100px|Sir Edmund Andros
The 1689 Boston revolt was a popular uprising against the rule of Sir
Edmund Andros (pictured), governor of the Dominion of New England that
followed the Glorious Revolution deposing James II of England, who had
appointed Andros. During the revolt, on April 18, 1689, a
well-organized body of Puritan citizens and militiamen entered the
dominion capital of Boston and arrested officials of the dominion, a
colonial entity composed of present-day Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The
rebellion was inspired by actions taken by Andros and dominion
administrators, including promoting the Church of England, invalidating
land titles, and famously attempting to seize the colonial charter of
Connecticut. Andros had attempted to suppress news of the fall of James
II, hoping to prevent even greater instability in the months before the
revolt, but his efforts were in vain, and that news served as the
immediate cause of the revolt. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1689_Boston_revolt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1811:
A theater in Richmond, Virginia, US, was destroyed by fire in what was
the worst urban disaster in American history at the time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Theatre_fire>
1825:
Imperial Russian Army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in a protest
against Nicholas I's assumption of the throne after his elder brother
Constantine removed himself from the line of succession.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolt>
1846:
Trapped in the snow in the middle of the Sierra Nevada without any food
left, members of the American pioneer group known as the Donner Party
resorted to cannibalism.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party>
1900:
A relief crew arrived at the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles of
Scotland and discovered that the previous crew had disappeared without
a trace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannan_Isles>
2006:
The Hengchun earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan, on
the second anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that
devastated the coastal communities across Southeast and South Asia ,
and on the third anniversary of the 2003 Bam earthquake that destroyed
areas of southeastern Iran.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Hengchun_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oratory (n):
1. The art of public speaking, especially in a formal, expressive, or
forceful manner.
2. Eloquence; the quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or
writing
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oratory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To each his suff'rings: all are men,
Condemn'd alike to groan,
The tender for another's pain;
Th'
unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes
too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their
paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
--Thomas Gray
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Gray>
100px|Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) photographed in Mulga
View, SW Queensland, Australia
The Red-capped Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia.
Found in dryer regions across much of the continent, it inhabits scrub
and open woodland. Like many brightly coloured robins of the
Petroicidae family, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 10.5–12.5 cm
(4–5 in) in length, the robin has a small thin black bill, and dark
brown eyes and legs. The male has a distinctive red cap and red breast,
black upperparts, and a black tail with white tips. The underparts and
shoulders are white. The female is an undistinguished grey-brown. This
species uses a variety of songs, and males generally sing to advertise
territories and attract females. Birds are encountered in pairs or
small groups, but the social behaviour has been little studied. The
position of the Red-capped Robin and its Australian relatives on the
passerine family tree is unclear; the Petroicidae are not closely
related to either the European or American Robins but appear to be an
early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. The Red-capped
Robin is a predominantly ground-feeding bird and its prey consists of
insects and spiders. Although widespread, it is uncommon in much of its
range and has receded in some areas from human activity. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: George Washington and his army crossed the
Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries at
the Battle of Trenton.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_crossing_of_the_Delaware_River>
1941:
Second World War: The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after Mark
Aitchison Young, the Governor of Hong Kong, surrendered the territory
to Japan after 18 days of fierce fighting.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong>
1950:
The Stone of Scone, the traditional coronation stone of Scottish,
English, and more recently British monarchs, was stolen from London's
Westminster Abbey.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_Scone>
2007:
A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo escaped from its enclosure and
attacked three patrons before it was shot and killed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Zoo_tiger_attacks>
2009:
The 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral in Longford, considered the
"flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands, was destroyed by fire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mel%27s_Cathedral>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
synod (n):
An ecclesiastic council or meeting to consult on church matters
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/synod>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And
heav'n and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature
sing.
--Isaac Watts
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts>
130px|Harold Pinter in 2005
Harold Pinter (1930–2008) was a Nobel Prize-winning English
playwright and screenwriter, with a career that spanned more than 50
years. His plays include The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and
Betrayal, and his screenplays include The Servant, The French
Lieutenant's Woman and Sleuth. Pinter appeared as an actor in
productions of his own work on radio and film. He also undertook roles
in works by other writers. He directed nearly 50 productions for stage,
theatre and screen. He was born and raised in Hackney, east London,
trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Central School of
Speech and Drama, and worked in repertory theatre before achieving
success as a writer. In his later years, he was known for his political
activism and his opposition to the war in Afghanistan and the invasion
of Iraq. Pinter's last stage performance was as Krapp in Beckett's play
Krapp's Last Tape, for the Royal Court Theatre, in 2006. (more...)
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Chanukah"
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Pinter>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1294:
Boniface VIII began his papacy, replacing St. Celestine V, who had
declared it was permissible for a Pope to resign, and then promptly did
so.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_VIII>
1777:
An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas
Island , the largest coral atoll in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiritimati>
1826:
More than one third of the cadets enrolled in the United States
Military Academy in West Point, New York, rioted over the smuggling of
whiskey to make eggnog for a Christmas Day party.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog_Riot>
1955:
The NORAD Tracks Santa program began when children began calling the
Continental Air Defense Command Center to inquire about Santa Claus'
whereabouts due to a misprinted phone number.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa>
1974:
Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Australia, eventually destroying more than
70Â percent of the city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dovecote (n):
1. A small house or box, raised to a considerable height above the
ground, and having compartments, in which domestic pigeons breed; a
dove house.
2. In medieval Europe, a round or square structure of stone or wood,
free-standing or built into a tower, in which pigeons were kept
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dovecote>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Calm soul of all things! make it mine
To feel, amid the city’s jar,
That there abides a peace of thine,
Man did not make, and cannot mar.
--Matthew Arnold
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Matthew_Arnold>
"A Rugrats Chanukah" is a special episode of Nickelodeon's animated
television series Rugrats. The first episode of the show's fourth
season, it tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the
eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. The
idea of a Rugrats Chanukah special was pitched by Nickelodeon
executives in 1992, but the concept was revised and became the 1995
special, "A Rugrats Passover". After production of the Passover episode
wrapped, the crew returned to the Chanukah idea. Nickelodeon broadcast
"A Rugrats Chanukah" on December 4, 1996; the episode received a
Nielsen rating of 7.9 and positive reviews from television critics.
Along with other Rugrats episodes featuring Grandpa Boris and his wife,
the special attracted controversy when the Anti-Defamation League
compared the character designs to anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s
Nazi newspaper. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rugrats_Chanukah>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1620:
The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts,
establishing the Plymouth Colony.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Colony>
1826:
American settlers in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede
from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredonian_Rebellion>
1919:
After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist
military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the
United States to Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman>
1937:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated
feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los
Angeles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_%281937_film%29>
1968:
Apollo 8 launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew
on a trajectory to the Moon, for the first visit to another celestial
body by humans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
interjacent (adj):
Situated between; lying among
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/interjacent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I was persuaded and am, that God's way is first to turn a soul from its
idols, both of heart, worship, and conversation, before it is capable
of worship to the true and living God.
--Roger Williams (theologian)
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Williams_%28theologian%29>
110px|McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink
McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink is a multi-purpose venue within
Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, US. On
December 20, 2001, it became the first attraction in Millennium Park to
open. The $3.2 million plaza was funded by a donation from the
McCormick Tribune Foundation. It has served as an ice skating rink, a
dining facility and briefly as an open-air exhibition space. The plaza
operates as McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, a free public outdoor ice
skating rink that is generally open four months a year, from
mid-November until mid-March, when it hosts over 100,000 skaters
annually. It is known as one of Chicago's better outdoor
people-watching locations during the winter months. For the rest of the
year, it serves as "Plaza at Park Grill" or "Park Grill Plaza",
Chicago's largest outdoor dining facility. The 150-seat park grill
hosts various culinary events as well as music during its months of
outdoor operation, and it is affiliated with the 300-seat indoor Park
Grill restaurant located beneath AT&T Plaza and Cloud Gate. The outdoor
restaurant offers scenic views of the park. (more...)
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for Naboo – David Lewis
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCormick_Tribune_Plaza_%26_Ice_Rink>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
World War II: The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air
Force, popularly known as the Flying Tigers, engaged in its first
combat missions.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers>
1973:
Spanish Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco was assassinated by a bomb
planted by members of the Basque nationalist and separatist
organisation ETA.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Carrero_Blanco>
1988:
The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances, a treaty mostly devoted to fighting
organized crime by mandating cooperation in tracing and seizing
drug-related assets, was signed in Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_Against_Illicit_Traf…>
1999:
Portugal transferred sovereignty of Macau to the People's Republic of
China .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau>
2005:
US district court Judge John E. Jones III ruled against mandating the
teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover
Area School District.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pesher (n):
An interpretive commentary on scripture, especially one in Hebrew
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pesher>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We have reversed the usual classical notion that the independent
"elementary parts" of the world are the fundamental reality, and that
the various systems are merely particular contingent forms and
arrangements of these parts. Rather, we say that inseparable quantum
interconnectedness of the whole universe is the fundamental reality,
and that relatively independent behaving parts are merely particular
and contingent forms within this whole.
--David Bohm
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Bohm>
100px|Egbert's name from a 9th-century manuscript
Egbert (ca. 769 or 771 – 839) was King of Wessex from 802 until his
death in 839. Little is known of the first 20 years of Egbert's reign,
but it is thought that he was able to maintain Wessex's independence
against the kingdom of Mercia, which at that time dominated the other
southern English kingdoms. In 825 Egbert defeated Beornwulf of Mercia
and ended Mercia's supremacy at the Battle of Ellandun, and proceeded
to take control of the Mercian dependencies in southeastern England. In
829 Egbert defeated Wiglaf of Mercia and drove him out of his kingdom,
temporarily ruling Mercia directly. Later that year Egbert received the
submission of the Northumbrian king at Dore, near Sheffield. The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle subsequently described Egbert as a bretwalda, or
"Ruler of Britain". Egbert was unable to maintain this dominant
position, and within a year Wiglaf regained the throne of Mercia.
However, Wessex did retain control of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; these
territories were given to Egbert's son Æthelwulf to rule as a subking
under Egbert. When Egbert died in 839, Æthelwulf succeeded him; the
southeastern kingdoms were finally absorbed into the kingdom of Wessex
after Æthelwulf's death in 858. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egbert_of_Wessex>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a novella about the miser
Ebenezer Scrooge and his conversion after being visited by three
Christmas ghosts, was first published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
1941:
World War II: Three Italian Royal Navy manned torpedoes detonated
limpet mines on British Royal Navy ships, sinking two battleships.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Alexandria_%281941%29>
1946:
The First Indochina War began when Viet Minh operatives attacked French
military positions and homes in Hanoi.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War>
1986:
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev released dissident Andrei Sakharov
after six years of internal exile in Gorky.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov>
1998:
The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton
following the Lewinsky scandal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
furbelow (n):
A {{l
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furbelow>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
And I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone
Can't live proud
enough to die when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here.
--Phil Ochs
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs>
Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo is an arcade-style action game
co-developed by Factor 5 and LucasArts. It is a spiritual sequel to the
successful Star Wars: Rogue Squadron released two years earlier.
Despite the similarities between the two games, the development team
designed a new game engine for Battle for Naboo and included land- and
water-based combat in addition to aerial combat. Set in the fictional
Star Wars galaxy, the game takes place during the events depicted in
the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Players control Gavyn
Sykes, a lieutenant in Naboo's Royal Security Forces. As the game
progresses, Sykes and the Royal Security Forces fight the Trade
Federation in 15Â missions that take place on Naboo or in the space
immediately surrounding it. The game concludes after the player
completes a mission that recreates the film's climactic assault on the
Trade Federation's Droid Control Ship. Battle for Naboo was published
by LucasArts and THQ and released for the Nintendo 64 in December 2000.
A Windows port was released three months later in March 2001. The
Nintendo 64 version received generally positive reviews; critics
praised the game's tight and responsive controls, but expressed dislike
for the game's Episode I setting. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
The first performance of the fairy tale-ballet The Nutcracker, composed
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and based on the story by E. T. A.
Hoffmann, was held at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg,
Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker>
1912:
Amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson announced the discovery of
fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human, known as
Piltdown Man, which later turned out to be a hoax.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man>
1972:
Vietnam War: A few days after peace talks collapsed, the United States
began Operation Linebacker II against North Vietnam, the largest heavy
bomber strikes launched by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World
War II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker_II>
1987:
Programmer Larry Wall released the first version of the programming
language Perl via the comp.sources.misc newsgroup.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perl>
2006:
The first of a series of floods struck Malaysia, which would
eventually kill 118 people and leave over 400,000 others homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006%E2%80%932007_Malaysian_floods>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
impeccably (adv):
In an perfect or flawless manner
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impeccably>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and
sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With
th'angelic hosts proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
--Charles Wesley
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley>
100px|David Lewis in September 1944
David Lewis (1909–1981) was a Russian-born Canadian Rhodes Scholar,
labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national
secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to
1950. As the United Steelworkers of America’s legal counsel in Canada,
he played a central role in the creation of the Canadian Labour
Congress in 1956 and in the New Democratic Party (NDP)'s formation in
1961. In 1962, he was elected as a Member of Parliament. He was the
NDP's leader from 1971 to 1975. After his defeat in the 1974 Canadian
election, he retired from politics. He spent his last years as an
university professor and a newspaper travel correspondent. In
retirement, he was named to the highest level of the Order of Canada
for his political service. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he died
in 1981. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
American Civil War: Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued General
Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Order_No._11_%281862%29>
1918:
About 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House in Darwin,
Australia, where they burnt an effigy of Administrator John Gilruth and
demanded his resignation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Rebellion>
1935:
The Douglas DC-3, one of the most significant transport aircraft ever
built, made its maiden voyage to coincide with the anniversary of the
Wright Flyer's first flight.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3>
1970:
Soldiers fired at workers emerging from trains in Gdynia, Poland,
beginning the government's brutal crackdown on mass anti-communist
protests across the country.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_1970_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
manger (n):
A trough for animals to eat from
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/manger>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those who have served the cause of the revolution have plowed the sea.
--Simón BolÃvar
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar>
100px|Hemingway on safari in 1954
True at First Light is a book by American novelist Ernest Hemingway
about his 1953–54 East African safari with his fourth wife Mary,
released posthumously in his centennial year in 1999. The book received
mostly negative or lukewarm reviews from the popular press and sparked
a literary controversy regarding how, and whether, an author's work
should be reworked and published after his death. Unlike critics of the
popular press, Hemingway scholars generally consider True at First
Light to be complex and a worthy addition in his canon of later
fiction. In January 1954, Hemingway and Mary were in two successive
plane crashes in the African bush in a two-day period. He was reported
dead by the international press, arriving in Entebbe to face questions
from reporters. The severity of his injuries was not completely
diagnosed until months later when he returned to Europe. Hemingway
spent much of the next two years in Havana, recuperating and writing
the manuscript of what he called the Africa book, which remained
unfinished at the time of his suicide in July 1961. In the 1970s, Mary
donated his manuscripts to the John F. Kennedy Library, including the
Africa book. The manuscript was released to Hemingway's son Patrick in
the mid-1990s. Patrick edited the work to half its original length to
strengthen the underlying storyline and emphasize the fictional
aspects. The result is a blend of memoir and fiction. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
The last recorded eruption of Japan's Mount Fuji released some 800
million m³ of volcanic ash.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji>
1811:
The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes struck the
Midwestern United States and made the Mississippi River appear to run
backward.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_New_Madrid_earthquake>
1893:
Czech composer AntonÃn Dvořák's New World Symphony premiered at
Carnegie Hall in New York City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_%28Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%29>
1944:
World War II: The Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany launched its final
offensive in the western front, the Battle of the Bulge.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge>
1986:
Dinmukhamed Konayev was dismissed from the post of First Secretary of
the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, sparking riots throughout the
country.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeltoqsan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cut off one's nose to spite one's face (v):
(idiomatic) To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an
adversary
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cut_off_one%27s_nose_to_spite_one%27s_face>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When
change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction
is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained,
as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it.
--George Santayana
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana>