Kate Bush is a British singer, songwriter, musician and record
producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic lyrics have
made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful and original solo
female performers of the past 30 years. Bush was signed up by EMI at
the age of 16 after being recommended by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.
In 1978 at age 19, she debuted with the surprise hit "Wuthering
Heights", topping the UK charts for four weeks and becoming the first
woman to have a UK number one with a self-written song. She has since
gone on to release eight albums, three of which topped the UK album
charts, and have UK top ten hit singles with "Running Up That Hill",
"King of the Mountain", "Babooshka", "The Man with the Child in His
Eyes", and "Don't Give Up". During her tour of 1979, the only tour of
her career, she became the first ever singer to use a wireless headset
radio microphone on stage. With her 1980 album Never for Ever, she
became the first solo female British singer to top the UK album
charts. Her songwriting ability was recognised in 2002 with an Ivor
Novello Award for "Outstanding Contribution to British Music". In
2005, she released Aerial, her first album in 12 years. The album was
a UK success and earned her BRIT Award nominations for "Best Album"
and "Best Solo Female Artist".
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1756:
Architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli presented the Catherine Palace, a
Rococo palace in Tsarskoye Selo, to Empress Elizabeth of Russia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Palace)
1864:
American Civil War: Union forces failed to break Confederate lines
in the Battle of the Crater by exploding a large bomb under their
trenches.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater)
1930:
Uruguay defeated Argentina, 4 to 2, in front of their home crowd at
Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to win the first Football World Cup.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup)
1945:
World War II: The USS Indianapolis, a heavy cruiser of the United
States Navy, was sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58, killing over 800
seamen.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_%28CA-35%29)
2003:
The last old-style Beetle, the economy car produced by the German
automaker Volkswagen, rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle)
2006:
Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force attacked a three-story building
near the South Lebanese village of Qana, killing at least 28
civilians, including 16 children.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qana_airstrike)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
foster: To nurture or bring up (offspring); or to provide similar
parental care to (an unrelated child).
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foster)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Just being alive
It can really hurt.
These moments given
Are a gift from time.
Just let us try
To give these moments back
To those we love
To those who will survive. -- Kate Bush
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)
Zhou Tong was the archery teacher and second military arts tutor of
famous Song Dynasty general Yue Fei. Information regarding his actual
life is largely absent in history records. However, the fact that Zhou
was Yue Fei's teacher has led to his popularity in Chinese folklore.
Various sources portray him as four distinct people with backgrounds
in Military and civilian combat arts. Several of these personas are
said to have taught these arts to Lin Chong, Lu Junyi, and Wu Song,
three of the "108 outlaws" on whom the Water Margin novel is based.
For centuries, Zhou has had an intimate connection with topics related
to Yue Fei, including martial arts, film, and literature. Many martial
arts styles associated with Yue Fei—Eagle Claw, Chuojiao and Xing
Yi—commonly include Zhou Tong within their lineage history. In the
folk biography of Yue Fei, Zhou's abilities as a martial artist are
described as being "high and strong." However, the oldest historical
record that mentions his name only says he taught archery to Yue Fei.
Zhou's character appeared in a string of black and white Yue Fei films
during the early half of the 20th century. There is even an individual
wuxia novel that focuses on Zhou's fictional adventures as a young
man.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Tong_%28archer%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1030:
King Olaf II fought and died in the Battle of Stiklestad, trying to
regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stiklestad)
1588:
nglo-Spanish War: English naval forces under command of Lord Charles
Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada off the coast
of Gravelines, France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada%23Battle_of_Gravelines)
1947:
ENIAC, the world's first general-purpose electronic digital
computer, was turned on in its new home at the Ballistic Research
Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, remaining in continuous
operation until October 2, 1955.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC)
1957:
The International Atomic Energy Agency was established, promoting
the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Atomic_Energy_Agency)
1981:
A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watched
Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles of Wales at St Paul's Cathedral in
London.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
aleatory: Depending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aleatory)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal
deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by
the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which
is beyond all reason. -- Dag Hammarskjöld
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskj%C3%B6ld)
"Homer's Phobia" is the fifteenth episode of The
Simpsons' eighth season, which originally aired on
the Fox network on February 16, 1997. It was the first episode written
by Ron Hauge and was directed by Mike B. Anderson. John Waters
(pictured) guest starred, providing the voice of the new character
John. In the episode, Homer disassociates himself from new family
friend John after discovering that John is gay. He worries that John
will have a negative influence on his son, Bart. "Homer's Phobia" was
the first episode to revolve entirely around homosexual themes, with
the title being a pun on the word "homophobia". Originally, due to the
controversial subject, the Fox censors found the episode unsuitable
for broadcast, but this decision was reversed after a turnover in the
Fox staff. It won four awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding
Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) and a GLAAD Media
Award for "Outstanding TV - Individual Episode".
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer%27s_Phobia
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1214:
Philip II of France decisively won the Battle of Bouvines and took
undisputed control of the territories of Anjou, Brittany, Maine,
Normandy and the Touraine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bouvines)
1714:
Great Northern War: The Imperial Russian Navy defeated the Swedish
Navy at the Battle of Gangut in the waters north of the Hanko
Peninsula.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gangut)
1865:
A group of Welsh settlers arrived at Chubut Valley in Argentina's
Patagonia region.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_settlement_in_Argentina)
1949:
The de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet airliner, made its
maiden flight.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/de_Havilland_Comet)
1953:
Korean War: A cease-fire was signed, creating a demilitarized zone
approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) wide running across the Korean
Peninsula between North and South Korea. (Joint Security Area
pictured)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone)
1996:
Centennial Olympic Park bombing: A pipe bomb exploded during the
1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, killing two
and injuring 111.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Olympic_Park_bombing)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
hierarchical: Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastic or priestly order.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hierarchical)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
A heart, a heart that hurts, is a heart, a heart that works. --
Juliana Hatfield
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Juliana_Hatfield%E2%80%8E)
Domenico Selvo was the 31st Doge of Venice, serving from 1071 to 1084.
During his reign as Doge, his domestic policies, the alliances that he
forged, and the battles that the Venetian military won and lost laid
the foundations for much of the subsequent foreign and domestic policy
of the Republic of Venice. He avoided confrontations with the
Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Roman Catholic Church
at a time in European history when conflict threatened to upset the
balance of power. At the same time, he forged new agreements with the
major nations that would set up a long period of prosperity for the
Republic of Venice. Through his military alliance with the Byzantine
Empire, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos awarded Venice economic favors with
the declaration of a Golden Bull that would allow for the development
of the republic's international trade over the next few centuries.
Within the city itself, he supervised a longer period of the
construction of the modern St Mark's Basilica than any other Doge. The
basilica's complex architecture and expensive decorations stand as a
testament to the prosperity of Venetian traders during this period.
The essentially democratic way in which he not only was elected but
also removed from power was part of an important transition of
Venetian political philosophy. The overthrow of his rule in 1084 was
one of many forced abdications in the early history of the republic
that further blurred the lines between the powers of the Doge, the
common electorate, and the nobility.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Selvo
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1099:
First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Protector
of the Holy Sepulchre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_of_Bouillon)
1793:
Two days after becoming the first Euro-American to complete a
transcontinental crossing north of Mexico, Scottish-Canadian explorer
Alexander MacKenzie reached the westernmost point of his journey and
inscribed his name on a rock using a reddish paint made of vermilion
and rendered bear fat.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_MacKenzie)
1812:
Peninsular War: Near Salamanca, Spain, an Anglo-Portuguese force led
by Arthur Wellesley inflicted a severe defeat on Marshal Auguste
Marmont and his French troops in the Battle of Salamanca.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamanca)
1933:
Wiley Post became the first pilot to fly a fixed-wing aircraft solo
around the world.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Post)
1946:
An Irgun bomb destroyed the headquarters of the British Mandate of
Palestine at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing about 90
people and injuring 45 others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing)
2003:
Coalition forces attacked a compound in Mosul, Iraq, killing two of
Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, the "aces of hearts and clubs"
on the U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis after the invasion of Iraq.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_Hussein)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
malinger: To feign illness, injury, or incapacitation in order to
avoid work or obligation.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/malinger)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Life is not lost by dying! Life is lost Minute by minute, day by
dragging day, In all the thousand, small, uncaring ways, The smooth
appeasing compromises of time, Which are King Herod and King Herod's
men, Always and always. Life can be Lost without vision but not lost
by death, Lost by not caring, willing, going on Beyond the ragged edge
of fortitude To something more — something no man has ever seen. --
Stephen Vincent Benét --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Vincent_Ben%C3%A9t)
An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is a 1768 oil-on-canvas
painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, part of a series of candlelit
scenes that Wright painted during the 1760s. The Air Pump departed
from previous painting conventions by depicting a scientific subject
in the reverential manner formerly reserved for scenes of historical
and religious significance. Wright was intimately involved in
depicting the Industrial Revolution and the scientific advances of the
Enlightenment, but while his paintings were recognized as something
out of the ordinary by his contemporaries, his provincial status and
choice of subjects meant the style was never widely imitated. The
picture has been owned by the National Gallery since 1863 and is still
regarded as a masterpiece of British art. The painting depicts a
natural philosopher, a forerunner of the modern scientist, recreating
one of Robert Boyle's air pump experiments, in which a bird is
deprived of oxygen, before a varied group of onlookers. The group
exhibit different reactions, but for most scientific curiosity
overcomes concern for the bird. The central figure looks out of the
picture as if inviting the viewer's participation in the outcome.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Experiment_on_a_Bird_in_the_Air_Pump
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
In Brussels, Leopold I was inaugurated as the first King of the
Belgians.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium)
1861:
In the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle in the
American Civil War, the Confederate Army under Joseph E. Johnston and
P. G. T. Beauregard routed Union Army troops under Irvin McDowell.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run)
1925:
Creation-evolution controversy: High school biology teacher John T.
Scopes was found guilty of violating Tennessee's Butler Act by
teaching evolution in class.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial)
1954:
First Indochina War: The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was
established at the Geneva Conference, partitioning Vietnam along the
17th parallel into North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnam
under Emperor Bao Dai.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Demilitarized_Zone)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
garrulous: Excessively or tiresomely talkative.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/garrulous)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. -- J.
K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling)
Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. is a retired NASA engineer and manager.
After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1944, Kraft was hired by the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor
organization to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He
worked for over a decade in aeronautical research before being asked
in 1958 to join the Space Task Group, a small team entrusted with the
responsibility of putting America's first man in space. Assigned to
the flight operations division, Kraft became NASA's first flight
director. He was on duty during such historic missions as America's
first spaceflight, first orbital flight and first spacewalk. At the
beginning of the Apollo program Kraft retired as a flight director in
order to concentrate on management and mission planning. In 1972 he
became director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (later Johnson Space
Center), following in the footsteps of his mentor Robert Gilruth. He
held the position until his retirement from NASA in 1982. More than
any other man, Kraft was responsible for shaping the organization and
culture of NASA's Mission Control. As his protégé Glynn Lunney
commented, "the Control Center today ... is a reflection of Chris
Kraft."
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_C._Kraft%2C_Jr.
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1402:
Forces under Timur defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara and
captured Sultan Bayezid I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur)
1866:
Third Italian War of Independence: The Austrian Navy led by Wilhelm
von Tegetthoff defeated a much larger Italian fleet in the Battle of
Lissa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lissa_%281866%29)
1940:
Billboard magazine published its first "Music Popularity Chart".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_%28magazine%29)
1944:
Adolf Hitler survived an assassination attempt by German Resistance
member Claus von Stauffenberg, who hid a bomb inside a briefcase
during a conference at the Wolfsschanze military headquarters in East
Prussia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_20_Plot)
1969:
The Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, where
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would become the first men to walk on
the moon six and a half hours later.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
surfeit: An excessive amount of something.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/surfeit)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to
accomplish extraordinary things. -- Sir Edmund Hillary
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Hillary)
Fighting in ice hockey is an established aspect of the sport with a
long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play
and including some notable individual fights. Although the target of
criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport and is for some
fans the primary reason to attend games. Fighting is usually the role
of one or more enforcers on a given hockey team and is governed by a
complex system of unwritten rules that players, coaches, officials,
and the media refer to as "the code." Some fights are spontaneous and
others are premeditated by the participants. While officials tolerate
fighting during hockey games, they impose a variety of penalties on
players who engage in fights. Broadly speaking, fighting exists in
organized ice hockey to protect star players, who are generally
discouraged by their coaches from fighting because of fear of injury,
to deter opposing players from overly rough play, and to create a
sense of solidarity among teammates. Despite its potentially negative
consequences, such as heavier enforcers knocking each other out,
administrators like Gary Bettman of the NHL are not considering
eliminating fighting from the game since most players consider it
essential. Additionally, the majority of fans oppose eliminating
fights from professional hockey games. However, considerable
opposition to fighting and efforts to eliminate it continue.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_in_ice_hockey
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
711:
Muslim conquests: Moorish Umayyad invaders led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad
defeated Roderic and the Visigoths at the Battle of Guadalete.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_ibn-Ziyad)
1553:
Lady Jane Grey was replaced by Mary I of England as Queen of England
after holding that title for just nine days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England)
1848:
The two-day Women's Rights Convention, the first women's rights and
feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls,
New York.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention)
1870:
A dispute over who would become the next Spanish monarch following
Isabella II's abdication two years prior during the Glorious
Revolution led France to declare war on Prussia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War)
1947:
Burmese nationalist Aung San and six of his newly formed cabinet
members were assassinated during a cabinet meeting.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
corbie step: (architecture) A series of step-like projections
at the top of a gable.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/corbie step)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The museums are here to teach the history of art and something more as
well, for, if they stimulate in the weak a desire to imitate, they
furnish the strong with the means of their emancipation. -- Edgar
Degas
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas)
The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western
Africa. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the
Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is called "Africa
in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural
features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and
savannas. The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest, and
the largest cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. Cameroon is home
to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The country is
well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and
bikutsi, and for its successful national football team. English and
French are the official languages. In 1960, French Cameroun became
independent as the Republic of Cameroun under President Ahmadou
Ahidjo. The southern part of British Cameroons merged with it in 1961
to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The country was renamed the
United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and the Republic of Cameroon in
1984. Compared with other African countries, Cameroon enjoys political
and social stability. This has permitted the development of
agriculture, roads, railways, and large petroleum and timber
industries. Nevertheless, large numbers of Cameroonians live in
poverty as subsistence farmers. Power lies firmly in the hands of the
president, Paul Biya, and his Cameroon People's Democratic Movement
party, and corruption is widespread.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroon
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
64:
The Great Fire of Rome started among the shops around the Circus
Maximus selling flammable goods, eventually destroying four of
fourteen Roman districts and severely damaging seven others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome)
1863:
American Civil War: Led by Union Army Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal African
American military unit, spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near
Charleston, South Carolina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Massachusetts_Volunteer_Infantry)
1982:
Guatemalan military forces and their paramilitary allies slaughtered
over 250 Mayan campesinos in the village of Plan de Sánchez, Baja
Verapaz department.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_de_S%C3%A1nchez_massacre)
1995:
During the fifteenth stage of the 1995 Tour de France, Italian
