SS Politician was a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of the
Hebridean island of Eriskay (pictured) in February 1941. During the
Second World War the ship participated in the Atlantic convoys between
the United Kingdom and the United States. She grounded while attempting
to rendezvous with a convoy to the north of Scotland. No one was badly
injured or killed in the accident. Her cargo included 22,000 cases of
malt whisky and £3 million worth of Jamaican banknotes. Much of the
whisky was recovered by islanders from across the Hebrides, contrary to
marine salvage laws. Because no duty had been paid on the whisky,
members of HM Customs and Excise pursued and prosecuted those who had
removed the cargo. Customs men undertook raids, arresting many and
seizing the boats of those suspected of taking part. The story of the
wreck and looting was the basis for the book Whisky Galore; an
adaptation was released as a film in 1949 and a remake in 2016.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Politician>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store in Rochdale, England,
forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Society_of_Equitable_Pioneers>
1923:
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that
defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a
sovereign nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923>
1965:
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member
states have since signed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_o…>
1988:
The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made
its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
milieu:
1. An environment or setting; a medium.
2. (specifically) A social environment or setting.
3. A group of people with a common point of view; a social class or
group.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/milieu>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren
darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time
of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable,
like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines
of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.
--Gary Zukav
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gary_Zukav>
The Réunion swamphen (Porphyrio caerulescens) is a hypothetical extinct
species of rail that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion.
While only known from accounts by visitors from the 17th and 18th
centuries, it was scientifically named in 1848 based on a 1674 account
by Sieur Dubois. The Réunion swamphen was described as entirely blue in
plumage with a red beak and legs; the size of a Réunion ibis, which
could mean 65 to 70 cm (26 to 28 in) in length; and possibly similar
to the takahē. While easily hunted, it was a fast runner and able to
fly. It may have fed on plant matter and invertebrates, and was said to
nest among grasses and aquatic ferns. It was only found on the Plaine
des Cafres plateau, to which it may have retreated during the latter
part of its existence, whereas other swamphens inhabit lowland swamps.
While the last unequivocal account is from 1730, the bird may have
survived until 1763. Overhunting and the introduction of cats probably
drove it to extinction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union_swamphen>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1987:
The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history occurred
when the MV Doña Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker in the
Tablas Strait in the Philippines, resulting in an estimated 4,000
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Do%C3%B1a_Paz>
1988:
The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, governing international
cooperation against the illegal drug trade, was signed in Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_Against_Illicit_Tra…>
1995:
American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain in Buga,
Colombia, killing all 151 passengers and 8 crew members.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_965>
2007:
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the
São Paulo Museum of Art before being recovered about three weeks later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
broadcaster:
1. (agriculture)
2. A machine used to broadcast or spread seeds, fertilizer, etc.
3. (obsolete) A person who sows seeds by scattering; also, one who
promotes sowing seeds in this manner instead of by drilling (“making
holes in the soil and placing seeds in them”).
4. (broadcasting)
5. A piece of equipment used to transmit audio and/or video content, or
messages, to be received by radios or televisions, over the internet,
etc.
6. An organization or station that engages in the activity of such
broadcasting.
7. A person whose job it is to effect such broadcasts; specifically, one
who presents radio or television programmes (especially documentaries or
news programmes); a presenter.
8. (computing) A piece of equipment used to transmit data over a
computer network.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broadcaster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In a work of art, however modest, the peculiar character of life
is always reflected in the fact that it has no parts which keep their
qualitative identity in isolation. In the simplest design, the virtual
constituents are indivisible, and inalienable from the whole.
--Susanne Langer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susanne_Langer>
The battle of Adys was fought in late 255 BC during the First Punic War
between a Roman army led by Marcus Atilius Regulus and a Carthaginian
army jointly commanded by Bostar, Hamilcar and Hasdrubal. The Romans had
successfully invaded Carthage's homeland in North Africa and left
Regulus with 15,500 men to hold their lodgement over the winter. Regulus
advanced on and besieged the city of Adys. The Carthaginian army
established itself on a rocky hill nearby. Regulus had his forces
execute night marches to launch dawn assaults on the Carthaginians'
fortified hilltop camp. One part of the Roman force was repulsed and
pursued down the hill. After the other part charged the pursuing
Carthaginians in the rear and routed them, the remaining Carthaginians
panicked and fled. Despairing, the Carthaginians sued for peace, but the
terms Regulus offered were so harsh that they resolved to fight on. A
few months later at the battle of Tunis Regulus was decisively beaten.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adys>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1675:
King Philip's War: In the Great Swamp Fight, the colonial
militia of New England and their Pequot allies attacked a Narragansett
fort in Rhode Island, killing many warriors and hundreds of non-
combatants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Swamp_Fight>
1956:
British physician and suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams
was arrested in connection with the death of Edith Alice Morrell.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bodkin_Adams>
1985:
Aeroflot Flight 101/435 was hijacked by the co-pilot and
landed in a cow pasture in China, where he was apprehended.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_101/435>
2016:
Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, was assassinated
at an art gallery in Ankara.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Andrei_Karlov>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
victory:
1. (uncountable) The condition or state of having won a battle or
competition, or having succeeded in an effort; (countable) an instance
of this.
2. (Roman mythology) Alternative letter-case form of Victory
(“(uncountable) the Roman goddess of victory, the counterpart of the
Greek goddess Nike; also (countable), an artistic depiction of her,
chiefly as a winged woman”)
3. Used to encourage someone to achieve success, or to celebrate a
success or triumph.
4. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To defeat or triumph over (someone or
something).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/victory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I never set out to be the best player in history. I think I'm
just another footballer. On the pitch we are all the same and when the
game starts I always try to improve myself. My intention is that when I
retire, I will be remembered for being a good person.
--Lionel Messi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi>
The 2014 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match of the 2014 World Cup.
The match between Germany and Argentina was played at the Maracanã
Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 13 July 2014. With the match
goalless after 90 minutes, it went to extra time, in the second period
of which Germany broke the deadlock. Mario Götze, who had come on as a
substitute shortly before the end of normal time, received André
Schürrle's cross from the left on his chest before volleying a left-
footed shot (pictured) into the net to secure a 1–0 victory for
Germany. Their win was their fourth World Cup title and the first since
German reunification, as well as the first World Cup win by a European
team in the Americas. Götze was named the man of the match, and
Argentina's Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as FIFA's
outstanding player of the tournament. Joachim Löw, Germany's manager,
labelled his side's win as the culmination of a project that had begun
ten years previously under his predecessor Jürgen Klinsmann.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_Final>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1898:
Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first official land speed
record, averaging 63.16 km/h (39.245 mph) over 1 km (0.62 mi) in
Achères, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record>
1913:
The Jew's Christmas, the first American film to include a rabbi
as a character, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jew%27s_Christmas>
1916:
The French defeated German forces around the city of Verdun-
sur-Meuse in northeastern France, ending the longest and one of the
bloodiest battles in the First World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun>
1996:
The school board of Oakland, California, passed a controversial
resolution officially declaring African-American Vernacular English to
be a separate language or dialect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Vernacular_English_and_educa…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
far-flung:
1. Distant or remote in relationship, space, or time.
2. Widely distributed, wide-ranging, or widespread.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/far-flung>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The internet's gone wild watching movie stars on trial While
they're overturning Roe v. Wade. Now all of my friends are missing
again 'Cause that's what happens when you fall in love You don't have
the time, you leave them all behind And you tell yourself it's fine,
you're just in love. And I don't get along with anyone Maybe I'm the
problem.
--Billie Eilish
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Billie_Eilish>
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles is a 2021 American
concert film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Osborne. It stars
singer-songwriter Billie Eilish (pictured), who performs all 16 tracks
from her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, at Los Angeles's
Hollywood Bowl. Inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Cool
World (1992), the film blends live action with animation; its animated
scenes combine motion capture footage of Eilish with rotoscoping by
Osborne. Principal photography at the Hollywood Bowl took place for one
week and without a live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lacking a
crowd, the crew recorded Eilish from very close distances, aiming to
create a sense of intimacy between her and the viewers. The film,
released exclusively to Disney+ in September 2021, was praised by
critics for its performances, animation style, and cinematography. It
received nominations for multiple awards, such as Best Music Film at the
2022 Grammy Awards.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happier_Than_Ever:_A_Love_Letter_to_Los_Angel…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1583:
Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeated Gebhard
Truchsess von Waldburg's troops at the siege of Godesberg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Godesberg>
1918:
About 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House in
Darwin, Australia, where they burned an effigy of Administrator John
Gilruth and demanded his resignation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_rebellion>
1983:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a
car bomb outside Harrods in London, killing six people and injuring
about 90 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gonnabe:
(informal) One who intends to become famous or important.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gonnabe>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is beautiful to celebrate Christmas, but let us lower the
level of Christmas spending. Let's have a more humble Christmas, with
more humble gifts, and send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who
need it. … They are suffering so much, they are going hungry, they
feel the cold and many are dying because there are not enough doctors
and nurses available … Let's not forget. Christmas, yes. In peace with
the Lord, yes. But with Ukrainians in our hearts. Let's make this
concrete gesture for them.
--Pope Francis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>
Tom Eastick (3 May 1900 – 16 December 1988) was a senior Australian
Army artillery officer during World War II, a post-war leader of the
principal ex-service organisation in South Australia, and a justice of
the peace. He commanded a field artillery regiment during the First and
Second Battles of El Alamein in the Western Desert campaign in North
Africa in 1942, leading to his appointment as a Companion of the
Distinguished Service Order and an Efficiency Decoration award. He then
commanded divisional artillery during several campaigns in New Guinea
and Borneo, before being appointed military governor of the Raj of
Sarawak after taking the Japanese surrender at Kuching. Post-war, he was
state president of the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's
Imperial League of Australia (the Returned & Services League from 1965)
for fifteen years. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of
St Michael and St George and knighted for his volunteer work on behalf
of ex-servicemen.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Eastick>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1893:
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony (audio
featured) premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_%28Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%29>
1918:
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet
Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic_%281918%…>
1971:
The surrender of East Pakistani forces in Dacca concluded the
Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1971>
2014:
A hostage crisis in a Lindt chocolate café in Sydney,
Australia, ended with police storming the building, killing the
perpetrator and one of the hostages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindt_Cafe_siege>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
normcore:
1. (fashion) A unisex fashion trend characterized by average-looking,
unpretentious clothing.
2. (by extension, attributively) Anything mainstream or unremarkable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/normcore>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around
you and within you. The sea is your home — before your birth, and
after your death. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world, our breath
burns in the shadow of the deep. The sea gives, and the sea takes. Water
connects all things, life to death, darkness to light.
--Avatar: The Way of Water
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Way_of_Water>
John Sherman (1823–1900) was an American congressman and senator from
Ohio during the second half of the nineteenth century. The brother of
General William Tecumseh Sherman, he was the principal author of the
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. As a Republican senator, he worked on
legislation to restore the nation's credit abroad and produce a stable,
gold-backed currency at home. Serving as Secretary of the Treasury under
President Rutherford B. Hayes, Sherman helped to end wartime
inflationary measures and to oversee the law allowing dollars to be
redeemed for gold. He returned to the Senate after his term ended,
continuing his work on financial legislation, as well as laws on
immigration, business competition, and interstate commerce. In 1897, he
was appointed Secretary of State by President William McKinley, but due
to failing health, retired in 1898 at the start of the
Spanish–American War. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1880
United States presidential election.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1880_United_States_…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1025:
Constantine VIII became the sole Byzantine emperor, 63 years
after being crowned co-emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_VIII>
1467:
Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary at the Battle of Baia in present-day
Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baia>
1890:
Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota leader, was killed on Standing
Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota by U.S. Indian agency police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull>
1981:
The Iraqi Shia Islamist group al-Dawa carried out one of the
first modern suicide bombings, targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut,
Lebanon, resulting in 61 deaths and at least 100 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Iraqi_embassy_bombing_in_Beirut>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
secern:
1. (transitive)
2. (archaic) To separate or set apart (someone or something from other
persons or things).
3. (by extension) To separate (something from other things) in the mind;
to discriminate, to distinguish.
4. (physiology, archaic) Synonym of secrete (“to extract or separate (a
substance) from the blood, etc., for excretion or for the fulfilling of
a physiological function”)
5. (intransitive)
6. Of a person or thing: to become separated from others.
7. (physiology, rare) To secrete a substance.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/secern>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
However confused the scene of our life appears, however torn we
may be who now do face that scene, it can be faced, and we can go on to
be whole. If we use the resources we now have, we and the world itself
may move in one fullness. Moment to moment, we can grow, if we can bring
ourselves to meet the moment with our lives.
--Muriel Rukeyser
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muriel_Rukeyser>
The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a large Old World monkey native to
west-central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the
world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is
sexually dimorphic, as males have a larger body, longer canine teeth and
brighter coloring. Mandrills mainly live in tropical rainforests but
will also travel across savannas. They live in large, stable groups
known as "hordes" which can contain hundreds of individuals. Females
form the core of these groups, while adult males are solitary and only
reunite with the larger groups during the breeding season. Dominant
males have the most vibrant colors and fattest flanks and rumps. The
mandrill is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its biggest
threats are habitat destruction and hunting for bushmeat. Gabon is
considered the stronghold for the species. Its habitat has declined in
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, while its range in the Republic of the
Congo is limited.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrill>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: The Battle of Bean's Station, the final
battle of the Knoxville campaign, was fought in Grainger County,
Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bean%27s_Station>
1981:
The Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli
"laws, jurisdiction and administration" to the Golan Heights,
effectively annexing the territory internationally recognized as part of
Syria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights>
1998:
Kosovo War: Yugoslav forces ambushed a group of Kosovo
Liberation Army militants attempting to smuggle weapons into Yugoslavia
from Albania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_14,_1998,_Albanian%E2%80%93Yugoslav_…>
2012:
A 20-year-old gunman shot twenty children and six adult staff
members in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
burnish:
1. (transitive)
2. To make (something, such as a surface) bright, shiny, and smooth by,
or (by extension) as if by, rubbing; to polish, to shine.
3. Of a stag: to remove the velvet (“skin and fine fur”) from (its
antlers) by rubbing them against something; to velvet.
4. (figuratively) To make (someone or something) appear positive and
highly respected.
5. (intransitive)
6. To become bright, glossy, and smooth; to brighten, to gleam, to shine
forth.
7. (figuratively) To appear positive and highly respected.
8. (countable)
9. A shine of something which has been polished; a lustre, a polish.
10. A shiny layer applied to a surface or other thing.
11. (uncountable) The making of something bright, shiny, and smooth by,
or (by extension) as if by, rubbing; (countable) an instance of this; a
burnishing, a polishing, a shining. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/burnish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If your opponent strikes with fire, counter with water, becoming
completely fluid and free-flowing. Water, by its nature, never collides
with or breaks against anything. On the contrary, it swallows up any
attack harmlessly.
--Morihei Ueshiba
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba>
CSS Baltic was a casemate ironclad that served in the Confederate
States Navy during the American Civil War. A towboat and cotton lighter
before the war, it was purchased by the state of Alabama in
December 1861 for conversion into an ironclad. After being transferred
to the Confederate Navy in May 1862, it served on Mobile Bay off the
Gulf of Mexico. Its condition in Confederate service was such that naval
historian William N. Still Jr. has described her as "a nondescript
vessel in many ways". Over the next two years, parts of the ship's
wooden structure were affected by wood rot. Her armor was removed to be
put onto the ironclad CSS Nashville in 1864. By that August, Baltic had
been decommissioned. She was taken up the Tombigbee River near the end
of the war, where she was captured by Union forces on May 10, 1865. An
inspection the next month found that her upper hull and deck were rotten
and that her boilers were unsafe. She was sold on December 31, and was
likely broken up in 1866.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Baltic>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1769:
Dartmouth College was established by royal charter in present-
day Hanover, New Hampshire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces, capturing the
Chinese city of Nanjing, began committing numerous atrocities over the
next several weeks, including looting, rape and the execution of
prisoners of war and civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanking>
1981:
Polish prime minister Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law,
suspending the trade union Solidarity and imprisoning many of its
leaders.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law_in_Poland>
2011:
A man threw grenades and fired a rifle at crowds in Liège,
Belgium, causing 6 deaths and injuring more than 120 others, before
killing himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Li%C3%A8ge_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
saddle:
1. A seat for a rider, often made of leather and raised in the front and
rear, placed on the back of a horse or other animal, and secured by a
strap around the animal's body.
2. A similar implement used to secure goods to animals; a packsaddle.
3. Synonym of harness saddle (“the part of a harness which supports the
weight of poles or shafts attaching a vehicle to a horse or other
animal”)
4. A cushion used as a seat in a cart or other vehicle.
5. The immovable seat of a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle.
6. (by extension)
7. Chiefly preceded by the: horse-riding as an activity or occupation.
8. Synonym of saddle brown (“a medium brown colour, like that of saddle
leather”) saddle brown:
9. Something resembling a saddle (sense 1) in appearance or shape. [...]
10. (transitive)
11. To put a saddle (noun sense 1) on (an animal).
12. To put (something) on to another thing like a saddle on an animal.
13. (figuratively)
14. To enter (a trained horse) into a race.
15. (often passive) Chiefly followed by with: to burden or encumber
(someone) with some problem or responsibility.
16. Chiefly followed by on or upon: to place (a burden or
responsibility) or thrust (a problem) on someone.
17. (archaic) To control or restrain (someone or something), as if using
a saddle; to bridle, to harness, to rein in.
18. (obsolete, rare) To get (someone) to do a burdensome task.
19. (woodworking) To cut a saddle-shaped notch in (a log or other piece
of wood) so it can fit together with other such logs or pieces; also, to
fit (logs or other pieces of wood) together with this method.
20. (obsolete)
21. To put something on to (another thing) like a saddle on an animal.
22. (intransitive, chiefly Canada, US) Often followed by up.
23. To put a saddle on an animal.
24. Of a person: to get into a saddle.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/saddle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Pluralist societies are not accidents of history. They are a
product of enlightened education and continuous investment by
governments and all of civil society in recognizing and celebrating the
diversity of the world’s peoples.
--Aga Khan IV
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV>
Gurl.com was a US website for teenage girls that was online from 1996 to
2018. It was created by Rebecca Odes, Esther Drill, and Heather McDonald
as a resource centered on teen advice, body image, sexuality, and other
teen concerns. First published as an online zine, it expanded into an
online community. It was purchased in turn by Delia's, iVillage,
PriMedia, and what became Defy Media. It ceased activity after Defy
Media's closure in 2018 and was redirected to Seventeen's website. In
the US, Gurl.com was heavily associated with zine culture and third-wave
feminism and was used in academia to study the online behavior of
teenage girls. Known for its humorous tone and unconventional approach
to teen-related topics, it won an award from I.D. magazine in 1997 and a
Webby in 1998; its founders received awards from New York magazine in
1997. Gurl.com attracted privacy concerns, and criticism from
conservative and anti-pornography advocates for its sex-positive stance
and sex education resources.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurl.com>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1866:
England's worst mining disaster occurred when a series of
explosions (depicted) caused by flammable gases ripped through the Oaks
Colliery, killing 361 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaks_explosion>
1905:
In support of the December Uprising in Moscow, the Council of
Workers' Deputies of Kiev staged a mass uprising, establishing the
Shuliavka Republic in the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuliavka_Republic>
1941:
The Holocaust: At a Nazi Party meeting in the Reich
Chancellery, Adolf Hitler declared the imminent destruction of the
Jewish people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich_Chancellery_meeting_of_12_December_1941>
1985:
Arrow Air Flight 1285R crashed after takeoff in Gander,
Newfoundland, Canada, killing 256 people, including 248 members of the
U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_Air_Flight_1285R>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
dictionary:
1. A reference work with a list of words from one or more languages,
normally ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meanings
(senses), and sometimes also containing information on its etymology,
pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, and translations, as well as
other data.
2. (preceded by the) A synchronic dictionary of a standardised language
held to only contain words that are properly part of the language.
3. (by extension) Any work that has a list of material organized
alphabetically; e.g., biographical dictionary, encyclopedic dictionary.
4. (computing) An associative array, a data structure where each value
is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in
a physical dictionary.
5. (transitive) To look up in a dictionary.
6. (transitive) To add to a dictionary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dictionary>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is more humiliating than to see idiots succeed in
enterprises we have failed in.
--Gustave Flaubert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gustave_Flaubert>