Contemporary climate change involves rising global temperatures and
significant shifts in Earth's weather patterns. Climate change is driven
by emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide
and methane. Emissions come mostly from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil
and natural gas), and also from agriculture, forest loss, cement
production and steel making. Climate change causes sea level rise,
glacial retreat and desertification, and intensifies heat waves,
wildfires and tropical storms. These effects of climate change endanger
food security, freshwater access and global health. Climate change can
be limited by using low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar
energy, forestation, and shifts in agriculture. Adaptations such as
coastline protection cannot by themselves avert the risk of severe,
pervasive and irreversible impacts. Limiting global warming in line with
the goals of the Paris Agreement requires reaching net-zero emissions by
2050.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
According to one account, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five
Theses onto the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, present-day
Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses>
1941:
Approximately 400 workers completed the 60-foot (18 m) busts of
U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt,
and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore>
1984:
Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of
her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Sikhs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi>
2015:
Shortly after takeoff, Metrojet Flight 9268 exploded and then
crashed into the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrojet_Flight_9268>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bunny boiler:
(slang, humorous, derogatory) A person who acts (or may supposedly act)
obsessively or even dangerously towards another person with whom they
were previously, or wish to be, in a relationship.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bunny_boiler>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave Thy song,
nor ever can those trees be bare; Bold Lover, never, never canst thou
kiss, Though winning near the goal — yet, do not grieve; She cannot
fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, For ever wilt thou love, and she
be fair!
--John Keats
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Keats>
"Rejoined" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American
science-fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, originally
airing on October 30, 1995. Marking one of the first televised lesbian
kisses, it received a record volume of feedback from series viewers,
both positive and negative. In the episode, Jadzia Dax struggles with
taboo feelings for the widow of an individual whose body she used to
inhabit as a symbiont. The episode was the first that series writers
Ronald D. Moore and René Echevarria wrote together, and it was directed
by main cast member Avery Brooks. The taboo was intended to be an
allegory for homosexuality and homophobia. "Rejoined" received a Nielsen
rating of seven percent on the first broadcast in syndication. Reviews
of the episode were mostly positive, especially for the acting and the
message, but the plot was faulted as tedious.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejoined>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1888:
King Lobengula of Matabeleland granted the Rudd Concession to
agents of Cecil Rhodes, setting in motion the creation of the British
South Africa Company.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudd_Concession>
1918:
The Armistice of Mudros was signed in Greece, ending
hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and paving the
way for the occupation of Constantinople and the subsequent partition of
the Ottoman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_Mudros>
1938:
CBS Radio broadcasted the radio drama The War of the Worlds,
causing panic among some listeners who believed that an actual Martian
invasion was in progress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_%281938_radio_drama%29>
1991:
The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international
community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through
negotiations, convened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Conference_of_1991>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
escarole:
(Canada, US) A subspecies or variety of broad-leaved endive (Cichorium
endivia subsp. endivia, syn. Cichorium endivia var. latifolium), which
is eaten as a vegetable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/escarole>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Dreams grow holy put in action; work grows fair through starry
dreaming, But where each flows on unmingling, both are fruitless and in
vain.
--Adelaide Anne Procter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adelaide_Anne_Procter>
Cardiff City F.C.'s 1920–21 season was the 20th season of competitive
football for the club and their first in the Football League, having
been voted into the Second Division. They finished the season tied on
points with Birmingham, who were champions on goal average; both teams
were promoted to the First Division. Cardiff reached the semi-final of
the FA Cup, defeating First Division sides Sunderland and Chelsea. They
were knocked out by Second Division Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the
Welsh Cup, Cardiff, the holders, were beaten by Pontypridd after a
fixture clash forced them to field a reserve side. Cardiff fielded 29
players in 1920–21, Billy Hardy playing in the most games. New signing
Jimmy Gill was the club's top goalscorer with 20 goals in all
competitions. The club's average home attendance at Ninian Park was more
than 28,000; two home league matches recorded attendances of 42,000, and
the FA Cup tie against Chelsea attracted 50,000.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920%E2%80%9321_Cardiff_City_F.C._season>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
William Robert Broughton, a member of George Vancouver's
expedition, observed a peak in the present-day U.S. state of Oregon and
named it Mount Hood after British admiral Samuel Hood.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood>
1948:
Arab–Israeli War: The Israel Defense Forces massacred at
least 52 villagers while capturing the Palestinian Arab village of
Safsaf.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safsaf_massacre>
1986:
British prime minister Margaret Thatcher officially opened the
M25, one of Britain's busiest motorways.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_motorway>
1991:
Galileo became the first spacecraft to visit an asteroid when
it made a flyby of 951 Gaspra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/951_Gaspra>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
signage:
1. (uncountable) Signs, particularly those imparting commercial,
directional, or road traffic information, taken collectively.
2. (countable, chiefly India, elsewhere regarded as nonstandard) A sign,
a signboard.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/signage>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even such is time, that takes in trust Our youth, our joys, our
all we have, And pays us but with age and dust; Who in the dark and
silent grave, When we have wandered all our ways, Shuts up the story
of our days. But from this earth, this grave, this dust, My God shall
raise me up, I trust!
--Walter Raleigh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh>
Etta Lemon (1860–1953) was a British bird conservationist and a
founder of what is now the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB). Born into an evangelical family in Kent, she became a campaigner
against the use of plumage in hatmaking. She co-founded the Fur, Fin and
Feather Folk in 1889, which two years later merged with Emily
Williamson's Society for the Protection of Birds, and was the society's
first honorary secretary. Her future husband Frank Lemon wrote its
constitution and became its legal adviser. The society became the RSPB
in 1904, and the Lemons led it for 35 years, although Etta's management
style led to clashes with its committee. She was appointed a Member of
the Order of the British Empire in 1920 for her management of a local
war hospital. She worked for many other organisations, including the
Women's National Anti-Suffrage League, and was one of the first female
honorary members of the British Ornithologists' Union.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_Lemon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
The Mino–Owari earthquake, the strongest known inland
earthquake in Japan's history, caused widespread damage and 7,273
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Mino%E2%80%93Owari_earthquake>
1928:
Indonesian composer Wage Rudolf Supratman introduced "Indonesia
Raya", now the country's national anthem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia_Raya>
1971:
Prospero, the first British satellite launched on a British
rocket, lifted off from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, South Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_%28spacecraft%29>
2013:
The first terrorist attack in Beijing's recent history took
place when three members of the Turkistan Islamic Party drove a vehicle
into a crowd.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Tiananmen_Square_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
townland:
(Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/townland>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Carefully observe oneself and one's situation, carefully observe
others, and carefully observe one's environment, Seize the initiative
in whatever you undertake, Consider fully, act decisively, Know when
to stop, Keep to the middle.
--Kanō Jigorō
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kan%C5%8D_Jigor%C5%8D>
1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor
Swift (pictured), released on October 27, 2014. Having been known as a
country singer-songwriter, Swift conceived 1989 as a synth-pop record
that shifted her sound and image to mainstream pop. She titled the album
after her birth year as a symbolic rebirth of her image and artistry.
The album's singles included three US Billboard Hot 100 number ones:
"Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Critics praised the
songwriting for offering emotional engagement that they found uncommon
in the mainstream pop scene. The album won the Grammy Award for Album of
the Year, and featured in Rolling Stone's 2020 update of their 500
Greatest Albums of All Time. A huge commercial success, 1989 spent 11
weeks atop the US Billboard 200 and has sold over 10 million copies
worldwide. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1989 (Taylor
Swift album).).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1989_%28Taylor_Swif…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1946:
Inter-religious riots in which Hindu mobs targeted Muslim
families began in the Indian state of Bihar, resulting in anywhere
between 2,000 and 30,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_Bihar_riots>
1981:
Cold War: The Soviet Whiskey-class submarine U137 ran aground
near Sweden's Karlskrona naval base (monument pictured), sparking an
international incident termed "Whiskey on the rocks".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363>
2004:
The Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals
to win the 2004 World Series, breaking the so-called "Curse of the
Bambino".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_World_Series>
2011:
Michael D. Higgins was elected President of Ireland with far
more votes than any politician in the country's history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Irish_presidential_election>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
get a word in edgewise:
(US, usually in the negative) To break into or participate in a
conversation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get_a_word_in_edgewise>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In name we had the Declaration of Independence in 1776; but we
gave the lie by our acts to the words of the Declaration of Independence
until 1865; and words count for nothing except in so far as they
represent acts. This is true everywhere.
--Theodore Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt>
The hoopoe starling (Fregilupus varius) is a bird species that lived on
the Mascarene island of Réunion and became extinct in the 1850s. Its
closest relatives were the also-extinct Rodrigues starling and Mauritius
starling from nearby islands. It was first mentioned during the 17th
century and long thought to be related to the hoopoe, but it was
confirmed as a starling in a DNA study. It was 30 cm (12 in) long with
primarily white and grey plumage, with darker brown and grey on its
back, wings and tail and a light crest that curled forwards. Males are
thought to have been larger and had more curved beaks, and juveniles
were more brown than the adults. The starling was omnivorous and foraged
near the ground, as indicated by its robust feet, claws and jaws. The
flocks inhabited humid areas and marshes. The birds may have gone
extinct due to disease, deforestation, and competition with introduced
species, as well as being hunted by humans. Nineteen specimens exist in
museums.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe_starling>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1902:
A group of Russian explorers led by Baron von Toll left their
camp on Bennett Island and disappeared without a trace.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_polar_expedition_of_1900%E2%80%931902>
1921:
The Chicago Theatre, the oldest surviving grand movie palace,
opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Theatre>
1940:
The North American P-51 Mustang, one of the most effective
fighter aircraft for the Allies during World War II, made its first
flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang>
2001:
President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law,
significantly expanding the authority of law enforcement agencies in
fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sheepshank:
(nautical) A type of knot which is useful for shortening a rope or
taking up slack without cutting it.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sheepshank>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can
achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed
with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into
riches.
--Napoleon Hill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill>
The Battle of Marais des Cygnes took place on October 25, 1864, in Linn
County, Kansas, during Price's Missouri Raid in the American Civil War.
A large Confederate cavalry incursion into Missouri in late 1864
attempted to draw Union troops away from the fighting further east.
After several victories the Confederates were defeated at the Battle of
Westport and withdrew into Kansas. They camped along the banks of the
Marais des Cygnes River on the night of October 24 while Union cavalry
pursuers skirmished with their rear guard. The battle began early the
next morning as 3,500 Union troops drove this force from its position,
capturing cannons, prisoners, and wagons. An attempted stand at the
river crossing was outflanked by a Union cavalry regiment, forcing the
Confederates to abandon it. A rear guard action by a 1,200-man
Confederate brigade bought time to disengage and retreat. After two
further defeats on the same day and another on October 28, the
Confederates retreated to Texas.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marais_des_Cygnes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
Crimean War: Lord Cardigan led his cavalry on a disastrous
assault in the Battle of Balaclava.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Balaclava>
1927:
The Italian cruise liner SS Principessa Mafalda sank when a
propeller shaft broke and fractured the hull, resulting in 314 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Principessa_Mafalda>
1944:
Heinrich Himmler ordered a crackdown on the Edelweiss Pirates,
a nonconformist youth group that assisted army deserters and others
hiding from the Nazis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelweiss_Pirates>
2001:
Windows XP, one of the most popular and widely used versions of
the Microsoft Windows operating system, was released for retail sale.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
croft:
An enclosed piece of land, usually small and arable and used for small-
scale food production, and often with a dwelling next to it; in
particular, such a piece of land rented to a farmer (a crofter),
especially in Scotland, together with a right to use separate
pastureland shared by other crofters.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/croft>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Neither is there figurative and non-figurative art. All things
appear to us in the shape of forms. Even in metaphysics ideas are
expressed by forms, well then think how absurd it would be to think of
painting without the imagery of forms. A figure, an object, a circle,
are forms; they affect us more or less intensely.
--Pablo Picasso
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso>
Livyatan melvillei is an extinct species of sperm whale that lived about
9.9 to 8.9 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. The name was
inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and Herman Melville, the
author of Moby-Dick. It was probably an apex predator, preying on whales
and seals. The teeth, found in the Pisco Formation of Peru, measured
36.2 cm (14.3 in), the longest of any known animal, excluding tusks.
The whale's length has been estimated at 13.5 to 17.5 m (44 to 57 ft),
making it one of the largest predators ever. It is distinguished from
the other raptorial sperm whales by the basin on the skull, and how it
spans the entire length of the snout. The spermaceti organ, contained in
the skull basin, is thought to have been used in echolocation and
communication, or for ramming prey and other sperm whales. The whale may
have competed with the giant extinct shark megalodon. Livyatan's
extinction was probably caused by a cooling event at the end of the
Miocene which resulted in a drop in food populations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1795:
As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent
state, with its territory divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth>
1889:
Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of the Colony of New South Wales,
gave a speech in which he called for the federation of the six
Australian colonies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_Oration>
1931:
The George Washington Bridge, connecting New York City to Fort
Lee, New Jersey, and today the world's busiest motor-vehicle bridge, was
dedicated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge>
1964:
A military court acquitted generals Dương Văn Đức and
Lâm Văn Phát of leading a coup attempt against South Vietnamese
leader Nguyễn Khánh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A2m_V%C4%83n_Ph%C3%A1t>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coin of the realm:
1. (law, dated) The legal money of a country.
2. (figuratively) Something that is valued like money within a
particular context.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coin_of_the_realm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional,
subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have
values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based
upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws —
they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences
are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values;
therefore, value principles!
--Stephen Covey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey>
The City of Portsmouth War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the
English city of Portsmouth, Hampshire. The city suffered significant
losses during the war, and after the conflict a site close to the Town
Hall and the railway station was selected as the location for a
memorial. The architects James Gibson and Walter Gordon designed it,
with sculptural elements by Charles Jagger. The memorial consists of a
semi-circular sunken recess (an exedra) with a screen bearing bronze
panels listing the names of the dead. Balustrades lead into Guildhall
Square, terminating in sculptures of a life-size soldier and sailor with
machine guns. In the centre is a cenotaph, surmounted by an urn and
decorated on the sides with relief carvings of wartime scenes. The
memorial was unveiled on 19 October 1921, before its completion. In the
1970s another wall was created, listing the names of casualties from the
Second World War; a monument to that conflict was added in 2005. The
memorial is a Grade II* listed building.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_War_Memorial>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1850:
The inaugural National Women's Rights Convention, presided over
by American activist Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis, began in Worcester,
Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women%27s_Rights_Convention>
1906:
Alberto Santos-Dumont flew his biplane 14-bis (depicted) for 50
metres (160 ft) at a height of about four metres (13 ft).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santos-Dumont_14-bis>
1934:
Jeannette Piccard piloted a hot-air balloon flight that reached
57,579 feet (17,550 m), becoming the first woman to fly in the
stratosphere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Piccard>
1956:
The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student
demonstration that attracted thousands while marching through central
Budapest to the parliament building.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wilderness:
1. (uncountable) Uncultivated and unsettled land in its natural state
inhabited by wild animals and with vegetation growing wild; (countable)
a tract of such land; a waste or wild.
2. (by extension)
3. (countable) A place other than land (for example, the air or sea)
that is uncared for, and therefore devoted to disorder or wildness.
4. (countable, horticulture) An ornamental part of a garden or park
cultivated with trees and often a maze to evoke a natural wilderness.
5. (uncountable, obsolete) Unrefinedness; wildness.
6. (countable, figuratively)
7. Chiefly followed by of: a bewildering flock or throng; a large, often
jumbled, collection of things.
8. A place or situation that is bewildering and in which one may get
lost.
9. Often preceded by in the: a situation of disfavour or lack of
recognition; (specifically, politics) of a politician, political party,
etc.: a situation of being out of office.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wilderness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I think that you cannot eliminate religion from the psyche of
mankind. If you suppress it in one form, it merely emerges in another
form. Even if you don't believe in God, you still have to believe in
something that gives meaning to your life, and shapes your sense of the
world. Such a belief is religious.
--Michael Crichton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton>
The smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) is widespread in Europe and
parts of Asia and is an introduced species in Australia. It is brown
with a dark-spotted orange to white underside, with males larger than
females. The skin is dry and velvety while the newts live on land but
becomes smooth after they migrate into water, when males become more
vivid and grow a crest on their back. Smooth newts live nocturnally on
land for most of the year, and are found in a wide range of habitats.
They feed on invertebrates, and are eaten by fish, birds and snakes.
They breed in ponds, where males court females with an underwater
display. Females lay eggs on water plants, and larvae hatch after 10 to
20 days. The young metamorphose into terrestrial juveniles in around
three months. Maturity is reached after 2 to 3 years, and adults live up
to 14 years. This newt is classed as a least-concern species, but has
suffered from habitat destruction and introduced fish. It is listed in
the Berne Convention as a protected species.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_newt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1740:
A two-week massacre of ethnic Chinese in Batavia, Dutch East
Indies, came to an end with at least 10,000 people killed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1740_Batavia_massacre>
1907:
A bank run forced New York's Knickerbocker Trust Company to
suspend operations, which triggered the Panic of 1907.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907>
1940:
After evading French and Spanish authorities, Belgian prime
minister Hubert Pierlot arrived in London, marking the beginning of the
Belgian government in exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_government_in_exile>
2001:
The controversial video game Grand Theft Auto III was first
released to critical acclaim, and went on to popularise open-world and
mature-content games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_III>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lady-in-waiting:
1. A lady, often a noblewoman, in the household of a queen, princess, or
other woman of higher rank who attends her as a personal assistant,
generally a role considered an honour.
2. A woman who is a maid or servant to a lady, similar to a valet for a
gentleman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lady-in-waiting>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God created Arrakis to train the faithful.
--Dune
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dune>