100px|Tropical Storm Barry
Tropical Storm Barry was a strong tropical storm that made landfall
on the Florida Panhandle during August 2001. The third tropical cyclone
and second named storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, Barry
developed from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on
July 24 and tracked westward. The wave entered the Caribbean on July 29
and spawned a low pressure area that organized into Tropical Storm
Barry on August 3. After fluctuating in intensity and track, the system
attained peak winds of 70Â mph (110Â km/h) over the Gulf of Mexico, and
headed northward before moving ashore on the Gulf Coast. Unlike the
devastating Tropical Storm Allison earlier in the season, Barry's
effects were moderate. Nine deaths occurred, six in Cuba and three in
Florida. As a tropical cyclone, rainfall peaked at 8.9Â in (230Â mm) at
Tallahassee, and winds gusts topped out at 79Â mph (127Â km/h). The wave
that would become Barry dropped large amounts of rain across southern
Florida, leading to significant flooding and structural damage.
Moderate flooding occurred throughout the Panhandle, where damage as a
result of high wind gusts was also reported. Barry is estimated to have
caused $30Â million (2001Â USD, $36.5Â million 2008Â USD) in damage.
(more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
At least 22 people were killed and 35 others were injured when
rebelling miners at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, Victoria,
Australia, clashed with the police and the military.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Rebellion>
1904:
Himalia, the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter, was discovered by
astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory in San Jose,
California.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_%28moon%29>
1927:
Putting Pants on Philip, the first official film featuring the comedy
duo Laurel and Hardy , was released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_and_Hardy>
1971:
The formal initiation of hostilities of the Indo-Pakistani War began
with the Pakistani Air Force launching pre-emptive airstrikes on
several forward airbases and radar installations of the Indian Air
Force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chengiz_Khan>
2009:
A suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, claimed the lives of 25
people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal
Government.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Hotel_Shamo_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Lusophone (adj):
Portuguese-speaking
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lusophone>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The changing wisdom of successive generations discards ideas, questions
facts, demolishes theories. But the artist appeals to that part of our
being which is not dependent on wisdom: to that in us which is a gift
and not an acquisition — and, therefore, more permanently enduring. He
speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery
surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity, and beauty, and pain; to
the latent feeling of fellowship with all creation — and to the subtle
but invincible, conviction of solidarity that knits together the
loneliness of innumerable hearts: to the solidarity in dreams, in joy,
in sorrow, in aspirations, in illusions, in hope, in fear, which binds
men to each other, which binds together all humanity — the dead to the
living and the living to the unborn.
--Joseph Conrad
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad>
100px|Macaroni Penguin
The Macaroni Penguin is a species of penguin found from the
Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested
penguin, it bears a distinctive yellow crest, and the face and
upperparts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts.
Its diet consists of a variety of crustaceans, mainly krill, as well as
small fish and cephalopods; the species consumes more marine life
annually than any other species of seabird. Numbering up to 100,000
individuals, the breeding colonies of the Macaroni Penguin are among
the largest and densest of all penguin species. After spending the
summer months breeding, penguins disperse into the oceans for six
months; a 2009 study found that Macaroni Penguins from Kerguelen
travelled over 10,000Â km (6,200Â mi) in the central Indian Ocean. With
about 18 million individuals, the Macaroni Penguin is the most numerous
penguin species. However, widespread decline in populations have been
recorded since the mid 1970s. These factors result in their
conservation status being reclassified as vulnerable. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
War of the Third Coalition: French forces led by Napoleon decisively
defeated a Russo-Austrian army commanded by Czar Alexander I in the
Battle of Austerlitz.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz>
1943:
World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on Allied
ships in Bari, Italy, sinking 18 ships and releasing one ship's secret
cargo of mustard gas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan, the first woman to
head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
1999:
The United Kingdom devolved political power in Northern Ireland to the
Northern Ireland Executive.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_Executive>
2001:
Less than two months after disclosing accounting violations,
Texas-based energy firm Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
evaporating nearly $11Â billion in shareholder wealth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
echt (adj):
proper, real, genuine, true to type
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/echt>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not enough to have a beautiful voice. What does that mean? When
you interpret a role, you have to have a thousand colors to portray
happiness, joy, sorrow, fear. How can you do this with only a beautiful
voice? Even if you sing harshly sometimes, as I have frequently done,
it is a necessity of expression. You have to do it, even if people will
not understand. But in the long run they will, because you must
persuade them of what you're doing.
--Maria Callas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maria_Callas>
90px|Barbara Britton in 1982 performance of The King and I at the
School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio
The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) is a magnet arts
school in Cincinnati, Ohio. SCPA was founded in 1973 as one of the
first magnet schools in Cincinnati and became the first school in the
country to combine a full range of arts studies with a complete
college-preparatory academic program for elementary through high school
students. The school rose to national prominence in the 1980s, but was
nearly closed in the 1990s following a series of scandals, leadership
struggles, and an arson fire which destroyed the auditorium. Its
reputation recovered in the years that followed and in 2009–10, the
school was featured in the MTV reality series Taking the Stage, filmed
at the school and featuring SCPA students. In 2010 SCPA combined with
the Schiel Primary School for Arts Enrichment to create the first
kindergarten through twelfth grade arts school and first private sector
/ public arts school in the US. Students must audition for admission;
fewer than 20Â percent of those who apply each year are accepted. The
newly combined school offers a curriculum designed to prepare students
for professional careers in creative writing, dance, drama, music,
technical theater, and visual art. (more...)
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Druitt
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1822:
Pedro I was crowned the first Emperor of Brazil, less than two months
after he actually began his reign on October 12.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil>
1913:
Ford Motor Company began operating the world's first moving assembly
line for the mass production of automobiles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/assembly_line>
1925:
The Locarno Treaties were formally signed in London, establishing
post-First World War territorial settlements.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locarno_Treaties>
1955:
African-American Civil Rights Movement: Seamstress Rosa Parks was
arrested for violating the racial segregation laws of Montgomery,
Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white
man, precipitating the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks>
1989:
Led by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, members of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines began a coup attempt against President
Corazon Aquino.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Philippine_coup_attempt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
semi-smile (n):
A faint smile; a suppressed or forced smile
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/semi-smile>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful
wishes.
--Mary Martin
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Martin>
125px|Thomas the Slav negotiates with the Arabs.
Thomas the Slav (c. 760 – 823 AD) was a 9th-century Byzantine
military commander, most notable for leading a wide-scale revolt
against Emperor Michael II the Amorian in 820–823. An army officer of
Slavic origin from the Pontus region, Thomas rose to prominence under
the protection of general Bardanes Tourkos. After Bardanes's failed
rebellion in 803, Thomas fell into obscurity until Leo V's rise to the
throne, when Thomas was raised to a senior military command. After the
murder of Leo and usurpation of the throne by Michael the Amorian,
Thomas revolted, claiming the throne for himself. Thomas quickly
secured support from most of the themes (provinces) and troops in Asia
Minor, and concluded an alliance with the Abbasid Caliphate. He sailed
with his army to besiege Constantinople. Michael II called for help
from the Bulgar ruler Omurtag, whose troops attacked Thomas's army.
Although repelled, the Bulgars inflicted heavy casualties on Thomas's
men, who broke and fled when Michael took to the field a few months
later. Thomas sought refuge in Arcadiopolis, where he was soon seized
by Michael's troops and executed. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Slav>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1829:
The first Welland Canal opened, allowing ships to travel between Lake
Erie and Lake Ontario and bypass the Niagara Falls.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welland_Canal>
1947:
As the United Nations voted to terminate the British Mandate of
Palestine, civil war broke out between the region's Jewish and Arab
communities.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947%E2%80%931948_Civil_War_in_Mandatory_Pales…>
1962:
Burmese diplomat U Thant became United Nations Secretary-General,
following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in September of that year.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant>
1982:
Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was
released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28album%29>
2005:
John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the first
member of an ethnic minority to serve as an archbishop in the Church of
England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sentamu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fire in the belly (n):
The emotional stamina and vigor, passion, or inner drive to achieve
something, to take action, etc
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fire_in_the_belly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When a great genius appears in the world the dunces are all in
confederacy against him.
--Jonathan Swift
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift>
110px|Bix Beiderbecke
Bix Beiderbecke (1903–1931) was an American jazz cornetist, jazz
pianist, and composer. He was one of the most influential jazz soloists
of the 1920s. He helped to invent the jazz ballad style and hinted at
what, in the 1950s, would become cool jazz. Beiderbecke taught himself
to play cornet largely by ear, leading him to adopt a non-standard
fingering that some critics have connected to his original sound. He
first recorded with a Midwestern jazz ensemble The Wolverines in 1924,
after which he played briefly for the Jean Goldkette Orchestra before
joining Frankie Trumbauer for an extended gig at the Arcadia Ballroom
in St. Louis, Missouri. Beiderbecke and Trumbauer both joined Goldkette
in 1926. The band toured widely and famously played a set opposite
Fletcher Henderson at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in October
1926. The following year, Trumbauer and Beiderbecke left Detroit to
join the best-known and most prestigious dance orchestra in the
country: the New York-based Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Beiderbecke's most
influential recordings date from his time with Goldkette and Whiteman,
although they were generally recorded under his own name or
Trumbauer's. Beiderbecke left the Whiteman band in 1930 and the
following summer died in his Queens apartment at the age of
twenty-eight. (more...)
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bix_Beiderbecke>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
The crew of the overcrowded British slave ship Zong killed 133 African
slaves by dumping them into the sea in order to claim insurance.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_Massacre>
1854:
The Eureka Flag was flown for the first time during the Eureka
Stockade rebellion in Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Flag>
1864:
American Indian Wars: A 700-man Colorado Territory militia attacked a
village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, killing 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho men,
women, and children.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre>
1963:
Five minutes after takeoff from Montreal, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight
831 crashed, killing all 118 people aboard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Canada_Air_Lines_Flight_831>
2007:
Philippine soldiers led by Senator Antonio Trillanes, on trial for the
2003 Oakwood mutiny, staged a mutiny and temporarily seized a
conference room in The Peninsula Manila hotel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Peninsula_rebellion>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Varsovian (adj):
Of, from or pertaining to Warsaw
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Varsovian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe
itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value;
rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.
--C. S. Lewis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis>
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the
First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 during the Second
World War. Initially composed of volunteers within brigades established
along regional lines, a halt in recruitment in the early months of the
war caused a delay in the formation of brigade and divisional
headquarters. With questions concerning overseas deployment resolved,
the division's respective commands were formed in May and June 1940,
and was deployed to the United Kingdom between 1 August and 25 December
1940. Elements of the 2nd Division were selected as the main force for
Operation Jubilee, a large-scale amphibious raid on the port of Dieppe
in German-occupied France. Following a period of reconstruction and
retraining from 1942 to 1944, the division joined II Canadian Corps as
part of the Second British Army for the Allied Invasion of Normandy.
Joining the newly activated headquarters of the First Canadian Army in
the assault on northwestern Europe, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
played a significant role in the retaking of the Channel ports, the
Battle of the Scheldt, and the liberation of Holland. (more...)
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interference – Hod Stuart
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Canadian_Infantry_Division>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
As specified by the Congress of Vienna, the Constitution of the Kingdom
of Poland was signed for the newly recreated Polish state that was
under Russian control.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland>
1868:
American Indian Wars: George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry
defeated Chief Black Kettle and the Cheyenne on the Washita River near
present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Washita_River>
1978:
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been in conflict with Turkey
over the formation of an autonomous Kurdish state, was founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan_Workers%27_Party>
1999:
The Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the New
Zealand general election, making the Labour Party's Helen Clark the
first female to win the office of Prime Minister at an election.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark>
2001:
The Hubble Space Telescope detected sodium in the atmosphere of the
extrasolar planet HDÂ 209458b , the first planetary atmosphere outside
our solar system to be measured.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_209458_b>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
solipsism (n):
1. (philosophy) The theory that the self is all that exists or that can
be proven to exist.
2. Self-absorption, an unawareness of the views or needs of others
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solipsism>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is
simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and
tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding
the routine, the tradition, the shadow — you are not understanding
yourself.
--Bruce Lee
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee>
85px|Dicer enzyme
RNA interference (RNAi) is a system within living cells that takes
part in controlling which genes are active and how active they are. Two
types of small RNA molecules – microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering
RNA (siRNA) – are central to RNA interference. RNAs are the direct
products of genes, and these small RNAs can bind to other specific RNAs
(mRNA) and either increase or decrease their activity, for example by
preventing a messenger RNA from producing a protein. RNA interference
has an important role in defending cells against parasitic genes –
viruses and transposons as well as gene expression in general. The RNAi
pathway is found in many eukaryotes and is initiated by the enzyme
Dicer (pictured), which cleaves long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)
molecules into short fragments of ~20 nucleotides that are called
siRNAs. Each siRNA is unwound into two single-stranded (ss) ssRNAs,
namely the passenger strand and the guide strand. The passenger strand
is degraded, and the guide strand is incorporated into the RNA-induced
silencing complex (RISC). The selective and robust effect of RNAi on
gene expression makes it a valuable research tool, both in cell culture
and in living organisms because synthetic dsRNA introduced into cells
can induce suppression of specific genes of interest. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1034:
After Malcolm II of Scotland died at Glamis, Duncan, the son of his
second daughter, instead of Macbeth, the son of his eldest daughter,
inherited the throne to become the King of Scots.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_II_of_Scotland>
1863:
American Civil War: Confederate forces were defeated at the Battle of
Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, opening the door to the
Union's invasion of the Deep South.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Missionary_Ridge>
1917:
World War I: German troops invaded Portuguese East Africa in an attempt
to escape superior British forces to the north and resupply from
captured Portuguese materiel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ngomano>
1952:
Agatha Christie's mystery play The Mousetrap, the play with the longest
initial run in history, opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousetrap>
1975:
Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier became
its first president.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Ferrier>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
importune (v):
1. To harass with persistent requests.
2. To approach to offer one's services as a prostitute
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/importune>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The battle to save life is still going on. … This battle to save life
will eventually be won. … Blind faith in established experience has
been shattered, outmoded regulations have been smashed.
--Ba Jin
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ba_Jin>
80px|Hod Stuart
Hod Stuart (1879–1907) was a Canadian professional ice hockey
cover-point (now known as a defenceman) who played nine seasons for
several teams in different leagues. He also played briefly for the
Ottawa Rough Riders football team. With his brother Bruce, Stuart
played in the first professional ice hockey league, the American-based
International Professional Hockey League (IPHL), where he was regarded
as one of the best players in the league. Frustrated with the violence
associated with the IPHL, he left the league late in 1906 and returned
to Canada, where in 1907 he helped the Montreal Wanderers win the
Stanley Cup, the championship trophy for hockey. Two months later, he
died in a diving accident. To raise money for his widow and children,
the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association hosted an all-star game,
the first of its kind to be played in any sport. In an era where
defencemen were expected to stay behind during the play, Stuart became
known for his ability to score goals while playing a defensive role,
and for his ability to remain calm during matches that often turned
violent. His efforts were acknowledged when the Hockey Hall of Fame was
created in 1945 and he became one of the first twelve players to be
inducted. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1542:
Anglo-Scottish Wars: England captured about 1,200 Scottish prisoners
with its victory in the Battle of Solway Moss.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Solway_Moss>
1859:
On the Origin of Species by British naturalist Charles Darwin was first
published, and sold out its initial print run on the first day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species>
1906:
A local newspaper accused members of two American football teams of
conspiring to deliberately lose games, the first known case of
professional gamblers attempting to fix a professional sport.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_Bulldogs%E2%80%93Massillon_Tigers_betti…>
1963:
Businessman Jack Ruby shot and fatally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the
alleged assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, during a live
television broadcast, fueling conspiracy theories on the matter.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ruby>
1974:
A group of paleoanthropologists led by Donald Johanson discovered a
3.2-million-year-old skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis in the
Afar Depression in Ethiopia, nicknaming it "Lucy" after The Beatles
song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_%28Australopithecus%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
trepanation (n):
The practice of drilling a hole in the skull as a physical, mental, or
spiritual treatment
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trepanation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The ultimate aim of government is not to rule, or restrain, by fear,
nor to exact obedience, but contrariwise, to free every man from fear,
that he may live in all possible security; in other words, to
strengthen his natural right to exist and work without injury to
himself or others.
No, the object of government is not to change men from rational
beings into beasts or puppets, but to enable them to develop their
minds and bodies in security, and to employ their reason unshackled;
neither showing hatred, anger, or deceit, nor watched with the eyes of
jealousy and injustice. In fact, the true aim of government is liberty.
--Baruch Spinoza
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza>