South Africa

Daily Pic 09/28/18 (Southern Right Whale)

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Southern right whales sail home to South Africa

Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore—and their curiosity around boats—delight tourists here, making the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hot spot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.

Daily Pic 09/28/17

© The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

Mount Ibuki Driveway in Maibara, Shiga, Japan



Today in History 09/12 (Steve Biko)

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A poster of slain South African anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko on the 10th anniversary of his death, Sept 13, 1987, in Soweto (© John Parkin/AP)(1977) Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko dies in police custody
After almost a month in South African police custody, Steve Biko, the leader of an anti-apartheid black student movement, has died in a Pretoria hospital. The 30-year-old’s autopsy will show that death was caused by severe brain injury, and 15,000 supporters will attend his funeral.
Bantu Stephen Biko was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known as the Black Consciousness Movement during the late 1960s and 1970s. His ideas were articulated in a series of articles published under the pseudonym Frank Talk.
Lived: Dec 18, 1946 – Sep 12, 1977 (age 30)
Nationality: South African
Spouse: Ntsiki Mashalaba (m. 1970 – 1977)
Children: Hlumelo Biko (Son) · Nkosinathi Biko (Son) · Samora Biko (Son) · Lerato Biko (Daughter) · Motlatsi Biko (Daughter)
Founded: Black Consciousness Movement · South African Students’ Organisation · Black People’s Convention
Parents: Alice Mamcete Biko (Mother) · Mzingayi Mathew (Father)
Highlights
  • 1968: He developed the view that to avoid white domination, black people had to organise independently, and to this end he became a leading figure in the creation of the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) in 1968.

  • 1970: Biko married Ntsiki Mashalaba in December 1970.

  • 1971: Biko presented a paper on “White Racism and Black Consciousness” at an academic conference in the University of Cape Town’s Abe Bailey Centre in January 1971.

  • 1972: In 1972, he was involved in founding the Black People’s Convention (BPC) to promote Black Consciousness ideas among the wider population.

  • 1972: In September 1972, Biko visited Kimberley, where he met the PAC founder and anti-apartheid activist Robert Sobukwe.

  • 1977: There, Biko died alone in a cell on 12 September 1977.

Steven Bantu Biko's Grave in King Williams Town, SA
Biko’s grave in Ginsberg cemetery, King William’s Town
wiki/Steve_Biko
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(1977) Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko dies in police custody.
Also on this day,

1846 | A pair of poets Barrett and Browning elope
The lauded poet Elizabeth Barrett joins her beau, the up-and-coming poet Robert Browning, to marry in secret at a London church. They will then move to Italy, cultivate a circle of literary friends, have a son, and craft words for the ages.
1933 | Atom-age breakthrough as Szilárd’s stroll sets off a nuclear chain reaction
Hungarian physicist Leó Szilárd has been puzzling over using atoms as a form of energy, and as he strolls London’s streets, he suddenly conceives the idea of a nuclear chain reaction, which will lead to his work in the atom bomb’s formation and the harnessing of nuclear energy.
1978 | ‘Taxi’ brings NYC cab driver stories to TV
‘Taxi’ premieres with a cast that includes Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, and Andy Kaufman. Christopher Lloyd will join later as the Rev. Jim Ignatowski. The show will go on to win 18 Emmy Awards during its five seasons on ABC and NBC.

Today in History 09/12/17

Dr. Leó Szilárd, of the University of Chicago, testifies before the House Military Affairs Committee, Oct 18, 1945 (© Henry Griffin/AP)(1933) Szilárd's stroll sets off a nuclear chain reaction
Hungarian physicist Leó Szilárd has been puzzling over using atoms as a form of energy, and as he strolls London's streets, he suddenly conceives the idea of a nuclear chain reaction, which will lead to his work in the atom bomb's formation and the harnessing of nuclear energy.
Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-born physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi in 1934, and in late 1939 wrote the letter for Albert Einstein's signature that resulted in the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb.
Lived: Feb 11, 1898 - May 30, 1964 (age 66)
Spouse: Gertrud Weiss Szilard (m. 1951)
Academic advisors: Albert Einstein · Max von Laue
Inventions: Einstein refrigerator
Education: Budapest University of Technology and Economics · Technical University of Berlin · Humboldt University of Berlin
Awards: Albert Einstein Award (1960)
Highlights
  • 1922: His doctoral dissertation on thermodynamics Über die thermodynamischen Schwankungserscheinungen (On The Manifestation of Thermodynamic Fluctuations), praised by Einstein, won top honors in 1922.

  • 1938: Foreseeing another war in Europe, Szilard moved to the United States in 1938, where he worked with Enrico Fermi and Walter Zinn on means of creating a nuclear chain reaction.

  • 1950: He publicly sounded the alarm against the possible development of salted thermonuclear bombs, explaining in radio talk on February 26, 1950, that sufficiently big thermonuclear bomb rigged with specific but common materials, might annihilate mankind.

  • 1951: Leó Szilárd married Gertrud Weiss Szilard in 1951.

  • 1961: The Voice of the Dolphins, and Other Stories written by Leó Szilárd was first published in 1961.

  • 1964: On May 30, 1964, he died in his sleep of a heart attack; when Trude awoke, she was unable to revive him.

Fermi-Szilard Neutronic Reactor - Figure 38
An image from the Fermi–Szilard "neutronic reactor" patent

wiki/Leo_Szilard
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Daily Pic 08/12/18 (World Elephant Day)

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Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott/Minden Pictures

Join the parade for World Elephant Day

Today is World Elephant Day, an observance created to raise awareness of the plight of elephants around the world and prompt action on their behalf. Poaching and habitat loss have affected elephant populations, but places such as Kruger National Park in South Africa have deployed a suite of solutions to counter their decline. With technology, stronger laws, and training, Kruger National Park’s rangers and park staff work hard to defend elephants from poachers every day. Like Kruger Park, we all have a part to play in protecting elephants. Let’s keep up the good work.

Daily Pic 08/12/17

© David Fettes/Offset

African bush elephants, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe