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Bloc Party in 2008

Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party (pictured). It was recorded in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth. The album became available for purchase on the band's website as a digital download on 21 August 2008. The record was released in compact disc form in October 2008, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18. The album incorporates electronic elements and unconventional musical arrangements. As the record's title suggests, its tracks are about personal relationships, and are loosely based on one of frontman Kele Okereke's breakups in 2007. Three songs were released as singles: "Mercury", "Talons", and "One Month Off"; the first two tracks entered the UK Top 40. Intimacy was generally well received by critics. Reviewers focused on its rushed release and central theme, considering them either bold steps or poor choices. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Alfons Tracki in 1930

... that Alfons Tracki (pictured), a German-Albanian Christian martyr, worked to eradicate Gjakmarrja (blood feuds) from Northern Albania?
... that hairs shed by caterpillars of the brown-tail moth cause a rash in humans similar to that caused by poison ivy and, being wind-borne, can do so without direct contact with the animal?
... that Mimi Mondal is the first writer from India to be nominated for a Hugo Award?
... that after the original 1932 release of the film Scarface, it was removed from circulation and remained officially unavailable for nearly 50 years?
... that Jack Kirby created many famous comic book characters including Captain America, but his conception of Spider-Man was rejected for being too heroic?
... that Alexa Bank is probably a drowned atoll?
... that New Zealand-born Vance Drummond won the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry as a Royal Australian Air Force pilot serving with the United States Air Force?
... that Neal McCoy wanted his anti-protest song "Take a Knee, My Ass (I Won't Take a Knee)" to "bring people together"?

In the news

N. K. Jemisin

N. K. Jemisin (pictured) wins the Hugo Award for Best Novel for a third consecutive time for The Stone Sky.
Former UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan dies at the age of 80.
The Asian Games open in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee dies at the age of 93.
American soul singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin dies at the age of 76.

On this day

August 21: First day of Eid al-Adha (Islam, 2018)

Nat Turner woodcarving

1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeated an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars.
1831 – Nat Turner (pictured) led a slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, U.S., which was suppressed about 48 hours later.
1944 – World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the strategically important town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive of the Battle of Normandy.
1993 – NASA lost contact with its Mars Observer spacecraft, three days before orbital insertion.
2015 – Passengers subdued an attacker in a train heading from Amsterdam to Paris, resulting in four injuries, including the attacker himself.

John Claypole (b. 1625) · John MacCulloch (d. 1835) · Eve Torres (b. 1984)

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Today's featured picture

The PlayStation Vita is a handheld game console developed and released by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation Portable, it was designed to meld the experience of dedicated video game platforms with mobile gaming. Released between 2011 and 2012, the system was successful on launch; however, sales faltered in later years, precipitating a shift from big budget games to indie developers and mid-level Japanese companies. The system, which has seen several variations, primarily competes with the Nintendo 3DS as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles.

Photograph: Evan Amos

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