Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera by the French
composer Georges Bizet, with a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel
Carré, first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique
in Paris. Set in ancient Ceylon, it tells how two men's vow of eternal
friendship is threatened by their love for a woman, who is herself
conflicted between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess. The
duet "Au fond du temple saint", generally known as "The Pearl Fishers
Duet", is one of the best-known numbers in Western opera. Although the
opera was well received by the public and by other composers, initial
press reaction was generally hostile, and it was not revived in Bizet's
lifetime. However, it later achieved popularity in Europe and America,
and eventually became a staple part of the repertory of opera houses
worldwide. The loss of Bizet's original score meant that, until the
1970s, productions were based on versions with significant departures
from the original; recently, efforts have been made to reconstruct the
score in accordance with Bizet's intentions. Modern critics have
detected premonitions of the composer's genius which would culminate,
10 years later, in Carmen.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_p%C3%AAcheurs_de_perles>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1399:
Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, deposed Richard II to
become Henry IV of England, merging the Duchy of Lancaster with the
crown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV_of_England>
1882:
The Vulcan Street Plant, the first hydroelectric central
station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North
America, went on line in Appleton, Wisconsin, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Street_Plant>
1939:
World War II: General Władysław Sikorski became Prime
Minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski>
1966:
Seretse Khama became the first President of Botswana when the
Bechuanaland Protectorate gained independence from the United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seretse_Khama>
2009:
A 7.6 MW earthquake struck off the southern coast of Sumatra,
Indonesia, killing 1,115 people and impacting an estimated 1.25 million
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Sumatra_earthquakes>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cutify:
1. (from the Latin word for skin, "cutis") To form skin, as, the wound area
was left to cutify.
2. (from "cute" + "-ify", perhaps modeled on "beautify") To make cute, as,
she cutified her room.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cutify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love said to me, there is nothing that is not me. Be silent.
--Rumi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rumi>
The early life, business career and political rise of Neville
Chamberlain culminated on 28 May 1937, when he was summoned to
Buckingham Palace to "kiss hands" and become Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom. Chamberlain was born in 1869; his father was the
politician Joseph Chamberlain. After a period in a firm of chartered
accountants, Neville Chamberlain spent six years in the Bahamas managing
a sisal plantation. Returning to England in 1897, he became a successful
businessman, and Lord Mayor, in his home city of Birmingham. He was
elected to the House of Commons aged 49 in 1918, the oldest man at first
election to Parliament to become prime minister. After four years on the
backbenches, he saw rapid promotion, becoming Chancellor of the
Exchequer after less than a year as a minister. He spent five years as
Minister of Health, securing the passage of many reforming acts. After
two years in opposition, he became part of Ramsey MacDonald's National
Government, and spent another five years as Chancellor. Chamberlain had
long been regarded as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's political heir,
and when Baldwin announced his retirement, Chamberlain was seen as the
only possible successor.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_Neville_Chamberlain>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1774:
The publication of The Sorrows of Young Werther raised the 24
-year-old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to international fame.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrows_of_Young_Werther>
1829:
The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, originally
headquartered in Great Scotland Yard, Westminster, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Police_Service>
1923:
The British Mandate for Palestine came into effect, officially
creating the protectorates of Palestine as a Jewish homeland under
British administration and Transjordan as a separate emirate under
Abdullah I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Mandate_for_Palestine_(legal_instrume…>
1957:
An explosion at the Soviet nuclear reprocessing plant Mayak
released 74 to 1850 PBq of radioactive material.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyshtym_disaster>
1963:
The University of East Anglia was founded in Norwich, England,
after talk of establishing such a university in the city began as early
as the 19th century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_East_Anglia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abnegate:
1. To deny oneself (something), to renounce or give up (a right, power,
claim, privilege or convenience).
2. To deny, to reject (something, for example a truth or a commonly-held
belief).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abnegate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Time ripens all things. No man is born wise.
--Miguel de Cervantes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes>
H. C. McNeile MC (1888–1937) was a British soldier and author best
known for his series of Bulldog Drummond novels. McNeile started writing
short war stories during the First World War; when these were published
in the Daily Mail, they were under his penname, Sapper, which was based
on that of his regiment, the Royal Engineers. After the war he left the
Army and became a full-time writer, changing from writing war stories to
thrillers, and from writing short stories to move increasingly to
novels. In 1920 he published Bulldog Drummond, whose hero became his
best-known creation: nine further Drummond novels followed, as did three
plays and a screenplay. McNeile also wrote works that included two other
protagonists, Jim Maitland and Ronald Standish, and sales of his books
ensured he was one of the most successful British popular authors of the
inter-war period before his death in 1937 from throat cancer, which has
been attributed to damage sustained from a gas attack in the war.
Although seen by his contemporaries as an "upstanding Tory", his work
came under criticism after the Second World War for its fascist
overtones, xenophobia and anti-semitism.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._C._McNeile>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1066:
William the Conqueror and his fleet of around 600 ships landed
at Pevensey, Sussex, beginning the Norman conquest of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England>
1891:
Railway workers in Montevideo founded the Central Uruguay
Railway Cricket Club, which later changed its name to Peñarol, now
Uruguay's most successful football club.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C3%B1arol>
1928:
Scottish biologist and pharmacologist Alexander Fleming
discovered penicillin when he noticed a bacteria-killing mould growing
in his laboratory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin>
1995:
Over 30 mercenaries led by Bob Denard landed on the Comoros in
an attempted coup, his fourth one on the African island nation since
1975.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Denard>
2008:
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket achieved orbit on its fourth attempt
to become the first successful liquid-propelled orbital launch vehicle
developed with private funding.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
meadery:
A place where mead is made.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meadery>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
義 He who attains to sincerity is he who chooses what is good,
and firmly holds it fast. To this attainment there are requisite the
extensive study of what is good, accurate inquiry about it, careful
reflection on it, the clear discrimination of it, and the earnest
practice of it. 儒家
--Confucius
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confucius>
Whaam! is a 1963 diptych painting by American artist Roy Lichtenstein.
The painting's title (pictured) is displayed in the large onomatopoeia
in the right panel. One of the best-known works of pop art, it is among
Lichtenstein's most important paintings. Whaam! was first exhibited at
the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City in 1963, and purchased by the
Tate Gallery, London, in 1966. It has been on permanent display at Tate
Modern since 2006. The left-hand panel of Whaam! shows a fighter plane
shooting a missile. The right-hand panel depicts the missile hitting its
target, a second plane, which explodes into flames. Lichtenstein based
the image on elements taken from several comic-book panels. He
transformed his primary prototype, a panel from a 1962 war comic book,
by dividing the composition into two panels and altering the
relationship of the graphical and narrative elements. Whaam! is regarded
for the temporal, spatial and psychological integration of its two
panels, which Lichtenstein conceived as a contrasting pair.
Lichtenstein, who served in the United States Army during World War II,
depicted aerial combat in several works.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaam!>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, became the
capital of the United States for one day as members of the Continental
Congress fled Philadelphia, which had been captured by the British.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster,_Pennsylvania>
1875:
The Ellen Southard wrecked in a storm at Liverpool, England;
the United States Congress subsequently awarded 27 gold Lifesaving
Medals to the lifeboat men who rescued her crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Southard>
1916:
Lij Iyasu, the emperor-designate of Ethiopia, was deposed in
favor of his aunt, Zewditu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyasu_V>
1988:
Led by pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi (pictured), the
political party National League for Democracy was founded in Burma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League_for_Democracy>
1993:
War in Abkhazia: After capturing the city of Sukhumi, Abkhaz
separatists and their allies massacred large numbers of Georgian
civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhumi_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hallux:
The big toe.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hallux>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It requires time to bring honest Men to think & determine alike
even in important Matters. Mankind are governed more by their feelings
than by reason.
--Samuel Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams>
Henrik Sedin and his identical twin brother Daniel Sedin (born 1980) are
Swedish professional ice hockey players with the Vancouver Canucks of
the National Hockey League (NHL). Henrik (pictured rear) is the team's
captain and all-time leading scorer, and Daniel (pictured front) serves
as alternate captain in home games. Having played together throughout
their careers, the pair are known for their effectiveness playing off
one another. They began their professional careers in the Swedish Elite
League with Modo Hockey in 1997 and were joint recipients of the
1999 Golden Puck as Swedish player of the year. Daniel was selected
second overall by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, and Henrik
was picked third. Henrik was the team's leading points scorer from
2007–08 to 2009–10, and in 2009–10, he won the Hart Memorial and
Art Ross Trophies as the NHL's most valuable player and leading point-
scorer, respectively. Daniel won the Art Ross Trophy the following
season. They were co-recipients of the Victoria Stipendium as Swedish
athletes of the year in 2011. Internationally, they have helped Sweden
to victory at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2013 World
Championships.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Sedin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1087:
William II (pictured), son of William the Conqueror, was
crowned King of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_England>
1493:
Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull Dudum siquidem, the
last of the Bulls of Donation, marking the beginning of the Spanish
colonization of the Americas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudum_siquidem>
1933:
As gangster Machine Gun Kelly surrendered to the FBI, he
supposedly shouted out, "Don't shoot, G-Men ('government men')!", which
became a nickname for FBI agents.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Gun_Kelly>
1942:
The Holocaust: Nazi official August Frank issued a memorandum
containing a great deal of operational detail in how Jews should be
"evacuated".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Frank>
1983:
Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov averted a possible
worldwide nuclear war by deliberately certifying what otherwise appeared
to be an impending attack by the United States as a false alarm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
exanimate:
1. Lifeless, not or no longer living.
2. Spiritless, dispirited.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exanimate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we all were judged according to the consequences Of all our
words and deeds, beyond the intention And beyond our limited
understanding Of ourselves and others, we should all be condemned.
--T. S. Eliot
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot>
Freedom for the Thought That We Hate is a 2007 non-fiction book by
Anthony Lewis about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of
thought, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Lewis discusses key free speech case law, including U.S. Supreme Court
opinions in United States v. Schwimmer (1929), New York Times Co. v.
Sullivan (1964), and New York Times Co. v. United States (1971). The
book's title is drawn from the dissenting opinion by Associate Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (pictured) in United States v. Schwimmer, who
wrote: "if there is any principle of the Constitution that more
imperatively calls for attachment than any other, it is the principle of
free thought—not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom
for the thought that we hate." The book was positively received by The
New York Times, Harvard Magazine, Nat Hentoff, two National Book Critics
Circle members, and Kirkus Reviews. Jeremy Waldron criticized the work
in The New York Review of Books and elaborated on this in The Harm in
Hate Speech (2012). This prompted a critical analysis of both works in
The New York Review of Books by former Supreme Court Justice John Paul
Stevens.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_for_the_Thought_That_We_Hate>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1396:
Ottoman wars in Europe: Ottoman forces under Bayezid I
defeated a Christian alliance led by Sigismund of Hungary in the Battle
of Nicopolis near present-day Nikopol, Bulgaria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nicopolis>
1790:
Peking opera (performer pictured) was born when the Four Great
Anhui Troupes introduced Anhui opera to Beijing in honor of the Qianlong
Emperor's eightieth birthday
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_opera>
1911:
An explosion of badly degraded propellant charges on board the
French battleship Liberté detonated the forward ammunition magazines
and destroyed the ship.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Libert%C3%A9>
1983:
In one of the largest prison escapes in British history, 38
Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners hijacked a prison meals
lorry and smashed their way out of HM Prison Maze in County Antrim,
Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maze_Prison_escape>
2008:
Shenzhou 7, the third spaceflight of the Chinese space program
and their first to include a spacewalk, launched from the Jiuquan
Satellite Launch Center.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_7>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lampoon:
To satirize or poke fun at.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lampoon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe that the justification of art is the internal
combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow,
externalized, public manifestations. The purpose of art is not the
release of a momentary ejection of adrenalin but is, rather, the
gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.
--Glenn Gould
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Glenn_Gould>
"Squeeze" is the third episode of the first season of the American
science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on
September 24, 1993. It featured the first of two guest appearances by
Doug Hutchison (pictured) as the mutant serial killer Eugene Victor
Tooms. In this episode, FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)
and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) (who work on cases linked to the
paranormal, called X-Files) investigate a series of ritualistic killings
by somebody seemingly capable of squeezing his body through impossibly
narrow gaps. The agents deduce that their suspect may be a genetic
mutant who has been killing in sprees for ninety years. Production was
problematic; creative differences led to the director being replaced,
and some missing scenes needed to be shot after the initial filming.
"Squeeze" received positive reviews from critics, mostly focusing on
Hutchison's performance and the resonance of his character. Academics
have examined "Squeeze" for its portrayal of the politics of law
enforcement, highlighting the tension—evident throughout the
series—between the agents' desire to find the truth and their duty to
secure criminal convictions.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeeze_(The_X-Files)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1645:
English Civil War: Royalists under the personal command of King
Charles I suffered a significant defeat in the Battle of Rowton Heath.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rowton_Heath>
1789:
The First United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act of
1789, establishing the U.S. federal judiciary and setting the number of
Supreme Court Justices.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_Act_of_1789>
1903:
Alfred Deakin became the second Prime Minister of Australia,
succeeding Edmund Barton who left office to become a founding justice of
the High Court of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Deakin>
1957:
Barcelona's Camp Nou, currently the largest stadium in Europe
with a seating capacity of 99,354, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Nou>
1992:
American man Oba Chandler was arrested for the murder of three
women in Tampa Bay, Florida, after a three-year-long manhunt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oba_Chandler>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
heretofore:
Prior to now, until now, up to the present time.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heretofore>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Either you think — or else others have to think for you and
take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes,
civilize and sterilize you.
--F. Scott Fitzgerald
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald>
In political philosophy, a throffer is a proposal that mixes an offer
with a threat which will be carried out if the offer is not accepted.
The term was first used in print by political philosopher Hillel
Steiner, and while other writers followed, it has not been universally
adopted. An example (pictured) is "Kill this man and I'll pay you—fail
to kill him and I'll kill you instead." Steiner differentiated offers,
threats and throffers based on the preferability of compliance and non-
compliance for the subject compared to the normal course of events that
would have come about were no intervention made, although this approach
has been criticised. Throffers form part of the wider moral and
political considerations of coercion, and form part of the question of
the possibility of coercive offers. The theoretical concerns surrounding
throffers have been practically applied concerning workfare programmes,
where individuals receiving social welfare have their aid decreased if
they refuse the offer of work or education. Several writers have also
observed that throffers presented to people convicted of crimes,
particularly sex offenders, can result in more lenient sentences if they
accept medical treatment.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throffer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1459:
Yorkist forces led by Richard Neville defeated Lancastrian
troops at the Battle of Blore Heath in Staffordshire, England, the first
major battle of the Wars of the Roses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blore_Heath>
1868:
Ramón Emeterio Betances led the Grito de Lares, a revolt
against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Emeterio_Betances>
1899:
Philippine-American War: The American Asiatic Squadron
destroyed a Filipino artillery battery in Olongapo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Olongapo>
1983:
A bomb placed by the Abu Nidal organisation destroyed Gulf Air
Flight 771, flying from Karachi, Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, UAE, killing
all 110 people aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Air_Flight_771>
2008:
A gunman shot and killed ten students at Seinäjoki University
of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Western Finland, before committing
suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauhajoki_school_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
analemma:
An egg-shaped or figure-eight curve that results when the Sun's position
in the sky is plotted out over the year.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/analemma>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Soul is when you take a song and make it a part of you — a part
that's so true, so real, people think it must have happened to you. …
It's like electricity — we don't really know what it is, do we? But
it's a force that can light a room. Soul is like electricity, like a
spirit, a drive, a power.
--Ray Charles
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ray_Charles>
Kwinana Freeway is a 72-kilometre (45 mi) freeway in and beyond the
southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with
Mandurah to the south. It interchanges with several major roads,
including Roe Highway and Mandjoogoordap Drive, and is the central
section of State Route 2, which continues north as Mitchell Freeway to
Joondalup, and south as Forrest Highway towards Bunbury. A 4-kilometre
(2.5 mi) section between Canning and Leach highways is also part of
National Route 1. The northern terminus of the Kwinana Freeway is at
the Narrows Bridge, which crosses the Swan River, and the southern
terminus is at Pinjarra Road, east of Mandurah. Planning began in the
1950s, and the first segment in South Perth was constructed between 1956
and 1959. The route has been progressively widened and extended south
since then. The last extension was completed in 2009, with the section
north of Pinjarra Road named as part of the Kwinana Freeway, and the
remainder named Forrest Highway. The freeway has been adapted to cater
for public transport: bus priority measures were introduced in 1987, and
in 2007, the Mandurah railway line (pictured) opened, constructed in the
freeway median strip.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwinana_Freeway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
904:
The warlord Zhu Quanzhong killed Emperor Zhaozong, the
penultimate emperor of Tang Dynasty China, after seizing control of the
imperial government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Zhaozong_of_Tang>
1776:
Captain Nathan Hale, an American Revolutionary spy from the
Continental Army, was hanged by British forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale>
1792:
French Revolution: One day after the National Convention voted
to abolish the monarchy, the French First Republic came into being.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_First_Republic>
1957:
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier was elected President of Haiti as
a populist before consolidating power and ruling as a dictator for the
rest of his life.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Duvalier>
1965:
The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a
resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire in the Indo-Pakistani
War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1965>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
voetsek:
Go away! Get lost! Exclamation of dismissal or rejection.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/voetsek>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Among those points of self-education which take up the form of
mental discipline, there is one of great importance, and, moreover,
difficult to deal with, because it involves an internal conflict, and
equally touches our vanity and our ease. It consists in the tendency to
deceive ourselves regarding all we wish for, and the necessity of
resistance to these desires. It is impossible for any one who has not
been constrained, by the course of his occupation and thoughts, to a
habit of continual self-correction, to be aware of the amount of error
in relation to judgment arising from this tendency. The force of the
temptation which urges us to seek for such evidence and appearances as
are in favour of our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them,
is wonderfully great. In this respect we are all, more or less, active
promoters of error. In place of practising wholesome self-abnegation, we
ever make the wish the father to the thought: we receive as friendly
that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us;
whereas the very reverse is required by every dictate of common sense.
--Michael Faraday
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday>
"Rich Girl" is a song by American recording artist Gwen Stefani
(pictured) from her 2004 debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Produced by Dr. Dre, the track features rapper Eve, who had previously
collaborated with Stefani on the 2001 single "Let Me Blow Ya Mind".
"Rich Girl" is a remake of Louchie Lou & Michie One's 1993 song of the
same name, which was in turn an adaptation of the Fiddler on the Roof
song "If I Were a Rich Man". In the song, Stefani discusses dreams of
wealth and luxury. She has said that the song is from the perspective of
"when she was just an Orange County girl". The last song to be included
on the album, "Rich Girl" was released in late 2004 to mixed reviews
from music critics. Some found it ironic that Stefani, who had already
sold 26 million records as a member of the rock group No Doubt,
discussed having money in the counterfactual conditional. It was a
commercial success, reaching the top ten on the majority of the charts
it entered. In the United States, the song was certified gold, and it
received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung collaboration at the
48th Grammy Awards. The music video was directed by David LaChapelle
and features a pirate theme.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Girl_(Gwen_Stefani_song)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
Jacobite Risings: Jacobite troops led by Charles Edward Stuart
defeated the Hanoverians in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prestonpans>
1860:
Second Opium War: Anglo-French forces earned a decisive victory
against Qing Dynasty troops in the Battle of Palikao, allowing them to
capture Beijing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palikao>
1921:
A tower silo storing 4,500 tonnes of a mixture of ammonium
sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded at a BASF plant in
Oppau, Germany, killing at least 500 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppau_explosion>
1938:
The Great New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island,
New York, killing at least 500 people and injuring about 700 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_New_England_hurricane>
1953:
North Korean No Kum-Sok defected with his MiG-15, inadvertently
making Operation Moolah, an American effort to bribe Communist pilots, a
success.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moolah>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
infanticide:
The murder of an infant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infanticide>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you're squeezed for information, that's when you've got to
play it dumb: You just say you're out there waiting for the miracle to
come.
--Leonard Cohen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>