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From today's featured article

Blood specimen with CBC and differential results

A complete blood count (CBC) is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit (the volume percentage of red blood cells). The CBC is often carried out as part of a medical assessment, and can be used to monitor health or diagnose diseases. The results are interpreted by comparing them to reference ranges, which vary with gender and age. A landmark in the automation of blood cell counts was the Coulter principle (1953), which uses electrical impedance measurements to count blood cells and measure their sizes. This technology remains in use in many automated analyzers. Further research in the 1970s involved the use of optical measurements to count and identify cells, which enabled the automation of the white blood cell differential. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Sandister Tei

... that Wikimedian of the Year Sandister Tei (pictured) of Ghana is a former multimedia journalist for Al Jazeera?
... that the Advent song "Kündet allen in der Not", an appeal to those in need to take courage, was written by Friedrich Dörr, based on Isaiah's prophecy, in preparation of the 1975 Catholic Gotteslob?
... that Pennsylvania Treasurer-elect Stacy Garrity was nicknamed "The Angel of the Desert" in the Iraq War?
... that the developers of Serious Sam's Bogus Detour created a free version of the game to entice pirates to buy the original?
... that newly founded Exeter Chiefs Women were given a place in the top flight of English women's rugby union ahead of Richmond Women, historically one of the most successful teams in England?
... that in Justifying Genocide, Stefan Ihrig argues that many 1920s German nationalists viewed genocide as the "cost of doing political and military business in the twentieth century"?
... that the Waikiki Biltmore, which opened in 1955, was the first high-rise hotel built in Waikiki?
... that General Charles Barton commanded the 2nd Life Guards in the Peninsular War, and his great-grandson "Banjo" wrote the lyrics of "Waltzing Matilda"?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Vaccines; Portal

Nana Akufo-Addo

Nana Akufo-Addo (pictured) is re-elected for a second term as President of Ghana.
In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win the World Rally Championship, while Hyundai win the manufacturers' title.
Hayabusa2 successfully returns samples collected from asteroid 162173 Ryugu to Earth.
Zdravko Krivokapić takes office as Prime Minister of Montenegro, becoming the first independent to hold the post.

On this day

December 12: Beginning of the Yule Lads' arrival in Iceland

George W. Bush

627 – A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrow II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq.
1388 – Unable to defend her possessions, Maria of Enghien sold the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
1969 – The Greek junta announced its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after the junta was found guilty of torture and other human-rights violations by the European Commission of Human Rights.
2000 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush (pictured) the winner.

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (d. 1751)
Edvard Munch (b. 1863)
Doris Blackburn (d. 1970)

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Today's featured picture

Rory Kennedy (born December 12, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker and the youngest child of U.S. senator Robert Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. Born six months after the assassination of her father, her life has seen many tragedies. As a director and producer, she has made documentary films that center on social issues such as addiction, nuclear radiation, the treatment of prisoners of war, and the politics of the Mexican border fence. Her films have been featured on many TV networks, and her 2014 documentary Last Days in Vietnam was nominated for an Academy Award.

Photograph credit: Lyndie Benson

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