The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms with no cell
nucleus nor any other membrane-bound organelles. They show many
differences in their biochemistry from other forms of life and have an
independent evolutionary history. In the three-domain system, they are
classified as a separate domain from the phylogenetically distinct
Bacteria and Eukaryota. Archaea are divided into four recognized phyla,
but many more phyla may exist. Of these groups the Crenarchaeota and
the Euryarchaeota are most intensively studied. Classification is still
difficult, since the vast majority have never been studied in the
laboratory. Archaea and bacteria are quite similar in size and shape,
but a few archaea have very unusual shapes. Despite this visual
similarity to bacteria, archaea possess genes and several metabolic
pathways that are more closely related to those of eukaryotes: notably
the enzymes involved in transcription and translation. Initially,
archaea were seen as extremophiles that lived in harsh environments,
such as hot springs and salt lakes, but they have since been found in a
broad range of habitats, including soils, oceans, and marshlands.
Archaea are now recognized as a major part of Earth's life and may play
roles in both the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaea>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1645:
William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and a fervent supporter of King
Charles I, was beheaded in the midst of the English Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Laud>
1776:
Common Sense by Thomas Paine , a document denouncing British rule in
the Thirteen Colonies, was published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_%28pamphlet%29>
1941:
Greco-Italian War: The Greek army captured the strategically important
Klisura Pass in Albania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Klisura_Pass>
1946:
The first session of the United Nations General Assembly convened at
the Westminster Central Hall in London with representatives from 51
member states.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly>
1993:
The Braer Storm, the strongest extratropical cyclone ever recorded in
the North Atlantic, reached its peak intensity.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braer_Storm_of_January_1993>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
prodigy (n):
1. An amazing or marvellous thing.
2. An extremely talented person, especially a child
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prodigy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Corruption never has been compulsory; when the cities lie at the
monster's feet there are left the mountains.
--Robinson Jeffers
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robinson_Jeffers>
John L. Helm (1802–1867) was the 18th and 24th governor of Kentucky,
although his aggregate service in that office was less than fourteen
months. He also represented Hardin County in both houses of the
Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen Speaker of the Kentucky House
of Representatives four times. In 1838 his sole bid for national office
ended in defeat when his opponent, Willis Green, was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives. After his service as governor Helm
became president of the struggling Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
Although he openly opposed secession during the American Civil War,
federal military forces labeled Helm a Confederate sympathizer. In
September 1862, he was arrested for this alleged sympathy, but Governor
James F. Robinson recognized him as he was being transported to a
prison in Louisville and had him released. After the war Helm
identified with the Democratic Party, and in 1865 Hardin County voters
returned him to the state senate. In 1867 he was the state's Democratic
candidate for governor. Despite his failing health, Helm made a
vigorous canvass of the state and won the general election. He was too
weak to travel to Frankfort for his inauguration, so state officials
administered the oath of office at his home on September 3, 1867. He
died five days later.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Helm>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1127:
Invading Jin soldiers besieged and sacked Kaifeng and abducted Emperor
Qinzong and others, ending the Northern Song Dynasty of China.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty%23Northern_Song%2C_960%E2%80%9311…>
1768:
Philip Astley staged the first modern circus in London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/circus>
1909:
Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition, planted the British
flag 97 miles (156 km) from the South Pole, the furthest anyone had
ever reached at that time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton>
1917:
World War I: Troops of the British Empire defeated Ottoman forces at
the Battle of Rafa on the Sinai–Palestine border in present-day Rafah.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rafa>
1972:
The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association lost to
the Milwaukee Bucks, ending a 33-game winning streak, the longest of
any team in American professional sports.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring (adj):
(idiomatic) [[unsuitable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neither_fish%2C_flesh%2C_nor_good_red_herring>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity.
I want this adventure that is the context of my life to go on without
end.
--Simone de Beauvoir
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Simone_de_Beauvoir>
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a 1965 song by American singer-songwriter Bob
Dylan. Its confrontational lyrics originate in an extended piece of
verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted from a
gruelling tour of England. During a difficult two day's pre-production,
Dylan struggled to find the essence of the song, which was recorded
without success as a waltz. A breakthrough was made when it was tried
in a rock music format, and rookie session musician Al Kooper
improvised the organ riff for which the track is known. However,
Columbia Records was unhappy with both the song's length at over six
minutes and its heavy electric sound, and were hesitant to release it.
It was only when, a month later, a copy was leaked to a new popular
music club and heard by influential DJs that the song was put out as a
single. Although radio stations were reluctant to play such a long
track, "Like a Rolling Stone" reached number two in the US charts and
became a worldwide hit. The track has been described as revolutionary
in its combination of different musical elements, the youthful, cynical
sound of Dylan's voice, and the directness of the question in the
chorus: "How does it feel?". "Like a Rolling Stone" transformed Dylan's
career and is today considered one of the most influential compositions
in post-war popular music and has since its release been both a music
industry and popular culture milestone which elevated Dylan's image to
iconic. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Jimi
Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Wailers and Green Day.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Rolling_Stone>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1746:
Second Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupied the town of
Stirling, Scotland, but failed to capture its castle.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling>
1790:
George Washington delivered the first ever State of the Union address
in New York City, then the provisional capital of the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_the_Union_address>
1838:
Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse conducted the first successful public
demonstration of the telegraph.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Vail>
1889:
Statistician Herman Hollerith received a patent for his electric
tabulating machine, the precursor to modern computers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Hollerith>
1956:
Five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States were
killed by the Huaorani in the rainforest of Ecuador shortly after
making contact with them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Auca>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
centiday (n):
One one-hundredth (1/100) of one day; that is, 14 minutes and 24
seconds
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/centiday>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My intent is to tell the truth as I know it, realizing that what is
true for me may be blasphemy for others.
--Gerry Spence
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gerry_Spence>
Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817) was the only child of George,
Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Caroline of Brunswick. Had she
outlived her father and her grandfather, King George III, she would
have become Queen of the United Kingdom. Instead, she died following
childbirth at the age of 21. Charlotte's parents disliked each other
from before their pre-arranged marriage and soon separated. As
Charlotte grew to adulthood, her father pressured her to marry William,
Hereditary Prince of Orange, but after initially accepting him,
Charlotte soon broke off the match. This resulted in an extended
contest of wills between her and her father, and finally the Prince of
Wales permitted her to marry Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later
Leopold I of Belgium). After a year and a half of happy marriage,
Charlotte died after giving birth to a stillborn son. Charlotte's death
set off tremendous mourning in the country, which had seen her as a
sign of hope and a contrast to her mentally ill grandfather and
unpopular father. As she had been King George III's only legitimate
grandchild, there was pressure on the King's unwed sons to marry. King
George III's fourth son, Edward, Duke of Kent, fathered the eventual
heir, Queen Victoria.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_of_Wales>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1610:
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first observed three of the
eventual four Galilean moons through his telescope: Io, Europa, and
Callisto.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_%28moon%29>
1922:
Dáil Éireann narrowly approved the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended the
Irish War of Independence and established the Irish Free State a
self-governing dominion within the British Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty>
1948:
Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell fatally crashed his P-51
Mustang while in pursuit of a supposed UFO near Fort Knox, Kentucky,
US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantell_UFO_incident>
1975:
The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women was established
to promote empowerment and gender equality for the women of the
Philippines.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Commission_on_Women>
2007:
Newly appointed Archbishop of Warsaw Stanisław Wielgus resigned amid
allegations that he collaborated with the Polish communist government's
secret police.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Wielgus>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hoo-ha (n):
A fuss, uproar, commotion or stir; hype; brouhaha
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hoo-ha>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When I take people round to see my animals, one of the first questions
they ask (unless the animal is cute and appealing) is, "what use is
it?" by which they mean, "what use is it to them?" To this one can
reply "What use is the Acropolis?" Does a creature have to be of direct
material use to mankind in order to exist? By and large, by asking the
question "what use is it?" you are asking the animal to justify its
existence without having justified your own.
--Gerald Durrell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gerald_Durrell>
"Homer's Enemy" is the 23rd episode of the eighth season of American
animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox
network in the United States on May 4, 1997. The plot of the episode
centers on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's hiring of a new
employee named Frank Grimes. Homer attempts to befriend Grimes;
however, Grimes takes an instant dislike to Homer, angered by his
laziness and incompetence, and eventually declares himself Homer's
enemy. The episode was directed by Jim Reardon and the script was
written by John Swartzwelder, based on an idea pitched by executive
producer Bill Oakley. The episode explores the comic possibilities of a
realistic character with a strong work ethic placed alongside Homer in
a work environment. The show's staff worked hard to perfect the
character of Frank Grimes. He was partially modeled after Michael
Douglas as he appeared in the film Falling Down. Hank Azaria provided
the voice of Frank Grimes, and based some of the characters' mannerisms
on actor William H. Macy. "Homer's Enemy" is considered to be one of
the darkest episodes of The Simpsons and is a favorite of several
members of the production staff. Although Grimes makes his only
appearance in this episode, he was later named one of the "Top 25
Simpsons Peripheral characters" by IGN.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1449:
Constantine XI Palaiologos was crowned Byzantine-Roman Emperor, the
last one before the Fall of Constantinople.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_XI_Palaiologos>
1839:
The most damaging storm in 300 years swept across Ireland, with
100-knot winds damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in
Dublin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Big_Wind>
1907:
Italian educator Maria Montessori opened her first school and day care
center for working class children in Rome.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori>
1953:
The first Asian Socialist Conference, an organization of socialist
political parties in Asia, opened in Rangoon, Burma, with 177
delegates, observers and fraternal guests.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Socialist_Conference>
1977:
The record label EMI ended its contract with the English punk rock band
Sex Pistols in response to its members' disruptive behaviour at London
Heathrow Airport two days earlier.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Pistols>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
circumbendibus (n):
{{often
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/circumbendibus>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has
already achieved, but what he aspires to.
--Khalil Gibran
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Khalil_Gibran>
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It
is located about 350 kilometres (217 mi) west of the state capital
Bangalore. Bound by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain
ranges, Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina
Kannada district in south western Karnataka. Mangalore developed as a
port on the Arabian Sea – remaining, to this day, a major port of
India. Lying on the backwaters of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers,
Mangalore is often used as a staging point for sea traffic along the
Malabar Coast. The city has a tropical climate and lies on the path of
the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoons. Mangalore was ruled
by several major powers, including the Kadambas, Vijayanagar dynasty,
Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and the Portuguese. The city was a
source of contention between the British and the Mysore rulers, Hyder
Ali and Tippu Sultan. Eventually annexed by the British in 1799,
Mangalore remained part of the Madras Presidency until India's
independence in 1947. The city's landscape is characterized by rolling
hills, coconut palms, freshwater streams, and hard red-clay tiled-roof
buildings.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalore>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1463:
French poet François Villon was banned from Paris by the Parlement
after being commuted from a death sentence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Villon>
1925:
Nellie Tayloe Ross was inaugurated as Governor of Wyoming, the first
woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Tayloe_Ross>
1941:
World War II: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in
Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army
formation took part.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bardia>
1991:
Georgian troops attacked Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia,
opening the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991%E2%80%931992_South_Ossetia_War>
2002:
London police arrested seven people in conjunction with an alleged
terrorist plot to release ricin on the London Underground, although
only one was eventually convicted.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Green_ricin_plot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oniomania (n):
<span class="qualifier-brac">(</span><span
class="qualifier-content">psychology</span><span
class="qualifier-brac">)</span> An abnormal impulse to buy things, or a
condition characterised by such impulses
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oniomania>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the
language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection — not an
invitation for hypnosis.
--Umberto Eco
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Umberto_Eco>
The antbirds are a large family of passerine birds found in forests
across subtropical and tropical Central and South America, from Mexico
to Argentina. There are more than 200 species, known variously as
antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire-eyes, bare-eyes and bushbirds.
They are related to the antthrushes and antpittas (family
Formicariidae), the tapaculos, the gnateaters and the ovenbirds.
Antbirds are generally small birds with rounded wings and strong legs.
They have mostly sombre grey, white, brown and rufous plumage, which is
sexually dimorphic in pattern and colouring. Some species communicate
warnings to rivals by exposing white feather patches on their backs or
shoulders. Most have heavy bills, which in many species are hooked at
the tip. Insects and other arthropods form the most important part of
their diet, although small vertebrates are occasionally taken. Most
species feed in the forest understory and midstory, although a few feed
in the canopy and a few on the ground. To various degrees, around
eighteen species specialise in following columns of army ants to eat
the small invertebrates flushed by the ants, and many others may feed
in this way opportunistically. Thirty-eight species are threatened with
extinction due to human activities. The principal threat is habitat
loss, which causes habitat fragmentation and increased nest predation
in habitat fragments.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antbird>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1885:
Sino-French War: French troops under General François Oscar de Négrier
defeated a numerically superior Chinese force at Nui Bop in northern
Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nui_Bop>
1912:
The Boy Scout Association was incorporated throughout the British
Commonwealth by royal charter.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scout_Association>
1951:
Korean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Seoul>
1973:
Last of the Summer Wine, the longest running sitcom in the world,
premiered as an episode of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_of_the_Summer_Wine>
2006:
Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon suffered a severe hemorrhagic
stroke, leaving Ehud Olmert as Acting Prime Minister.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Sharon>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
selcouth (adj):
(obsolete) Strange, unusual, rare; marvellous, wondrous
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/selcouth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up
with you
And I don't know if I can do it.
Oh, no, I've said too much.
I
haven't said enough.
--R.E.M.
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/R.E.M.>
Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is a deeply personal
travel narrative by the eighteenth-century British feminist Mary
Wollstonecraft. It covers a wide range of topics, from sociological
reflections on Scandinavia and its peoples to philosophical questions
regarding identity. Published by Wollstonecraft's career-long
publisher, Joseph Johnson, it was the last work issued during her
lifetime. Wollstonecraft undertook the tour of the three countries in
order to retrieve a stolen treasure ship for her lover, Gilbert Imlay,
believing that the journey would restore their strained relationship.
However, over the course of the three-month trip, she realized that
Imlay had no intention of renewing the relationship. The twenty-five
letters which constitute the text, drawn from her journal and from
missives she sent to Imlay, reflect her anger and melancholy over his
repeated betrayals. Using the rhetoric of the sublime, Wollstonecraft
explores the relationship between the self and society in the text.
Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is both a travel
narrative and an autobiographical memoir, and was Wollstonecraft's most
popular book in the 1790s—it sold well and was reviewed positively by
most critics.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_Written_in_Sweden%2C_Norway%2C_and_Den…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1521:
Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem,
excommunicating Martin Luther from the Roman Catholic Church after
Luther refused to retract 41 of his 95 theses.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_X>
1833:
With the arrival of three British naval ships at the Falkland Islands,
the United Kingdom was able to re-assert sovereignty there.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re-establishment_of_British_rule_on_the_Falkla…>
1848:
Joseph Jenkins Roberts began his term as the first President of
Liberia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jenkins_Roberts>
1957:
The Hamilton Watch Company introduced the world's first electric watch.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Watch_Company>
1959:
As a result of the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska Territory became
the 49th U.S. state, and the first outside of the 48 contiguous states.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
judder (v):
To spasm; to shake violently
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/judder>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in
harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the
Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this
theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will
sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been
wakened into song.
--J. R. R. Tolkien
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien>
Robert Marshall (1901–1939) was an American forester, writer and
wilderness activist. He developed a love for the outdoors during his
childhood and became one of the first Adirondack Forty-Sixers. He also
traveled to the Alaskan wilderness and wrote numerous publications,
including the 1933 bestselling book Arctic Village. A scientist with a
Doctor of Philosophy in plant physiology, Marshall became independently
wealthy after the death of his father. He held two significant public
posts during his life: chief of forestry in the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, from 1933 to 1937, and head of recreation management in the
Forest Service, from 1937 to 1939. Defining wilderness as a social as
well as an environmental ideal, Marshall was the first to suggest a
formal, national organization dedicated to the preservation of primeval
land. In 1935 he became one of the principal founders of The Wilderness
Society. Marshall died of heart failure at the age of 38. Today,
Marshall is considered largely responsible for the wilderness
preservation movement. Several landmarks and areas, including The Bob
Marshall Wilderness in Montana and Mount Marshall in the Adirondacks,
were named in his honor.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marshall_%28wilderness_activist%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
366:
The Alamanni, an alliance of west Germanic tribes, crossed the frozen
Rhine in large numbers to invade the Roman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamanni>
533:
Mercurius became Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a regnal name
upon elevation to the papacy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_II>
1944:
World War II: The United States and Australia successfully landed
13,000 troops on Papua New Guinea in an attempt to cut off a Japanese
retreat.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/landing_at_Saidor>
1949:
Luis Muñoz Marín became the first democratically elected Governor of
Puerto Rico.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Mu%C3%B1oz_Mar%C3%ADn>
1991:
Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., thus
becoming the first African American woman to lead a major American
city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Pratt_Kelly>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
contumelious (adj):
Rudely contemptuous; showing contumely; insolent or disdainful
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contumelious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and
reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything,
no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The
wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more
solid the evidence will have to be.
--Isaac Asimov
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov>