100px|Typhoon Tip at peak intensity on October 12, 1979
Typhoon Tip was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone on
record. The nineteenth tropical storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1979
Pacific typhoon season, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the
monsoon trough on October 4 near Pohnpei. Initially, a tropical storm
to its northwest hindered the development and motion of Tip, though
after it tracked further north Tip was able to intensify. After passing
Guam, it rapidly intensified and reached peak winds of 305 km/h
(190 mph) and a worldwide record low sea-level pressure of 870 mbar
(hPa, 25.69 inHg) on October 12. At its peak strength, it was also the
largest tropical cyclone on record with a diameter of 2,220 km
(1,380 mi). It slowly weakened as it continued west-northwestward, and
later turned to the northeast under the influence of an approaching
trough. Tip made landfall on southern Japan on October 19, and became
an extratropical cyclone shortly thereafter. U.S. Air Force
Reconnaissance flew 60 missions into the typhoon, making Tip one of the
most closely observed tropical cyclones. Rainwater from the typhoon
breached a flood-retaining wall at a United States Marine Corps
training camp in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, leading to a fire
which killed 13 Marines and injured 68. Elsewhere in the country, the
typhoon led to widespread flooding and 42 deaths, while offshore
shipwrecks left 44 killed or missing. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1759:
Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum to the St.
James's Gate Brewery in Dublin and began brewing Guinness.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness>
1775:
American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Quebec, British forces
repulsed an attack by the Continental Army to capture Quebec City and
enlist French Canadian support.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Quebec_%281775%29>
1965:
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and
his military officers began a coup d'état against the government of
President David Dacko.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Sylvestre_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1972:
American baseball player Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash en
route to deliver aid to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Clemente>
1999:
Panama took control of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States, in
accordance with the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_Zone>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kookaburra (n):
Any of several species of kingfishers in the genus Dacelo, known for
their laugh-like call
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kookaburra>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At each stage I reach a balance, a conclusion. At the next sitting, if
I find that there is a weakness in the whole, I make my way back into
the picture by means of the weakness — I re-enter through the breach —
and I reconceive the whole. Thus everything becomes fluid again.
--Henri Matisse
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse>
100px|Charles Stewart in 1940
Charles Stewart (1868–1946) was a Canadian politician who served as
the third Premier of Alberta from 1917 until 1921. As Premier, Stewart
tried to hold together his Liberal Party, which was divided by the
Conscription Crisis of 1917. He endeavored to enforce prohibition,
which had been enshrined in law by a referendum during the premiership
of his predecessor, Arthur Sifton, but found that the law was not
widely enough supported to be effectively policed. His government took
over several of the province's financially troubled railroads, and
guaranteed bonds sold to fund irrigation projects. Several of these
policies were the result of lobbying by the United Farmers of Alberta
(UFA), with which Stewart enjoyed good relations; even so, the UFA was
politicized during Stewart's premiership and ran candidates in the 1921
election. Unable to match the UFA's appeal to rural voters, Stewart's
government was defeated at the polls and he resigned as premier. After
leaving provincial politics, Stewart was invited to join the federal
cabinet of William Lyon Mackenzie King, in which he served as Minister
of the Interior and Mines. He served in King's cabinet until 1930, when
the King government was defeated; in 1935, so too was Stewart. He died
in December 1946 in Ottawa. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1066:
A Muslim mob stormed the royal palace in Granada, crucified vizier
Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacred most of the Berber Jewish population
of the city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1066_Granada_massacre>
1702:
Carolina colonial governor James Moore abandoned the siege against the
Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, Spanish Florida, and retreated
to Charles Town in disgrace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_St._Augustine_%281702%29>
1924:
Astronomer Edwin Hubble announced that Andromeda , previously believed
to be a nebula, is actually another galaxy, and that the Milky Way is
only one of many such galaxies in the universe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hubble>
1965:
Ferdinand Marcos began his 21-year rule as President of the
Philippines.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Marcos>
2006:
Basque nationalist group ETA detonated a van bomb at Madrid-Barajas
Airport in Madrid, Spain, ending a nine-month ceasefire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Madrid-Barajas_Airport_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
koomkie (n):
A tame female elephant used as a decoy in the capture of wild male
elephants
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/koomkie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One makes mistakes; that is life. But it is never a mistake to have
loved.
--Romain Rolland
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Romain_Rolland>
90px|William Shatner directed, co-wrote, and acted in Star Trek V: The
Final Frontier.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction
film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the
franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star
Trek science fiction television series. Taking place shortly after the
events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the plot follows the crew of
the USS Enterprise-A as they confront a renegade Vulcan, Sybok, who is
searching for God at the center of the galaxy. The film was directed by
cast member William Shatner (pictured), following two films directed by
his co-star, Leonard Nimoy. Shatner also developed the initial
storyline in which Sybok searches for God, but instead finds Satan. The
original script was disliked by series creator Gene Roddenberry, while
Nimoy and DeForest Kelley objected to the premise that their
characters, Spock and Leonard McCoy, would betray Shatner's James T.
Kirk. The script went through multiple revisions to please the cast and
studio, including cuts in the effects-laden climax of the film. The
film's ending was reworked because of poor test audience reaction and
the failure of planned special effects. The Final Frontier was released
in North America on June 9, 1989, amidst a summer box office crowded by
sequels and blockbuster films. The film received generally mixed or
poor reviews by critics on release, and according to its producer
nearly killed the franchise. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1835:
The United States signed the Treaty of New Echota with leaders of a
minority Cherokee faction, which became the legal basis for the
forcible removal known as the Trail of Tears.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_New_Echota>
1860:
To counter the French Navy's La Gloire, the world's first ironclad
warship, the British Royal Navy launched the world's first iron-hulled
armoured battleship, HMS Warrior.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Warrior_%281860%29>
1911:
Sun Yat-sen was elected in Nanking as the provisional President of the
Republic of China.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen>
1930:
Muhammad Iqbal introduced the Two-Nation Theory outlining a vision for
the creation of an independent state for Muslim-majority provinces in
northwestern British India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Nation_Theory>
1937:
The Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the state
known today as the Republic of Ireland, came into force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ireland>
1959:
Physicist Richard Feynman gave a speech entitled "There's Plenty of
Room at the Bottom", which is considered the birth of nanotechnology.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_Plenty_of_Room_at_the_Bottom>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bespectacled (adj):
Wearing spectacles (glasses)
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bespectacled>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Here is my first principle of foreign policy: good government at home.
--William Ewart Gladstone
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Ewart_Gladstone>
100px|A Peace dollar, obverse side
The Peace dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1921 to
1928, and again in 1934 and 1935. Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the
coin resulted from a competition seeking designs emblematic of peace,
and its reverse depicts an eagle at rest clutching an olive branch,
with the legend "PEACE". It was the last United States silver dollar to
be struck for circulation. With the passage of the Pittman Act in 1918,
the United States Mint was required to strike millions of silver
dollars, and began doing so in 1921 using the Morgan dollar design.
Numismatists began urging the Mint to issue a coin evoking peace;
although they failed to get Congress to pass a bill requiring the
redesign, they were able to persuade government officials to take
action. The Peace dollar was approved in December 1921, completing the
redesign of United States coinage which had begun in 1907. The public
believed the announced design, which included a broken sword, was
illustrative of defeat, and the Mint hastily acted to remove the sword
from the design. The Peace dollar was first struck on December 28,
1921; just over a million were coined bearing a 1921 date. When the
Pittman Act requirements were met in 1928, the Mint ceased to strike
the dollars. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
893:
An earthquake destroyed the city of Dvin, Armenia, causing about 30,000
casualties.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/893_Dvin_earthquake>
1907:
The last confirmed sighting of the extinct Huia took place in the
Tararua Ranges, North Island, New Zealand.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huia>
1912:
The San Francisco Municipal Railway, operator of the city's famed cable
car system , opened its first line.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Municipal_Railway>
1989:
In one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, a 5.6 ML
earthquake struck Newcastle, New South Wales, killing 13 people and
injuring more than 160 others, and causing an estimated AU$4 billion in
damages.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Newcastle_earthquake>
2008:
War in Somalia: Troops of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government
along with their Ethiopian allies captured Mogadishu unopposed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Mogadishu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spelunk (v):
To explore caves
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spelunk>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The external world of physics has … become a world of shadows. In
removing our illusions we have removed the substance, for indeed we
have seen that substance is one of the greatest of our illusions. ...
The sparsely spread nuclei of electric force become a tangible solid;
their restless agitation becomes the warmth of summer; the octave of
aethereal vibrations becomes a gorgeous rainbow. Nor does the alchemy
stop here. In the transmuted world new significances arise which are
scarcely to be traced in the world of symbols; so that it becomes a
world of beauty and purpose — and, alas, suffering and evil.
The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world
of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.
--Arthur Stanley Eddington
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Stanley_Eddington>
100px|Wexford Drive in Knowle West
Knowle West is a neighbourhood situated on a low plateau in the south
of Bristol, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the centre of the
city. Most of the area is coterminous with the Filwood ward of Bristol
City Council, although a small part of the estate lies within Knowle
ward to the east. The population as of 2008 was estimated as 11,787.
There is evidence of late Iron Age and Roman settlements in the area.
At the time of the Domesday Book, Knowle was a rural area assessed at a
taxable value of two geld units. Knowle West remained rural in
character until the 1930s when a council housing estate was developed
to provide homes for Bristolians displaced by slum clearance in the
centre of the city. Famous former residents include the musician
Tricky, the boxer Dixie Brown and late 1950s rock and roll band The
Eagles. Community activities include the Knowle West Media Centre, the
Residents' Planning Group and the Knowle West Health Association. There
are no major employers in Knowle West but there are many small local
enterprises and larger businesses on nearby trading estates. Just under
a third of the residents are classed as economically inactive and the
area is one of the most economically deprived in Bristol. Knowle West
has relatively high indices of crime and drug use, but community
efforts to combat this have had some success. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
Aboard HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin left Plymouth, England, on what
became a historic expedition to South America that made his name as a
naturalist.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_HMS_Beagle>
1911:
"Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, was first sung in the
Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jana_Gana_Mana>
1927:
Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical, opened at
the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_Boat>
1997:
The republican Irish National Liberation Army assassinated loyalist
Billy Wright while in Maze Prison.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wright_%28loyalist%29>
2007:
Riots erupted in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki was declared the
winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic,
and humanitarian crisis .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%932008_Kenyan_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
far point (n):
The most distant point at which the eye can focus (usually infinity,
but nearer for a myopic eye)
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/far_point>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is
your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me...
--Louis Pasteur
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur>
100px|Sir Edmund Andros
The 1689 Boston revolt was a popular uprising against the rule of Sir
Edmund Andros (pictured), governor of the Dominion of New England that
followed the Glorious Revolution deposing James II of England, who had
appointed Andros. During the revolt, on April 18, 1689, a
well-organized body of Puritan citizens and militiamen entered the
dominion capital of Boston and arrested officials of the dominion, a
colonial entity composed of present-day Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The
rebellion was inspired by actions taken by Andros and dominion
administrators, including promoting the Church of England, invalidating
land titles, and famously attempting to seize the colonial charter of
Connecticut. Andros had attempted to suppress news of the fall of James
II, hoping to prevent even greater instability in the months before the
revolt, but his efforts were in vain, and that news served as the
immediate cause of the revolt. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1811:
A theater in Richmond, Virginia, US, was destroyed by fire in what was
the worst urban disaster in American history at the time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Theatre_fire>
1825:
Imperial Russian Army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in a protest
against Nicholas I's assumption of the throne after his elder brother
Constantine removed himself from the line of succession.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolt>
1846:
Trapped in the snow in the middle of the Sierra Nevada without any food
left, members of the American pioneer group known as the Donner Party
resorted to cannibalism.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party>
1900:
A relief crew arrived at the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles of
Scotland and discovered that the previous crew had disappeared without
a trace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannan_Isles>
2006:
The Hengchun earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan, on
the second anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that
devastated the coastal communities across Southeast and South Asia ,
and on the third anniversary of the 2003 Bam earthquake that destroyed
areas of southeastern Iran.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Hengchun_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oratory (n):
1. The art of public speaking, especially in a formal, expressive, or
forceful manner.
2. Eloquence; the quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or
writing
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oratory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To each his suff'rings: all are men,
Condemn'd alike to groan,
The tender for another's pain;
Th'
unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes
too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their
paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
--Thomas Gray
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Gray>
100px|Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) photographed in Mulga
View, SW Queensland, Australia
The Red-capped Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia.
Found in dryer regions across much of the continent, it inhabits scrub
and open woodland. Like many brightly coloured robins of the
Petroicidae family, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 10.5–12.5 cm
(4–5 in) in length, the robin has a small thin black bill, and dark
brown eyes and legs. The male has a distinctive red cap and red breast,
black upperparts, and a black tail with white tips. The underparts and
shoulders are white. The female is an undistinguished grey-brown. This
species uses a variety of songs, and males generally sing to advertise
territories and attract females. Birds are encountered in pairs or
small groups, but the social behaviour has been little studied. The
position of the Red-capped Robin and its Australian relatives on the
passerine family tree is unclear; the Petroicidae are not closely
related to either the European or American Robins but appear to be an
early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. The Red-capped
Robin is a predominantly ground-feeding bird and its prey consists of
insects and spiders. Although widespread, it is uncommon in much of its
range and has receded in some areas from human activity. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: George Washington and his army crossed the
Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries at
the Battle of Trenton.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_crossing_of_the_Delaware_River>
1941:
Second World War: The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after Mark
Aitchison Young, the Governor of Hong Kong, surrendered the territory
to Japan after 18 days of fierce fighting.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong>
1950:
The Stone of Scone, the traditional coronation stone of Scottish,
English, and more recently British monarchs, was stolen from London's
Westminster Abbey.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_Scone>
2007:
A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo escaped from its enclosure and
attacked three patrons before it was shot and killed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Zoo_tiger_attacks>
2009:
The 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral in Longford, considered the
"flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands, was destroyed by fire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mel%27s_Cathedral>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
synod (n):
An ecclesiastic council or meeting to consult on church matters
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/synod>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And
heav'n and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature
sing.
--Isaac Watts
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts>
130px|Harold Pinter in 2005
Harold Pinter (1930–2008) was a Nobel Prize-winning English
playwright and screenwriter, with a career that spanned more than 50
years. His plays include The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and
Betrayal, and his screenplays include The Servant, The French
Lieutenant's Woman and Sleuth. Pinter appeared as an actor in
productions of his own work on radio and film. He also undertook roles
in works by other writers. He directed nearly 50 productions for stage,
theatre and screen. He was born and raised in Hackney, east London,
trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Central School of
Speech and Drama, and worked in repertory theatre before achieving
success as a writer. In his later years, he was known for his political
activism and his opposition to the war in Afghanistan and the invasion
of Iraq. Pinter's last stage performance was as Krapp in Beckett's play
Krapp's Last Tape, for the Royal Court Theatre, in 2006. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1294:
Boniface VIII began his papacy, replacing St. Celestine V, who had
declared it was permissible for a Pope to resign, and then promptly did
so.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_VIII>
1777:
An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas
Island , the largest coral atoll in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiritimati>
1826:
More than one third of the cadets enrolled in the United States
Military Academy in West Point, New York, rioted over the smuggling of
whiskey to make eggnog for a Christmas Day party.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog_Riot>
1955:
The NORAD Tracks Santa program began when children began calling the
Continental Air Defense Command Center to inquire about Santa Claus'
whereabouts due to a misprinted phone number.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa>
1974:
Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Australia, eventually destroying more than
70 percent of the city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dovecote (n):
1. A small house or box, raised to a considerable height above the
ground, and having compartments, in which domestic pigeons breed; a
dove house.
2. In medieval Europe, a round or square structure of stone or wood,
free-standing or built into a tower, in which pigeons were kept
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dovecote>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Calm soul of all things! make it mine
To feel, amid the city’s jar,
That there abides a peace of thine,
Man did not make, and cannot mar.
--Matthew Arnold
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Matthew_Arnold>
130px|Issy Smith
Issy Smith (1890–1940) was a British-Australian recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the
enemy that can be awarded to eligible forces of the Commonwealth and
United Kingdom. Smith (pictured at left), the first living Jewish
recipient of the Victoria Cross, was also awarded the French Croix de
Guerre (with palm) and Russian Cross of St. George (4th class). Born to
parents residing in Egypt, Smith travelled to Britain as a child
stowaway and first volunteered to serve in the British Army in 1904. He
emigrated to Australia after discharge, where he remained until
mobilised as a reservist in 1914. As a corporal in the 1st Battalion,
The Manchester Regiment, Smith was engaged in the Second Battle of
Ypres. On 26 April 1915, Smith, on his own initiative, recovered
wounded soldiers while exposed to sustained fire and attended to them
"with the greatest devotion to duty regardless of personal risk". His
conduct secured a recommendation for the Victoria Cross, which was
awarded to Smith in August 1915. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1769:
Having been soundly defeated in battle, the Qing Dynasty agreed to
terms of truce, ending the Sino-Burmese War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Burmese_War_%281765%E2%80%931769%29>
1939:
Indian Muslims observed a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the
resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over the
decision to enter World War II at the request of the United Kingdom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Deliverance_%28India%29>
1974:
Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli voted to become the independent
nation of the Comoros.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros>
1988:
Brazilian unionist and environmental activist Chico Mendes was murdered
at his Xapuri home.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Mendes>
2008:
An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County,
Tennessee, US, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal
fly ash slurry .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Fossil_Plant_coal_fly_ash_slurry_spill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Christmas is coming (phrase):
Used as a reminder or warning regarding an impending deadline
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Christmas_is_coming>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God is not, as in scholasticism, the final subject of all predicates.
He is being as unpredicable. The existence of the creature, in so far
as it exists, is the existence of God, and the creature’s experience of
God is therefore in the final analysis equally unpredicable. Neither
can even be described; both can only be indicated. We can only point at
reality, our own or God’s. The soul comes to the realization of God by
knowledge, not as in the older Christian mysticism by love. Love is the
garment of knowledge. The soul first trains itself by systematic
unknowing until at last it confronts the only reality, the only
knowledge, God manifest in itself. The soul can say nothing about this
experience in the sense of defining it. It can only reveal it to
others.
--Kenneth Rexroth
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Rexroth>
"A Rugrats Chanukah" is a special episode of Nickelodeon's animated
television series Rugrats. The first episode of the show's fourth
season, it tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the
eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. The
idea of a Rugrats Chanukah special was pitched by Nickelodeon
executives in 1992, but the concept was revised and became the 1995
special, "A Rugrats Passover". After production of the Passover episode
wrapped, the crew returned to the Chanukah idea. Nickelodeon broadcast
"A Rugrats Chanukah" on December 4, 1996; the episode received a
Nielsen rating of 7.9 and positive reviews from television critics.
Along with other Rugrats episodes featuring Grandpa Boris and his wife,
the special attracted controversy when the Anti-Defamation League
compared the character designs to anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s
Nazi newspaper. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rugrats_Chanukah>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1620:
The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts,
establishing the Plymouth Colony.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Colony>
1826:
American settlers in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede
from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredonian_Rebellion>
1919:
After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist
military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the
United States to Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman>
1937:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated
feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los
Angeles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_%281937_film%29>
1968:
Apollo 8 launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew
on a trajectory to the Moon, for the first visit to another celestial
body by humans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
interjacent (adj):
Situated between; lying among
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/interjacent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I was persuaded and am, that God's way is first to turn a soul from its
idols, both of heart, worship, and conversation, before it is capable
of worship to the true and living God.
--Roger Williams (theologian)
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Williams_%28theologian%29>