The Teloschistaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi with a
cosmopolitan distribution, mostly in temperate regions. Most either live
on rock or on bark, and many are orange to yellow from anthraquinone
which protects them from ultraviolet light, enabling expansion into arid
and sunny ecosystems. They have a thallus that is leafy, bushy, or
crusty, and partner with photosynthetic Trebouxia algae. A 2013 revision
recognised three subfamilies and created or resurrected 31 more genera.
Since then, many new genera have been added and DNA studies are giving
insights into relationships within this family's more than 800 species
and around 120 genera. It remains underexplored in vast regions like
South America and China. Several rock-dwelling species are known to
damage marble surfaces, and others are used in some traditional
medicines. One member, Rusavskia elegans, is used in research as a model
organism to investigate resilience against the harsh conditions of outer
space.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teloschistaceae>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1903:
A blockade against Venezuela (depicted), caused by President
Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts, is lifted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_crisis_of_1902%E2%80%931903>
1942:
World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed
Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forcible relocation of over
112,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9066>
1948:
The Southeast Asian Youth Conference, which is believed to have
inspired armed communist rebellions in different Asian countries, opened
in Calcutta, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_of_Youth_and_Students_of_Southeast…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cater-cousin:
1. A person who, while not being a blood relation, is regarded as close
enough to be called a cousin; a (very) close or good friend; a bosom
friend.
2. (figurative) A thing which is closely associated with or related to
another thing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cater-cousin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Then the rainstorm came over me And I felt my spirit break I
had lost all of my belief, you see And realized my mistake But time
threw a prayer to me And all around me became still I need love,
love's divine Please forgive me, now I see that I've been blind Give
me love, love is what I need to help me know my name.
--Seal
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Seal_%28musician%29>
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle
of Ages are two 2001 action-adventure games in The Legend of Zelda
series, developed by Flagship, a subsidiary of Capcom (head office
pictured), and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The player
controls the protagonist Link from an overhead perspective as he
collects various items hidden in dungeons and guarded by bosses. After
experimenting with porting the original Legend of Zelda to the Game Boy
Color, the Flagship team, supervised by Yoshiki Okamoto, began
developing three interconnected Zelda games that could be played in any
order; they later canceled one of the games. Both Seasons and Ages were
critical successes, and sold 3.96 million units each. Critics
complimented the gameplay, colorful designs and graphic quality, but
criticized the inconsistent sound quality. Both games were re-released
on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in May 2013, and on the
Nintendo Switch Online service in July 2023.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Oracle_of_Seasons_and_Or…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1904:
Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered
at La Scala in Milan to poor reviews, forcing him to revise the opera.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madama_Butterfly>
1964:
Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but
French forces, honouring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated him two days
later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Gabonese_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1974:
A U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter and landed it
on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_White_House_helicopter_incident>
2011:
Arab Spring: Bahraini security forces killed four protesters in
a pre-dawn raid at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, while the "Day of
Rage" took place in Libya with nationwide protests against Muammar
Gaddafi's government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_civil_war_%282011%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
crowbill:
1. (surgery) A kind of forceps for extracting bullets, etc., from
wounds.
2. (weaponry, historical) A bec de corbin (“poleaxe with a modified
hammerhead and a spike mounted on the top of the pole”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crowbill>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I want Putin and his entourage, Putin’s friends, his government
to know — that they will have to pay for what they’ve done with our
country, with my family, and my husband. And that day will come very
soon. I want to call on the entire world community, everyone present
here, people all over the world — so that we shall all together defeat
this evil, defeat the terrifying regime that is currently in Russia.
This regime and Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for all the
horrors they are doing to my country, to our country — to Russia.
--Yulia Navalnaya
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yulia_Navalnaya>
"Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is a song by the American singer-
songwriter Bob Dylan (pictured). First released as the final track on
Dylan's seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde (1966), the song lasts 11
minutes and 23 seconds, and occupies the entire fourth side of the
double album. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob
Johnston. The music is a waltz in 6/8 time. Most writers agree that the
song was composed for Dylan's wife Sara Lownds. Dylan's lyrics polarized
critics; several reviewers found them impenetrable, but rated the song
favorably. Later writers have often agreed with this, praising the
sound, dismissing the lyrics, and rating the song as amongst Dylan's
best work. It has been covered by a variety of artists, including Joan
Baez, on Any Day Now (1968), and Richie Havens, on Mixed Bag II (1974).
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd said that the song changed his life, and
George Harrison wrote that the track influenced aspects of the Beatles
song "Long, Long, Long".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sad_Eyed_Lady_of_the_Lowlands>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1918:
The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence,
proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania>
1922:
A landslide in Byblos revealed a sarcophagus in an underground
tomb, later discovered to be part of a large Bronze Age necropolis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_necropolis_of_Byblos>
1996:
Eleven people died in a train collision in Silver Spring,
Maryland, leading to the creation of comprehensive U.S. federal rules
for the design of passenger cars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Maryland_train_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
immaterial:
1. Having no matter or substance; incorporeal.
2. Of the nature of the soul or spirit; spiritual.
3. (figurative)
4. Of no importance; inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant.
5. (rare) Having or seeming to have very little substance;
insubstantial, slight.
6. (chiefly law) Especially of evidence; chiefly followed by to: not
associated in any way that is important or useful to the context being
discussed; irrelevant.
7. (countable, chiefly in the plural) A being or entity having no matter
or substance.
8. (countable, chiefly in the plural) A thing which is abstract or
intangible; (uncountable) chiefly preceded by the: things which are
abstract or intangible considered collectively.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/immaterial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Religious art is the measure of human depth and sincerity; any
triviality, any weakness, cries aloud.
--Henry Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Adams>
Ernest Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) led three
British expeditions to the Antarctic during the Heroic Age of Antarctic
Exploration. He and three companions established a new record Farthest
South latitude, 112 miles (180 km) from the South Pole, as part of the
Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909, and Shackleton was knighted on his
return home. He planned the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of
1914–1917 but his ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and then
sank on 21 November 1915. The crew escaped and used the lifeboats to
reach Elephant Island and ultimately the island of South Georgia in a
stormy ocean voyage of more than 700 nautical miles (800 mi;
1,300 km), Shackleton's most famous exploit. He returned to the
Antarctic in 1921 with the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition, but died of a
heart attack on South Georgia; at his wife's request, he was buried
there. In the latter part of the 20th century, Shackleton became a role
model for leadership in extreme circumstances.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1763:
Prussia, Saxony and the Habsburg monarchy signed the Treaty of
Hubertusburg, ending the Third Silesian War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Silesian_War>
1949:
Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux began excavations
at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves in the West Bank, the location of the
first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qumran_Caves>
1979:
Don Dunstan resigned as Premier of South Australia, ending a
decade of sweeping social liberalisation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dunstan>
1999:
Abdullah Öcalan, one of the founding members of the militant
organization the Kurdistan Workers' Party, was arrested by Turkish
security forces in Nairobi, Kenya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_%C3%96calan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
at daggers drawn:
(idiomatic, chiefly Britain) In a state of open hostility.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/at_daggers_drawn>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So far as the mere imparting of information is concerned, no
university has had any justification for existence since the
popularization of printing in the fifteenth century. Yet the chief
impetus to the foundation of universities came after that date, and in
more recent times has even increased. The justification for a university
is that it preserves the connection between knowledge and the zest of
life, by uniting the young and the old in the imaginative consideration
of learning.
--Alfred North Whitehead
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead>
Annie Dove Denmark (1887–1974) was an American music educator and
academic administrator who was the fifth president of Anderson College
(now Anderson University) in Anderson, South Carolina, from 1928 to
1953. A talented musician in her youth, Denmark attended what is now
Meredith College and graduated with an artist's diploma in piano in
1908. She began teaching piano at Anderson in 1917. She is commonly,
though incorrectly, cited as the first woman president of a college or
university in South Carolina. She oversaw Anderson's transition from a
four-year college to a two-year junior college, making it the first
junior college in the state. The school's debt was paid off by the South
Carolina Baptist Convention in May 1938, and attendance increased for
several years after World War II when the school enrolled more men than
it ever had since becoming co-educational in 1931. She left office in
May 1953, concluding a 25-year presidency that remains the longest in
Anderson's history.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Dove_Denmark>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1779:
Native Hawaiians killed the English explorer Captain James Cook
after he attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief of the
island of Hawaii.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook>
1924:
The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company was renamed as
International Business Machines (IBM), later growing into one of the
world's largest companies by market capitalization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM>
1990:
NASA's Voyager 1 space probe took the iconic Pale Blue Dot
photograph of Earth from a record distance of 40.5 au
(6.06 billion km; 3.76 billion mi).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot>
2007:
The first of several bombings in Zahedan, Iran, killed 18
members of the Revolutionary Guards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Zahedan_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cutie patootie:
(chiefly US, slang) An adorable and attractive person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cutie_patootie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If there is any thing that keeps the mind open to angel visits,
and repels the ministry of ill, it is human love.
--Nathaniel Parker Willis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Parker_Willis>
The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Early Netherlandish painter
Hans Memling. It depicts the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel's
announcement to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the
mother of Jesus, described in the Gospel of Luke. The iconography
focuses on the Virgin's purity. Her swoon foreshadows the crucifixion of
Jesus, and the painting emphasizes her role as mother, bride, and Queen
of Heaven. The painting was executed in the 1480s. It was discovered in
the early 19th century on an estate of the Radziwiłł family, in whose
collection it might have been since the 16th century. It was purchased
by the banker Philip Lehman in 1920, was transferred to canvas from its
original oak panel sometime after 1928, and is today part of the Robert
Lehman collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1847
the art historian Gustav Friedrich Waagen described the panel as one of
Memling's "finest and most original works".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation_%28Memling%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders
of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel
district in the East End of London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders>
1961:
Geode prospectors near Olancha, California, discovered what
they claimed to be a 500,000-year-old rock with a 1920s-era spark plug
encased within (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coso_artifact>
2017:
Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un, was assassinated using VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-nam>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
radiogram:
1. (telegraphy, historical) Synonym of radiotelegram (“a message, like a
telegram, transmitted by wireless telegraphy (“telegraphy by radio
rather than by transmission cables”)”)
2. (radio, historical) Synonym of radiogramophone (“a gramophone record
player that incorporates a radio receiver”) [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/radiogram>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must not forget that in our country are evangelists and
zealots of many different political, economic and religious persuasions
whose fanatical conviction is that all thought is divinely classified
into two kinds — that which is their own and that which is false and
dangerous.
--Robert H. Jackson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_H._Jackson>
Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale (1626–1698), was a prominent
figure amongst 17th-century English and Scottish nobility, known for her
beauty, influence and involvement in the politics and arts of her time.
Born Elizabeth Murray, she was raised in court circles during the years
leading up to the English Civil War and received a well-rounded
education from her parents. She had eleven children by her first
husband, Lionel Tollemache, five of whom survived to adulthood. Upon her
father's death she inherited Ham House – her childhood home – as
well as his titles, becoming Countess of Dysart and Lady Huntingtower.
During the Interregnum, she was involved with efforts to restore the
monarchy. After Lionel's death she married John Maitland, a close
advisor to Charles II, bringing her into the heart of politics. She
later became Duchess of Lauderdale. During their marriage, they
substantially remodelled Ham House, filling it with luxury furnishings
and artwork. Elizabeth died there in 1698.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Maitland,_Duchess_of_Lauderdale>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1851:
As part of celebrations marking the separation of Victoria from
New South Wales, the inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia
began at the Launceston Racecourse in Tasmania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen%27s_Land_v_Port_Phillip,_1851>
1976:
The Frente de Liberación Homosexual made their final public
appearance, shortly before the group's dissolution due to political
repression after the 1976 Argentine coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frente_de_Liberaci%C3%B3n_Homosexual>
2001:
The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions
of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kournikova_%28computer_virus%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mojibake:
(computing) Corrupt characters or letters, especially resulting from
being displayed or transferred through an inappropriate character set or
encoding.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mojibake>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Luckdragons are among the strangest animals in Fantastica.…
Luckdragons are creatures of air, warmth, and pure joy. Despite their
great size, they are as light as a summer cloud, and consequently need
no wings for flying. They swim in the air of heaven as fish swim in
water. Seen from the earth, they look like slow lightning flashes. The
most amazing thing about them is their song. Their voice sounds like the
golden note of a large bell, and when they speak softly the bell seems
to be ringing in the distance. Anyone who has heard this sound will
remember it as long as he lives and tell his grandchildren about it.
--The Neverending Story
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Neverending_Story>
Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) was an English crime novelist,
playwright, translator and critic. After winning first class honours
from Somerville College, Oxford, at a time when women were not awarded
degrees, she worked as an advertising copywriter. In 1923 she published
her first novel, Whose Body?, which introduced the upper-class amateur
sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey; she went on to write ten more crime fiction
novels about Wimsey. From the mid-1930s she wrote plays, mostly on
religious themes; the play cycle The Man Born to Be King, broadcast in
1941 and 1942, was a radio dramatisation of the life of Jesus, which was
initially controversial, but was soon recognised as an important work.
>From the early 1940s onward she focused on translating the three books
of Dante's Divine Comedy into colloquial English; her first two
translations were published in 1949 and 1955. She died unexpectedly
during the translation of the third book, aged 64.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_L._Sayers>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named the provisional
president of the Confederate States of America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis>
1907:
More than 3,000 women in London participated in the Mud March,
the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women's
Suffrage Societies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_March_%28suffragists%29>
1976:
The Australian Defence Force was formed by the integration of
the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Australian
Air Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force>
2016:
Two Meridian commuter trains collided head-on at Bad Aibling in
southeastern Germany, leaving 12 dead and 85 others injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Aibling_rail_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
splay:
1. (transitive)
2. To spread, spread apart, or spread out (something); to expand.
3. (chiefly architecture) To construct a bevel or slope on (something,
such as the frame or jamb of a door or window); to bevel, to slant, to
slope.
