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Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer

Pinkerton is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, released on September 24, 1996. After finishing tours in promotion of their 1994 album Weezer, the band originally planned to record a space-themed rock opera entitled Songs from the Black Hole. However, this project was eventually abandoned, and the group used some of the songs from the discarded album on Pinkerton. Much of the album was written while frontman Rivers Cuomo (pictured) was studying at Harvard University, which influenced the themes addressed on the record. The album was seen as a departure from the band's original power pop sound for a darker and more abrasive sound. On its release in 1996, the album was initially considered a critical and commercial failure; Pinkerton has since risen in stature to become one of the most highly regarded albums of the 1990s, receiving much critical acclaim. The album was certified gold in the United States in 2001. By August 2009, Pinkerton had amassed US sales of 852,000, and went gold in Canada with sales of over 50,000. It was the last Weezer album to feature bassist Matt Sharp. ( more...)

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From Wikipedia's newest content:

Shinchū the silkworm moth eating a demon

  • ... that a divine silkworm moth (pictured) is one of those participating in the Extermination of Evil?
  • ... that the Military Officers Association of America reports that the " I'm a lighthouse. Your call" urban legend is forwarded to the organization an average of three times a day?
  • ... that Saltford Brass Mill contains a complete annealing furnace claimed to be one of the best remaining examples of this technology in Britain?
  • ... that Gardiner regards the unusual use of independent trombones in Bach's cantata Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe, BWV 25, as an "anticipation of the finale to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony"?
  • ... that National Football League offensive tackle Levi Horn is a member of the Cheyenne tribe?
  • ... that the Eternal Diet, "a bladeless knife without a handle", followed the Youngest Recess of the Holy Roman Empire?
  • In the news

  • Michael Sata is elected President of Zambia, defeating incumbent Rupiah Banda.
  • Troy Davis, convicted of a 1989 murder, is executed by the U.S. state of Georgia, after several appeals and high-profile calls for clemency fail.
  • Valentina Matviyenko (pictured) is elected Chairwoman of the Federation Council of Russia, the highest political position attained by a woman in the country since Catherine the Great.
  • The members of American rock band R.E.M. announce they are splitting up after 31 years together.
  • The government of Slovenia, led by Borut Pahor, falls after losing a vote of confidence.
  • On this day...

    September 24: Independence Day in Guinea-Bissau ( 1973); Heritage Day in South Africa; Republic Day in Trinidad and Tobago ( 1976)

    Camp Nou, Barcelona

  • 1645English Civil War: Royalists under the personal command of King Charles I suffered a significant defeat in the Battle of Rowton Heath.
  • 1890Wilford Woodruff, President of the Mormon Church, wrote the first draft of a manifesto which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage.
  • 1946Clark Clifford and George Elsey, military advisers to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, presented him with a top-secret report on the Soviet Union that would form the basis of the U.S. policy of containment.
  • 1957Barcelona's Camp Nou (pictured), currently the largest stadium in Europe with a seating capacity of 99,354, opened.
  • 1996 – Representatives from 71 nations signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which has not yet come into force because not enough signatories have ratified it.

    More anniversaries: September 23 September 24September 25

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  • Today's featured picture

    Wentworth Falls, New South Wales

    The town of Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains of Australia, is named after a waterfall with that name (pictured). It is located 100 km (62 mi) west of Sydney. The town is also noted for its areas of major archaeological importance, including the Kings Tableland Aboriginal Site. This area is highly significant to the Darug, Wiradjuri and Gandangara people. Used as a gathering place for at least 22,000 years, the area contains a variety of cultural features, including engravings, axe-grinding grooves, modified rock pools and an occupation shelter.

    Photo: David Iliff

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