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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.


Sunday, January 17, 2016

The Daily Drift

Editor's Note: We had anticipated a return to our regular post totals tomorrow but with the wingnut meltdown (when is there not) over Iran releasing 4 Americans and keeping their end of the Nuclear deal on Saturday, we will have a special section covering their insanity tomorrow.
Welcome to Today's Edition of Carolina Naturally.
Modern Zen ...!
 
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Today in History

1601
The Treaty of Lyons ends a short war between France and Savoy.
1746
Charles Edward Stuart, the young pretender, defeats the government forces at the battle of Falkirk in Scotland.
1773
Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle.
1819
Simon Bolivar the “liberator” proclaims Columbia a republic.
1893
Queen Liliuokalani, the Hawaiian monarch, is overthrown by a group of American sugar planters led by Sanford Ballard Dole.
1852
At the Sand River Convention, the British recognize the independence of the Transvaal Board.
1912
Robert Scott reaches the South Pole only a month after Roald Amundsen.
1939
The Reich issues an order forbidding Jews to practice as dentists, veterinarians and chemists.
1945
The Red army occupies Warsaw.
1963
Soviet leader Khrushchev visits the Berlin Wall.
1985
A jury in New Jersey rules that terminally ill patients have the right to starve themselves.

The Ultimate Mancave is - a Cave!

Angelo Mastropietro is a caveman. Despite suffering from multiple sclerosis, he managed to build himself a luxury home inside a cave!
Mastropietro’s diagnosis made him examine his life, and determine what was important to him. In the years since, he’s worked and spent £160,000 ($230,000) to make his unique underground dream house.

The Secret Life of a Public Library Security Guard

Marko Petrovich is a security guard at the public library in Portland, Maine. How you see his job depends on how you use the library. While he stays on the lookout for people who use drugs, fight, or otherwise abuse the facility, he also keeps in mind that the library’s mission is to serve all of the public. In winter in Maine, it might be the only indoor space some people have access to, and those folks are as deserving of consideration as anyone else.
The typically quiet library is a vast, open space. When voices escalate, they carry. Even the smallest harrumph can become very public. Petrovich will often put his arm around misbehaving patrons and corral them to the security office to chat. It’s a gentle and vulnerable gesture, and people seem to respond with concession and openness. To be an officer of the library is to be a steward of it. They must be civilized and caring toward the space, its resources, and, most importantly, its patrons.
Enforcement is a defensive act, not an aggressive one, and Petrovich learned the distinction between the two at a young age. “My grandfather telling me one day, ‘You are soldier but you no murderer,’” he recalls.
Those words must have been bellowing in Petrovich’s memory on the night that he deserted the Serbian army, fleeing the country. It was a flight to protect his life, and to protect other people from the killing he’d been tasked to do. Petrovich could fight soldier-to-soldier, or against anyone with a weapon. When there’s fire on both sides, it is, as Petrovich says, “you or them.” His job as a sergeant was to protect his soldiers, but he wasn’t willing to do the job of killing innocent civilians. He had begun to refuse orders that looked to him like he was simply going into villages to murder hundreds of people just because they were Muslims. They were the kind of orders that make what Petrovich calls “bloody hands.”
“I cannot do that,” he says. “It is not my moral things. Not my code. Is not my job.”
Well, that escalated quickly. Yes, the article goes into detail about Petrovich’s job at the library and how he goes about his duties, but it’s also a profile of a dedicated worker with an interesting story.

How Batman’s Silly 1960s Series Saved The Dark Knight

The TV series Batman premiered on January 12, 1966. That makes the show 50 years old! In some ways, the series is a relic of a bygone era, but it also it seems like just yesterday. Compared to the more recent Michael Keaton/Christian Bale/Ben Affleck Batman movies, the ‘60s series is a real outlier, and even at the time was just plain goofy. There was a method to the madness, as the TV show followed the resurgence of Batman comic books. Believe it or not, until the mid-’60s, the Batman comic book character wasn’t all that popular, and was even declining.
In response, DC editor Julius Schwartz drastically revamped the book in 1964: He threw out the science fiction elements and put Carmine Infantino on art. Infantino had a cleaner, more realistic style than previous Batman artists such as Dick Sprang and he completely redefined the book. The result was an action series with a penchant for the ridiculous. Batman often solved mysteries that made little sense using solutions or tools that made even less sense, and often found himself stuck in elaborate death-traps. It is, to modern eyes, all a bit silly, but it sold: By 1965, Batman was back on the charts.
The idea of a Batman TV series had been in the works since 1961, but stalled repeatedly. It was saved by ABC executive Harve Bennett, who saw the potential of a series (in a nice bit of nerd symmetry, Bennett would go on to save Star Trek in the ’80s). Bennett saw the popularity of a roadshow of the old serials and hits like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and thought Batman would be perfect for the network.
And Batman as a comedy was a hit. You can read the story of how that can to be at Gamma Squad.

Remote Train Station in Japan Is Used by Only 1 Schoolgirl Every Day

Rocket News 24 accurately describes the story as “like something straight out of a Studio Ghibli film.” Kana Harada, a high school student, is the only passenger who uses the Kyu-Shirataki Station in a rural area of northern Japan.
Every school day, Harada’s parents drive her to the station, which is a few minutes from their home. She’s usually 1 of 10 students on the train at the time. From her station, it takes Harada an hour to arrive at her school. She uses that time to study, read, or listen to music.
Japan Rail Hokkaido recently announced plans to close that station. But after learning of Harada’s solitary use of the station, the company has decided to keep it open until she graduates this March.

ISIL supporter joins Ammon Bundy’s armed occupation as resident computer expert

Bet you didn't see this one coming ...
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Occupier David Fry (YouTube)
ISIL supporter joins Ammon Bundy’s armed occupation as resident computer expert
***
You know what they say ..."Birds of a feather ..."

How Dieting Culture, Fat Shaming and Food Porn Is Drastically Shaping Our Lives

Chipotle’s Mounting Woes Now Include a Federal Criminal Investigation

No Death Penalty In Florida

Police in Mumbai identify no-selfie zones after drowning

Police in the Indian city of Mumbai have identified 16 dangerous selfie spots after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell in to the sea while taking a photo of herself.
The spots include the major tourist attractions of Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade as well as the site where the 18-year-old slipped last week, the deputy commissioner, Dhananjay Kulkarni, said. “After the unfortunate incident we have decided to identify 16 spots where taking selfies can be dangerous, but we may add more,” he said.
“We have written to the municipal corporation to put some warning signs up at such points. We want them to deploy some lifeguards also,” Kulkarni added. The girl and two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian Sea near Bandra bandstand in the north of India’s financial capital while taking selfies on Saturday.
A passer-by, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the two friends but was washed away by the choppy waters and his body was found in a nearby creek on Monday. The girl is still missing. Police patrolling the selected areas have been briefed to warn people against taking selfies, the deputy commissioner said.

Family tended to stranger at hospital bedside after police misidentification

A family in L'Isle-Verte, Quebec, Canada, are reeling after they rushed to the hospital bedside of their brother only to realize, after hours of tending to him, it was a case of mistaken identity by provincial police. On Thursday, Quebec provincial police were called to a scene in L'Isle-Verte after passers-by found a man seriously injured outside a home.
"The injured person didn't have any identification on him," said Sûreté du Québec spokeswoman Audrey-Anne Bilodeau. "There [were] some people on site and they identified the man as Roland Lafrance." Lafrance's family were contacted about the accident and  told that Lafrance had been transferred to a hospital in Quebec City.
The family said Lafrance had fallen and hit his head at his fishing cabin on Jan. 1, so they believed he had fallen again as a result of a head injury. Daisy Boucher Lafrance, Roland's niece, says her mother and aunt rushed to the hospital to take care of their brother. Boucher Lafrance says the condition of the man was such that identifying him was difficult. She says her mother and aunt spent hours next to him, holding his hand and receiving updates from the hospital about his condition.
It was only when an unsuspecting Roland called his family the next day that they realized the man in the Quebec City hospital bed was a stranger. "It's a terrible mistake by provincial police," Boucher Lafrance said. She says police should be ashamed. "The police misidentified him and my mom was alone there with a stranger. This man could have died and his family was not with him because of a mistake." Provincial police say they have now contacted the appropriate family.

