The Battle of Musa Qala was a military action in Helmand Province,
southern Afghanistan, launched by the Afghan National Army and the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against the Taliban on 7
December 2007. After three days of intense fighting, the Taliban
retreated into the mountains on 10 December. Musa Qala was officially
reported captured on 12 December, with Afghan Army troops pushing into
the town centre. Senior ISAF officers, including US general Dan K.
McNeill, the overall ISAF commander, agreed to the assault on 17
November 2007. It followed more than nine months of Taliban occupation
of the town, the largest the insurgents controlled at the time of the
battle. ISAF forces had previously occupied the town, until a
controversial withdrawal in late 2006. It was the first battle in the
war in Afghanistan in which Afghan army units were the principal
fighting force. Statements from the British Ministry of Defence (MOD)
emphasised that the operation was Afghan-led, although the ability of
Afghan units to function without NATO control was questioned during the
battle. Military engagement over Musa Qala is part of a wider conflict
between coalition forces and the Taliban in Helmand. Both before and
after the battle, related fighting was reported across a larger area,
particularly in Sangin district to the south of Musa Qala.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Musa_Qala>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1600:
The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina exploded in the most violent
eruption in the recorded history of South America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaynaputina>
1884:
More than sixty tornadoes struck across the Southern United States,
believed to be among the largest and most widespread tornado outbreaks
in American history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_tornado_outbreak>
1910:
The football stadium Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England,
hosted its first match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Trafford>
1942:
World War II: In the largest attacks mounted by a foreign power against
Australia, more than 240 bombers and fighters of the Imperial Japanese
Navy bombed Darwin, Northern Territory.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Darwin>
1986:
The first module of the Soviet space station Mir was launched,
establishing the first long-term research station in space.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brouhaha (n):
A stir: a fuss or uproar
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brouhaha>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
People have such terrible assumptions about ghosts — you know, phantoms
that haunt you, that make you scared, that turn the house upside down.
Yin people are not in our living presence but are around, and kind of
guide you to insights. Like in Las Vegas when the bells go off, telling
you you've hit the jackpot. Yin people ring the bells, saying, "Pay
attention." And you say, "Oh, I see now." Yet I'm a fairly skeptical
person. I'm educated, I'm reasonably sane, and I know that this subject
is fodder for ridicule. ... To write the book, I had to put that aside.
As with any book. I go through the anxiety, "What will people think of
me for writing something like this?" But ultimately, I have to write
what I have to write about, including the question of life continuing
beyond our ordinary senses.
--Amy Tan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Amy_Tan>
"Bring Us Together" was a political slogan popularized after the
election of Republican candidate Richard Nixon as United States
President in 1968. The text was derived from a sign which 13-year-old
Vicki Lynne Cole stated that she carried at Nixon's rally in her home
town of Deshler, Ohio, during the campaign. Richard Moore, a friend of
Nixon, told the candidate's speechwriters that he had seen a child
carrying a sign reading "Bring Us Together" at the Deshler rally. The
speechwriters, including William Safire, began inserting the phrase
into the candidate's speeches. Nixon mentioned the Deshler rally and
the sign in his victory speech on November 6, 1968, adopting the phrase
as representing his administration's initial goal—to reunify the
bitterly divided country. Cole came forward as the person who carried
the sign, and was the subject of intense media attention. Nixon invited
Cole and her family to the inauguration, and she appeared (shown in
video) on a float in the inaugural parade. The phrase "Bring Us
Together" was used ironically by Democrats when Nixon proposed policies
they considered divisive. Safire later expressed doubts that Cole's
sign ever existed.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_Us_Together>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1637:
Eighty Years' War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet
intercepted an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels
escorted by 6 warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Lizard_Point>
1873:
Vasil Levski , the national hero of Bulgaria, was executed in Sofia by
Ottoman authorities for his efforts to establish an independent
Bulgarian republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasil_Levski>
1970:
An American jury acquitted the "Chicago Seven" of conspiracy and
inciting riots stemming from protests during the 1968 Democratic
National Convention.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven>
2001:
Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese broke out in Sampit,
Indonesia, that would ultimately result in more than 500 deaths and
100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampit_conflict>
2007:
Terrorist bombs exploded on the Samjhauta Express train in Panipat,
Haryana, India, killing 68 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Samjhauta_Express_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gravlax (n):
[[salmon
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gravlax>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Where are we going? Do not ask! Ascend, descend. There is no beginning
and no end. Only this present moment exists, full of bitterness, full
of sweetness, and I rejoice in it all.
--Nikos Kazantzakis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis>
The climate of Minnesota is typical of a continental climate, with cold
winters and hot summers. Minnesota's location in the Upper Midwest
allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the
United States. Winter in Minnesota is characterized by cold
temperatures as low as −60 °F (−51 °C). Snow is the main form of winter
precipitation, but freezing rain, ice, sleet, and occasionally rain are
all possible during the winter months. Common storm systems include
Alberta clippers or Panhandle hooks, some of which evolve into
blizzards. Annual snowfall extremes have ranged from over 170Â inches
(432 cm) in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as
little as 10Â inches (25 cm) in southern Minnesota. Spring is a time of
major transition; snowstorms are common early, but by late spring as
temperatures begin to moderate the state experiences tornadoes,
averaging 24 per year. In summer, humid conditions help kick off
thunderstorm activity 30–40 days per year. Summer high temperatures as
hot as 114 °F (46 °C) are possible. Autumn weather in Minnesota is
largely the reverse of spring weather; the jet stream—which tends to
weaken in summer—begins to re-strengthen, leading to a quicker changing
of weather patterns and an increased variability of temperatures. By
late October and November these storm systems become strong enough to
form major winter storms.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Minnesota>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1918:
The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania,
proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania governed by
democratic principles, despite the presence of German troops in the
country during World War I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania>
1923:
English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter unsealed the
burial chamber of Tutankhamun , an Egyptian Pharaoh of the Eighteenth
dynasty.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun>
1961:
The DuSable Museum, the first museum dedicated to the study and
conservation of African American history, culture, and art, was
chartered.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuSable_Museum_of_African_American_History>
1977:
Archbishop Janani Luwum of the Church of Uganda, a leading voice
against the regime of Idi Amin, was arrested for treason and murdered
the next day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janani_Luwum>
1985:
"The Hizballah Program" was released, describing the ideology and goals
of the Shia Islamic political and paramilitary organization Hizballah.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_Hezbollah>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
balanephagous (adj):
[[acorn
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/balanephagous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What one knows is, in youth, of little moment; they know enough who
know how to learn.
--Henry Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Adams>
John Wark (born 1957) is a Scottish former footballer who spent most of
his playing time with Ipswich Town. He won a record four Player of the
Year awards before becoming one of the four inaugural members of the
club's Hall of Fame. Wark had long spells at the club, which bookended
his career, and a third, brief interlude dividing his briefer periods
at Liverpool and Middlesbrough. A versatile player, Wark played most of
his professional games as a midfielder, although he sometimes played as
a central defender and on occasion as a striker. Born in Glasgow, Wark
represented Scotland in international football, winning 29 caps and
scoring seven goals. This included selection for Scotland in the 1982
FIFA World Cup in which he made three appearances and scored twice.
During his playing career, Wark appeared in the film Escape to Victory.
Since retiring as a professional player in 1996, he has continued to
work for Ipswich Town—since April 2009 in the corporate hospitality
department. His autobiography was published in 2009.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wark>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Christopher Columbus wrote an open letter describing his discoveries
and the unexpected items he came across in the New World, which was
widely distributed upon his return to Portugal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus%27s_Letter_on_the_First_Voyage>
1949:
Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux began excavations at Cave 1
of the Qumran Caves in the West Bank region of Jordan, the location of
the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qumran_Caves>
1965:
Canada adopted the Maple Leaf flag , replacing the Canadian Red Ensign.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada>
1979:
Don Dunstan resigned as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of
sweeping social liberalisation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dunstan>
2003:
In one of the largest anti-war rallies in history, millions around the
world in approximately 800 cities took part in protests against the
impending invasion of Iraq.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_15%2C_2003_anti-war_protest>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sherpa (n):
1. A male of the Sherpa people employed as a mountain guide or porter.
2. An expert sent by a country's leader to a summit meeting.
3. A
synthetic fabric with a long, thick pile, similar to faux fur,
imitation lamb wool, or fleece
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sherpa>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A religious education is an education which inculcates duty and
reverence. Duty arises from our potential control over the course of
events. Where attainable knowledge could have changed the issue,
ignorance has the guilt of vice. And the foundation of reverence is
this perception, that the present holds within itself the complete sum
of existence, backwards and forwards, that whole amplitude of time,
which is eternity.
--Alfred North Whitehead
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead>
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, an American science fiction film
released by Paramount Pictures, is the first film based on Star Trek, a
television series created by Gene Roddenberry (left, pictured with the
show's cast). The original television series was cancelled in 1969. The
success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind convinced Paramount that
science fiction films other than Star Wars could do well at the box
office, so the studio canceled production of the planned television
series Star Trek: Phase II and turned Phase II's pilot episode into a
film script. In the film, a mysterious and immensely powerful alien
cloud called V'Ger approaches Earth, destroying everything in its path,
and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) assumes command of his old
starship—the USS Enterprise—to save the planet and determine V'Ger's
origins. Delays on set and in developing the film's optical effects
caused the production cost to soar. Released in North America on
December 7, 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews
from critics, many of whom criticized the film for its lack of action
and over-reliance on special effects. The film earned $139Â million
worldwide, falling short of studio expectations but convincing
Paramount to back a less expensive sequel.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek%3A_The_Motion_Picture>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1912:
Arizona became the 48th and last of the contiguous United States to be
admitted into the Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona>
1919:
The first serious armed conflict of the Polish–Soviet War took place
near present-day Biaroza, Belarus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War>
1949:
The Knesset, the legislature of Israel, convened for the first time,
succeeding the Assembly of Representatives that had functioned as the
Jewish community's parliament during the British Mandate Era.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset>
1989:
A fatwa was issued for the execution of Salman Rushdie for authoring
The Satanic Verses, a novel Islamic fundamentalists considered
blasphemous.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses_controversy>
2007:
The first of several bombings in Zahedan, Iran, claimed the lives of 18
members of the Revolutionary Guards.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Zahedan_bombings>
2008:
Steven Kazmierczak opened fire into a crowded lecture hall on the
campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, US, killing
five and injuring 24.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Illinois_University_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dearheart (n):
{{non-gloss definition
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dearheart>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration
finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed
mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every
wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not
Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his
brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
--William Shakespeare
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare>
Kingdom Hearts is an action role-playing game developed and published
by Square (now Square Enix) in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game
console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result
of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The
game combines characters and settings from Disney animated features
with those from Square's Final Fantasy series. The story follows a
young boy, Sora, as he is thrown into an epic battle against the forces
of darkness. He is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy, classic Disney
characters who help him on his quest. Kingdom Hearts was a departure
from Square's standard role-playing games, introducing a substantial
action-adventure element to the gameplay. In addition, it has an
all-star voice cast which includes many of the Disney characters'
official voice actors. The game was praised for its unusual combination
of action and role-playing, as well as its unexpectedly harmonious mix
of Square and Disney motifs. It received numerous year-end "Best" video
game awards, was a dominating presence in the 2002 holiday season, and
went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts_%28video_game%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1301:
The title of Prince of Wales was granted for the first time to an heir
apparent to the English throne, Edward of Carnarvon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_II_of_England>
1795:
The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting the
ability of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to sue U.S. states in
federal courts, was ratified in order to overrule the U.S. Supreme
Court decision in Chisholm v. Georgia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleventh_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Consti…>
1863:
In New Zealand's worst maritime tragedy, HMS Orpheus of the British
Royal Navy sank off the coast of Auckland, killing 189 crew out of the
ship's complement of 259.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Orpheus_%281860%29>
1907:
Over 3,000 women trudged through the cold and the rutty streets of
London in the Mud March, the first large procession organized by the
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, to advocate for women's
suffrage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_March_%28Suffragists%29>
2009:
A series of 400 individual bushfires ignited across the Australian
state of Victoria on Black Saturday, eventually resulting in 173 total
deaths, the highest ever loss of life from a bushfire in Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
discursion (n):
{{obsolete
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/discursion>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Extreme justice is an extreme injury: for we ought not to approve of
those terrible laws that make the smallest offences capital, nor of
that opinion of the Stoics that makes all crimes equal; as if there
were no difference to be made between the killing a man and the taking
his purse, between which, if we examine things impartially, there is no
likeness nor proportion.
--Thomas More
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_More>
Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil
production. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil
by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. The resultant
shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock
specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen
impurities. Shale oil extraction is usually performed above ground (ex
situ processing) by mining the oil shale and then treating it in
processing facilities. Other modern technologies perform the processing
underground (on-site or in situ processing) by applying heat and
extracting the oil via oil wells. The earliest description of the
process dates to the 10th century. The industry shrank in the mid-20th
century following the discovery of large reserves of conventional oil,
but high petroleum prices at the beginning of the 21st century have led
to renewed interest. As of 2010, major long-standing extraction
industries are operating in Estonia, Brazil, and China. Its economic
viability varies with the ratio of local energy input costs to energy
output value. National energy security issues have also played a role
in its development. Critics of shale oil extraction pose questions
about environmental management issues, such as waste disposal,
extensive water use and waste water management, and air pollution.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_oil_extraction>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1783:
The first of five strong earthquakes hit the region of Calabria in
present-day southern Italy, killing more than 32,000 people over a
period of nearly two months.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1783_Calabrian_earthquakes>
1923:
Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford made 429 runs to break the world
record for the highest first-class score.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ponsford>
1958:
A Mark 15 nuclear bomb disappeared off the shores of Tybee Island,
Georgia, US after it was jettisoned during a practice exercise when the
bomber carrying it collided in midair with a fighter plane.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_B-47_crash>
1963:
The European Court of Justice's ruling in Van Gend en Loos v
Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen established the principle of
direct effect, one of the basic tenets of European Union law.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/direct_effect>
2007:
After having driven 900Â mi (1,448 km) overnight from Houston, Texas, to
Orlando, Florida, US, former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested
for the attempted kidnapping of Colleen Shipman, girlfriend of Nowak's
colleague and former love interest William Oefelein.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
at the feet of (preposition):
As a disciple, subordinate, or worshiper of
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/at_the_feet_of>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Enforced uniformity confounds civil and religious liberty and denies
the principles of Christianity and civility. No man shall be required
to worship or maintain a worship against his will.
--Roger Williams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Williams>