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14059 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/News | News | News is when people talk about current events (things that are happening right now). News Media is a portrayal of current affairs, perspectives and social influence. The news can be given in newspapers, television, magazines, or radio. There are several news channels on cable television that give news all day long, such as Fox News and CNN. There are several news magazines, such as Time, The Economist, and Newsweek. A newsman is a person who helps out with the news. For example, Brian Gotter is a newsman. News Media can be viewed in many forms, such as newspaper, television, and radio.
News
Communication |
14061 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export | Export | An export is a product that is sold to people outside of the country in which the product was made. Canada exports maple syrup to the United States and to many other countries. Tropical areas like the countries in the Caribbean send sugar cane to other countries.
See
Import
International trade
Economics |
14062 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observatory | Observatory | An observatory is a place for making observations. The term is most used for astronomical observatories, which are places for looking at the sky. A modern astronomical observatory has a large telescope, or several. It is usually high up on mountains or hills, because higher places have cleaner, clearer, dryer air. Observatories also have to be away from places that have lots of light pollution, like cities. Too much light can make it so that the astronomers cannot see out of the telescope very well. |
14066 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic | Epidemic | An epidemic is a disease that spreads over a large area and affects many people at the same time. Epidemics are when a disease spreads from person to person faster than doctors can control. If the disease spreads over the whole world, sometimes it is called a pandemic.
Such diseases must be treated quickly and properly otherwise they can infect people on large scale and pose a danger to the world. It is very important that timely vaccination and treatment is provided. The study of epidemics is part of epidemiology.
Infectious diseases |
14073 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/George%20of%20the%20Jungle | George of the Jungle | George of the Jungle is an animated television series created by Jay Ward Productions in the late 1960s as a parody (pretending to be but in a way that makes fun of) of Tarzan. In 1997, it was made into a live-action movie by Disney, with Brendan Fraser as the main character. There was a sequel George of the Jungle 2 released direct-to-video in 2003. There was and is a video game based on the film which was and is 2D Platformer game George of the Jungle by Ignition Entertainment/Crave in 2008.
References
Animated television series |
14075 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster%20Abbey | Westminster Abbey | Westminster Abbey is a large and famous Anglican church in Westminster, London. It is the shrine of Edward the Confessor and the burial place of many kings and queens. Since it was built it has been the place where the coronations of Kings and Queens of England have been held. The present structure dates from 1245, when it was started by Henry III.
The status of the Abbey is that of a Royal Peculiar. This means it is place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than under a bishop. The concept dates from Anglo-Saxon times, when a church could ally itself with the monarch and therefore not be subject to the bishop of the area. Technically speaking, it is not a cathedral, though it is regarded as one in practice.
One of the most famous tombs at Westminster Abbey is that of the Unknown Warrior.
Westminster Abbey and its small parish church, St Margaret's, form a UNESCO World Heritage site, which also includes Westminster Palace.
Coronations
Since the coronations in 1066 of both King Harold and William the Conqueror, coronations of English and British monarchs were held in the Abbey. Henry III was unable to be crowned in London when he first came to the throne because the French prince Louis (later Louis VIII) had taken control of the city. So the king was crowned in Gloucester Cathedral, but this coronation was deemed by the Pope to be improper, and a further coronation was held in the Abbey on 17 May 1220. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the cleric in the coronation ceremony.
King Edward's Chair (or St Edward's Chair), is the throne on which British sovereigns sit when the crown is put on their heads. It is kept in the Abbey, and has been used at every coronation since 1308. From 1301 to 1996 (except for 1950 when it was briefly stolen by Scottish nationalists), the chair also housed the Stone of Scone upon which the kings of Scotland are crowned. Although the Stone is now kept in Scotland, at future coronations the Stone will be returned briefy to St Edward's Chair for the moment of coronation.
Centre of learning
Until the 19th century, Westminster was the third seat of learning in Oxford and Cambridge. It was here that the first third of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament were translated. The New English Bible was also put together here in the 20th century.
Noteworthy
The Abbey contains the Westminster Retable, the oldest known panel painting altarpiece in England. It was painted in the 1270s by some of the Plantagenet court painters, probably for the High Altar. It was probably donated by Henry III of England as part of his Gothic redesign of the Abbey. The painting survived only because it was incorporated into furniture between the 16th and 19th century and much of it has been damaged beyond restoration. According to one specialist the "Westminster Retable, for all its wounded condition, is the finest panel painting of its time in Western Europe".
The Abbey contains "the oldest door in Britain".
Related pages
List of World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom
Poets' Corner
References
Other websites
Satellite view of Westminster Abbey at WikiMapia
Westminster Abbey
Keith Short - Sculptor Images of stone carving for Westminster Abbey
A history of the choristers and choir school of Westminster Abbbey
Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace Westminster Abbey Pages — Photos
Anglican Cathedrals
World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom |
14076 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles%20%28band%29 | Eagles (band) | The Eagles are an American country rock/hard rock band. They formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971. They are known worldwide for their hit songs Hotel California and Take it Easy. In 2006 they held the record for most albums sold, with their Greatest Hits, Volume I
On January 18, 2016, Glenn Frey died of pneumonia at age 67. His son Deacon replaced him in the band the next year.
Band members
1971 establishments in California
1970s American music groups
1980s American music groups
1990s American music groups
2000s American music groups
2010s American music groups
American rock bands
Musical groups established in 1971
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups disestablished in 1980
1980s disestablishments in California
Musical groups established in 1994
1994 establishments in California
Musical groups disestablished in 2016
2016 disestablishments in the United States
2010s disestablishments in California
Musical groups established in the 2010s
2017 establishments in the United States
2010s establishments in California |
14079 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas | Himalayas | The Himalayas are a mountain range in South Asia.
The west end is in Pakistan. They run through Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh states in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The east end is in the south of Tibet. They are divided into 3 parts Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks.
The 15 highest mountains in the world are in the Himalayas. The main ones are Mount Everest, Annapurna, and Nanga Parbat. Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, at 8,849 meters. Of the fifteen highest mountain peaks in the World, nine are in the Nepali Himalayas.
The word "Himalaya" means House of Snow in Sanskrit, an old Indian language. The Himalayas are so high that they kept the Indian and Chinese people separate from each other most of the time. India is a peninsula that is cut off from the rest of Asia by the mountains. It is often called the Indian subcontinent because it is larger and more isolated than other peninsulas.
North of the Himalayas is the Tibetan Plateau. It is called “the roof of the world”. However, the Tibetan Plateau is very dry because the plateau and the mountains act as a gigantic rain shadow. The rain falls instead on the south side of the mountains. This has greatly influenced the climate of the Indian subcontinent. Not only does it block the extremely cold winter winds blowing from Central Asia from entering Subcontinent, it also forces the Bay of Bengal Monsoon branch to shed its moisture along NE and Northern Indian States, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Formation of the Himalayas
Geologically, the origin of the Himalayas is the impact of the Indian tectonic plate. This travels northward at 15 cm per year, and joined the Eurasian continent about 40-50 million years ago. The formation of the Himalayas resulted in the lighter rock of the seabeds of that time being lifted up into mountains. An often-cited fact used to illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone.
The Indian plate is still moving north at 67 mm per year. Over the next 10 million years it will travel about 1,500 km into Asia. About 20 mm per year of the India-Asia convergence is absorbed by thrusting along the Himalaya southern front. This leads to the Himalayas rising by about 5 mm per year, making them geologically active. The movement of the Indian plate into the Asian plate also leads to earthquakes from time to time.
Wildlife
The Himalayas are very popular for tourists because it has a lot of wildlife. The types of plants and trees, which are common in the place, are Oak, Pine, Fir, Rhododendron, Birch, Juniper, and Deodar. Common animals, which are seen mostly in the different parts of the Himalayas, are snow leopards, blue sheep, musk deer, tigers, elephants, wild boar, and crocodiles. Even endangered species of animals and plants are also found there. In the north part of the Himalayas where the temperature falls below freezing point, animals cannot survive well. However, those who adapted can survive. During the cold winters most of the animals migrate to the lower regions of the Himalayas while others like the brown bear hibernate instead. The Yak is mostly seen in the cold desert. They are like wild ox and they are the largest animals in this region. In regions of Ladakh animals like Nyan, the wild and the most largest sheep are found.
Some of the major places for wildlife attractions in the Himalayas are:
Jim Corbett National Park
Namdhpha National Park
The Royal Chitwan Park
Kaziranga National Park
Royal Bardia National Park
Great Himalayan National Park
Five main rivers
The five main rivers of the Himalayas are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj. The rivers are the main source of human and animal life in those areas.
The river Jhelum came from a spring called Verinag, which is 80 km south of Srinagar. It is known worldwide for its nine bridges. It is a very wide river and the water is quite muddy and dirty due to pollution etc.
The two rivers Chandra and Bhaga come together to form the Chenab River. The Chenab is in the Lahaur region of Himachal Pradesh. It came from the melted snow that was on the foot of the main range of Himalaya in the Spiti and Lahaur district. The lake of Chandra Tal also comes from these rivers.
The Ravi River has come out in many love legends. The town of Chamba is on a mountain shelf on the right bank of the river. The region is famous for handicrafts like embroidered handkerchiefs, silver and leather craft and woodcarving.
The valley of Kullu and Kangra is formed by river Beas. The main force of this river is from the south of Larji. There it enters the Mandi district and further still into Kangra. Its water increases to a great extent during the monsoon season so much so that it causes floods in the villages around it. The Pong Dam is made on the river to get hydroelectric power supply.
The River Sutlej comes from the southern slopes of the mountain Kailash, near the lake of Mansarovar. It flows parallel to the Himalayas and in the end goes to the Shipki La Pass. It cuts through the Zanskar range, and makes a deep well part at the base of the Kinner Kailash.
References |
14116 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihanmumbai%20Electric%20Supply%20and%20Transport | Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport | The BEST or the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport is Mumbai's public transport service and electricity provider. The government owned organisation, which was set up in 1873, operates one of India's largest bus fleets. Originally setup as a tramway company, it branched out into supplying electricity to the city in 1905, and later into operating buses in 1926. The BEST is run by the city's municipality as an autonomous body.
The bus transport service covers almost the entire city and extends its operations outside city limits. In addition to buses, it also operates a ferry service. The electricity division of the organisation is also one of the few electricity departments in India to garner an annual net profit. Until 1995, BEST stood for Bombay Electricity Supply and Transport. After the name of the city was formally changed from Bombay to Mumbai, this was also reflected with the adjustment to Brihanmumbai, which means "Greater Mumbai".
1873 establishments
Public transport
Companies of India
Mumbai
1870s establishments in India |
14117 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelderland | Gelderland | Gelderland or Guelders is a province in the east of the Netherlands. The capital city is Arnhem, but Nijmegen and Apeldoorn are bigger. Other important cities are Zutphen, Doetinchem, Harderwijk and Tiel. About 2,097,000 people are living in Gelderland (2021).
It is surrounded by the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, South Holland, Utrecht, Flevoland and Overijssel and the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia.
The most important rivers are the Rhine (Rijn), the Waal, the IJssel and the Maas (border with North Brabant). The border with Flevoland is formed by the so-called randmeer ("border lake") of the Flevopolder.
History
In the 11th century, Guelders was a county. It was called Gelre in Dutch and Geldern in German. In 1339, it became a duchy. At first, it existed of the surroundings of the city of Geldern (now in Germany). By the end of the 14th century, it included most of the modern province of Gelderland and parts of the province of Limburg and of the German District of Cleves. It became part of the Habsburg Netherlands in 1543, one of the Seventeen Provinces.
Other websites
interactive province map
another map, more up-to-date, but the map is not interactive
Detailed map |
14127 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canvas | Canvas | Canvas is a thick material usually made of woven cotton. It is used for tents and sails on boats and other places where a sturdy material would be good. It is similar to the material in blue jeans. It is often a white or pale tan color. It can also be used for painting or even making shoes.
Canvas
Painting
Woven fabrics |
14130 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large%20format%20lens | Large format lens | A large format lens is a lens that can be used on a large format camera. These cameras usually cover an area of 4x5 inches or more. The picture taken is then recorded on photographic film, or as a digital image.
Other websites
http://www.schneideroptics.com/info/vintage_lens_data/large_format_lenses/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/4x5.htm
Camera lenses |
14132 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones | Ramones | Ramones were an American punk rock group who formed in New York City in 1974 and broke up in 1996. All the members of the group had stage names which replaced their real last names with "Ramone." They were one of the first punk bands. Some others were The Clash, Sex Pistols, and The Damned. Three of the four founding members of the Ramones died within eight years of the band breaking up.
The original lineup was made up of Joey on drums, Johnny on guitar and Dee Dee on bass and vocals. Tommy was their manager. Then Dee Dee said he was unable to sing while playing bass, so Tommy got Joey to sing and then played drums himself, leaving Dee Dee to backup sing. Later, Tommy left the band and was replaced on drums by a new member, Marky. Eventually Marky was fired and then replaced by another drummer, Richie. After that, Dee Dee left the band to produce his own rap album. C.J. joined the band as their new bassist.
Their first album "Ramones" is now a classic of early punk rock. The songs are short, the melodies simple and the text is often made up of 2 or three phrases only. Their live concerts were legendary, extremely loud and very short. They played song after song, only interrupted by Dee Dee's (and later, C.J.'s) shouts of "one, two, three, four!".
The Ramones never had big commercial success. Among their best-known songs today are "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Sedated." Now they are seen as one of the most important punk rock bands. Several rock bands, including Nirvana and Green Day were influenced by the Ramones.
The Ramones had their first gigs at the club CBGB in New York. The letters "CBGB" stand for Country, BlueGrass, Blues. The club was opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal. CBGB, soon afterward, became a place where new wave and punk rock bands played. These included Patti Smith Group, Blondie, Talking Heads and many others. From the early 1980s onward, CBGB was known for hardcore punk.
Gallery
1970s American music groups
1974 establishments in the United States
1980s American music groups
1990s American music groups
1996 disestablishments in the United States
American punk bands
Musical groups disestablished in 1996
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Musical groups from New York City
1970s establishments in New York (state)
1990s disestablishments in New York (state) |
14133 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia%20Newton-John | Olivia Newton-John | Olivia Newton-John (born 26 September 1948) is an Anglo-Australian singer and actress. Her first successful song was "Let Me Be There". The song made the top 10 on the U.S. pop chart. She has since won four Grammy Awards. Her first big acting role was in Grease. It became the most successful movie of 1978.
Early life
Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England. Her father was Welsh. Her mother was from Berlin, the daughter of Max Born. Newton-John is the youngest of three children. In 1954, her family moved to Australia. At age 12, she won a contest at school with girl group "Sol Four". When she was 17 years old, she had her first appearance in a movie, Funny Things Happen Down Under (1965), where she sang "Christmas Time Down Under". Shortly after she was in a talent contest and won first prize, a trip to England. She got a record deal on Decca Records and released her first single, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine", in 1966.
Career
Newton-John stayed in England and recorded a cover of the Bob Dylan song, "If Not For You". It was the song which first caused her to be well known. She released her first solo album, If Not For You, in 1971. In 1973, her career began to do well. Her first successful song was "Let Me Be There". The song made the top 10 on the US pop chart. It also earned her a Grammy Award for Best Country Female. More successful songs followed: "If You Love Me Let Me Know," "I Honestly Love You", "Have You Never Been Mellow", "Please Mr. Please" and many more.
Her first big acting role was with John Travolta in Grease. It became the most successful movie of 1978.
Personal life
Olivia has lived in California for decades. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She had breast cancer in 1992, and recovered. She has been married twice. She has a daughter by her first husband.
She is also an activist for environmental and animal rights issues.
In May 2017, it was announced that Newton-John's breast cancer had returned and metastasized to her lower back. In August 2019, it was also reported that the cancer was at Stage IV and spread to her bones.
References
1948 births
Living people
Actors from Cambridgeshire
Actors from Melbourne
Australian movie actors
Australian pop musicians
Australian singers
Australian television actors
People with cancer
English movie actors
English pop musicians
English singers
English television actors
Grammy Award winners
Musicians from Cambridge
Musicians from Melbourne
Naturalised citizens of Australia |
14134 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%20%28band%29 | Kansas (band) | Kansas is an American rock band. They formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1970. They are best known for songs including "Carry on Wayward Son" and "Dust in The Wind".
Albums
Kansas (1974)
Song for America (1974)
Masque (1975)
Leftoverture (1976)
Point of Know Return (1977)
Two for the Show (1978)
Monolith (1979)
Audio-Visions (1980)
Vinyl Confessions (1982)
Drastic Measures (1983)
The Best of Kansas (1984)
Power (1986)
In the Spirit of Things (1988)
Live at the Whisky (1992)
Freaks of Nature (1995)
Always Never the Same (1998)
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents (1998)
The Best of Kansas [remastered] (1999)
Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000)
Early Recordings from Kansas 1971-1973 (Proto-Kaw) (2002)
Device, Voice, Drum (2002)
Before Became After (Proto-Kaw) (2005)
There's Know Place Like Home (2009)
The Prelude Implicit (2016)
The Absence of Presence (2020)
References
American rock bands
American hard rock bands
Musicians from Kansas
People from Topeka, Kansas |
14135 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styx%20%28band%29 | Styx (band) | Styx is an American rock band. They were one of the most popular groups of the 1970s and early 1980s. They formed in Chicago in 1972. They were the first band to have four platinum albums in a row. They continued playing after reuniting in 1995.
Discography
Studio Albums
1972 Styx
1973 Styx II
1973 The Serpent Is Rising
1974 Man of Miracles
1975 Equinox
1976 Crystal Ball
1977 The Grand Illusion
1978 Pieces of Eight
1979 Cornerstone
1981 Paradise Theater
1983 Kilroy Was Here
1990 Edge of the Century
1999 Brave New World
2003 Cyclorama
2005 Big Bang Theory
Live Albums
1984 Caught in the Act
1997 Return to Paradise
2000 Arch Allies: Live at Riverport (live) (with REO Speedwagon)
2001 Styx World: Live 2001 (live)
2001 Yesterday & Today (live)
2002 At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis (live)
2003 21st Century Live (live)
Compilations
1995 Styx Greatest Hits
1996 Styx Greatest Hits Part 2
2000 Extended Versions
2002 20th Century Masters
2004 Come Sail Away - The Styx Anthology
2005 The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings
Other websites
Styx career on A&M Records with gallery, international discography
1970s American music groups
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2010s American music groups
American rock bands
Musical groups established in 1972
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1984 disestablishments in the United States
Musical groups established in 1990
1990 establishments in Illinois
Musical groups disestablished in 1991
1991 disestablishments in the United States
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1995 establishments in Illinois |
14136 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro%20Tull%20%28band%29 | Jethro Tull (band) | Jethro Tull is a rock band. They formed in Blackpool, England in 1967. The singer and leader is Ian Anderson. He also plays flute. This band was highly successful and sung songs such as "Aqualung", "Locomotive Breath", "Living in the Past" and "Thick as a Brick".
Discography
Studio albums
This Was (1968)
Stand Up (1969)
Benefit (1970)
Aqualung (1971)
Thick as a Brick (1972)
A Passion Play (1973)
War Child (1974)
Minstrel in the Gallery (1975)
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976)
Songs from the Wood (1977)
Heavy Horses (1978)
Stormwatch (1979)
A (1980)
The Broadsword and the Beast (1982)
Under Wraps (1984)
Crest of a Knave (1987)
Rock Island (1989)
Catfish Rising (1991)
Roots to Branches (1995)
J-Tull Dot Com (1999)
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
The Zealot Gene (2022)
1967 establishments in England
1960s British music groups
1970s British music groups
1980s British music groups
1990s British music groups
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Blackpool
English hard rock bands
Musical groups established in 1967
Musical groups disestablished in 2014
21st-century disestablishments in England |
14139 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle | Turtle | Turtles are the reptile order Testudines. They have a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield.
The order Testudines includes both living and extinct species. The earliest fossil turtle comes from the early Upper Triassic of China, about 220 million years ago. So turtles are one of the oldest surviving reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards, snakes and crocodiles.
Molecular evidence shows they are definitely archosauromorphs, the group of diapsid reptiles which also includes the dinosaurs.box 5.1, p123/4
Turtles have been very successful, and have almost world-wide distribution. But, of the many species alive today, some are highly endangered.
Turtle, tortoise, or terrapin
Although the word turtle is widely used to describe all members of the order Testudines, it is also common to see certain members described as terrapins, tortoises or sea turtles, as well. How these names are used, if at all, depends on the type of English.
British English describes these reptiles as turtles if they live in the sea; terrapins if they live in fresh or brackish water; or tortoises if they live on land.
American English tends to use the word turtle as a general term for all species. "Tortoise" is used for most land-dwelling species, and oceanic species are usually referred to as sea turtles. The name "terrapin" is typically reserved only for the brackish water diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin.
Australian English uses turtle for both the marine and freshwater species, but tortoise for the terrestrial species.
To avoid confusion, the word "chelonian" is popular among some who work with these animals, as a catch-all name. Unfortunately, Chelonia is also the name of a particular genus of turtles, so this conflicts with its use for the entire order Testudines.
Ecology and life history
Although many turtles spend much of their lives underwater, all turtles and tortoises breathe air, and must surface at regular intervals to refill their lungs. Some spend their whole lives on dry land.
Aquatic respiration in Australian freshwater turtles is being studied. Some species have large cloacal cavities that are lined with many finger-like projections. These projections, called papillae, have a rich blood supply, and increase the surface area. The turtles can take up dissolved oxygen from the water using these papillae, in much the same way that fish use gills to respire.
Like other reptiles, turtles lay eggs which are slightly soft and leathery. The eggs of the largest species are spherical, while the eggs of the rest are elongated. Sea turtles lay their eggs on dry, sandy beaches. Turtles can take many years to reach breeding age, and in many cases breed every few years rather than annually.
In some species, there is temperature-dependent sex determination. Temperature determines whether an egg develops into a male or a female: a higher temperature causes a female, a lower temperature causes a male. Large numbers of eggs are deposited in holes dug into mud or sand. They are then covered and left to incubate by themselves. When the turtles hatch, they squirm their way to the surface and head toward the water. No turtle mother cares for its young.
Long-lived
Researchers have recently discovered a turtle’s organs do not gradually break down or become less efficient over time, unlike most other animals. It was found that the liver, lungs, and kidneys of a centenarian turtle are almost identical with that of its young counterpart. This has inspired genetic researchers to begin examining the turtle genome for longevity genes.
Anatomy
Neck folding
Turtles are divided into two groups, according to how they evolved a solution to the problem of withdrawing their necks into their shells. The Cryptodira (hidden neck) can draw their necks in while contracting it under their spine. The Pleurodira (side neck), now found only in fresh water environments in the Southern hemisphere, contract their necks to the side. So, the important adaptation of head withdrawing evolved twice from ancestral turtles which did not have this ability.
Feeding
Turtles have a hard beak. Turtles use their jaws to cut and chew food. Instead of teeth, the upper and lower jaws of the turtle are covered by horny ridges. Carnivorous turtles usually have knife-sharp ridges for slicing through their prey. Herbivorous turtles have serrated-edged ridges that help them cut through tough plants. Turtles use their tongues to swallow food, but they cannot, unlike most reptiles, stick out their tongues to catch food.
Shell
The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell that encases the belly is called the plastron. The carapace and plastron are joined together on the turtle's sides by bony structures called bridges.
The inner layer of a turtle's shell is made up of about 60 bones. It includes parts of the backbone and the ribs, meaning the turtle cannot crawl out of its shell. In most turtles, the outer layer of the shell is covered by horny scales called scutes that are part of its outer skin, or epidermis. Scutes are made up of a fibrous protein called keratin that also makes up the scales of other reptiles. These scutes overlap the seams between the shell bones and add strength to the shell. Some turtles do not have horny scutes. For example, the leatherback sea turtle and the soft-shelled turtles have shells covered with leathery skin instead.
Largest living
The largest chelonian is a marine turtle, the great leatherback sea turtle, which reaches a shell length of 200 cm (80 inches) and can reach a weight of over 900 kg (2,000 lb, or 1 short ton). Freshwater turtles are generally smaller, but with the largest species, the Asian softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii, a few individuals have been reported to measure up to 200 cm or 80 in (Das, 1991). This dwarfs even the better-known alligator snapping turtle, the largest chelonian in North America, which attains a shell length of up to 80 cm (31½ in) and a weight of about 60 kg (170 lb).
The lagest fossil turtle, Archelon, was more than twice the length of the leatherback, at up to 4.5 metres.
Evolution
The first fossil proto-turtles come from Upper Triassic of the Mesozoic era, about 220 million years ago. Their shell evolved from bony extensions of their backbones and broad ribs that expanded and grew together to form a complete shell. It offered protection at every stage of its evolution, even when the bony component of the shell was not complete. This proved a long-lasting adaptation, and the group as a whole has survived many changes in the seas, and several extinction events.
Fossils of the freshwater Odontochelys semitestacea or "half-shelled turtle with teeth", from the later Triassic, have been found in southwest China. Odontochelys displays a complete bony plastron and an incomplete carapace, similar to an early stage of turtle embryonic development. By the Upper Jurassic, turtles had radiated widely, and their fossil history becomes easier to read.
Their exact ancestry has been a puzzle. Early amniotes had no openings in the skull behind the eyes. Openings developed in both Sauropsid and Synapsid skulls. They made the skull lighter, gave attachment points for muscles, and gave room for muscle bulges. But turtles do not have these skull openings. They were called 'anapsids', meaning 'no openings'.
Eventually it was suggested that turtles evolved from sauropsids which had skull openings, but turtles lost them as part of their evolution towards heavy defensive armour. All molecular studies have strongly upheld the placement of turtles within diapsids; some place turtles within Archosauria, or as a sister group to extant archosaurs.
The earliest known fully shelled turtles are the late Triassic Odontochelys, Chinlechelys and Proganochelys. The first-named genus was aquatic, but the second was probably terrestrial. They already had many advanced turtle traits, and thus probably had many millions of years of preceding turtle evolution and species in their ancestry. They did lack the ability to pull their heads into their shell (and they had a long neck), and (Odontochelys) had a long, spiked tail ending in a club, a body form similar to that of ankylosaurs, resulting from convergent evolution.
Turtles are divided into two living suborders, the Cryptodira and the Pleurodira. The Cryptodira is the larger of the two groups and includes all the marine turtles, the terrestrial tortoises, and many of the freshwater turtles. The Pleurodira are sometimes known as the side-necked turtles, a reference to the way they withdraw their heads into their shells. This smaller group mostly consists of freshwater turtles.
Related pages
Sea turtle
Pig-nosed turtle
Archelon
References
Living fossils |
14143 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage%20Against%20the%20Machine | Rage Against the Machine | Rage Against the Machine, sometimes known as RATM or Rage, is a rock band from Los Angeles, California. Rage Against the Machine are known for their mixing of funk, hip-hop, metal and rock music as well as their openly left wing politics. The band members have been the same since they started in 1991. The band members are rapper Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bass player Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. Morello, Commerford and Wilk were also in Audioslave with Chris Cornell.
RATM released their debut album in 1992. It was called Rage Against the Machine. The album sold a lot of copies and reached number 40 on the Billboard top 200 music chart. The band did not do another album until Evil Empire in 1996. The bands third album The Battle of Los Angeles was released in 1999 and shortly after in 2000 the band released a covers album, Renegades.
References
1991 establishments in California
1990s American music groups
2000s American music groups
American heavy metal bands
Alternative metal bands
Musical groups established in 1991
Musical groups from Los Angeles |
14151 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product%20%28mathematics%29 | Product (mathematics) | In mathematics, a product is a number or a quantity obtained by multiplying two or more numbers together. For example: 4 × 7 = 28 Here, the number 28 is called the product of 4 and 7. As another example, the product of 6 and 4 is 24, because 6 times 4 is 24. The product of two positive numbers is positive, just as the product of two negative numbers is positive as well (e.g., -6 × -4 = 24).
Pi product notation
A short way to write the product of many numbers is to use the capital Greek letter pi: . This notation (or way of writing) is in some ways similar to the Sigma notation of summation.
Informally, given a sequence of numbers (or elements of a multiplicative structure with unit) say we define . A rigorous definition is usually given recursively as follows
An alternative notation for is .
Properties
( is pronounced " factorial" or "factorial of ")
(i.e., the usual th power operation)
(i.e., multiplied by itself times)
(where is a constant independent of )
From the above equation, we can see that any number with an exponent can be represented by a product, though it normally is not desirable.
Unlike summation, the sums of two terms cannot be separated into different sums. That is,
,
This can be thought of in terms of polynomials, as one generally cannot separate terms inside them before they are raised to an exponent, but with products, this is possible:
Relation to Summation
The product of powers with the same base can be written as an exponential of the sum of the powers' exponents:
Related pages
Cartesian product
Cross product
Dot product
References
Arithmetics |
14155 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal%20Declaration%20of%20Human%20Rights | Universal Declaration of Human Rights | The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration (something said in an important way) by the United Nations General Assembly. It talks about basic human rights -- rights that all people have just because they are human. It was adopted (agreed to) by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
The UDHR (initialism for Universal Declaration of Human Rights) is translated into over 300 languages. This is more languages than any other document, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Important ideas
The UDHR may be broken into 30 parts or articles. Each article says one idea about human rights. Most people think these are the most important ideas:
All people are born free and equal, because they have reason and conscience.
Everyone has a right to life, liberty, and security of their person.
Everyone should be protected from any kind of discrimination.
Everyone has a right to have a nationality and change one's nationality.
Everyone has a right to an education.
Everyone has a right to get a job.
Everyone has a right to vote and take part in the government of one's own country.
Everyone has a right to take part in cultural life—to choose a way of life.
No person may be tortured, or treated in a cruel or unkind way.
Everyone has the right to seek and gain asylum from persecution.
Everyone has a right to have ideas or opinions, to decide what is right and what is wrong, and to choose a religion.
Everyone has a right to speak or write freely and right to join a peaceful group to express one's opinion.
Everyone has a right to security if suffering unemployment, disease, disability, old age or loss of a partner.
Everyone has duties to the community where one's personality can be developed freely.
No one can abuse the rights to destroy the freedom or rights in this Declaration.
Rights
Below is a simplified list of all of the UDHR rights.
1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.
2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.
3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.
5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.
6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!
7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.
8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.
9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.
10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.
11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.
12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.
13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.
14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.
15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.
16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.
17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.
18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.
19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.
20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.
21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.
22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.
23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.
24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.
25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.
26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Our parents can choose what we learn.
27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.
28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.
29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.
30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.
Criticism
The United Nations Human Development Report (UNHDR) has been criticised by different people. Mainly Islamic countries have pointed out that its understanding is mainly that of Christians or Jews. Muslims could not implement certain parts of the declaration, without trespassing Islamic law. On 30 June 2000, Muslim nations that are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference officially resolved to support the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, an alternative document that says people have "freedom and right to a dignified life in accordance with the Islamic Shari’ah".
References
Other websites
Text of the UDHR at the United Nations website explained in Plain English
Text of the UDHR at the United Nations website
United Nations
1948
Human rights |
14162 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin | Dolphin | Dolphins are part of the toothed whales. Generally, they are among the smaller whales. Most live in salt water oceans, but some live in rivers there are oceanic dolphins and river dolphins. Dolphins are from to long, but the largest dolphin, the killer whale (or orca), can be up to long.
All dolphins live in groups called "pods". They are social animals at all stages of their life. They have some remarkable behaviours. A speeding group of dolphins is a sight to see. They "porpoise" in and out of the water at high speed. The function of this is not known for sure. It may be the fastest movement they are capable of. What they eat, almost exclusively, is fish. When they chase fish, the fish go into a "bait ball" to self-protect. In turn, the dolphins attack in a group and eat as many fish as they can.
The name 'dolphin' comes from the Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphis) meaning "with a womb", because it was first thought to be a fish with a womb. It is now known to be a mammal, and quite an intelligent mammal. Dolphins breathe air. A dolphin's nose is on top of its head so the dolphin can easily breathe on the surface of the water. The skin of a dolphin has no scales. It is soft and smooth. However, it is very firm, due to how much muscle they have. Dolphins use echolocation to find their food.
The skin of a bottlenose dolphin is gray, smooth, and rubbery. They are always social. They can help each other fight off predators. Dolphins have fought off sharks in this way. They can kill large sharks by ramming them over and over again with their snouts and heads. They look after the young, when the mothers need to leave their calves to hunt for food. The young need to breathe more often than the adults, and the food may be in deeper waters.
Oceanic dolphins are marine animals living in the sea. They live in all of the oceans.
Three of the four species of river dolphins live in fresh water rivers. The La Plata dolphin lives in saltwater estuaries and the ocean. Water pollution and the loss of habitat are a threat to some dolphins, especially those living in rivers and estuaries.
Sleep
Dolphins (and other cetaceans) sleep in the water. There is danger from animals that eat dolphins. Dolphins sleep differently than a person. Dolphins have two sides of their brain, which they use to sleep. One side sleeps, while the other side stays awake. Dolphins do things while asleep:
Dolphins will keep one eye open to watch for animals that eat them while they sleep.
Dolphins also swim in circles when they are sleeping to look around for danger.
Dolphins get their nose out of the water to breathe.
Dolphin groups or species have their own way of sleeping. Pinnipeds, like seals, can sleep like dolphins.
Senses
The brain of a dolphin is like a human brain in size and development. Dolphins have reasonable eyesight. They can watch a thing in the water, and they can see colors, too. They can also see in dark places.
A dolphin's hearing is better than their sight. There are small holes behind the eyes, and they are the ears of a dolphin. Dolphins can hear a sound underwater. They can know the direction of the sound very well.
Dolphins and humans
Mythology
Dolphins have long played a role in human culture. Dolphins are common in Greek mythology and there are many coins from ancient Greece which feature a man or boy or deity riding on the back of a dolphin. The Ancient Greeks welcomed dolphins; spotting dolphins riding in a ship’s wake was considered a good omen. In Hindu mythology, the Ganges River Dolphin is associated with Ganga, the deity of the Ganges river.
Cuisine
Dolphin meat is eaten in a few countries, including Japan and Peru (where it is referred to as chancho marino, or "sea pork"). Japan may be the best-known and most controversial example, but eating dolphin is not that common.
Dolphin therapy
Dolphin therapy is sometimes used for people with mental or physical handicaps. It involves contact with trained dolphins. It is not agreed whether this is any better than the usual treatments.
Scientists continue to study dolphin therapy.
Taxonomy
Oceanic dolphins (Delphinidae)
Some examples:
Genus Delphinus
Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Genus Tursiops
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Genus Orcinus
Orca (Orcinus orca)
Genus Feresa
Pygmy killer whale Feresa attenuata
Genus Pseudorca
False killer whale Pseudorca crassidens
Genus Globicephala
Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Genus Peponocephala
Melon-headed whale Peponocephala electra
River dolphins
Amazon river dolphin or Boto (Inia geoffrensis)
Chinese river dolphin or Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) (likely to be extinct)
La Plata dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei)
South Asian river dolphin Platanista gangetica
Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor)
Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)
References
Toothed whales |
14166 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea | Guinea | Guinea, or the Republic of Guinea (), is an independent nation in Western Africa. Guinea borders 6 countries: Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone. The national language is French. It is a member of the Economic Community of West African States.
History
Before the Europeans arrived to Africa, Guinea was part of a couple of empires. In the 1890s, France colonized Guinea. In 1958, Guinea becomes independent.
Prefectures and regions
Guinea is divided into 8 regions and then divided even further into 33 prefectures. The capital of Guinea, Conakry, is a special area.
Boké Region
Conakry Region
Faranah Region
Kankan Region
Kindia Region
Labé Region
Mamou Region
Nzérékoré Region
Biggest cities
The following are the biggest cities in Guinea, by population:
Conakry (2,000,000)
Labé (700,000)
Kankan (439,017)
Kindia (279,884 )
Nzérékoré (247,855)
Kissidougou (135,900)
Guéckédou (116,541)
Mamou (105,754)
Religion
About 89% of people are Muslim, most of them are Sunni. 6.8% of people are Christian, most of them are Catholic.
Notable people from Guinea
The following is a list of notable people from Guinea:
Sources
Guinea , in the CIA World Factbook
References
Other websites
Website of the Guinean governement
French-speaking countries
Least developed countries
Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
1958 establishments
1950s establishments in Africa |
14167 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig | Pig | Pigs or domestic pigs are mammals in the genus Sus. Pigs are in the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates.
Related, but outside the genus, are the babirusa and the warthog. Pigs, like all suids, are native to the Old World. Baby pigs are called piglets or pups. Pigs are omnivores and are very social and intelligent animals. Its ancestor is the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa).
The pig has stout, barrel-shaped bodies, with short legs.
The flesh of domestic pigs is eaten as food and is called pork. The Jewish and Muslim religions, and some Christian denominations, believe eating pork is wrong. Pig farmers take care that the animals do not get diseases or parasites which might harm humans.
Domestic pigs come in different colours, shapes and sizes. They are usually pink, but little pigs kept as pets (pot-bellied pigs) are sometimes other colours. Pigs roll in mud to protect themselves from sunlight. Many people think that pigs are dirty and smell. In fact, they roll around in the mud to keep bugs and ticks away from their skin. This also helps to keep their skin moist and lower their body temperature on hot days. They are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals.
Pigs are intelligent animals. They are even able to learn how to play video games.
Pigs are commonly used as working animals. They are used to hunt for truffles, pull carts and sniff out landmines. Pig races exist.
Care
Pigs need a warm, clean area under a roof to sleep, and they should not be crowded. They need to be checked for sickness regularly. Pigs need lots of water. Over half their body weight is made up of water. Pigs should be given all the feed they will eat, which is usually four to five pounds a day for adult pigs. Corn is a good food for pigs, but they should also have protein supplements as well.
Pigs can be found throughout the world living on farms and in the wild, and they are also popular pets. Pigs are kept and slaughtered for their flesh, pork.
References
Pigs
Ungulates |
14168 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat | Wheat | Wheat (Genus: Triticum) is a cereal grain. People eat it most often in the form of bread. It is a kind of grass whose fruit is a "head of wheat" with edible seeds. It was first grown in the Levant, a region of the Near East. Now it is cultivated worldwide.
World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food. It has a higher protein content than other major cereals such as maize (corn) or rice. In terms of total production, it is second to rice as the main human food crop and ahead of maize (maize is used more for animal feeds). Almost 800,000,000 tonnes are harvested every year.
Wheat was a key factor enabling the emergence of city-based societies at the start of civilization. It was one of the first crops that could be easily cultivated on a large scale, and its seeds could be stored for long periods in a dry climate. Wheat helped the growth of city-states in the Fertile Crescent, including the Babylonian, Assyrian and persian empires.
Wheat grain is a staple food used to make flour for leavened, flat and steamed breads, biscuits, cookies, cakes, breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles, couscous. It can also be fermented to make ethanol, for alcoholic drinks, or biofuel.
An allergy to wheat (mostly from its gluten) can cause coeliac disease, which makes the sufferer have diarrhoea if they eat any food containing wheat.
Description
The wheat plant has long, slender leaves, stems that are hollow in most types of wheat plants, and heads that have many kinds of flowers, from 20 to 100. The flowers are grouped together in spikelets. Each spikelet has two to six flowers. In most spikelets, two or three of the flowers become fertilized, and this makes them produce the grains used for food.
Cultivated species of wheat
All cultivated wheats have more than one normal diploid set of chromosomes. The increases in chromosome sets occurs naturally at a low rate. Because they have more chromosomes, their ears of wheat are larger. All man did was to select the plants with extra fat ears of wheat when they occurred. Now a whole range of cultivated wheats are available. These are just a few:
Hexaploid species (six sets of chromosomes)
Common wheat or Bread wheat (T. aestivum) – A hexaploid species that is the most widely cultivated in the world.
Spelt (T. spelta) – Another hexaploid species cultivated in limited quantities. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related species common wheat (T. aestivum), in which case its botanical name is considered to be Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta.
Tetraploid species (four sets)
Durum (T. durum) – The only tetraploid form of wheat widely used today, and the second most widely cultivated wheat.
Emmer (T. dicoccon) – A tetraploid species, cultivated in ancient times but no longer in widespread use.
Diploid species (normal two sets of chromosomes)
Einkorn (T. monococcum) – A diploid species with wild and cultivated variants. Domesticated at the same time as emmer wheat, but never reached the same importance.
Emmer wheat
Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum), or 'hulled wheat', is a type of awned wheat. It was one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East. It was widely cultivated in the ancient world, but is now a relict crop in mountainous regions of Europe and Asia.
In the wild, the awns of emmer wheat spikelets help them dig into the soil. With humidity in the night, the awns of the spikelet become erect and draw together, and in the process push the grain into the soil. During the day, the humidity drops and the awns slacken back again. During the course of days and nights, the awns' pumping movements drill the spikelet as much as an inch into the soil.
Einkorn wheat
Einkorn wheat is one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, (Triticum monococcum). Grains of wild einkorn have been found in Paleolithic sites of the Fertile Crescent. It was first domesticated about 7500 BC (~9000 years ago), in the early Neolithic period. Evidence from DNA suggests einkorn was domesticated in southeast Turkey, where a number of early farming villages have been found. Its cultivation decreased in the Bronze Age, and today it is a relic crop that is rarely planted. It has found a new market as a health food. It is still used for bulgur (cracked wheat) or as animal feed, in mountainous areas of France, Libya, former Yugoslavia, Turkey and other countries. It often survives on poor soils where other species of wheat fail.
Einkorn was domesticated at the same time as emmer wheat, but was not so important.
Related pages
Quinoa
References
Poales |
14169 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban | Taliban | The Taliban is a large Sunni Islamic fundamentalist militant group operating in Afghanistan. The group formed the government of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and took military control of most of Afghanistan again in August 2021. After the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021, the Taliban now takes full control of Afghanistan.
History
In 1994 Taliban started a government in southern Afghanistan called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The first leader of the Taliban was Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The Taliban governed Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. During this time, its leaders put in place the strictest forms of Sharia law ever seen in the Muslim world. Much criticism of the Taliban came from important Muslim scholars. For example, if a thief was caught stealing something the Taliban would cut off one of his hands so that he does not use it to steal again, no matter what it was that he stole. Many criminals were put to death quickly and without a fair trial and were executed in public. Anyone who refused to follow the law was considered a non-Muslim enemy. Every male had to go to mosque for prayer (except Afghan non-Muslims) during praying times, which is five times per day.
The Taliban became known around the world for their very bad treatment of women and girls, denying them human rights. They also treated the Shia Muslim (who they consider heretics) and non-Muslim minorities (who are Hindus and Sikhs) very badly. Every form of art, music and entertainment was strictly banned under their rule, and sculptures, paintings, photos, cameras, televisions, etc. were destroyed. The Taliban also did cultural genocide when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan in February and March 2001, because they consider the display of human and animal figures a sin.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan. The Taliban had been giving its ally al-Qaeda a safe base from which to operate. The United States government said that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda members did the attacks in the U.S. The Taliban asked the U.S. for proof of this before it would arrest them. The aim of the invasion was to remove the Taliban government from power, destroy al-Qaeda and capture bin Laden. After losing power in 2001, the Taliban had its headquarters in Pakistan.
In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed the Doha Agreement that would remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. President of the United States Joe Biden said that the U.S. exit from Afghanistan would start on May 1, 2021 and end by September 11, 2021, which would be exactly 20 years since the September 11 attacks.
On 15 August 2021, the Taliban captured Kabul and the Afghan government collapsed, with the Taliban taking control of most of Afghanistan. On 30 August 2021, the Taliban had took full control of the country and ending the War in Afghanistan, after the evacuations from Afghanistan ended.
Ideology
Jihadism
Islamic fundamentalism
Deobandi Islamism
Religious nationalism
Pashtunwali
Economy
It is estimated that in 2020 the Taliban had an income of $1.6 billion, mostly from drugs, mining, extortion and taxes, donations (or gifts) and exports.
The Taliban have financed themselves mostly from selling illegal drugs. A big part of the opium sold worldwide comes from Afghanistan: The Taliban grow the poppies (which are used to make opium). Another part of their income is racketeering: they offer "protection" in exchange for money. They also take taxes (in accordance with Islamic law, as they claim) in the areas they control. Finally, there's financial support in the form of donations, from abroad. Most of the donations come from countries around the Persian Gulf; many donations also come from Pakistan.
An article in 2021 in the Wall Street Journal said that there is [financing or] "funding from the opium trade and extortion schemes [... for] Taliban operations".
Taliban views on society
In the past, the Taliban had views on society that are stricter than those of many other Islamic countries:
They had the following rules for girls and women:
Starting at age eight, girls and women must not be in contact with men who are not their direct family, or who they are not married with.
Women must not be seen in public, without wearing a burqa, and without being accompanied by a male member of the family.
They must not wear shoes with high heels, so that no man can hear when they walk and be sexually aroused by the sound
They must not speak loudly in public, so that no stranger can hear their voice.
All windows on the ground floor and the first floor of the house must be sealed (or walled in), so that no one can see a woman in her apartment, when he passes by on the street
Taking photographs of women or making movies showing women is forbidden. This also applies to showing pictures of women in magazines, books, newspapers or in shops. This also applies to the own home.
Placenames that contain the word "woman" must be changed (That way a "women's garden" became a "spring garden")
Women are forbidden from using the balcony or garden of the place where they live
Women must not have access (or be featured in) radio, tv, media. They must not be allowed to attend public assemblies or meetings.
Women can get education until they reach puberty; afterwards, they should get married, and care for their children
Human trafficking
Several Taliban and al-Qaeda commanders ran a network of human trafficking. They abducted girls and women from ethnic minorities and sold them into sex slavery in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Time magazine writes: "The Taliban often argued that the restrictions they placed on women were actually a way of [worshipping] and protecting the opposite sex. The behavior of the Taliban during the six years they expanded their rule in Afghanistan made a mockery of that claim."
The targets for human trafficking were mostly women from non-Pashtun ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Some women preferred to commit suicide rather than become slaves.. During one Taliban and al-Qaeda offensive in 1999 in the Shomali Plains alone, more than 600 women were kidnapped. Arab and Pakistani al-Qaeda militants, with local Taliban forces, forced them into trucks and buses. Time magazine writes: "The trail of the missing Shomali women leads to Jalalabad, not far from the Pakistan border. There, according to eyewitnesses, the women were penned up inside Sar Shahi camp in the desert. The more desirable among them were selected and taken away. Some were trucked to Peshawar with the apparent complicity of Pakistani border guards. Others were taken to Khost, where bin Laden had several training camps." Officials from relief agencies say, the trail of many of the vanished women leads to Pakistan where they were sold to brothels or into private households to be kept as slaves.
Not all Taliban commanders took part in human trafficking. Many were opposed to the practice. Nuruludah, a Taliban commander, is quoted as saying that in the Shomali Plains, he and ten of his men freed some women who were being abducted by Pakistani members of al-Qaeda. In Jalalabad, local Taliban commanders freed women that were being held by Arab members of al-Qaeda in a camp.
Taliban violence against civilians
In their attacks, the Taliban also target civilians in Afghanistan. According to a report by the United Nations, the Taliban were responsible for over 76% of civilian casualties in 2009. In 2010, the Taliban were again reponsible for over three quarters of the civilian casualties. Civilians are targets of Taliban attacks twice as often as forces of the Afghan government, or troops of ISAF.
In 2011, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIGRC) said that Taliban fighters targeting civilians was a "war crime". Religious leaders condemned the attacks on civilans, saying they were against Islamic ethics.
Also in 2011, human rights organisations pressed the International Criminal Court in Den Haag, to start investigations whether the Taliban committed war crimes.
Human rights abuses
When they took control of the country, the Taliban promised an amesty to the fighters and officials of the former goverment. At the end of 2021, a few months after the Taliban taking control, Human Rights Watch, and other organisations have documented summary executions of these people. The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have therefore told the Taliban that they should keep the promise they gave.
Relationship with other countries
Russia has had meetings with Taliban regularly, over the last years (since August 2021). Russia's ambassador (Dmitrij Zjirnov) had a meeting - in Afghanistan - with representatives from Taliban on 18 August 2021.
United States. On 23 August 2021 the chief of CIA met with a member of the [ middle managment] of Taliban (Abdul Ghani Baradar); the CIA chief is the highest ranking member of Biden administration to have met with Taliban.
Norway has had contact with Taliban as far back as 2007. For several years (as of 2021) Norwegian diplomats have been in contact with Taliban, at the (peace talks or) peace process in Doha (Qatar); as of 2021's fourth quarter, Norway still has diplomats at the peace talks in Doha.
Relationship with militant groups (outside Afghanistan)
Tehrik-i-Taliban
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan operates in northwestern Pakistan and is sometimes called the Pakistani Taliban, but they are a separate group.
Before the beginning of Tehrik-i-Taliban some of its (later) leaders and fighters were part of the 8,000 Pakistani militants fighting in the War in Afghanistan (1996–2001) and the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) against the United Islamic Front and NATO forces. Most of them come from the Pakistani side of the Af-Pak border regions. After the fall of the Afghan Taliban in late 2001 most Pakistani militants including members of today's TTP escaped (home) to Pakistan.
Peace talks
At the peace talks in Doha, there is little or no progress (as of 2021's third quarter).
Leader (or Supreme Commander)
Hibatullah Akhundzada (since 2016)
Related pages
Panjshir resistance
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan - Sometimes called Pakistani Taliban. Unrelated group in Pakistan.
Bibliography
References
Further reading
The IMF Acts Against the Taliban (Aug. 18, 2021). WSJ.com
Other weblinks
Afghanistan: A journey through Taliban country - a half hour documentary, by France 24, Published 11.6.2021
Taliban |
14170 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw | Screw | Screw can also be a slang word for sexual intercourse.
A screw is a sharp piece of threaded metal similar to a nail. Unlike a nail, a screw has spiral grooves down its spike. A screw is pressed down against wood and turned with a screwdriver. Turning the screw to the right makes it go into the wood. The grooves cut into the wood. This prevents the screw from falling out, as a nail might. Turning the screw to the left pulls it out of the wood.
Screws can be made of steel, iron, brass, bronze, plastic, etc.
There are also machine screws and self-tapping screws. Machine screws are bolts which have screw threads. The threads matched with nuts with female threads.
Screw threads are measured either in millimeters or in numbers. They are used in furniture, doors, appliances, etc.
Screwing and screws
Screwing is the neatest way of holding together two materials. If no glue is involved, then the screwing can be dismantled.
These are three different types of screw.
Countersunk: First you drill a pilot hole into the wood. Then you can widen out the top by using a countersink drill bit. The head is flat on the top.
Raised head: Has a slightly domed head, raised above the surface.
Round head: Domed head above surface, broader than underneath.
Do not place screws in line as this weakens the wood.
Use the right size screwdriver for the screw head. A screwdriver that is too slim can damage the slot, too wide can tear the materials. Screw threads in both wood and metal can become stripped, resulting in loss of holding power, and can also be difficult to remove.
A screw is a type of simple machine.
Related pages
Bolt (fastener)
Nut (hardware)
Sources
Basic English 850 words
Hardware (mechanical) |
14171 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistan | Tajikistan | Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia. It was previously part of the Soviet Union. Tajikistan is a republic. The capital city is Dushanbe. The official language is Tajik,which is a dialect of Farsi (Persian).
Tajikistan is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the CIS. Tajikistan is eighth in size of CIS countries.
Geography
Tajikistan is one of the new countries in South-central Asia. It is west of China, north of Afghanistan and Pakistan, that is separated by a narrow 14 km strip of Tajik claimed land known as the Wakhan Corridor in the Pamirs, east of Uzbekistan and south of Kyrgyzstan.
Tajikistan is landlocked in the middle of the continent of Asia.
Its total area is only about . It is slightly smaller than Wisconsin, USA. Tajikistan’s borders total to long.
The climate has hot summers and mild winters.
Almost all of the country (85 percent) is mountainous with river valleys running across, however high altitude mountains of Pomir are in the eastern part of the country, (which is the west end of the Himalayas). The climate there is semiarid to polar. The mountains cover an area of about . There are other countries within the mountain range. The mountains are between high.
Karakul lake is located within a meteorite crater, which would have formed about 25 million years ago, or less than 5 million years ago.
History
The land that is now Tajikistan has been lived in since 4,000 BC. It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history, mostly the Persian Empires.
In the year 800, Islam came to north-east of Iran, (Nowadays called a part of this Land Tajikistan)
In 1868, Tajikistan became a Russian Colony. It later became a part of the Soviet Union.
On 9 September 1991, after long periods of mass protests against the Soviet Government, the Parliament of Tajikistan declared independence from Soviet Union, and held the first presidential elections.
Rahmon Nabiev, who ran the country during Soviet Union in the late 1970s and early 1980s, become its president. He was unable to bring any much-needed reforms to the country, and so there were protests in the capital city, Dushanbe.
The government responded by organizing a pro-government demonstration, mainly made of old Communist Party members and people from the southeast of the country brought to the city. Anti-government protests did not stop, so the government gave weapons to the pro-government demonstrator. Then the Opposition armed themselves.
After this bloody civil war broke out. In which all of the new democratic parties, political organizations, and movements together with the political Islamic movements created an alliance, opposing the old communist government and southerners.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, many American and French Soldiers came into the country.
Political structure
In 2010 a leaked US Embassy cable described Tajikistan as
"... The greatest obstacle to improving the economy is resistance to reform. From the President down to the policeman on the street, the government is characterized by cronyism and corruption. Emomali Rahmon and his family control the country's major businesses, including the largest bank, and they play hardball to protect their business interests, no matter the cost to the economy writ large... The government has limited opposition party operations and rejected electoral law reforms for the February 28, 2010, parliamentary elections. The Embassy does not expect the elections to be free and fair. There has been almost no coverage of opposition political parties by state media, and most of the population is unaware of the purpose of the elections..."
Provinces
Tajikistan is divided into 4 provinces.
References
Poopak NikTalab. Sarve Samarghand (Cedar of Samarkand), continuous interpretation of Rudaki's poems ,Tehran 2020, Faradid Publications {Introduction}
Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
1991 establishments in Asia |
14172 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear | Fear | Fear is a feeling or an emotion. When a person has fear, they are afraid or scared. A person who fears something does not want it to happen. The fear response comes from sensing danger. It leads to the fight-or-flight response. In extreme cases of fear (horror and terror) there may be a freeze response or paralysis.
In humans and animals, fear is adjusted by cognition and learning. Thus fear is rational or appropriate, or it is irrational or inappropriate. An irrational fear is called a phobia.
Fear is the body's way of protecting itself from doing things that may be dangerous. For example, if one has a fear of jumping off a cliff, he/she will not do it. This saves one from death. In this case, fear is a good thing but in others, it can be bad. An example of fear being bad is if it stops one from doing something important, like going to see a doctor. Methods of controlling phobias include facing the fear over and over so the effect of the phobia becomes less until it stops being a phobia.
There is only a small set of basic or innate emotions and fear is one of them. The fear response helps survival by triggering appropriate behavioral responses. It has been preserved throughout evolution.
References
Basic English 850 words
Emotions |
14173 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue | Tongue | The tongue is the fleshy muscle inside the mouth. A tongue lets us taste because the top of the tongue is made mostly of taste buds. It also helps the process of mastication by mixing food with saliva. It is very flexible, so it also helps us eat and talk. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body.
Tongue rolling
Some people can roll their tongue into a tube. The reason why some people are able to and some are not is because of genetic inheritance, meaning that it is based on whether their parents are able to do it. Many schools use tongue rolling as an example of a genetic trait.
People who can roll their tongue can sometimes make a high pitched sound by blowing through their rolled tongue.
References
Basic English 850 words
Mouth
Sensory system
kk:Тіл |
14174 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium | Titanium | Titanium is a very strong metal that is used in special applications. The most common isotope has 26 neutrons. Titanium was discovered in 1791 by William Gregor. It is chemical element number 22 on the periodic table. Its symbol is Ti. It has 22 electrons and 22 protons. Its name comes from the name of the strong Greek gods called titans.
