Wikipedia news from August 25th, 2014

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From today's featured article


Francis Marrash
Francis Marrash (1836–1873) was a Syrian writer and poet of the Nahda movement—the Arabic renaissance—and a physician. Most of his works revolve around science, history and religion, analysed under an epistemological light. He travelled through the Middle East and France in his youth, and after some medical training and a year of practice in his native Aleppo, during which he wrote several works, he enrolled in a medical school in Paris. Declining health and growing blindness forced his return to Aleppo, where he produced more literary works until his early death. Middle Eastern historian Matti Moosa considered Marrash to be the first truly cosmopolitan Arab intellectual and writer of modern times. Marrash adhered to the principles of the French Revolution and defended them in his own works, implicitly criticising Ottoman rule in the Middle East. He was also influential in introducing French romanticism in the Arab world, especially through his use of poetic prose and prose poetry, of which his writings were the first examples in modern Arabic literature. He has had a lasting influence on contemporary Arab thought and on the Mahjari poets. (Full article...)
Recently featured: The FP – John Sherman Cooper – Liber Eliensis
Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...


From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

California Diamond Jubilee half dollar
... that the California Diamond Jubilee half dollar (pictured) depicts a man panning for gold, but itself contains only silver and copper?
... that according to the Nihon Shoki, the claimant to the throne in the Prince Hoshikawa Rebellion was burned in the treasury?
... that after the ship Favorite was sunk at its moorings in Oregon, it was refloated within days?
... that the Argentine telenovela Viudas e hijos del Rock and Roll is Paola Barrientos's first television appearance in a lead role?
... that leaders of the pro-Mali Federation Mauritanian National Union were released from jail once the Federation fell apart?
... that Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, Oregon, did not get a permanent MRI machine until 2001?
... that the film Michael, now in production, is about former gay activist Michael Glatze (played by James Franco), who denounced homosexuality following a health scare and became a Christian pastor?
Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

 
In the news


Landslide damage in Hiroshima
Bank of America agrees to pay more than US$16 billion for the sale of risky mortgage-backed securities before the Great Recession.
At least 52 people are killed in a series of landslides (damage pictured) in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
The 41st Chess Olympiad concludes with China winning the open section and Russia winning the women's section of the tournament.
Mathematicians Artur Ávila, Manjul Bhargava, Martin Hairer, and Maryam Mirzakhani are awarded the Fields Medal; Mirzakhani is its first female recipient.
Actor and comedian Robin Williams dies at the age of 63.
Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Gaza conflict – Ukrainian unrest
Recent deaths: Richard Attenborough – B. K. S. Iyengar – Hashim Khan

On this day...


August 25: National Heroes' Day in the Philippines (2014)

Rings of Neptune
1580 – War of the Portuguese Succession: The army of the pretender to the Portuguese throne, António, Prior of Crato, was routed in the Battle of Alcântara, ending his short-lived reign.
1825 – The Thirty-Three Orientals, a revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja, declared Uruguayan independence from the Empire of Brazil.
1920 – Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski successfully forced the Russians to withdraw from Warsaw at the Battle of Warsaw, the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War.
1942 – Second World War: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea.
1989 – The Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Neptune and provided definitive proof of the existence of the planet's rings (pictured).
More anniversaries: August 24 – August 25 – August 26
Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries
It is now August 25, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page




From today's featured list


View of Canada's Wonderland from an airplane in 2011
There are currently 65 attractions in Canada's Wonderland, a 330-acre (130 ha) theme park complex located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. When Canada's Wonderland first opened in 1981, there were 26 attractions. Since then, at least one attraction has been added every year except 2009 and 2013. Canada's Wonderland's newest attraction is Wonder Mountain's Guardian, a 4D interactive dark ride located inside Wonder Mountain, which was added for the 2014 season. For safety, Canada's Wonderland uses a ride rating system that classifies the attractions based on the intensity of the ride. The ratings vary from 1, for rides that are calm and gentle, to 5, for rides that have high speeds, aggressive forces, and rapid elevation changes. A separate set of ride ratings criteria is used for attractions inside Splash Works, a water park that was constructed in the area surrounding the Mighty Canadian Minebuster in 1992. Four years later, Canada's Wonderland expanded the water park by adding a wave pool, an interactive children's playground, and an enclosed water slide. (Full list...)
Recently featured: Rani Mukerji filmography – Recessions in the United States – Sega Genesis games
Archive – More featured lists...




Today's featured picture


European bee-eaters
The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae which breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The species predominantly feeds on insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.
Photo: Pierre Dalous
Recently featured: 1933 double eagle reverse – Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy – Thermal power station

Archive – More featured pictures...




Other areas of Wikipedia
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Jump to: navigation, search



Welcome to Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
4,588,673 articles in English

 Arts
Biography
Geography
 History
Mathematics
Science
 Society
Technology
All portals



From today's featured article


Francis Marrash
Francis Marrash (1836–1873) was a Syrian writer and poet of the Nahda movement—the Arabic renaissance—and a physician. Most of his works revolve around science, history and religion, analysed under an epistemological light. He travelled through the Middle East and France in his youth, and after some medical training and a year of practice in his native Aleppo, during which he wrote several works, he enrolled in a medical school in Paris. Declining health and growing blindness forced his return to Aleppo, where he produced more literary works until his early death. Middle Eastern historian Matti Moosa considered Marrash to be the first truly cosmopolitan Arab intellectual and writer of modern times. Marrash adhered to the principles of the French Revolution and defended them in his own works, implicitly criticising Ottoman rule in the Middle East. He was also influential in introducing French romanticism in the Arab world, especially through his use of poetic prose and prose poetry, of which his writings were the first examples in modern Arabic literature. He has had a lasting influence on contemporary Arab thought and on the Mahjari poets. (Full article...)
Recently featured: The FP – John Sherman Cooper – Liber Eliensis
Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...


From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

California Diamond Jubilee half dollar
... that the California Diamond Jubilee half dollar (pictured) depicts a man panning for gold, but itself contains only silver and copper?
... that according to the Nihon Shoki, the claimant to the throne in the Prince Hoshikawa Rebellion was burned in the treasury?
... that after the ship Favorite was sunk at its moorings in Oregon, it was refloated within days?
... that the Argentine telenovela Viudas e hijos del Rock and Roll is Paola Barrientos's first television appearance in a lead role?
... that leaders of the pro-Mali Federation Mauritanian National Union were released from jail once the Federation fell apart?
... that Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, Oregon, did not get a permanent MRI machine until 2001?
... that the film Michael, now in production, is about former gay activist Michael Glatze (played by James Franco), who denounced homosexuality following a health scare and became a Christian pastor?
Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

 
In the news


Landslide damage in Hiroshima
Bank of America agrees to pay more than US$16 billion for the sale of risky mortgage-backed securities before the Great Recession.
At least 52 people are killed in a series of landslides (damage pictured) in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
The 41st Chess Olympiad concludes with China winning the open section and Russia winning the women's section of the tournament.
Mathematicians Artur Ávila, Manjul Bhargava, Martin Hairer, and Maryam Mirzakhani are awarded the Fields Medal; Mirzakhani is its first female recipient.
Actor and comedian Robin Williams dies at the age of 63.
Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Gaza conflict – Ukrainian unrest
Recent deaths: Richard Attenborough – B. K. S. Iyengar – Hashim Khan

On this day...


August 25: National Heroes' Day in the Philippines (2014)

Rings of Neptune
1580 – War of the Portuguese Succession: The army of the pretender to the Portuguese throne, António, Prior of Crato, was routed in the Battle of Alcântara, ending his short-lived reign.
1825 – The Thirty-Three Orientals, a revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja, declared Uruguayan independence from the Empire of Brazil.
1920 – Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski successfully forced the Russians to withdraw from Warsaw at the Battle of Warsaw, the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War.
1942 – Second World War: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea.
1989 – The Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Neptune and provided definitive proof of the existence of the planet's rings (pictured).
More anniversaries: August 24 – August 25 – August 26
Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries
It is now August 25, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page




From today's featured list


View of Canada's Wonderland from an airplane in 2011
There are currently 65 attractions in Canada's Wonderland, a 330-acre (130 ha) theme park complex located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. When Canada's Wonderland first opened in 1981, there were 26 attractions. Since then, at least one attraction has been added every year except 2009 and 2013. Canada's Wonderland's newest attraction is Wonder Mountain's Guardian, a 4D interactive dark ride located inside Wonder Mountain, which was added for the 2014 season. For safety, Canada's Wonderland uses a ride rating system that classifies the attractions based on the intensity of the ride. The ratings vary from 1, for rides that are calm and gentle, to 5, for rides that have high speeds, aggressive forces, and rapid elevation changes. A separate set of ride ratings criteria is used for attractions inside Splash Works, a water park that was constructed in the area surrounding the Mighty Canadian Minebuster in 1992. Four years later, Canada's Wonderland expanded the water park by adding a wave pool, an interactive children's playground, and an enclosed water slide. (Full list...)
Recently featured: Rani Mukerji filmography – Recessions in the United States – Sega Genesis games
Archive – More featured lists...




Today's featured picture


European bee-eaters
The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae which breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The species predominantly feeds on insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.
Photo: Pierre Dalous
Recently featured: 1933 double eagle reverse – Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy – Thermal power station

Archive – More featured pictures...




Other areas of Wikipedia
Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.

Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:
Commons Commons
 Free media repository MediaWiki MediaWiki
 Wiki software development Meta-Wiki Meta-Wiki
 Wikimedia project coordination
Wikibooks Wikibooks
 Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Wikidata
 Free knowledge base Wikinews Wikinews
 Free-content news
Wikiquote Wikiquote
 Collection of quotations Wikisource Wikisource
 Free-content library Wikispecies Wikispecies
 Directory of species
Wikiversity Wikiversity
 Free learning materials and activities Wikivoyage Wikivoyage
 Free travel guide Wiktionary Wiktionary
 Dictionary and thesaurus

Wikipedia languages

This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001, it currently contains 4,588,673 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
More than 1,000,000 articles: Deutsch ·
 español ·
 français ·
 italiano ·
 Nederlands ·
 polski ·
 русский ·
 svenska
  
More than 400,000 articles: català ·
 فارسی ·
 日本語 ·
 norsk bokmål ·
 português ·
 Tiếng Việt ·
 українська ·
 中文
  
More than 200,000 articles: العربية ·
 Bahasa Indonesia ·
 Bahasa Melayu ·
 čeština ·
 Esperanto ·
 한국어 ·
 magyar ·
 română ·
 српски / srpski ·
 suomi ·
 Türkçe
  
More than 50,000 articles: български ·
 dansk ·
 eesti ·
 Ελληνικά ·
 English (simple) ·
 euskara ·
 galego ·
 עברית ·
 hrvatski ·
 latviešu ·
 lietuvių ·
 norsk nynorsk ·
 slovenčina ·
 slovenščina ·
 srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски ·
 ไทย
  
Complete list of Wikipedias
 




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Main Page

Talk









Read

View source

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

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Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item


Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Simple English
العربية
Bahasa Indonesia
Bahasa Melayu
Български
Català
Čeština
Dansk
Deutsch
Eesti
Ελληνικά
Español
Esperanto
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
한국어
עברית
Hrvatski
Italiano
ქართული
Latviešu
Lietuvių
Magyar
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Norsk nynorsk
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Slovenčina
Slovenščina
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
ไทย
Tiếng Việt
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Complete list


Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page