The California Condor is a species of North American bird in the New
World vulture family Cathartidae. Currently, this condor inhabits only
the western coastal mountains of the United States, Baja California,
and the Grand Canyon. It is the only surviving member of the genus
Gymnogyps, though fossil members are known. It is a large, black
vulture with patches of white on the underside of the wings and a
largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to a glowing
red, depending on the bird’s mood. It has the largest wingspan of any
bird found in North America and is one of the heaviest. The condor is
a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. They are one of the
world's longest-living birds, with lifespans of up to 50 years. Condor
numbers dramatically declined in the 1800s due to poaching, lead
poisoning, and habitat destruction. Eventually, a conservation plan
was put in place by the United States government that led to the
capture of all the remaining wild condors in 1987. These 22 birds were
bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors
have been reintroduced into the wild. The project is the most
expensive species conservation project ever undertaken in the United
States. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird
species. As of November 2007 there are 302 individuals living,
including 155 in the wild.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Condor
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1639:
English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first observation of a
transit of Venus (2004 picture shown).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/transit_of_Venus)
1676:
Scanian War: Forces led by Swedish Field Marshal Simon
Grundel-Helmfelt defeated the invading army of Denmark–Norway under
the command of King Christian V at the Battle of Lund in an area north
of Lund, Sweden.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lund)
1791:
The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, was first
published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Observer)
1991:
Pan American World Airways, which was the principal international
airline of the United States and which was credited with many
innovations, ended operations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_World_Airways)
1992:
Operation Restore Hope: U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered
American troops into Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and
restore order after the dissolution of the country's central
government during the ongoing Somali Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Civil_War)
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Wiktionary's Word of the day:
grimalkin: A cat, especially an elderly female.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grimalkin)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
You don't get very far in life without having to be brave an awful
lot. Because we all have our frightening moments and difficult trials
and we don't have much of a choice but to get through 'em, and it
takes a lot of bravery to do that. The most important thing about
bravery is this — It's not about not being scared — it's about being
scared and doing it anyway — that's bravery. -- Ysabella Brave
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ysabella_Brave)
Branded to Kill is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun
Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko
Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu
Company. The story follows Goro Hanada in his life as a contract
killer. He falls in love with a woman named Misako, who recruits him
for a seemingly impossible mission. When the mission fails he becomes
hunted by the phantom Number One Killer, whose methods threaten his
sanity as much as his life. After its release Suzuki was famously
fired for making "movies that make no sense and no money". Suzuki was
blacklisted and did not make another feature for 10 years but became a
counterculture hero. The film drew a strong following which expanded
overseas through the 1980s and 1990s and has established itself as a
cult classic. Film critics and enthusiasts now regard it as an
absurdist masterpiece. It has been cited as an influence by filmmakers
such as Jim Jarmusch, John Woo, Chan-wook Park and Quentin Tarantino.
Thirty-four years after Branded to Kill, Suzuki filmed Pistol Opera
(2001) with Nikkatsu, a loose sequel to the former.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branded_to_Kill
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
At least 22 people were killed and 35 others were injured when
rebelling miners at the Eureka Stockade clashed violently with the
police and the military in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Stockade)
1904:
The Jovian moon Himalia was discovered by astronomer Charles Dillon
Perrine at the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California, USA.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_%28moon%29)
1967:
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, cardiac
surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart
transplant on Louis Washkansky.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard)
1971:
The formal initiation of hostilities of the Indo-Pakistani War began
with Pakistan launching airstrikes on Indian airfields, and India
retaliating by invading East Pakistan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chengiz_Khan)
1999:
NASA lost contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before it
reached the atmosphere of Mars and disappeared.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Polar_Lander)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
effectually: In such a way as to achieve a desired result;
effectively.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effectually)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
All creative art is magic, is evocation of the unseen in forms
persuasive, enlightening, familiar and surprising, for the edification
of mankind, pinned down by the conditions of its existence to the
earnest consideration of the most insignificant tides of reality. --
Joseph Conrad
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad)
Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university, located
in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood. Father John Carroll
founded the school in 1789, though its roots extend back to 1634.
Georgetown's three urban campuses feature traditional collegiate
architecture and layout, but prize their green spaces and
environmental commitment. The main campus is known for Healy Hall,
designated a National Historic Landmark. Academically, Georgetown is
divided into four undergraduate schools and four graduate schools,
with nationally recognized programs and faculty in international
relations, law, medicine, and business. The student body is noted for
its pluralism and political activism, as well as its sizable
international contingent. Campus groups include the nation's oldest
student dramatic society and the largest student corporation, The
Corp. Georgetown's most notable alumni, such as former U.S. President
Bill Clinton, served in various levels of government in the United
States and abroad. The Georgetown athletics teams are nicknamed "the
Hoyas," made famous by their men's basketball team, which leads the
Big East Conference with seven tournament championships.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
Napoleonic Wars: French forces led by Emperor Napoleon I decisively
defeated a Russo-Austrian army commanded by Czar Alexander I in the
Battle of Austerlitz.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz)
1823:
U.S. President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, a
proclamation of opposition to European colonialism in the New World.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine)
1942:
The Manhattan Project: Scientists led by Enrico Fermi initiated the
first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the experimental
nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project)
1956:
Cuban Revolution: The yacht Granma, carrying Fidel Castro, Che
Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement, reached the
shores of Cuba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granma_%28yacht%29)
1975:
The Pathet Lao overthrew the royalist government in Vientiane,
forcing King Savang Vatthana to abdicate, and established the Lao
People's Democratic Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
carry the message to Garcia: To perform a requisite task despite
obstacles.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carry_the_message_to_Garcia)
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Wikiquote of the day:
Ultimately, leadership requires action: daring to take
steps that are necessary but unpopular, challenging the status quo in
order to reach a brighter future. And to push for peace is ultimately
personal sacrifice, for leadership is not easy. It is born of a
passion, and it is a commitment. Leadership is a commitment to an
idea, to a dream, and to a vision of what can be. And my dream is for
my land and my people to cease fighting and allow our children to
reach their full potential regardless of sex, status, or belief. --
Benazir Bhutto
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto)
Hoysala architecture is the distinctive building style developed under
the rule of the Hoysala Empire in the region known today as Karnataka,
India, between the 11th and the 14th centuries. Hoysala influence was
at its peak in the 13th century, when it dominated the Southern Deccan
Plateau region. Large and small temples built during this era remain
as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the
Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and
the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. Other examples of fine Hoysala
craftmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amrithapura, Hosaholalu and
Nuggehalli. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a
negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian
style is more distinct. The vigorous temple building activity of the
Hoysala Empire was due to the social, cultural and political events of
the period.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_architecture
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1640:
John IV was declared King of Portugal, resulting in the Portuguese
Restoration War with Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal)
1824:
As dictated by the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the
House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams as the winner of
the U.S. presidential election after none of the candidates received a
majority of the total electoral college votes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1824)
1955:
African-American Civil Rights Movement: Seamstress Rosa Parks was
arrested for violating the racial segregation laws of Montgomery,
Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white
man, precipitating the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks)
1959:
Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, the first arms control
agreement established during the Cold War, banning military activity
in Antarctica and setting the continent aside as a scientific
preserve.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System)
1990:
Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France met
{{convert|40|m|ft|0}} beneath the English Channel seabed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
nimbus: A circle of light; halo.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nimbus)
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Wikiquote of the day:
December will be magic again. Don't miss the brightest star. Kiss
under mistletoe. I want to hear you laugh. Don't let the mystery go
now. -- Kate Bush
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)