Titanium can combine with other chemicals to make different materials. When titanium mixes with oxygen from the air, it forms titanium dioxide (TiO2), or titania, which forms a shell around the metal and prevents chemicals from damaging it. Titanium dioxide is a white pigment that is often used to make things less transparent, brighter, or rougher - because it does not react with chemicals inside the human body, it is safe to use in foods and other applications, like toothpaste.
Titanium alloys are used in aerospace engineering to make very strong and light parts of aeroplanes. These alloys can replace steel because they are almost as strong as steel but much lighter. They are also much stronger than aluminium alloys, but only a little heavier, meaning that titanium parts can be thinner and lighter, while still withstanding the same forces. It does not corrode in most conditions, even when exposed to sea water or chlorine. However, it can burn at high temperatures, and like many metal powders, titanium dust is extremely flammable.
References
Metals |
14175 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew%20language | Hebrew language | Hebrew is a Semitic language. It was first spoken in Israel. Many Jewish people also speak Hebrew, as Hebrew is part of Judaism.
It was spoken by Israelites a long time ago, during the time of the Bible. After Judah was conquered by Babylonia, the Jews were taken captive (prisoner) to Babylon and started speaking Aramaic. Hebrew was no longer used much in daily life, but it was still known by Jews who studied halakha.
In the 20th century, many Jews decided to make Hebrew into a spoken language again. It became the language of the new country of Israel in 1948. People in Israel came from many places and decided to learn Hebrew, the language of their common ancestors, so that they could all speak one language. However, Modern Hebrew is quite different from Biblical Hebrew, with a simpler grammar and many loanwords from other languages, especially English.
As of 2021, Hebrew has been the only dead language that had been made into a living language again.
The Hebrew Bible was originally written in Biblical Hebrew.
Grammar
Hebrew is a Semitic language, like Arabic, a similar language. Hebrew words are made by combining a root with a pattern. In Israeli Hebrew, some words are translated from European languages like English, French, German, and Russian. Many words from the Old Testament were given new meanings in Israeli Hebrew. People learning Hebrew need to study the grammar first so that they can read correctly without vowels.
In Israeli Hebrew, there is no verb "to be" in the present tense only in the future and the past tenses. In Biblical Hebrew, there are no tenses but only two aspects: imperfect and perfect. The imperfect is something like the future and the present tenses. The perfect is something like the past tense.
Mishnaic Hebrew was spoken as well as Judeo-Aramaic at the time of Jesus and at the time of the Bar-Kokhba revolt (2nd century AD) until the Byzantine Empire of Justinian (6th century AD).
The Hebrew alphabet has been adapted to write Yiddish, another Jewish language. However, Yiddish is different from Hebrew because Yiddish comes from a mix of German, Hebrew, and other languages.
Alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters. Five of them change when they are at the end of a word. Hebrew is read and written from right to left. The first three letters, aleph, beth and gimel, are also used in mathematics in the context of transfinite numbers.
The Hebrew alphabet is an abjad and so only the consonants are written, and readers must supply the vowels. Since that can be difficult, the vowels can be marked as dots called “nikkud” or “tnuah” (plural ”nikkud” signs and “tnuot” respectively.) In Modern Hebrew, some letters can denote vowels, which are called matres lectionis (mothers of the reading) since they greatly help reading. Vav (or Waw) can make the 'oo' sound (/u/ in IPA) like in food. Yodh (or Yud) can make the 'ee' sound (/i/ in IPA) like in feed.
Notes
Related pages
Phoenician alphabet
References |
14179 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan%20of%20Arc | Joan of Arc | Saint Joan of Arc or The Maid of Orléans (Jeanne d'Arc, c.1412 – 30 May 1431) is a national heroine of France. She is also a Catholic saint. She was a peasant girl born in the east of France. Joan said that she had visions from God. In these visions, she said that God told her to take back her home, which was then under English rule late in the Hundred Years' War. Many quick military victories made her famous. In 1430, soldiers of Burgundy captured her and gave her to her English enemies.
Joan of Arc has remained an important figure in Western civilization. Famous writers like Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, Mark Twain, and Voltaire wrote about her. She appears in video games, television, movies, songs, and dances.
Visions of Joan of Arc
When Joan of Arc was put on trial, she said no to the customary courtroom rules about a witness's oath. She said she would not answer every question about her visions. She complained that the normal witness oath would not be right because she had an oath that she had given to the king. It is not known how much the record which reports this has been changed by dishonest court officials or her possible lies to protect state secrets. Some historians simply say that her belief in her duty was more important than where the visions came from.
Most people say that she was healthy and that she was not crazy. Recently, people have tried to explain her visions through things like epilepsy, migraine, tuberculosis, and schizophrenia. None of these guesses have been greatly supported. This is because, even though seeing visions can be through different diseases, other facts of Joan's life do not agree with these ideas. Two experts who studied a teberculoma hypothesis in the medical journal Neuropsychobiology said: "It is difficult to draw final conclusions, but it would seem unlikely that widespread tuberculosis, a serious disease, was present in this 'patient' whose life-style and activities would surely have been impossible had such a serious disease been present." Ralph Hoffman, professor of psychology at Yale University, points out that visions, like "hearing voices" are not always signs of mental illness. He says that her religious inspiration was possibly a reason. However, he does not say any other reasons.
Nonetheless, the court of Charles VII was obsessed about her mental health.
Execution
Joan was tried by a French inquisitorial tribunal under English control. The Church said Joan should be killed for wearing men's clothes even after being warned not to. Joan agreed to wear women's clothes. She wore male clothes again. This might have been to protect herself from being attacked. It could also have been, as Jean Massieu said, because her dress had been stolen and she was left with nothing else to wear.
She was burned on a stake on 30 May 1431, at age 19. After she died, the English showed people her burnt body so no one could say she had escaped alive. Then they burned the body two times again to turn it into ashes. They put what was left of her in the Seine. The executioner, Geoffroy Therage, later said that he "...greatly feared to be damned."
Notes
Sources
Other websites
International Joan of Arc Centre
Joan of Arc- Maid of Heaven
1410s births
1431 deaths
Christian saints
Hundred Years' War
French people |
14181 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%20Kopp | James Kopp | James Charles Kopp (born August 2, 1954) is an American criminal. He was found guilty in 2005 for shooting Dr. Barnett Slepian to death in 1988. Kopp said the reason he shot the doctor was that he was against the abortions that the doctor did.
Murder of Slepian
On October 23, 1998, Slepian, his wife, and their four children came home from synagogue (Jewish church). Kopp waited outside the home with a rifle. He shot Slepian in the back through a window while Slepian was in the kitchen. Slepian's wife and son Andrew were standing in the same room with him.
References
1954 births
Living people
American murderers
American prisoners
American Roman Catholics
American terrorists
Criminals from California
People from Pasadena, California |
14182 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet | Millet | Millet is a type of grain that is eaten. There are many types of millet. Millets are of good nutritional value.
Millets also have high fiber content, and poor digestibility of nutrients. This limits their value in nutrition and makes them rather less acceptable to consumers.
References
Grains |
14183 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Flowers%20of%20Romance | The Flowers of Romance | The Flowers of Romance might mean:
The Flowers of Romance, an early punk rock group formed in 1976
The Flowers of Romance (album) by Public Image Ltd |
14185 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic%20the%20Hedgehog%20%28character%29 | Sonic the Hedgehog (character) | Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game character. He is a 15-year old blue hedgehog who can run at the speed of sound. By curling into a ball and spinning quickly, he can do a helpful "Spin Attack" which he uses to defeat the villains and save the day. He has been in many games made by the company Sega, but also in television series, books and comics (published in America by Archie Comics). He has many friends, including Miles "Tails" Prower, a two-tailed fox that can fly by spinning his tails very quickly or Knuckles the Echidna (who is strong, and has been in Sonic games since Sonic the Hedgehog 3). With them, he fights against his arch nemesis Doctor Eggman, an evil scientist attempting to conquer the world.
Sonic's appearances
In games
Sonic is the mascot of Sega, which created it in the early 1990s. At first, Sega wanted Doctor Eggman to be their mascot, and a good guy. But, the people in Sega liked the new idea of making a blue hedgehog as the mascot. Doctor Eggman settled as the bad guy instead. Sonic’s franchise has grown, and more characters are displayed in games.
Here is a list of some games Sonic is in:
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic X-treme (cancelled game)
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic R
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure DX
Sonic Battle
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Sonic Advance
Sonic Advance 2
Sonic Advance 3
Sonic Heroes
Shadow the Hedgehog (Game)
Sonic Rivals
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing
Mario & Sonic At The Winter Olympic Games
Sonic Generations
Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games
Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic Lost World
Sonic Mania
Sonic Forces
In cartoons
He appeared in his own made-for-video movie in 1999.
In most of the cartoons from the 1990s his voice was provided by Jaleel White (who was best known at the time for his role as Steve Urkel on the television show "Family Matters") and in later cartoons his voice was provided by Jason Griffith. Sonic also stars in his latest cartoon from Japan. It is called Sonic X, although Sonic X has ended.
Here is a list of cartoons Sonic is in:
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM)
Sonic Underground
Sonic the Hedgehog (movie)
Sonic X
Sonic Boom
In comic books
Archie Comics in America has been making comics with Sonic as the main character. He is also shown with famous characters like Knuckles and Tails, but with also a few new ones. Some of the characters are not in any Sonic games, but some are in a very old cartoon, Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM, made by DiC in 1993.
Other characters
Friends
Miles "Tails" Prower: Tails is an eight year old fox. He has two tails that he can spin like a propeller, allowing him to fly. He has been a friend to Sonic for a long time. He also sees him as a mentor, someone who trains him and treats him as a brother. He is also very skilled with machinery (mainly aircraft.) He was first shown in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He can also turn Super using the Super Emerald,which Sonic and Knuckles uses to turn Hyper.
Personality: Tails is a very friendly and humble fox. Though he lacks confidence, he is always quite capable around Sonic and often helps him out. For a long time Tails seemed happy with just being a sidekick, but in Sonic Adventure he wanted to be more independent. Tails has a few weaknesses; he lacks confidence, is very afraid of lightning and ghosts, and also he has a tendency to talk too much, which causes him to accidentally blab out secrets or plans lots of times.
Amy Rose: Amy is a tomboyish 12 year old pink hedgehog. She is in love with Sonic and she wants to marry him, but so far, Sonic has not accepted this offer. She has a large Piko-Piko hammer for fighting with bad guys. She was first shown in Sonic CD.
Personality: Amy was once presented as being kind and sweet (and slightly naive.) In more recent games she has become more violent and aggressive. However, she is extremely protective of her friends, and if a bad guy tries to hurt them, she will use all her skill to defeat the bad guy. Despite her violent tendencies, Amy has a very good heart, she never gives up, and she is the most optimistic and cheery character of the franchise. She really cares about her friends, and helps them reach their goals.
Traditionally she wore a green shirt and a orange skirt. This changed to a red dress in sonic adventure.
Knuckles the Echidna: Knuckles is a 16 year old echidna. He may be the strongest of all of the characters and has two sharp claws on each fist he uses to fight with bad guys. Most of the time, he takes care of a very special gemstone called the Master Emerald on Angel Island, a floating island in the sky. He was first shown in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He can also turn Super using the Chaos Emeralds, and Hyper using the Super Emeralds, which Sonic also uses to turn Hyper.
Personality: In the games, Knuckles is independent, headstrong, devoted to his duty and is very trusting (this leads to him being tricked by Eggman a lot). He is very serious and usually likes to be by himself, but can be relied upon to help out whenever the planet is in danger. Knuckles is extremely stubborn and is often described as a loner. Because of his flaws, he and Sonic do not always get along, but are still allies.
Cream the Rabbit: Cream is a 6 year old rabbit who can fly with her ears. She also has a friend, a baby chao named Cheese. She was first shown in Sonic Advance 2 for Game Boy Advance. She is a very close friend to Amy.
Personality: Cream is polite, follows manners, and does what she is told. She is very friendly. She is brave as well, usually not afraid to go out on an adventure. However, she is a bit naive. Cream spends most of her time outdoors. There, she likes to play with her friends, or collect flowers. She loves adventures and exploring. Indoors, she likes watching TV. Her favorite food is ice cream. She does not like violence. However, she will fight to protect the people she cares about.
Shadow the Hedgehog: Shadow is a cloned hedgehog with super speed like Sonic's. He is actually immortal due to scientific experimentation, but he has the appearance of a 15 year old hedgehog. He is also known as Project Shadow and "The Ultimate Life Form". He is often mistaken for Sonic, although they have some differences between them. Shadow has red and black quills and they are more spiky then Sonic's (resembling Sonic's super form). Shadow was created by Dr Gerald Robotnik (Dr Eggman's grandfather), for the intent of creating peace on earth, on the Space Colony ARK. His creation, however, was enabled by the blood of Black Doom, the leader of an alien race called the Black Arms. His goals were different than Dr Gerald, as he wanted Shadow to collect the Chaos Emeralds for him so the Black Arms could rule Earth. After his creation, Shadow spent some time with Maria (Gerald's granddaughter and Shadow's first friend) who taught him about humanity, true friendship and how to be kind to others. But the G.U.N. (Guardian Units of Nations) thought he would be a threat to humanity. As a result, they eliminated everything related to the project, including the staff and Maria, who was in the process of saving Shadow. He was sent from the ARK in an escape capsule, but was captured by G.U.N. and was kept frozen (like Fry from Futurama) at their base at Prison Island. The death of Maria made Dr Gerald go mad, altering Shadow's memory while he was still frozen to manipulate him into trying to destroy Earth. With help from Sonic and his friends, he was able to regain his memory and his purpose to save the earth, and stopped Dr Gerald's plan to crash the ARK into the planet. This led to Shadow falling from space and getting amnesia, only remembering Maria's death. He went to find his memory, which lead to him defeating Black Doom and the Black Arms. He has made a commitment to live his life without the burden of his past. He took an offer from the present Commander of G.U.N. to work with them as an agent, but he still works on his own terms. Shadow has unique abilities to use the Chaos Emeralds in ways Sonic and friends have never shown to be able to. One of these is Chaos Control, the ability to warp and manipulate Time and Space with a Chaos Emerald's power. Shadow's first appearance was in 'Sonic Adventure 2'.
Personality: Shadow is of Sonic's most pronounced rivals, but at the same time, is one of his friends. Originally an enemy, he is more like an antihero nowadays. Shadow's personality is very different from Sonic's, being very serious and somewhat cocky. He originally had an obsession for finding out the truth about his past, but now since he has found it, he is willing to live a normal life...as normal a life can be for Shadow, that is.He can also turn Super using the Emerald.
Rouge the Bat: Rouge is a female majestic bat. She works for the Government Agency called G.U.N. Her hobbies include treasure-hunting and collect rare gems, including the Chaos Emeralds. Her powers include flying with her wings and doing powerful kicks with her feet. She is often with Shadow (being his only true "friend") and likes to "tease" Knuckles (Sonic X makes this out to me more of a romantic relationship than the games do.) Rouge's first appearance was in 'Sonic Adventure 2'
Personality: Rouge was originally self-centered, but over time, she has learned to show concern for others (especially her friends Shadow and E-123 Omega, one of Eggman's robots who rebelled). She is not above using her looks to get what she wants.
Cosmo: Cosmo is a female child of a plant-like alien species whose homeworld was destroyed by the villainous Metarex. She is an friend of Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends, and many see that her primary purpose in the series is that of a love interest for Tails. This is because the two characters are of the same age for one another. She is only in Sonic X.
Enemies
Doctor Eggman: Doctor Eggman is a smart scientist. He likes to make an army of robots to take over the world, but Sonic and his friends always keep making him fail. He was first shown in Sonic the Hedgehog. In early U.S. releases of the games, he was called Doctor Robotnik. He is called Doctor Eggman because his body is shaped like an egg.
Eggman Nega: Eggman Nega is one of Dr Eggman's relatives from the future. (He first appeared in Sonic Rush) There is some confusion as to whether he is from a different Dimension (as stated in the Sonic Rush series) or from the future (stated in Sonic Rivals)
Transformations
Super Sonic is actually Sonic himself. As Super Sonic, Sonic is faster and stronger, and he is gold in color. He becomes Super Sonic only if he finds all seven Chaos Emeralds and, in the old games, gets 50 gold rings. He was first shown in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Many other characters have a Super form. For example, Knuckles can become Super Knuckles.
Hyper Sonic: Hyper is like Super Sonic, but he is even more powerful. His color is always changing. Hyper Sonic was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles and was not in any other Sonic the Hedgehog games. Super Sonic becomes Hyper Sonic if he finds the 7 Super Emeralds and fifty gold rings and then double jumps.
Items
Chaos Emeralds: The Chaos Emeralds are 7 stones that have been around for a very long time. There is very powerful energy in them that has both evil and good power. As a result, both good guys and bad guys are constantly looking for them. Sometimes, characters can transform by using their energy. For example, Sonic becomes Super Sonic.
Super Emeralds: The Super Emeralds are present only in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. These are even more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds. When Sonic collects them all, he can become Hyper Sonic.
Master Emerald: The Master Emerald is a very special green gem that is much larger than the Chaos Emeralds. It holds a great power that can even control the Chaos Emeralds. It is on Angel Island, the floating island where Knuckles lives. Knuckles guards and protects the gem. He is also one of the only people able to control its power.
Rings: Also called "power rings" or "magic rings", these are golden rings which contain a special power. In the games, Sonic will die if he is attacked without rings, but with more rings, he can survive.
Monitors: These items are seen across levels. They give power-ups when opened, such as shields, rings, or extra lives. But some can hurt you.
Voice actors
Throughout the years, Sonic has went through several different voice actors. Jaleel White began voicing the character in the DiC animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as Sonic SatAM and Sonic Underground. White also reprised the role again in the 2013 Sonic fan film.
Beginning in 1998, Sonic was voiced by Ryan Drummond, starting with Sonic Adventure. He continued to voice the character for six more years until 2004, his final performance as Sonic was in Sonic Advance 3. Drummond was replaced by Jason Griffith starting with the anime series, Sonic X, with Griffith voicing Sonic within the games starting with Shadow The Hedgehog in 2005, he voiced the character for four more years until 2009 in Sonic and the Black Knight. However, his recycled dialogue as Sonic was used in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. After his departure from the role in 2010, Griffith did continue to voice Sonic in various 4Kids promotions until September 2014, when the Vortexx program came to an end.
Griffith was replaced by Roger Craig Smith, starting with Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Colors. Smith announced on his Twitter account on January 29, 2021, that he would no longer voice Sonic, with his departure confirmed by Sega the same day. On May 26, 2021, Smith announced that he will continue to voice Sonic once again. Ben Schwartz voiced Sonic in the 2020 feature film, and will reprise his role for the 2022 sequel.
References
Other websites
American website
European website
Sonic Channel
Google English translation of Sonic Channel
Mascots
Fictional animals
Fictional characters introduced in 1991
Sonic the Hedgehog characters
Video game characters in movies |
14186 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog | Hedgehog | For the fictional character, see Sonic the Hedgehog
A hedgehog, also called a hedgepig or furze-pig, is a small mammal. It has between 5000-7000 spines on its back. There are hedgehogs in Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. When attacked or threatened, it curls up. Hedgehogs eat insects, snails, frogs and toads, snakes, bird eggs, carrion, mushrooms, berries and melons. Sometimes, hedgehogs will search for earthworms after rainstorms.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and they hibernate between November and March.
Description
Hedgehogs have long spines, or quills, made of keratin. They do not come off easily, unlike porcupines, but in baby hedgehogs, the baby quills drop off and are replaced with adult quills. This is called "quilling". When they are very stressed or sick, their quills can fall off, too. Their quills are not poisonous: they are safe for humans to feel and touch, as they are not very sharp, or harmful.
Pets
Some people keep hedgehogs as pets. African pygmy hedgehogs are the most common type that are kept as pets. They live 2-4 years in captivity. Hedgehogs are exotic pets, which means they may not be legal to keep as pets in some places.
References
Other websites
Hedgehog reference at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Hedgehog Facts
Hedgehog Care and Advice
Eulipotyphla |
14187 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final%20Fantasy | Final Fantasy | is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. It is developed and owned by Square Enix. Final Fantasy is a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). It also includes movies, anime, printed media, and other products.
The first game was published in 1987. The game was a success. It had sequels. The video game has since branched into other Video game genres. Some of these genres are tactical role-playing, action role-playing, massively multiplayer online role-playing, racing, third-person shooter, fighting, and rhythm.
Most Final Fantasy games are independent stories. They have different settings and main characters. Recurring elements include plot themes, character names, and game mechanics. Plots center on a group of heroes fighting evil and exploring their internal struggles and relationships. Character names are borrowed from history, languages, and mythologies of many cultures.
The series is a commercial and critical success. It is Square Enix's best selling video game franchise. It sold more than units. It is one of the best-selling video game franchises. It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006. It has seven Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Final Fantasy is known for its innovation, visuals, and music. It includes full motion videos, photo-realistic character models, and orchestra music by Nobuo Uematsu.
Types
There are two main types of Final Fantasy game: the main series, where the games are just numbered with Roman numbers, and several related games and spinoffs. Each of the games in the main series have very little to do with each other, with its own setting, story, and characters. Some exceptions include Final Fantasy X and X-2, the sequel, or Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns. But the games are connected through the gameplay, themes, and 'style'. Newer sequels and prequels are Final Fantasy X-2 and the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII games and films.
History
Since 1987, more than seventeen games have been released. The series started on Nintendo Entertainment System, but today most Final Fantasy games are made for the Sony PlayStation or PlayStation 2. Games have also been released for the Nintendo Game Boy and GameCube. Final Fantasy VII is generally regarded as one of the pinnacle achievements of gaming. A must-play for any gamer.
In 2001, Columbia Pictures made a CGI movie called Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
Exceptions
While it is not actually a Final Fantasy game, one game called Final Fantasy Adventure was released in America for the Nintendo Game Boy. The game was actually a prequel to the SNES game Secret of Mana, but was released in the United States with the name "Final Fantasy" to boost sales. In 2003 it was remade for the Game Boy Advance with the title Sword of Mana. In Japan, the Mana series is called Seiken Densetsu, which means "Legend of the Sword." There are three games in the series, but only the first two, Secret of Mana and Sword of Mana, have been released in the United States.
Gameplay
In Final Fantasy, players control a group of characters. They go through the game's story by exploring the game world and defeating enemies. Enemies are found randomly. This changed in Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII. The player gives combat orders. These orders are "Fight", "Magic", and "Item". The orders are given to individual characters through a menu. This menu appears when in battles.
The games have used different battle systems. Before Final Fantasy XI, battles were turn-based. The main characters and bad characters were on different sides of the battlefield. Final Fantasy IV introduced the "Active Time Battle" (ATB) system. It made better the turn-based system with a time-keeping system. This system was designed by Hiroyuki Ito. It gave a feeling of urgency and excitement to the fights. It required the player to act before an enemy attacks. It was used until Final Fantasy X. This game had the "Conditional Turn-Based" (CTB) system. This new system returned to the old turn-based system.
Magic is common in the game. The way characters get magic depends on the game. It is generally divided into classes organized by color: "White magic" focuses on spells that heal teammates; "Black magic" focuses on hurting enemies; "Red magic" is a combination of white and black magic, "Blue magic" copies enemy attacks; and "Green magic" focuses on applying status effects to teammates or enemies.
There are other types of magic like "Time magic". This magic focuses on time, space, and gravity; "Summoning magic" brings legendary creatures to help in battle. This magic has appeared since Final Fantasy III. Summoned creatures are called names like "Espers" or "Eidolons". They are inspired by mythologies from Arabic, Hindu, Norse, and Greek cultures.
Different means of transportation have appeared through the series. The most common is the airship. There are also chocobos for travelling short distances. Others include sea and land vehicles. Following Final Fantasy VII, more modern and futuristic vehicles have appeared.
Released Final Fantasy games
For Nintendo Entertainment System:
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy III
For Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES):
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
For Sony PlayStation:
Final Fantasy VII (also released for PC)
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VIII (also released for PC)
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Origins
Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy Chronicles
For Sony PlayStation 2:
Final Fantasy X (a high definition remake is currently in development for PS Vita)
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XI (also released for PC and Xbox 360)
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XII
For PlayStation 3:
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIV
For Sony PlayStation 4
Final Fantasy XV
For Xbox 360:
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
For Xbox One:
Final Fantasy XV
For Nintendo Gameboy:
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legends
Final Fantasy Legends 2
Final Fantasy Legends 3
For Nintendo Gameboy Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy IV Advance
Final Fantasy V Advance
Final Fantasy VI Advance
For Nintendo GameCube:
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
For Nintendo Wii:
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers
For Nintendo DS:
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
For PlayStation Portable:
Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core
Final Fantasy I and II remade
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Final Fantasy Dissidia
For PC:
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XV
Released Final Fantasy movies
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII
Future Games
A list of upcoming Final Fantasy games.
Final Fantasy XVI (Playstation 5)
References
Video game series |
14188 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges%20Brassens | Georges Brassens | Georges Brassens (October 22, 1921 - October 29, 1981) was a French singer and songwriter. He sang La mauvaise réputation (the bad reputation) and Le gorille (the gorilla).
1921 births
1981 deaths
French singers
French songwriters |
14189 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display%20resolution | Display resolution | Resolution is what can qualify a monitor in computer science. It is the number of pixels displayed on a given surface.
For example: a "640 by 480 display", which has 640 pixels from side to side and 480 from top to bottom (as in a VGA display), and therefore has a total number of 640 × 480 = 307,200 pixels or 0.3 megapixels, is what is meant by 640 × 480 display resolution.
Related pages
Pixels per inch
Frequency
Display technology |
14190 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervix | Cervix | The cervix is the part of the uterus which protrudes into the vaginal canal. Its function is like that of a gate to the uterus, or womb, where the fetus develops during a pregnancy. It also allows menstrual blood to escape the uterus during the normal reproductive cycle of the female, and allows sperm to access the uterus to fertilize an ovum, or egg.
Anatomy of the female reproductive system
sexuality |
14191 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet | Bullet | Bullets are small metal objects fired from guns. Many kinds of bullets are made from lead covered with copper. They are put into a package called a cartridge. The cartridge is put into a gun. The bullet is at the front of the cartridge (number 1 in the picture). The bullet is pushed out of the gun by hot gases at a high pressure. A powder called gunpowder (number 3 in the picture) is put inside the case (number 2). A small explosion from the primer (number 5 in the picture) lights the gunpowder. The gunpowder burns very fast. It makes hot gases. The hot gases are at a high pressure. The high pressure pushes the bullet out of the gun barrel at a high speed.
Bullets are weapons. Soldiers and police use them. They are used for self-defense. They are used for hunting animals for food or as a sport. They are used for shooting targets. There are many kinds of bullet. Each gun takes a certain size, or caliber, of bullet. Rifles and handguns use different kinds and sometimes a gun uses more than one kind of bullet.
Although the word "bullet" is often used for a cartridge round, a bullet is not a cartridge but rather a part of one. A round of ammunition cartridge includes the bullet (which is the projectile), the case (which holds everything together), the propellant (which provides most of the energy to shoot it) and the primer (which ignites the propellant).
Design
Bullet designs have to solve two main problems. A bullet must fit tightly in the gun's bore (inside of the barrel). If it does not fit tightly, gas from the burning gunpowder leaks past the bullet and does not help push it out. The bullet must also fit tightly against the rifling (spiral grooves cut into the barrel), but not so tightly that it causes damage. Bullets must have this tight fit without causing too much friction. Bullets must be made to a high standard. Poorly made bullets may not be accurate. Poorly made bullets can damage the gun or hurt the person using the gun. The way the bullet behaves in the barrel is called 'internal ballistics'.
The laws of physics can be used to understand how a bullet moves after it leaves the barrel. The way the bullet behaves after it leaves the barrel is called 'external ballistics'. The main factors affecting the aerodynamics of a bullet in flight are the bullet's shape and the rotation from the rifling of the gun barrel. Spinning helps stabilize the bullet gyroscopically and aerodynamically (spinning keeps it on track). Any small differences in the shape of the bullet are mostly canceled as it spins. The first guns did not have rifling. With smoothbore firearms (no rifling), a round bullet was best because it was the same in any position. But these bullets were not very stable. They were also not very accurate. Still, the round shape of bullets did not change very much for hundreds of years.
