By Lady Houston
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
2023 is the current year in parts of the world where the time zone is UTC+08:45 or earlier. It is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2023rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2020s decade.
The year has seen the decline in severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the WHO (World Health Organization) ending its global health emergency status in May. Catastrophic natural disasters included the fifth-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century striking Turkey and Syria, leaving nearly 60,000 people dead, Cyclone Freddy – the longest-lasting recorded tropical cyclone in history – leading to over 1,400 deaths in Malawi and Mozambique, Storm Daniel, which became the deadliest cyclone worldwide since Cyclone Nargis after killing at least 11,000 people in Libya, a major 6.8 magnitude earthquake striking western Morocco, killing 2,960 people, and a 6.3 magnitude triplet earthquake striking western Afghanistan, killing over 1,400 people.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Myanmar civil war have continued, and a series of coups, several armed conflicts, and political crises broke out in numerous African nations. An escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict occurred in October when Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, led an attack on Israel, leading the latter to declare war on Hamas. Furthermore, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ended after over 100,000 Armenians fled the region after an Azeri military invasion.
2023 witnessed a banking crisis resulting in the collapse of numerous American regional banks as well as the buyout of Credit Suisse by UBS in Switzerland. Among American banks, the two largest banks which collapsed were Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, the third and second largest banking collapses in US history respectively. Furthermore, numerous acquisitions in various industries were announced, some of the largest and most notable being October’s energy acquisitions with ExxonMobil and Chevron buying Pioneer Natural Resources and Hess respectively, the luxury fashion holding company Tapestry (Coach New York and Kate Spade New York) announcing its purchase of Capri Holdings (Michael Kors and Versace), and the closure of Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In the realm of technology, 2023 has seen the continued rise of generative AI models, with increasing applications across various industries. These models, leveraging advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, have become capable of creating realistic and coherent text, images, and music. An AI arms race between private companies has continued since the late 2010s, with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google-owner Alphabet today most dominant among firms.
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone‘s The Doors (1991). He was cast as a main character in critically acclaimed films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher‘s Batman Forever (1995), and continued to star in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Since 2015, Kilmer has privately struggled with throat cancer; he had a procedure on his trachea that damaged his vocal cords to the point where he had extreme difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. In 2020, he published his memoir, titled I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir. His struggle was captured in the 2021 documentary titled Val which documented his career and health issues. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. He was one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s; films featuring him have grossed over $3.5 billion at the worldwide box-office. According to critic Roger Ebert, “if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it”.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
In Scotland, December 31 is known as Hogmanay, the word children use to ask for their traditional present of an oatmeal cake (which is why this is also called Cake Day). It’s believed that Hogmanay originated with the invading Vikings who celebrated the passing of the winter solstice with much revelry.
Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne”—
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”
Along with fireworks, “First footing” (or the “first foot” in the house after midnight) is still common across Scotland. The first person to cross the threshold into one’s home, called the first footer, is an indication of the year to come. Although the tradition varies, if the first footer is tall and dark, the year will be a good one.
Of course, the entire spirit of a Hogmanay party is to welcome both friends and strangers with warm hospitality and of course lots of kissing all-around!
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- Jacques Cartier (explorer) –
- Henri Matisse (artist) –
- Jule Styne (composer) –
- Odetta (American folk singer) –
- Anthony Hopkins (actor) –
- Ben Kingsley (actor) –
- John Denver (singer) –
- Donna Summer (singer) –
- Val Kilmer (actor) –
- Nicholas Sparks (author) –
- Gabby Douglas (gymnast, Olympic gold medalist) –
Died
- Rick Nelson (singer) –
- Edward Herrmann (actor) –
- Natalie Cole (singer) –
- Pope Benedict XVI –
Events
- A window tax was imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax–
- Baltimore, Maryland was incorporated–
- Ottawa selected by Queen Victoria as capital of Province of Canada–
- The cornerstone for the Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii, was laid–
- Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians first played Auld Lang Syne” at midnight”–
- C. B. Darrow received a patent for his Monopoly game–
- Entertainer Roy Rogers and actress Dale Evans were married–
- Helium-filled sun shade patented–
- The last new Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip was published–
- An extra second, or leap second, was added to clocks worldwide–
Weather
- Los Angeles received 7.36 inches of rain in 24 hours, causing flooding–
- For the month of December, Kansas City, Missouri, received a total snowfall of 16.6 inches.–
- New Year’s Eve snowstorm hit the deep South: Meridian, Mississippi, received 15 inches of snow–
- Concord, New Hampshire, set a new December snowfall record with 44.5 inches for the month–
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