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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Monday, November 1, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
Last-minute turnarounds have never been at the very top of your 'most favorite things' list, but that's kind of the point: We don't see it happening, so we have to reach deep inside ourselves to react -- which gives us a chance to get to know ourselves all over again, without anyone's expectations about how we 'should' be acting, based on what they think of us.
Treat the incident like a learning opportunity, and it can't help but turn out to be just that.

Some of our readers today have been in:
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Dublin, Dublin Ireland
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Oldenburge, Neidersachsen, Germany
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

as well as Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, Netherlands Antilles and in cities across the United States such as Hickory, El Segundo, Kennewick, Pittstown and more.

Today is:
Today is Monday, November 1, the 305th day of 2010.
There are 60 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
There isn't any.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

November is ...

International Drum (Percussion) Month
Georgia Pecan Month

and

NoSHAVEmber
(aka: Bread Month in the U.S. and Movember - Moustache Month in Australia)

Where water is running out

Shortages are likely in some metro areas, especially if weather patterns change.
Also: 

A $400K home's final cost: $6 mil

Mark Feldberg and Emilyn Page had a vision for every detail of their new house.  
Also: 

North Carolina man pursues world record

A North Carolina man is celebrating successful cancer surgery in an unusual way: by seeking world record status for the tumor doctors removed from his abdomen.

China's massive population shift

Six million workers race door-to-door to finally capture the true size of China's giant cities.  
Also: 

Ten Years of the International Space Station


This week will mark the tenth anniversary of continuous human habitation onboard the International Space Station:
More than 200 orbiting explorers have visited the space complex; 15 nations have contributed to the missions, providing modules and hardware; and more than 600 experiments have been carried out on board.

IT worker sentenced after stealing employee information to earn $100 vouchers

We've wondered before just how much information and power IT staff have at businesses, and in this case, it looks like the answer is too much.

Yemen arrests two related to bomb threat

NY Times:
The powerful bombs concealed inside cargo packages and destined for the United States were expertly constructed and unusually sophisticated, American officials said Saturday, further evidence that Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen is steadily improving its abilities to strike on American soil.

As investigators on three continents conducted forensic analysis of two bombs shipped from Yemen and intercepted Friday in Britain and Dubai, American officials said evidence was mounting that the top leadership of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, including the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was behind the attempted attacks.

Yemeni officials on Saturday announced the arrest of a young woman and her mother in connection with the plot, which also may have involved two language schools in Yemen. The two women were not identified, but a defense lawyer who has been in contact with the family, Abdul Rahman Barham, said the daughter was a 22 year-old engineering student at Sana University.

Look at it this way ...

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Places where voting is mandatory

In some countries, citizens face stiff penalties for not going to the polls.  
Also: 

Clues to watch on Election Day

A few early hints could signal whether the nation is in for a mild shakeup.

We Remeber


Do you?

Rand Paul head-stomper charged with assault

Non Sequitur

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On The Job

These bedrock institutions will always need workers, no matter how much the economy changes. 
Also: 

Save money when applying for a loan

Pay attention to the fine print so you don’t wind up overpaying for a car or house.  
Also: 

Not Just for Pie Anymore

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Five So-Called 'Bad' Foods You Can Stop Avoiding

Get back on track after Halloween

Get back on track after Halloween
Boo!
So you blew your diet raiding your kid’s stash and you over-did it a bit on the "haunted" martinis.
No worries.
Here’s how to right those wrongs today and avoid post-holiday flub.

Avoid these health scams

Crooks are using health reform to peddle policies that aren't what they seem.  
Also: 

Get great sleep in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond

Get great sleep in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond

Fast ways to end low-energy

Placing a plant or flowers on your desk encourages creativity, one study found.  
Also: 

Monkey Time


Major Lance

How To Smile


Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you. Not just any smile will do, though. With 19 variations on the smile, including 16 produced by enjoyable emotions, smiling is an incredibly important part of our lives.

If you're looking to develop a genuine, infectious smile that can make a bad date turn good, seal a business deal, or help you make friends wherever you go, this article will help you on your way.

How Fear Works


Fear is a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. The most common physical reactions of fear include a rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, tightening of muscles, sharpened or redirected senses, dilation of the pupils, and increased sweating.

Superstitious Beliefs Getting More Common

Paranormal ActivityBelievers range from free-spirited types to high-powered businessmen.
Some are drifters; others are brain surgeons.  

Scientist Invents New Method for Possibly Reading Minds, Recording Dreams

dream recording
Dr Cerf makes his bold claim based on an initial study which he says suggests that the activity of individual brain cells, or neurons, are associated with specific objects or concepts.
He found, for example, that when a volunteer was thinking of Marilyn Monroe, a particular neuron lit up.
By showing volunteers a series of images, Dr Cerf and his colleagues were able to identify neurons for a wide range of objects and concepts – which they used to build up a database for each patient. These included Bill and Hilary Clinton, the Eiffel Tower and celebrities.
So by observing which brain cell lit up and when, Dr Cerf says he was effectively able to “read the subjects’ minds”.
He admits that there is a very long way to go before this simple observation can be translated into a device to record dreams, or dream catcher. But he thinks it is a possibility – and he said he would like to try.
Cerf also mentions the possibility of reading people’s thoughts when they are in comas. It seems like this could have other, more dubious applications as well.

Ziggy

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Satellite View of a Nuclear Test Site


Yucca Flat in Nevada was the site of 827 nuclear detonations while the US enhanced its nuclear weapons. Pictured above is a Google Maps satellite view of the pock-marked surface.

City of Skulls


Photo via Elena Chinarina
Forget haunted houses – in Russia, there are entire cities and towns that look haunted. Dark Roasted Blend explains:
We’d like to call them "ghost towns", but they are clearly not abandoned. Amazingly, people still live in them, go to work in harshest possible conditions (paradoxically making it the richest and mightiest industrial area in Russia) and then come "home" to relax in this inhuman weather, non-existing infrastructure, in dangerously dilapidated buildings…
Take, for example, Cherepovetz City ("City of Skulls") shown above. No need for skeletons, monsters, or for that matter, any special effects to make this town terrifying ... 

Bronze Age hoard found intact

Archaeologists have unearthed a collection of Bronze Age axe heads, spear tips and other 3,000 year old metal objects buried in an Essex field.
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Digger finds Neolithic tomb complex

Archaeologists on Orkney are investigating what is thought to be a 5,000-year-old tomb complex.
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Taikhar Chuluu

A large rock stands out in the middle of a plain in Mongolia. The Taikhar chuluu is covered with inscriptions dating back as far as Turkic rule in Mongolia. Those inscriptions were followed by more in the Mongol language, then Tibetan, and even more modern graffiti.
Of course, the rock itself did not come here by itself, the legend says. Long time ago there lived a hero here called Bökebilig (“Strong and wise”). Suddenly a large snake started to come out from under the earth. Bökebilig did not like this, and he pushed back the snake from where it came, and then he closed the mouth of its cave with this rock which has been standing here ever since. Not far from the rock there is a small mountain called Altan sandali (“Golden throne”), of which tradition says that Bökebilig took a rest on it, while washing his hands in the nearby Tamir river.

B.C.

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Horses


Amazing pictures of horses taken by Polish photographer Wojtek Kwiatkowski.

Like Humans, Chimps Tend to Be Right-Handed

ChimpanzeeThe trait was once thought unique to humans due to asymmetries in our brains.  

I've heard of pulling a Tiger's tail, but ...

Officials say a female diving guide was bitten on the thigh and buttocks by a shark but was saved when another swimmer pulled the shark's tail.

'Bizarre and frightening' fish finds

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BLACK LIZARDFISH: the mouthful of large teeth suggests it catches and eats other animals near the seafloor.

Mimic Octopus

The Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is a fascinating animal that was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The mimic octopus is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species.
This octopus is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp.

The animal is so intelligent that it is able to discern which dangerous sea creature to impersonate that will present the greatest threat to its current possible predator.


Neat.