The Daily Drift

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Today in History

1587		In the Roanoke Island colony, Ellinor and Ananias Dare become parents of a baby girl whom they name Virginia, the first English child born in what would become the United States.
1590		John White, the leader of 117 colonists sent in 1587 to Roanoke Island (North Carolina) to establish a colony, returns from a trip to England to find the settlement deserted. No trace of the settlers is ever found.
1698		After invading Denmark and capturing Sweden, Charles XII of Sweden forces Frederick IV of Denmark to sign the Peace of Travendal.
1759		The French fleet is destroyed by the British under "Old Dreadnought" Boscawen at the battle of Lagos Bay.
1782		Poet and artist William Blake marries Catherine Sophia Boucher.
1862		Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart’s headquarters is raided by Union troops of the 5th New York and 1st Michigan cavalries.
1864		Union General William T. Sherman sends General Judson Kilpatrick to raid Confederate lines of communication outside Atlanta. The raid is unsuccessful.
1870		Prussian forces defeat the French at the Battle of Gravelotte during the Franco-Prussian War.
1898		Adolph Ochs takes over the New York Times, saying his aim is to give "the news, all the news, in concise and attractive form, in language that is permissible in good society, and give it early, if not earlier, than it can be learned through any other medium."
1914		Germany declares war on Russia while President Woodrow Wilson issues his Proclamation of Neutrality.
1920		Tennessee becomes the thirty-sixth state to ratify the nineteenth amendment granting women’s sufferage, completing the three-quarters necessary to put the amendment into effect.
1929		The first cross-country women’s air derby begins. Louise McPhetride Thaden wins first prize in the heavier-plane division, while Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie finishes first in the lighter-plane category.
1939		The film The Wizard of Oz opens in New York City.
1942		Japan sends a crack army to Guadalcanal to repulse the U.S. Marines fighting there.
1943		The Royal Air Force Bomber Command completes the first major strike against the German missile development facility at Peenemunde.
1963		James Meredith, the first African American to attend University of Mississippi, graduates.
1965		Operation Starlite marks the beginning of major U.S. ground combat operations in Vietnam.
1966		Australian troops repulse a Viet Cong attack at Long Tan.
1969		Two concert goers die at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, one from an overdose of heroin, the other from a burst appendix.
1973		Hank Aaron makes his 1,378 extra-base hit, surpassing Stan Musial’s record.
1974		Luna 24, the USSR’s final major lunar exploration mission, soft-lands on moon.
1979		Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini demands a "Saint War" against Kurds.
1982		Pete Rose sets record with his 13,941st plate appearance.
1987		Ohio nurse Donald Harvey sentenced to triple life terms for poisoning 24 patients.
1988		Republican coven in New Orleans nominate the George H.W. Bush-Dan Quayle ticket.
1991		A group of hard-line communist leaders unhappy with the drift toward the collapse of the Soviet Union seize control of the government in Moscow and place President Mikhail S. Gorbachev under house arrest
1993		Historic Kapelbrug (chapel bridge) in Luzern, Switzerland, burns, destroying 147 of its decorative paintings. It was built in 1365.
1992		Dennis Rader, the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) killer receives 10 consecutive life sentences. He had terrorized Wichita, Kansas, murdering 10 people between 1974 and 1991.
2010		Edelmiro Cavazos, mayor of Santiago, Nuevo Leon, is found handcuffed, blindfolded and dead following his abduction three days earlier. He had championed crackdowns on organized crime and police corruption.
2011		Gold hits a record price of $1,826 per ounce.

Hottest July On Record Keeps 2015 On Track To Crush 2014 For Hottest Year

2015 is likely to crush the previous record -- 2014 -- probably by a wide margin. We appear to be in the midst of the long-awaited jump in global temperatures.

Inside the Brains of Happily Married Couples

People who’ve been married to the same person for decades must have some sort of secret, right? Ask them, and you’ll get all kinds of good advice, but often those who are happily married can’t pinpoint the exact psychological process of marital success. Science can help.

As a society, we place a huge amount of emphasis on being there for each other when we’re in need, but past research has actually shown that relationship satisfaction is influenced as much, if not more, by how we react to each other’s good news. Whereas emotional support from a partner when we’re down can have the unfortunate side-effect of making us feel indebted and more aware of our negative emotions, a partner’s positive reaction to our good news can magnify the benefits of that good fortune and make us feel closer to them.

Where did this idea come from? An experiment by the Rotman Research Institute and the University of Toronto measured brain activity in women who have been married to the same person an average of 40 years, while watching their husband’s emotional reactions. Read about the experiment and some preliminary findings at New York magazine. Now we can wait for the same experiment to be performed on men.

University president suspended after being carjacked in liaison with Luscious and Brittany

The president of Keiser University's Daytona Beach campus in Florida was mugged and carjacked over the weekend while meeting with two women for a "sexual rendezvous," police Chief Mike Chitwood said on Monday. When 60-year-old Matt McEnany stepped out of his 2011 Toyota Venza on Sunday night to speak with the two women, identified only as "Luscious" and "Brittany", he was struck from behind by a man who then shoved him onto the road and sped off in the Toyota with the two women.

McEnany told police that he was driving to pick up the two women, both in their early 20s, from their "grandmothers' houses." He said he met them a few months ago after he gave them a ride when their car broke down. But Chitwood said McEnany "had every intention of having a rendezvous with these women." "As a matter of fact you could call it a sexual rendezvous," Chitwood said. In a 911 call, McEnany was hyperventilating as he explained to a Volusia County sheriff's dispatcher what happened.
"I had two supposedly friends of mine needed a ride," McEnany told the dispatcher. "I pulled up here and I got out of the car and some black guy jumps me. He throws me down to the ground and starts kicking me and the two girls and the guy get in to my car and take off with it, my wallet, everything." The college president also told the dispatcher that he had $100 in his pocket "to pay a bill." The robbers made off with that, too, McEnany said in the call. When the dispatcher asked McEnany if he was giving the women a ride, he responded, "I was picking up these two girls because they needed a ride somewhere."
McEnany filled out a statement for investigators at Daytona Beach police headquarters, but police spokesman Jimmie Flynt said the statement could not be released because it's part of an ongoing investigation. The Toyota was found on Monday at 2:04am in the north parking lot of Halifax Health Medical Center, police said. A school official said McEnany was suspended over the incident. Kelli Lane, associate vice chancellor of media and public relations at Keiser said McEnany has been suspended pending a "thorough and comprehensive" investigation. Lane said the school is cooperating with police.
You can listen to the 911 call here.

A Group of Architects Want to Build a Real-life Minas Tirith

A group of British architects have set their sights on a lofty goal: a full-scale replica of the fortified settlement called Minas Tirith, featured heavily in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The cost of such a venture is estimated at $2.9 billion dollars.

The eventual goal would be to build 625 homes within Minas Tirith that would range from 2 star homes that would run about $625,000 to 4 star luxury homes that would cost up to $2.7 million.
If the financial goal is met, construction would be slated to begin in 2016 and finish in 2023.   The architects are eyeing two locations in Southern England for the project.

Where will they get the money? Crowdfunding! So far, they’ve raised $3600. There are 48 days left in the fundraising campaign, so they may reach the goal. And monkeys might fly out of my butt. Read more about the Minas Tirith project at Worthly.

The Chilling Human Remains of Peru’s Ancient Chauchilla Cemetery

Chauchilla Cemetery in Peru was in operation from about 200 CE to about 1000 CE. Situated in the Sechura Desert near Nazca, the conditions are so dry that those buried in the open-air tombs became mummified. Some even retain their skin and hair! Many have been vandalized by graverobbers over the centuries, but what is left of them still sits in the desert, facing the east, as was the custom. Read more and see plenty of pictures of the mummies of Chauchilla Cemetery at Urban Ghosts.

Shop like a pro at the farmers’ market

How to shop like a pro at the farmers’ market

Whether you're a market newbie or an old pro, these tips for making the most of your experience are always good to keep in mind.

Shoplifter hid steaks in his colostomy bag

A South Carolina man arrested on Tuesday afternoon for shoplifting ribeye steaks from a Food Lion smuggled the meat out of the store in his colostomy bag, according to a police interview with the suspect’s girlfriend.
Police were called to the Food Lion after employees reported that “an older white male” stole $75 worth of ribeye steaks. The workers said that the man drove away from the Roebuck store in a green Nissan.
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies traced the car back to David Samuel Hoyt, 55, who they found at the residence of Angela Woody, who “lives on Shaw Rd. down from the Church of God.” During questioning, Hoyt initially denied stealing the steaks, but later “made a verbal confession” to the theft, saying that he put the meat in bags and walked out of Food Lion.

Woody, Hoyt’s 47-year-old girlfriend, offered a police lieutenant further details about her beau’s steak heist. “Mrs. Woody confirmed that Mr. Hoyt had taken meat from Food Lion by putting it in his colostomy bag,” a deputy noted. Hoyt was arrested for shoplifting and booked into the county jail on the misdemeanor charge. He remains locked up on $2,130 bond. The police report does not reveal the whereabouts, or ultimate disposition, of the stolen steaks.

Customer sues 'Throwed Rolls' restaurant after being hit and injured by 'throwed roll'

A civil case has been filed against Lambert's Cafe, known for being the “Home of Throwed Rolls,” in Sikeston, Missouri. The lawyer in this case said his client suffered permanent eye damage after being hit by a "throwed roll." The plaintiff, Troy Tucker, is seeking payment for medical expenses that have piled up after the incident.

Racial Bias Affects How Doctors Do Their Jobs

Here’s How To Fix It

"Going through this training allows us to see how bias is in each of us."

Quick Hits

Missing transgender woman found dead in 'crude' North Carolina grave

'I don't know anything about music': Ten great quotes from Elvis Presley on the anniversary of his death

Japan authorities fear eruption of volcano near Sendai nuclear power plant

Dear anti-vaxxers: The success of the chickenpox vaccine shows how herd immunity works

Real-life vampires: Hollywood has how we drink blood all wrong

Danger of 'driving while black' in Ferguson confirmed with new study

Explaining Global Economic Systems With Two Cows

Understanding the differences between various economic and political systems can be quite difficult, or it can all be explained with a little help from two cows.

Newstalk ZB came up with some fun new versions of the old "You have two cows" satirical bit that makes it so easy to understand things like modern corporate economics that even a moo-ron can figure it out!

Of course, this Ecownomic method is merely meant to steer us in the right direction in a no bull kinda way, so it doesn’t really dig in to the meat and potatoes of each system.
But it's so universal that it can even be used to explain something as esoteric as Surrealism:

That explanation is easier to digest than a steak dinner and a glass of milk!

See all the ways Two Cows Explain Economics Better Than Any Class here

Missing tortoise led to arrest of man wanted for sexual assault

A woman from Brazoria County, Texas, is rejoicing now that she's been reunited with her beloved pet tortoise named Gracie. The missing 5-year-old African spurred tortoise had to make it out of the clutches of a man deputies say was wanted for aggravated sexual assault against a child.

Woman who hit building with car blamed incident on her dog who she said should be arrested

A 33-year-old Florida woman who allegedly struck an apartment complex with her car blamed the accident on her dog and said it was the canine that police should have arrested.

According to Wildwood police, witnesses said the woman left after hitting the building, then entered her apartment. Officers found Christina Anne Marie Lamoreaux of Wildwood, who admitted she was driving when her vehicle struck the building, but she blamed the crash on her dog.
She said police should arrest the dog and added that she drove away because she had planned to pay for the damage. Police added Lamoreaux smelled of alcohol and appeared confused.
When they tried to get her to take a sobriety test, she refused, became hostile and resisted officers’ attempts to arrest her. Lamoreaux was charged with DUI, hit and run involving property damage and resisting arrest.

Authorities investigate bear impersonator seen approaching mother and cubs

A man dressed in a bear costume was reported to state troopers in Alaska this week for harassing a sow and bear cubs on the Chilkoot River. Mark Sogge with Fish and Game in Haines says their weir technician witnessed and wrote a report about the incident.

Technician Lou Cenicola reported that at around 7:30pm on Monday, a man in a ‘realistic-looking’ bear costume ran through a group of people standing on the side of the road bear-watching. The man ran ‘waving and jumping’ up to the weir gate, apparently trying to get the attention of a sow with cubs.
Cenicola says the man in the costume got within 5 to 10 feet of the cubs. Cenicola reported that he ran toward the man to stop him, telling him he could be cited for wildlife harassment. The man then left without identifying himself. Cenicola did get the man’s license plate number, and he reported the incident to state troopers.
Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters says they know about the incident and are investigating. No charges have been filed. Sogge, with Fish and Game, says getting that close to bear cubs when their mother is present could have ended tragically. He says wearing a bear costume will not deter a mother bear from attacking a person if she thinks her cubs are threatened.

Couple frantically searching for pet boa that went missing when they took it for swim in river

An unusual search effort is going on in a part of Montour County, Pennsylvania, for a missing boa constrictor. The snake is a pet and the owners say it went missing last weekend. “We took her down here to get exercise, go swimming because she loves the water,” said Zachary Latranyi.

150 alligators, crocodiles and caimans rescued from Canadian home

About 150 crocodiles, alligators and caimans are now safe at an animal sanctuary after a Toronto-area man overwhelmed by his reptile collection issued a plea for help. The reptiles, some more than three meters long, had been kept in a home for about 10 years before Bry Loyst of the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough, Ont., was called in to help. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Loyst said. "I could not believe that somebody had that many crocodilians and raised them to adulthood. These were not baby little crocodiles," he said. "They were adults."

Although they are often bred and sold as pets, owning such large reptiles contravenes a city bylaw. Loyst would not disclose the location of the house where the reptiles were rescued, saying only that it was a residential area of the city and that the animals were kept in aquariums. "I think it started out as a business and he fell in love with the crocodiles and kept them as pets," Loyst said. ​He often fields calls from owners of full-sized crocodilians who buy the animals when they are small and cute, then become overwhelmed as the pets reach adulthood. What's unusual in this case is that the animals inside this house were kept for a long time as adults. None were smaller than a meter in length, with the longest measuring more than three meters.
Located about 150 kilometers east of Toronto, the Indian River Reptile Zoo also operates as an animal sanctuary. Loyst, who is the curator and a co-founder, said the rescue was "timely" because the zoo was in the process of adding a new million-dollar building to house large reptiles. The zoo is home to more than 400 snakes, turtles and lizards. Loyst commended the Toronto man for "doing the right thing" by issuing a call for help. He said the man made "an extremely large donation" to the zoo. "He did a lot of wrong things, but kudos to him. He did the right thing by giving [the animals] a better place," Loyst said. The reptiles now reside in a "huge" heated indoor enclosure, with access to the outdoors.

YouTube link.

Toronto Animal Services said owning any crocodilians - crocodiles, alligators, caimans and other large, predatory, semi-aquatic reptiles - is illegal in the city. Loyst and his colleagues rented four trucks and bought dozens of Sonotubes (the large cardboard tubes used as concrete forms in building construction). Loyst and his team blocked the ends of the tubes with wood and used each one as a container to hold an animal. "It's one of the safest ways to transport crocodilians," he said. "Because they can't move around. It's a dark spot." A staff of 20 volunteers worked to move the animals. "Everyone was just excited and enthusiastic to be involved, because it's such an unusual situation," said Loyst. "It was a lot of fun and tiring." Loyst said the sad truth is that many crocodilians are illegally bought and sold as pets. He said it's a purchase that never works out well for the owner or the animal. "Why he wanted that many animals is beyond me," Loyst added.

Animal News

At jungle school, rescued orangutans learn the skills they need to survive in the wild

This special school prepares orangutans recovered from the illegal pet trade to be reintroduced into the wild.

This is how super smart octopuses are

The cephalopod’s genome reveals how the creatures evolved intelligence to rival the brightest vertebrates.

Meet the water opossum of Central and South America

Also known as the yapok, the water opossum is a marsupial that makes its home along rivers and streams.

Animal Pictures