The Bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. With
twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to
northern Mexico, including much of the continental United States. The
Bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as
semi-desert, urban edge, and swampland environments. It persists in
much of its original range and populations are healthy. With a gray to
brown coat, whiskered face, and black-tufted ears, the Bobcat
resembles the other species of the mid-sized Lynx genus. It is smaller
than the Canadian Lynx, with whom it shares parts of its range, but
about twice as large as the domestic cat. It has distinctive black
bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby tail, from which it
derives its name. Though the Bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will
hunt anything from insects and small rodents to deer. Prey selection
depends on location and habitat, season, and abundance. Like most
cats, the Bobcat is territorial and largely solitary, although there
is some overlap in home ranges. It uses several methods to mark its
territorial boundaries, including claw marks and deposits of urine or
feces. The Bobcat breeds from winter into the spring and has a
gestation period of about two months. The Bobcat has been subject to
extensive hunting by humans, both for sport and fur, but its
population has proven resilient. The elusive predator has featured in
Native American mythology and the folklore of European settlers.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1880:
Australian bank robber and bushranger Ned Kelly was hanged in
Melbourne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly)
1918:
Germany and the Allies signed an armistice treaty in a railway
carriage in France's Compiègne Forest (delegations pictured), ending
World War I on the Western Front.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_with_Germany_%28Compi%C3%A8gne%29)
1965:
Ian Smith, Premier of the British Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia,
issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, a move that the
British government and the United Nations condemned as illegal.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilateral_Declaration_of_Independence_%28Rhod…)
1975:
The Australian constitutional crisis came to a head as Prime
Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed from office by Governor-General
Sir John Kerr.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis)
2004:
Mahmoud Abbas was elected Chairman of the Palestine Liberation
Organization after Yasser Arafat died from an unknown illness.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
apotheosis: Glorification, sometimes to a divine level; deification;
crediting a person with god-like power.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apotheosis)
The rings of Jupiter are a system of planetary rings around the planet
Jupiter. The Jovian ring system was the third ring system to be
discovered in the Solar System after those of Saturn and Uranus. It
was first observed in 1979 by the Voyager 1 spaceprobe and thoroughly
investigated in the 1990s by the Galileo orbiter. It has also been
observed by the Hubble Space Telescope and from the ground for the
past 25 years. Ground-based observations of the rings require the
largest available telescopes. The Jovian ring system is faint and
consists mainly of dust It comprises four main components: a thick
inner torus of particles known as the 'halo ring'; a relatively
bright, razor-thin 'main ring'; and two wide, thick and faint outer
'gossamer rings', named for the moons of whose material they are
composed: Amalthea and Thebe. The main and halo rings consist of dust
ejected by high-velocity impacts from the moons Metis, Adrastea and
other unobserved parent bodies. High-resolution images obtained in
February and March 2007 by the New Horizons spacecraft revealed a rich
fine structure in the main ring. The age of the ring system is not
known but it may have existed since the formation of Jupiter.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Jupiter
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1444:
The Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II defeated the Polish and
Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and John Hunyadi at the
Battle of Varna near Varna, Bulgaria in the final battle of the
Crusade of Varna.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Varna)
1871:
"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" – Journalist and explorer Henry Morton
Stanley located missing missionary and explorer David Livingstone in
Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morton_Stanley)
1928:
Hirohito was crowned the 124th Emperor of Japan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirohito)
1969:
The children's television series Sesame Street debuted on the
National Educational Television network in the United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_Street)
1995:
Playwright and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others
from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People were executed
by the Nigerian military government.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
vouchsafe: To condescendingly grant a right, benefit, outcome, etc.;
to deign to acknowledge.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vouchsafe)
The Webley Revolver was, in various marks, the standard issue service
pistol for the armed forces of the United Kingdom, the British Empire,
and the Commonwealth from 1887 until 1963. The Webley is a top-break
revolver with automatic extraction; breaking the revolver open for
reloading also operates the extractor, removing the spent cartridges
from the cylinder. The Webley Mk I service revolver was adopted in
1887, but it was a later version—the Mk IV—which rose to prominence
during the Boer War of 1899–1902. The Mk VI, introduced in 1915 during
World War I, is perhaps the best-known model. Webley service revolvers
are among the most powerful top-break revolvers ever produced, firing
the .455 Webley cartridge. Although the .455 calibre Webley is no
longer in military service, the .38/200 Webley Mk IV variant is still
sporadically in use as a police sidearm in a number of countries.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webley_Revolver
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1519:
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire: Spanish conquistador Hernán
Cortés entered Tenochtitlan where Aztec tlatoani Moctezuma II welcomed
him with great pomp as would befit a returning god.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_the_Aztec_Empire)
1520:
Stockholm Bloodbath: Following a successful invasion of Sweden by
Danish forces under Christian II of Denmark, scores of Swedish leaders
were executed despite Christian's promise of general amnesty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Bloodbath)
1895:
German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen produced and detected
electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range that is known today as
X-rays.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Conrad_R%C3%B6ntgen)
1923:
Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other members of the Kampfbund
started the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed attempt to seize power in
Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Hall_Putsch)
1987:
A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a
Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing
at least eleven people and injuring sixty-three others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day_bombing)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
grandiloquent: Of a person, their language or writing: overly wordy,
pompous, flowery, or elaborate.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grandiloquent)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation
of Kazakhstan is a 2006 Academy Award-nominated mockumentary comedy
film directed by Larry Charles. It stars the British comedian Sacha
Baron Cohen in the title role of Borat Sagdiyev, a fictitious Kazakh
journalist, traveling through the United States recording real-life
interactions with Americans. It is the second film built around one of
Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show, following Ali G Indahouse,
which also featured a cameo by Borat. It was a critical and commercial
success, despite an initially limited release in the United States.
Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor: Musical or
Comedy as Borat while the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture
in the same category. Controversy surrounded the film even before its
release. It has been criticised for having a protagonist who is sexist
and antisemitic (although Cohen is Jewish himself), and some who have
appeared in the film have criticised and even sued its creators. All
Arab countries, except for Lebanon, banned it, and the Russian
government successfully discouraged cinemas there from showing it.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borat%3A_Cultural_Learnings_of_America_for_Mak…
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1665:
The London Gazette, the oldest surviving English newspaper, was
first published as the Oxford Gazette.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Gazette)
1811:
American forces led by Indiana Territory Governor William Henry
Harrison defeated the forces of Shawnee leader Tecumseh's growing
American Indian confederation at the Battle of Tippecanoe near
present-day Battle Ground, Indiana.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tippecanoe)
1885:
Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the first
transcontinental railroad across Canada, concluded with financier and
politician Sir Donald Smith driving in the "last spike" in
Craigellachie, British Columbia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway)
1917:
Vladimir Lenin led a Bolshevik insurrection against the Provisional
Government of Alexander Kerensky, starting the Bolshevik Revolution,
the second phase of the overall Russian Revolution.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281917%29)
1987:
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali deposed and replaced Habib Bourguiba as
President of Tunisia, declaring him medically unfit for the duties of
the office.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine_El_Abidine_Ben_Ali)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
grandiloquent: Of a person, their language or writing: overly wordy,
pompous, flowery, or elaborate.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grandiloquent)
Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines
music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics. It arose in the
late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the
mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty
court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of
China. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing and Tianjin in
the north, and Shanghai in the south. The art form is also enjoyed in
Taiwan, and has spread to other countries such as the United States
and Japan. Beijing opera features four main types of performers.
Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as
numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and
colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing
opera's characteristically sparse stage. They utilize the skills of
speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and
suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of
performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_opera
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican Party candidate to win
the U.S. presidential election.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1860)
1935:
Before the Institute of Radio Engineers in New York, American
electrical engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong presented his
study on using frequency modulation for radio broadcasting.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/frequency_modulation)
1962:
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 1761,
condemning South Africa's apartheid policies.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Africa_in_the_apartheid_era)
1975:
Demonstrators in Morocco began the Green March to Spanish Sahara,
calling for the "return of the Moroccan Sahara."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_March)
1999:
Although opinion polls had clearly suggested that the majority of
the electorate favoured republicanism, the Australian republic
referendum was defeated, keeping the British monarch as the country's
head of state.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_republic_referendum%2C_1999)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
autochthonous: Native to the place where found; indigenous.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/autochthonous)
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video
games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and has
been owned by CNET Networks since May 2003. The site has a large
database of video game information and has been called a place where
readers "can get almost any information" regarding game strategies.
The systems covered range from the 8-bit Atari platform to the
consoles of today, including computer games. The FAQs, cheat codes,
reviews, game saves, and credits are submitted by volunteer gamers,
and contributions are reviewed by the site's two editors, Jeff Veasey
and Allen Tyner. The site hosts a large and active message board
community. Every game listed on the site has a board for discussion or
gameplay help. Many of the boards are shared between GameFAQs and
GameSpot, another CNET website. The site also features a daily opinion
poll and related tournament contests. GameFAQs.com is one of the 200
highest-trafficked websites according to Alexa.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameFAQs
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1605:
The Gunpowder Plot: Thomas Knyvet arrested explosives expert Guy
Fawkes and foiled Robert Catesby's plot to destroy the Houses of
Parliament in London during the State Opening.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot)
1688:
Glorious Revolution: Protestant Prince William of Orange landed at
Brixham in Devon, on his way to depose his father-in-law King James
II, the last Catholic monarch of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution)
1838:
The collapse of the Federal Republic of Central America began with
Nicaragua seceding from the union.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America)
1872:
American Suffragette Susan B. Anthony voted in the U.S. presidential
election for the first time in Rochester, New York. She was later
fined US$100 for her participation, which she never paid, and the
government never pursued her for nonpayment.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony)
1917:
St. Tikhon of Moscow was elected Patriarch of Moscow and of the
Russian Orthodox Church.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikhon_of_Moscow)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
autochthonous: Native to the place where found; indigenous.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/autochthonous)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot. -- Traditional rhyme for Guy Fawkes Night
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes)
The arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, then president of South
Vietnam, marked the culmination of a successful coup d'état led by
General Duong Van Minh in November 1963. On the morning of November 2,
1963, Diem and his adviser and younger brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were
arrested after the Army of the Republic of Vietnam had been successful
in a bloody overnight siege on Gia Long Palace in Saigon. The coup was
the end result of nine years of autocratic and nepotistic family rule
in South Vietnam. Discontent with the Diem regime had been simmering
below the surface, and exploded with mass Buddhist protests against
long running religious discrimination after the government shooting of
protesters who defied a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag.
However, when rebel forces entered the palace, the brothers were not
present, as they had escaped the previous night to a loyalist shelter
in Cholon. The brothers had kept in communication with the rebels
through a direct link from the shelter to the palace, and misled them
into believing that they were still in the palace. Soon after, the Ngo
brothers agreed to surrender and were promised safe exile; after being
arrested, they were instead executed in the back of an armoured
personnel carrier by ARVN officers on the journey back to military
headquarters at Tan Son Nhut Air Base.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_and_assassination_of_Ngo_Dinh_Diem
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1795:
French Revolution: Under the terms of a new constitution that was
ratified during the aftermath of the Reign of Terror and the
subsequent Thermidorian Reaction, the Directory succeeded the National
Convention as the executive government of France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Directory)
1917:
British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued the Balfour
Declaration, proclaiming British support for the establishment of a
Jewish homeland in Palestine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration_of_1917)
1936:
BBC Television Service launched the world's first regular, public,
high-definition television service.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_One)
1947:
American industrialist and aviator Howard Hughes flew Spruce Goose,
the largest flying boat ever built, on its maiden flight from the
coast of Long Beach, California, USA.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules)
2000:
Expedition 1: American astronaut William Shepherd and Russian
cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko became the first resident
crew to arrive at the International Space Station.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
tmesis: (prosody) The insertion of one or more words between the
components of a compound word.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tmesis)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
By the theory of our Government majorities rule, but this right is not
an arbitrary or unlimited one. It is a right to be exercised in
subordination to the Constitution and in conformity to it. One great
object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing
minorities or encroaching upon their just rights. Minorities have a
right to appeal to the Constitution as a shield against such
oppression. -- James K. Polk
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_K._Polk