Chinua Achebe (16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian
novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of
modern African literature. He garnered international attention for his
novel Things Fall Apart (1958) and published three further novels in
less than ten years. Achebe sought to escape the colonial perspective
that framed African literature. He drew from the traditions of the Igbo
people, Christianity and the clash of Western and African values. Achebe
supported Biafran independence in 1967 and was an ambassador for the
movement; during the Nigerian Civil War he appealed to Europe and the
Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region, he
involved himself in political parties but became disillusioned by the
corruption and elitism he witnessed. He moved to the United States in
1990 after a car crash left him partially disabled. He was a professor
of African studies at Brown University until his death in 2013.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1814:
War of the Sixth Coalition: During their march on Paris,
Coalition forces defeated Napoleon's French army on the final day of the
Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arcis-sur-Aube>
1918:
First World War: The German Army opened the Spring Offensive
with Operation Michael, attempting to break through the Allied lines and
to seize ports on the English Channel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Michael>
1960:
Police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire on a group of
unarmed black demonstrators who were protesting pass laws, killing 69
people and wounding 180 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre>
2019:
A major explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng, China,
killed 78 people and injured 640 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Xiangshui_chemical_plant_explosion>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gelotology:
(psychology, physiology) The study of humour and laughter, and its
effects on the body.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gelotology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the
time, and a courageous person afterward.
--Jean Paul
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Paul>
The Branford Steam Railroad is a 7.2-mile (11.6 km) standard-gauge
industrial railroad that serves the Tilcon Connecticut stone quarry in
North Branford, Connecticut, in the United States. It was founded in
1903 by Louis A. Fisk, a businessman from Branford, Connecticut, to
transport passengers to a trotting park for horses. By 1916, the company
had ended passenger service in favor of freight transport. The company
has hauled trap rock from the Totoket Mountain quarry in North Branford
continuously since 1914. A southern extension was built to a dock on
Long Island Sound at Pine Orchard, Branford, which remains in use today
to transfer rock to barges. Trap rock is also transported by rail to an
interchange with the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The company's
last steam locomotive was retired in 1960; the name is retained to
distinguish it from the nearby Branford Electric Railway, operated by a
museum dedicated to streetcars.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branford_Steam_Railroad>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
King Charles IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favour of
his son Ferdinand VII as a result of the Tumult of Aranjuez.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain>
1962:
Influential American musician Bob Dylan released his eponymous
debut album, mainly comprising traditional folk, blues and gospel songs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>
1979:
The American cable television network C-SPAN, covering
government proceedings and public-affairs programming, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-SPAN>
2008:
The gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B (artist's impression pictured),
the farthest object that could be seen by the naked eye, was observed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_080319B>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
feint:
1. (transitive, boxing, fencing)
2. To direct (a blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an
attack) on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real
attack on another part.
3. (rare) To direct a feint or mock attack against (someone).
4. (intransitive, boxing, fencing, also often military) To make a feint
or mock attack.
5. (often military) A movement made to confuse an opponent; a dummy.
6. (boxing, fencing) A blow, thrust, or other offensive movement
resembling an attack on some part of the body, intended to distract from
a real attack on another part.
7. (figuratively) Something feigned; a false or pretend appearance; a
pretence or stratagem.
8. (boxing, fencing, also often military) Of an attack or offensive
movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike.
9. (obsolete) Feigned, counterfeit, fake. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feint>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Times change but principles endure. The jury has protected us
from the abuse of power. While human government exists the tendency to
abuse power will remain. This system, coming down from former
generations crowned with the honors of age, is today and for the future
our hope. Let us correct its defects with kindly hands, let us purge it
of its imperfections and it will be, as in the past, the bulwark of our
liberties.
--William Jennings Bryan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan>
Wiley Rutledge (1894–1949) served as an associate justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court from 1943 to 1949. The ninth and final justice appointed
by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he is known for his impassioned
defenses of civil liberties. He practiced law in Colorado before
becoming a law school professor and dean. Rutledge supported New Deal
policies and other proposals by Roosevelt, who appointed him to the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals in 1939 and to the Supreme Court in 1943.
Rutledge favored broad interpretations of the First Amendment, and he
argued that the Bill of Rights applied in its totality to the states. In
other cases, Rutledge fervently supported broad due process rights in
criminal cases, and he opposed discrimination against women and racial
minorities. However, he joined the majority in two cases –
Hirabayashi v. United States (1943) and Korematsu v. United States
(1944) – that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during
World War II.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Rutledge>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1921:
Russian Civil War: Bolshevik forces suppressed a rebellion of
sailors and civilians in Kronstadt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_rebellion>
1965:
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov ventured outside the Soviet spacecraft
Voskhod 2, becoming the first person to walk in space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Leonov>
1985:
The first episode of the soap opera Neighbours was broadcast on
the Seven Network, later becoming the longest-running drama in
Australian television history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours>
1990:
Unidentified thieves stole thirteen works of art collectively
valued at $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in
Boston, Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum_theft>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
knock about:
1. (transitive) To hit (someone or something) all over repeatedly;
hence, to behave violently towards or mistreat (someone or something).
2. (intransitive)
3. To move or roam around aimlessly.
4. (by extension) To live an unconventional life.
5. To be present at or inhabit a certain place.
6. (by extension) To engage in a relaxing activity in a place; to hang
around in.
7. (by extension) Often followed by with: to spend time companionably;
to hang around.
8. (by extension, usually in present participial form) To be mislaid in
a place.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knock_about>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Today, 17th of March 2023, the International Criminal Court has
issued two warrants of arrest in the Ukraine situation for Vladimir
Putin, President of the Russian Federation and for Maria Lvova-Belova,
Commissioner of the Russian President's [office] for children’s
rights, for the alleged war crimes of deportation of children from
Ukrainian occupied territories into the Russian Federation. It is
forbidden by international law for occupying powers to transfer
civilians from the territory they live in to other territories. Children
enjoy special protection under the Geneva Convention. The contents of
the warrants are secret in order to protect victims. The ICC attaches
great importance to the protection of victims especially children.
Nevertheless, the judges of the chamber dealing with this case decided
to make the existence of the warrants public in the interest of justice
and to prevent the commission of future crimes. This is an important
moment in the process of justice before the ICC, the judges have
reviewed the information and evidence submitted by the prosecutor, and
determined that there are credible allegations against these persons for
the alleged crimes.
--International Criminal Court
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court>
This Year's Model is the second studio album by the English singer-
songwriter Elvis Costello (pictured), released on 17 March 1978 through
Radar Records with his new backing band, the Attractions. It was
recorded at Eden Studios in late 1977 and early 1978. Nick Lowe was the
producer, and Roger Béchirian the engineer. The songs embrace new wave,
power pop and punk rock; the lyrics explore subjects such as mass
control and relationships. The cover art, by Barney Bubbles, shows
Costello behind a camera, emphasising his role as an observer. The
singles "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up" were
commercially successful and the album reached number four on the UK
Albums Chart. The US LP reached number 30 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape
chart. The album received critical acclaim for its songwriting and
performances; it has been described as one of Costello's best works and
has appeared on several lists of all-time greatest albums. A new version
of the album was released in 2021.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Year%27s_Model>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1677:
Franco-Dutch War: France captured the town of Valenciennes in
the Spanish Netherlands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Valenciennes_%281676%E2%80%931677%29>
1917:
World War I: Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster led a
force to rescue 92 prisoners of war from Bir Hakeim, killing the
Sensussi guards and their families.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir_Hakeim_rescue>
1942:
The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec
extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation
Reinhard camps to begin operation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard>
1963:
An eruption of Mount Agung on Bali, Indonesia, killed at least
1,100 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Agung>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Gaelic football:
An Irish form of football played by two teams of 15 players each, who
score by kicking or punching a ball into the opposing team's goal or
over a crossbar and between two upright posts above the goal.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gaelic_football>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I arise today Through the strength of heaven: Light of sun
Brilliance of moon Splendor of fire Speed of lightning Swiftness of
wind Depth of sea Stability of earth Firmness of rock.
--Saint Patrick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick>
The Bougainville counterattack (8–25 March 1944) was an unsuccessful
Japanese offensive against the Allied base at Cape Torokina, on
Bougainville Island (now part of Papua New Guinea), during the Pacific
War of the Second World War. The goal of the offensive was to destroy
the Allied beachhead, which accommodated three strategically important
airfields. The Allies detected Japanese preparations and strengthened
the base's defenses. The attack, hampered by inaccurate intelligence and
poor planning, was repulsed mainly by United States Army forces
(artillery pictured) after intense fighting. The Japanese commanders had
underestimated the strength of the U.S. defenders, who greatly
outnumbered them, and suffered severe casualties, while Allied losses
were light. This attack was the last big Japanese offensive in the
Solomon Islands campaign. In late 1944 Australian troops took over from
the Americans and began a series of advances across the island that
lasted until the end of the war in August 1945.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainville_counterattack>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1190:
Around 150 Jews died inside York Castle, with the majority
committing mass suicide to avoid being killed by a mob.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Castle>
1322:
Despenser War: A royalist army defeated troops loyal to Thomas,
2nd Earl of Lancaster, in the Battle of Boroughbridge, which allowed
King Edward II of England to hold on to power for another five years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Boroughbridge>
1872:
In the inaugural final of the FA Cup (trophy pictured)
Wanderers defeated Royal Engineers 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington,
London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_FA_Cup_final>
2001:
A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China,
killed 108 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shijiazhuang_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fall at the last hurdle:
(intransitive, idiomatic) To fail near the end of an activity, a
project, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fall_at_the_last_hurdle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We want to replace proprietary software, with its unjust social
system with Free Software and its ethical social system. And so we
develop free replacements for proprietary software, and other free
programs whenever we get an idea, so that the world can live in freedom.
