Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus, a
species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. The flower's three stigmas
(the distal ends of the plant's carpels) and parts of its style (a
stalk connecting the stigmas to the rest of the plant) are often dried
and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Saffron, which
has for decades been the world's most expensive spice by weight, was
first cultivated in the vicinity of Greece. Saffron is characterised
by a bitter taste and an iodoform- or hay-like fragrance; these are
caused by the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal. It also contains a
carotenoid dye, crocin, that gives food a rich golden-yellow hue.
These qualities make saffron a much sought-after ingredient in many
foods worldwide. Saffron also has medicinal applications. The word
saffron originated from the 12th century Old French term safran, which
derives from the Latin word safranum.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy signed the Treaty of
Kanagawa, forcing the opening of Japanese ports to American trade.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Perry_%28naval_officer%29)
1889:
The Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in Paris.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower)
1903:
New Zealand inventor Richard Pearse reportedly flew in one of the
first flying machines.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pearse)
1917:
The Danish West Indies became the U.S. Virgin Islands after the United
States paid Denmark US$25 million for the Caribbean islands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Virgin_Islands)
1930:
Hollywood movie studios instituted the Production Code to avoid
government censorship.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_Code)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit that our lives
are all that really belong to us. So, it is how we use our lives that
determines what kind of men we are. It is my deepest belief that only
by giving our lives do we find life." -- Cesar Chavez
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cesar_Chavez)
The Yom Kippur War was fought from October 6 (the day of Yom Kippur)
to October 26, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Egypt and
Syria. The War began with a surprise joint attack by Egypt and Syria
into the Sinai and Golan Heights, respectively, which had been
captured by Israel six years earlier during the Six-Day War. The
Egyptians and Syrians advanced during the first 24–48 hours, after
which momentum began to swing in Israel's favor. By the second week of
the war, the Syrians had been pushed entirely out of the Golan
Heights. In the Sinai to the south, the Israelis had struck at the
"hinge" between two invading Egyptian armies, crossed the Suez Canal
(where the old cease-fire line had been), and cut off an entire
Egyptian army just as a United Nations cease-fire came into effect.
The war had far-reaching implications for many nations. The Arab
world, which had been humiliated by the lopsided defeat of the
Egyptian-Syrian-Jordanian alliance during the Six-Day War, felt
psychologically vindicated by its string of victories early in the
conflict. This vindication paved the way for the peace process that
followed, as well as liberalizations such as Egypt's infitah policy.
The Camp David Accords which came soon after led to normalized
relations between Egypt and Israel—the first time any Arab country had
recognized the Israeli state. Egypt, which had already been drifting
away from the Soviet Union, then left the Soviet sphere of influence
almost entirely.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the purchase of
Alaska for 7.2 million U.S. dollars from Russia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Seward)
1912:
Sultan Abdelhafid signed the Treaty of Fez, making Morocco a French
protectorate.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Morocco)
1940:
World War II: Wang Jingwei was installed by Japan as head of the
puppet government in China.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Jingwei)
1954:
The Toronto Transit Commission launched the first subway system in
Canada.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Transit_Commission)
1964:
Merv Griffin's game show Jeopardy! made its debut on television.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeopardy%21)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Nothing can be surprising any more or impossible or miraculous, now
that Zeus, father of the Olympians has made night out of noonday,
hiding the bright sunlight, and . . . fear has come upon mankind.
After this, men can believe anything, expect anything." -- Archilochus
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Archilochus)
Frog is the common name for amphibians in the order Anura. Adult frogs
are characterised by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits,
protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most frogs move by jumping
or climbing. Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle. They typically
lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes, and their larvae, called
tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult frogs follow a
carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs
are most noticeable through their call, which can be widely heard
during the mating season. The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic
to subarctic regions, with most of the species found in tropical
rainforests. With over 5,000 species described, they are among the
most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, their declining numbers
are increasingly giving cause for concern. A distinction is often made
between frogs and toads on the basis of their appearance, prompted by
the convergent adaptation of so-called toads to dry environments;
however, this distinction has no taxonomic basis.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1513:
Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León first sighted Florida,
purportedly while searching for the Fountain of Youth in the New
World.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Florida)
1794:
The United States Navy was established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy)
1958:
Nikita Khrushchev became Premier of the Soviet Union.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev)
1964:
The Good Friday Earthquake and subsequent tsunamis devastated
Anchorage, Alaska.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Earthquake)
1977:
Two Boeing 747 airliners collided in the Tenerife disaster on Tenerife
of the Canary Islands, killing 583 people in one of the worst aircraft
accidents in aviation history.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_disaster)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"All knowledge is oriented toward some object and is influenced in its
approach by the nature of the object with which it is pre-occupied.
But the mode of approach to the object to be known is dependent upon
the nature of the knower." -- Karl Mannheim
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Mannheim)
The Jackson 5 were an American popular music quintet from Gary,
Indiana. The group, active from 1962 to 1990, regularly played from a
repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered "one of the
biggest phenomenons in pop music" during the early 1970s, the Jackson
5 group is also notable for launching the career of its lead singer,
Michael Jackson. The primary members of the group were all the male
children of Katherine and Joseph Jackson: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine,
Marlon, Michael, and Randy. Most of the early hits were written and
produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The
Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were chiefly crafted by Hal
Davis. They continued their success into the 1980s with hits such as
"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "State of Shock", and a
highly successful 1984 Victory tour before disbanding in 1990.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackson_5
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1306:
Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at the Scone Palace
in Perth.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I_of_Scotland)
1634:
The English colony of Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore and a
group of Catholic settlers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Maryland)
1655:
Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the largest natural satellite of
the planet Saturn.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29)
1931:
The Scottsboro Boys were arrested and charged with rape.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottsboro_Boys)
1957:
West Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, France and Belgium
signed the Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic
Community.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Community)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you
can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known
in advance to what you need to know." -- Ward Cunningham
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham)
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and with a population of
just over 323,000 is Australia's largest inland city. Canberra was
selected as the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a
compromise between Sydney and Melbourne and is unusual amongst
Australian capital cities as an entirely purpose-built, planned city.
Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by
Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction
commenced in 1913. Although the growth and development of Canberra was
hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a
thriving city post-World War II. As Australia's seat of government,
Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia
and numerous government departments; it is also the location of
numerous social and cultural institutions of national significance.
The federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross
State Product and is the largest employer in Canberra. Canberra is
also a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1603:
King James I became the first British monarch to reign in the Kingdoms
of England, Ireland and Scotland simultaneously.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_England)
1882:
Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacterium that causes
tuberculosis.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tuberculosis)
1944:
World War II: Captured Allied soldiers began "the Great Escape",
breaking out of the German prison camp Stalag Luft III.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III)
1976:
Dirty War: President Isabel Perón of Argentina was kidnapped and
deposed in a bloodless coup d'état.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War)
1989:
The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 11 million gallons of oil
into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing a major environmental
disaster.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"With the arrogance of youth, I determined to do no less than to
transform the world with Beauty. If I have succeeded in some small
way, if only in one small corner of the world, amongst the men and
women I love, then I shall count myself blessed, and blessed, and
blessed, and the work goes on." -- William Morris
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Morris)
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British engineer. Voted the second
greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 BBC poll (after Winston
Churchill), he is best known for the creation of the Great Western
Railway, a series of famous steamships, and numerous important
bridges. Though his projects were not always successful, they often
contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems.
During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts",
including the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and
development of the first propeller-driven steamship, which was at the
time also the largest ship ever built. Brunel was a heavy cigar smoker
and suffered several years of ill health with kidney problems, before
succumbing to a stroke at the age of fifty-three.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolution: Patrick Henry made his "Give me liberty or give
me death" speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry)
1801:
Tsar Alexander I acceded to the Russian throne after his father Paul I
was brutally murdered.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_I_of_Russia)
1940:
Pakistan Movement: The All India Muslim League adopted the Lahore
Resolution.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_League)
1978:
The first UNIFIL troops arrived in Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission
along the Blue Line.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Line_%28Lebanon%29)
1996:
Lee Teng-hui was elected President of the Republic of China in the
first direct presidential election in Taiwan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course
others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" --
Patrick Henry
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry)
The Bath School disaster was a series of bombings of a farm, school
and car in Bath Township, Michigan, on May 18, 1927. The bombings
killed 45 people and injured an additional 58; most of these were
children in the second through sixth grades. The Bath School disaster
is the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in United States
history, claiming more than three times as many victims as the
Columbine High School massacre. Bath Consolidated school board member
Andrew Kehoe was upset by a property tax levy used to fund the school
building. He blamed the additional tax for putting his farm into
foreclosure. On the morning of May 18, Kehoe first killed his wife and
then set his farm buildings on fire. As fire fighters arrived at the
farm, an explosion rocked the school building. A detonator Kehoe
planted in the school ignited dynamite and hundreds of pounds of
pyrotol. While rescuers were gathering at the school, Kehoe drove up,
stopped and detonated a bomb in his shrapnel-filled vehicle. With
this, Kehoe killed himself and the school superintendent, as well as
killing and injuring several more.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1765:
The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, adding fuel to
the growing separatist movement in colonial America.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765)
1784:
The Emerald Buddha of Thailand was installed at the Wat Phra Kaew on
the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Buddha)
1888:
William McGregor, director of Aston Villa F.C. in Birmingham, England,
founded The Football League.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McGregor)
1945:
The Arab League was founded by 7 Arab state.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League)
1995:
Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov of the Soyuz programme
returned from the Mir space station after 437 days in space, setting a
record for the longest spaceflight.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight_records)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"As I understand it, laws, commands, rules and edicts are for those
who have not the light which makes plain the pathway." -- Anne
Hutchinson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Hutchinson)
The Sun is the spectral type G2V yellow star at the center of our
solar system. The Earth as well as many other bodies (including other
planets, asteroids, meteoroids, comets and dust) orbit the Sun, and it
accounts for more than 99% of the solar system's mass. Different
latitudes of the Sun rotate at different rates; a point on the equator
takes 25 days, while a point at a pole takes 36 days. The resultant
torsion upsets the Sun's very strong magnetic field to create an
11-year solar cycle of activity. Heat and light from the Sun have
supported almost all life on Earth. Humans use sunlight to grow crops
(see photosynthesis) and power solar cells. The Sun is a ball of
plasma with a diameter of 1.392 million km (864,950 mi) and a mass of
about 2.0 x 10^30 kg, which is somewhat higher than that of an average
star. About 74% of its mass is hydrogen, with 25% helium, and the rest
made up of trace quantities of heavier elements. The Sun is about 4.6
billion years old, and is about halfway through its main sequence
evolution, during which nuclear fusion reactions in its core fuse
hydrogen into helium.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1602:
The Dutch East India Company was established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company)
1852:
Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe about slavery in
the United States before the Civil War, was first published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin)
1883:
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, one of
the first intellectual property treaties, was signed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Industr…)
1987:
The antiretroviral drug AZT became the first antiviral medication
approved for use against HIV and AIDS.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zidovudine)
1995:
The Aum Shinrikyo sect carried out a poison gas attack on the Tokyo
subway system, killing 12 people and injuring more than 6,000 with
sarin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom — these are the
pillars of society." -- Henrik Ibsen
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrik_Ibsen)
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is an anti-Semitic text purporting
to describe a plan to achieve global domination by the Jewish people.
Following its first public publication in 1903 in the Russian Empire,
numerous independent investigations have repeatedly proved the writing
to be a hoax; notably, a series of articles printed in The Times of
London in 1921 revealed that much of the material was directly
plagiarized from earlier works of political satire unrelated to Jews.
Nevertheless, some people continue to view it as factual, especially
in parts of the world where anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, or
anti-Zionism are widespread. It is frequently quoted and reprinted by
anti-Semites, and is sometimes used as evidence of Jewish conspiracy,
especially in the Middle East. The Protocols are widely considered the
beginning of contemporary conspiracy theory literature, and take the
form of an instruction manual to a new member of the "Elders",
describing how they will run the world through control of the media
and finance and replace the traditional social order with one based on
mass manipulation.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
The Song Dynasty in Imperial China ended with a Mongolian victory in
the Battle of Yamen.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty)
1687:
The search for the mouth of the Mississippi River led by French
explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle ended with a mutiny and his
murder in present-day Texas.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%83%C2%A9-Robert_Cavelier%2C_Sieur_de_La…)
1915:
The planet Pluto was photographed for the first time, 15 years before
it was eventually discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell
Observatory.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto)
1932:
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, a major landmark in Sydney, Australia, was
formally opened.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge)
1982:
Argentine forces led by Alfredo Astiz occupied South Georgia,
precipitating the Falklands War against the United Kingdom.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
''Who save the madman dares to cry: "'Tis I am right, you all are
wrong"? "You all are right, you all are wrong," we hear the careless
Soofi say, "For each believes his glimm'ering lamp to be the gorgeous
light of day." -- Sir Richard Francis Burton
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton)
The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television
serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin and produced and co-written by
John Wells. The series is set in the West Wing of the White House, the
location of the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior staff,
during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet
(Martin Sheen). The West Wing is produced by Warner Bros. and is now
in its seventh and final season. It first aired on NBC in 1999 and has
been picked up by networks in other countries, including the United
Kingdom and Japan. On January 22, 2006, NBC announced that the series
would end its seven year run on May 14. The show has received positive
reviews from television critics, political science professors, and
former White House staffers. Overall, The West Wing has won 24 Emmy
Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. The show's popularity has dropped
in recent years, but it still remains one of the most popular shows
among high-income viewers.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_West_Wing_%28TV_series%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1229:
Sixth Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared himself King
of Jerusalem.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
1438:
Albert II of Habsburg became King of the Romans in the Holy Roman
Empire.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_II_of_Germany)
1921:
The Polish-Soviet War, which determined the borders between the
Republic of Poland and Soviet Russia, formally concluded with the
signing of the Peace of Riga.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Riga)
1922:
Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil
disobedience.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi)
1965:
Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov donned a spacesuit and ventured outside the
Voskhod 2 spacecraft, becoming the first person to walk in space.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voskhod_2)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The very essence of a free government consists in considering offices
as public trusts, bestowed for the good of the country, and not for
the benefit of an individual or a party." -- John C. Calhoun
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_C._Calhoun)