cyclist Fabio Casartelli suffered a fatal crash on the descent of the
Col de Portet d'Aspet.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabio_Casartelli)
1996:
Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 exploded at 00:31 UTC (20:31, July 17
EDT) off the coast of Long Island, New York, killing all 230 on board.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_800)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
eradicate: To pull up by the roots; to uproot.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eradicate)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the
reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look
sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind
companion; and so let all young persons take their choice. -- William
Makepeace Thackeray
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Makepeace_Thackeray)
Pierre Rossier was a pioneering Swiss photographer whose albumen
photographs, which include stereographs and cartes-de-visite, comprise
portraits, cityscapes and landscapes. He was commissioned by the
London firm of Negretti and Zambra to travel to Asia and document the
progress of the Anglo-French troops in the Second Opium War and,
although he failed to join that military expedition, he remained in
Asia for several years, producing the first commercial photographs of
China, the Philippines, Japan and Siam (now Thailand). He was the
first professional photographer in Japan, where he trained Ueno
Hikoma, Maeda Genzō, Horie Kuwajirō, as well as lesser known members
of the first generation of Japanese photographers. In Switzerland he
established photographic studios in Fribourg and Einsiedeln, and he
also produced images elsewhere in the country. Rossier is an important
figure in the early history of photography not only because of his own
images, but also because of the critical impact of his teaching in the
early days of Japanese photography.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Rossier
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1762:
Peter III was killed at Ropsha, a few days after he was deposed as
Emperor of Russia and replaced by his wife Catherine II.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_III_of_Russia)
1815:
Napoleonic Wars: Napoléon made his formal surrender to British
forces on board the HMS Bellerophon off the port of Rochefort, France,
ending the Hundred Days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France)
1936:
Nationalist rebels in Spain attempted a coup d'etat against the
Second Spanish Republic, commencing the Spanish Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War)
1945:
Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Harry S. Truman met at the
Potsdam Conference to decide how to administer post-World War II
Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference)
1998:
Biologists reported in the scientific journal Science how they
sequenced the genome of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes
syphilis.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treponema_pallidum)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
phlegmatic: Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phlegmatic)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Maintain a constant watch at all times against a dogmatical spirit:
fix not your assent to any proposition in a firm and unalterable
manner, till you have some firm and unalterable ground for it, and
till you have arrived at some clear and sure evidence. -- Isaac Watts
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts)
The Holden VE Commodore is the fourteenth and current model of the
Holden Commodore, a full-size car produced by Holden, the Australian
subsidiary of General Motors. Full-scale production commenced on July
13 2006, with the official unveiling being held at a media launch in
Melbourne on July 16 2006. The VE is the first Commodore model
designed entirely in Australia, with previous generations based on
Opel-sourced platforms that had been adapted both mechanically and in
size for the local market. To date the annualised sales of the VE have
failed to match those of the record-breaking VT Commodore. Prior to
the release of the VE model, Holden confirmed that they would
manufacture two parallel generations of Commodores, until the launch
of station wagon and utility body styles. This announcement came not
long before Holden announced that engines and transmissions would
largely be carried over from the previous VZ model.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_VE_Commodore
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
622:
The epoch of the Islamic calendar occurred, marking the year that
Muhammad began his Hijra from Mecca to Medina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calendar)
1769:
Spanish friar Junípero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá,
the first Franciscan mission in the Alta California region of New
Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Diego_de_Alcal%C3%A1)
1945:
Manhattan Project: "Trinity", the first nuclear test explosion, was
detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_test)
1979:
Saddam Hussein replaced the resigning Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as
President of Iraq, after having gradually usurped power from his
cousin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein)
1994:
The planet Jupiter was hit by fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9
comet, causing a fireball which reached a peak temperature of about
24,000 K
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker-Levy_9)
2005:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the
popular Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, was released to record
sales of 287,564 books per hour in its first 24 hours, making it the
fastest selling book in history.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Half-Blood_Prince)
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Wiktionary's Word of the day:
escritoire: A writing desk with a hinged door that provides the
writing surface.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/escritoire)
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Wikiquote of the day:
You'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and
frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means
alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many,
many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are
right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles.
You'll learn from them — if you want to. Just as someday, if you have
something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a
beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's
history. It's poetry. -- J. D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._D._Salinger)