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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,433,680 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleThe General in His Labyrinth is a novel by the Colombian writer and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. It is a fictionalized account of the last days of Simón Bolívar, liberator and leader of Gran Colombia. First published in 1989, the book traces Bolívar’s final journey from Bogotá to the Caribbean coastline of Colombia in his attempt to leave South America for exile in Europe. In this dictator novel about a continental hero, “despair, sickness, and death inevitably win out over love, health, and life”. Breaking with the traditional heroic portrayal of Bolívar El Libertador, García Márquez depicts a pathetic protagonist, a prematurely aged man who is physically ill and mentally exhausted. The story explores the labyrinth of Bolívar’s life through the narrative of his memories. Its mixture of genres makes The General in His Labyrinth difficult to classify, and commentators disagree over where it lies on the scale between novel and historical account. García Márquez’s insertion of interpretive and fictionalized elements—some dealing with Bolívar’s most intimate moments—caused outrage in parts of Latin America when the book was released. Many prominent Latin American figures believed that the novel damaged the reputation of one of the region’s most important historic figures and portrayed a negative image to the outside world. (more…)Recently featured: Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition – Moe Berg – Cygnus X-1Archive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that the missionary and explorer David Livingstone named Cape Maclear, Malawi (pictured) after his friend, astronomer Thomas Maclear?… that the musical group The Wiggles’ first album was dedicated to their general operations manager Paul Field’s infant daughter, whose death ultimately led to the formation of the group?… that the town of Ollantaytambo, which dates back to the Inca Empire, has some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America?… that one critic describes Christopher Smart’s The Hilliad as the “loudest broadside” of the Paper War of 1752-1753, a literary dispute involving Henry Fielding, John Hill, and many others?… that the 1.3-mile (2.1 km) avenue of trees leading to Marchmont House in Scotland was begun 24 years before the house itself was built, with the planting of 10,000 Dutch elms?… that most of the illuminated manuscripts created by William de Brailes in Oxford in the 13th century are about the size of a modern paperback?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsRobert Mugabe is sworn in for his sixth term as President of Zimbabwe after a controversial run-off presidential election in which opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdraws his candidacy due to election-related violence.Serbian President Boris Tadić appoints Mirko Cvetković as the new Prime Minister following the parliamentary election held in May.Pakistan holds by-elections, with the contest for one seat delayed by the Supreme Court until it can handle the appeal of disqualified candidate Nawaz Sharif (pictured), former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N).In District of Columbia v. Heller, the United States Supreme Court rules that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to bear arms, with possible consequences for existing gun control laws.The state government of India’s Jammu and Kashmir has rebuked the decision to transfer forested land to Amarnath shrine following wide protests across the state.A U.S. appeals court rules that Hozaifa Parhat, a Chinese Uyghur militant currently detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, cannot be ruled an “enemy combatant” because he never took up arms against the United States.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…June 29: Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Roman Catholicism)1613 – The original Globe Theatre in London burned to the ground after a cannon employed for special effects misfired during a performance of William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII and ignited the theatre’s roof.1880 – Pomare V, King of Tahiti, was forced to cede the sovereignty of Tahiti and its dependencies to France.1956 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, officially creating the U.S. Interstate Highway System, one of the largest public works projects in history.1995 – Shuttle-Mir Program: During the STS-71 mission, Space Shuttle Atlantis became the first space shuttle to dock with the Russian space station Mir (pictured).2006 – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, ruling that military commissions set up by the Bush administration to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay violated both U.S. and international law.More events: June 28 – June 29 – June 30Archive – By email – More anniversaries…It is now 20:57, June 29, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this pageToday’s featured pictureA racist political campaign poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election. The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the idealized head of a young man. In contrast, a stereotyped black head represents Clymer’s opponent John W. Geary’s platform, “for the Negro.”Poster credit: UnknownRecently featured: Buffalo Soldiers – Mice Galaxies – Breaking the sound barrierArchive – More featured pictures…