Bradley Joseph (born 1965) is an American composer, arranger, and
producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include
works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, with his musical style
ranging from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of
classical depth and breadth". Active since 1983, he played various
instruments in rock bands throughout the Midwest until 1989 when Greek
composer Yanni hired him for his next tour after hearing a tape of
Joseph's compositions. He was a featured concert keyboardist with
Yanni through six major tours and appears in the 1994 multi-platinum
album and video, Yanni Live at the Acropolis. In 1994, Joseph's solo
career began when he independently released Hear the Masses, featuring
many of his Yanni bandmates. This debut was followed by Rapture, an
instrumental album recorded with a 50-piece orchestra, in which Joseph
wrote and conducted all of the scores. It was released on the Narada
label and reached NAV's "Airwaves Top 30". He has produced 15 CDs/DVDs
and numerous piano books under his own record label, Robbins Island
Music. Two of these recordings, Christmas Around the World and One
Deep Breath, also held positions on NAV’s Top 100 radio chart. His
music is included in multiple various-artist compilation albums, most
recently the 2008 release of The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz
II.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Joseph
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1314:
In the decisive battle in the First War of Scottish Independence,
Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce defeated English troops under
Edward II in Bannockburn, Scotland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bannockburn)
1894:
Italian anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio assassinated Marie François
Sadi Carnot, President of the French Third Republic, after Carnot
delivered a speech at a public banquet in Lyon, France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Fran%C3%A7ois_Sadi_Carnot)
1948:
Cold War: The Soviet Union blocked access to the American, British,
and French sectors of Berlin, cutting off all rail and road routes
going into Soviet-controlled territory in Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade)
1981:
The Humber Bridge, at the time the
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber_Bridge)
1994:
A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress based at Fairchild Air
Force Base in Spokane County, Washington, USA crashed, killing all
four crew members, and providing a case study on the importance of
compliance with safety regulations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Fairchild_Air_Force_Base_B-52_crash)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
quay: (nautical) A wharf, a stone or concrete structure on navigable
water used for loading and unloading vessels.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quay)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
All I do is done in love; all I suffer, I suffer in the sweetness of
love.
-- John of the Cross
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross)
Blue Iguana is a critically endangered species of lizard of the
genus Cyclura endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. Previously listed
as a subspecies of the Cuban Iguana, it was reclassified as a separate
species in 2004 due to genetic differences discovered four years
earlier. The Blue Iguana is one of the longest-living species of
lizard (possibly up to 69 years) and is a national symbol of the
Cayman Islands. It prefers rocky, sunlit, open areas in dry forests or
near the shore, as females must dig holes in the sand to lay eggs in
June and July. Their vegetarian diet includes plants, fruits, and
flowers. Their coloration is tan to gray with a bluish cast that is
more pronounced during the breeding season, and more so in males. They
are large and heavy-bodied with a dorsal crest of short spines running
from the base of the neck to the end of the tail. The fossil record
indicates that the Blue Iguana was abundant before European
colonization; but fewer than 15 animals remained in the wild by 2003,
and this wild population was predicted to become extinct within the
first decade of the 21st century. Since 2004, 219 captive-bred animals
have been released into a preserve on Grand Cayman run by a
partnership headed by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in an
attempt to save the species. At least five non-profit organizations
are working with the government of the Cayman Islands to ensure the
survival of the Blue Iguana.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Iguana
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1757:
Seven Years' War: British forces under Robert Clive defeated troops
under Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey, allowing the British
East India Company to annex Bengal.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey)
1858:
Edgardo Mortara, a six-year-old Jewish boy, was seized by Papal
authorities and taken to be raised as a Roman Catholic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgardo_Mortara)
1887:
The Parliament of Canada passed the Rocky Mountains Park Act,
creating Banff National Park as Canada's first national park.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banff_National_Park)
1894:
Led by French historian Pierre de Coubertin, an international
congress at the Sorbonne in Paris founded the International Olympic
Committee to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Olympic_Committee)
1991:
The video game Sonic the Hedgehog was first released, propelling the
Sega Genesis 16-bit console into mass popularity.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%28video_game%29)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
chutzpah: (slang) Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery
or impudence.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chutzpah)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there
that needs to be done.
-- Alan Turing
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alan_Turing)
HMS Cardiff (D108) is a Type 42 destroyer, the third ship of the Royal
Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. She
was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd in
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 22 February, 1974. During
her career, Cardiff served in the Falklands War, where she shot down
the last Argentine aircraft of the conflict and accepted the surrender
of a 700-strong garrison in the settlement of Port Howard. During the
1991 Gulf War, her Lynx helicopter sank two Iraqi minesweepers. She
later participated in the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as
part of the Royal Navy's constant Armilla Patrol; Cardiff thwarted
attempts to smuggle oil out of the country, but was not involved in
the actual invasion. Cardiff was decommissioned in July 2005, having
earned two battle honours for service in the Falklands and Gulf wars.
She is currently moored in Portsmouth Harbour, next to sister ship
HMS Newcastle. Former servicemen have petitioned for her
preservation as a museum ship and local tourist attraction at Cardiff,
but her fate remains undecided.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cardiff_%28D108%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
A coalition led by Roman General Flavius Aetius and Visigothic king
Theodoric I clashed violently with the Hunnic alliance commanded by
Attila the Hun at the Battle of Chalons.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chalons)
1685:
Monmouth Rebellion: The Duke of Monmouth declared himself King of
England at Bridgwater.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott%2C_1st_Duke_of_Monmouth)
1789:
French Revolution: Members of France's Third Estate took the Tennis
Court Oath, pledging not to separate until a new constitution was
established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Court_Oath)
1837:
Victoria succeeded to the British throne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom)
1973:
Snipers fired into a crowd of Peronists near the Ezeiza Airport in
Buenos Aires, killing at least 13 people and injuring 365 others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Ezeiza_massacre)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
otaku: One with an obsessive interest, particularly anime or manga.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/otaku)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom
from fear.
-- Aung San Suu Kyi
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi)
HMS Cardiff (D108) is a Type 42 destroyer, the third ship of the Royal
Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. She
was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd in
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 22 February, 1974. During
her career, Cardiff served in the Falklands War, where she shot down
the last Argentine aircraft of the conflict and accepted the surrender
of a 700-strong garrison in the settlement of Port Howard. During the
1991 Gulf War, her Lynx helicopter sank two Iraqi minesweepers. She
later participated in the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as
part of the Royal Navy's constant Armilla Patrol; Cardiff thwarted
attempts to smuggle oil out of the country, but was not involved in
the actual invasion. Cardiff was decommissioned in July 2005, having
earned two battle honours for service in the Falklands and Gulf wars.
She is currently moored in Portsmouth Harbour, next to sister ship
{{HMS|Newcastle|D87|6}}. Former servicemen have petitioned for her
preservation as a museum ship and local tourist attraction at Cardiff,
but her fate remains undecided.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cardiff_%28D108%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
A coalition led by Roman General Flavius Aetius and Visigothic king
Theodoric I clashed violently with the Hunnic alliance commanded by
Attila the Hun at the Battle of Chalons.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chalons)
1685:
Monmouth Rebellion: The Duke of Monmouth declared himself King of
England at Bridgwater.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott%2C_1st_Duke_of_Monmouth)
1789:
French Revolution: Members of France's Third Estate took the Tennis
Court Oath, pledging not to separate until a new constitution was
established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Court_Oath)
1837:
Victoria succeeded to the British throne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom)
1973:
Snipers fired into a crowd of Peronists near the Ezeiza Airport in
Buenos Aires, killing at least 13 people and injuring 365 others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Ezeiza_massacre)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
otaku: One with an obsessive interest, particularly anime or manga.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/otaku)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom
from fear.
-- Aung San Suu Kyi
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi)
The Common Treecreeper is a small passerine bird. It is very similar
to other treecreepers, and has a curved bill, patterned brown
upperparts, whitish underparts, and long stiff tail feathers which
help it creep up tree trunks. It can be most easily distinguished from
the very similar Short-toed Treecreeper, which shares much of its
European range, by its different song. The Common Treecreeper has nine
or more subspecies which breed in different parts of its range in
temperate Eurasia. This species is found in woodlands of all kinds,
but where it overlaps with the Short-toed Treecreeper in western
Europe it is more likely to be found in coniferous forests or at
higher altitudes. It nests in tree crevices or behind bark flakes, and
favours introduced Giant Redwoods as nest sites where they are
available. The female typically lays five or six pink-speckled white
eggs in the lined nest, but eggs and chicks are vulnerable to attack
by woodpeckers and mammals, including squirrels. The Common
Treecreeper is insectivorous and climbs up tree trunks like a mouse,
to search for insects which it picks from crevices in the bark with
its fine curved bill. It then flies to the base of another tree with a
distinctive erratic flight. This bird is solitary in winter, but may
form communal roosts in cold weather.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Treecreeper
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1462:
Forces led by Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia attacked an Ottoman camp
at night in an attempt to assassinate Mehmed II.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Attack)
1775:
American Revolutionary War: British forces took Bunker Hill outside
of Boston.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bunker_Hill)
1789:
French Revolution: The Third Estate of France declared itself the
National Assembly.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_%28French_Revolution%29)
1953:
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany and the Volkspolizei violently
suppressed an uprising in Berlin against the East German government.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uprising_of_1953_in_East_Germany)
1972:
The Watergate scandal began after five men were arrested for
breaking and entering the offices of the Democratic National Committee
in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C..
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal)
1982:
The body of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, known as "God's Banker"
due to his close association with the Vatican, was found hanging from
scaffolding beneath London's Blackfriars Bridge.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Calvi)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
thrall: One who is enslaved.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thrall)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Our security strategies have not yet caught up with the risks we are
facing. The globalization that has swept away the barriers to the
movement of goods, ideas and people has also swept with it barriers
that confined and localized security threats.
-- Mohamed ElBaradei
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohamed_ElBaradei)
The World Without Us is a non-fiction book about what would happen to
the natural and built environment if humans suddenly disappeared,
written by American journalist Alan Weisman and published by St.
Martin's Thomas Dunne Books. It is a book-length expansion of
Weisman's own February 2005 Discover article "Earth Without People".
Written largely as a thought experiment, it outlines, for example, how
cities and houses would deteriorate, how long man-made artifacts would
last, and how remaining lifeforms would evolve. Weisman concludes that
residential neighborhoods would become forests within 500 years, and
that radioactive waste, bronze statues, plastics, and Mount Rushmore
will be among the longest lasting evidence of human presence on Earth.
The author of four previous books and numerous articles for magazines,
Weisman traveled around the world to interview academics, scientists
and other authorities. He used quotes from these interviews to explain
the effects of the natural environment and to substantiate
predictions. The book has been translated and published in France,
Germany, Portugal and Spain. It was successful in the U.S., reaching
#6 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It ranked #1 on Time and
Entertainment Weekly's top 10 non-fiction books of 2007.
The book has received largely positive reviews, specifically for
Weisman's journalistic and scientific writing style, but some have
questioned the relevance of its subject matter.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Without_Us
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1667:
French physician Jean-Baptiste Denys administered the first
fully-documented human blood transfusion, giving the blood of a sheep
to a 15-year old boy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/blood_transfusion)
1846:
To settle the Oregon boundary dispute, the United Kingdom and the
United States signed the Oregon Treaty, extending the United States –
British North America border west along the 49th parallel north that
was first established by the Treaty of 1818.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Treaty)
1978:
King Hussein of Jordan married American Lisa Halaby, who takes the
name Queen Noor of Jordan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Noor_of_Jordan)
1996:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a bomb in the
commercial centre of Manchester, England, injuring over 200 people and
causing widespread damage to buildings.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Manchester_bombing)
2001:
Leaders of the People's Republic of China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
festinate: (obsolete) Hurried, hasty.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/festinate)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to
believe as a Jew, a Protestant, or non-believer, or as anything else
you choose. We know that the price of seeking to force our beliefs on
others is that they might some day force theirs on us.
-- Mario Cuomo
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mario_Cuomo)
The Priestley Riots took place from 14 July to 17 July 1791 in
Birmingham, England; the rioters' main targets were religious
Dissenters, most notably the religious and political controversialist,
Joseph Priestley. The riots started with an attack on a hotel that was
the site of a banquet organized in sympathy with the French
Revolution. Then, beginning with Priestley's church and home, the
rioters attacked or burned four Dissenting chapels, twenty-seven
houses, and several businesses. Many of them became intoxicated by
liquor that they found while looting, or with which they were bribed
to stop burning homes. A small core could not be bribed, however, and
remained sober. They burned not only the homes and chapels of
Dissenters, but also the homes of people they associated with
Dissenters, such as members of the scientific Lunar Society. While the
riots were not initiated by Prime Minister William Pitt's
administration, the national government was slow to respond to the
Dissenters' pleas for help. Local Birmingham officials seem to have
been involved in the planning of the riots, and they were later
reluctant to prosecute any ringleaders. Those who had been attacked
gradually left, leaving Birmingham a more conservative city than it
had been throughout the eighteenth century.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestley_Riots
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1525:
Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, against the celibacy
discipline decreed by the Roman Catholic Church on priests.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Luther)
1886:
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in Lake Starnberg near
Munich under mysterious circumstances.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria)
1898:
The Yukon Territory was formed in Canada, with Dawson chosen as its
capital.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon)
1966:
The Miranda v. Arizona landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court
established the Miranda warning, requiring law enforcement officials
to advise a suspect in custody of his rights to remain silent and to
obtain an attorney.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_v._Arizona)
1971:
The New York Times began to publish the Pentagon Papers, a
7,000-page top-secret United States Department of Defense history of
the United States' political and military involvement in the Vietnam
War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
razzmatazz: Ambiguous or meaningless language.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/razzmatazz)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
So long as all is ordered for attack, and that alone, leaders will
instinctively increase the number of enemies that they may give their
followers something to do.
-- William Butler Yeats
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Butler_Yeats)
The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the
Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton,
mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia
as the "King of Fruits," the fruit is distinctive for its large size,
unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow up
to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter,
and typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape
ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown,
and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species. The hard
outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns while the edible
flesh within emits a distinctive odour, which is regarded as either
fragrant or overpowering and offensive. The odour of the ripe fruit is
strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. The flesh can be
consumed at various stages of ripeness and is used to flavour a wide
variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The
seeds can also be eaten when cooked. Many consumers express
preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the
market.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
Union General Ulysses S. Grant pulled his troops out of the Battle
of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia, ending one of the
bloodiest, most lopsided battles in the American Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cold_Harbor)
1889:
In one of the worst rail disasters in Europe, runaway passenger
carriages collided with a following train near Armagh, present-day
Northern Ireland, killing 88 people and injuring 170 others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagh_rail_disaster)
1942:
On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary
during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank)
1967:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark civil
rights case Loving v. Virginia, striking down laws restricting
interracial marriage in the United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia)
1979:
Pilot Bryan Allen flew the human-powered aircraft Gossamer Albatross
across the English Channel to win the Kremer prize.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
kaftan: A long tunic worn in the Eastern Mediterranean.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kaftan)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
We are adhering to life now with our last muscle — the heart.
-- Djuna Barnes
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Djuna_Barnes)
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1 August 1714
until his death. At the age of 54, he ascended the British throne as
the first monarch of the House of Hanover. Although many bore closer
blood-relationships to the childless Queen Anne, the Act of Settlement
1701, which prohibits Catholics from inheriting the throne, designated
her cousin, Sophia of Hanover, as heiress to the throne. Sophia was
Anne's closest living Protestant relative but died a matter of weeks
before Anne leaving the Protestant succession to her son, George. In
reaction, the Jacobites attempted to depose George and replace him
with Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, but
their attempts failed. During George's reign in Britain, the powers of
the monarchy diminished and the modern system of Cabinet government
led by a Prime Minister underwent development. Towards the end of his
reign, actual power was held by Sir Robert Walpole. George died on a
trip to his native Hanover, where he was buried.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Great_Britain
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1770:
English explorer James Cook ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef)
1892:
The Salvation Army's Limelight Department, one of the world's
earliest film studios, was officially established in Melbourne,
Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limelight_Department)
1937:
Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky and several senior officers of the Red
Army were convicted in the Case of Trotskyist Anti-Soviet Military
Organization, a secret trial during the Great Purge in the Soviet
Union.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_of_Trotskyist_Anti-Soviet_Military_Organi…)
1963:
Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burned himself to
death in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists by South
Vietnam's Ngô Đình Diệm administration.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c)
1963:
The University of Alabama was desegregated as Governor of Alabama
George Wallace stepped aside after a stand in the schoolhouse door.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
disingenuous: Not noble; unbecoming true honor or dignity; mean.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disingenuous)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak, and to speak well,
are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks.
-- Ben Jonson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Steven
Spielberg, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton.
The film centers on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, where
scientists have created an amusement park of cloned dinosaurs. John
Hammond (Richard Attenborough) invites a group of scientists, played
by Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern, to visit the park.
Sabotage sets the dinosaurs on the loose, and technicians and visitors
attempt to escape the island. Spielberg acquired the rights to the
novel before its publication in 1990, and Crichton was hired to adapt
his novel. David Koepp wrote the final draft, which left out much of
the novel's exposition and violence, and also made numerous changes to
the characters. Spielberg hired Stan Winston Studios to create
animatronics to portray the dinosaurs, shots of which were mixed with
newly developed computer-generated imagery by Industrial Light and
Magic. Jurassic Park is regarded as a landmark in the usage of CGI
effects and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the
effects (though reaction to other elements of the picture, such as
character development, was mixed). Jurassic Park spawned a franchise
of films and other media, and was followed by The Lost World: Jurassic
Park in 1997 and by Jurassic Park III in 2001, with Jurassic Park IV
currently in development.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_%28film%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
68:
Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide after he was deposed by the
Senate.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero)
1310:
Italian artist Duccio's Maestà with Twenty Angels and Nineteen
Saints, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, was
unveiled and installed in Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maest%C3%A0_%28Duccio%29)
1772:
In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American patriots
led by Abraham Whipple attacked and burned the British schooner HMS
Gaspée.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasp%C3%A9e_Affair)
1856:
Mormon pioneers began leaving Iowa City, Iowa and headed west for
Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled
handcarts.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers)
1928:
Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their
Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever
trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
perforce: By force; of necessity; at any rate.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perforce)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Be a clown, be a clown, All the world loves a clown. Act the fool,
play the calf, And you'll always have the last laugh.
-- Cole Porter
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter)