The California Condor is a species of North American bird in the New
World vulture family Cathartidae. Currently, this condor inhabits only
the western coastal mountains of the United States, Baja California,
and the Grand Canyon. It is the only surviving member of the genus
Gymnogyps, though fossil members are known. It is a large, black
vulture with patches of white on the underside of the wings and a
largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to a glowing
red, depending on the bird’s mood. It has the largest wingspan of any
bird found in North America and is one of the heaviest. The condor is
a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. They are one of the
world's longest-living birds, with lifespans of up to 50 years. Condor
numbers dramatically declined in the 1800s due to poaching, lead
poisoning, and habitat destruction. Eventually, a conservation plan
was put in place by the United States government that led to the
capture of all the remaining wild condors in 1987. These 22 birds were
bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors
have been reintroduced into the wild. The project is the most
expensive species conservation project ever undertaken in the United
States. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird
species. As of November 2007 there are 302 individuals living,
including 155 in the wild.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Condor
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1639:
English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first observation of a
transit of Venus (2004 picture shown).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/transit_of_Venus)
1676:
Scanian War: Forces led by Swedish Field Marshal Simon
Grundel-Helmfelt defeated the invading army of Denmark–Norway under
the command of King Christian V at the Battle of Lund in an area north
of Lund, Sweden.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lund)
1791:
The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, was first
published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Observer)
1991:
Pan American World Airways, which was the principal international
airline of the United States and which was credited with many
innovations, ended operations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_World_Airways)
1992:
Operation Restore Hope: U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered
American troops into Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and
restore order after the dissolution of the country's central
government during the ongoing Somali Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Civil_War)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
grimalkin: A cat, especially an elderly female.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grimalkin)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
You don't get very far in life without having to be brave an awful
lot. Because we all have our frightening moments and difficult trials
and we don't have much of a choice but to get through 'em, and it
takes a lot of bravery to do that. The most important thing about
bravery is this — It's not about not being scared — it's about being
scared and doing it anyway — that's bravery. -- Ysabella Brave
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ysabella_Brave)
Branded to Kill is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun
Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko
Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu
Company. The story follows Goro Hanada in his life as a contract
killer. He falls in love with a woman named Misako, who recruits him
for a seemingly impossible mission. When the mission fails he becomes
hunted by the phantom Number One Killer, whose methods threaten his
sanity as much as his life. After its release Suzuki was famously
fired for making "movies that make no sense and no money". Suzuki was
blacklisted and did not make another feature for 10 years but became a
counterculture hero. The film drew a strong following which expanded
overseas through the 1980s and 1990s and has established itself as a
cult classic. Film critics and enthusiasts now regard it as an
absurdist masterpiece. It has been cited as an influence by filmmakers
such as Jim Jarmusch, John Woo, Chan-wook Park and Quentin Tarantino.
Thirty-four years after Branded to Kill, Suzuki filmed Pistol Opera
(2001) with Nikkatsu, a loose sequel to the former.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branded_to_Kill
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
At least 22 people were killed and 35 others were injured when
rebelling miners at the Eureka Stockade clashed violently with the
police and the military in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Stockade)
1904:
The Jovian moon Himalia was discovered by astronomer Charles Dillon
Perrine at the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California, USA.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_%28moon%29)
1967:
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, cardiac
surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart
transplant on Louis Washkansky.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard)
1971:
The formal initiation of hostilities of the Indo-Pakistani War began
with Pakistan launching airstrikes on Indian airfields, and India
retaliating by invading East Pakistan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chengiz_Khan)
1999:
NASA lost contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before it
reached the atmosphere of Mars and disappeared.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Polar_Lander)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
effectually: In such a way as to achieve a desired result;
effectively.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effectually)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
All creative art is magic, is evocation of the unseen in forms
persuasive, enlightening, familiar and surprising, for the edification
of mankind, pinned down by the conditions of its existence to the
earnest consideration of the most insignificant tides of reality. --
Joseph Conrad
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad)
Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university, located
in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood. Father John Carroll
founded the school in 1789, though its roots extend back to 1634.
