Hurricane Sergio was a powerful and long-lived tropical cyclone that hit
the Baja California Peninsula as a tropical storm and caused flooding
throughout southern Texas in early October 2018. Sergio became the
eighth Category 4 hurricane in the East Pacific for 2018, breaking the
record of seven set in the 2015 season. The twentieth named storm,
eleventh hurricane, and ninth major hurricane of the season, Sergio
organized into a tropical storm on September 29 and became a hurricane
on October 2. It peaked as a Category 4 hurricane on October 4, with
reported maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). It maintained
peak intensity for 12 hours before weakening. The system then began
another period of intensification, achieving a secondary peak with
reported winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) on October 6. It made landfall
in western Baja California Sur on October 12, caused over US$2 million
in damage, and triggered over a thousand school closures. (This article
is part of a featured topic: 2018 Pacific hurricane season.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/2018_Pacific_hurric…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1835:
Mexican dragoons dispatched to disarm settlers at Gonzales in
Mexican Texas encountered stiff resistance from a Texian militia at the
Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gonzales>
1879:
Qing China signed the Treaty of Livadia with the Russian
Empire, but the terms were so unfavorable that the Chinese government
refused to ratify the treaty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Livadia>
1942:
Second World War: HMS Curacoa was accidentally rammed and sunk
by RMS Queen Mary while escorting the liner to provide protection from
submarine attacks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curacoa_%28D41%29>
1971:
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was re-elected unopposed as President of
South Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_Thi%E1%BB%87u>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Gandhigiri:
(India) The practice of Gandhism (“the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi,
encompassing tenets such as non-violent activism”), often expressed
through unorthodox forms of activism such as depositing flowers or
planting trees.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gandhigiri>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and the simple,
however cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt.
--Graham Greene
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Graham_Greene>
Momčilo Đujić (1907–1999) was a Serbian Orthodox priest and warlord
who led a force of Chetniks within the Independent State of Croatia, a
fascist and Axis puppet state in Yugoslavia during World War II.
Đujić was ordained as a priest in 1933 and was active in promoting
workers' rights. After Axis forces invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, he
led a group of Chetniks in defending local Serbs from the ruling
Ustaše. He then collaborated with the Italians, subverting Communist-
led Partisan units, and attacking them alongside the Italians. He formed
the Chetnik Dinara Division in early 1942. On 1 October 1942, Chetniks
under Đujić's command massacred nearly 100 Croats in the village of
Gata. After the war Đujić was tried and convicted in absentia of
multiple war crimes by the new Yugoslav communist government, and was
accused of being responsible for 1,500 deaths. He emigrated to the
United States, where he died aged 92.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mom%C4%8Dilo_%C4%90uji%C4%87>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
The first political gathering of colonists (president pictured)
in Mexican Texas convened to seek reforms from the Mexican government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_1832>
1994:
A tribunal was established to consider matters relating to the
constitution of Singapore upon referral by the president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Singapore_Tri…>
2018:
The International Court of Justice ruled that Chile was under
no obligation to restore Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean, which it
had lost in the 19th century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obligation_to_Negotiate_Access_to_the_Pacific…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
come the old soldier:
(intransitive, idiomatic, informal) Often followed by with: to deceive,
impose upon, or take advantage of someone, as if exploiting one's
superior age or experience.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/come_the_old_soldier>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ukraine will continue to defend itself and will win in this war
waged against us. Because we are on our land. The truth is on our side.
And the whole civilized world is with us. We are fighting for what is
true for any people on the planet — for life and freedom, for the
right to happiness for all our families, for all our children. Russia
was left alone. It is already isolated and will be condemned for this
war.
--Volodymyr Zelenskyy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy>
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, near
Newtonia, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Confederate colonel
Douglas H. Cooper's soldiers clashed with Union brigadier general
Frederick C. Salomon's column. Cooper's force consisted mostly of
cavalry including a brigade of Native Americans. Union colonel Edward
Lynde's force was driven out of Newtonia during the morning. Both sides
brought up reinforcements, and seesaw fighting took place during the
afternoon. Shortly before nightfall, the Confederates made an all-out
attack, causing Salomon to withdraw. Union militia covered the retreat,
although Confederate artillery fire turned it into a disorderly rout.
