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Slava was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, the last of the five Borodino-class battleships. Built at the Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, it was completed too late to participate in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. She survived while all of her sister ships were either sunk or surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Navy during the battle. Serving in the Baltic Sea during World War I, Slava was the largest ship of the Russian Gulf of Riga Squadron that fought the German High Seas Fleet in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915. She repeatedly bombarded German positions and troops for the rest of 1915 and during 1916. During the Battle of Moon Sound in 1917, Slava was badly damaged by the German dreadnought SMS König, significantly increasing her draft. The shallow channel made it impossible to escape and she was scuttled in the Moon Sound Strait between the island of Muhu and the mainland. The Estonians scrapped her during the 1930s. (Full article...)

The Martinique macaw or orange-bellied macaw is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw which may have lived on the Lesser Antillean island of Martinique, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was scientifically described by Walter Rothschild in 1905, based on a 1630s description of blue and orange-yellow macaws by Jacques Bouton [pt]. No other evidence of its existence is known, but it may have been depicted in a 1626 painting. Some writers have suggested that the birds observed were actually blue-and-yellow macaws (Ara ararauna). The red-tailed blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara erythrura), another species named by Rothschild in 1907 based on a 1658 account, may be identical to the Martinique macaw, if either ever existed. The Martinique macaw is one of 13 extinct macaw species that have been proposed to have lived in the Caribbean islands. Many of these species are now considered dubious; only three are known from physical remains, and there are no extant endemic macaws on the islands today. (Full article...)

The Hand That Signed the Paper is a 1994 novel and literary hoax. The novel was published under the name Helen Demidenko. It tells the story of a Ukrainian family that collaborated with Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. While the novel initially received a positive reception and was the 1995 winner of Australia's Miles Franklin Award, it eventually became the subject of a heated debate—first over accusations of antisemitism, followed by the revelation that the author adopted a false identity to imply that the novel was based on her own family history. The novel is narrated by the character Fiona Kovalenko, a university student of Irish-Ukrainian descent living in Australia. Fiona's uncle Vitaly has been charged with crimes against humanity for his service as a guard at the Treblinka. The novel recounts Vitaly and his siblings' upbringing in Ukraine amid the Holodomor, positing that perceived Jewish involvement in Bolshevism was a motive for Ukrainian participation in the Holocaust. (Full article...)

Charles Sanders Peirce (left) and Ferdinand de Saussure helped establish semiotics as a distinct field of inquiry.

Semiotics is the study of signs. It is an interdisciplinary field that examines what signs are, how they form sign systems, and how individuals use signs to produce and communicate meaning. Signs are things that stand for something else, such as the word cat, which stands for a carnivorous mammal. Some signs communicate meaning by resembling the thing they stand for, such as a portrait of a person, or through a direct physical link, such as smoke as a sign of fire. However, the relation can also be conventional or arbitrary. Semioticians also study sign systems, which are structured networks of interrelated signs, such as the English language. The roots of semiotic research lie in antiquity, but semiotics emerged as an independent field of inquiry only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the works of Charles Sanders Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure. It is relevant to many disciplines, including philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, psychology, literature, and art. (Full article...)

Adult New Zealand red admiral

The New Zealand red admiral (Vanessa gonerilla) is a species of butterfly that is only found in New Zealand. As an adult, the butterfly has blackish wings with distinctive red and white markings on them. It is superficially similar to the yellow admiral (Vanessa itea), which also occurs in New Zealand. During the caterpillar stage, it feeds on the leaves of Urtica (Stinging nettles), a hazardous plant. In the indigenous Māori language the butterfly is referred to as kahukura, which means 'red cloak'. Eggs are laid by the butterfly from September through to late May (early spring to late autumn). Upon hatching, the caterpillar takes five to six weeks to enter the pupal stage where it forms a cocoon and transitions into an adult. The butterfly is heavily parasitised by exotic (non-native) wasps such as Echthromorpha intricatoria and Pteromalus puparum, which lay eggs in the red admiral pupa. There are two subspecies, which occur on the mainland and on the Chatham Islands, respectively. (Full article...)

Young Jesus (right) bringing clay birds to life

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (or Childhood of Jesus) is an apocryphal gospel about the childhood of Jesus. It is not included in the Christian New Testament canon, and its creation is generally dated to the late second century (c. 150–200). It was later incorporated into other works, including the Latin Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, a popular work during the Middle Ages. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas depicts a young Jesus in full possession of divine power and already dispensing wisdom with authority. It includes several miracles that spread into other literature, such as Jesus's transforming clay sparrows into live sparrows. Its depiction of Jesus sometimes wields power in a capricious way, such as when he curses and kills those who cross him. Although the Jesus depicted in this gospel can be an "enfant terrible", he balances this with miracles and healing. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas ends with an account of Jesus in the temple at age 12, a story originally from the Gospel of Luke. (Full article...)

Illustration of children outside a school with their teacher in the Welsh-language children's book Yr Ysgol Gymraeg (The Welsh School, 1916) by Owen Jones Owen

Education was expanded greatly in Wales between the passage of the Elementary Education Act 1870 and the outbreak of the Second World War. The late 19th century saw the rapid growth of primary education. Although schools initially prioritised the English language, attitudes towards the Welsh language became more favourable over time. Secondary education was extended following the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889, which led to the creation of a network of intermediate schools, and the establishment of the University of Wales and its constituent colleges broadened access to higher education. Wales achieved high levels of participation in secondary and university education in the early 20th century but educational opportunities remained shaped by social and economic inequalities. Education contributed to increased literacy, social mobility and proficiency in English, but historians believe it also played a role in the decline of Welsh as the everyday language of many communities. (Full article...)

Newaukum Creek in Enumclaw

Newaukum Creek is a stream in King County, Washington, U.S. About 14.0 miles (22.5 km) long, it originates from several small streams in forests on Boise Ridge, in the foothills of the Cascade Range. After descending steeply through gullies on the ridge, it enters a broad plateau where it meanders through farmland north of the town of Enumclaw. It turns northwest and enters a steep ravine, from which it later emerges and meets the Green River, which ultimately drains into Puget Sound. The watershed's topography was heavily shaped by glaciation during the Vashon Stade and later the Osceola Mudflow. The creek serves as a spawning ground for Chinook salmon, coho, and steelhead trout. It also hosts invertebrates such as western pearlshell mussels and crayfish. Human modification in the twentieth century such as dredging damaged the creek, but restoration efforts have sought to restore salmonid access to the headwaters and remove invasive plants such as reed canarygrass. (Full article...)

Brian Eaton (15 December 1916 – 17 October 1992) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II, he was posted to No. 3 Squadron at the beginning of 1943, flying fighter-bombers in North Africa and later command of No. 239 Wing RAF in Italy. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Bar, and Silver Star. In the decade following World War II, Eaton led No. 81 Wing in Japan, and No. 78 Wing in Malta. He commanded RAAF Base Williamtown, and appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was later promoted to air vice-marshal, and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. Posted to Singapore as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 224 Group RAF in 1967, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his work as chief of staff at Headquarters RAF Far East Air Force in 1969. He then served as Air Member for Personnel, before being selected as AOC Operational Command in 1973. Eaton died in 1992 at the age of 75. (Full article...)

Approximate location of the Republic of Fredonia

The Fredonian Rebellion or Texan revolt of 1826 (December 21, 1826 – January 31, 1827) was the first attempt by Texans to secede from Mexico. The settlers, led by Empresario Haden Edwards, declared independence from Mexican Texas and created the Republic of Fredonia near Nacogdoches. The short-lived republic encompassed the land the Mexican government had granted to Edwards in 1825 and included areas that had been previously settled. On January 31, 1827, a force of over 100 Mexican soldiers and 275 Texian Militia marched into Nacogdoches to restore order. Haden Edwards and his brother fled to the United States. The rebellion led Mexican president Guadalupe Victoria to increase the military presence in the area. Fearing that, through the rebellion, the United States hoped to gain control of Texas, the Mexican government severely curtailed immigration to the region from the US. The new immigration law was bitterly opposed by colonists and caused increasing dissatisfaction with Mexican rule. (Full article...)

Meghan Trainor

"Title" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her 2014 debut extended play of the same name. Kevin Kadish produced the track and wrote it with Trainor. The song is in a doo-wop style with Caribbean influences. Lyrically, Trainor demands that her partner define their relationship more clearly and call her his girlfriend. "Title" received mixed reviews from music critics for its production and rap verse, but some were positive about the lyrics. The song became a trend on the video-sharing service TikTok in 2021. Anthony Phan directed the music video for "Title", which depicts Trainor performing at a Mr. America-style beauty pageant. Trainor performed the song at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival and in sessions for MTV and the National Post, and included it on the set lists of her 2015 concert tours That Bass Tour and MTrain Tour. (This article is part of the featured topics: Meghan Trainor's Billboard Hot 100 entries and Title (album).) (Full article...)

Page 5 of the manuscript of the score

Unser Mund sei voll Lachens ('May our mouth be full of laughter'), BWV 110, is a church cantata for Christmas Day by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig and led the first performance on 25 December 1725. In his third year as Thomaskantor (church music director of Leipzig), he had written only a few cantatas, but embarked on a set of five cantatas for the Christmas season, using texts by Georg Christian Lehms published in 1711. Unusually, the text for this cantata has no pairs of recitative and aria, but alternates, in an older style, arias with three biblical quotations, taken from Psalm 126, the Book of Jeremiah, and the angels' song from Luke's nativity story. The closing chorale is a stanza from Kaspar Füger's hymn "Wir Christenleut". Bach derived the first chorus, in the style of a French overture, from his fourth Orchestral Suite. He embedded vocal parts in its fast middle section (pictured), illustrating the laughter mentioned in the psalm verse. (Full article...)