The Daily Drift

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Carolina Naturally

The Dreamer ...! 

 

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Today in History

1619		The House of Burgesses convenes for the first time at Jamestown, Va.
1787		The French parliament refuses to approve a more equitable land tax.
1799		The French garrison at Mantua, Italy, surrenders to the Austrians.
1864		In an effort to penetrate the Confederate lines around Petersburg, Va. Union troops explode a mine underneath the Confederate trenches but fail to break through. The ensuing action is known as the Battle of the Crater.
1919		Federal troops are called out to put down Chicago race riots.
1938		George Eastman demonstrates his color motion picture process.
1940		A bombing lull ends the first phase of the Battle of Britain.
1960		Over 60,000 Buddhists march in protest against the Diem government in South Vietnam.
1965		President Lyndon Johnson signs the Medicare Bill into law.
1967		General William Westmoreland claims that he is winning the war in Vietnam, but needs more men.
1975		Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa disappears, last seen coming out of a restaurant in Bloomingfield Hills, Michigan.
1988		King Hussein dissolves Jordan’s Parliament, surrenders Jordan’s claims to the West Bank to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
1990		Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent forces George Steinbrenner to resign as principal partner of the New York Yankees.
2003		The last of the uniquely shaped “old style” Volkswagen Beetles rolls off the assembly line in Mexico.
2012		Blackout in India as power grid failure leaves 300 million+ without power.

Man fought off armed would-be carjackers with high-pressure car wash sprayer

A man who thought he was stopping for a quick car wash ended up fighting back against armed would-be carjackers. Michael Davis says he was washing his car at Oasis in Shreveport, Louisiana, at around 2am on Wednesday when he was approached by a man pointing a gun directly at him demanding his keys and money. "He said 'give me your keys and your money,' and I said 'what'd you say?' and I took the sprayer and just sprayed it right in his face," said Davis.
Davis' dashcam caught it all on video as Davis turned the power washer on the gunman and forced him to flee. Moments later, another man comes into view, appearing to attempt to grab the hose. Davis didn't let up, spraying the second man with the hose before swinging the wand at him. That man can be seen trying one more time to grab at the wand before also fleeing out of frame. "I heard his friend try to run and get my backside so I turned around and sprayed him and hit him and they took off running," recalled Davis,
"The whole situation to me was almost surreal." Through it all, Davis never backed down and never dropped the cigarette out of his mouth, even smiling at one point during an encounter. Now, he's hoping the pair will be caught. "If they would've taken my keys and my money, they probably would have shot me anyway, plus I had my disabled veteran brother in the car, they could've done something to him as well," said Davis. The attempted robbery was over in a matter of seconds and played out like a scene from a movie.

YouTube link.

"I wish it was a fun little acting video or skit or something like that but our lives were really in jeopardy, that's why we called police as soon as we could and got them to come out here and we made a report," expressed Davis. "I wasn't going to give up my car or money to some little thug like that there's just no way." Davis said after he hit the second man with the hose, he yelled that he was going to grab his gun, which he believes is what ultimately scared him away.

U.S. Navy Designates a Ship After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk

U.S. Navy Designates a Ship After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk

That sound you hear is wingnut heads exploding

Debt Collectors’ Harassment Tactics Are Put On Notice For First Time In 40 Years

The country's consumer watchdog issued brand new regulations to crack down on debt collectors.

Clean Energy Is Booming in Historically Red States

Clean Energy Is Booming in Historically Red States—and It's Splitting Wingnuts Apart

A good thing on two fronts - Better for the environment and destroying the wingnuts!

Koch's Latest Propaganda Disaster

Koch's Latest Propaganda Disaster: Another Academic Sell-Out Sets Off Controversy With Remarks

Over $100,000 ...

Over $100,000: That's How Much Big Finance Rips You Off 

Half of Government Aid Recipients Say They've Never Received Government Aid

Half of Government Aid Recipients Say They've Never Received Government Aid 

Ringleader Of Oregon Occupation Now Trying To Wriggle Out Of Criminal Charges With Crackpot Theories

The criminal trials for the men who tried to lure law enforcement into a standoff on an Oregon nature refuge this winter are getting wacky.

The 911 Call That Prompted Police To Shoot An Unarmed Therapist Pokes Holes In The Police Narrative

"I don't know if it's a gun."

Police Arrest And Strip-Search Man Because They Mistook Doughnut Crumbs For Meth

Krispy Kremes are a hell of a drug.

Police appeal after town hit by spate of female mannequin thefts

Police in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, are asking the public to help solve a spate of thefts of female mannequins from downtown store fronts, including one case in which a $160 prom dress was torn off the mannequin and left behind. Police say 11 mannequins, all female, have been stolen since May, during five break and enters and one attempted break and enter at three different locations. In each of the five break-ins, police said only female mannequins have been taken.
It began on Mother's Day weekend with a failed attempt to get into Simple Elegance, boutique owner Dawn ODell said. "The glass on the front door was broke. Not broke quite all the way through but it was shattered but still intact," she said. Police came to investigate but the window was not repaired right away, and when ODell got to work on Monday morning she found the break-in job had been finished and two female mannequins missing from the display window. "One mannequin had a $160 prom dress on. They ripped it off and threw it on the floor and just took the mannequin," she said.
"The second mannequin had a dress on it, a $60 dress, and they left the dress on that one and took the mannequin. And that's it. There was no attempt made to get to the cash register, to the merchandise in the store, or anything." Her store on Front Street was hit again on June 23, with the theft of two more mannequins, one in a bikini, the other in a dress. ODell said the thefts of mannequins and their clothes have set her back approximately $600. She said police told her: "It looks to be somebody has a fetish for mannequins." Mannequins have been stolen from two other stores, according to police.

Another store on Front Street was broken into overnight on May 13 and one mannequin was stolen. ​The latest two break-ins occurred at a business on North Front Street. On July 14 at 2:30am the store's front door window was smashed and two display mannequins were stolen, police said. On Sunday, July 24 the front door window of the same business was again smashed and four female torso mannequins were stolen. ​Police could not be reached for comment on the motivation or possible suspects in the crime, but have asked for the public's help in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Belleville Police.

Naked man caught in car park with seven grams of cocaine hidden under his foreskin jailed

A man who hid a packet of cocaine under his foreskin while naked in the car park of Homebase has appeared in court. Joshua Hare was shouting and making a nuisance of himself at around 8.30am, prompting concerned passers-by to call police, a court heard.
Officers arrived at the DIY megastore in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where they struggled with the 24-year-old before he was arrested and taken to hospital. On Tuesday at Swindon Magistrates Court, he pleaded guilty to being in possession of 7.2 grams of cocaine on June 17. He also admitted failing to surrender to bail. Prosecutor Keith Ballinger described how the wrap had “emerged” from Hare’s private parts.
The substance was later tested and confirmed to be cocaine, but in interview Hare declined to comment. He was last in court in May for aggravated taking of a vehicle without consent and was given a suspended sentence. Hare, who is homeless, and changed his surname from Jordan-Hare by deed poll, was represented by Nick Redhead. Mr Redhead told the court Hare had a “troubled background” and problems with drugs and alcohol.
Hare was admitted to intensive care earlier this year after he fell ill with kidney failure in police custody. Mr Redhead appealed to the magistrates to take this into account when sentencing. “He fell into a coma and thought he was going to die,” Mr Redhead said. “He is a high risk of killing himself if he continues to misuse alcohol. He has managed to stay away from alcohol pretty much.” Bench chairman Mary Holland said by breaching his suspended sentence, Hare left magistrates with “no option” but to jail him for 12 weeks. Hare was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115.

Man allegedly threatened former roommate with sword in dispute over ownership of pizza rolls

Police arrested Travis Vartorella, 21, on an aggravated menacing charge following a confrontation in his apartment in Norwalk, Ohio, on Sunday afternoon.
According to a Norwalk Police Department report, Vartorella “pulled a sword” on Trystan Mesenburg, 20, a former roommate who had returned to the residence to retrieve some of his belongings.Mesenburg told officers that after arriving at the darkened apartment with his girlfriend, they began gathering up his items.
“As soon as I grabbed my bag of pizza rolls,” Mesenburg told police, Vartorella “came out from around the corner” with a three-foot sword. With the weapon in his hands, Vartorella claimed ownership of the frozen treats and demanded that Mesenburg “leave his f*cking pizza rolls alone”, police say. Mesenburg and his girlfriend fled the apartment and dialed 911. Responding officers noted that the couple were “visibly shaken” as they recounted their confrontation with Vartorella.
Officers subsequently arrested Vartorella and seized four “edged weapons” from his bedroom closet, including a six-foot samurai sword, a machete, and the sword he was holding when he confronted Mesenburg. Vartorella was charged with aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Huron County jail, from which he was later released on bond. Mesenburg and his girlfriend both secured temporary protection orders against Vartorella.

Man arrested after threatening bouncer with spear before throwing batarang at police

Police arrested a man on Capitol Hill in Seattle on Monday after he threatened a bouncer with a homemade spear and threw a batarang at officers as they pursued him.

Police were called to a Capitol Hill bar at around 6:30pm after a man with a knife attached to a metal pole reportedly swung the improvised spear at a bar employee.
The man fled the scene, but officers Benjamin Timbs and Walker Dickson chased after him. At one point during the pursuit, officers witnessed the man throw something towards a police SUV.

A short time later, after catching up to the 23-year-old suspect, officers discovered the object the man had thrown was a “a sharp, black Batman-style throwing star,” which had embedded in the lower front end of the vehicle. Officers booked the man into the King County Jail for felony assault and are also requesting additional weapons and obstruction charges.

Scientists Find Mystery Purple Blob At The Bottom Of Ocean

The unmanned sea rover Nautilus discovered an unidentified purple orb stunning scientists. After sampling, it began to unfold to reveal two distinct lobes. Currently scientists are thinking the purple orb is a pleurobranch, a nudibranch relative.

YouTube link

Suspected DUI crash led to bee attack

Police in Laurel County, Kentucky, say a car crash led to two people inside the vehicle being attacked by a swarm of bees from a disturbed hive. "I just had got done feeding my chickens, watering them and stuff, and I walked back to my house there to get my phone so I could play a video game on it," said Gary Lee Anderson, who lives on Patton Spur Road where the incident happened.
"And all of a sudden I heard a big 'boom,' and I looked back out my door and the electric pole fell and the lines were falling. And the GeoTracker was sideways into the fence." Then the people inside the car, who investigators identified as Noah Elkins, 36, of East Bernstadt, and Priscilla Simpson, 35, of Dry Ridge, got a big surprise. "He didn't know it, but he found out, that there was a hive of bees there," said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, "and he had disturbed them."
"And the guy came out, screaming and squalling, and running around about like a chicken with its head cut off," Anderson said. Then Anderson says they ran up the road, grabbed a hose outside his home and started trying to spray off the bees. "I told him, 'You need to get out of that water,'" Anderson said, "but I didn't know he was getting eat up by bees, I thought he was just high." Deputies say Elkins and Simpson were under the influence. Simpson told them that she and Elkins had taken several drugs, including Suboxone, neurotin and Klonopin.

YouTube link.

Investigators said they had driven down the road looking for a place to swim. "That girl in that little bikini, she had little red dots all over her," Anderson said. Even Anderson was stung while he was out there. Elkins and Simpson were taken to the hospital for treatment for injuries from the crash and for "numerous" bee stings, deputies said. Elkins was cited for driving under the influence, as well as other traffic violations. Simpson was charged with public intoxication. Investigators have called it an unusual case.

Life Is Hell for Most Egg-Laying Chickens in the U.S.

Life Is Hell for Most Egg-Laying Chickens in the U.S.—but the Growing Cage-Free Movement Is Changing That

Animal Pictures