The Daily Drift

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Today in History

43 BC		Cicero, considered one of the greatest sons of Rome, is assassinated on the orders of Marcus Antonius.
983		Otto III takes the throne after his father’s death in Italy. A power struggle between magnates ensues.
1787		Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
1808		James Madison is elected president in succession of Thomas Jefferson.
1861		USS Santiago de Cuba, under Commander Daniel B. Ridgely, halts the British schooner Eugenia Smith and captures J.W. Zacharie, a New Orleans merchant and Confederate purchasing agent.
1862		Confederate forces surprise an equal number of Union troops at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas.
1863		Outlaw George Ives, an alleged member of an outlaw gang known as the "Innocents," robs and then kills Nick Thiebalt in the Ruby Valley of what would become Montana.
1917		The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary with only one dissenting vote in Congress.
1918		Spartacists call for a German revolution.
1931		A report indicates that Nazis would ensure "Nordic dominance" by sterilizing certain races.
1941		Japanese planes raid Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in a surprise attack, bringing the US into WWII.
1942		The U.S. Navy launches USS New Jersey, the largest battleship ever built.
1946		The president of the United Mine Workers, John L. Lewis, orders all striking miners back to work.
1949		The A.F.L. and the C.I.O. organize a non-Communist international trade union.
1970		Poland and West Germany sign a pact renouncing the use of force to settle disputes, recognizing the Oder-Neisse River as Poland’s western frontier, and acknowledging the transfer to Poland of 40,000 square miles of former German territory.
1972		The crew of Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon, lifts off at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1981		The Reagan Administration predicts a record deficit in 1982 of $109 billion.
1988		An earthquake in Armenia kills an estimated 100,000 people.
1988		Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat recognizes Israel’s right to exist.
1995		Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter after a 6-year journey.
1999		The Recording Industry Association of America files a copyright infringement suit against the file-sharing website Napster.
2003		A tornado in Kensal Green, North West London, damages about 150 properties.
2006		An earthquake in Armenia kills an estimated 100,000 people.

Sikh woman ordered to show breast pump after fellow passenger suspects she may be a terrorist

Sikh woman ordered to show breast pump after fellow passenger suspects she may be a terrorist

A Sikh woman said she was asked to show her breast pump to fellow passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight to prove she wasn’t a terrorist.

More People Have Died From Guns In America Than Every Single U.S. War COMBINED

This truly puts the gun problem in perspective.

Read full story

Police still have no motive in San Bernardino shooting

Police still have no motive in San Bernardino shooting — and FBI still won’t call it terrorism but are investigating it as if it is terrorism

Police do not yet have a motive for a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California that took 14 lives.

Another Shooting Death at Another Women’s Center: This One is In Texas

In the midst of the San Bernardino mass shooting that killed at least 14 people and injured at least 14 more, we have reports of another shooting death. This one is at another medical facility, Clinica Hispana, which is a women’s clinic in Houston, Texas. Houston police have confirmed one death but have not confirmed if the dead is a victim or suspect.

Local ABC13 reported that the Houston police are investigating a shooting death outside of Clinica Hispana:

HPD homicide detectives are at the Clinica Hispana at 8410 Fondren. A police source says there was a shooting, and two people have been detained.
Police have set up a large perimeter in the parking lot of the strip center as they investigate.

Clinica Hispana provides medical services for women, including according to their website, “… complete OB-GYN services including checkups, pregnancy services, and ultrasounds. We also offer contraception and Essure permanent birth control.”
So far this year, there have been more mass shootings than there have been days, according to the Boston Globe’s numbers. There have been “355 mass shooting incidents. There have been 336 days.”
Republicans have refused to even bring any gun law tweaks up for a vote, including a bill to close the loophole that allows us to sell assault weapons to terrorists legally.
It’s just days after the mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado that killed three people.
Update: A reader brought a second mass shooting that occurred today to my attention. This one happened this morning in Savannah, Georgia and has gotten very little press. One woman was killed and three men were injured according to reports.

How America's Insane Anti-Choice Agitators Screw Over Women All Over the Globe

How America's Insane Anti-Choice Agitators Screw Over Women All Over the Globe

Shoe

‘Steak Is For Fucking Taxpayers’: Man Harasses SNAP Recipients, Steals Their Food

“Steak is for fucking taxpayers,” a man said as he stole food from SNAP recipients. “Fuck you.”

Read more 

A dozen cops in a single Tennessee county face more than 120 corruption charges combined

A dozen cops in a single Tennessee county face more than 120 corruption charges combined

Chuck Arnold, the former Sheriff of Gibson County was recently indicted on corruptions charges relating to his time as sheriff. However, after his arrest he was quickly released on a $10,000 bail, which is incredibly low.

‘Adorable’ Drug Trafficking Daughter Of DEA Chief Released

Her easy bail and release reeks of corruption.
Read more 

Mom Calls 911 for Mental Help With Her Son, Cops Show Up, Taser Him to Death While He’s Restrained

Mom Calls 911 for Mental Help With Her Son, Cops Show Up, Taser Him to Death While He’s Restrained

Sex offender leader of South Carolina cult gets 15 years in prison after molesting children again

Sex offender leader of South Carolina cult gets 15 years in prison after molesting children again

Spokane cop raped sleeping female officer — and then his cop buddies covered it up

Spokane cop raped sleeping female officer — and then his cop buddies covered it up

KREM reported that Sergeant Gordon Ennis was being held on suspicion of Rape 2nd Degree after an investigation by the sheriff’s office determined that there was probable cause to charge him.

Ziggy

Funny People Are Smarter Than Everyone Else

by Christine Schoenwald

It's more than just making someone laugh.

What would you do if someone said to you, "Be funny — right now"? Would you immediately come up with a comedic gold joke or a hilarious story?
Funny on demand isn't that easy. You might be funny when you're with your friends but are shy about cracking jokes with strangers. Are you someone that appreciates humor more when someone else is the source of the funny, rather than being the laugh-bringer, yourself?
Being both funny and able to appreciate humor are signs of above-average intelligence.
In a study, researchers Gil Greengross and Geoffrey Miller, both from the University of New Mexico, and Rod. A. Martin from the University of Western Ontario, studied a group of college students and asked them to perform a humorous task by creating made-up profiles of people based on some basic information.
The study participants then rated how funny the other participant's answers were, and were asked to complete tests of general intelligence, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, sociability, and neuroticism.
The researchers found that general intelligence was a strong predictor of humor, independent of the other variables. The researchers concluded that humor is a sign of underlying cognitive ability and fitness.
In another study conducted by William E. Hauck and John W. Thomas of Bucknell University, the researchers studied 3 variables: creativity, intelligence, and a sense of humor. They found that while creativity and intelligence were independent of each other, humor related to both creativity and intelligence.
There are many different types of humor: slapstick, deadpan, dirty, topical, dark, satire, parody, and surreal. Some take a higher degree of intelligence to appreciate than others, like satire. Satire is one of the most difficult types of humor because it relies on intelligence to be successful.
Amy Schumer, who's funny in many different ways, is extremely gifted at satire. Her parody sketch 12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer was one of the funniest sketches on television all year. It obviously took smarts both to write it and enjoy it, as there were many elements needed to fully appreciate it.
It was a take-off of 1957 black and white televised play, commenting on how actresses are judged on their looks or their "bang-a-bility," and it highlighted the misogyny that tends to be an undercurrent in Hollywood. Did you have to understand all those things to find it funny? No, but having the intelligence to recognize these things made the humor even funnier.
You can't make fun of something if you don't understand it first, and it takes creativity to use the right kind of platform for its funniness.
Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant, intelligent scientists in the world is known for his sharp sense of humor. Coincidence? I think not! It's more likely that funny people are just plain smarter.

How to Manage Your Time: Five Secrets Backed by Research

Eric at the Barking Up the Wrong Tree blog featured an excerpt from a book on time management by Cal Newport entitled Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. So who is Cal Newport and why should anyone listen to his methods of time management? Eric explains:

"Cal Newport knows something about getting stuff done. In the decade after he graduated college he published 4 books, earned a PhD from MIT, published a ton of academic papers and was hired as a professor at Georgetown University.

Cal leaves the office every day before 6PM and rarely works weekends. He’s also married with 2 children.

How does he do it? Cal prioritizes what he calls “deep work.” And in his new book,, he explains why this is key and how you can incorporate it into your own life.
This book deserves the kind of praise I offer very rarely: It’s important.
So let’s hear what Cal has to say on how to manage your time, how you can be less busy and complete the kind of work that will get you raises and promotions…"

Read Cal Newport's five points on time management here. 

NIH To Spend $2.2 Million Creating Robotic Helpers For Elderly, Disabled

Meanwhile, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a university long known for their pioneering work in social robotics, the NIH will fund the next generation of robotic friends.

10 British Monarchs Who Died In Hilariously Humiliating Ways

Historically speaking the British monarchs were not very nice people, but for some reason their pompous misadventures in debauchery and murder are often overshadowed by the regal visage seen in classic paintings.

But portraits don't properly depict the darkness that surrounded British monarchs such as Henry VIII and King John, although you can often see the shadow of something sinister in their eyes.

With their knack for spreading that darkness around to their subjects it's not surprising people celebrated their deaths, but the worst offenders often got their just desserts in the end.

King Henry VIII (arguably) died of obesity, and his body had grown so large that a gigantic, lead-lined coffin had to be specially constructed for his burial...and then his body exploded when it was placed in the coffin.

King John got to die relatively intact, but his death was perhaps the most humiliating of them all- because he literally crapped himself to death due to dysentery. But at least he went out while eating a "surfeit of peaches"...

See 10 British Monarchs Who Died In Hilariously Humiliating Ways here

Animal Pictures