A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly is a proposed addition to the United
Nations System that would allow for participation of member nations'
legislators and, eventually, direct election of United Nations parliament
members by citizens worldwide. The idea was raised at the League of Nations
founding in the 1920s and again following the end of World War II in 1945,
but remained dormant throughout the Cold War. In the 1990s and 2000s, the
rise of global trade and the power of world organizations that govern it led
to calls for a parliamentary assembly to scrutinize their activity. The
International Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations
Parliamentary Assembly was formed in 2007 to coordinate pro-UNPA efforts.
Supporters have set forth possible UNPA implementations, including
promulgation of a new treaty; creation of a UNPA as a subsidiary body of the
UN General Assembly; and evolution of a UNPA from the Inter-Parliamentary
Union or another nongovernmental organization. Several proposals for
apportionment of votes have been raised to address disparities in UN
members' population and economic power. CEUNPA advocates initially giving
the UNPA advisory powers and gradually increasing its authority over the UN
system. Opponents cite issues such as funding, voter turnout, and
undemocratic UN member nations as reasons for abandoning the project
altogether.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Parliamentary_Assembly
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
218 BC:
Second Punic War: Hannibal had his first great victory over the Roman
Republic at the Battle of the Trebia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Trebia)
1271:
Mongol ruler Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty in China.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kublai_Khan)
1892:
The first performance of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's fairy
tale-ballet The Nutcracker was held at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint
Petersburg.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker)
1966:
Epimetheus, one of the moons of Saturn, was discovered, but was mistaken as
Janus. It took 12 years to determine that they are two distinct objects
sharing the same orbit.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_(moon)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_%28moon%29>
)
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)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hymnody (n) 1. The writing, composing, or singing of hymns or psalms.
2. The hymns of a particular church or of a
particular time.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hymnody)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I cannot be grasped in the here and now. For I reside just as much with the
dead as with the unborn. Somewhat closer to the heart of creation than
usual. But not nearly close enough.
--Paul Klee
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Klee)
Latter Days is a gay romantic drama released in 2003. Set in Los Angeles,
California it portrays the seduction of Aaron Davis, a Mormon missionary, by
Christian Markelli, a party animal who falls in love with him. The film,
written and directed by C. Jay Cox, stars Steve Sandvoss as Aaron, Wes
Ramsey as Christian, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Elder Ryder, and Rebekah
Johnson as Julie Taylor. Mary Kay Place, Amber Benson and Jacqueline Bisset
have supporting roles. Latter Days premiered at the Philadelphia
International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on July 10, 2003. It was released
across America over the next 12 months, and was released, mostly at gay film
festivals, in a few other countries. It was the first film to openly show
the clash between the principles of the Mormon church and homosexuality, and
its exhibition in some states was polemic. Various religious groups demanded
the movie to be retired from theatres and DVD stores under boycott threats.
The movie was not well received by film critics, although it was popular
with most film festival attendees. In 2004 T. Fabris made Latter Days into a
novel, which was published by Alyson Publications.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Days
_________________________
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_%E2%84%96_11_(1862)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Order_%E2%84%96_11_%281862%29>
)
1903:
In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA, Orville and Wilbur Wright aboard the
Wright Flyer conducted the first successful flight of a powered fixed-wing
aircraft.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers)
1944:
Malmedy massacre: Nazi German troops under Joachim Peiper killed unarmed
prisoners of war, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, with machine guns
near Malmedy, Belgium.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmedy_massacre)
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)
1983:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a car bomb just
outside Harrods Department Store in London, killing six people and injuring
about 90 others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods_bombing)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
just in case (adv) (idiomatic) In the event; should there be a need.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/just_in_case)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is a queer and fantastic world. Why can't people have what they want? The
things were all there to content everybody; yet everybody has got the wrong
thing. Perhaps you can make head or tail of it; it is beyond me.
