Forrest Highway is a 95-kilometre-long (59 mi) highway in Western
Australia's Peel and South West regions, extending Perth's Kwinana
Freeway from east of Mandurah down to Bunbury. The highway begins in
Ravenswood, continues around the Peel Inlet to Lake Clifton, and heads
south to finish at Bunbury's Eelup Roundabout. Old Coast Road was the
original Mandurah–Bunbury route, dating back to the 1840s. Since the
1980s the state government has been upgrading the main Perth to Bunbury
route by extending Kwinana Freeway south from Perth, and constructing a
dual carriageway on Old Coast Road north of Bunbury, including bypasses
around Australind, Dawesville, and Mandurah. Construction of the New
Perth Bunbury Highway project, which became Forrest Highway and the
final Kwinana Freeway extension, began in December 2006, and the new
highway was opened on 20 September 2009. Within one year of opening, the
number of road accidents in the area had decreased significantly, but
tourism and businesses in the towns on bypassed routes were also
affected. In June 2014, Forrest Highway was extended south to Bunbury by
renaming much of Old Coast Road as well as Australind Bypass as part of
the highway.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Highway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
The second of two major Prussian uprisings by the Prussian
tribe of Balts began against the Teutonic Knights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_uprisings>
1498:
A tsunami caused by the Meiō Nankaidō earthquake washed away
the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in
Kamakura, Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dtoku-in>
1906:
The ocean liner RMS Mauretania, the largest and fastest ship in
the world at the time, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Mauretania_(1906)>
1977:
A series of celestial phenomena of unknown nature was observed
in the western Soviet Union, Finland and Denmark.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrozavodsk_phenomenon>
2008:
An explosive-laden truck detonated in front of the Marriott
hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and injuring 266 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamabad_Marriott_Hotel_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
upper-crust:
(idiomatic, informal) Posh, upper-class; pertaining to the upper crust.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/upper-crust>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An individual's self-concept is the core of his personality. It
affects every aspect of human behavior: the ability to learn, the
capacity to grow and change. A strong, positive self-image is the best
possible preparation for success in life.
--Joyce Brothers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers>
Laevistrombus canarium, commonly known as the dog conch, is a species of
edible sea snail, a marine gastropod in the true conch family, found
from India and Sri Lanka to Melanesia, Australia and southern Japan. The
animal has an elongated snout, thin eyestalks with well-developed eyes
and sensory tentacles, and a narrow, strong foot. The burrowing
behaviours and leaping form of locomotion are common among true conchs.
Living on muddy and sandy bottoms, it grazes on algae and detritus. The
easily distinguishable sexes depend on internal fertilization for
spawning. The maximum life span is 2 to 2.5 years. Predators of this
snail include carnivorous gastropods such as cone snails and volutes. It
is also a prey species for vertebrates, including humans, who consume
the soft parts in a wide variety of dishes. The heavy shell is valued as
an ornament, and used as a sinker for fishing nets. Several studies
indicate that populations in some areas may be suffering from
overexploitation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laevistrombus_canarium>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1356:
Hundred Years' War: English forces led by Edward the Black
Prince decisively won the Battle of Poitiers and captured King Jean II
of France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poitiers>
1846:
Two French shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin
Giraud, reported experiencing a Marian apparition on a mountaintop near
La Salette, France, now known as Our Lady of La Salette.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_La_Salette>
1940:
Polish resistance member Witold Pilecki allowed himself to be
captured by German forces and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp
in order to gather intelligence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Pilecki>
1985:
An 8.1 ML earthquake struck Mexico City, killing at least 9,000
people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake>
1995:
The manifesto of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski was published in The
Washington Post and The New York Times, almost three months after it was
submitted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coctile:
1. Made by baking, or exposure to heat.
2. Built of baked bricks.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coctile>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In 1963 the BBC premiered a show about an alien Who traveled
through space and time to combat the powers of evil. … The show has
been running in Britain almost fifty years, With many different actors
in the role of The Doctor. … One thing is consistent though And this
is why the show is so beloved by geeks and nerds — It's all about the
triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism! … And
if there is any hope for any of us in this giant explosion in which we
inhabit then surely that’s it: Intellect and romance triumph over
brute force and cynicism!
--Craig Ferguson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Craig_Ferguson>
The American musician Jimi Hendrix died in London on September 18, 1970,
aged 27. In the days leading up to his death, he was in poor health,
affected by exhaustion and possibly influenza, and frustrated by his
personal relationships. He spent his last day with Monika Dannemann at
her apartment in Notting Hill. The next morning, she found him
unresponsive, and he was confirmed dead at St Mary Abbot's Hospital. The
post-mortem examination concluded that Hendrix had died of asphyxia
after choking on his vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates;
Dannemann stated that he had taken 18 times his recommended dose of
Vesparax. Finding no evidence of suicide, the coroner recorded his death
as an open verdict. In 1992, Hendrix's former girlfriend Kathy
Etchingham asked the UK authorities to reinvestigate his death; this
second investigation again proved inconclusive when it was closed the
following year. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes Hendrix as
"arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Jimi_Hendrix>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
324:
Constantine the Great decisively defeated Licinius in the Battle
of Chrysopolis, establishing Constantine's sole control over the Roman
Empire, and ending the Tetrarchy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chrysopolis>
1809:
The second theatre of the Royal Opera House (interior pictured)
in London opened after a fire destroyed the original theatre one year
earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Opera_House>
1895:
Daniel David Palmer gave the first chiropractic adjustment to
deaf janitor Harvey Lillard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chiropractic>
1918:
World War I: The Central Powers' defeat in the Battle of Dobro
Pole played a role in the Bulgarian withdrawal from the war and opened
the way for the subsequent liberation of Vardar Macedonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dobro_Pole>
1998:
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN), a nonprofit organization that manages the assignment of domain
names and IP addresses in the Internet, was established.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICANN>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
disinformation:
The dissemination of intentionally false information to deliberately
confuse or mislead.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disinformation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional
lying, that there is so much falsehood in the world.
--Samuel Johnson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson>
Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action-adventure video game
developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was
released on 17 September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in
2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in 2015 for Microsoft
Windows. The game is the next main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series
after 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV. Set within the fictional state of San
Andreas (based on Southern California), the story follows three
criminals and their efforts to commit heists, with the game's use of
three lead protagonists representing a break from series tradition. In a
single-player or an online multiplayer mode, players can freely roam the
open world of San Andreas, which includes rural environments and the
fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles). Upon release, Grand
Theft Auto V was critically acclaimed, drawing praise for its open world
design and technical capabilities. It became the fastest-selling
entertainment product in history, earning US$800 million in its first
day and $1 billion in its first three days.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1176:
Byzantine–Seljuk wars: The Seljuk Turks prevented the
Byzantines from taking the interior of Anatolia at the Battle of
Myriokephalon in Phrygia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Myriokephalon>
1630:
Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony founded the city of
Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston>
1939:
Second World War: The Royal Navy lost its first warship in the
war when German submarine U-29 torpedoed and sank HMS Courageous.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Courageous_(50)>
1948:
Swedish diplomat Folke Bernadotte was assassinated by the
militant Zionist group Lehi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folke_Bernadotte>
1980:
The Polish trade union Solidarity was founded as the first
independent labor union in a Soviet-bloc country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Solidarity>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pound a beat:
(idiomatic) To walk a regular route.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pound_a_beat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Now, you're either on the bus or off the bus. If you're on the
bus, and you get left behind, then you'll find it again. If you're off
the bus in the first place — then it won't make a damn.
--Ken Kesey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Kesey>
A Handful of Dust is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh
(pictured). First published in 1934, it concerns the misfortunes of Tony
Last, a contented but shallow English country squire who, betrayed by
his wife and seeing his illusions shattered one by one, joins an
expedition to the Brazilian jungle. Here he is trapped in a remote
outpost, as the prisoner and plaything of an insane captor, and is
forced to read the novels of Charles Dickens, aloud, in perpetuity.