Union casualties were approximately 245, against Confederate losses of
78. Union brigadier general James G. Blunt's whole division advanced
towards Newtonia in early October, and Cooper abandoned Missouri. A
portion of the battlefield was listed in 2004 as the First Battle of
Newtonia Historic District.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Newtonia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1551:
Sue Takafusa, a retainer of the Ōuchi clan in western Japan,
led a coup against the daimyō Ōuchi Yoshitaka, leading to the latter's
forced suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tainei-ji_incident>
1863:
Georges Bizet's opera Les pêcheurs de perles premiered at the
Théâtre Lyrique in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_p%C3%AAcheurs_de_perles>
1939:
Second World War: General Władysław Sikorski became the first
prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski>
1965:
Members of the 30 September Movement attempted a coup against
the Indonesian government that was crushed by the military under
Suharto, leading to a mass anti-communist purge with more than 500,000
people killed over the following months.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_mass_killings_of_1965%E2%80%9366>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
matitudinal:
Synonym of matutinal (“of, occurring in, or relating to the morning,
especially the early morning upon waking up”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/matitudinal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any human being is a sanctuary. Every human being is a dwelling
of God — man or woman or child, Christian or Jewish or Buddhist. Any
person, by virtue of being a son or daughter of humanity, is a living
sanctuary whom nobody has the right to invade.
--Elie Wiesel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel>
Super Mario 64 is a 1996 platform game for the Nintendo 64. Developed
by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by
Nintendo, it is the first Super Mario game to feature 3D gameplay,
combining traditional Super Mario gameplay, visual style, and characters
in a large open world. Bowser, one of the main antagonists of the
franchise, invades Princess Peach's castle and hides the castle's
sources of protection, Power Stars, in many different worlds behind
magical paintings. Super Mario 64 was highly anticipated by video game
journalists and audiences and appeared in many critics' lists of the
best video games. Reviewers praised its ambition, visuals, and gameplay
while some criticized its virtual camera system. It is the best-selling
Nintendo 64 game, with nearly twelve million copies sold by 2015. The
game has attracted a cult following, spawning many fangames, a large
speedrunning presence, and enduring rumors surrounding game features.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_64>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1955:
The first Indonesian legislative election resulted in an
unexpectedly poor result for the Masyumi Party of incumbent prime
minister Burhanuddin Harahap (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burhanuddin_Harahap>
1991:
The award-winning Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast
premiered while unfinished at the New York Film Festival.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_%281991_film%29>
2004:
Archaeologists and volunteers began excavation of the remains
of Fort Tanjong Katong in Singapore.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Tanjong_Katong>
2006:
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 collided in mid-air with
an Embraer Legacy business jet near Peixoto de Azevedo, Brazil, killing
154 people and triggering a national aviation crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gol_Transportes_A%C3%A9reos_Flight_1907>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
circulatory system:
1. (physiology) The parts of an animal body comprising the heart, blood
vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries), and blood, which circulate
the blood around the body. [from mid 19th c.]
2. (technology) The parts of a machine responsible for the circulation
of some fluid.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/circulatory_system>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Killing time is perhaps the essence of comedy, just as the
essence of tragedy is killing eternity.
--Miguel de Unamuno
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Unamuno>
The Truce of Calais was agreed by King Edward III of England and King
Philip VI of France (depicted) on 28 September 1347. After ten years of
war both countries were financially and militarily exhausted and Pope
Clement VI brokered a truce, to run until 7 July 1348. The Black Death
caused the truce to be renewed in 1348, 1349 and 1350. The truce
effectively restricted fighting, but did not stop repeated naval clashes
nor much fighting on a smaller scale. In 1351 the truce was renewed for
one year but in January 1352 full-scale fighting broke out again. On
6 April 1354 a new truce and an outline of a permanent peace treaty
were agreed as the Treaty of Guînes. However, King John II of France
then decided on an ambitious series of offensives for the 1355
campaigning season and repudiated the treaty. Yet another extension to
the Truce of Calais was agreed, until 24 June, when it finally expired.
The war resumed in force in October 1355. (This article is part of a
featured topic: Hundred Years' War, 1345–1347.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Hundred_Years%27_Wa…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1924:
A team of U.S. Army Air Service aviators landed in Seattle,
Washington, to complete the first aerial circumnavigation of the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation>
1963:
Whaam!, now considered one of Roy Lichtenstein's most important
works, debuted at an exhibition held at the Leo Castelli Gallery, New
York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaam!>
2006:
Typhoon Xangsane passed Manila on its way to causing more than
300 deaths, mostly in the Phillippines and Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Xangsane>
2012:
War in Somalia: Somali National Army forces and their AMISOM
and Raskamboni allies launched an offensive against Al-Shabaab in the
latter's last major stronghold of Kismayo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kismayo_%282012%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bibliopoly:
(literary) Bookselling.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bibliopoly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is easier to make war than make peace.
--Georges Clemenceau
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Georges_Clemenceau>
Boroughitis was the creation in the 1890s, usually by referendum, of
many small boroughs in the U.S. state of New Jersey, particularly in
Bergen County (map shown). A previously little-used law that allowed
parts of existing townships to vote by referendum to form independent
boroughs was amended in 1894 to allow boroughs formed from parts of two
or more townships to elect a representative to the county Board of
Chosen Freeholders. This 1894 act, in combination with another to
consolidate school districts, made it easy and attractive for
dissatisfied communities to break away and become boroughs, in order to
gain a seat on the county board or to keep control of the local school.
Forty new boroughs were formed in 1894 and 1895, with the bulk in Bergen
County, where townships were broken up or greatly reduced in size; there
are few of them there today. The state legislature scuttled the right to
elect a freeholder in 1895, and ended the formation of boroughs by
referendum in 1896.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughitis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1851:
The British East India Company inaugurated the Horsburgh
Lighthouse on the rocky outcrop of Pedra Branca, Singapore, which later
became the subject of a territorial dispute.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedra_Branca,_Singapore>
1854:
The paddle steamer SS Arctic sank after a collision with
SS Vesta 50 miles (80 km) off the coast of Newfoundland, killing
approximately 320 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Arctic_disaster>
1988:
Led by pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, the political
party National League for Democracy was founded in Burma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League_for_Democracy>
1996:
The Taliban drove Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani out of
Kabul, tortured and murdered former president Mohammad Najibullah, and
established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Najibullah>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
giddy:
1. Feeling a sense of spinning in the head, causing a perception of
unsteadiness and being about to fall down; dizzy.
2. Causing or likely to cause dizziness or a feeling of unsteadiness.
3. Moving around something or spinning rapidly.
4. (by extension)
5. Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive;
also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.
6. (dated) Used as an intensifier.
7. Joyfully elated; overcome with excitement or happiness.
8. (Britain, dialectal) Feeling great anger; furious, raging.
9. (Britain, dialectal, agriculture, veterinary medicine) Of an animal,
chiefly a sheep: affected by gid (“a disease caused by parasitic
infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”), which may result in the
animal turning around aimlessly.
10. (obsolete, figuratively) Of a thing, especially a ship: unsteady, as
if dizzy.
11. Someone or something that is frivolous or impulsive.
12. (Britain, agriculture, veterinary medicine) Synonym of gid (“a
disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm
larvae”)
13. (transitive) To make (someone or something) dizzy or unsteady; to
dizzy.
14. (intransitive)
15. To become dizzy or unsteady.
16. (obsolete) To move around something or spin rapidly; to reel; to
whirl.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/giddy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We are showing that planetary defense is a global endeavor, and
it is very possible to save our planet.
--Bill Nelson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Nelson>
The 1940 Mandatory Palestine v Lebanon football match took place on
27 April 1940 at the Maccabiah Stadium in Tel Aviv. Officiated by John
Blackwell of the British Army, the game was watched by around 10,000
spectators. It ended in a 5–1 victory for Mandatory Palestine, who
scored in the second minute, doubled their lead nine minutes later with
a penalty kick, and led the match 4–0 at halftime. This was Lebanon's
first official international match, and in the second half, forward
Camille Cordahi scored the team's first goal in official international
play. Werner Kaspi answered with his second goal of the game, and the
match ended 5–1. Six Lebanese players appeared again in an
international match, but of the Mandatory Palestine squad, only Shalom
Shalomzon made another international appearance. Lebanon's squad did not
play again until 1942, in a friendly against Syria, whereas the victors
did not play again until 1949, against Cyprus, and were by then the
Israel national football team.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Mandatory_Palestine_v_Lebanon_football_m…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1928:
The Republic of China adopted Gwoyeu Romatzyh (designer
pictured) as the official system for romanization of Mandarin Chinese.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwoyeu_Romatzyh>
1959:
Japan was struck by Typhoon Vera, the strongest and deadliest
typhoon on record to make landfall on the country, causing damage in
excess of US$261 million and more than 5,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Vera>
2014:
Forty-three students of the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College
in Iguala, Mexico, were kidnapped and probably later killed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguala_mass_kidnapping>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ordoliberal:
1. (economics, politics) A proponent of the theories and ideals of
ordoliberalism (“a political philosophy that emphasizes the desirability
of the government establishing rules to maximize the potential of the
free market to produce results”).
2. (economics, politics) Of or relating to ordoliberalism.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ordoliberal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What the dead had no speech for, when living, They can tell you,
being dead: the communication Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond
the language of the living.
--Four Quartets
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Four_Quartets>
The red warbler (Cardellina rubra) is a small bird of the New World
warbler family, Parulidae. Endemic to the highlands of Mexico north of
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it is closely related to the pink-headed
warbler of southern Mexico and Guatemala. There are three subspecies,
which differ primarily in the shading of their ear patch and in the
brightness and tone of their red body plumage. Young birds are pinkish-
brown, with a whitish ear patch and two pale wingbars. Breeding
typically occurs between February and May. The female lays three or four
eggs in a domed nest, which she builds on the ground. Though she alone
incubates the eggs, both sexes feed the young and remove fecal sacs from
the nest. The young fledge within eleven days of hatching. The red
warbler is an insectivore, gleaning primarily in understory shrubs. The
species is not threatened, but its numbers are thought to be declining
due to habitat destruction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_warbler>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1790:
Peking opera (modern performer pictured) was born with the
introduction of Hui opera to Beijing by the "Four Great Anhui Troupes"
in honour of the Qianlong Emperor's 80th birthday.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_opera>
1962:
The North Yemen Civil War began when Abdullah al-Sallal
dethroned the newly crowned Imam al-Badr and declared Yemen to be a
republic under his presidency.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Yemen_Civil_War>
1977:
About 4,200 people took part in the first modern Chicago
Marathon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Marathon>
1990:
The Ram Rath Yatra, a political–religious rally organised to
erect a temple to the Hindu deity Rama on the site of the Babri Masjid
in Ayodhya, began in the Indian state of Gujarat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Rath_Yatra>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
immiseration:
Synonym of immiserization (“the process of making miserable or poor,
especially of a population as a whole; impoverishment, pauperization”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/immiseration>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The prerequisite of contrapuntal art, more conspicuous in the
work of Bach than in that of any other composer, is an ability to
conceive a priori of melodic identities which when transposed, inverted,
made retrograde, or transformed rhythmically will yet exhibit, in
conjunction with the original subject matter, some entirely new but
completely harmonious .profile
--Glenn Gould
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Glenn_Gould>
The Sawmill Fire was a wildfire that burned almost 47,000 acres
(19,000 ha) of the U.S. state of Arizona. It began on April 23, 2017,
at a gender reveal party held in the Coronado National Forest with the
detonation by gunshot of a target packed with blue powder and tannerite.
Because of hot and arid conditions in the area, the fire spread rapidly
and forced the closure of Arizona State Route 89 and Interstate 10 and
the evacuation of 100 people. By April 30, the fire was fully contained
and evacuation orders were lifted. No injuries or fatalities resulted
from the fire, which cost $8,200,000 and required the deployment of over
800 first responders to contain and suppress. No buildings were
destroyed by the fire, though the historic Empire Ranch was as little as
50 feet (15 m) from the flames at times. When the source of the fire
became public knowledge, it resulted in widespread ridicule of gender
reveal parties in concept and practice.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawmill_Fire_%282017%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1869:
Jay Gould, James Fisk and other speculators plotted but failed
to control the United States gold market, causing prices to plummet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%281869%29>
1945:
Dozens of Jews were injured in the Topoľčany pogrom, one of
the worst episodes of anti-Jewish violence in postwar Czechoslovakia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topo%C4%BE%C4%8Dany_pogrom>
1992:
After his neighbor identified handwriting samples placed on
local billboards by police, Oba Chandler was arrested three years after
he committed a triple murder in the Tampa Bay area in Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oba_Chandler>
2019:
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom unanimously ruled that
advice given by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Queen Elizabeth II that
Parliament should be prorogued was unlawful.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_British_prorogation_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
veld:
(chiefly South Africa) The open grassland or pastureland of South Africa
and neighbouring countries.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/veld>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
None of us chose this war. Not the Ukrainians, who knew the
crushing toll it would take. Not the United States, which warned that it
was coming and worked to prevent it. Not the vast majority of countries
at the United Nations. And neither did our people, or the people of
virtually every UN member-state, who are feeling the war's consequences
in greater food insecurity and higher energy prices. Nor did the
Russian mothers and fathers whose children are being sent off to fight
and die in this war, or the Russian citizens who continue to risk their
freedom to protest against it, including those who came out into the
streets of Moscow after President Putin announced his mobilization to
chant, "Let our children live!" Indeed, it must be asked: How has this
aggression against Ukraine by President Putin improved the lives or
prospects of a single Russian citizen? One man chose this war. One man
can end it. Because if Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine
stops fighting, Ukraine ends.
--Antony Blinken
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Antony_Blinken>
Jason Sendwe (1917–1964) was a Congolese politician and a leader of
the Katanga-based BALUBAKAT party. He became involved in several
cultural organisations before founding BALUBAKAT to represent the
Baluba, and believed that the Congo should remain a united country.
Before Congo's independence, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies
and sought to obtain control over Katanga Province, but lost to Moïse
Tshombe. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba nominated Sendwe for State
Commissioner for Katanga, but in early July 1960 Tshombe announced
Katanga's secession. Sendwe was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the
Congo in 1961, and later was made Commissioner-General of Katanga
Province, nominally giving him complete authority over the area. His
prospects were damaged in 1962 when the Senate censured him and he
resigned. In 1963, Katanga acceded to central authority and Tshombe fled
into exile. Sendwe became President of North Katanga Province in
September. In January 1964 he lost the presidency of BALUBAKAT. Simba
rebels overthrew his government and, in June, killed him.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Sendwe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1803:
Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East
India Company at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of
the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Assaye>
1952:
U.S. vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the
Checkers speech, one of the first political uses of television to appeal
directly to the populace.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers_speech>
2008:
A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki
University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing
suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauhajoki_school_shooting>
2016:
Following a number of high-profile sexual assaults, major
reforms were enacted to strengthen laws related to rape in Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Germany>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
equinox:
1. One of the two occasions in the year when the length of the day and
night are equal, which occurs when the apparent path of the Sun (the
ecliptic) intersects with the equatorial plane of the Earth; this
happens on a day between March 19 and 21 (spring in the Northern
Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere), and on another day
between September 21 and 24 (autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and
spring in the Southern Hemisphere); hence, the exact time when the
intersection occurs.
2. (also figuratively) The circumstance of a twenty-four hour time
period having the day and night of equal length.
3. (astronomy) One of the two points in space where the apparent path of
the Sun intersects with the equatorial plane of the Earth.
4. (obsolete)
5. (rare) A gale (“very strong wind”) once thought to occur more
frequently around the time of an equinox (sense 1), now known to be a
misconception; an equinoctial gale.
6. (astronomy) A celestial equator (“great circle on the celestial
sphere, coincident with the plane of the Earth's equator (the equatorial
plane)”); also, the Earth's equator.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/equinox>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Under the autumn tree The chair where you would swing A yard so
full of leaves Comfort me.
--Milo Greene
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Milo_Greene>