Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent.
Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by
the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole, first reached
in 1911 by Norwegian explorers. Antarctica is, on average, the coldest,
driest, and windiest of the continents. It is mainly a polar desert,
though 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen there, which,
if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m (200 ft).
Native animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and
tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen
or moss. Some countries have territorial claims in Antarctica, but by
treaty, the continent is set aside as a scientific preserve. During the
summer months, about 5,000 people reside at research stations there, a
figure that drops to around 1,000 in the winter. Despite Antarctica's
remoteness, human activity significantly impacts it via pollution, ozone
depletion, and climate change.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1948:
Chaired by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara, the Emergency Government
of the Republic of Indonesia was established to counter Dutch attempts
to re-assert colonial control.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjafruddin_Prawiranegara>
1988:
Brazilian unionist and environmental activist Chico Mendes was
murdered at his home in Xapuri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Mendes>
2008:
A dike ruptured at a waste containment area for a coal-fired
power plant in Kingston, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion gallons
(4.2 million m3) of coal fly ash slurry (aftermath pictured) in the
largest industrial spill in U.S. history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Fossil_Plant_coal_fly_ash_slurry_spill>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
fly ash:
A residue generated in the combustion of powdered coal or other
materials, comprising the fine particles that rise with the flue gases;
when generated industrially it is usually captured and can be recycled
for use in construction materials.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fly_ash>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Each solstice shows us that we can choose. We cannot stop the
winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall
or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the Universe that
we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to Life when
each arrives.
--Gary Zukav
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gary_Zukav>