Caversham is one of the older suburbs of the South Island New Zealand
city of Dunedin. It is sited at the western edge of the city's central
plain at the mouth of the steep Caversham Valley, which rises to the
saddle of Lookout Point. Major road and rail routes south lie nearby;
the South Island Main Trunk railway runs through the suburb, and a
bypass skirts its main retail area, connecting Dunedin's one-way street
system with the Dunedin Southern Motorway. The suburb was founded by
wealthy pioneer William Henry Valpy, and its name reflects his
Berkshire heritage. It grew rapidly during the Central Otago Gold Rush
of the 1860s due to its location on routes south to the Otago
hinterland. By the end of the 19th century, Caversham was heavily
industrialised, and its population included many skilled or
semi-skilled tradespeople. This, combined with the community's strong
Protestant roots, led to the area's generally left-leaning political
stance. It is currently administered as part of the city's South
Dunedin ward. At a national level, it is part of the Dunedin South
electorate. Caversham is now predominantly residential, with some
industrial premises in the east (notably the Hillside Railway
Workshops) and a retail district centred on South Road and Hillside
Road. Caversham has strong sporting connections, and is the location of
Carisbrook, one of the city's main sports venues.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caversham%2C_New_Zealand>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1700:
Great Northern War: Swedish forces led by King Charles XII defeated the
Russian army of Tsar Peter the Great at the Battle of Narva.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Narva_%281700%29>
1939:
The Winter War broke out as the Soviet Red Army invaded Finland and
quickly advanced to the Mannerheim Line, an action judged as illegal by
the League of Nations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War>
1979:
The Wall, a rock opera and concept album by Pink Floyd, was first
released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall>
1993:
U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence
Prevention Act into law, requiring purchasers of handguns to pass a
background check.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Handgun_Violence_Prevention_Act>
2005:
John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the first
member of an ethnic minority to serve as an archbishop in the Church of
England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sentamu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sartorial (adj):
1. Of or relating to the tailoring of clothing.
2. Of or relating to the quality of dress
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sartorial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The one thing that unifies men in a given age is not their individual
philosophies but the dominant problem that these philosophies are
designed to solve.
--Jacques Barzun
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacques_Barzun>
Hepatorenal syndrome is a life-threatening medical condition that
consists of rapid deterioration in kidney function in individuals with
cirrhosis or fulminant liver failure. HRS is usually fatal unless a
liver transplant is performed, although various treatments, including
dialysis, can help over the short term. While HRS can affect
individuals with cirrhosis (regardless of cause), severe alcoholic
hepatitis, or fulminant hepatic failure, it usually occurs when liver
function deteriorates rapidly due to an acute injury, such as an
infection, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, or overuse of
diuretic medications. HRS is a relatively common complication of
cirrhosis, occurring in 18% of cirrhotics within one year of their
diagnosis, and in 39% of cirrhotics within five years of their
diagnosis. Deteriorating liver function is believed to cause changes in
the circulation that supplies the intestines, altering blood flow and
blood vessel tone in the kidneys. Two forms of hepatorenal syndrome
have been defined: Type 1 HRS entails a rapidly progressive decline in
kidney function, while type 2 HRS is associated with ascites that does
not improve with standard diuretic medications. The risk of death in
hepatorenal syndrome is very high; the mortality of individuals with
type 1 HRS is over 50% over the short term, as determined by historical
case series. The only long-term treatment option for the condition is
liver transplantation.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatorenal_syndrome>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
The crew of the overcrowded British slave ship Zong murdered 133
African slaves by dumping them into the sea in order to claim
insurance.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_Massacre>
1854:
The Eureka Flag was flown for the first time during the Eureka Stockade
rebellion in Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Flag>
1864:
American Indian Wars: A 700-man Colorado Territory militia attacked a
village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, killing 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho men,
women, and children.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre>
1877:
Thomas Edison demonstrated the phonograph , his invention for recording
and replaying sound, for the first time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/phonograph>
1890:
The Diet of Japan, Japan's bicameral legislature modelled after both
the German Reichstag and the British Westminster system, first met
after the Meiji Constitution went into effect.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Japan>
1929:
American explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd and three others completed the
first flight over the South Pole.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evelyn_Byrd>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
languish (v):
1. To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or
sickness.
2. To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits,
especially from love
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/languish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Revolutions are not made; they come. A revolution is as natural a
growth as an oak. It comes out of the past. Its foundations are laid
far back.
--Wendell Phillips
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wendell_Phillips>
Henry Wells (1898–1973) was a senior officer in the Australian Army.
Serving as Chief of the General Staff from 1954 to 1958, Wells' career
culminated with his appointment as the first Chairman, Chiefs of Staff
Committee, a position marking him as the professional head of the
Australian Military. He served in this capacity from March 1958 until
March 1959, when he retired from the army. Born in Victoria, Wells'
career in the Australian Army began in 1916 when he entered the Royal
Military College, Duntroon. Graduating as a lieutenant three years
later, he served in a variety of staff and instructional positions
before the outbreak of the Second World War. Initially posted to the
7th Division as a staff officer in 1940, Wells was promoted to
lieutenant colonel and made senior liaison officer to I Corps. Serving
in Greece and North Africa, he was awarded the Distinguished Service
Order for his leadership at El Alamein. Transferred to the South West
Pacific theatre in 1943 as a brigadier, he served in the New Guinea
Campaign with the headquarters of II Corps and later in the Borneo
campaign with I Corps. Following promotion to lieutenant general, he
was made Commander-in-Chief, British Commonwealth Forces Korea from
1953 to 1954, serving during the last days of the war. In retirement,
Wells was a director of several companies.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wells_%28general%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1443:
Rebelling against the Ottoman Empire, Skanderbeg and his forces
liberated Kruja in Middle Albania and raised the Albanian flag.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg>
1520:
Three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
reached the Pacific Ocean from the now-eponymous Strait of Magellan,
becoming the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Pacific.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan>
1785:
The United States signed the first Treaty of Hopewell with the Cherokee
Indians, laying out a western boundary for white settlement.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Hopewell>
1990:
After being elected as leader of the British Conservative Party one day
earlier, John Major officially succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Major>
1998:
The current Constitution of Albania, sanctioning a parliamentary
republic, people's sovereignty, fundamental rights of the citizens, and
other important points, was ratified via a voter-approved referendum.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Albania>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
astrobleme (n):
A pit-like structure created by an impacting meteoroid, asteroid or
comet
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/astrobleme>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One must be very naïve or dishonest to imagine that men choose their
beliefs independently of their situation.
--Claude Lévi-Strauss
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Claude_L%C3%A9vi-Strauss>
The Ngo Dinh Diem presidential visit to Australia from 2 to 9 September
1957 was an official visit by the first President of the Republic of
Vietnam. It was part of a year of traveling for Diem, who made official
visits to the United States and other anti-communist countries. As with
his American trip, Diem was warmly and lavishly received during the
height of the Cold War, garnering bipartisan praise from both the
Liberal Party of Australia of Prime Minister Robert Menzies and the
opposition Australian Labor Party. He was universally extolled by the
media, which praised him for what they perceived to be a successful,
charismatic, democratic and righteous rule in South Vietnam,
overlooking his authoritarianism, election fraud and other corrupt
practices. Diem's visit was a highmark in relations between Australia
and South Vietnam. Over time, Diem became unpopular with his foreign
allies, who began to criticise his autocratic style and religious bias.
By the time of his assassination, he had little support. Australia
later sent troops to support South Vietnam in the anti-communist fight,
but the bipartisanship evaporated during the mid-1960s as the ALP began
to sympathise with North Vietnam and opposition to the war grew. The
ALP later withdrew support for and refused to accept refugees from
South Vietnam after winning office, but on the return of the
centre-right Liberal-National coalition to power in 1975, Vietnamese
refugees were allowed to resettle in Australia in large numbers.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_presidential_visit_to_Australia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1095:
At the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade,
declaring holy war against the Muslims who had occupied the Holy Land
and were attacking the Eastern Roman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Clermont>
1868:
American Indian Wars: George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry
defeated Chief Black Kettle and the Cheyenne Indians on the Washita
River near present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Washita_River>
1895:
Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel signed his last will and
testament, setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel
Prize after his death.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel>
1978:
San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor Harvey
Milk were assassinated by supervisor Dan White.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscone-Milk_assassinations>
1999:
The Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the New
Zealand general election, making the Labour Party's Helen Clark the
first female to win the office of Prime Minister at an election.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wallflower (n):
1. Any of several short-lived herbs or shrubs of the genus Erysimum
with bright yellow to red flowers.
2. A person who is socially awkward, especially one who does not dance
at a party due to shyness
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wallflower>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will
have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.
--Bruce Lee
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee>
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in all
living cells. The compound is a dinucleotide, since it consists of two
nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups, with one nucleotide
containing an adenine base and the other containing nicotinamide. In
metabolism, NAD+ is involved in redox reactions, carrying electrons
from one reaction to another. The coenzyme is therefore found in two
forms in cells: NAD+ is an oxidizing agent – it accepts electrons from
other molecules and becomes reduced. However, it is also used in other
cellular processes, notably as a substrate of enzymes that add or
remove chemical groups from proteins, in posttranslational
modifications. Due to the importance of these functions, the enzymes
involved in NAD+ metabolism are targets for drug discovery. In
organisms, NAD+ can be synthesized from basic building blocks (de novo)
from the amino acids tryptophan or aspartic acid. Some NAD+ is also
converted into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+); the
chemistry of this related coenzyme is similar to that of NAD+, but it
has different roles in metabolism.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotinamide_adenine_dinucleotide>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
An expedition led by James Cook reached Maui, the second largest of the
Hawaiian Islands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui>
1842:
The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, USA, was founded
as an all-male institution by members of the Roman Catholic
Congregation of Holy Cross.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame>
1917:
Unable to resolve disputes with Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto
Blueshirts, the other ice hockey clubs of Canada's National Hockey
Association officially agreed to leave that sports league and to form a
new one: the National Hockey League.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League>
1939:
The Soviet Red Army shelled Mainila, and then claimed that the fire
originated from Finland across a nearby border, giving them a casus
belli to launch the the Winter War a few days later..
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelling_of_Mainila>
1942:
World War II: Josip Broz Tito and the Yugoslav Partisans convened the
first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of
Yugoslavia at Bihać in northwestern Bosnia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVNOJ>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
limbate (adj):
(biology, paleontology) Having a distinct edge; bordered
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/limbate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much;
Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.
--William Cowper
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Cowper>
Nikita Zotov (1644–1717) was a childhood tutor and life-long friend of
Russian Tsar Peter the Great. Zotov was chosen as Peter's tutor in the
late 17th century. Not all historians agree on the quality of Zotov's
tutoring; Robert K. Massie, for example, praises his efforts, but
Lindsey Hughes criticizes the education that he gave to the future
Tsar. Zotov left Moscow for a diplomatic mission to Crimea in 1680, and
returned to Moscow before 1683. He became part of the "Jolly Company",
a group of several dozen of Peter's friends that eventually became The
All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters. Zotov was mockingly
appointed "Prince-Pope" of the Synod, and regularly led them in games
and celebrations. He accompanied Peter on many important occasions,
such as the Azov campaigns and the torture of the Streltsy after their
uprising. Zotov held a number of state posts, including from 1701 a
leading position in the Tsar's personal secretariat. Three years before
his death, Zotov married a woman 50 years his junior.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Zotov>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1034:
After Malcolm II of Scotland died at Glamis, Duncan, the son of his
second daughter, instead of Macbeth, the son of his eldest daughter,
inherited the throne to become the King of Scots.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_II_of_Scotland>
1120:
William Adelin, the only legitimate son of King Henry I of England,
drowned in the White Ship Disaster, leading to a succession crisis
which would bring down the Norman monarchy of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ship>
1935:
Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact,
agreeing that if in case the Soviet Union attacks one of them, they
would consult each other on what measures to take "to safeguard their
common interests".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Comintern_Pact>
1947:
McCarthyism: Executives from movie studios agreed to blacklist ten
screenwriters and directors who were jailed for contempt of Congress
for refusing to give testimony to the House Un-American Activities
Committee.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_blacklist>
2000:
A 7 Ms earthquake struck Baku, Azerbaijan, killing 26 people and
injuring over 400 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Baku_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shill (v):
To promote or endorse in return for payment, especially dishonestly
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shill>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Statistically the probability of any one of us being here is so small
that you would think the mere fact of existence would keep us all in a
contented dazzlement of surprise. We are alive against the stupendous
odds of genetics, infinitely outnumbered by all the alternates who
might, except for luck, be in our places.
--Lewis Thomas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lewis_Thomas>
On the Origin of Species, published by Charles Darwin in 1859, is
considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin's book
presented evidence that the diversity of life arose through a branching
pattern of evolution with common descent caused by the mechanism of
natural selection. Prior to its publication various evolutionary ideas
had been proposed to explain new findings in biology, but the English
scientific establishment, closely tied to the Church of England,
believed that species were unchanging parts of a designed hierarchy and
had rejected ideas of transmutation of species and of humans being
related to animals. The book attracted widespread interest, and
generated scientific, philosophical, and religious discussion. This
debate contributed to establishing secular science based on scientific
naturalism. Within two decades there was widespread scientific
agreement that evolution had occurred, but until the modern
evolutionary synthesis in the 20th century there was much less
agreement on the significance of natural selection.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1190:
Conrad of Montferrat became de jure uxoris King of Jerusalem after
marrying Queen Isabella I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_of_Montferrat>
1863:
American Civil War: As part of the Chattanooga Campaign in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, Union forces captured Lookout Mountain, helping them to
begin breaking the Confederate siege of the city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lookout_Mountain>
1922:
Irish Civil War: Author and Irish nationalist Robert Erskine Childers
was executed by firing squad by the Irish Free State for illegally
carrying an automatic pistol.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Erskine_Childers>
1971:
After collecting a ransom payout of US$200,000, "D. B. Cooper" leaped
out of the rear stairway of the airplane he had hijacked over the
Pacific Northwest and disappeared.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper>
1974:
A group of paleoanthropologists led by Donald Johanson discovered a
3.2-million-year-old skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis in the
Afar Depression in Ethiopia, nicknaming it "Lucy" after The Beatles
song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus_afarensis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
claptrap (n):
Empty verbiage or nonsense
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/claptrap>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Writing, when properly managed, (as you may be sure I think mine is) is
but a different name for conversation.
--Laurence Sterne
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laurence_Sterne>
Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) was both the 22nd and 24th President of
the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two
non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897) and therefore is the
only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents.
He was the winner of the popular vote for President three times—in
1884, 1888, and 1892—and was the only Democrat elected to the
Presidency in the era of Republican political domination that lasted
from 1860 to 1912. Cleveland's admirers praise him for his honesty,
independence, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical
liberalism. As a leader of the Bourbon Democrats, he opposed
imperialism, taxes, subsidies and inflationary policies, but as a
reformer he also worked against corruption, patronage, and bossism.
Critics complained that he had little imagination and seemed
overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and
strikes—in his second term. Even so, his reputation for honesty and
good character survived the troubles of his second term.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
In opposition to licensing and censorship during the English Civil War,
John Milton's Areopagitica was published, arguing for the right to free
expression.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagitica>
1890:
William III of the Netherlands died without a living male heir,
allowing his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina to succeed him to the
Dutch throne.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands>
1963:
The first episode of Doctor Who premiered on BBC television, with
William Hartnell in the titular role, eventually becoming the
longest-running science fiction television show in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who>
1971:
The People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on the
United Nations Security Council.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations>
1996:
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked by three Ethiopians seeking
political asylum, then crashed into the Indian Ocean near Comoros after
running out of fuel, killing 125 of the 175 people on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_961>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gestalt (n):
A collection of entities that creates a unified concept, configuration,
or pattern which is greater than the sum of its parts
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gestalt>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play on the earth,
so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licensing and
prohibiting misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple; who
ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?
--John Milton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Milton>
Werner Mölders (1913–1941) was a German Luftwaffe pilot. He was the
leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War; in World War II,
he became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial
victories. The highly decorated Mölders was instrumental in the
development of new fighter tactics which led to the finger-four
formation. In 1938, he volunteered for service in the Condor Legion,
which supported General Francisco Franco's Nationalist Falange in the
Spanish Civil War, and shot down 15 aircraft. In World War II, he
claimed 101 aerial victories for which he received the Knight's Cross
of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Banned from
flying further combat missions Mölders was promoted to Oberst, and
appointed Inspector General of Fighters. He was killed in an aircraft
crash, in which he was traveling as a passenger. The German Wehrmacht
of the Third Reich and the Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of
Germany both honoured him by naming two fighter wings, a destroyer and
barracks after him. In the 1970s–1990s, he became part of a broader
discussion in Germany over remembering the Holocaust and honouring
decorated soldiers of the Third Reich.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_M%C3%B6lders>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
After a bloody battle with the military causing 600 casualties,
rebellious silkworkers seized Lyon, France, beginning the First Canut
Revolt.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canut_revolts>
1869:
The Cutty Sark, one of the last sailing clippers ever to be built, was
launched at Dumbarton in Scotland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark>
1887:
The first college lacrosse game was played between New York University
and Manhattan College.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/college_lacrosse>
1963:
Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United
States aboard Air Force One hours after John F. Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination>
1995:
Toy Story, the first feature film created using only computer-generated
imagery, was released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story>
2004:
Massive protests started in cities across Ukraine, resulting from
allegations that the Ukrainian presidential election between sitting
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and leader of the opposition coalition
Viktor Yushchenko was rigged.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
leaven (v):
1. To add an agent, such as yeast, used to make dough rise.
2. To cause to rise by fermentation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leaven>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Human feeling is like the mighty rivers that bless the earth: it does
not wait for beauty — it flows with resistless force and brings beauty
with it.
--George Eliot
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Eliot>
An electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric
charge. It has no known substructure and is believed to be a point
particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of
the proton. The intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of the electron is a
half integer value of <sup>1</sup><big>⁄</big><sub>2</sub>, which means
that it is a fermion. Electrons, which belong to the first generation
of the lepton particle family, participate in gravitational,
electromagnetic and weak interactions. Electrons have quantum
mechanical properties of both a particle and a wave, so they can
collide with other particles and be diffracted like light. Since an
electron is a fermion, no two electrons can occupy the same quantum
state, a property known as the Pauli exclusion principle. The electron
was identified as a particle in 1897 by J. J. Thomson and his team of
British physicists. In many physical phenomena, such as electricity,
magnetism, and thermal conductivity, electrons play an essential role.
An electron generates a magnetic field while moving, and it is
deflected by external magnetic fields. The exchange or sharing of the
electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of chemical
bonding.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1783:
The first successful untethered flight by humans in a hot air balloon
was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent
d'Arlandes in Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ballooning%23First_manned_flight>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: On Bloody Sunday in Dublin, the Irish
Republican Army killed more than a dozen British intelligence officers
known as the Cairo Gang, and the Auxiliaries of the Royal Irish
Constabulary opened fire on players and spectators at a Gaelic football
match in Croke Park.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281920%29>
1964:
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge , a suspension bridge connecting Staten
Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, opened to traffic,
becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world at the time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge>
1974:
Explosives placed in two central pubs in Birmingham, England, killed 21
people and injured 182 others, and eventually led to the arrest and
imprisonment of six people that became known as the Birmingham Six.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_pub_bombings>
1977:
"God Defend New Zealand" became New Zealand's second national anthem,
on equal standing with "God Save the Queen", which had been the
traditional one since 1840.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Defend_New_Zealand>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
plicate (adj):
Folded lengthwise, especially in multiple in parallel sections;
corrugated
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plicate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If your object is to secure liberty, you must learn to do without
authority and compulsion. If you intend to live in peace and harmony
with your fellow-men, you and they should cultivate brotherhood and
respect for each other. If you want to work together with them for your
mutual benefit, you must practice cooperation. The social revolution
means much more than the reorganization of conditions only: it means
the establishment of new human values and social relationships, a
changed attitude of man to man, as of one free and independent to his
equal; it means a different spirit in individual and collective life,
and that spirit cannot be born overnight. It is a spirit to be
cultivated, to be nurtured and reared, as the most delicate flower it
is, for indeed it is the flower of a new and beautiful existence.
--Alexander Berkman
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Berkman>