Pennsylvania judge slaps down pastor who wanted ‘volume discount’ for molesting boy 12 times

A Pennsylvania judge refused give a former youth pastor a “volume discount” for molestation crimes this week after he claimed that his current sentence was too severe.

12-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shot During Family's Eviction From Pennsylvania Home

Cop Who Beat Pregnant Woman, Not Fired – Now Accused of Raping Another Pregnant Woman

Fugitive unimpressed with police department’s image of him sent them a better photo

A fugitive in Ohio didn’t care for the photo police released as they tried to track him down. The Lima Police Department is looking for 45-year-old Donald “Chip” Pugh, who’s wanted for failure to appear in a drunk driving case.
But after seeing the Facebook post about himself, Pugh didn’t like the picture police selected. He sent them another picture, saying “Here is a better photo that one is terrible.” Lt. Andy Green with Lima police said he’d talked to Pugh on Wednesday, though Pugh said he was out of state.
Green said the posts will eventually help police locate Pugh. “He’s drawing more attention to himself, which is going to make it easier for us to locate him, because the more attention that this post garners, the more people are going to see it, the more tips are going to come in about this guy,” Green said.
Green hopes Pugh will “come to his senses,” turn himself in and “stop making this worse for himself.” In addition to the failure to appear charge, Green said Pugh is a “person of interest” in other cases including arson and vandalism.

Naked drunk woman accused of abandoning young boy urinated on police trying to arrest her

A Florida woman is accused of abandoning a young boy, allegedly telling witnesses she didn't want him anymore and didn't care if they called police.
Jennifer Cael, 34, is charged with child neglect and resisting arrest. Police say they responded to an apartment complex in Daytona Beach.
Residents said Cael, who lives in the complex, left the child with them and took off on Thursday night. Police said they eventually located Cael, who they said was naked and drunk, in a man's apartment at the complex.
According to police, she allegedly punched an officer in the chest, knocked off his glasses and urinated on officers as they were trying to arrest her. The Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the child.

Onesie-wearing man who drank 18 cans of lager before setting landlady's porch on fire jailed

A man who set fire to his landlady’s porch after being locked out while dressed in a onesie following a day-long drunken row with his boyfriend, has been jailed. Enda Bohan, 35, who is originally from Galway, Ireland, but now lives in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, knocked back 18 cans of lager before rowing with his partner and then his landlady for several hours about the rent. When he was locked out by fed-up Amy Davies after going to a shop to buy a bottle of whiskey to continue his binge, he threatened to burn down her house in a foul-mouthed tirade that lasted half an hour. In his anger he tried to throw a child's scooter through Miss Davies's front window, but was so drunk that he missed and ended up launching it at a neighbor's car. Bohan then carried out his threat of starting the fire, setting light to a pile of clothing that had been left outside to be collected by recyclers. Miss Davies became aware of the fire after hearing the terrified screams of her two children, aged seven and nine years.
A court heard that Miss Davies had phoned the police several times as the argument between Bohan and his boyfriend raged throughout the day, but they did not come to her home until he made the threats to burn down the house. Bohan was jailed after he admitted a charge of arson following the incident, which came after nearly 24 hours of drinking and arguing. The court heard that at around 8.15pm on November 6 Miss Davies had come home to find Bohan passed out through alcohol consumption. He awoke around two hours later and came downstairs, telling Miss Davies he had drunk 18 cans of Foster's lager. Nigel Ogborne, prosecuting, told the court: "Between 4 and 9am the following morning there was a considerable noise coming from the bedroom. It was an argument between this defendant and his partner. Miss Davies told the defendant to leave the property; he refused. She phoned the police on a number of occasions to get some help. The police did not attend." Mr Ogborne said Bohan continued to drink and argue with his boyfriend throughout the day, finally leaving the property dressed in a onesie at some point between 4 and 5pm to buy a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey.
"It's at that stage the complainant took the opportunity to lock the front door, so that no-one could come back in," said Mr Ogborne. "Having locked the door, the defendant returned a short time after. He tried to get in but couldn't. He started banging on the door, shouting and swearing. Miss Davies said she was recording him on her phone and for a while he started knocking gently. His behavior then escalated and he started shouting and swearing, saying 'are you crying to your mummy, you little bitch?' He said 'I'm going to burn down your house. Wait till tonight, you're not going to know what hit you'. The banging and swearing continued, lasting for about half an hour. At some point he disappeared." While Miss Davies phoned the police Bohan picked up a child's scooter from the front garden and tried to throw it through one of the windows. Mr Ogborne said: "He was so drunk it didn't in fact hit the window, it hit the next door neighbor's car." Police arrived at the house in Kennet Drive, Bletchley, after Bohan had gone. He returned once the officers had left and Miss Davies had gone upstairs to get changed. Mr Ogborne told the court: "Whilst upstairs she heard her children start screaming.

"She came downstairs and saw smoke and flames behind the door. She grabbed her children and ran out the back door. It was sticking and she ended up having to kick the back door before it opened." Firefighters dashed to the scene and found the fire had been started by Bohan setting light to a pile of old clothing, which Miss Davies had left outside to be collected for recycling. Bohan told police officers he remembered little about the events but said he had argued with his partner and Miss Davies about rent. Sophie O'Sullivan, defending Bohan, said: "He has notably struggled with alcoholism over a number of years. He has also been diagnosed with an emotional unstable personality disorder. The exhibiting behaviours from that condition are impulsive behavioral outbursts or explosive behaviors, which leant themselves to exactly the circumstances which took place on that day." Bohan pleaded guilty to arson and was jailed for two years and ten months at Aylesbury Crown Court. He was also made the subject of a restraining order against Miss Davies, which will last until further notice and told to pay a £120 victim surcharge. Judge Sheridan told Bohan that the restraining order was necessary: "Should you choose to wreak revenge, she will suffer further violence at your hands."

Would-be armed robbers arrested after man told them to come back the next day

Two Florida men tried to rob a man fixing his bicycle chain, deputies said, and then left after he said he had no money and that they should return the next day.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested Juan Bixby, 35, and Julian Lopez, 27, on Thursday. Deputies said Bixby and Lopez pulled up upon the man fixing his bicycle chain in Loxahatchee just before 9pm.
They demanded money from him, but the man said he didn't have any. The man told the duo to come back tomorrow when he had money, so Bixby and Lopez left. After they had gone, he called 911 and gave deputies a description of their car. Less than 15 minutes later, deputies were able to pull them over.
The man told deputies Bixby and Lopez were threatening him with a gun. When they showed it to him, he panicked and told them he would have money on Friday. Both are charged with attempted robbery with a weapon and are being held at the Palm Beach County Jail. Bixby's bail is set at $50,000 while Lopez is being held without bond.

Pathology News

The plague may have lay hidden in Europe from the 14th to 17th century.

Archaeology News

From King Tut's tomb to scanning pyramids to shipwrecks, learn what discoveries lie ahead this year.
When fire collapsed a settlement into a river, silt and clay preserved signs of life some 3,000 years ago.
The hoofed prosthetic leg was found with 2,200-year-old remains of a man with a deformed knee.

El Niño

Hurricane Pali is the earliest ever recorded hurricane in the Central Pacific, a rare winter tropical cyclone that benefited from a strong El Nino. 
A record-setting El Niño has delivered weird weather around the world for months.

Diamond Seawater

The diamonds contain chemical information about what goes on deep inside the Earth. 

Paleo-Botany News

The seeds are miniscule and unusually well-preserved, in such good condition that their internal cell structures were still visible.

Paleontology News

The creature from the Cretaceous was twice the size of anything seen today.

Animal News

The small carnivore is among 11 species to be considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endangered species status.
A Brazilian frog will do almost anything to grab the attention of females, including singing, toe tapping, arm waving and squealing.
Future oceans will be quieter places, making it harder for young marine animals that navigate using sound to find their way home, new research finds.
Peruvian environmental authorities have recast the birds as superheroes in a bid to crack down on illegal garbage dumps.

Illegal hunters caught with help of undercover robo-deer

Two poachers in Maryland who picked on the wrong deer had their hunting licences suspended and their equipment seized on Thursday by a district judge in St. Mary’s County.
David James Few, 21 of Taneytown, Maryland, and Brian Kelley Stitely, 24, of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, were caught by Maryland Natural Resources police on a stakeout on Oct. 23, as they spotlighted and shot the agency’s robotic decoy deer from a road in Leonardtown. Officers moved in and stopped their truck shortly after 10:30pm as Stitley was reloading his crossbow. Inside the vehicle, they found two crossbows, two flashlights, 4.2 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe.
"Robo-Deer" suffered minor injuries. In court, both men pleaded guilty to casting rays with an implement (spotlighting). The judge dismissed charges of having a loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting from a vehicle and shooting from a roadway. Few’s civil citation for marijuana possession also was dismissed. Few received a 30-day suspended sentence, two years of unsupervised probation and had his hunting privileges suspended for two years.
Stitely was the subject of a joint 2013 investigation with Pennsylvania Game Commission officers that resulted in his arrest on deer poaching charges in both states. He also was convicted in Pennsylvania of spotlighting deer. The judge sentenced Stitely to a 30-day suspended sentence and three years of unsupervised probation. His hunting privileges, already suspended in Maryland through 2018 and in 44 other states as part of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, were further suspended until 2023.

Tourist bitten on nose by python paid damages

A Thai company that runs snake shows has paid £2,200 ($3,200) in damages to a Chinese tourist after she was attacked by one of their pythons when she apparently tried to kiss it.
Video shows two men during a show calmly holding the python. A long-haired woman wearing a backpack then leaned it. The python launched at the woman, grabbing onto her nose and holding tight while she tried to pry it away.
Members of the crowd screamed. The woman has been named as 29-year-old Jin Jing. She was taken to Phuket international hospital where she received treatment, including several stitches in her nose.

A representative of the Pa-wai Odski company, which runs a “snake charming and venom collection show” said the firm paid £2,200 for “her medical bills, pain and stress”. It is not clear if kissing the snake was part of the act or if the woman asked to do so. It said the snake was a reticulated python, a nonvenomous reptile and the world’s longest snake species.

Snake thief caught on camera putting python down his pants

Police in Portland, Oregon, are looking for a man who walked into A to Z pet store on Friday and stole a snake by stuffing it down his pants. Video shows the man walking into the store with a woman at about 2pm.
He made his way to the back of the store, to the snake area, stuck his hand in the tank, and took out a black pastel ball python. He then stuffed the python into his pants and walked out. Store co-owner and manager Christin Bjugan says the snake is about 2 feet long, and was being sold for $200.
She says this type of snake isn’t aggressive. But on that day, the man got lucky. “It was close to feeding day. The snakes are very hungry, I know when I go back there on a Saturday or Sunday even, the snakes are up against the glass looking for food," she said. "So he made it in the nick of time.

“They like dark warm places so he was probably very comfortable where he was at.” She says, the whole incident makes her mad. A to Z Pets is a family store, they work hard, and have been in the community for 20 years. She is grateful for the surveillance cameras, and hopes police catch the man soon.

Animal Picturess