The Wikipedia article of the day for June 20, 2016 is Schmerber v. California.
Schmerber v. California (1966) was a landmark US Supreme Court case that clarified whether a search warrant is required before taking blood samples from a suspect, and whether those samples may be introduced into evidence in a criminal prosecution. In a 5–4 opinion, the court held that forced extraction of a blood sample is not compelled testimony and does not violate the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The court also held that search warrants are ordinarily required by the Fourth Amendment for intrusions into the human body, except under exigent circumstances. In 2013, the Supreme Court specified in Missouri v. McNeely that a warrant may be required for a blood sample from someone suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, even though their blood alcohol level is likely to drop before a warrant can be obtained. Because the court’s ruling in Schmerber prohibited the use of warrantless blood tests in most circumstances, some commentators argue that the decision was responsible for the proliferation of breathalyzers to test for alcohol and urine analyses to test for controlled substances in criminal investigations.
Archives for June 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for June 20, 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for June 19, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 19, 2016 is Quatermass and the Pit.
Quatermass and the Pit is a British television science-fiction serial that was transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC’s Quatermass serials, all written by Nigel Kneale. In Knightsbridge, London, a strange skull and an alien spacecraft are discovered; Professor Bernard Quatermass and his newly appointed military superior at the British Experimental Rocket Group, Colonel Breen, join the investigation. The ship and its contents have a powerful and malign influence over many of those who come in contact with it, including Quatermass. He discovers that aliens, probably from Mars, had long ago engineered a human genetic legacy responsible for much of the war and strife in the world. The serial has been cited as an influence on Stephen King and the film director John Carpenter. It featured in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute in 2000, which described it as “completely gripping”. The character reappeared in a 1979 ITV production called Quatermass.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 18, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 18, 2016 is Chickasaw Turnpike.
The Chickasaw Turnpike is a short two-lane toll road in the rural south central region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It stretches for 13.3 miles (21.4 km) from north of Sulphur to just south of Ada, running southwest-to-northeast through Murray and Pontotoc counties. The first section opened in 1991. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority owns, maintains, and collects tolls on most of it; a four-mile (6.4 km) segment was transferred to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 2011. Originally it was part of a plan to link Ada to the Interstate system and connect southern and eastern Oklahoma with a longer turnpike. It was proposed at the same time as three other turnpikes, which would become the Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City, the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, and the Cherokee Turnpike in eastern Oklahoma. Rural legislators objected to the Kilpatrick and Creek Turnpikes, and moved to block them unless the Chickasaw Turnpike was built. Lightly traveled, the road is used by about 2,000 vehicles per day. It is the only two-lane turnpike in Oklahoma.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 17, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 17, 2016 is Silent Hill 4.
Silent Hill 4: The Room is a survival horror video game, the fourth installment in the Silent Hill series developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It was published by Konami and translated by Jeremy Blaustein. The game and its soundtrack were released in Japan in June 2004, and in North America and Europe the following September, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. In 2012, it was released on the Japanese PlayStation Network. Unlike the previous installments, which were set primarily in the town of Silent Hill, this game is set in the fictional town of South Ashfield, and follows Henry Townshend as he attempts to escape from his locked-down apartment. During the course of the game, Henry explores a series of supernatural worlds and finds himself in conflict with an undead serial killer. The fourth installment in the series features an altered gameplay style with third-person navigation and plot elements taken from previous installments. Upon its release, the game received generally positive critical reaction, with mixed reaction to its deviations from the rest of the series.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 16, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 16, 2016 is Pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. There are usually no symptoms in the cancer’s early stages; by the time of diagnosis, it has often spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer, may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light-colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite. It rarely occurs before the age of 40, and more than half of cases occur in those over 70. The risk is lower among non-smokers and people who maintain a healthy weight and limit their consumption of red or processed meat. It can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative care, or a combination of these, depending in part on the cancer stage. It is never cured by nonsurgical treatments, though any of these will sometimes improve quality of life, particularly palliative care. It typically has a very poor prognosis: 25% of people live for one year after diagnosis, and 5% for five years.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 15, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 15, 2016 is Amanita bisporigera.
Amanita bisporigera is a fungus that produces a deadly poisonous mushroom commonly known as the destroying angel, a name it shares with three other lethal white Amanita species. It is found on the ground in mixed coniferous and deciduous forests of Eastern North America, and rarely in western North America and Colombia. It has a smooth white cap that can reach up to 10 cm (3.9 in) across with crowded white gills, and a stalk up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long with a delicate white skirt-like ring near the top. The bulbous base is covered with a membranous sac-like volva. First described in 1906, A. bisporigera typically bears two spores on the basidia, as the species name suggests. The mushroom produces amatoxins, which inhibit a vital enzyme when eaten, RNA polymerase II. The first symptoms of poisoning appear 6 to 24 hours after consumption, followed by a period of apparent improvement, then by progressive liver and kidney failure, and death after four days or more. The DNA of A. bisporigera has been partially sequenced, and the genes responsible for the production of amatoxins have been determined.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 14, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 14, 2016 is 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone.
The 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone produced the worst flooding in that country in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal on May 10 and reached peak maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on May 13, making it a very severe cyclonic storm according to the India Meteorological Department. In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the stationary cyclone in the central Bay of Bengal produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka, especially in the mountains. A station at Ratnapura recorded 366.1 millimetres (14.41 in) of rainfall in 18 hours on May 17, including 99.8 mm (3.93 in) in one hour. Flooding and landslides destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people. Damage totaled about US$135 million, and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced some rainfall in the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands and along India’s eastern coast. The storm funneled moisture away from the mainland, possibly contributing to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 13, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 13, 2016 is North Carolina-class battleship.
The two battleships of the North Carolina class were built shortly before the US entered World War II. North Carolina (launched 13 June 1940) and Washington had 16-inch guns, heavy firepower for their size, but their design sacrificed some speed and armor. North Carolina took part in every major US naval offensive of the Pacific War and was the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II. Washington initially went undetected by the Japanese in the second naval battle of Guadalcanal, a chaotic night engagement, until its main guns hit the battleship Kirishima at close range, sinking the ship the next day. In February 1944, Washington’s bow was crushed in a collision with the battleship Indiana, but the damage was repaired in time to join the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June. After the war, both ships helped withdraw American military personnel from overseas deployments. The vessels were laid up in the reserve fleet until the early 1960s, when Washington was scrapped and North Carolina became a permanent museum ship in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 12, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 12, 2016 is James B. Weaver.
James B. Weaver (1833–1912) was a two-time candidate for US president and a congressman from Iowa. After serving in the Union Army in the Civil War, Weaver worked for the election of Republican candidates, as an advocate for farmers and laborers. He switched to the Greenback Party, and with Democratic support, won election to the House in 1878. The Greenbackers nominated Weaver for president in 1880, but he received only 3.3 percent of the popular vote. He was again elected to the House in 1884 and 1886, where he worked for expansion of the money supply and for the opening of Indian Territory to white settlement. As the Greenback Party fell apart, he helped organize a new left-wing party, the Populists, and was their nominee for president in 1892. This time he gained 8.5 percent of the popular vote and won five states. The Populists merged with the Democrats by the end of the 19th century, and Weaver went with them, promoting the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Several of Weaver’s political goals became law after his death, including the direct election of senators and a graduated income tax.
Wikipedia article of the day for June 11, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for June 11, 2016 is Portrait of Monsieur Bertin.
Portrait of Monsieur Bertin is an 1832 oil-on-canvas painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It depicts Louis-François Bertin (1766–1841), a writer, art collector and director of the pro-royalist Journal des débats. Having achieved acclaim as a history painter, Ingres accepted portrait commissions with reluctance, regarding them as a distraction. The painting had a prolonged genesis; he agonised over the pose and made several preparatory sketches. The final work presents Bertin as a personification of the commercially minded leaders of the liberal reign of Louis Philippe I, emanating a restless energy. He is physically imposing and self-assured but his real life personality shines though – warm, wry and engaging to those who had earned his trust. The portrait is an unflinchingly realistic depiction of aging; Ingres emphasises the furrowed skin and thinning hair of an overweight man who maintains his resolve and determination. Although Bertin’s family worried that the painting might been seen as a caricature, it is widely regarded as Ingres’ finest male portrait and has been at the Musée du Louvre since 1897.
