From today's featured article
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The Arbiter is a playable character from the Halo science fiction universe, first voiced by Keith David in the 2004 video game Halo 2. A different Arbiter appears in the 2009 real-time strategy game Halo Wars, voiced by David Sobolov. Although the Arbiter is intended to die serving the High Prophets, he survives his missions and the Prophets' subsequent betrayal of his kind. When he learns that the Prophets' plans would doom all sentient life in the galaxy to extinction, he allies with the Covenant's enemies—humanity—to stop the Halo from being activated. The entertainment website IGN lamented the loss of the Arbiter's storyline in Halo 3, but the Arbiter character was not evenly received by critics and fans, nor was the humanization of the Covenant in general. The character's name was changed from "Dervish" to avoid reinforcing a perceived US-versus-Islam allegory in the game's plot. (Full article...)
Part of the Characters of Halo series, one of Wikipedia's featured topics.
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Did you know...
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 Heliofungia actiniformis
- ... that the coral Heliofungia actiniformis (pictured) is only attached to the seabed as a juvenile?
- ... that physician Joseph O'Dwyer invented a method for intubation that greatly reduced deaths caused by diphtheria, especially in children?
- ... that according to local legend, there was a tunnel in the lake of the Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary that was used by the Pandavas during the Mahabharata period to escape to Haridwar?
- ... that the estate of Canadian painter William Blair Bruce became a Swedish nature reserve?
- ... that solidified flows of sulfur have been found on Lastarria, a volcano in Chile?
- ... that Mary Carpenter founded the National Indian Association to improve the education of girls in India?
- ... that Hocabá, Huhí, Sanahcat, Sotuta, Dzemul, Dzilam González, Mocochá, Muxupip, Sinanché, Dzidzantún, Suma, Telchac Puerto, Temax, and Yaxkukul are municipalities which replaced encomiendas of Yucatán?
- ... that Heath McNease created two albums, one folk rock and the other hip hop, inspired by the works of C. S. Lewis?
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In the news
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 Typhoon Soudelor on August 4
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On this day...
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August 11: Independence Day in Chad (1960)
- 3114 BC – The epoch of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a non-repeating, vigesimal calendar used by the Maya civilization and several other Mesoamerican cultures, occurred.
- 106 – The region of Dacia, comprising regions of modern Romania, became a province of the Roman Empire.
- 1786 – Captain Francis Light founded the British colony of Penang (City Hall pictured), beginning more than a century of British involvement in Malaya.
- 1828 – William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds, England, for the murder of Maria Marten at the Red Barn.
- 1945 – Amid rumors of kidnappings of children by Jews in Kraków, a crowd of Poles engaged in a pogrom, which resulted in one dead and five wounded victims.
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