The Wikipedia article of the day for September 20, 2016 is An Introduction to Animals and Political Theory.
An Introduction to Animals and Political Theory, a 2010 textbook by the British political theorist Alasdair Cochrane (pictured), was one of the first works to link the question of animal rights to the concept of justice in political philosophy. Cochrane’s book examines five schools of political theory—utilitarianism, liberalism, communitarianism, Marxism and feminism—and their positions on animal rights and the political status of (non-human) animals. He concludes that each tradition has something to offer, but ultimately prefers what he calls an interest-based approach, building primarily upon liberalism and utilitarianism. He argues that rights derived from interests can protect animals and place limits on what can be done to them. These rights cannot be violated, even in the name of the greater good. The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics described the book as “the first introductory level text to offer an accessible overview on the status of animals in contemporary political theory”. Cochrane’s account of interest-based rights for animals was considered at greater length in his 2012 book Animal Rights Without Liberation.
Archives for September 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for September 20, 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for September 19, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 19, 2016 is Battle of Dürenstein.
The Battle of Dürenstein (11 November 1805) was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition, fought in the Wachau Valley of the Danube, 73 kilometers (45 mi) upstream from Vienna, Austria. A combined force of Russian and Austrian troops trapped a French division commanded by Théodore Maxime Gazan, part of the VIII Corps under Édouard Mortier. Pursuing the Austrian retreat from Bavaria, Mortier had overextended his three divisions. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, commander of the Coalition force, enticed Mortier to send Gazan’s division into a trap, and the French troops were caught in a valley between two Russian columns. They were rescued by the timely arrival of a second division, under Pierre Dupont de l’Étang. The battle extended well into the night. Both sides had losses of around 4,000 wounded or dead, and both claimed victory. Austria lost Johann Heinrich von Schmitt, one of its most capable chiefs of staff. After the Russo-Austrian defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz three weeks later, Austria withdrew from the war.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 17, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 17, 2016 is Horatio Bottomley.
Horatio Bottomley (1860–1933) was an English financier, newspaper proprietor, Member of Parliament (MP), and swindler. Brought up in an orphanage, he began as an errand boy; his hard work enabled him, at 24, to found a publishing company through which he launched, among other titles, the Financial Times. As a financier his methods often brought him into conflict with the law, but by 1900 he had amassed a fortune as a promoter of shares in dubious gold-mining companies. Bottomley entered parliament as a Liberal Party MP in 1906, and founded John Bull magazine as a platform for his populist views. In 1912 he was declared bankrupt and forced to resign from parliament, but following the outbreak of war in 1914 he became a leading propagandist for the patriotic cause. In 1918, having been discharged from bankruptcy, he re-entered parliament and launched a fraudulent “Victory Bonds” scheme which led to his conviction and imprisonment in 1922. Released in 1927, he eked out a living with lectures and appearances in music halls, before his death in poverty.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 16, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 16, 2016 is Hurricane Nora (1997).
Hurricane Nora was the fourteenth named tropical cyclone and seventh hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season, and only the third tropical storm on record to reach Arizona. Forming off the Pacific coast of Mexico, the September storm was aided by waters warmed by El Niño, and eventually peaked at Category 4 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It made its first landfall as a hurricane in central Baja California; later the same day, it became one of the few hurricanes to make a landfall in northern Baja. The storm was blamed for two direct casualties in Mexico, as well as substantial beach erosion on the Mexican coast and flash flooding in Baja. Although Nora weakened quickly after landfall, its remnants lashed the Southwestern United States with tropical-storm-force winds, torrential rain, and flooding. Arizona received record precipitation. The remnants persisted far inland, dissipating near the Arizona–Nevada border, although near-hurricane-force winds were observed as far north as Cedar City, Utah.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 15, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 15, 2016 is No. 38 Squadron RAAF.
No. 38 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport unit. Formed in 1943, the squadron ferried supplies and personnel during World War II between Australia and combat zones in New Guinea and Borneo, using Douglas Dakota aircraft. It was deployed to Singapore from 1950 to 1952, supplying Commonwealth forces engaged in the Malayan Emergency. It started flying de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribous (pictured) in 1964. Throughout Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, the squadron prepared aircrew for operational service with No. 35 Squadron, and maintained a detachment in Papua and New Guinea to provide pilots with experience flying in tropical conditions. During the 1980s it provided search and rescue capabilities within Australia, working with Australian Army units. From 1999 until 2001, a detachment was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led peacekeeping force in the newly independent nation. The squadron continued to fly the ageing Caribous until 2009, when it was re-equipped with eight Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft. Currently stationed at RAAF Base Townsville, Queensland, it is responsible for light transport tasks and for training RAAF pilots to operate King Airs.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 14, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 14, 2016 is Thunder (mascot).
Thunder is the horse mascot for the Denver Broncos, an American football team. Three gray purebred Arabians whose coats turned white with age have held this role since 1993, named JB Kobask, Winter Solstyce, and Me N Myshadow. Ann Judge has been their rider and trainer for almost two decades, and Sharon Magness-Blake has been their owner. The first Thunder performed in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, and Thunder III appeared in XLVIII and Super Bowl 50. The mascot routinely attends parades and other public functions, and makes hospital and school visits. He has flown on airplanes, ridden in elevators, and appeared indoors at press conferences and banquets. His duties include leading the team onto the field at the start of every home game and galloping down the length of the field whenever they score a touchdown or field goal. Thunder also greets fans and lets children pet him before games. He remains calm around exploding pyrotechnics and thousands of cheering fans, situations that frighten most horses. Thunder shares mascot duties with Miles, a human who wears a horse head mask atop a Broncos uniform.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 13, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 13, 2016 is SS Montanan.
SS Montanan was a cargo ship operated by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. Built in 1912 by the Maryland Steel Company as one of eight sister ships, the freighter was employed in inter-coastal service, first via the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and then the Panama Canal, after it opened in 1914. The ship was 6,649 gross register tons (GRT), 428 ft 9 in (130.68 m) in length and 53 ft 7 in (16.33 m) abeam. Used by the United States Army Transport Service during World War I, USAT Montanan carried cargo and animals to France, and sailed in the first American convoy to France after the United States entered the war in April 1917. During another eastbound convoy in August 1918, Montanan was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-90 some 500 nautical miles (900 km) west of Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France. Of the 86 men aboard the ship, 81 were rescued by a convoy escort. The other five were killed, including two of the ship’s Naval Armed Guardsmen, drowned when their lifeboat capsized in the heavy seas.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 12, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 12, 2016 is Subway Sadie.
Subway Sadie is a 1926 American comedy-drama film directed by Alfred Santell. Adapted from Mildred Cram’s 1925 short story “Sadie of the Desert”, the silent film focuses on a relationship between New York salesgirl Sadie Hermann (Dorothy Mackaill) and subway guard Herb McCarthy (Jack Mulhall), who meet on a subway and become engaged. After Sadie receives a promotion, she must choose between her new job and marrying Herb. The cast includes Charles Murray, Peggy Shaw, Gaston Glass, and Bernard Randall. The film began production in May 1926. Arthur Edeson served as cinematographer, shooting scenes in a nightclub and a casino, and at Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park. Distributed by First National Pictures, the film premiered in New York on September 12, 1926. Many publications wrote positively of the film, praising its acting and Santell’s direction. Today, it remains unclear if a print of Subway Sadie has survived. A poster of the film can be seen at the New York Transit Museum.
Wikipedia article of the day for September 11, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for September 11, 2016 is Banksia coccinea.
Banksia coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. It grows along the southern coast of Western Australia on white or grey sand in shrubland, heath or open woodland. Reaching up to 8 m (26 ft) in height, it is a single-stemmed plant with oblong leaves. The prominent red and white flower spikes appear mainly in the spring. As they age they develop small follicles that store seeds until opened by bushfire. Though widely occurring, it is highly sensitive to dieback and large populations of plants have succumbed to the disease. It was first collected and described by Robert Brown in the early 19th century. The flowers attract nectar- and insect-feeding birds, particularly honeyeaters, and a variety of insects. A popular garden plant and one of the most important Banksia species for the cut flower industry, it is grown commercially in Australia, South Africa, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Israel. In cultivation, it grows well in a sunny location on well-drained soil, but cannot survive in areas with humid or wet summers.
