The Daily Drift

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Carolina Naturally

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Today in History

1775		George Washington orders recruiting officers to accept free blacks into the army.
1852		The richest year of the gold rush ends with $81.3 million in gold produced.
1862		Union General William Rosecrans‘ army repels two Confederate attacks at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone’s River).
1910		John B. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey, two of America’s foremost aviators, die in separate plane crashes.
1911		Helene Dutrieu wins the Femina aviation cup in Etampes. She sets a distance record for women at 158 miles.
1915		The Germans torpedo the British liner Persia without any warning killing 335 passengers.
1923		The Sahara is crossed by an automobile for the first time.
1930		Brewery heir Adolphus Busch is kidnapped.
1941		General MacArthur reports that U.S. lines in Manila have been pushed back by the Japanese.
1942		After five months of battle, Emperor Hirohito allows the Japanese commanders at Guadalcanal to retreat.
1944		Hungary declares war on Germany.
1965		California becomes the largest state by population.
1977		Cambodia breaks relations with Vietnam.

How We Can Reimagine and Reinvent Our Society in the Coming Year

How We Can Reimagine and Reinvent Our Society in the Coming Year

People are throwing boiling hot water in the air to make snow

Like an ice-bucket challenge gone awry, people are using the overwhelming freeze to test a theory about making snow using boiling water.
A McClatchy report describe the miracle of science creating a “sparkling cloud of vapor and crystalized water” that occurs when someone is crazy enough to try to experiment with boiling water.

People are throwing boiling hot water in the air to make snow — what could possibly go wrong

The 'Zoo Theory' adds a twist to alien conspiracies

December was a crazy month for extraterrestrial life, from a New York Times article exposing secret alien research programs to Elon Musk’s SpaceX missile launch over Los Angeles that sent the city into alien-hysteria for a few hours. From a scientific perspective, it seems unreasonable to think that we’re alone in this universe, or even this galaxy. But if there are aliens, why haven’t we met them yet? The answer may be complicated.
One popular theory to explain why aliens have not made open contact with humans is the “Zoo Theory.” John A. Ball, a MIT radio astronomer proposed the theory in 1973, suggesting that aliens may purposely be avoiding contact with humans as to not interfere with our activity, similar to zookeepers at a zoo or nature preserve, Science Alert  reported.
“ETI (extraterrestrial intelligence) may be discreetly and inconspicuously watching us but not dabbling, “ Ball wrote in his paper on the subject.

The 'Zoo Theory' adds a twist to alien conspiracies

Ancient China: Rare 1,900-year-old mirror found intact

Archaeologists in Japan have unearthed a 1,900-year-old Chinese mirror that’s not only still intact, but well-preserved enough to still show a faint reflection. City officials in Fukuoka, the capital of the Japanese island where the mirror was found, said such a discovery is extremely rare, according to Japanese national newspaper the Asahi Shimbun.

Ancient China: Rare 1,900-year-old mirror found intact

Why Is the State of Israel So Afraid of 16-Year-Old Ahed Tamimi?

Why Is the State of Israel So Afraid of 16-Year-Old Ahed Tamimi?

Student Debt Slavery

Student Debt Slavery: Bankrolling Financiers on the Backs of the Young

Facebook’s uneven enforcement of hate speech rules is allowing vile posts to stay up

Facebook’s community standards prohibit violent threats against people based on their religious practices. So when ProPublica reader Holly West saw this graphic Facebook post declaring that “the only good Muslim is a fucking dead one,” she flagged it as hate speech using the social network’s reporting system.
Facebook declared the photo to be acceptable. The company sent West an automated message stating: “We looked over the photo, and though it doesn’t go against one of our specific Community Standards, we understand that it may still be offensive to you and others.”
But Facebook took down a terser anti-Muslim comment — a single line declaring “Death to the Muslims,” without an accompanying image — after users repeatedly reported it.
Both posts were violations of Facebook’s policies against hate speech. But only one of them was caught by Facebook’s army of 7,500 censors — known as content reviewers — who decide whether to allow or remove posts flagged by its 2 billion users. After being contacted by ProPublica, Facebook also took down the one West complained about.

Facebook’s uneven enforcement of hate speech rules is allowing vile posts to stay up

YouTube's 'inadequate' guidelines lead to promotion of disturbing children's videos

Public outrage at revelations of inappropriate and disturbing children’s content on YouTube led the company to hire thousands more human moderators. But some former and current “raters” say the company’s moderation guidelines might make it worse.

YouTube contractors explain how the company's 'inadequate' guidelines lead to promotion of disturbing children's videos

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Top 10 U.S. Drug Policy Stories of 2017

Chinese people paying strangers to drink alcohol. Why?

A Beijing tech company has created an app that allows users to pay for ‘surrogate drinkers’ and 100,000 people signed up within 24 hours of it’s launch.
The service was introduced on Thursday by eDaijia, China’s largest mobile-based designated driving service provider, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The app, called eDaihe, links 'surrogate drinkers' with users looking to hire. The user pays the drinker to follow them around for an evening, consuming their alcoholic beverages along the way.
Like Uber, eDaihe is location-based so users can choose their surrogates based on proximity, as well as how much liquor they can drink and their profile descriptions.
Residents wanting to make money as a surrogate can create a profile. That profile must include their name, gender, location, a photo and how much they can drink, along with a short introduction.

Chinese people paying strangers to drink alcohol. Why?

Foods That Could Lower Your Risk of Cancer

13 Foods That Could Lower Your Risk of Cancer

Doctor accused of reusing anal catheters on dozens of patients

Middlesex County surgeon has had his medical license temporarily suspended for allegedly reusing disposable one-use anal catheters on multiple patients, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced in a statement.

Dr. Sanjiv K. Patankar, an East Brunswick-based colon and rectal surgeon, allegedly washed and reused the small, flexible catheters that are "inserted into patients' rectums during medical procedures," the statement said.
During a Dec. 19 hearing, the state says documented evidence allegedly showed that although 82 procedures were performed in Patankar's office between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, only five catheters were ordered in that period.

Doctor accused of reusing anal catheters on dozens of patients

Cities Are Giving Thousands of Homeless People One-Way Bus Tickets to Leave Town

How Cities Are Giving Thousands of Homeless People One-Way Bus Tickets to Leave Town

Children in conflict suffer from shocking levels of violence

A new report by the U.N. children’s fund finds 2017 has been a particularly brutal year for children caught in conflict, as children around the world have been subject to shocking levels of attacks by the warring parties.

The U.N. Children’s Fund says there is no safe place for children caught in conflict. The report finds children are being targeted and exposed to attacks and brutal violence in their homes, schools and playgrounds. This, in blatant disregard of international laws established to protect the most vulnerable.

Children in conflict suffer from shocking levels of violence

Woman passenger saves bus after driver passes out

A potentially dangerous situation on a Canadian bus trip was salvaged by a passenger Thursday, CBC News reported. The driver of an Ontario Northland bus going from Toronto to Sudbury passed out at the wheel, which prompted a woman to grab the wheel and steer the bus to safety until the situation could be resolved.

Woman passenger saves bus after driver passes out

Women violating 'Islamic' dress code won't be arrested in Tehran

Women will no longer be arrested for violating the Islamic dress code in effect since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, said Tehran Police on Thursday.
According to a report by Associated Press, this move signaled a relaxation in punishments given for violating the conservative dress code. It may be noted the young and reformed Iranians who voted President Hassan Rouhani to power earlier this year, have been making this demand for a very long time.

Women violating 'Islamic' dress code won't be arrested in Tehran

Will Uterus Transplants Change the Way We Perceive Gender?

Will Uterus Transplants Change the Way We Perceive Gender?

Mormon cult leaders charged over child sex rituals

A group of Mormon cult leaders is being charged with organizing sexual religious rituals with underage girls and threatening them with damnation if they did not participate, according to court documents filed in Salt Lake City, Utah on Wednesday.

Mormon cult leaders charged over child sex rituals

Unlicensed ‘christian counselor’ arrested for sexually assaulting clients

Unlicensed ‘christian counselor’ arrested for sexually assaulting clients

An unlicensed “christian counselor” in Dalton, Georgia has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and attempting to coerce or solicit sex from clients.

Wingnut men are more likely to say they sexually harass women at work

A study conducted by The New York Times and polling company Morning Consult found that wingnut men are more likely to say they harass women, while men who oppose Dumbass Trump reported lower rates of harassment.

Study finds white wingnut men are more likely to say they sexually harass women at work

'Who’s the snowflake?’

Anti-Choice students at Baylor University are accusing Tomi Lahren and Turning Point USA of censorship after the wingnut shrieking head refused to answer questions about her pro-choice stance during the cabal’s annual Student Action Summit.

'Who’s the snowflake?’: Anti-Choice students lash out at Tomi Lahren for refusing to answer questions about abortion

Car thief was picked up while wearing a deeply ironic t-shirt

A Virginia man wearing a “Trust Me” t-shirt showed he was just the opposite after being arrested along with an accomplice for stealing an unlocked car, police claim.
Wilmer Lara Garcia, 23, and Orlen Nunez, 24, of Falls Church both face charges of auto theft.
According to authorities, at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, a resident of Falls Church left a Honda Civic warming up on the street with the doors unlocked. It was missing by time she returned to the scene. The men were pulled over in the stolen care blocks away during a traffic stop, according to the Washington Post.
Police say they also discovered altered and forged checks in the car. Garcia, who was wearing the “Trust Me” shirt, is facing an additional two counts of forgery.

Man tries to electrocute pregnant wife

A man from Florida was accused of attempting to kill his wife after he wired the front door of their home to a car battery charger in an attempt to electrocute his wife. Flagler County Sheriff’s investigators said Michael Wilson, 32, is being accused of trying to kill his wife after he attached electrical devices inside of the deadbolt lock and to the door handle of their home, according to an affidavit.

Man tries to electrocute pregnant wife

New Steven Avery test show he's innocent

The Wisconsin man whose conviction was portrayed in the popular Netflix documentary Making a Murderer was framed for the 2005 crime, his defense attorney told Newsweek, citing new experiments she conducted with a bloodstain expert.

New Steven Avery test show he's innocent, lawyer says

Father shoots, kills son after mistaking him for truck thief

An Alabama father shot and killed his own son after mistaking him for a car thief on Xmas Eve. Logan Trammell, 22, drove away from his parents’ home that night in his father’s truck. His father did not know his son was taking the car and mistook him for a thief.
Logan’s father was recording music in an outside camper when he saw the truck driving away.
Logan’s father shot at the car as a warning, WIAT-TV reported. When that failed, he shot directly at the truck. When the truck stopped and he opened the door, he realized he had killed his own son.

Father shoots, kills son after mistaking him for truck thief

Innocent man instantly shot by police

Innocent man instantly shot by police after gamer feud over $2 results in ‘swatting’ prank at Kansas home

A 28-year-old Kansas man was shot and killed by police responding to a possible homicide and hostage report — but gamers say the call was a “swatting” prank.

NYPD officers who callously investigated pregnant woman’s death suspended

Two officers of the New York Police Department were suspended without pay Thursday after admitting that they failed to check inside a Brooklyn apartment, causing a 22-year-old pregnant woman to be strangled to death.
After Tonie Wells called 911 and screamed, “He is going to kill me,” on December 27, two NYPD officers — Wael Jaber and Wing Hong Lau — were dispatched to Crown Heights residence on Sterling Place, Brooklyn, New York, where the distress call had come from, New York Daily News reported.
Upon reaching the potential crime scene, Jaber and Lau, both of whom have been on the task force for about a decade, took one glance at the three-story brownstone building and chose to drive off in their patrol car, instead of peeking inside the victim’s apartment.

NYPD officers who callously investigated pregnant woman’s death suspended

Animal Pictures