Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party
(pictured). It was recorded in London and Kent during 2008 and was
produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth. The album became available
for purchase on the band's website as a digital download on 21 August
2008. The record was released in compact disc form in October 2008, with
Wichita Recordings as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK
Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at
number 18. The album incorporates electronic elements and
unconventional musical arrangements. As the record's title suggests, its
tracks are about personal relationships, and are loosely based on one of
frontman Kele Okereke's breakups in 2007. Three songs were released as
singles: "Mercury", "Talons", and "One Month Off"; the first two tracks
entered the UK Top 40. Intimacy was generally well received by critics.
Reviewers focused on its rushed release and central theme, considering
them either bold steps or poor choices.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimacy_%28Bloc_Party_album%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
Nat Turner led a slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia,
U.S., which was suppressed about 48 hours later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Turner%27s_slave_rebellion>
1944:
World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the
strategically important town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive
of the Battle of Normandy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tractable>
1993:
NASA lost contact with its Mars Observer spacecraft, three days
before orbital insertion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Observer>
2015:
Passengers subdued an attacker in a train heading from
Amsterdam to Paris, resulting in four injuries, including the attacker
himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Thalys_train_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
badass:
1. (US, slang, negative connotation, possibly offensive) Belligerent and
troublesome.
2. (US, slang, positive connotation, possibly offensive) Having an
extreme appearance, attitude, or behavior that is considered admirable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/badass>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Every object, the old man had said, is but an interpretation of
every other object. There is no sure knowledge, only endless process.
Â
--Lucius Shepard
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lucius_Shepard>
Amy Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. She made her
feature film debut with a supporting part in the 1999 satire Drop Dead
Gorgeous, and her first major role was in Steven Spielberg's 2002 biopic
Catch Me If You Can. After a breakthrough role as a loquacious pregnant
woman in Junebug (2005), her first major success as a leading lady was
in the 2007 musical Enchanted, in which she played a cheerful Disney
Princess. She went on to play naive, optimistic women in a series of
films. She played stronger female parts to positive reviews in The
Fighter (2010) and The Master (2012), and in 2013 she began portraying
Lois Lane in superhero films set in the DC Extended Universe. She won
two consecutive Golden Globe Awards for playing a seductive con artist
in American Hustle (2013) and Margaret Keane in Big Eyes (2014). Further
acclaim came for playing a linguist in the science fiction film Arrival
(2016) and a self-harming reporter in the miniseries Sharp Objects
(2018).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Adams>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1710:
War of the Spanish Succession: The Spanish-Bourbon army
commanded by the Marquis de Bay was soundly defeated by a multinational
army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saragossa>
1909:
Pluto was photographed for the first time at the Yerkes
Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, U.S., 15 years before it was
officially discovered by Clyde Tombaugh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto>
1950:
Korean War: United Nations forces repelled an attempt by North
Korea to capture the city of Taegu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taegu>
1988:
Fires in the United States' Yellowstone National Park destroyed
more than 150,000 acres (610Â km2), the single-worst day of the
conflagration.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_fires_of_1988>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
repdigit:
(recreational mathematics) A number composed of repeated instances of
the same digit in a specified base.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/repdigit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Man's respect for the imponderables varies according to his
mental constitution and environment. Through certain modes of thought
and training it can be elevated tremendously, yet there is always a
limit. Â
--H. P. Lovecraft
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft>
Oxalaia, a spinosaurid dinosaur, lived in what is now Brazil during the
Late Cretaceous, sometime between 93.9 and 100.5 million years ago. The
genus name comes from Oxalá, an African deity. Oxalaia's only known
fossils, a partial snout and upper jaw bone, were found in 1999 in the
Alcântara Formation. At an estimated 12 to 14 metres (39 to 46 feet) in
length, it is the largest carnivorous dinosaur discovered from Brazilian
fossils. The African genus Spinosaurus was its closest relative. Oxalaia
bore two replacement teeth in each socket (similarly to sharks) and a
very ornamented secondary palate, features which are not known in other
theropod or spinosaurid dinosaurs. Its habitat was tropical and heavily
forested, surrounded by dry regions. Since Oxalaia's skull and teeth
resembled those of modern crocodilians, it may have largely hunted fish.
Fossil evidence suggests spinosaurids also occasionally preyed on other
animals such as small dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalaia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1964:
Over 17,000 fans saw the Beatles on the opening date of the
group's first nationwide U.S. tour.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_in_the_United_States>
1978:
The Cinema Rex in Abadan, Iran, was set on fire (damage
pictured), leading to the death of at least 420 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_Rex_fire>
1991:
A Hasidic man accidentally struck two Guyanese immigrant
children with his car in the Crown Heights neighborhood of New York
City, initiating three days of rioting.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Heights_riot>
2005:
Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least
three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario_tornado_outbreak_of_2005>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oh well:
(idiomatic) An expression of mild disappointment or resignation; too
bad, it's a pity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oh_well>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 We need to create a world that is equitable, that is stable and a
world where we bear in mind the needs of others, and not only what we
need immediately. We are all in the same boat. Â
--Kofi Annan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kofi_Annan>
Hurricane Bret was the first of five Category 4 hurricanes in the 1999
Atlantic hurricane season and the first tropical cyclone since Hurricane
Jerry in 1989 to make landfall in Texas at hurricane intensity. After
forming from a tropical wave on August 18, Bret began to track
northward, and on August 21 it underwent rapid intensification. It
attained its peak intensity with winds of 145Â mph (230Â km/h) and a
barometric pressure of 944Â mbar (hPa; 27.88Â inHg). Bret turned
northwestward on August 22 and weakened to a Category 3 hurricane,
making landfall on Padre Island, Texas. It caused relatively little
damage in comparison to its intensity, but seven people died from the
storm, four in Texas and three in Mexico. Most of the deaths were due to
car accidents caused by slippery roads. Heavy rains produced by Bret
peaked at 13.18Â inches (335Â mm) in Texas and were estimated at over
14Â inches (360Â mm) in Mexico. Roughly 150 people were left homeless
after their homes were damaged or destroyed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Bret>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1868:
Astronomer Pierre Jules Janssen discovered helium while
analysing the chromosphere of the sun during a total solar eclipse in
Guntur, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium>
1920:
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was
ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Con…>
1948:
Australia won their fifth consecutive Test of the 1948 Ashes
series, becoming the first Test cricket team to go undefeated in
England, earning them the nickname "The Invincibles".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Test,_1948_Ashes_series>
2008:
President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf resigned under
impeachment pressure.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_Pervez_Musharraf>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
honey plant:
1. (beekeeping) Any plant, all of them eudicots, from which bees usually
collect nectar, pollen, or both for making honey.
2. (botany) The name of a number of unrelated plants. A plant of the
genus Hoya, especially the porcelainflower or waxplant (Hoya carnosa)
from the tendency for excess nectar to drip from its flowers. A plant of
the genus Melissa, especially lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Bishop's
weed or false Queen Anne's lace (Ammi majus).
3. A plant of the genus Hoya, especially the porcelainflower or waxplant
(Hoya carnosa) from the tendency for excess nectar to drip from its
flowers.
4. A plant of the genus Melissa, especially lemon balm (Melissa
officinalis).
5. Bishop's weed or false Queen Anne's lace (Ammi majus).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/honey_plant>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Perhaps the first fire, the first tool, the first wheel, the
first carving in a limestone cave, had each possessed a symbolic rather
than a practical value, had each been pressed to serve distortion rather
than reality. It was a sort of madness that had driven man from his
humble sites on the edges of the woods into towns and cities, into arts
and wars, into religious crusades, into martyrdom and prostitution, into
dyspepsia and fasting, into love and hatred, into this present cul-de-
sac; it had all come about in pursuit of symbols. In the beginning was
the symbol, and darkness was over the face of the Earth. Â
--Brian Aldiss
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Aldiss>
The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wolf-like canid native to
Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast
Asia. Compared with the Arabian wolf, which is the smallest of the gray
wolves (Canis lupus), the jackal is smaller and possesses shorter legs,
a shorter tail, a more elongated torso, a less-prominent forehead, and a
narrower and more pointed muzzle. The coat can vary from a pale creamy
yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. The golden jackal has
a widespread distribution and high density in areas with plenty of
available food and optimum shelter. The ancestor of the golden jackal is
believed to be the extinct Arno river dog that lived in Mediterranean
Europe 1.9Â million years ago. It is more closely related to the gray
wolf, coyote, African golden wolf, and Ethiopian wolf than it is to the
African black-backed or side-striped jackals. The golden jackal is
expanding beyond its native grounds in Southeast Europe into Central
Europe, occupying areas where there are few or no wolves.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_jackal>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1560:
The Scottish Parliament approved a Protestant confession of
faith to initiate the Scottish Reformation and disestablish Catholicism
as the national religion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Reformation>
1916:
World War I: Romania signed a secret treaty with the Entente
Powers to enter the war in return for territorial considerations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Bucharest_%281916%29>
1945:
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet
totalitarianism, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm>
2008:
Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Summer
Olympics, setting the record for the most golds won by an individual in
a single games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
nosegay:
1. A small bunch of fragrant flowers or herbs tied in a bundle, often
presented as a gift; nosegays were originally intended to be put to the
nose for the pleasant sensation or to mask unpleasant odours.
2. (figuratively) An aroma, a scent.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nosegay>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me Â
--Aretha Franklin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin>
Stephen I (c. 975 – 15 August 1038) was the last Grand Prince of the
Hungarians and the first King of Hungary (from 1000 or 1001 until his
death). The first member of his family to become a devout Christian, he
married Gisela of Bavaria, a scion of the imperial Ottonian dynasty.
After succeeding his father in 997, Stephen had to defend the throne,
with aid from foreign knights, against his relative Koppány. In a
series of wars against semi-independent tribes and
chieftains—including the Black Hungarians and his uncle, Gyula the
Younger—Stephen unified the Carpathian Basin. He established at least
one archbishopric, six bishoprics and three Benedictine monasteries, all
independent of the archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire. Hungary enjoyed
lasting peace during his reign, and became a preferred route for
pilgrims and merchants traveling between Western Europe and the Holy
Land or Constantinople. Stephen was canonized by Pope Gregory VII in
1083. In Hungary, his feast day (celebrated on 20 August) is a public
holiday commemorating the foundation of the state.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_I_of_Hungary>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1511:
Afonso de Albuquerque captured the city of Malacca, giving
Portugal control over the Strait of Malacca, through which all sea-going
trade between China and India was concentrated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Malacca_%281511%29>
1907:
Raphael Morgan was ordained as what is believed to be the first
Black Orthodox clergyman in America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Morgan>
1948:
The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its
first president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Korea>
1998:
A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army
killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern
Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cooling glasses:
(India) Sunglasses.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cooling_glasses>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 The highest spirituality indeed moves in a free and wide air far
above that lower stage of seeking which is governed by religious form
and dogma; it does not easily bear their limitations and, even when it
admits, it transcends them; it lives in an experience which to the
formal religious mind is unintelligible. Â
--Sri Aurobindo
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo>
Bobby Eaton (born August 14, 1958) is a retired American professional
wrestler who made his debut in 1976. He worked mainly in tag teams,
including The Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette,
Eaton originally teamed with Dennis Condrey and, later on, with Stan
Lane. He has also partnered with Koko B. Ware, Steve Keirn, and Steven
Regal. Eaton trained under Tojo Yamamoto to become a professional
wrestler. He wrestled for long stints with various promotions: Mid-
America Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association, Mid-South
Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions,
World Championship Wrestling, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He has also
made brief guest appearances for Extreme Championship Wrestling and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, in addition to appearances for a
considerable number of independent wrestling promotions. He retired in
2015 after nearly 40 years in the ring.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Eaton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1901:
Gustave Whitehead allegedly made a successful powered flight of
his Number 21 aircraft in Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.; if true, this
predates the Wright brothers by two years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Whitehead>
1941:
After a secret meeting in Newfoundland, British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (both
pictured) issued the Atlantic Charter, establishing a vision for a post-
World War II world despite the fact that the United States had yet to
enter the war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter>
1973:
The current Constitution of Pakistan came into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Pakistan>
2010:
The inaugural Youth Olympic Games opened in Singapore for
athletes between 14 and 18 years old.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_Olympic_Games>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fair-weather friend:
(idiomatic) One who is friendly, helpful, or available only when it is
advantageous or convenient to be so.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fair-weather_friend>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Only out of stir and change is born new salvation. To deny that
is to deny belief in man, to turn our backs on courage! It is well,
indeed, that some should live in closed studies with the paintings and
the books of yesterday — such devoted students serve Art in their own
way. But the fresh-air world will ever want new forms. We shall not get
them without faith enough to risk the old! The good will live, the bad
will die; and tomorrow only can tell us which is which! Â
--John Galsworthy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Galsworthy>