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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,409,344 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleThe durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the “King of Fruits,” the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species. The hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns while the edible flesh within emits a distinctive odour, which is regarded as either fragrant or overpowering and offensive. The odour of the ripe fruit is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness and is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked. Many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market. (more…)Recently featured: George I of Great Britain – 2006 Atlantic hurricane season – Jurassic ParkArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that the Lloyd Wright-designed John Sowden House (pictured) is known as the “Jaws House” because its facade resembles the open mouth of a shark?… that Cuba-Pakistan relations were strengthened due to Cuba’s assistance after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake?… that William Rankin is the only person to survive a parachuting descent through a thunderstorm cloud?… that in Norse mythology, the Æsir-Vanir War between two tribes of gods resulted in the unification of the tribes?… that Steven Spielberg originally cast Tony Award nominee Julyana Soelistyo as Pumpkin in the film Memoirs of a Geisha?… that although both Hebrew and Arabic texts are written from right to left, the question mark is mirrored in Arabic (؟) but not in Hebrew punctuation?… that U.S. Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry S. Truman once lived in the Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building?… that Bruno Sacco, the Italian-born head of styling at Daimler-Benz between 1975 and 1999, considers his design of the 1991 Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury car to be four inches (10 cm) too tall?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsJapan’s House of Councillors passes a censure motion against Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (pictured), the first such motion to be passed since World War II.Sudan Airways Flight 109 crashes on landing at Khartoum International Airport in Khartoum, Sudan, killing dozens.IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory break a processing speed record with the world’s first petaflop computer, Roadrunner.Following a coal mine collapse in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, 24 miners are rescued with 12 still missing and one reported dead.Seven people are killed and ten injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan.The government of Southern Sudan withdraws its mediation efforts at the Juba talks between Uganda and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…June 12: Independence Day in the Philippines; Russia Day in the Russian Federation; Dia dos Namorados in Brazil1864 – Union General Ulysses S. Grant pulled his troops out of the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia, ending one of the bloodiest, most lopsided battles in the American Civil War.1889 – In one of the worst rail disasters in Europe, runaway passenger carriages collided with a following train near Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland, killing 88 people and injuring 170 others.1942 – On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.1967 – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark civil rights case Loving v. Virginia, striking down laws restricting interracial marriage in the United States.1979 – Pilot Bryan Allen flew the human-powered aircraft Gossamer Albatross (pictured) across the English Channel to win the Kremer prize.More events: June 11 – June 12 – June 13Archive – By email – More anniversaries…It is now 03:54, June 12, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this pageToday’s featured pictureA collage of six mustard images: Seeds of the mustard plant (top left) may be ground (top right) to make different kinds of mustard. The four mustards pictured are a simple table mustard with turmeric coloring (center left), a Bavarian sweet mustard (center right), a Dijon mustard (lower left), and a rough French mustard made mainly from black mustard seeds (lower right).Image credit: Rainer ZenzRecently featured: United States Capitol dome, 1846 – Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg, 1945 – Victoria CraterArchive – More featured pictures…