Bullet design also affects what happens when a bullet hits an object. The way a bullet behaves when it hits a target is called 'terminal ballistics.' The make-up and density of the target material, the angle at which the bullet hits, and the speed and design of the bullet itself are all factors. Bullets are usually made to go into a target, change shape, and/or break apart. For a given material and bullet, the speed of the bullet is the main factor determining what happens.
Making bullets go faster increases the kinetic energy even more. This effect is big, so people have tried (and succeeded) to make bullets that go faster and weigh less. Modern firearms take much lighter bullets and shoot them much faster than was the case in World War I. This makes the firearms better in two ways. The magazine (which holds the cartridges in the gun before they are fired) holds more of the smaller, lighter bullets. Also, the higher speed causes much more damage than the old-style bullets.
Bullet types
Rifle bullet
Rifles are used for target shooting and killing. A rifle bullet can be described by its accuracy, penetration, shape, size, and mass (weight). There are many different kinds of rifle bullets.
The Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) is a type of bullet commonly used by the military. A lead center (core) is surrounded by a strong metal coating (jacket). This jacket is usually made of a copper alloy, but sometimes it is made of steel. The FMJ does not spread out when it hits a target. It goes deep into its target and is a general-purpose bullet. The FMJ is not recommended for hunting. It is mostly for target shooting and military use.
The Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) has a lead center (core) with lead showing at the tip. It also has a strong metal coating (jacket). The center of the tip has a hole in it (hollow point). This design makes the tip of the JHP quickly start to spread out (expand) when it hits a target. The hollow point bullet in a rifle can be as small as a pin. When the hollow point is this small, the bullet will go faster and still spread out when it hits a living target. In some hollow point rifle bullets, the front may spread out to two times as wide as the bullet was when it started. It is a good hunting bullet because the energy in the bullet is transferred to the target at a known depth. The jacketed hollow point tends to be accurate and is sturdy.
The plastic tipped bullet is a hollow point bullet. The hollow point is filled with a hard, pointed plastic tip. It is used because it can go further than the JHP and does not curve as much. The plastic tipped bullet also spreads out or breaks into pieces when it hits the target.
A solid copper bullet is a bullet that has no lead core or other elements than copper. This bullet expands into a flower shape when it hits a target, because copper bullets are usually hollow point. The copper bullet contains no lead, so it is also better for the environment. In rifles, it is widely used for hunting and other sports.
A frangible bullet will break into many pieces upon contact with any material harder than itself. This bullet is used for safety while shooting. It has little impact on the environment. It also makes the objects behind the intended target a little safer.
Handgun bullet
Handguns are mostly used for sport target shooting or self-defense. Police use the pistol because they can easily carry it and have it ready to use.
Pistol bullets have some of the same names as rifle bullets, such as full metal jacket (FMJ) or jacketed hollow point (JHP). For example, there are hollow point pistol bullets that also spread out a lot when they hit a target. However, in a pistol bullet, the hollow point can be much larger. The hollow point causes the pistol bullet to slow down faster due to air resistance. However, a pistol bullet does not have to travel as far as a rifle bullet. The hollow point in a pistol bullet can be almost as wide as the bullet. When a hollow point pistol bullet hits a target, it almost completely flattens itself. A solid copper pistol bullet is usually hollow point, and is mainly used for self-defense and/or target shooting.
A flat nosed bullet is mostly used in handguns, although there are also some rifle bullets called flat nosed. The flat nose on a pistol bullet can be as wide as the bullet. The "flat nose" on a rifle bullet may be much smaller. The flat nosed bullet tends to have a low ballistic coefficient. This means that it slows down faster than pointed bullets. Flat nosed bullets are sometimes used to prevent the explosion of the next cartridge in a magazine when the gun recoils. Flat nosed bullets also spread out quickly when they hit a target. This makes them useful for fighting at close range when the bullet should not hit what is behind the target. After hitting the target, it becomes almost inside out.
A frangible pistol bullet will break apart on contact. It is usually made of a copper jacket over pieces of either round or twisted lead pieces that are glued together. The glue breaks apart when the bullet hits the target. The pieces spread out. This creates a larger surface area. This kind of bullet cannot go deep into a target. It is safer to use when it is important not to hit anything on the other side of the target.
References
Other websites
http://www.arizonagunlist.com/ammunition_types.html
http://www.midwayusa.com/content/legacy/bullet_composition.htm
http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/methods.html
Ballistics
Ammunition |
14192 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfort%2C%20Kentucky | Frankfort, Kentucky | Frankfort is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It has been the state capital since December 8, 1792. It is the county seat of Franklin County, and has been since 1795. It's located between Lexington and Louisville Kentucky.
Frankfort is beside the Kentucky River. This is how the city earned its name, because the land was owned by pioneer Stephen Frank. First called "Frank's Ford", the name was soon shortened to Frankfort.
Within a century the population of Frankfort grew from 9,487 in 1900, to 27,741 in 2000. The members of the city commission and the mayor are elected by the citizens.
The mayor of Frankfort in 2008 is Gippy Graham.
References
Other websites
City of Frankfort Website
State capitals in the United States
Cities in Kentucky
County seats in Kentucky |
14193 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahrukh%20Khan | Shahrukh Khan | Shah Rukh Khan (born 2 November 1965), popularly known as SRK, is a Bollywood actor. He is also known as the "Badshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" and "King Khan". He was born in New Delhi, his grandparents having moved there from Afghanistan and Peshawar. He started his career appearing on television in the late 1980s. He is Muslim and studied at a Muslim school. He is married to Gauri Khan, a Hindu, and has three children; Aryan, Suhana and AbRam. He also has a sister named Shehnaz Lalarukh. He has a master's degree. He is one of the biggest stars not just in Bollywood, but also around the world. He is also the second richest actor in the world after Jerry Seinfeld, with a net worth of over $800 million
Movies
Awards
References
1965 births
Living people
Indian movie actors
Indian movie producers
People from New Delhi
Game show hosts |
14195 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masashi%20Tashiro | Masashi Tashiro | Masashi Tashiro (田代まさし, born August 31, 1956 in Saga Prefecture) is a former Japanese television performer and member of Japanese musical group Rats & Star. He was brought up in Shinjuku, Tokyo. On December 21, 2001, Tashiro was the first Japanese person chosen by the American magazine Time as "Person of the Year".
Tashiro was fired from the entertainment world in 2001 because of scandals.
1956 births
Living people
Japanese musicians
People from Saga Prefecture |
14199 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/New%20Orleans | New Orleans | New Orleans is a city in the state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the largest city in Louisiana, and the 49th-largest city in the U.S. It is the capital of Orleans Parish. It was named in honour of the French Duke of Orléans (then Regent of France).
History
The city began as the capital of Louisiana (New France), part of the first French colonial empire at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It became a territory of the United States when President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It became one of the world's great seaports. All the land is low, originally just a short vertical distance above sea level. In the last three hundred years, the city has sunk slowly into the marshy soil. Large portions of New Orleans are now below sea level. A system of many pumps, dikes, sea walls, and levees were built.
The Battle of New Orleans was fought here in 1815. The capture of New Orleans in 1863 was an important step in the defeat of the Confederacy in the American Civil War
Over half of the grain that is sent by ship to other countries, comes first by barge through the Port of New Orleans. The grains are grown in the farming states bordering the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, and Ohio Rivers. Much of the crude oil that is made into gasoline and diesel fuel is brought to New Orleans for oil refinery and distribution to other parts of the United States by barge or oil pipeline. Also, there are many oil well platforms nearby, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, New Orleans was affected by Hurricane Katrina. The special systems built to protect the city failed in several ways. It is estimated that more than three quarters (3/4) of New Orleans was under water in early September of 2005. Sewer, phone, electric and fresh water systems failed. Many people drowned. Many homes were completely covered with water. Important records, some from the French period of the 18th century were destroyed.
For years, many people believed that a flood in New Orleans would happen. A very serious flood happened several hundred miles upstream, on the Mississippi delta, when heavy rains fell in 1927. The hardships from that flood led many people to move away. Many moved to Chicago.
After Hurricane Katrina, many people who lived in the flooded city moved to other places in the US. Many people were afraid to move back. Their jobs and homes were gone and their possessions were lost. The people who could move back spread to many other states. Texas received the most flood victims. Many volunteers and charities are helping the flood victims to relocate to new homes and, at the same time, repair homes and services in this city. Several years after Katrina, New Orleans still had much fewer people than it did before the hurricane.
Culture
New Orleans has a large African American, Creole and French population. Voodoo, brought by African slaves, is practiced in the city.
New Orleans is known for its French culture, French architecture, Creole and Cajun cuisine such as gumbo and jambalaya, and Mardi Gras.
References
Other websites
1718 establishments
18th-century establishments in Louisiana
Louisiana
Parish seats in Louisiana |
14201 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk | Mamluk | Mamluks are members of a military caste that controlled Egypt from 1254 to 1811. Other mamluks held power in some other Muslim countries. The word means "slave" in the Arabic language and they began as slaves. In 1517 the Ottoman Empire conquered them, but Mamluks continued to be powerful. Muhammad Ali Pasha defeated them and took control of Egypt in 1811.
Other websites
Qur'an Carpet Page; al-Fatihah is an Islamic holy book that was owned by Mamluks from the 1300s
History of Egypt
Military
1254 establishments
1811 disestablishments
Establishments in Egypt
Disestablishments in Africa
13th-century establishments in Africa |
14204 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent%20Clerc | Laurent Clerc | Laurent Clerc (born Louis Laurent Marie Clerc December 26, 1785 in France - July 18, 1869) co-founded the first school for the deaf (people who cannot hear) in the United States.
Deaf people in America respected Clerc and call him the "Father of the Deaf" because he founded the first school for the deaf in America in Hartford, Connecticut. Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded that school on April 15, 1817 in an old hotel. The school moved to its present location in 1821 and is now named The American School for the Deaf. The American School for the Deaf is the oldest school for the deaf in the United States.
Other websites
Name sign for Laurent Clerc
http://ia300102.us.archive.org/3/items/Laurent_Clerc/clerc.mpg
1785 births
1869 deaths
French educators |
14207 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory | Ivory | Ivory is a hard yellowsh-white material made from the tusks and teeth of animals such as elephants, hippopotamuses and walruses. Ivory is now very rare and expensive since there are restrictions on hunting elephants for ivory. There are also laws against the trade of ivory. Some countries (including Zimbabwe and South Africa) argue that these laws should be removed or changed, to allow them to sell some ivory.
Ivory has been used to make piano keys, billiard balls, handles and small ornaments. Ivory has been used in artworks, such as carvings, since ancient times.
Ivory color represents quiet and pleasantness.
Natural materials |
14212 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political%20subdivisions%20of%20Brazil | Political subdivisions of Brazil | Brazil is subdivided into 26 states and 1 Federal District (the capital city Brasília).
Center-West Region
Federal District (capital Brasília)
Goiás (capital Goiânia)
Mato Grosso (capital Cuiabá)
Mato Grosso do Sul (capital Campo Grande)
North Region
Acre (capital Rio Branco)
Amapá (capital Macapá)
Amazonas (capital Manaus)
Pará (capital Belém)
Rondônia (capital Porto Velho)
Roraima (capital Boa Vista)
Tocantins (capital Palmas)
Northeast Region
Alagoas (capital Maceió)
Bahia (capital Salvador)
Ceará (capital Fortaleza)
Maranhão (capital São Luís)
Paraíba (capital João Pessoa)
Pernambuco (capital Recife)
Piauí (capital Teresina)
Rio Grande do Norte (capital Natal)
Sergipe (capital Aracaju)
South Region
Paraná (capital Curitiba)
Rio Grande do Sul (capital Porto Alegre)
Santa Catarina (capital Florianópolis)
Southeast Region
Espírito Santo (capital Vitoria)
Minas Gerais (capital Belo Horizonte)
Rio de Janeiro (capital Rio de Janeiro)
São Paulo (capital São Paulo)
Politics of Brazil |
14213 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice%20president | Vice president | A vice president is someone who helps a president conduct his or her duties. A vice president also takes over if a president is not available. In business and in government a vice president (VP) is below a president in rank. Vice is comes from Latin meaning 'in place of'. In British English a vice president in business is called a director. In some countries, a vice president is called a deputy president.
Terms and abbreviations
Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP)
Deputy President (DP)
Executive Vice President (EVP)
Senior Vice President (SVP)
First Vice President (FVP)
Assistant Vice President or Associate Vice President (AVP)
Related pages
Deputy prime minister
References
Government occupations |
14214 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple%20jump | Triple jump | The triple jump (also known in certain countries as a triple hop, step and jump or hop, skip and jump) is a athletics event. It has been a part of the World Championships since 1995. The event consists of someone running up to a line, jumping and landing on the same foot (a hop), jumping onto the other foot (a skip) and then jumping into a shallow pit of sand. The winner is the person whose final jump lands the farthest from the line they started jumping at. It is a common game played on playgrounds.
Events in athletics |
14218 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%20hold%20%27em | Texas hold 'em | Texas hold'em is a popular version of the card game poker.
How to play
Before any cards are dealt, two players to the left of the dealer make bets which are called the "Small Blind" and "Big Blind". These forced bets must be at least matched by the other players in order to keep their hands. The big blind is twice as much as the small blind. If the big blind was $1000, then it is said that the blinds are 500 and 1000. This money is put into a place in the center of the table that is called the "pot"
Each player is given two cards face down. These are called the player's "Hole Cards" or what the player has "in the hole". Once all the players have their hole cards, the betting starts. The player to the left of the Big Blind player starts the betting. The lowest amount that can be bet is the amount of the big blind. Players can bet more than the minimum. This is called "Raising". The amount a player can raise is determined by the type of the game being played (see below) If a player raises, the amount he raised the bet to is the new minimum. Each player in turn may either "Call" (pay the current bet amount), Raise, or "Fold" (quit the hand). This action keeps going around the table until each player has called or folded his hand.
After the first turn of betting is over, the dealer lays three cards face up on the table. This is called the "Flop". These three cards are "community cards". This means they are used by every player in the game along with the two hole cards each player has. After the flop, another turn of betting takes place. There is no starting bet in this turn (no blinds) unless a player makes a bet. Players may "Check" or bet nothing if no player before them in the turn has bet. If everyone checks, or if a player bets and all the others call or fold, then the round of betting is over.
Next the dealer lays another community card face up. This card is called "the turn" (or 4th Street). Another series of betting comes after this. This betting is the same as after the Flop.
Finally the dealer lays the last community card known as "the river" (or 5th Street). This card is again followed by a turn of betting, calling and folding by the players.
With the five community cards and their two hole cards, each player makes the best 5 card poker hand he can. The player with the best poker hand wins the round and the pot. If two or more players have the same hand, those players split the pot evenly. If one person bets and all other players have folded, the hand ends then and that player wins.
Styles of play
Texas Hold'em can be played several ways, including Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit games. The version of the game usually is the maximum a player can raise at any one time.
Limit
Limit games have a set amount that a player can raise at any time. If a game has a $10 limit, then a raise must be exactly $10. If more than one person raises, each one can only raise $10 more than the last raise. Typically, there is a "cap" of 3 raises per round. Also, when playing limit, the bet and raise amount will usually double for the turn and river betting rounds.
Example
In a 4 player game, Player A bets $10. Player B raises $10 (puts in $20 total), Player C calls Player B (puts in $20). Player D at this point can either fold, pay $20 (call player B) or raise $10 to a total of $30. Player A would go next and either call (paying the difference between his $10 bet and the current bet). This would continue until all players either call or fold.
Pot Limit
In Pot Limit games, the most a player can bet or raise is the total amount in the pot. With each bet or raise, the amount in the pot gets larger. This allows for larger raises.
Spread Limit
In Spread Limit games, there is both a minimum and a maximum raise specified. For example, one could play $5–50 spread limit. The big blind would be $5 and the minimum raise would be $5 and the maximum raise would be $50.
No Limit
In No Limit, there is not a limit of how much can be bet at any time. That is, it is just like Spread Limit, but with no maximum. A player can bet up to all money as he has. If a player bets all of his money, he is said to be "All In". If a player bets more money than another player has, the second player can call by going All In. If only those two players stay in the hand (all other players fold), the first player takes back any money that is over the amount the player going All In has. At this point, all betting stops and the dealer deals out the rest of the cards.
If a player goes All In and two or more players are still betting, the other betters can raise each other until they both call (or one of them also goes All In). A "side pot" is made in this case. It is the difference between the final bet and the first person's All In. Only the two players were not All In can win this pot. If the All In player wins the hand, he wins the main pot (his money plus an equal amount from each other player) and which ever of the other two players had the better hand wins the side pot. In an eight player game, it is possible to have several side pots with several people being All In at the same time. If there are not two player left who can bet, betting stops and all players turn their hands over.
Example
Player A bets $5000. Player B only has $3000. He goes All In. Player C Raises $2000 (puts in a total of $7000). Player A calls (puts in $2000). At this point, the main pot is worth $9000 ($3000 from each player). The side pot is worth $8000 ($7000–3000 from Players A and C)
If player A or C wins, he wins both the main pot and the side pot ($17,000) and Player B is out of the game since he is out of money. If player B wins, he wins the main pot and the side pot goes to which ever player has the best hand between players A and C.
Tournaments
Tournaments are what people often see when poker is shown on television. When a player enters a tournament, he pays an entry fee called the "buy-in." Most of his buy-in is placed with other player's money in the prize pool. Usually, a small portion of the buy-in is kept by the tournament officials for their expenses (and profit). The player is given a table and seat assignment, and a certain number of chips - the same amount as every other player. Unlike normal chips, these tournament chips have no cash value (though they often are referred to with dollar amounts). Players must continue to play until they run out of chips. The tournament continues until one player has accumulated all of the chips. The order in which people lose all their chips (or "bust out"), is their finishing order. That is, the last player to bust out is the second-place finisher. The prize pool is divided amongst a fraction of the top finishers (usually about 10%). The first-place winner usually gets a much larger share, with the prizes diminishing until the prize pool is empty. The player who was the last player to finish without winning any prize is said to have finished "on the bubble."
As players bust out of the tournament, the average player's chip stack gets larger. In order to insure that the blinds do not become insignificant in the face of the growth in chip stacks, tournaments are played in timed "rounds." At the beginning of each round typically the blinds increase. Every few rounds there will be a short break between rounds. For tournaments that last longer than a day, there will be a last level for the day, and the tournament will resume the next day.
Most tournaments only allow a player to buy-in and receive chips once, at the beginning. These are called "freeze out" tournaments. Some tournaments allow players to buy-in more than once for the first few levels of the tournament. These players are said to "re-buy" and the money they use to re-buy goes into the prize pool with the rest of the buy-ins.
Other websites
Pokersites
Poker Hand - Poker hands list
Poker
fa:تگزاس هولد ام |
14220 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationism | Creationism | Creationism is the religious belief that the universe was created in the way described in religious books. According to Genesis, God directly created life from the nothingness that was before, by fixing the chaos that was. Other religions have different creation myths. The first approach is known as creatio ex nihilo, which is the Latin name for creation from nothing.
The idea that God created the world has been taught for thousands of years by writers such as Augustine of Hippo.
Creationism as it is known today started in the 19th century by fundamentalist Protestants who were opposed to the theories that scientists began to put forward about geology and evolution.
In the 20th century, creationist movements also started in Islam and Judaism.
Belief
Creationists do not believe that all of today's living things came about from simple organisms changing or evolving slowly over time. They believe that life was created much as it is today, and that one form of life cannot change into another. While biologists and paleontologists say that fossils are different from the life we see today, and can be put into order to show changes over time. Young Earth Creationism says life was created in a short time, in its current form. They point to the Flood of Noah to account for most rock formations and most fossils. There is also an Old Earth creationism.
Christian Creationism
Young Earth Creationism goes completely against conventional geochronology. This kind of creationism says God created the earth roughly 6,000 or 10,000 years ago as told in Genesis. Young Earth Creationists believe that God created the world in six days (with God resting on the seventh) as the Book of Genesis says. Young Earth Creationism says that Noah's flood is important to creationism. They argue that "the first buried fossils of each group are complete and complex (complicated), strong support for the biblical concept (idea) that each kind of life was created well designed to multiply after its own kind." They believe that the Bible is literally true (see Biblical inerrancy). Some people say a problem with this is that fossils appear in layers called strata.
Fossils that paleontologists believe evolved earlier are found in rocks that geologists think are older.
Fossils that paleontologists believe evolved later are found in different rocks that geologists think are younger.
If fossils were of animals drowned in the flood scientists think they would be mixed together. Christian creationists say this happened because of the Noahic Flood, and point to fossils of animals that died quickly. They offer many defenses. Some of these are:1. Fossils that were buried quickly, as in Lagerstätten. One fossil Creationists talk about is where one fish is eating another fish when it was buried.2. Polystrate fossils are fossils that go through multiple rock layers. Christian scientists say this can't happen if the rock layers were formed quickly3. Bent rock layers are rock layers that are bent in a way that Christian scientists say can not happen over millions of years. Christians say there are a lot of these.Other creationists believe God created everything between 13,000 and 14,000 million years ago. This is called Old Earth Creationism.
Creationists point to the perfection of Earth's size, shape, and distance as designed by God, and Earth's imperfections as proofs that the Earth is dirtied by humans' sin.
The term creationism can be used with more than one meaning.
Sometimes creationism means that God created life and evolution did not happen.
Other times creationism means just that God created everything but this could have happened long ago and theistic evolution may have happened.
Liberal Christians do not believe in Biblical inerrancy and say God used evolution to create mankind and other life. This idea is called theistic evolution.
Islamic Creationism
Islamic creationism is the belief that the universe (including humanity) was directly created by Allah as in the Qur'an. Currently, Islam takes religious texts literally. Many scholars say that Genesis is a corrupted version of God's message.
There is also a creation myth in the Qu'ran, but it is more vague than Genesis. This allows for more interpretation. Several liberal movements within Islam generally accept the scientific positions on the age of the earth, the age of the universe and evolution.
Islam also has its own form of Theistic evolution, which says that mainstream scientific analysis of the origin of the universe is supported by the Qur'an. Many liberal Muslims believe in evolutionary creationism.
Khalid Anees, president of the Islamic Society of Britain attended a conference called 'Creationism: Science and Faith in Schools'. During that conference, he made points including the following: There is no contradiction between what is revealed in the Quran and natural selection and survival of the fittest. However, some Muslims, such as Adnan Oktar, do not agree that one species can develop from another. Other Muslims do believe that one species can develop from another.
But there is also a growing movement of Islamic creationism. Like the movement in Christianity, Islamic creationists are concerned that the findings of evolutionary theory might contradict what is written in the Qu'ran.
There are several verses in the Qur'an which some modern writers have interpreted as being compatible with the expansion of the universe, Big Bang and Big Crunch theories:
"Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?"
"Then He turned towards the heaven when it was ˹still like˺ smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’"
"We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺."
"On that Day We will roll up the heavens like a scroll of writings. Just as We produced the first creation, ˹so˺ shall We reproduce it. That is a promise binding on Us. We truly uphold ˹Our promises˺!"
Baha'i creationism
The Bahá'í Faith considers the creation narratives in previous Abrahamic religions to be symbolic and not literal. Bahá'í Faith also accepts that the Earth is ancient. Baha'ullah existed at the same time as Charles Darwin, so was aware of Darwin's works.
Scientific criticism
Religious communities in the United States encourage the inclusion of supernatural explanations of the origins
of both life and the universe as a whole.
Evolution was not included in school textbooks until the 1960s.
In 1987, the United States Supreme Court acknowledged creationism is not scientific, and
should not be taught in public schools.
Related pages
Human timeline
Life timeline
Nature timeline
Fundamentalism
References
Other websites
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Creationism
How creationism works
Creation and Evolution Both? Examines whether Biblical creation and neo-darwinistic evolution can be reconciled.
Evolution, Creationism & ID Timeline Focuses on major historical and recent events in the scientific and political debate
Evolution Sciences versus Doctrines of Creationism and Intelligent Design
. A Guide for Museum Docents
What is creationism? from talk.origins.
The Creation/Evolution Continuum by Eugenie Scott.
Armies of the Night by Isaac Asimov.
Workers have stake in defending science a materialist statement on creationism by The Militant, 2005.
Edward J. Larson and Larry Witham Leading scientists still reject God in Nature, Vol. 394, No. 6691 (1998), p. 313. Online at Freethought-web.org
Creationism: The Hindu View
Biologos is a Christian organization that sees evolution as factual.
Intelligent design |
14223 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flute | Flute | The Flute is a musical instrument. A person who plays the flute is called a flutist.
There are many kinds of flutes. The most common concert flute is on C tuning. In addition, there are other flutes like piccolos, alto flutes, and bass flutes.
History
Flutes have changed over time. Pan flutes were made for many centuries. Later, the "Renaissance flute" came into use. In Baroque music flute means recorder, so flutes were called traverso in order not to confuse them. A Bavarian flute maker named Boehm reformed flutes largely to enlarge the volume and improve the way of using the chromatic scale. Later improvements created the modern flute.
There is a large repertoire of music for the flute. Baroque composers used them in their orchestras, usually in pairs, and composed concertos, chamber music and solo music for them. This has continued to the present day. Orchestras have at least 2 flutes each, sometimes three or four. Sometimes there is 1 piccolo which plays an octave higher, or an alto flute which plays a fifth lower than the flute.
The flute sounds very bright and cheerful playing high notes. Please listen, for example, to the Badinerie from Bach's Orchestral Suite no 2. It can also sound very thoughtful or sad when playing in its lowest register. A good example is the opening of Debussy's Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune also flutes Andre a brass instrument and can make a really low pitch.
Playing
The flute is a woodwind instrument, but modern flutes are made of metal. It was made of wood a long time ago. It doesn't need lip vibration like brass instruments. Flute players hold it horizontally and make a sound by blowing their breath over the edge of the hole of flute's head. This makes the air vibrate. Flutes need the second most amount of air for an instrument, next to the tuba. Flautists can change the pitch by pushing buttons or changing the direction of the breath. These buttons are called keys. The breath also can change the tone or the volume. Flute has many variations of the sound. The sound of flute is high, so composers often express it as a bird. A flute matches with many instruments such as violin and piano, and is often part of an ensemble.
Material
There are many kinds of flute, so the material also varies. Most flutes are made out of silver. Gold, platinum, wood, and aluminum are also used. The price of flute depends on the material, but there are many different playing situations, so not only expensive flutes are useful.
Different Flutes
Flutes of India and China
The oldest kind of side-blown flute was made in India.
In India, a flute called bansuri is used. It has no keys and is often made of bamboo or cane.
In China, a simple flute is used, which has no keys. The Chinese flute sometimes has a thin piece of paper over one hole, which adds a bright raspiness to the sound.
Other flutes
There are other kinds of flute, that are played by blowing into the end, like a recorder. Some of these are tin whistle, flageolet, tabor pipe, and ocarina.
In Japan there is a kind of flute called a shakuhachi, which is made from the bottom of a bamboo plant. It is blown at the end, but is not like the recorder because it does not have an opening that guides the air across a hole that makes the sound.
In South America, there is a flute called a quena that makes its sound the same way as the shakuhachi''.
The Pan pipes are a form of flute with no holes. It has more than one pipe connected together, with the bottom closed. The player blows across the top of one of the pipes to make a note. The pipes are in different sizes, so that each one makes a different note. They are named after Pan, who played this instrument in Greek myth.
Gallery
There are flutes in many cultures. The flute has been described as "a musical weed which springs up everywhere".
Famous Flutists
The band Jethro Tull was founded by a flute player (Ian Anderson). It can be heard in many songs. One of them is the hit "Locomotive Breath".
Related pages
Digeridoo
Piccolo
Pan Flute
References
Other websites |
14225 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staind | Staind | Staind is an American rock band from Massachusetts, United States. The band was started in 1994. Its first album, Tormented was released in 1996. Staind's newest album, The Illusion of Progress was released on August 19, 2008. Some of its biggest hits have been Outside, It's Been Awhile, and So Far Away.
In 2013, They announced that they were going on hiatus but were not breaking up.
Band members
Aaron Lewis - Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
Mike Mushok - Guitars
Jon Wysocki - Drums
Johnny April - Bass Guitar
References
1994 establishments in the United States
1990s American music groups
2000s American music groups
2010s American music groups
American heavy metal bands
American rock bands
Musical groups established in 1994
Musical groups from Massachusetts
Post-grunge bands |
14226 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina | Ocarina | An ocarina is a kind of flute that is not made out of a tube. Because the ocarina is in a round or box-like shape, its sound is a little different from other flutes.
History
The ten-hole ocarina was first made by Giuseppe Donati, in Italy, in 1853. Instruments like the ocarina had been made for hundreds of years before that in South America, China, and Africa. In Europe, a form called the gemshorn was made in the 16th century. The gemshorn was made from an animal horn.
In the 19th century, groups of ocarina players, with different sized ocarinas, played classical and folk music. Italian ocarinas became known throughout the world, because of this.
In the United States the ocarina was called the sweet potato, because its shape is like a sweet potato.
In 1928, the Japanese began making ocarinas. They added two small holes to the old kind of ocarinas. Japanese 12-hole ocarinas can play a larger scale than 10-hole ocarinas.
English Ocarina
In the 1960s, the English ocarina was invented. It has four finger holes, and may have one or two thumb holes. English ocarinas are made in many shapes.
Other websites
Ocarina Knowledge Pages - All About Ocarinas
References
Flutes |
14228 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarinet | Clarinet | The clarinet is a woodwind instrument.
The clarinet body is made up of the mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, pads, keys, ring key, rod, lower joint, and bell. The clarinet has one reed. The reed is made of cane, bamboo or plastic, which varies in thickness. The reed is attached to the mouthpiece with a clamp called a ligature, which is usually made out of metal. Blowing through the mouthpiece makes the reed vibrate, and therefore makes the noise. The body of the clarinet is a cylindrical tube with holes. The holes are covered by the fingers to make musical notes. There are also buttons pressed by the fingers which allow pads over holes to open or close so all notes of the chromatic scale can be played. The buttons are usually played with the "pinkie" finger.
One kind of keyed clarinet is called the Albert system. Another kind is called the Boehm system. The Boehm clarinet is much used by classical orchestras and by jazz musicians. In North America and other Western countries, the most popular clarinet is the clarinet pitched in B flat. This means that if a clarinet player plays a note that is written as a C, it sounds like a B flat on a piano. The B flat clarinet is used in concert, marching, and school bands. Musicians in orchestras also play the A-clarinet (a semitone lower), the sopranino E flat clarinet (a fourth higher) and the Bass_clarinet in B flat (sounding an octave lower).
A beginner clarinet player usually can play a note within the first minutes of a lesson. Making a sound with the clarinet is easier than making a sound with many other wind instruments. Most instrumental music teachers consider it to be a good instrument for young players as soon as the lower adult teeth have grown. The fingering system is very similar to the flute and the saxophone, so changing from playing the clarinet to one of these instruments is not too difficult after the student is comfortable playing the clarinet and has reached a certain level.
A famous piece that features a clarinet is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, which has the clarinet playing the melody with the rest of the orchestra playing along. Written in 1791, it is often considered the first great composition for the instrument.
Notable players
Benny Goodman
Artie Shaw
Other websites
The International Clarinet Association
Woodwind instruments |
14230 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th%20century | 16th century | The 16th century was the century from 1501 to 1600. In this century, many Europeans visited or moved to the newly-found Americas and some also searched for new routes to Asia. There was much change in Europe, such as the Protestant Reformation.
Decades and years
Note: years before or after the 16th century are in italics. |
14231 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lute | Lute | The lute is a kind of musical instrument with strings.
The first lutes were brought to Spain by the Moors. Others may have been brought to Europe from Arabic lands. The lute is one of the ancestors of the classical guitar.
A lute has an oval-shaped back, made of strips of wood. It has a flat front, with a neck attached to it. Early lutes had four strings or eight sets of two strings. Beneath these strings, there were strings tied to the neck, where the player pressed down to make the notes. These strings were called frets.
The front part of the body is made of a flat piece of wood, and known as the sound board. It has a beautifully carved hole in the center which is called the rose.
The lute was at first played by strumming or plucking with a pick. Later they were played with the fingers alone.
During the Renaissance, bigger lutes were designed. Most lutes at this time had seven or eight sets of strings. New kinds of lutes were invented. One new kind of lute made in the Renaissance was the theorbo. Another kind was the archlute.
In European classical music the lute was changed into the harpsichord and the mandolin.
Today there are kinds of lute still being played in Greece, Turkey, and in Arabic-speaking countries. The Renaissance lute is also played today, in western countries, as well as a German lute that is played the same way as a guitar.
Plucked string instruments
Early musical instruments |
14232 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence%20Day%20%28United%20States%29 | Independence Day (United States) | In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July or the Fourth, is a holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. On Independence Day there are many events such as fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events. These events celebrate the history, government, and traditions of the United States.
Independence Day, the only holiday that celebrates the United States, is a national holiday marked by patriotic displays. Similar to other summer-themed events, Independence Day celebrations often take place outdoors. Independence Day is a federal holiday, so all non-essential federal institutions (like the postal service and federal courts) are closed on that day. Many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation's heritage, laws, history, society, and people.
Families often celebrate Independence Day by having or going to a picnic or barbecue, and take advantage of the day off and in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives and friends. People may also do fun and relaxing hobbies like any other day off such as swimming, fishing, boating, sunbathing, playing sports, or just kicking back and relaxing. Many stores are open on the fourth so people may go shopping. In the evening, people may launch their own fireworks. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades often are in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.
On the 4th of July Americans do these things:
Fireworks
Hold parades
Bake red, blue and white desserts, such as cakes and cookies
Create 4th of July wands.
Related pages
Juneteenth National Independence Day
References
National Days |
14233 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft%20Office | Microsoft Office | Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office System is a collection of computer programs made by Microsoft. Microsoft Office is a collection of office-related applications. Each application serves a unique purpose and offers a specific service to its users. The programs are created for all users. There are different versions of the software for home users and for business users. Some versions may offer more programs, and some versions cost less than others, but none are for free. The current version is Office 2021, which released on October 5, 2021.
Products
The versions available are made up of some or all or more of the following programs:
Microsoft Word is a word processor that lets a user type text into the document and add images, and different font or design choices. The main file formats are .doc and .docx. It also helps to check the spelling and find the meaning of words
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet and mathematics program that can make calculations and graphs based on data the user enters. The main file formats are .xls and .xlsx.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a program that creates presentations and slideshows. They can have text, drawing, pictures and media. They can also be set up to show on a projector.
Microsoft Outlook is an email client that can send and receive emails. The user can add a contact list and multiple calendars.
Microsoft Access is a database program where people can store data over many tables.
Microsoft Publisher is a program that lets people make layouts for newsletters and presentations to print.
Microsoft InfoPath is a program for designing, distributing, filling and submitting electronic forms containing structured data. Based on XML.
Microsoft Visio is a shaping program not included in Microsoft Office Suites but can be bought in volume editions. Originally included in Microsoft Office.
Microsoft FrontPage is a HTML WYSIWYG program included in the Office 2003 Suite. It has been replaced by Microsoft Expression Web in the Expression Series.
Other Products
Microsoft Lync
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Visact
Microsoft Office Document Imaging
Microsoft Office Document Scanning
Other products also included
Rivals
There are a lot of other programs which are competitors to Microsoft Office.
LibreOffice
iWork
KOffice
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 is a new way of sharing Microsoft Office documents with people from your organization or between your computers, syncing to the cloud. In order to sync to the cloud, you need a Microsoft account.
Actual versions include:
Personal
Home
Business Essentials
Enterprise E1
Business Premium
Entreprise E3
Enterprise E4
You can get a free trial of Office for 30 days.
References
Other websites
Official website
Office 365 website
Word processors |
14235 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans | Afrikaans | Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. It was originally the dialect that developed among the Afrikaner Protestant settlers, the unfree workers, and slaves brought to the Cape area in southwestern South Africa by the Dutch East India Company ( - VOC) between 1652 and 1705. Most of these first settlers were from the United Provinces (now Netherlands), though there were also many from Germany, some from France, a few from Scotland, and various other countries. The unfree workers and slaves were Malays, and Malagasy in addition to the native Khoi and Bushmen.
Research by J. A. Heese says that until 1807, 36.8% of the ancestors of the White Afrikaans speaking population were Dutch, 35% were German, 14.6% were French and 7.2% non-white (of African and/or Asian origins).
Heese's figures are questioned by other researchers, however, and especially the non-white component quoted by Heese is very much in doubt.
A sizeable minority of those who speak Afrikaans as a first language are not white. The dialect became known as "Cape Dutch". Later, Afrikaans was sometimes called "African Dutch" or "Kitchen Dutch". Afrikaans was considered a Dutch dialect until the early 20th century, when it began to be widely known as a different language. The name Afrikaans is simply the Dutch word for African, and the language is the African form of Dutch.
Related pages
Afrikaans Language Monument
Afrikaans-English Dictionary On-line
References |
14237 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard%20Bernstein | Leonard Bernstein | Leonard Bernstein (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American composer and conductor. He was born Louis Bernstein in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Ukrainian Jewish parents. He is best known for conducting the New York Philharmonic and composing West Side Story and Candide.
Bernstein was gay.
He was a heavy smoker who had emphysema. He died of a heart attack in New York City.
Other websites
Official website
1918 births
1990 deaths
20th-century American composers
American conductors
American movie score composers
Bisexual Jews
Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York City
Deaths from myocardial infarction
Entertainers from Massachusetts
Grammy Award winners
Jewish American LGBT people
Jewish American musicians
Kennedy Center honorees
LGBT musicians
LGBT people from Massachusetts
People from Lawrence, Massachusetts
Tony Award winners |
14239 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans%20Language%20Monument | Afrikaans Language Monument | The Afrikaans Language Monument () is the only monument in the world dedicated to a language. It is on a hill overlooking the Teachers' Training College in Paarl, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Completed in 1975, it was built to celebrate the 100 years birthday of Afrikaans being declared as a different language from Dutch.
The monument is made of tapering structures of a convex and concave nature. They show the influences of different languages and cultures on Afrikaans itself. They are also a symbol of political developments in South Africa, as follows:
Clear West - the European source of the language
Magical Africa - the African influences on the language
Bridge - between Europe and Africa
Afrikaans - the language itself
Republic - declared in 1961
Malay language and culture
Inscriptions
On a large inscription at the entrance, two quotes from important Afrikaans poets are written.
van Wyk Louw inscription
-- N.P. van Wyk Louw
"Afrikaans is the language that connects Western Europe and Africa... It forms a bridge between the large, shining West and the magical Africa... And what great things may come from their union – that is maybe what lies ahead for Afrikaans to discover. But what we must never forget, is that this change of country and landscape sharpened, kneaded and knitted this newly-becoming language... And so Afrikaans became able to speak out from this new land... Our task lies in the use that we make and will make of this gleaming tool..."
Langenhoven inscription
-- C.J. Langenhoven
"If we plant a row of poles down this hall now, ten poles, to represent the last ten years, and on each pole we make a mark at a height from the floor corresponding to the relative written use of Afrikaans in the respective year, and we draw a line, from the first here near the floor to the last over there against the loft, then the line would describe a rapidly rising arc, not only quickly rising, but rising in a quickly increasing manner. Let us now, in our imagination, extend the arc for the ten coming years from now. See you, sirs, where the point shall be, outside in the blue sky high over Bloemfontein, in the year 1924."
Dit Is Ons Erns
The phrase "DIT IS ONS ERNS" ("we are earnest [about this]", or "this is our earnestness") is inscribed on the pathway leading up to the monument.
Monuments and memorials
Afrikaans |
14264 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC%20Comics | DC Comics | DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book company. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., which itself is owned by Time Warner. Its first well-known comics were such as Action Comics, Detective Comics and All Star Comics. They were essential in introducing three well known superheroes: Superman (1938), Batman (1939), and Wonder Woman (1941). Its top rival is Marvel Comics. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, which is best well known for making "superhero" comic books. DC Comics is very famous in the modern art subject Graphics.
The company features some of the most iconic superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Static, Zatanna, and Shazam.
Most of their characters take place within the fictional DC Universe (DCU) and features some of the most famous and recognizable teams including the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Green Lantern Corps., the Gotham City Sirens, the Birds of Prey, the Young Justice, the Suicide Squad, and the Teen Titans.
The universe also features a wide variety of well-known fictional supervillains such as Lex Luthor, the Joker, Darkseid, Harley Quinn, General Zod, the Penguin, Brainiac, Catwoman, Doomsday, Bane, Ares, Ra's al Ghul, Maxwell Lord, Deathstroke, the Cheetah, Sinestro, Black Manta, the Reverse-Flash, and Black Adam.
History
What is known today as DC Comics was founded in 1934 by publishing entrepreneur Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson under the name of "National Allied Publications". DC was formed by the merging of "National Allied Publications" and "Detective Comics Inc", as well as the affiliated "All-American Publications". Despite being officially known as "National Comics", the comic covers carried a "DC" logo and were referred to as a result of its nickname: "DC Comics". People had nicknamed it "DC" because of one its most popular comic series; Detective Comics and thus was born one of the world's most recognizable comic book brandings along with rivals Marvel publishing.
The company did not officially change its name to DC Comics however, until 1977 during the presidency of Jenette Kahn.
DC Comics has its current official headquarters at 1700 Broadway, 7th, New York, New York. Random House distributes DC Comics' books to the bookstore market, while Diamond Comics Distributors supplies the comics shop specialty market.
Golden Age
National Allied Publications' first comic was New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 which was released in the February of 1935. It hit off, and was surprisingly popular. Later that year, a second title was released: New Comics #1. The size and length New Comics #1 became the archetype for many comics afterwards, and it became the longest running comic series of all time.
In 1938, National launched Action Comics, which featured the brand new character from regular contributors Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman. Originally dismissed as "silly" by editorial, reports soon came back noting the popularity and sales increase resulting from the Superman feature. Superman quickly became a sensation and before long, dozens of imitations from both National and other publishing houses appeared almost overnight. Writer Bill Finger and his artist employer Bob Kane soon submitted Batman to appear in Detective Comics and before long, and his artist H.G. Peter and William Moulton Marston feature best submitted Wonder Woman to appear in All Star Comics. The featuring superheroes Superman and Batman, and an entire Justice Society of America had been formed including properties such as The Flash, Green Lantern, The Sandman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman and The Spectre, to name a few, many of whom were either created or written by the prolific Gardner Fox.
With the establishment of DC as one of the major comic book companies and with many of the most marketable names in the early years of comics, it is sometimes considered the main company that other companies had to compete with. Companies tried different approaches, One that succeeded and often outsold DC for instance was Fawcett Publications who had a character who some consider similar to Superman who was an all-powerful hero with a supporting "family" known as Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, whereas other companies such as Charlton Comics created entire new worlds preventing DC from attacking them with lawsuits. Further along in the Silver Age many of these companies failed or like Fawcett were sued out of existence. Thus although they had once been competitors, many of the soon public domain properties of Fawcett and Charlton were eventually revived and trademarked and seemingly taken under DC's control.
Silver and Bronze Age
During the post-War years, the popularity of superheroes had declined almost completely, though DC and other publishers were still going strong moving into other genres such as funny animals, romance, Sci-Fi, Westerns and horror. Major characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman has managed to remain in publication and by the mid-1950s the superhero was again due for a comeback. Showcase #4 in 1956 introduced readers to Barry Allen, the all-new Flash re-imagined with a sleeker design and steeped much heavier in science fiction (and the older Golden Age heroes being relegated to existing on Earth Two). Characters such as The Atom, Green Lantern and the JSA, now reinvented as the Justice League of America soon followed and a new superhero boom was kicked off.
During this time, The Comics Code Authority has also come into play, which drastically subdued the content available in the comic book medium. Many of the stories during the period moved away from more controversial horror or violent themes.
With the reinvigoration of Marvel in the 1960s under the leadership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, DC found itself a new and more potent competitor. Marvel succeeded by breaking what had become by then generic archetypes of superheroes by introducing characters which were younger and more flawed (and thus appeared more human and appealed to a younger crowd in a more direct manner.) After falling behind Marvel in sales, DC was finally forced to adopt much of the same system which Marvel had, by introducing such young teams as the Teen Titans to compete with the X-Men.
Modern Age and Crisis On Infinite Earths
In 1985, DC Comics decided its 50 years of continuity and numerous alternative Earths had become too messy and was in need of new blank slate. DC penned one of the first major comic book crossovers that incorporated almost every DC title and character ever published by the company. The series ended with multiple Earths being erased and merging into to one unified Earth. Following this, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman were given new leases of life thanks to big name creators such as John Byrne, Frank Miller and George Perez that redefined the elderly heroes for a new generation.
During this same period, the comic audience has begun to grow up and the direct market for comic stores had opened allowing a wider variety of publications to be experimented with. One such experiment involved bringing in British writer Alan Moore to pen the low selling Saga of the Swamp Thing series. What resulted was style of comic book not experienced before by mainstream readers in its literary and story driven complexity and execution. Before long, other writers from across the pond such as Neil Gaiman, Peter Milligan and Grant Morrison were recruited to revamp obscure properties and tell new and interesting stories with an older audience in mind. 1986 saw the release of two seminal works from DC Comics, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchmen that reached unprecedented levels of critical acclaim and outside media attention. By the 90's DC and the entire comic book industry experienced a boom in mature comics aimed at older audiences and simultaneously witnessed a collector's boom that increased sales but almost caused the industry to collapse soon after.
In 1993, senior editor Karen Berger convinced DC to make her own imprint for mature readers named Vertigo, similar to DC imprints Piranha Press and Paradox Press as well as Marvel's Epic Comics. Using popular titles such as Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Sandman and Shade, The Changing Man as its blueprint along side new creator owned material, DC/Vertigo became a hub for intelligent and acclaimed comic books. While rival Marvel Comics continued to dominate the publishing arena with their exceedingly popular properties, DC/Vertigo became the destination for literary and inventive titles during the period.
In 1999, DC purchased Jim Lee's WildStorm Productions, formerly one of the founding studios of Image. The line of WildStorm comics and properties came under DC's control though the line continued to be published on the West Coast away from DC editorial until 2010.
DC Comics series
The three most original highest-grossing and longest-running series includes Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
Superman
Action Comics
Superman
Batman
Detective Comics
Batman
Wonder Woman
All Star Comics
Sensation Comics
Wonder Woman
All Star DC Comics
In 2000 Marvel Comics started an imprint called ultimate marvel in which the characters' origin is changed and modernized. This eventually led DC to starting an imprint of their own in 2005, thus All Star was born.
Both All-Star series are in their own continuity, except All-Star Batman and Robin which was part of Earth-31.
All-Star Batman
All-Star Batman was an ongoing series that premiered on August 2016 as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch, and ran for 14 issues until October 2017. The creative team consisted of writer Scott Snyder and multiple artists, mainly John Romita Jr.. Despite the title, the series told stories that were set in the mainstream DC Universe continuity.
All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder
All-Star Batman started in 2005 and was written by Frank Miller and Penciled by Jim Lee. This was the first series in the All Star imprint and opened to mainly negative reviews but had high sales. The series was released in a sporadic schedule. The series only reached 10 issues (2008) 2 issues before the intended end of the series.
All-Star Superman
All-Star Superman started in 2006 and was written by Grant Morrison and Penciled by Frank Quitley. This was the second series under the All Star imprint, the first being All-Star Batman and Robin. The series opened to mainly good reviews and went on to win the Eisner Award for best new series in 2006 and best ongoing series in 2007 and 2009. Like All-Star Batman the series was also released in a sporadic schedule. The series ended with issue 12. The series overall has widely considered to be one of the best Superman stories of all time.
All Star Wonder Woman
All Star Wonder Woman started in 2006 and was written by Adam Hughes from San Diego Con 2006.
The New 52
In 2011, after a period of declining comic sales, DC announced they were cancelling all the main titles and starting over with all New 52's as part of a relaunch. In charge of the relaunch is Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The relaunch started with the release of Justice League #1 on August 31st. this was done partially to revitalize the company and to de-age the characters and thus make them more dynamic. On January 12, 2012, it was announced that there would be a second wave of the new 52 where six titles would be getting canceled with another six to replace them, though the plan to stay at 52 ongoing monthlies seems to be consistent. DC also released a Third wave in September 2012, one year after the relaunch in September 2011. One book in the Third Wave, Talon, starring Calvin Rose was the first solo book for a character who was introduced in the New 52. The Fourth wave started in January 2013 and ended in March 2013, meaning that it was the first wave not to come out in a single month. The Fifth Wave consisted of titles such as the Movement, the Green Team and Superman Unchained.
The New 52 had proved to be so successful with critics, fans and commercially that Marvel the main competitor of DC decided to do a relaunch of their own called "Marvel NOW!" in late 2012.
Relocating from Manhattan to Burbank
In 2015, DC Entertainment moved their entire operations from their Manhattan headquarters in New York City to their new home in Burbank, California. DC's digital and administrative departments had already been relocated to Burbank beginning in 2010. The new office is only a few blocks from their corporate parent company, Warner Bros. Studios.
DC Imprints and Sub-Imprints
Active
Vertigo (1993-)
MAD/ MAD Magazine (Acquired by Warner in the 60's, integrated with DC Comics around 2001.)
Defunct
WildStorm (1999-2010)*
CMX (2004-2010)
Homage Comics
Cliffhanger
America's Best Comics (1999-2010)
Helix (1996-1998)
Tangent Comics (1997-2008)
Paradox Press (1993-2001)
Piranha Press (1989-1994)
Humanoids (2004)
2000AD (Reprints from Rebellion's 2000 AD line)
Milestone (Owned by Milestone Media)
Impact!
Focus
Minx (2007-2008)
Zuda (2007-2010)
*the imprint was founded in 1992 but as part of the Image conglomerate and only moved to DC in 1999.
Other media
Over the years, DC Comics' parent company Warner Bros. (with a few exceptions) has produced a variety of feature films based on DC Comics properties for cinematic release, including TV shows, action figures, and video games which have made them even more popular.
References
Comic books
1934 establishments in the United States
is:DC Comics |
14265 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder%20Woman | Wonder Woman | Wonder Woman is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She is one of the first female superheroes in American comic books and the most famous, most recognizable female superhero in the world. William Moulton Marston, a psychologist who believed that women could be as strong and powerful as men, created Wonder Woman, partly inspired by his wife, Elizabeth Holloway-Marston. Wonder Woman first appeared in the pages of All-Star Comics # 8, published in December 1941. Her first solo comic book debuted in the summer of 1942, when Wonder Woman # 1 was published.
Story
In the comic book, Wonder Woman's real name is Diana, and she is the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons, a race of peace-loving women who lived in an island named Themyscira (also referred to as Paradise Island). Soon after Steve Trevor, a US Air Force pilot, crash-lands on Paradise Island during World War II, Diana and the amazons tend to his wounds and help him recover. Diana decides that she will bring him back to the United States; once there she becomes the superhero that the world calls Wonder Woman. Her best-known powers are superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes, as well as flight. She has a magic lasso that compels those bound by it to tell the truth, and unbreakable gauntlets that can deflect bullets.
Villains
Among her villains, the best known are:
Ares - the Greek god of war, whose energy and almost infinite powers are fueled by war and hatred among humans
Circe - an ancient sorceress who can transform men into animals
The Cheetah - a British archaeologist who possesses an ancient mystical artifact that turns her into a Cheetah-like were woman with incredible speed,reflexes, and strength, and thirst for blood
Silver Swan - a flying villainess whose main power is a highly destructive sonic cry
Dr. Psycho - a powerful psychokinetic man with a deep hatred for women
Devastation - a powerful villainess with powers that mirror Wonder Woman's; she was created by the children of Chronus in order to destroy Wonder Woman and help take over Olympus
In Other media
Wonder Woman had also appeared in animated cartoons and in a live-action television program in the 1970s with actress Lynda Carter. The series made the character very famous.
In January 2001, producer Joel Silver asked Todd Alcott to write a Wonder Woman screenplay. Early rumours listed actresses such as Mariah Carey, Sandra Bullock, and Catherine Zeta-Jones to play the role of Wonder Woman. Leonard Goldberg, speaking in a May 2001 interview, named Sandra Bullock as a strong candidate for the project. Bullock said that she was asked to play the role. Lucy Lawless and Chyna both were interested in it. The screenplay then went through many versions written by many different writers. By August 2003, Levens was replaced by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis.
In March 2005, Warner Bros. said that Joss Whedon would write and direct the movie version of Wonder Woman. Because Whedon was directing Serenity at the time and needed time to learn Wonder Woman's background, he did not start writing until late 2005. Silver wanted to movie Wonder Woman in Australia once the script was finished. In May 2005, Whedon said that he would not cast Wonder Woman until he finished the script. Charisma Carpenter and Morena Baccarin said they were interested in the role.
In February 2007, Whedon left the project. He said there were problems with differences about the script between the studio and himself. Whedon said that since he was not doing the Wonder Woman project, he would focus on making his movie Goners.
Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman in the upcoming 2016 action movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She was also the lead role of the 2017 superhero film Wonder Woman. She will play the role again in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
Honors
On October 21, 2016, the United Nations controversially named Wonder Woman a UN Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. The character was dropped from the role two months later after a petition against the appointment stated Wonder Woman was an overly sexualized image".
References
Other websites
Wonder Woman's Official Website
Wonder Woman's Origin @ DC Comics
Alan Kistler's History of Wonder Woman
Carol A. Strickland's Wonder Woman site
DC Comics adapted into movies
DC Comics superheroes
Justice League
Fictional characters introduced in 1941 |
14266 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%20Saget | Bob Saget | Robert Lane "Bob" Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American comedian and actor. He was best known for his appearances on television as Danny Tanner on Full House and the original host of America's Funniest Home Videos. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2014 for a comedy album that he made.
Personal life
Robert Lane Saget was born on May 17, 1956, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Dolly and Benjamin Saget. He attended Abington Senior High School in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, before attending Temple University.
Saget married Sherri Kramer on May 16, 1982, and had three children with Kramer: Aubrey, Lara, and Jennifer. The pair divorced on November 10, 1997. He married Kelly Rizzo on October 30, 2018.
Death
On January 9, 2022, Saget was found dead at his hotel room in Orange County, Florida near Orlando at the age of 65. The cause of death was a subdural hematoma and a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by head trauma after falling and hitting the back of his head.
References
American movie actors
American stage actors
American television actors
American stand-up comedians
Actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1956 births
2022 deaths
Comedians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
American voice actors
American television presenters
American television directors
American television producers
Movie producers from Pennsylvania
Movie directors from Pennsylvania
Screenwriters from Pennsylvania
American television writers
Accidental deaths from falls in the United States
Deaths from head injury
Deaths from subdural hematoma
Deaths from subarachnoid hemorrhage |
14268 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington | Wilmington | Wilmington is the name of many places:
In the United States of America
Cities
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Will County, Illinois
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, Ohio
Towns and villages
Wilmington, Los Angeles, California
Wilmington Manor, Delaware
Wilmington Island, Georgia
South Wilmington, Illinois - Grundy County, Illinois
Wilmington, Greene County, Illinois
Wilmington, Massachusetts
Wilmington Township, Minnesota
Wilmington, New York
New Wilmington, Pennsylvania - Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
Wilmington Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
Wilmington Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Wilmington, Vermont
In the United Kingdom
Wilmington, Devon
Wilmington, Kent
Wilmington, Sussex
In Australia
Wilmington, South Australia |
14269 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil%20Collins | Phil Collins | Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins (born 30 January 1951) is a British drummer, songwriter, actor and singer. He was born in Chiswick, Hounslow, Middlesex. He was the drummer and singer of the band Genesis. He is very well known for his career away from the band, as a solo artist. His most well known album is No Jacket Required, which has sold over ten million copies in the United States. One of his most well known songs is "In the Air Tonight", which had a long running false rumour that it was about a drowning that Collins had witnessed. Collins starred in the movie Buster (1988). His daughter Lily Collins is a famous actress.
Collins won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "You'll Be in My Heart" for the 1999 movie Tarzan.
Discography
Solo albums
Face Value (1981)
Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982)
No Jacket Required (1985)
...But Seriously (1989)
Both Sides (1993)
Dance into the Light (1996)
Testify (2002)
Going Back (2010)
Health
Collins suffered an injury in 2009. The surgery to correct the injury to his neck went wrong. Due to this, he has not been able to play drums. He has to use a cane while walking. He has to be seated in a chair when performing on stage.
References
Other websites
Phil Collins at Atlantic Records
1951 births
Living people
Actors from London
Actors from Middlesex
English movie actors
English rock drummers
English rock singers
English television actors
English voice actors
Genesis (band)
Musicians from London
Musicians from Middlesex
People from Chiswick
Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters
Golden Globe Award winners
Atlantic Records artists |
14270 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badfinger | Badfinger | Badfinger was a British rock group. They were first called The Iveys, but renamed themselves after a song title, "Badfinger Boogie", the original title of "With a Little Help From My Friends". The band's members were Peter Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins and Joey Molland. Badfinger recorded for Apple Records, which was a record label started by The Beatles, Warner Brothers, Elektra Records, and Radio Records.
Their first hit record was "Come And Get It", which was written by Paul McCartney. It appeared in a movie, The Magic Christian. The band followed McCartney's demo closely to make the record. The finished record sounded like a Beatles song. Later they made records that sounded different, and showed the band's own style. Todd Rundgren was the producer of some of their recordings.
Badfinger's other hit records included "No Matter What", "Day After Day", and "Baby Blue". Later they left Apple Records and recorded for Warner Bros. Ham and Evans were the band's main songwriters. One of their songs, "Without You", was recorded by the band, but was not a hit. A later cover version by singer Harry Nilsson became an international hit, and was the first of many such versions. Many recording artists have sung "Without You", including Mariah Carey.
In 1970 Badfinger made an agreement with an American businessman called Stan Polley who promised to help them earn more money. But instead of helping them, Polley kept their money away from them in an account and refused to tell them how to get it out. He also behaved dishonestly toward Warner Bros. Because of his dishonesty, the band's sixth album was removed from shops after being available for only seven weeks, and Warner Bros. refused to release their seventh album. As a result, the band did not earn any money for their hard work, which made Pete Ham feel very depressed. Feeling that he could not be a good husband or father without any money, Ham committed suicide by hanging himself in 1975.
Evans and Molland decided they still wanted to work together. Mike Gibbins, the drummer, wanted to as well, but could not. They found two more musicians to take the place of Ham and Gibbins, and recorded a new album called "Airwaves". They had only one very small hit, but continued to tour. They released another record called "Say No More". This record had cover art by artist Peter Max.
Tom Evans had problems like Ham's, and killed himself (eight years after Ham) in the same way.
References
Musical groups established in 1969
1960s establishments in England
20th-century establishments in Wales
Musical groups disestablished in 1975
1970s disestablishments in the United Kingdom
1980s disestablishments in England
Musical groups established in 1978
1978 establishments in the United Kingdom
1970s establishments in England
Musical groups disestablished in 1984
1984 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
1960s British music groups
1970s British music groups
1980s British music groups
British rock bands |
14285 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%20Nations%20Security%20Council | United Nations Security Council | The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of six main parts of the United Nations. The Security Council deals with maintaining peace and security between nations.
Membership
There are 15 members of the UNSC but only five are permanent members. They are:
China
France
Russia
United Kingdom
United States
The ten temporary seats are held for two years with member states (countries) voted in by the United Nations General Assembly on a regional basis. The Presidency of the Security Council (i.e. the leadership) is rotated alphabetically each month.
As of 2021, the 10 temporary members are:
Estonia (2021)
India (2022)
Ireland (2022)
Kenya (2022)
Mexico (2022)
Niger (2021)
Norway (2022)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2021)
Tunisia (2021)
Viet Nam (2021)
Powers
If a country has behaved in a way seen as bad, the member countries of UNSC can make a ruling, known as a United Nations Security Council Resolution. All five of the permanent member countries must either agree to this ruling or at least not vote against it; if any of them do, it is said to have been "vetoed" and does not come into effect. This Resolution may call for UN members to take certain actions to punish the country, called "sanctions".
An example is that the UNSC had long banned all imports of nuclear fuel to Iran as they felt Iran was going to make nuclear weapons. These sanctions resulted in rules which made it much harder for Iran to do business with people in the rest of the world. These actions made life harder in Iran, both for its government and regular people as well. Most people think that is why Iran was willing to promise to change how it used nuclear material in order to end these rules. The Permanent Members of the Security Council worked together in ending this problem; Germany has also conferenced with the permanent UN Security Council members about this issue.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the most powerful part of the United Nations. The Security Council deals with maintaining peace and security between nations. For members of the UN to engage in war or major military activity against another country or a large armed group outside of their own country they are supposed to have the agreement of the Security Council to do so but recent history shows that this rule is often not closely followed by everyone. All members of the UN retain the right to "self-defense"; they can engage in actions to defend their people and land whenever this becomes necessary but are then expected to refer the matter to the Security Council as soon as they can.
References
Other websites
UNSC website
Security Council |
14316 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/High%20jump | High jump | The high jump is a track and field athletics event. Without the aid of any devices, athletes jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights. The high jump was first practised in England in the 19th century. It became an Olympic sport in 1896 for men and in 1928 for women. The rules that were made in 1865 still exist today. Thus, every athlete has three attempts on every height. The athletes are allowed to touch the bar but they must not knock it down.
The women's world record of 2.09 metres is held by Stefka Kostadinova. It was set in 1987. There is a technique called the Fosbury flop and scissor kick.
Related pages
Long jump
Pole vault
Triple jump
References
Events in athletics |
14317 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan | Manhattan | Manhattan is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City, and is the center of the New York metropolitan area. It is also located over the same area as a county of New York state called New York County. Although it is the smallest borough, it is the most densely populated borough. Most of the borough of Manhattan is on Manhattan Island, but the Marble Hill neighborhood is part of the mainland United States (by way of the Bronx). Several smaller islands, including Roosevelt Island, are also part of Manhattan.
The Dutch bought it from the Native Americans and called it New Amsterdam, then the English took it over and changed the name to New York. The name Manhattan comes from the Munsi language of the Lenni Lenape meaning island of many hills. Other theories say that it comes from one of three Munsi words. "Manahactanienk" meaning "place of inebriation". Other possibilities are "manahatouh" meaning "a place where wood is available for making bows and arrows" and "menatay" meaning simply "the island."
Manhattan is an important commercial, financial, and cultural center of both the United States and the world. Most major radio, television, and telecommunications companies in the United States are based there, as well as many news, magazine, book, and other media publishers. Manhattan has many famous landmarks, tourist attractions, museums, and universities. It also has the headquarters of the United Nations.
History
Before colonization, the Lenape Indians lived in the area that is now called Manhattan. In 1524, Lenape people in canoes met Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European explorer to pass New York Harbor, although he may not have entered the harbor past the Narrows. Henry Hudson, an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, made the first map of the area.
Colonial times
In the 1620s, the first large European colony was started in New Netherland, when the Dutch began trading fur on Governors Island. In 1625, the Dutch chose Manhattan Island to build Fort Amsterdam, a citadel for the protection of the new arrivals. It would later be called New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam). The creation of New Amsterdam was recognized as the birth of New York City.
On May 24, 1626, Manhattan was bought from the Native Americans living on the island. The price was trading goods worth 60 guilders, which was worth about 24 dollars at the time. The currency calculations from the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam say that 60 guilders in the 1620s cost around $1000 now.
In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant became the last Dutch Director General of the colony. New Amsterdam was considered an official city on 3 February 1653. In 1664, the British conquered New Netherland and renamed it "New York" after the English King James II, then known as Duke of York and Albany. Stuyvesant and his council made a deal with the British where New Netherlanders were promised liberties, including freedom of religion, under British rule. In August 1673, the Dutch took control of the island again, calling the city "New Orange" (Dutch: Nieuwe Oranje). The Dutch lost control of New Netherland forever to the English in November 1674 by treaty.
American Revolution
Manhattan was the center of many campaigns, battles and meetings during the American Revolution. In 1765, all of the colonies worked together for a unified political aim when the Stamp Act Congress (meeting) of representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies was held in New York City to write The Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
The Sons of Liberty, a Boston based group, were part of a long-term battle with British authorities over liberty poles that were sometimes raised by the Sons of Liberty and cut down by the British. The disputes ended when the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress took power in 1775.
Manhattan was the center of a series of large battles in the early American Revolutionary War. These battles were called the New York Campaign, where British forces and colonists fought for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey. The rebel Continental Army, led by George Washington, had to leave Manhattan after losing the Battle of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776. Shortly after, Manhattan was greatly damaged by the Great Fire of New York in 1776.
Victory gave the British control of the area. They used the city as the center for political and military activities for the rest of the war. Loyalists from elsewhere came to the city as refugees from the Rebels and to join the war.
Years later, Washington came back to Manhattan with his army. On Evacuation Day, the last British occupation forces left the city on 25 November 1783. On 30 April, 1789, Washington was inaugurated (officially became) the first president of the United States and took his oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Immigration influx and Gilded Age
In the early 19th century, Manhattan grew in population and economically. Another great fire in 1835 destroyed much of the city but it was soon rebuilt. Because of the Great Irish Famine, a lot of Irish people emigrated (left their country) to live in New York; they made up for 25% of Manhattan's population at the time. Many of the Irish people lived in a part of the Lower East Side known as the Bowery or in another section called Five Points.
After the Civil War, many immigrants of Italian, Polish and Jewish backgrounds came to Manhattan and lived in tenements in a part of the city called the Lower East Side. Over a million people lived in the area at one point.
An Irish political machine called Tammany Hall was very important to New York City during the Gilded Age. With the support of mostly Irish immigrants, it grew as a political machine. The support helped win the election for the first Tammany mayor, Fernando Wood, in 1854. Central Park, which opened to the public in 1858, became the first landscaped park in any American city and the country's first public park.
The rate of immigration from Europe shot up after the Civil War, and New York became the most popular state for immigrants in the United States. Because of this, the French built and gave New York the Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886. Soon after, the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn were combined into one city.
Economic downfall and rise
In the beginning of the 20th century, many new things were built in the city, like skyscrapers and the New York City Subway. The first subway transit center, the Interborough Rapid Transit or IRT, opened to the public in 1904. The installation of the Subway helped tie the new city together, as did new bridges to Brooklyn. In the 1920s, many African-Americans came to live in Manhattan during the Great Migration from the American South, and the Harlem Renaissance. New York City became the most populous city (city with the most people) in the world in 1925, overtaking London, which had held the title for a century.
Between World War I and World War II, reformist Fiorello La Guardia was elected as the new mayor in 1933 and took office in 1934, marking the fall of Tammany Hall after 80 years of dominating politics in New York City. Once the city's demographics were steadier, labor unionization provided protection and affluence to the working class. Despite the Great Depression, some of the world's tallest skyscrapers of the time were built in Manhattan during the 1930s, including many Art Deco masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. The most well-known structures are Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the GE Building.
Following the end of World War II, a lot of veterans came home to the United States. This led to the development of private communities that were intended to be sold or rented out to returning soldiers, resulting in an economic boom. An example of one of the communities built to attract veterans looking for homes is Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village, which opened in 1947. In 1951, the United Nations relocated from its first headquarters in Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan.
Population and industry began to decline in the 1960s. The Stonewall riots were a series of violent demonstrations by members of the gay community. By the 1970s, the city had gained a reputation as a graffiti-covered, crime-ridden relic of history. In 1975, the city government went bankrupt (ran out of money), and its pleas for financial help were rejected at first. On 30 October 1975, the New York Daily News reported the event with the headline as "Ford to City: Drop Dead". The city received a federal loan and debt restructuring. After the economic downfall and recovery, New York State kept a close watch on New York City's economy.
In the 1980s, Wall Street was revived from its slump, and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the worldwide financial industry. During this time, Manhattan was also at the heart of the AIDS crisis, with Greenwich Village being a major center of the epidemic. Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) were organizations that were started because of the crisis. Their purpose was to advocate on behalf of those AIDs victims.
Crime rates began to drop greatly in the 1990s. Murder rates were 537 in 2008 compared to 2,245 in 1990. The crack epidemic and its associated drug-related violence had died down, and was under great control by the city. Many people who had moved out of the city came back because the city once again became the destination of immigrants from around the world, joining with low interest rates and Wall Street bonuses to fuel the growth of the real estate market.
References
Other websites
New Yorker's Guide to Manhattan
Islands of New York
County seats in New York |
14318 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Bronx | The Bronx | The Bronx is the northern part of New York City, United States. The name came from Bronck's Farms, owned by a settler called Jonas Bronck. The Bronx was once the southern part of Westchester County, but is now one of the five boroughs of New York City as well as a county in New York State called Bronx County. The Bronx River flows south out of Yonkers and Mount Vernon, New York, through the middle of The Bronx, and into Long Island Sound.
Two places to visit in The Bronx are the Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium, where the New York Yankees baseball team plays.
Related pages
South Bronx
References
Other websites
I Love The Bronx
The Bronx Zoo
The New York Botanical Garden
Wave Hill: New York Public Garden and Cultural Center
Arthur Avenue (little italy)
County seats in New York
1898 establishments in the United States
1890s establishments in New York (state) |
14319 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%20Denver | Bob Denver | Bob Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Gilligan on the 1960s television series Gilligan's Island and Maynard G. Krebs on the earlier Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He appeared on many other shows including The Good Guys, Dusty's Trail, and Far-Out Space Nuts, but these could not match his success as Gilligan. In 1998, he was arrested for marijuana possession and in 2005, he underwent heart surgery. After that he learned he had cancer. Before he became an actor, Denver worked as a mailman and a high school teacher.
American television actors
Actors from New York
1935 births
2005 deaths
Deaths from cancer |
14321 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1100 | 1100 | Note that 1100 is the last year of the 11th century. 1101 is the first year of the 12th century.
Events
August 5 – Henry I crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey
Births
May 23 – Emperor Qinzong of China (d. 1161)
Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, English conjoined twins (died 1134)
Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (died 1148)
Deaths
August 2 – William II of England |
14322 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk | Monk | A monk is a man who devoted part or all of his life to a religion. The word comes from Ancient Greek, and can be translated as solitary. In Greek, the word can apply to women, but in modern English it is mainly used for men. The word nun is usually used for female monastics. Monks practice asceticism. They either live alone, or together with other monks who share the same ideals. Monks can be found in different religions, most often in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism and Taoism.
The monks who live on their own are usually called hermits, those living with other monks do so in monasteries. Nuns living together do so in a convent.
Some laws monks might choose to obey:
Poverty: the monk cannot own anything.
Chastity: the monk cannot have sex or a sexual relationship and cannot start a family or get married.
Solitude: the monk should always be alone. Some monks choose to not follow this law.
Silence: the monk shall not speak unless it is necessary.
Generosity: the monk should always help other people.
Stillness: the monk cannot travel far unless it is necessary. Sometimes this means that the monk must be cloistered which means that they must not leave their monastery (especially Warsa period). Sometimes they can be allowed to leave, but must not go very far.
Duty: The monk must do some things every day. For example, the monk must pray or meditate and must do some work.
References
Information at answers.com
Religious occupations |
14323 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream%20Theater | Dream Theater | Dream Theater (often called DT for short) is a progressive metal and progressive rock band formed in the mid-1980s in the United States.
Band members
Current members
James LaBrie (vocals)
John Myung (electric basses)
John Petrucci (guitar)
Jordan Rudess (keyboards)
Mike Mangini (drums)
Previous members
Chris Collins (vocals)
Charlie Dominici (vocals)
Kevin Moore (keyboards)
Derek Sherinian (keyboards)
Mike Portnoy (drums)
Biography
The band was founded by John Myung, John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy. Myung and Petrucci are the only original members that are still in the band today. They changed their singer twice in the late 1980s when Chris Collins was replaced by Charles Dominici in 1987. Dominici left the band only three years later, in 1990, and James LaBrie joined and stayed until today. Dream Theater's keyboardist also changed three times. Kevin Moore played with the band from 1986 until 1995 when he left and Derek Sherinan took his position until 1999. Jordan Rudess is Dream Theater's Keyboardist now. He is known for his excellent technique and compositional skills. In September 2010, drummer Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater, and was replaced by Mike Mangini.
Influences
The members of Dream Theater are known for having excellent playing technique of their instruments, and for their songwriting. Their music is very complex and the songs are often long, their longest being Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence at 42 minutes in length.
Their songs contain a lot of instrumental sections, in which no vocals are heard and only the instruments play (these parts are called "instrumental passages") and also many solos. Another feature of their music is that during each song, the speed often changes, and occasionally style changes too.
They once said that other bands have trouble making long songs. They said they have trouble making "short" songs. Most of Dream Theater's music is very difficult to play because of the high speed it has to be played with and the complex rhythm.
Discography
Studio albums
When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
Images and Words (1992)
Awake (1994)
Falling into Infinity (1997)
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)
Train of Thought (2003)
Octavarium (2005)
Systematic Chaos (2007)
Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)
A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Dream Theater (2013)
The Astonishing (2016)
Distance Over Time (2019)
A View from the Top of the World (2021)
Other websites
Dream Theater's official website
1980s American music groups
1990s American music groups
2000s American music groups
2010s American music groups
American heavy metal bands
Progressive metal bands
Musical groups from New York
Warner Bros. Records artists
Atlantic Records artists |
14332 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle | Triangle | A triangle is a shape, or a part of two dimensional space. It has three straight sides and three vertices. The three angles of a triangle always add up to 180° (180 degrees). It is the polygon with the least possible number of sides. A triangle with vertices A, B, C is written as .
Types of triangles
Triangles can be grouped according to how many of their sides are equal:
if all the three sides of a triangle have the same length, then it is an equilateral triangle.
if a triangle has two sides with the same length, then it is an isosceles triangle.
if all the three sides of a triangle have different lengths, then we have a scalene triangle.
Triangles can also be grouped by their angles:
if a triangle has a right angle, that is, if one of the angles of that triangle measures 90° (90 degrees), then it is a right triangle. The opposite side to the right angle is the hypotenuse.
if a triangle has an obtuse angle, that is, if one of the angles of that triangle is larger than 90°, then it is an obtuse triangle.
if a triangle has only acute angles, that is, if all the angles of that triangle are less than 90°, then it is an acute triangle.
Uses
Triangles are extremely useful. The study of geometry related to triangles is called trigonometry. Some people have spent their entire lives studying triangles for use in trigonometry.
Modern computers usually use triangles to make more complex graphic images or shapes.
Related pages
Law of sines
Pythagorean theorem
Sierpinski triangle
Reuleaux triangle
References
3 |
14346 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism | Feminism | Feminism is a social, political, and economic movement. Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights (mainly female), and campaigning for equal ones. Somebody who follows feminism is called a feminist.
Feminism began in the 18th century with the Enlightenment. The controversy over the differences between the genders led to the discussion of equality.
History of feminism
The word "feminism" comes from the French word "féminisme". This medical term was used to describe masculine women or men with feminized traits. When its use became popular in the United States of America, it was used to refer to groups of women who "asserted the uniqueness of women, the mystical experience of motherhood and women's special purity ".
General history
Feminism started with the idea that human rights should be given to women. This idea was put forward by some philosophers in the 18th and 19th centuries such as Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill. Later feminists in the early 20th century also said that women should be allowed to vote in a democracy. Many women felt very strongly that they should be allowed to vote and there were many protests. These women were called Suffragettes. This is because they were fighting for Universal suffrage which means everybody is able to vote. The Suffragettes staged many protests for their rights. Some women even committed suicide to show how wrong it was that they could not take part in politics. After women received the vote, feminism worked to make all of society more equal for women.
Not all female politicians have been welcomed by feminists, with Margaret Thatcher, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann being clear examples.
Feminism is generally acknowledged to have "waves" as different time periods focused on different aspects of feminism, often working off the ideas presented by the wave before.
First wave (approx. 1830s – early 1900s)
In technical terms, the first wave of feminism could be dated earlier to include pre-nineteenth century women's rights movements. In particular, the French Revolution of 1789 is often attributed as the beginning of the first demands for women's rights. This went on to inspire Mary Wollstonecraft, whose book A Vindication of the Rights of Women was published in 1792. It is widely recognized as one of the earliest significant works of feminist literacy. However, first wave feminism is usually dated as occurring between the mid to late nineteenth century and early 1900s. During the first wave, women began to realize that they must first gain political power before they could bring about social change. This wave focused on gaining the right to vote (universal suffrage). Later, the focus shifted to include sexual, economic, and reproductive concerns.
During the inter-war years, the feminist movement declined. Anti-feminism was on the rise, focusing on the issue of women and work. Women were being 'persuaded' to return to their traditional roles in the home and give up their war jobs. There were also issues within the organized ranks of feminism itself. The ideologies and priorities of certain groups were changing. Some felt that equality with men had been reached and shifted their focus onto the needs of women as women, such as the subjects of birth control, family allowance, and protective legislature. This caused the split into the dominant groups of equality feminism and new feminism. New feminists focused on the role of traditional women in the home and as mothers. Equality feminists encouraged women to look beyond the home and fought for equality with men in every aspect of life. Equality feminists opposed protective legislature, such as maturity leave, purely on principle.
The topic of protective legislature eventually led to the divide of first wave feminism. Middle-class feminists tended to oppose protective legislature, whereas working class feminists largely supported it. This split between the previously dominant equality feminism and the rising new feminism marks the end of the first wave of feminism.
Second wave (1960s-1980s)
Second wave feminism is marked by the rise of political concerns. Where the first wave of feminism dealt with women in the workforce, as well as the right to own property and vote, the second wave of feminism lobbied for 'liberation' from a patriarchal society. The key to second wave feminism was the struggle over the female body itself - how it was represented and the significance attached to the reality of biological differences.
The famous "One is not born, but rather becomes a woman" declaration made by Simone de Beauvoir led to new thinking on the way gender was perceived as a construction, rather than something inherent.
Second wave feminism was also characterized by the problematization of equality. Questions arose about what gaining equality would achieve, due to the societal roles men and women were still expected to fill. This led to the call for extreme change in order to revolutionize the very fabric of a patriarchal society. This was the beginning of the radical, Marxist, and socialist feminist groupings. It also marked a shift in the politics of liberal feminism, focusing more on 'sexual politics', such as the family, abortion, rape, domestic violence, and sexuality.
Third wave (1990s – present)
Third wave feminism is generally described as the feminism of a younger generation who acknowledge both the effect and the limitations of the ideologies presented by second wave feminism. This new generation argues that the conditions which prompted second wave feminism no longer exist and therefore, feminism needs a revamping in order to be applicable to modern day. It is also argues that second wave feminism catered too much to a small group of people, namely white, middle-class, heterosexual women.
Third wave feminists largely seem to have grown up with feminism as a strong concept in society, thus influencing them from a young age. It is taught in schools and is also prominent in the media.
Third wave feminists largely focus on issues surrounding individual self-expression. This includes how identity is formed and communicated through things such as appearance, sexuality, and intersectionality. Third wave feminism was also created in order to include a larger grouping of people, recognizing women from different cultural backgrounds, religions, sexualities, ethnicities, and abilities to name a few.
Fourth wave (approx. 2008 – present)
Some say that a fourth wave of feminism is already upon us, prompted by the increase in internet culture. This wave is similar to the third wave but is distinguished by more advanced technology and broader ideas of equality. This wave stands more in solidarity with other social justice movements.
Fourth wave feminism uses the internet and its "call-out" culture to challenge misogyny and sexism in popular media such as television, literature, advertising, etc. This has caused companies to change how they market to women in order to avoid being "called out".
Another part of fourth wave feminism is the existence of people who reject the word feminism because of "assumptions of gender binary and exclusionary subtext: 'For women only'".
In 21st century online communities/ support groups focused on masculinism discourse as a counterpart to online presence of feminism is known as manosphere. Masculinism fueled by primordialist ideologies have also resulted into an openly anti-feminist toxic culture known as "incels" (involuntarily celibate).
Women in politics
There have been women who have been involved in politics throughout history.
Historical
Esther, Lady Godiva, Bodicea, Queen Elizabeth, Lucrezia Borgia, Catherine the Great, Joan of Arc.
Modern times
Starting in 1960, there have been many women elected to high positions of power, such as prime minister. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first, followed by Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Elisabeth Domitien and Margaret Thatcher. Dame Eugenia Charles lasted nearly 15 years in the post, a record.
Types of feminism/feminist theories
Liberal feminism
Liberal feminism drew its strength from the diversity of liberal thought following the Enlightenment. The basis of liberal feminism is the emphasis on the power of the individual. If everyone individually stands up for what is right, discriminatory practises will change. Liberals also value education, arguing that equal education of men and women will lead to equality in society. Liberal feminists would be more likely to accept the argument (to a degree) that certain positions in society (such as the home and the workplace) are better suited to the 'traditional' gender placements.
Socialist or Marxist feminism
Socialist or Marxist feminism are similar in that they both believe revolution is the answer to change. They both link social conditions with capitalism and believe that overthrowing the current system is the only way to get what you want. Like liberal feminists, socialist or Marxist feminists acknowledge that men are necessary as part of the movement for change. Whatever the theory, socialist and Marxist countries have never had women in major government posts. Women have often achieved ministerial positions in democracies. Thus rhetoric (what regimes say) does not always line up with what regimes do in practice.
Radical feminism
Radical feminism, particularly in the USA, developed from the civil rights and new left clusters. Radical feminists were largely fed up with the male-dominated left wing radicalism and formed the Women's Liberation Movement. This movement was formed in order to create woman-centered politics and to escape from male-oriented politics. They believed this could only be done in a safe women-only space, and this led to the policy of separatism for which radical feminism is best known for. Radical feminists are often misunderstood and seen as "man-hating" because of the way their women-oriented politics seem to reject male input.
Evangelical feminism
Evangelical feminism or 'Christian feminism' was developed from religious movements. Evangelical feminists work to protect and spiritually reform those who need it, such as women and children from outside the church. These feminists believe that everyone is equal under one God and strive to bring that equality to the church and their individual lives.
Equality feminism
Equality feminism is a subsection of the feminist movement. Equality feminism's focus on the similarities between the sexes is on the basis that men and women's abilities are indistinguishable from their biology. This type of feminism encourages the broadening of horizons, encouraging women to look beyond the home. Its ultimate goal is for the sexes to be completely equal in every part of life.
New feminism
New feminism is a philosophy similar to equality feminism. It focuses on how the differences between men and women complement each other, rather than one sex's biology causing a superiority over the other. New feminism, unlike equality feminism, recognizes the different strengths and roles given to men and women. New feminism advocates for equality in how men and women are treated in their individual roles in society. Its basic concept is the emphasis placed on important differences being biological rather than cultural. Women should be supported as child bearers, both economically and culturally, but this should not be a role that is forced upon them. The main aim is to emphasize the importance of women and men as individuals and that in all senses (legal, social, economic), they should be equal despite their natural differences.
Global feminist thought
Global Feminist Thought is primarily the movement of women's rights on a global scale. Women are impacted in different communities around the world and have common problems they face on a day-to-day basis; usually at home or in the work force. Although different cultural locations have different experiences that will shape their experiences and perceptions, they have common themes. Global feminists tend to focus on nationality (like race, gender and class) and they reach out to help those in developing and third world countries, as well as address oppression created through histories of colonialism and imperialism. It works to end capitalism, imperialism, sexism and racism, along with having everyone considered equal on a global view. It encourages feminists to confront the problems they are facing and reach out for help, as they are not the only ones experiencing that particular problem.
Lean-In Feminism
Lean-In Feminism is an approach were women act and behave in a toxic manner and justify their actions by messaging if a man behaved the same way they did, he wouldn’t get called out on it. Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos; Ellen DeGeneres of Ellen DeGeneres Show; Amy Klobuchar, American senator; Chelsea Handler, American comedian; Zoe Sugg, YouTube vlogger etc are considered to be prime examples. This is a negative idea of empowerment seen in social movements that posits women in power are unimpeachable and immune to feminist critique, simply by virtue of the fact that they have achieved such high positions. It is hard to distinguish people of this approach from supportive feminists, because they often cloak themselves with publicity stunts of advocating for all women in order to maintain their hegemony within a kyriarchal system.
Anti-feminism
Writers such as Camille Paglia, Christina Hoff Sommers, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Daphne Patai oppose some forms of feminism, though they identify as feminists. They argue, for example, that feminism often promotes misandry (hatred of men) and the elevation of women's interests above men's, and criticize radical feminist positions as harmful to both men and women. Daphne Patai and Noretta Koertge argue that the term "anti-feminist" is used to silence academic debate about defects of feminism like lack of intersectionality and visible separatism.
Criticism
Identified reasons why some people do not like feminism:
People do not like feminism because they think that women are already equal or more important in the eyes of law. Philoandrist's often say that society in general is not equal for men and a version of that is what women experience. Critics say basic tenets like equity and equality in outcome (egalitarian humanism) is a striving factor among men as it is with women.
Analysis of feminist theories suggest that in its mid to high levels the topic boils down to aggressive misandry with its separatist and otherness positions (Extremism) rather than being collaborative or supportive. Some say this is reflected in rights in child custody and divorce. Philogynist's say this to be just the toxic side of things.
The level of binary thinking with wrong attributions is considered to be a factor. Some example are: Women not regarded as equal to men due to biological differences, the antithetical disregard between women: white vs. women of color, Privilege theory: disregarding existence of ableism among men as among women (Angela Merkel, Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Tarja Halonen, etc.), viewing women as generally weak and forcing empowerment, etc. Some social areas were these are reinforced: the treatment and role of women in the military, denial of ordination of women in churches (Ephesians 5:21), and partisan policies based on and tied to past events.
Some people consider feminism denies strength exhibited by females through maternal and care aspects or discourages these aspects by terming them closely to weakness or slavery.
Some people argue that feminism is a showcase of existential crisis between matriarchal and patriarchal systems. It is reflected in radical feminism which defines liberation as successful totalitarian and forceful overturn of time-honored traditions, religious beliefs, gender roles, relationships, society, culture, power, authority dynamics, and economic structures.
Some theorists consider that conscious and unconscious bias is rampant within human beings (Unconscious bias training), such state of oppression is common and an understanding to halt them in destructive forms is what equality should be about.
Some people say feminism from its supportive nature is distorted and used for propaganda's like heterosexuality is confinement and distinct female sexuality is liberated only through celibacy, autoeroticism, or lesbianism.
Related pages
Marie Stopes
Valerie Solanas
Sexism
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Abortion
Lesbian
Sexual harassment
Pornography
Prostitution
Women's rights
Black feminism
Fat feminism
References
Political movements
Women's rights |
14352 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiv%C3%B8r%20P%C3%A1lsd%C3%B3ttir | Eivør Pálsdóttir | Eivør Pálsdóttir (born 21 July 1983 in Syðrugøta, Faroe Islands) is a Faroese singer and composer. She sings in Faroese, but also in English, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish.
Eivør Pálsdóttir is one of the most well-known singers from the Faroe Islands.
"Krakan", her second solo album, won the nomination for an Icelandic Music Award in three categories. Eivor won Best Singer and Best Performer in Iceland in 2003.
Discography
Eivør Pálsdóttir (SHD 50, tutl 2000)
Clickhaze EP (HJF 91, tutl 2002)
Yggdrasil (HJF 88, tutl 2002)
Krákan (12T001, 12 tónar 2003)
Eivør (12T010, 12 tónar 2004)
Trøllabundin (together with the Big band of Danmarks Radio 2005)
Human Child (R 60117-2, RecArt Music 2007)
Mannabarn (R 60116-2, RecArt Music 2007, Faroese version of Human Child)
Eivör Live (SHD125, tutl 2009)
Undo your mind EP (Copenhagen Records 2010)
Larva (SHD 130 tutl 2010)
References
Other websites
Eivor.com Official Website
1983 births
Living people
Danish singers
Danish composers
Faroese people |
14355 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus | Hippopotamus | The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, ancient Greek for "river horse" (Ιπποπόταμος), is a large mammal in Africa that usually eats plants. It is one of only two species in the family Hippopotamidae that are still alive. The other is the pygmy hippopotamus.
The hippopotamus is the second largest land animal in size, and the third largest land animal in weight. The elephant is the heaviest, and the white rhinoceros is the second heaviest, but a bit smaller than the hippo. The hippo is also the heaviest artiodactyl.
The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic. This means that even though it usually lives on the land, it spends a great amount of time in rivers and lakes where males lead groups of 5 to 30 females and young. In the daytime, they keep cool by staying in the water or mud. They give birth to baby hippos in the water, too. At dusk, they come out to graze on grass. Hippopotamuses rest together in the water, but they like to graze by themselves.
The hippopotamus has a torso that is shaped like a barrel, a very big mouth and teeth, an almost hairless body, short legs and great size. It is the third largest land mammal, judging by its weight, which is between between 1½ and 3 tonnes. The white rhinoceros weighs 1½ to 3½ tonnes, and the three species of elephant weigh 3 to 9 tonnes. Even though it has short, fat legs, it can run more quickly than a human. Some hippos have run at 30 km/h (19 mph) for short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the fiercest animals in the world. It is often called one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are about 125,000 to 150,000 hippos in Sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia (about 40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) have the most hippos. They are threatened because they are losing their habitats and being poached for their meat and ivory teeth.
Etymology
The word "hippopotamus" comes from the ancient Greek , hippopotamos, from , hippos, "horse", and , potamos, which means "river". So, "hippopotamus" means "horse of the river". More than one hippopotamus are called hippopotami, and 'hippopotamuses', or 'hippos' is also used. Hippopotamusi are social. About 30 hippos live together in groups. A male hippopotamus is known as a bull. A female hippopotamus is called a cow, and a baby hippo is called a calf. The species is also known as the common hippopotamus or the Nile hippopotamus.
Description
Hippopotami are the fourth largest mammals in the world (after whales, elephants, and rhinoceroses). The Egyptian hippopotamus is smaller than the others. They can live in the water or on land. They can walk or even run along the bottom of a river.
Because hippos are so large, it is difficult to weigh them in the wild. Most adult male hippos weigh between . Females hippos are smaller, and usually weigh between . Older males can get even bigger. They are at least and sometimes even weigh .
Male hippos seem to keep on growing for their whole lives. Females hippos, though, become heaviest when they are about 25 years old.
Hippos have big and heavy bodies, dark gray skin, and short legs. A hippo's main defence is their extremely strong mouth. They can grow to be 15 feet long and weigh 3,000 pounds.
Life
Hippopotami are herbivores which live in groups. Despite being semiaquatic and having webbed feet, an adult hippo is not a particularly good swimmer nor can it float. It is rarely found in deep water; when it is, the animal moves by porpoise-like leaps from the bottom. They usually stay in the mud and water during the day and come out to eat grass or leaves at night. Though they are bulky animals, hippopotami can gallop at 30 km/h (19 mph) on land but normally trot.
Distribution
Many hippos lived in North Africa and Europe until about 30,000 years ago. They used to be common in Egypt's Nile region from long ago, though they are not there now. Pliny the Elder writes that, in his time, the best place in Egypt for finding this animal was in the Saite nome. The animal could still be found around there after the Arab Conquest in 639. Hippos are still found in the rivers and lakes of Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia, west through Ghana to Gambia, and also in Southern Africa (Botswana, Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia). Some hippos also live in Tanzania and Mozambique. They like to live in places with water that is not too deep.
Hippos and humans
Aggression
Hippos are very aggressive towards humans, whom they commonly attack whether in boats or on land with no apparent provocation. This aggression by the hippopotamus is caused by humans coming too close to their children. Hippopotami are very protective of their young and they often fear that humans pose a large threat to their young. They are widely considered to be one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa.
Archaeology
The earliest proof that humans were involved with hippos comes from butchery cut marks on hippo bones at Bouri Formation from around 160,000 years ago. Later rock paintings and engravings showing hippos being hunted. They have been found in the mountains of the central Sahara from 4,000–5,000 years ago near Djanet. Ancient Egyptians also knew much about hippos. They knew the hippo was a fierce, wild animal that lived in the Nile. In Egyptian mythology, Tawaret, a goddess of protection in pregnancy and childbirth, had the head of a hippo. This was because ancient Egyptians saw how protective female hippopotami could be about their young.
References
Other websites
Hippos: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
IUCN Hippo Specialist Group
Even-toed ungulates
Mammals of Africa |
14356 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecture | Prefecture | A prefecture is a word used by countries such as Greece and Japan (called νομός, nomós in Greece and called 県 ken in Japan). It is a smaller part of a country with its own government. It is a kind of local government.
It is like an American state or a British county.
In France, it is the head of the department (see Prefectures in France for more detail). |
14361 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010 | 2010 | 2010 (twenty ten) (MMX) was .
The United Nations designated 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and International Year of Youth.
Pronunciation
There are many debates over how the years are spoken. The year 2010 can be spoken as "twenty-ten" or "two thousand (and) ten".
Events
January
January 1 – Spain takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Sweden.
January 1 – A suicide bombing occurs at a volleyball game in Lakki Marwat, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, killing at least 95, and injuring over 100.
January 4 – The tallest-ever man-made structure, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is officially opened.
January 8 – The Togo national football team is involved in an attack in Angola. As a result, it withdraws from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
January 12 – A 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurs in Haiti, devastating the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince.
January 15 – The longest annular solar eclipse of the 3rd millennium occurs.
January 25 – An Ethiopian airplane crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport, killing all of the 90 people on board.
February
February 3 – The sculpture L'homme qui marche by Alberto Giacometti is sold for £65.7 million ($103 million), setting a new record for a work of art sold at auction.
February 7 – Viktor Yanukovich is elected President of Ukraine.
February 7 – Laura Chinchilla becomes the first woman to be elected President of Costa Rica.
February 12–28 – The 2010 Winter Olympics are held in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.
February 18 – A military junta, called the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, headed by Salou Djibo, takes power in Niger, replacing President Mamadou Tandja.
February 20 – Widespread flooding occurs on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
February 25 – Viktor Yanukovich is sworn in as President of Ukraine.
February 27 – A magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurs off the coast of Chile. It has killed around 500 people, and is thought to have had an impact on the Earth's axis, slightly shortening its days.
February 28 – With 14 gold medals, Canada becomes the most successful host nation of the Winter Olympics.
March
March 16 – The Kasubi Tombs, which formed Uganda's only World Heritage Site, are destroyed by fire.
March 21 – The 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre is marked in South Africa.
March 23 – The ROKS Cheonan, a South Korean navy ship carrying 104 personnel, sinks off the country's west coast near Baengnyong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 people. A later report in May 2010 says that North Korea sank the ship, but denies the allegations.
March 24 – South Talpatti Island, a disputed territory between India and Bangladesh disappears under the Bay of Bengal, due to rising sea levels.
March 29 – Two female suicide bombers blow themselves up on the Moscow Metro, killing around 40 people.
April
April 3 – South African far-right leader Eugene Terre'Blanche is beaten to death at his farm near Ventersdorp, South Africa.
April 3 – The African Renaissance Monument opens in Dakar, to mark 50 years of Senegal's independence.
April 7 – Amidst fierce rioting in Kyrgyzstan, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flees the capital city, Bishkek by plane to the southern city of Osh; the opposition seizes control of the government, and places former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva as head of an interim government. She later becomes President on July 3.
April 10 – Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria are among 96 people killed when their plane crashes in thick fog near Smolensk in western Russia.
April 14 – A 6.9 magnitude Earthquake strikes Qinghai province in China, killing more than 1000 people.
April 14 – A volcanic eruption occurs near a glacier (Eyjafjallajokull) in southern Iceland, leading to flooding in the nearby area. The cloud of volcanic ash from the eruption causes air traffic all over Northern and Western Europe to be shut down.
April 20 – General Reynaldo Bignone, former military ruler of Argentina is sentenced to 25 years in prison, for ordering torture during the military dictatorship.
April 20 – Deepwater Horizon oil spill: An explosion occurs on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico, near Louisiana. 11 oil workers are killed, and an oil spill is caused, leading to an environmental disaster.
April 27 – Panama's former military leader Manuel Noriega is handed over to France by the United States.
April 27 – Greece's sovereign credit rating is downgraded to junk, four days after its government asked for help in resolving its financial crisis. Stock markets around the world drop.
May
May 1 – The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai opens. It lasts until October 31.
May 2 – The Eurozone and Inernational Monetary Fund agree to a 110 billion Euro Bailout for Greece, which also involves sharp austerity measures (large reduction of government budget deficits).
May 4 – Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso sets a new record for a work of art sold at auction, selling for $106.5 million in New York.
May 7 – Scientists conducting the Neanderthal Genome Project announce that humans and neanderthals, who later died out, could have interbred.
May 8 – Laura Chinchilla becomes Costa Rica's first female President.
May 11 – David Cameron becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, forming a coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
May 12 – An Afriqiyah Airways plane crashes in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 people. Only one person survives.
May 19 – Violent clashes begin as government forces crush demonstrations by anti-government Red Shirt protestors in Thailand's capital city Bangkok.
May 20 – Scientists announce that they have created a form of synthetic life.
May 20 – Five artworks with a worth of 100 million Euros are stolen from the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris, France.
May 22 – An Air India Express Flight 812 airplane overshoots the runway and bursts into flames in Mangalore, southern India, killing 158 people. 8 people survive.
May 26 – Kamla Persad-Bissessar becomes Trinidad and Tobago's first female Prime Minister.
May 28 – In terrorist attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, 98 people are killed.
May 29 – Germany's Lena Meyer-Landrut wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
May 30 – Central America is hit by Hurricane Agatha. More than 180 people are killed.
May 31 – Israeli forces storm the Gaza-bound international flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea. This event leads to widespread International condemnation.
May 31 – Germany's President Horst Koehler resigns from office.
June
June 2 – Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama resigns from office. Naoto Kan succeeds him.
June 2 – A gunman goes on a shooting rampage in Cumbria, North West England, killing 12 people and injuring 11, before killing himself.
June 9 – Ethnic violence erupts in Kyrgyzstan, and thousands of people try to flee into neighbouring Uzbekistan, as hundreds are killed.
June 11 – The 2010 FIFA World Cup begins in South Africa. It is the first time that the FIFA World Cup is staged in Africa.
June 19 – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden marries Daniel Westling, who receives a new royal title.
June 24 – Julia Gillard becomes the first female Prime Minister of Australia, as Kevin Rudd announces his resignation, after a leadership contest is called within the Australian Labor Party.
June 24 – The longest match in professional tennis history comes to an end at Wimbledon, as John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the deciding set.
June 25 – June 27 – The 36th G8 Summit and the 4th G20 Summit are held in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada.
June 30 – Benigno Aquino III becomes President of the Philippines.
June 30 – Christian Wulff is chosen to succeed Horst Koehler as President of Germany. He takes office on July 2.
July
July 1 – Belgium takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Spain.
July 2 – More than 270 people are killed when a ffuel tanker overturns and explodes in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
July 8 – The first 24-hour flight by a solar powered plane is completed by Solar Impulse.
July 11 – A total solar eclipse is witnessed over the South Pacific Ocean, including Easter Island.
July 11 – The Spain national football team wins the FIFA World Cup, after a 1-0 win over the Netherlands national football team.
July 11 – Bomb attacks by Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab kill 74 people in Uganda's capital city Kampala.
July 15 – Argentina legalises same-sex marriage.
July 22 – The International Court of Justice rules that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not illegal.
July 24 – A stampede at a music festival in Duisburg, Germany kills 19 people. 2 later die in hospital.
July 25 – Wikileaks, an organisation based in Sweden, leaks over 90,000 reports on the US military involvement in the war in Afghanistan, as public information.
July 28 – An Airbus airplane carrying 152 people, travelling from Karachi, crashes in the Margalla Hills near Islamabad, Pakistan, killing all of the people on board.
late July/early August – Widespread flooding, caused by heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, and spreading south to the Punjab and Sindh, kills at least 1,600 people, and makes more than a million people homeless. Millions of people are affected.
August
August 6 – In an official capacity, US officials attend the commemoration of the Hiroshima atomic bomb for the first time.
August 10 – The WHO declares that the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic is over.
August 14 – August 26 – The first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games are held in Singapore, with 3,531 participating athletes aged 14 to 18 from 204 National Olympic Committees.
August 19 – The United States ends combat operations in Iraq, as its last combat brigade departs for Kuwait. Additional support troops are required to leave Iraq by 31 December 2011 under an agreement between the US and Iraqi governments.
August 23 – Nine people, including the hostage taker are killed in a hostage crisis on board a bus in Manila, Philippines.
September
September 4 – 2010 Canterbury earthquake: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes the South Island of New Zealand, including the city of Christchurch, causing widespread damage and power outages. No deaths are reported.
September 28 – A landslide kills at least 7 people in Oaxaca, Mexico.
September 28 – Kim Jong-un, son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is named Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and the Central Commission of the Workers' Party, a possible step towards becoming his father's successor.
October
October 4 – Europe wins the Ryder Cup golf tournament over the United States.
October 4 – Toxic sludge escapes from an alumina plant in western Hungary.
October 5 – Former Société Générale employee Jerome Kerviel is sentenced by a court in France to a five-year suspended sentence for losses of up to 4.9 million Euros, one of the largest-ever frauds.
October 8 – Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
October 10 – The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved and split up into a new constitutional status. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius become special municipalities of the Netherlands, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten become constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
October 13 – Thirty-three miners are rescued from the San Jose mine near Copiapo in Chile, after surviving 700 metres underground for a record 69 days, after a mining accident.
October 23 – The International Space Station takes the record for the longest continuous occupation in space from Mir.
October 23 – In preparation for the Seoul summit, G-20 finance ministers agree to reform the IMF and shift 6 per cent of the voting shares to developing nations and countries with emerging markets.
October 25 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, and the resulting tsunamis kill over 400 people, and leave hundreds missing.
October 26 – Start of continuous eruptions of the volcano Mount Merapi on Java, killing hundreds of people, and leading to thousands being evacuated.
October 31 – Dilma Rousseff is elected as the first female President of Brazil.
November
November 4 – Aero Caribbean flight 883 crashes in central Cuba, killing all 68 people on board.
November 11 – The G-20 summit is held in Seoul. South Korea is the first non-G-8 country to host it.
November 13 – Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest.
November 17 – Researchers at CERN trap 38 antihydrogen atoms for a sixth of a second, marking the first time in history that humans have trapped antimatter.
November 19 – An explosion traps 29 miners at the Pike River Mine near Greymouth on New Zealand's South Island. They are confirmed dead after a second explosion five days later.
November 21 – Eurozone countries agree to an economic rescue package for the Republic of Ireland from European Financial Stability Facility in response to its financial crisis.
November 22 – A stampede at the Bon om Thook water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, kills 347 people.
November 23 – In one of the most serious clashes since the Korean War, North Korea shells Yeonpyeong Island, prompting a military response from South Korea.
November 28 – WikiLeaks releases a collection of more than 250,000 American diplomatic cables, including 100,000 that were marked as secret or confidential.
November 29 – The Eropean Union agrees to an 85 billion Euro rescue deal for the Republic of Ireland from the European Financial Stability Facility, the IMF, and bilateral loans from the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden.
November 29 – December 10 – 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Mexico, also referred to as the 16th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) takes place; it serves too as the 6th meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 6)
December
December 2 – NASA announces the discovery of arsenic-based life forms in California.
December 2 – FIFA decides that Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
December 4 – A political crisis begins in the Ivory Coast. The international community recognises Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the election, but President Laurent Gbagbo refuses to step down. Many people are killed in post-election violence and the Civil War that lasts until April 2011.
December 11 – Two bombs explode in central Stockholm, Sweden, killing the perpetrator.
December 15 – A boat carrying asylum seekers crashes into cliffs on Christmas Island, killing at least 40 people.
December 15 – The discovery of the head of King Henry IV of France, which was lost after the desecration of his grave in 1793, is announced.
December 17 – Tunisian fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire in an act of protest. He dies 18 days later. This leads to the overthrow of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and to uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.
December 21 – For the first time since 1638, a lunar eclipse occurs on the day of the December solstice.
Deaths
Nobel Prizes
Physiology or Medicine – Robert G. Edwards
Physics – Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov
Chemistry – Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki
Literature – Mario Vargas Llosa
Peace – Liu Xiaobo
Economics – Dale Mortensen, Peter A. Diamond and Christopher Pissarides
Major holidays
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 7 - Orthodox Christmas
February 1 – Imbolc, a Cross-quarter day (Celebrated on February 2 in some places)
February 2 - Candlemas commemorating the Purification of the Virgin. It marks the liturgical end of the Christmas season.
February 14 – Chinese New Year
February 16 – Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras, end of Mardi Gras / Carnival season
February 17 – Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent)
March 1 – Holi, a religious festival in India
March 20 (21 in the Far East) – Vernal Equinox, also known as Ostara
April 4 – Easter
May 1 – Beltane, a Cross-quarter day
August 1 – Lammas, a Cross-quarter day
August 11 – Ramadan begins
September 8 – 10 – Rosh Hashanah, the "Jewish New Year"
September 10 – Eid ul-Fitr
September 17–18 – Yom Kippur
September 23 – Autumnal Equinox, also known as Mabon
November 5 – Diwali, a religious festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism.
November 16 – Eid al-Adha, a religious festival in Islam
December 25 – Christmas
In fiction
Movies
2010 (1984)
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002)
Absolon (2003)
Banlieue 13 (2004)
District 9 (2009)
Literature
Stand on Zanzibar (1968) by John Brunner
2010: Odyssey Two (1982) by Arthur C. Clarke.
Tracy Hickman, The Immortals (1996)
The Mayflower Project (2001) by K.A. Applegate.
In the Presence of Mine Enemies (2003) by Harry Turtledove.
Music
The Pearl Jam song "Do the Evolution" references the world in 2010: "I crawled the earth, but now I'm higher. 2010, watch it go to fire."
The Bad Religion song "Ten in 2010" appears on their album The Gray Race.
The Mint Chicks song "2010" is the b-side to the vinyl single "Walking Off a Cliff Again" and also appears on their album Screens.
Television
Knight Rider 2010 (1994 TV movie)
Maico 2010 (1998)
The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Wedding", from the 6th season, takes place in 2010.
A Stargate SG-1 episode called "2010" took place in that year. (2001)
Code Geass The event of Britannia's invasion of Japan happens on August 10, 2010.
Video games
In the SimCity franchise the Scenarios Vol. I: Great Disasters, in SimCity 2000, there is a nuclear meltdown in Boston and Silicon Valley which is set in 2010.
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight is a futuristic spinoff of the original Street Fighter released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990
Dino Crisis 2, the sequel to the 1999 game, released in 2000.
Other websites |
14366 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris%20%28dwarf%20planet%29 | Eris (dwarf planet) | Eris (symbol ) is a dwarf planet and a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). It is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System. Eris is slightly smaller than Pluto, but it is more massive (has more mass) than Pluto. It is a "scattered disc object" in the Kuiper belt, further out than Pluto. It is also called a plutoid because the IAU decided to rename all trans-Neptunian dwarf planets as plutoids. Eris orbits the sun once every 557 Earth years. It has an elliptical orbit, inclined at an angle of 44° between the plane of the orbit of the planet and the ecliptic, the plane containing Earth's orbital path.
Eris has one moon, called Dysnomia.
Discovery
Eris was discovered by Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz on January 5, 2005, when they were having a close look at some images of the outer Solar System taken in 2003.
Naming
Eris was originally called Xena, after the main character of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess. Due to complications, it was officially named Eris on September 13, 2006. Eris is named after the goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry in Greek mythology.
Moon of Eris
Eris has one moon called Dysnomia. It was discovered on September 10, 2005. Dysnomia was originally nicknamed Gabrielle, after a character from the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, like Eris. However, like Eris, it was renamed to Dysnomia due to complications. Dysnomia was named after the daughter of Eris, in Greek mythology. Dysnomia is the goddess (or spirit) of lawlessness and poor civil constitution.
Classification
Media reports have argued that Eris is the tenth planet, along with astronomers and NASA scientists. However, the definition of a planet was changed in August 2006. Under the new specifications, Eris, along with Pluto, was lowered in status to a dwarf planet.
Future
Scientists continue to find out more about Eris and its moon, and look for more moons and possible rings. Because Eris is so far away, it would take 24.5 years to visit Eris with a space probe.
References and notes
Related pages
Dwarf planet
Pluto
Other websites
Eris |
14377 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation%20Overlord | Operation Overlord | Operation Overlord was the 1944 campaign for the invasion of continental Europe in World War II. It was fought by the Allied forces against German forces. The most critical part was the Normandy landings, which were to get the Allied armies onto the continent of Europe. This might have failed. Heavy casualties were expected, even if it succeeded. It was successful. The Battle of Normandy raged until German forces retreated across the Seine on 30 August 1944. This marked the close of Operation Overlord.
The main Allied forces came from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Nine other nations also sent units, the rest being Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
Preparations were large and complex. Operation Overlord was the largest and deadliest amphibious assault in the history of warfare. Almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in then German-occupied France.
Plans for D-Day
Allied troops made many practice landings to understand how to do it.
Maps of Normandy beaches were created. The planners knew heavy tanks and transport could not travel on the beaches, which had soft peat underneath them. Detailed maps of the area were required. Where peat had to be travelled on, the plan was to lay down matting.
On 7 April and 15 May, Bernard Montgomery presented his plan for the invasion. He planned a ninety-day battle, ending when all the forces reached the Seine.
The goal for the first 40 days was to capture Caen and Cherbourg (especially Cherbourg, for its deep-water port). Then Brittany and its Atlantic ports would be captured. Railways and roads in northern France would be bombed to block reinforcements for the defenders. Next, the Allies would go 125 miles (190 km) to the southwest of Paris. The Allies would then control the land between the rivers Loire in the south and Seine in the northeast.
Meanwhile, the Allies made great efforts to make the Germans think the invasion would happen elsewhere.
Technology
The Allies developed new technology for Overlord. The "mulberry", a mobile concrete harbor, allowed the Allies to supply their soldiers on the beach without capturing one of the heavily defended Channel ports. Major-General Percy Hobart, a military engineer, designed modified Sherman and Churchill tanks.
Deception
In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies worked at military deception. German coastal defences were stretched thin in 1944. Once Normandy had been chosen as the site of the invasion, it was decided to attempt to trick the Germans into thinking it was a fake invasion and that the true invasion was to be elsewhere. This was called Operation Bodyguard. In the weeks leading up to the invasion, the Allies tried to make the Germans think that the main invasion would take place at the Pas de Calais and in Norway. The deception was an industry in itself. It included dummy messages, dummy tanks in places near Dover and the south coast of England, using double agents to spread false information, dummy radio messages, and so on.
The deception was highly successful. It led Hitler to delay sending reinforcements from the Pas de Calais region for nearly seven weeks (the original plan had specified 14 days). In his memoirs, General Omar Bradley called Bodyguard the "single biggest hoax of the war".
Rehearsals and security
Allied forces rehearsed their roles for D-Day months before the invasion. On 28 April 1944, in south Devon on the British coast, 946 American soldiers and sailors were killed when German torpedo boats attacked one of these landing exercises, Exercise Tiger.
The security of D-Day was supported by stopping unplanned news from getting out of Britain. Travel to and from the Republic of Ireland was banned and movements near the coasts was not allowed. The German embassies and consulates in neutral countries were given false information.
All the same, there were several leaks before or on D-Day. An embassy spy in Istanbul gave the Germans documents containing references to Overlord, but these documents lacked detail. Another leak was General Charles de Gaulle's radio message after D-Day. He stated that this invasion was the real invasion. This had the potential to ruin the Allied tricks. Eisenhower referred to the landings as the initial invasion. The Germans did not believe de Gaulle and waited too long to move in extra troops against the Allies.
Allied invasion plan
The British did an airborne assault on the River Orne. The British goal was to capture the Orne River bridges to prevent German armor from using them and to prevent retreating Germans from blowing them up. This way, they could be used by Allied armor and vehicles.
The British sea attack units would attack through Sword and Gold Beaches. The United States had an airborne division and land units, which were to take Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc and Utah Beach. The Canadians would work with British units to attack Sword Beach. The British and Canadians had separate beaches, Gold Beach and Juno Beach, respectively.
The Invasion Fleet was made upfrom eight navies made up of warships and submarines, split into the Western Naval Task Force (Rear-Admiral Alan G Kirk) and the Eastern Naval Task Force (Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Vian). The fleet was led by Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.
Codenames
The Allies assigned codenames to the various operations involved in the invasion. Overlord was the name for the landing on the Continent. Getting a secure hold on the area was codenamed Neptune. It began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time, the Allies had control in Normandy. Operation Overlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the river Seine on 19 August 1944.
German preparations and defenses
Atlantic Wall
Through most of 1942 and 1943, the Germans thought successful Allied invasion in the west would not happen. Preparations were limited to building fortifications at the major ports. The number of military forces in Nazi Germany reached its peak during 1944 with 59 divisions in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was in charge of the wall. He improved the defences of the entire coastline. Steel obstacles were put on beaches, concrete bunkers and pillboxes constructed, and low-lying areas were flooded. Pointed stakes were set up on likely landing grounds to make it hard for the Allies to do airborne landings. The Germans fortified the foreshore area as part of their Atlantic Wall defences (including tank turrets and barbed wire).
These projects were not finished, especially in the Normandy sector. Allied bombing of the French railway system made it hard to move materials, and the Germans were convinced by the Allied tricks that the landings would take place in the Pas de Calais.
The sector which was attacked was guarded by four divisions, of which the 352nd and 91st were of high quality. The other defending troops included Germans who were not fit for active duty on the Eastern Front, conscripted Poles and former Soviet prisoners-of-war who had agreed to fight for the Germans. These units had German leaders.
Mobile reserves
Rommel's defensive measures were made difficult by arguments over how to use armoured forces. Von Geyr and Rommel disagreed over the how to use Panzer divisions.
Rommel thought armoured formations be close to the coast, to attack while the invaders were weak. Von Geyr said they should instead be put around Paris and used in a big group when the Germans knew which beach was being invaded. Hitler made a compromise solution.
Rommel was given only three tank divisions, one of which was close enough to the Normandy beaches to fight on the first day. The other mechanized divisions were put under the control of the German Armed Forces HQ (OKW) and were placed across France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Weather forecast
The opportunity for launching an invasion was limited to only a few days in each month, because a full moon was needed. This would provide light for the aircraft pilots and create a spring tide. Eisenhower had picked 5 June as the date for the assault. However, on 4 June, conditions were unsuitable for a landing. High winds and heavy seas made it impossible to launch landing craft. Low clouds would prevent aircraft finding their targets.
Meteorologists predicted an improvement in the weather for 6 June. At a meeting on 5 June, Eisenhower and his senior commanders discussed the situation. Eisenhower decided to launch the invasion that night. Had Eisenhower delayed the invasion, the only option was to go two weeks later. This would have been during stormy weather.
The invasion
Inland airborne landings
To make it hard for the Germans to launch attacks during the sea attack phase, airborne operations were used to capture bridges and road crossings. The airborne landings behind the beaches were also designed to help the soldiers landing on beaches and destroy German coastal defense artillery.
The beaches
On Sword Beach, the regular British infantry came ashore with few casualties. They had advanced about by the end of the day but did not get as far as Montgomery had wanted. Caen was still held by Germans by the end of D-Day and would remain so until Operation Charnwood on 9 July.
The Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach had a difficult battle. German concrete fortifications and a sea wall twice as high as at Omaha Beach made it very difficult to attack. Juno was the second most heavily defended beach on D-Day, next to Omaha. Canadians were off the beach within hours and advancing inland. They were the only units to reach their D-Day goals, although most units fell back a few kilometres to make stronger defensive positions.
At Gold Beach, there were many dead and wounded because the Germans had strongly fortified a village on the beach. The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division advanced almost to Bayeux by the end of the day. When commando units captured the Port-en-Bessin, the Allies could use their PLUTO pipeline to bring in fuel.
The Americans who landed on Omaha Beach faced the veteran German 352nd Infantry Division, one of the best trained groups on the beaches. Furthermore, Omaha was the most heavily fortified beach. Commanders considered abandoning the beach but small units of infantry got past the coastal defences. By the end of day two areas had been captured. The control over the beach expanded over the following days and the D-Day goals were accomplished by D+3.
At Pointe du Hoc, the 2nd Ranger battalion had to climb the cliffs. While they climbed, the enemy shot at them and dropped grenades. They used ropes and ladders to climb up and then destroy the guns.
The beach fortifications were important targets since a single artillery observer could have directed fire on the U.S. beaches. The Rangers captured the fortifications. They then had to fight for 2 days to hold the location, losing more than 60 percent of their men.
The number of dead and wounded on Utah Beach, the westernmost landing zone, were the lightest of any beach. Only 197 out of the 23,000 troops that landed were killed or wounded. The 4th Infantry Division troops that landed on the beach was able to move inland by early afternoon, linking up with the 101st Airborne Division.
Once the beaches were controlled, the Mulberry Harbours were set up around 9 June. One was constructed at Arromanches by British forces, the other at Omaha Beach by American forces. Severe storms on 19 June caused problems with the landing of supplies and destroyed the Omaha harbour. The Arromanches harbour was able to supply around 9,000 tons daily until the end of August 1944, by which time the port of Cherbourg had been captured by the Allies.
The German 21st Panzer division attacked between Sword and Juno beaches and nearly reached the Channel. Allied anti-tank gunners made them pull back before the end of 6 June.
The Allied invasion plans had called for the capture of Carentan, St. Lô, Caen and Bayeux on the first day. The plan was to link all the beaches except Utah and Sword (the last linked with paratroopers) and a front line from the beaches. None of these goals had been achieved. The number of dead and wounded had not been as heavy as some had feared (around 10,000 compared to the 20,000 Churchill had estimated) and the bridges had survived the German attacks.
Cherbourg
In the western part of the invasion area, US troops were to occupy the Cotentin Peninsula, especially Cherbourg. This would provide the Allies with a deep water harbour. The land behind Utah and Omaha was banks and hedgerows that tanks, gunfire and vision could not get through. This made them ideal defensive positions.
The U.S. infantry made slow progress and had many dead and wounded as they moved towards Cherbourg. The airborne troops were used to help with the advance. The far side of the peninsula was reached on 18 June. Hitler told German forces not to retreat to the strong Atlantic Wall fortifications in Cherbourg. The Cherbourg commander, Lieutenant General von Schlieben, surrendered on 26 June. Before surrendering he had most of the facilities destroyed, making the harbour inoperable until the middle of August, by which time the combat front had moved so far east that it was less helpful.
Caen
While the Americans headed for Cherbourg, a unit of troops led by the British moved towards Caen. Montgomery made many attrition warfare attacks. The first was Operation Perch, which moved south from Bayeux to Villers-Bocage where the armour could capture Caen. It was halted at the Battle of Villers-Bocage. Caen was bombed and then occupied north of the River Orne in Operation Charnwood from 7 July until 9 July. An attack in the Caen area followed with all three British armoured divisions, codenamed Operation Goodwood from 18 July until 21 July. It captured the high ground south of Caen. The rest of the city was captured by Canadian forces during Operation Atlantic. A further operation, Operation Spring, from 25 July until 28 July, by the Canadians secured limited land south of the city, but with many dead and wounded.
Breakout from the beachhead
Montgomery's plan included keeping the Germans in the eastern part of the invasion area, while protecting Cobra's position. By the end of Goodwood, the Germans had used the last of their reserve divisions; there were six and a half Panzer divisions against the British and Canadian forces compared to one and a half facing the United States armies.
Operation Cobra was launched on 25 July by the U.S. First Army. It was successful. The VIII Corps entered Coutances at the western end of the Cotentin Peninsula on 28 July, after breaking through the German lines.
On 1 August, VIII Corps became part of Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Third Army. On 4 August, Montgomery changed the invasion plan by sending a corps to occupy Brittany and push the German troops around the ports, while the rest of the Third Army continued east. Because of the large number of German forces south of Caen, Montgomery moved the British armor west and launched Operation Bluecoat from 30 July until 7 August to add to the attacks from the United States armies. This pushed the German forces to the west, allowing the launch of Operation Totalize south from Caen on 7 August.
Falaise pocket
By the beginning of August, more German reserves became available. The German forces were being encircled and the German High Command wanted these reserves to help with a retreat to the Seine. Hitler demanded an attack at Mortain on 7 August. The attack was pushed back by the Allies, who again had advance warning from Ultra code breaking. The original Allied plan was for encircling the Germans as far as the Loire valley. Bradley realized that many of the German forces in Normandy were not able to move by this stage and he got Montgomery's approval by telephone on 8 August for to encircle German forces. This was left to Patton to do. He moved nearly unopposed through Normandy. The Germans were left in near Chambois. Strong German defense and the sending of some American troops for an attack by Patton towards the Seine at Mantes prevented the Germans from being trapped until 21 August. On this date, 50,000 German troops were trapped.
Whether this could have been done earlier with more prisoners taken has been debated.
The liberation of Paris followed shortly afterwards. The French Resistance in Paris rose attacked the Germans on 19 August. The French 2nd Armoured Division under General Philippe Leclerc, along with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division accepted the surrender of the German forces there and liberated Paris on 25 August.
Withdrawal to the Seine
Operations continued in the British and Canadian sector until the end of the month. On 25 August, the 2nd U.S. Armored Division fought its way into Elbeuf, making contact with both British and Canadian armoured divisions there. The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division advanced into the Forêt de la Londe, on the morning of 27 August. The area was strongly held and the 4th and 6th Canadian brigades had large numbers of dead and wounded over three days as the Germans defended their position. The Germans pulled back on the 29th, withdrawing over the Seine on the 30th.
On the 30th the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division crossed the Seine near Elbeuf and entered Rouen to a happy welcome.
Landings
Sword Beach was the easternmost beach on D-Day, and was attacked by the British 3rd Infantry Division, supported by units of the 79th Armoured Division. It was successful.
Juno Beach was the next beach to the west. It was attacked by the Canadian 3rd Division. It was also successful.
Gold Beach was the "middle" beach, lying between Sword, Juno, Omaha, and Utah beaches. It was attacked by the British 50th (Northumbrian) Division.
Omaha Beach was the second western-most beach. It was attacked by the American 1st Division. The bombardment before the assault was successful on every beach except Omaha, so German bunkers and artillery still remained. The battle was hard, but eventually the Americans won. Almost 2,500 Americans died on Omaha Beach.
Omaha Beach on D-Day 6.6.1944
Utah beach was the western-most beach. It was mostly successful, and it was attacked by the American 4th Division.
Campaign close
The campaign in Normandy is considered by historians to end either at midnight on 24 July 1944 (the start of Operation Cobra on the American front), 25 August 1944 (the liberation of Paris), or 30 August 1944, the date the last German unit retreated across the River Seine.
The original Overlord plan was for a ninety-day campaign in Normandy with the ultimate goal of reaching the Seine; this goal was met early. American forces were fighting in Brittany as anticipated by General Montgomery during the latter weeks of the campaign. Historians consider the Normandy campaign to have ended with the massive breakout of Operation Cobra.
The US official history describes the fighting beginning on 25 July as the "Northern France" campaign, and includes the fighting to close the Falaise Gap, which the British/Canadians/Poles consider to be part of the Battle of Normandy. Volume I of the Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War by C.P. Stacey, published in 1955, as well as the Canadian Army's official Historical Summary of the Second World War, published in 1948, define the Battle of Normandy as lasting from 6 June 1944 to 1 September 1944. The definition of the Battle of Normandy is also evident in another publication by the Army's Historical Section entitled Canada's Battle in Normandy.
There were reports of Eisenhower requesting Montgomery's replacement in July. The lack of forward progress was caused by the rough land. However, as at the battle of El Alamein, Montgomery kept to his original attrition warfare strategy, reaching the objectives within his original ninety day target.
Victory in Normandy was followed by a pursuit to the French border in short order. Germany was forced once again to reinforce the Western Front with manpower and resources from the Soviet and Italian fronts.
By September, Allied forces of seven field armies (two of which came through southern France in Operation Dragoon) were approaching the German frontier. The Allied battle plan was good, drawing on the strengths of both Britain and the United States. German leadership was often faulty, despite good fighting by German units.
In a larger context the Normandy landings helped the Soviets on the Eastern front, who were facing most of the German forces. It shortened of the conflict there.
Allied logistics, intelligence, morale and air power
Victory in Normandy stemmed from several factors. The Allies had more weapons and equipment. They also had new inventions like the PLUTO pipelines and Mulberry harbours. These helped the flow of troops, equipment, fuel and ammunition. Movement of cargo over the open beaches went better than expected,even after the destruction of the U.S. Mulberry in the channel storm in mid-June.
By the end of July 1944, one million American, British, Canadian, French, and Polish troops, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, and a lot of supplies were ashore in Normandy. Artillery ammunition and other items were plentiful. This was impressive considering they did not hold a port until Cherbourg fell.
By the time of the Normany breakout the Allies also had superiority in numbers of troops (approximately 3.5:1) and armored vehicles (approximately 4:1) which helped overcome the natural advantages the rough land gave to the German defenders.
Allied intelligence and counterintelligence efforts were successful. The Operation Fortitude trick plan before the invasion kept German attention focused on the Pas-de-Calais. High-quality German forces were kept in this area, away from Normandy, until July. Prior to the invasion, few German reconnaissance flights took place over Britain, and those that did saw only the fake camps. Ultra decoding of German Enigma (machine) communications had been helpful as well, exposing German plans.
German leadership
Lack of an organized strategy hurt the German defence. German leadership was split between Field Marshals von Rundstedt and Rommel. Von Rundstedt wanted to keep the powerful units in reserve, to do a powerful counterattack once the allied landing started. Rommel wanted to stop the allies at the beach. He tried to locate units so that they could attack quickly.
While Rommel's plan was good, the reserve strategy was not good because units could not move during the day due to allied air strikes. In the end, the mix of two strategies was a disaster. The beach defences were overcome and the counterattacks were not strong enough.
German commanders at all levels failed to react to the attack quickly. Communication problems added to the problems caused by Allied air and naval firepower. Local commanders did not lead an aggressive defence on the beach. The German High Command focused on the Calais area, and von Rundstedt was not permitted to use the armored reserve.
When it was finally released late in the day, success was more difficult. Although the 21st Panzer Division, had attacked earlier, it faced strong opposition that had been allowed to build at the beaches. Overall, even though the Allied material superiority continued to grow, the Germans slowed the Allies advance for nearly two months, aided by the rough land.
Although there were several disputes among the Allied commanders, their plans were decided by the main commanders. By contrast, the senior German leaders always had interference by Hitler, who did not know local conditions.
Field Marshals von Rundstedt and Rommel repeatedly asked Hitler for more freedom to change plans but were refused. Von Rundstedt was removed from his command on 29 June after he told Field Marshal Keitel, the Chief of Staff at OKW (Hitler's Armed Forces HQ), to make peace. Rommel was severely injured by Allied aircraft on 16 July.
Field Marshal von Kluge, who took over the posts held by both von Rundstedt and Rommel, was linked with some of the military plotters against Hitler, and he would not argue with Hitler for fear of arrest. As a result, the German armies in Normandy were pushed by Hitler to counterattack rather than retreat after the American breakthrough. Kluge was relieved of command on 15 August and killed himself. The more independent Field Marshal Walter Model then took command.
Notes
References
Other websites
WW2DB: Normandy Campaign
Operation
Operation
Battles involving Australia
Battles involving Canada
Battles involving France
Battles involving Germany
Battles involving New Zealand
Battles involving the United Kingdom
Battles involving the United States
European battles of World War II
Operation
Operation
Operation |
14380 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike%20Tyson | Mike Tyson | Michael Gerard Tyson (June 30, 1966) is an American retired boxer. In 1986, he had his 28th professional match (or fight) as a professional boxer; Because he won that fight also, the World Boxing Council (WBC) gave him the title "World Champion".
He held the heavyweight championship.
Mike Tyson became a professional boxer in 1985 and won a heavyweight title from Trevor Berbick in 1986. He was the youngest man to win a heavyweight title belt. He became recognized as the undisputed champion when he beat Michael Spinks in 1988. He lost his title to Buster Douglas in 1990. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.
He was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years in jail. When he was released he started boxing again and won a few heavyweight titles. Evander Holyfield was the first fighter to beat him in his return. Tyson also fought Lennox Lewis, who beat him, too. He retired from boxing in 2005.
Mike Tyson refereed one match at WrestleMania 14 and later on wrestled in a tag-team match on WWE Raw where he betrayed his partner, Chris Jericho. For these efforts, he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. He has his a video game called Mike Tyson's Punch Out! named after him. Inducted to the International boxing hall of fame in 2011.
He converted to Islam and became a Muslim he adopted the name Malik Abdul Aziz; other sources reported this name as Malik Shabazz.
References
Other websites
Boxing Record
1966 births
African-American boxers
American rapists
Criminals from New York City
Living people
Sportspeople from New York City
WWE Hall of Fame |
14382 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland | Cleveland | Cleveland is a city in northern Eastern Ohio, United States. It is home to over 400,000 people. It was named for General Moses Cleaveland in 1796, but according to legend a mistake in a local newspaper left out the first "a" in its name, which is why it is spelt like it is today. Its metropolitan area makes it the largest urban division in the state.
During the 19th century, Cleveland's location at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and Great Lakes port helped make it an important industrial center of the central United States. During World War II, the city became a center of manufacturing and industry, but deindustrialization caused a decline after that. Cleveland had a major revival in the 1980s and 1990s: The Playhouse Square theaters were restored, new skyscrapers like the BP Building and the Key Tower were built, new stadiums were built, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was opened on the lakefront. After a smaller decline in the 2000s, Cleveland has begun to make another comeback.
Cleveland is home to the Great Lakes Brewing Company and Cleveland Orchestra.
Many professional sports teams make their home in or near Cleveland. They include the Cleveland Indians, who play baseball; the Cleveland Browns, who play football; and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who play basketball. Both the Indians and the Cavaliers have their games at the Gateway District in Downtown while the Browns have a stadium on the shores of Lake Erie. The city's sports teams are known for having not won a major championship from the 1964 NFL Championship Game to the 2016 NBA Finals. The city also hosted the Cleveland Grand Prix IndyCar race until 2008.
Economy
In the past, Cleveland's economy relied on steel mills and manufacturing. Both are still a major part of the city today, but heavy industry in the area is much smaller than it once was. The city is known today for being a big center for medicine and medical technology, and the Cleveland Clinic is one of the most important hospital systems in the country.
Some major large companies are headquartered in the city, including Sherwin Williams Paint, Cliffs Natural Resources, and Key Bank.
Culture
Cleveland is a big center for the performing arts, and is the home of Playhouse Square, the second largest theater district in the United States (the largest is Lincoln Center). The complex was built in the 1920s, and after being closed down were restored and reopened in the 1980s.
The Cleveland Orchestra is considered one of the world's finest, and is one of the "Big Five" in the United States. It plays at Severance Hall, in the University Circle neighborhood. It has a major rock music scene, and is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is located on the lake in a building designed by IM Pei, a famous architect.
A diverse city, it has vibrant Italian, Irish, African American, Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Puerto Rican, Romanian, Jewish, Croatian, and Greek communities, among many others.
References
Other websites
City Of Cleveland Home Page
Greater Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau
Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History
Cleveland, Ohio Citizendium
County seats in Ohio |
14383 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus | Lexus | Lexus is a luxury car line produced by the Toyota company. Its worldwide motto is "The Pursuit of Perfection '''' slogan in the United States is "The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection"''.
Toyota |
14384 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Against | Against | Against can mean:
in an opposite direction - walking against the wind
in front, touching, or resting - The man was standing against the tree.
in opposition - against all odds
in competition - The boy played chess against his father.
touching with strong force - Ocean waves crash against the swimmer.
as a protection from - She used an umbrella against the strong rain."
Other meanings
Against'' was the seventh album by Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura. It came out in 1998 from Roadrunner Records.
Basic English 850 words
VOA Special English words |
14385 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentition | Dentition | Dentition is the development of teeth and where the teeth are in the mouth. Almost all mammals have up to four different types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Animals that have different types of teeth are called "heterodont". If they do not, they are called "homodont".
In mammals, the young have a set of primary teeth (milk teeth) that fall out after a few years. When they fall out, adult teeth grow in. Animals that have milk teeth and adult teeth are called diphyodont.
Archaeology
Dentition is important in archaeology. Dentition is used to study human migration. Tooth enamel contains trace elements which show where they grew.
Related pages
Teeth
Dental formula
References
Adovasion J. M. and David Pedler. 2005. The peopling of North America. North American Archaeology. Blackwell, Oxford. 35-36.
Other websites
Colorado State's dentition page
Dentistry
Teeth |
14388 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectrum | Plectrum | A plectrum or pick is a small object used to play certain types of string instruments. The plectrum is held in the hand and used to pluck a string. This makes a hard, metallic, "twangy" sound. The instruments most commonly plucked include the guitar, lute and mandolin. The strings of a harpsichord are also plucked, although the plectra in this instrument are called "jacks". They pluck the string when the player presses a key down.
Plucked string instruments |
14391 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny%20Barker | Danny Barker | Danny Barker (January 13, 1909 – March 13, 1994) was a New Orleans jazz singer-songwriter and musician.
References
1909 births
1994 deaths
African-American singers
American guitarists
American jazz musicians
American singer-songwriters
Musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana
Singers from New Orleans, Louisiana |
14392 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie%20Christian | Charlie Christian | Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. Christian is best known as one of the first famous guitarists to play the electric guitar. He is also remembered as one of the first musicians to help create the styles of jazz music known as "bebop" and "cool jazz."
Career
Christian first gained fame as a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. He played with Goodman from August 1939 to June 1941. He was very good at playing many notes up and down on a sinle guitar string. By playing his guitar through an amplifier his guitar solos made the guitar very loud in the band.
Death
Christian died in March 1942 when he was only 26 years old. He had been sick with tuberculosis for several years before he died.
Even though he was jazz guitarist who died before the music style rock and roll was started, he was still a large influence on rock and roll musicians. It was because of this that in 1990 Charlie Christian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though he had never played rock and roll music.
Legacy
Charles Henry Christian was raised in Oklahoma City in the American state of Oklahoma. In 2006 Oklahoma City renamed a street to "Charlie Christian Avenue." There is also a yearly jazz music festival in Oklahoma City which is named after Charlie Christian.
References
1916 births
1942 deaths
American guitarists
American jazz musicians
Musicians from Oklahoma |
14393 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco%20Cerri | Franco Cerri | Franco Cerri (January 29, 1926 – October 18, 2021) was an Italian jazz guitar player.
Cerri was seen as the most authoritative Italian guitarist in the jazz field, and his innate sympathy has meant that many viewers, seeing its shares on TV (especially in the 60s), come close to jazz, and studying guitar.
Much appreciated at the international level, has worked with notable musicians such as Django Reinhardt, Gorni Kramer, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Billie Holiday, Stéphane Grappelli, Lee Konitz, Dizzy Gillespie, Tullio De Piscopo, Pino Presti, Jean-Luc Ponty.
Cerri died on 18 October 2021 in Milan, Italy, at the age of 95.
Discography
Albums
1952 - The Franco Cerri Quintet, with Flavio Ambrosetti
1958 - Jazzin' with Cerri
1959 - Franco Cerri and his European Jazz Stars, with Lars Gullin, Flavio Ambrosetti, George Gruntz, Karl Theodor Geier, Pierre Favre
1960 - Franco Cerri Quartet
1960 - Franco Cerri Quartet and Choristers
1961 - Franco Cerri International Jazz Meeting
1963 - Bossa nova (Columbia, QPX 8043)
1964 - Chitarra, QPX 8059)
1966 - 12 bacchette per una chitarra 1968 - La sera a casa con te (Compagnia Generale del Disco CGD, POP 73)
1970 - Franco Cerri Jazz (Dire, FO 338)
1973 - Metti una sera Cerri (Music, LPM 2012; with Nando De Luca, Pino Presti and Tullio De Piscopo)
1974 - From Cathetus to Cicero, with Stefano Cerri and Gianluigi Trovesi
1975 - A Limen 1975 - Querce platani e cerri 1976 - Nuages (Dischi Ricordi)
1976 - Franco, Tony e Pompeo (Mallobia, LP 003; with Tony Scott and Bunny Foy)
1977 - Un suo modo di dire (Dire, FO 347)
1978 - Noi duero 1979 - Demoiselle 1981 - Omaggio a Bill Evans (Dire, FO 361; with Enrico Intra and Lucio Terzano)
1982 - Effetto Alfa 1984 - Franco Cerri Today! (Dire, FO 372)
1985 - From Milan to Frankfurt 1990 - Jazz in Italy (with Enrico Intra quartet; Ariston Records, ARJ/701)
1990 - Di jazz in jazz (Dire, FO386)
1993 - Cerri & Cerri 1995 - A Django, en souvenir de Milan 1997 - From Milan to Brussels 1998 - Images 1999 - Di Jazz in Cerri...di Cerri in Jazz 2000 - In punta di Cerri 2003 - From Cathetus to Cicero (re-edit - CD)
2004 - Ieri & oggi (re-edit of Metti Una sera Cerri + bonus tracks - CD)
2006 - Just Smile (host)
2011 - Bossa with Strings (Blue Serge)
2012 - Cerrimedioatutto'' (M.A.P. Golden Jazz)
References
Italian musicians
Jazz musicians
Guitarists
1926 births
2021 deaths |
14394 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie%20Condon | Eddie Condon | Albert Edwin "Eddie" Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was a Chicago jazz/big band rhythm guitarist.
American jazz musicians
Musicians from Indiana
1905 births
1973 deaths |
14395 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al%20Di%20Meola | Al Di Meola | Al Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is a Jazz fusion guitarist. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
American guitarists
American jazz musicians
Musicians from New Jersey
1954 births
Living people
People from Jersey City, New Jersey |
14396 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/White%20House | White House | The White House is the home and main workplace of the president of the United States. The house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban and built by slaves. It is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C..
History
The building was built between 1792 and 1800 out of white-painted sandstone from Aquia Creek in Virginia. Hundreds of black slaves were forced to build the White House along with free workers. It was designed in the Neoclassical style. It has been the home of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward. They made two colonnades that were meant to hide stables and storage. It was originally called the Executive Mansion before being renamed the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set on fire by the British Army in the Burning of Washington. Some of the soldiers who burned it were former slaves who had run away from their owners to fight with the British. They ate dinner in the house before setting it on fire. The fire destroyed the inside of the house and charred much of the outside. Reconstruction began almost immediately. President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829.
Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices moved to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office. This was eventually moved as the section was expanded. The third-floor attic was changed into living quarters in 1927. A newly built East Wing was used as a reception area for social events. Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings. East Wing changes were completed in 1946. These changes made more office space. By 1948, the house's load-bearing exterior walls and internal wood beams were found to be close to failure. Under Harry S. Truman, the interior rooms were completely taken apart and a new internal load-bearing steel frame was built inside the walls. Once this work was done, the interior rooms were rebuilt.
Today, the White House Complex includes the Executive Residence, West Wing, East Wing, Blair House, and the Old Executive Office Building, a separate building west of the West Wing, which houses the executive offices of the president and vice president.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the White House in October 2020. During the outbreak, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the infection.
Structure
The White House is made up of six stories— the two story basement, The Ground Floor, The State Floor, The Second Floor and The Third Floor.The term White House is regularly used as a metonym for the Executive Office of the President of the United States and for the president's administration and advisers in general. The property is owned by the National Park Service and is part of the President's Park. In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of "America's Favorite Architecture."
References
Other websites
The White House Historical Association, with historical photos, online tours and exhibits, timelines, and facts
President's Park (White House) part of the National Park Service
The White House Museum, a detailed online tour
Buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. |
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