--Ford Madox Ford
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ford_Madox_Ford)
The criminal trials of the LaRouche movement in the mid-1980s stemmed from
federal and state investigations into the activities of American political
activist Lyndon LaRouche and members of the LaRouche movement. They were
charged with conspiring to commit fraud and soliciting loans they had no
intention of repaying. LaRouche and his supporters disputed the charges,
claiming the trials were politically motivated. The trial, described as a
"courtroom extravaganza", was repeatedly delayed and finally ended in
mistrial, after which a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia issued
further indictments against LaRouche and five associates. After a short
trial, they were convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud
on December 16, 1988. LaRouche, who was also convicted of tax evasion, was
sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment; he entered prison in 1989 and was
paroled five years later. In separate state trials in Virginia and New York,
13 associates received terms ranging from one month to 77 years. The
Virginia state trials were described as the highest-profile cases that the
state Attorney General's office had ever prosecuted. Fourteen states issued
injunctions against LaRouche-related organizations, three of which were
forced into bankruptcy after failing to pay contempt of court fines.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRouche_criminal_trials
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1653:
The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell)
1689:
The Parliament of England adopted the Bill of Rights, declaring that
Englishmen possessed certain positive civil and political rights.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_Rights_1689)
1850:
The Canterbury Pilgrims aboard Randolph and Charlotte-Jane arrived to settle
Christchurch, New Zealand.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch)
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)
1971:
Pakistani forces in East Pakistan surrendered, ending the Indo-Pakistani War
and the Bangladesh Liberation War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flag_Debate)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lambent (adj) 1. Brushing or flickering gently over a surface.
2. Glowing or luminous, but lacking heat.
3. Clever or talented without effort.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lambent)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Perhaps it is better to be un-sane and happy, than sane and un-happy. But it
is the best of all to be sane and happy. Whether our descendants can achieve
that goal will be the greatest challenge of the future. Indeed, it may well
decide whether we have any future.
--Arthur C. Clarke
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke)
Getting It: The psychology of est is a non-fiction book by psychologist
Sheridan Fenwick, first published in 1976, analyzing Werner Erhard's Erhard
Seminars Training or est. It is based on Fenwick's own experience of
attending a four-day session of the est training, an intensive 60-hour
personal development course in the self-help genre. Large groups of up to
250 people took the est training at one time. In the first section of
Fenwick's book, she recounts the est training process and the methods used
during the course. Fenwick details the rules or "agreements" laid out by the
trainers to the attendees, which include not talking to others or leaving
the session to go to the bathroom unless during an announced break period.
The second section is analytic: Fenwick analyzes the methods used by the est
trainers, evaluates the course's potential effects, and discusses Erhard's
background. Fenwick concludes that the program's long-term effects are
unknown, and that the est training could harm certain groups of people.
Writing in Library Journal, psychiatrist James Charney describes the book as
"the only useful critical look" at the training. Zane Berzins of The New
York Times Book Review characterizes the book as a "calm and professionally
informed view".
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_It:_The_psychology_of_est
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1467:
Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of Matthias
Corvinus of Hungary in Baia, present-day Romania.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baia)
1791:
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively
known as the United States Bill of Rights, were ratified.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights)
1868:
Tokugawa Shogunate forces led by Enomoto Takeaki founded the Republic of Ezo
in Hokkaidō, Japan's second largest island.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ezo)
1942:
World War II: The Americans engaged Imperial Japanese forces at the Battle
of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse in the hills near
the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mount_Austen,_the_Galloping_Horse,_a…
)
1964:
The six-month long Canadian Great Flag Debate ended when the Canadian House
of Commons voted to replace the de facto national flag of Canada, the
Canadian Red Ensign, with an official one, the current Maple Leaf Flag.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flag_Debate)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lucubrate (v) 1. To work diligently by artificial light, to study at
night.
2. To work or write like a scholar.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lucubrate)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not the right angle that attracts me,
Nor the hard, inflexible straight line, man-made.
What attracts me are free and sensual curves.
The curves in my country's mountains,
In the sinuous flow of its rivers,
In the beloved woman's body.
--Oscar Niemeyer
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Oscar_Niemeyer)
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales,
Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions due
to the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply
of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to
develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of
Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by
the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales
in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the
west. Home to Aboriginal groups for over 40,000 years, the Riverina was
originally settled by Europeans in the mid-19th century as a pastoral region
providing beef and wool to markets in Australia and beyond. In the 20th
century, the development of major irrigation areas in the Murray and
Murrumbidgee valleys has led to the introduction of crops such as rice and
wine grapes. Major population and service centres in the Riverina include
the cities of Wagga Wagga, Albury and Griffith. Albury and Wagga Wagga are
home to campuses of Charles Sturt University, the only local provider of
higher education for the region.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverina
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
Glasgow Subway, the third oldest below-ground metro system in the world
after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro, began operations in
Glasgow, Scotland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway)
1911:
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first people to
reach the South Pole.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Amundsen)
1918:
The German Empire's defeat in World War I, and the stated fact that none of
the Allies would ever accept a German-born prince as the King of Finland,
led Frederick Charles to renounce the throne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Frederick_Charles_of_Hesse)
1962:
NASA's Mariner 2 became the world's first spacecraft to successfully fly by
Venus.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_2)
1995:
The Dayton Agreement was signed in Paris, France to end the Bosnian War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Agreement)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coda (n)
1. (*music*) A passage which brings a movement or piece to a conclusion
through prolongation.
2. (*linguistics*) The optional final part of a syllable, placed after
its nucleus, and usually composed of one or more consonants.
3. The conclusion of a statement.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coda)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I had determined to go as far as declaring in abstruse and puzzling
utterances the future causes of the "common advent", even those truly cogent
ones that I have foreseen. Yet lest whatever human changes may be to come
should scandalise delicate ears, the whole thing is written in nebulous
form, rather than as a clear prophecy of any kind.
--Nostradamus
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nostradamus)
Albert Speer (1905 – 1981) was a German architect who was, for part of World
War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Hitler
commissioned Speer to design and construct a number of structures, including
the Reich Chancellery and the Zeppelinfeld stadium in Nuremberg where Party
rallies were held. Speer also made plans to reconstruct Berlin on a grand
scale, with huge buildings, wide boulevards, and a reorganized
transportation system. As Hitler's Minister of Armaments and War Production,
Speer's reforms were so successful that Germany's war production continued
to increase despite massive and devastating Allied bombing. As "the Nazi who
said sorry", he accepted responsibility at the Nuremberg trials. After the
war, he was tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to twenty years in prison for
his role in the Nazi regime, principally for the use of forced labor. He
served most of his sentence at Spandau Prison in West Berlin. Following his
release from Spandau in 1966, Speer published two bestselling
autobiographical works, Inside the Third Reich and Spandau: The Secret
Diaries, detailing his often close personal relationship with Hitler, and
providing readers and historians with a unique perspective inside the
workings of the Nazi regime.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Speer
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1545:
Counter-Reformation: The Council of Trent, an ecumenical council convoked by
Pope Paul III in response to the growth of Protestantism, opened in Trento,
Italy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent)
1642:
Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European explorer to reach New
Zealand.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand)
1769:
Dartmouth College in present-day Hanover, New Hampshire, USA was established
by a Royal Charter from British King George III and became the last
university founded in the Thirteen Colonies before the American Revolution.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College)
1862:
American Civil War: Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside suffered
severe casualties against entrenched Confederate defenders at the Battle of
Fredericksburg in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fredericksburg)
1981:
Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in Poland, suspended
Solidarity and imprisoned many union leaders.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojciech_Jaruzelski)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bibulously (adv) Drunkenly; as if intoxicated.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bibulously)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Where they burn books, they will also burn people.
--Heinrich Heine
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heinrich_Heine)
The Mana series is a console role-playing game series from Square Enix,
created by Koichi Ishii. The series began as a handheld side story to
Square's flagship franchise Final Fantasy, although most Final
Fantasy-inspired elements were subsequently dropped, starting with the
second installment, Secret of Mana. It has since grown to include games of
various genres within the fictional world of Mana, with recurring stories
involving a world tree, its associated holy sword, and the fight against
forces that would steal their power. Several character designs, creatures,
and musical themes reappear frequently. In 2003, the series comprised five
games; since 2006, it has experienced a revival through the World of Mana
campaign, with five new games released in the span of one year. As of 2008,
the Mana series comprises eight console games and two mobile games, in
addition to four manga and one novelization. The Mana series reception has
been very uneven, with Secret of Mana earning wide acclaim, such as being
rated 78th in IGN's yearly "Top 100 Games of All Time", and being highly
praised for its musical score, while the games from the World of Mana series
have been rated considerably lower.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana_(series)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana_%28series%29>
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1531:
The Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin saw a
vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary outside of modern-day Mexico City.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe)
1897:
Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, was inaugurated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belo_Horizonte)
1901:
Guglielmo Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic radio signal, from
Poldhu Wireless Station in Cornwall, England to Signal Hill in St. John's,
Newfoundland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi)
1915:
President Yuan Shikai of the Republic of China reinstated the monarchy and
declared himself Emperor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_Shikai)
1964:
Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomo_Kenyatta)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dot the i's and cross the t's (v) (idiomatic) To take care of every detail,
even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dot_the_i%27s_and_cross_the_t%27s)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not
cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as
justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write,
with moderation. ... I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not
excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.
--William Lloyd Garrison
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Lloyd_Garrison)
The 2008 Men's Olympics road race took place on August 9 at the Urban Road
Cycling Course. It started at 11:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8), and was
scheduled to last until 17:30 later that day. The 245.4-kilometre (152.5 mi)
course ran north across the heart of the Beijing metropolitan area, passing
such landmarks as the Temple of Heaven, the Great Hall of the People,
Tiananmen Square and the Beijing National Stadium. After rolling over
relatively flat terrain for 78.8 km (49.0 mi) north of the Beijing city
center, the route entered a decisive circuit encompassing seven loops on a
23.8 km (14.8 mi) section up and down the Badaling Pass, including ramps as
steep as a 10 percent gradient. The race was won by Spanish rider Samuel
Sánchez in 6 hours, 23 minutes, 49 seconds, after a six-man breakaway group
contested a sprint finish. The hot and humid conditions were in sharp
contrast to the heavy rain weathered in the women's road race the following
day. The event was one of the earliest to be concluded at the 2008 Summer
Olympics, taking place on the first day of competition. Concerns were raised
before the Olympics about the threat of pollution in endurance sports, but
no major problems were apparent in the race.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_…
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1282:
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last independent Prince of Wales to rule in Wales,
was killed in an ambush.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llywelyn_the_Last)
1602:
Geneva successfully repelled a late night attack by the combined forces of
Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy and King Philip III of Spain, an event
commemorated annually during the Fête de l'Escalade.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Escalade)
1931:
The British Parliament enacted the Statute of Westminster, giving the option
of complete legislative independence to the Irish Free State, Newfoundland,
Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Westminster_1931)
1946:
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was established to provide
emergency food and health care to children in countries that had been
devastated by World War II.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Children%27s_Fund)
1994:
First Chechen War: Russian forces entered into the breakaway Russian
republic of Chechnya to control the secessionist movement.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Chechen_War)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
verbatim (adv) Word for word; in exactly the same words as were used
originally.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verbatim)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let us not forget that violence does not live alone and is not capable of
living alone: it is necessarily interwoven with falsehood. Between them lies
the most intimate, the deepest of natural bonds. Violence finds its only
refuge in falsehood, falsehood its only support in violence. Any man who has
once acclaimed violence as his METHOD must inexorably choose falsehood as
his PRINCIPLE.
--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn)
Olivier Messiaen (1908 – 1992) was a French composer, organist, and
ornithologist. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11 and
numbered Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré
among his teachers. He was appointed organist at the church of La Trinité in
Paris in 1931, a post he held until his death. On the fall of France in 1940
Messiaen was made a prisoner of war, and while incarcerated he composed his
Quatuor pour la fin du temps ("Quartet for the end of time") for the four
available instruments, piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. The piece was
first performed by Messiaen and fellow prisoners to an audience of inmates
and prison guards. Messiaen was appointed professor of harmony soon after
his release in 1941, and professor of composition in 1966 at the Paris
Conservatoire, positions he held until his retirement in 1978. Messiaen's
music is rhythmically complex (he was interested in rhythms from ancient
Greek and from Hindu sources), and is harmonically and melodically based on
modes of limited transposition, which were Messiaen's own innovation. Many
of his compositions depict what he termed "the marvellous aspects of the
faith", drawing on his unshakeable Roman Catholicism. Messiaen found
birdsong fascinating; he believed birds to be the greatest musicians and
considered himself as much an ornithologist as a composer. He notated
birdsongs worldwide, and he incorporated birdsong transcriptions into a
majority of his music.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Messiaen
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1508:
The Papal States, France, Aragon and the Holy Roman Empire formed the League
of Cambrai, an alliance against the Republic of Venice.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_League_of_Cambrai)
1868:
The first traffic lights were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in
London, resembling railway signals with semaphore arms and red and green gas
lamps for night use.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light)
1901:
The first Nobel Prizes were awarded, on the anniversary of the 1896 death of
their founder, Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize)
1936:
Edward VIII signed his instrument of abdication, becoming the only British
monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_abdication_crisis)
1948:
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
froward (adj) Disobedient, unmanageable, with an evil disposition.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/froward)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of
the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you
say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
--Desmond Tutu
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami is a particular church of the Roman
Catholic Church in the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes
Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in Florida. The archdiocese is the
metropolitan see for the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Florida. The
current archbishop is John Favalora. As archbishop, Favalora also serves as
pastor of the Cathedral of Saint Mary, the mother church of the archdiocese.
Also serving are 428 priests, 160 Permanent Deacons, 50 Religious Brothers
and 300 Religious Sisters who are members of various Roman Catholic
religious orders. These priests, deacons and religious serve a Catholic
population in South Florida of 1,300,000 in 118 parishes and missions.
Because of the vast number of immigrants, Catholic Mass is offered in at
least a dozen languages in parishes throughout the archdiocese. The diocese
runs educational institutions, radio, print, and television media outlets,
social service organizations, and several charities. Catholic Charities of
the Archdiocese of Miami, is a separate non-profit organization operated by
the archdiocese. It claims to be the largest non-governmental provider of
social services to the needy in South Florida.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Miami
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1425:
Pope Martin V issued a papal bull establishing the Catholic University of
Leuven, the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_University_of_Leuven)
1856:
Anglo-Persian War: Bushehr, a city on the southwestern coast of the Persian
Gulf in present-day Iran, surrendered to occupying British forces.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr)
1905:
Legislation establishing state secularism in France was passed by the
Chamber of Deputies of France, triggering civil disobedience by French
Catholics.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_French_law_on_the_Separation_of_the_Churc…
)
1968:
The NLS, a computer collaboration system that was the first to employ the
practical use of hypertext, the computer mouse, and other modern computing
concepts, was publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLS_(computer_system)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLS_%28computer_system%29>
)
1990:
Lech Wałęsa became the first President of Poland to be elected in a direct
presidential election after the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Wa%C5%82%C4%99sa)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Torschlusspanik (n) The fear that time is running out to act, specifically
in regards to a border closing.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Torschlusspanik)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man is appealed to to be guided in his acts, not merely by love, which is
always personal, or at the best tribal, but by the perception of his oneness
with each human being. In the practice of mutual aid, which we can retrace
to the earliest beginnings of evolution, we thus find the positive and
undoubted origin of our ethical conceptions; and we can affirm that in the
ethical progress of man, mutual support — not mutual struggle — has had the
leading part.
--Peter Kropotkin
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin)