Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 October 1

Ramaria botrytis is an edible species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. It is commonly known as the clustered coral, the pink-tipped coral mushroom, or the cauliflower coral. Its robust fruit body can grow up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter and 20 cm (8 in) tall, and resembles some marine coral. Its dense branches, which originate from a stout, massive base, are swollen at the tips and divided into several small branchlets. The branches are initially whitish but age to buff or tan, with tips that are pink to reddish. The flesh is thick and white. The type species of the genus Ramaria, R. botrytis was first described scientifically in 1797 by mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. A widely distributed species, it is found in North America, North Africa, central and eastern Europe, Australia, and Asia. Fruit bodies of Ramaria botrytis are edible, and young specimens have a mild, fruity taste. Some authors warn of laxative effects in susceptible individuals. The fungus contains several bioactive compounds, and fruit bodies have antimicrobial activity against several species and strains of drug-resistant bacteria that cause disease in humans. (Full article...)

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• The U.S. federal government shuts down non-essential services after it is unable to pass a budget measure.
• Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (pictured) of Kenya wins the Berlin Marathon in a world record time of 2:03:23.
• Over fifty students are massacred by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Nigeria.
• Dozens of people are killed in protests against a fuel price hike in Sudan.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publishes the first part of its Fifth Assessment Report.

October 1: Feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Catholicism); National Day in China (1949); Unification Day in Cameroon (1961); Independence Day in Cyprus and Nigeria (both 1960), and Tuvalu (1978); Filipino American History Month begins in the United States

• 1903 – The first modern World Series, the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, opened.
• 1946 – Mensa, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world, was formed in the United Kingdom.
• 1961 – Despite strong resistance from the U.S. Armed Forces, the Defense Intelligence Agency (seal pictured) was formed, becoming the country's main global military espionage organization.
• 1987 – Denmark became the first country to legalise civil unions between same-sex couples.
• 2005 – Terrorist suicide bombs exploded at two sites in Bali, Indonesia, killing twenty people and injuring over 120 others.

More anniversaries: September 30 – October 1 – October 2

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A Sony Alpha 77, fitted with a 16-50mm f/2.8 SSM lens. Announced in August 2011, the Alpha 77 has received mixed critical reviews.

Photo: SkywalkerPL