Georgetown's three urban campuses feature traditional collegiate
architecture and layout, but prize their green spaces and
environmental commitment. The main campus is known for Healy Hall,
designated a National Historic Landmark. Academically, Georgetown is
divided into four undergraduate schools and four graduate schools,
with nationally recognized programs and faculty in international
relations, law, medicine, and business. The student body is noted for
its pluralism and political activism, as well as its sizable
international contingent. Campus groups include the nation's oldest
student dramatic society and the largest student corporation, The
Corp. Georgetown's most notable alumni, such as former U.S. President
Bill Clinton, served in various levels of government in the United
States and abroad. The Georgetown athletics teams are nicknamed "the
Hoyas," made famous by their men's basketball team, which leads the
Big East Conference with seven tournament championships.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
Napoleonic Wars: French forces led by Emperor Napoleon I decisively
defeated a Russo-Austrian army commanded by Czar Alexander I in the
Battle of Austerlitz.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz)
1823:
U.S. President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, a
proclamation of opposition to European colonialism in the New World.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine)
1942:
The Manhattan Project: Scientists led by Enrico Fermi initiated the
first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the experimental
nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project)
1956:
Cuban Revolution: The yacht Granma, carrying Fidel Castro, Che
Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement, reached the
shores of Cuba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granma_%28yacht%29)
1975:
The Pathet Lao overthrew the royalist government in Vientiane,
forcing King Savang Vatthana to abdicate, and established the Lao
People's Democratic Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
carry the message to Garcia: To perform a requisite task despite
obstacles.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carry_the_message_to_Garcia)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Ultimately, leadership requires action: daring to take
steps that are necessary but unpopular, challenging the status quo in
order to reach a brighter future. And to push for peace is ultimately
personal sacrifice, for leadership is not easy. It is born of a
passion, and it is a commitment. Leadership is a commitment to an
idea, to a dream, and to a vision of what can be. And my dream is for
my land and my people to cease fighting and allow our children to
reach their full potential regardless of sex, status, or belief. --
Benazir Bhutto
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto)
Hoysala architecture is the distinctive building style developed under
the rule of the Hoysala Empire in the region known today as Karnataka,
India, between the 11th and the 14th centuries. Hoysala influence was
at its peak in the 13th century, when it dominated the Southern Deccan
Plateau region. Large and small temples built during this era remain
as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the
Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and
the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. Other examples of fine Hoysala
craftmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amrithapura, Hosaholalu and
Nuggehalli. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a
negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian
style is more distinct. The vigorous temple building activity of the
Hoysala Empire was due to the social, cultural and political events of
the period.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_architecture
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1640:
John IV was declared King of Portugal, resulting in the Portuguese
Restoration War with Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal)
1824:
As dictated by the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the
House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams as the winner of
the U.S. presidential election after none of the candidates received a
majority of the total electoral college votes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1824)
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)
1959:
Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, the first arms control
agreement established during the Cold War, banning military activity
in Antarctica and setting the continent aside as a scientific
preserve.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System)
1990:
Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France met
{{convert|40|m|ft|0}} beneath the English Channel seabed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
nimbus: A circle of light; halo.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nimbus)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
December will be magic again. Don't miss the brightest star. Kiss
under mistletoe. I want to hear you laugh. Don't let the mystery go
now. -- Kate Bush
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)
Jogaila was a Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. He ruled in
Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle, Kęstutis. In 1386, he
converted to Christianity, was baptized as Władysław, married the
eleven-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland, and was crowned Polish king
as Władysław Jagiełło. His reign in Poland lasted a further
forty-eight years and laid the foundation for the centuries long
Polish-Lithuanian union. He gave his name to the Jagiellon branch of
the Gediminids dynasty which ruled both states until 1572, and became
one of the most influential dynasties in medieval Europe. Jogaila was
the last pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania. He held the title Didysis
Kunigaikštis. As King of Poland, he pursued a policy of close
alliances with Lithuania against the Teutonic Order. The allied
victory at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, followed by the First Peace
of Toruń, secured the Polish and Lithuanian borders and marked the
emergence of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance as a major European force.
The reign of Władysław II Jagiełło extended Polish frontiers and is
often considered the beginning of Poland's "Golden Age".
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogaila
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1786:
Peter Leopold Joseph, Grand Duke of Tuscany, promulgated a penal
reform that made his country the first sovereign state to abolish the
death penalty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
1853:
Russian battleships led by Pavel Nakhimov destroyed an Ottoman fleet
of frigates at the Battle of Sinop in Sinop, Turkey, precipitating the
Crimean War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War)
1936:
The Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in
London, was destroyed by fire.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Palace)
1939:
The Winter War broke out as the Soviet Red Army invaded Finland and
quickly advanced to the Mannerheim Line, an action judged as illegal
by the League of Nations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War)
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:
insinuate: Make a way for or introduce something by subtle, crafty or
artful means.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/insinuate)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The truth is, when all is said and done, one does not teach a subject,
one teaches a student how to learn it. -- Jacques Barzun
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacques_Barzun)
A Vindication of the Rights of Men is a 1790 political pamphlet,
written by the eighteenth-century British feminist Mary
Wollstonecraft, which attacks aristocracy and advocates republicanism.
Wollstonecraft's was the first response in a pamphlet war sparked by
the publication of Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in
France, a defence of constitutional monarchy, aristocracy, and the
Church of England. Wollstonecraft not only attacked hereditary
privilege but also the rhetoric that Burke used to defend it. Most of
Burke's detractors deplored what they viewed as his theatrical pity
for Marie Antoinette but Wollstonecraft was unique in her attack on
Burke's gendered language. By redefining the sublime and the
beautiful, terms first established by Burke himself in A Philosophical
Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful
(1756), she undermined his rhetoric as well as his argument.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Vindication_of_the_Rights_of_Men
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
The Eureka Flag was flown for the first time during the Eureka
Stockade rebellion in Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Flag)
1877:
Thomas Edison demonstrated the phonograph, his invention for
recording and replaying sound, for the first time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/phonograph)
1890:
The Diet of Japan, Japan's bicameral legislature modelled after both
the German Reichstag and the British Westminster system, first met
after the Meiji Constitution went into effect.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Japan)
1929:
American explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd and three others completed the
first flight over the South Pole.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evelyn_Byrd)
1947:
The United Nations General Assembly voted to approve the Partition
Plan for Palestine, a plan to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in the
British Mandate of Palestine by separating the territory into Jewish
and Arab states.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_181)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
precipitate: To make something happen suddenly and quickly; hasten.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/precipitate)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
All that is not eternal is eternally out of date. -- C. S. Lewis
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis)
The Red Barn Murder was a notorious murder committed in Suffolk,
England in 1827. A young woman, Maria Marten, was shot dead by her
lover, William Corder, the son of the local squire. The two had
arranged to meet at the Red Barn, a local landmark, before eloping to
Ipswich in order to be married. Maria was never heard from again.
Corder fled the scene and although he sent Marten's family letters
claiming she was in good health, her body was later discovered buried
in the barn after her stepmother claimed to have dreamt about the
murder. Corder was tracked down in London, where he had married and
started a new life. He was brought back to Suffolk, and, after a
well-publicised trial, found guilty of murder. He was hanged in Bury
St. Edmunds in 1828; the execution was watched by a huge crowd. The
story provoked numerous articles in the newspapers, and songs and
plays. The village where the crime had taken place became a tourist
attraction and the barn was stripped by souvenir hunters. The plays
and ballads remained popular throughout the next century and continue
to be performed today.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_Murder
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
John Milton published Areopagitica, arguing for the right to free
speech and against publication censorship during the English Civil
War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagitica)
1867:
The Manchester Martyrs were hanged in Manchester, England for their
rescue of two Irish nationalists, who played important roles in the
failed Fenian Rising, from jail.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Martyrs)
1963:
The BBC television series Doctor Who premiered with William Hartnell
in the titular role.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who)
1971:
The People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on
the United Nations Security Council.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations)
1985:
Omar Rezaq and two others from the Abu Nidal terrorist group
hijacked EgyptAir Flight 648 over the Mediterranean Sea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Nidal)
2003:
Rose Revolution: Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as President of
Georgia following weeks of mass protests over disputed election
results.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Shevardnadze)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
kismet: Fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kismet)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to
miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today. I can't control
my destiny. I trust my soul. My only goal is just to be. There's only
now, there's only here. Give in to love, or live in fear. No other
path, no other way. No day but today. -- Jonathan Larson in "Another
Day" from Rent
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Larson)
Francium is a chemical element that has the symbol Fr and atomic
number 87. It has the lowest known electronegativity and is the second
rarest naturally occurring element on Earth (after astatine)<!-- Cf
and others occur naturally in supernovae; Universe-wide abundance is
difficult to ascertain -->. Francium is a highly radioactive metal
that decays into astatine, radium, and radon. As an alkali metal, it
has one valence electron. Marguerite Perey discovered francium in
1939. Francium was the last element discovered in nature, rather than
synthesized. Outside the laboratory, francium is extremely rare, with
trace amounts found in uranium and thorium ores, where the isotope
francium-223 is continually formed and continually decays. Perhaps an
ounce (30 g) exists at any given time throughout the Earth's crust;
the other isotopes are entirely synthetic. The largest amount ever
collected of any isotope was a cluster of 10,000 atoms (of
francium-210) created as an ultracold gas at Stony Brook in 1996.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francium
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1869:
The Cutty Sark, one of the last sailing clippers ever to be built,
was launched at Dumbarton in Scotland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark)
1967:
The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution
242 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt,
Jordan, and Syria.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_242)
1975:
Two days after the death of Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was
declared King of Spain according to the law of succession promulgated
by Franco.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_I_of_Spain)
2005:
Angela Merkel assumed office as the first female Chancellor of
Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
extraneous: Not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing; not
essential or intrinsic; foreign.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nickel_and_dime)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
This is life to come, — Which martyred men have made more glorious For
us who strive to follow. May I reach That purest heaven, — be to other
souls The cup of strength in some great agony, Enkindle generous
ardor, feed pure love, Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, Be the
sweet presence of a good diffused, And in diffusion ever more intense!
So shall I join the choir invisible Whose music is the gladness of the
world. -- George Eliot
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Eliot)
World Trade Center is a building in New York City located across
from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The name 7 World
Trade Center has referred to two buildings: the original structure,
developed in 1984, and the current structure. The original building
was destroyed in the September 11 attacks and replaced with the new
7 World Trade Center, which opened in 2006. Both buildings were
developed by Larry Silverstein who holds a ground lease for the site
from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The original
7 World Trade Center was 47 stories tall, clad in red exterior
masonry, and occupied a trapezoid-shaped footprint. On September 11,
2001, the building was heavily damaged by debris when the adjacent
twin towers collapsed. Its structural integrity was further
compromised by fires which burned throughout the afternoon. The
original 7 World Trade Center collapsed at 5:20 p.m. on September 11
due to the combined effect of structural and fire damage. The new
7 World Trade Center construction began in 2002 and was completed in
2006. It is 52 stories tall and situated above a power substation. It
was built on a smaller footprint than the original to allow Greenwich
Street to be restored from TriBeCa through the World Trade Center site
and south to Battery Park.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_World_Trade_Center
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1272:
Edward I (statue pictured) became King of England, succeeding his
father Henry III who died five days earlier.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England)
1783:
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes made
the first successful untethered flight by humans in a hot air balloon,
which was constructed by the Montgolfier brothers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hot_air_balloon)
1920:
Irish War of Independence: On Bloody Sunday in Dublin, the Irish
Republican Army killed more than a dozen British intelligence officers
known as the Cairo Gang, and the Auxiliaries of the Royal Irish
Constabulary opened fire on players and spectators at a Gaelic
football match in Croke Park.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281920%29)
1962:
The Sino-Indian War ended after the Chinese People's Liberation Army
declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew to the prewar Line of
Actual Control, returning all the territory they had captured during
the conflict.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_War)
1977:
God Defend New Zealand became New Zealand's second national anthem,
on equal standing with God Save the Queen, which had been the
traditional one since 1840.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Defend_New_Zealand)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
nickel and dime: (US) To quibble over trifling amounts of money.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nickel_and_dime)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
It requires twenty years for a man to rise from the vegetable state in
which he is within his mother's womb, and from the pure animal state
which is the lot of his early childhood, to the state when the
maturity of reason begins to appear. It has required thirty centuries
to learn a little about his structure. It would need eternity to learn
something about his soul. It takes an instant to kill him. -- Voltaire
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire)