The Daily Drift

Now that's Punny ...!

 

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Today in History

1070   Roqueford cheese is accidentally discovered in a cave near Roqueford, France, when a sheperd finds a lunch he had forgotten several days before.
1615   The fortress at Osaka, Japan, falls to Shogun Leyasu after a six-month siege.  
1647   Parliamentary forces capture King Charles I and hold him prisoner.
1717   The Freemasons are founded in London.
1792   Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for Britain.  
1794   British troops capture Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  
1805   Tripoli is forced to conclude peace with the United States after a conflict over tribute.  
1859   The French army, under Napoleon III, takes Magenta from the Austrian army.
1864   Confederates under General Joseph Johnston retreat to the mountains in Georgia.  
1911   Gold is discovered in Alaska's Indian Creek.
1918   French and American troops halt Germany's offensive at Chateau-Thierry, France.  
1919   The U.S. Senate passes the Women's Suffrage bill.
1940   British complete the evacuation of 300,000 troops at Dunkirk.  
1943   In Argentina, Juan Peron takes part in the military coup that overthrows Ramon S. Castillo.  
1944   The U-505 becomes the first enemy submarine captured by the U.S. Navy.  
1944   Allied troops liberate Rome.  
1946   Juan Peron is installed as Argentina's president.  
1953   North Korea accepts the United Nations proposals in all major respects.  
1960   The Taiwan island of Quemoy is hit by 500 artillery shells fired from the coast of Communist China.  
1972  Black activist Angela Davis is found not guilty of murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.

Adorable Pedal Cars

The human fascination with cars, boats and planes could easily originate in our childhood and looking at some of these pedal vehicles, it's hardly surprising.
Some of these pedal cars are originals that have been restored, while others are modern reproductions, but they're still pretty cool. So sit back, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the ride.

Attempted carjacking broadcast as victim talked about her hair pin collection on live radio show

An attempted carjacking has been broadcast live on ABC radio in Australia after a woman phoning in for a discussion on collections was held up in Brisbane's south.

The woman had phoned in to David Curnow's Evenings program on 612 ABC Brisbane at about 9:40pm on Monday to discuss her hair pin collection when she was abruptly cut off by yelling and swearing between two males in the background.
The woman, who was in the car with her husband waiting for their son to finish a training session, was interrupted on air by a man trying to get into their car. He was eventually scared off. "We were worried for her but also not sure what had happened.
"We chased her up. I didn't really know what was going on," Curnow said. "It just came out of nowhere ... it just suddenly cut in, she stopped talking ... I thought I was getting a crossed line. I put it on hold and told the producer to check to see if she was okay. She said she was shaken up and that she'd called police."
You can here a censored audio of the live broadcast here.

Woman devastated after visitor to her home snorted ashes of her dead mother

A woman from Dundee has told of her disgust after a visitor to her home snorted her dead mother’s ashes. The incident took place as a group of people sat drinking in Jacqui Tierney’s house in the Hilltown area. It was witnessed by a family friend, who said today he couldn’t believe what the female visitor had done. The friend said: “I was shocked and disgusted. We had all been drinking and she just seemed to think it was fun and was showing off about it. This is the lowest of the low.

“It’s worse than jumping on somebody’s grave. It’s so disrespectful to the memory of someone’s mum and gran and I can’t believe it happened.” The ashes of Hilda Tierney had been contained in an urn on a unit in the living room. The family friend told Jacqui, 51, what had happened to her mum’s ashes, leaving her horrified. She said: “How could someone do something like this? It is beyond belief that this happened in my own home. Seemingly, she just took the ashes from the top of my unit and started snorting them.
“My friend witnessed the whole thing and decided I should be told. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. What would make someone do something like that? My mum meant the world to me and apart from anything else, how could someone do something so disrespectful?” Jacqui said her disbelief quickly turned to rage when she gave more thought to what happened. She said: “I decided to challenge this person about what they had done but she ran away out of my house and I haven’t seen her since.
“She has tried to contact me by phone but I am still too angry to take her call. I don’t know what I would say to her but I know she will never set foot in this house again.” Jacqui lost her mother Hilda four years ago. She said: “After mum was cremated I scattered some of her ashes in a favorite spot but kept a small amount back to make into jewellery. I thought it would be nice to put some of her ashes into a ring or necklace but now there is nothing left now for me to do that with.”

Man celebrating 21st birthday drowned while trying to swim across pond with 10 lb rock

A celebration on the water turned tragic in Butte County, California, on Monday.

A young man drowned on his 21st birthday after reportedly trying to swim across a pond while carrying a ten pound rock.
According to the Oroville CHP,  Austin Harr of Gridley drowned while swimming at the Gridley Plunge, in the Oroville Wildlife Area. Witnesses told officials Harr was holding the large rock while trying to swim across the pond.
He disappeared in the water and did not emerge. His body was found about 40 minutes later, at around 5:50pm. According to the CHP, alcohol may have played a role in the drowning. The incident remains under investigation.

30 people ejected from hotel after squabble over waffle maker

Two women fighting over the waffle maker at a hotel in Mason County, Michigan, apparently ignited a major disruption inside the hotel's buffet-style breakfast area, police say. A Mason County Sheriff's Office deputy stood by as 30 people were ordered by the property manager to pack their bags and leave the America's Best Value Inn in Pere Marquette Township.

Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole said it allegedly all started over the hotel's waffle maker at around 9am on Sunday. "It sounded like one lady walked up and asked the other lady if she was in line for the waffle maker. She didn't answer, so this lady started to make her waffle.
The other confronted her and said, 'That was my waffle' and the other lady said, 'No, it's mine' and then it went down hill from there," Cole said. Deputies were dispatched to the hotel and found "a large group of people arguing over the waffle maker," he said. "The property manager asked that everyone be kicked out of the hotel.
"All parties involved were ordered to collect their items and they left," Cole said. No one was injured and no one was arrested for the commotion. The 30 or so people who were ordered to leave are from Chicago and Canton, Mich., Cole said. "There was just a lot of yelling and screaming, but no one was assaulted," he said. "They were all asked to leave and the deputy stood by while they did that."

Dispute over last rib at barbecue led to woman being stabbed in eye with fork

An Indiana woman has been jailed on a felony charge after allegedly stabbing another woman in the eye with a fork during a dispute over the last remaining rib at a family barbecue. Sabrina Davis, 45, was arrested on Sunday night by officers responding to a stabbing call at the Muncie residence of Florence Gill, who was hosting family and friends (like Davis, who lives down the road).

As detailed in a probable cause affidavit, Gill’s daughter, Angela Watkins, was “upset that Davis was taking the last rib from the kitchen,” and confronted the guest “about taking all the food.” Watkins told police that Davis “had a fork in her hand that she was using to take meat from a pan,” adding that Davis stabbed her in the left eye with the utensil.
Lanika Marshall, Watkins’s sister, told officers that her sibling and Davis “were arguing over the last rib,” and that Watkins was “frustrated that Davis was taking so much food from the house.” Marshall added that she witnessed Davis stab Watkins with the fork. During police questioning, Davis confirmed that “the dispute was over the last rib in the pan,” and that Watkins “was telling her she couldn’t take the last rib and moved the pan away from her.”
Davis claimed that she stabbed Watkins in self defense when “Watkins grabbed a knife from a dish drainer.” Watkins suffered “two small lacerations on her left eye,” which was swollen and bloodshot, police reported. She subsequently “went to IU Ball Hospital for treatment.” Davis is being held in the Delaware County jail in lieu of $5,000 bond on a criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon charge.

Random Photos

New species of human ancestor found in Ethiopia

In 1974, anthropologists in Ethiopia found the astonishing fossilized remains of a human-like creature who last walked the planet some 3.2 million years ago.
Was "Lucy," as the hominid was called, the direct ancestor of Homo sapiens? Was she "The Mother of Mankind," as some headlines claimed?
Over the years, the dramatic assertion has come under attack by doubters, who point to ancient yet inconclusive finds in Kenya and Chad.

But a new fossil, reported on Wednesday, may have dealt Lucy's claimed status an irreversible blow.

Another species of hominid lived at the same time and in the same Afar region of Ethiopia, according to the paper, published in the journal Nature.
Named Australopithecus deyiremeda, the hominid and Lucy are probably only part of a wider group of candidates for being our direct forerunners, the finders said.

"The new species is yet another confirmation that Lucy's species, Australopithecus afarensis, was not the only potential human ancestor species that roamed in what is now the Afar," said Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
"Current fossil evidence... clearly shows that there were at least two, if not three, early human species living at the same time and in close geographic proximity."

The find, in the Woranso-Mille area of the Afar region, comprises fossilised remains of an upper and lower jaw, dated to a range of 3.3-3.5 million years ago.

This overlaps with the range given to Lucy, of 2.9-3.8 million years ago.

The bones are clearly different from Lucy's, with teeth of different size, shape and enamel thickness and a more robust lower jaw, said the study.

They were found in March 2011 on top of silty clay in the Burtele area, about 500 kilometers (325 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa and 35 km north of Hadar, where Lucy was found.
The estimated age is derived from radioactive dating of the soil and "paleomagnetic" data, which traces changes in Earth's magnetic field, recorded in iron-bearing sediment, as a calendar.
The name "deyiremeda" means "close relative" in the language of the Afar people.
- Heated debate -

Understanding the human odyssey has always been a fraught business, complicated by the rarity of fossil finds and sometimes fierce squabbles about where -- or even if -- they should be placed in the family tree.

The same team had previously found the 3.4-million-year remains of a foot in the same region, but were unable to assign the fossil to a particular hominid species.

"Some of our colleagues are going to be skeptical about this new species, which is not unusual," Haile-Selassie admitted.

"However, I think it is time that we look into the earlier phases of our evolution with an open mind and carefully examine the currently available fossil evidence rather than immediately dismissing the fossils that do not fit our long-held hypotheses."

Only a week earlier, anthropologists shook the coveted position held by Homo habilis, the hominid deemed to have come before Homo sapiens.

Habilis -- "handy man" in Latin -- has traditionally been enshrined as a benchmark of hominid smartness, endowed with a bigger brain and greater dexterity than his predecessors.

But earlier hominids may have had some of his skills, if the May 20 study is right.

It reported finding the world's oldest stone tools in northwestern Kenya.

The implements date back to around 3.3 million years ago, which is some 500,000 years before Habilis emerged and 700,000 years before the first known Habilis tools.

The Mystery Of The Margate Shell Grotto

In 1835 a labourer was digging a field just outside the English seaside town of Margate. His work was interrupted when he thrust his spade in to the soil and it simply vanished in to the ground. The master of the nearby Dane House School, James Newlove, was made aware of this strange disappearance. He volunteered his young son, Joshua, for the task of being lowered, candle in hand, in to the void via a length of rope.
Regardless of our modern sensibilities about the health and safety of children, when Joshua was pulled back to the surface his wide-eyed tale astonished everyone. He told of a magical temple adorned in shells, hundreds, thousands... millions of them.

Nilometer

Every year the river Nile begins to rise in the summer, the water overflows its banks and deposits slit on the surrounding floodplain. It is this annual flood that makes the land fertile allowing it to be cultivated and civilization to exist.
But the flood was unpredictable. If the river failed to rise, it caused drought and famine. The Egyptians therefore began measuring the Nile's water level in order to predict the harvest.

How You'll Die On Mars

We're on our way to Mars. NASA has a plan to land astronauts on its surface by the 2030s. Private spaceflight companies like SpaceX have also expressed interest in starting their own colonies there, while the infamous Mars One project has already enlisted civilians for a one-way trip to our planetary neighbor in 2020.
While many may dream of living their remaining days on Mars, those days may be numbered. The Martian environment poses significant challenges to Earth life, and establishing a Mars habitat will require an extraordinary amount of engineering prowess and technological knowhow to ensure the safety of its residents.

How Far Is A Light-Year?

Stars other than our sun are so far distant that astronomers refer to their distances not in terms of kilometers or miles - but in light-years. Light travels at an incredible 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second. If you could travel at the speed of light, you would be able to circle the Earth's equator about 7.5 times in just one second.
Few of us can comprehend such a humongous number. Is there any way for us mere mortals to really understand how far a light-year is?

Ziggy

Horse Happily Blows out the Candles on His Birthday Cake

(Video Link)

When his human friends sang "Happy Birthday," JD the horse knew exactly what to do! He blew out the candles, then laughed. He's so happy to be the birthday boy!
JD lives at Ilithien Stables (yes, that's a Lord of the Rings reference) in Whitehouse, New Jersey. Hopefully he got some good presents to go with his cake.

This Is a Wheelchair for a Goldfish

This mysterious photo is circulating the internet. Redditor leability describes it as a wheelchair for a goldfish that has trouble staying upright. The dorsally-mounted cork presumably encourages proper balance. An Australian news site points to this 2011 video of a goldfish named Ada using a similar contraption.

Village to hold funeral and wake for dead duck

A duck that has lived on a pond in Compton Martin, Somerset, for the past twenty five years will be given a special send off by villagers. Desmond Drake, who was killed by a fox earlier this week, will be given official wake and the church will fly its flag at half-mast to mourn his death.
Andrew Griffiths, 68, who owns the mill pond where Desmond was a resident, said the longstanding feathered resident had a special place in the hearts of many local people. He added: "He will be sadly missed, both for his propensity to consume stale bread and cake, along with his ability to toss upstart young moorhens all over the place.
"He has been a permanent fixture of the pond, for in excess of 25 years, outliving all his contemporaries. He has brought much joy and happiness to people of all ages. He will be sadly missed and so can never be replaced. We said we would have a wake for the duck. When we decide to do it we will drop the flag to half-mast on the cult.

"We will all have a drink in the pub. He was a very long serving duck and member of the community. He became family, he became a village icon. There was even a little society, the blood of the duck, and we would drink whiskey with a duck egg in. Lots of people have been giving their condolences since his death." A wake, which does not yet have a date, will be held at the village pub, The Ring O'Bells.

1,037 pet mice seized from inside home

An investigation into distressed animals has resulted in the largest animal seizure in the history of Calgary, Canada.

On Tuesday, members of the Calgary Humane Society’s protection and investigations team responded to a home and seized 1,037 domesticated mice, 80 fish, three cats and three dogs.
Members of the Calgary Police Service, Animal Services, and the Calgary Fire Department assisted with the investigation. “By volume, this is the largest animal seizure in Calgary history,” said Brad Nichols, senior manager of cruelty investigation with the Calgary Humane Society.
“275 animals had to be euthanized on intake due to injuries.” Nichols says the investigation into the matter continues as the animals undergo veterinary assessment and treatment but charges are pending against the owner of the animals. The health inspector has deemed the home uninhabitable.
With news video. There's a short raw video filmed inside the house here.

Animal Picture