Ted Kaczynski (born 1942), also known as the Unabomber, is an American
domestic terrorist, primitivist and former mathematics professor. He was
accepted to Harvard College at the age of 16 and, after graduating and
earning his PhD, he taught at UC Berkeley for three years. He then moved
to a small cabin in Montana to pursue a simple life. Kaczynski began
sending mail bombs to people associated with universities, airlines, and
the advancement of modern technology in 1978. He mailed a total of
sixteen bombs, killing 3 people and injuring 23 others. Kaczynski's
bombing campaign came under investigation by the FBI, who employed over
150 people in the most expensive FBI investigation ever conducted at the
time. Kaczynski's manifesto, an anarcho-primitivist essay, was published
in The Washington Post on the condition that he would desist from
terrorism. He was eventually arrested in 1996 (mug shot pictured) and
later imprisoned at ADX Florence in Colorado.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
The major powers of Europe signed the Treaty of London to
resolve a crisis over the political status of Luxembourg between France
and Prussia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_%281867%29>
1894:
In response to a 28-percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car
Company workers went on strike in Illinois, bringing rail traffic west
of Chicago to a halt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike>
1981:
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats (performers pictured), the first
megamusical, opened at the New London Theatre to become an unprecedented
commercial success.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29>
1998:
India began the Pokhran-II nuclear-weapons test, its first
since the Smiling Buddha test 24 years earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokhran-II>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brubru:
Also more fully as brubru shrike: a bird in the bushshrike family found
in sub-Saharan Africa (Nilaus afer).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brubru>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Learning in the true sense of the word is possible only in that
state of attention, in which there is no outer or inner compulsion.
Right thinking can come about only when the mind is not enslaved by
tradition and memory. It is attention that allows silence to come upon
the mind, which is the opening of the door to creation. That is why
attention is of the highest importance. Knowledge is necessary at the
functional level as a means of cultivating the mind, and not as an end
in itself. We are concerned, not with the development of just one
capacity, such as that of a mathematician, or a scientist, or a
musician, but with the total development of the student as a human
being.
--Jiddu Krishnamurti
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti>
A Crow Looked at Me is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo
project of the American musician Phil Elverum. Released in 2017, it was
composed in the aftermath of his 35-year-old wife, Geneviève
Castrée's, diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2015 and her death in
July 2016. Elverum wrote and recorded the songs over a six-week period
in the room where she died, mostly using her instruments. The lyrics are
presented in a diary-like form and sung in a raw, intimate style. They
bluntly detail Castrée's illness and death, Elverum's grief, and his
relationship with their infant child. It is soundtracked by sparse folk
instrumentation. It was widely praised for its emotional potency. The
album went on to be one of the most acclaimed albums of 2017 and of
Elverum's career. His following albums, Now Only (2018) and Lost Wisdom
pt. 2 (2019), further detail and examine Castrée's illness and early
death.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Crow_Looked_at_Me>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1849:
A personal dispute between actors Edwin Forrest and William
Macready in New York City devolved into a riot that left at least 22
dead and more than 120 injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Place_Riot>
1916:
Ernest Shackleton and five companions arrived at South Georgia,
completing a 1,300 km (800 mi) lifeboat voyage (launch pictured) over
16 days to obtain rescue for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird>
1941:
World War II: German Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess parachuted
into Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the British
government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess>
2005:
Armenian Vladimir Arutyunian attempted to assassinate U.S.
president George W. Bush and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in
Tbilisi using a hand grenade, which failed to detonate.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Arutyunian>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abstract away:
1. (transitive) To generalize concepts or their application by using
abstraction into a more usable form.
2. (transitive, by extension) To ignore, to omit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abstract_away>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If nature has offered to produce the maximum effect with minimum
causes, it is in all of its laws that it had to solve this major
problem. It is without doubt difficult to discover the foundations of
this wonderful economy, i.e. the simplest causes of phenomena considered
from such a wide point of view. But if this general principle of the
philosophy of physics does not lead immediately to the knowledge of
truth, it can direct the efforts of the human spirit, by leading it away
from theories which relate the phenomena to too many different causes,
and by adopting preferably those based on the smallest number of
assumptions, which show to be more fruitful in consequences.
--Augustin-Jean Fresnel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustin-Jean_Fresnel>
"Mother's Day" is the second episode of the fourth season of the
American animated television series Rugrats, first broadcast on May 6,
1997, on Nickelodeon. In this Mother's Day special, Tommy Pickles and
Phil and Lil Deville attempt to find the perfect mother for Chuckie
Finster, who is being raised by his father Chas. They discover that
Chuckie's mother, voiced by Kim Cattrall (pictured), died of a terminal
illness. Norton Virgien and Toni Vian directed the episode. "Mother's
Day" was praised by critics for its storyline and its representation of
breastfeeding, and has been the subject of several retrospective reviews
for its treatment of the death of a parent. It won a CableACE Award and
was nominated for the Humanitas Prize in the Children's Animation
Category. Rugrats received a nomination for the 1997 Primetime Emmy
Award for Outstanding Animated Program after Nickelodeon submitted
"Mother's Day" for consideration.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_%28Rugrats%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1901:
The first Parliament of Australia opened (depicted) in the
Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, exactly 26 years before it moved
to Canberra's Provisional Parliament House, and exactly 87 years before
it moved into the Parliament House in Canberra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Australia>
1961:
In a speech to U.S. broadcasters, FCC chairman Newton Minow
described commercial television programming as "a vast wasteland".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_and_the_Public_Interest>
2001:
Police at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, fired tear
gas to quell unrest at a football match, leading to a stampede that
killed 126 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accra_Sports_Stadium_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
system:
1. A collection of organized things; a whole composed of relationships
among its members.
2. (derogatory) Preceded by the word the: the mainstream culture,
controlled by the elites or government of a state, or a combination of
them, seen as oppressive to the individual.
3. (computing) A set of hardware and software operating in a computer.
4. (mathematics) A set of equations involving the same variables, which
are to be solved simultaneously.
5. (music) A set of staves linked by a brace that indicate instruments
or sounds that are to be played simultaneously.
6. (physiology) A set of body organs having a particular function.
7. A method or way of organizing or planning.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/system>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The "ideas" of the average man are not genuine ideas, nor is
their possession culture. An idea is a putting truth in checkmate.
Whoever wishes to have ideas must first prepare himself to desire truth
and to accept the rules of the game imposed by it. It is no use speaking
of ideas when there is no acceptance of a higher authority to regulate
them, a series of standards to which it is possible to appeal in a
discussion. These standards are the principles on which culture rests.
--José Ortega y Gasset
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ortega_y_Gasset>
Preening is a bird maintenance behaviour that involves using the beak to
position feathers, interlock the barbules, clean plumage, and reduce
parasites. Feathers contribute to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and
flight, so birds spend much time on preening. They may fluff up their
feathers to "rezip" the barbules, and use their beaks to gather preen
oil from a gland at the base of their tail. They spread the oil by
drawing each contour feather through their bills. Ritualised preening
has become part of some courtship displays and a displacement activity
when birds are subjected to stress. Preening can be a social activity
involving two or more birds called "allopreening", which occurs either
between a mated pair or flock members in a social species. This may
assist in grooming, the recognition of individuals, or reducing
conflict. Most allopreening is confined to the head and neck. Ingestion
of pollutants or pathogens during preening can lead to health problems.
Injury and infection can cause overpreening in caged birds.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preening>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
A train derailed and caught fire (depicted) near Versailles,
France, killing between 52 and 200 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_rail_accident>
1957:
South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state
visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_presidential_visit_to_the_Unite…>
1972:
Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to
demand the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571>
1987:
A British Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional Irish
Republican Army (IRA) unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight
IRA members and one civilian.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughgall_ambush>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
megapolitan:
Of or pertaining to a megapolis (“a very large city or urban complex”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/megapolitan>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why should things be easy to understand?
--Thomas Pynchon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon>
Frances Gertrude McGill (1882–1959) was a Canadian scientist who was a
forensic pathologist, nicknamed the "Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan"
for her deductive skills and public fame. McGill influenced the
development of forensic pathology in Canadian police work. After
receiving her medical degree in 1915, McGill moved to Saskatchewan,
where she was hired first as the provincial bacteriologist and then as
the provincial pathologist. She worked extensively with the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local police forces for more than
thirty years, and was instrumental in establishing the first RCMP
forensic laboratory. She directed the RCMP laboratory for three years,
and trained new RCMP recruits in forensic detection methods. After
retiring in 1946, McGill was appointed Honorary Surgeon for the RCMP by
the Canadian minister of justice, becoming one of its first official
female members. McGill Lake in northern Saskatchewan was named in her
honour.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Gertrude_McGill>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver,
refined as a lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical
Society.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov>
1931:
New York City police engaged in a two-hour-long shootout with
Francis Crowley, witnessed by 15,000 bystanders, before he finally
surrendered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crowley>
1946:
Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the telecommunications
corporation Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, later renamed Sony.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony>
2009:
Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the
home of a former New Zealand Army member who had shot at officers during
the routine execution of a search warrant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_shootings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
calumny:
1. (countable) A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's
reputation or standing.
2. (uncountable) Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to
disparage or discredit another.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calumny>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The human soul is on its journey from the law to love, from
discipline to liberation, from the moral plane to the spiritual.
--Rabindranath Tagore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore>
Mark Saunders was a British barrister who struggled with depression and
alcoholism. On 6 May 2008 he repeatedly fired a shotgun from a window
of his home in Markham Square, London. When armed police arrived,
Saunders fired at their vehicle (example pictured) and a siege began.
Saunders fired twice more and police returned fire, slightly wounding
him. Saunders then waved the shotgun out of a window in the direction of
a group of police officers; seven officers fired eleven shots, of which
at least five struck him. Saunders was pronounced dead at a waiting
ambulance. An inquest was held where the jury returned a verdict of
lawful killing, but found several flaws in the police handling of the
incident. They did not consider that any of these significantly
contributed to the outcome. They could not decide whether Saunders had
intentionally provoked a lethal response ("suicide by cop"). In 2010,
the Metropolitan Police created a unit of senior officers to manage
similar incidents.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mark_Saunders>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1782:
Construction began on the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the official
residence of the king of Thailand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palace>
1882:
Irish civil servants Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick
Cavendish were stabbed to death by members of the radical Irish National
Invincibles in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Park_Murders>
1941:
American entertainer Bob Hope performed his first show with the
United Service Organizations, beginning a 50-year involvement with them.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope>
1991:
Time magazine published the article "The Thriving Cult of Greed
and Power" by Richard Behar criticizing the Church of Scientology,
leading to years of legal conflict.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thriving_Cult_of_Greed_and_Power>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
staid:
1. Not capricious or impulsive; sedate, serious, sober.
2. (rare) Always fixed in the same location; stationary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/staid>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Come holy harlequin! Shake the world and shock the hypocrite
Rock, love, carry it away, turn it upside down. Let the feast of love
begin, Let the hungry all come in, Rock, love, carry it away, turn it
upside down.
--Sydney Carter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Carter>
The Heart of Thomas is a 1974 Japanese manga series written and
illustrated by Moto Hagio (pictured). Originally serialized in Shūkan
Shōjo Comic, a weekly manga magazine publishing shōjo manga – manga
aimed at young and adolescent women – the series follows the events
at a German all-boys school after the suicide of student Thomas Werner.
It is one of the earliest manga in the shōnen-ai (male–male romance)
genre. While The Heart of Thomas was initially poorly received by
readers, by the end of its serialization it was among the most popular
series in Shūkan Shōjo Comic. It significantly influenced shōjo manga
as a medium, with many of the stylistic and narrative hallmarks of the
series becoming standard tropes of the genre. The series has attracted
considerable scholarly interest, and has been adapted into a film, a
stage play, and a novel. In North America, an English-language
translation of The Heart of Thomas, translated by Rachel Thorn, was
published by Fantagraphics Books in 2013.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heart_of_Thomas>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1936:
Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Italian troops captured the
Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa unopposed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Iron_Will>
1961:
Project Mercury: American astronaut Alan Shepard made a sub-
orbital spaceflight on board Freedom 7, becoming the second person to
travel into outer space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3>
1981:
After a 66-day hunger strike, Irish republican Bobby Sands died
of starvation in HM Prison Maze.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands>
1991:
Riots broke out in Washington, D.C., after a rookie police
officer shot a Salvadoran man in the chest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Washington,_D.C._riot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lustrum:
1. (Ancient Rome, religion, historical) A ceremonial purification of all
the people, performed every five years after the taking of the census; a
lustration.
2. (by extension, literary) A period of five years.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lustrum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The presence of irony does not necessarily mean that the
earnestness is excluded. Only assistant professors assume that.
--Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Concluding_Unscientific_Postscript_to_Philoso…>
William Feiner (1792–1829) was a German Catholic priest and Jesuit who
became a missionary to the United States and eventually the president of
Georgetown College. Born in Münster, he taught in Jesuit schools in the
Russian Empire and Polish Galicia as a young member of the Society of
Jesus. He then emigrated to the United States several years after the
restoration of the Society, taking up pastoral work and teaching
theology in Conewago, Pennsylvania, before becoming a full-time
professor at Georgetown College. There, he also became the second
dedicated librarian of the college's library. Eventually, Feiner became
the president of Georgetown in 1826. While president, he taught theology
at Georgetown and led the congregation at Holy Trinity Church. Despite
being the leader of an American university, he never mastered the
English language. Long plagued by poor health due to tuberculosis, his
short-lived presidency ended after three years, just weeks before his
death.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Feiner>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1780:
The first running of the Epsom Derby horse race took place, won
by Diomed, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1780_Epsom_Derby>
1942:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Allied naval
forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first fleet action in which
aircraft carriers engaged each other.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea>
1974:
An all-female Japanese team reached the summit of Manaslu in
the Himalayas, becoming the first women to climb a peak higher than
8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaslu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
walking carpet:
(slang, derogatory or humorous) An exceptionally hairy person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/walking_carpet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability
to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done,
whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be
learned; and, however early a man's training begins, it is probably the
last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
--T. H. Huxley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._H._Huxley>
The 2020 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker
tournament held from 31 July to 16 August 2020 at the Crucible Theatre
in Sheffield. It was originally scheduled to take place from 18 April
to 4 May, but qualification and the main rounds were postponed due to
the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The event was intended to
allow limited live audiences, but apart from the first day and the final
it was played behind closed doors. The tournament was organised by the
World Snooker Tour, broadcast by the BBC, Eurosport and Matchroom Sport,
and sponsored by sports betting company Betfred. It had a total prize
fund of £2,395,000, with the winner receiving £500,000. The delayed
qualifying rounds took place from 21 to 28 July, involving 128
professional and invited amateur participants. The top 16 reached the
main stage of the tournament where they played the top 16 ranked
players. Judd Trump, the defending champion, lost in the quarter-final
stage to Kyren Wilson. Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured) won his sixth world
title, defeating Wilson 18–8 in the final.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_World_Snooker_Championship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
The Benty Grange helmet, a boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet
similar to those mentioned in the contemporary epic poem Beowulf, was
discovered in Derbyshire, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benty_Grange_helmet>
1921:
Under the British Government of Ireland Act, Ireland was
partitioned into two self-governing territories, Northern and Southern
Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Ireland>
1963:
Police in Birmingham, Alabama, used high-pressure water hoses
and dogs against civil-rights protesters, bringing scrutiny on racial
segregation in the southern United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_campaign>
1971:
Erich Honecker became First Secretary of the Socialist Unity
Party of Germany, the governing party of East Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Honecker>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
legman:
1. (originally US) A person hired to carrying out errands or (often)
menial tasks, frequently requiring travel from place to place; an errand
boy or errand girl, a runner.
2. (originally US, journalism) A reporter who frequently travels to
conduct research, interview witnesses, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/legman>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Copying is not theft Stealing a thing leaves one less left
Copying it makes one thing more That's what copying's for.
--Nina Paley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nina_Paley>
The Greek case was brought to the European Commission of Human Rights in
September 1967. It alleged violations of the European Convention on
Human Rights (ECHR) by the Greek junta, which had come to power in a
coup and launched widespread political repression. A second case
alleging additional violations, including of Article 3 forbidding
torture, was added in 1968. In 1968 and 1969, a subcommission questioned
witnesses and embarked on a fact-finding mission to Greece. Their report
proving systematic torture was leaked to the press and turned European
public opinion against Greece. On 12 December 1969, the Committee of
Ministers of the Council of Europe considered a resolution to expel
Greece. To save face, foreign minister Panagiotis Pipinelis (pictured)
denounced the ECHR and walked out. Greece returned to the organization
after the Greek democratic transition in 1974. The case was influential
as a precedent in human rights jurisprudence, especially for the legal
definition of torture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_case>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: Confederate general Stonewall Jackson was
wounded by friendly fire during the Battle of Chancellorsville, leading
to his death by pneumonia eight days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chancellorsville>
1964:
Vietnam War: An explosion caused by Viet Cong commandos led
USNS Card to sink in the port of Saigon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_USNS_Card>
2003:
Spurred on by the Indian Union Muslim League, a mob of Indian
Muslims killed eight Hindu fishermen in Kerala.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marad_massacre>
2011:
Osama bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 in
a private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turn turtle:
1. (intransitive) Especially of a boat or ship, or some other vehicle:
to turn upside down.
2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fail; to go belly up.
3. (intransitive, surfing) To roll upside down with one's surfboard
(usually a longboard) to allow a wave, especially a wave that has
already broken, to pass over.
4. (intransitive, historical) To capture a turtle by turning it on to
its back.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turn_turtle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Philosophy is properly Home-sickness; the wish to be everywhere
at home.
--Novalis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Novalis>