Ian Tomlinson (1962–2009) was an English newspaper vendor who collapsed
and died in the City of London on his way home from work during the
G-20 summit protests. A first postmortem examination suggested he had
suffered a heart attack and had died of natural causes, but his death
became controversial a week later when The Guardian obtained footage of
his last moments, filmed by an American investment fund manager who was
visiting London. The video shows Tomlinson being struck on the leg from
behind by a police officer wielding an expandable baton, then pushed to
the ground by the same officer. It appears to show no provocation on
Tomlinson's part—he was not a protester, and at the time he was struck,
the footage shows him walking along with his hands in his pockets. He
walked away from the incident but died moments later. After the
newspaper published the video, the Independent Police Complaints
Commission (IPCC) began a criminal inquiry from which the police were
removed, and ordered a second postmortem, this one indicating that
Tomlinson had died from an abdominal haemorrhage, the cause of which
remains unknown. The IPCC completed its investigation in August 2009
and passed its file to the Crown Prosecution Service. A police officer
has been interviewed on suspicion of manslaughter but has not been
named or charged. The incident sparked an intense debate in the UK
about what appeared to be a deteriorating relationship between the
police and the public, the degree to which the IPCC is independent of
the police, and the role of citizens in monitoring police and
government activity—so-called sousveillance.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ian_Tomlinson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Tokugawa shogunate signed
the Convention of Kanagawa, forcing the opening of Japanese ports to
American trade.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Kanagawa>
1889:
The Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in Paris, becoming a global icon of
France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower>
1917:
The Danish West Indies became the U.S. Virgin Islands after the United
States paid Denmark US$25 million for the Caribbean islands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Virgin_Islands>
1930:
To avoid government censorship, Hollywood movie studios instituted
their own set of industry censorship guidelines, popularly known as the
Hays Code.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Production_Code>
1995:
Mexican American singer Selena, known as "The Queen of Tejano music",
was shot and killed in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the president of her
fan club, Yolanda Saldívar.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selena>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
even Homer nods (proverb):
Not even the most vigilant and expertly are immune from erring
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/even_Homer_nods>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Cogito ergo sum
I think, therefore I am.
--René Descartes
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes>
Takalik Abaj is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala. It is
one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features.
The site flourished in the Preclassic and Classic periods, from the 9th
century BC through to at least the 10th century AD, and was an
important centre of commerce, trading with Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá.
Investigations have revealed that it is one of the largest sites with
sculptured monuments on the Pacific coastal plain. Olmec-style
sculptures include a possible colossal head, petroglyphs and others.
The site has one of the greatest concentrations of Olmec-style
sculpture outside of the Gulf of Mexico. Takalik Abaj is representative
of the first blossoming of Maya culture that had occurred by about 400
BC. The site includes a Maya royal tomb and examples of Maya
hieroglyphic inscriptions that are among the earliest from the Maya
region. Excavation is continuing at the site; the monumental
architecture and persistent tradition of sculpture in a variety of
styles suggest the site was of some importance. Finds from the site
indicate contact with the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan in the
Valley of Mexico and imply that Takalik Abaj was conquered by it or its
allies. Takalik Abaj was linked to long-distance Maya trade routes that
shifted over time but allowed the city to participate in a trade
network that included the Guatemalan highlands.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takalik_Abaj>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the purchase of
Alaska for US$7.2 million from Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_purchase>
1940:
World War II: Wang Jingwei was officially installed by Japan as head of
a puppet state in China.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Jingwei>
1961:
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty aimed
against the illicit manufacture and trafficking of narcotic drugs, was
signed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcotic_Drugs>
1972:
Vietnam War: North Vietnamese forces began the Easter Offensive in an
attempt to gain as much territory and destroy as many units of South
Vietnam as possible
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Offensive>
1981:
Trying to impress actress Jodie Foster, obsessed fan John Hinckley, Jr.
shot and wounded U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three others outside
the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_assassination_attempt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pepo (n):
1. A kind of fruit possessing a hard rind and producing many seeds in a
single, central, pulpy chamber; a melon, gourd.
2. A plant producing such a fruit
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pepo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The best way of knowing God is to love many things. Love this friend,
this person, this thing, whatever you like, and you will be on the
right road to understanding Him better, that is what I keep telling
myself. But you must love with a sublime, genuine, profound sympathy,
with devotion, with intelligence, and you must try all the time to
understand Him more, better and yet more.
--Vincent van Gogh
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh>
Iridion 3D is a quasi-3D rail shooter game for the Game Boy Advance
developed by Shin'en. A launch title for the Game Boy Advance, it was
released in North America on May 29, 2001, and in Europe on September
21 of the same year. Influenced by the Commodore 64 game Uridium,
Iridion features a single starship waging war against the alien Iridion
that have attacked Earth. The game spans seven levels from Earth to the
alien's home planet, each with a fixed linear path that ends with a
boss. Iridion began development as a shooter for the Game Boy Color;
when Shin'en decided to drop development and shift their focus to the
Game Boy Advance, Iridion was the first game by the developer to appear
on the system. Though billed as a 3D game, Shin'en used realtime
encoding and resizing to manipulate the size of 2D sprites instead of
creating a true 3D environment. More room on the game cartridge was
available for graphics due to the game's use of the GAX Sound Engine,
which allowed real-time decoding of song data in a small file size. On
release Iridion garnered generally poor reviews. The graphics and sound
were generally praised; even a year after its release, critics at
TechTV considered it the best-looking game on the platform. In
contrast, critics derided the game's repetitive and frustrating
gameplay. Despite lukewarm reception to the title upon release, Iridion
3D influenced future Shin'en shooters such as Iridion II and Nanostray.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridion_3D>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1461:
Yorkist troops defeated Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Towton in
Yorkshire, England, the largest battle in the Wars of the Roses up
until that time with approximately 20,000 casualties.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton>
1638:
Swedish settlers founded New Sweden near Delaware Bay, the first
Swedish colony in America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden>
1807:
German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered 4 Vesta,
the brightest asteroid and the second-most massive body in the asteroid
belt.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Vesta>
1871:
The Royal Albert Hall in Albertopolis, London, was officially opened
by Queen Victoria.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Albert_Hall>
1911:
The M1911 single-action, semi-automatic pistol developed by American
firearms designer John Browning became the standard-issue side arm in
the United States Army.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol>
1981:
Over 6,000 athletes took part in the first running of the London
Marathon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Marathon>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
one fell swoop (n):
(idiomatic) One stroke; one action or event with many results
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/one_fell_swoop>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
On seeing his shadow fall on such ancient rocks, he had to question
himself in a different context and ask the same old question as before,
"Who am I?", and the answer now came more emphatically than ever
before, "No-one."
But a no-one with a crown of light about his head. He would remember
a verse from Pindar: "Man is a dream about a shadow. But when some
splendour falls upon him from God, a glory comes to him and his life is
sweet."
--R. S. Thomas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/R._S._Thomas>
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan.
The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform
under the respective personas of the wicked clowns Violent J and Shaggy
2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known
as horrorcore and is known for its elaborate live performances. The duo
has earned two platinum and three gold albums. According to Nielsen
SoundScan, the entire catalog of the group has sold 6.5 million units
in the United States and Canada as of April 2007. Originally known as
Inner City Posse, the group introduced supernatural- and horror-themed
lyrics as a means of distinguishing itself stylistically. The duo
founded the independent record label Psychopathic Records with Alex
Abbiss as manager, and produced and starred in the feature films Big
Money Hustlas and Big Money Rustlas. They formed their own professional
wrestling federation, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and later
collaborated with many famous hip hop and rock musicians. The themes of
Insane Clown Posse center on the mythology of the Dark Carnival, which
the duo claim is a spiritual force that has revealed a series of
stories known as Joker's Cards. These stories each offer a specific
lesson designed to change the "evil ways" of listeners before "the end
consumes us all." Insane Clown Posse has a dedicated following, often
referred to by the group as Juggalos and Juggalettes.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insane_Clown_Posse>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1802:
German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered 2 Pallas,
the second asteroid known to man.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Pallas>
1862:
American Civil War: An invasion of the New Mexico Territory by the
Confederate States Army was halted at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glorieta_Pass>
1979:
A partial core meltdown of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating
Station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US, resulted in the release of
an estimated 43,000 curies (1.59 PBq) of radioactive krypton to the
environment.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_Nuclear_Generating_Station>
2003:
Invasion of Iraq: In a friendly fire incident, two members of the
United States Air Force attacked the United Kingdom's Blues and Royals
of the Household Cavalry, killing one and injuring five British
soldiers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/190th_Fighter_Squadron%2C_Blues_and_Royals_fri…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tenacious (adj):
1. Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive.
2. Unwilling to yield from a point of view; dogged.
3. Holding
together; cohesive
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tenacious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I do not understand those terrors which make us cry out, Satan, Satan!
when we may say, God, God! and make Satan tremble. Do we not know that
he cannot stir without the permission of God? ... I am really much more
afraid of those people who have so great a fear of the devil, than I am
of the devil himself. Satan can do me no harm whatever, but they can
trouble me very much, particularly if they be confessors.
--Teresa of Ávila
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Teresa_of_%C3%81vila>
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British, liquid-cooled, 27-litre (1,650 cu
in) capacity, V-12 piston aero engine, designed and built by
Rolls-Royce Limited. Initially known as the PV-12, Rolls-Royce named
the engine the Merlin following the company convention of naming its
piston aero engines after birds of prey. The PV-12 first ran in 1933,
and a series of rapidly applied developments brought about by wartime
needs improved the engine's performance markedly. The first operational
aircraft to enter service using the Merlin were the Fairey Battle,
Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. More Merlins were made for
the four-engined Avro Lancaster heavy bomber than any other aircraft;
however, the engine is most closely associated with the Spitfire and
powered its maiden flight in 1936. Considered a British icon, the
Merlin was one of the most successful aircraft engines of the World War
II era, and many variants were built by Rolls-Royce in Derby, Crewe and
Glasgow, as well as by Ford of Britain in Trafford Park, Manchester.
The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Merlin built in the United
States. Production ceased in 1950 after a total of almost 150,000
engines had been delivered, the later variants being used for airliners
and military transport aircraft. In military use the Merlin was
superseded by its larger capacity stablemate, the Rolls-Royce Griffon.
Merlin engines remain in Royal Air Force service today with the Battle
of Britain Memorial Flight, and power many restored aircraft in private
ownership worldwide.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1794:
To protect American merchant ships from Barbary pirates, the United
States Congress passed the Naval Act to establish a naval force of six
frigates, which eventually became the United States Navy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy>
1851:
Explorer Lafayette Bunnell and other members of the Mariposa Battalion
became the non-indigenous discoverers of California's Yosemite Valley .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley>
1977:
Two Boeing 747 airliners collided on a foggy runway at Los Rodeos
Airport on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people and
resulting in the worst aircraft accident in aviation history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster>
1998:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug sildenafil,
better known by the trade name Viagra, for use as a treatment for
erectile dysfunction, the first pill to be approved for this condition
in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sildenafil>
2002:
A suicide bomber killed about 30 Israeli civilians and injured about
140 others at the Park Hotel in Netanya, triggering Operation Defensive
Shield, a large-scale counter-terrorist Israeli military incursion into
the West Bank, two days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bilious (adj):
1. Suffering from real or supposed liver disorder.
2. Of or pertaining to something containing or consisting of bile.
3.
Irritable or bad tempered; irascible
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bilious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There’s a good time coming, boys!
A good time coming.
We may not live to see the day,
But earth
shall glisten in the ray
Of the good time coming.
Cannon-balls may aid the truth
But
thought’s a weapon stronger;
We’ll win our battles by its aid,
Wait a little longer.
--Charles Mackay
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Mackay>
American Beauty is a 1999 drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written
by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged
office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with
his daughter's best friend; Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari,
Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Allison Janney also feature. Described as
a satire of American notions of beauty and personal satisfaction, the
film explores themes of romantic and paternal love, sexuality, beauty,
materialism, self-liberation and redemption. American Beauty was
Mendes' film directorial debut and Ball's first film screenplay.
DreamWorks bought his spec script for $250,000 and financed the
$15 million production. Courted by the studio after a run of successful
theater productions, Mendes was nevertheless only given the job after
several "A-list" directors turned it down. Released in late 1999,
American Beauty was the best-reviewed American film of the year and
grossed over $350 million worldwide. At the 2000 Academy Awards, the
film won five of its eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best
Director and Best Actor (for Spacey). The film was nominated for and
won many other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing and
acting.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Beauty_%28film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1027:
Pope John XIX crowned Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1484:
William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, printed his
translation of Aesop's Fables.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop%27s_Fables>
1636:
Utrecht University, one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands
and one of the largest in Europe, was established.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht_University>
1971:
After the Pakistan Army attempted to curb the Bengali nationalist
movement in Operation Searchlight, East Pakistan declared its
independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh , starting the Bangladesh
Liberation War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Searchlight>
1975:
The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament
treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons, entered
into force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
seam allowance (n):
(sewing) That part of the material or fabric added to the dimensions of
a sewing pattern outside the seam
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/seam_allowance>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the
difference.
--Robert Frost
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Frost>
The political history of Mysore and Coorg (1565–1760) is the political
history of the contiguous historical regions of Mysore state and Coorg
province in west-central peninsular India, beginning with the fall of
the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565 and ending just before the rise of
Sultan Haidar Ali in 1761. After the Vijayanagara Empire's fall, the
Sultanate of Bijapur, the Sultanate of Golconda, the fledgling Maratha
empire, and the Mughal empire, invaded the region intermittently. By
the turn of the eighteenth century, the northwestern hills were being
ruled by the Nayaka rulers of Ikkeri, the southwestern, in the Western
Ghats, by the Rajas of Coorg, the southern plains by the Wodeyar rulers
of Mysore, Hindu dynasties all; whereas the eastern and northeastern
regions had fallen to the Muslim Nawabs of Arcot and Sira. Mysore's
expansions had been based on unstable alliances. When the alliances
began to unravel, political decay set in. The declining Mughal empire
raided the Mysore capital, Seringapatam, to collect unpaid taxes; the
neighbouring Raja of Coorg began a war of attrition with Mysore over
western territory; and soon, the Maratha empire invaded again and
exacted more concessions of territory. In the chaotic last decade of
this period, a little-known Muslim cavalryman, Haidar Ali, seized power
in Mysore.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history_of_Mysore_and_Coorg_%281565%…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1306:
Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at Scone near Perth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I_of_Scotland>
1409:
The Council of Pisa, an unrecognized ecumenical conference of the Roman
Catholic Church held in Pisa that attempted to end the Western Schism,
opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Pisa>
1634:
Lord Baltimore, his younger brother Leonard Calvert, and a group of
Catholic settlers founded the English colony of Maryland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Maryland>
1655:
Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan , the largest
natural satellite of the planet Saturn.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29>
1802:
France and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Amiens, temporarily
ending the hostilities between the two during the French Revolutionary
Wars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amiens>
1807:
The Slave Trade Act became law, abolishing the slave trade in the
British Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_Trade_Act_1807>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
double act (n):
A comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship
between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin
and profession, but often with drastically different personalities or
behavior
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/double_act>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedom is the very essence of life, the impelling force in all
intellectual and social development, the creator of every new outlook
for the future of mankind. The liberation of man from economic
exploitation and from intellectual and political oppression, which
finds its finest expression in the world-philosophy of Anarchism, is
the first prerequisite for the evolution of a higher social culture and
a new humanity.
--Rudolf Rocker
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rudolf_Rocker>
Uriel Sebree (1848–1922) was a career officer in the United States
Navy. He entered the Naval Academy during the Civil War and served
until 1910, retiring as a rear admiral. He is best remembered for his
two expeditions into the Arctic and for serving as the second acting
governor of American Samoa. He was also commander-in-chief of the
Pacific Fleet. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1867,
Sebree was posted to a number of vessels before being assigned to a
rescue mission to find the remaining crew of the missing Polaris in the
Navy's first mission to the Arctic. This attempt was only a partial
success—the Polaris crew was rescued by a Scottish ship rather than the
US Navy—but this led to Sebree's selection eleven years later for a
second expedition to the Arctic. That mission to rescue Adolphus Greely
and the survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition was a success.
Sebree was subsequently appointed as the second acting governor of
American Samoa. He served in this position for only a year before
returning to the United States. In 1907, he was promoted to rear
admiral and given command of the Pathfinder Expedition around the South
American coast before being appointed commander of the 2nd Division of
the Pacific Fleet and then commander-in-chief of the entire fleet. He
retired in 1910 and died in Coronado, California in 1922. Two
geographical features in Alaska—Sebree Peak and Sebree Island—are named
for Admiral Sebree.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uriel_Sebree>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1603:
After Queen Elizabeth I died at Richmond Palace, King James VI of
Scotland acceded to the throne of England, Wales and Ireland, becoming
James I of England and unifying the crowns of the four kingdoms for
the first time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_England>
1882:
German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tuberculosis>
1944:
World War II: Captured Allied soldiers began "the Great Escape",
breaking out of the German prison camp Stalag Luft III.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III>
1976:
Military leaders in Argentina led by Jorge Rafael Videla deposed
President Isabel Perón in a coup d'état, established a military junta
known as the National Reorganization Process, and began state-sponsored
violence against dissidents known as the Dirty War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War>
1989:
The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million U.S. gallons of
oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the most
devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nidify (v):
To make a nest
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nidify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Follow the voice of your heart, even if it leads you off the path of
timid souls. Do not become hard and embittered, even if life tortures
you at times. There is only one thing that counts: to live one's life
well and happily...
--Wilhelm Reich
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich>
Tarbosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that
flourished in Asia between 70 and 65 million years ago, at the end of
the Late Cretaceous Period. Fossils have been recovered in Mongolia
with more fragmentary remains found further afield in parts of China.
