Bad Times at the El Royale is a 2018 American neo-noir, hyperlink,
thriller film written, directed, and produced by Drew Goddard
(pictured). The film follows six strangers and an employee at the El
Royale, a hotel located on the California–Nevada border, on a night in
the late 1960s, exploring themes of morality, faith, redemption, and the
concepts of right and wrong. Principal photography began on January 29,
2018, with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, and concluded on April 6.
Post-production editing was completed by Lisa Lassek and the musical
score was composed by Michael Giacchino. The film underperformed at the
box office, grossing $31.8 million against its $32 million production
budget. Despite this, critics praised the soundtrack, performances of
the cast, and McGarvey's cinematography, although they criticized its
pacing, runtime, character beats, and Goddard’s writing. At the 45th
Saturn Awards, the film received five nominations and won for Best
Thriller Film.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Times_at_the_El_Royale>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1876:
Sultan Murad V of the Ottoman Empire was deposed after a reign
of 93 days on grounds of mental illness.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murad_V>
1939:
Nazi forces, posing as Poles, staged an attack against the
German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia,
Germany, creating an excuse to invade Poland the next day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident>
1959:
A parcel bomb sent by Ngô Đình Nhu, younger brother and
chief adviser of South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm, failed
to kill Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister of Cambodia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng%C3%B4_%C4%90%C3%ACnh_Nhu>
2010:
The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama
in British television history, was broadcast.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
whitewash:
1. (transitive)
2. To paint (a building, a wall, etc.) a bright white with whitewash
(noun sense 1).
3. (figurative)
4. (derogatory) To distort or give a misleading account of (history, a
narrative, etc.) by discounting the participation of people of colour
and focusing on white people.
5. (chiefly film, television) To cast a white actor in a role for a
person of colour in (a film, television programme, etc.).
6. (media) To make over (someone of colour) so that they appear more
white, for example, by applying lightening makeup to their skin or
digitally manipulating an image of them.
7. (chiefly literary and poetic, often passive voice) To cover or coat
(something) with a white substance, as if with whitewash (noun sense 1);
also, to light up (something) with white light.
8. (business) To clear (someone's) debts, especially through a
declaration of bankruptcy by a court; also, to clear or write off (a
debt).
9. (often politics) To hide (someone's) mistakes, or to create an
appearance of honesty, propriety, etc., for (someone); also, to
intentionally hide or overlook (mistakes, unfavourable facts,
wrongdoing, etc.).
10. (sports, originally baseball, informal) To achieve a complete
victory or series of victories over (an opponent) without suffering any
losses; also, to achieve a victory or series of victories over (an
opponent) by a very large margin.
11. (cosmetics, archaic or historical) To make (the face, etc.) look
lighter with makeup or a similar preparation.
12. (obsolete) Synonym of bleach (“to treat (fabric) with a substance
which lightens or whitens”).
13. (intransitive)
14. To paint bright white with whitewash (noun sense 1).
15. (figurative, business) To have debts cleared through a declaration
of bankruptcy by a court.
16. (masonry, archaic) Of bricks: to become encrusted with a white layer
of soluble salts due to efflorescence. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whitewash>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The whole world and every human being in it is everybody's
business.
--William Saroyan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Saroyan>
Taylor Swift is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift (pictured), released on October 24, 2006, by Big Machine
Records. Swift wrote or co-wrote all the tracks of the album, based on
her experiences as a teenager; its lyrics address love, friendship, and
insecurity. Produced by Nathan Chapman, it is a country record with pop
and pop rock influences, using acoustic arrangements composed of
guitars, banjos, and fiddles. Critics generally praised the earnest
teenage feelings portrayed in Taylor Swift, and it spent more weeks on
the US Billboard 200 than any other album of the 2000s decade. Among
its singles, "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" peaked atop the US Hot
Country Songs chart, while "Teardrops on My Guitar" became Swift's first
crossover success on the pop charts. Rolling Stone featured it in their
2022 list "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time". (This article is part of
a featured topic: Taylor Swift original studio albums.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Taylor_Swift_origin…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1959:
Writer and politician Abdul Muis became the first person to be
awarded the posthumous title of National Hero of Indonesia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hero_of_Indonesia>
1981:
Iranian president Mohammad-Ali Rajai and prime minister
Mohammad-Javad Bahonar were assassinated in a bombing committed by the
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Iranian_Prime_Minister%27s_office_bombing>
1984:
Discovery, the third orbiter of NASA's Space Shuttle program,
lifted off on its maiden voyage from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery>
1990:
Gulf War: US General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. issued General
Order No. 1 prohibiting US troops from consuming alcohol or possessing
pornographic material.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Order_No._1_%28Gulf_War%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
subjugate:
1. To forcibly impose obedience, servitude, or submission upon (a
country, a people, etc.).
2. To make (someone or something) subordinate to another person or
thing; to subordinate.
3. To tame (an animal); to domesticate.
4. (figurative, obsolete, rare) To put (one's neck or shoulders) under a
metaphorical yoke.
5. Forced into submission; subjugated.
6. (rare) A person forced into submission; a subject.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/subjugate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We should be looking to trade with the rest of the world. We
should do what we do best, and they should do what they do best. With
eight countries possessing nuclear weapons, including a few I would call
quite unstable, I don't think it's a great idea to design a world where
a few countries say, "Haha, we've won" while other countries are
envious. … The main thing is that trade should not be a weapon. The
more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won't be at our
expense — the more prosperous we'll become and the safer we'll feel
and your children will feel someday.
--Warren Buffet
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Warren_Buffet>
Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville (29 August 1785 –
25 November 1862), was a British society hostess and writer. The
younger daughter of Lady Georgiana Spencer and the 5th Duke of
Devonshire, she was a member of the wealthy Cavendish and Spencer
families. In 1809, Harriet married Granville Leveson-Gower, a diplomat
who had been her maternal aunt's lover for seventeen years. During
intermittent periods between 1824 and 1841, Granville served as the
British ambassador to France, requiring Harriet to perform an array of
social duties in Paris that she often found exhausting. A prolific
writer of letters, Harriet corresponded with others for most of her
life, often describing her observations of those around her. Historians
have since found her detailed accounts to be a valuable source of
information on life as an ambassadress as well as life in the 19th-
century aristocracy. Between 1894 and 1990, four edited collections of
Harriet's correspondence were published.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Leveson-Gower,_Countess_Granville>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1885:
Gottlieb Daimler patented the world's first internal-combustion
motorcycle, the Reitwagen (replica pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Reitwagen>
1911:
The last member of the Yahi, known as Ishi, emerged from the
wilderness near Oroville, California, to join European American society.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi>
1959:
Mona Best opened the Casbah Coffee Club with a performance by
the Quarrymen, the precursor of the Beatles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casbah_Coffee_Club>
1960:
Air France Flight 343 crashed while attempting to land at Yoff
Airport, Dakar, killing all 63 occupants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_343>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pablum:
1. (uncountable) Alternative letter-case form of Pablum (“a type of
cereal for infants made from cornmeal, oat, and wheat”).
2. (by extension, uncountable) Mushy, easily digested food; pap;
(countable) a specific type of such food.
3. (countable, uncountable, figurative, derogatory) Something overly
bland or simplistic, especially speech or writing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pablum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us. Some
things in life they just don't wanna see But if Martin Luther was
livin' He wouldn't let this be.
--Michael Jackson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson>
Harry Crerar (1888–1965) was a Canadian Army officer who was the
country's senior field commander in the Second World War as the
commander of the First Canadian Army in the campaign in North West
Europe in 1944–1945. A graduate of the Royal Military College of
Canada in Kingston, Ontario, he was commissioned in the Non-Permanent
Active Militia in 1909. He saw action in the First World War, for which
he was mentioned in despatches and made a companion of the Distinguished
Service Order. After the war, he attended the Staff College, Camberley,
and the Imperial Defence College. In March 1944, he assumed command of
the First Canadian Army, which also contained British, Polish and Czech
troops. Under his command, it fought in the Battle of Normandy, cleared
the Channel Coast, and liberated the western Netherlands in April 1945.
He was promoted to full general on 16 November 1944, becoming the first
Canadian officer to hold that rank in the field.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Crerar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1830:
Tom Thumb (replica pictured), the first American-built steam
locomotive, took part in an impromptu race against a horse-drawn car in
Maryland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Thumb_%28locomotive%29>
1950:
American tennis player Althea Gibson became the first African-
American woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson>
1955:
African-American teenager Emmett Till was lynched near Money,
Mississippi, for allegedly flirting with a white woman, energizing the
nascent American civil rights movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till>
1973:
Swedish police used gas bombs to end a seven-day hostage
situation in Stockholm; the hostages had bonded with their captors
during the incident, leading to the term Stockholm syndrome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrmalmstorg_robbery>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
be one's own worst enemy:
(intransitive, idiomatic) To act contrary to one's own interests; to
cause problems for oneself; to self-sabotage.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/be_one%27s_own_worst_enemy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take
the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the
promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and
desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now
is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children.
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial
injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make
justice a reality for all of God's children.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.>
Gateshead International Stadium is a multi-purpose, all-seater venue in
Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, built in 1955. The largest stadium in
the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, it has a history of use for
athletics events, sports, and musical performances. Gateshead Harriers
Athletic Club (which includes Jonathan Edwards) have used the site since
1956. At the 1974 "Gateshead Games", Brendan Foster broke the world
record in the men's 3,000 metres. It has since hosted the British Grand
Prix (2003–2010) and the European Athletics Team Championships in
1989, 2000 and 2013. Five world records have been set at the stadium,
including two by pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and a tied 100 metres
record by Asafa Powell in 2006. It has been used by Gateshead F.C. and
its predecessors since 1973. The stadium was home to the rugby league
club Gateshead Thunder during their spell in the Super League, and the
replacement Gateshead Thunder club played home games in the main arena
until 2015.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateshead_International_Stadium>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1810:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeated the Royal Navy,
preventing them from capturing the harbour of Grand Port on Mauritius.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grand_Port>
1832:
Black Hawk, the leader of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans,
surrendered to U.S. authorities to end the Black Hawk War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_War>
1979:
The Troubles: the IRA ambushed and killed 18 British soldiers
near Warrenpoint, and assassinated Lord Mountbatten on his boat at
Mullaghmore.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrenpoint_ambush>
1990:
American musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the most
influential guitarists in the revival of blues in the 1980s, was killed
in a helicopter crash.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Stevie_Ray_Vaughan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Amazonomachy:
(Ancient Greece, mythology) Synonym of Amazonomachia (“a battle with
Amazons (“mythical female warriors thought to inhabit the Black Sea
region”); also (art), an artistic representation of such a scene”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Amazonomachy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The History of the world is none other than the progress of the
consciousness of Freedom; a progress whose development according to the
necessity of its nature, it is our business to investigate.
--Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel>
Zhao Chongguo (137 BCE – 52 BCE) was a Chinese military commander
and official during the Western Han dynasty. Emperor Wu, impressed by
Zhao's military service, promoted him, and he served as chief of staff
for the supreme head of cavalry units. In 74 BCE, Zhao collaborated
with the political leader Huo Guang to depose the newly enthroned
emperor Liu He in favor of Emperor Xuan. For this, he was appointed
Marquis of Yingping and promoted to general of the rear. He volunteered
to lead a campaign against the Qiang people in 62 BCE. Joined by his
son, he persuaded the Qiang to defect to the Han cause. Zhao rejected
proposals by his fellow generals and the Emperor to continue offensive
operations, believing that a protracted occupation would subdue the
Qiang through attrition. He was able to implement a policy of tuntian
(farming garrisons) in spite of imperial opposition. This gained him
acclaim and influenced later tacticians. He retired in 60 BCE after his
son caused a scandal.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Chongguo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1883:
A massive eruption destroyed the island of Krakatoa, Indonesia,
ejecting so much volcanic ash that average global temperatures fell by
as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) over the next year.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa>
1955:
Pather Panchali, the first film in The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit
Ray, was released and went on to win many Indian and international film
awards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pather_Panchali>
1970:
Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women organized
the Women's Strike for Equality in New York City, in which 50,000 women
protested the continuing lack of gender equality.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Strike_for_Equality>
2015:
Two American journalists were murdered on live television while
conducting an interview in Moneta, Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Alison_Parker_and_Adam_Ward>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lie doggo:
(intransitive, slang) To lie quiet and still in order to avoid
detection; also (by extension), to stay hidden by being discreet and not
drawing attention; to keep a low profile, to lie low.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lie_doggo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Civilisation needs more than the law to hold it together. You
see, all mankind are not equally willing to accept as divine justice
what is called human law.
--John Buchan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Buchan>
Born to Run is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter
Bruce Springsteen (pictured), released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia
Records. Co-produced by Springsteen with Mike Appel and Jon Landau, the
album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream and
create a commercially successful album. Sessions took place in New York
between January 1974 and July 1975. The album incorporates a Wall of
Sound production with musical styles such as rock and roll and R&B;. Its
character-driven lyrics describe individuals who feel trapped and
fantasize about escaping to a better life. Born to Run was a commercial
success, reaching number three in the U.S., and received highly positive
reviews. It became Springsteen's breakthrough album. Over the following
decades, the album has become widely regarded as a masterpiece and one
of Springsteen's best records.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1609:
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei demonstrated his first
telescope to Venetian lawmakers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei>
1875:
Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English
Channel, doing so in approximately 21 hours 40 minutes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Webb>
1942:
World War II: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at
Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Milne_Bay>
2012:
The skeleton of King Richard III of England was discovered
under a car park in Leicester.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhumation_and_reburial_of_Richard_III_of_Eng…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
handsomely:
1. Regarding a person's action: in a handsome or good-looking manner.
2. In a manner conforming to accepted standards of behaviour;
appropriately, decently, graciously; also (more strongly), generously,
magnanimously.
3. In an elegant or graceful manner; elegantly, gracefully, neatly,
nicely.
4. With an attractive or elegant appearance; attractively, finely,
splendidly.
5. Chiefly regarding speech or writing: cleverly, skilfully.
6. Regarding an undesirable occurrence (such as defeat or punishment):
harshly, severely; (by extension) completely, thoroughly; also,
energetically, vigorously.
7. Especially regarding how a gift is given or money is paid: without
holding back; generously, liberally.
8. (now nautical) Without undue haste; carefully, slowly and steadily.
9. (obsolete)
10. In a convenient manner; conveniently, readily.
11. In a proper manner; properly, suitably.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/handsomely>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Money doesn’t mind if we say it’s evil, it goes from strength
to strength. It’s a fiction, an addiction, and a tacit conspiracy we
have all agreed to go along with.
--Martin Amis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Amis>
Satsu is a fictional character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics.
She first appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight No. 1
(2007), a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the
Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers is a slayer, a fighter of supernatural
foes. Satsu is activated as a slayer, trained by Buffy, and falls in
love with her. They have sex together twice before Satsu returns to
Japan. In later storylines, Satsu struggles to move on from Buffy,
fights demonically-possessed stuffed animals, and briefly reappears in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten. Satsu was developed by Buffy's
creator Joss Whedon (pictured) and artist Georges Jeanty. Critics, fans,
and industry insiders had a mixed response to Satsu's sexual
relationship with Buffy. Academics have analyzed the unequal power
dynamic between Satsu and Buffy, compared the representations of their
sexuality, and discussed the depiction of Satsu's race and ethnicity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsu_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
American Revolutionary War: Near present-day Aurora, Indiana,
American Indians led by Joseph Brant killed or captured all members of a
Pennsylvania militia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochry%27s_Defeat>
1857:
The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust
Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe
recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1857>
1941:
Adolf Hitler ordered the suspension of the T4 euthanasia
program of the mentally ill and disabled, although killings continued in
secret for the remainder of World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4>
1966:
Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang
(depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jokhang>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
urstromtal:
(geology) A broad glacial valley formed during an ice age by meltwater
flowing roughly parallel to the ice margin.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/urstromtal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of
the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99
percent against one another: small property owners against the
propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born,
intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the
unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one
another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common
position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country.
--Howard Zinn
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn>
White chocolate is a chocolate made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk
solids. It is ivory in color as it does not contain the non-fat
components of cocoa (cocoa solids). Of the three traditional types of
chocolate (the others being milk and dark), white chocolate is the least
popular; its taste and texture are divisive. White chocolate is sold in
a variety of forms and it is common for manufacturers to pair white
chocolate with other flavors. White chocolate is made industrially in a
five-step process. The ingredients are mixed to form a paste; the paste
is refined, reducing the particle size to a powder; then agitated for
several hours (known as conching); further processing standardizes its
viscosity and taste; and the chocolate is tempered by heating, cooling
and then reheating. White chocolate was first sold commercially in
tablet form in 1936 by the Swiss company Nestlé. It was not until the
1980s that white chocolate became popular in the United States.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_chocolate>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements
of the American colonies of Great Britain to be in a state of "open and
avowed rebellion".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_of_Rebellion>
1960:
Congo Crisis: In order to stop the secession of South Kasai
from the Republic of Congo, Armée Nationale Congolaise forces launched
an invasion of South Kasai.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_South_Kasai>
2006:
Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten in
Vienna, escaped from her captor's house in Strasshof an der Nordbahn
after more than eight years in captivity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natascha_Kampusch>
2011:
A 5.8 MW earthquake struck the Piedmont region of Virginia,
and was felt by more people than any other quake in U.S. history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
plunk:
1. (transitive)
2. To move (something) with a sudden push.
3. (figurative) Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to
plank.
4. (music) To pluck and quickly release (a string of a stringed
instrument); also, to play (a stringed instrument) by plucking strings;
to play (a piano, etc.) by striking keys; or, to play (a note or tune)
on such an instrument.
5. (also reflexive, originally Scotland) Often followed by down: to
drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily into
or on to a surface or some other thing, making a dull sound; to plump
6. (chiefly US) To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot
(someone or something) with a firearm.
7. (baseball) To pitch a ball in a way that it hits (a player).
8. (intransitive)
9. To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on
a surface; to thud.
10. (figurative) Followed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump.
11. (music) To pluck and quickly release a string of a musical
instrument; also, to play a stringed instrument by plucking strings; to
play a piano, etc., by striking keys; or, to play a note or tune on such
an instrument.
12. (originally Scotland) Often followed by down: to drop, land, or set
abruptly and/or heavily into or on to a surface or some other thing with
a dull sound; to plump down.
13. (obsolete) Of a raven: to croak. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plunk>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is
how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished
the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about
Brightness, nothing about the Future. We are not going to allow this to
happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums,
and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and
Universities where tremendous progress has been made. This Country
cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE.
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
"Dance the Night" is a song by Dua Lipa (pictured) from the soundtrack
to the 2023 fantasy comedy film Barbie. Lipa co-wrote the song with
songwriter Caroline Ailin and its producers Andrew Wyatt and Mark
Ronson. A disco, disco-pop, and synth-pop song with influences of dance-
pop, it was inspired by a dance sequence in the film and is about always
appearing perfect externally. Music critics overwhelmingly compared the
sound of "Dance the Night" to Lipa's album Future Nostalgia (2020),
which was viewed positively by some while others were disappointed. The
song was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best
Song Written for Visual Media. It reached number one in several
countries, including the UK, and received multi-platinum certifications
in others. The music video intersperses Lipa performing choreography
with clips from a disco party in the film. The song was included as the
primary musical motif in the film, and she performed it for the first
time at the Royal Albert Hall in 2024.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_the_Night>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1711:
Queen Anne's War: A British attempt to attack Quebec failed
when eight ships wrecked on the St. Lawrence River.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_expedition_%281711%29>
1851:
The yacht America won the race for the Cup of One Hundred
Sovereigns (trophy pictured), later renamed the America's Cup, near the
Isle of Wight, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1851_America%27s_Cup>
1985:
A fire broke out on British Airtours Flight 28M at Manchester
Airport, causing 55 deaths mostly due to smoke inhalation, and leading
to changes to make aircraft evacuation more effective.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Manchester_Airport_disaster>
2003:
Roy Moore, Alabama's chief justice, was suspended after
refusing to comply with a U.S. federal court order to remove a rock
inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Supreme Court
of Alabama building.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
flopover:
1. (uncountable) The action of flopping over; (countable) an instance of
this; also, a thing which flops over.
2. (television, uncountable) A form of television signal distortion
where the displayed image appears to scroll vertically rather than
remain still; (countable) an instance of this.
3. (countable, figurative) A change from one position to another.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flopover>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two
sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him
none.
--Fahrenheit 451
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451>