The Daily Drift

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Carolina Naturally

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Today is - Checkers Day

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Today in History

1553		The Sadians defeat the last of their enemies and establish themselves as rulers of Morocco.
1561		Philip II of Spain gives orders to halt colonizing efforts in Florida.
1577		William of Orange makes his triumphant entry into Brussels, Belgium.
1667		Slaves in Virginia are banned from obtaining their freedom by converting to Christianity.
1739		The Austrians sign the Treaty of Belgrade after having lost the city to the Turks.
1779		The American navy under John Paul Jones, commanding from Bonhomme Richard, defeats and captures the British man-of-war Serapis.
1788		Louis XVI of France declares the Parliament restored.
1795		A national plebiscite approves the new French constitution, but so many voters sustain that the results are suspect.
1803		British Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley defeats the Marathas at Assaye, India.
1805		Lieutenant Zebulon Pike pays $2,000 to buy from the Sioux a 9-square-mile tract at the mouth of the Minnesota River that will be used to establish a military post, Fort Snelling.
1806		The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives back in St. Louis just over three years after its departure.
1864		Confederate and Union forces clash at Mount Jackson, Front Royal and Woodstock in Virginia during the Valley campaign.
1911		The Second International Aviation Meet opens in New York.
1912		Mack Sennett’s first “Keystone Cop” film debuts, Cohen Collects a Debt.
1945		The first American dies in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon to French forces.
1952		Nixon responds to charges of a secret slush fund during his ‘Checkers Speech.’
1954		East German police arrest 400 citizens as U.S. spies.
1967		Soviets sign a pact to send more aid to Hanoi.
1973		Juan Peron is re-elected president of Argentina after being overthrown in 1955.
1983		Gerrie Coetzee (Gerhardus Coetzee), boxer from South Africa; becomes the first boxer from the African continent to win a world heavyweight tittle (World Boxing Association).
1983		Gulf Air Flight 771 from Karachi, Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, UAE, bombed; all 117 aboard die.
1992		Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates 3,700-lb. bomb in Belfast, completely destroying the Northern Ireland forensic laboratory, injuring 20 people and damaging 700 houses.
2002		The first public version of Mozilla Firefox browser released; originally called Phoenix 0.1 its name was changed due to trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies.
2004		Hurricane Jeanne causes severe flooding in Haiti; over 1,000 reported dead.

Couple invited 8-foot-tall potato as their special wedding guest

A couple from Prince Edward Island, Canada, celebrated their wedding day with an eight-foot-tall potato named Tate the Tater as their special guest.
Tate the Tater, the industry mascot for the P.E.I. Potato Board, has been at a lot of events, but this was his first wedding. He was invited by bride, Amy Ramsay, 27, and groom, Matthew Ramsay, 27, who is a potato farmer.
Matthew said Amy thought it would be good entertainment. "It would take the lull out of the reception when people are trying to eat and there wasn't any speeches going on, she thought it'd be a great idea."
The couple, who live in Cascumpec, got married at the Elite Seed Potato Farm owned by the P.E.I. Potato Board. Tate was a surprise to wedding guests and a big hit with both children and adults.

An Ass Full Of Gold

This post is about a story out of Canada regarding the criminal trial of a man accused of smuggling a metric buttload of pure gold out of the Royal Canadian Mint. But as you read this story, remember that it’s entirely based on speculation and circumstantial evidence. The Royal Canadian Mint never noticed any missing gold, they don’t know if there even is any gold missing, and our man was never actually caught with any gold in his actual butt:

An employee of the Royal Canadian Mint allegedly smuggled about $180,000 in gold from the fortress-like facility, possibly evading multiple levels of detection with a time-honored prison trick.
Hiding the precious metal up his bum.

All they really know is that he worked in the Mint and was selling a lot of gold:

Court was told that, on multiple occasions, Lawrence took small circular chunks of gold — a cookie-sized nugget called a “puck” — to Ottawa Gold Buyers in the Westgate Shopping Centre on Carling Avenue.
Typically, the pucks weighed about 210 grams, or 7.4 ounces, for which he was given cheques in the $6,800 range, depending on fluctuating gold prices, court heard. He then deposited the cheques at the Royal Bank in the same mall.
One day a teller became suspicious at the size and number of Ottawa Gold Buyers cheques being deposited and Lawrence’s request to wire money out of the country. She then noticed on his account profile that he worked at the Mint.

The “pucks” he sold were suspiciously similar to the pucks he worked with in the Mint:

The Crown was able to show the pucks precisely fit the Mint’s custom “dipping spoon” made in-house — not available commercially — that is used to scoop molten gold during the production process.
Lawrence, who has since been terminated, was an operator in the refinery section. Among his duties was to scoop gold from buckets so it could be tested for purity, as the Mint prides itself on gold coins above the 99 per cent level.

But how did he get them out of the mint? Could the Vaseline in his locker have been involved?

Court was told Lawrence set off the metal detector at an exit from the “secure area” with more frequency than any other employee — save those with metal medical implants. When that happened, the procedure was to do a manual search with a hand-held wand, a search that he always passed.
Investigators also found a container of vaseline in his locker and the trial was presented with the prospect that a puck could be concealed in an anal cavity and not be detected by the wand. In preparation for these proceedings, in fact, a security employee actually tested the idea, Barnes said.

Wait, what?

…a security employee actually tested the idea…

Yes, gentle reader, your wondering eyes do not deceive you. A security employee of the Royal Canadian Mint actually volunteered — or was ordered — to shove a greased seven-ounce puck of solid gold up his or her ass so that they could test the vital question of whether it could be detected by the hand-held metal detectors used for backup screening. I ask you, is that dedication to your job, or is that dedication to your job?
And further consider this: the “let’s test these wands” project had to be documented fairly well, or what’s the point of the exercise? Somewhere in the bowels (you will forgive this pun if you forgave the “metric buttload” characterization at the top of the post) of the Royal Canadian Mint, there is almost certainly video of a security guard waddling through a checkpoint with an extra half-a-pound of unaccustomed gravity in his or her stride while Canadian-polite co-workers try very hard to act like nothing abnormal is happening…

The Strangest Things People Have Seen Through Home Windows

If you're spying through windows when the curtains or blinds are drawn then shame on you for peeping, but if the curtains are open and people are doing freaky stuff by the window they clearly don't care about privacy, or they want you to see.
That's most likely the case when you spot "a woman wearing black leather walking her ‘dog’ – a guy on a leash!" with their windows wide open, but your neighbor who keeps owls probably didn't want you to see this:

“My neighbor is a bit of an eccentric man. I always knew he kept owls, but I didn’t know they lived in his house with him until I spotted him eating breakfast one morning with a large owl perched on top of his head. The best part was he looked quite unfazed by the whole thing.”

Window blind manufacturer English Blinds asked their customers "whether they’d ever seen anything strange through a home window", and the results were so colorful they hired Paul Blow to illustrate their top 6 picks.
Weighing in at number one:

“The best thing I’ve ever seen through a window was when I saw a lady weighing a single boob on a set of kitchen scales. Not sure what recipe it was for!”

See The Strangest Things Seen Through Home Windows here

Mighty Fierce Facts About The Aztecs

We've all heard stories of the Aztecs getting snowed out of their golden fortune by Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes in the early 16th century, and we've heard tales of ritual sacrifice, cannibalism and infanticide.
But unless you've studied the Aztecs you're probably a bit hazy about many aspects of their warrior society, wondering where the myths end and the true (hi)story begins.

Aztecs were undisputably badass on the battlefield, and they employed psychological tactics in battle as well as a massive Macuahuitl, basically a cricket bat with obsidian blades mounted on both sides.

According to a Spanish report an Aztec warrior was able to cut off a horse's head with this fearsome weapon, a fact which was recently proven true on the show The Deadliest Warrior.
The Aztecs also wore animal inspired armor and made a racket with drums and savage screams to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies, hoping to make them scatter in battle.

But despite their fearsome tactics and reports of their bloodlust the Aztecs preferred to take prisoners rather than kill in battle, because it takes more skill to imprison a soldier.
Plus, this meant the Aztecs would have more warriors to sacrifice to their massive pantheon of gods...

(YouTube Link)

Read 10 Facts About Aztec Warriors here

Uncovering Thieves’ Cant, the Elizabethan Slang of the Underworld

A specific jargon from the Middle Ages spread among con men, vagabonds, and criminals. It was called the Thieves’ Cant, and even Martin Luther wrote about it. The separate language wasn’t just slang or jargon, because it survived for hundreds of years, and some of their words still survive today.

The truth is that no one is clear on who started it. All we know is that forms of thieves’ cant began popping up by the 13th century, in various languages in Europe, and were spoken by the lower class as a slang “to the end that their cozenings, knaveries and villainies might not so easily be perceived and known,” as 17th-century English author Samuel Rid wrote. Thomas Harman claimed that the slang was invented around the 1530s by someone who was “hanged all save the head.” What we do know for sure is that over time the language evolved—some say from Welsh Romani, although this too is disputed. It’s also called “peddler’s French," which might indicate a French connection, but is probably just the English insulting the French. Because the creators of cant are unknown and many of their words (deliberately) obfuscated, the roots of many words largely remain a mystery.
That’s what makes thieves’ cant a perfect example of a cryptolect: It’s a secretive jargon that was created specifically to exclude or confuse a particular group—in this case, the cops. Polari, a language spoken by gay Britons in the mid-20th century, is another example of a cryptolect, as is Boontling, which is still being spoken today in Boonville, California.

Read more about the Thieves’ Cant, and see a list of the words used at mental_floss.

10 Incredible Glass Houses from Around the World

You won’t see the residents of these houses throwing stones! But you may see quite a bit of other stuff. Houses made of glass, or that display a lot of glass, are beautiful but terrifying. I once had an upper-floor apartment with one entirely glass wall, and everyone would get woozy standing close to it. We ended up filling it with houseplants to form a "no standing" zone, because curtains would be too expensive. Anyway, there are people who don’t mind the view, and don’t mind that passers-by can look inside. The exception on this list is the pictured sort-of-private glass house in Hiroshima.

Constructed in 2012 from 6,000 blocks of borosilicate glass, the Optical Glass House was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura to create a serene oasis for residents in a highly congested part of the city. Due to the 13-ton weight of the glass blocks, the home is centered around a steel beam reinforced with concrete. While light constantly filters through the 3,900 sq. ft. home, the blocks of glass (measuring 50 mm x 235 mm x 50 mm) effectively shut out outside noise.

And while you can see in, you can’t see well enough to get a floor show. That’s not the case with the other nine houses on a list of glass houses from around the world.

31 Weird Discontinued Products

(YouTube link)

New products come out, they seem like a good idea at the time, but for some reason, the public doesn’t buy it. Maybe it’s too expensive, doesn’t live up to expectations, or doesn’t fulfill a real need. Sometimes it’s just too bizarre. How many of these discontinued products do you remember? He got halfway through the video, up to the toys, before I remembered any of them! But we’ve posted about the Atomic Energy Lab science kit, and I recall Clackers. Most of the others just passed me by. Elliot Morgan runs through a bunch of "here today, gone tomorrow" consumer products in this week’s episode of the mental_floss List Show.

Your Air Conditioner and Refrigerator Are Killing the Climate

Your Air Conditioner and Refrigerator Are Killing the Climate: What Are the Alternatives?

Olive Garden Gets F for Inaction on Antibiotics Overuse in Supply Chain

Olive Garden Gets F for Inaction on Antibiotics Overuse in Supply Chain

Texas Asshole

‘Please stop’: Young girl begs as unapologetic Texas dad drags her through Walmart by the hair

According to Facebook poster Erika Burch, the man was seen while she and her husband were grocery shopping.

Theft of Buddha statue from Scottish temple is being treated as a hate crime

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses following the theft of a religious object in the west of the city. The incident happened sometime between 8pm on Friday and 3.45pm on Saturday at the Dhammapadia Temple in Slateford Road. A statue of Buddha was stolen from the garden area of the building, and inquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible. The theft is being treated as a hate crime and anyone with information is asked to come forward. The statue is approximately one meter tall and is made of a lightweight material, similar to fiberglass.

Constable Simon Wotton from Oxgangs Police Station said: “Local members of the Buddhist community who use the temple are extremely disappointed by this theft and we are currently progressing a number of lines of inquiry to identify the suspects and return the statue. Anyone who remembers seeing anything suspicious around the Dhammapadia Temple between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon should contact police immediately. We would also urge anyone who knows where we can find the stolen statue to get in touch.”
The Dhammapadia Temple's resident Buddhist's Monk, Wisanupong Thipra, said: "Our community is deeply saddened by the mindless actions of a small few who have removed and stolen our Buddha statue from its home in our front garden. Our statue is our symbol of peace and mindfulness which we give respect to every day with prayers and meditation. We thank Police Scotland and our neighbors for the support we have received in response to this criminal act." Anyone with information that can assist officers with their inquiries should contact the police.

Oregon town freaks out over astrology class fearing it will lead to ‘Satanism’ and baby sacrifices

Oregon town freaks out over astrology class fearing it will lead to ‘Satanism’ and baby sacrifices

“It will develop into satanism, which practices the skinning of cats or whatever,” cult member Dale Witt said.

Colorado cult didn’t report pastor’s child sex abuse because ‘biblical counseling’ would suffice

Colorado cult didn’t report pastor’s child sex abuse because ‘biblical counseling’ would suffice

A cult in Thornton, Colorado has come under fire after court documents revealed this week that it failed to report a pastor’s sexual abuse to police.

Have you ever wondered how much energy women put in to avoid being assaulted?

Have you ever wondered how much energy women put in to avoid being assaulted? It may shock you

Students celebrate as infamous ‘You Deserve Rape’ campus preacher arrested for kicking woman

Students celebrate as infamous ‘You Deserve Rape’ campus preacher arrested for kicking woman

Dean Frederick Saxton, a.k.a. “Brother Dean,” was arrested for assaulting a University of Arizona student during one of his “sermons.”

Cops caught on video pepper-spraying handcuffed biracial girl

BUSTED: Cops caught on video pepper-spraying handcuffed biracial girl — after a car hit her

People flock to farm to do yoga with goats

People are flocking to a farm in Albany, Oregon, because they can do yoga there with goats. The idea was helmed by Lainey Morse, the owner of No Regrets Farm and the founder of Goat Yoga. Morse says she came up with the idea after a yoga instructor suggested she hold yoga sessions at the farm.
She soon incorporated the goats into the sessions because she saw how people reacted to the animals. Morse says Goat Yoga has since received an overwhelming amount of attention, and there's currently a waiting list of over 500 people hoping to attend a class. "People think it's awesome. They're just absolutely losing their minds," Morse says.

"I know yoga is supposed to be very strict meditation and relaxation. But, I think the goats add a level of happy and fun to it." Morse, who was diagnosed with a chronic disease and got divorced last year, says the goats have helped her through tough times. "It was just the worst year. So, I would come home every day and sit out every day with the goats," she says. "Do you know how hard it is to be sad and depressed when there are baby goats jumping around?"

YouTube link.

Seeing what the goats did for her, Morse says she hopes her animals will help others as well. She says the animals' presence during yoga classes provide therapy for attendees. "Goats are very gentle to humans and it's very calming. Even when they chew their cud it's relaxing," she says. But, don't even think about bringing yoga mats with flowers on them. "Some people had little flower and leaf designs on their mats. And the goats thought that was something to eat, so they did try to eat that. I guess the new rule would be, only solid color mats!"

Animal Pictures