CAROLINA NATURALLY

Friday, September 30, 2011

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

There is a shift going on among your closest friends, and it's affecting how you've been feeling about them lately.
Try not to get too involved in situations that don't concern you -- poking your nose into someone else's business is very dangerous right now.
Maintain your typical objectivity in any disputes that are going on, because 'right' and 'wrong' will be hard to ascertain.
You will have to wait and see how things unfold before you can know whom to believe.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
London, England, United Kingdom
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Morini, Morini, Comoros
Barnet, England, United Kingdom
Tranbjerg, Arhus, Denmark
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
New Delhi, Delhi, India

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 Atlanta, Charleston, Miami, Richmond and more.

Today is:

Today is Friday, September 30, the 273rd day of 2011.

There are 92 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

Ask A Stupid Question Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

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Far-Out Friday

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U.S.-born terror cleric killed

U.S.-born Al-Qaeda cleric killed in Yemen

Anwar al-Awlaki, considered a major danger to American homeland security, is killed in an airstrike.

Third attempt

Also:

Did you know ...

That the American people hate Congress.

You don't say ...

Poll: 90% of Americans say economy stinks

I didn't realize that the bankers made up 10% of the population. Go figure.

Three years after a financial crisis pushed the country deep into recession, an overwhelming number of Americans -- 90% -- say that economic conditions remain poor.

The number, reported Friday in a new CNN/ORC International Poll, is the highest of Barack Obama's presidency and a significant increase from the 81% who said conditions were poor in June.

The persistent pessimism indicates that Americans are feeling a level of hardship in line with the official statistics. Unemployment stands at 9.1%, economic growth is barely above stall speed, and the housing market remains tied in knots.

Full Story

The truth be told

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Prep for a possible layoff

Strategies to prep for a possible layoff

Reconnect with former colleagues and step up your outreach efforts if you fear downsizing.

Questions to ask now

Also:

Daily Comic Relief

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Governors from U.S. and Mexico Skip Out on Border Conference

For the second year in a row, three of the four U.S. governors whose states adjoin Mexico are skipping an annual conference with their counterparts from south of the border, highlighting the frosty relations between Mexico and the United States over U.S. immigration policy.

Full Story

Population growth twist

Hispanics fuel white population growth

More Hispanics listed themselves as white, according to new 2010 census figures.

Reason for significant shift

Also:

Some good advice

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Jacking ... Don't Do It!

Does Florida have a vampire problem?

Self-Claimed Vampire/Werewolf Accused of Murder

A Florida teen accused of murder claims she's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. She's not the first.
Read more

What else can you say

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It's a Blond World

A blond stormed up to the front desk of the library and said, "I have a complaint!" .

"Yes, Ma'am?"
"I borrowed a book last week and it was horrible!"

"What was wrong with it?"

"It had way too many characters and there was no plot whatsoever!"

The librarian nodded and said, "Ahh. So you must be the person who took our phone book."

Nine facts about your ears

Things you didn't know about your ears

Doctors recommend two different techniques to remove buildup in the ear canal.

Mystery of wax's true purpose

Also:

Memory "Quantum" Lasts 125 Milliseconds

Is there a "unit" of memory? Some scientists now think so.
Using a method that allowed them to make brain measurements down to the millisecond levels, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology discovered that there's a discrete "quantum" of memory:

You're rudely awakened by the phone. Your room is pitch black. It's unsettling, because you're a little uncertain about where you are -- and then you remember. You're in a hotel room.
Sound like a familiar experience? Or maybe you've felt a similar kind of disorientation when you walk out of an elevator onto the wrong floor? But what actually happens inside your head when you experience moments like these?
[A new study] describes exactly how the brain reacts in situations like these, during the transition between one memory and the next. [...]
Their findings show that memory is divided into discrete individual packets, analogous to the way that light is divvied up into individual bits called quanta. Each memory is just 125 milliseconds long -- which means the brain can swap between different memories as often as eight times in one second.
"The brain won't let itself get confused," says Professor May-Britt Moser. "It never mixes different places and memories together, even though you might perceive it that way. This is because the processes taking place inside your head when your brain is looking for a map of where you are take place so fast that you don't notice that you are actually switching between different maps. When you feel a little confused, it is because there is a competition in your brain between two memories. Or maybe more than two."

Full Story