Picture of the day

Westward Ho! is an 1855 British historical novel by Charles Kingsley, set in the Elizabethan era and written in a mock Elizabethan tone. It follows the adventures of Amyas Leigh, who sets sail with Francis Drake and other privateers to the Caribbean, where they battle with the Spanish. Originally targeted at adults, Westward Ho! was deemed suitable for children due to its mixture of patriotism, sentiment and romance, and became a firm favourite of children's literature during the 19th century. It has become less popular in the 21st century because of its anti-Catholicism and its racist attitudes towards indigenous peoples. This photograph shows the cover of an 1899 edition of Westward Ho! published by Frederick Warne & Co., with an illustration of two characters engaging in a sword fight.Illustration credit: possibly Walter Sydney Stacey; restored by Adam Cuerden

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Eastern spiny mouse

Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, characterized by two pairs of continuously growing incisors, one pair in the upper jaw and one pair in the lower jaw. About forty percent of all species of mammals are rodents, and they are found on all continents except Antarctica. They are the most diversified mammalian order, including mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs and hamsters. There are arboreal, burrowing, and semi-aquatic species. While the largest species, the capybara, can weigh as much as 66 kg (146 lb), many rodents weigh less than 100 g (3.5 oz) and have robust bodies, short limbs and long tails. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw food, defend themselves, and shape their habitat. Most eat seeds or other plant material. Many rodents live in societies with complex forms of communication, and can be monogamous, polygynous or promiscuous. The rodent fossil record dates back to the Paleocene on the supercontinent of Laurasia. (Full article...)

Landslide in Sarangani

• A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines, leaving at least 37 people dead (landslide pictured).
• In Albania, the Flamingo Revolution erupts against a proposed tourism development project on the environmentally protected island of Sazan.
• In Myanmar, an explosion at a Ta'ang National Liberation Army base leaves 43 people dead.
• In Twenty20 cricket, the Indian Premier League concludes with Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeating Gujarat Titans in the final.

Not much to say really other than my favourite music genre is rock (more specifically Post-Hardcore Rock or Metal), my favourite pet is the Mongolian gerbil, my favourite colour is red and my favourite food is fish.

My favourite bands are Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down, Nightwish, Panic! at the Disco, Trivium, Enter Shikari and Sepultura.

My Favourite shade of the colour red is crimson.

My favourite type of fish is tuna.

Map sources for Starom at grid reference SE751030