The Red-necked Grebe is a migratory aquatic bird that is found in the
temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is
largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean
coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes. Grebes prefer
shallow bodies of fresh water such as lakes, marshes or fish-ponds as
breeding sites. A nondescript dusky-grey bird in winter, it acquires
the distinctive red neck, black cap and contrasting pale grey face from
which its name is derived during the breeding season. It also has an
elaborate courtship display and a variety of loud mating calls. Once
paired, it builds a nest from water plants on top of floating
vegetation in a shallow lake or bog.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-necked_Grebe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1680:
Several pueblos of Pueblo Indians captured the town of Santa Fe in
Nuevo México.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_Revolt>
1858:
The first of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A.
Douglas, candidates for an Illinois seat in the United States Senate,
was held in Ottawa, Illinois.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln-Douglas_debates_of_1858>
1911:
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by a museum
employee and was not recovered until two years later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa>
1944:
World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the
strategically important town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive
of the Battle of Normandy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tractable>
2007:
Hurricane Dean made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 5
storm, causing 45 deaths and US$1.5 billion in damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Dean>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fatiloquent (adj):
Speaking of fate; portentous, prophetic
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fatiloquent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The night was long and dark and just
Another dagger to my trust.
I thrust it in until I bleed
I wiped
my point for you to see.
And anyway,
It's over now.
Nothing left to say.
I don't know
why,
I don't care how,
It's over anyway.
--Alicia Witt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alicia_Witt>
The Metacomet Ridge of southern New England, United States, is a narrow
and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff
faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and communities of
plants considered rare or endangered. An important recreation resource
located within 10 miles (16 km) of a population corridor of over 2.5
million people, the ridge is home to four long distance hiking trails
and over a dozen parks and recreation areas including several state and
nationally recognized historic sites. Because of its natural, historic,
and recreational value, the ridge has been the focus of ongoing
conservation efforts involving municipal, state, and national agencies
as well as nearly two dozen non-profit organizations.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacomet_Ridge>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
636:
Rashidun forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid took control of Syria and
Palestine in the Battle of Yarmouk, marking the first great wave of
Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yarmouk>
917:
Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Bulgarians led by Tsar Simeon I drove the
Byzantines out of Thrace with a decisive victory in the Battle of
Achelous.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Achelous_%28917%29>
1882:
The 1812 Overture by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was
first performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_Overture>
1989:
A dredger collided with a pleasure boat on the River Thames in London,
causing the latter to sink in just thirty seconds.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchioness_disaster>
1998:
The Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan was destroyed by a missile
attack launched by the United States in retaliation for the August 7
U.S. embassy bombings.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factory>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
basileiolatry (n):
King-worship
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/basileiolatry>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The grand design of nature perceived broadly in four dimensions,
including the forces that move the universe and created man, with
special focus on evolution in our own biosphere, is something
intrinsically good that it is right to preserve and enhance, and wrong
to destroy and degrade.
--Roger Wolcott Sperry
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Wolcott_Sperry>
100px|Flag of the Korean People's Army
The 766th Independent Infantry Regiment was a light infantry regiment
of the North Korean People's Army that existed briefly during the
Korean War. Trained extensively in amphibious warfare and
unconventional warfare, the 766th Regiment was considered a special
forces commando unit. Activated in 1949, the regiment trained for more
than a year before the outbreak of the war on June 25, 1950. On that
day, half of the regiment led North Korean forces against South Korean
troops by land and sea, pushing them back after several days of
fighting. Over the next six weeks the regiment advanced slowly down the
Korean Peninsula, acting as a forward unit of the North Korean army.
Suffering lack of supplies and mounting casualties, the regiment was
committed to the Battle of Pusan Perimeter as part of a push to force
United Nations troops out of Korea. The regiment saw its final action
at the Battle of P'ohang-dong, fighting unsuccessfully to take the town
from UN troops. (more...)
Recently featured: "200" – Air-tractor sledge – Mother's
Milk
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/766th_Independent_Infantry_Regiment_%28North_K…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan in the
Scottish Highlands to begin the Second Jacobite Rising.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_Rising_of_1745>
1953:
The intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom and the United States
orchestrated a coup d'état of Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh
and restored the absolute monarchy of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1980:
A fire on Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163 killed all 301 people on
board after it made an emergency landing at Riyadh International
Airport in Saudi Arabia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudia_Flight_163>
1991:
A Hasidic man accidentally killed two Guyanese immigrant children in
the Crown Heights neighborhood of New York City, initiating three days
of rioting.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Heights_riot>
2005:
Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least three
tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario_Tornado_Outbreak_of_2005>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
outré (adj):
Beyond the limits of conventionality; extreme, unconventional
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/outr%C3%A9>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter.
