The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of  
Carolina Naturally

Today also happens to be SCUD (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama) Day ...! 

 

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Today in History

1099		'Christian' invaders march around Jerusalem as Muslims watch from within the city.
1608		The first French settlement at Quebec is established by Samuel de Champlain.
1663		The British crown grants Rhode Island a charter guaranteeing freedom of worship.
1686		The Austrians take Budapest from the Turks and annex Hungary.
1709		Peter the Great defeats Charles XII at Poltava, in the Ukraine, effectively ending the Swedish empire.
1755		Britain breaks off diplomatic relations with France as their disputes in the New World intensify.
1758		The British attack on Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga, New York, is foiled by the French.
1794		French troops capture Brussels, Belgium.
1815		With Napoleon defeated, Louis XVIII returns to Paris.
1822		29-year old poet Percy Bysshe Shelley drowns while sailing in Italy.
1859		The Truce at Villafranca Austria cedes Lombardy to France.
1863		Demoralized by the surrender of Vicksburg, Confederates in Port Hudson, Louisiana, surrender to Union forces.
1864		Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston retreats into Atlanta to prevent being flanked by Union General William T. Sherman.
1865		Four of the conspirators in Abraham Lincoln‘s assassination are hanged in Washington, D.C.
1879		The first ship to use electric lights departs from San Francisco, California.
1905		The mutinous crew of the battleship Potemkin surrenders to Rumanian authorities.
1918		Ernest Hemingway is wounded in Italy while working as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross.
1941		20 B-17s fly in their first mission with the Royal Air Force over Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1943		American B-24 bombers strike Japanese-held Wake Island for the first time.
1960		The Soviet Union charges American pilot Francis Gary Powers with espionage.

80-Year Old Couple Finishes Marathon Hand in Hand to Celebrate 57th Anniversary

Kay and Joe O'Regan are 80 years old and in fantastic condition--as is their marriage. For many years, the couple has run marathons. Kay has run 113 and Joe has run 29. They first crossed the finish line hand in hand at a marathon in 1986. They decided that for this marathon, they'd again hold hands as they reached the end of the race.
Their time in the race was 5 hours and 23 minutes. Their time in marriage has been 57 joyful years. The Today show reports:

With the finish line in sight a half mile away, Joe grabbed Kay's hand and together they completed the race, clocking in at 5 hours and 23 minutes and making them both come in first for their age group.
It may be hard to believe, but these fit octogenarians didn't get into running until the age of 49. They have their son, Sintan, now 56, to thank for that. They were living in London at the time when he complained to his parents about having to train for rugby in the rain.
"I said to him, 'You can't let a little rain stop you,' and he dared me to go out and run around the neighborhood in the rain with him," Kay told TODAY. "And here we are 30 years later still running."

The Reason Why You Can't Photocopy Paper Currency

People always wonder about whether defacing, copying or destroying money is against the law, questions like- How against the law is it? or Why can't I make some fake money with a photocopier for my movie?
These questions are on the tip of our tongues when currency laws come up in conversation, but people aren't asking the one question we're all curious about- what mysterious force stops us from photocopying money?
You may have heard about the Eurion constellation effect on older bills, but today's bills have a new defense system built in which makes it virtually impossible to copy- the Counterfeit Deterrence System.

(YouTube Link)

This interesting video by Wendover Productions explores the mysterious Counterfeit Deterrence System which stops photocopiers and image editing software like Photoshop from printing phony bills. So much for my retirement plan!

Photographer Discovers 1,200 Rolls of Unprocessed Film from the 1950s

Levi Bettwieser acquired this amazing time capsule from East Chicago, Indiana. A photographer known only as Paul had snapped pictures of American life during the 1950s--fully 1,200 rolls of pictures. Then he wrapped the rolls in tin foil and athletic tape, then labelled these packages with photographic details, such as light modifiers and the cameras used. These packages were placed in cigar boxes, which were in turn packed carefully inside more tape, foil, and newspaper.
The mysterious Paul created a time capsule, then disappeared.

Levi Bettwieser is now slowly and carefully excavating the find. He calls his efforts the Rescued Film Project.

This Ingenious Car from 1923 Turned into a Boat

Matt Novak of Gizmodo introduces us to this marvel of automotive design. In 1921, John A. Cowan patented a car roof that slips off and turns into a lightweight flat-bottomed boat. The oars fit inside, so the user is ready to go as soon as the boat is in the water.
There's a risk of damaging the interior of the car if it starts raining. But perhaps that could be solved with a canvas cover over the open roof.

10 Amazing House Cleaning Hacks Everyone Needs to Know

No matter how long you’ve been cleaning things the traditional way, there’s always someone who discovers a new way to do it that’s easier, cheaper, or more effective. That’s especially true for items around the house that get cleaned so rarely that by the time you get around to it, it’s a tough job. Like your oven.

Sooner or later, you’ll need to clean the walls of your oven, but it’s a nasty chore. Oven cleaners are notoriously harsh: most of them smell horrible, and many don’t even work all that well. To get the grime off your oven without the chemical cleaners, pull the vinegar and baking soda out of your pantry and get to work. To do it, mix about half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste. Slather it all over the walls, ceiling, and floor of your oven (wearing rubber gloves is recommended for this), and leave it there overnight. In the morning, take a damp towel and wipe off as much as you can. Then, spray down the walls with vinegar, let it all foam for a few minutes, and use another damp towel to wipe it down again until everything is completely clean.

Hmm. I was waiting for the part where you mix the baking soda and vinegar together in a bowl. That’s more fun, and probably still safer than commercial oven cleaner. That’s only one of ten ways to clean things in your home using tools and chemicals you already have, at Housely.

Concerned about porn?

Here's what you should really worry about 

We Will Soon Be Able to Test for Cancer or Heart Disease as Easily as Pregnancy

We Will Soon Be Able to Test for Cancer or Heart Disease as Easily as Pregnancy

52 Million U.S. Adults Each Week Take Drugs That May Reduce Empathy

52 Million U.S. Adults Each Week Take Drugs, Including Tylenol and Midol, That May Reduce Empathy 

Man forced to close computer repair business to escape wireless technology that's 'making him ill'

A man from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, says he is being forced to close his computer and phone repair business of 20 years as technology has made him ill. Richard Kimberley, 36, is shutting csmicros on July 22 after claiming radiation signals from wireless technology has given him a rare condition known as electro-hypersensitivity (EHS).
He says he suffers from black outs, headaches and tiredness as a result of working with phones, computers and Wi-Fi signals on a regular basis since launching his business in 1996. He said: "Due to an over-exposure to the radiation from wireless technology, my health has declined to the point where I cannot continue with the business that I have spent my life building. It is a complete life changer and an absolute blow that was totally unexpected.
"I’d wake up five or six times in a night, my joints were aching, I’d have headaches during the day and my memory was awful – I felt atrocious and I had no idea why. I’ve had to rely on staff for the past 18 months since becoming EHS. I have persevered, battling with electro-hypersensitivity for as long as I can." Mr Kimberley says his symptoms began in 2013 when he moved into a dual shop and house premises, yet found the problem improved by removing wireless technology at home.

Since October, he has lived in a van fitted with aluminium lining to block out radiation signals. He added: "Becoming sensitive has turned my life upside down. Wireless technology is everywhere and the only way I can avoid it is to camp in the van every night in places I find that are safe. I have satellite broadband and a landline in the van, my computer is wired and people can email me or phone my landline if they want me. I still have technology, but now I use it safely. It’s an extremely solitary life." Mr Kimberley now aims to make his living as a freelance web designer, working from his van.

Eerie Conspiracy Theories Which Are Actually True

Conspiracy theories usually sound so insane only a fool would actually believe in them, and while they make good subject matter for movies and TV shows they're not normally taken seriously in real life.
Theories state pharmaceutical co.s are making people sick for profit and the U.S. government stole dead babies so they could conduct experiments on them, which sound like plots for episodes of a sci-fi themed TV show.
But, like many urban myths, there's a kernel of truth hidden in these theories, and the facts are sometimes more out there than the fiction.

Big Pharma has been blamed for causing addiction to opioids and selling cut-rate drugs to poor people, but it turns out one rumor was true- Bayer's blood clotting drug made it easier to transmit HIV, and they knowingly sold the tainted drug just to make a profit.
Instead of destroying the drug after discovering this HIV transmission problem they sold it to Latin American and Asian countries, causing at least 100 people in Hong Kong and Taiwan to contract AIDS.

And as for the U.S. government stealing babies- it was all because of one Dr. Willard Libby, who wanted to study "the absorption of strontium-90 in human tissue, primarily bone".
Dr. Libby decided dead bodies would make the perfect test subjects, since the living don't like it when their bones are removed during testing, so around 1955 he initiated a dead baby collection program dubbed Project Sunshine.
From around 1957 to 1978 tests were conducted in secret on recently deceased babies sent to labs in the UK and US, and yet Dr. Libby won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1960.
Read 5 Eerie Conspiracies Theorists Were Right About All Along here

Ruthless investor preyed on the vulnerable ...

Ruthless investor preyed on the vulnerable — but just got destroyed in court by a homeless math wiz

A brilliant but troubled graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has finally won his case against a man with a reputation as a ruthless, predatory investor.

Cops Force Student to Be a Snitch ...

Cops Force Student to Be a Snitch—Found Him With a Bullet in His Head and Rocks in His Backpack

Enraged son called police after his father set fire to his 'prized' cannabis plants

An irate man called police to complain that his father had destroyed his cannabis plants during a domestic dispute in Australia's Northern Territory.

Police were called to a property at Humpty Doo, south-east of Darwin, at about 6:30pm Tuesday. Duty Superintendent Louise Jorgensen said no charges were laid or anticipated because any evidence of a drug stash had been destroyed.
"Things came to a head yesterday evening and the father allegedly threw all of his son's cannabis plants onto the bonfire and completely destroyed them," Duty Superintendent Jorgensen said. "This enraged the son, he called us and told us everything basically."
Police said officers arrived at the property and could only shake their heads while the son gathered up his remaining property and left to stay with relatives. "The evidence has been destroyed as has the son's reputation ... people don't usually come forward to say their drug stash has been destroyed or stolen but there you go," the police woman said.

Man arrested after police found him in bed with stolen one-armed lingerie store mannequin

Police in Tennessee arrested a man on Monday night after officers say they found him in bed with a mannequin stolen from a Nashville lingerie store. According to an arrest warrant, officers responded to a Hollywood Hustler store for a report of a theft that had just occurred.

At the store, an employee told police that a man who appeared intoxicated walked into the store just after midnight, grabbed a mannequin just inside the door adorned with lingerie and took it outside into the parking lot. In the process, the affidavit continues, the man knocked the mannequin's left arm off.
The employee said she walked into the parking lot and argued with the man for several minutes until he put the mannequin into the bed of a white Toyota Tacoma and drove away. The employee, the warrant continues, told police the mannequin was valued at $5,000, not including the merchandise it wore. Using the truck's license plate, police learned the vehicle was registered to a woman who lives at a retirement community in Old Hickory.
When police visited the woman's home, the warrant states, she told officers a man named Christopher Wade was inside her house. Officers found Wade, 55, in bed with the stolen mannequin which was missing its left arm and wearing the merchandise it was last seen in. Wade also matched a suspect description given by the store employee. Wade, who had an active warrant, was arrested on charges including theft. He was booked into the Metro jail where he remains incarcerated on $11,000.
There's a news video here.

Controversy over whether black swan should be allowed to swim in lake with his white friends

Authorities and animal protection groups in Switzerland have clashed over whether a black swan should be allowed to swim with his white friends on Lake Geneva. The swan, dubbed Nelson after Nelson Mandela, was seen swimming on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) near Vevey in the canton of Vaud over the past few months, an unusual sight given the bird is a non-native species usually found in Australia. Probably bred in captivity, it was unclear how the swan ended up in Vevey. A tag on its leg did not reveal its owner, and nobody came forward to claim it.

The situation was a concern for the Vaud cantonal authorities, who took the decision on May 27th to capture the bird to check it for diseases it could potentially pass on to native swans. After a period of quarantine, the swan would be given to a zoo or animal park rather than released back to the lake, Frédéric Hofmann, responsible for animal welfare in the canton, said at the time. The decision caused uproar amongst the public, with many people expressing their anger on a Facebook group set up to campaign for the bird’s release. “It’s hurting no one, this swan. I’ve seen it for the past five months in Vevey – if it wasn’t accepted by the others it would have gone somewhere else long ago,” said one commenter, before criticizing the decision to put it in captivity.

YouTube link.

The person behind the Facebook group said: “We have been deeply moved by its brutal and incomprehensible capture. It’s perfectly adapted [to the lake] and seemed very happy. We don’t understand the need to quarantine it and then put it in a zoo.” The emotion surrounding the case caused the authorities to change their mind, and the bird was finally released back into Lake Geneva last week by the head of Vaud’s environment department, Jacqueline de Quattro. But now a Swiss animal protection group has questioned the action, saying the bird’s re-release could be illegal. Francois Turrian of BirdLife Suisse said since the bird was a non-native species there was a “risk of competition with indigenous species”.
“That’s why the federal law on the hunting and protection of birds and wild animals forbids the reintroduction of such an animal into nature. Its place is in a park,” he said. In this particular case, black swans are not able to reproduce with native species, so there is little risk. However the action by Jacqueline de Quattro was a “bad example” that could push the owners of other exotic animals, such as tortoises, to release them into the wild without thinking of the damage they could cause, Turrian told the paper. “We don’t understand why, if not for an electoral reason, a cantonal councillor would decide not to follow federal law.” On Monday de Quattro defended her actions, saying that since ‘Nelson’ can’t reproduce with native species he therefore will have no impact on biodiversity. “I absolutely dispute the suggestion I showed a bad example,” she said, saying that the swan was very different to other cases involving exotic animals.

The Man Who Created Bigfoot

In 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin were riding through Bluff Creek, California, looking for Bigfoot footprints. They got more than they ever expected when a furry figure walked through a clearing in the distance. Patterson captured some footage of the creature on a rented 16mm Cine Kodak camera.

The final 59.5-second film, which the men would airmail back home to be developed, would soon become the world-famous Patterson-Gimlin film—arguably one of the most scrutinized pieces of video footage ever made. It is the cryptozoological equivalent to the Kennedy assassination’s Zapruder film. The film met immediate criticisms accusing Patterson and Gimlin of being master pranksters who simply filmed a man in an ape suit and laid fake footprints in the mud.
The film tore Patterson’s and Gimlin’s friendship apart. Patterson partnered with his brother-in-law, Al DeAtley, to take the film on a national tour as a way to raise funds for a full-fledged expedition back at Bluff Creek. The three took equal shares in the film, but soon Gimlin felt edged out, and sold his share of the rights for less than $10 to another Bigfoot researcher.
After five years estranged, Patterson and Gimlin made amends in 1972 as Patterson lay on his deathbed, dying of cancer at age 38. Patterson apologized for ousting Gimlin, pleading with him that when he recovered that they would go back to California and catch Bigfoot. He died the next day.

That left Gimlin as the go-to guy for Bigfoot enthusiasts, and it ruined his life. He was the target of harassment from cynics. If he talked about the experience, people would consider him a lunatic. If he didn’t, they’d think he was a con artist. At the same time, true believers considered him a guru -one that wasn’t helping by keeping silent. He didn’t talk about the experience publicly until 2003. Read the story of Bob Gimlin at Outside Online.

The Floating Dairy Farm

Pictured above is an artist's conception of a proposed dairy farm for Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Beladon, the developer of the project, wants to build a farm on a barge. 40 cows would live on 1,200 square meters on the top floor. They would produce 1,000 liters of milk every day, which whould be pasteurized and turned into yogurt on the bottom floor.
Beladon calls the idea a "closed-loop system." It's a self-sustained ecosystem. Even the cows' urine and manure would be used to nourish the fodder which would grow there, which includes red clover, grass, and alfalfa.
The goal is to make cities like Rotterdam more agriculturally self-sufficient. Unused space on the water would become a contributor to the well-being of the city. The Guardian quotes Johan Bosman, an entrepreneur who works in this industry:

The world will grow, and more and more people will live in delta cities. Expanding cities need unbuilt areas and green space for housing purposes, so there’s less space for traditional food production. The logical consequence is that we will look to the water to produce some of the fresh food.
“In the Netherlands, fresh food is available and we don’t have very large cities, but we have a lot of agricultural and maritime expertise. We are combining these sectors to try to make an innovative circular farm to produce fresh dairy products, and by doing so make the city more resilient.”

Animal Pictures