The Daily Drift

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Carolina Naturally

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Today in History

1787		The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia approves the constitution for the United States of America.
1796		President George Washington delivers his “Farewell Address” to Congress before concluding his second term in office.
1862		The Battle of Antietam in Maryland, the bloodiest day in U.S. history, commences. Fighting in the corn field, Bloody Lane and Burnside’s Bridge rages all day as the Union and Confederate armies suffer a combined 26,293 casualties.
1868		The Battle of Beecher’s Island begins, in which Major George “Sandy” Forsyth and 50 volunteers hold off 500 Sioux and Cheyenne in eastern Colorado.
1902		U.S. troops are sent to Panama to keep train lines open over the isthmus as Panamanian nationals struggle for independence from Colombia.
1903		Turks destroy the town of Kastoria in Bulgaria, killing 10,000 civilians.
1916		Germany’s “Red Baron,” Manfred von Richthofen, wins his first aerial combat.
1917		The German Army recaptures the Russian Port of Riga from Russian forces.
1939		With the German army already attacking western Poland, the Soviet Union launches an invasion of eastern Poland.
1942		British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meets with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin in Moscow as the German Army rams into Stalingrad.
1944		British airborne troops parachute into Holland to capture the Arnhem bridge as part of Operation Market-Garden. The plan called for the airborne troops to be relieved by British troops, but they were left stranded and eventually surrendered to the Germans.
1947		James Forestall is sworn in as first the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
1957		The Thai army seizes power in Bangkok.
1959		The X-15 rocket plane makes its first flight.
1962		The first federal suit to end public school segregation is filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
1976		The Space Shuttle is unveiled to the public.
1978		Egypt and Israel sign the Camp David Accords.
1980		Nationwide independent trade union Solidarity established in Poland.
1983		Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America; relinquished crown early after scandal over nude photos.
2001		The New York Stock Exchange reopens for the first time since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers; longest period of closure since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
2006		Alaska’s Fourpeaked Mountain erupts for the first time in at least 10,000 years.
2011		Occupy Wall Street movement calling for greater social and economic equality begins in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, coining the phrase “We are the 99%.”

How A Rogue 1950s Drone Fiasco Ended With 208 Rockets Fired At Southern California

Here’s a great story about an aerial battle between the U.S. Air Force and a rogue drone over southern California in 1956, which became known as the Battle of Palmdale. Some World War II fighter planes were converted to radio-control so they could be flown as practice targets. One such unmanned plane took off on August 16, 1956, from Point Mugu Naval Air Station with its mission to be shot down over the Pacific Ocean.

Soon after takeoff, though, something happened. Perhaps it was during the switchover from ground-based control to aerial ‘mothership’ radio control, or perhaps the Hellcat felt that air coursing over its wings and thought, dammit, I want to live – it’s not clear what happened. What is clear is that the drone stopped responding to radio commands and started heading in a gentle curve and climb to the southeast.
To Los Angeles.
At this point, I can imagine very clearly a room of competent, wide-eyed men in uniforms with ties loosened and sleeves rolled up sitting around control panels, all momentarily frozen, one collective thought going through all their minds: oh, shit.

The last thing they needed was for an out-of control unmanned plane to crash into the city. Officials at the naval base called the Air Force, where fighter planes equipped with rockets were scrambled to chase the drone. These were experimental rockets, designed for a very different task, and they did not work as intended. The ensuing battle reads like a Keystone Kops script, and when you think the story is over, the destruction is only beginning. The tale unfolds at Foxtrot Alpha

Sweating the Smell Stuff

SMELL LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

Humans have been hiding their stinkiness by dousing themselves with fragrances for ages. The ancient Egyptians came up with a number of fresh and fruity scents. Some floral scents lasted as long as 20 years, and incense was also heavily used. (It had the benefit of masking not just the smell of a single user, but everybody in the room.) And in ancient Asia, people discovered that applying finely ground salt to the underarms worked wonders. When reapplied regularly during the day, the salt killed bacteria.
That’s the thing— sweat by itself is odorless. Bacteria on the skin are what release smells when they start to break down sweat’s trace amounts of fats. Diet, gender, age, hygiene levels, and genetics all give everybody a slightly different smell. Meat-eaters, for example, release more fats and proteins in their sweat, so they tend to smell stronger than vegans. Women’s sweat tends to contain more sulfur, creating an oniony smell when bacteria go at it. Men, on the other hand, release more fatty acids that end up smelling cheesy. And shaved armpits are more likely to be smelly than hairy ones because the hair often wicks out enough moisture to help keep bacteria in check.
DRY UP 
By the turn of the 20th century, deodorant manufacturing was in full swing. For example…
• The first modern antiperspirant was called Everdry, introduced in 1903. It had some problems, though. With an active ingredient of aluminum chloride, Everdry was acidic enough to irritate the skin and shorten the life of shirts by slowly eating holes under the arms. (That’s still a problem: Even today, those embarrassing yellow armpit stains come from the ingredients of antiperspirants, not the sweat itself.)
• Mum, however, was the first commercial deodorant ever, introduced in Philadelphia in 1888. Bristol-Meyers bought the brand in 1932, and in the 1950s, playing off of the gimmick of the newly invented ballpoint pen, marketers created Ban Roll-On using the same rolling-ball design.
• A chemist in Chicago named Jules Montenier reduced some of the damage in 1941 by adding a chemical called nitrile, which neutralized the acidity of aluminum chloride. He created Stopette, the best-selling deodorant of the 1950s. When Montenier’s patent ran out in the late 1950s, Stopette was eclipsed by several new brands, including Gillette’s Right Guard, the first spray deodorant.
• Today, aluminum choloride remains the active ingredient of choice in many antiperspirants. How does it work? Its tiny particles get wedged into the sweat glands, creating a plug that keeps sweat from coming out. And because, technically, it alters your natural body functions, the FDA classifies antiperspirants as “drugs.”
BENEFITS OF BO
Most people in the United States today use deodorants to mask their smell, but there are actually some positives to BO.
• Humans’ unusually stinky BO gives them a disadvantage in hunting, of course, requiring a downwind approach to prey. But it may have also helped early humans to survive by making them unappetizing to predators.
• Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that a compound in male underarm sweat activates brain areas that improve women’s mood and sexual receptiveness.
• The smell of your sweat may be an early health warning. If your sweat smells a little like bleach, it can be a sign of liver or kidney disease; if it smells fruity, a sign of diabetes. 

Just 45 Minutes of Art-Making Improves Self-Confidence

Study: Just 45 Minutes of Art-Making Improves Self-Confidence

Before your next difficult task, it might be a good idea to make a little art, a new study found. Research by Girija Kaimal, EdD, assistant professor, and Kendra Ray, a doctoral student, both in Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions, showed that just...

What it means for your brain if you're bad at math

What it means for your brain if you're bad at math

Drunks compare their levels of intoxication to other drinkers

Drunks compare their levels of intoxication to other drinkers, not to how much they’ve had

When drunk and surrounded by other drinkers, people’s judgements of their own levels of intoxication and the associated risks are related to the drunkenness of their peers, not on the objective amount of alcohol they have actually consumed, reveals a study by Cardiff...

School bus and FedEx truck nearly collide in shocking road rage video

  School bus and FedEx truck nearly collide in shocking road rage video

Big Tobacco fakes supporting black Americans to keep them buying cigarettes

How Big Tobacco fakes supporting black Americans to keep them buying cigarettes

Last Tuesday, activists from the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCL) held a press conference where they appealed to President Obama to ban menthol cigarettes.

Deplorable Hannity Wants To Sue CNN For Slander

Once again the guy Hannity insists is nothing but a “pipsqueak,” Brian Stelter, has gotten under the Fox hack’s very thin skin.

Wingnut "Family Values" On Parade

Another one falls.

Newark police officer charged with sexually assaulting a young girl

Newark police officer charged with sexually assaulting a young girl

Police investigate burglary at police station

Police are investigating a number of burglaries in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, over the last few days, including the burglary of Te Awamutu Police Station overnight on Tuesday. In this burglary, two office areas were searched and several items of police uniform were taken.

This includes a police tunic and shirts, police baton (extendable and long handled), handcuffs, OC spray and stab-resistant body armor. A police officer’s personal car was also damaged the following night. These items could potentially be used to impersonate a police officer and police remind anyone who is approached by an officer to establish their identity if in doubt.
Similarly, anyone acting suspiciously or who does not appear to be genuine should be reported to police. Police also remind those responsible that it is a crime to impersonate a police officer and this offense carries a maximum penalty under the Police Act of 12 months in prison and a fine of $15,000. Area Commander Inspector Naila Hassan says local police have noticed a spike in dishonesty crime over the past three days in Te Awamutu.
They are also asking the public to be aware of suspicious activity in and around the neighborhood. “If it looks or sounds suspicious it will be so please don’t hesitate to call 111,” she says. “We would rather hear from you than miss an opportunity to apprehend these offenders.” Anyone with any information that may assist in this investigation is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Bill Crowe at Te Awamutu Police Station.

Man passed over for job accused of mailing dead animals to successful applicant

Authorities say a man passed over for an elementary school coaching and teaching position allegedly mailed four dead skunks and a dead raccoon to the successful applicant. Travis Tarrants, 40, of West Baden Springs, southern Indiana, was charged on Tuesday in Jackson Circuit Court with two counts each of stalking, intimidation and criminal mischief. He’s being held without bond. Court documents say that Tarrants began harassing the successful applicant because he was chosen over Tarrants for a fourth-grade teaching and basketball coaching position at Springs Valley School Corporation in French Lick. One of the packages intercepted at a post office contained a dead raccoon and a message that said, “RESIGN! IT WILL NOT STOP.”
Investigators also believe that Tarrants placed four phone calls to the Indiana Department of Child Services, making claims that the teacher/coach was having sex with an underage student and was sexually abusing the daughter of an acquaintance. Letters alleging a sexual relationship with an underage student also were sent to both teacher/coach and his fiancee at their jobs, documents said.
One contained a picture of a man’s genitals and the teacher/coach’s telephone number. Both victims also received voicemail messages threatening to kill the man’s fiancee and her baby. Tarrants also is accused of writing “(Explicit) u” and “u will die” on the vehicle’s of the victims in white spray paint. In an interview with investigators, Tarrants' girlfriend said that he had trapped five to seven live skunks in late spring. She said she thought it was odd that he had kept them alive for several days.

The Loneliest Tree In The World

Tucked away in a corner of London's Royal Botanic Gardens, there is a very peculiar plant. At first glance, it resembles a stumpy palm tree, but this ancient specimen is incredibly rare. It is, in fact, the very last of its kind on Earth. Encephalartos Woodii is a cycad. Over the millennia, the age of the cycad came to an end. This tree is the loneliest bachelor on Earth.

YouTube link

Owner of missing dog is concerned she'll be mistaken for a raccoon

An owner desperately trying to find his lost dog is worried she will be mistaken for a raccoon. Kekei, a raccoon dog, disappeared from Stanley Park in Blackpool, Lancashire, on Thursday after her lead broke and she bounded away. Owner Michael McKenna, 51, has appealed for the return of his beloved pet, but fears her unusual appearance will cause people to peg her as a wild animal. He said: “I’ve been out looking for her all day and night. Raccoon dogs are hunting dogs, in the wild they’ll hunt for food, but Kekei has been hand-reared since she was born. She’s never wanted for food. She will have no clue what to do.
“She’s not used to other people and she’s very timid. It’s in their nature. She’ll probably be hiding somewhere until it’s dark, and then she’ll come out. If people see her they wouldn’t think she was a dog. They’d think she was a wild animal. They’d probably think she was a wild raccoon or a fox.” Raccoon dogs, or tanuki as they are also known, enjoy a rich history in Japanese folklore.
Rumoured to be masters of disguise, folk tales tell of raccoon dogs using magical powers to change their shape and disguise themselves as humans. But Michael believes it is much more likely that Kekei has simply got lost. He said: “I keep thinking about her hiding somewhere confused and crying.” He added that Kekei is unlikely to approach people she does not know, and has asked people to contact him immediately should they see his beloved pet.

How rattlesnakes got, and lost, their venom

How rattlesnakes got, and lost, their venom

Millions of years ago, as the snake family tree grew new branches, the ancestor of modern rattlesnakes was endowed with a genetic arsenal of toxic weaponry, including genes for toxins that poison the blood, toxins that damage muscle and toxins that affect the nervous...

Squid and octopus can camouflage themselves but new research finds they are colorblind

Squid and octopus can camouflage themselves but new research finds they are colorblind

Despite being able to camouflage themselves in colorful surroundings, cuttlefish, squid and octopus are colorblind, QBI research has found. Researchers at The University of Queensland have established that colorful coastal cephalopods are actually colorblind – but...

Eagles In Dutch Harbor

Just another day in Alaska.

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Animal Pictures