Some experts contend that this species is actually an Asian
representative of the North American genus Tyrannosaurus; if true, this
would invalidate the genus Tarbosaurus altogether. Like most known
tyrannosaurids, Tarbosaurus was a large bipedal predator, weighing more
than a ton and equipped with dozens of large, sharp teeth. It had a
unique locking mechanism in its lower jaw and the smallest forelimbs
relative to body size of all tyrannosaurids, renowned for their
disproportionately tiny, two-fingered forelimbs. Tarbosaurus lived in a
humid floodplain criss-crossed by river channels. In this environment,
it was an apex predator at the top of the food chain, probably preying
on other large dinosaurs like the hadrosaur Saurolophus or the sauropod
Nemegtosaurus. Tarbosaurus is very well-represented in the fossil
record, known from dozens of specimens, including several complete
skulls and skeletons. These remains have allowed scientific studies
focusing on its phylogeny, skull mechanics, and brain structure.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarbosaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolution: Patrick Henry made his "Give me Liberty, or give
me Death!" speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, urging the
legislature to take military action against the British Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_me_Liberty%2C_or_give_me_Death%21>
1940:
Pakistan Movement: During its three-day general session, the Muslim
League drafted the Lahore Resolution, calling for greater autonomy in
British India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Resolution>
1983:
The initial proposal to develop the Strategic Defense Initiative, a
ground-based and space-based system to protect the United States from
attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles, was released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative>
1996:
Lee Teng-hui was elected President of the Republic of China in the
first direct presidential election in Taiwan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui>
2007:
Iranian military personnel seized 15 British Royal Navy personnel from
HMS Cornwall, claiming that the British ship sailed into Iran's
territorial waters.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Iranian_seizure_of_Royal_Navy_personnel>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
furlough (n):
(US) A leave of absence or vacation, especially one granted to a member
of the armed forces, or to a prisoner
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furlough>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe that none can "save" his fellow man by making a choice for
him. To help him, he can indicate the possible alternatives, with
sincerity and love, without being sentimental and without illusion. The
knowledge and awareness of the freeing alternatives can reawaken in an
individual all his hidden energies and put him on the path to choosing
respect for "life" instead of for "death."
--Erich Fromm
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Erich_Fromm>
Hurricane Lane was the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall in
Mexico since Hurricane Kenna of 2002. The thirteenth named storm, ninth
hurricane, and sixth major hurricane of the 2006 Pacific hurricane
season, Lane developed from a tropical wave on September 13 to the
south of Mexico. It moved northwestward parallel to the coast of
Mexico, and steadily intensified in an area conducive to further
strengthening. After turning to the northeast, Lane attained peak winds
of 125 mph (205 km/h), and made landfall in the Mexican state of
Sinaloa at peak strength. It rapidly weakened and dissipated on
September 17, and later brought precipitation to southern Texas.
Throughout its path, Lane resulted in four deaths and moderate damage.
Damage was heaviest in Sinaloa where the hurricane made landfall,
including reports of severe crop damage. Across Mexico, an estimated
4,320 homes were affected by the hurricane, with about 248,000 people
affected. Moderate flooding was reported in Acapulco, resulting in
mudslides in some areas. Damage across the country totaled $2.2 billion
(2006 MXN), or $203 million (2006 USD).
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Lane_%282006%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1622:
The Powhatan Confederacy under Chief Opchanacanough killed almost 350
English settlers around Jamestown, a third of the Colony of Virginia's
population.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_massacre_of_1622>
1765:
The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, requiring that
many printed materials in the Thirteen Colonies in British North
America carry a tax stamp, adding fuel to the growing separatist
movement in the area.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765>
1913:
Phan Xich Long, the self-proclaimed Emperor of Vietnam, was arrested
for organising a revolt against the colonial rule of French Indochina,
which was later carried out by his supporters the following day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Xich_Long>
1943:
World War II: The entire population of the village of Khatyn in Belarus
was burnt alive by Nazi German forces, with participation from their
Ukrainian and Belarusian collaborators.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khatyn_massacre>
1945:
Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan, and Yemen
founded the Arab League , a regional organization that facilitates
political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed
to promote the interests of the Arab world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
jiggery-pokery (n):
Trickery or misrepresentation; hanky panky or skulduggery
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jiggery-pokery>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I buoyed me on the wings of dream,
Above the world of sense;
I set my thought to sound the scheme,
And fathom the Immense;
I tuned my spirit as a lute
To catch wind-music wandering mute.
Yet came there never voice nor sign;
But through my being stole
Sense of a Universe divine,
And
knowledge of a soul
Perfected in the joy of things,
The star, the flower, the bird that
sings.
Nor I am more, nor less, than these;
All are one brotherhood;
I
and all creatures, plants, and trees,
The living limbs of God;
And in an hour, as this, divine,
I feel
the vast pulse throb in mine.
--Francis William Bourdillon
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_William_Bourdillon>