• Search: Chilean miners
• 1,000 job offers to miners
• Movie in the works

French parliament confirms burqa ban

While many people are offended by the burqa, it's hard to see how this political move will help the women or help the country around the world. Many French travel extensively so it they could easily be put in harms way with this move.

The Senate passed the bill by 246 votes to one Tuesday and, having already cleared the lower house in July, the bill will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council, which has a month to confirm its legality.

The text makes no mention of Islam, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burqa or the niqab.

Once in force, the law provides for a six-month period of "education" to explain to women already wearing a face veil that they face arrest and a fine if they continue to do so in any public space.