4. (computing theory) To rearrange (a splay tree) so that a desired
element is placed at the root.
5. (pathology) To dislocate (a body part such as a shoulder bone).
6. (obsolete) To unfurl or unroll (a banner or flag).
7. (intransitive)
8. To have, or lie in, an oblique or slanted position.
9. To spread out awkwardly; to sprawl. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/splay>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All is in a man's hands and he lets it all slip from cowardice,
that's an axiom. It would be interesting to know what it is men are most
afraid of. Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear
most.
--Crime and Punishment
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Crime_and_Punishment>
The Second War of Scottish Independence broke out in 1332 when Edward
Balliol (seal pictured) led an English-backed invasion of Scotland.
Balliol was crowned king but within three months was forced out of
Scotland. He appealed to the English king, Edward III, who invaded
Scotland in 1333 and heavily defeated a large Scottish army at the
Battle of Halidon Hill. As allies of Scotland via the Auld Alliance, the
French covertly supported the loyalists of David II, the Scottish king.
Increasing friction caused the French king to start the Hundred Years'
War. Forced to focus on the French theatre, the English lost ground in
Scotland. In 1346, while Edward campaigned in France, David invaded
England believing most of its previous defenders were in France. He was
surprised by a sizable English force, which crushed the Scots at the
Battle of Neville's Cross and captured David. After a decade of
negotiation the Treaty of Berwick was signed in 1357, ending the war
with the English dropping their claim of suzerainty.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_War_of_Scottish_Independence>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1924:
Gee Jon became the first person in the United States to be
executed by lethal gas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gee_Jon>
1948:
The closing ceremony of the first Olympics held after World
War II was held in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Winter_Olympics>
1968:
Local police in Orangeburg, South Carolina, fired into a crowd
of people who were protesting segregation, killing three and injuring
twenty-seven others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_Massacre>
1983:
The Irish-bred race horse Shergar was stolen by gunmen, who
demanded a £2 million ransom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shergar>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
merit badge:
(originally and chiefly US, scouting) An embroidered cloth patch awarded
to a youth member of the Boy Scouts of America or other scouting
organization who successfully completes an activity within an area of
study (the badge bearing an image representing the activity), which is
either sewn on to the sleeve of the scout's uniform or a sash worn with
the uniform; hence, the award itself.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/merit_badge>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To make your children capable of honesty is the beginning of
education.
--John Ruskin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Ruskin>
Angel Aquino (born February 7, 1973) is a Filipino actress and model.
She is a recipient of various accolades, including six Star Awards, two
Golden Screen Awards, and a Gawad Urian. Prominent in independent films,
she has also worked on television shows of varying genres, and is known
for her versatility and adaptability in portraying protagonists and
villains. She began her career as a model, before presenting the
lifestyle show F! (1999). She achieved wider recognition for starring in
Crying Ladies (2003) and Donsol (2006), which were submitted by the
Philippines for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.
Aquino drew praise as a leading actress playing villainous roles in the
drama series Magkaribal (2010), Maria la del Barrio (2011), Apoy sa
Dagat (2013), And I Love You So (2015), Till I Met You (2016), and Dirty
Linen (2023). Beyond film, she promotes causes, including education,
gender equality, and women's rights. (This article is part of a
featured topic: Overview of Angel Aquino.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Overview_of_Angel_A…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1914:
Kid Auto Races at Venice, featuring the first appearance of
comedy actor Charlie Chaplin's character the Tramp, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin>
1984:
During the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-B,
astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart performed the
first untethered spacewalk (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-41-B>
2005:
President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the redenomination of
Azerbaijan's currency, with 1 new manat equal to 5000 old manats.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redenomination_of_the_Azerbaijani_manat>
2014:
An inquiry report of the United Nations Human Rights Council
found systematic and wide-ranging violations of human rights in North
Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Report_of_the_Commission_of_Inquiry_on_Human_…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turangawaewae:
(New Zealand) In Māori culture: the place where one belongs or has a
right to live; one's own land; also, the sense of freedom, identity, and
spiritual connection associated with this place.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turangawaewae>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Are pistols with revolving barrels, sword-sticks, bowie-knives,
and such things, Institutions on which you pride yourselves? Are bloody
duels, brutal combats, savage assaults, shooting down and stabbing in
the streets, your Institutions! Why, I shall hear next that Dishonour
and Fraud are among the Institutions of the great republic!
--The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Chuzzlewit>