Isopogon anethifolius is a shrub in the family Proteaceae. The species
is found only in coastal areas near Sydney in New South Wales, and to
the immediate west. It occurs naturally in woodland, open forest and
heathland on sandstone soils. An upright shrub, it can reach to 3 m
(10 ft) in height, with terete leaves that are divided and narrow. The
yellow flowers appear from September to December and are prominently
displayed. They are followed by round grey cones, which give the plant
its common name of drumsticks. The small hairy seeds are found in the
old flower parts. I. anethifolius regenerates after bushfire by
resprouting from its woody base, known as a lignotuber, as well as from
seed. It was described by Richard Salisbury in 1796, and was first grown
in the United Kingdom the same year. One of the easiest members of the
genus Isopogon to cultivate, I. anethifolius grows readily in the
garden if located in a sunny or partly shaded spot with sandy soil and
good drainage.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopogon_anethifolius>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
Greek War of Independence: Inhabitants of the Greek town of
Missolonghi attempted to escape a year-long siege, but were caught and
killed by Ottoman forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_siege_of_Missolonghi>
1925:
The novel The Great Gatsby by American author F. Scott
Fitzgerald was first published by Scribner's.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby>
2019:
Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project published
the first image of a black hole (depicted), located at the center of the
galaxy M87.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event_Horizon_Telescope>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deem:
1. (transitive, obsolete) To judge, to pass judgment on; to doom, to
sentence.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To adjudge, to decree.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To dispense (justice); to administer (law).
4. (transitive) To hold in belief or estimation; to adjudge as a
conclusion; to regard as being; to evaluate according to one's beliefs;
to account.
5. (transitive, intransitive) To think, judge, or have or hold as an
opinion; to decide or believe on consideration; to suppose.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deem>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is an old cliché to say that the future is in the hands of
the young. This is no longer true. The quality of life to be enjoyed or
the existence to be survived by our children and future generations is
in our hands now.
--Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh>
The six episodes of the first season of Parks and Recreation originally
aired in the United States on the NBC television networks on Thursdays
between April 9 and May 14, 2009. The comedy series was created by
Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who served as executive producers with
Howard Klein. The season stars Amy Poehler (pictured), Rashida Jones,
Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, and Aubrey Plaza, and
focuses on Leslie Knope (Poehler), the deputy director of the parks and
recreation department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Early
test screenings were poor, and many critics and industry observers were
skeptical about the show's chances of success. The premiere episode was
watched by 6.77 million viewers, but the ratings declined to a season
low of 4.25 million viewers for the final episode, "Rock Show". Even
so, "Rock Show" received the best reviews of the season and convinced
some critics that the series had found the right tone.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_and_Recreation_%28season_1%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1917:
First World War: The Canadian Corps began the first wave of
attacks at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Vimy, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vimy_Ridge>
1948:
Palestine war: Fighters from the Zionist paramilitary groups
Irgun and Lehi attacked Deir Yassin, a village near Jerusalem, killing
more than 100 Palestinian Arabs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Yassin_massacre>
1967:
The first Boeing 737 took its maiden flight, eventually
becoming the most produced commercial passenger jet airliner in the
world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737>
1993:
Iranian filmmaker Morteza Avini was killed by a land mine in
Fakkeh while producing a documentary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morteza_Avini>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
grandfather:
1. (transitive, chiefly US, law) To retain existing laws or rules for (a
person or organization previously affected by them).
2. (intransitive, chiefly US, law) To retain existing laws or rules only
for people or organizations previously affected by them, and to apply
new laws or rules to the unaffected people or organizations.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grandfather>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Come, pluck up a good heart; speak the truth and shame the devil.
--François Rabelais
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Rabelais>
The République class consisted of a pair of pre-dreadnought
battleships—République and Patrie (pictured)—built for the French
Navy in the early 1900s. They were a significant improvement over
previous French battleships, with the same four 305 mm (12 in) guns
and eighteen 164 mm (6.5 in) guns, but with most of the 164 mm guns
mounted in gun turrets rather than in casemates. They also had more
effective armored protection. Both ships entered service in
January 1907, shortly after the British HMS Dreadnought made all
existing battleships obsolescent. During World War I, both ships
operated in the Mediterranean. Patrie supported the Gallipoli campaign
from May 1915 and République joined her in January 1916. Both ships
then became involved in Greece, where they assisted a coup against the
neutral but pro-German government that ultimately led to Greece's entry
into the war on the side of the Allies. Neither ship saw any further
action. République was decommissioned in 1921, and Patrie not until
1937.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9publique-class_battleship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
American Civil War: Union forces defeated Confederate troops at
the Battle of Shiloh, the bloodiest battle in U.S. history at the time,
in Hardin County, Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiloh>
1896:
An Arctic expedition led by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen
reached 86°13.6′N, almost three degrees beyond the previous Farthest
North latitude.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridtjof_Nansen>
1994:
Rwandan Civil War: The Rwandan genocide began a few hours after
the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana, with hundreds of
thousands killed in the following 100 days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_genocide>
2017:
A hijacked truck was deliberately driven into crowds along
Drottninggatan in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Stockholm_truck_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chivvy:
1. (transitive, Britain) To coerce or hurry along, as by persistent
request.
2. (transitive, Britain) To subject to harassment or verbal abuse.
3. (transitive, Britain) To sneak up on or rapidly approach.
4. (transitive, Britain) To pursue as in a hunt.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chivvy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the
religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue
among the religions. There will be no dialogue among the religions
without global ethical standards. There will therefore be no survival of
this globe without a global ethic.
--Hans Küng
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hans_K%C3%BCng>
The Rite of Spring is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris
season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company, with choreography
by Vaslav Nijinsky and stage designs and costumes (pictured) by Nicholas
Roerich. The ballet caused a near-riot in the audience when first
performed, on 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in
Paris, but rapidly achieved success, and later became recognised as one
of the most influential musical works of the 20th century. The score has
many novel features, including experiments in tonality, metre, rhythm,
stress and dissonance. The scenario is the celebration of spring by
various primitive rituals, at the end of which a sacrificial victim
dances herself to death. After its explosive premiere the ballet was not
performed until the 1920s, when Léonide Massine's rechoreographed
version was the first of many innovative productions directed by the
world's leading choreographers. Providing "endless stimulation for
performers and listeners" alike, The Rite is among the most recorded
works in the classical repertoire.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
John Jacob Astor founded the American Fur Company, the profits
from which made him the first multi-millionaire in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor>
1896:
The first modern Olympic Games (cover of official report shown)
opened in Athens, with athletes from 14 nations participating in 43
events.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics>
1941:
World War II: German forces invaded Greece, beginning
Operation Marita.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Greece>
2009:
Mass protests began across Moldova against the results of the
parliamentary election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2009_Moldovan_parliamentary_election_pr…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wieldy:
1. (obsolete except Britain, dialectal) Able to wield one's body well;
active, dexterous.
2. Capable of being easily wielded or managed; handy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wieldy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This habit of forming opinions, and acting upon them without
evidence, is one of the most immoral habits of the mind. ... As our
opinions are the fathers of our actions, to be indifferent about the
evidence of our opinions is to be indifferent about the consequences of
our actions. But the consequences of our actions are the good and evil
of our fellow-creatures. The habit of the neglect of evidence,
therefore, is the habit of disregarding the good and evil of our fellow-
creatures.
--James Mill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Mill>
Siegfried Lederer escaped from Auschwitz on the night of 5 April 1944,
wearing an SS uniform provided by Viktor Pestek, a guard at the
concentration camp (gate pictured). Pestek opposed the Holocaust because
of his Catholic faith and infatuation with Renée Neumann, a Jewish
prisoner. Lederer, a former Czechoslovak Army officer and a Jewish
member of the Czech resistance, tried unsuccessfully to warn the Jews at
Theresienstadt Ghetto about the mass murders at Auschwitz. After he and
Pestek returned to Auschwitz in an attempt to rescue Neumann and her
mother, Pestek was arrested and later executed. Lederer returned to
occupied Czechoslovakia, where he rejoined the resistance movement and
attempted to smuggle a report on Auschwitz to the International
Committee of the Red Cross in Switzerland. After the war he remained in
Czechoslovakia. The story of the escape was retold by Lederer, historian
Erich Kulka, and other writers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Lederer%27s_escape_from_Auschwitz>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1710:
The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain
providing for copyright regulated by the government and courts, received
royal assent and went into effect five days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Anne>
1936:
An F5 tornado struck Tupelo, Mississippi, and killed at least
216 people during the second deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Tupelo%E2%80%93Gainesville_tornado_outbr…>
1966:
During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime
minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempted to lead the capture of
the restive city of Đà Nẵng before backing down.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_Uprising>
1998:
The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the
world, linking Awaji Island and Kobe in Japan, opened to traffic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi_Kaiky%C5%8D_Bridge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
whelm:
1. (transitive) To bury, to cover; to engulf, to submerge.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To throw (something) over a thing so as to
cover it.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To ruin or destroy.
4. (intransitive) To overcome with emotion; to overwhelm.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whelm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The source of every Crime, is some defect of the Understanding;
or some error in Reasoning, or some sudden force of the Passions. Defect
in the Understanding, is Ignorance; in Reasoning, Erroneous Opinion.
--Thomas Hobbes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes>
Christ lag in Todes Banden (Christ lay in death's bonds), BWV 4, is a
chorale cantata for Easter by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of his earliest
church cantatas. It is agreed to be an early work, partly for stylistic
reasons and partly because there is evidence that it was probably
written for a performance in 1707. Text and music are based on Luther's
hymn of the same name, derived from medieval models. In each of seven
vocal movements, Bach used the unchanged words of a stanza of the
chorale and its tune as a cantus firmus. Although all movements are in
E minor, Bach intensified the meaning of the text through a variety of
musical forms and techniques. He performed the cantata again as
Thomaskantor in Leipzig, beginning in 1724 for his first Easter there.
Only this second version survived, scored for four vocal parts (soprano
part pictured) and a Baroque instrumental ensemble with strings and a
choir of cornetto and three trombones. John Eliot Gardiner described the
cantata as Bach's "first-known attempt at painting narrative in music"
and "a bold, innovative piece of musical drama".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_lag_in_Todes_Banden,_BWV_4>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1721:
Robert Walpole (portrait shown) took office as First Lord of
the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of
Commons, becoming the first de facto prime minister of Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Walpole>
1859:
Bryant's Minstrels premiered the minstrel song "Dixie" in New
York City as part of their blackface show.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_%28song%29>
1975:
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft>
2002:
The Angolan government and UNITA rebels signed a memorandum of
understanding, agreeing to observe the 1994 Lusaka Protocol and ending
the 26-year-long Angolan Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_Civil_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sensical:
That makes sense; showing internal logic; rational, sensible.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sensical>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Your God still walks in Eden, between the ancient trees, Where
Youth and Love go wading through pools of primroses. And this is the
sign we bring you, before the darkness fall, That Spring is risen, is
risen again, That Life is risen, is risen again, That Love is risen,
is risen again, and Love is Lord of all.
--Alfred Noyes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Noyes>
The scarlet myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) is a small bird of the
honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was described by
English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At 9 to 11 centimetres (3.5
to 4.3 in) long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a
short tail and relatively long down-curved bill. The male (example
pictured) is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is
entirely brown. It is more vocal than most honeyeaters; its varied calls
include a bell-like tinkling. Found along most of the eastern coastline,
the scarlet myzomela is migratory in the southern parts of its range.
Its natural habitat is forest, where it forages mainly in the upper tree
canopy for insects as well as nectar. Up to three broods may be raised
over the course of a breeding season. The female lays two or rarely
three flecked white eggs in a cup-shaped nest 5 centimetres (2 in)
across, high in a tree. The species is not threatened.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_myzomela>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1559:
Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed a treaty to
end the last Italian War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_War_of_1551%E2%80%931559>
1946:
Imperial Japanese Army officer Masaharu Homma was executed for
war crimes committed during the Bataan Death March.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaharu_Homma>
1981:
The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, was
unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1>
1996:
A U.S. Air Force CT-43 crashed into a mountainside while
attempting an instrument approach to Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia,
killing all 35 people on board, including Secretary of Commerce Ron
Brown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Croatia_USAF_CT-43_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
loggerhead:
1. (obsolete) A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
2. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made
hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a
liquid) to melt or heat it.
3. (nautical) A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.
4. (botany, Midlands, dialectal) Often in plural: a thistle-like
flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed
(Centaurea nigra).
5. (zoology) Used as the name of various animals with large heads.
6. The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus;
formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the
Falkland Islands.
7. The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to
the Caribbean and West Indies.
8. The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to
Jamaica.
9. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North
America.
10. The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed
turtle endemic to the United States.
11. The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an
oceanic turtle found throughout the world.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loggerhead>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all
right, as long your values don't change.
--Jane Goodall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall>
Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold
Ramis and written by Ramis and Danny Rubin. It stars Bill Murray
(pictured), Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Murray portrays Phil
Connors, a cynical television weatherman who becomes trapped in a time
loop forcing him to relive the same day over and over. The film is a
comedy directed by Harold Ramis and written by Ramis and Danny Rubin. It
stars Bill Murray (pictured), Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Murray
portrays Phil Connors, a cynical television weatherman who becomes
trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive the same day over and over.
The film is a comedy directed by Harold Ramis and written by Ramis and
Danny Rubin. It stars Bill Murray (pictured), Andie MacDowell, and Chris
Elliott. Murray portrays Phil Connors, a cynical television weatherman
who becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive the same day
over and over.[April Fools!] (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_%28film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1871:
The Duke of Buckingham opened the Brill Tramway (locomotive
pictured), a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and
the national rail network.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Tramway>
1933:
English cricketer Wally Hammond set a record for the highest
individual Test score in Test cricket of 336 not out during a match
against New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Hammond>
2001:
An American Lockheed EP-3 and a Chinese Shenyang J-8 collided
in mid-air off the island of Hainan, resulting in an international
dispute between the two countries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
couth:
1. (obsolete) Familiar, known; well-known, renowned.
2. (Scotland) Variant of couthie.
3. Agreeable, friendly, pleasant.
4. Comfortable; cosy, snug. […]
5. Marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication; cultured,
refined.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/couth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man comes into the world naked and unarmed, as if nature had
destined him for a social creature, and ordained him to live under
equitable laws and in peace; as if she had desired that he should be
guided by reason rather than be driven by force; therefore did she endow
him with understanding, and furnish him with hands, that he might
himself contrive what was necessary to his clothing and protection. To
those animals to which nature has given vast strength, she has also
presented weapons in harmony with their powers; to those that are not
thus vigorous, she has given ingenuity, cunning, and singular dexterity
in avoiding injury.
--William Harvey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Harvey>