Black Francis (born 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and
guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential
alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he
embarked on a solo career. After releasing two albums with 4AD, he left
the label and formed a backing band, Frank Black and the Catholics. He
reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and
tour as a solo artist. His vocal style has varied from a screaming,
yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and
melodical style in his solo career. His cryptic lyrics mostly explore
unconventional subjects, such as surrealism, incest and biblical
violence, along with science fiction and surf culture. His use of
atypical meter signatures, loud–quiet dynamics and distinct preference
for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him
a distinct style within alternative rock. As frontman of the Pixies,
his songs (such as "Where Is My Mind?" and "Debaser") received praise
and citations from contemporaries, including Radiohead's Thom Yorke and
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Cobain once said that "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
was his attempt at trying to "rip off the Pixies". However, in his solo
work and records with the Catholics, he received fewer popular and
critical accolades.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Francis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1544:
Italian War of 1542–1546: French and Spanish forces fought a massive
pitched battle in the Piedmont region of Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ceresole>
1814:
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed, ending the War of the Sixth
Coalition, and forcing Napoleon to abdicate as ruler of France and
sending him into exile on Elba.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fontainebleau_%281814%29>
1908:
SMS Blücher , the last armored cruiser to be built by the German
Imperial Navy, launched.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Bl%C3%BCcher>
1921:
Emir Abdullah established the first centralized government in the
recently created British protectorate of Transjordan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transjordan>
1996:
While attempting to set a record as the youngest person to pilot an
airplane across the United States, the plane flown by seven-year-old
Jessica Dubroff crashed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, killing her and two
others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dubroff>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
covenstead (n):
1. (Wicca) A permanent circle or temple used to meet for rituals and to
store religious items, often a mundane location.
2. (Wicca) A Wiccan congregation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/covenstead>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
55px
I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is
to be expected only from the strong.
--Leo Rosten
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leo_Rosten>
Sideshow Bob is a recurring character in the animated television series
The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly
in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who
is a graduate of Yale, a member of the Republican Party, and a champion
of high culture. He began his career as a sidekick on Krusty the
Clown's television show, but after enduring constant abuse, Bob
attempted to frame his employer for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets
Busted". The plan was foiled by Bart Simpson, and Sideshow Bob was sent
to prison. Bob made his second major appearance in season three's
"Black Widower". In each appearance thereafter, Bob has assumed the
role on The Simpsons of an evil genius. Episodes in which he is a
central character typically involve Sideshow Bob being released from
prison and executing an elaborate revenge plan, usually foiled by Bart
and Lisa. His plans often involve murder and destruction, usually
targeted at Bart or, less often, Krusty, though these plans often
involve targeting the entire Simpson family. Sideshow Bob shares some
personality traits of Grammer's character Frasier Crane from the
sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, and has been described as "Frasier pickled
in arsenic". As of 2012, Bob has had speaking appearances in thirteen
episodes and been featured in eleven; the most recent of the latter,
"The Bob Next Door", aired during the twenty-first season.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideshow_Bob>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent volcanic
eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people, and
affecting worldwide temperatures for the next two years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora>
1858:
Big Ben, the bell in the Palace of Westminster's clock tower in London,
was cast after the original bell had cracked during testing.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben>
1919:
Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata was shot to death near
Ciudad Ayala, Morelos.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata>
1941:
World War II: The Independent State of Croatia was established, with
Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić as head of the puppet government of the Axis
powers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_State_of_Croatia>
2009:
Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced that he had suspended the
constitution and assumed all governance in the country after it was
ruled that the government of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was
illegal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Fijian_constitutional_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
popliteal (adj):
(anatomy) Of the area behind the knee
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/popliteal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
11px
Oh Master of the Beautiful,
Creating us from hour to hour,
Give
me this vision to the full
To see in lightest things thy power!
This vision give, no heaven
afar,
No throne, and yet I will rejoice,
Knowing beneath my feet a star,
Thy word in every wandering voice.
--George William Russell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_William_Russell>
The Biddenden Maids, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, were conjoined twins
supposedly born in the village of Biddenden, Kent, in the year 1100. It
is claimed that they were joined at both the shoulder and the hip, and
that on their death they bequeathed land to the village. The income
from this land was used to pay for a gift of food and drink to the poor
every Easter. Since at least 1775 this has included hard biscuits
imprinted with an image of two conjoined women, known as "Biddenden
Cakes". Some historians dismissed the story as a folk myth, claiming
that the image on the cakes had originally represented two poor women
and that the story of the conjoined twins was invented to account for
it. Despite doubts as to its authenticity, in the 19th century the
legend became increasingly popular and the village of Biddenden was
thronged with rowdy visitors every Easter. In 1907 the land supposedly
bequeathed by the twins was sold. The income from the sale allowed the
annual distribution of gifts to expand in scale, providing the widows
and pensioners of Biddenden with cheese, bread and tea at Easter and
with cash payments at Christmas. Biddenden cakes continue to be given
to the poor of Biddenden each Easter Monday, and are sold as souvenirs
to visitors.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biddenden_Maids>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1341:
Italian scholar and poet Petrarch took the title poet laureate at a
ceremony in Rome.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch>
1820:
A Greek peasant discovered a statue of a woman with its arms
missing—the Venus de Milo—on the Aegean island of Milos.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo>
1886:
British Prime Minister William Gladstone introduced the first Irish
Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Ireland_Bill_1886>
1904:
Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, was renamed Times
Square after The New York Times building.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square>
1992:
American tennis player Arthur Ashe announced that he had contracted HIV
from blood transfusions; he would spend the remainder of his life as an
AIDS activist.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ashe>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cross swords (v):
(idiomatic) To quarrel or argue with someone, to have a dispute with
someone
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cross_swords>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life by life and love by love
We passed through the cycles strange,
And breath by breath and
death by death
We followed the chain of change.
Till there came a time in the law
of life
When o’er the nursing sod,
The shadows broke and soul awoke
In a
strange, dim dream of God.
--Langdon Smith
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Langdon_Smith>
The Madagascan sunset moth is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae
family. It is considered to be one of the most impressive and beautiful
Lepidoptera. Famous worldwide, it is featured in most coffee table
books on the Lepidoptera and is much sought after by collectors. It is
very colourful, though the iridescent parts of the wings do not have
pigment; rather the colours originate from optical interference. The
moth was considered to be a butterfly by Dru Drury, who described it in
1773 and placed it in the genus Papilio. Jacob Hübner placed it in the
moth genus Chrysiridia in 1823. Later redescriptions led to junior
synonyms such as Chrysiridia madagascariensis. At first the moth was
thought to be from China or Bengal, but was later found to be endemic
to Madagascar. It is found throughout the year in most parts of the
island, with peak populations between March and August, and smallest
numbers between October and December. Females lay about 80 eggs under
the leaves of Omphalea spp. The caterpillars are whitish-yellow with
black spots and red feet and are covered in club-ended black setae.
Silk spun from the mouth helps the caterpillars hold onto smooth leaves
and climb back to the plant when they fall.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysiridia_rhipheus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1724:
Johann Sebastian Bach debuted the St John Passion, a musical
representation of the Passion, at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_Passion>
1767:
Troops of the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty sacked the Siamese city of
Ayutthaya to end the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), bringing the
four-century-old Ayutthaya Kingdom to an end.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese%E2%80%93Siamese_War_%281765%E2%80%9317…>
1947:
The Arab Ba'th Party was founded in Damascus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%27ath_Party>
1994:
A FedEx employee tried to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 in a failed
suicide attempt.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Express_Flight_705>
2001:
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey , currently the longest-surviving continually
active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, launched
from Cape Canaveral.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Mars_Odyssey>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lollapalooza (n):
(informal) An outstanding, extreme, or outrageous example of its kind
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lollapalooza>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
88px
When I die, I want to die in a Utopia that I have helped to build.
--Henry Kuttner
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Kuttner>
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The
son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne
after a period of civil war. In the early years of Offa's reign it is
likely that he consolidated his control of midland peoples such as the
Hwicce and the Magonsæte. Taking advantage of instability in the
kingdom of Kent to establish himself as overlord, Offa was also in
control of Sussex by 771, though his authority did not remain
unchallenged in either territory. He extended Mercian supremacy over
most of southern England and regained complete control of the
southeast. Offa was a Christian king but came into conflict with the
Church, and had long-running disputes with both the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Bishop of Worcester. Many historians regard Offa as
the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great. His reign
was once seen by historians as part of a process leading to a unified
England, but this is no longer the majority view. Offa died in 796 and
was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith, who reigned for less than five
months before Coenwulf of Mercia took the throne.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1250:
Seventh Crusade: Egyptian Ayyubids annihilated the crusader army and
captured King Louis IX of France as a hostage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fariskur>
1320:
The Declaration of Arbroath, a declaration of Scottish independence,
was adopted.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Arbroath>
1812:
Peninsular War: After a three-week siege, the Anglo-Portuguese Army,
under the Earl of Wellington , captured Badajoz, Spain and forced the
surrender of the French garrison.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Badajoz_%281812%29>
1947:
The first Tony Awards, recognizing achievement in live American
theatre, were handed out at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award>
2008:
Egyptian workers staged an illegal general strike, two days before key
municipal elections.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Egyptian_general_strike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lek (n):
(biology) An aggregation of male animals for the purposes of courtship
and display
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lek>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
11px
44px
I believe neither in what I touch nor what I see. I only
believe in what I do not see, and solely in what I feel.
--Gustave Moreau
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gustave_Moreau>
Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David
Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same
name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. joint production stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr. Zodiac tells the
story of the hunt for a notorious serial killer known as "Zodiac" who
killed in and around the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s
and early 1970s, leaving several victims in his wake and taunting
police with letters and ciphers mailed to newspapers. The case remains
one of San Francisco's most infamous unsolved crimes. Fincher,
screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and producer Brad Fischer spent 18
months conducting their own investigation and research into the Zodiac
murders. During filming, Fincher employed the digital Thomson Viper
Filmstream camera to shoot the film. Contrary to popular belief, Zodiac
was not shot entirely digitally; traditional high-speed film cameras
were used for slow-motion murder sequences. Reviews for the film were
highly positive; however, it did not perform strongly at the North
American box office. It performed better in other parts of the world,
earning $84 million, with a budget of $65 million spent on its
production.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_%28film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1081:
The Komnenian dynasty came to full power when Alexios I Komnenos was
crowned Byzantine Emperor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_I_Komnenos>
1566:
A covenant of nobles in the Habsburg Netherlands presented Governor
Margaret of Parma a petition to suspend the Spanish Inquisition in the
Netherlands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compromise_of_Nobles>
1942:
Second World War: Carrier-based aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy
conduct the Easter Sunday Raid to disrupt the war effort of
Commonwealth nations and force the British Eastern Fleet to leave Asian
waters.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sunday_Raid>
1992:
Bosnian War: Unidentified gunmen killed two people while firing upon a
large crowd of anti-war protesters in Sarajevo, marking the start of
the four-year-long Siege of Sarajevo.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo>
2010:
An explosion at a coal mine in West Virginia killed 29Â miners in the
United States' worst mining disaster in 40Â years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Big_Branch_Mine_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
reptilianness (n):
The quality of the embodiment of reptile characteristics
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reptilianness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At the door of life, by the gate of breath,
There are worse things waiting for men than death;
Death could not
sever my soul and you,
As these have severed your soul from me.
--Algernon Charles Swinburne
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne>
Tryon Creek is a 4.85-mile (7.81Â km) tributary of the Willamette River
in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia
River, its watershed covers about 6.5 square miles (16.8Â km2) in
Multnomah and Clackamas counties. The stream flows southeast from the
Tualatin Mountains (West Hills) through the Multnomah Village
neighborhood of Portland and the Tryon Creek State Natural Area to the
Willamette in the city of Lake Oswego. Parks and open spaces cover
about 21Â percent of the watershed, while single-family homes dominate
most of the remainder. The largest of the parks is the state natural
area, which straddles the border between the two cities and counties.
The bedrock under the watershed includes part of the last exotic
terrane, a chain of seamounts, acquired by the North American Plate as
it moved west during the Eocene. Named for mid-19th century settler,
Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon, Sr., the creek ran through forests of cedar
and fir. Efforts to establish a large park in the watershed began in
the 1950s and succeeded in 1975 when the state park was formally
established. As of 2005, about 37Â percent of the watershed was wooded
and supported more than 60Â species of birds as well as small mammals,
amphibians, and fish.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryon_Creek>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1660:
Charles II of England issued the Declaration of Breda, describing his
conditions for the Restoration of the crown of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Breda>
1841:
William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. President to die in
office, 32 days into his term, sparking a brief constitutional crisis
regarding questions of presidential succession that were left
unanswered by the U.S. Constitution.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison>
1969:
Surgeons Denton Cooley and Domingo Liotta implanted the first total
artificial heart.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/artificial_heart>
1975:
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft>
1979:
Deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfikar_Ali_Bhutto>
2002:
The Angolan government and UNITA rebels signed a peace treaty, agreeing
to follow the 1994 Lusaka Protocol and ending the decades-long Angolan
Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_Civil_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
roundabout (adj):
[[indirect
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roundabout>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
182px
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
--Maya Angelou
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou>
The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen
Square in central Beijing on 23 January 2001. The incident is disputed:
the official Chinese press agency, Xinhua News Agency, stated that five
members of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual movement, set themselves on
fire to protest the unfair treatment of Falun Gong by the Chinese
government. The Falun Dafa Information Center stated the incident was a
hoax staged by the Chinese government to turn public opinion against
the group and to justify the torture and imprisonment of its
practitioners. The incident received international news coverage, and
video footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by
China Central Television. A wide variety of opinions and
interpretations of what may have happened emerged: the event may have
been set up by the government, it may have been an authentic protest,
or the self-immolators "new or unschooled" practitioners, among others.
The campaign of state propaganda that followed the event eroded public
sympathy for Falun Gong, and the government began sanctioning
"systematic use of violence" against the group.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_self-immolation_incident>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1043:
Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England, the last king of the
House of Wessex.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor>
1895:
The libel trial instigated by Irish author Oscar Wilde began,
eventually resulting in Wilde's arrest, trial and imprisonment on
charges of gross indecency.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde>
1922:
Joseph Stalin became the first General Secretary of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin>
1971:
The Japanese tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider premiered, marking
the beginning of the long-running Kamen Rider franchise.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider_Series>
2007:
Texas law enforcement authorities raided the Fundamentalist Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' YFZ Ranch, eventually removing 533
women and children from the premises.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
snail mail (n):
(retronym) Postal mail, especially as compared to email
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snail_mail>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
44px
We do not want our world to perish. But in our quest for knowledge,
century by century, we have placed all our trust in a cold, impartial
intellect which only brings us nearer to destruction. We have heeded no
wisdom offering guidance. Only by learning to love one another can our
world be saved. Only love can conquer all.
--Dora Russell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dora_Russell>
Talbot Baines Reed (1852–1893) was an English writer of boys' fiction
who established a genre of school stories that endured into the second
half of the 20th century and was widely imitated. Among his best-known
work is The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's. He was a regular and prolific
contributor to The Boy's Own Paper, in which most of his fiction first
appeared. Through his family's business, Reed became a prominent
typefounder, and wrote a classic History of the Old English Letter
Foundries which, published in 1887, was hailed as the standard work on
the subject. Reed's affinity with boys, his instinctive understanding
of their standpoint in life and his gift for creating believable
characters, ensured that his popularity survived through several
generations. He also wrote regular articles and book reviews for his
cousin Edward Baines's newspaper, the Leeds Mercury. After struggling
with illness for most of 1893, Reed died in November that year, at the
age of 41. Tributes honoured him both for his contribution to
children's fiction and for his work as the definitive historian of
English typefounding.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talbot_Baines_Reed>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1513:
Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León reached Florida, becoming the
first European known to do so, purportedly while searching for the
Fountain of Youth in the New World.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n>
1755:
A naval fleet led by Commodore William James of the East India Company
captured the fortress Suvarnadurg from the Marathas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvarnadurg>
1911:
The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted the country's first
national census.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Australia>
1982:
Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the
Falklands War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_invasion_of_the_Falkland_Islands>
2006:
Over 60 tornadoes touched down in the central United States, killing 27
people and causing about US$1.1 billion in damages.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2%2C_2006_Central_United_States_tornado_…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
prosopagnosia (n):
A form of visual agnosia characterised by difficulty with face
recognition despite intact low-level visual processing
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prosopagnosia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My success and my misfortunes, the bright and the dark days I have gone
through, everything has proved to me that in this world, either
physical or moral, good comes out of evil just as well as evil comes
out of good. My errors will point to thinking men the various roads,
and will teach them the great art of treading on the brink of the
precipice without falling into it. It is only necessary to have
courage, for strength without self-confidence is useless.
--Giacomo Casanova
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giacomo_Casanova>