Wikipedia article of the day for May 8, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 8, 2021 is Preening.
Preening is a bird maintenance behaviour that involves using the beak to position feathers, interlock the barbules, clean plumage, and reduce parasites. Feathers contribute to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and flight, so birds spend much time on preening. They may fluff up their feathers to "rezip" the barbules, and use their beaks to gather preen oil from a gland at the base of their tail. They spread the oil by drawing each contour feather through their bills. Ritualised preening has become part of some courtship displays and a displacement activity when birds are subjected to stress. Preening can be a social activity involving two or more birds called "allopreening", which occurs either between a mated pair or flock members in a social species. This may assist in grooming, the recognition of individuals, or reducing conflict. Most allopreening is confined to the head and neck. Ingestion of pollutants or pathogens during preening can lead to health problems. Injury and infection can cause overpreening in caged birds.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 7, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 7, 2021 is Frances Gertrude McGill.
Frances Gertrude McGill (1882–1959) was a Canadian scientist who was a forensic pathologist, nicknamed the "Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan" for her deductive skills and public fame. McGill influenced the development of forensic pathology in Canadian police work. After receiving her medical degree in 1915, McGill moved to Saskatchewan, where she was hired first as the provincial bacteriologist and then as the provincial pathologist. She worked extensively with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local police forces for more than thirty years, and was instrumental in establishing the first RCMP forensic laboratory. She directed the RCMP laboratory for three years, and trained new RCMP recruits in forensic detection methods. After retiring in 1946, McGill was appointed Honorary Surgeon for the RCMP by the Canadian minister of justice, becoming one of its first official female members. McGill Lake in northern Saskatchewan was named in her honour.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 6, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 6, 2021 is Death of Mark Saunders.
Mark Saunders was a British barrister who struggled with depression and alcoholism. On 6 May 2008 he repeatedly fired a shotgun from a window of his home in Markham Square, London. When armed police arrived, Saunders fired at their vehicle (example pictured) and a siege began. Saunders fired twice more and police returned fire, slightly wounding him. Saunders then waved the shotgun out of a window in the direction of a group of police officers; seven officers fired eleven shots, of which at least five struck him. Saunders was pronounced dead at a waiting ambulance. An inquest was held where the jury returned a verdict of lawful killing, but found several flaws in the police handling of the incident. They did not consider that any of these significantly contributed to the outcome. They could not decide whether Saunders had intentionally provoked a lethal response ("suicide by cop"). In 2010, the Metropolitan Police created a unit of senior officers to manage similar incidents.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 5, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 5, 2021 is The Heart of Thomas.
The Heart of Thomas is a 1974 Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Moto Hagio (pictured). Originally serialized in Shūkan Shōjo Comic, a weekly manga magazine publishing shōjo manga – manga aimed at young and adolescent women – the series follows the events at a German all-boys school after the suicide of student Thomas Werner. It is one of the earliest manga in the shōnen-ai (male–male romance) genre. While The Heart of Thomas was initially poorly received by readers, by the end of its serialization it was among the most popular series in Shūkan Shōjo Comic. It significantly influenced shōjo manga as a medium, with many of the stylistic and narrative hallmarks of the series becoming standard tropes of the genre. The series has attracted considerable scholarly interest, and has been adapted into a film, a stage play, and a novel. In North America, an English-language translation of The Heart of Thomas, translated by Rachel Thorn, was published by Fantagraphics Books in 2013.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 4, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 4, 2021 is William Feiner.
William Feiner (1792–1829) was a German Catholic priest and Jesuit who became a missionary to the United States and eventually the president of Georgetown College. Born in Münster, he taught in Jesuit schools in the Russian Empire and Polish Galicia as a young member of the Society of Jesus. He then emigrated to the United States several years after the restoration of the Society, taking up pastoral work and teaching theology in Conewago, Pennsylvania, before becoming a full-time professor at Georgetown College. There, he also became the second dedicated librarian of the college's library. Eventually, Feiner became the president of Georgetown in 1826. While president, he taught theology at Georgetown and led the congregation at Holy Trinity Church. Despite being the leader of an American university, he never mastered the English language. Long plagued by poor health due to tuberculosis, his short-lived presidency ended after three years, just weeks before his death.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 3, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 3, 2021 is 2020 World Snooker Championship.
The 2020 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament held from 31 July to 16 August 2020 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. It was originally scheduled to take place from 18 April to 4 May, but qualification and the main rounds were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The event was intended to allow limited live audiences, but apart from the first day and the final it was played behind closed doors. The tournament was organised by the World Snooker Tour, broadcast by the BBC, Eurosport and Matchroom Sport, and sponsored by sports betting company Betfred. It had a total prize fund of £2,395,000, with the winner receiving £500,000. The delayed qualifying rounds took place from 21 to 28 July, involving 128 professional and invited amateur participants. The top 16 reached the main stage of the tournament where they played the top 16 ranked players. Judd Trump, the defending champion, lost in the quarter-final stage to Kyren Wilson. Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured) won his sixth world title, defeating Wilson 18–8 in the final.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 2, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 2, 2021 is Greek case.
The Greek case was brought to the European Commission of Human Rights in September 1967. It alleged violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by the Greek junta, which had come to power in a coup and launched widespread political repression. A second case alleging additional violations, including of Article 3 forbidding torture, was added in 1968. In 1968 and 1969, a subcommission questioned witnesses and embarked on a fact-finding mission to Greece. Their report proving systematic torture was leaked to the press and turned European public opinion against Greece. On 12 December 1969, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe considered a resolution to expel Greece. To save face, foreign minister Panagiotis Pipinelis (pictured) denounced the ECHR and walked out. Greece returned to the organization after the Greek democratic transition in 1974. The case was influential as a precedent in human rights jurisprudence, especially for the legal definition of torture.