The part that uses computers, at least, in that one area of life.
Because winning and maintaining freedom in general is a much bigger,
much broader and harder activity, but this is one part of it.
--Richard Stallman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman>
Greek Jews were heavily affected by the Holocaust. Prior to World War
II, some 72,000 to 77,000 Jews lived in Greece, around 50,000 of them in
Salonica. In April 1941, Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria invaded and
occupied Greece. In March 1943, more than 4,000 Jews were deported from
the Bulgarian occupation zone to Treblinka extermination camp. From
15 March through August, almost all of Salonica's Jews were deported to
Auschwitz concentration camp. After the Italian armistice in September
1943, Germany took over the Italian occupation zone. In March 1944,
Athens and other parts of mainland Greece witnessed the deportation of
their Jewish communities. In mid-1944, Jews living in the Greek islands
were targeted. Around 10,000 Jews survived the Holocaust either by going
into hiding, fighting with the Greek resistance, or surviving their
deportation. By 1945, between 83 and 87 percent of Greek Jews had been
murdered, one of the highest proportions in Europe.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust_in_Greece>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1147:
Reconquista: Portuguese troops under King Afonso I captured
the city of Santarém from the Almoravids.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Santar%C3%A9m>
1875:
John McCloskey, the archbishop of New York, was created the
first cardinal from the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCloskey>
1956:
The musical My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion, debuted at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Lady>
1990:
Iraqi authorities hanged Iranian freelance reporter Farzad
Bazoft on charges of spying for Israel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farzad_Bazoft>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
notorious:
1. Senses with an unfavourable connotation.
2. Of a person or entity: generally or widely known for something
negative; infamous.
3. Of an act, situation, etc.: blameworthy in an obvious and offensive
way; blatant, flagrant.
4. Senses with a favourable or neutral connotation.
5. Generally or widely known; of common knowledge; famous or well-known.
6. (obsolete)
7. Clear, evident, obvious.
8. Generally or widely knowable.
9. (obsolete) Synonym of notoriously
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/notorious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Dissents speak to a future age. It's not simply to say, "My
colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way." But the greatest
dissents do become court opinions and gradually over time their views
become the dominant view. So that's the dissenter's hope: that they are
writing not for today but for tomorrow.
--Ruth Bader Ginsburg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg>
Matthew Quay (1833–1904) represented Pennsylvania in the United States
Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until his death. As chair of
the Republican National Committee and thus party campaign manager, he
helped elect Benjamin Harrison president in 1888; he was also
instrumental in the 1900 election of Theodore Roosevelt as vice
president. Quay received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the 1862
Battle of Fredericksburg. Beginning in 1867, he became part of the
political machine run by Senator Simon Cameron. Quay served as the
secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia county
recorder, and Pennsylvania state treasurer. The last office, to which he
was elected in 1885, made him the state's Republican political boss. At
his height, Quay influenced appointments to thousands of state and
federal positions in Pennsylvania, the occupants of which had to help
finance the machine. After his death, the machine was taken over by the
state's other senator, Boies Penrose, who continued to run it until his
own death in 1921.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Quay>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1489:
Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, was forced to abdicate and
sell the administration of the island to the Republic of Venice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Cornaro>
1885:
The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan's most frequently performed
Savoy opera, debuted at the Savoy Theatre in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mikado>
1969:
Edward M. Burke, the longest-serving alderman in the history of
the Chicago City Council, was sworn into office.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_M._Burke>
1984:
Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, was seriously wounded in an
assassination attempt by Ulster Freedom Fighters in central Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Adams>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chronoception:
(physiology) The perception or sense of time.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chronoception>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the
sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as
well as all serious endeavor in art and science. He who never had this
experience seems to me, if not dead, then at least blind. To sense that
behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our
mind cannot grasp and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only
indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness. In this
sense I am religious. To me it suffices to wonder at these secrets and
to attempt humbly to grasp with my mind a mere image of the lofty
structure of all that there is.
--Albert Einstein
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>
Final Fantasy X-2 is a role-playing video game developed and published
by Square for the PlayStation 2, first released in Japan on March 13,
2003. A direct sequel to 2001's Final Fantasy X, the game follows Yuna
as she searches for Tidus, the main character of the previous game,
while trying to prevent political conflicts in Spira from escalating to
war. Its gameplay follows a similar structure to other titles in the
Final Fantasy series, with players commanding a cast of characters as
they progress through the story exploring the in-game world and battling
enemies. The game was the last in the series to be released by Square
before its merger with Enix, and the first to be a sequel to a previous
Final Fantasy game. X-2 was a commercial and critical success, selling
over 5 million copies on PlayStation 2 and winning a number of awards.
A high-definition remaster was released on PlayStation 3 and
PlayStation Vita in 2013 and on other consoles in subsequent years.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_X-2>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1845:
German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was
performed for the first time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_%28Mendelssohn%29>
1943:
The Holocaust: Nazi troops began the final liquidation of the
Kraków Ghetto in Poland, sending about 2,000 Jews to the Płaszów
labor camp (deportation pictured), with the remaining 5,000 either
killed or sent to Auschwitz.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_Ghetto>
1988:
The Seikan Tunnel, 53.85 km (33.46 mi) in length, opened
between the cities of Hakodate and Aomori, Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikan_Tunnel>
2013:
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis, making
him the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first
from the Southern Hemisphere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neurodiverse:
1. Of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; varying in mental
configuration from others, especially being on the autism spectrum; of a
group: made up of neurodivergent people.
2. Of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neurodiverse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I will cherish these few specks of time.
--Everything Everywhere All at Once
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Everything_Everywhere_All_at_Once>
It's That Man Again (ITMA) was a radio comedy programme that was
broadcast by the BBC for twelve series from 1939 to 1949, featuring
Tommy Handley in the central role. ITMA was a character-driven comedy
whose satirical targets included officialdom and the proliferation of
minor wartime regulations. Parts of the scripts were rewritten in the
hours before the broadcast, to ensure topicality. ITMA was an important
contributor to British morale during the war, with its cheerful take on
the day-to-day preoccupations of the public, but its detailed
topicality—one of its greatest attractions at the time—has prevented
it from wearing well on repeated hearing. Handley died during the
twelfth series, the remaining programmes of which were immediately
cancelled: ITMA could not work without him, and no further series were
commissioned. ITMA's innovative structure was successfully continued in
comedy shows of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Take It from Here, The Goon
Show and Round the Horne.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_That_Man_Again>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1913:
At a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, Lady Denman, wife of Governor-
General Lord Denman, announced that Canberra would be the name of the
future capital of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra>
1930:
Mahatma Gandhi (pictured with Sarojini Naidu) began the Salt
March, a 24-day nonviolent walk to defy the British salt tax in colonial
India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March>
1934:
Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup
d'état, beginning the Era of Silence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts>
2014:
A gas leak caused an explosion in the East Harlem neighborhood
of New York City, destroying two apartment buildings and causing eight
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_East_Harlem_gas_explosion>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
high jinks:
1. (Scotland, games, historical) An old Scottish parlour game in which
people were chosen, usually by throwing dice, to perform some humorous
act or drink a large amount of an alcoholic beverage, with a forfeit if
they were unable to do so.
2. (by extension)
3. Boisterous activity or behaviour; lively fun.
4. Tricky or waggish behaviour; mischief.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/high_jinks>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A play is fiction — and fiction is fact distilled into truth.
--Edward Albee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Albee>
Starship Troopers is a 1959 military science fiction novel by Robert A.
Heinlein (pictured). The first-person narrative follows Juan "Johnny"
Rico through his military service in the Mobile Infantry, most of which
takes place during an interstellar war between humans and an alien
species known as "Arachnids" or "Bugs". Interspersed with the primary
plot are classroom scenes in which Rico and others discuss philosophical
and moral issues, including aspects of suffrage (restricted in Rico's
society), civic virtue, juvenile delinquency, and war; these discussions
have been described as expounding Heinlein's own political views. A
coming-of-age novel, Starship Troopers also critiques the US society of
the 1950s, arguing that a lack of discipline had led to a moral decline.
Starship Troopers brought to an end Heinlein's juvenile novel series. It
became one of his best-selling books, and won the Hugo Award for Best
Novel. The story has been adapted several times, including in a 1997
film version.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Troopers>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
During a period of activity known as the Great Eruption, Eta
Carinae briefly became the second-brightest star in the night sky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae>
1984:
The anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao
Miyazaki was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica%C3%A4_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind_%28fi…>
2011:
A massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan and
triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_nuclear_disaster>
2012:
U.S. Army soldier Robert Bales murdered sixteen civilians and
wounded six others in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandahar_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
new normal:
(chiefly Canada, US, idiomatic) A current prevailing situation which has
emerged recently, that differs dramatically from the previous one and is
expected to remain.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/new_normal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My favorite word is "redemption." I like both its meaning and the
sound. My least favorite word is "maybe." "Maybe" is almost always a
"no" drawn out in cruel fashion.
--Libba Bray
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Libba_Bray>