Waugh incorporated several autobiographical elements into the story,
notably a journey into the South American interior undertaken in
1933–34, and his own recent desertion by his young wife. The book was
immediately popular with the public and has never been out of print; its
literary reputation has grown, and it has been listed among the 20th
century's best novels. Unlike in much of his work, Waugh did not
introduce overt religious themes into A Handful of Dust. He later
explained that he intended the book to demonstrate the futility of
humanist as distinct from religious values.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Handful_of_Dust>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1400:
Owain Glyndŵr (seal pictured) was proclaimed Prince of Wales
and instigated a revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glynd%C5%B5r_Rising>
1776:
American Revolutionary War: On hearing the British troops
sounding their bugles as if it were a fox hunt, the American colonists
held their ground and achieved a victory at the Battle of Harlem Heights
in present-day New York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Harlem_Heights>
1810:
Miguel Hidalgo, the parish priest in Dolores, Guanajuato,
delivered the Grito de Dolores to his congregation, instigating the
Mexican War of Independence against Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores>
1940:
World War II: Italy captured the town of Sidi Barrani, but
their invasion of Egypt progressed no further.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_invasion_of_Egypt>
1990:
Construction of the Northern Xinjiang Railway was completed
between Ürümqi and Alashankou, linking the railway lines of China and
Kazakhstan, and adding a sizable portion to the Eurasian Land Bridge.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Land_Bridge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bogatyr:
(historical) A medieval Russian heroic warrior, akin to the Western
European knight-errant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bogatyr>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Faithfulness to the truth of history involves far more than a
research, however patient and scrupulous, into special facts. Such facts
may be detailed with the most minute exactness, and yet the narrative,
taken as a whole, may be unmeaning or untrue. The narrator must seek to
imbue himself with the life and spirit of the time. He must study events
in their bearings near and remote; in the character, habits, and manners
of those who took part in them, he must himself be, as it were, a sharer
or a spectator of the action he describes.
--Francis Parkman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_Parkman>
The red-winged fairywren (Malurus elegans) is a perching bird in the
family Maluridae. It is non-migratory, and endemic to the southwestern
corner of Western Australia. The sexes are dimorphic: females, juveniles
and non-breeding males have predominantly grey-brown plumage, but
breeding males adopt brilliant colours, with an iridescent silvery-blue
crown and upper back, red-brown shoulders, a black throat, grey-brown
wings and pale underparts. Though the red-winged fairywren is locally
common, there is evidence of a decline in numbers. Primarily
insectivorous, it forages and lives in the shelter of scrubby vegetation
in temperate wetter forests dominated by the karri (Eucalyptus
diversicolor), remaining close to cover to avoid predators. Like other
fairywrens, it is a cooperative breeding species, with small groups of
birds maintaining and defending small territories year-round. Groups
consist of a socially monogamous pair with several helper birds who
assist in raising the young.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_fairywren>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
786:
Harun al-Rashid became the Abbasid caliph upon the death of his
brother al-Hadi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_al-Rashid>
1752:
In adopting the Gregorian calendar under the terms of the
Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, the British Empire skipped eleven days:
(September 2 was followed directly by September 14).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_(New_Style)_Act_1750>
1914:
HMAS AE1, the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine, was
lost at sea; its wreck has never been found.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_AE1>
1975:
Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first native-born citizen of the
United States to be canonized.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Ann_Seton>
2007:
Late-2000s financial crisis: The Northern Rock bank received a
liquidity support facility from the Bank of England, sparking a bank
run—the United Kingdom's first in 150 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Rock>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
entrench:
1. (archaeology) To dig or excavate a trench; to trench.
2. (military) To surround or provide with a trench, especially for defense;
to dig in.
3. (figuratively) To establish a substantial position in business,
politics, etc.
4. To invade; to encroach; to infringe or trespass; to enter on, and take
possession of, that which belongs to another; usually followed by on or
upon.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/entrench>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The principal difference between love and hate is that love is an
irradiation, and hate is a concentration. Love makes everything lovely;
hate concentrates itself on the object of its hatred. All the fearful
counterfeits of love — possessiveness, lust, vanity, jealousy — are
closer to hate: they concentrate on the object, guard it, suck it dry.
--Sydney J. Harris
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_J._Harris>
Broad Ripple Park Carousel is an antique carousel in The Children's
Museum of Indianapolis in the U.S. state of Indiana. It was originally
installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River where it
remained until the building housing it collapsed in 1956. The ride's
mechanism was destroyed, but the animals were relatively unscathed and
put into storage by the park's owners, the Indianapolis Park District.
The animals were carved by the Dentzel Carousel Company sometime before
1900 and assembled by the William F. Mangels carousel company, which
also supplied the engine powering the ride. Restoration of the animals
began in 1966 and was only finished with the restoration of the entire
carousel in 1977. A 1919 Wurlitzer organ model 146B, a type manufactured
only for carousels, was also installed. As restored, the carousel is 42
feet (13 meters) wide and has a total of 42 animals, including – as
well as the usual horses – goats, giraffes, deer, a lion, and a
tiger. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Ripple_Park_Carousel>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1541:
After three years of exile, John Calvin returned to Geneva to
reform the church under a body of doctrine that came to be known as
Calvinism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism>
1759:
Seven Years' War: British forces defeated the French at the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, New France, though
General James Wolfe was mortally wounded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Plains_of_Abraham>
1814:
War of 1812: Fort McHenry in Baltimore's Inner Harbor was
attacked by British forces during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring
Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort McHenry", which later was
used as the lyrics to the United States' national anthem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key>
1933:
Elizabeth McCombs became the first woman elected to the
Parliament of New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_McCombs>
1985:
Super Mario Bros., one of the best-selling and most influential
video games of all time, was first released for the NES in Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hardline:
1. (business) A retail product collection consisting primarily of hardware
targeting the do-it-yourself customer.
2. (business) A retail product collection which includes many non-
information goods, such as home appliances, housewares, sporting goods,
in addition to the DIY hardware which is the focus of the first
definition, above.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hardline>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
ZEUS, n. The chief of Grecian gods, adored by the Romans as
Jupiter and by the modern Americans as God, Gold, Mob and Dog. Some
explorers who have touched upon the shores of America, and one who
professes to have penetrated a considerable distance to the interior,
have thought that these four names stand for as many distinct deities,
but in his monumental work on Surviving Faiths, Frumpp insists that the
natives are monotheists, each having no other god than himself, whom he
worships under many sacred names.
--Ambrose Bierce
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ambrose_Bierce>
The Royal Opera is based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known
by that title until 1968. It brought a long annual season and consistent
management to a house that had previously operated under a series of
impresarios. When the company was formed, its policy was to perform all
works in English, but since the late 1950s most operas have been given
in the original language. From the outset, performers have comprised a
mixture of British and Commonwealth singers and international guest
stars. Among the many guest performers have been Maria Callas, Plácido
Domingo, Kirsten Flagstad, Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson, Luciano
Pavarotti and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Among those who have risen to
international prominence from the ranks of the company are Geraint
Evans, Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jon Vickers. The company's
growth from modest beginnings to parity with the world's greatest opera
houses was recognised by the grant of the title "The Royal Opera" in
1968. The company has had six music directors since its inception: Karl
Rankl, Rafael Kubelík, Georg Solti, Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink and
Antonio Pappano.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royal_Opera>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
490 BC:
Greco-Persian Wars: Athenians and their Plataean allies
turned back the first Persian invasion of Greece in the Battle of
Marathon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon>
1683:
Great Turkish War: Polish troops led by John III Sobieski
joined forces with a Habsburg army to defeat the Ottoman Empire at the
Battle of Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna>
1848:
Switzerland became a federal state with the adoption of a new
constitution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland>
1910:
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, one of the largest-scale choral
works in the classical concert repertoire, was first performed in
Munich.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_(Mahler)>
1977:
South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko was killed in
police custody.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wedge:
One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood,
thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion
in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or
levering. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wedge>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why assume so glibly that the God who presumably created the
universe is still running it? It is certainly perfectly conceivable that
He may have finished it and then turned it over to lesser gods to
operate. In the same way many human institutions are turned over to
grossly inferior men. This is true, for example, of most universities,
and of all great newspapers.
--H. L. Mencken
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken>
American Airlines Flight 77 was a daily morning transcontinental flight
from Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia to Los Angeles
International Airport. On September 11, 2001, the flight's Boeing 757
aircraft was hijacked by five men affiliated with al-Qaeda, and
deliberately crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia,
near Washington, D.C., as part of the September 11 attacks. Less than 35
minutes into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit, and Hani
Hanjour, a trained pilot, took over the controls. The six crew members
and the passengers were forced to the rear of the aircraft, where they
relayed information on the hijacking. The hijackers crashed the aircraft
into the western side of the Pentagon at 09:37 EDT, severely damaging
the building and causing a large fire, and at 10:10 a portion of the
Pentagon collapsed. All 64 people on board including the five hijackers
were killed, as well as 125 people in the building. The victims of the
attack are honored in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_77>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold's expedition
departed from Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the invasion of
Quebec.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold%27s_expedition_to_Quebec>
1897:
Gaki Sherocho was captured by the forces of Emperor of Ethiopia
Menelik II, bringing an end to the Kingdom of Kaffa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Kaffa>
1945:
The Japanese-run camp at Batu Lintang, Sarawak, in Borneo was
liberated by the Australian 9th Division, averting the planned massacre
of its 2,000-plus Allied POWs and civilian internees by four days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Lintang_camp>
1965:
Indo-Pakistani War: Indian infantry captured the town of Burki
near Lahore, Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Burki>
1992:
The eye of Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful hurricane to
strike the state of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Islands in recorded history,
passed directly over the island of Kauai, killing six people and causing
around US$1.8 billion dollars in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Iniki>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rivalrous:
1. Having a relationship of rivalry.
2. (economics, of a good) Which can be consumed by no more than one person
at the same time.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rivalrous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fundamentalist seeks to bring down a great deal more than
buildings. Such people are against, to offer just a brief list, freedom
of speech, a multi-party political system, universal adult suffrage,
accountable government, Jews, homosexuals, women’s rights, pluralism,
secularism, short skirts, dancing, beardlessness, evolution theory, sex.
These are tyrants, not Muslims. … The fundamentalist believes that we
believe in nothing. In his worldview, he has his absolute certainties,
while we are sunk in sybaritic indulgences. To prove him wrong, we must
first know that he is wrong. We must agree on what matters: kissing in
public places, bacon sandwiches, disagreement, cutting-edge fashion,
literature, generosity, water, a more equitable distribution of the
world’s resources, movies, music, freedom of thought, beauty, love.
These will be our weapons. Not by making war but by the unafraid way we
choose to live shall we defeat them. How to defeat terrorism? Don't be
terrorized. Don't let fear rule your life.
--Salman Rushdie
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie>
The two Minas Geraes-class battleships were built during the first
decade of the twentieth century for the Brazilian Navy. Named Minas
Geraes and São Paulo, Brazil's order for these
"dreadnoughts"—powerful warships whose capabilities far outstripped
those of the world's older battleships—initiated a vastly expensive
South American naval arms race. Once in service, Minas Geraes and São
Paulo were only ever used for or against rebellions. Soon after the
ships arrived in Brazil in 1910, their crews revolted against the
continued use of corporal punishment (in this case, whipping or
"lashing") in the navy. In 1922, the government used both warships to
help put down an army rebellion. São Paulo 's crew mutinied in
1924, but eight years later the ship helped the government break a rebel
blockade. During the Second World War, the obsolete dreadnoughts were
used as harbor defense vessels for ports in northeast Brazil. They were
both sold for scrap after the war, but São Paulo sank without a trace
while under tow.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minas_Geraes-class_battleship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1570:
A party of ten Jesuit missionaries landed on the Virginia
Peninsula to establish the short-lived Ajacán Mission.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajac%C3%A1n_Mission>
1897:
A peaceful labor demonstration made up of mostly Polish and
Slovak anthracite coal miners in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, US, was
fired upon by a sheriff's posse in the Lattimer massacre.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lattimer_massacre>
1945:
Mike the Headless Chicken was decapitated in a farm in
Colorado; he survived another 18 months as part of sideshows before
choking to death in Phoenix, Arizona.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken>
1961:
At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, German driver Wolfgang von
Trips's car collided with another, causing it to become airborne and
crash into a side barrier, killing him and 15 spectators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_von_Trips>
2000:
Operation Barras successfully freed six British soldiers held
captive for over two weeks and contributed to the end of the Sierra
Leone Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barras>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
set apart:
1. To select (something or someone) for a specific purpose.
2. To distinguish, make obvious the distinction between (two things) or of
(something).
3. Used other than as an idiom: to separate or isolate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/set_apart>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
What I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled — to cast
aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this
difficult world.
--Mary Oliver
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Oliver>