featured Wiki of the Day Abulsme Productions

Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.

The featured article for Thursday, 27 June 2024 is Arnold Bennett.

Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboration with other writers), and a daily journal totalling more than a million words. He wrote articles and stories for more than 100 newspapers and periodicals, worked in and briefly ran the Ministry of Information in the First World War, and wrote for the cinema in the 1920s. Sales of his books were substantial, and he was the most financially successful British author of his day.

Born into a modest but upwardly mobile family in Hanley, in the Staffordshire Potteries, Bennett was intended by his father, a solicitor, to follow him into the legal profession. He worked for his father before moving to another law firm in London as a clerk aged 21. He became assistant editor and then a women's magazine editor before becoming a full-time author in 1900. Always a devotee of French culture in general and French literature in particular, he moved to Paris in 1903; the relaxed milieu helped him overcome his intense shyness, particularly with women. He spent ten years in France, marrying a Frenchwoman in 1907. In 1912, he moved back to England. He and his wife separated in 1921 and he spent the last years of his life with a new partner, an English actress. He died in 1931 of typhoid fever, having unwisely drunk tap water in France.

Many of Bennett's novels and short stories are set in a fictionalised version of the Staffordshire Potteries, which he called The Five Towns. He strongly believed that literature should be accessible to ordinary people and lamented literary cliques and élites. His books appealed to a wide public and sold in large numbers. For this reason and his adherence to realism, writers and supporters of the modernist school, notably Virginia Woolf, belittled him, and his fiction became neglected after his death. During his lifetime his journalistic "self-help" books sold in substantial numbers, and he was also a playwright; he did less well in the theatre than with novels but achieved two considerable successes with Milestones (1912) and The Great Adventure (1913).

Studies by Margaret Drabble (1974), John Carey (1992), and others have led to a re-evaluation of Bennett's work. His finest novels, including Anna of the Five Towns (1902), The Old Wives' Tale (1908), Clayhanger (1910) and Riceyman Steps (1923), are now widely recognised as significant works.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:18 UTC on Thursday, 27 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Arnold Bennett on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

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Until next time, I'm long-form Ruth.

Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.

The featured article for Wednesday, 26 June 2024 is Torture.

Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for various reasons, including punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties.

Some definitions are restricted to acts carried out by the state, but others include non-state organizations. Most victims of torture are poor and marginalized people suspected of crimes, although torture against political prisoners or during armed conflict has received disproportionate attention. Judicial corporal punishment and capital punishment are sometimes seen as forms of torture, but this label is internationally controversial. A variety of methods of torture are used, often in combination; the most common form of physical torture is beatings. Since the twentieth century, many torturers have preferred non-scarring or psychological methods to provide deniability.

Torturers more commonly act out of fear or due to limited resources than sadism. Although most torturers are thought to learn about torture techniques informally and rarely receive an explicit order, they are enabled by organizations that facilitate and encourage their behavior. Once a torture program is begun, it usually escalates beyond what is intended initially and often leads to involved agencies losing effectiveness. Torture aims to break the victim's will and destroy their agency and personality and is cited as one of the most damaging experiences that a person can undergo. Many victims suffer both physical damage—chronic pain is particularly common—and mental sequelae. Although torture survivors have among the highest rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, many are psychologically resilient.

Torture has been carried out since ancient times. Still, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many Western countries abolished the official use of torture in the judicial system, although torture continued to be used throughout the world. Public opinion research has shown general opposition to torture. Torture is prohibited under international law for all states under all circumstances and is explicitly forbidden by several treaties. Opposition to torture stimulated the formation of the human rights movement after World War II, and torture continues to be an important human rights issue. Although prevention efforts have been of mixed effectiveness, institutional reforms and elimination of incommunicado detention have had positive effects. Although its incidence has declined, torture is still practiced in most countries.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:05 UTC on Wednesday, 26 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Torture on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.

Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.

Until next time, I'm neural Joanna.

Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.

The featured article for Tuesday, 25 June 2024 is Mckenna Grace.

Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress and singer. Born in Grapevine, Texas, she began acting professionally at age five and relocated to Los Angeles, California, as a child. Her earliest roles included Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in the soap opera The Young and the Restless (2013–2015). After several small roles, she starred as a child prodigy in Gifted (2017), a breakthrough for which she received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.

Grace subsequently appeared in the films I, Tonya (2017), Troop Zero (2019), and Captain Marvel (2019). During this time, she appeared in several horror projects, including The Bad Seed (2018), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). For playing an abused teenager in The Handmaid's Tale (2021–2022), Grace was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first child recognized for a guest acting Emmy. She appeared in the supernatural comedy films Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) as Phoebe Spengler, receiving critical praise and a Critics' Choice Super Award nomination. In 2022, Grace wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Bad Seed Returns, and portrayed Jan Broberg in A Friend of the Family.

After signing with Photo Finish Records in 2020, Grace released her debut single, "Haunted House", in 2021, as part of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife soundtrack. She released two extended plays in 2023: Bittersweet 16 and Autumn Leaves, which explored pop rock and folk sounds, respectively.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:57 UTC on Tuesday, 25 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Mckenna Grace on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.

Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.

Until next time, I'm Stephen Neural.

Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.

The featured article for Monday, 24 June 2024 is Etika.

Desmond Daniel Amofah (May 12, 1990 – c. June 19, 2019), better known as Etika, was an American YouTuber and live streamer. He became known online for his enthusiastic reactions to Super Smash Bros. character trailers and Nintendo Direct presentations and for playing and reacting to various games. The son of Ghanaian politician Owuraku Amofah, he resided in Brooklyn, New York.

Starting his online career in 2007, Amofah created his main YouTube channel, "EWNetwork" (Etika World Network), in 2012. His fanbase was dubbed the "JOYCONBOYZ" in reference to the Nintendo Switch controller, the Joy-Con. He garnered popularity following the release of Super Smash Bros. 4, primarily stemming from his reaction videos of news surrounding the game. His content consisted of playthroughs of various video games, reaction videos, and pre-recorded material.

Between October 2018 and May 2019, Amofah demonstrated signs of mental distress, threatening on multiple occasions to take his own life, and being hospitalized several times. During this period, Amofah uploaded pornography to the EWNetwork channel, resulting in its termination; he then posted statements on social media, alluding to suicide. After apologizing, Amofah created another channel, "EtikaFRFX", which was terminated for identical reasons. He proceeded to display erratic behavior publicly, including posting cryptic messages online and streaming himself being detained by the police.

Amofah was reported missing on June 20, 2019, after an apologetic video was uploaded to his "TR1Iceman" channel. After recovering his body from the East River near the Manhattan Bridge, officials confirmed Amofah's death on June 25, finding it to be a suicide by drowning. Amofah's death was met with expressions of shock and grief by fans and fellow YouTubers, with many observers commenting that the signs of Amofah's mental deterioration were either dismissed or ignored. Numerous commemorations were held to honor Amofah's career as a prominent gaming personality, including fan-made memorials and murals.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:41 UTC on Monday, 24 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Etika on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.

Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.

Until next time, I'm Justin Standard.

Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.

The featured article for Sunday, 23 June 2024 is Cyclone Taylor.

Frederick Wellington "Cyclone" Taylor (June 23, 1884 – June 9, 1979) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and civil servant. A cover-point and rover, he played professionally from 1906 to 1922 for several teams and is most well-known for his time with the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). Acknowledged as one of the first stars of the professional era of hockey, Taylor was recognized as one of the fastest skaters and most prolific scorers, winning five scoring championships in the PCHA. He also won the Stanley Cup twice, with Ottawa in 1909 and Vancouver in 1915, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.

Born and raised in Southern Ontario, Taylor moved to Manitoba in 1906 to continue his hockey career. He quickly departed to play in Houghton, Michigan and spent two years in the International Hockey League, the first openly professional hockey league in the world. He returned to Canada in 1907 and joined the Ottawa Senators, spending two seasons with the team. In 1909, he signed with the Renfrew Creamery Kings, becoming the highest-paid athlete in the world on a per-game basis, before moving to Vancouver in 1912. Taylor played for the Millionaires until 1922, when his career ended.

Upon moving to Ottawa in 1907, Taylor was given a position within the federal Interior Department as an immigration clerk and remained an immigration official for the next several decades. In 1914, Taylor was the first Canadian official to board the Komagata Maru, which was involved in a major incident relating to Canadian immigration. Taylor ultimately became the Commissioner of Immigration for British Columbia and the Yukon, the highest position in the region. In 1946, he was named a member of the Order of the British Empire for his services as an immigration officer, and he retired in 1950.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:47 UTC on Sunday, 23 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Cyclone Taylor on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.

Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.

Until next time, I'm Kevin Neural.

Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.

The featured article for Saturday, 22 June 2024 is Capri-Sun.

Capri-Sun (UK: , US: ) is a brand of juice concentrate–based drinks manufactured by the German company Wild and regional licensees. Rudolf Wild invented the drink in 1969 and introduced it in West Germany as Capri-Sonne (a name retired in favor of the English name in 2017). It is now sold in over 100 countries, with licensees including Kraft Foods in the United States (as Capri Sun) and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in parts of Europe. It is one of the most popular juice brands in the world; as of 2023, roughly 6 billion pouches are sold per year globally.

Since its launch, Capri-Sun has been packaged in laminated foil vacuum Doy-N-Pack pouches, with which the brand has become strongly associated. In the United States, these pouches predated the advent of Tetra Brik, in an era when fruit juice was usually sold in large containers. The pouch design has stayed largely the same, but changes in some markets have included transparent bottoms and paper straws, while other container types have been introduced for some products. Capri-Sun is available in varying ranges of flavors in different countries, targeting different national flavor profiles. Globally, its best-known flavor is Orange.

Capri-Sun's main products are high in sugar content, although lower than many competitors. Characterizations of the juice drinks as "all-natural" have led to conflict in several countries between consumer advocates who highlight the high sugar content and low juice percentage and Capri-Sun and its licensees, who have generally maintained that the term correctly describes the ingredients. Disputes over sugar content and "all-natural" status have led to two lawsuits in the United States and the removal of the brand's main line from Tesco shelves in the United Kingdom.

In France, Capri-Sun has figured prominently in rap songs and has been noted as a drink of choice in poor areas. Capri-Sun is often marketed to children, which has earned it a negative award from the consumer advocacy group Foodwatch. In the United States, Kraft and its former parent company, the tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris Cos. (now Altria), have successfully marketed Capri Sun using strategies developed for selling cigarettes to children. American parents often misidentify Capri Sun as healthy, and it is one of the most favorably rated brands among Generation Z Americans.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:57 UTC on Saturday, 22 June 2024.

For the full current version of the article, see Capri-Sun on Wikipedia.

This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.

Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.

Until next time, I'm Justin Neural.