The Daily Drift

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Carolina Naturally

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Today in History

1493		Christopher Columbus discovers Antigua during his second expedition.
1556		The Englishman Richard Chancellor is drowned off Aberdeenshire on his return from a second voyage to Russia.
1647		All Dutch-held areas of New York are returned to English control by the treaty of Westminster.
1775		U.S. Marine Corps founded.
1782		In the last battle of the American Revolution, George Rogers Clark attacks Indians and Loyalists at Chillicothe, in Ohio Territory.
1871		Henry M. Stanley finds Dr. Livingstone at Ujiji near Unyanyembe in Africa.
1879		Little Bighorn participant Major Marcus Reno is caught window-peeping at the daughter of his commanding officer—an offense for which he will be courtmartialed.
1911		President Howard Taft ends a 15,000-mile, 57-day speaking tour.
1911		The Imperial government of China retakes Nanking.
1917		Forty-one US suffragettes are arrested protesting outside the White House.
1938		Fascist Italy enacts anti-Semitic legislation.
1941		Winston Churchill promises to join the U.S. “within the hour” in the event of war with Japan.
1942		Admiral Jean Darlan orders French forces in North Africa to cease resistance to the Anglo-American forces.
1952		U.S. Supreme Court upholds the decision barring segregation on interstate railways.
1961		Andrew Hatcher is named associate press secretary to President John F. Kennedy.
1962		Eleanor Roosevelt is buried, she had died three days earlier.
1964		Australia begins a draft to fulfill its commitment in Vietnam.
1969		The PBS children’s program Sesame Street debuts.
1971		Two women are tarred and feathered in Belfast for dating British soldiers, while in Londonderry, Northern Ireland a Catholic girl is also tarred and feathered for her intention of marrying a British soldier.
1972		Hijackers divert a jet to Detroit, demanding $10 million and ten parachutes.
1975		The iron ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald breaks in half and sinks at the eastern end of Lake Superior–all 29 crew members perish.
1986		Reagan refuses to reveal details of the Iran arms sale.
1989		German citizens begin tearing down the Berlin Wall.
1997		WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a merger, the largest in US history up to that time.
2008		NASA declares the Phoenix mission concluded after losing communications with the lander, five months after it began its exploration on the surface of Mars.
2009		North Korean and South Korean ships skirmish off Daecheon Island.

Kissing Left Versus Right

Kissing is sometimes a matter of choosing sides. There is mystery as to which side, when, and why (if there is a why). These studies come at the matter from various directions.
Laterality in Cheek Kissing in France
“Can Population-Level Laterality Stem from Social Pressures? Evidence from Cheek Kissing in Humans,” Amandine Chapelain, Pauline Pimbert, Lydiane Aube, Océane Perrocheau, Gilles Debunne, Alain Bellido, and Catherine Blois-Heulin, PLoS ONE, vol. 10, no. 8, 2015, e0124477. (Thanks to Neil Martin for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at the Université de Rennes, France, report:

We showed that: a) there is a population-level laterality for cheek kissing, with the majority of individuals being aligned in each city, and b) there is a variation between populations, with a laterality that depends on the city.

Detail from the study “Can Population-Level Laterality Stem from Social Pressures? Evidence from Cheek Kissing in Humans.” 

Kissing Direction: Kin or Not
“Family Matters: Directionality of Turning Bias While Kissing is Modulated by Context,” Jennifer R. Sedgewicka and Lorin J. Eliasa, Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, epub January 16, 2016. (Thanks to Colin Hintz for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, explain:

The primary purpose of our study was to investigate if turning direction was consistent between a romantic (parent–parent) and parental (parent–child) kissing context, and secondly, to examine if sex differences influenced turning bias between parent–child kissing partners.... The results indicated that the direction of turning bias differed between kissing contexts. As expected, a right-turn bias was observed for romantic kissing; however, a left-turn bias was exhibited for parental kissing. There was no significant difference of turning bias between any parent–child kissing partners.

Detail from the study “Family Matters: Directionality of Turning Bias While Kissing is Modulated by Context.” 

Taking Sides on Kissing
“Kissing Laterality and Handedness,” Dianne Barrett, Julian Greenwood, and John F. McCullagh, Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, vol. 11, no. 6, 2006, pp. 573- 579. The authors, at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, UK, report:

Kissing behaviour was observed between kissing couples: about 80% turned their heads to the right to kiss. To remove the influence of one kissing partner upon the other, kissing behaviour was also observed between participants and a symmetrical doll’s face: about 77% turned their heads to the right to kiss. There was no significant difference in handedness between right- and left-kissers: both groups were predominantly right-kissers.

Detail from the study “Kissing Laterality and Handedness.”

Taking Sides on Taking Sides on Kissing
“Head-Turning Asymmetries During Kissing and Their Association with Lateral Preference,” Sebastian Ocklenburg and Onur Güntürkün, Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, vol. 14, no. 1, January 2009, pp. 79-85. (Thanks to Richard Wassersug for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany, report:

[K]issing behaviour of participants towards a symmetrical doll was observed to assess their spontaneous head-turning preference. Additionally, participants’ individual handedness, footedness, and eye preference were determined using questionnaires. A significant difference in handedness and footedness, but not eye preference, was found between left- and right-kissers, with right-kissers showing a stronger right-sided bias than left-kissers.

Detail from the study “Kissing Right? On the Consistency of the Head-Turning Bias in Kissing.”

On the Consistency of the Head-Turning Bias in Kissing
“Kissing Right? On the Consistency of the Head-Turning Bias in Kissing,” John van der Kamp and Rouwen Cañal-Bruland, Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, vol. 16, no. 3, 2011, pp. 257-267. The authors, at VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the University of Hong Kong, China, report:

The present study investigated the consistency of the head-turning bias in kissing. In particular we addressed what happens if a person who prefers to kiss with the head turned to the right kisses a person who prefers to kiss with the head turned to the left. To this end, participants were required to kiss a life sized doll’s head rotated in different orientations that were either compatible or incompatible with the participants’ head-turning preference.... Results showed that a higher percentage of participants preferred to kiss with their head turned to the right than to the left. In addition, the right-turners were more consistent in their kissing behavior than left-turners.

Why Some Songs Get Stuck In Your Head More Than Others

You know what an "earworm" is- it's that song you can't get out of your head. The scientific term for an earworm is "involuntary musical imagery." Anyone who watched The Walking Dead this week knows how horrible an earworm can be if it's not a song you would normally listen to. Many people have a default earworm, which you keep in your head when other songs aren't stuck there. Mine is "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven, with or without lyrics. But most earworms are temporary, caused by listening to the actual external music. However, if you listen to a variety of songs, say, on the radio, some are much more likely to get stuck in your head than others, and it doesn't necessarily follow that you particularly like those songs. What makes the difference? That happens to be the subject of a research project, in which common earworms were identified and compared to non-earworm songs. 

What the researchers found was that earwormy songs are generally faster than non-earworms, had “unusual” intervals (unexpected leaps or more repeated notes than usual), and followed “global melodic contours,” which means that they have melodic shapes that are commonly found in Western pop music. They also tend to be the songs that are being played the most on the radio and TV.
An example of one of the most common melodic contours cited by the researchers is ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,’ where the first phrase rises in pitch and the second falls in pitch. This melodic contour is also found in the Maroon 5 song ‘Moves Like Jagger,’ the fifth most cited earworm in the study. A little closer to home is the so-called “Millennial whoop,” which alternates between the fifth and third notes of a major scale and is featured in songs like Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ and Twenty-one Pilots’ ‘Ride.’

You can read all about the study at Motherboard. I apologize if this post has caused a song to lodge in your head.

Before Helen Keller, There Was Laura Bridgman

Helen Keller was famous for her writing and advocacy, but she was not the first person to receive an education despite being both blind and deaf. The first was Laura Bridgman, who was born in 1829, over 50 years before Keller. Bridgman lost her sight and hearing at the age of two. When she was seven, she was brought to the attention of educator Samuel Gridley Howe, who founded the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Howe was determined to teach Bridgman to communicate with words.

Having accomplished that seemingly impossible task of learning words before letters, Bridgman eventually became proficient in language. But her education was uneven—despite being able to, say, point out a distant country on a globe, she was kept from learning about much of the world around her. Howe focused on abstract knowledge more than real-world experiences and used the glittering success of Bridgman’s education as a kind of proof of the validity of his educational theories. Howe, who was against rote learning and espoused liberal religious views, seems to have thought that Bridgman was a kind of specimen of pure humanity, unsullied by the vagaries of the world. Indeed, writes Freeberg, Howe wrote of her as “perfectly holy” and “as pure as Eve.”

But Bridgman had her own ideas about that. Once someone learns to communicate and read, it's impossible to control what they learn. Read about Laura Bridgman at Jstor Daily.

1941 Haka

The Māori Battalion fought in Greece, Italy, and North Africa during World War II. Here they are performing a Haka for George II, the King of Greece, who was living in Egypt in 1941 after his country fell to the Nazis.

In total, almost 3,600 men served overseas with the Māori Battalion between 1940 and 1945. Of these, 649 were killed in action or died on active service – more than 10% of the 6,068 New Zealanders who lost their lives serving with 2NZEF in the Middle East and Europe. In addition, 1,712 men were wounded and 237 were prisoners of war. In the words of Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg, who commanded the 2nd NZ Division: “no infantry battalion had a more distinguished record, or saw more fighting, or, alas, had such heavy casualties as the Maori Battalion”. This sacrifice did not go unnoticed. The unit was among the most highly decorated for individual bravery of all the New Zealand forces.

See more pictures of the Haka at Rare Historical Photos.

Why Did Kamikaze Pilots Wear Helmets?

by Eddie Deezen

This has always been one of life's great imponderables. Another one George Carlin used the question in his comedy routine.
Okay, for anyone who may not know World War II history, kamikaze pilots were Japanese suicide pilots who deliberately flew their planes into Allied warships. These attacks took place during the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of the war. Kamikaze planes were often filled with bombs and explosives, so as to do more damage to the U.S. naval vessels.
Now, let's get back to our original question: If these guys were suicide pilots, flying to their own intended destruction, why the heck did they wear helmets?
First of all, kamikaze pilots never did wear helmets. This is a misnomer. They wore soft leather flying caps, the kind we see Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart wear in old films.

These flying caps covered their head and ears. They kept the pilots from getting too cold or even going deaf while flying with their cockpit canopy open. (A canopy is a transparent hood over the plane's cockpit).
Unlike most regular pilots, who would close the canopy while flying, kamikazes needed their canopies open to get a better view when taking off, landing, or looking for landmarks.
And even if kamikazes had access to modern aviation helmets, it would almost surely be a pointless exercise for him to wear them. Anyone who knows anything about aviation, or even gravity, knows that if an airplane crashes into a solid object like a warship, a pilot's helmet isn't going to do the person much good. A plane crashing (usually at full speed) into a warship, normally results in death for the pilot, no matter what he wears on his head- whether a helmet or a leather flying cap.

What a flying cap is good for, however, is protecting the pilot's head from getting knocked by the plane's canopy during high-speed mid-air maneuvering. Like the kind you have to do to avoid gunfire while nosediving into a ship.
Couple this with another little-known factor about kamikaze pilots: their missions were often aborted. Kamikaze missions were often scrapped before the final planned explosive attack because of turbulence, bad weather, or visibility issues. The pilot's protective headgear could, in these cases, ironically, protect the future suicide bombers. And the kamikaze who survived today, lived to complete his suicide mission another day.

Kentucky wingnut charged with ‘criminal mischief’ in cross burning and racist vandalism

Kentucky wingnut charged with ‘criminal mischief’ in cross burning and racist vandalism

Deputies have contacted the FBI to investigate possible hate crime charges in the case.

Bigots vandalize a South Philly building with pro-Dumbass Trump, pro-Nazi images

Welcome To AmeriKKKA

Bigots vandalize a South Philly building with pro-Dumbass Trump, pro-Nazi images

In one image, a swastika replaced the T in Dumbass Trump’s name. Another featured the German phrase “Sieg Heil.”

Man accused of 'breathing on fresh produce' in store arrested after fight

A 40-year-old man, accused of “breathing on fresh produce” in a grocery store in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday evening, refused to leave when asked to by store staff, so an employee escorted him to the door, according to police.
That’s when the man allegedly “flicked” the employee in the face while yelling racial slurs at him. The incident occurred in a Safeway store at 7:05pm. The 22-year-old employee tried to run away from the man, who was believed to be intoxicated.
But the man allegedly chased the employee until store staff and customers came to the employee’s defense. Eugene police arrived soon after and arrested John William Tarry on charges of harassment, disorderly conduct and second-degree criminal trespass.
He also had a warrant for his arrest from Eugene Municipal Court for failing to appear on an open container charge. Tarry was booked into the Lane County Jail.

Scientists probe underground depths of Earth’s carbon cycle

Scientists probe underground depths of Earth’s carbon cycle

Understanding how carbon dissolves in water at the molecular level under extreme conditions is critical to understanding the Earth’s deep carbon cycle—a process that ultimately influences global climate change. Contrary to current geochemical models, the carbon...

This is How You Get Aliens

This UFO was spotted flying over Jibbon Beach, just south of Sydney, Australia. If you look closely, you might see a yowie hiding in the forest. Remember this photograph, because you may see it on conspiracy websites in the future. There's a perfectly logical explanation.
Senorwest got this photograph while taking long exposure night shots. The lights in the sky are a police helicopter that was circling, looking for a fugitive. It has that shape because Senorwest set up a 30-second exposure and caught most of the circle, which gave it a perfect "U" shape. The dots along the shape are the pulsing of the spotlight. Cool picture.
Or maybe that's what they want you to think.

A Gallery of Original Dragons

We are already respectful of large reptiles: crocodiles, Komodo dragons, boa constrictors, etc. We are also fascinated with the whole idea of dinosaurs, big and dangerous and totally extinct. Add a couple of supernatural powers like flying and fire-breathing, and it's no wonder that people are enchanted with dragons. Because dragons are cool, Unreality sought out some wicked art from the talented folks at DeviantART for a gallery of dragons, the way you imagine them in your fantasies. Here be dragons! 

Man recovering after being bitten by decapitated rattlesnake

A fire engineer from Spring Hill, Tennessee, needed rescuing after a venomous snake bit him on the finger during a hiking trip in Columbia over the weekend. Kyle Watson was with his wife and two kids at Cheeks Blend Bluff View Trail on Sunday. His wife stepped over what was believed to be a Timber rattlesnake, one of four venomous snakes in Tennessee. The family was deep in the woods off the main trail but knew other people would be traveling through the same area and wanted to prevent others from getting hurt.
"I picked up a boat oar and severed the snake's head," Watson said. He said the children wanted to see the body so he tried to pick it up. "When I reached to get the body, the severed head turned and struck me," Watson recalled. Watson first thought it was a Copperhead and shook it off. However, he felt a burning pain up his arm a few seconds later and alerted his wife to call 911. "I felt my lips and throat swell," Watson remembered. "I took a few more steps and collapsed and struck my head on a rock." He eventually regained consciousness but knew it would be tricky for medics to arrive since he was about a mile deep into the woods.
He was carried out of the rough terrain before being flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Time is of the essence when it comes to rattlesnakes, so that was my biggest worry," Spring Hill Fire Chief Terry Hood said. Watson was first listed as critical but stable condition early on Monday morning. His arm remained on a sling to help keep the venom from spreading. Despite what happened, he's thankful for the emergency responders from Maury County including his department for being there. Watson has been an employee in Spring Hill for five years.

YouTube link.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said between 8,000 to 10,000 snakebites are reported annually in the country. Only 12 to 15 deaths occur each year. Snake experts urge you to seek medical attention immediately if any snake bites you. Remain calm to keep your heart rate reduced and prevent the venom from pumping so fast throughout the body. TWRA officials suggest not to cut or suck the venom out. If possible, keep where the location of the bite by or above the heart. Symptoms are typically an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis.

Airline passengers surprised when snake emerged from overhead compartment

Passengers on a commercial flight in Mexico were given a start when a serpent appeared in the cabin. The green reptile emerged suddenly on an Aeromexico flight from Torreon in the country’s north to Mexico City on Sunday, slithering out from behind an overhead luggage compartment.

Mobile phone video shot by passenger Indalecio Medina showed it wriggling briefly as if trapped before partially dropping down into the cabin. “I was reading a magazine and the passenger next to me saw it and, ‘Oh my word!’” Medina said. He estimated it was more than 3ft (about 1m) in length.
Passengers hastily unbuckled themselves to get clear of the snake before it dropped to the floor, where people trapped it between rows 5 and 6 with blankets provided by a flight attendant, Medina said. “It was a frightening situation ... but people remained calm because it didn’t get out of that space and nobody became hysterical,” Medina said.

Video clip is repeated twice.

YouTube link. Original Twitter video.

“Some people got up to see what kind of reptile it was, but nobody got carried away.” After the pilot radioed ahead, the plane was given priority landing in Mexico City and touched down 10 minutes later. Passengers exited out the rear, and animal control workers came on board to take the stowaway into custody. Aeromexico said in a statement that it was investigating how the snake got into the cabin and would take measures to keep such an incident from happening again.

Man says supermarket refused to sell him olive oil ear drops when he said they were for his dog

Spaniel owner Nick Williams said he was "astounded" when staff at a supermarket pharmacy allegedly refused to sell him olive oil because he said it was for his dog. He went to the Tesco superstore St Oswald's, Gloucester, to buy oil in a bottle with a pipette over the pharmacy counter to sooth infections in his 12-year-old spaniel's ears. But the cashier refused to sell him the oil when he mentioned in small talk it was for his dog, Shem, he said.
Nick said: "I asked her if they had any of those oil drops with the pipette in and she gave me the box. I said I'm not bothered what it was so long as it was olive oil as it's for my dog, I've been using it for years as he's a spaniel and has ear problems and she just said, 'oh, I can't sell it to you now'. So I said, 'why'? And she said because it's for the dog." Spaniels are known for having ear problems and Nick said he regularly inserts oil into his dog's ears.
Tesco said in response that items sold in its pharmacies are licensed for human use, not pets. Nick said: "You can buy ordinary olive oil off the shelf but I had lost the pipette, so that is what I needed and I didn't know where else to buy one. If you look on the pack it says it's 100 per cent olive oil – it's virgin olive oil just the same as you can buy off the shelf." According to Nick there was no further negotiation after he was refused service.
He said: " I couldn't believe it. I was astounded; it was like I was trying to buy a restricted drug or something. It's something that people put in their ears so it's obviously very safe." A Tesco spokesman said: "Medicinal products sold in our in-store pharmacies are licensed for human use but not veterinary use. Supplies of such products for the treatment of animals should be under supervision of a vet which is why were unable to provide olive oil ear drops once the gentleman explained they were for his pet spaniel."

Pampered pet pig spends her days snuggled on the sofa watching TV

Unlike other pigs who spend their time wallowing in mud and eating potato peelings, Penny the pampered porker spends her days watching TV and snuggling on the sofa of her home near Bristol. Her owners Hannah Kembrey and Mike Baxter got Penny, a ginger micro pig, when she was just eight-weeks-old. And ever since the spoiled swine, who is now nine months old, has really made herself at home. Penny spends her day on her cushioned bed, or on the sofa in the lounge, watching daytime TV with her other four legged pal Lady the dog.
She also likes going out for walk with Hannah and Mike, who had to apply to Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for a special 'pig licence' to take her out on a lead. Not only that but Penny is proof that pigs aren't stupid like many people think – she has learned to follow commands such as 'sit' and 'wait.' Penny also shares her home with Keeli the African grey parrot, rabbits Barney and Honey, ferrets Dexter, Lara and Khaleesi, King Snake Legless and pastel python Hugo.

"Penny is very much like a dog," said Hannah. "She has a dog bed which she sleeps on and when we are home she cuddles up on the sofa and watches television with us and especially likes The Walking Dead." But having a pig as a pet is not always straightforward. And although Penny is generally well behaved, she does have her moments. The couple have returned home to find that Penny, who usually enjoys a diet of mixed oats, maize, wholewheat pasta and bread, has pulled out all the kitchen drawers and cupboards, munching her way through the contents.

YouTube link.

And in a dual operation with Lady, she also managed to pull down a large bag of parrot feed on the kitchen side and scoffed it. "Generally she is pretty well behaved, says Hannah. "In the evening she gives us a little grunt and then hops on the sofa with me, Mike and Lady. She will sit there all night and snuggle up quite happily. People may think it's a bit weird having a pig as a pet and for some people it may be. But I don't regret getting her. We love her and she is part of our family."

Weird and Fascinating Deep-Sea Creatures

The GEOMAR research center in Germany went on a deep-sea mission to study biodiversity off Cape Verde. Photographer and marine biologist Solvin Zankl set up a shipboard studio to photograph creatures brought up from the depths, so we can get up close and personal with them, and learn a bit about them. For example, you might think this viperfish would have trouble chomping down with those teeth, but he has a terrifying way of coping.

Like many other deep-sea fishes, the Sloan’s viperfish (Chauliodus sloani) uses light-producing cells called photophores to lure unsuspecting prey toward its mouth. Once it catches its victim, the viperfish’s hinged teeth rotate inward to trap the animal and force it inescapably down the predator’s gullet.

See an entire gallery of weird deep-sea creatures at Atlas Obscura.

Lizard species diverging to survive

Lizard species diverging to survive

Rapid evolution in action at White Sands National Monument Towering gypsum dunes span hundreds of square miles in New Mexico's White Sands National Monument, the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Hundreds of animal species thrive in this unique ecosystem, but...

Animal Pictures