--Bernard Baruch
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bernard_Baruch>
"200" is the sixth episode of the science fiction television series
Stargate SG-1's tenth season, and the two-hundredth episode of the
series overall. Unlike the more serious nature of the season's story
arc, "200" is a light-hearted parody of Stargate SG-1, other sci-fi
shows, and popular culture such as The Wizard of Oz. "200" won the 2007
Constellation Award for Best Overall 2006 Science Fiction Film or
Television Script, and was nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best
Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. The episode also marks the first
time original SG-1 member Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is seen
since the beginning of Season 9. The episode received a 1.9 average
household rating, one of the few episodes of the season that surpassed
the average rating of Stargate SG-1's previous season. "200" also
received near-universal praise for its humor and writing. Despite the
strong performance of the episode, the Sci-Fi Channel announced soon
after the episode's airing it would not be renewing the series for
another season.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/200_%28Stargate_SG-1%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1590:
John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned from England only
to find the settlement deserted.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony>
1868:
Astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered helium while analyzing the
chromosphere of the sun during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/helium>
1891:
A hurricane struck Martinique, killing about 700 people, injuring at
least 1,000 others, and obliterating houses, trees, and crops across
the entire island.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Martinique_hurricane>
1948:
Australia completed a 4–0 Ashes series win, earning them the nickname
of "The Invincibles" for being the first Test cricket match side to
play an entire tour of England without losing a match.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Test%2C_1948_Ashes_series>
2008:
President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf resigned under impeachment
pressure.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_Pervez_Musharraf>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ness (n):
(geography) A promontory; a cape or headland
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I saw the starry Tree
Eternity
Put forth the blossom Time.
--Robert Williams Buchanan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Williams_Buchanan>
The air-tractor sledge was a converted fixed-wing aircraft taken on the
1911–14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, the first plane to be taken
to the Antarctic. Expedition leader Douglas Mawson had planned to use
the Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane as a reconnaissance and search and
rescue tool, and to assist in publicity, but the aircraft crashed
heavily during a test flight only two months before Mawson's scheduled
departure date. The plane, stripped of its wings, was nevertheless sent
south with the expedition, and converted to a sledge; brakes were
fashioned from a pair of geological drills and a steering system from
the plane's landing gear. The air-tractor was first tested in November
1912 and subsequently assisted in laying depots for the summer sledging
parties, but its use during the expedition was minimal; the freezing
conditions resulted in the jamming of the engine's pistons, and its
frame was left on the ice when the expedition returned home in December
1913. In 2008 a team from the Mawson's Huts Foundation began searching
for the remains of the air-tractor sledge; a seat was found in 2009,
and parts of the tail a year later. The foundation believes that the
air-tractor is still at the expedition's base, buried beneath the ice.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-tractor_sledge>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
986:
Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: The Bulgarians defeated the Byzantine forces
at the Gate of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Byzantine Emperor
Basil II barely escaping.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gates_of_Trajan>
1915:
American Jew Leo Frank was lynched by a mob of prominent citizens in
Marietta, Georgia, for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Frank>
1945:
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia ,
igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution>
1947:
A commission led by Cyril Radcliffe established the Radcliffe Line, the
border between India and Pakistan after the Partition of India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_Line>
2008:
With the victory in the 4×100 m medley relay at the Beijing Summer
Olympics, Michael Phelps set the records for the most gold medals won
by an individual in a single Olympics (8) as well as total career gold
medals (14) in modern Olympic history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
halation (n):
The blurring of light around a very bright area of an image (originally
and especially in photography); localised blur or fogging caused by the
spreading of light
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/halation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Most of authors seek fame, but I seek for justice — a holier impulse
than ever entered into the ambitious struggles of the votaries of that
fickle, flirting goddess.
--Davy Crockett
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett>
Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by rock band Red Hot Chili
Peppers, released on August 16, 1989. After the death of guitarist
Hillel Slovak and subsequent departure of drummer Jack Irons, vocalist
Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea regrouped with the addition of
guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith. Frusciante
significantly altered the band's sound by placing more emphasis on
melody than rhythm, which had dominated the band's previous material.
The record was a greater commercial success than the Chili Peppers'
past three studio albums combined. Mother's Milk peaked at number 52 on
the Billboard 200 and received widespread recognition for singles
"Knock Me Down", the Stevie Wonder cover "Higher Ground" and "Taste the
Pain". The album became their first gold record in early 1990, and was
the first step for the band in achieving international success.
Although the record was not met with the same positive critical
reception that its predecessor The Uplift Mofo Party Plan had garnered,
Mother's Milk, according to Amy Hanson of Allmusic, "turned the tide
and transformed the band from underground funk-rocking rappers to
mainstream bad boys with seemingly very little effort". (more...)
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Thunder
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Milk>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
War of 1812: American General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit
without a fight to the British Army.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Detroit>
1863:
After Spain had annexed the Dominican Republic, rebels raised the
Dominican flag in Santiago de los Caballeros to begin the War of
Restoration.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Restoration_War>
1891:
The Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila, the only all-steel church in
Asia, was officially consecrated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Sebastian%2C_Manila>
1929:
A long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the
Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into a week-long period of violent
riots throughout Palestine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Palestine_riots>
1960:
Joseph Kittinger parachuted from a balloon over New Mexico at
102,800 feet (31,330 m), setting records for high-altitude jump,
free-fall height, and fastest speed by a human without an aircraft.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
feme covert (n):
(law) A married woman
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feme_covert>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some men, like a tiled house, are long before they take fire, but once
on flame there is no coming near to quench them.
--Thomas Fuller
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Fuller>
95px|Old-Kannada inscription, 1114 CE at Doddagaddavalli
Hoysala literature is the large body of literature in the Kannada and
Sanskrit languages produced by the Hoysala Empire (1025–1343) in what
is now southern India. Kannada literature during this period consisted
of writings relating to the socio-religious developments of the Jain
and Veerashaiva faiths, and to a lesser extent that of the Vaishnava
faith. The earliest well-known brahmin writers in Kannada were from the
Hoysala court. While most of the courtly textual production was in
Kannada, an important corpus of monastic Vaishnava literature relating
to Dvaita (dualistic) philosophy was written by the renowned
philosopher Madhvacharya in Sanskrit. Writing Kannada literature in
native metres was first popularised by the court poets. These metres
were the sangatya, compositions sung to the accompaniment of a musical
instrument; shatpadi, six-line verses; ragale, lyrical compositions in
blank verse; and tripadi, three-line verses. However, Jain writers
continued to use the traditional champu, composed of prose and verse.
Important literary contributions in Kannada were made not only by court
poets but also by noblemen, commanders, ministers, ascetics and saints
associated with monasteries. (more...)
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Archive
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_literature>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
In the Pearl River Delta, Portuguese diplomat Fernão Pires de Andrade
met with Ming Dynasty officials, marking the resumption of direct
European contact with China.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern%C3%A3o_Pires_de_Andrade>
1534:
Ignatius of Loyola and six others at Montmartre near Paris took the
vows that led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesus>
1843:
Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens, today the most popular amusement park in
Scandinavia, opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoli_Gardens>
1945:
The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional
surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces, bringing World War II
to a close.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan>
1948:
The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its first
president.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Korea>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apposite (adj):
Well-suited; appropriate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apposite>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory
would become the prey of mediocre minds. I have made all the
calculations; fate will do the rest.
--Napoleon I of France
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France>
Choe Bu (1454–1504) was a Korean official during the early Joseon
Dynasty (1392–1910). He is best known for the account of his
shipwrecked travels in China from February to July 1488, during the
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). He was eventually banished from the Joseon
court in 1498 and executed in 1504 during two political purges.
However, in 1506 he was exonerated and given posthumous honors by the
Joseon court. Choe's diary accounts of his travels in China became
widely printed in the 16th century in both Korea and Japan. Modern
historians also utilize his written works, since his travel diary
provides a unique outsider's perspective on Chinese culture in the 15th
century and valuable information on China's cities and regional
differences. The attitudes and opinions expressed in his writing
represent in part the standpoints and views of the 15th-century
Confucian Korean literati, who viewed Chinese culture as compatible
with and similar to their own. His description of cities, people,
customs, cuisines, and maritime commerce along China's Grand Canal
provide insight into the daily life of China and how it differed
between northern and southern China during the 15th century. (more...)
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cuisine
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choe_Bu>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1880:
Construction of the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne—Germany's most
visited landmark—was completed, 632 years after it had begun.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral>
1980:
Lech Wałęsa and colleagues at Gdańsk Shipyard began strike actions,
which subsequently led to the founding of the Solidarity movement in
Poland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Wa%C5%82%C4%99sa>
1987:
Australian Federal Police raided the compound owned by the Santiniketan
Park Association and freed a number of children who had been held there
illegally.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiniketan_Park_Association>
1994:
International fugitive Carlos the Jackal, wanted for a number of
terrorist attacks in Europe, was handed over to French agents by
Sudanese officials.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal>
1996:
Greek Cypriot refugee Solomos Solomou was shot to death by Turkish
forces while trying to remove a Turkish flag from a flagpole in the
United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomos_Solomou>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
impetrate (v):
To obtain (something) by asking for it; to procure upon request
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impetrate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One hour of life, crowded to the full with glorious action, and filled
with noble risks, is worth whole years of those mean observances of
paltry decorum, in which men steal through existence, like sluggish
waters through a marsh, without either honour or observation.
--Walter Scott
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Scott>
150px|A hut used for filming in the movie on the island of Kauai,
Hawaii
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 American action satire comedy film written,
produced, and directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Stiller, Robert
Downey, Jr., and Jack Black. The main plot revolves around a group of
three prima donna actors who are making a Vietnam War film. When their
frustrated writer and director decide to drop them in the middle of a
jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills in order to
survive the real action and danger. Stiller's idea for the film
originated while playing a small part in Empire of the Sun. After the
film was greenlit in 2006, filming took place in 2007 on the
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_Thunder>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1704:
Led by the Duke of Marlborough , the combined forces of England, the
Holy Roman Empire, and the United Provinces defeated France and Bavaria
in the Battle of Blenheim, one of the turning points of the War of the
Spanish Succession.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blenheim>
1898:
Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engaged in a mock
battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in
order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_%281898%29>
1942:
Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
authorized the construction of facilities that would house the
Manhattan Project.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project>
1954:
The complete version of Qaumī Tarāna, the national anthem of Pakistan,
was broadcast for the first time on Radio Pakistan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qaum%C4%AB_Tar%C4%81na>
1962:
The Holy See agreed to refrain from denouncing Communism in exchange
for having Russian Orthodox Church representatives attend the
forthcoming Second Vatican Council.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz_Accord>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hebdomadal (adj):
Happening once a week; weekly
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hebdomadal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about
it, as well as contributing to the need for it.
--Alfred Hitchcock
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock>
110px|Climate models are systems of differential equations based on the
basic laws of physics, fluid motion, and chemistry. Atmospheric models
calculate winds, heat transfer, radiation, relative humidity, and
surface hydrology at each grid point, and evaluate interactions with
neighboring points.
Numerical weather prediction uses mathematical models of the
atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather
conditions. A number of global and regional forecast models are run in
different countries worldwide, using current weather observations
relayed from radiosondes or weather satellites as inputs to the models.
Mathematical models based on the same physical principles can be used
to generate either short-term weather forecasts or longer-term climate
predictions. Manipulating the vast datasets and performing the complex
calculations necessary to modern numerical weather prediction requires
some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Even with the
increasing power of supercomputers, the forecast skill of numerical
weather models only extends to about six days. Factors affecting the
accuracy of numerical predictions include the density and quality of
observations used as input to the forecasts, along with deficiencies in
the numerical models themselves. To quantify the large amount of
inherent uncertainty remaining in numerical predictions, ensemble
forecasts have been used since the 1990s to help gauge the confidence
in the forecast, and to obtain useful results farther into the future
than otherwise possible. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_weather_prediction>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
955:
Forces under Otto I were victorious at the Battle of Lechfeld near
present-day Augsburg, Germany, holding off the incursions of the
Magyars into Central Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lechfeld>
1270:
Yekuno Amlak deposed the last Zagwe king and seized the imperial throne
of Ethiopia, beginning the reign of the Solomonic dynasty that would
last for more than 700 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yekuno_Amlak_of_Ethiopia>
1793:
The Louvre , the most visited art museum in the world, officially
opened with an exhibition of 537 paintings.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre>
1953:
First Indochina War: The French Union withdrew its forces from
Operation Camargue against the Viet Minh in central modern-day Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Camargue>
1988:
Japanese-American internment: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 became
law, authorizing US$20,000 in reparations to each surviving internee.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Liberties_Act_of_1988>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bosky (adj):
Having lots of bushes or shrubbery; bushy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bosky>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The one thing we know about torture is that it was never designed in
the first place to get at the actual truth of anything; it was designed
in the darkest days of human history to produce false confessions in
order to annihilate political and religious dissidents. And that is how
it always works: it gets confessions regardless of their accuracy.
--Andrew Sullivan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan>